Underneath The Rock

I've been crazy busy the last couple of months. Between work, unpacking, the band putting out one CD and finishing recording another one, and of course football season, it's been easy for things to fall by the wayside. But how on earth did I miss the fact that Robert Pollard released not one, but two new albums last month??? In my defense, it's almost impossible for all but the most dedicated to keep up with the former Guided By Voices frontman's prolific output. But still...

Apparently he is doing a yin and yang thing with these two albums, with one featuring his poppier "Beatles" side, and the other a punkier "Stones" side. According to the press materials on the album: "In the universe where Bob explains the Freudian divisions of his psyche, he calls Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love his id, Standard Gargoyle Decisions his ego, and himself his Super Ego." From the bits I've heard, they really don't sound all that dissimilar. The description of Uncle Bob as "super ego" is certainly fitting though.

from Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love
Robert Pollard - "Current Desperation (Angels Speak Of Nothing)" (mp3)
Robert Pollard - "Rud Fins" (mp3)

from Standard Gargoyle Decisions
Robert Pollard - "Pill Gone Girl" (mp3)
Robert Pollard - "The Killers" (mp3)

You can also hit up the Merge website and stream both albums in their entirety.

The Lost Bing Crosby Christmas Album

Bing Crosby is practically synonymous with Christmas. For over sixty years, people have grown up with him being part of the soundtrack of the holidays. Name just about any classic Christmas song, and chances are der Bingle recorded it at some point. His take on "White Christmas" is possibly the most popular piece of recorded music ever. I would guess that in the three days since Thanksgiving, most of us have already heard it at least once.

Several years ago I found a Crosby CD in the bargain bin simply called Christmas Album. The most intriguing thing about is that I didn't recognize a single song on it. For the longest time, I couldn't find any information about it, but last year I finally hit up Steven Lewis' excellent Bing Crosby Internet Museum and found the answers. It was originally released in 1971 as A Time To Be Jolly, and was recorded with the accompaniment of the Les Brown Orchestra and the Jack Halloran Singers. Some of the arrangements definitely have that early 70's vibe that hasn't aged particularly well (though that kind of adds to its retro charm), but the songs are fantastic. It's kind of surprising that none of them seem to have been recorded by any other artists in the ensuing years. If you're a Bing fan, or just looking for some fresh Christmas songs you haven't heard a million times before, I'd highly recommend checking it out. For only six bucks, it's a bargain.

Bing Crosby - "And The Bells Rang" (mp3) from Christmas Album

Homecoming

Ah, Seattle. Birthplace of Jimi Hendrix, Boeing, Sir Mix-a-lot, the grunge movement, Starbucks, Mark O'Connor, Judy Collins, Rainn Wilson, and most importantly (to me anyway), me.

I've lived in Nashville for 22 of the last 24 years, but when people ask me where I'm from, I still answer "Seattle." I'll always consider it my hometown. The last time I was back in Washington though was when I was in high school. Until recently, I didn't have any family to visit there, and you don't get the kind of cheap flights from Tennessee that encourage quick weekend getaways. But now that my grandma and aunt live there, my dad's family is all going for Thanksgiving this year. I'm pretty giddy about getting back up there. It's been too long.

Last year I made a comment on here that Motochrist's "Evel" was the greatest tribute song ever recorded. I was wrong. This is...

Robyn Hitchcock - "Viva! Sea-Tac" (mp3) from Jewels For Sophia

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving #386

One of the problems with trying to do an annual Thanksgiving themed post is that once you get past Bing Crosby's "I've Got Plenty To Be Thankful For" (which I posted last year) and Adam Sandler's "Thanksgiving Song" (which I will never ever post), there aren't a whole lot of songs about turkey day. The song I'm posting this year isn't really about Thanksgiving, but it mentions it, and it kinda sorta refers to the pilgrims, so it seems close enough.

Frank Sinatra - "Early American" (mp3) from The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings box set

It was originally released in 1964 on the album America, I Hear You Singing.

