North Ridgeville, Ohio
So here i am, sitting in a Super 8 Motel in the fine city (town?) of North Ridgeville, OH, which is basically a Celveland suburb off of I-80 which happens to be right next to North Olmsted and Olmsted Falls. How could i resist? i didn't even have to go out of the way to find the place - it's literally a minute from the interstate. This is my stop en route from Iowa City to Hartford and i envisioned a night of watching playoff basketball and drinking beer in my hotel room. i caught some of th Cavs game before heading to grab some dinner and then picked up a sixer of High Life tallboys, which i do not intend to finish but will certainly put a serious dent in. So, i returned only to learn that the hotel does not have ESPN. Wait, seriously? No ESPN? Apparently not, so we're looking at a night of blogging and watching the Bourne Identity on USA.
i haven't been doing a whole lot of reviewing lately, but being in the midst of another 1000 mile roadie made me think, what would the "soundtrack" to the trip look like? On the way out, i didn't really bring any CDs but rather just listened to my iTrip, which i hate. It sounds like i'm listening to my music on an AM station that hardly comes in. i have to turn it up twice as loud as a CD and it still has static. And if i come near an urban area (urban: see Toledo, OH) it totally goes bonkers. Fortunately, i was able to amass quite a few CDs in 3 months in Iowa City, so i didn't have to rely on the iTrip. Tomorrow we cruise through Pennsylvania, where the reception on the iTrip will be a lot better. Today's score:
David Karsten Daniels: "Sharp Teeth." Without a doubt, one of my favorite albums of the year thus far, right there with Menomena and Of Montreal. It hasn't been getting much love from the critics, but it's just a beautiful and well-written album. Some of the most simply poignant songwriting i've heard.
Andrew Bird: "Armchair Apocrypha." This one really grew on me. i wasn't that impressed when i first bought it, but it's been rewarding with repeated listens. i particularly like "Cataracts" and "Heretics." More electric than his previous masterpiece, "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," and not quite as good. But very impressive.
Wu-Tang Clan: "Forever." i was feeling tired this morning and needed some audio coffee after the two songwriter albums. Where better to start than with "Triumph," one of the most intense hip-hop joints i've ever heard. i spun it three times before deciding, fuck it, i'm going to listen to the whole double album. There's a lot of filler, but their 1997 sophomore record has some compelling raps. After, i listened to "Triumph" three more times.
Clipse: "Hell Hath No Fury." i don't care what anyone says, this was 2006's finest hip-hop release. Better than "Fishscale." Sorry.
Subtle: "For Hero: For Fool." Hip hop, but in a totally different vein from the last two. Totally spastic and neurotic. Amazing.
Patrick Wolf: "The Magic Position." i'm not sure if this is out in the states yet, but my goodness is it good. The precocious British songwriter offers a dramatic and varied record. i haven't listened to it enough to profess my love for it, but the title track is seriously charming.
Arcade Fire: "Neon Bible." i don't know if anyone else feels this way, but i'm finding that most of the releases from this year so far that i've been really looking forward to have come up short, and Neon Bible is no exception. There's some good songs on this, but i think overall it's entirely flat. i happen to enjoy "Intervention" and "My Body Is a Cage," but what's going on with this band? If there was ever a band to avoid a sophomore slump, it was this one. i feel as though they intended for this to be their "statement" album, or something, but the message is all confused up in clumsy lyrics. i'm not sure that Arcade Fire was ever a great lyrical band, but "Funeral" was cathartic in every aspect, and a beautiful, delicate, and often anthemic album. "Neon Bible" doesn't go near that territory. On "Funeral," they achieved greatness that must have been effortless, because here on the new album it just seems like they tried too hard.
