Stephen Humphries

Playlist: January

2012-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Albums currently in rotation:

Albums

Shearwater—Animal Joy (2012)
Amplifier—The Octopus (2011)
Craig Armstrong—Film Works 1995-2005 (2005)
Spiritualized—Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space (1997)
John Hammond Jr.—In Your Arms (2005)
Feist—Metals (2011)
Apparat—Devil's Walk (2011)
Mike Scott—Still Burning (1997)
David & David—Boomtown (1985)
Various Artists—Ahk-Toong Bay-bi, U2 tribute (2011)
Otis Taylor—Contraband (2012)
Field Music—Measure (2010)
Little Feat—Feats Don't Fail Me Now (1974)
Crowded House—North American Travelogue (2010)
Led Zeppelin—Shepperton Studios Rehearsal (2007)
Alison Krauss & Union Station—New Favorite (2001)
The Smiths—The Sound of The Smiths (2008)

Singles and EPs

Radiohead—The Daily Mail/Staircase (2011)
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins—Honest Words EP (2011)
Taylor Swift (feat. The Civil Wars)—Safe & Sound (2012)
Pure Reason Revolution—Valour EP (2011)
School of Seven Bells—The Night (2012)
Sharon Van Etten—Serpents (2012)
Van Halen—Tattoo (2012)
Porcelain Raftan—Drifting in and Out (2012)
Chairlift—I Belong in Your Arms (2012)

SHEARWATER

I've been listening to a review copy of Shearwater's Animal Joy (to be released on Sub Pop, Feb 14.) for the past three months. Since I first discovered Shearwater in 2008, they've become one of my top five favorite bands of all time. Yes, they're that good. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that they are America's greatest band right now.

Shearwater is from Austin and they're hugely influenced by late-era Talk Talk. But, rather than mimicking the sound of Mark Hollis & co., they've taken that band's spirit (of Eden) and infused it into their Americana art rock.

Shearwater's past three albums, Palo Santo (2006), Rook (2008) and The Golden Archipelago (2010) are essential to your record collection. I never thought they'd surpass their masterpiece Rook, but Animal Joy is the band's best album to date. It's so good that it may well top my list of the best albums of 2012.

I'm not the only person who rates the album that highly. Last week, music critics Bob Boilen, Ann Powers, Stephen Thompson and Jacob Ganz selected the best new releases coming up over the next few months for NPR's All Things Considered.

Here's what Thompson, former Onion A.V. Club editor, said during the show, "I know what you're saying: This year, this 2012 we're talking about, it's still young. But I've now set my little placeholder for my album of the year and now everything I listen to will be trying to knock it off. A band I've talked about on this show that I love: Shearwater."

Animal Joy is a musical and lyrical departure from the past three albums. In fact, frontman Jonathan Meiburg told me that Animal Joy is almost the inverse of The Golden Archipelago. This one is more immediate, he said, and there aren't any strings or glocks on it; the rhythm section is high in the mix. There's less exotic instrumentation and the core sound is based around drums, bass, and guitars—though there's gorgeous harp on two songs and a bit of piano and minimalist keyboard—and so there's a palpable feel of momentum and energy that carries through the record from start to finish. (The album artwork reflects that departure—the same designers of the past two album covers have used a photo from the natural history museum of a taxidermied animal with big claws. It's a black and white cover but they've created a new red font for the band's name.)

It is Shearwater's most infectious set of tunes. The album's melodies and choruses are so strong that you'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite, though I'd nominate the following songs: "Dread Sovereign," "Pushing the River," "Believing Makes it Easy" and, especially a song called "Open Your Houses." There's an epic on it called "Insolence" that is the best thing they've ever done. Take a listen to the stellar first single, "Breaking the Yearlings" above (click on it for a free download).

What I love about Animal Joy is that it still sounds distinctly like a Shearwater album yet a wholly new iteration of the band's sound.

We live in an era in which most bands sound like echo-boxes of their influences. By contrast, I've always felt that one of Shearwater's many strengths is that you sound like no one else.

Take a listen to, and download for free, the lead single, from the widget at the top of the page.

AMPLIFIER

For Christmas, my friend Simon in Manchester gave me a copy of Amplifier's album The Octopus. (For great music tips, follow Simon on Twitter at @sgort100.) I've been aware of Amplifier ever since I read Classic Rock Presents Prog's lead review of the double album but I never got around to checking them out. I've been missing out!

This record is fantastic and fans of the now defunct band Oceansize will love it. Indeed, Oceansize shared a camaraderie with fellow Mancunian band Amplifier, with the bands referring to each other as “brothers-in-amps.” Since the split of Oceansize, Durose has been touring with Amplifier as their second guitarist.

Amplifier's sound is more progressive than prog. It's often Sabbath heavy and with space rock and dark psychedelic influence. As a double album, The Octopus makes for pretty dense listening but they mostly pull it off thanks to great melodies.

This epic track, "Interstellar," is a great example of their sound. You'll have to wait a good 3 and a 1/2 minutes for the hooky chorus to kick in and each time the chorus returns it gets better and better and the song builds in intensity and fervor: Even better is "Trading Dark Matter on the Stock Exchange," with an almost jazzy, yet sinister, feel. And Muse would kill for the chorus that comes in mid way through "Minion's Song."

Try "Insect Song" (video above), which is available as a free download at http://amplifier.bandcamp.com/track/planet-of-insects

My fave albums of 2011

2011-12-22T01:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a paradox for you: The better an album is, the less I listen to it. In making a list of my favorite albums of 2011, I can easily identify the best records of the year by the one's I've listened to the least. They're the albums I most want to savor and so, to make each listen a special experience, I ration how often I listen rather than overdose on them. That's certainly true of my top 10 fave albums of the year, which I've listed below. (Only studio albums released in 2011 qualify for the list which is why great live albums such as Jeff Beck's Rock 'n' Roll Party and Gary Moore's Live at Montreux 2010 didn't make the cut.)

In compiling my wholly subjective list, I must stress that only the top 20 or so albums fit roughly into an order of preference. After that, the rest of the list is haphazardly arranged. After all, it's difficult to truly scale an order of ranking between albums of such disparate genres. Indeed, my list spans genres including indie rock, blues, world music, electronica, progressive rock, metal, folk, and Americana.

I'm sure my list of fave albums has gaps in it. because there are doubtless many great albums that I haven't heard. That's not for lack of trying. I'm constantly seeking out new music by listening to albums sent by publicists, reading music reviews by great music journalists—some of whom I am proud to call my friends—such as The Guardian's Alexis Petridis (@alexispetridis), The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot (@gregkot), Rolling Stone's Simon Vozick-Levinson (@simonwilliam), Under the Radar's Laura Studarus (@laura_studarus), Laura Ferreiro (@Lauralista), The Wall Street Journal's Jim Fusilli (@wsjrock) and Innerviews' Anil Prasad (@innerviews). I also rely on the great counsel of my old friend and music guru, Simon Gort. (Follow Simon on Twitter at @sgort100.)

For Christmas, my friend Simon gave me Amplifier's rock epic The Octopus and it is a late entry into my list. He also sent me Apparat's The Devil's Walk after I expressed how much I loved a track on it called "Escape." I haven't had time to listen to it, yet, so it's not in my top 50 list. There are many albums released this year that I've only heard parts of, or given a cursory listen on Spotify, and wish I could delve into further, including:

tUnE-yArDs—whokill, Tom Waits—Bad as Me, Bass Communion—Cenotaph, Rival Sons—Pressure and Time, Ryan Adams—Ashes & Fire, Jimmie Vaughan—Plays More Blues, Ballads and Favorites, Ry Cooder—Pull Up Some Dust, Necro Deathmort—Music of Bleak Origin, Eddie Vedder—Ukelele Songs, Steve Cropper—Dedicated, Wye Oak—Civilian.

So much great music, so little time.

Ok, enough preamble.

MY FAVORITE 50 ALBUMS OF 2011

1. Steven Wilson—Grace for Drowning

Though he is best known as the leader of the British band Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson’s extracurricular activities include the art-rock group No-Man, the pop-rock band Blackfield, the Krautrock of I.E.M., and the minimalist drone electronica of Bass Communion. On his second solo record, the prolific polymath combines his disparate music personalities to forge a sound uniquely his own. Over the course of the double album, Wilson draws on textural electronica, piano balladry, trip-hop, soundtrack-like soundscapes, doom rock, and eastern-tonality jazz to create eargasmic melodies. The subject matter of the songs ranges from the gravitational collapse of a relationship ("No Part of Me"), to the onset of paranoid depression ("Remainder the Black Dog"), to the story of a home invasion that doesn't end well for a family ("Raider II"). In short, it's an album so dark and ambitious it would give Trent Reznor whiplash. On Grace for Drowning, Wilson reaches musical and emotional planes most artists don't know exist.

2. PJ Harvey—Let England Shake
3. Fleet Foxes—Helplessness Blues
4. Opeth—Heritage
5. St. Vincent—Strange Mercy
6. Kate Bush—50 Words for Snow
7. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins—Diamond Mine
8. Paul Simon—So Beautiful or So What
9. Elbow—Build a Rocket Boys!
10. John Wesley—The Lilypad Suite
11. Radiohead—The King of Limbs
12. TV on the Radio—Nine Types of Light
13. Laura Marling—A Creature I Don't Know
12. Washed Out—Within and Without
13. The Waterboys—An Appointment with Mr. Yeats
14. Low—C'mon
15. Gregg Allman—Low Country Blues
16. The Black Keys—El Camino
17. Joe Bonamassa—Dust Bowl
18. I Break Horses—Hearts
19. Kate Bush—Director's Cut
20. Alison Krauss & Union Station—Paper Airplane
21. Tinariwen—Tasili
22. The Civil Wars—Barton Hollow
23: The Horrors—Skying
24. Peter Gabriel—New Blood
25. Feist—Metals
26. Blackfield—Welcome to My DNA
27. Evanescence—Evanescence
28. Pajama Club—Pajama Club
29. Lanterns on the Lake—Gracious Tide Take Me Home
30. Robbie Robertson—How to Become Clairvoyant
31. Foo Fighters—Wasting Light
32. Amplifier—The Octopus
33. Black Country Communion—Black Country Communion II
34. Liam Finn—FOMO
35. Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara—In Trance
36. R.E.M—Collapse Into Now
37. Joy Formidable—The Big Roar
38. Eilen Jewell—Queen of the Minor Key
39. City and Color—Little Hell
40. Henrik Freischlader—Still Frame Replay
41. M83—Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
42. Tim Hecker—Ravedeath 1972
43. Bon Iver—Bon Iver
44. Chickenfoot—Chickenfoot III
45: Joseph Arthur—Graduation Ceremony
46. John Martyn—Heaven and Earth
47. Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart—Don't Explain
48. Chris Isaak—Beyond the Sun
49. Iron & Wine—Kiss Each Other Clean
50. Yes—Fly from Here

A few other thoughts and observations about the year in music...

It started horribly. On February 6, my all-time favorite guitarist Gary Moore died of natural causes in his sleep at the age of 58. I've expressed what a terrible loss this premature death was to the music world elsewhere in my blog. I don't anticipate too many posthumous Gary Moore releases from here on other than the re-releases of several old concert videos on DVD and Blu-Ray. Though Gary was working on a new blues album at the time of his death, he had only created a few demos. A concurrent project he was also demoing was a return to the celtic-rock style he first played on Thin Lizzy's Black Rose (which was re-released this year with a bonus disc of unheard material) and mastered on great albums such as 1987's Wild Frontier and 1989's After the War. Half a year before his passing, Gary played a European tour of music from those albums and the set included three new songs. Fortunately, an album and DVD of the tour, Live at Montreux 2010, captured those superb new songs for posterity and left us with a fitting reminder of Moore's unparalleled diversity of musical styles and his peerless emotional guitar playing.

This past year, I found myself craving more roots and boogie music. I've been feeding this musical side of me by listening to the likes of Little Feat, Taj Mahal, John Hammond Jr., and Jimmie Vaughan. I've been getting my fill of that sort of music every week by my favorite DJ, Chris "Rock Professor" Prior in South Africa. Download the podcast of his weekly radio show at: http://krips48.podomatic.com/

In all, a good year for music for my ears. I hope it's been a good music year for you, too.

Playlist: November

2011-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

Albums currently in rotation:

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins—Diamond Mine (2011)
The Civil Wars—Barton Hollow (2011)
Caravan—In the Land of Grey and Pink: 40th Anniversay Edition (1971)
Rush—Time Machine: Live in Cleveland (2011)
Peter Gabriel—New Blood (2011)
Kate Bush—50 Words for Snow (2011)
Levin Torn White—Levin Torn White (2011)
Matt Stevens—Relic (2011)

If you're wondering why I'm only posting November's playlist now that it's over half way through December, it's because I spent most of that month working on my novel. I finished the first draft of the novel just a few days ago. Months of hard work but I'm thrilled with how it's turning out. More details in the months to come as I work on the edit/rewrite. Given the intensity of the writing process, November's playlist was slim. (I wish I could write and listen to music at the same time but I often find I need all my faculties attuned to listening to the ideas for the page.) However, November produced one of my favorite albums of the year: Kate Bush's 50 Words for Snow

At the start of 2011, absolutely no one would have predicted that Kate Bush would release not one, but two, albums in a year. This reclusive artist last emerged with an album in 2005 with Aerial. Before that, her previous album was released in 1993. (To get my extensive thoughts on Kate's first release of 2011, Director's Cut, an album in which Kate reworked some of her older songs, scroll further down to my June playlist.) Half a year later, we've been spoiled with her first new album of brand new material, 50 Words for Snow.

50 Words for Snow is an enthralling work. Much has been made of the fact that this new album is a concept record about winter and snow. But there's also another common denominator that links the songs (the shortest of which is 7 minutes long): They're all about loss and people (and, er, a Yeti) desperately trying to make a connection with each other.

Like her previous masterpiece, Aerial, it's an album of two distinct halves. The first half of the album is stripped down with voice and piano to the fore (there's also some orchestration, muted electronic effects, and jazzy drumming by Steve Gadd). The use of minimalism and space is perfect for these songs about exposed elements, wintry tundra, harrowing blizzards, and bodies drowned under ice. We're definitely back in "Ninth Wave" territory for the first half of the album. These songs are unsettling yet strangely beautiful.

The opener, "Snowflake," is about a mother searching for her child. "Lake Tahoe" is about a dog who pines for his mistress, a woman who drowned in the ice in the Victorian era and never returned home. The latter part of the song imagines the two meeting up once again in the dog's dream (or is it the afterlife?) and the emotion of the song caught me off guard. The third track, "Misty," imagines a one night stand between a woman and—brace yourself—a snowman briefly inhabited by a spirit of some sort. What sounds laughable and wacky on the page turns of to be a strangely affecting and heartrending tale. Once again, it's Kate's unique imagination that sets her apart. These first three songs are at least 10 minutes long and they're transportive.

The second half boasts more colorful instrumentation and is more upbeat. The single, "Wild Man," has a good chorus. (See above video to hear it.) The title track doesn't sound that appealing on paper: it's a song in which the British actor and raconteur Stephen Fry lists 50 words for snow. But it has the niftiest chorus and it's been stuck in my head for days. On this track, as on "Pi" on Aerial, Kate sounds amazingly sensual even when she is just counting out numbers. There's also a duet with Elton John called "Snowed in on Wheeler Street." Although I think the song would have been better with a singer such as Peter Gabriel or Marillion's Steve Hogarth, the epic ballad packs quite an emotional punch. The closer, "Among Angels," is a beaut and it's Kate's most emotional performance on the album.

She's still my favorite female singer of all. Like so many other singers—Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant—Kate may have lost her youthful vocal range with age but, like those aforementioned artists, she has more than compensated by becoming a more expressive, more emotional vocalist in the process.

Kate's previous album, Director's Cut, consisted of remakes of earlier songs she was dissatisfied with. Her old friend (and duet partner on "Don't Give Up"), Peter Gabriel, has also revisited songs from his back catalog on his latest, New Blood. Most recently, Gabriel released Scratch My Back, a purely orchestral album in which the singer covered songs by the likes of The Talking Heads, Radiohead, Elbow, Paul Simon and many others. To my ears, that album was only intermittently successful as only a very few songs, such as "Boy in the Bubble," offered compelling alternative readings to iconic songs. So I was naturally leery of new orchestral album, New Blood. But I checked out "Rhythm of the Heat" on Spotify after reading a review of the album and I was so taken with it that I bought the record.

A few of the new versions, including "Don't Give Up" and "Digging in the Dirt," don't even come close to the originals. That said, there are tracks such as "Rhythm of the Heat" and "San Jacinto" and "Wallflower" and "Intruder" that far outstrip the originals. To his credit, Gabriel has avoided what he has termed "Hollywood soundtrack" orchestral sounds in favor of something earthier and more primal. His voice, meanwhile, is still utterly fantastic, especially when he opens up his pipes and lets out those lupine howls. I hope that Peter will create new material next (and hope he gives Tony Levin and David Rhodes a call). And the next album better not be another Up.

The term "Power Trio" is often bandied about quite liberally but only a few band units truly live up to such billing. The term certainly applied to Cream. It applies doubly so to Rush. And Levin Torn White have so much firepower that you'd swear their amps go up way past 11. The trio's debut album is not for the faint of ear. This wholly unusual instrumental record is often brutal, noisy, and abrasive. It's also shot through with moments of sublime beauty and harmony.

The album's unusual textures stem from the inside-out guitarwork of David Torn. A recording artist for both ECM and Windham Hill labels, Torn is very much an art rock guitarist who has recorded with the likes of Tori Amos, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, and David Bowie. Torn is very much a guitarist more interested in spacial textures than playing straightforward scales. On Levin Torn White, the guitarist can sound his instrument like a dentist's drill, a hornet's nest, and an electrical grid about to go on the fritz. He can also produce spectral beauty from his guitar on tracks such as "Convergence."

Much of the album's oomph comes from Alan White. Though White is widely respected as the drummer of YES, he is nevertheless one of rock's most underrated drummers. White has tremendous technique and awesome power. You wouldn't always know that from YES records. The band's latest record, Fly From Here, is their best in well over a decade but, alas, White's drums are buried low on the mix and the only time his fusillade drumming is showcased is on the extended version of "Hour of Need" on the Japanese edition of Fly From Here. White more than compensates on Levin Torn White with some heavy hitting, trippy time signatures, and different drum sounds.

Added propulsion comes from Tony Levin is one of the world's great bassists and Chapman Stick virtuosos. He has played with the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Paul Simon, Tom Waits, James Taylor, Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe, Warren Zevon, Pink Floyd, and Dire Straits.(Fun fact: Both White and Levin played with John Lennon.) But Levin is perhaps best known as the longtime bassist and stick player in King Crimson and related Crimson projects. Levin adds unexpected funkiness and probing basslines to the trio's music.

If you're fond of the more outré adventures of King Crimson and Robert Fripp, this album is for you. It's uneasy listening. But if you're feeling bold, take a trip into this 4th dimension of sound.

I'd heard of Matt Stevens long before I heard him. The guitarist is closely aligned with Britain's modern progressive rock movement though I must say that his music sounds less prog than it does progressive. (That's a compliment by the way.) Stevens' specialty is acoustic guitar, an often underutilized lead instrument in progressive music nowadays. The acoustic guitar is the lead instrument on Stevens' latest record, Relic, which consists of 10 delightful instrumentals. That's not to say that it's an acoustic record. Bass, electric guitar, and drums are consistent ingredients throughout but, more often than not, it's acoustic guitar that's to the fore.

On tracks such as "Rushden Fair" and "Sand (Part 2)," Stevens creates delicate lattices of harmonic interplay with his finger-picked guitar. Elsewhere, the arrangements and riffs of "Nightbus," "20 GOTO 10," and the title track pack a crunch that will appeal to fans of The Pineapple Thief and Radiohead. On "Frost," Stevens demonstrates that he's no slouch on the electric guitar either as he grinds out a gnarly riff and tears through lead lines so quickly that one imagines smoke coming off the strings. "The End" evokes a feel similar to Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" without sounding like it.

My favorite track on Relic is titled "Scapegoat." Listen to it below and you'll see why! Then go get the album, which you can also stream, over at www.mattstevensguitar.com/

Playlist: October

2011-10-31T23:58:00.001-07:00

In 2011, St. Vincent became the patron saint of avant-garde indie pop. To my ears, St. Vincent's Strange Mercy is one of the year's very best records. (It's on the 4AD label and it was produced by John Congleton, who produced Shearwater's The Golden Archipelago.) As you may know, St. Vincent is the nom de plume of 29-year-old singer-songwriter Annie Clark. This is her third album of strange art-rock and memorable melodies. She can pen a great pop tune—the third song on her album, "Cheerleader," is one of the best choruses you'll hear all year—and yet subvert it with an unsettling lyric and an unusual arrangement.

Her demure prettiness masks an off-center dark side. In the video for the lead single from the album, "Cruel" (which sounds like Abba on acid) Clark portrays a woman who is kidnapped by an ordinary looking family. The kidnapper and his young son and daughter dress her up as a suburban housewife and make her play the role of a mother figure as they subject her to unimaginable acts of cruelty. At the end of the video, they bury her alive in a grave.

The album opener, "Chloe in the Afternoon," references the Eric Rohmer film of the same name about a married man's illicit affair. The song's slinky and sensual chorus sits at odds with the abrasive guitar of the verses. Unlike the titular character of the film, this Chloe likes to incorporate a "black lacquered horse-hair whip" in her foreplay. In other words, you're not going to hear an X Factor contestant cover this one anytime soon.

There's also a song called "Surgeon" which starts off with the suggestive lyric, "I spent the summer on my back" but soon takes a darker turn as she sings, "I need a surgeon/to come cut me open." She sings that line and over and over again as if she's in the throes of ecstasy. The effect is at once unsettling and thrilling at the same time. It's a killer tune. The whole album is full of them.

Oh, and St. Vincent demolishes the myth that girls can't play guitar. Check out this live-in-the-studio version of "Surgeon" (above) and marvel at her finger gymnastics on the fretboard. (You can watch the full live session, consisting of four songs, here.)

This is St. Vincent's third album and it's her breakout. To quote one of her songs, "it's gonna be a champagne year" for her.

I've been on a major The Waterboys kick this month. The band's seminal single, "The Whole of the Moon," was one of the first 7" singles I ever bought. I've been a fan ever since and own just about everything that the band's principal singer-songwriter, Mike Scott, has ever done. When I interviewed Mike Scott a decade ago, it was a most delightful experience. The Scotsman was warm and enthusiastic, talking about his love of Oprah and his spiritual outlook on life.

Though The Waterboys remain a great live act, I had come to believe that their studio albums would never scale the heights of albums such as A Pagan Place, This is the Sea, Fisherman's Blues and Dream Harder. The band's 2000 album, A Rock in a Weary Land, felt strained and clunky even though its title track is one of the band's very best songs. Book of Lightning (2007) had its charms but it, too, was far from the band's glory days. All of which made the band's new album, An Appointment with Mr. Yeats, a revelation. It's the band's best work since 1993's Dream Harder.

For An Appointment with Mr. Yeats Mike Scott has set the poetry of W.B. Yeats to music. It's not the first time that Scott—a fine poet in his own right—has created a musical adaptation of a Yeats poem. The band's classic 1988 album, Fisherman's Blues, includes Yeats's "A Stolen Child" and Dream Harder includes "Love and Death."

An Appointment with Mr. Yeats sees The Waterboys return to "the big music" they created on their first three albums. Large canvas stuff with heavenward singing. That's apparent from the get go with the epic opener, "The Hosting of the Shee" and "A Full Moon in March." But even though this rock music draws on instrumentation such as oboe, trombone, flute, sax and strings, this is no retread of the band's old 1980s sound. It's a fresh iteration of the big music. Key to the band's sound is longtime fiddle player Steve Wickham who first appeared on Fisherman's Blues. Here, Wickham adds lyrical notes to songs such as "Sweet Dancer," ethereal lead lines to songs such as "The Lake of Innisfree" and torrid soloing on the album highlight "Land of the Mist and Snow."

Mike Scott sounds rejuvenated throughout the album. He's seldom sounded as soulful as he does on "Song of the Wandering Aengus" and "Let the Earth Bear Witness."

I've been so enthralled with the record that I've revisited most of the band's back catalog. I was pleasantly surprised by the band's 2003 record Universal Hall. I didn't take to the album upon its release and had only listened to it once. It's a largely acoustic record and my impression of it at the time was that it was rather dull. How wrong I was. Upon revisiting Universal Hall all these years later, I heard it with new ears. It's a quiet album, for the most part, that reward close listening. It also has far more textures and colors than I had remembered. The first half of the album is acoustic. The second half of the record includes the great electric-pulse rocker "See the Light" and "E.B.O.L." (Eternal Beam of Love) is The Waterboys at its finest.

Finally, I'd like to recommend you check out an Israeli songwriter named Liam Modlin. An old friend of mine named Brian Segal, a man of impeccable music taste, turned me on the Liam's talents—thanks Brian—and I can't wait for Liam to produce his first album. For a taste of what to expect, watch the great video to the song "Faceless" below.

Albums currently in rotation:

I Break Horses—Hearts (2011)
Lantern of the Lakes—Lantern of the Lakes (2011)
The Waterboys—An Appointment with Mr. Yeats (2011), Universal Hall (2003), Dream Harder (1993), A Pagan Place (1983).
Robbie Robertson—How to Become Clairvoyant (2011), Music for the Native Americans (1994), Contact from the Underground of Red Boy (1998)
Rory Gallagher—Irish Tour '74 (1974)
Chris Isaak—Beyond the Sun (2011)
Pearl Jam—Backspacer (2009)
Feist—Metals (2011)
Levin Torn White—Levin Torn White (2011)
Björk—Biophilia (2011)
Riverside—Second Life Syndrome (2005)
Evanescence—Evanescence (2011)

Songs + EPs currently in rotation:

Pearl Jam—Olé (2011)
Steven Wilson—Postcard EP (2011)
Liam Modlin—Faceless (2011)

Playlist: September

2011-09-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

Albums currently in rotation:

The Pajama Party—Pajama Party (2011)
Laura Marling—A Creature I Don't Know (2011)
Trentemøller—Reworked/Remixed (2011)
St. Vincent—Strange Mercy (2011)
David Sylvian—Approaching Silence (1999)
Big Wreck—In Loving Memory Of (1997)
Taj Mahal—Taj Mahal's Blues (1992)
Bonobo—Black Sands (2010)
Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara—In Trance (2011)
I Break Horses—Hearts (2011)
Chickenfoot—Chickenfoot III (2011)
Future Sound of London—Lifeforms (1994)
Feist—Let It Die (2004), The Reminder (2007)
Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart—Don't Explain (2011)
Jon Hopkins & King Creosote—Diamond Mine (2011)
Opeth—Heritage (2011)
Gary Moore—Live at Montreux 2010 (2011)
Spotlight, Floodlight—Nocturne (2011)
King Crimson—In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), Islands (1971), Red (1974)

To quote a Marillion lyric, I'm feeling globally altered and disheveled. I've just returned from South Africa (the reason why there was no playlist posted for August), so I'm now trying to readjust to Pacific Time. As if that was disorienting enough, I am listening to Carole King's upcoming holiday album because I am interviewing her for an airline magazine. Lemme tell you, it's awfully strange to hear Christmas music in September.

My ears have been spoiled of late. As you'll see from the list above, I've been listening to my typically varied diet, including indie rock, blues, classic rock, world music, metal, folk, electronica, and progressive rock. Let me tell you a bit more about some of the albums I've listed above.

In heavy rotation in these parts: Steven Wilson's new album. It's the second solo album by the British songwriter, best known as the songwriter-singer-guitarist-producer of Porcupine Tree. Among his many extracurricular pursuits are long-running projects such as side projects such as No-Man (art rock), Bass Communion (ambient electronica), I.E.M. (Krautrock) and Blackfield (indie pop rock). I awed that one individual can be so prolific and diverse and yet produce such a consistently high caliber of songcraft and artistic innovation. He's an extremely rare and special talent.

I recently interviewed Wilson about his new solo album, Grace for Drowning, a double album that encompasses whole ecosystems of music. Which is to say that Wilson has once again incorporated his wide-ranging musical loves and filtered them to create something far more ambitious than most records. Grace for Drowning marks new territory for Wilson since it is unabashedly inspired by early progressive rock. That style of music has long been a primary influence on Wilson, of course, but Wilson's work on remastering the King Crimson back catalog (which I've been enjoying these past few months) made him realize what a key element jazz was to nascent progressive rock. But modern-day progressive bands have largely neglected the jazz element which Wilson says was often the spiritual heart of those 1970s bands. Wilson has emulated the approach of Robert Fripp on the King Crimson albums Lizard and Islands—recruit a bunch of jazz musicians and place them in a rock context.

