Yes, No, or Maybe So: One-Sentence Reviews of 2009 Albums

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

(Arranged in ascending order by release date)

With so many albums being released every week, what are they all like?  Which are worth your time?  These one-sentence reviews are the answers to those questions!

Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane (Elvis Costello) - MAYBE SO

(June 2, 2009)

Review: Finally, a stripped-down recording from a rock artist that doesn’t reek of the urge to “jump on the acoustic train”; Costello’s songs here could just as convincingly  have been recorded a century ago.

Top Two Tracks: “Complicated Shadows” – “Sulphur to Sugarcane”

21st Century Breakdown (Green Day) - YES

(May 15, 2009) - CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW

Review: Another concept album of epic proportions from Green Day:  big, in-your-face power chords at some points, acoustic guitar and piano high in the mix at others, and strong vocals all around – a well-executed album from start to finish.

Top Two Tracks: “Last Night on Earth” – “East Jesus Nowhere”

Together Through Life (Bob Dylan) - MAYBE SO

(April 28, 2009) - CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW

Review: As per usual, Dylan says it best: “I know my fans will like it; other than that, I have no idea.”

Top Two Tracks: “Shake Shake Mama” – “I Feel a Change Comin’ On”

Tinted Windows (Tinted Windows) - NO

(April 21, 2009)

Review: I remembered while listening to this that there’s a reason I stopped buying Fountains of Wayne albums since Traffic & Weather, and there’s certainly a reason I’ve never bought Hanson albums.

Top Two Tracks: “Back With You” – “Nothing to Me”

Halfway There (Jim Fusco) - YES

(April 7, 2009) - CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW

Review: It’s as if all of Fusco’s previous work was only “halfway there” - combining ambitious vocals, innovative guitar parts, and a track listing that boasts eleven great songs, this is easily one of the great albums of 2009.

Top Two Tracks: “I Got You” – “Ruins”

The Hazards of Love (The Decemberists) - MAYBE SO

(March 24, 2009)

Review: This album may not get a lot of immediate repeat listens, but it will keep you guessing and trying to piece it all together; kudos to the Decemberists if only for keeping the concept of the concept album alive and well!

Top Two Tracks: “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid” – “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)”

No Line On The Horizon (U2) - MAYBE NOT

(March 3, 2009)

Review: There’s something to be said for Bono’s energy, but it’s not always enough on this record which fluctuates between moments of mastery and moments of mediocrity.

Top Two Tracks: “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” – “Stand Up Comedy”

Keep It Hid (Dan Auerbach) - MAYBE NOT

(February 10, 2009)

Review: Essentially, what you would expect — gritty, bluesy rock with excellent guitar work.

Top Two Tracks: “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” – “My Last Mistake”

Working On A Dream (Bruce Springsteen) - YES

(January 27, 2009)  -  CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW

Review: The past three Springsteen albums have been exercises in purposeful songwriting, raw acoustic and harmonica work, and upbeat pop/rock respectively — Working On A Dream has it all!

Top Two Tracks: “What Love Can Do” – “Life Itself”

The Laptop Sessions: “Forgetful Heart” (Bob Dylan acoustic rock cover song)

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

By Jim Fusco:

You know, usually, I just throw in that “rock” word in my post titles because it’s a good keyword for search engines.  But, tonight, I’m proud to say that it rings true.  And, on a new Bob Dylan song no-less!

Tonight, I bring you a cool tune from Bob Dylan’s new album, “Together Through Life”.  Tonight’s post will be partially about this song and partially my review of the album.

“Forgetful Heart” is the first real “rock” song I’ve heard Dylan do for a long, long time.  Not since “Love and Theft” have we heard Dylan rock out.  Yes, he’s had some “rompin’ type” of tunes, but most of them are blues and are very, very long.  This song is on the shorter side and doesn’t really have that “old standard” sound that we’re so used to hearing from Dylan lately.  This is a pure rock song and for this tune at least, his gritty voice serves us well.  The electric guitar, although subdued, is a great addition.  I hope we get to hear a live version of this song someday with a little more kick and a lot more speed.  I play my version about double the speed of Dylan’s original.

Of course, my bad luck continues tonight.  You can see the microphone very clearly in the shot.  I even recorded an original song for tomorrow.  I made sure to get the microphone even closer to my mouth so I could sing these lower-register songs over the acoustic guitar.  Turns out, I forgot to select the external microphone input and it recorded off of the built-in mic.  Ugh.

Now, onto the album.  Let me start off by saying that I’ve heard the album about 20 times so far.  I’m really enjoying it.  But, it certainly isn’t as good as “Modern Times”.   That album is simply great.  And, I’ve discovered the reasons why “Together Through Life” doesn’t match up.

