| The
Crossing - Rocktober Edition
In the beginning....well,
as far back as 1983 anyway, there was a small band that came out of a small
Southern college town. They made rootsy, jangly songs with lyrics that
made little if any sense and even if they were to make sense, they couldn’t
be understood anyway because of a lead singer who had a penchant for mumbling.
In later years, when the singer began to enunciate the words, it became
clear to everyone who listened, that the songs made little if any sense.
To a man, woman, child, cat and dog, everyone knew that this
band was very nearly nonsensical.
Despite the fact that no-one knew what this band was singing about, people
still listened. In 1992, however, a funny thing happened on the way to
the opera. This little band, who by this time had become not entirely so
little, released a song that exactly EVERYONE on the planet understood!
When that song hit the airwaves, everyone to a man, woman, child, cat and
dog thought to themselves, I’m fairly certain I know what these guys are
talking about! This band speaks to me. And so it was. The band, of course,
is Athens, Georgia’s very own R.E.M. and the song that everyone understood
with great clarity was “Everybody Hurts”. I
write this borderline silliness
because I often wondered over the years, from album to album, what is the
appeal of R.E.M. and why did
they become one of the biggest
bands on the planet? The answer, I believe, lies somewhere between the
universal sentiment of “Everybody Hurts” and the seeming incoherence of
a singer who devotes most of his lyric writing to stream-of-conscience
rambling. But it’s not really true is it? Is it all nonsense or rather,
is the seeming incoherence actually on a very real subliminal, subconscious
level an attempt by one person (in this case the singer) to try and make
sense of the human experience? Or, put another way, perhaps a
better way, just to cope
with the human experience. To most of us, those who like the band, it’s
the latter. It strikes a primal chord in us and that’s why we relate
to it. Well, these guys, making sense or not, 13 albums strong and 21 years
down the line, who have
influenced countless bands,
have a new album out on October 5th to entertain us and have us collectively
and universally wondering what they’re singing about. It’ll be fun trying
to figure it out. Apparently it’s something political....
As for last month’s artist
of the month, we had two.Like myself, you, the reader, may or may not have
just picked these albums up for yourselves just a matter of days ago. These
are only first impressions but here are some thoughts. Mark Knopfler turns
in a collection that would be a perfect after operating hours, the bar
is closed, all the patrons have gone home album. “Shangri-La” is very mellow
but goes down like I imagine a fine wine would go down even though I don’t
drink much. And as for the new Social Distortion entitled “Sex, Love and
Rock ‘n' Roll”, I’ve gotta say I am a COMPLETE psychic! It totally rocks
and it’s loaded with good vibes. A full-throttle album of machine gun riffs
from a man who has found his feet. I’m really digging this album too. While
one is mellow and one rocks, I feel both of these albums would be welcome
in any good CD collection. So with those gems freshly welcomed into the
fold, let’s take a look
now at what new musical
discoveries await in October and beyond....
October ARTIST of the MONTH:
R.E.M. - “Around The Sun”
(Available October 5th at all good music outlets.)
Recently released and not
mentioned in last issue:
Julia Sets - “Yes-Wave” (a
St. Louis band led by James Weber Jr. Check out www.juliasets.com for info.)
Bill Janovitz & Crown
Victoria - “Fireworks On TV!”
(Buffalo Tom frontman with
a side project backup band.)
Kevn Kinney - “Sun Tangled
Angel Revival” (Sometime Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ frontman. His fifth solo album.)
The Devlins - “Waves” (Import.
Fourth album from this Irish trio.)
Brian Wilson - “Smile” (Sitting
on a shelf for a remarkable 37 years, the follow up to “Pet Sounds” finally
gets released.)
Yonder Mountain String Band
- “Mountain Tracks - Vol. 3” (2 CD live set)
Jack Ingram - “Live At Gruene
Hall” (That’s in New Braunfels, Texas btw, located between Austin and San
Antonio.)
Better Than Ezra - “Live
In New Orleans At the House Of Blues” (a CD and a DVD sold separately.
The CD includes two new studio tracks.)
Meredith Brooks - “Shine”
(features the Dr. Phil theme song!)
Los Lobos - “Covered”
Giant Sand - “Is All Over
The Map”
Luka Bloom - “Before Sleep
Comes” (official US release to retail.)
Michele Shocked - “Arkansas
Traveler” (remastered w/ 7 bonus tracks.)
Split Lip Rayfield - “Should
Have Seen It Coming”
Stray Cats - 15 live shows
recorded in Europe 2003/04.Check straycats.com for info.)
Ocean Colour Scene - “Live:
One For The Road”
The Killers - “Hot Fuss”
Willie Nelson - “Outlaws
& Angels” (live album w/ more than a few special guests.)