At this juncture, i'm in New York trying to finish a post that i started half a week ago because i'm often too scatterbrained to finish posts when i start them, and it's no longer about what it started as. But along the lines of Arcade Fire, i find i'm also terribly dissapointed in the new Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes as well. Modest Mouse is horribly uncompelling and while "Cassadaga" starts and ends strong, the middle section is the most boring string of music Conor has ever done. The albums i've found that are truly great this year are the ones i've stumbled upon without anticipating greatness: Menomena, Of Montreal, David Karsten Daniels. This is why i rarely buy albums on the day they come out anymore, something i used to do all the time. Which brings me to my next post.
i haven't been doing a whole lot of reviewing lately, but being in the midst of another 1000 mile roadie made me think, what would the "soundtrack" to the trip look like? On the way out, i didn't really bring any CDs but rather just listened to my iTrip, which i hate. It sounds like i'm listening to my music on an AM station that hardly comes in. i have to turn it up twice as loud as a CD and it still has static. And if i come near an urban area (urban: see Toledo, OH) it totally goes bonkers. Fortunately, i was able to amass quite a few CDs in 3 months in Iowa City, so i didn't have to rely on the iTrip. Tomorrow we cruise through Pennsylvania, where the reception on the iTrip will be a lot better. Today's score:
David Karsten Daniels: "Sharp Teeth." Without a doubt, one of my favorite albums of the year thus far, right there with Menomena and Of Montreal. It hasn't been getting much love from the critics, but it's just a beautiful and well-written album. Some of the most simply poignant songwriting i've heard.
Andrew Bird: "Armchair Apocrypha." This one really grew on me. i wasn't that impressed when i first bought it, but it's been rewarding with repeated listens. i particularly like "Cataracts" and "Heretics." More electric than his previous masterpiece, "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," and not quite as good. But very impressive.
Wu-Tang Clan: "Forever." i was feeling tired this morning and needed some audio coffee after the two songwriter albums. Where better to start than with "Triumph," one of the most intense hip-hop joints i've ever heard. i spun it three times before deciding, fuck it, i'm going to listen to the whole double album. There's a lot of filler, but their 1997 sophomore record has some compelling raps. After, i listened to "Triumph" three more times.
Clipse: "Hell Hath No Fury." i don't care what anyone says, this was 2006's finest hip-hop release. Better than "Fishscale." Sorry.
Subtle: "For Hero: For Fool." Hip hop, but in a totally different vein from the last two. Totally spastic and neurotic. Amazing.
Patrick Wolf: "The Magic Position." i'm not sure if this is out in the states yet, but my goodness is it good. The precocious British songwriter offers a dramatic and varied record. i haven't listened to it enough to profess my love for it, but the title track is seriously charming.
Arcade Fire: "Neon Bible." i don't know if anyone else feels this way, but i'm finding that most of the releases from this year so far that i've been really looking forward to have come up short, and Neon Bible is no exception. There's some good songs on this, but i think overall it's entirely flat. i happen to enjoy "Intervention" and "My Body Is a Cage," but what's going on with this band? If there was ever a band to avoid a sophomore slump, it was this one. i feel as though they intended for this to be their "statement" album, or something, but the message is all confused up in clumsy lyrics. i'm not sure that Arcade Fire was ever a great lyrical band, but "Funeral" was cathartic in every aspect, and a beautiful, delicate, and often anthemic album. "Neon Bible" doesn't go near that territory. On "Funeral," they achieved greatness that must have been effortless, because here on the new album it just seems like they tried too hard.
At this juncture, i'm in New York trying to finish a post that i started half a week ago because i'm often too scatterbrained to finish posts when i start them, and it's no longer about what it started as. But along the lines of Arcade Fire, i find i'm also terribly dissapointed in the new Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes as well. Modest Mouse is horribly uncompelling and while "Cassadaga" starts and ends strong, the middle section is the most boring string of music Conor has ever done. The albums i've found that are truly great this year are the ones i've stumbled upon without anticipating greatness: Menomena, Of Montreal, David Karsten Daniels. This is why i rarely buy albums on the day they come out anymore, something i used to do all the time. Which brings me to my next post.
posted by todd at 19:15
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