The first time I heard “Together Through Life”, I felt like I knew the words and could even sorta sing along to the tunes.  The tunes are very predictable and always follow the patterns you think they’re going to follow- especially Dylan’s middle-eights.  But, then again, this ablum does have things like choruses (except for a couple songs) and middle-eights, which are pretty much non-existant on “Modern Times”.  In fact, the song structure on “Together…” is very similar to “Nashville Skyline” in that the songs sound, well, normal.

But, that’s one of the problems!  On “Modern Times”, I still can’t remember all the words and I must’ve heard it forty times.  Chris knows I’m a whiz when it comes to lyrics.  Dylan has such a way with words- in fact, it really is very poetic.  But, you just can’t predict what he’s going to say next.  He always switches it up and comes up with great ways of expressing simple sentiments, “When you’re near, I’m a thousand times happier than I could ever say.”  What a great way to say, “I love you.”

But, on this album, and it may be because of his writing partner for the project, the lyrics are much simpler and there are only a few hints of Dylan word-greatness.

Dylan’s voice on the album has continued to deteriorate from previous efforts.  Honestly- he almost sounds GOOD on “Modern Times”!  But, I figured this one out, too- check the songs he sings softly.  Those, he sounds fine.  It’s the songs he sings louder (even if just in volume and not angrier or screaming) in that he sounds terrible.   I don’t care if a gruff voice would contribute to some angry songs.  That’s the argument I always hear.  You want that?  Get frickin’ John Stamos.  There comes a point when it’s too much.  “This Dream of You” is a classic song.  It can become a standard of American songwriting.  But, this song is just ruined by his faling voice.  Listen to the way his voice just dies on the word “moment” and you’ll hear what I hear.  That song would sound amazing coming from a 30 year old Dylan.

Anyway, again, I really like the album, but I did find myself going back and listening to great tracks on “Modern Times” like “Spirit on the Water”, “Workingman’s Blues”, and “Someday Baby”.

I can still do without all those blues songs, though.  Talk about a cop-out!

Hopefully, someday, we’ll hear a real rock album from Bob Dylan again.  But, until then, I’ll hold onto “Forgetful Heart” and dream of days past.

The Laptop Sessions: “Please, Mrs. Henry” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Cover Song)

Monday, April 27th, 2009

For Bob Dylan chords / tabs / lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

And, just like that, I’m back with my second session of the night!

As a follow-up to my previous music video, this is “Please, Mrs. Henry,” also from Bob Dylan’s 1975 release The Basement Tapes.  Generally, I am most impressed with complete, clean studio recordings of songs from my favorite bands, yet there are many instances of great music being created when an artist has stripped away at all the usual standards and practices of studio recording.  A most recent — and admittedly weird — instance of this is the re-release of Beck’s early nineties indie rock release One Foot in the Grave.  While this album really isn’t the kind of music I’ll be showing off to my friends, there is this really raw and unique sound to it.  One of the benefits to these types of recordings is the quantity of music usually available — i.e. 24 Basement Tapes tracks and 32 tracks on the aforementioned Beck album.  In the first 16 album tracks, songs like “Cyanide Breath Mint,” “Asshole” (later covered by Tom Petty for the She’s the One soundtrack!), and “Painted Eyelids” would never make it anywhere near the radio.  I love the lyrics and sound to some of the bonus tracks, as well — “Favorite Nerve,” “Burning Boyfriend,” and, “Feather in Your Cap” to name a few.

Of course, with these types of recordings, there are always going to be throwaway tracks and songs that will make you want to say, “What was he thinking?!”  But that’s to be expected…

Getting back to the Laptop Session at hand, “Please, Mrs. Henry” is one of the songs I initially disliked from this album.  More specifically, I found it kind of plain.  Now that I’ve gone back to it — specifically during my Bob Dylan mp3 marathon earlier this month — I have a newfound appreciation for the lyrics as well as the music.  Where else can you get the perspective of a singer/narrator who is not only telling you he is drunk, but actuallly sounds drunk while he’s doing it?  Dylan’s inflection aside, how else can you read lyrics like “I’ve been sniffin’ too many eggs…Drinkin’ too many kegs” or “I’m groanin’ in a hallway; pretty soon, I’ll be mad” or, who could forget, “Why don’t you look my way and pump me a few?”

Great stuff.

With that, I’ll leave you to watch my interpretation of one of the many songs on The Basement Tapes that have been capturing the attention of fans since it was recorded in 1968.  Even before the album was officially released, these tracks became some of the most bootlegged songs in rock music history.  (Think: Great White Wonder.)  And now you have my version to add to the mix.  It certainly doesn’t approach the level that Dylan’s on, but it was a lot of fun to try!  (Check out the chords, linked at the top of this post, so you can play, too…)

See you next session!

