The CHIRP Blog
Pitchfork is a week away, so let’s celebrate a birthday of someone who is headlining there next Friday. Issac Brock is not just the frontman for Modest Mouse — he also plays banjo. Moreover, he and his band paid their dues in the indie rock world, eventually breaking through with mainstream success with the hit “Float On”. Heck, he even got the great Johnny Marr to join the band for a spell. All the while, the band maintained its credibility. Maybe Isaac will find some time to come to the CHIRP Record Fair at Pitchfork (if not, you all should come out to it). So let’s help Isaac celebrate his birthday by grabbing the ol’ iPod/MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
- Tiara — Expert Eyes (Chained To The Crown): This Ohio band is akin to bands like The Kingbury Manx and New Radiant Storm King, making good indie rock songs with solid melodies and hooks. The only thing these bands don’t have is a real upfront vocal personality. But the quality of the songs and performances make them a joy to listen to. This is a sweet mid-tempo song with nice jangling guitars and a slight Velvet Underground influence (think “Sweet Jane”).
- Comsat Angels — Ju Ju Money (Waiting For A Miracle): This is an early recording of a song that ended up on the band’s Fiction album and is a bonus track on the reissue of their debut. The first Comsat Angels album is a post-punk classic, with spare bass and guitar soundscapes augmented by prominent drums creating a constant sense of tension. Some songs have an air of exhaustion and resignation to them. That’s true of this track too, but it has a fuller sound than what’s on the debut and this recording points to where the band would go on its next two efforts, which are also terrific.
- Was (Not Was) — Spy in the House of Love (What Up, Dog?): One of two hit singles from Was (Not Was)‘s third album. Although the first two albums had some wonderfully catchy pop tunes, they were both eccentric enough that they didn’t have much commercial potential. Moving to Chrysalis, the band decided to cut more straight R & B flavored songs, and reduce the wacky factor. This is a solid tune, but the late ’80s production dates it severely.
- Nick Lowe — People Change (At My Age): Lowe’s past few albums have been clinics on how to write a song, drawing from his depth of knowledge about country, rock and soul music. This song tilts a bit towards the R & B side, with a simple message, a nice bounce and a true economy — no notes are wasted. He’s making the best music of his career right now.
- Anton Barbeau — Stewart Mason (Guladong): This Bay Area oddball writes catchy pop songs with twisted lyrics to match his offbeat voice. This song is bass driven and rhythmic, paying tribute to the music writer and former label owner (and my online pal), though only Stewart could vouch for the accuracy of any of Anton’s lyrics. A short, snappy fun song.
- The Bears — Save Me (Rise and Shine): A lot of music fans hoped that this band, which combined Adrian Belew with members of the great Ohio rock band The Raisins might turn into America’s version of XTC. Unfortunately, the band split after two albums (though they later reunited a few years ago). Still, The Bears released two albums of high quality rock that bore the influence of The Beatles and various psych-pop bands, but had plenty of its own personality. One thing that was great about The Bears is that Belew did not dominate. All of these guys could sing and play and they complimented each other so well.
- Rockpile — Now and Always (Seconds of Pleasure): Nick Lowe strikes again! Rockpile played on both Lowe’s and Dave Edmunds’ albums for a few years, with Terry Williams on drums and Billy Bremmer on lead guitar. When they finally did their own album in 1980, it was highly anticipated and a lot of folks were disappointed by the final product. Critics thought it was alright, but they wanted classic. Well, time has been kind to the album, and the relaxed, friendly vibe, and the mix of pub rock and pop works really well. This is a Lowe tune that sounds like a long lost Everly Brothers song.
- The Kinks — Last of the Steam Powered Trains (Village Green Preservation Society): While most of this Kinks’ classic fits the pristine pastoral template, this is a bouncy blues number. This is probable one of the lesser songs on the album, but its simplicity is truly a virtue. Moreover, Ray Davies displays his whimsical side, and that’s never a bad thing.
- The Nomads — Frying Pan (Showdown! 1981-1993): A typically forceful garage rock band from this Swedish band. The Nomads operate under the theory that there’s no garage rock song that can’t be improved with some more raunchy guitar. Often, they are right.
- Fleetwood Mac — Silver Springs (Rumours): This Stevie Nicks tune was the b-side of “Go Your Own Way”. When Rumours was given the deluxe reissue treatment back in 2004, the Mac decided to tack this song onto the original album. This wasn’t a good idea. This is a lesser Nicks’ tune, pleasant but not up to the high standard of the album. It does have a nifty slide guitar solo from Lindsey Buckingham.
