My Top 20 Albums of 2010

1) Parallels - Visionary (Marigold)
2) Cygnets - Bleak Anthems (Independent)
3) Caribou - Swim (Merge)
4) Women - Public Strain (Flemish Eye)
5) Kele - The Boxer (Glassnote)
6) Efterklang - Magic Chairs (4AD)
7) Suuns - Zeroes QC (Secretly Canadian)
8) Devo - Something for Everybody (Warner)
9) Yeasayer - Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
10) !!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It? (Warp)
11) Glasser - Ring (True Panther Sounds)
12) Apollo Ghosts - Mount Benson (Independent)
13) LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening (DFA)
14) Fond of Tigers - Continent and Western (Drip Audio)
15) Twin Crystals - Twin Crystals (Needs More Ram)
16) Fine Mist - Public Domain (Independent)
17) Iron Kim Style - Iron Kim Style (Moonjune)
18) David Byrne/Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love (Nonesuch)
19) The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream (Blue Horizon)
20) Turzi - B (Record Makers)

Who we've lost: 2010

Shirley Nelson
Robert "Squirrel" Lester (Chi-Lites)
Teddy Pendergrass
Jay Reatard
Ed Thigpen
Brian Damage (The Misfits)
Willie Mitchell
Tony Clarke
Lhasa
Greg Slay (Remy Zero)
Greg Pianka (Dirty Looks)
Jake Hanna
Doug Fieger (The Knack)
Lee Freeman (Strawberry Alarm Clock)
T-Bone Wolk
Lolly Vegas (Redbone)
Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse)
Alex Chilton
Herb Ellis
Malcolm McLaren
Pete Steele (Type O Negative)
Devon Clifford (You Say Party)
Guru
Owsley
Rob McConnell
Lena Horne
Hank Jones
Ronnie James Dio
Paul Gray (Slipknot)
Marvin Isley
Stuart Cable (Stereophonics)
Jimmy Dean
Garry Shider (Parliament)
Pete Quaife (The Kinks)
Sugar Minott
Andy Hummell (Big Star)
Al Goodman
Derf Scratch (Fear)
Chris Dedrick (The Free Design)
Richie Hayward (Little Feat)
Michael Been (The Call)
Rich Cronin (LFO)
Arrow
Eddie Fisher
Solomon Burke
Eyedea
Ari Up
Gregory Isaacs
John Sekula (Mushroomhead)
Jim Clench (April Wine)
James Freud (The Models)
Peter Christopherson
Ann Southam
Don Van Vliet/Captain Beefheart
Teena Marie

RIP Captain Beefheart

Don Van Vliet has died. Just back on Decembe 4th, I was doing my annual mourning/tribute to Frank Zappa and here we are two weeks later mourning another giant in experimental music. Captain Beefheart, as Van Vliet was known, was one of the true iconoclasts in music, unafraid to take chances and unafraid to truly explore what music was.

Beefheart was a strange man and, often, a brutal man. Read up on the stories on the creation of his masterpiece Trout Mask Replica and see what he subjected his bandmates too. Locking them up in a tiny house for 8 months, not permitting them to leave, letting them go hungry and go without sleep, forcing them to practice 14 hours a day. But, at the same time, Beefheart composed that album on the piano, an instrument he didn't know how to play. Think about that for a second. He had to teach himself how to play the piano, and with no instructor, he was able to come at the instrument with no preconceived notions on how to approach the instrument, so he came up with a completely unique take on the piano. What musician can say they had that kind of inspiration or vision to their music?

Beefheart also collaborated with Frank Zappa on his 1975 album Bongo Fury, and helped compose a few Zappa classics, like "Muffin Man". Van Vliet and Zappa were collaborations and friends for a time, but more than often, their egos and talent made them adversaries as well.

Few musicians can claim the sheer volume of left-field and non-commercial artists that Beefheart had influenced. They range from noted oddballs like Mark E. Smith of the Fall, The Residents and Tom Waits, to more mainstream acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand.

RIP Mr. Beefheart, you will be missed.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: Ant Man Bee

Your Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2010 Inductees

And the winners are...

Tom Waits
Neil Diamond
Alice Cooper
Darlene Love
Dr. John
Leon Russell (musical excellence)

Here's Tom Waits saying emphatically, "Rod Steward who?":

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup for December 16, 2010

On the Top 40: Fefe Dobson (top Canadian at #9), Nelly Furtado, JRDN, Marianas Trench, Johnny Reid, My Darkest Days, Shawn Desman, Elise Estrada, Michael Buble, Neverest (10/40 = 25%, still below the 35% needed for Cancon regs)

Weirdness: Not much. Neverest in there with their first song. Neverest look and soundlike a douchey Nickelback clone, so you can ignore them for now.

December Doldrums

December is a pretty dead time for new music. Since Christmas is looming, labels spend a lot of time putting out tree-friendly releases like Best Ofs, cheap compilations and re-releases, plus the ubiquitous Christmas music albums. So, things might be a bit dead on the blog for a while too.

Christmas is music hell for me at work too. Radio is awash with repetitive Christmas music, so saccharine and so fake. Everyone seems to have a Christmas album out and every single one has some horrible, over-wrought version of Silver Bells or Silent Night. So, I cleanse my palette with this:



I also have to mention, this came up on my workout random playlist today. Totally got me moving:

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup for December 9, 2010

In the Canadian Top 40: Fefe Dobson (top charter at #10), Nelly Furtado, JRDN, Marianas Trench, Johnny Reid, Michael Buble, My Darkest Days, Shawn Desman, These Kids Wear Crowns, Finger Eleven (10/40 = 25% Cancon, still below the needed 35%)

Chart notes: These Kids Wear Crowns get their first Top 40 hit. They've been a buzz band for a while, having been discovered on MuchMusic reality show disBand. Michael Jackson is back in the Top 40 too, with "Hold My Hand", a duet with Akon. I bet we'll see lots of Tupac like posthumous releases from Michael over the next few years. In the US charts, Florence and the Machine have their first Top 40 hit at #21, thanks to the Glee Cast doing her song. The Glee version is at #22.

