My wife gave me this framed picture of a bear imitating John Cusack from SAY ANYTHING for my birthday.
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Defending Axl Rose
an abnormal music blog
Depression & “Redondo Beach” with Morrissey
Lately I’ve hit a bit of a rough patch. I’m not depressed, per say, but I’m definitely bummed out. Nothing really big and terrible has happened, it’s just a bunch of little things all adding to a larger pile of misery. While wallowing last week, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to see Morrissey in New York this October. Of course I had to say “no” (Defending Axl Rose hasn’t made me a millionaire yet). She’s never seen Morrissey live and as someone who has I encouraged her to go without me.
That conversation got me thinking about Morrissey and why I love him so much. His band The Smiths were super influential and anyone even thinking about writing songs (happy or sad) should definitely check out the work of The Smiths. But Morrissey’s specialty is really sad songs. I can’t think of another human being who (at least on the surface) is more depressed than Morrissey. God help us all if Morrissey ever finds happiness. In fact, as terrible as it is, I truly do not wish happiness upon ‘ol Moz. I don’t think he could handle it.
Is Morrissey gay? Is Morrissey straight? Will he get back with The Smiths? I could care less about these tabloid questions that so obsess the British media. All I care is he’s fucking miserable and recording music. I guess I’m old fashioned.
Here Morrissey is sad because someone scribbled all over his guitar…
One of my favorite songs I’ve ever heard him sing is a cover of the Patti Smith song “Redondo Beach.” It’s a tragic song about two lovers one of whom (spoiler) kills herself after the couple has a fight near Redondo Beach. Morrissey released a live cover of “Redondo Beach” in 2004 in support of his LIVE AT EARLS COURT album. As songs go, it’s good even though it is pretty melodramatic. The song’s narrator sings about how he got in a “quarrel” with “you” (his lover) who he now can’t seem to find. In a seemingly unrelated bit of news a girl has washed up on Redondo Beach…and in the end it his love is gone forever because:
Down by the ocean
It was so dismal
I was just standing
With shock on my face though
The hearse pulled away
And the girl that had died it was you
Shakespeare this isn’t, but the tragedy, especially when Morrissey (our main-man of depression) is singing it I can’t help but feel bad. And I like that. I guess the same part of us that likes to watch scary movies is the same part that likes to hear sad songs. I don’t know about you, but when I’m sad I like to hear sad songs. I can’t imagine trying to hear something super-happy and upbeat when I’m feeling down.
Morrissey’s built an entire career around this sort of emo-music (please kill me in the comments for calling Morrissey “emo”) and even though it might seem a bit strange he provides a service humanity really needs. I highly recommend anyone feeling depressed, blue, disenfranchised, pissed off, confused, or otherwise unsatisfied to check out the massive library of awesomely depressing music recorded by Morrissey.
Morrissey Depression Super-Mix
1. “Let Me Kiss You” from YOU ARE THE QUARRY
2. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” from STRANGEWAYS, HERE WE COME
3. “Redondo Beach” from LIVE AT EARLS COURT
4. “Satan Rejected My Soul” from MALADJUSTED
5. “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” from YEARS OF REFUSAL
“So High” by Ringo Deathstarr
This song, by Ringo Deathstarr, is from their album COLOUR TRIP (euro-spelling so you know it’s good!):
“Mexican Coma” by Gringo Star
Check out this awesome song by Gringo Star, off their album COUNT YER LUCKY STARS:
Gringo Star vs. Ringo Deathstarr
Last night I went on a Magical Mystery Tour deep within the bowels of Spotify. I do this thing I call “band hopping” where I’ll listen to something and then let Spotify recommend something. After I’m done listening to that I let it recommend something to me based on THAT song…pretty soon I’m completely and utterly lost. I wish I could remember what led me to down the weird rabbit-hole of bands named in honor of ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, I bet the trajectory of songs was pretty interesting, but alas…I was in offline mode and my listens were not recorded.
But I digress. The important thing is there are two really awesome rock bands with Ringo-inspired names. The first of these bands that I happened upon was Atlanta-based Gringo Star. What do you think of when you read that name? I bet you think Gringo Star is a Beatles-inspired pop-rock band, right? I know that’s what I was thinking. Turns out Gringo Star is a really cool rock band with some British-invasion influences, but mostly is a bit like the UK’s Supergrass. The band’s latest album COUNT YER LUCKY STARS is a pretty tight collection of rock songs with a lot of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.”**
I’m counting ’em…
The album opener “Shadow” invokes both the aforementioned Supergrass as well as Oasis, Blur, with just a hint of Dr. Dog (great harmonies). The album is full of great songs, but I really like the spanish-influenced “Esmerelda” and the dreamy album-closer “Mexican Coma.” That last song in particular sounds like it could have been a hit in 1966 by song little-know, post-Beatles invasion-era rock band. I can almost see the vinyl copy of “Mexican Coma” by The Mudd Turtles or some such thing. It’s a really nice summer chill-out song, with a super-cool guitar solo. But the song the changed my lust to love was “Got It,” which sounds like an early Kinks single. It’s got a real nice, super-catchy hook that just digs into your brain and won’t let go. Right now “Got It” is near the top of the list of best songs I’ve heard this summer (woah! It’s only June) .
