Blog

Elliott Smith
I just got the XO. A friend of mine (YEMinaJar on last.fm) was in town spending a few days, and he's a huge Elliott fan, so we did a lot of listening to it and From a Basement on the Hill and his self-titled (Elliott Smith. XO is really incredible if you like songwriting. Most of his albums are rather lamenting sounding (not quite to the same extent as say Radiohead, but still very sad), but XO is more upbeat and happy sounding. However, the lyrics are as depressing as ever, so it adds a certain irony to the music.

Phish
Like I said in my last journal, I've been doing a lot of listening to A Picture of Nectar. I never went through a "phase" with that album, but I'm obsessed with the songs Llama, Cavern, and Poor Heart. For those of you live Phish fans, I recommend 6/22/94 for great versions of both Llama and Cavern. That also happens to be my favorite Phish show ever. 8/14/93, another of my favorite shows, has a great Poor Heart on it (also, the version of The Divided Sky in that show is mindblowing; it's better than the album version by a long shot).

Sufjan Stevens
Just recently got the Illinois album (actually spelled Illinoise, but last.fm seems a bit confused by that). I decided to get the album, actually, after having it recommended to me here on last.fm. Good recommendation whoever that was. I LOVE this guy. the horn arrangements, his voice, his melodies, his lyrics, I find to be increibly intriguing. I loved it from the first track, Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois. That song is amazingly written. In fact....I think I need to listen to it right now.

Pink Floyd
My favorite band of all time, as I said in my last journal. These guys never get boring for me and never will. I recently acquired some live shows from the late 60's, and a live version of all of Wish You Were Here. I love it. Whoever said Pink Floyd isn't good live had no idea what they were talking about. Firstly, they played their masterpiece studio albums almost to a tee in concert. Secondly, in this live version of Wish You Were Here, there is an extended jam over the second half of Shine on You Crazy Diamond, showcasing their improvisation ability. They were never technically outstanding musicians, but they could definitely improvise when they wanted to. In fact, much of their live shows during the psychedelic period of their work revolves around improvisation. The perfect renditions of albums didn't start taking place until the Dark Side Of The Moon tour.

Beck
No news to report as far as Beck goes. Still love Sea Change and Mutations a lot. I guess I'll go into specifics and say that Tropicalia is an amazing track off of Mutations, and Lost Cause is my favorite song off of Sea Change. The guitar comping style on Lost Cause gets me every time.

Neil Young
To be honest, I didn't realize how similar to my last journal this was going to turn out when I started, but I'm half done now, so I might as well finish it all. Recently got a new album by Young as well, though, that is not reported in that journal entry. I haven't gotten to listen to it yet, but I hear that After The Goldrush . I'll post a journal on my verdict of it after I listen to it later on tonight. I'm sure it will be amazing, though.

Frank Zappa
Here's someone new to my journal. I've been in the midst of a slight obession with the albums Joe's Garage and Hot Rats, which are not showing up as connections for some reason. The track Joe's Garage might be one of my favorite songs ever. Vinnie Colaiuta is the drummer on it, and also happens to be one of my top five favorite drummers as well. But this may be my favorite work with him on it, save one: Chick Corea Akoustic Band, Live at the Blue Note in Tokyo. If you like really burning mainstream jazz, check that album out. That version of Chasin' The Train was awarded one of the Top 25 drum solos of all time by Modern Drummer recently.

Johnny Cash
Not a lot to say about this guy, except that I just recently got into him after seeing Walk the Line. Great movie, and he's a really great artist. Some of the most simplistic music ever, so it's interesting that he follows Zappa on this list. Good songwriting, though, in one of its earliest forms. His work just before his death is just as good as his early stuff as well. I love his voice. That baritone sound is really effective, and not enough rock guys take advantage of the low end of the "note spectrum". I'm typically attracted to artists with higher voices, i.e., Neil Young, Trey, Ben Folds, etc., but a good low end sound is really great once in awhile. I guess that's something he's got in common with Zappa.

Paul Simon
More great songwriting, but amazing drumming as well. Steve Gadd created some of the most innovative drum beats ever while he was playing for Simon. People still mimic them to this day. Favorite tracks: Late in the Evening, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, Slip Slidin' Away, You're the One.

The Flaming Lips
Kinda surprising that they snuck in there as I don't listen to them that often. But apparently I went through a little phase this week. I really enjoy The Soft Bulletin, but I don't know them well enough to comment, and I kinda have to hurry this up to get to a rehearsal.....so that's that.