I have been a Damien Rice fan for 7 years now (fuck that makes me feel old!). Back then I worked at a record store, where an Irish couple introduced me to his first album "O", which is still to this day one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. If I aspire to sound like any musician it is Damien Rice, because of the music on "O". "9 Crimes" is not on "O" however. This track is the opening song from "9", Rice's second and final release.
When this album first came out 4 years ago I was addicted to this song. I'd put it on every chance I could, and listen to it over and over again. The piano still to this day gives me goose bumps right from the beginning. The vocals are exemplary pieces of harmonization, and provide a solid argument for my belief that Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan sing the best harmonies in the business. Lisa's voice is chilling, cold and meloncholy, yet as strikingly beautiful as her appearance, while Damien's voice is unpolished, troubled and haunting. The use of strings and a single bass drum help lead the song into an unforgettable climax, where the chilling melody meets the haunting music for a bone chilling experience that could break the heart of any listener.
Following the release of "9", I was fortunate enough to see Damien live at the Boston Opera House. I took my wife (girlfriend then) because I had introduced her to the amazing talents of this man. Before the tour, it turned out, Lisa had left the band leaving Damien to sing on his own. Initially I was disappointed but the show ended up being amazing anyway. Lisa's harmony adds such depth to Damien's music, but his talent is so strong that he could survive without her. The shitty thing is that since her departure four years ago there hasn't been any new material from Damien Rice, or another world tour. I hope things will change soon!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
"Will There Be Enough Water" - The Dead Weather
Jack White has 3 bands. I'm not sure how he finds the time, or what his muse is for writing so many songs, but he seems to feel the need for multiple outlets for his creativity. I've avoided listening to the Dead Weather for a long time because of that fact. I love the White Stripes, but I feel like Jack failed with The Raconteurs (his second band), with the exception of "The Level", which is one of his more bad ass songs. I made the assumption that because his second band was a failure, his third would be even worse, and I was wrong. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me, and I did exactly that. I am an ass.
"Will There be Enough Water" is the type of song that I love Jack White for. It's bluesy, it's rock, it's distorted and it is bad ass beyond belief. The guitar work in this song can only be compared to Jimmy Page. It's epic, it's raw, it's dirty, it's just kick ass blues. Even better - it's live! The band is so tight that they put together a live performance that most bands couldn't master in a studio. Fucking show offs. I'm finding that no matter what I write, I just can't do this track the justice it deserves. Give it a listen and just see for yourselves.
"Will There be Enough Water" is the type of song that I love Jack White for. It's bluesy, it's rock, it's distorted and it is bad ass beyond belief. The guitar work in this song can only be compared to Jimmy Page. It's epic, it's raw, it's dirty, it's just kick ass blues. Even better - it's live! The band is so tight that they put together a live performance that most bands couldn't master in a studio. Fucking show offs. I'm finding that no matter what I write, I just can't do this track the justice it deserves. Give it a listen and just see for yourselves.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
"Hook" - Blues Traveler
Taking a break from the obscure bands I listen to now and flashing back to my days as an 8th grader back in the mid 90's. Actually, Blues Traveler might be obscure now too, but I'm hoping that's not so. This band was a phenomenal success in the 90's, especially this song and "Runaround". People knew them as the band with the obese lead singer who could really tear it up on the harmonica. He's even responsible for the harmonica part in "What Would You Say" by Dave Matthews.
Whenever I hear Blues Traveler I think of an interview I saw of John Popper (the fat singer/harmonica player) about 10 years ago. Popper had undergone a liposuction and a stomach stapling to trim off the pounds. He didn't even look like the same person any more, he was so skinny. His new look could actually be in direct correlation with the bands loss in popularity, though it could also be attributed to a decline in people who wear Birkenstocks and tie-dye t-shirts. Back to the liposuction. I applaud people for their motivation to lose weight, but I was shocked to hear Popper admit to a national audience what had been his deciding factor.