Townes Van Zandt - “Rear
View Mirror 2”
John and Laurie Stirratt
- “Arabella” (brother/sister team, John, a current member of Wilco and
Laurie, a former member of Blue Mountain.)
The Mavericks - “Live in
Austin, Texas”
Matt Wertz - “Twenty Three
Places”
Joss Stone - “Mind, Body
& Soul”
Long Ryders - “Best of the
Long Ryders” (an overlooked '80’s Americana band.)
The Zombies - “As Far As
I Can See”
Various Artists - “13 Ways
To Live” (a benefit album regarding the war in Iraq. Features artists Abra
Moore, Alejandro Escoveda, Patty Griffin, Jack Ingram and more.)
New Releases: (Everything
from here on down is completely and totally subject to change.)
10/1
Bob Dylan - “Lyrics: 1962-2002”
(a 560 page hardcover book from the master. Published by Simon & Schuster.
Not a bad way to kick off the month.)
10/5
R.E.M. - “Around The Sun”
(Their 13th album.)
Various Artists - “Brown
Eyed Handsome Man” (Local St. Louis artists salute Chuck Berry. Features
Jay Farrar, the Bottle Rockets, Earl, Trip Daddies and more. Note that
Chuck Berry’s name is not mentioned on this CD. It’s all very weird.)
Robyn Hitchcock - “Spooked”
Tom Waits - “Real Gone”
Dream Theater - “Live at
Budokan” (2 CD set)
Fates Warning - “FWX” (The
Connecticut progressive metal band’s 10th album.)
Marillion - “Marbles” (US
release...this is most likely only the single disc version. A two disc
version is available at their website.)
Cake - “Pressure Chief”
Hem - “Eveningland”
Jay Bennett - “The Beloved
Enemy” (former Wilco member.)
Jonathan Rundman - “Public
Library”
Minnie Driver - “Everything
I’ve Got In My Pocket” (Apparently she was a singer before becoming an
actress.)
Peter Murphy - “Unshattered”
Matthew Sweet - “Kimi Ga
Suki” (US reissue...initially released especially for the Japanese market.)
Barenaked Ladies - “Barenaked
For The Holidays” (Features old classics and originals including an appearance
by Sarah McLachlan.)
Suzzy & Maggie Roche
- “Why The Long Face”
Hothouse Flowers - “Into
Your Heart”
Good Charlotte - “Chronicles
Of Life & Death”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd - “Place
You’re In”
Holly Williams - “The Ones
We Never Knew” (daughter of
Hank Williams, Jr.)
Duran Duran - “Astronaut”
(Their first album featuring all 5 original members in 19 years....may
the hysteria begin!)
10/12
Camper Van Beethoven - “New
Roman Times” (the band is back with David Lowery at the helm.)
Caedmon’s Call - “Share
The Well” (features the debut of newest member Andrew Osenga formerly of
the band The Normals.)
Bob Dylan - “Chronicles:
Volume 1” (a 304 page autobiographical hardcover book. 1st in a planned
3 book series. Published by Simon & Schuster.)
Roger Waters - “The Wall:
Live” (2 CD’s and 1 DVD.)
The Alarm - “Live In The
Poppyfields” (DVD & CD)
No Doubt - “Everything In
Time” (b-sides and rarities collection.)
Chris Thile - “Deceiver”
(Nickel Creek member.)
North Mississippi Allstars
- “Hill Country Revue: Live At Bonnaroo” (That’s in Tennessee.)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
- “Lost Xmas Eve” (Their 4th album, but this one completes the Christmas
trilogy.)
Michael Knott - “Comotose
Soul”
Richard Buckner - “Dents
& Shells”
American Music Club - “Love
Songs For Patriots”
Crash Test Dummies - “Songs
Of The Unforgiven”
The Strokes - “Live At Alexandra
Palace”
Frank Black Francis - “Self-titled”
(leader of The Pixies.)
Joseph Arthur - “Our Shadows
Will Remain”
Tom Paxton - “Outward Bound/Morning
Again” (2 CD remastered reissue.)
Jeffrey Foskett - “Stars
In The Sand” (Brian Wilson’s musical director and former Beach Boys member.
Check out www.popcollective.com for info.)
Chris Isaak - “Xmas”
10/19
Warren Zevon - “Enjoy Every
Sandwich” (various artists perform the songs of Warren Zevon including
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Wallflowers, The Pixies and Jordan Zevon.)
Paul Weller - “Studio 150”
Freedy Johnston - “The Way
I Were 1988-91” (a collection of early unreleased tracks.)
John Mellencamp - “Words
& Music” (37 track, 2 CD best of including two new songs. Limited edition
comes with a 5 song DVD.)