Puget Sound

The Blakes - The Blakes

It's hard to describe the debut album from Seattle's The Blakes in one fell swoop. It opens with the swampy blues stomp of "Two Times," and you think you're getting a Pacific Northwest version of AC/DC. But that's immediately followed up with the propulsive beat of the Jesus and Mary Chain-like "Don't Bother Me," and a few songs later approaches Belle and Sebastian style chamber pop on "Lint Walk." It continues swinging between the yin and yang of flat out rock and pure pop over the course of its thirteen songs (fifteen if you snag it on iTunes). The common denominator throughout the album is that the songs are consistently great and catchy as hell. It's one of the strongest debut albums I've heard in a long time.

The Blakes - "Pistol Grip" (mp3)
The Blakes - "Two Times" (mp3)

The Blakes play a free in-strore at Grimey's in Nashville this Saturday, November 17 at 5 pm. It's a safe bet that it'll be awesome.

Seabees Can Do

The last time I mentioned All We Seabees on here, I said that they might my new favorite local band. I've seen them twice since then, and the verdict is in... they are definitely my fave Nashville outfit out there right now. They just seem to have everything I love about music all wrapped up in one tidy package. Their live sets are equal parts folky strum and distortion laden walls of sound. The songs are quirky enough to be interesting but catchy enough to stay stuck in your head for days. With splashes of banjo and female harmonies, their arrangements keep you wondering where they're going to go next without sounding schizophrenic. It's pop music with a hint of Celtic ache, and rock music with a healthy dose of drunken charm.

All We Seabees -"Bruin Hunt" (mp3) from Anne The Snake
All We Seabees - "Black Girls" (mp3) from Flounder And Hoot (not yet released)

They'll be going into a sort of winter hibernation starting next month, but you have a couple of chances to catch them before they wind down for the year. They play this Saturday, November 10 at Springwater, along with Save Macaulay and Angus Whyte & The Irish Rednecks. They'll also be taking the stage at Mercy Lounge for 8 of 8th on Monday, November 19, with a lineup that also includes Ghostfinger and Hands Down Eugene.

Pencils Down

Tonight I spent 20 minutes taking Rolling Stone's Almost Impossible Rock And Roll Quiz. It's aptly named... the thing is a bitch. Once upon a time I was somewhat of a savant when it came to music trivia. Not only did I know the answer to almost any conceivable question, but I could spit out the answers without hesitation. Unfortunately it's a skill that's diminished quite a bit over the last few years. Still, I managed to score a 42 out of 58 on this quiz, which classifies me as an expert on their scale. But I'll admit that a good third of the questions I got right were either educated guesses or dumb luck (like the one about Tupac posthumous albums versus Steven Seagal movies). If you're looking for something to kill time at work tomorrow, it's definitely worth a look.

Just Like Anyone

While scrounging around my collection of CD singles looking for a song that I ultimately decided not to post, I stumbled across the single of "Just Like Anyone," one of only two Soul Asylum songs I like (the other one is "Can't Even Tell" from the Clerks soundtrack). As big as I am on lyrics, it's a testament to how much I love the music of this song that it's one of my favorites, because the words kinda... well, suck. I'm pretty sure I can trace the end of my celebrity crush on Winona Ryder to the moment she started dating Dave Pirner. I mean, seriously, listen to the second chorus. The lyrics are abysmal. And yet it's still catchy as hell.

Soul Asylum - "Just Like Anyone" (mp3) from Let Your Dim Light Shine

These Blues Will Help Us All

Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues

It's kind of a misnomer to call Mark Olson's new CD a comeback. His albums as a Creekdipper had plenty of good material on them, although they certainly had a more lo-fi, organic feel. It'd be more accurate to call this a homecoming. It's a return to the lush, full sound that made the Jayhawks arguably the most important and influential band to come out of the alt-country movement. It's also easily Mark's best work since Tomorrow The Green Grass, his last album with the Jayhawks. The songs, informed by the breakup of his marriage to Victoria Williams and the loss of his band and his home, are both mournful and hopeful. They have a gravity to them, but they never wallow in self-pity. And the presence of Gary Louris' harmonies on three tracks is a reminder that the two of them together are one of the all time great vocal pairings (and it whets the appetite for their planned album together next year). If you're an old Jayhawks fan who's lost track of what Mark's been doing over the past decade, this album will remind you of why you loved his music in the first place.

Mark Olson - "Clifton Bridge" (mp3)
Mark Olson - "National Express" (mp3)