The Laptop Sessions: “Odds and Ends” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Monday, April 27th, 2009

For Bob Dylan chords / tabs / lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Well, it may not have been recorded in my basement with an as-yet-unknown Canadian rock band, but this is the best version of “Odds and Ends” you’re going to get out of me!  I’ve always loved this song.  It sets the tone nicely for the 23 songs that follow.  Indeed, “Odds and Ends” encapsulates the spirit of The Basement Tapes: often absurd lyrics sung over raw yet warm instrumental tracks.  For Dylan, this set of songs signified his retreat from the “wild, mercury sound” of Blonde on Blonde and the wild world tour of 1966.  At the same time, you can listen as the Band begins to really gel and find their collective voice.

The primary reason I chose this song tonight — one of two that I will post tonight — is in honor of Dylan’s brand-new album being released tomorrow.  It is titled Together Through Life, and I’ve already recorded a Laptop Session of the lead track, “Beyond Here Lies Nothin.’”  There is at least one other song that’s been leaked online, but I’d rather save the other nine tracks for my first listen to the album as a whole.

Instead, I’ve gone back to this 1975 release of these 1968 recordings.

Why choose The Basement Tapes to cover now?

The answer, quite simply, is that I was too busy with other videos and writing to be able to record these songs a couple weeks ago when several Dylan albums — The Basement Tapes, New Morning, Dylan and the Dead — were reissued in digipack format.  I saw them in the stores, and although I really don’t see why anyone who already owns these albums would want to buy the updated versions (aside from sound quality, of course), I can’t help but feel it necessary to celebrate any and all attention that Dylan’s back catalog is given.

It hasn’t been all that long since I would scan the CD racks at stores like Sam Goody, FYE, Best Buy, Borders, and a host of others, looking for Dylan albums to complete my collection.  For a while, I would buy two at a time in an attempt to satiate my thirst for new Dylan material.  Although I don’t feel that same urgency for Dylan’s releases when I walk into a CD store, I have lost none of my passion and respect for his music.

As Jim knows and is probably already thinking (and he’s right), I’ll jump at any excuse to record a Dylan song!!

Okay, that’s it for the first post.  I need to save something to write about in my second post of the night, coming very shortly…

See you next session!

“Please, Mrs. Henry” by Bob Dylan - Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

Monday, April 27th, 2009

“Please, Mrs. Henry”
Bob Dylan

C#                                                               F#
Well, I’ve already had two beers, and I’m ready for the broom.
C#                                              F#
Please, Mrs. Henry, won’t you take me to my room?
C#                                                G#
I’m a good ol’ boy, but I’ve been sniffin’ too many eggs,
F#                                               C#
Talkin’ to too many people, drinkin’ too many kegs.

C#
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
F#
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
C#
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Well, I’m groanin’ in a hallway, pretty soon I’ll be mad.
Please, Mrs. Henry, won’t you take me to your dad?
I can drink like a fish; I can crawl like a snake.
I can bite like a turkey; I can slam like a drake.

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Now, don’t crowd me, lady, or I’ll fill up your shoe.
I’m a sweet bourbon daddy, and tonight I am blue.
I’m a thousand years old, and I’m a gorgeous bomb.
I’m T-boned and punctured, but I’m known to be calm.

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

Now, I’m startin’ to drain; my stool’s gonna squeak.
If I walk too much farther, my crane’s gonna leak.
Look, Mrs. Henry, there’s only so much I can do.
Why don’t you look my way and pump me a few?

Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
Please, Missus Henry, Missus Henry, please!
I’m down on my knees, and I ain’t got a dime…

“Odds and Ends” by Bob Dylan - Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

Monday, April 27th, 2009

For the cover song music video, CLICK HERE!

“Odds and Ends”
Bob Dylan

A  A7
I plan it all and I take my place;
You break your promise all over the place.
A7   D7
You promised to love me, but what do I see?
A7
Just you comin’ and spillin’ juice over me.

E7
Odds and ends, odds and ends…
A (no chord)
Lost time is not found again.

E7 - A

Now, you take your file and you bend my head;
I never can remember anything that you have said.
You promised to love me, but what do I know?
You’re always spillin’ juice on me like you got some place to go.

Odds and ends, odds and ends…
Lost time is not found again.

Now, I’ve had enough; my box is clean.
You know what I’m sayin’ and you know what I mean.
From now on, you best get on someone else,
And while you’re doin’ it, keep that juice to yourself.

Odds and ends, odds and ends…
Lost time is not found again.