Continuing A-Z, I'm currently on album #2 of the two Alice in Chains records I have on my iTunes collection. More on that in just a moment.
What has gone on since I lasted visited you with thoughts on Al Green? Well, more Al Green, as soothing and positive as ever. By the way, songs really don't sound that different when stuck between other songs. I shouldn't make that bold of a blanket statement, actually. In this case, they didn't. Some songs sound perfect within their original context, but though still good, kind of silly when placed haphazardly within a "Greatest Hits" setting. Take the song "Like A Rolling Stone" for example. Perfect opener to Dylan's epic, "Highway 61 Revisited". Within the "Greatest Hits" format, oh sure it sounds good, but it LIVES on side one of "Highway 61 Revisited". It belongs there. It speaks most powerfully from that original post. Yet I digress. The Al Green listening portion was rather enjoyable.
Albert Hammond, Jr. got on my nerves a little bit. Especially with the ridiculous seven minute instrumental, "Spooky Couch". I do like a few of his songs. "Cartoon Music for Superheroes" is a good song. His stuff is mostly forgettable to me, though.
Why don't I have more Alejandro Escovedo? I saw him live a couple years ago and it was amazing. Yet for some reason, I only have three of his songs in my collection. Most certainly, one of the best three song sequences I've listened to so far during this project.
Two albums worth of Ali Farka Toure, the king of the desert blues singers, one with the amazing Ry Cooder, were definitely interesting, and at times incredible. Yet I think I need to be in a certain mindset to listen to "World Music". Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his music, but two albums in a row of not understanding a single world is rough.
Speaking of rough, that brings me to Alice in Chains. I was wondering how I'd react to listening to this band again. Back in the mid '90s, "Dirt" was in constant rotation on my cheap little boombox CD player that I had for years. However, at the time, I was an angsty teenager, who soaked up all the screams, distorted guitars, adn anger that grunge had to offer. As a man in his early 30s, I'm slightly removed from all of that. I could venture a guess that the last time I listened to "Dirt" from start to finish was probably somewhere around '96 or '97.
What I really worried about was it being painful to get through, and thereby offending my younger self who probably swore that this was the be all end all of music and only old, out-of-touch losers wouldn't get it. Was I now one of those old out-of-touch losers? Partly yes, partly no.
I still appreciated it on a certain level. The songs brought back a lot of memories, but certainly didn't have the same raw, emotional power that they did when I first heard them. I mostly felt sad listening to Layne Staley's dark lyrics, knowing how it would all end up for him. It came as no surprise to anyone that he died a lonely drug addict's death early in 2002. The only surprise, maybe, is that he made it that long.
I will say this about Alice in Chains, though. They were the perfect representative for the heavier elements of grunge. Staley's jagged, rough and pained voice, were the perfect foil to Jerry Cantrell's metal sensibilities. They never had the pop thing going that Nirvana or Pearl Jam had, and they always seemed a tad heavier and darker than Soundgarden. Yet at times, they displayed elements of all three.
Honestly, I think of all the bands I mentioned, Alice in Chains music seems the most dated. I used to love the song "Rooster", but now kind of feel like, "What the hell's he talking about?" Man, I am getting old! I don't listen to music this heavy anymore, so getting through this, though fun in a nostalgia sort of way, has been a little difficult. This is not to say I haven't enjoyed hearing some of it again, it's just that for better or worse, we all seem to grow out of certain stages. I can officially say, right here in April of 2010, my grunge phase is over. Many apologies (or should I say All Apologies) to the sixteen year old version of myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs6RefV1td4
Showing posts with label Alice in Chains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alice in Chains. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Working Musician and Fall Releases (part 1)
I just realized that over the past two and a half to three years, I've flown four times--twice to Austin, TX and twice to Orlando, FL. Upon return from my two Austin trips, I had a lot to say about music and I had a lot of new music to listen to. Upon my return from my Orlando trips, not so much. I just returned yesterday from my second Orlando trip in two years, and I guess it's well known that you don't go to Florida for the music scene necessarily--unless you REALLY like Disney music and/or High School Musical, which I guess still qualifies as Disney music, but instead of cartoons, one gets over-caffienated high schoolers singing about everything.
But if you are at Disney World and really want to hear music, the place to go is to Epcot Center and their World Showcase area. In addition to all the food and souveniers (I know, I was shocked too...Disney World is commercial!) from the countries represented, you usually get some regional musical flavor as well. I briefly listened to a decent sounding Celtic Rock band in "Canada". Oh, they had to cheese it up a bit for the Disney crowd, but the music was actually good.
There was also the requisite mariachi band in Mexico, oompah band in Germany, and Japanese drumming group in, where else, Japan. I didn't get to see the British Invasion group in the UK, which would have been interesting at the very least.