From Gringo Star I ended up listening to a band called Ringo Deathstarr. As far as jokey names go, Ringo Deathstarr beats Gringo Star hands-down. Besides having the proper number of “R’s” in “Starr” the band’s name is also a freaking STAR WARS pun.
Super-washed out colours.
Now Ringo Deathstarr is a COMPLETELY different animal. For one thing, their album COLOUR TRIP is more acid/reverb drenched than Gringo Star’s super-crisp rock. Hailing from Texas, Ringo Deathstarr sounds a bit like The Flaming Lips by way of The Cure. The band is a girl-and-guy “shoegaze” band that I have to reluctantly admit to being a sucker for. COLOUR TRIP opens with the spaced out “Imagine Hearts” which is a joyous bit of pop. The album’s best track is “So High,” which sounds how a whacked-out day at the beach feels. The gentle “Other Things” closes the album with bittersweet introspection. It’s the kind of song that’s easy to get lost inside. Some bands exist in space and other create it, and Ringo Deathstarr definitely create their own space–COLOUR TRIP is best enjoyed alone with headphones.
Both bands (and albums) are pretty awesome, and despite sharing similarities in their name they’re pretty far apart sonically. For me, Gringo Star has the better songs and Ringo Deathstarr has the better vibes. Is that a cop-out? I guess, but it’s really like comparing apples to oranges. Check ’em both out and tell me what you think.
FOOTNOTES:
**TANGENT: I think that modern music needs more “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.” Go back and listen to music, from all genres, of the last 50 years and you’ll hear a ton of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.” But with only a few notable exceptions, COUNT YER LUCKY STARS being one of them, I can’t recall very many bands/albums today that use “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.”
“Rattle Your Cage” by Boxer The Horse
Check out this awesome track from Boxer The Horse:
Boxer The Horse & FRENCH RESIDENCY
I first discovered Canadian Indie-rockers Boxer The Horse last year while browsing eMusic. I really dug their awesome first album WOULD YOU PLEASE, especially the song “Bad Apples” which was one of the best songs I heard last year. I played it countless times (so many times I literally lost count). So as you can imagine I was pretty stoked when I found out that the band released a new album this week. Boxer The Horse is a bit like the films of Wes Anderson–you’ll either dig their somewhat twee-sensibilities or you’ll loath it. Their songs are carefully constructed, literate, and despite having a shiny-pop veneer are often pretty dark.
FRENCH RESIDENCY finds the band improving and growing in just about every sense–the songs are better, the hooks are hookier, and the songs are longer/more fleshed out. One of the things I really like about Boxer The Horse is how diverse their albums sound. They do spooky-indie pop (“Me & Steve McQueen”), straight out rockers (“Rattle Your Cage”), a kind of neo-folk (“Tough Luck”), and punk (“Bridge To The USA”). I think it’s cool that the band does what they want genre/conventions be damned. That said, I can see how this might come across as a bit schizophrenic to some, and might even be considered a weakness for those who need everything carefully slotted into neat categories. Regardless, I find it refreshing and I’m sure this diversity makes them one helluva live act.
The best song on FRENCH RESIDENCY is “Rattle Your Cage.” It’s that awesome brand of hard-charing pop song the radio used to adore when we were kids, it’s shocking how good it is. It reminds me of ROOM ON FIRE-era Strokes (that’s a good thing). I love the hook, the guitars, and the awesome way the song collapses at the end. “Rattle Your Cage” is the sort of song that demands to be played in an arena. On the other end of the spectrum is “Me & Steve McQueen” which is quiet and intimate, almost anti-arena rock song. It’s a murky, mysterious ballad that materializes and then quickly vaporizes like a ghost. It’s less than 2 minutes of bliss.
I love that the laid-back “Tough Luck” leads into the aggressive “Bridge To The USA.” It’s a thoughtful bit of album construction that you don’t see much of these days. The song “T. Rex” won me over as I was typing this review with the hilariously spot-on lyric: “don’t look so depressed on a Sunday morning /well don’t act like such a slut on Saturday night.” That’s a Fagen & Becker-ish bit of cattiness I can’t help but love. The album is filled with little nuggets and flourishes that really impress and reward repeat listens. I’m also intrigued by the fact that there’s a darkness lurking just under the surface throughout FRENCH RESIDENCY. It reminds me of the way a lot of John Lennon’s solo albums felt.