Onion A/V Top whatevers for 2010

Onion A/V Club:

25) Spoon - Transference
24) Four Tet - There is Love In You
23) Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
22) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
21) Baths - Cerulean
20) Dessa - A Badly Broken Code
19) Yeasayer - Odd Blood
18) Call Me Lightning - When I am Gone My Blood Will Be Free
17) Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
16) Arcade Fire - The Surburbs
15) Wavves - King of the Beach
14) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
13) Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
12) The Black Keys - Brothers
11) Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
10) Robyn - Body Talk
9) Vampire Weekend - Contra
8) Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
7) Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot
6) Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
5) The Roots - How I Got Over
4) LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
3) The National - High Violet
2) The Walkmen - Lisbon
1) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

!exclaim Top 20 for 2010

From !exclaim Magazine:

1) The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
2) Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter
3) Teen Dream - Beach House
4) Meet Me at the Muster Station - PS I Love You
5) Heartland - Owen Pallett
6) Crazy for You - Best Coast
7) High Violet - The National
8) The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens
9) Transference - Spoon
10) Public Strain - Women
11) Special Affections - Diamond Rings
12) Have One on Me - Joanna Newsom
13) Lisbon - The Walkmen
14) Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
15) Before Today - Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti
16) Treats - Sleigh Bells
17) Expo 86 - Wolf Parade
18) Wilderness Heart - Black Mountain
19) American Slang - Gaslight Anthem
20) The Monitor - Titus Andronicus

Forgotten Music #4: The Connells - "Stone Cold Yesterday"

Yet another one of those bands that made music catchy enough to be on the radio but totally ignored by mainstream radio. North Carolina's The Connells were a great, highly underrated power pop band that even flew under the radar on college radio. "Stone Cold Yesterday" comes from an album called One Simple Word, that came out in 1990 on TVT records.



Nothing fancy here, just infectious power pop. Enjoy!

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup for December 2, 2010

No new Top 40 charts this week, so no update there.

I rarely listen to commercial Top 40 radio, so I'm a bit confused about seeing country artists next to R&B and hip hop artists in the chart. Does Top 40 radio really play Eminem back to back with Tim McGraw?

It Begins - Best of 2010 Lists

From UK's Q Magazine:

50. Steve Mason - Boys Outside
49. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
48. Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep
47. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
46. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
45. Cherry Ghost - Beneath This Burning Shoreline
44. Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
43. Skream - Outside The Box
42. Tom Jones - Praise & Blame
41. Belle And Sebastian - Write About Love
40. Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back
39. I Am Kloot - Sky At Night
38. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
37. The Coral - Butterfly House
36. The Roots - How I Got Over
35. Everything Everything - Man Alive
34. The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards
33. Tricky - Mixed Race
32. The Drums - The Drums
31. The Chemical Brothers - Further
30. Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
29. Interpol - Interpol
28. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
27. Midlake - The Courage Of Others
26. Klaxons - Surfing The Void
25. Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
24. Bryan Ferry - Olympia
23. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
22. Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea
21. Band Of Horses - Infinite Arms
20. Take That - Progress
19. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
18. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
17. John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
16. Foals - Total Life Forever
15. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
14. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
13. Beach House - Teen Dream
12. Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
11. The Black Keys - Brothers
10. MGMT - Congratulations
9. Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
8. The National - High Violet
7. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
6. John Grant - Queen Of Denmark
5. Vampire Weekend - Contra
4. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
3. Plan B - The Defamation Of The Strickland Banks
2. Robert Plant - Band Of Joy
1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Oddball covers

One aspect of music I love is strange covers. Like people who have no business covering other songs. Like William Shatner covering Pulp's "Common People". Sometimes I run across a cover song so strange that I have to expose it or play it on my radio show. I've talked about the Slits covering "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" earlier.

One fun thing is finding a song you didn't know was a cover. A fellow music lover tipped me off to a Youtube user called funktuall, who specializes in tracking down samples in hip-hop, but also has several videos featuring covers you didn't know were covers. Here's the first edition.



Two of my favourites: Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" was first done by 70s rock band The Arrows, and Blondie's "Tide is High" is an early reggae single from the Paragons:





As a total sidebar, here's John Holt of the Paragons doing "Ali Baba", one of my favourite reggae tunes:

Symphony Sale for November

Every six months or so, the Kamloops Symphony holds a used book and music sale. The November sale just finished up. I always go, though I never find anything spectacular, I usually find a couple of interesting things. This year, I found the "Cat People" score by Giorgio Moroder and a beat up copy of "Thunder in the East" by obscure Japanese hair-metallers Loudness. It also gives me a chance to indulge my other collecting hobby: maps and altases. I picked up a road atlas of the UK and Ireland, and a road gazetteer of Australia put out in 1969 by an Australian oil company, Ampol.

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup for November 25, 2010

In the Top 40: Nelly Furtado (highest charting Canadian at #14), JRDN, Fefe Dobson, Michael Buble, Johnny Reid, Shawn Desman, My Darkest Days, Finger Eleven, Fefe Dobson (again), Down with Webster, Marianas Trench (11/40= about 27%, still under the 35% needed for Cancon regs)

Interesting bits: Nothing much in the Canadian charts, but Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You/F**k You" climbed into the Top 10 singles this week. This song is a pox on music right now. It's not clever, it's crude and annoying. Cee-Lo has made good music (like with Gnarls Barkley), but this is an awful song. It's not even good parody. And the Glee version is at #11 on the US charts. As predicted, the 4 Glee songs from last week slid right out of the Top 30 (still one in the low 30s, a cover of Teenage Dream).

Rediscovering Country Music

My parents were big country music fans. I grew up listening to it, and disliking it. Though, in the past 10 years or so, I've gained a lot of respect for the genre and the early performers of the music. The less said about the pop music currently masquerading as country, the better, in my opinion.

Mom liked George Jones, Charlie Pride, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagonner for the most part. Dad liked Conway Twitty. Both disliked the so-called "outlaw movement" (Cash, Nelson, Jennings, etc.). After revisiting these artists, I have a deep respect for the work of George Jones. No one can touch him as a vocalist. His voice is so earnest, the emotion in his work is almost palpable. Patsy Cline also had an amazing voice, innocent and experienced at the same time.

One thing, I've been discovering lately is the humour in a lot of country music. Jones has a wonderful track called White Lightning that makes me smile every time I hear it. A lot of clever novelty music came out in the 60s that tended to be associated with country music. I'm sure everyone my age growing up had a copy of one of those Goofy Greats or Wacky Wonders albums. One of the mainstays was Roger Miller's "You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd":



Miller's work straddled novelty and conventional country. His biggest hit was "King of the Road", a fairly mainstream sounding country act and a song I associate with my youth. My family used to travel across the country in an old station wagon, eating at gas station diners, and "King of the Road" reminds me of the people we might meet at these places, and some of the food we ate too.



Miller's creativeness is more apparent in his novelty tracks though. Besides "Buffalo Herd", he's had minor hits with "Do Wacka Do", "Chug a Lug", "Dang Me" and, a recent discovery of mine, "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died". I came across this song due to some live footage from country act The Sweetback Sisters, and I tracked it back to Miller.



Roger Miller is close to me for one main reason, the song "England Swings". One of my most fond memories is my grandmother rocking me on her legs singing "England Swings" to me. The song always makes me smile.



As a footnote, I got very confused when discovering Roger Miller's name for the first time. As I'm sometimes wont to do, I discover mainstream artists through more obscure artists. I found the band Mission of Burma back in the late 80s when I first started in community radio, then discovered the side project No Man, who usually put on their albums "No Man is Roger Miller". I thought Roger Miller was part of the name of the band, but Roger Miller is also the name of the guitarist of Mission of Burma. So, was the band referring to the country singer or the guitarist? And who was this country singer that was being referred to by a post-punk band? Yes, I rediscovered Roger Miller (the country artist) through Mission of Burma, not the other way around.