I wonder about these groups. Do they enjoy their jobs? Do they like having to play the same songs over and over and over, and do the same act over and over and over? Does the tourist crowd ever get to them?
But then again, they have steady gigs, which few working musicians can lay claim to. Many people questioned The Roots when it was announced that they would be the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but their response was that it's a steady working gig and there is something reassuring about that.
This wasn't an unknown band saying this, it was one of the most well-known/respected hip-hop groups of recent memory. A solid gig is a solid gig these days. I'm sure for the most part, the theme park performers are probably grateful to be able to play music for a living, even if they do have to caricaturize themselves a little. If I know musicians, I'm sure they have their own side projects away from the parks as well, which is probably what keeps them sane. I mean, The Roots still tour and all. I doubt being second fiddle to Jimmy Fallon is their one and only ambition.
I think what we fail to comprehend sometimes is that there are, quite literally, thousands upon thousands of working musicians--most of whom the mainstream public has never heard of, nor will ever hear of. But they are scraping away to make a living because that's their calling and they can't imagine doing anything else. Even before the recession, these people were struggling. The recession only made things worse, like it did for most everyone. It's too bad there aren't more opportunities or grants for working musicians, but as I've said before on this blog, we are not an Arts friendly nation. We are a nation that loves The Arts, but one that struggles to support artists. It's a weird contradiction, but one that exists nonetheless. As I've also said before, too, the music industry is going through quite an identity crisis right now, and no one is getting paid all that well. The top tier guys'll be okay, but the ones to worry about are the unknowns, the sidemen/women, the behind-the-scenes songwriters, the performers that schlep around to shitty bar gigs night after night in hopes of a few more fans and maybe a couple of dollars.
Keep your theme park band job if you've got it!
Okay, so Fall is here and I feel like Summer's releases were a bit lackluster. Nothing jumps out at me really. Grizzly Bear and Wilco hold the title of my favorite releases so far this year, but beyond that, sure there are things I've liked (Empire of the Sun, The Xx), but where is the album that hijacks my speakers? Fall has some promising candidates (no Arcade Fire or Of Montreal/MGMT collaboration on the list--two of the ones I was looking forward to the most for '09. What happened guys???).
Here are some of the standouts on the Fall list. I'll post a link to the full list, as posted by Rolling Stone Magazine, on The Hidden Chord's Facebook page (tell your friends!):
Pearl Jam (9/20): From about 1992-2001, these guys were my favorite band. They still put on a good show apparently, but even though this album is getting some hype and I've heard a couple decent tracks from it, I just can't get excited about it. They've got one of the exclusivity deals too (Target I believe?), which makes me cringe a little bit. Grunge is dead. Long live the spirit of "Ten".
Monsters of Folk (9/22): Released today is a collaboration between Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and another guy. Oh I could look it up, but the three aforementioned are amazing enough for me to not care who the forth one is (sigh! I couldn't stand being a shoddy journalist--fourth guy is Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst's bandmate from Bright Eyes). Supergroups can be extremely hyped, then extremely disappointing (thank you very much Audioslave). Othertimes, though, you get some interesting results (Temple of the Dog--should have stuck with that one, there Chris Cornell!). I've heard a track from these guys, and it sounds good. Interested to hear what else they've got!
The Avett Brothers (9/29): "Emotionalism", their 2007 album, is one that I can listen to over and over. The group is bluegrass at its core, but strays off into punk, grunge, rock, and does so without compromising their amazing musicianship. In a way, they are in a similar vein as My Morning Jacket, in that, they have their Southern roots, but definitely aren't afraid to stretch out a bit, either. Very much looking forward to "I and Love and You".
Ugh! Alice in Chains are releasing a new album. I understand the want and/or need to keep a band alive after the death of a member of your band, but Alice in Chains without Layne Staley seems pretty pointless to me.
One word: Creed.
One reaction: why?
One hope: this album bombs terribly and Scott Stapp goes away.
There's a lot more going on this fall, but I've rambled on quite a lot already, so I'll do a "Fall Releases, part 2" very soon.
Here's a link to the song, "The Fixer" from Pearl Jam's release, "Backspacer". Not a bad song not a great song either. It's solid. Video's directed by Cameron Crowe. Even so, why am I not that thrilled by it? Maybe "Ten" was just too good of a way to start for Pearl Jam. What do you think of this one? Sorry, once again, you've got to copy and paste!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxDwU_SpiMI
But if you are at Disney World and really want to hear music, the place to go is to Epcot Center and their World Showcase area. In addition to all the food and souveniers (I know, I was shocked too...Disney World is commercial!) from the countries represented, you usually get some regional musical flavor as well. I briefly listened to a decent sounding Celtic Rock band in "Canada". Oh, they had to cheese it up a bit for the Disney crowd, but the music was actually good.