Fripp was at the London listening session for Grace for Drowning. I'm told that he had a huge smile throughout the playback and was tapping his foot the entire time. Afterward, Fripp claimed not to hear any King Crimson influence at all...which seems disingenuous! The touchstones of Lizard, Islands and Red are all over Grace for Drowning. You can hear Crimon-esque slabs of monolithic doom-y chords on jazz-rock tracks such as "Sectarian" and "Remainder the Black Dog" (which you can download for free at www.gracefordrowning.com) and the 23-minute long "Raider II," a track with more endings than the last Lord of the Rings movie!

A lot of the album almost sounds like the score to a movie and I love that aspect of it. Indeed, the final three minutes of "Like Dust I Have Cleared from My Eye" is stunning. It's mixed so quietly that you have to lean in close to the speakers and really pay attention. The unsettling choral work of "Raider Prelude" sounds like something off the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey. And Belle De Jour could have slotted onto the soundtrack to The Dear Hunter.

"No Part of Me" and "Index" (see video, below) showcase Wilson's electronica instincts. Indeed, the sublime "No Part of Me" begins as a gorgeous electronica sigh (with shades of Autechre) and then, midway through, suddenly plunges off a musical cliff into a riffing guitars section with middle-eastern sax courtesy of Theo Travis. It's fantastic.

A few other observations: I love the Steely Dan-ish piano on "Deform to Form a Star"... Though this is not a guitar-oriented album, Wilson plays killer melodic guitar solos on "Deform to Form a Star" and "Like Dust I Have Cleared from My Eye" and "Track One"...the album has some surprisingly joyful and upbeat music on it!

A related album is Opeth's Heritage, which was mixed by Wilson. I've long been a fan of the Swedish death metal band who, unlike most bands of that genre, have musically adventurous instincts and a keen grasp of melody. Heritage is a radical change of direction for Opeth. They've completely ditched the metal sound and the cookie-monster vocals of previous releases. I sure won't miss the unintelligible roars as I've always preferred the clean singing of frontman-guitarist-songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt, who has a beautiful voice. Heritage bears the hallmarks of early '70s progressive rock. Lots of mellotron, finger-picked acoustic guitar, David Gilmour-esque guitar and even flutes!

It's a natural progression for the band which has explored progressive sounds ever since Steven Wilson produced their seminal album Blackwater Park. And if you enjoy Heritage, take a listen to their earlier album Damnation—another Wilson production—a rather mellow album of classic rock sounds and without any metal or cookie-monster vocals. If you're feeling adventurous, and can stomach some heavier stuff, I also recommend Opeth's Ghost Reveries.

A new discovery for me: Spotlight, Floodlight whose debut album, Nocturne, consists of eerily beautiful instrumentals that will trigger mindscape dreams if you listen to it in the dark.

I first became aware of Spotlight, Floodlight when my friend Andy Saks sent me their beautifully forlorn version Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street." The cover version, which you can download for free here, features vocalist Rob Dickinson from the seminal British shoegaze band Catherine Wheel.

Clearly, this was a band to watch. Well, not so much a band as an artist. Spotlight, Floodlight is a project by LA-based composer Peter Adams who has worked with a number of well-known artists, including the likes of Michael Penn, Tears for Fears, Juliana Hatfield, Richard Thompson and Rickie Lee Jones. On this album, Adams supplements his piano and keyboards with the help of several percussionists, bass players, a cellist and a violinist and cooing vocals courtesy of Amy Seeley.

Just as the title suggests, Nocturne is music for the curfew hours. The album cover, an evocative cover photograph of a wolf in a dark forest, perfectly sets the mood for the music. The consistently lovely melodies, led by stark piano and twinkling Fender Rhodes, often sound like lilting lullabies but there's often an ominous undercurrent that provides delicious tension to tracks such as "Pi" and "Of Itself So." The sound of mildly distressed murmuring human voices on "Trees" and "An Autobiography" makes one imagine there are ghosts in the recording machine. Nocturne utilizes space and minimalism to allow the organic instrumentation to breath on tracks such as "Beauty Lamented."

If you're a fan of Richard Barbieri or Talk Talk or, indeed, Erik Satie, you'll love this record.

You can hear all the tracks as well as purchase a digital download or CD on the Spotlight, Floodlight website. Peter Adams is playing a solo show at Room 5 in LA on October 18. You can also catch him as the keyboard player for John Oates (of Hall & Oates).

If you haven't already, check out Neil Finn's new side project, The Pajama Club, by downloading the two free songs from their website: http://www.pajamaclubmusic.com/ "From a Friend to a Friend" (featuring Johnny Marr on guitar) is particularly good and a pleasing departure in sound from the songwriting genius of Crowded House. I've included the video at the very top of this blog entry.

I've also been enjoying an advance copy of a 2-disc compilation of Trentemøller's remixes of Thom Yorke, UNKLE, Efterklang, Depeche Mode, Mew. Great stuff by the Danish electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist.

This month saw the first posthumous release by my all-time favorite guitarist, Gary Moore. The album (and DVD), Live at Montreux 2010, is a document of Gary's final tour during which he returned to the sound of celtic-rock. He had been working on a new album in the style of Wild Frontier and Thin Lizzy's Black Rose at the time. Sadly, that album never got beyond the demo phase but three of the new songs intended for that album were included in the setlist of the final tour and they're included on the live album. They're all very good, especially one called "Days of Heroes," and I'm glad that they have seen the light of day. The video for one of the new songs, "Oh Wild One," is above.

The setlist, largely drawn from Gary's late 1980s albums, concludes with a stunning rendition of his most beloved song, "Parisienne Walkways." I have dozens of recordings of this track, a top 10 hit in the UK in 1979, and I never cease to be amazed how Gary never played the long guitar outro the same way twice. A testament to his brilliance.

Finally, a big thanks to my dear friend Simon Gort for a recent package of albums including King Creosote + Jon Hopkins, The Future Sound of London, Dutch Uncles, Bonobo, David Sylvian, and Justin Adams/Juldeh Camara. Simon and I share very similar music tastes and I am indebted to him for introducing me to so many great bands and artists over the past 20 years. Follow him on Twitter at @sgort100 for great recommendations of music you really need to hear!

Playlist: July

2011-07-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

The onset of summer—my favorite season—here in West Hollywood has influenced my listening this month. For starters, I've been enjoying Washed Out's Within & Without (it boasts one of the best album covers I've seen in a while, see above). The brand new album, which has been widely acclaimed, sometimes sounds like a lush, electronica version of Low. Its "bedroom auteur" creator, Ernest Greene, has been saddled with the genre tag of Chillwave. (Because that's what us music journalists do: We sit around and think up ridiculous new genre labels all day like, say, Nü-Dreamgaze.) But all that matters is that Washed Out's blissful electronica is cool balm for a hot day.

In addition to Washed Out, I've been seeking out other albums and songs that feel summer-y to my ears. Perfect summer songs include Porcupine Tree's "Time Flies" and No-Man's "Days in the Trees." Both songs, penned by Steven Wilson, offer nostalgic recollections of the seemingly infinite summers of childhood. (Watch the music video of heavily abridged single version of "Time Flies," below.)

So, what, exactly, constitutes a great summer song or album? Sometimes a summer song is that which feels light, folky, and as laid-back as a sultry siesta. (That would explain why I've been craving some J.J. Cale of late.) At other times, one wants a kick-ass rock song ideal for jamming while you drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. (Red Hot Chili Peppers ticks those boxes.)

Other records have a summer-y feel. Pink Floyd's Meddle takes me to "Saint Tropez" on a "Pillow of Winds." Laura Viers' wonderful July Flame album boasts tracks such as the exultant "Summer is the Champion" as well as its catchy title track (see video, below). And Led Zeppelin reminds us that Dancing Days are here again on Houses of the Holy.

One album, in particular, stands out as a great summer listen. The second disc of Kate Bush's masterpiece, Aerial, is a conceptual piece that depicts one summer's day. It starts with the birdsong of early sunny morning, passes through a fleeting midday thunderstorm, basks in an a honeycomb sunset, and ends with a song about swimming late at night. Seek it out!

ALBUMS

Summer-y albums in rotation:

Washed Out—Within and Without (2011)
Gary Moore—Dark Days in Paradise (1997)
J.J. Cale—J.J. Cale Live (2001)
Porcupine Tree—Lightbulb Sun (1997)
Calexico—Carried to Dust (2008)
Tame Impala—Innerspeaker (2010)
Joni Mitchell—Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
Stone Temple Pilots—Thank You (2003)
The Amazing—The Amazing (2009)
Laura Veirs—July Flame (2009)
Pink Floyd—Meddle (1971)
Red Hot Chili Peppers—Stadium Arcadium (2006)
Led Zeppelin—Houses of the Holy (1973)

Other albums in rotation:

Gavin Harrison and 05ric—Circles (2009)
Warren Haynes—Man in Motion (2011)
Henrik Freischlader—Still Frame Replay (2011)
Marillion—Live at Cadogan Hall (2011)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—The Boatman's Call (1997)
Eric Clapton—Crossroads, disc 3 (1988)
John Hammond (Jr.)—Push Comes to Shove (2009)

Playlist: June

2011-06-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

Before I get to my June playlist, I thought I'd share my take on the new (well, sorta new) album by Kate Bush. There are many female artists that I worship and adore, most notably Björk, Jesca Hoop, PJ Harvey, Joni Mitchell, and Toni Childs. But Kate Bush is my absolute favorite. A new release by Kate is a rare event. Her previous album was 2005's masterpiece, Aerial, which arrived 12 years after The Red Shoes. On the bright side, at least she's more prolific than Harper Lee.

Director's Cut, consists of a series of revamped, remastered, rearranged and re-recorded songs from two of her older albums. Director's Cut consists of remakes of four cuts from 1989's The Sensual World (which, to me, is perfect as it already is) and seven reworked tracks from 1993's The Red Shoes, a problematic album. Most of the songs retain the original instrumentation, but three of them have been wholly re-recorded from scratch. All the drums have been re-recorded by master session player Steve Gadd and Kate has recorded new vocals for each song, albeit in a lower key to suit her current vocal range.

Going back to redo these old songs is a curious step for a progressive musician such as Kate, but not an entirely unprecedented one: She re-recorded the vocal on "Wuthering Heights" for her greatest hits album. She's clearly had profound regrets about The Red Shoes (didn't we all?) and perhaps she needed to redress the past in order to move on to create new work. (Her new album is likely to emerge in 2012...but, trust me, you don't want to make a bet with a bookie on that.)

Here's the breakdown of Director's Cut. The remakes of the songs from the Red Shoes are, with the exception of "Rubberband Girl," vast improvements on the originals. But of the songs taken from The Sensual World, only one of the four tracks surpasses the original.

The bad:

"Flower of the Mountain" seems oddly flat compared to its predecessor and Kate's vocal seems to lack the pent-up erotic fervor of "The Sensual World." Even so, I can't help but swoon a bit when Kate moans, "Yes." She tends to have that effect on men!

"Deeper Understanding" was always the weakest song on The Sensual World and, unfortunately, she's added god awful auto tune effects to the remake. A pity because the verses and extended coda are lovely.

"Never Be Mine" is a big favorite from The Sensual World and although I do like this new version—particularly the guitar bit added to the chorus—I prefer the raw anguish of the original (especially the wail of "This is what I want..." that is omitted in the remake). The new vocal, by contrast, seems more wearily resigned to the fate of losing a lover. It's a strong alternative version but doesn't surpass the original.

"And So Is Love" is superior to its original version but it's still not all that great a song...

The Rolling Stones-style "Rubberband Girl" is fun novelty, but it's still a throwaway cut and no match for the original. In an interview with MOJO, Kate admitted she hadn't originally intended to include it on Director's Cut.

The good:

The best parts of Director's Cut are tremendous. Who'd have thought Kate could top the original version of "This Woman's Work"? She not only offers a more emotional vocal, imbued with the wisdom of age, but she recasts the tune as a gorgeous ambient piece with twinkles of Fender Rhodes keyboard.

"Moments of Pleasure," originally overwrought and Baroque, comes alive in its stripped-down, re-recorded, and tunefully altered version. It reminds me a little of Aerial's "The Coral Room," one of the most emotionally raw vocal performances ever recorded and one of the very rare songs that can make me tear up. This song now almost feels as if Kate was writing her last-ever song as a look back on her life and as a farewell to her loved ones. A final chance to sum up all she ever wanted to say. (Another song that sounds like a final Will and Testament is the affecting title track of Joni Mitchell's most recent album, Shine. Do seek that one out.) The final two lines of the song are unbearably sad. When she sings, "Hey there Michael, did you really love me...did you really love me?" you'll become unmoored. It's yet another example of how Kate is surely the most emotionally expressive female singer around.

I've always loved "The Red Shoes" but this new version easily surpasses the original and Kate's whirling dervish vocal ("Whoop, whoop!") is so good. The dynamics of this stomping folk rock remind me of Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole." Play this loud. You may end up dancing a jig in your living room.

I love the sudden swell of the chorus in "Top of the City." It feels as like a geyser of sound bursting free. She tried to attain that effect on the original, of course, but couldn't pull it off like she does here.

"Song of Solomon" suddenly reveals itself in a whole new way. "Lily" is also profound in its new, funkier version and it has a real edge and urgency, particularly when Kate cuts loose at the end.

I purchased the special edition of Director's Cut, which is beautifully packaged in a hardcover and includes two bonus discs: The Sensual World (unaltered) and a remaster of The Red Shoes. The original was a digital remaster. Kate discovered an analog remaster and the album sounds markedly better than the original—far more definition and I can hear individual elements that I didn't notice on the original. The album has also been subtly changed on this edition. "Eat the Music" is shorter now and "Big Stripey Lie" has been shorn on the violins.

I'm pretty enthralled with Director's Cut overall. (For best effect, take a listen to it on headphones.) Despite its serious flaws, the best parts of Director's Cut reaffirm why I love Kate so much....

I'm still listening to many of the same albums of the past few months (see earlier playlists, below), but here's what else I've been listening to over the past month which, oddly, has been dominated by classic rock!

ALBUMS

The entire Gary Moore catalog, in chronological order
Kate Bush—Director's Cut (2011)
Bon Iver—Bon Iver (2011)
Black Country Communion—Black Country Communion 2 (2011)
Robbie Robertson—How to Become Clairvoyant (2011)
Adele—21 (2011)
Alison Krauss & Union Station—Paper Airplane (2011)
John Hammond—Push to Shove (2007)
YES—Fly from Here (2011)
Coldplay—Every Teardrop is a Waterfall EP (2011)
Laura Veirs—July Flame (2009)

SONGS

Radiohead—Staircase (2011)
Eddie Vedder—Can't Keep; Longing to Belong (2011)
Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi—Two Against One (feat. Jack White) (2011)
The Pajama Club (Neil Finn's new band; follow link to free download)—From a Friend to a Friend (2011)
Pallers—Come Rain, Come Sunshine (2011)
Rival Sons—Pressure and Time (2011) See video, below

Now on Newsstands: Under the Radar

2011-05-30T20:48:00.001-07:00

Of late, I've been drastically paring back my journalism to concentrate on writing my first novel, a literary thriller (doesn't that sound pretentious!) However, I do have a couple of reviews in the brand new issue of Under the Radar.

The magazine, which is the best publication for underground and indie music, has just released its first Music Vs. Comedy issue and it features crossover interviews between the likes of The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and David Cross, Patton Oswalt and St. Vincent, Modern Family's Ty Burrell and Loney Dear, and Aziz Ansari (pictured on the cover, above) interviewing Toro Y Moi and TV on the Radio. And you'll want to read the magazine's interview with the adorable Ellie Kemper (The Office, Bridesmaids). At one point, Kemper quips, "I ended up majoring in English, which I'm not particularly fluent in."

Playlist: May

2011-05-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

ALBUMS

The entire Gary Moore catalog, in chronological order
Fleet Foxes—Helplessness Blues (2011)
Robbie Robertson—How to Become Clairvoyant (2011)
Thin Lizzy—Vagabonds of the Western World (Deluxe 2-disc reissue) (1973)
John Hammond Jr.—Push Comes to Shove (2007)
Liam Finn—FOMO (2011)
Joni Mitchell—For the Roses (1972)
John Martyn—Heaven and Earth (2011)
David Sylvian—Gone to Earth (1986)
Crowded House—North America Travelogue 2010 (2011)
Jesca Hoop—Kismet (2007)
Oceansize—Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up (2010)
Riverside—Second Life Syndrome (2005)
Tim Hecker—Ravedeath, 1972 (2011)
Les Triaboliques—rivermudtwilight (2009)

Playlist: April 2011

2011-04-28T21:21:00.001-07:00

ALBUMS

The entire Gary Moore catalog, in chronological order
Blackfield—Welcome to My DNA (2011)
Elbow—Build a Rocket Boys! (2011)
Steve Miller Band—Bingo! (2009)
Low—C'mon! (2011)
Karnivool—Themata (2005), Sound Awake (2009)
Jonathan Meiburg—Hymn to the Valences/The Moth and the Milky Way (2011)
Shearwater—The Island Arc, live excerpts (2011)
TV on the Radio—Nine Types of Light (2011)
Foo Fighters—Wasting Light (2011)
Los Lobos—Kiko (1992)
Radiohead—Supercollider/The Butcher (2011)
Rush—A Farewell to Kings (1977)
John Wesley—The Lilypad Suite (2011)
David Sylvian—Everything and Nothing (2000)

Playlist: March 2011

2011-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here's just a small selection of what's been in rotation this month:

ALBUMS

The entire Gary Moore catalog, in chronological order
Blackfield—Welcome to My DNA (2011)
The Joy Formidable — The Big Roar (2011)
Jesca Hoop—Snowglobe EP (2011)
Rush—Farewell to Kings (1977)
Boards of Canada—In a Beautiful Place EP (2000)
R.E.M.—Collapse Into Now (2011)
Joe Bonamassa—Dust Bowl (2011)
Joni Mitchell—For the Roses (1972)
Jeff Beck—Rock 'n' Roll Party (2011)
David Sylvian—Everything and Nothing (2000)
Little Feat—Dixie Chicken (1973)
No-Man—Speak (1999); Flowermouth (1994)
Chris Isaak—Baja Sessions (1995)
David Bowie—Toy (2011; recorded 2001)

My Interview with Elbow

2011-03-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

This week, the British band Elbow released its fifth album, build a rocket boys!, and, like its predecessors, it's a special record. (Never heard them before? Take a listen to this live-in-the-studio version of the new track "Lippy Kids" above. It's a great showcase for the voice of Guy Garvey, one of England's most soulful singers.)

For starters, the epic opener, "The Birds," is one of the best things they've ever done. I also love the single, "Neat Little Rows." There's a delightful whimsical pop song called "With Love" that is mainly built on the interview and interplay of multiple vocalists and features the Hallé Youth Orchestra.

Throughout the album there are some fabulous cascading guitar and piano riffs and motifs, like on "High Ideals." A few songs in the middle stretch -- “The Night Will Always Win,” “The River,” and “Jesus was a Rochdale Girl” -- are growers. The closing track, "Dear Friends," is a beaut. Classic Elbow.

In addition to my interview with Guy Garvey in the current issue of Under the Radar (see below), I also did a separate piece using leftover material from the interview for the magazine's website, which you can read here.

Now on Newsstands: Under the Radar

2011-03-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of Under the Radar, America's best magazine for indie music and underground artists, is now on newsstands. I interviewed Elbow's Guy Garvey for the issue.

In addition to feature stories on Iron & Wine, R.E.M., Lykke Li, The Decemberists and Death Cab for Cutie, the issue also includes interviews with promising newcomers such as Anna Calvi and Porcelain Raft. Check it out!

Playlist: February 2011

2011-02-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been in rotation this month:

ALBUMS

The entire Gary Moore catalog, in chronological order
PJ Harvey—Let England Shake
Radiohead — The King of Limbs
Tame Impala—Innerspeaker
John Hiatt—Bring the Family
Paul Simon—So Beautiful or So What
Shearwater—Enron
The Czars—Ugly People vs. Beautiful People
Greg Allman—Low Country Blues
The Black Keys—Brothers
David Sylvian—Gone to Earth
Low—I Could Live in Hope
Dennis Wilson—Pacific Ocean Blue
Vertical Horizon—Burning the Days
Susumu Yokota—Kaleidoscope
Iron & Wine—Kiss Each Other Clean
YES—Union Live
Robert Wyatt—Schleep
05ric—Bubbleburst EP

A few words about some of the albums...

It's only February but there won't be many better albums than PJ HARVEY's Let England Shake in 2011. Musically, the album picks up where White Chalk left off -- PJ once again sings mostly in a high register rather than in her low-end voice -- but this record adds more vibrant textures and brighter colors. One or two songs, such as "Written on the Forehead," almost sound Cocteau Twins-ish. Beautiful melodies from start to finish.

It's a concept album about the toll of war on England and its identity. For this record, Polly Jean wrote all the lyrics before she wrote a note of music and so its full of startling imagery. On "All and Everyone," a song about the battle of Gallipoli, for instance, she sings:

Death Hung in the smoke and clung
to 400 acres of useless beachfront
now, and now, and now.
Death was everywhere,
in the air
and in the sounds
coming off the mounds
of Bolton's Ridge.
Death's anchorage.
Death was in the staring sun,
fixing its eyes on everyone.
It rattled the bones of the Light Horsemen
still lying out there in the open

Simply, it's her best work and a consistently exhilarating listen.

I'm very excited by TAME IMPALA, a new psych-prog band from Australia. Strong melodies and immense grooves. They're just about the only band in the world who can claim to have been interviewed by Classic Rock Presents Prog as well as Under the Radar, an indie music magazine I write for.

The new RADIOHEAD album isn't a top-tier album like The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows. It lacks the grandeur, thrust, and ambition of those albums. The King of Limbs feels like a lesser work but it is nevertheless a more cohesive album than Hail to the Thief and Amnesiac. These 8 new tracks are beautiful. In fact, this record arguably boasts Thom Yorke's best vocal performances to date. As with any Radiohead record, it's richly textured and demands attentive listening.

PAUL SIMON's last album, Surprise (produced by Brian Eno), boasted one or two cracking tunes, but his new album, So Beautiful or So What (out in April), is his best since Graceland. Once again, he has included African influences in these acoustic-based songs but they're West African sounds such as the kora rather than South African township pop. On this record he reminds me what a great lyricist he is, creating deft character sketches and offering wry wit throughout. It is odd, though, to hear him reference Jay Z!

I am hugely enjoying GREGG ALLMAN's new solo record, Low Country Blues (Rounder). I've had zero expectations beforehand but it's been on constant rotation in this household these past few days.

It's a pure blues album produced by T Bone Burnett (yes, him again) and, apart from one new song co-written by Greg and Warren Haynes, the album consists of cover versions by the likes of Muddy Waters, BB King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Skip James and Magic Sam. The production style is richly atmospheric. T Bone's regular go-to players, drummer Jay Bellerose and bassist Dennis Crouch (both of whom you may have heard on albums such as Plant & Krauss' Raising Sand and Sahara Smith's Myth of the Heart) provide rich texture and finger-clicking swing in the rhythm department. and T Bone Burnett swaps guitar licks with Doyle Bramhall II. There's even horns on one or two tracks. And the in-house pianist on the record is one Mac Rebennack. Indeed, Dr. John lays down an amazingly catchy, yet subtle, piano riff on the final track, "Rolling Stone."

Gregg's voice still sounds wonderfully soulful despite the fact that his vocal chords have probably been marinated in Jack Daniels these past few decades! While the album does feature some of Gregg's signature B3 organ licks, the record sounds nothing like an Allman Bros. album. It's very much its own sound.

Gary Moore: Musicians pay tribute

2011-02-10T00:28:00.000-08:00

Preliminary results from a post-mortem examination indicate that Gary Moore died from a heart attack in his sleep. Still can't believe this has happened.

An official statement on Gary's website says that the guitarist had been due to record a new album in the studio just before he died. It had been thought that Gary had one more blues album already in the can but no one knows for sure. A blues record was scheduled to come out last year but was pushed back to fall of this year, presumably to allow Gary to focus on his return to Celtic Rock. He had been working on a Celtic Rock project. Indeed, Gary did a tour last year in which he returned his Celtic rock stuff (plus one or two blues numbers), including three brand new songs in the the vein of his Wild Frontier ouevre. They will be included on a live CD + DVD of a 2010 Montreux Festival concert that had already been scheduled for release in April. The three new songs -- "Where Are You Now?," "Days of Heroes," "Oh Wild One" (a song about Phil Lynott) -- are very good, judging from the bootlegs I've heard. Here's the presumed tack list for the live album:

Over The Hills And Far Away
Thunder Rising
Military Man
Days Of Heroes
Where Are You Now?
So Far Away / Empty Rooms
Oh Wild One
Blood Of Emeralds
Out In The Fields
Still Got The Blues
Walking By Myself
Johnny Boy (Encore 1)
Parisienne Walkways

It's unclear how much of the Celtic-rock studio album had been recorded. Doubtless, there will also be posthumous release of stuff left on the shelf, too.

I wrote an in-depth biographical tribute in my previous blog entry. Since then, I have been compiling all the tributes that have been pouring in from fellow musicians and guitarists, beginning with this inspiring piece by Kirk Hammett:

KIRK HAMMETT (METALLICA)

Gary Moore is definitely in my list of top five guitar influences, right up with Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Michael Schenker. His influence is strong to the point that the opening lick of the guitar solo of “Master of Puppets” is a variation of a lick that Gary Moore played a lot. I remember the first time hearing his blues album and just getting totally blown away – not only by the playing but by the sound of it too, his tone. And I remember being so inspired that I wrote a couple riffs just based on his sound and his feel. And those riffs ended up in "The Unforgiven" on The Black Album.

I first heard of him in the late 1970s. I was a big Thin Lizzy fan then. I had seen them on the Dangerous tour and not long afterwards I heard there was a new album out called Black Rose. I heard "Waiting For An Alibi" on a college radio station and I was amazed because I instantly knew that they had a different guitar player. That was not Brian Robertson playing or Scott Gorham playing that guitar solo. It was…something else. I went to the record story and picking up Black Rose, looked at the cover, turned it over and saw a guitar player named Gary Moore.

He just blew me away from the first time I heard him. It was like Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan. He had a very distinct sound and a very distinct way of approaching his guitar playing. Soon after that he came out with G-Force, which is a heavy rock band. There was this one instrumental track on the [first G-Force] album that just totally blew me away, and at that point I just made a conscious decision to make him a part of my regular listening.

Gary was also a big influence on me visually. Every time I saw a picture of him and he was playing a solo the expression on his face conveyed that he was feeling it deep. I remember seeing a picture of him on stage with Thin Lizzy in a guitar solo, obviously, with him bent back. He’s playing the Gibson Les Paul gold top, and he’s bending the shit out of this one string and he has that expression on his face. I just thought, "Wow." I mean that must have been a really intense moment right there because it looks so rock and roll, and so cool and so lead guitar-ish.

His sound was not over-processed. It was very, very basic. It basically was a guitar, an amp, a fuzz box and his hands. I remember seeing him in Copenhagen in 1984 or 1985. We were recording Master of Puppets. He was playing a Strat, which is known for a clear, somewhat thin sound. But the sound he was getting out of that Strat was so thick and so full and just so raw. This was before you had all these guitar processors that could make the cheapest guitar sound like the most expensive guitar, so I kinda deduced that most of the sound was in his hands.

Gary's technique was very modern, but his guitar style was very blues-based. His phrasing was very, very blues-based. He played long, sustained notes coupled with really super fast-picked notes and he had a great legato style. His approach embodied everything that I was trying to do. I spent a lot of time listening to Gary Moore after playing shows, going back to my hotel room and just putting on Gary Moore albums or watching Gary Moore videos.

The reason why he wasn’t more popular here in America is beyond me because he was incredible. He was peers with like George Harrison, and he was peers with Albert King and he was peers with B.B. King. He was just an amazing player, and he could hang with almost anyone. Let’s say, for instance, he was in White Snake. I’m sure he would have gotten a lot more recognition than he did.

I met him for the first time a year and a half ago. I was in a hotel room in Germany and I was going to the gym. I got into the elevator on the fifth floor and the elevator stopped on the fourth floor and in comes Gary Moore. I just couldn't believe it. I introduced myself and had a chance to tell him how much of an influence he was on me. I was a little intimidated because I heard at one point that he was really mad at a contemporary guitar player for ripping him off. He couldn't have been more gracious to me though, and in retrospect I'm very glad I had the opportunity.

BRIAN MAY

"Surely not...This seems completely unreal. I'm shocked to hear tonight that Gary Moore has died. What a wonderful player he was. It does not seem possible this is in the past. Well, his recordings will testify forever. But ... live ... he was a demon. I know, because we toured with Thin Lizzy all around the States, many years ago. Gary was awesome every night ... and the nicest guy you could imagine.
I have many memories - of visiting him in the studio, meeting him backstage, being staggered by his virtuosity in his solo gigs. Well, lost for words. Bless ya Gary, wherever you're bound. To Rock Heaven, I hope. 58? You were just a boy. Unbelievable. This is too sad. RIP Gary Moore. Brian"

ERIC BELL

"I still can't believe it," Bell told the BBC. "He was so robust, he wasn't a rock casualty, he was a healthy guy. He was a superb player and a dedicated musician."

