Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
last call!
okaay this is as far as I got
hope you folks dug this on some level and it wasn't entirely masturbatory (not that kwur has any problem with that kind of stuff, I know I know...)
for the whole thing, click here
TOM RUSSELL – THE LONG WAY AROUND
singersongwriter writes california country music
with a penchant for overwrought, literate, plain overwritten story-songs
(and of course I find this endearing, though you might not)
that's what country music is all about!
Lots of juicy details, place names
some of his albums (all concept-albums, naturally) can be difficult to slog through and digest
for instance, his bukowski references, song suites, poorly pronounced spanish (there's a song here about uh pancho villa and zapata uh I think maybe)
this sampler is great, though
almost all of these are duets, which disguises his limited vocal range
talent abounds: nanci griffith, iris dement, jimmie dale gilmore (and those second two are two of my favorite singers ever)
“mineral wells” is fucking brilliant – about a washed-up, homeless former celeb actress and an obese film critic who drive out to the texas desert in search of immortality
many other songs come close
at least look at the picture of him with andy warhol and george jones in the liner notes wtf
THE SKILLET LICKERS – OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES AND SONGS FROM NORTH GEORGIA
the lickers played fiddle tunes when honestly most tunes were fiddle tunes
before “country music”
granted, their name was supposed to sound as exaggerated and redneck as it does (tapping into that hillbilly market, naturally), but these folks were the real deal as far as musicianship goes
when folks want to hear music that vibes on that “old-timey” stuff, up to their neck in npr-ready “o brother” knockoffs (remember that?), this is what they should seek out
these are catchy and funny – I would recommend the skillet lickers any day over, say, fiddlin' john carson (the true first hillbilly hitmaker), whose recordings were perhaps more authentic, but also way longer and mostly very boring
“sal's gone to the cider mill”
“hell broke loose in georgia”
HANK THOMPSON – SEVEN DECADES
by the time the year 2000 rolled around and hank thompson recorded this record, he definitely couldn't croon as hot as he had in the 1960s height of his popularity, but oh boy he wouldn't let that get to him
as he says himself—
“if there's honey in that hive
there's a sting in this old bee
I may not buzz as often
or as loud as I used to do
but I'd love a taste of that nectar
from a pretty little flower like you”
yeah exactly
like any hank thompson album, this record's a nice mix of lightweight honkytonk and western swing, filled out with novelty songs (which become increasingly difficult to distinguish from the serious cuts)
he flirts with tejano on “condo in hondo” for instance
it's always nice when aging stars don't stoop to playing up their age in order to boost serious dynamic/gravitas (i.e. the rick rubin cash treatment)
hank's voice was mostly intact, so why not use it for what it does best?
HANK WILLIAMS – ALONE WITH HIS GUITAR
of course ol' hank's the most famous country singer of them all
every Nash wannabe with a rhinestone-speckled guitar strap just hasta give him props or else...
first (not quite, okay. see: jimmie rodgers) legit POP honky-tonk/hillbilly hero/martyr (died in '53 slumped over in his cadillac et cetera)
vocal stylings perfect marriage of Tubb's throaty sneer and Acuff polite yelp (this amalgam is something he cultivated, admittedly)
a wowee zowee genuine singer-songwriter – no-frills, heartfelt stories
lots of heartbreak and doom, but he is unafraid of cheese and f-u-n (read lots of romance comics, from whence he derived many lyrics- true story!)
this collection is maybe a good intro for those of ya afraid of Country with a capital C – these are rawer and folkier than the famous full band cuts (sound quality varies, obv)
listen to this album, anyone & everyone!