Indie Band Roundup #3

Time for three more unsigned Canadian bands you need to check out!

The SSRIs: This is a new band from Vancouver that plays an upbeat and almost-dancy style of noise rock. They've been around in the Vancouver scene for about 4 years and have just released their debut full length, amusingly titled "Effeminate Godzilla-Sized Windchimes". There's a link to download their music on their website.

It Kills: This three-piece from Halifax plays a dense mix of pop, jazz and drones. They've just released a self-titled independent album. They remind me a bit of Fond of Tigers or a jazzier Mogwai.

Mid Pines: Mid Pines is a minimalist electronic project fronted by Laura Bell, who lives in Ontario somewhere. There's almost no information online about this project, and seemingly nowhere to buy her album, called "Unmeasure". But, there is a review here. If you manage to find this album, let me know so I can get myself a copy!

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup for November 18, 2010

Two things first. Turns out Edward Maya isn't Canadian. He's Romanian. So Cancon on Top 40 radio is even lower than what I thought it was. Second, the Glee Cast has four songs debuting in the American Top 40 this week. I can almost guarantee they won't be there next week. I feel a turgid, spit-flecked rant about Glee coming on...

In the Top 40 this week: Nelly Furtado (top Canadian at #12), Michael Buble, JRDN, Shawn Desman, Johnny Ried, Fefe Dobson (twice), Down with Webster, Finger Eleven, Sweet Thing (10/40, 25%, well below the neede 35% Cancon).

No weirdness on the charts this week, though I will note it's been about 6 weeks since any Canadian artist was in the Top 10 singles. Isn't Canadian radio supposed to be championing Canadian music?

Forgotten Music #3: The Godfathers - "Birth, School, Work, Death"

Another classic LJ posting:

I remember when I first got into campus radio back in the late 80s and really started to understand what it was for. I began to listen, really listen, to music outside of what I already know about myself and started to discover amazing bands. Bands that, given a chance, made music just as catchy and palatable as what I was hearing on mainstream rock radio. The Godfathers from the UK were one of those bands. I got into them with their 1988 album "More Songs About Love and Hate", but quickly found their earlier work was much more appealing. "Birth, School, Work, Death", the album and the song, came out in 1988.



The band mixed the oh so late 80s college radio power pop sound with just enough punk swagger to make their work jump out at you. The subject matter is here is less dense than my previous pics, but it hardly matters. The Godfathers are about controlled punk energy and the subject matter is pure punk anger combined with indy rock angst. Just sit back and enjoy it.

Canadian Top 40 Cancon Roundup

In the Top 40 this week: Edward Maya (top Canadian at #11), Nelly Furtado, Micheal Buble, JRDN, Shawn Desman, Johnny Reid, Fefe Dobson (twice), Down with Webster, Finger Eleven, My Darkest Days, Sweet Thing (12/40=30%, under the required Cancon of 35%)

Weird note: Canadians seem to love Reba McIntyre or, as she's known now, Reba. I've seen four singles of hers in the Canadian Top 40 in the last two years (Her current song "Turn on the Radio" is #25 this week) and never see her in the American Top 40. She's in the country charts of course, but never the pop charts in the US.

More on Cancon

One idea I'm kicking around right now is beginning to host another radio show, this one for the internet. I know a group I've been talking with called Ghettoradio, who have DJs booked around the clock and around the world (for the most part), doing 1-2 hour shows. I'm working on a all Canadian show, focusing on obscure Canadian artists from all eras of music and avoiding the artists well known outside of our border. The show will be called Beaver Tail Radio. The first step is to get my Canadian CDs uploaded onto my computer (because the broadcasting program doesn't seem to detect my iPod), then I'll have a good base to start the show. Then, I want to get an mp3 turntable and start digitizing all the obscure Canadian new wave I have on vinyl.

Speaking of vinyl and continuing my obsession with Canadian music, I had another nice score at a used record/comics/games store downtown today:

Alien Heirs - To Heir is Divine EP (Canada, Independent, 1985): Synth-pop act from Vancouver, album engineered by Dave Ogilvie. One member, called Twin, looks a lot like Bif Naked, but apparently isn't.
Marshall Crenshaw - Field Day (USA, Warner, 1983)
Philip Glass - The Photographer (USA, CBS, 1983)
The Motels - All Four One (USA, Capitol, 1982)
One To One - Forward Your Emotions (Canada, Bonaire, 1985): Radio pop band from Ottawa, kind of the last gasp of new wave in Canada.
Parachute Club - Small Victories (Canada, Current, 1986)
The Planets - Goon Hilly Down (UK, Rialto/Polygram, 1979)
Silver Darts - Feel Like a Target EP (Canada, Rio, 1981): Almost nothing online about this band, looks to be from Montreal.
Spoons - Talkback (Canada, Ready, 1983): Classic Canadian new wave, one of the legends.
Thompson Twins - Side Kicks (UK, Artists, 1983)
The Tubes - The Completion Backwards Principles (USA, EMI, 1981)
V/A - Modern Rockers (Warwick, 1982): British import compilation, bands like Ian Dury, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Squeeze, Boomtown Rats, etc.
V/A - Asylum 83 (Kelly's, 1983): This album has a Warner Record stamp on the album itself, but it looks to be a promo album sent to a record store called Kelly's (which looks to be based in the UK) and wasn't for sale. Bands includes Echo and the Bunnymen, U2, Planet P, Blanket of Secrecy, Berlin, Men Without Hats and Greg Kihn.

Elvis Costello makes the rounds

Nov. 2 was the release date for Elvis Costello's newest album National Ransom and Slicing Up Eyeballs has a good run down of his recent talk show circuit performances and interviews. Check it out:

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2010/11/06/elvis-costello-fallon-letterman-colbert-morning-joe/

I know what's going to be in my CD player for the next month or so (once Amazon delivers it, that is)

Cancon and the Top 40 Charts

Those of you who don't live in Canada (and maybe some who do) may not have heard of Cancon, or Canadian Content, laws. They dictate that a certain amount of content on any station broadcasting in Canada must be Canadian. This was brought in first as a tactic to prevent our own culture from eroding from the massive media presence of our next door neighbours (the USA), and to encourage Canadian artists to make their own music, films and TV through grants and encouraging stations to air this content.

Whether or not Cancon has worked is a matter for debate. Canada has an extremely strong music scene now and many of our artists are internationally known. But TV and movies still seem anemic in comparison. In addition, commercial radio stations will stack their playlists with artists that are already familiar with listeners, so Cancon on commercial radio usually means "The 15 or so bands and artists that got a hit in the United States". Truly homegrown artists in Canadian commercial radio are fairly rare. Also, only Canadian artists on a major label will usually get played, but this is a problem endemic to commercial radio in general, not just in Canada.