SCOTT GORHAM

"Playing with Gary during the Black Rose era was a great experience, he was a great player and a great guy. I will miss him."

NEIL CARTER (Gary's keyboardist 1984-1989 and in 2010)

I cannot quite believe that Gary Moore has passed away today. He was a huge part of my working life and a close friend. His brilliance as a musician will last forever in his recorded work and in the hearts of his fans. It has been a privelidge to have known and worked alongside him.

My deepest sympathies go to his children and family. Neil

DARRIN MOONEY (Gary's off-on drummer, 2000-2011, Primal Scream)

"I am still stunned by the awful news of Garys death. I fell very honoured to have played on many albums and gigs over the years with Gary and to have been involved with the last gigs in Russia, we really had a great time and couldn't wait to record a new celtic album and get out there again. Gary is the finest musician I have ever played with and I think he is one of the great guitar heroes of all time. Working with Gary was a real eye-opener for me because he never played half hearted. Every rehearsel I did with him was like a full on gig,you had to have your shit together because Gary didn't make mistakes, he would be firing on all cylinders and taking no prisoners. Amazing!!! Gary was extremely gifted and worked very hard practicing and evolving which was also inspiring and which made him a cut above the rest. Gary has been a big part of my musical journey and I will never forget that and will miss him dearly. I hope Jimi was waiting for him, he would have loved that."

BOB DAISLEY (Gary's bassist 1984-1990, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.)

It is with great sadness that I acknowledge Gary Moore in this way. His passing has come as a sad and terrible shock and I have difficulty believing that he’s gone. I have many fond memories of our years together, both in the workplace of music and as friends. I have love and respect for Gary as a musician and as a person, he was one of the greatest. Farewell and rest in peace Gary my friend.
Sincerely,
Bob Daisley.

BRIAN DOWNEY

"I am in total shock. I have known Gary since 1967 when he was in PLATFORM THREE and he's been an amazing friend ever since. It was a pleasure to play with Gary again in 2006 after his days with LIZZY. He will always be in my thoughts and prayers and I just can't believe he is gone."

GUY GARVEY (ELBOW)

I had some sad news last night as I was in the hotel here in Amsterdam. We found out that Gary Moore has passed away. I was lucky enough to meet Gary and some members of his family, including his son a couple of years ago at an Elbow concert. It was bad news, indeed. Obviously an amazing guitarist and a lovely man, too. It was great to meet him. It was very flattering that he came to hear us play. The great story about Mark Potter of Elbow meeting Gary was that, afterwards, Mark blushingly admitted that in his flustered, post-gig conversation with Gary, somewhere in that conversation he told Gary Moore that he didn't like guitar solos! Absolutely brilliant one from Pott there! All my love to his family. A great loss to music. A lovely man.

OTIS TAYLOR

Dear blues fans: I am saddened by the news of the death of the great Irish blues guitarist Gary Moore. Touring and recording with Gary was a highlight of my career. I will not forget his generosity and all that he did for me. Sincerely, Otis

VIVIAN CAMPBELL (Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, DIO)

"Another of my guitar heroes died today; first Marc Bolan, then Rory Gallagher, now Gary Moore. It'll be strange playing 'Still in love with you' tonight."

At one stage in my life he was a huge guitar influence. I probably ripped off Gary Moore more than any other guitar player. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I was a fan, certainly in my teenage years.

“I was really, really impressed with the roads he was forging in the blues world.”

JACK BRUCE

Truly shocked and terribly saddened by the news. Our thoughts are with Gary Moore's family, friends and all of his fans. What a sad loss.

JOE BONAMASSA

Hey Everybody,
It pains me to write this but the great Gary Moore has passed away. He was one of my premier inspirations in guitar playing. Like all young lads in the early 90's I was given a copy of Still Got the Blues. It blew me away.. His tone a phrasing were perfect. Gary opened up the door for me and a lot of other blues rock guitarist. He was a legend, a musical titan and a very nice man. I only met him twice and he always joked around with me how my records changed style from one song to the next. He also.. said that he enjoyed my work and congratulated me on the success I was having. He was a class act and a true original.. Ireland has lost another of its most talented sons today.. I am still a bit in shock so .. I apologize if my words are not as eloquent as they should be.. I have brought out the "Gary Moore" les paul... ( i named one of my guitars after him) and have been playing his stuff today..
Rest in peace.. GM

PAT SIMMONS (THE DOOBIE BROTHERS)

I had the pleasure of meeting Gary when he was playing with Thin Lizzy, back in the late 70's early 80's, I think it was. We played a few shows with the guys, and I wondered who this great guitarist was. I remember having a beer somewhere in a bar while on the tour, and speaking briefly with him. He was a gentle soul, and quietly friendly while we hung out together. A few years later, I started really listening to Gary's music, and became a huge fan. I would venture to say that, in my humble opinion, he was one of the greatest blues players of our time. And a tremendous all around musician in general. Great voice, killer licks and tone, and he really could play any kind of music. It's obvious to us, his fans, that his heart belonged to the blues, but he rocked with a vengeance, and he could sing a gentle ballad with all the feeling one might hope for. It's funny, but I was just thinking about him the other day, and hoping I would have a chance to see him play somewhere soon. Now he's jamming with the immortals, and I'll have to wait awhile longer. He left us all the gift of an amazing amount of fantastic recorded material, and I feel so lucky to have that to remember him. I'm going now to put on the DVD of his live show at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990. I recommend this to anyone who loves Gary, or wants to see this great artist at his best. We'll all miss him, but his music lives on for us, and we'll keep him in our hearts. Thank you Gary for keeping the flame burning.

ALEX LIFESON (RUSH)

"I was very saddened to hear the news of Gary 's death. We toured together in the 80s and I remember him as a soft spoken, gentle man with a quick smile. His influence as a guitarist is undeniable and his purity of playing and passion will live on in all of us who love the instrument he so cherished.

We were connected in a number of ways historically, ’cause we worked a lot with Thin Lizzy in the early days, too. But Gary had already left the band at that time, for the first time, but we were well aware of Gary’s playing and his influence on the scene, particularly in Britain at the time. And in the early ’80s, he came on tour with us. And I think… I want to say we probably did two runs together. And my recollection of him is that he was a very sweet, gentle guy – quick to smile and really a lot of fun to be with, but so absolutely passionate about the instrument and about playing.

And it’s really sad to see somebody like him go at a young age – it really is a young age. You know, he was the type of guy that [you thought] would be around forever and ever, playing like Les Paul, for example. You would always be able to go see Gary play in some little club or something, you know, in downtown New York or London, Soho… Ronnie [Scott’s] or something like that. It’s really a shame."

ZAKK WYLDE (via Twitter)

Sad,Father Moore could throw down like Nobodies Business!!!n a GREAT PERSON!THROWING DOWN IN GODS TAVERN!!! ✞TBLO✞ Never Jammed w/Gary but Met him n told him how much I Loved his playing... Super Cool guy✞TBLO✞

GEEZER BUTLER (BLACK SABBATH)

"I was very saddened to hear of the passing of one of the greatest guitarists of all time — Gary Moore. His 'Still Got The Blues' album was one of the great albums, certainly one of my favorites. His way of playing cannot be learned — it comes from the soul.

"R.I.P., Gary."

STEVE GAINES (ANGER AS ART/ABBATOIR)

"Super Bowl Sunday, and I find this news.... simply terrible. This hits me as hard as Ronnie Dio's passing.

"About ten years ago, I was starting to make the jump from bass to guitar... and was lacking some inspiration. While working on some PAGAN WAR MACHINE recordings, I was shown some live video of Gary Moore, and quite simply it changed my life. Instead of the shreddy, arpeggio swepping whammy bar guys that dominate the thrash scene, here was a guy who played bluesy hard rock — who could hold a note for what seemed like forever ('Parisienne Walkways') that would bring tears to your eyes. From there I discovered his whole career... blues, prog, whatever, he did it better than most.

"It is not a stretch to say that if not for Gary Moore, that first ANGER AS ART album never would have been done. Unashamedly I admit to ripping off his technique for that whole record.

"Gary, I hope Phil [Lynott, late THIN LIZZY legend] was there to greet you. You guys have some time now... Go find Cozy [Powell], and we expect that you have a few records worth of material for us by the time we join you.

"Rest in peace, Gazza!"

"I hope you may rest in peace, Gary, and thanks for all the songs I just love!"

BOB GELDOF

"Axl Rose will say that without Thin Lizzy you don't get Guns N' Roses, and that whole idea of rock and roll, and Gary was sort of fundamental in developing that twin-guitar, lyrical thing like on Parisian Walkway. But really you didn't have to cut the skin hard to find just a great, great blues player, and absolutely one of the best."

"One of the greatest blues players of all time. Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore - the glorious trinity of the Irish blues men. His playing was exceptional and beautiful. We won't see his like again."

BRUCE KULICK (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, KISS)

Gary Moore had amazing tone, and passion in his guitar playing. A monster of a guitarist. He will be missed.

STEVE MORSE (DEEP PURPLE)

On the last date of our tour a couple of months ago, Gary was playing on Roger's [Glovers] MP3 player backstage through an amplified speaker. It was Gary and our Don Airey, I think, playing with Colosseum II. They sounded great, of course. Don always spoke fondly of his playing, and I'm a fan as well. His playing was lively, energetic, but tasteful at the same time. I never knew him but all of us in Purple were shocked at the loss.

TANK (Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans)

Mick: "I am totally shocked at this news. It's a great loss. He was one of the best guitar players on the planet and will be missed by the whole world. So sad. Respect to a great musician."

Cliff: "Gary Moore was the guitarist that other guitar heroes looked up to. He was the master of many styles of playing and a genuinely nice person who always remained approachable throughout his career. He is one of the main reasons why I picked up a guitar all those years ago and his playing still inspires me to the same degree today. A great, great loss. R.I.P., Gary Moore."

SHARON OSBOURNE (via Twitter)

"I'm devastated to hear about Gary Moore... much love & respect to his children. He will be sorely missed."

HENRY ROLLINS

Henry Rollins told The Hollywood Reporter that Moore's death was "a big loss."

"He was too young to go," Rollins said.

Rollins not only praised Moore's work with Thin Lizzy ("those Lizzy recordings with Moore were as good as it gets"), but also his individual projects.

"His solo records were rocking," Rollins said.

GLENN HUGHES

“I’m devastated to hear of Gary’s passing. A truly great British rock and blues hero. I shared many wonderful musical and personal experiences with him.

“He was a ferocious player, and had no fear of his instrument. I’m glad that Gary and I got to mend our relationship. Rest In Peace.”

GUS G (guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne)

"I'm very saddened by Gary Moore's passing. We've lost one of the greats. His guitar style has heavily influenced me and I was lucky enough to see him live when he played in Greece for the first time back in 2008.

"I don't think I've ever heard more soulful playing and tone than Gary's. As one of your biggest fans, thank you for the great music you gave us. Gary Moore. RIP."

TREVOR RABIN (YES, soundtrack composer)

"I'd like to say how sad I am to hear of Gary Moore's passing. He was a wonderful player and I'll miss him ... Rest in peace Gary. "

ALEX SKOLNICK (TESTAMENT) via Twitter

"Brilliant guitarist, not the most household name but one who didn't need trends, gimmicks or image, just pure tone and soul."

RALPH SANTOLLA (OBITUARY, DEICIDE)

"Once again, the world has lost a unique voice, a major talent. If it wasn't for Gary Moore, my life would have been very different.Three guys — Gary, Randy Rhoads and Michael Schenker — guided my decision to play guitar no matter what happened. I discovered Uli [Jon Roth] after I had already made that decision.
I remember the first time I heard Gary. I bought 'Corridors Of Power' one night just as the record store was closing. The next morning I put it on the turntable while I was getting ready for school. The first notes of 'Falling In Love With You' came on while I was brushing my teeth, and I'll remember that moment forever — just a few simple notes, but with the power of the Gods behind them. It changed my life.
Every time I record something, I compare it to Uli, Schenker, Randy and Gary, and I ask myself, "Is it as good as your heroes?' So far, I haven't even come close.
God bless Gary Moore, may he rest in peace."

MICK BOX (URIAH HEAP)

"On Sunday it was very sad to read that Gary Moore had died. I was most upset, as I have known Gary for many years, and he is a wonderful guitarist and friend. He will be sadly missed, but he leaves us with a wonderful legacy of music, and my heart goes out to his family. Rest in peace, my friend!"

DOUG ALDRICH (WHITESNAKE)

"Nobody ever played with more emotion than Gary Moore. He played with unmatched soul and melody. But he was also by far, the most ferocious, fearless and intense player I ever heard. No question. His playing made a huge impact on me. R.I.P. Gary. Thank you for your amazing music and inspiration."

JOHN SYKES (WHITESNAKE/THIN LIZZY)

"Our condolences to the family of Gary Moore — one of the greatest guitar players ever. A very sad loss for the music world. His playing will inspire generations to come. God bless. Love and respect."

MICHAEL AMOTT (ARCH ENEMY, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, CARCASS)

"Growing up in the '80s in Sweden, you couldn't avoid Gary Moore. His Celtic hard-rock material of that era was massively popular here.

"As a guitar player, he had a huge influence on the European scene, and certainly on myself. America had Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen; we had Gary Moore and Michael Schenker!

"There are so many Gary Moore-isms in ARCH ENEMY's music… and that is something we are very proud of!

"Thank you for the music.

"R.I.P., Gary."

NEAL SCHON (JOURNEY) in facebook:

RIP Gary Moore + video still got the blues + Cry guitar, cry..

ANDY FRASER

I did many dates with Gary Moore when we were coming up together in England. He always stood out as an "A” division guitarist and the nicest guy.

FISH

Watched Gary Moore on a Phil L tribute concert tonight on TV. Double hit! "Don't Believe a Word", cracked, emotions. A horde of festivals together, picked up his award in NYC for his brilliant Planet Rock Show and saw him last in Sweden in 2009. Cantankerous, moody, private wonderful, enclosed deep, soulful immensely talented man who was a pure natural gifted musician and one of Ireland's finest. We lose another beacon.

MICHAEL EDEN (EDEN'S CURSE)

"Man, I can't believe it was 24 years ago I saw Gary Moore for the first time. One word says it all today... shocked!! Gary Moore left us far too soon. He just played an amazing hard rock set last year and many of us were pleased he might have been doing that again so we could see it once again.

Gary did things with a guitar that most guitar players can only dream about. His music in regards to THIN LIZZY or his later solo efforts with Phil [Lynott] and Glenn Hughes should be known as some of the best hard rock ever made. From 'Empty Rooms' to 'Over The Hills', it is with a huge loss that this legend is now gone. He might be gone now but his music will forever speak to us! Crank it to 11, Moore! Phil and a few friends are waiting to jam!"

JAMES DEPRATO (Guitarist for Chuck Prophet, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Haynes, Glenn Hughes)

In the late ’80s, I was a budding young shredder being dropped off at my weekly guitar lesson at Tril Music in Riverside, California. I was about 11 years old at the time, aspiring to be the next legend of the pointy headstock guitar while my parents desperately tried to steer me toward the more blues-based, classic rock and roll they loved: Cream, The Allman Bros…

I was hopeless until one day in 1990 when we showed up at Tril Music for my weekly lesson and heard a brand new track being played over the loudspeakers at the store. The song was "Still Got the Blues" by Gary Moore. A real nice tune at first listen. Mom thought it was Robert Cray singing (which was Mom and Dad music to me at the time). Then Gary leans into that first solo. I heard the searing Les Paul/Marshall combo that was familiar from my stack of metal records at home (and let’s face it, in 1990, if you were playing a Les Paul through a Marshall stack, you weren't playing mom and dad music). That solo had every ounce of bad attitude, fiery tone, wild vibrato 1990 had to offer. But something was different, it also had soul and complete vocabulary of blues licks that mom instantly recognized. Not to mention how well-written and sung that track was. My guitar teacher told me we were listening to "Still got the Blues" by Gary Moore. Said he used to be in Thin Lizzy, and that he was singing and playing the solos on that track. Mom swung me through Sam Goody on the way home and we bought a copy of Still Got the Blues.

That record is filled with wild and soulful guitar playing and singing, and I had never heard anything like it at the time. Gary Moore introduced me to the bluesmen he admired. The record features guest spots from Albert King and Albert Collins. Even George Harrison goes toe-to-toe with Gary Moore on "That Kind of Woman." From that day forward, the blues was alright.

Gary Moore is gone. Hard to imagine. I'm still numb this morning thinking about it. A major loss—a blow to the guitar-playing community, for sure.

Gone before your time. Gary, you will be sorely missed. And for the record, if you're done with that old Les Paul that Peter Green gave you, I think I could shine it up for you.

RON "BUMBLEFOOT" THAL (GUNS 'N' ROSES)

"Gary Moore gave a lifetime of music to the world; [he was] such a great guitarist. He was like the rock guitarist, the guy that had the best of everything in his playing — and that could only come from having the best of everything in his heart.

"To his family, you have my deepest sympathies, the love and support of millions of fans, all wishing you strength in this difficult time."

OPETH

We are devastated to hear about the passing of Gary Moore. Both myself and Fredrik are massive fans of his, and we've been listening to his music since we're kids. He was such a integral part of our musical upbringing, so it's with great sadness we have to try and accept these horrible news. One of the very best hard rock lead guitar players EVER! We love you Gary, rest in peace.

Mikael on behalf of Fredrik and Opeth.

MICHAEL MCKEEGAN (Therapy?)

"Just heard the very sad news that Gary Moore has passed away. The Belfast-born guitar legend was a big inspiration for myself growing up in Northern Ireland, both for his work with THIN LIZZY and his very successful solo career. We had the pleasure of meeting Gary and his band last summer at the Pinkpop Classic festival in Holland. After watching their (killer) show, we were introduced and Gary came over to our dressing room and chatted away to us. He was everything you'd want a hero to be… laid back, modest and very genuine, with a cool sense of humour. "

KEE MARCELLO (EUROPE)

“The first time I heard him play was on the first Skid Row album. I remember on the record sleeve it said, ‘Gary Moore - 17 years old - lead guitar’ and, even back then, he was amazing. I loved Colosseum II and then, of course, his work with Thin Lizzy. Black Rose was just incredible. His sense for melodies reminded me of Jeff Beck; he had superior technique, melody and feel and knew where to play a lot and where not to play. His later work turned on a whole new generation to the blues. It is very sad to see him pass at a way-too-young age. I will miss him.”

SLASH (via Twitter)

Gary Moore. One of the greatest British Rock & Roll guitarists. There will never be another Gary Moore. Sad times.

OZZY OSBOURNE

"I knew Gary Moore for what seemed like forever. We'd run into each other many times over the years and we were always able to pick up right where we left off.

"I had the honor of recording with Gary on his 'After The War' album on the track 'Led Clones' which was great fun.

"To say that his death is a tragic loss doesn't seem to give it the justice it deserves. We've lost a phenomenal musician and a great friend.

"Rest in peace, Gary."

ROGER TAYLOR (QUEEN)

“It was my wife who told me the news. It’s terrible: 58 is just too early. In Phil [Lynott]’s case it was tragic, and in Gary’s case there should have been a lot more years.

“I have great memories of Gary on tour in Thin Lizzy with Queen: always smiling, very cheerful and… too young to die. He’d recently joined Lizzy and he fitted in great: a blindingly fast player, and his thing was these staccato runs, with a bit of jazz in there. Totally different to Brian [May], who’s a very fluid player, but musicians usually ‘get’ other rated musicians, and Brian very much enjoyed his playing.

“Over the years, I’d see Gary out in the clubs: a great guy on the scene. He liked to drink, as I remember, but everybody did in those days. It’s very sad. But I think his music will live on. Virtuosity is something we really don’t have now: there are lots of great bands, but the emphasis just isn’t on that anymore. In those days, it was all about how great you were; there were so many virtuosos and he was definitely one of them. He was a star player.”

HOWARD LEESE

I had the pleasure of Jamming with Gary Moore when the Paul Rodgers band played the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago. Great player, very fast, but clean. He will be missed.

PAUL RODGERS

Paul Rodgers has posted the following statement online regarding the passing of legendary guitarist Gary Moore:

"Gary was a friend and a truly great man. I respect that he played the game his way... no time for B.S. He was focused and passionate about music and was one of the best.

"The last time that I jammed with Gary, he came on as my special guest at London's Royal Albert Hall and proceeded to take it to another level... the place imploded! When he played, he was a man on fire.

"If there hadn't been an ocean between us and Gary didn't mind flying, we absolutely would have created more together.

"We've lost a great British blues man and I am very, very sad."

ROGER GLOVER (DEEP PURPLE)

"I am deeply shocked and saddened about Gary's passing. He was truly one of the great guitarists, had a huge talent, and was a musical force beyond par. I am a fan."

ANETTE OLZON (NIGHTWISH)

"A super guitarist and, for me, a man who has given me wonderful songs to listen to and dance my first slow dances to, has been found dead early this morning in Spain.

"He was so young still, just 58 years old and it's just a big loss for music.

"NIGHTWISH has recorded one of his songs as a cover — 'Over The Hills And Far Away' — a great song he made.

STEVE HACKETT

It's always sad to hear of the death of a fellow musician, but especially so when it's a guitarist of the calibre of Gary Moore. A great sound, fabulous vibrato and an exceptional singer.
Although I never met the man personally I had the good fortune to work sometimes with Graham Lilley, Gary's guitar tech.
It's also extraordinary to think that Gary 'inherited' Peter Green's Les Paul. Two legends and men of magic, both wielding the same axe, like King Arthur's sword slicing through endless beautiful configurations. Words are not enough. I'm sure so many of us have still got the blues for Gary...

JOE LYNN TURNER (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN)

"Gary Moore was one of the greats. He had his roots in the blues and the power of rock, which is a brilliant combination.

"I have played with some of the best guitarists in the business, and when asked if wanted to do a project with someone else, I always said, 'Gary Moore.'

"Maybe it's little known, but I am a guitarist myself. I became a singer by pure accident. So I can really appreciate Gary's playing from a musician's point of view. He was an amazing talent and let's not forget his voice, which was pure and honest like his playing.

"I had the great fortune to meet Gary while in Denmark during the RAINBOW days. He was a great guy and very down to earth, which is impressive, to say the least.

"We shall greatly miss him for he was an original who stood out from the rest.

"I send my sympathies to his family and friends and to the rock world who is truly saddened by this loss.

"RIP, Gary."

BRYAN BASSET (FOGHAT)

Gary Moore was a guitarist's guitarist. He not only had a faithful following of fans who loved his music he also inspired many professional guitarists with his brilliant technique and command of several musical styles. For me, listening to his playing was a wonderful musical experience and a master class of playing technique. We have lost another musical giant. He will be missed but not forgotten. RIP Gary.

BILL LEVERTY (FIREHOUSE)

Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him, Gary Moore stands out as one of the greatest guitarists, ever, who was able to combine rock and blues; high energy and melody; tone and taste, emotion and style. I would say the same about his extraordinary vocals, which made him such a complete artist with deep integrity. He's a true legend in every sense of the word, and his music will live forever.

GARY FERGUSON

I am so sad my old colleague is gone. I really wanted to play music with him again. He was inspirational to me as a player as he played with so much passion. My heart goes out to his family. It is so surreal to have lost him he was a strong person. Rest in peace my brother you will be missed.

FRANK BANALI (QUIET RIOT)

At abrief moment in time after the release of the 1982 "Hughes/Thrall" record and at a party at Glenn Hughes's house, Gary, Glenn and I were talking about the real possibility of forming a power trio. Gary's enthusiasm for the project was infectious.The unionnever materialized, but for me it would have been a dream band! Rest in peace Gary, you were one of a kind and a rare and genuine talent.

RICH WILLIAMS (KANSAS)

We were in the dressing room in El Paso. Thin Lizzy had opened for us in the past, so I didn't bother to go backstage to check them out, but I could hear someone really fucking tearing it up. I remember asking, "Who the fuck is playing guitar"? Well it was Gary, and I had to meet him. Later I introduced myself and we did what guitar players do ... gear talk. He hands me his pride and joy, the Les Paul he recently got from Peter Green. To my surprise I could hardly play it. He used very heavy gauge strings, high off the neck like a slide player. He played it with such ease ... I couldn't even make a bar chord. Felt like a total pussy.

CARMINE APPICE

I am touched and sad about Gary’s passing. He was a great guitarist that many players looked up too and were inspired by.

HERMAN RAREBELL (SCORPIONS ex-drummer)

I met Gary the last time last year here in Brighton at a Hotel called Hotel de Vine. We talked about music of course and we were both surprised that we lived in the same City Brighton. I always liked Gary's music. Still got the Blues. Gary forever.

GARY HOEY

I was a sad day loosing Gary Moore at age 58. I'm in shock. I never had the chance to meet or play with him, it was on my bucket list but I felt like I knew him through his music. My favorite songs are "Still Got The Blues" and “Empty Rooms." There's a live version of “Empty Rooms” on YouTube from 1987 that's the best live solo of all time and is the essence of what Gary Moore stood for, taste, feel, power and conviction. God rest his soul. We’ve lost a giant.　

STEVE LUKATHER

The world lost a Giant, Gary Moore. I was a fan for sure. Amazing touch and chops..whew.. fire! I had the honor of sharing the bill with him in 2001 at Montreaux jazz festival. I was with Larry Carlton at the time.. he was such a nice guy and a MONSTER player. He will be missed.

NEIL MURRAY (BASSIST FOR GARY MOORE, 1982-83, COLLOSEUM II)

My memories of Gary will be of someone who was dedicated to playing the guitar as well as he possibly could and with total focus, energy and intense commitment. I don't think I ever heard him play a wrong note and he was able to effortlessly become Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix if he felt like it. He was a very funny, down-to-earth guy and for over 10 years we seemed to share identical, wide-ranging taste in music, more so than anyone else I've played with. I wish I'd had the opportunity to play blues with him but that came later in his career. I do remember that in the mid-70s he was very casual about how he looked after the priceless Peter Green Les Paul – then again, he could make just about any guitar sing and cry. His passing is a giant loss for music.

PHIL GREENHOUSE (ex BLAZE BAYLEY)

I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Gary’s passing, he was a truly phenomenal player and will be greatly missed.

For me, one of the highlights of his career was the ‘One night in Dublin’ show, Gary totally delivered that night.

I will miss his attack and the feel in his playing, he was truly a one off and the music world has a huge gap without him.

R.I.P Gary.

EUROPE

"NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE HOW SAD WE FEEL HEARING THE NEWS THAT GARY MOORE HAS PASSED AWAY. WE CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S A TOTAL SHOCK! HE WAS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES BOTH AS A GUITARIST AND A SONG WRITER. OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS NOW GO OUT TO HIS FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS."

JOEY / JOHN / JOHN / MIC / IAN

ERIC SINGER (drummer KISS, Gary Moore)

"I had the pleasure to play drums with Gary on his 1987 'Wild Frontier' tour.

"I joined Gary's band via Bob Daisley. We had recorded together with BLACK SABBATH on the 'Eternal Idol' album. Bob arranged the audition in London in January of 1987. We soon began rehearsals for what would become one of Gary's most successful tours ever.

"I remember we would practice everyday at John Henry Studios in London. Bob and Neil Carter lived in Brighton and would have to leave in time to make their train home. Gary and I would sometimes stay on and jam. Just drums and guitar. We would play THIN LIZZY tunes or just jam endlessly as Gary never ran out of ideas when it came to soloing! He would also play those legendary guitars back then. The 'Peter Green' 1958 Les Paul and his 'Pink Salmon' 1962 Fender Stratocaster. He, of course, did not take those on tour anymore as they had become much too rare and valuable.

"I have to say the one thing that always stood out to me about Gary was his absolute passion and intensity as a guitarist. This man played every song and note like it was the last time he would ever play it. And therefore demanded and expected the same from his band.

"I have to admit he could be a bit tough on drummers. But he only asked for and expected what he himself gave to music. And that was complete commitment every time you played with him. He inspired me to want to play up to his level every night.

"I will always thank him for the opportunity he gave me to play with him. He really was a brilliant musician. And I always felt like he helped take me to another level as a drummer and musician. It was an experience and an education I will never forget and take with me everywhere I go.

GREG HOWE

Been revisiting Gary Moore's G-Force album lately-remembering how much I learned from it back in the day....Gary will indeed be missed.

MARK KENDALL (GREAT WHITE)

"Gary Moore was such a tremendous feel player. I call it playing from the pores of your skin and he definitely had that.

"I wanted to share a quick story concerning Gary.