Bad Apples, the whole lot…
That’s not to say that everything is perfect on FRENCH RESIDENCY, it’s not. There are a few tracks that only-half work for me, the biggest offender being the Vampire Weekend-like “Party Saturday.” It’s a bit too cute, even for me (though it does have a nice guitar solo). “Karen Silkwood” is the other song on the record I just can’t get behind. It’s so damn bizarre, lyrically, that I think I’m going to have to listen to it a few more times before I can figure out what it’s trying to say (if it’s trying to say anything). A quick Google search reveals that Karen Silkwood was an Oklahoma labor activist who died under mysterious circumstances in 1974. With that in mind, the song “Karen Silkwood” opens thusly: “I’m in the car when Karen Silkwood was killed / Texas Ranger won’t you marry me still?” I’m all for complex lyrics and interesting narratives, but that’s just strange to be strange, right? Speaking of odd things, I noticed after a few listens that there are multiple references to blood and bleeding scattered throughout the album. I can’t say for certain, but I think this might be a subconscious-tic on the part of the band. I know that as a writer there are some words and phrases I will use repeatedly if I’m not careful. I wouldn’t be surprised if no one in the band was aware of this.
Historically, the second album is the one that separates the men from the boys. FRENCH RESIDENCY is not a just an excellent sophomore album, it’s an excellent album in general. It proves that WOULD YOU PLEASE wasn’t a fluke, but rather the beginning of an exciting career.
Paul Is Not Dead…He’s 70
Today is Paul McCartney’s 70 birthday, happy birthday Paul! I still can’t believe we live in a world where there are only 2 remaining Beatles. Time marches on, doesn’t it? It seems like only yesterday he was turning 64, just like the song. Paul may not the “cool” choice, but he’s always been my favorite Beatle. He was my first concert, I saw him in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium back in 1993–I was in the fourth grade. Two years ago I took my babysister to see Paul live in concert and it was amazing. McCartney is amazing. He’s one of the greatest living songwriters and is an amazing bass player to boot. His song “Yesterday” is the most covered song of all time, which is pretty amazing if you think about it.
At some point it became cool to rag on McCartney and deify Lennon, which is a shame. As far as I can tell, the only thing McCartney ever did wrong was write awesome songs and not die tragically. There’s nothing wrong with living a long, productive life–which is just what he’s doing. So dust off your copy of REVOLVER or The White Album and think of Paul.
Happy birthday Paul.
“Dear Miss Lonely Hearts”
A great one from the late, fantastic, Phil Lynott:
Classic Albums Revisited: SOLO IN SOHO
A lot of people have the wrong impression of Thin Lizzy. They weren’t the dunder-headed hard rockers that people think they were. Thin Lizzy were rockers with heart. And that heart came from lead-singer/songwriter Philip Lynott. When a songwriter is dubbed a “poet,” I can’t help but think of doilies and Shakespeare…the truth this, a poet is someone who can take complex feelings and distill them in way just about everyone can understand. It’s more than just pretty words. I can write about love and explain it to you, but only a true poet will be able to not only describe love but also convey the feeling of love. Phil Lynott was a poet and there was nothing stupid or dunder-headed about his work.
Thin Lizzy exploded when they released JAILBREAK in 1976. They’d been doing their thing for a while but it was that album that put them on the map with songs like “Running Back,” “The Cowboy Song,” and of course “The Boys Are Back In Town.” That last song in particular doomed Thin Lizzy by both setting their expected level of commercial success higher than the band could ever reach again while also providing Thin Lizzy with the means to indulge their bad habits*. Just before Thin Lizzy called it quits, Lynott started his solo career. His first album, SOLO IN SOHO, was released in 1980. I think the album is a both astonishingly diverse and heartbreakingly sincere.
NOUN: A thing done by one person unaccompanied, in particular.
The first song, “Dear Miss Lonely Hearts” sounds like it would fit nicely on just about any Thin Lizzy album (which makes sense considering that Lynott’s backing band consisted of most of Thin Lizzy, along with Mark Knopfler from The Dire Straits, and oddly enough Huey Lewis on harmonica). I really like this song, which is an awesome rocker about a guy who writes an advice columnist when he falls in love with his girlfriend’s sister. As trashy and, frankly ridiculous, as that sounds “Dear Miss Lonely Hearts” doesn’t come off silly at all. Lynott switches perspective back and forth during the song from the author of the letter and the titular “Miss Lonely Hearts.” The ever complex and sensitive Lynott seems to sympathize more with women in the song than the confused Casanova.