On this day in 1897, Guglielmo Marconi obtained the first ever patent for radio, in London. Granted, it wasn’t broadcast radio — Marconi built on Heinrich Hertz’s discovery of electomagnetic radiation and developed the first wireless transmission of telegraph messages over significant distances. Others had been able to transmit over extremely short distances, but it was Marconi who figured out how to do it over many miles, sparking a communications revolution that reverberates to this day. Of course, someday we here at CHIRP hope that we can take advantage of Marconi’s initial innovation with our own terrestrial radio station. In the meantime, I have no doubt the Guglielmo would have really dug iPods and MP3 players, so grab yours and help celebrate the father of radio’s first patent by hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
- Pernice Brothers — Our Time Has Passed (The World Won’t End): One of the quintessential Pernice tunes, a mid-tempo pop song with a melody that sounds like it could have come from Jackson Browne or The Eagles in 1974, overlayed with a little ’60s British pop gloss and superb lyrics. The swelling middle eight is pretty much perfect, as the song mixes resignation with celebration of a relationship that was but wasn’t meant to be that long.
- Mano Negra — Amerika Perdida (Amerika Perdida): A jazzy bopping number from the French band led by Mano Chao who were the godfathers of the rock en espanol movement. Mano Negra was conversant in so many styles, from the hardest of rock to ska to traditional folk to this Cuban styled offering, and they could mix and match without any difficulty, binding everything with their incredible energy.
- Supergrass — Lose It (I Should Coco): An early energetic Supergrass song that already showed Gaz Coombes’ skill at marrying punchy rock (this tune sounds like it’s rooted in The Move and ’70s glam rock) with dollops of the most bittersweet melodies. It creates a special tension that makes Supergrass compelling and makes their brand of pop feel a bit weightier, regardless of the lyrical content.
- The Dukes Of Stratosphear — Collideascope (Psonic Psunspot): After the brilliant 25 O’Clock EP, which sold better than XTC’s other releases of the period, a full length album had to be made. And it was almost as good as the EP. This is a terrific Andy Partridge psych-pop song. This is arguably the greatest rock side project ever. It’s a shame that the bubblegum-glam Dukes album Andy planned never got off the ground.
- Iron & Wine — Resurrection Fern (The Shepard’s Dog): Sam Beam’s whispery folk songs are so comforting and manage to sound hip while also not really being that far, at times, from something that Bread or America might have recorded. The differences are both lyrical and how Beam never lets his choruses explode like those AM radio giants did. Beam has created his own musical world. This song would have fit in well on the prior two Iron & Wine LPs, but this album does a nice job of adding some bluesy edges to add variety to his sound.
- XTC — Meccanic Dancing (Oh We Go!)(Go 2): XTC’s second album is a bit disjointed, as the band seemed unsure of where to go. This was exacerbated by keyboardist Barry Andrews wanting a larger role. Ultimately, Andrews left and was replaced by guitarist David Gregory, which helped Andy Partridge to evolve into a songwriting genius. Even with the creative tension, Go 2 is still a respectable effort, as exemplified by this spiffy piece of post-punk pop. This sound inspired so many British bands of the past few years (like The Futureheads for example), with spiky guitars and a cod disco beat.
- Guided By Voices — Tractor Rape Chain (Bee Thousand): Like most people, this album was my first exposure to GBV and hooked me for life. Robert Pollard knows how to craft a tune that mines from the great British rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s. This song has the grandeur of The Who, but with a melody that more fits a band like The Hollies or The Jam. The band hit on psych-pop, classic rock and power pop, often in the same song. While they had their share of so-so songs, not many bands of their era had as many great songs, like this one.
- Tangiers — Spine To Your Necklace (Never Bring You Pleasure): Tangiers were a Canadian act that fit somewhere with Spoon, The Strokes and some of post-punk poppy Brit acts of the past six or seven years. Their songs are catchy as hell and rely on clipped guitar parts and rhythms with just enough melody to keep them from being monochromatic. They had three albums, and this one is the best. This song works a Wire like riff but mixes in some ’60s psych-pop touches, all over a vaguely Bowieesque glam beat.
- Aztec Camera — Jump (Just Say Yesterday): This originally appeared on the Oblivious EP. Frame does the Van Halen smash in near cocktail jazz version, with a mellow vibe, featuring primarily his acoustic guitar and a piano. He’s clearly taking the piss out of the song. I’m conflicted on this. I think “Jump” is a very well-written slab o’ pop and this is fairly condescending. However, since this is a good song, even this snarky version has appeal.
- Adrian Belew — The Rail Song (Twang Bar King): This is the best song from Belew’s wonderful second solo album. It’s an excellent moody slice of psychedelic pop with some Eastern undertones. The song is very forceful, yet there’s an elegance at its core that really strikes an emotional chord.
