Music Thoughts

Things I’ve been listening to that are not Bob Dylan (which follows):

T-Bone Burnett - The True False Identity
Burnett is seen mostly as a producer, but the first record in 14 years to sport his own name is a thing of beauty. He could write a textbook on how to pristinely recreate the sounds a band makes in the studio, and he has plenty of sound to work with here. Reverbs, tambourines, snares, cymbal crashes, and even layers of fuzzy guitar squall are all rendered with mathematic precision. And once you get over the sound of the whole thing, there’s the small issue of his wonderfully observational songwriting and sweet voice. Just amazing.

Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out
Next great rock band or one-trick pony? That’s the real question here. What impresses me is the overall aesthetic of this record. Production, musicianship, and songwriting are all distinctive and interesting, if maybe not unique. Lyrically, you can build one album entirely on overheard conversations, as Panic! appear to have done. But I hope they’re able to reach out a little going forward. Otherwise, this album is getting filed in the “one great album” folder next to Howlin’ Maggie, Chagall Guevarra, and The Toadies.

Live - Songs From Black Mountain
The transition from smart, edgy rock band to slightly-more-interesting-than-average radiopop factory is now complete. I don’t blame them. In fact I’m happy that Ed has found a happy place that allows him to write pop songs and appear on American Idol. I just hope he understands if I don’t feel like hanging around to bear witness. Addendum 1:45 pm: I hadn’t really listened to the lyrics for “Where Do We Go From Here.” “I wanted a revolution / you said I was already free.” This kind of insight is why I loved them in the first place.

September 7th, 2006 - Posted in Music | | 0 Comments

My life in Dylan concerts

Got my ticket in the mail from TicketMaster the other day. It’s official: I get to see Dylan again. Because it’s right here in town I get to take Yakko, which will be great. Three opening acts, including Junior Brown and the girl who used to sing for Hot Club Of Cowtown. Unfortunately, because I love my son and because I know that 15 Dylan songs will be test enough of his attention span, I plan to go late, hopefully just as The Poet takes the stage. I haven’t heard any of the 2006 shows yet, but i’ll try to grab one and listen to it beforehand.

For those interested, click the link to read about the Dylan shows I’ve been to. (more…)

August 17th, 2006 - Posted in Music, Parentgeekness | | 0 Comments