curiously, i was listening to camper van beethoven the other day as well. like ghosthouse, i always admired them from a distance--they're skillful and there's some very good songs, but there's a certain cynical/collegiate quality to the proceedings. when they play it straight, like their covers of interstellar overdrive and matchstick men, they're much more convincing. cracker, on the other hand, seems more sincere about their insincerity--they just want to make catchy pop.
Tune of the Day
"Blue Rondo a la Turk" on the Two Generations of Brubeck album. Wow.
There are many fine versions of this tune, but this one gets me dancing, clapping, fist-pounding, whatever, every time....and it's not easy to dance in, what, 9/8? I love tunes that grow, build, develop, and move through changes. This one just picks me up and takes me right along with it. Great melding of jazz and rock idioms, too. It's fun to imagine Dave Brubeck setting the groove and then sitting back to hear where his kids and their friends take it.
You can continue exploring Dave and the kids on Two Generations of Brubeck, "The Great Spirit Made Us All". And Chris Brubeck's rock/jazz band Sky King on "Secret Sauce".
For extra credit, give a "spin" to Chase, "Bochawa" from their last album, Pure Music.
Anyway, that's my two cents today.
There are many fine versions of this tune, but this one gets me dancing, clapping, fist-pounding, whatever, every time....and it's not easy to dance in, what, 9/8? I love tunes that grow, build, develop, and move through changes. This one just picks me up and takes me right along with it. Great melding of jazz and rock idioms, too. It's fun to imagine Dave Brubeck setting the groove and then sitting back to hear where his kids and their friends take it.
You can continue exploring Dave and the kids on Two Generations of Brubeck, "The Great Spirit Made Us All". And Chris Brubeck's rock/jazz band Sky King on "Secret Sauce".
For extra credit, give a "spin" to Chase, "Bochawa" from their last album, Pure Music.
Anyway, that's my two cents today.
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@reubent @loomisjohnson Greatly appreciate how you two always manage to expand my musical horizons. Loomis - you should write reviews. I get more out of two lines from you than from two paragraphs at Pitchfork (well, sometimes. They're not always that verbose and obscure. ;-) Seems like it will be worth spending some time exploring both Camper and Cracker. Hope you both have a great day. Thanks. |
@loomisjohnson - Thanks for your reply. I liked both Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker back in the day. Alas, it's been nearly 30 years since "Pictures of Matchstick Men" on Key Lime Pie. I think Lowery has matured in that time, just like the rest of us. I think "Camp Pendleton" that I posted yesterday is a good example of that maturity. Here's another great example that shows where his head is more recently...... Camper Van Beethoven - "Northern California Girls" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OR23aPd4Jo Happy Wednesday! |
thanks, ghosthouse. i also aspire to be verbose and obscure.... reubent, i'm not generally a country guy, but i'm a big steve earle fan--i'd put him squarely in my top 20 living songwriters. he's a self-proclaimed terrible singer (though i like his style), but he has a knack for two and three chord melodies that stick in your bgrain. plus his records almost always sound good, esp. his acoustic, which is very simple but always clean and etched. check out "i feel alright" and "gogo boots" if you haven't already. |
Well L., you are failing miserably at the verbose and obscure. This, for various reasons, struck me as brilliant (you posted it over on the What's in your CDP thread)... "I think tweedy's a smart guy and a good writer, but i tend to respect wilco's craftsmanship rather than genuinely embrace its soul--there's an overly-clinical and cerebral quality to it, whereas farrar, albeit less musically ambitious, is all heart...." |
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