27
Dec
2005
As another year twinkles softly into twilight, I find myself looking back at the year in music. With million-selling digital downloads, Billboard magazine charting the sales of cheesy ring tones, and Case Logic CD folders bulging with burned discs, the public has declared that what they want is the content, and they aren't so concerned with the medium.
Sales at traditional brick-and-mortar record stores continue to slide as the kids covet the ultimate killer application of 1,000 songs inside a cell phone. But I ask the question: What's the emotional depth and integrity of something that's obtained easily without cost, compressed into the audio range of MP3, played through tiny computer speakers, and carelessly stored on a generic blank CD without any graphics, story, or cultural history? Exactly what does a hardcore music collector collect anymore? Instead of showing off a massive cabinet of LPs and hard-to-find import singles, today's youth can puff up over how many thousands of MP3s they "possess" on a hard drive, or perhaps brag what purists they are by only amassing full-size WAV files on the home jukebox.
Proving that now it's actually safer to steal music from the Internet than purchase a manufactured CD from a retailer, Sony BMG took its way-too-late paranoid hubris to new heights, slipping controversial XCP anti-copying software on more than 20 hot releases and crippling home computers by secretly installing destructive rootkits deep inside operating systems. Yup, you aren't actually purchasing the music, only the temporary right to listen to it on certain machines that "they" approve.
And radio? With a recent study by Bridge Ratings determining that more than 85 percent of 12 to 24 years prefer their MP3 player to scanning the dial, with Howard Stern moving to satellite, and with terrestrial stations scrambling for listeners with a new "Jack" format that emulates an iPod on shuffle, is the end for another bloated industry near?
But enough curmudgeon calisthenics. I'm making lemonade. Some of my greatest thrills this year have come from the endless bit torrents uploaded by passionate fans, communally come together to share "the rare" and knock the bootleggers out of business, and the new gems that float to the top each Tuesday.
· Soul Trifecta: It was a soulful, funky year for my ear with three R&B smokers riding that fine line between stone cold and ember hot. Hacktone Records released an expanded, domestic edition of Lewis Taylor's Stoned, a natural masterpiece in the slow-motion grind of Marvin Gaye, cascading in the breezy melodies of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Jamiroquai, and Chas Jankel. A one-man UK wunderkind akin to Prince and Brian Wilson, Taylor played nearly every skillful note - deftly building layers of neo-soul that immediately connect like an old friend. Surprises pick up the step at every turn, like the Yes-meets-Queen theatrics of "Throw Me a Line" or some interesting covers, including the Stylistics hit "Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart)" and David Sylvian's "Ghosts."
· Ellis Hooks had a very good year. Appearing as a guest on both Frank Black's Honeycomb and Little Milton's Think of Me CDs, this old-school R&B singer also released a terrific new album of his own, Godson of Soul, on the Evidence imprint. Bragging some mighty guests of his own, the set includes legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, trumpeter Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, and drummer Chester Thompson. Hooks' bluesy, belting voice is all Alabama tomcat on the prowl in Nashville, from the sexual bravado of "Five Times" to the gospel energy of "Litta Bitta Love."
· Harking back to the soul-revue sound of the 1960s and terrific singers such as Peggy Scott and Bettye LaVette, Daptone Records bowed down to the new queen of soul, Sharon Jones and her backing band, The Dap-Kings, with a second album, Naturally. Electrified with groovy "soul dynamite" and sad, stormy ballads, this is vintage soul perfection that feels so much more LP than CD, right down to the choice to list the 10 tracks on the disc split between "side one" and "side two." Highlights include the duet of "Stranded in Your Love" with Lee Fields and a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" that sounds channeled through the spirit of Screaming Jay Hawkins.
· Thumbs Up for Testosterone: Sneering machismo with every power chord, two bands had me turning it up this past year. Led by brothers Benji and Chris Lee, Supagroup, led the charge with Rules on the Foodchain Records label, proudly wrapping themselves in the beer-soaked, bongwater-stained flags of AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Van Halen.
· Their home address might read San Diego, but Louis XIV sounds like they grew up at the feet of The Kinks and other British curled lips flaunting aloof, sexy coolness in their bluesy gnash. The band's major-label debut on Atlantic Records, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, isn't shy about purring into the ear of sweet, young, vulnerable kittens in search of dangerous liaisons.
· What to Do When the Grid Goes Down: I found a sunny spot and curled up with many a good book. Two of the best followed two bands bound to leave a permanent mark on rock history. Guided by Voices was distinguished by the prolific songwriting of founder Robert Pollard and the band's revolving membership, and Jim Greer's new book is titled Guided By Voices: Brief History - 21 Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock & Roll. Greer knows the band intimately; he played bass in GBV for a two-year stint and has written for Spin and Entertainment Weekly. Featuring a foreword by film director Steven Soderbergh and a 70-page discography, Greer was given complete access to the players in this wild ride, with Pollard giving considerable honest reflection on record-label deals, the origins of many songs, and the difficulty of maintaining relationships on the road.
· Just as crazy, but a bit more deviant, is the journey of Jane's Addiction, told by founder Perry Farrell and writer Brendan Mullen in Whores: An Oral Biography from the Da Capo Press. Flitting from wacko to genius, Farrell's one-man tour de force of creative debauchery is chronicled in anecdotal fashion, with a cast of more than 70 characters giving us the firsthand "been there, saw that." From the group's roots in Psi Com and the underground Los Angeles scene of the 1980s and 1990s, these crazy tales of communal-living high jinks, drug-abuse lows, and the insane Hollywood nightlife are best lived vicariously. Note to self: Never steal Perry's personal cheese from the refrigerator at the band house. Why? You'll have to read that one for yourself.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Bo Bice on Thursday and Brian Wilson on Friday evening; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Sinéad O'Connor on Thursday and Fall Out Boy on Monday evening; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts The Hold Steady this evening overnight, The Click Five on Thursday overnight, and John Legend on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents Trey Anastasio on Monday overnight and Wolf Parade on Tuesday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly boasts Liz Phair on Thursday overnight and Louis XIV on Tuesday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live hails the return of Neil Diamond on Monday overnight; and Austin City Limits presents Elvis Costello this weekend.