(kaw-liga is the saddest song I've ever heard about people who are made out of wood and not actually people)
LUCINDA WILLIAMS – CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD
once upon a time she was the next great hope for country music, songwriters, “honest music”
(alas, for those who've caught her recent rawk albums, esp. brand new “honey bee,” this has not proven to still be the case)
this is evidence of that early winning charm and talent
attention to detail!
her phlegmy snarl sounds so good
she works in rockabilly fake yodels, voice cracks (in track 5, for instance) and gets away with it where lesser talents have not
this album (to me) is all about the power of location-specific songwriting
with regards to that, dig track 6: “lake charles,” which maybe makes me want to cry a little bit every time I hear it (also, “jackson”)
at the end of the list there's a postscript from when I ran out of time/gave up--
it says: DON'T FORGET - HANDSOME FAMILY
KOERNER, RAY AND GLOVER
WAYNE HANCOCK
GEORGE JONES
ELIZABETH COTTON
IRIS DEMENT
so here goes, sans commentary (phew)...
THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER
ok seeya later
hope you folks dug this on some level and it wasn't entirely masturbatory (not that kwur has any problem with that kind of stuff, I know I know...)
for the whole thing, click here
TOM RUSSELL – THE LONG WAY AROUND
singersongwriter writes california country music
with a penchant for overwrought, literate, plain overwritten story-songs
(and of course I find this endearing, though you might not)
that's what country music is all about!
Lots of juicy details, place names
some of his albums (all concept-albums, naturally) can be difficult to slog through and digest
for instance, his bukowski references, song suites, poorly pronounced spanish (there's a song here about uh pancho villa and zapata uh I think maybe)
this sampler is great, though
almost all of these are duets, which disguises his limited vocal range
talent abounds: nanci griffith, iris dement, jimmie dale gilmore (and those second two are two of my favorite singers ever)
“mineral wells” is fucking brilliant – about a washed-up, homeless former celeb actress and an obese film critic who drive out to the texas desert in search of immortality
many other songs come close
at least look at the picture of him with andy warhol and george jones in the liner notes wtf
THE SKILLET LICKERS – OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES AND SONGS FROM NORTH GEORGIA
the lickers played fiddle tunes when honestly most tunes were fiddle tunes
before “country music”
granted, their name was supposed to sound as exaggerated and redneck as it does (tapping into that hillbilly market, naturally), but these folks were the real deal as far as musicianship goes
when folks want to hear music that vibes on that “old-timey” stuff, up to their neck in npr-ready “o brother” knockoffs (remember that?), this is what they should seek out
these are catchy and funny – I would recommend the skillet lickers any day over, say, fiddlin' john carson (the true first hillbilly hitmaker), whose recordings were perhaps more authentic, but also way longer and mostly very boring
“sal's gone to the cider mill”
“hell broke loose in georgia”
HANK THOMPSON – SEVEN DECADES
by the time the year 2000 rolled around and hank thompson recorded this record, he definitely couldn't croon as hot as he had in the 1960s height of his popularity, but oh boy he wouldn't let that get to him
as he says himself—
“if there's honey in that hive
there's a sting in this old bee
I may not buzz as often
or as loud as I used to do
but I'd love a taste of that nectar
from a pretty little flower like you”
yeah exactly
like any hank thompson album, this record's a nice mix of lightweight honkytonk and western swing, filled out with novelty songs (which become increasingly difficult to distinguish from the serious cuts)
he flirts with tejano on “condo in hondo” for instance
it's always nice when aging stars don't stoop to playing up their age in order to boost serious dynamic/gravitas (i.e. the rick rubin cash treatment)
hank's voice was mostly intact, so why not use it for what it does best?
HANK WILLIAMS – ALONE WITH HIS GUITAR
of course ol' hank's the most famous country singer of them all
every Nash wannabe with a rhinestone-speckled guitar strap just hasta give him props or else...
first (not quite, okay. see: jimmie rodgers) legit POP honky-tonk/hillbilly hero/martyr (died in '53 slumped over in his cadillac et cetera)
vocal stylings perfect marriage of Tubb's throaty sneer and Acuff polite yelp (this amalgam is something he cultivated, admittedly)
a wowee zowee genuine singer-songwriter – no-frills, heartfelt stories
lots of heartbreak and doom, but he is unafraid of cheese and f-u-n (read lots of romance comics, from whence he derived many lyrics- true story!)
this collection is maybe a good intro for those of ya afraid of Country with a capital C – these are rawer and folkier than the famous full band cuts (sound quality varies, obv)
listen to this album, anyone & everyone!
