Oh hi. I've been busy and probably will for a while but here's a quick run down of stuff that's passed by my ears recently:
Ryan Adams - itunes sessions: I have to admit I was in love with Ryan Adams' first two records until I saw him live. This was back when people were still yelling 'Summer of '69' at him but that night turned me off because he played without interest or passion but somehow played for three fucking hours. I left after two but it was a poor night. Anyhow, I found his records to be a process of diminishing returns although I recently won a competition (weird) and received a copy of Ashes & Fire which was ok. ANYHOW, I say all this as a preface to say I was a fan but not a huge one now and basically bought this to get a copy of his exceptional cover of Black Sheets of Rain. It is a phenomenal reading of this song but every song on this sounds like an acoustic reinterpretation and they are undertaken with sensitivity and passion. His own songs now resonate with a maturity and weariness that their younger counterparts lack. I think I might have to investigate Ryan's recent output a little bit closer.
Silversun Pickups - Neck Of The Woods: I don't know a lot about the Silversun Pickups except they get compared to the Smashing Pumpkins a lot. I can see that in the ambition, walls of guitar and the self-editing (if Billy Corgan's best song is on disc 2 of Mellon Collie I've never heard it, I could never get that far on that record) but that's about all. The singer's voice reminds more of Ken Stringfellow from the Posies than Corgan and there is a lot more subtlety than the Pumpkins could ever muster. I'm still working through the album but opener Skin Graph pounds and sighs like New Order covering NIN while first single Bloody Mary (Never Endings) is swoon worthy goth pop. I'm not sure if this is a record that'll last for me but whenever I put it on, I think, yep, this is pretty good.
Garbage - Not your kind of people: Don't ask how I got this but here it is. Anyhow, I think Garbage always had their place but this record was kind of hard to listen. The Garbage aesthetic seems to be dictated by the studio boffins in the band - everything feels meticulously constructed that there is no room for spontaneity or grit. I know they've never touted themselves as a garage band but that distance from jamming it out in a garage feels palpable and distancing on the record. I have always maintained they're a good singles band and there are some nice tunes here but I'll doubt I'll listen to it again. Insert the old standard if you liked them before, you'll like this here...
Ben Salter - The Cat: I kind of knew this guy back in the day when he was doing Smashing Pumpkins covers in local bands. It's lovely to see that he's made a career out of music and this record is pretty good. He's very much rooted in that Australian indie sound which is probably best exemplified by Gareth Liddiard's solo records. Yep, that's about it really...
Anyhow, that's about it. Sun Kil Moon and Sigur Ros are next on my list to do list. Until then...
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Ryan Adams - itunes sessions: I have to admit I was in love with Ryan Adams' first two records until I saw him live. This was back when people were still yelling 'Summer of '69' at him but that night turned me off because he played without interest or passion but somehow played for three fucking hours. I left after two but it was a poor night. Anyhow, I found his records to be a process of diminishing returns although I recently won a competition (weird) and received a copy of Ashes & Fire which was ok. ANYHOW, I say all this as a preface to say I was a fan but not a huge one now and basically bought this to get a copy of his exceptional cover of Black Sheets of Rain. It is a phenomenal reading of this song but every song on this sounds like an acoustic reinterpretation and they are undertaken with sensitivity and passion. His own songs now resonate with a maturity and weariness that their younger counterparts lack. I think I might have to investigate Ryan's recent output a little bit closer.
Silversun Pickups - Neck Of The Woods: I don't know a lot about the Silversun Pickups except they get compared to the Smashing Pumpkins a lot. I can see that in the ambition, walls of guitar and the self-editing (if Billy Corgan's best song is on disc 2 of Mellon Collie I've never heard it, I could never get that far on that record) but that's about all. The singer's voice reminds more of Ken Stringfellow from the Posies than Corgan and there is a lot more subtlety than the Pumpkins could ever muster. I'm still working through the album but opener Skin Graph pounds and sighs like New Order covering NIN while first single Bloody Mary (Never Endings) is swoon worthy goth pop. I'm not sure if this is a record that'll last for me but whenever I put it on, I think, yep, this is pretty good.
Garbage - Not your kind of people: Don't ask how I got this but here it is. Anyhow, I think Garbage always had their place but this record was kind of hard to listen. The Garbage aesthetic seems to be dictated by the studio boffins in the band - everything feels meticulously constructed that there is no room for spontaneity or grit. I know they've never touted themselves as a garage band but that distance from jamming it out in a garage feels palpable and distancing on the record. I have always maintained they're a good singles band and there are some nice tunes here but I'll doubt I'll listen to it again. Insert the old standard if you liked them before, you'll like this here...
Ben Salter - The Cat: I kind of knew this guy back in the day when he was doing Smashing Pumpkins covers in local bands. It's lovely to see that he's made a career out of music and this record is pretty good. He's very much rooted in that Australian indie sound which is probably best exemplified by Gareth Liddiard's solo records. Yep, that's about it really...
Anyhow, that's about it. Sun Kil Moon and Sigur Ros are next on my list to do list. Until then...
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