"In 1988 we were on tour with WHITESNAKE and I became pretty good friends with [then-WHITESNAKE guitarist] Vivian Campbell. We used to jam a lot before shows and stuff. One night before the show I told him I really loved his live solo and could he show me what he was doing. He showed me the riff and said, 'All I do is play this one riff, but I play it all over the neck and it makes it sound like I am playing something different, but I am not.' Then he said, 'And one more thing, I stole the riff from Gary Moore.'

"Gary will be sorely missed."

"God bless you, Gary Moore."

BIFF BYFORD and DOUG SCARRATT (SAXON)

Biff Byford : "It's really sad.

"We knew Gary from back in the '80s. We went to a few of his album recording sessions back then. Him and Michael Schenker and Paul [Quinn, SAXON guitarist] were quite close back then, so we'd go to their sessions and they'd come to ours.

"We lost connection with him a bit when he started doing the blues thing, but during his metal period we knew him well.

"His guitar playing was always incredible. His tone, in particular, was really something.

"I hung out with him and Phil Lynott at Stringfellows once! It was quite a messy evening, even though I didn't drink at the time. It wasn't a lap-dancing club back then. You had dinner upstairs and then downstairs was the disco, and it was full of fashion models and B-list film stars, and I was there with Gary and Phil Lynott! That was quite an experience! But it's very sad to lose Gary. He'll be greatly missed."

Doug Scarratt: "In my memory of guitar gigs, Gary Moore really stands out. I was a fan from back in the THIN LIZZY days. A friend of mine had a ticket for one of his solo shows and I nearly didn't bother going, but I'm glad I did! It stays in my memory as one of the best guitar gigs I've ever seen. It was at the crossover point when he'd just started doing the blues stuff, and 'Still Got The Blues' was out, but he was still playing 'Parisienne Walkways' and 'The Loner' and all the big rock hits. His playing was just so emotional. It was mind-blowing."

JOHN MAYALL

"He was a good friend and it was really a surprise. It's always sad to lose someone who was talented and prominent in the blues world. We can't really afford to lose people like that."

And he still has fond memories of working with the late Thin Lizzy star on "If I Don't Get You Home."

"It wasn't really a planned thing. I was collecting musical people for the album and it turned out he just happened to be in the studio that was above our studio at that time. It was almost accidental. He took a break and came downstairs and put on his guitar track all in one take. That's the way we worked."

CHARLIE HUHN (GARY MOORE'S "DIRTY FINGERS" ALBUM, FOGHAT)

I did several recording projects with Gary Moore and the guy was amazing. He could play anything, flawlessly. We would be in the studio recording and he would start goofing around with a country version of the song we were recording and, as if that wasn't funny enough, he would do a Japanese version. Unbelievable. The many nights we would spend at the hotel bar after recording at Morgan Studio NW London for the Dirty Fingers album would be filled with joking, poking and self-depricating humor which made one feel like we were accepted in the presence of this genius. The title for the album wasn't decided and having two Americans in the band, Tommy Aldridge on drums and myself, Gary, being Irish, jokingly suggested, “Let's call it Paddy and the Septics. No wait, The Four Skins!” What a hoot. He didn't drink much because his father did and he wanted to work on his career but what a jokester. A few years later we did a release and a tour of England including the Marquee Club in London and the Reading Festival. The first day of rehearsal, I was so jet lagged that after an hour of practice I laid down on a bench at rehearsal unknowingly fell fast asleep with all the noise going on. Then a tap on the foot woke me up and the guys were playing “The Star Spangled Banner” perfectly. A little embarrassing but hey, I'm in the midst of international superstars, Ian Pace on drums and Neil Murray on bass. Gary was always so positive, happy and generous and I will always remember all the great times we shared in the 80's. Rest In Peace, my friend. That was a great song, as well, from the Dirty Fingers album. I will sorely miss you, Gary.

DAVE "BUCKET" COLWELL

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Gary. I met him several times over the years & opened for him on a couple of tours when I was in SAMSON. Such a passionate, Powerful yet subtle player & a major influence on many a big name guitarist. My condolences to his family.

JOE ELLIOTT (DEF LEPPARD)

“Well he’s definitely up at the top isn’t he? In fairness I think that he was probably wrongly accused of being one of these speed merchant guitarists because he could play fast. But the thing about Gary was that he actually came from the blues. Whereas a lot of the ’80s guitarists just ripped Eddie Van Halen off.”

“Funnily enough, he took over from Jon Butcher Axis on our Pyromania tour about halfway through it and was special guest to ourselves and Krokus,” Elliott remembered. “He had Ian Paice from Deep Purple on drums. I remember like [Leppard drummer] Rick Allen was just, couldn’t – he was beside himself. He was 16 years old or 17/18 years old and his hero, his drumming hero, was third on the bill to us, you know? We were almost apologizing for it, you know?

We knew Gary pretty well and he was a lovely chap and it’s such a shame and such a waste.”

JOHNNY DUHAN (Singer, Grannies Intentions)

“I was deeply shook when I heard of his death last night. Memories came flooding back. Gary Moore, Phil Lynott, and I shared a flat in Donnybrook back in ‘67 or 68. Originally it was my flat. Then one night Phil appeared and I put him up, just after he’d left Skid Row. A few weeks later Gary came knocking looking for a place to stay. There were only two single beds, so he slept on the floor.”
“None of us, I remember, owned a watch but Phil was good at reading the time from the slant of the sun on the wall above his bed. Phil and I were early risers, Gary slept on on the floor. They were tough times but soft to look back on. We lived on pipe-dreams and porridge. Music was constantly in the background. Gary always had a guitar in his hands, head down, fingers flying up and down the fretboard. A wizard on the instrument. He was only 15 or 16 then. I was two years older. Phil a year older than me.” The Grannies Intentions completed what was to be its one and only album at Decca Studios in London with Moore on guitar and ‘Honest Injun’ was released in 1970. Though the band broke up, Johnny and Gary remained good friends, “Gary and I grew very close. He took me to meet his family and friends in Belfast. He asked me to be the Godfather of his daughter. We lost contact when I drifted off on my folk journey, but I always kept a warm spot for him. He was a genuinely nice fella. A musician’s musician and deeply respected all over the world”.

Gary Moore: The Sky is Crying

2011-02-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I watched a concert DVD of Gary Moore playing his signature instrumental "The Loner" and began to sob uncontrollably. It's the first time I have cried in years.

Gary was found dead in a hotel room in Spain where he was on holiday with his girlfriend. It appears that he passed on in his sleep. The Belfast-born guitarist—one of the instrument's greatest players—was just 58.

He was my hero.

Today's news headlines of Gary's death today have largely focused Gary's career to his brief stints as a sideman in Thin Lizzy. But Gary Moore's dynamic and diverse career, which included 20 solo studio albums in addition to projects with bands including Colloseum II and BBM, was so much more than that.

Only a handful of professional guitarists—Steve Hackett, Jeff Beck, and Danny Gatton come to mind—can boast the sheer stylistic versatility of Gary Moore. During his wide-ranging career, Gary ticked off just about every block in modern music's Periodic Table of Elements, including blues, heavy metal, progressive rock, pop, jazz-rock, punk, R&B, psychedelic and even dance music. Indeed, Greg Lake once commented that the world had no idea how good a country player he is. (Gary did, eventually, reveal his country chops on a couple of songs on the recent blues albums, Old New Ballads Blues and Close As You Get.)

Only a guitarist of Gary's stylistic elasticity could boast cameos on records by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Beach Boys, The Traveling Wilburys and Dr. Strangely Strange.

(Other notable musicians Gary played and collaborated with during his career include—deep breath—John Bonham, BB King, Mick Jagger, Albert Collins, Ozzy Obsorne, Paul Rodgers, Mo Foster, George Harrison Albert King, Jack Bruce, Jim Capaldi, Jimmy Nail, Gary Husband, Darrin Mooney, Trilok Gurtu, Snowy White, John Mayall, Vicki Brown, Don Airey, Cozy Powell, Otis Taylor, Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Greg Lake, Glenn Hughes.)

Yet, during his foray into each musical areas, Gary Moore remained utterly distinctive. Case in point: When I saw the movie Evita in the cinema, I remember hearing the orchestral introduction to one of the musical numbers and immediately recognizing Gary's guitar sound even though I had no foreknowledge that he was part of Madonna's project.

As a guitarist, Gary had fingers that a stenographer would envy. Young acolytes such as Vivian Campbell, Slash, Joe Bonamassa, and Randy Rhodes tied their fingers in knots in their early attempts to copy his fretboard gymnastics. Gary explained that his high-tensile digits came from learning to play on a guitar with high-action strings. (Despite being left-handed, Gary learned to play the guitar right-handed.) Indeed, whenever Gary sustained a note (most famously, his showstopping note hold during "Parisienne Walkways"), he didn't use a tremolo arm—it was all in the strength of his fingers.

That formidable technique landed Gary a job with Jon Hiseman's Colosseum II. Gary had already shown great promise with three albums with the short-lived pscyhedelic blues power trio Skid Row—which he joined at age 16—and 1973's Grinding Stone with The Gary Moore Band. But little could have prepared listeners for Gary Moore's scorching jazz-rock guitar work on the Colosseum II albums Strange New Flesh, War Dance, and Electric Savage nipped on the heels of the likes of John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck. (Fun fact: Almost two decades ago, Gary spent 40 minutes jamming in a hotel room with Beck following a joint interview for VOX magazine. If only someone had been there to roll tape....)

Moore's first proper solo album, Back on the Streets, displayed Gary's diverse styles, from the gorgeous balladry of "Don't Believe a Word" to the punk of "Fanatical Fascists" to the dizzying guitar vertigo of "What Would You Rather Be or a Wasp." Yet despite enjoying a UK top 10 hit single with "Parisienne Walkways," Gary's career fluctuated between stints in Thin Lizzy (his playing dominates the band's last great record, Black Rose) as well as trying to start a band of his own called G Force. Gary even played a few shows with a short-lived supergroup, Greedy Bastards, consisting of Phil Lynott and Paul Cook and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols! Confusing matters further, Gary joined Greg Lake's band during the early 1980s. (Moore's interpretation of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" on the King Biscuit live album is astonishing.)

Finally, in 1982, Corridors of Power relaunched his solo career with as a heavy metal rocker with a nice sideline in radio-friendly rock ballads. The even more impressive Victims of the Future followed in 1984 and established the guitarist as one of the most exciting players of the day. Indeed, Gary's cover version of The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things," features one of his greatest solos, starting off with blink-and-you'll miss it speedy runs and one-handed tapping and ending with slow, bluesy licks. (See the live version, below, and feel free to have a chuckle at the stage clothes—not even Lady Gaga would be caught dead wearing that red leather boiler suit.)

Then, mainstream success. Run for Cover, featuring the hit singles "Out in the Fields" and "Empty Rooms (1985)," saw Gary return to the charts. Given that he had "the face of a welder's bench," as Ozzy Osbourne uncharitably described it, Moore was an unlikely figure to enjoy top 40 success in an era of handsome pop idols.

No matter, Gary's keen pop instincts grew from strength to strength with his rock masterpiece, Wild Frontier, an album that drew musical inspiration from his Celtic roots. Though 1989's After the War expanded on Gary's Celtic rock and created a new benchmark of emotive playing in a cover version of Roy Buchanan's "The Messiah Will Come Again," Gary had grown bored of hard rock, let alone wearing spandex.

As a breather, Gary decided to do a fun hobby project of classic blues songs and a few originals. The resulting album, Still Got the Blues (1990), that became his biggest success and his career-defining masterpiece. Featuring luminaries such as Albert Collins, Albert King, George Harrison, and pianist Nicky Hopkins, the album combined Gary's fiery playing ("Oh Pretty Woman," "All Your Love") and pop-hook instincts ("Walking By Myself," "Texas Strut"). Its emotive ballads, including "Midnight Blues" and the title track radiated a newfound grace and elegance. Who would have imagined that Gary could pull off a mournful deep-blues track such as "As the Years Go Passing By"?

During Gary Moore's third decade of recording as a reconstituted bluesman, he adopted a new philosophy: less is Moore. You can hear that feather-light, finger-picked touch on his cover of "Jumping at Shadows" or "The Hurt Inside" on 1992's superb After Hours. By the release of 1995's Blues for Greeny, the Irishman had distilled his playing to a minimalist style imbued with an amber-hued guitar tone reminiscent of that of his own hero, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green.

Like any of the greats, Gary Moore was instantly recognizable no matter what make of guitar he played, whether it was the Charvels he favored during the mid 1980s or the legendary '59 Les Paul that Green gave Gary for a mere 100 Pounds early in his career. (That tone was so remarkable that when Kirk Hammett was recording Metallica's Black album, the guitarist went to great lengths to find gadgetry that would help him emulate Moore's sound on Still Got the Blues.)

Yet, for all his technique and rich tone, Gary's greatest gift was his uncanny ability to transfer his emotions to six strings. Few guitarists can claim the exquisite feel Gary had. It was an innate ability that he displayed early on in his career when he guested on Thin Lizzy's ballad, "Still In Love With You" and would continue to display on famous ballads such as "Parisienne Walkways," "Still Got the Blues," and "The Loner."

Gary's taciturn expressions on his album covers belied his soulful and romantic side. One can only speculate how Gary tapped into such a deep well or rich emotion but one thing's for sure, he knew plenty about heartbreak having been through two failed marriages. As Gary put it in the liner notes to his Ballads & Blues compilation in 1994, "These songs are for the most part, true stories. Some of them are about me and some of them are about other people." (For Gary's own biographical account of his life, read the lyrics to 1997's "Business as Usual.")

But no matter what he played, Gary's solos were always innately melodic, memorable and inventive, ranging from aggressive passages to tender caresses. (I've posted a few videos throughout this blog entry.) And his playing was so inventive, too. For example, check out the guitar outro of "Looking for Somebody" on Blues for Greeny, the extended version of "All Time Low" on the reissue of After Hours, the sci-fi blues of "Bring My Baby Back" on A Different Beat, or the thrilling improvisation of "Texas Strut" on Live at Montreux 1990.

But so much for guitar solos. Many a guitarist can claim to be a high-flying ace during the middle eight and outro. But the truth is that many lead guitarists struggle to write songs. Gary Moore was a gifted songwriter with an ear for a good pop tune right up until the end. Whether he was creating an electronica-oriented record such as the hugely underrated A Different Beat (1999), the modern rock of Dark Days in Paradise (1997) penning tunes with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker "don't call it Cream" project, BBM, Gary's work is consistently filled with memorable songs. (BBM's single "Where in the World" deserved to have been a hit.)

Indeed, Moore penned several hit singles, including "Empty Rooms," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Out in the Fields," and "Cold Day in Hell." His albums are consistently filled with memorable songs, elevating Gary from the ranks of many other lead guitarists.

Gary's final decade was, alas, inconsistent even though there were many moments of greatest. The commercial failure of A Different Beat led the guitarist Back to the Blues in 2001. It was a good record yet it felt rushed and lacked the polish of previous blues albums. Worse, the blues-based hard-rock of Scars, named after Gary's newly formed power trio with longtime drummer Darrin Mooney (Primal Scream) and bassist Cass Lewis (Skunk Anansie), was a half-baked album whose fiery improvised jams couldn't compensate for its lack of great tunes. (Honorable exception: The Hendrix-y "World Keep Turning Round.")

The nadir of that period was 2004's Power of the Blues which, with the exception of the title track and the riveting "There's a Hole," felt rote and uninspired. It seemed as if Moore, now no longer a commercial force after being dropped by Virgin, was rushing to record albums at a rate of one per year to stay afloat. Result? Too much filler. Gary even sold the Peter Green Les Paul for monetary reasons.

Fortunately, Gary's last three studio records pulled him back from the brink. Each of them boast several outstanding songs that would merit inclusion on a future "Best Of" compilation. A soulful vocal and majestic solo at the end of the horn-driven track called "You Know My Love" is one of the many delights on 2006's Old New, Ballads Blues. Then, too, there's the Peter Green-influenced tone on the dusky, slow ballad "Evenin'" on 2007's Close at You Get.

On those late albums, Moore also explored acoustic blues, country-flecked blues, and even the harmonica. He was still penning some great originals, too, such as "Ain't Nobody," "Nowhere Fast," "Hard Times," and "Umbrella Man." "Preacher Man Blues" (featuring Otis Taylor) from 2008's fine Bad For You Baby is so catchy that it oughta be outlawed by the World Health Organization. During his final years, Gary also made a several memorable appearances on the Otis Taylor albums Definition of a Circle, Pentatonic Wars and Love Songs, and Clovis People, Vol. 3 and the two bluesmen—who were good friends—toured together fairly regularly.

In the final year of his life, Gary returned to the road with a rock band (featuring his invaluable 1980s colleague Neil Carter on keyboards) and debuted three typically memorable new songs—"Where Are You Now?," "Oh Wild One," and "Days of Heroes"—intended for a future Celtic Rock album. It's likely that those songs will appear in an imminent DVD + CD release, Live at Montreux 2010. (Also coming this year: White Knuckles and Blue Moods, a documentary about Gary that includes fresh interviews with the guitarist.) Gary had also been working on one more blues album that had been scheduled for release late last year and was then pushed back until fall of 2011. Alas, neither the blues album nor the celtic-rock album progressed further than demo recordings. One can only imagine what Gary might have created over the coming decade. He died far too young, much like his Irish friends Phil Lynott and Rory Gallagher.

As great as he was in the studio, Gary's playground was the stage where he a consistently exciting performer with perhaps the ultimate guitar-face grimace. I'll fondly remember many of the great shows I saw—the last was a London show in 2001—and cherish my brief meetings with the man afterward.

Sadly, Gary never did become a particularly famous guitarist in the United States even though he was a legend in Europe. Despite many tours of North America during the 1980s, he failed to break through in a big way. Moore's biggest career folly, perhaps, was failing to capitalize on the MTV rotation and radio play for Still Got the Blues, which sold over 3 million copies worldwide and is widely credited for sparking a blues boom in the early part of that decade. Though Gary did appear on Late Night, reportedly at the request of David Letterman who was enamored with the album (Gary was backed by Paul Shaffer's house band for the show), a US tour failed to materialize. By the time Gary reappeared to promote his After Hours album with shows in New York and Los Angeles (the latter excerpted for Gary's seminal Live Blues album), the momentum was lost. If Gary Moore had managed to crack North America, he might have stood a chance of being remembered for those occasional "greatest guitarists" polls in Rolling Stone and various American guitar magazines.

Ultimately, that means little to me or Gary's many fans across the world, let alone Gary's longtime guitar tech, Graham Tilly or Gary's children, Gus, Jack, Lily, and Saoirse. Those who have heard him can never forget him. Ever since I first heard Gary at age 12 in 1985, his music has resonated deep within my heart and been on near constant rotation in my mental jukebox. I own literally everything that Gary ever recorded and those songs and albums will continue to inspire me and move me over the coming month, as I revisit his entire catalog, and for the rest of my life.

Gary Moore, I love you. Thank you for enriching my life.

Update: 3/21: Esteemed rock journalist Ted Drozdowski has written the best tribute I've seen to Gary on Gibson's website. Read it here.

An excerpt of the lyrics from Gary's "Nothing's the Same" (1992).

Another day goes passing by.
I sit alone and wonder why.
Sometimes it's hard, but I will try
To live my life without you.

You're in my heart, you're in my dreams.
You're everywhere or so it seems.
So many times I've heard that song.
Hold back the tears, pretend you're strong.

Another day goes slowly by.
I sit alone and wonder why.
I think of you, I start to cry.
Nothing's the same without you.

2010: The worst year for movies?

2010-12-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

Is 2010 the worst movie year ever? Nope. That dubious distinction belongs to 2011. How do I know this? Because if teaser trailers for Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Thor, Transformers 3, and The Green Hornet function as a crystal ball then, well, I predict you'd be better off spending your $10 on a night out at the bowling lane than the cineplex.

But it was a pretty rotten year for the movies. In July, Joe Queenan wrote a widely discussed cover story for The Wall Street Journal asserting that 2010 was the worst movie year ever. The Los Angeles Times asks, "Did Movies Get Better or Worse in 2010?" And The Boston Globe's great film critic, Ty Burr, echoed the sentiments of many in his profession this week when he wrote:

How is a critic to interpret a year in film that just didn’t send him? Are the movies to blame or is he? For the first time in recent memory, I had to wrack my brain to come up with an annual Top 10 list. There were films I liked and even loved, but precious few that stood above the fray and seemed built to last longer than the long tail of their release patterns.

I think we — movies and the society they reflect — are in a period of profound transition. The blockbuster film is hardly a thing of the past, but it’s metastasizing into something that, within a decade, may not resemble a movie at all. Which is to say that the defining film of 2010 may turn out to have been the one released at the end of 2009: James Cameron’s “Avatar,’’ a looking-glass world of 3-D IMAX ravishment and narrative banality.

It felt as though popular culture took a long, deep breath after that film came out, and then, in late October, Cameron announced two sequels, the first due in 2014. Where Cameron goes, Hollywood will follow, and our children’s children will not watch movies but wade into a hi-def sensurround experience that should probably be called something else. Feelies, perhaps. At that point, the cinema as we have known it for over a century will have disappeared into the past. Like vaudeville music or network TV, it will become the province of historians, nostalgists, and other people wary or weary of the Brand New Thing.

Indeed, 2010 has turned out to be a pivotal 12 months for the movie industry. It was the year that decisively cemented a new division of labor in Hollywood that has been emerging in recent years. Movie studios now devote the bulk of their resources to creating big, special-effects driven blockbusters while television studios produce the kind of art-house dramas that Hollywood has all but given up on producing.

The studios have started to focus on what they're good at: splashy, effects-driven fare designed for the lowest-common denominator audiences (now in 3-D, of course, to lure people away from their wall-sized flat screen televisions). More than ever, it's the "high concept" premise and the name-brand of a "property" such as Harry Potter or an Iron Man or a Tron that is the big draw for moviegoers. In a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly , Reese Witherspoon commented on how dramatically movies have changed since the writer's strike. "The movies that are being made feel different now.... There are a lot of really, really, really big movies about robots and things--and there's not a part for a 34-year-old woman in a robot movie."

In recent years, the big studios have shuttered their art-house, or "specialty", divisions. The independently funded movie sector, which produced a glut of indie movies just a couple of years back as investors sought to get into the movie biz, has dwindled now that there's a credit crunch in the economy. (Documentaries, the one bright spot at the cinema this year, are relatively inexpensive to make and continue to flourish.)

TV has stepped into the breach vacated by movie studios. Or, more accurately, Hollywood has retreated from middlebrow and highbrow Oscar fare (as The New York Times noted this week) now that one can watch drama of the highest caliber on television instead. Used to be that HBO had a monopoly on its tagline: "It's not TV, it's HBO." Nowadays, everyone else has caught up including, to an extent, the big three networks but especially channels such as TNT, AMC, FX, and Showtime. The very best Hollywood dramas I saw this year—Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, The King's Speech—pale next to Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Treme, The Good Wife, Mad Men, Damages, Friday Night Lights. Similarly, I laugh more during a half hour of Modern Family or Raising Hope than I did during the entire two hours of Date Night or The Other Guys.

Tellingly, The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott wrote an essay a few months ago titled, "Are Films Bad, or is TV just better?" And The Denver Post's great libertarian political columnist David Harsanyi recently wrote a column titled "All the Drama's on TV" in which he observed,

Television — with its zombies, ad men ("Mad Men"), dysfunctional mafia families ("The Sopranos"), science fiction meets geo-politics ("Battlestar Galactica"), and decaying urban centers ("The Wire") — consistently has become the place to explore the American cultural and political experience.

This is the golden age of television.

In the 1970s, visionary directors were given wide artistic berth to create innovative, unsettling, hyper-realistic films for mainstream audiences. Such experiences are rare these days — in film, at least. Not only is television more intellectually stimulating, more topical and politically relevant, audiences today are far more devoted to it. TV is fulfilling the promise of the movies. These days, it is easier to imagine Travis Bickle starring in an HBO series exploring the grimy underbelly of city life and mental illness than it is to see a director getting away with producing a mainstream film as bleakly disturbing as "Taxi Driver."

That's not to say there aren't occasionally great films or even that mainstream blockbusters can't be entertaining — who doesn't need empty calories and escapism? It's just that most major releases alternate between the artistically gutless, the ineptly preachy, the hopelessly saccharine and, worst of all, the boring.

Harsanyi isn't exaggerating. HBO's The Wire is superior to anything that Martin Scorsese has done over the past decade, including Departed. (Scorsese himself seems to understand how good the television medium can be given that he directed the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire.) Simply stated, the best writers in Hollywood are working in television right now. The inherent advantage of the small screen is that TV series allow writers to create elegant story arcs and develop characters in a way that you just can't do in a 120 minute movie. The television medium has caught up to the big screen in special effects, picture quality, and cinematic quality. Watch any episode of Breaking Bad, for example, and marvel at how the directors are more innovative and, indeed, cinematic than many of their big-screen counterparts.

You won't see A-list movie stars flocking to television any time soon, of course, even though there's much richer material available for them on the small screen. Actors still regard TV as an inferior echelon—the place where you get your start in your early 20s and the place where you end up when you're in your late 40s and your looks have gone. Plus, big-screen roles usually pay better (though not always: Scarlett Johansson was paid a reported $250,000 for her role in Iron Man 2, a fee she willingly undertook to build her box-office reputation and bolster fan-boy demand). Big screen movies still have more prestige and that counts a lot for an actor's vanity. Moreover, even though the days on film set are long and arduous, a film shoot lasts about 6 weeks whereas the punishing schedule of a television series lasts 10 months of the year.

Now that Hollywood seldom produces fewer actor-driven movies—the types of dramas that used to be the staple of the Oscars—actors are finding that they have fewer options available to them unless they star in a superhero movie. Indeed, A-list actors are seldom the reason to go to a movie nowadays. Look at some of 2010's box-office disappointments, for example: Cruise & Diaz in Knight and Day, Depp & Jolie in The Tourist, Hathaway & Gyllenhaal in Love and Other Drugs, Downey Jr. & Galifianakos in Due Date, Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson in the year's biggest flop, How Do I Know? There are just a few actors, now, who can draw an audience with their star power: Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio and, to a lesser extent Denzel Washington. Depp, Jolie, and Downey can do well in the right action picture.

I've been wondering why fewer movies are star-driven nowadays. Why are moviegoers more attracted by brand-name properties and high-concept plot lines than Hollywood stars? My guess is that it's because the nature of stardom has changed. In Hollywood's Golden Age, movie stars had a certain mystique. They had relatively limited exposure and, therefore, an aura of mystery. If you wanted to see a beautiful actress or handsome actor, you had to go to the cinema to see them, purchase a carefully choreographed interview in Life magazine, tune into an appearance on The Tonight Show or watch the Oscars.

Now, all one has to do is to log onto TMZ.

In the information age we now know so much about each and every celebrity—and see them so often in the mediums of print, television, and the Internet—that we seldom feel compelled to get a glimpse of these rarefied creatures at the cinema. Indeed, we tend to care more about a star's personal dramas than we do about their fictional on-screen dramas. Case in point: Jake Gyllenhaal's recent "dates" with Taylor Swift have been a media sensation even as Love and Other Drugs became a box-office shrug.

Indeed, the very nature of celebrity itself has changed. Today's biggest stars are arguably the C-listers on Dancing with the Stars, The Jersey Shore or The Housewives of Beverly Hills or Living with the Kardashians. These stars are happy to let their personal dramas play out on Twitter, Perez Hilton, and US Weekly. I'd argue that Kim Kardashian, a multi-millionairess who gets paid $10,000 for each product she endorses on Twitter, is probably a bigger star than most supposedly A-list actresses.

So, in sum, big changes all around in Hollywood that will ripple over the coming decade. Despite my pessimism through this blog post, I'll end by noting that the future isn't all doom and gloom for cinema. In the week-to-week competition at the box office, it's the movies with the best writing and strongest characters that often, if not always, win out in the long run, as this New York Times article observes. Splashy special effects and noisy bluster can only get you so far. (That's Tron: Legacy in a nutshell.) Pixar built its empire on the foundation of great scripts. And Inception was a powerful reminder that a great original blockbuster can pay off huge at the box office. In the years to come, the likes of Darren Aronofsky, Jean-Pierre Jeneut, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Alfonso Cuarón, David Fincher and Steven Spielberg will produce blockbuster fare that caters to the head and heart. And for everything else there's always television...

My Robert Plant interview

2010-12-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

My in-depth interview with Robert Plant for American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, is now on newsstands ... er ... I mean airplane seats. Don't worry, you needn't catch a flight to read it -- follow this link to read the full feature.