(kaw-liga is the saddest song I've ever heard about people who are made out of wood and not actually people)
LUCINDA WILLIAMS – CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD
once upon a time she was the next great hope for country music, songwriters, “honest music”
(alas, for those who've caught her recent rawk albums, esp. brand new “honey bee,” this has not proven to still be the case)
this is evidence of that early winning charm and talent
attention to detail!
her phlegmy snarl sounds so good
she works in rockabilly fake yodels, voice cracks (in track 5, for instance) and gets away with it where lesser talents have not
this album (to me) is all about the power of location-specific songwriting
with regards to that, dig track 6: “lake charles,” which maybe makes me want to cry a little bit every time I hear it (also, “jackson”)
at the end of the list there's a postscript from when I ran out of time/gave up--
it says: DON'T FORGET - HANDSOME FAMILY
KOERNER, RAY AND GLOVER
WAYNE HANCOCK
GEORGE JONES
ELIZABETH COTTON
IRIS DEMENT
so here goes, sans commentary (phew)...
THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER
ok seeya later
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Win Pitchfork Music Festival tickets from KWUR!
Hey guys, KWUR is giving away two three-day passes to the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival!
For your chance to win, listen in during either DJ Invisible Cola Versus the Pop Rock Conspiracy on Friday, May 1st from 9pm -11pm or "The Judgement Hour" on Sunday, May 3rd, from 10pm -12am.
All you have to do is be the 10th caller when you hear "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips (one of the acts playing the festival).
We made it easy for you, so you have to listen!
90.3 FM in the WashU area, and www.kwur.com for everywhere else. The Phone rings when you hit (314) 935-5987 (that spells KWUR).
2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. Chicago's Union Park. July 17-19
Friday, July 17
"Write the Night: Set Lists by Request"
Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise
Saturday, July 18
The National
Yeasayer*
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Fucked Up
Plants and Animals*
Matt and Kim
Wavves
Charles Hamilton
The Duchess and The Duke
Disappears*
Sunday, July 19
The Flaming Lips
Grizzly Bear
M83
The Walkmen
Pharoahe Monch
Blitzen Trapper*
Black Lips
The Very Best
Mew*
Vivian Girls
Japandroids*
Women*
For your chance to win, listen in during either DJ Invisible Cola Versus the Pop Rock Conspiracy on Friday, May 1st from 9pm -11pm or "The Judgement Hour" on Sunday, May 3rd, from 10pm -12am.
All you have to do is be the 10th caller when you hear "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips (one of the acts playing the festival).
We made it easy for you, so you have to listen!
90.3 FM in the WashU area, and www.kwur.com for everywhere else. The Phone rings when you hit (314) 935-5987 (that spells KWUR).
2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. Chicago's Union Park. July 17-19
Friday, July 17
"Write the Night: Set Lists by Request"
Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise
Saturday, July 18
The National
Yeasayer*
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Fucked Up
Plants and Animals*
Matt and Kim
Wavves
Charles Hamilton
The Duchess and The Duke
Disappears*
Sunday, July 19
The Flaming Lips
Grizzly Bear
M83
The Walkmen
Pharoahe Monch
Blitzen Trapper*
Black Lips
The Very Best
Mew*
Vivian Girls
Japandroids*
Women*
Monday, April 27, 2009
Rocket from the Tombs
This band is what goddamn rock music is about. Containing future members of Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys, they existed for less than a year in Cleveland, OH, in 1974. These two tracks, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo and Final Solution, are completely brilliant. So far ahead of their time, good lord.
"30 Seconds..." is about the famed Doolittle Raid, as portrayed in the film Pearl Harbor (or the film 30 Seconds Over Tokyo). In case you can't guess from the song, the Doolittle Raid was essentially a suicide mission to bomb Tokyo. This song is so completely rocking and amazing that I can't describe it. GUITARS ARE BOMBS! DRUMS ARE BOMBS! YOUR BRAIN IS SHATTERED BY THE AWESOME POWER OF GUITAR-BOMBS AND EXPLODING DRUM-FLAK AS YOU BRUTALLY BOMB A CITY FROM 40,000 FEET!