There was also the requisite mariachi band in Mexico, oompah band in Germany, and Japanese drumming group in, where else, Japan. I didn't get to see the British Invasion group in the UK, which would have been interesting at the very least.
I wonder about these groups. Do they enjoy their jobs? Do they like having to play the same songs over and over and over, and do the same act over and over and over? Does the tourist crowd ever get to them?
But then again, they have steady gigs, which few working musicians can lay claim to. Many people questioned The Roots when it was announced that they would be the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but their response was that it's a steady working gig and there is something reassuring about that.
This wasn't an unknown band saying this, it was one of the most well-known/respected hip-hop groups of recent memory. A solid gig is a solid gig these days. I'm sure for the most part, the theme park performers are probably grateful to be able to play music for a living, even if they do have to caricaturize themselves a little. If I know musicians, I'm sure they have their own side projects away from the parks as well, which is probably what keeps them sane. I mean, The Roots still tour and all. I doubt being second fiddle to Jimmy Fallon is their one and only ambition.
I think what we fail to comprehend sometimes is that there are, quite literally, thousands upon thousands of working musicians--most of whom the mainstream public has never heard of, nor will ever hear of. But they are scraping away to make a living because that's their calling and they can't imagine doing anything else. Even before the recession, these people were struggling. The recession only made things worse, like it did for most everyone. It's too bad there aren't more opportunities or grants for working musicians, but as I've said before on this blog, we are not an Arts friendly nation. We are a nation that loves The Arts, but one that struggles to support artists. It's a weird contradiction, but one that exists nonetheless. As I've also said before, too, the music industry is going through quite an identity crisis right now, and no one is getting paid all that well. The top tier guys'll be okay, but the ones to worry about are the unknowns, the sidemen/women, the behind-the-scenes songwriters, the performers that schlep around to shitty bar gigs night after night in hopes of a few more fans and maybe a couple of dollars.
Keep your theme park band job if you've got it!
Okay, so Fall is here and I feel like Summer's releases were a bit lackluster. Nothing jumps out at me really. Grizzly Bear and Wilco hold the title of my favorite releases so far this year, but beyond that, sure there are things I've liked (Empire of the Sun, The Xx), but where is the album that hijacks my speakers? Fall has some promising candidates (no Arcade Fire or Of Montreal/MGMT collaboration on the list--two of the ones I was looking forward to the most for '09. What happened guys???).
Here are some of the standouts on the Fall list. I'll post a link to the full list, as posted by Rolling Stone Magazine, on The Hidden Chord's Facebook page (tell your friends!):
Pearl Jam (9/20): From about 1992-2001, these guys were my favorite band. They still put on a good show apparently, but even though this album is getting some hype and I've heard a couple decent tracks from it, I just can't get excited about it. They've got one of the exclusivity deals too (Target I believe?), which makes me cringe a little bit. Grunge is dead. Long live the spirit of "Ten".
Monsters of Folk (9/22): Released today is a collaboration between Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and another guy. Oh I could look it up, but the three aforementioned are amazing enough for me to not care who the forth one is (sigh! I couldn't stand being a shoddy journalist--fourth guy is Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst's bandmate from Bright Eyes). Supergroups can be extremely hyped, then extremely disappointing (thank you very much Audioslave). Othertimes, though, you get some interesting results (Temple of the Dog--should have stuck with that one, there Chris Cornell!). I've heard a track from these guys, and it sounds good. Interested to hear what else they've got!
The Avett Brothers (9/29): "Emotionalism", their 2007 album, is one that I can listen to over and over. The group is bluegrass at its core, but strays off into punk, grunge, rock, and does so without compromising their amazing musicianship. In a way, they are in a similar vein as My Morning Jacket, in that, they have their Southern roots, but definitely aren't afraid to stretch out a bit, either. Very much looking forward to "I and Love and You".
Ugh! Alice in Chains are releasing a new album. I understand the want and/or need to keep a band alive after the death of a member of your band, but Alice in Chains without Layne Staley seems pretty pointless to me.
One word: Creed.
One reaction: why?
One hope: this album bombs terribly and Scott Stapp goes away.
There's a lot more going on this fall, but I've rambled on quite a lot already, so I'll do a "Fall Releases, part 2" very soon.
Here's a link to the song, "The Fixer" from Pearl Jam's release, "Backspacer". Not a bad song not a great song either. It's solid. Video's directed by Cameron Crowe. Even so, why am I not that thrilled by it? Maybe "Ten" was just too good of a way to start for Pearl Jam. What do you think of this one? Sorry, once again, you've got to copy and paste!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxDwU_SpiMI
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