The interview with Plant was one of the highlights of my journalistic career. I was 12 years old and living in South Africa when I first heard Robert Plant's 1985 single Little By Little. It sounded unlike anything else on the music scene at the time and it's harrowingly emotional vocal instantly resonated with me. I'd never heard of Plant before then, nor even Led Zeppelin, but nevertheless saved up my pocket money to buy his third solo album, Shaken 'n' Stirred. Plant is my all-time favorite artist and over the past 25 years I've followed his every unpredictable move. He's one of the few artists of his generation -- or any other -- who continually seeks out new paths to explore rather than taking the easy road of commercialism.

Of course, you know the old adage: Never meet your heroes, they always disappoint. That hasn't been the case with Robert. This is the second time I've interviewed Robert and though the previous interview was terrific, it was an all-too-brief 20 minute chat. This time around, I had an hour on the phone with the singer and it felt more like a breezy conversation than a formal Q&A session. Robert was on hand to talk about his great new album, Band of Joy (which I reviewed for Under the Radar magazine) and he was gracious, thoughtful, funny, open and fully engaged. He is as sincerely personable and grounded as people say he is. After the interview, Robert called up his manager to tell her how much he'd enjoyed it. To say the least, the feeling was mutual.

Best albums of 2010

2010-12-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

Forgive my lack of blog posts in quite a while. I recently started writing a novel, a literary thriller, and it's occupying most of my time when I am not freelancing for various magazines. (I'm very active on Twitter, though, so follow me on @steve_humphries.)

But I thought I'd share my 30 favorite albums of 2010. As always, it's an almost preposterous task to rank such disparate albums in a wide variety of genres into a strict ranking.

Doubtless, there are other fine albums released this year that have escaped my notice. For example, even though I own all the albums by The Czars, I've yet to buy lead singer John Grant's solo record Queen of Denmark, which featured highly in many top 10 lists this year, including Mojo magazine's # 1 pick for 2010.

Best albums of 2010

1) Shearwater is America's greatest band right now. Their past three albums are masterpieces. Yet, even though music blogs and the music press is aware of Shearwater and dutifully provides coverage, the band sorely lacks high-profile champions in the music press to elevate its profile. (Honorable exceptions: The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot and the music site Drowned in Sound.) Nowadays, music journalists are inundated with new releases each week and many fall by the wayside because they lack the all-important buzz. As a result, I don't think most music writers listened to their latest record, The Golden Archipelago. Their loss. Those who spent many nights swimming in this record's immersive depth and complex beauty know just how special Shearwater is. Just ask Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield), who I introduced to Shearwater last year and ranked The Golden Archipelago his top album of 2010. Here's my review for Filter magazine.

2) Robert Plant is my all-time favorite artist. His latest solo record, Band of Joy, underscores everything that is so special about the singer. Some artists pay lip service to the idea of never making the same album twice yet merely end up creating variations of a particular sound. By contrast, Plant's solo career is as diverse Stanley Kubrick's filmography. As a result, Band of Joy is not Raising Sand II. Its 12 tracks range from blues (Central Two-Oh-Nine) to folk country (Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday) to an ethereal spiritual (Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down) to indie-rock tinged Americana (Monkey, Silver Rider). The blistering final track, Even This Shall Pass, sounds like a great lost Strange Sensation song, while I'm Falling In Love With You could easily slot onto a Honeydrippers Vol. II record. The delightfully catchy Can't Buy My Love marries the sound of a catchy '60s pop with a surprisingly robust rhythm section. This record has marinated deep into my soul over the past few months. Here's my review for Under the Radar magazine.

3) Jesca Hoop's Kismet was one of my fave records of 2007. Many singers aspire to the art-rock thrones of Kate Bush and Björk but Jesca is the true worthy heir apparent. Her leftfield musical imagination is uniquely hers. Her latest album, Hunting My Dress (I have no idea what the title means, either) is showcases her talent for tuneful avant-garde pop. Jesca is a big fan of Kate Bush and her fave album is The Dreaming, so that'll give you an idea where she's coming from. Hunting My Dress, which features a gorgeous duet with Elbow's Guy Garvey, brims with memorable tunes and deep-seated emotion. When I interviewed Jesca earlier this year, she talked about how the album was influenced by the passing of her mother.

4) Steve Mason: I didn't fully appreciate Scotland's Beta Band at the height of their fame, even when I saw them support Radiohead. Fortunately, my good friend Simon -- who has impeccable taste in music -- introduced me to the band's final album, From Heroes to Zeros, as well as their earlier albums. Steve Mason's first solo release (under his own name, that is) is far removed from the sound of his former outfit. Boys Outside is melodic adult pop that, oddly enough, could cross over to fans of David Gray, Swell Season, and Damien Rice. Occasionally, the album bears traces of Beta Band's sonic edge. What really stands out is how soulful his voice is. He's always had an appealing voice but it seems that some painful life experience has turned him into an emotionally expressive singer. Here's my review for Under the Radar magazine.

My surprise discovery of 2010 is Los Lobos. I had no idea I'd even like 'em. But when I heard their cover of the Grateful Dead's West L.A. Fadeaway, I was immediately intrigued. A five-star review for Tin Can Trust in Uncut magazine (the magazine I most trust for reviews) prompted me to buy the album. It's great. Memorable songs with strong melodies and choruses and amazing blues guitar. It also sounds great. Much of it was evidently cut live--listen closely to the title track and you can hear the hinges of a door opening and closing during the taping--and so it has a rich and atmospheric vibe.

6) Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs
7) The Besnard Lakes -- Are the Roaring Night
8) Field Music -- Measure
9) Foals -- Total Life Forever
10) Interpol -- Interpol
11) Laura Marling -- I Speak, Because I Can
12) School of Seven Bells -- Disconnect from Desire
13) Warpaint -- The Fool
14) Neil Young -- Le Noise
15) Hans Zimmer -- Inception soundtrack
16) Glasser -- Ring
17) The Black Keys -- Brothers
18) The National -- High Violet
19) Oceansize -- Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up
20) Blue Water, White Death -- Blue Water, White Death
21) Beach House -- Teen Dream
22) Crowded House -- Intriguer
23) Delphic -- Acolyte
24) The Acorn -- No Ghost
25) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- Mojo
26) Sarah McLachlan -- Laws of Illusion
27) Richard Thompson -- Dream Attic
28) Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan -- Hawk
29) Patty Griffin -- Downtown Church
30) The Orb, featuring David Gilmour -- Metallic Spheres

Great songs from other 2010 albums

Engineers -- In Praise of More
Sade -- Soldier of Love
Sahara Smith -- The Real Thing
She & Him -- In the Sun
The Joy Formidable -- Popinjay
Midlake -- Acts of Man
Goldfrapp -- Rocket
Jonsi -- Go Do
Jenny & Johnny -- Scissor Runner
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings -- Better Things
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti -- Round and Round
Keane -- Clear Skies
Caribou -- Odessa
Gayngs -- The Gaudy Side of Town
Viernes -- Swimmer's Ear
Joanna Newsom -- In California
Broken Bells -- The High Road
Blonde Redhead -- Everything is Wrong

Now on Newsstands

2010-11-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

The new issue of Under the Radar magazine, which features yours truly, also includes Interpol (cover story). Exclusive interviews with: Antony and the Johnsons, Avey Tare, Blonde Redhead, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Deerhunter vs. Stereolab, Glasser, Grinderman, The Big Bang Theory’s Simon Helberg, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenny and Johnny, Lord Huron, Motorifik, Nightlands, The Red River, Mark Ronson, Sun Airway, Sweet Tooth’s Jeff Lemire, The Corin Tucker Band, Twin Shadow, The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, and The Walkmen.

Now on Newsstands: Under the Radar

2010-08-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

The "Wasted on Youth" issue of Under the Radar doesn't have a conventional magazine cover. But then, Under the Radar isn't a conventional magazine. True to its title, the magazine is serious about its mission to provide exposure to the best new bands on the planet. Whereas other music publications rely exclusively on publicists and record labels to feed them tips on who to cover, editor Mark Redfern scours MySpace to find unsigned acts to cover in the magazine's "Pleased to Meet You" section.

Not that the magazine is just devoted to obscure newbies. Under the Radar takes its tagline -- the Solution to Music Pollution -- to heart. In this issue (which includes several of my reviews and my interview with Portishead's Geoff Barrow), various musicians and actors look back on their formative years and the movies, TV shows, and bands that influenced them as children and teenagers.

The cover story features Matt Berninger, the lead-vocalist for The National, along with his one-and-half-year-old daughter, Isla. It also includes interviews with each member of The National about their childhood influences, including films as Tron and The Dark Crystal, such TV shows as The Muppet Show, and such bands as Talking Heads and Joy Division.

The Wasted on the Youth section also includes the following articles:

30 Rock's Judah Friedlander on Pac-Man

The Antlers' Peter J. Silberman on TGIF TV

Being Human's Russell Tovey on Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Bloc Party's Kele on Gary Numan

Camera Obscura's Tracyanne Campbell on Grease

Fucked Up vs. Devo: A Conversation Between Damian Abraham and Mark Mothersbaugh

Here We Go Magic's Luke Temple on His Grandfather

The Kids in the Hall (a look back at the '90s sketch comedy troupe)

Let Me In's Chloë Grace Moretz

Liars' Angus Andrew on Duran Duran

Local Natives' Ryan Hahn on Street Fighter

Look Around You: Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz Rethink the Educational Film

Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss on My So-Called Life

My Morning Jacket's Jim James on Twin Peaks (includes a Twin Peaks-themed photo-shoot with James)

Portishead and BEAK>'s Geoff Barrow on Post-Apocalyptic Films of the '80s

Sigur Rós' Jónsi on Being a Metalhead

Tegan and Sara's Sara Quin on Phil Collins

Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen on the Punk Music of His Youth

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World's Mary Elizabeth Winstead on Labyrinth

Now on newsstands

2010-06-22T12:56:00.001-07:00

For its 40th issue, FILTER magazine has gone to a whole new plane -- a horizontal one! Eschewing its traditional vertical design, the landscape layout means that seven members of Broken Social Scene's can all fit on the cover.

In addition to an interview with the Canadian musical collective, the issue scored an exclusive feature with the illusive Will Oldham (aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy), who takes it upon himself to interview Merle Haggard. There's also a love-in between author Jonathan Ames and Matt Berninger of The National. Elsewhere, The Jam revisits its career and actor Michael Cera talks "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World." I also interviewed Delphic, a hotly tipped UK trio, for the issue. You can read my piece here.

So, check out the issue, now on newsstands, and visit Filtermagazine.com.

Thoughts on the "LOST" finale

2010-05-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

It ended, as I predicted, with the closure of Jack's eyeball.

The finale was at once the best possible finale and also the worst possible finale. Or, put another way: it was dramatically satisfying, and it was mythologically unsatisfying. It was better than the ending of "The Sopranos," but not as great as the ending of "The Wire."

There was a moment near the beginning of the episode -- Hurley's quip about Yoda, I think it was -- when I sat back and relaxed. I knew this was going to be a good episode. Another great line was when Kate said, "Christian Shepherd? Are you kidding me?" (The best laughs of the night, however, were during the commercial breaks with Target's "Lost" ads.) In all, it's been a pretty weak season, so this finale was a great reminder of how great the show could be. Sure, I kinda wished that the Dharma shark had gone all "Jaws" on the Smoke Monster/Fake Locke at the end, but, hey, he got his comeuppance.

The episode was like a greatest hits album. The interactions between the characters were consistently compelling and moving and, well, my Kleenex box is little emptier than it was at the beginning of the night. (Where were Michael and Walt?) How great was Sawyer and Juliet's reunion? (For those hoping to see Sawyer and Kate end up together -- well, they kinda did. One has to assume that they were a couple after they'd finally escaped the island on the plane.)

Wasn't it great to see the Locke we all fell in love with in season 1 back to his usual self? And the final scene between Locke and Ben was incredibly moving. Ben's contrition. Locke's forgiveness. (In the end, Ben was left out in the darkness -- in purgatory -- for his sins.) Best of all was the moment between a resurrected Locke and Jack.

In short, I loved the episode....

....but I hated the cop out to the key question: Where, and what, is the island? For a while now, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have on message with a constant mantra: The show is really about the characters and not the mystery. True, the show is about the characters and we all would have stopped watching a long time ago if we didn't care about these people. But, c'mon Lindelof and Cuse, we didn't spend years of our lives swapping emails and obsessing over theories about whether Kate would end up with Jack or Sawyer. The mystery and intrigue and complex mythology was still the prime driver. As Charlie put it at the end of the first episode, "Guys, were are we?"

We never did find out.

I've re-watched the final speech by Christian to his son, Jack, several times. Here's what we learned. The Sideways world was really just an illusory reality where the characters got to live out idealized, and redeemed, versions of themselves. It was a purgatory of sorts where they could all reunite and move on toward the white light through, significantly, the portal of a church. Christian told Jack that they had all died -- some before him (Juliet, Saayid, Jin, Sun, etc...) and some after him (Kate, Sawyer, Lapidus, Hurley, Ben, etc). But they had all reunited in Sideways world where time was as immaterial as their own selves. Christian also told Jack that all that he had experienced had been real. So, everything that happened on the island was real.

When Desmond went through his electromagnetic shock therapy, he was able to somehow become omniscient and see what transpired in the Sideways world. He told Jack about the Sideways world when they were standing outside the cave and Desmond believed, mistakenly as it turns out, that he would be magically transported to Sideways world as soon as he pulled out that cork.

(Side note: I can't figure out why Sideways world Eloise Hawking didn't want the characters to know about their pasts. And why did she want Desmond to keep Daniel Farraday from the final reunion?)

Which makes the lack of answers doubly frustrating. It's not just the central question as to what the island is, but also the many plots of the show. Take, for instance, the other Others at the start of this season. Who were they? How did they hear about the island in the first place? How did they discover it? The same question applies to Charles Widmore and co. Was the island a mythological place -- like Atlantis, or Shangrila, or Xanadu, or El Dorado, or maybe Eden -- that men have long sought to discover? The show should have better explained what this island represented to all these different factions and cultures. What was the underlying reason they came to the island in the first place? It wasn't to discover lost gold or treasure. So, was it perhaps the promise of immortality or the control of good and evil? The show hinted at the latter, but we never satisfactorily understood why so many men put their lives on the line to find this island. Why it was the white whale to Widmore's Ahab.

Unresolved question: If Smokey HAD gotten off the island, would it really have meant the end of the world? Or was that just scaremongering by Widmore and Jacob? Without truly understanding what the island is -- and whether it did indeed hold the balance between good and evil in the world -- I have less appreciation for Jack's (and everyone else's) sacrifice by the end of the series. We never got to understand whether the end of the world was truly at stake. Without an explanation about what the island is, the notion that the world was in peril just seems very abstract.

There are smaller questions that nag me. For instance, what was the significance of the Hot Tub Time Machine in the temple where Saayid was cleansed? How did it relate the other hot tub of water at the heart of the island? Was it like the evil version of that golden water? What was the point of that whole temple storyline?

The creators may have felt that it was better to just leave the big answers to our own imaginations. In a way, that may have been the smart thing to do. If they had explained what the island is, the actual answer may have disappointed millions. No matter what the answer might have been, it would never have matched the magnitude of answer that viewers had been bracing for because they had built it up in their heads.

The show has also teetered on the pendulum of science versus faith. If the producers had given us a scientific answer to the island, it would have been disappointing to those who had hoped for a more magical explanation. And vice versa.

At the very end of the recent episode devoted to the backstory of Jacon and his brother, the story shifts to Kate and Jack in the cave. She asks Jack where the skeletons came from and he answers, "You killed a boar. Where did that come from?" I think the writers were using telling us that some mysteries will never be answered and should just be accepted as open to interpretation. (So, never mind where the Alison Janney character came from, or who/what entrusted her to protect that pot of liquid gold, like a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow.)

But the truth is, that it's been increasingly clear in recent interviews that the show creators made up the show as they went along. I think the only thing they knew about the final episode was that it would end with Jack closing his eye. I don't think the show's creators know what the island is. But they kept promising answers, time and time again. They shouldn't have enticed us with that illusive and tantalizing final revelation. It's a bit like Dorothy discovering that the Wizard of Oz was just a fraudulent man behind a curtain.

It was one helluva ride, though. And the characters were great companions along the way. And in that regard, "Lost" was a great success.

P.S. Here's a list of some of the unanswered questions:

Egyptian symbols?

Taweret: the Egyptian statue

Walt being special?

The numbers.

Who was in the raft that fired on Sawyer's raft while crossing between the two islands?

In season 1, why did we watch an episode in which various people insinuate that Claire is pregnant with, well, Satan's spawn? Where did that whole storyline go?

The Dharma notebooks

Now on newsstands...

2010-05-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

Now on newsstands: the new issue of Under the Radar magazine, which includes a few pieces by yours truly. (The Joanna Newsom cover on the former could revive a dead man's heart. You may have to plead to your girlfriend/wife that you only read Under the Radar for the articles...)

Coachella...ella...ella

2010-04-21T15:57:00.001-07:00

Glastonbury may be the world's most famous music festival and certainly the most prestigious, but Coachella is surely the finest festival in the world.

For starters, The Coachella festival site (a polo club) is an unbelievably beautiful setting. It's an oasis in the middle of the Southern Californian desert: palm trees, lush green fields of lawn, rows and rows of flowers, and a backdrop of huge snow-capped mountains. I'll take this over Glastonbury mud any day! At night, colorful lights are projected on the palm trees and the grounds themselves -- filled with exotic works of art -- take on neon hues.

There are two main outdoor stages and then several concert tents (which hold thousands of people) as well as numerous other attractions (a "learn to DJ" tent, for example) and also a welcome "hose down" area. Also some, er, interesting attendees, too, dressed in odd and colorful costumes. At times, I wondered whether I had mistakenly wandered into the Burning Man festival. I saw a guy in a body-hugging red devil suit and I wondered how he could possibly endure spandex in the desert heat. Others were naked with "clothing" spray painted on, like pages from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition come to life.

I had a backstage pass and although that didn't mean that I could use Beyonce's gold-plated toilet in Jay-Z's pimped-out compound, I was able to use proper air conditioned toilets rather than portapotties. (I have no idea, actually, if Beyonce had a gold-plated loo -- I've just been watching too much MTV "Cribs.") I had many surreal experiences in the restricted artists area ranging from a long talk with Serj Tankian of System of a Down about how Obama reneged on his campaign promise to recognize the Armenian genocide, to opening the restroom door and almost knocking over Danny DeVito -- who is shorter than a midget. I also saw Melanie Griffiths' collagen-inflated lips in close-up. (Imagine a bee-sting version of the Rolling Stones logo.)

After watching Yeasayer (fun, but the songs evaporate from memory seconds later), a regal Gil Scott-Heron, and escaping the Dillinger Escape Plan, I headed to the main stage as the sun (and thermometer) plummeted.

Early on, it was apparent that the festival was going to be affected by the volcano ash as just about all the British and European acts, including Bad Lieutenant, The Cribs, and Delphic (who I had recently interviewed) were stranded at airports.

Fortunately, John Paul Jones -- the linchpin of Them Crooked Vultures -- wasn't among the stranded musicians. He emerged on to the main stage with the most bizarre-looking instrument I've seen in my life. It had 12 strings and a screen in it and then proceeded to play it with a bottleneck slide. Loved how TCV improvised on the original song arrangements and reveled in thrilling executed handbrake turns and sudden stops and starts. One of my fave songs on the album is "Scumbag Blues," a 21st-century update of Cream, which was elongated to include a trippy psychedelic interlude. One of the wonders of the entire festival was Dave Grohl's drumming. He threw himself into each beat with such attack and physicality that it's a wonder he wasn't taken off stage in a stretcher. I watched TCV with Steven Wilson and John Wesley from Porcupine Tree and we all enjoyed the show immensely. Compensation for an afternoon of less-than-enthralling sets.

Afterward, I was torn between heading to a tent to see Imogen Heap or staying to watch LCD Soundsystem. Since I recently saw Imogen's show and had never seen LCD Soundsystem, I opted to take in their epic dance grooves and wasn't disappointed.

I'm not much of a hip-hop guy yet nevertheless stayed to watch Jay-Z come on stage to the introductory music of the James Bond theme followed by "Live and Let Die." Hova was elevated through a hidden hatch in the stage. Quite an entrance. Soon after, I headed over to one of the tents to see Fever Ray. I never did see Fever Ray. Her stage was shrouded in darkness apart from multiple household lamps and some cool lasers. She and the band were just silhouettes in the murky darkness. She sounded great, though, as she played her debut solo album.

Porcupine Tree's set on the second outdoor stage during lunchtime on Saturday was top-notch with a set nicely tailored to festival goers and the uninitiated. Setlist: The Start of Something Beautiful/Sound of Muzak/ Anesthetize/Lazarus/Blackest Eyes/ Time Flies/Halo.

The show received the following rave review in the Orange County Register:
Porcupine Tree proved to best several more high-profile hard rock bands that I also saw perform on Saturday, including buzz trio Band of Skulls and main stage rockers Coheed and Cambria. Indeed, I thought the relatively-unnoticed English group performed one of the most impressive sets of day two, with several concert-goers coming up to me and asking “Who are these guys?”-styled queries. The nuance of the British folk-meets-progressive rock of Porcupine Tree was a revelation, notably the beautiful and reflective “Lazarus” featuring lead singer Steven Wilson seated at the keyboard and singing one of the key songs from “Deadwing.” Later in the set, he set out with his bandmates on the ambitious “Time Flies.” One of the featured tracks on 2009’s “The Incident,” “Time Flies” featured him playing both acoustic and electric guitar and showcased the natural comparisons that can be drawn between this band and genre pioneers such as Pink Floyd. Although the quartet has been around since the late 1980s, it’s nice to see Porcupine Tree getting some well-deserved accolades. Count me among the group’s newest fans.

By contrast, Jon Pareles at the New York Times clearly didn't watch the band's set at all because in his blog post about progressive rock bands at Coachella, he made an off-handed mention of "the early Genesis-loving Porcupine Tree." No one who has actually seen or heard PT would compare their sound to early Genesis. The mind boggles....

Another reviewer for the Los Angeles Examiner shrewdly noted, "a night slot would have really solidified this band to the thousands of people not familiar with the Brit’s transcendental material. With over 20 years of experience, asking a band to only play a short, single-filled set is near disgraceful."

Indeed, few festivalgoers had arrived on site when the band took to the stage and those that did opted for the shelter of the tent stages which routinely attracted several thousand people. It's difficult to comprehend the calculus that determined Porcupine Tree's slot on the bill. There were so many bands in the tents with better time slots that were obscure/unknown or just riding blog buzz. These are bands that are still on the club circuit. None of them could sell out LA's Nokia Theater or Royal Albert Hall months in advance. Certainly, few if any of them has had a top 25 album or the kind of sales Porcupine Tree has had.

I watched Faith No More with the guys from Porcupine Tree on Saturday night and we were delighted by their leftfield opening number: a cover of the 1970s soul tune, "Reunited." Later, they did Michael Jackson's "Ben." They rocked out, too, during a vital set that included "Epic" and "We Care a Lot." Mike Patton waded into the audience and crowd surfed during the set. At one point, a shirtless Danny DeVito ran across the stage. I think that was quite possibly a more disturbing sight than Melanie Griffiths' plastic surgery.

Saturday's headliners, Muse, DESTROYED the place. I was flabbergasted by great they were. Truly one of the great live bands. From their showmanship to musicianship to sheer playfulness (spontaneous excerpts of Ennio Morricone and Hendrix), they were utterly astonishing. The wide-ranging set included "Uprising," "Supermassive Black Hole," "Time Is Running Out," "Starlight" and "Knights of Cydonia." Widespread consensus that it was one of the best sets anyone had seen a band play. Even Jay-Z and Beyonce were rocking out on the side of the stage.

I got to meet Matt Bellamy on Sunday as he was just hanging out in the artist area. He's now one of the biggest rock stars on the planet (Muse were just announced as headliners of Glastonbury) so it was great to discover that he was completely approachable, grounded, engaging and no ego at all. I said to him, "Let me be the 1 millionth person to tell you how incredible your show was." "You're only the 7th," Bellamy quipped. "She was the sixth," he said, pointing to my friend. I told him he also had the quickest costume change in concert history. He explained that he had ripped his red trousers. "Nobody wants to see my knobby knees," he joked. He also said that when he played the guitar with his teeth it was meant to be deliberately cheesy but nobody gets that it's done in humor. And when I told him that all that was missing from their show was a hot air balloon with acrobats suspended underneath it (a la their Wembley stadium gig), he said they're coming to L.A. in September -- with the acrobats! Clearly, these musicians should be given laminates that say "Excess All Areas." They're ridiculously fun.

I got far more of a kick chatting to Bellamy than watching the likes of Beyonce, Kate Hudson, Paris Hilton, and the dude from Twilight swan around.

Over the weekend, I saw several great sets, including those by Beach House and Dirty Projectors. But the breakout band for me was Mutemath. The band were so energetic that their set could have generated nuclear fission as a byproduct. At one point, the frontman placed a snare drum on top of upstretched hands and then clambered on top of that drum somehow before leaping into the crowd. When it was over you could hear the collective "wow" by the crowd. It was a tough act for the keyboard and drums duo of Matt & Kim to follow. But their enthusiasm sustained the crowd's euphoria.

Unfortunately, I missed Jonsi, though I heard he wasn't all that great, but then I started chatting with the drummer from Passion Pit as we tried to get access to watch Phoenix from the backstage. No dice. Beyonce and Thom Yorke had arrived at the same stage and so it was a total lockdown with no access for anyone. Phoenix had a MASSIVE crowd even though they were on the second stage. Sounded really great, though not much variance from their albums.

After that, Thom Yorke and Atoms for Peace took to the second stage. Since no other acts were playing, he drew perhaps the biggest crowd of the festival. They played Thom's "Eraser" album in its entirety and Flea turned out to be an inspired choice of bassist for songs such as "Black Swan" (that bass riff!) and "Harrowdown Hill." Thom performed three Radiohead songs -- an acoustic "Airbag" (wow!), a solo piano rendition of "Everything is In Its Right Place," and the b-side "Paperbag Writer." One new song, "Judge, Jury, Executioner," is a band composition -- Flea tells Rolling Stone that the band has been busy recording -- and it's likely we'll see an Atoms for Peace album or EP before any new Radiohead album. (The album might also include recently debuted compositions such as "A Walk Down the Staircase," "Give Up the Ghost," "The Daily Mail," and "Mouse, Dog, Bird.")

I stayed for three songs into the headliners, Gorillaz -- a huge multimedia spectacle with a setup that included an orchestra + The Clash's Steve Cook and Paul Siminon -- before heading out at 11 to beat the traffic back to LA. Arrived home at 1:30.

It was the best fun I've had in forever, though my aching feet might disagree with that statement.

Videogame Over

2010-04-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

During a commercial break of the NCAA championship basketball on Monday night, I watched a trailer for the new "Battlefield: Bad Company" video game (see above).

I was nauseated.

Just two hours earlier, I had watched the leaked classified video of a US Army helicopter killing a group of Iraqi men in Baghdad -- including two journalists for Reuters. (The video, below, contains disturbing images and language.) The footage, a film from the helicopter's point of view, looks uncannily like the video game scene in "Battlefield: Bad Company." Worse, the soundtrack to the actual killing sounds like a videogame. A spokesperson for WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website that brought the footage to light, even commented that the helicopter pilots act "like they are playing a computer game and their desire is they want to get high scores" by killing opponents.

At one point, one of the pilots laughs amid the carnage. Worse, the footage reveals US ground soldiers firing on people trying to help a man wounded in the helicopter assault. Two children were injured as a result.

I'm not advocating videogame censorship. And I'm not someone who believes that videogames inspire players to perpetrate real violence. But anyone looking to play "Battlefield: Bad Company" might wanna watch the real war video and then reflect on just how fun the game seems afterward.

Caught in the Filter

2010-03-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Now on newsstands, the new issue of FILTER magazine. Yours truly has several pieces in the magazine, including a feature on Jesca Hoop, whose excellent second album, "Hunting My Dress," is as gratifyingly unusual as it is full of great hooks and melodies. I also penned the issue's lead album review on Midlake's "Courage of Others" as well as a review of Shearwater's "The Golden Archipelago" (though flawed, it's my favorite album of the year from one of my very favorite bands). Also in the issue: interviews with Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jeff Bridges, She & Him, and The Besnard Lakes (the Montreal band's "And the Night Roared" is my second fave album of 2010 so far).

There's no business like snow business

2010-02-23T17:31:00.000-08:00

The best male and female screen performance of the past 12 months? Sorry, Meryl and Jeff, it's neither of you. The winners in this category are easily Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the Canadian skating pair who won gold medals last night in Ice Dancing at the Olympics. For good measure, they ought to take home little gold statuettes as a bonus.

I'll return to the duo's remarkable thespian abilities in a bit. But first let's recap just how many great performances (of the non-acting kind) we've already seen at the Vancouver games.

