Neon Heart, Dayglow Eyes

If we're honest with ourselves, no matter how much we like an artist, straight concert films are generally kind of boring. Unless there is some compelling backstage or tour footage to spice things up, it's hard to sit through an hour and a half of just a band performing on stage. I've bought a lot of concert videos of my favorites artists, but when it's pure concert footage, it usually takes me at least two viewings to get through it.

That said, U23D is an absolutely amazing film, and I'd be saying that even if U2 weren't one of my favorite bands. I've seen them four times, so I'm not going to try to sell you on the ridiculous "Even Better Than The Real Thing" angle, because it's simply not. But it is really effing good, and worth seeing even if you're not a fan of the band. Billed as the first all digital live action 3D movie, it's visually stunning. The shots put you above, behind, in front of and on the stage. You pretty quickly get over the gimmicky aspects of it being a 3D film, and just lose yourself in the experience. Add in the incredible sound in an IMAX theater and it's truly something to behold (the film is also showing in non-IMAX digital theaters, but it's definitely worth an extra four bucks to see it on the giant screen if you have the opportunity).

Apparently the footage was shot at seven concerts in South America during February and March of 2006, but it's edited to make it look like it took place at their stadium show in Bueno Aries, Argentina. They do a pretty good job of it, because it's pretty seemless. U2 fans will also appreciate the pacing of the songs, especially the way the politically minded songs flow together in the middle of the set. The biggest surprise of the movie comes during "Miss Sarajevo," when Bono sings the opera solo that was performed by Luciano Pavoratti on the original recording. Nobody is ever going to mistake Bono for one of the great tenors of our time, but it's impressive nonetheless (a snippet can be heard on the multimedia page of the movie's website).

U2 - "Beautiful Day (Live at Slane Castle)" (mp3) from U2 Go Home

Sadgasm

"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." Truer words were never spoken.

Easily one of the top five Simpsons episodes ever.

Now Strut Those Shoes

Interpol - Live (EP)

If you're like me, you probably spent your December busy with holiday parties and family functions and lazy afternoons watching football. And with all that going on, you might not have had time to make a trip to your favorite local independent record shop. So maybe you missed the fact that just after Thanksgiving, Interpol released a six track live EP, simply titled Live, that is available exclusively through indie record shops.

Recorded at their concert at the London Astoria last July (the same show that produced the "Mammoth" video), the brief set focuses on their most recent album, along with two songs from their debut (Antics gets no love). A couple of the songs get new intro segues, but other than that the arrangements generally stick to the album versions. This truly is a release for the fans. If you like the band, you'll enjoy this. If you don't, it's probably not going to change your mind.

Interpol - "The Heinrich Maneuver (Live)" (mp3)

Tomorrow

James is one of those bands that I didn't really like the first time I heard them, but came to love later. At first I think it was the trumpet that kept me from embracing them, which I really can't rationalize. For a while I just had this bizarre prejudice against horn players in rock bands who weren't named Bobby Keys or Clarence Clemons. There was also the fact that Tim Booth was a little too dramatic for my tastes. I'm not sure whether he eventually toned it down, or I became more tolerant of that kind of thing, but it's something I got over. Most people jumped on the James bandwagon when Laid came out, but it took me a few more years, and the release of Whiplash before I got how great a band they are. "She's A Star" was the gateway drug that got me in the door, but the song that really hooked me was "Tomorrow." I've always loved songs that are basically one chord progression that builds into a crescendo, partly because I realize how hard it is to pull off well. Everytime I've tried to follow that pattern in writing a song, the result has either been really boring, or just really terrible (and most often some combination of the two). It's also a good example of my belief that it only takes one great line to make a great song. For most of this song, the words are pretty average, but the first couplet of the chorus is one of my all time favorite lyrics.

James - "Tomorrow" (mp3) from Whiplash

photo "borrowed" from james.wattyco.com

Song Of The Day

Becuase I felt like posting, but not like writing...

Eyesinweasel - "Little Bored" (mp3) from Wrinkled Thoughts

Woman Fish

I know I've said this before, but Youtube is seriously the greatest thing ever. Here's another example of why... this morning I was reading a U2 biography when I came across this passage by The Edge, talking about the early stages of writing the songs that would become The Joshua Tree:

"There were some very rough versions of what became 'With Or Without You,' 'Red Hill Mining Town'; a song of Bono's called 'Trip Through Your Wires,' and a song called 'Woman Fish' that mercifully never saw the light of day, other than on an Irish TV show that we agreed to do in a moment of dementia. We hadn't shot ourselves in the foot for a while, so with two songs half written we decided it was the perfect time to go to the nation to showcase our 'new direction.' It was dreadful, the worst in a long line of ropey TV appearances. The idea, if there was one, was to try out the new material in front of a live audience. We found out instantly that we had a long way to go. We tried later to bribe the staff of RTE to give us the tapes, but it turned out they had shared our opinion of the
performance, and hadn't thought it worth keeping."

My first thought was "hmmm, I wonder if that might be on Youtube?" Two minutes later, voila...



The Edge is absolutely correct... it's terrible. I mean, they can't even get the count off right. I barely made it through the whole four minutes. The other song they performed on TV Gaga that day, "Trip Through Your Wires," was a lot better. It sounds pretty much like the version we're all familiar with, except the lyrics are completely different, apart from the hook.