“King’s Call” is another song that sounds like it could have appeared on a Thin Lizzy album. It’s a poignant song about the singer’s reaction to the death of Elvis Presley. Listening to this song today, one can’t help but draw an unfortunate parallel to Lynott’s own death in 1986. It’s especially difficult to hear him sing about drinking “a bottle of wine and gin” when Elvis dies (Lynott died of complications from substance abuse). The song is bittersweet, however, because as Lynott attests in the song, “You can always hear the King’s Call” can also apply to Lynott and the amazing work he did. I also find it a little funny that a ballsy rocker like Lynott so idolized Elvis. I think a lot of people from my generation tend to under-appreciate Elvis and his cultural significance.
The rest of the album departs from what many would expect to hear from the lead-singer of Thin Lizzy. “A Child’s Lullaby” is just that, a lullaby to Phil’s daughter Sarah. The lyrics, which are simple but clearly from the heart, are beautifully paired with an orchestral arrangement that’s as delicate as Lynott’s vocals. I can’t think of a song further from “The Boys Are Back In Town,” and it a way it bums me out that this side of Phil Lynott is not the one people remember the most. As raucous and rebellious as Thin Lizzy was, Lynott was big softie at heart. “Tattoo (Giving It Up All For Love)” is a super-catchy R&B number that also should have been a monster-hit**. “Girl” is another R&B-like departure which manages to defy Lynott’s tough-guy/Thin Lizzy image. Worth noting is the fact that this song, and “Solo in Soho” both feature a really weird spoke-word segment by this British woman who sounds a bit like a robot. I’d say that that this one detail is the only blight on an otherwise awesome record (this woman does not know what “emote” means and speaks in the flattest possible manner).
SOLO IN SOHO is noteworthy for addressing the subject of race, something not really touched upon by Thin Lizzy. On “Ode To A Black Man” Lynott seems both angry and filled with pride about being black. It’s funny, but I never really thought about Lynott’s race growing up, he was just the dude from Thin Lizzy…but Lynott wasn’t a white guy. I won’t pretend to understand the complexities of coming from a racially mixed background (especially during the 50’s and 60’s when Lynott grew up) but I find “Ode To A Black Man” fascinating. It makes me wish Lynott had written more songs about his experiences of being black.
Blinded by Rock? Can you believe I never gave much thought to Lynott’s racial background?
“Yellow Pearl” is an awesome and a bit baffling bit of techno-pop. It’s pretty much as far from Thin Lizzy’s classic rock sound as one can get, and yet it’s pretty fantastic in it’s own right. I’ve listened to this song a few times and I’ll be honest…I have no idea what this song is about (if you know congratulations, you’re smarter than me, please tell me in the comments below). It’s trippy and cool and ahead of it’s time/completely awesome, you really need to experience it for yourself. The album ends with “Talk In ’79” which is an almost spoken-word piece about the music scene at the time. As a piece of history it’s interesting, as Lynott name-checks Brian Eno, The Police, and Rockpile of all things. In the last line of the song Lynott mystically says:
“This broadcast was brought to you in 1979
I’m just talking to you over these waves
Not just another time and another place
And before we knew it
The old wave was gone and controlled.”
An interesting fact that people don’t know about Phil Lynott is that he was friends with The Sex Pistols and was a champion of the early punk scene. I find this curious because those same punk-rockers would be the same people who would eventually turn the tide against rock bands like Thin Lizzy. “Talk In 79” seems like a critique on both the music press and the music “scene” in general. I wish Lynott hadn’t died because I’d like to know what his reaction to music press in the digital age. Genres are more splintered and the audience is doubly fickle. An artist like Phil Lynott probably wouldn’t have been allowed to flourish and mature. I can’t imagine an album like SOLO IN SOHO coming out today. Lynott was a well-established artist but based on his previous work with Thin Lizzy, SOLO IN SOHO was a gamble. Sadly, the album isn’t very easy to find today. I wasn’t able to download it on iTunes or stream it on Spotify. My local record shop didn’t have a copy, either, so the only way I was able to get my hands on it was to buy it from Amazon as a (gasp!) physical CD. I find that a shame because there is so much good stuff on SOLO IN SOHO. If you’re in a second-hand record shop and you see SOLO IN SOHO pick it up, it’s a fantastic record by an often overlooked artist.
FOOTNOTES:
*Both musically and pharmacologically.
**Interestingly enough, “Tattoo (She’s Giving It All Up For Love)” was covered by Huey Lewis & The News on their 1982 album PICTURE THIS.
Defending Axl Rose 