Every week I scan the Canadian and US Top 40 as part of my job, and lately I've been counting the Cancon on the Canadian charts to see if they line up with Cancon laws. By law, Canadian radio must play 35% Canadian artists, so about 1 out of every 3 songs needs to be Canadian. The Canadian charts are by no means an authoritative sampling of what's being played on commercial radio in Canada, but it remains an interesting exercise to examine them to see what's going on. Also, the charts the public have access to (Soundscan) aren't the charts that the industry uses. Those charts, you have to be a broadcaster and you have to pay to get access to them.

Each week, when I have time, I'll take a quick look at the Soundscan charts for Cancon. You can check out each week's charts every Thursday here.

Canadian artists in the Top 40 this week: Edward Maya, Michael Buble, JRDN, Nelly Furtado, Shawn Desman, Johnny Reid, Fefe Dobson, Finger Eleven, Down With Webster, Sweet Thing, Girlicious, My Darkest Days (12/40 = 30% Cancon, under the 35% needed)

Canadian artists in the Top 100 this week: Edward Maya, Michael Buble, JRDN, Nelly Furtado, Shawn Desman, Johnny Reid, Fefe Dobson (2 times), Finger Eleven, Down With Webster, Sweet Thing, Girlicious, My Darkest Days, Hedley, Doc Walker, These Kids Wear Crowns, K'Naan, Andrew Allen, Aleesia, Jake Matthews, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Three Days Grace, Dean Brody, Emerson Drive, Paul Brandt, Jann Arden, Marianas Trench, High Valley, Gord Bamford, Stef Lang, Billy Talent, Sarah MacLachlan, Bryan Adams. (34/100, 34% Cancon, closer to the mark)

Homegrown artists in the Top 40: Edward Maya, JRDN, Shawn Desman, Johnny Reid, Fefe Dobson, Down with Webster, Sweet Thing, Girlicious (8 out of 40)

Interesting blip on this week's charts: American artist Brad Paisley at #24, he's not on the American Top 40 chart anywhere.

Driving music

I've been creating a playlist for a short road trip and thinking about good driving music. Some say "Red Barchetta" by Rush is the best driving song of all time:



I'm fond of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn";



But, I'd like to make a plea for Sugar's "Needle Hits E":

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Needle+Hits+E/3rOwF

Latest album reviews

Well that was quick, I sent !earshot my latest reviews on Thursday and they're already up!

Cambridge - This is Not a Victory

Fond of Tigers - Continent and Western

Caleb Klauder - Western Country

And a bonus review I just posted on RYM for Soundgarden's new best of, Telephantasm

Arhoolie Ovesrtock Music Sale

Just learned about this from the good folks at the Obner music board. $20 for four albums. Arhoolie is a very well respected roots, blues and worldbeat label.

http://www.arhoolie.com/overstock-sale-items/

When David Lee Roth ruled music television

Back when music video was very new, say about 192-1984, there seemed to be some acts that were born for it. Bands that understood that being an entertainer also meant that there needed to be something to look at as well as being listen to. Band like Duran Duran, Devo and, yes, Van Halen. When VH's "1984" came out, it seemed like they were born fully formed into the video age. With four albums of solid guitar rock/metal behind them, they fully embraced a pop-rock sound and made upbeat, feelgood videos that were fun to watch. Like "Panama":



And their excellent "Hot for Teacher":



Soon after 1984 had fizzled out, David Lee Roth embarked on a solo career. His first EP, Crazy From the Heat, took the Van Halen party formula and thrust it forward to it's logical extreme. Roth was a camera hog, a ham and he chewed up the scenery like no one else at the time. The two videos that came from the EP, "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo", were paeans to the excess of the 80s, with Roth as a grinning, wacky ringmaster. "California Girls" had racial stereotypes and rampant sexism, with Roth wallowing in the absurdity, like some sort of Roman idol, all of the members of the video's cast seemingly worshiping him.



"Just a Gigolo" came off like a Las Vegas stage show, with Roth changing costumes and sets every 15 seconds or so, skewering the pop idols of the time (including Billy Idol). It seemed like Roth was ready to take over the music world.



By the time his first full length album, Eat 'em and Smile, came out, Roth was beginning to look long in the tooth. The album was enjoyable enough and the first single and video for "Yankee Rose" was wacky enough, but the edge seemed to be dulled. Roth's stage presence was reduced to his trademark high-kicks and karate moves, and he was hanging off his backing band (containing an up-and-coming Steve Vai) like he was in Motley Crue, not being his own man.



His second full length, Skyscraper, was a disaster. The music industry had passed him by. Roth was a parody of himself and his music lacked the energy and sheer mania of his earliest solo work. The video and single "Just Like Paradise" sounded like every other rock band on the planet.



Growing up, I remember watching Roth and being very excited to watch this new kind of rock star, one born for video, take off. Watching him very quickly fizzle was disappointing, but showed he needed some talented people backing him up for him to really shine. His ego was too much for his music and he quickly proved to be a shyster in spandex. Strangely, his prediction at the end of the "Hot for Teacher" video, where he became a popular gameshow host, didn't fall too far from the mark. Really, who respects a gameshow host, that is, if your name isn't Bob Barker?

Forgotten Music #2: Morrissey - "Every Day is Like Sunday" (1988)

Reprinting from my LiveJournal:

The second song in my series of song focuses is a bit a shocker for me. I actually really dislike Morrissey and The Smiths. I find them preachy and self-important most of the time. In fact, this is the only song besides "Interesting Drug" I like from either of them.



When I first heard this song, I thought it was another typical British song, about living in a backwards town where no one understands you. Like you are the only smart and cultured one there and that the town is so boring, you want everything to disappear. You can see how the sentiment would appeal to a teenager. Every teen in every small town thinks their town is boring and drab. I still feel that way about my hometown. But, this song takes a disturbing twist in the second verse. The town becomes the "town they forgot to bomb" and Morrissey is suddenly asking for it to be hit by a nuclear bomb. Then, the bored teen is surprised by "strange dust" falling on their hands, like nuclear fallout. The song becomes not a plea to get out of a small town, but a plea for the ugliness in the world to go away. A desire so strong that only being obliterated by a nuclear warhead will do it. The song is about the hatred for the shallowness of humanity. You see this a bit clearer in the video, where the young girl drops the postcard on the old ladies and let's the spoiled dog run away. The women laughing at the mechanical dancing bear seems grotesque and artificial too.

Of course, some of the message gets lost in Morrissey's own personality. There's a lot of self-adulation in the video. Whether it's intentional or ironic, it still detracts from the overall message of the song.

RIP Ari Up

Ari Up (real name Ariane Foster), guitarist and lead singer for legendary UK post-punk band The Slits, passed away on Wednesday, October 20. She was 48 and had been fighting with cancer for the past year.