While his younger brother Neil ended up with larger commercial success in Crowded House (though Tim was with the band on its most successful album), Tim has been a great pop musician since he co-founded Split Enz in the early ’70s, making everything from arty pop to fun new wave to plain old fashioned good singer-songwriter stuff. Although his recent solo records have been hard to find, he still writes terrific songs. Moreover, it’s still a kick to think that one of the most handsome rock singers ever used to wear garish makeup, crazy costumes and the oddest haircuts that anyone has ever worn on stage. This man deserves a birthday tribute, so grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
- Rich Creamy Paint — I Found Love (Rich Creamy Paint): During the mid to late ’90s, there was a fleeting moment where it looked like the indie power pop revival might make the mainstream, and the major labels signed a few acts. One of these acts was Rich Painter, who performed under the unfortunate moniker Rich Creamy Paint. His sole major label platter is big and brassy teenage pop (in the ’70s sense, not the modern sense) with lots of big hooks. This is a mid-tempo ballady number that still manages to find a couple of spots for crunchy guitars.
- Psychedelic Furs — All That Money Wants (All Of This And Nothing): The first three Furs albums are all great, though each takes a somewhat different approach. From that point forward, the Furs were a lot more hit and miss. This track, which was appended to a “hits” compilation, is somewhat in the Talk Talk Talk mold (and could have been recorded for that album for all I know). It has some psych-jangle guitar and Richard Butler’s sore throated world weary voice.
- Nazareth — Ship Of Dreams (Malice In Wonderland): The Scottish hard rock band, best known for its cover of “Love Hurts”, took a mellower direction on this 1980 album. This has a bit of a California ’70s rock vibe, and the band shows some heretofore unknown harmonizing skill. Moreover, some of the songs, such as this one, have a bit of a darker aspect than the typical Laurel Canyon tune, making for music that is inviting yet a bit unsettling. A real underrated gem of an album.
- Dolly Parton — Highway Headin’ South (Mission Chapel Memories): A great upbeat Dolly tune with a bit of a gospel feel. The tune is basically a hooray for the South number, though it makes the good point that living where it’s cold isn’t always fun. Who cares about the lyrics when Dolly is singing so joyously.
- Green Pajamas — Carmilla (In a Glass Darkly): This cult band is a favorite among those who like baroque psychedlic pop. As time went on, Jeff Kelly and his crew went in a bit more of a chamber pop direction, as on this song. This is a sweet and haunting track that reminds me a bit of the folkier side of Led Zeppelin in spots, mixed with The Left Banke.
- Wax — Continuation (What Else Can We Do): Although based in L.A., three of the four members of this band (who achieved brief fame for the controversial Spike Jonze directed video for “California”) were from the western suburbs. In fact, I worked for three years with Wax bass player Dave (Burdie Cutlass) Georgeff. Wax was a snappy pop-punk band that seemed cut from the same cloth as bands like All, mixed melodic hooks with some odd tempo shifts and arrangements. This song works a simple groove relentlessly, building up to a nice refrain.
- Screaming Blue Messiahs — Too Much Love (Bikini Red): This trio, which sprung from the ashes of Motor Boys Motor, mixed some traditional ’50s rock ‘n’ roll with streamlined punky rock, without sounding like either a punk or a rockabilly band. The band’s rhythm section was ultra steady and tight, alllowing frontman Bill Carter plenty of room to dazzle with his guitar playing. The first two SBM albums, this is from the second, are packed with hooky songs that don’t sound much like anybody else.
- The Rutles — I Must Be In Love (The Rutles): This Beatles parody from the late ’70s was the brain child of Eric Idle of Monty Python and Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band. Innes whipped up 20 Beatle soundalike tunes, many of which sounded as good as the originals that he was spoofing. This track amalgamates the ideas of a few different tracks and is a fun early ’60s rock romp.
- The Raspberries — Rose Colored Glasses (Capitol Collectors Series): Since I’m a big power pop fan, I’ve tried to fully embrace The Raspberries. While I love their hits, many of Eric Carmen’s soppy ballads do nothing for me. Such as this one.
- Nothing Painted Blue — Couldn’t Be Simpler (Placeholders): Hyperliterate indie rock band fronted by Franklin Bruno. Bruno had a limited whiny/drawly voice, but it was well suited for his clever lyrics. The band’s music didn’t fit in any particular bag — it’s pretty much catchy guitar rock, with influences such as Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Kinks and many others. This song mixes an industrial strength guitar riff with a detour into Burt Bacharach land before heading back into the rock.
