No Reason to Cry – Tom Petty, Mojo
It’s funny, because I’ve been on a bit of a Tom Petty resurgence, lately. Although I always kind of liked him over the years, I wasn’t what you’d call a huge fan. The only album of his I ever owned was “Wildflowers”, which I still think is a fantastic album, top to bottom. This song is from his latest release this past summer, “Mojo”, which is his first album in 8 years. Definitely a bluesy kind of album and it really is very good. I was lucky enough, just a couple of months ago, to be able to catch Tom and his band of Heartbreakers as they came through town on their tour. My pals, Marvin and Ginger, managed to score some awesome tickets in a luxury box and took Julie and me as their guests! It’s Good To Be King!You know, it’s funny…back in the days of my misspent youth as a mall rat, I remember vividly when the Beastie Boys came on the scene. “Fight For Your Right…” was an enthusiastic anthem among the other testosterone filled fellas I was hanging around at the time. But I never really got into it. Maybe it was all the Weird Al influences that were popular of the day, but the song (in fact their whole album) always seemed to me like some kind of self-mocking joke. I thought their five minutes of fame would be over in three. Man, was I wrong. Later in life, when I gave them a more fair chance and had a broad enough spectrum to realize that sometimes impact and emotion could drive a song as easily as good songwriting, I became more of a fan. But still, to this day, whenever I hear any Beasties, it still puts me back to Phase 2 of West Edmonton Mall.
On their previous album, The Magnetic Fields were still more about the feedback and distortion noises of making rock. This time out on "Realism", it's much more tuneful. I find it very orchestral music...very smart and wry lyric writing. It's the kind of indie-rock thing that can inspire other bands to take on the sound and run with it. It's artful...but not in that pretentious kind of way. This is actually the first album of theirs that I've purchased, but considering it's already their eighth album in the spotlight, it certainly makes me want to explore their back catalog. Makes me wish I'd been along for the whole ride.
Goldmine Gutted – Bright Eyes, Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Bright Eyes is a project of one of the premiere songwriting prodigies of today, Conor Oberst. I haven't had a ton of exposure to him. I see him as having more the style of a guitar-in-hand songwriter, but with Bright Eyes and this album, they’ve taken a more techno-synthesized route to achievement. I bought this album based off of a review I read somewhere, without ever having heard any of the tracks before. Shot in the dark. This is one of my winter-Sunday-morning kind of albums…it’s slow and heavy. But it has little trouble establishing a mood…and if it’s a mood you’re aiming for, nobody can help sink you into it better than young Conor.
Now here's a man with some history! What a range he's established. This is a 2004 album that a lot of people thought of as a comeback, although I didn't really see it that way. Anyway, this one goes into the funky, R&B inspired side of things which from Prince, I love. He came through Edmonton on tour around the time of this album and what an experience! He chose a small venue in the Jubilee even though he could've packed a much larger room. On top of that, word of the show was only announced maybe a week or two before the actual show. Tickets went on sale immediately on the day of the announcement that he was coming...it had the vibe of a surprise, secret show. He did not disappoint! Funky as shit, that show...
Cheers, y'all
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