Ari formed the Slits with drummer Palmolive when she was just 14 years old. Her legacy in punk and the UK scene is long, since her mother, Nora, used to put up punk band in their house as they toured, she met many of the earliest stars of the genre as she was growing up. She learned how to play guitar from Joe Strummer of the Clash. Her music had a distinct reggae feel to it. The Slits were only around from 1976 to 1981, but left an indelible stamp on UK punk and post-punk music.

The band recently came back together and recorded a full length album, Trapped Animal, for Narnack Records, in 2009.

I remember The Slits mostly for their dubby version of The Miracles' "I Heard it Through the Grapevine":

Band name mashups

A classic post from my Livejournal, ca. 2008:

From the cover of the new LP by The Two Koreas (which looks like an old John Peel Sessions cover):

Chinese Daughters
Alien Sexsmith
Sun-Ra and Cher
Ultra Broken Vivid Scene
Gang of Foreigner
Klaatu Live Crew
Dinosaur Jr. Walker
Bing Crimson
The Irish Descendents
Franti-Nowhere League
Mission of Berman
Half Man Half Japanese
Clock D.O.A.
Adamski and the Ants
Fleetwood Mac Davis
Peter and the Test Department Babies
Godspeed! You Black Oak Arkansas
Dire Strokes
I Beefeater
Steel Eye Can
The Sisters of Mersey
Siouxsie Quatro
Teafinger
Husker Duul II
The Randy Vicars
Elevenenth Dream Theater
Scritti Gritty Dirt Band
Bauhausmartins
Too Much Joy Division
Grateful Dead Can Dance
Merzbow Wow Wow
R.E.M. Speedwagon
Loggins and Masonna
Thin White Lizzy
DJ Spooky Tooth
Wishbone Ashford and Simpson
Curved Air Supply
The Go-Go Betweens
Simply Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Yazoobombs
Altered Images in Vogue
Fuzztones on Tail
Talking Headpins
Duran Sirhan
Buddy Holly Modal Rounders
Hot Hot Tuna
Sonic Boomtown Rats
Blood Wind and Palmer
Earth Lake and Tears
Emerson Sweat and Fire
Fun Boy Three Dog Night
Swing Out Sister Sledge
Phishbone
My Blue Heaven 17
Godflesh for Lulu
New Model Army of Lovers
Psychic Television Personalities
The Wall of Deja Voodoo
Frank Black Sabbath
Nick Cave and the Bad Finger
Howard Devo
Agitation Free Design
Bowling for Soup Dragons
Bronski Beat Manifesto
Mojo Nixon and Skid Row
Manfred Mannheim Steamroller
We've Got a Buzzcocks and We're Gonna Use It
Jethro Tulpa
Moby Grapeman
Orange Juice Newton
Echo and The Bunnymen They Couldn't Hang
Crass McCombs
Doctor John Cooper Clarke
Severed Headcoatees
Human League of Gentlemen
Jermain Duprifab Sprout
Gong of Four
Everything But the Girlschool
The Black Rabbit
Richard and Linda Thompson Twins
ABC/DC
Ten Years After the Fire
Hoodoo Guru Gurus
Sniffin' the Tears for Fears
Rage Against the Soft Machine
Linton Daniel Johnson
Jandek Street Preachers
Genesis Loves Jezebel
38 Special AKA
Bonnie Prince Billy Idol
Ash Ra Temple of the Dog
General Public Image Limited
Stray Cat Stevens
Exploding Plastic Bertrand
Fischer ZZ Top
Kate Bush Tetras
Martin Rev and Suzanne Vega
Wreckless Eric Clapton
Platinum Blonde Redhead
Big Country Joe MacDonald and the Fish
The Crazy World of Arthur Brownsville Station
T-RexTC
Giorgio Moroderhead
Tangerine Dream Academy
The Beastie Boys Next Door
The Mighty Lemonheads
British Sea Power Station
Agnostic Front 242
Love and Rocket from the Tombs
Vanilla Fudge Tunnel
Great Big Sea and Cake
MC Young Marble Giants
Julian Cope Shoot Cop
The Moody Blues Explosion
New Faust Automatic Daffodils
His Name is Dead or Alive
You Am I Mother Earth
Wedding Parties Mental as Anything
Grand Funk Railroad Jerk
Peter Criss and Cosey
Generation Xhol Caravan
Mahavishnu Order
Motley Du
Lynyrd Cohen
Ned's Atomic Rooster
Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Darkness
Miranda Soundgarden
Fripper
Royal Court of China Crisis
Marvin Gaye Bikers on Acid
Popul Eat Itself
Minutemen Without Hats
Wayne County and the Electric Prunes
Nine Inch Nils
Average White Zombie
A Gordon Lightfoot in Cold Water
Flower Travelin' Wilburys
Counting Krokus
SNFUzeb
Shocking Blue Messiahs
Steppenwolfgang Press
The Hillage People
Fine Young Cannibal Corpse
Silver Apples in Stereolab
Gentle Giant Sand
Belle and Sebastian Bach
Tad and Jeremy
Chesterfield Kings-X
Cradle of Frith
Tenpole Bathtub
Billy Ocean Colour Scene
Flo and Eddie Money
Chad Van Halen
Bachman Turner Overdrive Like Jehu
Bananarammstein
X-Mal Deustchland

A big vinyl score

One of the most heartbreaking things I can think of is having to dismantle a record collection. This past week, I fielded a call from the Kamloops brand of Habitat for Humanity and their Re-Store storefront, saying that someone had dropped off a big collection of vinyl (they said 600 records, there were more like 300). So, I went up to check it out and found a lot of stuff that I like, mainly new wave and obscure Canadiana. The clerk said the woman who dropped off the records had been collecting music since the 60s and had to give up her vinyl since it was too heavy to move across the country. Though, one collectors loss is always another collectors gain.

I was pretty impressed about the obscure Canadian music in the collection and I bought most of the stuff I could tell was Canadian, plus most of the stuff I recognized as new wave. Thanks whoever you are lady who had to move across the county!