Memorably, Shaun White showcased a move called the McTwist in which he rode his snowboard up a rip curl of ice and catapulted himself into a void in the night sky where even Icarus wouldn't dare take wing. White somehow defied the very laws of space and time because, in less than three seconds, the red head contorted himself and his board through a mathematically impossible combination of twists, corkscrews, and horizontal and vertical rotations. Then he tapped into his inner Capt. Sullenberger to pull off a miraculous switch-side landing. If NBC had affixed a camera to the bottom of his board, your television would likely have keeled over from the vertigo.

Even more impressive: The aerial skiers who briefly turn into human helicopters, their upended skis twirling in futility as the grappling hooks of gravity take hold. The skeleton crews who hurtle, head first, around icy chicanes at 90 mph fall into the same bracket of life-insurance premiums and are just as entertaining. I also marveled at the downhill skiers who careen off the edge of a precipice and somehow manage a semblance of flight that a Dodo would envy.

Best James Bond tribute: Even the skiing biathletes who shoot targets with rifles weren't as showstopping as the 007-inspired short program by Korea's Kim Yu-Na. She ended her record-score routine by pointing her fingers like a gun. But her real firepower came from a triple lutz-triple toe loop that made one look to ceiling to see if there wasn't a puppeteer pulling marionette strings. (Scott Hamilton's squeal triggered an avalanche in Whistler.)

Bode Miller, whose threatened to become known as Miller lite after his hard-partying lifestyle led to a dismal showing at the Torino games, notched several medals at the games, including one gold. On the podium, the natural-born skier displayed a humility and inner calm few would have imagined him capable of.

Lindsey Vonn, the famous swimsuit model and occasional downhill racer, had sports writers churning out stories about her injured shin threatened her Olympic participation. Silly rabbits. This is a girl who was evacuated by helicopter after a crash in the Torino Olympics and still checked herself out of hospital to compete the next day with a bruised hip. Was there any serious doubt that she wouldn't compete? Girl's got grit. Her triumph was hard won and an early highlight of the games.

America's Evan Lysacek wasn't favored to beat Adrian Brody lookalike Yevgeny Pluschenko. The Russian gold medalist seemed superhuman. Who else, after all, could pull of a quadruple toe loop. But Lysacek won out thanks to rigorous training, finer artistry, and the canny tactic of accumulating points by executing several jumping passes in the second half of the program.

If I seem overly US-centric in my list of highlights, forgive me. It's NBC's fault. The coverage is heavily skewed toward American competitors. Anchor Bob Costas shows off a chart of the medal count so regularly that you'd think we still lived in the mercantile era rather than one of globalization. Props to Steven Colbert for pin-pricking the balloon of jingoism with his "Defeat the World" mantra.
Which brings us back to the Canadian skaters, Virtue and Moir. As brilliant sports writer Mark Sappenfield observes in The Christian Science Monitor, their routine was so winning that, "For a night, it seemed, the 48th parallel disappeared and we were not two brotherly nations, but brothers." (If you missed the duo's events over the past three nights, watch them here and here.)

Indeed, their performances over the past three nights were transcendent. Not just because of their inspired choreography, perfect synchronicity, surprise moves, and agile athletic ability. The duo's second dance was distinguished by a red-hot passion that threatened to turn the icy stage beneath their skates to slush. It was there in the deeply affectionate glances between the two as they held hands during a turn around the arena prior to the most important skate of their lives. And it was there in the tender embrace concluded their elegant routine, a ballet on ice in which the swan-like skaters seemed to fall in love while millions watched. The duo could have performed in an arena filled with fans of UFC extreme cage fighting and there wouldn't have been a dry eye in the audience.

Which is why it was heartbreaking to discover that Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue (who resembles a young Kate Beckinsale) aren't romantically involved. Theirs is not a tale of love off the ice, like Torvill & Dean, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, or even Moira Kelly and that hockey player in "The Cutting Edge." They’re just great friends. Indeed, Moir is dating another prominent skater. All of which underscores how powerful the duo’s performance was. Like actors in a great romance movie, they made us believe in a great love story. In the process, they created the single defining moment of these games.

How the Oscars got boring

2010-02-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Just about every year, weary journalists and pop-culture pundits trot out opinions on how to save The Academy Awards because the Oscars no longer draw big viewership figures. In 1970, the televised ceremony had a 43.4% share in the ratings. Today, it's less of an event. Last year's show -- which was up 6% on 2008 -- boasted an "American Idol"-scale audience. Which is pretty good, but hardly phenomenal in this era of long-tail media fragmentation.

Typically, suggestions on boosting numbers tend to go like this:

If you can't get Billy Crystal as emcee, how about Jay & Conan as co-hosts?
If you can't bring back Björk and her egg-laying swan dress, how about inviting Lady Gaga (with Cher as her stylist).
If you can't get star power like Brangelina on the red carpet, how about Snooki and The Situation?
How about inviting Steve Jobs to the podium to unveil a new Apple product?
Or how about just awarding Best Picture to "Twilight" for that all-important 13-18 demographic? (Bonus idea: Have Justin Bieber hand over the statuette.)

Such cosmetic changes will move the needle some. But our culture has fundamentally changed since Oscar's heyday. For starters, Hollywood movie stars aren't as important anymore. In part, it's because there's less mystery and less golden-era glamor.

There was a time, long ago, when stars weren't over-exposed. Apart from the occasional appearance on Johnny Carson or a Jerry Lewis telethon, your only opportunity of seeing actors outside of the movies was tuning into the Oscars. Nowadays, you can watch Clooney picking his nose on TMZ. In the old days celebrities were largely presented in publicist-controlled puff pieces in "Life" magazine. Now, you can read about Brangelina's sex life in US Weekly right after you've flipped past pictures of J.Lo pumping gas in the "Stars: They're Just Like Us!" feature.

More fundamentally, stars no longer have the currency they once did. Studios now rely on well-branded properties and high-concept stories, rather than big-name actors, to pack theaters. That's true of nearly all 2009's top-grossing films: "Avatar," "Star Trek," "Transformers," "Harry Potter," "Twilight," "Alvin & The Chipmunks," "The Hangover," "X-Men: Origins," "2012."

There are one or two exceptions to that hardening rule: Robert Downey Jr. helped sell the "Sherlock Holmes" brand name with the capital he gained from starring in "Iron Man 2." Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep can reliably draw a crowd in the right project. And Will Smith could probably star in a sequel to "Howard the Duck" and still notch a big opening weekend. But can they turn the awards telecast into a "must see"? Nah.

So, if celebrity is no longer a significant draw for the Academy Awards, how about the movies? The gambit of expanding the Best Picture nominees to 10 films will likely improve audience numbers as the category isn't just limited to middlebrow fare. The 9 nominations for "Avatar" will be a cause for celebration for the Academy and ABC because the last time America gave a damn about the Oscars was the year of "Titanic." The studios will cheer, too, since the awards are primarily about selling movies (and flattering egos).

Problem is, the Academy awards are all over before they've even begun. The awards season is oversaturated with award shows, many of them televized, ranging from The Golden Globes to the Spirit Awards. Moreover, each of Hollywood's major guilds -- Actors, Producers, Directors -- hold their own ceremonies and the big winners in each category tend to be a safe prediction of who will win in the corresponding Oscar category. We now know that Jeff Bridges will win for Best Actor, Sandra Bullock for Best Actress, Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director, and The Hurt Locker for Best Picture.

All of this happens before the Academy Award nominations have even been announced. In fact, the only surprises today in the widely predicted nominees was the inclusion of "The Blind Side" for Best Picture and "In the Loop" for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Simply, there's no element of suspense anymore.

A few thoughts on the Grammys

2010-02-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

Last night, Taylor Swift's narrow-slitted eyelids popped into Katy Perry-like wide-eyed surprise. Her numerous wins, including the top prize of Album of the Year, left me googly-eyed, too. Swift's off-key warbling during a duet with Stevie Nicks woulda got her kicked off "American Idol" in round one. At that moment, I blessed the inventor of the mute button.

Other performers opted for autotune, though worst offenders Jamie Foxx/T.Pain/Slash still managed to sound outtatune during their messy medley.

That unwieldy collaboration typified the Grammy approach: Cram as many star names onto a stage at once. As usual, the Grammys were all about selling product first and foremost. As Jon Pareles of the New York Times noted,

"The Grammys have found the right balance of performance and award — which is to say, the awards are strictly a sideshow. A recording business desperate for sales wants to expose as many items as possible, and most performers were introduced along with their song titles in case anybody wanted to download them immediately. Medleys were the rule, squeezing in more songs per minute, and as usual the Grammys featured generation-crossing duets."

Most bizarrely, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige shuffled around a duet of "What Child Is This?" It's the worst idea for a collaboration since McCain/Palin. When Eminem, Lil' Wayne and Drake appeared on stage, it seemed like the most exciting showdown since the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It was hard to tell since CBS's censors used the mute button for large portions of the song (if only they'd done that for Taylor Swift). The Eminem, Lil' Wayne, Drake performance should have included mash-up of "Pants on the Ground." Someone please buy Lil' Wayne a belt.

Lady Gaga, meanwhile, achieved the impossible: She was more flamboyant than even Elton John during their medley of "Speechless/Your Song." Gaga was the easy winner in the most interesting race of the night: most bizarre dress. Other nominees included Imogen Heap, Pink, Katy Perry. Gaga seems to have stuck to her New Year's Resolution to dress less conservatively this year. (Ok, I made that up.) But at this point, the only way she can top herself is to arrive at an awards ceremony on a pair of stilts while wearing Big Bird's costume. At any rate, she'll never top last week's weirder than weird awards outfit worn by the infinitely more talented Fever Ray. The ever-kooky Imogen Heap, whose excellent "Ellipse" deserved more than just a win for "Best Engineer," wore a tech thingy that transmitted live photos taken by fans.

Of all the performances last night, my favorite was watching Jeff Beck playing a Les Paul (the guitarist has barely touched anything other than a Strat since the early 1970s) during a tribute to the instrument's creator. His solos during "How High the Moon" were elegant and gorgeous.

I was also surprised how much I enjoyed the Usher/Carrie Underwood/Jennifer Hudson/Celine Dion take on Michael Jackson's "Earth Song." Collectively, they deployed more melisma than an entire season of "American Idol," but it worked great and reminded one how good Jackson's pop can be.

Beyoncé, too, showed off her range. The golden goddess's medley was pure Sasha Fierce -- particularly as she channeled angry Alanis for the "You Oughta Know" segment -- with almost as much crotch crabbing as Eminem. Bizarrely, and for no apparent reason, she was surrounded by a phalanx of men dressed like a SWAT team. The only other time you'll see that many paramilitary troopers on TV is when Hugo Chavez clamps down on a protest rally on CNN. Or an in-store signing session by Justin Bieber. In a rare television appearance (cough), The Black Eyed Peas tried to outdo Beyoncé by dressing Fergie like "Tron" and surrounding themselves with a troupe of dancing robots.

Like so much of the mainstream pop on display last night, the Black Eyed Peas offered up '80s-influenced soulless plastic dressed up in substance-less style. The worst offender yet, Ke$ha's "Tik Tok," mercifully wasn't released in time for a nomination this round. But it'll no doubt be in contention for Record of the Year in 2011.

I'll have the mute button at the ready.

The curious case of Che chic

2010-01-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Criterion released Steven Soderbergh's "Che" on DVD. Originally released to cinemas in two parts, the Criterion Collection edition is one complete film. But I think you'll learn more about Che Guevara, Che chic, and Hollywood's baffling love affair with the revolutionary icon by watching this entertaining video (below) than sitting through all four hours of Soderbergh's biopic.

My fave films of the decade

2009-12-30T11:35:00.001-08:00

No movies from 2009 in my list of my 10 fave films of the decade, though The Hurt Locker and Avatar came very close....

Also bubbling under: Sideways, Pan's Labyrinth, Man on Wire, No Country for Old Men, Wall-E, Millions, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Borat, Spirited Away, Mystic River, Slumdog Millionaire, Up in the Air, A History of Violence, Adaptation, Kill Bill, The Lives of Others, Yi Yi (A One and a Two), Wall-E, Before Sunset, Vitus, The Pianist, Million Dollar Baby, School of Rock, Michael Clayton, Elf, Casino Royale, Minority Report, Traffic.

Below are 10 movies that proved to be transcendent experiences at the cinema over the past 10 years.

10) The Pianist
9) Letters from Iwo Jima
8) Munich
7) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
6) Mulholland Drive
5) The Incredibles
4) Almost Famous
3) Amelie
2) Lord of the Rings (ok, technically three movies but I'll cheat as it's all one story)
1) Children of Men

"Children of Men" was one of the most powerful movie experiences of my life. For two hours, I wasn't aware that I was in a cinema at all. I was crouching, ducking, and weaving through Alfonso Cuarón's nightmarish depiction of a future in which the human race is dying out because incapacitated women are unable to bear children. "Children of Men" has many marvels not the least of which are two astonishing sequences filmed in unbroken camera movements (you're so wrapped up in the tension of the scenes that it's only afterward that you realize how complex those shots were to orchestrate).

Cuarón's bleak, yet wholly remarkable, film borrows imagery inspired by warfare in Baghdad, the July 7 London Tube bombings, the Holocaust, Abu Ghraib, and Guantánamo to create an allegory about how the brotherhood of man has been fractured into divisions of race, religion, nationality, and gender. Yet, the movie's theme and message is so subtle that it's only after the film is over that one parses its meaning.

Sadly, the movie studio didn't seem to understand what it had in its hands. It was ditched in movie theaters with scant thought as to its Oscar chances and the trailers made it look as if it was a trashy sci-fi thriller. Once the critical plaudits started to mount, it seemed as if the studio was taken by surprise. But without an Oscar campaign, the film was ignored during awards season. No matter. The film's reputation has only increased over time and several film critics have included the film in their "Best of the decade" lists.

My favorite albums of the decade

2009-12-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

In trying to compile my favorite albums of the decade, I initially tried to compile a top 10 list. I hated the exercise. How do you squeeze 10 years of albums into 10 slots? When you compile a roster of the very greatest albums of the 'OOs, how do you distinguish whether one masterpiece is worthy of the #6 slot rather than the #5 slot ?

So, I resolved instead to just list some of the albums that have remained special to me, throughout the decade. I've sorted them alphabetically by artist and, as you'll see, some bands and artists have more multiple albums listed next to their names. Some artists, such as Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield), have had such an outstanding decade that I've included every release over the past 10 years. With others, I've tried to hone in on their best work.

I'll put an asterisk* next to a select couple of records that I have played over and over and over again and would carry out first in the event of a fire. (I've also marked out some of those very favorites with pictures of album covers.) I've also added hyperlinks, where possible, to my reviews of some of these records.

Justin Adam & Juldeh Camara -- Soul Science/Tell No Lies
Ryan Adams -- Cold Roses
Air -- Talkie Walkie

Amadou & Mariam -- Dimanche A Bamako

Joseph Arthur -- Come to Where I'm From*/Redemption's Son*/Our Shadows Will Remain*/Nuclear Daydream*
David Baerwald -- The New Folk Underground*

Richard Barbieri -- Things Buried/Stranger Inside
Bat for Lashes -- Fur and Gold/Two Suns

The Beta Band -- From Heroes to Zeroes

Bjork -- Vespertine*
Blackfield -- Blackfield/Blackfield II

The Black Keys -- Attack & Release

Blonde Redhead -- 23

Blue Nile -- High

Boards of Canada -- The Campfire Headphase

Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Ago

David Bowie -- Heathen*/Reality
Jack Bruce -- Shadows in the Air
Kate Bush -- Aerial*

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -- Abbatoir Blues + The Lyre of Orpheus/Dig Lazarus Digg!!!
Coldplay -- Rush of Blood to the Head/Viva La Vida

Shawn Colvin -- Whole New You
Crowded House -- Time on Earth
The Cure -- 4:13 Dream

Dirty Projectors -- Bitte Orca
Drive By Truckers -- Brighter than Creation's Dark

Bob Dylan -- Love and Theft/Modern Times
Doves -- Lost Souls*/The Last Broadcast/Some Cities/Kingdom of Rust
Elbow -- Asleep in the Back/Cast of Thousands/Leaders of the Free World*/Seldom Seen Kid

Engineers -- Three Fact Fader

Donald Fagen -- Morph the Cat

The Flaming Lips -- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Fleet Foxes -- Fleet Foxes

Neil Finn -- One All

Frou Frou -- Details
Goldfrapp -- Seventh Tree
Grizzly Bear -- Yellow House/Veckatimest
Imogen Heap -- Ellipse
John Hammond -- Wicked Grin
PJ Harvey -- Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea*/Uh Huh Her/White Chalk*
Jesca Hoop -- Kismet*
The Invisible -- The Invisible

Iron & Wine --The Shepherd's Dog
Keane -- Under the Iron Sea
Sonny Landreth -- From the Reach

LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
Marillion -- Anoraknophobia/ Marbles* /Happiness is the Road*

The Mars Volta -- Deloused in the Comatarium/Octahedron
Scott Matthews -- Passing Strangers

Natalie Merchant -- Motherland

Midlake -- The Trials of Von Occupanther
Joni Mitchell -- Shine
Gary Moore -- Close As You Get
The Mummers -- Tale to Tell, Pt. 1

My Morning Jacket -- It Still Moves

No-Man -- Returning Jesus*/Together We're Stranger*/Schoolyard Ghosts*

Opeth -- Blackwater Park/Ghost Reveries

Pineapple Thief -- Variations on a Dream
Robert Plant -- Dreamland*/Mighty Rearranger*/Raising Sand* (with Alison Krauss)Porcupine Tree -- In Absentia*/Deadwing*/Fear of a Blank Planet*/The Incident*

Radiohead -- Kid A*/In Rainbows* (two-disc edition)

Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Stadium Arcadium
Rush -- Vapor Trails

Shearwater -- Palo Santo*/Rook*

Steely Dan -- Everything Must Go
Otis Taylor -- Definition of a Circle

Tinariwen -- Imidiwen: Companions
Rokia Traoré -- Tchamantché
TV on the Radio -- Return to Cookie Mountain/Dear Science
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Suzanne Vega -- Songs in Red and Gray
Steven Wilson -- Insurgentes*

The White Stripes -- Elephant

World Party -- Dumbing Up
Thom Yorke -- The Eraser

With 'Avatar,' Cameron is king of all worlds

2009-12-18T00:22:00.001-08:00

Cancel whatever plans you have this weekend. Go find yourself the biggest screen showing "Avatar" in 3-D. It's utterly astonishing. Not the story so much, which is "Dancing with Wolves" or "Ferngully" all over again, but James Cameron's feat of visual imagination is as astonishing as watching Jesus walk on water. As Steven Spielberg put it, "The last time I came out of a movie feeling that way it was the first time I saw Star Wars."

Truth is, my faith in James Cameron had waned. He was, after George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, my first real movie director hero. I remember the day vividly. At age 14, my parents dropped me off at a cinema and I opted to see "Aliens." Didn't know a thing about it. Had never even heard of "Alien" at that point. The movie poster of a sweaty Sigourney Weaver even looked oddly like Michael Jackson. But I knew it was sci-fi and that was enough for me. I was one of four people in the movie theater for a matinee screening and that sense of isolation only enhanced what became one of the most intense cinematic experiences of my life. "Aliens" is a masterpiece. An action-suspense film that clamps down on your heart because Cameron spends a lot of time developing characters you care about.

From that day I was a fan. I was entranced by both "Terminator" movies as well as the tongue-in-cheek homage to James Bond, "True Lies." I particularly loved "The Abyss" (well, apart from the "ET" ending) because the scuba diver in me has always been fascinated by the deep. Has there ever been a more heart-stopping moment in cinema when the Ed Harris character tries to revive his wife, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio?

Alas, "Titanic" shook my faith in Cameron. The movie has numerous incredible scenes and the third-act sinking of the boat is utterly indelible. But the characters of Jack and Rose were too cartoonish and Cameron's depiction of the social mores of 1912 seemed far too modern in sensibility to be believable. Kate and Leo may have had a natural chemistry but the crass storytelling and risible dialogue kept me at arm's length from fully embracing the film, much as I wanted to. Don't even get me started about the silliness of Billy Zane's character chasing after Leonardo with a gun even as the ship is sinking...

"Avatar" reminded me why I loved James Cameron in the first place. You may already know the story which, according to some, is a rip off of a Poul Anderson's short story, "Call Me Joe."

"Avatar" is set in the year 2157. A distant planet, "Pandora," holds vast repositories of a precious ore that Earth badly desires. But the planet is inhabited by the N'Avi, primitive, blue-skinned alien beings who resemble a cross between Andrew Lloyd Weber's cat people, giraffes, and the smurfs. A group of American marines led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) draws up plans to forcibly remove the N'Avi even as a peacenik scientific research team led by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) tries to integrate itself into the native tribe through bio-engineered Avatars that resemble the N'Avi. The hero of the story, a paraplegic Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), finds a new lease on life inside his Avatar since he's able to walk once again using this new body. During his first visit to the jungle -- an environment by turns wondrous and dangerous -- he meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a fetching, yet fierce, N'Avi warrior. Jake starts living with the N'Avi and it gives nothing away to report that, in the process, he goes native.

So far, so predictable, right? Well, the story may not hold any narrative surprises but the characters are effectively embodied by the cast. Sam Worthington is solid, though hardly revelatory. Stephen Lang's top-brass Marine is so bad-ass that he'd reduce the likes of Colonel Kilgore and Lee Ermey to warming his toilet seat for him.

As with all James Cameron movies, it's the women who get the richest and most rewarding roles. Sigourney Weaver is all guts and gumption but, in a performance that echoes her Ellen Ripley character in "Aliens," she gradually softens to reveal a maternal side, too.

Zoe Saldana, who played Uhura in the recent "Star Trek," is particularly effective. She's the one actress we never actually see because her whole performance is rendered with pixels. Yet her body posture and facial expressions are particularly expressive. That's because Cameron devised unique technology to digitally capture the motions and emotions of his actors. The cast weren't just rigged in motion-capture suits. They were also fitted with helmets with small cameras that could capture everything from a cheek twitch to the movement of the tongue. (To read more about the technology behind "Avatar," here's a story I wrote on it.)

Naysayers figured that the N'Avi characters would be a folly on a par with Jar Jar Binks, but Cameron's photo-realistic technology allows for surprising depth of performance. Until now, computer-generated characters have been hobbled by a fatal flaw: Their eyes look as dead as those of a Great White shark. But the N'Avi's pupils have been animated with the crucial spark of life that makes them well, almost human. If we didn't connect emotionally with these computer-rendered extra-terrestrial beings, the movie would be a failure.

Technologically, this film truly is a gamechanger. Of course, all the tech would just be a bunch of flashy pixels without the steady hand of a gifted filmmaker. The pacing, the action, the core emotion, the visual imagination of every frame makes one realize what hacks most Hollywood action directors are. "Avatar" is also an effective love story and, instead of serving up a de rigeur action sequence every couple of minutes, Cameron lets the middle part of the movie breathe serene quiet as we get to explore "Pandora" and understand its natives. It doesn't flag for a minute, even at nearly 3 hours.

There are things one could quibble about in terms of the story's message and its cliches about noble savages tamed by the white man. (The first dialogue exchange between Jake Sully and Neytiri is uncomfortably "Me Tarzan, You Jane.") The film also floats the notion that a primitive tribal existence is akin to living in Eden. It's a powerful and romantic notion when, in fact, such an existence would be painful and difficult -- truly Hobbesian. Tribal cultures have often trafficked in cannibalism and human sacrifice and war. It's the reason mankind progressed beyond a hunter gatherer mode. A more interesting picture might have explored whether Pandora's native tribes couldn't have benefitted from education and technology at the expense of tradition. The film's anti-technology/ back-to-nature theme is a bit rich when the filmmaking itself is a technological marvel. But the movie's magic trumps such flaws while you're watching it.

As film critic Peter Rainer notes, "Avatar" is the most expensive Cowboys and Indians film ever made. (Also, you know you're watching science fiction when a 22nd-Century America is still the world's super power, rather than India or China.)

James Cameron stated that he aimed to make a film that would make people go to the cinema again. Indeed, watching this in 3-D is to be immersed in virtual reality. It's like spending three hours on a distant planet envisaged by Roger Dean, the artist who created all the Yes album covers. (See the movie, then compare the art direction to these album Roger Dean album covers with ribcage rock formations and floating rocks.)

Where the film truly triumphs in originality its imagination of a rich extraterrestrial ecosystem where dinosaur-like creatures coexist with Jellyfish-like sprites that float like dandelions. Many of the creatures were clearly inspired by Cameron's excursions to the deepest part of the oceans.

Movie critic Ty Burr sums it up best when he writes, "I could go on about the depth of field in the rapturous 3-D landscapes, how cleanly each individual leaf and insect is realized, how fully visualized the critters, but words start to fail. “Avatar’’ is an entertainment to be not just seen but absorbed on a molecular level; it’s as close to a full-body experience as we’ll get until they invent the holo-suits."

Truly, this is one film experience that won't translate to DVD and a TV screen. Let alone an iPod.

I saw the film at Fox studios and the star, Sam Worthington, did an engaging Q&A afterward. He said that Cameron's intial cut of the movie was 5 hours long and so they cut out several subplots and opted for narrative shortcuts. It also sounds as if Cameron has mellowed as a person. Worthington mentioned that he'd heard horror stories about Cameron as a dictator on the set of "Titanic" but Worthington said that the director tried to get people on board with him to realize his vision and so he couldn't afford to alienate his crew.

Worthington also said that Cameron already has the story for the sequel mapped out but it all depends on whether the movie -- the most expensive ever made -- is a hit or not. Prior to seeing the film, I thought that "Sherlock Holmes" would be this winter's big hit. But once word of mouth gets around, "Avatar" will play for months and months as moviegoers queue up for repeat trips to the wondrous world of "Pandora." With "Avatar," James Cameron isn't just "King of the World." He's king of all the other worlds, too.

'Up in the Air' earns its high praise

2009-12-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Douglas Adams begins his book "The Long, Dark Tea-time of the Soul" with the following hilarious observation:

"It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the phrase, 'as pretty as an airport.' Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that can only be the result of a special effort. This ugliness arises because airports are full of people who are tired, cross, and have just discovered that their language has just landed in Murmansk. (Murmansk airport is the only known exception to this otherwise infallible rule)..."

Indeed, an airport terminal is nobody's favorite place to spend several hours. Except, for Ryan Bingham, that is. In "Up in the Air," Bingham (played by George Clooney) feels entirely at home in the gray purgatory of departure lounges across the continental United States. Good thing, too, since Bingham's business keeps him on the road more days per year than BB King. It's when he returns home to his apartment, which is more spartan than a jail cell, that he feels mordantly uneasy about his solitary existence. While he's on the road, surrounded by a constant bustle of fellow travelers, he's able to stave off any feelings of existential angst.

Ironically, this loner has one expertise in life: people skills. He travels across to firms across the country to lay off people by using his furrowed brow of concern and well-practiced conciliatory patter to dampen the slap of the pink slip. Unlike the devastated former employees he leaves in his wake, he gets a good night's sleep thanks to the bonus points he racks up in well-appointed hotel rooms. He also flies business class, clocking frequent flier air miles as a hobby of sorts (he's counting down the number of flights until he reaches a golden number attained by only 7 other passengers).

Then, one day, his cozy existence is upended by news that his job is about to become automated. A new hire at the firm -- a young upstart fresh out of business school named Natalie Keener -- has devised a system that allows one to fire people via online teleconferencing. Bingham is devastated since it means that his days on the road will soon be over. Fortunately, he convinces his boss (a smarmy Jason Bateman) that Natalie sorely needs to experience the interpersonal dynamics of laying off people in person. So he takes her out on the road with him. Also complicating Bingham's routine: A fling with Alex (Vera Farmiga), a business woman he meets at a hotel lounge.

Won't say much more about the plot of this tremendous movie, which is based on a novel by Walter Kirn. Suffice to say that "Up in the Air" is one of 2009's finest films and that's because it had the Reitman for the job. That would be Jason Reitman -- sorry, couldn't resist the pun -- who previously helmed "Thank You for Smoking" and "Juno." He's a director with exquisite taste for material that is dramatic, funny, moving, and thoughtful. And, in this movie, incredibly sexy. The smoldering scenes between Clooney and Farmiga spark with such intensity that someone may yell "Fire" in a crowded theater.

This is Clooney's finest role to date. I wish that the actor's familiar, well-oiled charm was rustier in this role but he allows one to see the shadows inside the creases on his face and, slowly, we see what a sad a figure lies beneath the character's polished veneer.

"Up in the Air" is a blessing for Farmiga who, in the movie's best scene, delivers a great speech that, in hindsight, casts a shadow. The actress should have gone on to big things after her role in "The Departed" and an LA Film Critics award for her harrowing performance in "Down to the Bone." Instead she found herself languishing in two thankless horror movies about deadly adopted orphans ("Joshua" and "Orphan"). Farmiga should now be able to knock on the door marked "A-list."