And since this post is all about about early versions of U2 songs, here is another song that later turned into something else. I'll let you do the math...

U2 - "Always" (mp3) from the Beautiful Day single

Albums of the Year 2007

For the past two years it's been my goal to have my "best of" posts written and posted during the week between Christmas and New Years. And for two years I've failed miserably at that goal. Last year I blamed holiday traveling for the delay. This year I've got no legitimate excuse. I actually started this post on December 29, but it's sat largely untouched since then. Maybe next year I'll start this bugger in November. Better late than never though, so here 'tis... Page 300's Albums of the Year for 2007.



1. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up

Even if I had listened to a million albums this year, this one would still top my list. Everything I said about it in February still holds true. It's stunning, gorgeous, ethereal, otherworldly, majestic, understated, cryptic, catchy, quirky, and just plain beautiful. That's a lot of adjectives, and some of them contradict each other, but I stand by every one of them. Cortney's voice is the star of the show, but it's surrounded by a dazzling array of musical textures provided an all star cast from Nashville's indie scene. I absolutely love this album, and the fact that is was made by a local gal is the icing on the cake.

Cortney Tidwell - "Eyes Are At The Billions" (mp3)




2. Radiohead - In Rainbows

Most of the press about In Rainbows has centered on the band's "pay what you want" pricing strategy when the album was available for download on their website. And while that was a novel concept (especially for a band of their stature), the most amazing thing about it is that they turned release day into a communal experience again. The age of internet leaks has made people forget that it wasn't that long ago people would still line up at midnight at their local record store, so they could be the first to hear their favorite band's new album. By releasing this online just a week after it was finished, Radiohead ensured that everyone would be experiencing for the first time together. None of that would have mattered though if the album didn't deliver, and it does. Thom Yorke seemed to be returning towards writing actual songs (rather than just singing random phrases over the music) on his solo album, The Eraser, and that approach continues here. As much as I liked the band's last three albums, this is easily their best since OK Computer.

Radiohead - "Bodysnatchers" (mp3)




3. Interpol - Our Love To Admire

I'm not sure I really want to call this a return to form, but it's a return to something. Turn On The Bright Lights is probably my favorite album of the last ten years, and while I listened to Antics a lot, and like it, there was something missing on it that I've never been able to put my finger on. Call it the sophomore slump, but it was just less... special. Whatever it was though, the magic is back here in spades. Interpol took their new major label budget and managed to flesh out their sound while still sounding quintessentially like themselves.

Interpol - "Mammoth" (mp3)


4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

In reading other people's end of the year best of lists, it was kind of surprising to me how this album fell off so many people's radar. It was easily one of the 2007's most anticipated albums, and the prerelease hype for it was huge. And maybe that's the problem. The album leaked early, and by the time it was released in March, many bloggers we're already "over it" in their rush to hype the next big thing. Don't feel too bad for Arcade Fire though... Neon Bible debuted at number 2 in both the US and the UK, and made them arguably the most important indie band out there. The album expanded on the already lush sound they introduced on their debut, Funeral, and served as another sign that Bruce Springsteen is the new indie icon.

Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go" (mp3)




5. The Blakes - The Blakes

This album entered my universe just before Thanksgiving (when I originally reviewed it), and one of the best things I can say about it is that it managed to break through the never ending parade of Christmas music that is my usual December listening habit. It's probably the best debut album I've heard since The Stone Roses. The Blakes remind me a bit of Oasis, not only because they often wear their influences on their sleeves, but also because they write kick-ass, fun, and instantly memorable pop songs. I missed seeing them in Nashville in November, ironically because I was on my way to Seattle, both my hometown and theirs. Hopefully I'll get a chance to remedy that in 2008.

The Blakes - "Don't Bother Me" (mp3)

And That Day May Never Come

Evidently I was in a Marlon Brando kinda mood today*, because I ended up quoting two of his movies at work. One of them was the often misquoted line from the Godfather that guys love to bring out when someone asks them a favor. Sue me, I'm not above the occasional cliche. The other quote** came from this song from Guys and Dolls. Brando didn't sing it in the movie, but this version is freaking awesome. Der Bingle, Dino, and Frankie... it doesn't get better than that.

Bing Crosby, Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra - "Fugue For Tinhorns" (mp3) from Reprise Musical Repertory Theater box set

After forming Reprise Records in the early 60's, Sinatra concieved the Reprise Repertory Theater as a way to showcase the artist on his label. In 1963, he produced four albums of classic Broadway scores; Kiss Me Kate, Finian's Rainbow, South Pacific, and Guys And Dolls. With the later, he remedied what he considered a mistake from earlier in his career. Frank desperately wanted to play the role of Sky Masterson in the movie version of Guys And Dolls, which ended up going to Brando. In recreating the score for his label, Sinatra showed what he would have done with the character's showcase song, "Luck Be A Lady." Based on the results, he very well might have been right.

* By today, I actually mean yesterday. I wrote this post last night, but my hosting service was having issues, so I couldn't upload the track.

** The line in question is "Can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do," which I used to answer affirmatively to an email. I didn't expect the recipient to get the reference, and sure enough, he didn't. I do that a lot... making goofy references that people rarely get.