The haul:

6 Cylinder - S/T (Canada, RCA 1979)
The B-52s - Bouncing Off the Satellites (USA, Warner 1986)
The B-52s - Party Mix! EP (USA, Warner 1981)
The B-52s - Whammy! (USA, Warner 1983)
Blue Northern - S/T EP (Canada, Quintessence/Polygram 1980)
Boy's Brigade - S/T (Canada, Anthem 1983)
Kate Bush - The Sensual World (UK, Capitol 1989)
Cool it Reba - Money Fall Out the Sky EP (USA, Hannibal 1982)
Crazy House - Still Looking for Heaven on Earth (UK, Chrysalis 1988)
The Dream Syndicate - Medicine Show (USA, A&M 1984)
Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars! (Australia, Mercury 1985)
Hoodoo Gurus - Blow Your Cool (Australia, Capitol 1987)
Iko - '83 (Canada, Manhattan Formula 1983)
Kissing the Pink - What Noise? (UK, Magnet 1984)
The Little Heroes - Watch the World (Australia, Capitol 1983)
Nash the Slash - And You Thought You Were Normal (Canada, Cutthroat 1982)
Numbers - Add Up (Canada, Basement/Attic 1980)
Offenbach - Coupe de Foudre!! (Canada, Spectra Scene 1981)
One Horse Blue - On the Street (Canada, Vera Cruz 1982)
The Planets - Spot (USA, PolyGram 1980)
The Rings - S/T (USA, MCA 1981)
Rough Trade - O Tempora! O Mores! (Canada, True North 1984)
Pete Shelley - On Your Own (12") (UK, Vertigo 1986)
Soft Cell - The Art of Falling Apart (UK, Some Bizarre/Vertigo 1983)
Soft Cell - This Last Night in Sodom (UK, Some Bizarre/Vertigo 1984)
The Spizzles - Spikey Dream Flowers (UK, A&M 1981)
The Tourists - Luminous Basement (UK, Epic 1980)

Indie Band Roundup #2

Three more artists worth your time, this time all Canadian

John Hornak: Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, John Hornak is a minimalist composer, dabbling in electronics, pop and strange forms of dub. His new album is called "A Needle, a Feather and a Rope", about 36 minutes of wonderful lo-fi electronica and pop. He's got a new dub based album coming out very soon. Buy and check out his music here.

Fine Mist: As I mentioned in a previous post, Fine Mist are a band that have really caught my attention as of late. From the always interesting experimental hotbed of music, Vancouver, BC, Fine Mist mix offbeat indy pop with electronics into a fine mix of sounds and lo-fi noises. Their debut album is called "Public Domain". You can download their song "Stop or Start" here for free.

Cygnets: This album dropped on me like a bomb. I love the retro sound of new wave, and love revivalists even more for keeping the sound going. Edmonton's penchant for producing great retro acts continues here, with Cygnets joining The Floor as one of the best new wave acts in Canada right now. Their debut full length is called "Bleak Anthems", and mines the sound made by Joy Division, The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen to great effect. This album was also produced by Nik Kozub of electronic retroists Shout Out Out Out Out, who are also worth your time if you haven't heard them before.

The Cars return

Found this on Slicing Up Eyeballs, your necessary source for all things 80s music. The Cars have posted a clip of their first new music in 23 years (that is, if you forget the abortive reunion band with Todd Rundgren at the helm instead of Ric Ocasek). And it sounds pretty good. Kind of angular and new wavey, definitely an early Cars sound here. But, can they be the Cars without Ben Orr?

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=445115559565

What I'm Reading

Some recent printed media round-ups.

Exclaim is a must read for me each month. It's one of the best sources for lesser known and obscure artists, especially Canadian artists. This isue (October 2010) features Deerhunter on the cover, some Q&A with the gorgeous and talented Corin Tucker and a career retrospective of Robert Plant. Some nice short features on up and coming Canadian acts like Women and PS I Love You, and new stuff from Black Mountain (still haven't heard their new one, but soon...) It's free across Canada, so grab it if you see it.

I just got my first two issues of Discorder in the mail this week too. I got a subscription to it (just $20 for a year) since I always pick up all the back issues when I'm in Vancouver and I rarely get to Vancouver. Discorder is the program guide for campus station CiTR and an indispensable source of info about the Vancouver scene. September's cover story is Black Mountain and the inside contains stores about recent festivals, including The Vancouver Folk Festival, Calgary's Sled Island and Nelson's Shambhala. October's issue features local up and comers Myths and Fine Mist on the cover, inside features on Wavves, Witch House and Fond of Tigers. I'll be talking about both Fine Mist and Fond of Tigers soon, both of their new albums are excellent.

On the stranger side, I just got the latest (Fall 2010) issue of Signal to Noise, a nice magazine about experimental and improv music. Guitar and bass player Joe Morris is on the cover, plus a very lengthy article on The Ex and a nice article on the underground music of Singapore. There's some bits on Canadians Eve Egoyan and The Minotaurs too. This mag is great for one thing and that's the huge mass of detailed reviews of experimental music. If you pick it up, pick it up for that.

We Will Robot Rock You

Cruising around Youtube yesterday, I found this pretty decent mashup from the DJ Hero game:



Mashups are a real hit and miss for me, and especially with DJ Hero. Half of the remixes are pretty inspired, the other half confusing and banal. I was listening to Queen with a good friend on the weekend and got inspired to find some of their more interesting songs. I'm not much of a Queen fan, especially of their straight up arena-rock songs, but their pop and electronic tinged work is quite good.

Check this awesome video out for "I Want to Break Free":

RIP Solomon Burke

Legendary soul, blues and R&B singer Solomon Burke passed away on Sunday. Burke was 70. He apparently died on a plane flight in Europe. He was touring at the time.

Burke's work spans the range between blues and soul, with R&B, rock and country sounds seeping into his work. His most successful period came in the 60s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Here's Burke doing an early hit, "If You Need Me".



Burke underwent a resurgence in popularity in the early 2000s, after releasing Don't Give Up On Me in 2002 on Fat Possum, then releasing a couple of albums on Shout Factory. Since I never miss a chance to mention Elvis Costello, here he is doing Burke's "The Judgement", which Costello recorded on his album, The Delivery Man.

Jenny and Richard

Thursday night, I treated myself to a night out at a concert. I caught Guelph, Ontario's Jenny Omnichord (of the on-hiatus Barmitzvah Brothers) and Richard Laviolette at local tea/music house The Art We Are. I arrived a bit early to talk to both of them and get station IDs.

Jenny was very kind, though a bit distracted with her 2-year old Otis, and Richard was quite friendly and engaging. They took their time getting to the performing area, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Jenny Omnichord plays a strange electronic instrument called an omnichord (natch), which is sort of like a cross between a player organ and an accordion, but you play it on your lap like a steel guitar. You can see her playing it here. It has an eerie sound sort of like a theremin. Jenny's set was cute and her music has a wonderful lo-fi indy sound, sounding like it was kind of thrown together in a sort of dada-ish way, but clearly structured and warm, despite the 70s space-age sound of the omnichord. Her vocal style reminds me a lot of Kimya Dawson and the music is similar to B.A. Johnston or a mutant lo-fi version of They Might Be Giants. She also played a Mayor McCA cover, a name I haven't heard in years. Otis provided his own entertainment, wandering around looking for something to entertain himself, checking out the bookshelves and generally being a cute little gremlin.