Proving that now it's actually safer to steal music from the Internet than purchase a manufactured CD from a retailer, Sony BMG took its way-too-late paranoid hubris to new heights, slipping controversial XCP anti-copying software on more than 20 hot releases and crippling home computers by secretly installing destructive rootkits deep inside operating systems. Yup, you aren't actually purchasing the music, only the temporary right to listen to it on certain machines that "they" approve.
And radio? With a recent study by Bridge Ratings determining that more than 85 percent of 12 to 24 years prefer their MP3 player to scanning the dial, with Howard Stern moving to satellite, and with terrestrial stations scrambling for listeners with a new "Jack" format that emulates an iPod on shuffle, is the end for another bloated industry near?
But enough curmudgeon calisthenics. I'm making lemonade. Some of my greatest thrills this year have come from the endless bit torrents uploaded by passionate fans, communally come together to share "the rare" and knock the bootleggers out of business, and the new gems that float to the top each Tuesday.
· Soul Trifecta: It was a soulful, funky year for my ear with three R&B smokers riding that fine line between stone cold and ember hot. Hacktone Records released an expanded, domestic edition of Lewis Taylor's Stoned, a natural masterpiece in the slow-motion grind of Marvin Gaye, cascading in the breezy melodies of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, Jamiroquai, and Chas Jankel. A one-man UK wunderkind akin to Prince and Brian Wilson, Taylor played nearly every skillful note - deftly building layers of neo-soul that immediately connect like an old friend. Surprises pick up the step at every turn, like the Yes-meets-Queen theatrics of "Throw Me a Line" or some interesting covers, including the Stylistics hit "Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart)" and David Sylvian's "Ghosts."
· Ellis Hooks had a very good year. Appearing as a guest on both Frank Black's Honeycomb and Little Milton's Think of Me CDs, this old-school R&B singer also released a terrific new album of his own, Godson of Soul, on the Evidence imprint. Bragging some mighty guests of his own, the set includes legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, trumpeter Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, and drummer Chester Thompson. Hooks' bluesy, belting voice is all Alabama tomcat on the prowl in Nashville, from the sexual bravado of "Five Times" to the gospel energy of "Litta Bitta Love."
· Harking back to the soul-revue sound of the 1960s and terrific singers such as Peggy Scott and Bettye LaVette, Daptone Records bowed down to the new queen of soul, Sharon Jones and her backing band, The Dap-Kings, with a second album, Naturally. Electrified with groovy "soul dynamite" and sad, stormy ballads, this is vintage soul perfection that feels so much more LP than CD, right down to the choice to list the 10 tracks on the disc split between "side one" and "side two." Highlights include the duet of "Stranded in Your Love" with Lee Fields and a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" that sounds channeled through the spirit of Screaming Jay Hawkins.
· Thumbs Up for Testosterone: Sneering machismo with every power chord, two bands had me turning it up this past year. Led by brothers Benji and Chris Lee, Supagroup, led the charge with Rules on the Foodchain Records label, proudly wrapping themselves in the beer-soaked, bongwater-stained flags of AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Van Halen.
· Their home address might read San Diego, but Louis XIV sounds like they grew up at the feet of The Kinks and other British curled lips flaunting aloof, sexy coolness in their bluesy gnash. The band's major-label debut on Atlantic Records, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, isn't shy about purring into the ear of sweet, young, vulnerable kittens in search of dangerous liaisons.
· What to Do When the Grid Goes Down: I found a sunny spot and curled up with many a good book. Two of the best followed two bands bound to leave a permanent mark on rock history. Guided by Voices was distinguished by the prolific songwriting of founder Robert Pollard and the band's revolving membership, and Jim Greer's new book is titled Guided By Voices: Brief History - 21 Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock & Roll. Greer knows the band intimately; he played bass in GBV for a two-year stint and has written for Spin and Entertainment Weekly. Featuring a foreword by film director Steven Soderbergh and a 70-page discography, Greer was given complete access to the players in this wild ride, with Pollard giving considerable honest reflection on record-label deals, the origins of many songs, and the difficulty of maintaining relationships on the road.
· Just as crazy, but a bit more deviant, is the journey of Jane's Addiction, told by founder Perry Farrell and writer Brendan Mullen in Whores: An Oral Biography from the Da Capo Press. Flitting from wacko to genius, Farrell's one-man tour de force of creative debauchery is chronicled in anecdotal fashion, with a cast of more than 70 characters giving us the firsthand "been there, saw that." From the group's roots in Psi Com and the underground Los Angeles scene of the 1980s and 1990s, these crazy tales of communal-living high jinks, drug-abuse lows, and the insane Hollywood nightlife are best lived vicariously. Note to self: Never steal Perry's personal cheese from the refrigerator at the band house. Why? You'll have to read that one for yourself.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Bo Bice on Thursday and Brian Wilson on Friday evening; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Sinéad O'Connor on Thursday and Fall Out Boy on Monday evening; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts The Hold Steady this evening overnight, The Click Five on Thursday overnight, and John Legend on Tuesday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents Trey Anastasio on Monday overnight and Wolf Parade on Tuesday overnight; Last Call with Carson Daly boasts Liz Phair on Thursday overnight and Louis XIV on Tuesday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live hails the return of Neil Diamond on Monday overnight; and Austin City Limits presents Elvis Costello this weekend.