Anna Kendrick, to date renowned as "the best friend" in the Twilight series, offers much needed levity as Natalie, the tightly wound Type-A who learns life lessons out on the road. It's a showy role that ought to earn Kendrick a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars.

Another thing I appreciated: Reitman doesn't try to vilify companies or make some lofty anti-capitalism statement. In newscasts, one frequently sees stories about people losing their jobs because of plants shutting down or companies downsizing or outsourcing. But what is never seen, or captured by the media, is how these painful adjustments in the economy play out in the long run. How resources are reallocated (to use cold econo-speak) in more productive ways and how people adjust to their circumstances. Indeed, there's a great scene in which one laid-off employee wonders what he's going to do now. The Bingham character makes him realize that he has a particular talent that he's never utilized and could result in a far more satisfying new career.

Moreover, the movie hones in on what jobs and career mean to us, and just how much meaning we invest in our work. It certainly reminded me how much of my identity has been tied up in a job in the past. When people are let go, it's emotionally devastating and the movie doesn't flinch at depicting that. The authenticity of such scenes isn't accidental. Reitman posted ads inviting recently fired people to be interviewed on film. Those scenes with non actors pack a punch that, fortunately, the fictional drama is able to match.

"Up in the Air" is, as the movie tagline advertises, is "a story of a man about to make a connection." But its not a predictable story and it'll stay with you. Even the open credit sequence lingers...

I hope "Up in the Air" puts bums in seats. The prospect of spending so much screen time inside an airport terminals may not be an easy sell when the theater next door is transporting "Avatar" viewers to the 3-D planet of Pandora. Moreover, the trailers for "Up in the Air" may trigger unfortunate flashbacks to Tom Hanks in "The Terminal." But trust me on this. "Up in the Air" has stayed with me since I saw it a couple of weeks ago. It's the sort of classy, star-driven, middlebrow movie that Hollywood seems to reluctant to finance anymore.

Recent upscale, middlebrow fare such as "Michael Clayton," "State of Play," "Duplicity," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Public Enemies," and "The International" haven't exactly troubled the folks who crunch numbers over at Box Office Mojo.

Unfortunately, too many stars have insisted on big salaries for such movies, making it more difficult to recoup costs. Star power isn't the commodity it used to be. Films such as "Juno" and "Slumdog Millionaire" prove that a great story without marquee names can still draw an audience.

Poor marketing may be to blame for the failure of some of the afore-mentioned movies, according to the ever-astute Anne Thompson. The success of "Julie & Julia" demonstrates that adult dramas can pull in older punters. Well that, and Meryl Streep.

Nonetheless, studios seem more interested in stories geared at 13-year-olds (or the 13-year-old in you). Certainly, films such as "Transformers" and "2012" carry far less risk than the types of adult-oriented dramas the studios used to make in the 1970s. To that end, the big studios have closed down specialty divisions (Paramount Vantage + Warner Independent + Vantage). Moreover, the indie sector has collapsed as a result of the credit crunch and, let's face it, such contraction was inevitable after a period of over-expansion in which just about anybody could get financing for a movie. Even the Weinstein Brothers are rumored to be in serious financial trouble (though "Inglorious Basterds" may have offered a stay of execution for their company).

So I hope "Up in the Air" is a success at the ticket counter and at the Oscar podium. It may encourage Hollywood to continue making movies that focus on people rather than pixels.

Great songs of 2009

2009-12-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of some choice songs from albums I didn't include in my list of fave albums of 2009 (below):

Thom Yorke -- Hearing Damage
Bob Dylan -- Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Bad Lieutenant -- This Is Home
PJ Harvey + John Parrish -- Black Hearted Love
The Big Pink -- Dominoes (download the song for free at: http://stereogum.com/archives/mp3/new-big-pink-dominos_080601.html)
The Joy Formidable -- Greyhounds in the Slips (download the song + album for free at: http://www.myspace.com/thejoyformidable)
Bon Iver & St. Vincent -- Roslyn
Buddy & Judy Miller (feat. Robert Plant) --What You Gonna Do Leroy?
Neil Finn + Liam Finn + Johnny Marr + Ed O'Brien -- Learn to Crawl
Liam Finn + Johnny Marr -- Red Wine Bottle
Johnny Marr -- Run to Dust
Phil Selway -- The Ties That Bind
Death Cab for Cutie -- Meet Me on the Equinox
Depeche Mode -- Wrong
Marillion -- Hard As Love (2009 acoustic version)
Fever Ray -- If I Had a Heart
Flaming Lips -- Silver Trembling Hands
J. Tillman -- There Is No Good in Me
Lovers of London -- Lovers of London (download this track as part of a free compilation at: http://www.mrsveerecordings.co.uk/audvee05/register.php)
Massive Attack -- Pray for Rain
The XX -- Crystalized
Pure Reason Revolution -- Deux Ex Machina
Radiohead -- These Are My Twisted Words
Scott Matthews + Robert Plant -- 12 Harps
Sweet Billy Pilgrim -- Truth It Smiles
U2 -- Magnificent
Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- Zero
Charlotte Hatherley -- Cousteau
Efterklang -- Mirador
Mew -- Hawaii

Invective for 'Invictus'

2009-12-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

While watching Matt Damon in "Invictus," I thought, "Aren't you a little short to be a rugby player?" Damon clearly did some Rocky Balboa-worthy weight training to beef up for his role as Francois Pienaar, the captain of the 1995 South African team that won the rugby world cup and united a fractured nation. In trying to fill Pienaar's shoes, he may even have worn some platformed cleats on his boots. But, to fill out the other 14 players in the cast, the casting director seems to have put the green and gold jersey on a bunch of shorties so that everyone would fit into the frame.

As a South Africa rugby fan, I'd been looking forward to Clint Eastwood's latest December release and wondered how he'd depict. Purely from a technical point of view, the rugby scenes are only intermittently convincing. The players simply don't have the stature and physique of a Springbok (or an All Black, for that matter). The filmmakers hired a company called Sports Studio that specializes in accurately recreating sports events on film (in the past, they've worked on movies such as "Coach Carter," "We Are Marshall," and "Miracle"). The filmmakers were careful to try recreate many of the actual plays of the game. But, to be honest, the cast -- which, according to Rugby Mag are "actual rugby players who play in some type of league in South Africa" -- seem more like weekend amateurs than test-caliber players. There's clearly an athletic skill level that's missing and they don't comport themselves like test-level players. To the average American viewer, that may not matter, though if they paused to consider what these cast members would look like in a movie about the NFL, they'd realize the, er, shortcomings of the cast. Eastwood does a nice job of moving the camera around the field and in an out of the scrum.

Damon hardly gets a character arc but he does a great job with the South African accent -- one of the trickiest to master -- and local colloquialisms. Morgan Freeman fares worse with the linguistics. But the veteran actor does capture the spirit of Nelson Mandela and his natural nobility, grace, and innate leadership skills. But mostly we see the public persona. There's a dekightful scene at a party where Mandela, now separated from his wife, Winnie, flirts with a woman on the dance floor. It's one of the few times in the movie where we get a glimpse of Mandela the actual man rather than the hagiographed legend.

Clint Eastwood's late career films have explored the consequences of violence, the poisonous impulse of revenge, and learning to love one's neighbor regardless of their class or race. He seems ideally suited to film this story but, alas, opts for broad-strokes filmmaking that dilutes what could have been an intelligent movie. For example, the first scene depicts black kids playing soccer on the one side of the road and white kids playing rugby on the other side of the street. Mandela's convoy rides down the middle of the street symbolizing that he is going to unite a divided nation. The metaphor is about as subtle as a Jonah Lomu tackle. Much of the movie is like that. In one scene, Francois Pienaar visits Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. Here, one sees just how cramped and spartan his quarters were. But the scene's effectiveness is undercut by the image of Mandela's ghost as Pienaar imagines Mandela's imprisonement.

Bizarrely, the film also tries to generate false suspense. Early on, the director implies that a van of assassins is heading toward Mandela during his early morning run. It turns out to be a newspaper delivery van. Later, a South African Airways jet performed a dangerous low-flying manouever over Ellis Park stadium for the opening ceremonies of the cup final. It's a thrilling recreation of an actual event. Yet, in the film, Mandela's security detail appears unaware that such a flyover had been planned. That seems implausible to me. Worse, Eastwood tricks viewers into thinking that the pilot is on a suicide mission to kill Mandela and those in the stadium. To what end?

Eastwood fares much better at portraying how the whole country was swept up in cup final fever and scenes of the stadium supporters and people across the country crammed around television sets are highly effective.

In all, the film has commendable moments but the overall execution left me feeling that this story would have been better told as a documentary that used archival footage and interviews with those involved.

My favorite albums of 2009

2009-12-03T18:31:00.001-08:00

1) Porcupine Tree -- The Incident

Steven Wilson, the singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer of Porcupine Tree is a musical genius. That's not hyperbole. Wilson is a prolific chap who, in addition to 3 solo projects under 3 different pseudonyms, is also a member of two other bands: No-Man (atmospheric art rock) and Blackfield (concise pop rock). As a producer and contributor to other projects, his discography adds up to 265 Web pages on one website.

But Porcupine Tree is his major project and, after two decades, have finally broken into the major leagues with "The Incident" (a top 25 album in the US and UK, plus a sellout tour of 2,500 venues). They're difficult to categorize musically, but their music ranges from melancholic, Floyd-like ambient passages to thrashing hard rock to pop with vocal harmonies that the Beach Boys would envy. Wilson considers his greatest strength to be production, but I reckon his greatest talent is his unerring gift is melody and hooks. He's a wellspring of talent that continues to delight and surprise. (Take a look at my interview with Steven earlier this year for a glimpse into his thoughtful insights on music.)

Porcupine Tree is rounded out by three other unique musicians. Bassist Colin Edwin is a master of supple groove. Drummer Gavin Harrison, one of the world's greatest, has the arms of a blacksmith and the slight of hand of a Houdini as he lays down his patented "rhythmic illusions." Former Japan member Richard Barbieri is that rare thing: A singularly identifiable keyboardist who uses his keys to create moods, atmosphere, and texture.

Porcupine Tree's latest album is dark, dense, and deep. Each time I listen to the record, I drill down to the discovery of a new layer. In my review of the album in Filter magazine, I wrote in part, "The double album includes a 55-minute song cycle about transformative experiences in Wilson’s life, from an unsettling séance to daily memories of a girl he hasn’t seen in 15 years. Pretentious? Not in the execution. At times, Porcupine Tree soars past the celestial constellations Pink Floyd once explored (“Time Flies”); at others, it plunges beyond the tremendous abysses mined by Slayer (“Octane Twisted”). Amid these two extremes, Wilson’s wistful voice wanders through soundscapes of bucolic pop and industrial electronica. The once-underground band built its fan base with choruses that felt like priceless black-market commodities. Here, songs such as 'Blind House' and 'Flicker' uphold that tradition."

I concluded my review with a minor criticism: "Unfortunately, this is the first album in which the truly progressive rock group doesn’t break new musical ground. It’s a bit like Lance Armstrong placing second in the Tour de France -- not the finish one is accustomed to, but still a remarkable achievement." It's a churlish criticism, really, since the album certainly isn't a rehash of anything they've done before. The album succeeds as a summation of the band's progression over the past 20 years, freshly blending various elements from past albums to create a deeply rewarding experience. I've also revisited Wilson's first solo album, "Insurgentes" (released this time last year) many times during the course of this year and I'm blown away by the new No-Man concert DVD and accompanying live CD.

2) Chickenfoot -- Chickenfoot

Surprised? Me, too. The kind of big, dumb, rawk record that I didn't think I liked anymore. But I've listened to their debut a zillion times this year as it's my favorite driving music. More thoughts on the album here.

3) Engineers -- Three Fact Fader

The electronic shoegazers spent years making this second album. Their extremely mellow and ethereal debut suggested a melding of Talk Talk and My Bloody Valentine. "Three Fact Fader" is even better and has more colorful range. Listen to tracks such as "Brighter as We Fall," "Three Fact Fader" "Clean Coloured Wire" and "Sometimes I Realize" in the dark. In your mind's eye you'll envision unfurling fractals.

4) Dirty Projectors -- Bitte Orca

Grizzly Bear meets Jesca Hoop meets ... Steve Howe? Dave Longstreth's guitars and arrangements certainly remind one of Yes (especially "Remade Horizon"). Everything in this experimental album is delightfully unpredictable and off-kilter. From the slightly deranged backing vocals of Amber Coffman and Hakey Deckle ("Useful Chamber") to the way that the tempo speeds up and slows down in "Temecula Sunrise." At times, the rhythms have a hip-hop feel, at others the booming drums sound as if Phil Collins was in the studio, replicating his "In the Air Tonight" drum fills. Unique.

5) Grizzly Bear -- Veckatimest

Art Rock is back in a big way -- witness the success of Dirty Projectors, Bat for Lashes, and Animal Collective (all represented in this list). This followup to the excellent "Yellow House" album begins with purpose. "Southern Point" has a jazzy groove with double bass, light snare drums, and daubs of keyboard. Its chorus, held aloft by overlapping vocals and clattering drums, is the very definition of elation. You'll check the liner credits to see whether "Two Weeks" wasn't contributed by Brian Wilson. "I Live With You" seesaws between quiet pleading and crashing resolve. Grizzly Bear's key ingredient: unusual vocal arrangements and harmonies.

6) The Invisible -- The Invisible

For starters, the best album cover of 2009 (click on the image for a larger version). This British trio, whose debut recorded was nominated for this year's Mercury Music Prize, has been compared to Radiohead and TV on the Radio. Guitarist and vocalist David Okumu certainly sounds like TVOR's Tunde Adebimpe at times. But The Invisible favor a sparser sound and its flecked guitar and limber grooves are reminiscent of The Police. (Drummer Leo Taylor also plays for Hot Chip.) There are bold sonic touches, too. At times, Okumu creates synth sounds with his voice and the sound of a creaky door is employed as aural texture.

"Constant" beguiles with its insistent "hoo-hoo" backing vocals as Okumu sings, "You never change, always the same." On the single "London Girl," a funky bassline seemingly lifted from Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" is augmented by a tingle of xylophone. And "Monster's Waltz" has a chorus that must be the envy of Bloc Party. The album isn't available in the US, but it's well worth the import.

7) Bat for Lashes -- Two Suns

Bat for Lashes isn't actually a band, it's the name adopted by British singer Natasha Khan. Daffy moniker aside, she's a very exciting artist whose two primary influences are Kate Bush and Björk, my two favorite female vocalists. As such, Khan's music is otherworldly, slightly avant garde, and infectiously melodic. Like those two vocalists, Khan has her own unique voice that is wonderfully expressive. Alas, Khan doesn't have Bush's literary talents and so her lyrics share Bjork's penchant for fantastical gobbledigook with lines such as, "When I get hurt / been in the jungle / where's my bear to lick me clean." I'll be she has interesting dreams.

Khan's second album, "Two Suns," expands on the sparse dynamics of her debut, "Fur and Gold." "Glass" is one of the greatest songs I've heard this year, her voice effortlessly spiraling toward celestial realms. "Daniel," an ode to "The Karate Kid," is one of the year's most indelible singles. I can lose myself for an eternity in the penultimate song, "Traveling Woman," a stark meditation of voice and piano. Great live, too.

8) Doves -- Kingdom of Rust

The difficult fourth record. In an interview earlier this year, frontman and bassist Jimi Goodwin told me that the band spent several grueling years trying to discover new musical dimensions rather than repeat themselves. In the end, they were only partially successful. "Kingdom of Rust" still sounds distinctively like a Doves record, but it boasts some new elements. As I noted in the feature, the album opens with a "hive of synths in the Kraftwerk-like 'Jetstream.'" Elsewhere, the album’s most dominant new feature is "the feint and parry of Goodwin’s bass. In the parabolic arrangement of '10:03,' the seismic rumble at the midpoint threatens to split the song at its seams. By contrast, the bass line on 'Compulsion,' the most radical song on the record, is funk slowed down to moonwalk speed. The groove is reminiscent of that in The Rolling Stones’s 'Miss You.'"

The album's best track, "The Greatest Denier," was one of the last to be written and was a highlights of Doves' live set. If "Kingdom of Rust" wasn't quite the creative breakthrough the band had hoped for, many reviewers -- including Alexis Petridis of The Guardian -- hailed it as the band's best record. Indeed, the quality of the melodies makes it one of the top 10 records of the year. Doves recently played an acclaimed show utilizing a Bulgarian choir. That bodes well for a future direction.

9) Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara -- Tell No Lies
+
Les Triaboliques -- RiverMudTwilight

It's been a busy year for Justin Adams. Adams and Juldeh Camara have played two high-profile shows with Robert Plant (Adams was previously the guitarist in Plant's now dissolved band, The Strange Sensation).

He also recorded an album with Ben Mandelson and Lu Edmonds under the moniker Les Triaboliques. I've only just received a copy of the guitar supertrio's debut "RiverMudTwilight" -- thanks Simone at World Village! -- but I'm thoroughly taken with it. Very exotic. Almost no percussion. Each melody is created from complex interplay between instruments such as the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, t'bal, calabash, cumbus, bow-bus, saz, eSaz, mandolin, Hawaiian guitar, banjo, electric kabosy, barizouki, planktone, laouto, khomuz, and tilinka. (No, I hadn't heard of half of those instruments either!)

The music sounds like the work of a trio of wandering minstrels who have traveled through Morocco, Timbuktu, Istanbul, Havana, and Clarksdale. Transportive stuff that ranges from trance blues ("Crossing the Stone Bridge") to Latin swing ("Gulagurajira") to Gypsy jazz ("Ledmo").

As I noted in an interview with the guitarist, the second Justin Adams + Juldeh Camara album, released in the US earlier this year, is "atypical of collaborations between African and Western musicians, which too often sound like two disparate seams zippered together.... The first single, “Kele Kele (No Passport, No Visa)”, is built on a Bo Diddley-like riff and the flirtatious backing vocals of Zanzibar’s Mim Suleiman. “Banjul Girl” is so exuberant it would spark a stock market rally if it was piped into Wall Street."

10) Animal Collective -- Merriweather Post Pavilion

When guitarist Deakin left the band, Animal Collective compensated with free-form synths and roundelay vocal harmonies. At times, the album drifts a little too aimlessly but its best moments -- "My Girls," "Bluish," "Lion in a Coma," "No More Runnin'" -- have a beguiling hippie-ish innocence to them.

11) Tinariwen -- Imidiwan: Companions

The nomadic musicians from Mali have released their best, and most diverse, album, yet. (My full review, here.) Uncut magazine's pick for best album of 2009, no less. And with reviews in publications such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and even Entertainment Weekly, Tinariwen has successfully bridged the unfortunate divide between"world music" and mainstream rock.

12) Francis Dunnery -- There's a Whole New World Out There

The former frontman for It Bites takes a time out from his long-running solo career to revisit, and re-interpret, his former band's songs. Radically so. At first, I was bewildered by the laid-back, jazzy sound of these tunes. The It Bites originals were an effusive blending of rock, pop, and prog. By contrast, these sublime versions are laid back, ranging from Steely Dan-like jazz rock ("Whole New World") to chill-out reveries with a lounge-y feel ("Staring at the Whitewash").

The album is rounded out by a few new tunes (the lovely "Animal Life and Plant Life") and a few choice cover versions such as Robert Plant's "Calling to You (Dunnery played on the original). His take on Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is surprisingly sunny and one could imagine it fitting into a romantic comedy by Richard Curtis. It's an inspired reworking. Dunnery also nods to his early Genesis influence. A spare take on "Back in New York City" circles around the guitar riff, played on an acoustic guitar. Japan's "Still Life in Mobile Homes" is a slow ballad with soulful singing. A risky undertaking with a rich payoff.

13) Imogen Heap -- Ellipse

My review of "Ellipse" in Filter magazine, here: Imogen Heap’s delightful follow up to “Hide and Seek” has been gestating in the womb of her living-room studio for several years. An electro-pop auteur prone to insatiable tinkering, Heap has cannily generated interest in the long-running project through endearing vlogs and Tweets. She’s like Trent Reznor, only kookier.

Utilizing a similar sonic palette as its predecessor, “Ellipse” is all Pro-Tools graft. If songs such as “Earth” and “Tidal” feel encumbered by all the stratified layers of vocals, rhythms, and keyboard effects, their baroque mantles at least rest on a bedrock of indelible melodies. Heap has a keen ear for dynamics. The unexpected geyser of exuberance midway through “Swoon,” for example, makes it one of many tunes that will surely jostle for release as a single. And on the album highlight, “Canvas,” the desperation in Heap’s voice is echoed by traumatized violins as she wails, “I just can’t find the strength to pull you back.”

For all its shipwrecked romances, “Ellipse” doesn’t wallow in misery. In “Bad Body Double,” Heap even uses self-deprecating humor to fret about body issues before a date. Ultimately, that’s what distinguishes Heap: Her voice, by turns flighty and forlorn, has an honest personality often missing in pop.

14) Them Crooked Vultures -- Them Crooked Vultures

These gentlemen know a thing or two about great riffs. In Led Zeppelin, John Paul Jones came up with the riff to "Black Dog." The Foo Fighters' "The Pretender" packs the jolt of a defibrillator. Queens of the Stone Age created one of the great rock songs of the decade in the form of the ZZ Top-like "No One Knows" (which features Dave Grohl on drums). This supergroup -- one of many to emerge this year -- have created an exilirating record. At 66 minutes, it is far too long and at times one wishes an outside producer had edited out the more self indulgent moments.

Yet the best parts, such as "Fang" and "No Eraser, No Chaser," add up to more than the sum of the trio's parts. Best of all, "Scumbag Blues" sounds like the best song Cream never wrote as Josh Homme uncannily sounds like Jack Bruce. This is dangerous stuff to play in the car. Songs like Scumbag Blues, Bandoliers, and Warsaw are going to get me a speeding ticket one of these days.

15) Pearl Jam -- Backspacer

If only Kurt Cobain could hear them now. Once derided as a corporate entity trying to cash-in on the alternative scene, Pearl Jam quietly has amassed a devoted fanbase through a jam band ethos: marathon length shows with unpredictable set lists and a thriving business in official bootlegs.

On "Backspacer," the band sounds even more raw than on its previous, eponymously titled record. The opening trio of paint-stripping songs culminates with "The Fixer," the band's most ripping single in a decade. There's also a more reflective maturity than before. Eddie Vedder's valentine to a loved one on "Amongst the Waves" is unnervingly moving with its lyric, "If not for love, I would be drowning." It's followed by "Unthought Known," which sounds like a hymn of exultant gratitude. Both songs are anthemic without being at all bombastic or overwrought. Elsewhere, "Johnny Guitar," a song about bluesman Johnny "Guitar" Watson and his many girlfriends, showcases a playful streak at odds with the band's frowny persona.

16) Chris Isaak -- Mr. Lucky

Chris Isaak is still rock music's Dorian Gray. Returning with his first studio album in 7 years, Isaak still looks much the same as he did in 1988 (must be something in the brylcreem). The eternal bachelor has been writing song after song about heartbreak for several decades now and one is tempted to think he's the musical equivalent of the boy who cried "wolf." Yet his pleading voice -- imbued with the lingering ghosts of Roy Orbison and Elvis -- is so earnestly soulful that you may have to replenish the tearducts by the end of "You Don't Cry Like I Do" and "Breaking Apart" (a remake of an earlier song, recast as a duet with Trisha Yearwood). A typically strong collection of tunes, ranging from the rockabilly rip curl of "Mr. Lonely Man" to film noir grooves of "Very Pretty Girl." The falsetto-howl chorus of "We Let Her Down" is one of Isaak's best.

17) Butterfly Boucher -- Scary Fragile

Head over to the Australian's songwriter's MySpace page and take a listen. As I noted in my review of the album, "No matter how many times you uncork the choruses of "Gun for a Tongue" and "To Be Loved," they never lose their fizz."

18) Phoenix -- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The French duo Air has sucked up all its creative oxygen. Thank goodness, then, that France has a great indie synth pop export to take their place. Phoenix released one of 2009's most unforgettable singles: "1901." The rest of the album boasts similarly hooky pop. The album should come with complementary party balloons.

19) The Swell Season -- Strict Joy

Musicians shouldn’t ignore the old adage, “Never date a coworker.” Just ask Fleetwood Mac. After their relationship ended, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová somehow stuck together to create a terrific breakup album. Full review here.

20) Muse -- The Resistance

Brian May told Mojo magazine that "The Resistance" is his favorite album of the year. Hardly surprising. He practically wrote it. "The United States of Eurasia" completes the coronation of Muse as the new Queen. This overblown glamslam record seems to have been made under a single guiding principle: excess all areas. It even includes a suite of orchestral pieces ("Exogensis: Symphony 1 - 3") that, fortunately, don't veer into Berlioz territory and area (relatively) restrained. Ultimately, the melodies are so catchy that resistance is futile. But Matt Bellamy has gone so over the top that Muse will surely have to pare things back on their next album. Terrible album cover, though, which is atypical for the band.

Vampire weekend

2009-11-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Unless you’ve spent the past year in a coffin, you’ll have noticed that vampires have suddenly taken a large bite out of pop culture. So much so, that multiplexes across the nation are probably garnishing popcorn with cloves of garlic in anticipation of a vampire weekend as hordes of mostly female fans line up to see New Moon, the second film of the phenomenally successful Twilight series.

Over on the CW channel, another book adaptation, The Vampire Diaries, is a proving to be a hit. (I call it Twilite). HBO's buzzy True Blood, adapted from Charlaine Harris’s novels, is an allegory in which vampires are a discriminated minority of social outcasts -- bigoted Americans apparently just aren’t down with that whole neckrophilia thing -- who seek refuge in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps and get frisky with the locals. (This being HBO, more than just fangs are bared.)

No wonder Hollywood studios are circling books such as the Vampire Academy series. A book publisher has even tried to cash in on the craze by releasing a Dracula sequel co-written by the great, great nephew of Bram Stoker. What's next, a Quentin Tarantino update of Blackula?

These fangtastic creatures have been around since John Polidori wrote The Vampyre in 1819. But this generation of bloodsuckers is decidedly different. These modern vampires often symbolize restraint. In True Blood and Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, heroic and chivalrous vampires drink packs of blood and feast on small animals rather than the women they love. Twilight's Edward Cullen is so chaste that he doesn't even do hickeys. (Side note: I fail to understand why millions of women are smitten with Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays the marble-skinned immortal in the films. If you ask me, dude needs an industrial-strength comb more than Malcolm Gladwell. And a month of solitary confinement in George Hamilton's tanning booth wouldn't hurt, either.)

Abstinent vampires are an interesting twist on the venerable genre. Any good romance story is heightened when passion is bridled and desire remains longingly unfulfilled. The romantic spark comes from the frisson of the thrill of the chase. It's the reason why Jane Austen remains enduringly popular in an age of sexual frankness. (Speaking of which, following the success of the Jane Austen book mash-ups Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters -- what's next, Mansfield Park and Mummies? -- there's now a book called Mr. Darcy, Vampyre.)

But as writer Sarah Seltzer points out in an astute newspaper opinion piece today, the chastity message in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series (a reflection of her Mormon beliefs) should rightly raise any feminist's hackles. Bella Swan, the main character, is a gawkward and vulnerable teen who is entirely submissive to Edward. She so longs to be with him that she forgoes college. When they do get married and consummate their relationship in "Breaking Dawn," the fourth book, Bella is literally ravaged by Edward, leaving her bruised. According to Entertainment Weekly's horrified book review -- spoiler alert -- the honeymoon deflowering leaves her impregnated with a young vampire who breaks one of her ribs while kicking her inside the womb. Her pregnancy craving: Human blood. Edward denies Bella the option of an abortion.

Compared to Edward Cullen, Nosferatu suddenly looks like quite the catch.

As Seltzer observes in her op-ed, "the well-meaning but stringent control he exerts over her – are reminiscent, as some readers have said, of abusive relationships."

I didn't think I'd like Twilight (my idea of a great vampire movie is this year's Swedish art-house import, Let the Right One In) but, much to my surprise, I enjoyed the movie and found it thoroughly romantic. Even my dubious wife liked it. We'll go see New Moon once the rabid Twihards have had their fill (and the concession stand soda machines dispense more than just holy water). But I dread the coming installments of the movie series and fervently hope that the filmmakers offer a more enlightened message. After all, hasn't our understanding of womanhood progressed since Bram Stoker's time?

Hurt's so good....

2009-10-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a cinema outing turns into exquisite agony. I'm talking about thrillers that make you chew on all 10 fingernails like corn on the cob and hold your breath like a free diver during entire scenes. "The Hurt Locker" is one such film. From the get go, this real-as-it gets drama about a bomb-disposal unit in Iraq made me want to curl into a fetal position in my seat.