Richard's set was equally as disarming, but for different reasons. Richard is a thin and friendly person, but the voice inside of him is more like a young Bob Dylan, both in power and in passion. His work is definitely on the broke-down country side of things, but he often sang like a protest singer too. Most folk style singers may slack off on their guitar playing, simply strumming along, but Richard played a bit like John Fahey (Richard did a short cover of Fahey's Sligo River Blues to start his set). Richard was a very pleasant surprise and well worth your time if you get to see him. Here's Richard with a full band, playing Funeral Song.

I bought both of Jenny's solo albums and you should too. She's on her way East back to Ontario now, so catch her if you're on the tour route!

Congotronics

I've been prepping my radio show for Friday, which is a special on experimental worldbeat music, and I'll definitely be playing this band:



Konono No. 1 are a very intriguing band from what was formally Zaire, who play African rock with the improv style of an industrial band, using electrified acoustic instruments and junkyard percussion. They don't sound like any other band I've ever heard. They've just released their latest album Assume Crash Position on Crammed Discs Records.

Nick and Elvis kick off tour

Most know my love for Elvis Costello, but I also have a deep love and respect for Nick Lowe's work. Nick wrote "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" with Brinsley Swartz back in the 70s and Elvis covered it early in his career. Elvis's version is equal parts punk fury and soulful rock, and one of my favourite songs he's ever done.

Elvis and Nick are touring now on the Costello Sings Lowe/Nick Sings Elvis tour, which should be a good one. I always lack the money to go see Elvis, but I will someday, before either he or I die.


Here's Elvis and Nick doing "Peace Love and Understanding" from the tour in San Francisco. (from the excellent 80s music blog, Slicing Up Eyeballs.)

Throbbing Gristle on tour

Legendary brain-melting industrial noise terrorists Throbbing Gristle have just posted a promo video for their upcoming European tour. They've reformed for a few tour dates over the summer. This was posted up on Boing-Boing today.

Throbbing Gristle 2010 Tour

Make sure you turn your speakers up for maximum effect.

Indie Band Roundup

Here's the first batch of largely unknown bands I want to introduce you to, give them a little more exposure and hopefully get them some play somewhere. Needless to say, they will or have already been featured on my radio show.

1) TeamNate - Contact List EP

I came across this band randomly in a music forum I lurk in and love their style. The band is from Ohio and play a crisp and dark style of snyth pop. Their new EP is out on the Pretend record label and the band is offering the EP streaming on their website, which you can listen to here.

Check out this video they made too.

Their website is here.

2) MaQlu - Blood EP

Hailing from Vancouver, BC, MaQlu play a dark, proto-industrial electronic style that appeals to me greatly. Not enough dark electronics are made today, most of it made today is too happy or too technical. They have their first EP, Blood, out now and will be releasing another EP called Black very quickly. You can download some nice freebies here.


Their website is here.

Follow them on Twitter here

3) Suuns - Zeroes QC

Montreal's Suuns are one of the more interesting bands I've heard in a while. They do a noisy mix of drone rock and post-punk. They merge elements of bands like Kraftwerk, Sigur Ros and Wire into a nice stew of noises. Their first album, Zeroes QC, is just now out on Secretly Canadian Records.

Check out their music and videos on MySpace

Forgottten Music #1: Warren Zevon - Desperadoes Under the Eaves

Beginning to reprint some of my blog entries from my Livejournal, starting with my forgotten music series.
Something I've been meaning to do for a while is start posting obscure and semi-obscure music that I love, that moves me in some way or deserves to be listened to by people who hadn't heard it before. Here's the first: Warren Zevon with Jackson Browne - "Desperadoes Under the Eaves" This comes from Warren Zevon's self-titled debut album in 1976. It's a remarkable song on a remarkable album, which contains three excellent and sad songs about the horrors of addiction (the other two being "Carmelita" and "Hasten Down the Wind", I'll probably talk about those two at some time). This one is about alcoholism. It's about being trapped in addiction and not knowing how to get out, even though you desperately want to. It's also about how knowing even if you do kick your addictions, you know that you are just a single person in the entire world and learning to deal with the loneliness of the human condition. There's a desperate attempt at balance, of yearning for escape and yearning to find someone who can help fill the emptiness of your life while you wallow in your drunkenness. The last refrain, "Look away down Gower Avenue" infuses some hope into the future for the singer (Warren did eventually kick his addictions), though the crushing helplessness of the rest of the song makes the entire exercise bittersweet.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2010 Nominees out.

The first round of nominees have been announced, and they'll be pared down in December to the inductees, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in March 2011. Let's take a look at the nominees:

Bon Jovi: Seminal arena rockers from New Jersey with a slew of Top 40 hits. Their influence on rock and roll is pretty evident when looking at modern rock radio and the parade of hair-metallers that came after them. I can see inducting them eventually, but this isn't their year. Give them a couple of years.

Beastie Boys: The trio from New York broke hip-hop into white culture and into the mainstream. They merged rock and rap long before many other bands started to do it (though previous Hall inductees Run DMC did it before they did). Their subject matter was often controversial and thought-proviking, and their use of sampling was groundbreaking. They'll get in this year, they definitely deserve it.

Neil Diamond: One of the kings of AM radio in the 70s and pop crooner/writer without peer, Diamond dominated pop music for more than a decade. His work is still covered by lounge singers, rock bands and jazz acts alike. Not exactly a rock icon, but his work in songwriting and pop music is worthy of recognition. He gets in this year.

Alice Cooper: Interesting Alice Cooper gets nominated and Kiss is nowhere to be found, though, in my opinion, Alice makes much better music. Merging metal with on stage theatrics, Alice Cooper and his band of the same name shocked audiences through the 70s and scared parents into taking his albums away from their kids. Cooper understood that rock music is a spectacle and should be treated as such. Still making music too, though nothing like his early work. He's in for sure this year.

Donovan: Hippy folk singer from the 70s. His work was synonymous with the psychedelic movement and he wound spacy rhythms with traditional folk. Best known for the sublime tunes "Sunshine Superman", "Mellow Yellow" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man". Donovan's work is still influencing today's indy rockers and folk balladeers. He deserves to be inducted this year.

Tom Waits: This guy's a shoe-in. Not only is he an amazing songwriter and organizer, he's also one of the most original musicians every to exist. Taking a bourbon-damaged voice and combining it with a junkyard style approach to making music, Waits is almost uncategorizable. Part Frank Sinatra, part Jack Kerouac, part Residents. Induct him this year for sure.

LL Cool J: This is an interesting nomination. I've heard some rumblings that LL Cool J shouldn't be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because he's firmly entrenched in rap and didn't influence rock at all. Well, Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash are already in the Hall and their influence on rock is undeniable. Listen to "Rock the Bells" and tell me LL isn't straddling rock and rap. The lines between rock and urban music are more blurred than ever today. LL deserves to be in the Hall, but he'll probably get skipped over this year.

