Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

With Ryan Adams’ latest album, Easy Tiger, he picks up right where he left off with 2005′s Jacksonville City Nights, his second album with The Cardinals, and arguably his best since his solo debut in 2000. Easy Tiger is Ryan and the band at their best, mixing just enough rock, just enough bluegrass / country, and just enough ‘average joe’ lyricism to put a smile on your face. The album contrasts plugged-in, guitar driven rockers nicely with stripped-down, acoustic melodies. “Haloweenhead” is reminiscent of “Do Miss America” and a few other of the better tracks on Rock N Roll–a textbook rock song, with a crunching riff and a short but tasty guitar solo. “Oh my God, Whatever, Etc,” which barely clocks in at over two and a half minutes, is a beautiful arrangement of acoustic guitar, piano, and vocals. The song, like many of Ryan’s best, is a simple vignette focusing on personal, specific details that carry over easily into out own lives. Adams is still cranking the albums out like ipod Nanos, but luckily quality has not been sacrificed for quality. Easy Tiger doesn’t quite match up to Cold Roses or Jacksonville City Nights in terms of the overall mood it creates, but it is one of his strongest releases as well as a pleasant reminder that the Ryan Adams vault is still full (and may even be gaining some interest).

It’s a coconut banger’s ball, as Will Ferrel would say, and the soundtrack is Nighttiming, the debut solo record from Coconut Records, the pen name of one Jason Schwartzman. This is friendly indie pop that, admittedly, isn’t anything incredibly unique. But it’s really a record made for summer, and its timely release only makes the album sound better. The title track “Nighttiming” is a discopop-charged track that is excellently executed, while “West Coast” is a radio friendly ditty that is built ready made for ears.
Go and get Nighttiming (online only) and listen to:
“Nighttiming” (4.75/8)
“West Coast” (4.5/5)

With Gotye solo artist Willy De Backer behind the drums for The Basics, this Australian outfit plays some 60s and 70s derivative music that will remind you of UK favorites Razorlight, but perhaps a little more Beatles-esque. I featured Gotye earlier on the blog, and if you remember what his Like Drawing Blood sounded like, then you’ve got a pretty good idea of the The Basics’ sound. Their newest effort Stand Out/Fit In, is full of delightful pop harmonies and psuedo-reggae influences, which combine to create a cheery selection of songs that succeed at being what we call infectiously catchy.
Go to iTunes to buy Stand Out/Fit In (iTunes will open if you click this link).
Listen to “Hey There!” (4.8/5)
Listen to “Rattle My Chain” (4.6/5)

Check out the famous “Look Who Got a Website,” (-5/5) by NYC’s toughest rapper, Ryan Adams. Technically it’s not a “live” track, so here’s one of the best live versions of “Firecracker.” (4.7/5)

Continuing with the blues theme this week, Joan Armatrading comes as sort of a surprising delight. Don’t make the same mistake I did, and come with the preconceived notion that women don’t know how to play the blues–cause Armatrading sure as hell does. Her latest album Into The Blues is aptly titled, as it is a rather accessible pop-oriented blues album with lots of great electric guitar riffs and some nifty drum rhythms. “A Woman in Love” is perhaps one of the best (yes, quote me) songs of the year that I’ve heard to date. But the rest of the album isn’t too shabby either, as Armatrading puts a solid effort in, all the way through “Something Gonna Blow”, the last track on the album. Other highlights include the jazzy “Play the Blues” and the hoppy “D.N.A”. So what are you waiting for? Give Ms. Armatrading some love.

Go and get your self a copy of Into The Blues.
Listen to “A Woman In Love” (5/5)
Listen to “D.N.A” (4.4/5)

Check out a recent NPR feature (article and audio stream) on Feist. I’ve yet to listen to it, but your standard life sums up the topics discussed: “indie crowd vs Starbucks crowd, starting out in a punkrock band, damaged vocal chords, the birds in downtownToronto, learning guitar.”

I’ve been listening to Blair (via herspace), “the musical meeting of Dolly Parton and Radiohead,” non-stop since I heard about her and just ordered her EP. She’s got one of those voices that draws you in and doesn’t let go. Plus, she’s a fantastic song writer.

I wanted to do this post as the resident ryanadamsaholic here at CSV to prove that (1) I’m not disillusioned and am still fit to make discerning musical judgments, and (2) Ryan Adams, or let’s just say The Label, has made a few bad musical decisions.

5. “Tennessee Sucks” – Tennessee may suck “in the summer,” but this tune off Demolition sucks any season. I know a lot of people like this song–at the last RA show I went to the guy behind me kept saying, “Boy, I sure hope he plays ‘Tennessee Sucks’”! Good for me, bad for that guy, the song was not played. I will say, however, that this live version aint too bad. .

4. “Enemy Fire” – Despite a great guitar solo at the end of this song, the first three minutes are so bad you can never get to it without skipping ahead. This song has drunken mistake written all over it and could probably be used as enemy fire by playing it over and over.

3. “The Sadness” – This song is just too long–it would certainly work as background music in a Clint Eastwood western movie, but I almost always skip over it when I listen to 29.

2. “Nuclear” – This song is plagued by unoriginal writing, both musically and lyrically. Perhaps the lyrics are just too deep for me to understand–all I pick up on is something about buring Porches and the Yankees losing to the Braves. It is nice the Yankees lost, though.

1. “1974″ – This is hands down my least favorite Adams song, complete with a dreadfully uncreative chorus. On the bright side, we will never forget the “[year] he was born.”

I had a hard time writing this post, mostly because any less than stellar RA songs are easily overshadowed by his exhaustive library of alt-country classics. On that note, keep checking back this week for more RA features leading up to the June 26th release of Easy Tiger.

A self-professed “front porch soul” music collective, Jacksonville-product JJ Grey & Mofro is sure to strike a chord in that funky space in your heart. They write sincere, socially conscious tunes that are of the folk-blues-funk fusion type that seems to be real popular these days (see Ollabelle, Greyboy Allstars, and even The Duhks). The band’s debut album Country Ghetto features the stylings of JJ Grey’s unique raspy version of Tony Joe White (compare Polk Salad Annie to “Country Ghetto). “On Palastine” is a fantastic slow soul number that blends perfectly into well-strung “Footsteps”. Be sure to check out the Ray LaMontagne-like “Tragic” as well.

Check out Country Ghetto.
Listen to “Tragic” (4.8/5)
Listen to “On Palastine” (4.85/5)

We were trying to think of how one would spell the sound that plays when you start up a mac. We’re thinking it’s “zwhoon”? Anyone have a different idea?