Final Solution is about not fitting in, and JUST WAIT FOR THE SURPRISE CHORUS!
Sometimes rock music is about really unacceptable metaphors that make everyone uncomfortable.
"30 Seconds..." is about the famed Doolittle Raid, as portrayed in the film Pearl Harbor (or the film 30 Seconds Over Tokyo). In case you can't guess from the song, the Doolittle Raid was essentially a suicide mission to bomb Tokyo. This song is so completely rocking and amazing that I can't describe it. GUITARS ARE BOMBS! DRUMS ARE BOMBS! YOUR BRAIN IS SHATTERED BY THE AWESOME POWER OF GUITAR-BOMBS AND EXPLODING DRUM-FLAK AS YOU BRUTALLY BOMB A CITY FROM 40,000 FEET!
Final Solution is about not fitting in, and JUST WAIT FOR THE SURPRISE CHORUS!
Sometimes rock music is about really unacceptable metaphors that make everyone uncomfortable.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
you could smell those tent cities a mile away...
...and there was a buzzard on every fence post.
this film - the land where the blues began - is great and everyone should watch it [free streaming]
also I think many kwur djs and fans fit the target audience of this blog (I know I certainly do) -- http://tenwatts.blogspot.com/
this film - the land where the blues began - is great and everyone should watch it [free streaming]
also I think many kwur djs and fans fit the target audience of this blog (I know I certainly do) -- http://tenwatts.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 17, 2009
Record Store Day: Tomorrow! (4/18/09)
Hey yaaaaaa'll
Record Store Day is going down tomorrow, and if you live in St. Louis, you might hit up Vintage Vinyl, Apop or Euclid Records for the festivities! Basically, this is a chance to support and celebrate your favorite local record store, and there will be a lot of live music, special RSD-only promos, and free beer (at least at Vintage Vinyl). In any case, check these links for more info, and I better see you there.
Record Store Day official site
Pitchfork Guide to special releases on RSD
Vintage Vinyl
APOP
Euclid
OKAY COOL
Record Store Day is going down tomorrow, and if you live in St. Louis, you might hit up Vintage Vinyl, Apop or Euclid Records for the festivities! Basically, this is a chance to support and celebrate your favorite local record store, and there will be a lot of live music, special RSD-only promos, and free beer (at least at Vintage Vinyl). In any case, check these links for more info, and I better see you there.
Record Store Day official site
Pitchfork Guide to special releases on RSD
Vintage Vinyl
APOP
Euclid
OKAY COOL
Thursday, April 16, 2009
coupla more gems
TOM PAXTON
earnest folk revival folkie (white)
penned “bottle of wine” (included in albums of his in station)
--rightly famous, his loosest, catchiest tune to my knowledge
as far as subjects go, drinking has a tendency to bring out the best in stiff folkie folks
(curious listeners will also seek out the porter wagoner cover on porter's “skidrow joe” concept album)
not a big tom paxton fan
PINE VALLEY COSMONAUTS – EXECUTIONER'S LAST SONGS, VOL. 1+2
curated by mr. jon langford of the mekons (those country-lovin' brits), these compilations were all about ending the death penalty in illinois in the early 2000s blah blah blah and thus feature plenty of Chicago country stars singing songs about death
also: these were some of my first favorite country music albums
and though they were admittedly a weird entry point into the world I love so passionately these days, they are also v. v. good
murder ballads galore! both new and old
I cannot recommend these enough (esp. if you are afraid of lovey dovey country schmaltz – none of that here)
the back-up band is pretty standard rootsy but the wide variety of songs and singers let them stretch in interesting ways
healthy dose of 90's cowpunk but also pretty, traditional
JIM & JENNIE & THE PINETOPS – ONE MORE IN THE CABIN
traditionalist bluegrass couple
they thankfully seem to lack the kinda common 2nd/3rd wave emphasis on virtuosity and technique
though of course these folks are no slouches when it comes to pickin and pluckin
requisite high lonesome singing style, but more tuneful in their case than it can sometimes seem
unafraid to incorporate specifically none-bluegrass traditional country into their repertoire
obv. on account of my bias I tend to prefer these (slower numbers, esp.), but they're all good
other albums in the stacks of a similar, consistently good quality
“the light of day” is beautiful
this one is good
EDDIE PENNINGTON – WALKS THE STRINGS ... AND EVEN SINGS
legendary picker shows off his skills!