Chic: Fronted by producer/musician Nile Rodgers, Chic were a pioneering band in disco, merging dance and funk into a highly enjoyable product. Chic transcended disco. While the focus on the groove was at the forefront, Chic refused to be a cookie-cutter dance band. Check out their single "Le Freak" if you want to hear some bone-rattling disco-funk. Chic have been nominated before, but I think they'll be passed over again this year.

Dr. John: This is the only other shoo-in I see on the list. Dr. John's name is synonymous with the sound of New Orleans. His work runs the gamut from rock to folk to blues to cajun to jazz. He's a master of his form and his influence on New Orleans and cajun music is undeniable. Everyone from Harry Connick to Buckwheat Zydeco owe something to Dr. John. He should be at the top of the list for this years inductees.

J. Geils Band: This one may raise some eyebrows. I think most people write off J. Giels Band as a corny one or two hit wonder from the early 80s. The band started as a blues rock band in the 70s (J. Giels is the guitarist, not the lead singer) and made some very enjoyable albums in the 70s rock/Fleetwood Mac style. In the 80s, with Peter Wolf at the helm, they were well known for "Freeze Frame", "Love Stinks" and "Centerfold". Good band, but I don't think they belong in the Hall of Fame yet.

Darlene Love: Her name might not ring a bell as a solo artist, but Love was the front-line vocalist for The Blossoms, a seminal Motown style band, recorded for Phil Spector and sang lead vocals for Bob B. Soxx for the single "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and The Crystals for the legendary single "He's a Rebel". I'd love to see her inducted but I don't think this will be her year.

Laura Nyro: I love this nominee as a dark horse. I could see Laura Nyro squeaking in under the wire. Nyro is a wonderful singer/songwriter that ranges from folk to pop to jazz to classical. Elton John called her one of his influences, as has Elvis Costello. She started recording in the late 60s with folk influenced albums similar to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell's work. Her music has been covered by the Fifth Dimension and Blood, Sweat and Tears among others. She's got an outside shot of getting in this year.

Donna Summer: You can't mention disco without thinking of Donna Summer's work. She had a long string of hits in the late 70s and survived the anti-disco backlash and continued to score hits well into the 80s. She made a nice transition into an AM radio mainstay, acting like a more sophisticated version of Whitney Houston at the time. Her influence on modern soul music is obvious. She deserves to be in the Hall.

Joe Tex: Joe Tex has been nominated before. He's a rough-voiced southern soul singer who is sometimes cited as an early influence to hip-hop. He's worth mentioning just for his smash single "Hold What You've Got". Doubtful he'll make it in this year.

Chuck Willis: A notable pioneer of rock music, Willis was a blues player who's work inspired artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Otis Redding. He's best known for his version of "C.C. Rider". The Hall usually inducts one important pioneer each year, if it's not Love, it'll be Chuck Willis.

My predictions for induction, in order: Dr. John, Tom Waits, Beastie Boys, Neil Diamond, Donna Summer, Alice Cooper, Donovan, Chuck Willis

Latest Earshot Reviews

These just got published on Earshot Online. Enjoy!

The New Nobles - Come On

Various Artists - North to Ontario 2010

Women - Public Strain

Welcome!

"There's a stack of shellac and vinyl/Which is yours and which is mine?" - Elvis Costello, "45"

After some prodding from some well meaning friends, I've decided to start a music blog. I've always written about music, but I've kept it spread over a number of different spots, like my LiveJournal and my zines, and several websites. The intent of this blog is to keep all my writing about music in one place and hopefully get a larger audience for my writing.

I've had a long interest in writing and in music. My first published article was in my high school monthly newspaper back in 1985, when I wrote a record review of The Cars Heartbeat City. I started writing regularly for the high school paper in 1986, as a student in the journalism program, doing columns on music, comics and some humour writing. By 1988, I was writing a regular music column and record reviews for Insights, the paper at East Kootenay Community College (now the College of the Rockies), then for the Meliorist at the the University of Lethbridge, covering music and theatre. After years of changing majors and returning to school after several years out, I completed a degree in English at the University of Lethbridge in 2002, then a degree in journalism in 2002 from Thompson Rivers University. I have had my work published in local papers like The Daily Townsman in Cranbrook, Kamloops This Week in Kamloops, The Omega in Kamloops, plus poetry in Whetstone at the U of L. I am currently writing for Earshot Online, BC Musician and North of 50.

I've also been involved in radio for more than 15 years, first at CKUL (now CKXU) in Lethbridge, hosting an industrial show, some eclectic programming and, for a while, a hip-hop show. I am currently the programming coordinator at CFBX in Kamloops, and host an experimental music show called Do Not Touch This Amp, Friday nights 8-9 PM Pacific. I stress that this blog has no affiliation with the station and that my opinions do not reflect the programming stance and mandate of CFBX or any of the other publications I contribute to.

What this blog will be about: Music, in all forms. I have a deep appreciation and respect for most forms of music and admire the power of good music. I'm also an avid record collector. I dislike the current movement of music online, and I will be talking about this. I love the feel of a record sleeve or CD case in my hand. If you're looking for more social, political and other commentary and writing, check out my Livejournal. Yes, I have a Livejournal. Yes, I am a middle aged man, not a teenaged girl. Deal with it.

What I like: New wave, minimalist electronics, industrial, noise, experimental rock, retro electronics, free and avant-garde jazz, psychedelic rock, British pub-rock, kraut-rock, bizarre and obscure covers, album art, record collecting, independent music. I like blues, jazz, country, roots and worldbeat music in general. I have a special interest in anything Canadian, especially the early days of the Canadian music scene.

What I dislike: Music that's derivative or uninspired, modern country (pop country), modern hip-hop and rap, death metal (though I like tech-metal and 80s metal), progressive rock, mainstream radio (but not necessarily mainstream music).

Bands and artists I like and respect: Elvis Costello, DEVO, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, David S. Ware, John Zorn, Skinny Puppy, Foetus, Warren Zevon, The Go-Go's, Sleater-Kinney, The Hidden Cameras, The Ramones, Cub, The Black Angels, Black Mountain, !!!, The B-52s, The Fall, Depeche Mode, Ministry, Front 242, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, Polysics, Pere Ubu, Sonic Youth, Zeni Geva, Gastr Del Sol, Tortoise, Liars, Stereolab, The Pixies, The Beatles, Nirvana, Blondie, Dead Kennedys, DOA, Frank Zappa, Weird Al Yankovic.

I read: !exclaim, Under the Radar, Magnet, Signal to Noise, Canadian Musician,  BC Musician, Paste (RIP), No Depression (RIP). I occasionally will pick up Spin, Rolling Stone and Alternative Press, but not often.

Links to my other writing:

My Livejournal

Record reviews on Earshot-Online

My review page on RateYourMusic

Do Not Touch This Amp, my radio show

My first plans are to start with original content, but also to link to some classic content from my other sites, report news and gather a nice set of links for the sidebar. I'm actively looking for discussion on this blog, so if you agree or disagree, please post!

Have fun!