Several things going on with the music side of life that I thought I'd share...
Three albums (I can call 'em that now, since CDs are becoming passé) that have rocked my socks off recently: Pride Tiger "Lucky Ones," Raconteurs "Consolers of the Lonely," and R.E.M.'s "Accelerate." Waitaminute, R.E.M.? Didn't I fall out of love with them a while back?
Yes, I had stopped loving R.E.M. back during "New Adventures in Hi-Fi," after Bill Berry left, because they started sounding like they were auditioning for the opening spot on a Laurie Anderson/Phillip Glass tour. I didn't even buy their last CD, thinking I'd end my collection with "Up," which sounded to me like the Nougats on a Pepto-Bismol and Milk of Magnesia binge. Had I gotten old? Had my tastes not evolved to appreciate latter day R.E.M.? Or had they begun to (gulp) suck?
Well, they turned the suck button off on this one, gang. It frakkin' rocks. I will buy it. Yep, they're back and so am I.
In other musical news, a local orchestra is hurtin' and I believe that it's part and parcel with the upcoming recession. Count your change, kids. I'm thinking that it's gonna be a tough next couple of years.
And finally, here's a muxtape that is not only demonstrates the wonderfulness of organic music, but also has the best song titles EVAH. Word 2 ya mutha.
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1 comment:
In my retrospective of REM's last decade of tunes, I didn't quite write them off the extent that you apparently did.
"New Adventures in Hi Fi" is actually one of my favorites from the troupe. Stipes writing is as good as ever. I actually enjoyed much of "Up" as well. They definitely lost me with "reveal" which was easily their worst effort ever. Then I did wind up picking up their last one. "Around the Sun" was an improvement, but it bored me at first. Now that it has been on my ipod for a while, there are several tracks that have really grown on me.
I have heard the new album, once. It's like a syrupy and fast paced "monster" with a little less substance. It reminds me a little bit of pop albums like jimmy eat world which play hard and fast, and have a ton of energy, but overall tend to blend in with the rest of the schlepped out music out there after just a few listens. Only time will tell if it sticks around as one I still like a year or two from now. Weezer, Letters to Cleo, B-52s and Supergrass have created long lasting pop albums which I still love.
If anyone else can add to that list, REM can.
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