mix of acoustic and electric numbers
eddie mostly sticks to merle travis-style thumb-picking
and some might say he out-travises merle (he may be the master of the style)
some cuts exhibit a distinct atkins slicker swingy style and a couple (esp. the bluesier ones he sings) lean toward piedmont blues thumbing
don't worry if that all means nothing to you
he fills his measures to the brim – as thick as any fahey/kottke, any heavy metal shredder
but it's also all about the fuckin melody!
these are virtuosic, show-offy studies that you can hum along to
PHRANC
she is a lesbian folk singer with a crewcut
who strums power chord political folk
we have lots of her albums
I met her when I was a little kid (name drop)
the review comments are better-written than her lyrics
but you might as well listen to a song or two
AUSTIN PITRE & HIS EVANGELINE BOYS– OPELOUSAS WALTZ
this album is wonderful, through and through
a live recording of some very distinctly hillbilly zydeco
evangeline boys got a real tight rhythm section and goddamnit if those twosteps and waltzes don't make you wanna grab your sweetheart and swing
steel guitar on some tracks adds to distinct country flava
“jolie blonde” (his version of the standard) goes up there with the best versions of all time
listen to this album, seriously
JOHN PRINE – IN SPITE OF OURSELVES
john prine writes some of the best songs ever but kwur's selection of his records unfortunately does not represent this well
this album features only one original song, for instance
but it's also really good, so that's okay
a collection of classic country duets, some of the best-ever love and loss songs
straight-up close country harmonies featuring iris dement, lucinda williams, patty loveless, et al.
listen to “(we're not) the jetset” (originally by george and tammy) if you've ever fallen in love on the open road
“there's no riviera in festus, missouri” -- it's true!
the one original tune (title track) is classic prine:
(iris singin':)
“he ain't got laid in a month of Sundays
I caught him once sniffin' my undies
he ain't real sharp but he gets things done
he drinks his beer like it's oxygen
he's my baby
I'm his honey
I'm never gonna let him go”
JIMMIE RODGERS – FIRST SESSIONS
the father of country music and her first true star
aka the blue yodeler (not yet called country songs, he called them blue yodels because he played the blues and then ya know he yodels!)
these are from his discovery sessions in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee (the same sessions that discovered the Carter Family, Country Music's 1st Family, naturally)
many of his songs were adapted from tin pan alley pop or just written by vaudeville songsmiths
and that high drama yodel comes from vaudeville (used in lots of blackface routines, actually)
of course jimmie rodgers was an incredible singer, fucking tremendous yodeler
and whoever strung these folk strains into pop songs (sometimes it's jimmie, sometimes a ghost writer or a credited songwriter) was a pop lyrical genius, a direct predecessor of the chuck berry school of humble, rabid-fire, allusive and specific details
he already had tuberculosis when these were recorded so he was a martyr before he died and his pr men totally milked this for implied gravitas btw
these songs are all classics so listen to them
earnest folk revival folkie (white)
penned “bottle of wine” (included in albums of his in station)
--rightly famous, his loosest, catchiest tune to my knowledge
as far as subjects go, drinking has a tendency to bring out the best in stiff folkie folks
(curious listeners will also seek out the porter wagoner cover on porter's “skidrow joe” concept album)
not a big tom paxton fan
PINE VALLEY COSMONAUTS – EXECUTIONER'S LAST SONGS, VOL. 1+2
curated by mr. jon langford of the mekons (those country-lovin' brits), these compilations were all about ending the death penalty in illinois in the early 2000s blah blah blah and thus feature plenty of Chicago country stars singing songs about death
also: these were some of my first favorite country music albums
and though they were admittedly a weird entry point into the world I love so passionately these days, they are also v. v. good
murder ballads galore! both new and old
I cannot recommend these enough (esp. if you are afraid of lovey dovey country schmaltz – none of that here)
the back-up band is pretty standard rootsy but the wide variety of songs and singers let them stretch in interesting ways
healthy dose of 90's cowpunk but also pretty, traditional
JIM & JENNIE & THE PINETOPS – ONE MORE IN THE CABIN
traditionalist bluegrass couple
they thankfully seem to lack the kinda common 2nd/3rd wave emphasis on virtuosity and technique
though of course these folks are no slouches when it comes to pickin and pluckin
requisite high lonesome singing style, but more tuneful in their case than it can sometimes seem
unafraid to incorporate specifically none-bluegrass traditional country into their repertoire
obv. on account of my bias I tend to prefer these (slower numbers, esp.), but they're all good
other albums in the stacks of a similar, consistently good quality
“the light of day” is beautiful
this one is good
EDDIE PENNINGTON – WALKS THE STRINGS ... AND EVEN SINGS
legendary picker shows off his skills!