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The Beatles loom so large in rock music history, and rightfully so, that sometimes it’s hard to keep them in perspective. This is especially true when their respective solo careers managed to, unsurprisingly, fall short of the peaks of the band’s career. Certainly, these four men weren’t perfect, and criticism of their lesser work is warranted, but it in no way can it diminish their accomplishments. This is particularly true of Paul McCartney, who is unfairly painted as a lightweight in comparison to John Lennon. Yet Macca was actually as experimental as his great counterpart, along with being one of the greatest rock and roll singers ever and arguably the best rock bassist ever. And he still goes out on the road and puts on 2 1/2 hour shows (though his voice is going — see, I can knock him too!), because he loves the music. Let’s salute one of the true legends, by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
- XTC — Knights In Shining Karma (Apple Venus, Volume 1): The penultimate XTC album is full of rich compositions, some with orchestration. This low key track is kind of a respite from the more largely scaled tunes that take up the rest of the album. This sounds like a soft latter day Beatles track, using a basic blues rock progression but then adding some interesting jazz undertones. While Skylarking is widely acknowledged as XTC’s masterpiece, I think that Apple Venus is even better, littered with great songs.
- Keith — Ain’t Gonna Lie (Bubblegum Classics, Volume 1): This isn’t as bubblegummy as most songs on this collection. By that, I mean it wasn’t as geared towards the younger set. This is really just a wussy innocuous pop song. It may be time to remove it from the iPod.
- Roseanne Cash — Blue Moon With Heartache (The Very Best of Roseanne Cash): While she has had some commercial success, Roseanne Cash’s talent hasn’t fully been appreciated. She’s such a smooth and subtly emotional singer. Moreover, she’s a heck of a songwriter, who, although she had some country hits, doesn’t really fit in any particular pigeonhole. Her songs are simply classic pop, with a hell of lot more intelligence than most pop. This song does have some steel guitar, but it also has some jazzy session guitar that could have come from a ’70s Laurel Canyon classic.
- The Loud Family — Spot the Setup (Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things): The signature tune from the debut album from the band led by Scott Miller of Game Theory. The music was really a continuation of what Miller was doing with his prior band — really arty power pop, with influences from Big Star to oddball post-punk pop like The Monochrome Set. This song is premised on some simple blues chords, but the middle eight is a total breakdown, as the song grinds into cacophony, before some banging guitar chords allow Miller to exit a bit more gracefully. Catchy and weird.
- Gem — Your Heroes Hate You (Hexed): This short lived Ohio band was led by Doug Gillard (ex-Death of Samantha and Guided By Voices) and played solid indie pop. This T. Rex homage was a highlight of this album. Plain and simple, this song is a Rutle-ized version of the Marc Bolan classic “Solid Gold Easy Action”, with the exact same rhythm and just a slightly different structure, with a blissfully damaged guitar solo from Gillard. Ultra fun.
- The Wedding Present — Mars Sparkles Down On Me (Take Fountain): I don’t know if you can call this a comeback album, because David Gedge was making great albums with Cinerama. I think this album is a bit more guitar oriented, but Gedge melds in some of the ’60s influences that were so prominent in Cinerama. And I have no problem with that. Very few songwriters are as good at detailing what it’s like to have your heart ripped out by a former lover, as exemplified by this softer number which features string accompaniment.
- Michael Carpenter and Kings Road — King’s Rd (Kingsroadworks): One of Michael’s favorite artists is Steve Earle, and the Aussie power pop master manages to graft a Earle-esque country/Irish folk vibe onto one of his pulsing melody fests. This is one of those songs where the inspiration is obvious, but it doesn’t come off as derivative, as it’s only used to augment the artist’s well established style. For example, Earle wouldn’t have a “na na na na” middle eight, which is pure bliss, by the way.
- Hank Williams — I’m a Long Gone Daddy (The Complete Hank Williams): The essence of songwriting. Williams learned his stuff from an old blues guitarist sharecropper, and that informed his country songs. Everything is so economical, with pithy verses, instantly relatable lyrics and indelible choruses. Throw on Williams voice, which was part hillbilly twang and part smooth blues, and you have tons of classic songs like this one.
- Sweet — Lost Angels (Off The Record): The second single off of the band’s fifth album. At this point, the glam rock sun was settling, and Sweet was settling in as a hooky hard rock band. Unfortunately, this wasn’t where British music fans were going, and, for some reason, this didn’t get a foothold in the States. This is a shame, as the album is pretty good, and this song is one of the highlights. It has a tough Brian Connolly vocal, a nice mix of melody and guitar crunch and a propulsive instrumental breakdown that fuels a thrilling middle eight. Had this hit, the band’s career may have been markedly different, and they might have made a handful of great hard rock albums. On the other hand, drink and drugs and record biz b.s. may have still sabotaged them.
- New Radicals — I Don’t Wanna Die Anymore (Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed): This one shot album yielded a big hit in “You Get What You Give”, which is indicative of the high quality of the rest of the effort. These are big pop songs with some old school Philly R & B, and once you get past the gloss, they seem very much in the vein of early ’70s Todd Rundgren and Hall & Oates. This song is no exception.