Squirrel Brains

All in the family

What are the best offspring artists?  It could be son/daughter/wife/husband... of a famous or great musician that is worthy of mention.  Paul Simon's son just released an album last week.  I would think he's not a great example but on the other hand Ziggy Marley (son of Bob) would be.  Betty Davis was the second wife of Miles Davis and she threw down some pretty heavy funk that actually influenced Miles... another fine example.  That's my opinion.  What's yours?

Listening a lot - Writing not

I've been listening a lot, but writing not. Spinner keeps spinning my head every week. Here's some thoughts about this weeks listen.

Air - Love 2 - I haven't heard all of Air but judging on what I've heard (2 other albums and a pop here and there) this is a stark improvement. My feeling about the previous albums was that they had great moments and the lesser stuff didn't offend so it was an easy listen. On Love 2, it seems they have stepped it up. Every song is strong in melody, composition, performance as well as production. According to the little blurb on Spinner this is their 1st attempt at self-production... maybe that is the 1st step toward more solid albums to come by Air.

Matt Doughty - Sad Man Happy Man - I had a friend in Olympia who played guitar and wrote protest songs (mostly) because he was a protester and found a way to get across, not because he was a songwriter or musician looking for powerful material. I liked to hear him do his thing. He gave me a tape and I listened to it or MLK Jr. tapes or NPR..... not or other music, ya know? I don't know.... I could see Doughty a little drunk at a party breaking up a fireside jam with 'Burn You'. He is a rocker somewhere in there and it comes out a little but these songs might hold up better at a different party.

Alela Diane and Alina Hardin - Alela and Alina (EP) - (makes me sleepy) I really dug Alela's last album (only hearing it a handful of times on Spinner). Alina did backing vocals for that one and is here with Alela for an EP. They do have great voices..... probably shouldn't have let Art Garfunkel produce (jk). It comes across a little too weak. A good breeze would probably drown them out. On the other hand, if I was moving that slow too, I would probably be blown away by the songs and definitely by the singing.

Massive Attack - Splitting the Atom (EP) - not a lot to say.... listen and decide. I'd say that they do what they do well. I had heard them a little on Pandora and liked it.... this though was not how I remembered it. Psyche (Flash Treatment) is nice LOUD!

DJ Spooky - The Secret Song - Looking for a lift...... ..... Got it!... and more. His take on Dazed and Confused was definitely what I was thirsty for this morning (I dare a breeze or even a gust). I always feel like his stuff is presented as a group of tracks.... cohesion is lacking although I admit I don't know if that is normal for a DJ. 'Where I'm At' is a bright hip hop track.  The DJ himself is pretty pumped about this project as you can and should read about here.

Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy - He's from War On Drugs.... I wish I had me a few dollars. I would probably buy it. I like when a young man sounds like Mick Jagger, has a rocking band and has the money to do it right in the studio. I at least need to remember to listen to it again while it's on Spinner.

Rosanne Cash - The List - Great list from a great man. It sounds like Rosanne Cash.... ya know? "You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles." I listened to so much of it, but finally had to put it out of my misery.

Osso - Run Rabbit Run - Sufjan Stevens songs reworked by a string quartet..... Let's see how long I can deal with this over dramatized, self-important case.

Mountain Goats - Life of the World to Come - My first thought is Jeff Austin must have gotten pissed off, given up bluegrass and gotten a real band.  On second thought, the energy does not sustain.  Boring.

Daniel Johnston - Is and Always Was - Is he the genius that people make him out to be? Yes!  More adeptly crafted pop songs with a too honest twist.

Morphine - At Your Service - Sometimes I loved this band and other times, not so much. I thoroughly enjoyed this listen today. I would like to read up on where all of this uncovered material came from.....

...... and I would like to have more time to research, add images and links and write about all of this stuff! As you can see, my entries on each listen got shorter as the day went on and I realized how much work I had been slacking on. I got it all done but just in time (the work, not the listening - the listening is never done). I gave all I could today.... I just need a little more and I could make this site worth reading.

A good week at Spinner

Here's the link. 

It might be worth mentioning that this Booker T album is backed by The Drive By Truckers and with Neil Young on guitar!

Also this week;

Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door (EP)

Cold War Kids - Live From Fingerprints (EP)

and several more that I either haven't listened to or was not impressed with.  Let me know if I missed a good one.

YouTube Mash-ups - Thru You

Go here for more!

Spinners at Spinner

The spinners over at AOL are a bit confusing.  They actually have two sites where you can spin new cd releases for free.  Most of the cds are the same for both sites, with occasional noteworthy exceptions. 

At the AOL Music Beta site this week you will find;

Throw Down Your Heart - Bela Fleck
Bela Fleck takes the banjo back to its native Africa.