mix of acoustic and electric numbers
eddie mostly sticks to merle travis-style thumb-picking
and some might say he out-travises merle (he may be the master of the style)
some cuts exhibit a distinct atkins slicker swingy style and a couple (esp. the bluesier ones he sings) lean toward piedmont blues thumbing
don't worry if that all means nothing to you
he fills his measures to the brim – as thick as any fahey/kottke, any heavy metal shredder
but it's also all about the fuckin melody!
these are virtuosic, show-offy studies that you can hum along to
PHRANC
she is a lesbian folk singer with a crewcut
who strums power chord political folk
we have lots of her albums
I met her when I was a little kid (name drop)
the review comments are better-written than her lyrics
but you might as well listen to a song or two
AUSTIN PITRE & HIS EVANGELINE BOYS– OPELOUSAS WALTZ
this album is wonderful, through and through
a live recording of some very distinctly hillbilly zydeco
evangeline boys got a real tight rhythm section and goddamnit if those twosteps and waltzes don't make you wanna grab your sweetheart and swing
steel guitar on some tracks adds to distinct country flava
“jolie blonde” (his version of the standard) goes up there with the best versions of all time
listen to this album, seriously
JOHN PRINE – IN SPITE OF OURSELVES
john prine writes some of the best songs ever but kwur's selection of his records unfortunately does not represent this well
this album features only one original song, for instance
but it's also really good, so that's okay
a collection of classic country duets, some of the best-ever love and loss songs
straight-up close country harmonies featuring iris dement, lucinda williams, patty loveless, et al.
listen to “(we're not) the jetset” (originally by george and tammy) if you've ever fallen in love on the open road
“there's no riviera in festus, missouri” -- it's true!
the one original tune (title track) is classic prine:
(iris singin':)
“he ain't got laid in a month of Sundays
I caught him once sniffin' my undies
he ain't real sharp but he gets things done
he drinks his beer like it's oxygen
he's my baby
I'm his honey
I'm never gonna let him go”
JIMMIE RODGERS – FIRST SESSIONS
the father of country music and her first true star
aka the blue yodeler (not yet called country songs, he called them blue yodels because he played the blues and then ya know he yodels!)
these are from his discovery sessions in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee (the same sessions that discovered the Carter Family, Country Music's 1st Family, naturally)
many of his songs were adapted from tin pan alley pop or just written by vaudeville songsmiths
and that high drama yodel comes from vaudeville (used in lots of blackface routines, actually)
of course jimmie rodgers was an incredible singer, fucking tremendous yodeler
and whoever strung these folk strains into pop songs (sometimes it's jimmie, sometimes a ghost writer or a credited songwriter) was a pop lyrical genius, a direct predecessor of the chuck berry school of humble, rabid-fire, allusive and specific details
he already had tuberculosis when these were recorded so he was a martyr before he died and his pr men totally milked this for implied gravitas btw
these songs are all classics so listen to them
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