Elliott Smith - “From A
Basement On The Hill”
Roger McGuinn - “Cardiff
Rose” (Leader of The
Byrds...remastered reissue.
A few more of his titles come out on this day too.)
John Wesley Harding - “It
Happened One Night And It Never Happened At All”
Jimmy Eat World - “Futures”
Train - “Alive At Last”
Neville Bros. - “Walkin’
In The Shadow Of Life”
Eddie From Ohio - “This
Is Me”
Tom Jones and Jools Holland
- “Self-Titled” (import)
Neal Casal - “Leaving Traces:
Songs 1994-2004”
John Fahey - “Great Santa
Barbara Oil Slick”
Jason Falkner - “Bliss Descending”
EP
10/26
Lucinda Williams - “Live
At The Fillmore West” (2 CD set...new date.)
Willie Nelson - “It Will
Always Be” (includes duets with Lucinda Williams and Norah Jones.)
Nick Cave - “Abattoir Blues/Lyre
of Orpheus”
Casbah Club - “Eastworld”
(live CD recorded in the UK in April of this year. Featuring former members
of The Silencers, The Jam and Big Country. They are currently at work on
a new album.)
Evanescence - “Live” (1
CD and 1 DVD)
The Donnas - “Gold Medal”
Sixpence None The Richer
- “The Best of Sixpence None The Richer” (18 tracks includes three new
songs and a few rarities from throughout their career.)
Creed - “Greatest Hits”
Unkle - “Never, Neverland”
Also in October:
Doug Pinnick/Jeff Ament -
“Montana” (Tentative title...side project from the bass players of King’s
X and Pearl Jam; also features Mike McCready of Pearl Jam on guitar; Doug
Pinnick shares the vocals with drummer Richard Stuverud formerly of Green
River.)
Manic Street Preachers -
“Life Blood”
Jason Truby - “String Theory
(P.O.D. guitarist’s solo album)
11/2
King’s X - “Live All Over
The Place” (2 CD set)
Iris DeMent - “Life Line”
(Yea! Iris is back! Her first new album since 1996.)
Woven Hand - “Consider The
Birds” (Official US release.)
Live - “The Best Of Live
- Awake” (One CD and One DVD - 19 songs and 22 video clips. CD includes
three previously unreleased or otherwise rare songs, one being a duet with
Shelby Lynne called ‘Run Away’ and another a cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘I
Walk The Line’.)
A Perfect Circle - “Emotive”
11/9
Innocence Mission - “Now
The Day Is Over”
“Live Aid” Concerts (Relive
the 80’s with the famous famine relief concerts. Finally released on a
4 DVD set recorded and filmed on the same day in 1985 in both London and
Philadelphia.)
Elton John - “Peachtree
Road”
Neko Case - The Tigers Have
Spoken” (live album)
Dido - “Sand In My Shoes”
Screaming Trees - “Ocean
Of Confusion: Songs of
Screaming Trees 1989-1996”
11/15
Wilco - “The Wilco Book”
(A 160 page book that comes with a bonus 12 song CD that features unreleased
songs from the “A Ghost Is Born” sessions.)
11/16
Collective Soul - “Youth”
Rufus Wainwright - “Want
Two” (Special edition comes with a 20 track DVD.)
11/23
U2 - “How To Dismantle An
Atomic Bomb” (Yes, that’s the title. Produced by Steve Lillywhite
who produced their first 3 albums. 11 tracks, the first single is called
‘Vertigo’ and it ROCKS!)
Gwen Stefani - “Love, Angel,
Music, Baby” (No Doubt’s frontwoman.)
Simon & Garfunkel -
“Old Friends Reunion Tour” DVD
Seinfeld - This month’s
friendly reminder that the first 3 seasons of the classic sitcom come out
on DVD on this day.
Also in November/before the
year is out?
Bruce Springsteen - “1992
In Concert: MTV Plugged” (first time on DVD)
new Choir album.
The Jayhawks - “The Jayhawks”
aka “The Bunkhouse Album” (Their very first impossible-to-find album released
for the first time on CD. Also a live album recorded at First Ave. in Minneapolis,
MN could possibly be released.)
....and remember to pre-order
Bill Mallonee’s next project entitled “Friendly Fire” at http://www.billmallonee.net/friendlyfire.asp.
(Due out Christmas 2004).
And now the LYRIC of the
MONTH which captures the whole music making experience pretty nicely:
Sweet is the
melody, so hard to come by
It’s so hard to make
every note bend just right
You lay down the hours
and leave not one trace
But a tune for the dancing
is
there in its place
Iris DeMent, from the
song “Sweet Is The Melody” off the album My Life.
Thank you for reading, rocking
and listening...
Happy Halloween and remember
to rock the vote wisely come early November!
See you then!
Chris Barlow
|