Black Moses - Isaac Hayes
Rerelease of the 1971 double LP.

Written In Chalk - Buddy and Judy Miller

Clifford Ball (1996) - Phish
I haven't listened to this recording yet, but for those of you who don't know, '96 was a very good year for Phish.  There are 10 choice tracks listed here.

.... and others.  Over at the actual Spinner site you will find those, minus Black Moses and plus;

Middle Cyclone - Neko Case

The Bridge - Grandmaster Flash

... and a handful of other more interesting looking unknowns.  If I listen through any and find them bonafide, I will list them here.

This week on Spinner

www.spinner.com

M. Ward - Hold Time

Alela Diane - To Be Still

Robyn Hitchcock & Venus 3 - Goodnight Oslo

Architecture In Helsinki - That Beep (EP)

..... and many more.

Audrye Sessions

Sam Roberts

Soul of John Black

Annie Lennox

... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

I wish I was born Icelandic

I don't claim to be cutting edge or bring you the latest.  I just stumbled across this great concert documentary (2007).  I dvr-ed it on Christmas Eve and finally got to sit down and watch it yesterday. 

I love the music of the Iclandic band, Sigur Ros.  They are so dramatic, so exotic and so calming, at once.  Sometimes I find it difficult to listen to.  It is best appreciated when I can encompass the mood they bring, yet it is difficult to relate their mood to my own life at times.  For me, this documentary showed me the context that was missing.  I could have imagined that it was the Iceland factor, but I could never have imagined exactly what that means, until I saw Heima (translated: at home). 

Heima is filmed and recorded entirely on location at 9 free shows in 13 days in Iceland ranging in size from a small coffee shop for a handful of friends and family to a huge outdoor show for 25,000 of their country men and women. 

I loved this film for the same reasons that I love their music, but as a package (visual and audial) it just made more sense.... the drama of the landscape of their home.... the intimacy of their shows.  The film and the music are amazing examples of restraint in crafting exactly what they want without muddying things up.  They borrow from other genres at times and when they have trouble emitting their emotions properly, they just make it up.

I had so many thoughts and emotions run through me as I watched this film.  Many were about the music and others were about the place (their home).  At first I thought of how nice it would be to visit Iceland, then I fantasized about the notion that if this world we live in gets much worse I might just take my family and move there.  At least, in a generation or two, those Rogerses would understand that we wanted a simpler and more satisfactory life for them than was possible in America.  These are a people who named their country, not to boast of its apparent beauty, but rather to discourage immigration (theoretically) so they might be more welcoming of my visit than a permanent move.  At last I decided (since I was only fantasizing, anyway) that the best option would be to have been born there and to be able to travel to a warmer climate but always be able to settle back into the comfort of such a home (Heima). 

I'm sure Iceland is not the place I fantasize it to be (4th most productive country in the world) but as this film so effectively shows, it is unique in this world.  Hvarf - Heim is basically the soundtrack from the film.  It's very easy to sign up at lala.com and you can listen to it all of the way through, then buy it. 

What is your favorite concert or music documentary?

Hvarf - Heim - Sigur Ros

Traffic - Diggin' it, Sharing it

Listen to the whole show at Wolfgang's Vault!

20th Annual Christmas Jam Hits Asheville

This fine Fred Mills' article takes you through the history of the Christmas Jam and an interview of Warren Haynes. 

For a more in depth guide to the performers for this weekend's jam visit the Mountain Xpress.

For the scoop on schedules and ticket information go straight to the source.

Check out the Christmas Jam By Day line-ups and schedules here for shows running throughout the weekend at Stella Blue, Emerald Lounge and Jack of the Wood.

Your 20 Greatest Singers?

This is Keith Richards' ballot for Rolling Stone's The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list.  I always get angry when I read their lists and this one is no exception, but they have also posted 25 ballots of musicians you may know which provides some very interesting reading.  Other ballots shown belong to Jim James, Bruces Hornsby and Springsteen, BB King, Patti Smith, Merle Haggard and an apparently high David Crosby.  

It has also inspired me to compile my own list.  I don't know how much time they had to finish theirs, but I'll take a couple more days.  I immediately made a list of about 50 of which some are fluff and some biggies have probably been left out.  My memory is pretty linear so sometimes it takes awhile to get to the end of the line.  That is also the reason I have Steve Winwood and Stevie Wonder written next to each other as well as Willie Nelson, Willie Watson and Doc Watson.  

So, go ahead and get out a piece of paper and a pencil (with a good eraser) and start writing 'em down, then post your list here.  If you are afraid someone will laugh at yours, just read David Crosby's or Courtney Love's and it will give you the confidence you need.  I'm serious about this one.  I haven't asked for your opinion for quite awhile, but I can't wait for some feedback on this.