Apparently Popper was spending an evening alone, and had been browsing the plethora of x rated video content online. After several minutes of taking matters into his own hands (so to speak) Popper began experiencing strange, painful sensations in his chest and left arm. Concerned, he stopped, the pain passed, and he began the process over again. A few minutes into his second attempt, the pain returned, he took another break. According to his interview, this went on for 4 hours before he decided to go to the ER. This must be the only man to check himself into the hospital with an erection lasting longer than 4 hours who hadn't consumed Viagra. As it turned out, Popper was suffering from a heart attack because he was too out of shape to masturbate. I'm left puzzled here. The man played harmonica with ferocious intensity without any sign of heart failure. In a live show, Popper would steal the stage, sweating like a half-fucked-fox in a forest fire, cranking out on the harmonica with more stamina than I think I could find in myself. He sits down to watch a porn, and almost dies? What the hell was the guy doing to himself? Thankfully, during his over-share on national TV, he didn't get into that.
Popper's issues aside, this song is incredible. It's catchy, fun, energetic, and for me, it's a bit of middle-school nostalgia.
Whenever I hear Blues Traveler I think of an interview I saw of John Popper (the fat singer/harmonica player) about 10 years ago. Popper had undergone a liposuction and a stomach stapling to trim off the pounds. He didn't even look like the same person any more, he was so skinny. His new look could actually be in direct correlation with the bands loss in popularity, though it could also be attributed to a decline in people who wear Birkenstocks and tie-dye t-shirts. Back to the liposuction. I applaud people for their motivation to lose weight, but I was shocked to hear Popper admit to a national audience what had been his deciding factor.
Apparently Popper was spending an evening alone, and had been browsing the plethora of x rated video content online. After several minutes of taking matters into his own hands (so to speak) Popper began experiencing strange, painful sensations in his chest and left arm. Concerned, he stopped, the pain passed, and he began the process over again. A few minutes into his second attempt, the pain returned, he took another break. According to his interview, this went on for 4 hours before he decided to go to the ER. This must be the only man to check himself into the hospital with an erection lasting longer than 4 hours who hadn't consumed Viagra. As it turned out, Popper was suffering from a heart attack because he was too out of shape to masturbate. I'm left puzzled here. The man played harmonica with ferocious intensity without any sign of heart failure. In a live show, Popper would steal the stage, sweating like a half-fucked-fox in a forest fire, cranking out on the harmonica with more stamina than I think I could find in myself. He sits down to watch a porn, and almost dies? What the hell was the guy doing to himself? Thankfully, during his over-share on national TV, he didn't get into that.
Popper's issues aside, this song is incredible. It's catchy, fun, energetic, and for me, it's a bit of middle-school nostalgia.
Monday, November 8, 2010
"So Happy Together" - The Turtles
This just blew my effing my mind. All this time I thought this was The Beatles, and today I find out it's by The Turtles. Who in the hell are The Turtles? I've obviously heard them, but I hadn't ever heard OF them. It's really hard to believe this song wasn't the product of a Beatles acid trip, but instead, of a Turtles acid trip; I mean lets be honest, it doesn't matter who wrote this song, they were on acid. Seriously, they were. It was the mid 60's. There was so much fucking acid around that it rained LSD at Woodstock. You probably could have found an I-V drip for acid if you tried, or even an LSD enema if you so wanted.
With or without the hallucinations however, "So Happy Together" is a wonderful song. There's no other way to put it. If this song doesn't make you smile, you must be dead. Even if you don't speak English, the music alone is enough to make you grin. And, if you do speak English, you'll notice that the lyrics are charming and sweet, just like the peppy music that will absorb your brain quicker than the acid that created the song. There's nothing complex about it. It's just a simple, psychedelic love song that sounds like it should have been a cut on Sergeant Pepper's.
The fucking Turtles... I can't believe it.
With or without the hallucinations however, "So Happy Together" is a wonderful song. There's no other way to put it. If this song doesn't make you smile, you must be dead. Even if you don't speak English, the music alone is enough to make you grin. And, if you do speak English, you'll notice that the lyrics are charming and sweet, just like the peppy music that will absorb your brain quicker than the acid that created the song. There's nothing complex about it. It's just a simple, psychedelic love song that sounds like it should have been a cut on Sergeant Pepper's.
The fucking Turtles... I can't believe it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)