The film returns us to 2004. The US army may have occupied Baghdad, but these wardens are more like prisoners. Whenever these strangers in a strange land step outside the Green Zone, they're targets for insurgents. We follow three members of the Army's Explosive Ordinance Disposal squad as they defuse booby traps, trip wires, and even suicide bombers. To disarm each explosive, Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) gets kitted in gear more cumbersome than that of an astronaut. Sometimes, this particular adrenaline junkie ditches the suit altogether. "If I'm going to die, I gonna die comfortable," James rationalizes at one point. His two spotters, Sgt. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), are exasperated by the Sargeant's reckless disregard for protocol and procedure, putting them at risk as they agitatedly scan their surroundings for hidden snipers.

"The Hurt Locker" pivots around a central question: What kind of men willingly go to work in a minefield? Sanborn, for instance, is a battle-hardened soldier who is more level-headed under fire than his subordinate, Owen. But when he asks James, "Do you think I'm ready for the suit?," the answer is an unequivocal "no." We later find out that he's correct in his assessment.

"The Hurt Locker" is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, an action specialist whose breakout film, "Near Dark" (1987) was a vampire horror set in a Western. (Its most memorable scene finds the vampires holed up in a saloon, desperately trying to avoid deadly shafts of sunlight pouring in through bulletholes in the walls.) Then, "Point Break" -- which seemingly shows up somewhere on cable TV at least once a day -- positioned Bigelow as a go-to action director. But shortly after Bigelow's divorce from James Cameron, the director's "Strange Days," a sci-fi thriller set on the eve of the new millennium, tanked at the box office and received tepid reviews. Five years later, her follow-up movie, "The Weight of Water," barely eked out a DVD release even though it starred Sean Penn. Bigelow's career sunk deeper with "K19: The Widowmaker," a submarine movie memorable only for Harrison Ford's ill-advised attempt at a Russian accent. Since then, the director hasn't troubled the update clerks on imdb very often.

"The Hurt Locker" should change all that. It's Bigelow's best movie and also one of the best-reviewed films of the year. An Oscar nomination for Best Picture seems to be already in the bag. Bigelow's knack for staging an action sequence has never been put to better use. The bomb-defusing sequences are so intense that your arm-pits will sweat like a brick of semtex plastic explosive. Between the big set pieces, Bigelow convincingly depicts the sociological makeup of the male-dominated regiment. Two scenes -- one of drunken roughhousing inside the barracks and another when the trio are pinned down by hillside snipers -- show the audience how these soldiers relieve stress, express emotion, jostle for position, and establish mutual trust.

Alas, this indie -- still barely in cinemas -- has only scraped $12 million to date. The LA Times points out that it's done well for a low-budget film, but its box office is hardly equivalent to what a piss-poor Jennifer Aniston romcom makes in one weekend. Put it down to Iraq-movie fatigue. Viewers want escapism at the movie theater rather than something that resembles a Frontline documentary report.

Thing is, this isn't your typical missive on the Iraq War. It isn't a political film and the filmmakers aren't interested in using the film as a forum to debate whether the invasion of Iraq was justified. The script by Mark Boal -- who also wrote the excellent "In the Valley of Elah" -- matter of factly depicts the pressure cooker environment of war and its mental and physical toil on soldiers. But it's never heavy handed and it doesn't come across as a message movie.

The acting of the lead trio is excellent, particularly Renner in a break-out role. He has the intensity of a young Russell Crowe gilded with an innate likability. Bigelow's casting of largely unknown actors heightens the reality of the film. One feels as if one is watching actual soldiers rather than a familiar Hollywood face in uniform. Unfortunately, the one weakness of the film is that occasionally there's a cameo by a familiar face -- Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce, and Evageline Lily -- and it momentarily reminds you that you're watching a movie. Not for long, though, as the riveting action soon pulls you back in.

This is one of the movies that so effectively plunges you into its world that it's best seen in darkened cinema. It won't have nearly the same effect on DVD, so catch it while you can. You'll thank me afterward -- But only after your heart rate has stabilized.

The revenge of vigilante films

2009-10-19T15:37:00.001-07:00

Everyone, at some point, has felt the impulse to exact revenge. Let me share my own revenge fantasy with you. As a teen, I went to a very prim and proper private school where I did not fit in. Unlike the other kids, I didn't come from a super wealthy family (a generous benefactor paid for my education) and I didn't fit into any of the established cliques. I also resented the formal pretentiousness of the institution itself. How pretentious? Here's an example: At year-end assembly, the students had to sing the official school song in Latin even though none of us had the slightest idea what the words meant, or what it signified.

And so I used to daydream of my revenge on the entire school. It went like this: During the year-end assembly in which parents assembled to watch their kids receive awards as well as talent showcases, I imagined myself taking to the stage with an electric guitar. I'd start off playing a very tasteful ballad that would lull the onlookers into a fall sense of security and then, suddenly, tear into a face-melting, speed-shredding solo at maximum volume that would have parents and teachers alike gawking in shock. A little like the high school prom scene in "Back to the Future" when Michael J. Fox breaks into a Van Halen-esque guitar solo. (Click the video of Steve Vai's "Tender Surrender," above, for my perfect guitar solo for the occasion.)

(My grandfather, who died before I was born, had an even better idea. As a school boy at Sedbergh -- the ultra-prestigious private school in England -- he filled the pipes of the school's organ with confetti so that it snowed during the final assembly.)

I can laugh at my little revenge fantasy, because it's quite benign. But lately I've been noticing about how prevalent revenge is in popular culture. Take "Law Abiding Citizen," the new movie starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler (the most over-exposed movie star of 2009), for example. Butler plays a man who goes on a rampage after his family is killed. According to EW's Owen Gleiberman, Butler's character "kidnaps one of the perpetrators, straps him down to a torture table, and saws off his limbs (and other things)."

It's one of several recent revenge flicks, including "Wolverine," "Inglorious Basterds," "Taken," and Mel Gibson's imminent "Edge of Darkness." Vigilante movies have long been popular, from "Death Wish" to "Payback" to "Rambo" to "Man on Fire" to "Oldboy" to "Kill Bill." But I find vigilante movies fundamentally boring. The formula goes like this: Happy family is disrupted by senseless crime. Survivor arms himself with multiple guns, knives, hand grenades -- like Arnold in "Commando"-- and then spends the rest of the movie working his way up a foodchain of lowly henchmen until a final face-off with the mastermind/perpetrator, who meets a gruesome fate. Cue sunrise. Roll credits. Yawn.

Such movies are a cathartic outlet for viewers' revenge fantasies. But revenge is a deadly impulse, one that clouds rational thought. (A broad desire for revenge after Sept. 11 bolstered the Bush administration's attack on Iraq, for instance.) I wish more films explored the corruption and consequences of revenge, like Todd Fields' "In the Bedroom" and Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" and "Gran Torino."

Still, my high school self can applaud at least one Hollywood revenge flick: "Revenge of the Nerds."

Fessing up to a guilty pleasure

2009-10-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

There's one album I cannot get enough of at the moment: Chickenfoot.

Gotta admit that this super group -- comprised of Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith -- is a guilty pleasure that isn't helped by the band's choice of name. My main interest in the record is Joe Satriani, who is one of my three fave guitarists of all time. I also like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and occasionally I'll bust out my two-disc Van Halen "best of."

Chickenfoot is very much a big, dumb, rawk record. The kind you aren't supposed to make anymore. It's also fun and kicks ass.

While the album isn't perfect -- I could have done without the mawkish ballad -- it runs circles around all the Van Hagar albums. Oddly enough, many songs are reminiscent of David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

The record has more than its fair share of killer riffs and hooky choruses such as “Sexy Little Thing,” “Oh Yeah,” and “Runnin’ Out.” Yep, songs about cars 'n' girls. (An attempt at political commentary on the opening track, "Avenida Revolution," doesn't say very much at all.)

“Turnin’ Left” is another highlight. (It’s not, as the title might suggest, a song about Arlen Specter's career.) It ends with Hagar's voice doing a call and response with Satriani's guitar, matching it's every squeal and shriek.

The album's centerpiece, "Get It Up," is a shoo-in for the 2009 Award for "Most Kick Ass Rock Song." It has a guitar riff that powerful enough to create antimatter and Chad Smith's drum fills are inhuman. This album, produced by Glyn Johns (Led Zep and others) captures the sheer power and swing of Smith's drumming better than any of the Red Hot Chili Pepper albums. The dude may look like Will Ferrell, but he's truly one of the greatest drummers in rock.

Joe Satriani is one of my fave guitarists and I own all his albums. Satch gets to show off his astonishing technique -- he has finger speed that a court stenographer would envy -- but his great talent has always been exploring the fourth dimension of guitar and all its textures. He has good feel, too. This is more of a fun rock record, so it's not as ambient or cerebral as Satriani's solo stuff. It's more straightforward. Nevertheless, Satriani's guitarwork on this record is blistering. (Listen to this, Eddie....)

I've never been a big fan of Sammy Hagar, but I'm astonished that his voice is able to effortlessly run on high octaves at age 61.

Michael Anthony's backing vocals were Van Halen's secret weapon and they're put to great use here. He's also a great partner in rhythm for Smith. The bottom end on this album outstrips that of any of the Van Halen albums. I've been blasting this album in the car ever since summer.

I also caught the band's August gig here in LA., which felt like being strapped to the front grill of Jeff Gordon's NASCAR. A pure rush with a thrill of danger. The sheer explosion of sound and energy was unbelievable. Smith was all mad-hatter glee with a constant grin. Phenomenal drum fills followed by him flipping his sticks into the air and catching them like a street-corner juggler. He must have tossed out 30 drumsticks into the audience over the course of the show and he not only looks like Will Ferrell but also cracks jokes to the audience between songs.

Satriani -- whom Hagar has nicknamed "Smoke" for his guitar prowess -- does stuff on the guitar that I've never seen anyone do on an axe. I've never seen someone who can stretch his fingers across as many frets as Satch did and he broke the landspeed record early and often. What's so great about Chickenfoot is that Satriani gets to breathe more than usual. At his solo gigs, his guitar is the voice as so he often overplays but here he could sit play and play a groove and then step forward for a molten solo.

For the encore, a gold disc was presented to Hagar for the Chickenfoot's sales. Chad Smith says Hagar is the only guy to have been a member of four bands with gold sales for an album. Soon after, Hagar sat at the edge of the stage and played some insane lap-steel guitar on "Bad Motor Scooter." Then British guitar phenom Davy Knowles, who was the first act, came on for a dazzling guitar duel with Satriani. It all ended with a cover version of The Who's "My Generation" (earlier, the band launched into "Immigrant Song" at the end of "Get It Up") and then Smith went all Keith Moon by trashing his kit, smashing it to pieces, hurling the bass drum across the stage, and jamming the cymbal stand into another drum.

Now that's rock 'n' roll.

Neil Finn's global supergroup

2009-10-14T17:28:00.001-07:00

Talk about a fun assignment: I recently spent a half day in a recording studio interviewing Neil Finn for FILTER magazine (download a PDF version here and visit page 10).

Finn, one of my longtime music heroes, was in town promoting an album by the world's greatest supergroup, "7 Worlds Collide" project. Last December, the songwriter took a break from writing the new Crowded House album to invite the likes of Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway from Radiohead, Johnny Marr, Wilco, Lisa Germano, KT Tunstall, Liam Finn, and Soul Coughing's Sebastian Steinberg to spend three weeks in New Zealand collaborating on an album of new songs.

The resulting album, "7 Worlds Collide -- The Sun Came Out," is tremendous. As Pitchfork and others have noted, the album might have benefited from some editing but a good many of the 24 tracks are splendid. (My personal favorite is "Learn to Crawl." O’Brien and Marr worked with Finn and his eldest son, Liam on the song, whose ecosystem of finger-picked acoustic guitars gives way to what sounds like a man crying for help from the bottom of a mental well.)

During a break from recording a few songs for radio sessions in the very studio where Fleetwood Mac recorded “Tusk” (no remnants of white powder remain in the beautiful teak room), I chatted with Neil for about a half hour. Our conversation ranged from New Zealand's recent rugby losses, to Neil's current playlist (Phoenix Foundation and Fleet Foxes), to how the ill-advised release of a 1991 single called "Chocolate Cake" led to a decline in fortunes for Crowded House in America even as their classic third record, "Woodface," broke them in the UK and elsewhere.

Here's a few interview excerpts that I didn't include in the piece.

When I asked the songwriter about the delightful song, "Little By Little," that he cowrote with his wife, Sharon, he responded:

“We just started having these jams. We did last year because the boys went away from home and we had all this time on our hands. I’m playing drums, she’s playing bass and we’re about as good as each other. This was the first one that came to fruition. There’s something about the way that we approach it that brings out a totally different song somehow.” “It is kind of romantic. It’s also just getting down and having a bit of fun. When your kids leave home, you’re not prepared for that. It takes a little getting used to. Even though they don’t take a lot of looking after when they’re home, you get the dynamic that builds up around the whole family being there. All of a sudden you have to relearn how to coexist and how to have fun with each other. It was a fun discovery that we could play these jams.”

“I remember standing in front of Glenn Kotche for ‘Little by Little’ with Sharon and her on the bass. That was such a thrill to have her playing and directing him how to play, because he’d never heard the song before. He did a fantastic rhythm track without even hearing the song.”

Neil also talked about how Johnny Marr collaborated with his eldest son, Liam:

“Johnny went and played some guitar on Liam’s track, ‘Red Win Bottle,’ before he really had the vocal melody worked out. His guitar idea in the chorus helped Liam spark the eventual melody.”

“Liam now is 25 years old and he’s been making albums for years. He’s got his own wisdom and experience. But we’re certainly interested in what each other is doing.”

I asked Neil if his youngest son, Elroy (who has a great song called "The Cobbler" on the record) is likely to follow the career path of his dad and older brother.

“This is a great experience for him. Everything we’re doing at the moment is a first for him. He’s learning about the nuts and bolts of performing. As my mother said, he’s probably doomed. He may go off and be a musician but he might do something different. He hasn’t completely decided. He has many talents.”

Finn also mentioned that the next Crowded House album will be out early next year:

“It’s a more cohesive record. More band-oriented record. It has quite a good energy to it. I think it’s quite a strong bunch of material. We worked it out live.”

I asked him if he ever tires of playing the band's two most popular songs, "Don’t Dream It’s Over" and "Weather of You":

“I certainly don’t tire of ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over.’ ‘Weather of You’ I played a hell of lot when we were in England. I’m very grateful for the fact that these songs become part of the fabric of the time and people have a strong attachment to them. It’s a bit odd to resent a song which created so much goodwill for you. The least you can do is try and play it with feeling and passion every time.”

My final question: If Flight of the Conchords are New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk group, where does Crowded House rank?

“I don’t know that we’re regarded as a folk novelty act, though there’s been times…”

A full house for Sunny Day Real Estate

2009-10-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I missed out on seeing Sunny Day Real Estate first time around. An archetypal emo band who, in many ways, were heavier and far more emotionally raw than their more famous Seattle peers, Nirvana, the quartet imploded while recording their second album. The split was so acrimonious that SDRE didn't even stick around to name their second album, which has since been nicknamed "the pink album" (for its cover art) or "LP2."

The band's seminal debut, "Diary," and "LP2" have just been reissued with worthy bonus tracks and sleeve notes (my review of the pair of albums is in the current issue of FILTER.)

When Dave Grohl put Foo Fighters on hiatus so that he could form "Then Crooked Vultures," bassist Nate Mendel seized the opportunity to reconvene the original SDRE lineup for a tour. For most of the sold out crowd at the Fonda Theater, last night's show felt like a family reunion. Loudest crowd I've heard in a while and the anticipation of seeing these guys back together boiled over into mass pogoing and head banging.

They opened with the heady rush of "Friday" and "7." Whoosh! The band was so tight. So Loud. So HEAVY. The dual guitars of Dan Hoerner and Jeremy Enigk were thrilling, especially on the cut-glass riffing of "J'Nuh". William Goldsmith hits the skins harder than Mohammed Ali threw punches and I could feel Mendel's basslines course beneath my feet like seismic activity. Jeremy, the enigkmatic frontman, looks older than any of the other guys in the band even though he's the youngest. He clearly a quiet guy, but hasn't lost his primal scream.

Hoerner, the extrovert in the group, looked like he was having the time of his life and couldn't stop grinning. "This is a dream come true," he said at one point.

The only flaw of the night was a train wreck during "Grendel" when he played what sounded like a detuned guitar and had to switch instruments mid way through. Sunny Day Real Estate even played a new song (which didn't make much of an impression, to be honest) even though they downplayed the idea of creating new music in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. After the song, someone in the crowd asked about a new album, Hoerner responded, "we're working on it."

Highlight of the night was "In Circles" with the band firing on every cylinder in response to the effusive crowd during the encore break. As I noted in my album review, this Real Estate has only appreciated in value over the years.

Who is this man?

2009-10-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

Who is this man, and why is he dressed like a futuristic jewel thief?

You can find the answer in this profile story I just wrote for the Innovation section of The Christian Science Monitor magazine. (Hint: He's the biggest action star you've never heard of, though you'll soon be able to watch his work in James Cameron's "Avatar.")

Pearl Gem

2009-09-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm listening to the new album by Muse and also a review copy of the excellent Massive Attack EP, released digitally next week. But one album I'm really digging, which I wouldn't have expected, is the new Pearl Jam album, "Backspacer." As it turns out, the band have utilized the record for a brilliant Trojan Horse strategy (more on that in a second).

The evolution of the band is a fascinating one. The band's out-of-the-gate success on a big record label irked many music cognoscenti. Then Kurt Cobain, the messiah of Grunge himself, accused Pearl Jam of a corporate entity trying to cash-in on the alternative scene. And, whereas other grunge acts openly professed their love of punk while quietly hiding their love of 1970s bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam's two guitarists -- Stone Gossard and Mike McCready -- were clearly in thrall to classic rock just as much as The Ramones.

Personally, I liked the band's debut, "Ten." It wasn't a full-on love affair, though, and within a year or two of its release and traded the CD in for something else. That was the last Pearl Jam album I bought for a very long time. It seemed like the band was doing everything it could to distance itself from memorable melodies, perhaps in a bid to rough off that early production sheen and the big rousing anthems. And the one time they did come up with a golden tune, "Given to Fly," it was a rip-off of "Going to California."

But my interest in Pearl Jam was mildly roused by the band's previous self-titled album (its cover image of an open avocado is as beautiful as it is perplexing). I had to review "Pearl Jam" and I was pleasantly surprised how good it was. Not a perfect record by any means, but it included enough killer cuts (among them, "Unemployable" and "Gone" and "Army Reserve") that it hasn't left my iPod since its release.

The just-released "Backspacer," though not flawless, is even better and could just be the band's best record. It has so many thrilling tunes on it -- I get a visceral rush just listening to "Amongst the Waves" and "Unthought Known." Both are great anthems without being at all bombastic or overwrought. "Johnny Guitar," perhaps a song about bluesman Johnny "Guitar" Watson and his many girlfriends showcases a playful streak at odds with the band's frowny persona. And "The Fixer," is a ripping single (Be sure to check out the video, directed by Cameron Crowe, above.)

I bought the album at Target for $11 and the big-box retailer's version comes with free downloads of 2 full Pearl Jam concerts. You plug your disc into your computer and it takes you to a site where you have the option of choosing two from 8 concerts, recorded between 2006 and 2008. (It tells you what the setlists are and includes sound clips.) A brilliant idea, frankly, since it not only maximizes the value of my $11 purchase but it's also a great advertisement for the band's tour and also their official bootlegs. More bands oughta do this.

America's Best Idea: Privatize National Parks

2009-09-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Is Ken Burns, the brilliant documentary maker, a secret propagandist for socialism? In a piece titled "Socialized Nature," TIME magazine writer James Poniewozick claims that Burns' new PBS series, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, "makes a simple case for an idea that is wildly controversial in the year of the tea party: That we need government to do things the private sector can't or won't."

Warming to his theme, Mr. Poniewozick continues:

The national parks — and 'The National Parks' — are based on ideas that are classically, if not radically, communitarian: That the free market doesn't always act in the public interest. That it's good that every American shares ownership of and responsibility for the most exclusive properties in the country. And that it is right for people — through government — to protect them from business interests and even from the people themselves (like the early visitors who shot game and scratched their names on ancient rocks). A series on a public-TV network that calls a government program America's best idea? Has no one alerted Rush Limbaugh?

Indeed, Poniewozick is entirely correct in noting that few people oppose the idea of government-run national parks.

Well, I do. And I reject Poniewozick's premise entirely. Ah, I shoulda mentioned earlier that this is going to be a fairly controversial post.

National Parks are certainly a great idea. But I'd rather they were privatized (gasp!) and put into the hands of The Nature Conservancy or Audubon Society. Or a for-profit corporation.

Unfortunately, America's national parks are poorly managed -- the inevitable result of central planning.

A few damning examples:

* National Parks have a poor track record of preserving their ecosystems:
In Yellowstone, a decision to cull the wolf population in the park has triggered an ecosystem chain reaction that has decimated Apsen trees. (Read about it here.)

* The government officials in charge of the parks are prone to decision-making by lobby groups:
Earlier this summer, a page one story in The Los Angeles Times explained how the US government tried to kill off the gray wolf in SouthWest America at the behest of wildstock interests. Moreover, when the government attempted to reintroduce the gray wolf, now an endangered species, into the Gila National Forest, it botched the effort.

* Smokey Bear's worst enemy: The Forest Service:
Remember the catastrophic fire at Los Alamos in 2000 that burned 80 square miles of New Mexico including over 400 homes? Started by an arsonist? Nope. It was deliberately set by the Forest Service. In fact, they've started a good number of wildfires that quickly got out of control and wrecked havoc. It's all part of a policy called, ironically, "controlled burn."

As environmental economist Terry L. Anderson and Reed Watson opined in Forbes: "Decades of fire suppression by the Forest Service have disrupted natural fire cycles and turned many western forests into tinderboxes waiting to burn. Dense stands of spindly deadfall and underbrush now occupy land once characterized by open savannahs and large, widely spaced trees. One result is larger, more intense fires that burn the publicly owned forests to the ground. Indeed, by the Forest Service's own estimates, 90 to 200 million acres of federal forests are at high risk of burning in catastrophic fire events."

* National Parks are overrun by tourists:
Every year, there are more than 280 million visitors to America's national parks. Why? It's cheap. Just $25 for a car to enter Yellowstone, for example. Sure, you already pay for the national parks with your tax dollars and so, understandably, you may not like the idea of paying more. But the fact is that there's an overwhelming demand due to the low cost of entry.

As Manuel Lora points out in an essay titled, "If You Love Nature, Desocialize It," the great economist Ludwig von Mises showed economic calculation is impossible under socialism. Lora writes, "How much should people be charged to enter the park? Should they be charged at all? How many families or cars should be allowed per season? Or should they be allowed at all? These are all critical questions that end up being answered politically."

By contrast, entrepreneurs, using prices, can determine the balance of supply and demand. A private park owner would want to protect his resources and would better determine the balance between trampling tourists and park preservation.

* The parks are poorly maintained -- despite a staggering budget:
In their Forbes op-ed, Anderson and Watson point out: "Every year, U.S. taxpayers spend billions of dollars on public land management, but the way in which these funds are allocated--through the congressional budgeting process--ensures the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service respond to the will of politicians.

The result is what has been called "park barrel politics," which persists while the National Park Service maintains an estimated $9 billion backlog of construction and maintenance projects. Lest you think financial mismanagement is confined to the Park Service, consider that between 2006 and 2008 the Forest Service lost on average $3.58 billion each year. Similarly, the Government Accountability Office testified in Congress that in 2004 the BLM earned approximately $12 million in grazing revenues but spent $58 million implementing its grazing program."

The real reason why Teddy Roosevelt created the national forests was that he thought America would one day run out of timber. As Reason magazine points out, "To Roosevelt and his circle of progressive central planners, the solution to the impending national timber famine was a government program-national forests managed by a new federal agency, the U.S. Forest Service." Read the rest of the piece to learn how Federal timber sales turned out. Another reason of why these resources are best taken out of public hands.

National Parks are the ultimate example of "the tragedy of the commons." These parks are supposedly owned by each and everyone of us. But, as Fred L. Smith of The Competitive Enterprise Institute pointed out in an article I wrote on this very topic, "When everybody owns something, then nobody feels particularly responsible for it. Each of us hopes that others will take care of our common responsibilities."

Putting America's parks in the hands of private owners may just be the best idea of all.

Jane Campion's 'Bright' future

2009-09-21T15:31:00.001-07:00

For a while, it seemed that Jane Campion's career was destined to sink without a trace, much like the piano turfed into the ocean at the end of her best-known film. The New Zealand director's last movie was 2003's "In the Cut," an erotic thriller that was neither erotic nor thrilling. Even Paul Verhoeven must have snickered at its art-house veneer. Result: Meg Ryan's then-teetering career tipped over the A-list precipice and it has been in free fall ever since. The star's nudity and a scene of seemingly unsimulated sex by an extra became the stuff of punchlines in "Family Guy" and "Knocked Up." For Campion, it was time for a rethink.

Her comeback, "Bright Star," is a triumph on every level. It should, by rights, be a hit with the teens obsessed with "Twilight." After all, "Bright Star" is also about young love and its unconsummated romance is heightened by the thrumming tension of longing. But the notion of a movie about John Keats may be a tough sell for teen viewers. Let's face it, high-school readings of "Ode to a Grecian Urn" don't exactly bolster the poet's sex appeal.

But Campion's movie manages to bring his poems to life. It helps that Campion herself always found poetry to be a "members only" domain, a haughty form that only learned academics could truly claim to understand. Campion might not exactly have described it like I just have but, before Friday's screening, Campion explained that she'd never really understood poetry. So she started reading several biographies, including one about Keats. That, in turn, inspired her story about the Romantic poet's love affair with his next door neighbor, and later fiancé, Fanny Brawne. The film is told from her perspective and so the film isn't truly a biopic as such.

Fanny is played by Australian actress Abbie Cornish ("Somersault," "Candy") and it's one of those star-making roles where you wonder where this girl has been all this time. She's certainly getting an Oscar nomination for her deeply marinated performance, which is radiant with a star quality befitting the movie's title. Coquettish at first, and fiercely independent despite her callow youth, Fanny's flighty emotions deepen with intensity during the course of the story. In the role of Keats, Ben Whishaw imbues his performance with stillness, the yin to her yang.

What Campion achieves so wonderfully here is a period film that feels contemporary by eschewing the conventions and cliches of costume genre. Even the costumes look different (the designer is almost certainly going to win an Oscar next year). The cinematography is ravishing and yet its poetic images are so much of a piece with the story that the painterly scenes don't self consciously call attention to themselves.

For now, the film is in release in New York and Los Angeles (just 5 screens here on the West Coast). I hope this film doesn't sink without trace. Hopefully word of mouth should buoy this film during Oscar season.

Porcupine Tree deepens it roots

2009-09-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of the band Porcupine Tree, don't worry. Neither has The New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, or The Boston Globe. The British group, who are a progressive rock outfit in the truest sense of the term, have been thoroughly ignored by all those newspapers even though the band has sold out 2,500 seaters in each of those cities on its current tour. The band's brand 10th studio album, "The Incident," has also just entered the Billboard album charts at #25, with similar success in the UK. (For a crash course on the band, read my recent interview with its frontman, Steven Wilson, over at Pop Matters.)

The band amassed its sizable fanbase the old-fashioned way: relentless touring and word of mouth. (Not to mention consistently great albums.) They also relied on canny marketing, as this recent Billboard magazine article notes.

Porcupine Tree arrived in Los Angeles a couple of days ago to play its new album in its entirety to a sold-out Nokia Theater. "The Incident" is my favorite album of the year so far (I gave it a rave review in the current issue of FILTER magazine), which isn't surprising given that Porcupine Tree is one of my very favorite groups of all time. So much of "The Incident," is even better live, especially tracks like "Octane Twisted" and "Hearse." The highlight was "Time Flies," which you can watch in the music video above (this is a radio edit of an 11-minute epic).

After playing the entire first disc of the album and breaking for a 10 minute intermission, they returned for a dynamic second set of older selections. (I won't review the show here as I'm writing a piece on it for Carbon Nation, a fanzine for the band.) One of the very best shows I've seen by the band.

Of note: Rush's Neil Peart, who has touted the band in his books and praised PT drummer Gavin Harrison in interviews, was at the show and also present at the after party, albeit ensconsed behind a curtained cabanna.

SETLIST

First set: The Incident in its entirety

10 Minute intermission:

Second set: "Start of Something Beautiful," "Buying New Soul," "Sound of Muzak" "Anesthetize," "Lazarus," "Strip the Soul/.3," "Bonnie the Cat," "Way Out of Here" and "Trains."

UPDATE:
Rolling Stone's David Fricke, a supporter of the band in recent years, just reviewed "The Incident" for Rolling Stone. Read his effusive take on the album here.