Tender Mercies (1983)

Years before Jeff Bridges won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a recovering alcoholic country singer in Crazy Heart, Robert Duvall did the same thing in Tender Mercies. Duvall gives one of the best performances in his career with his low-key style that fits the overall low-key aesthetic of the film perfectly. The rest of the cast (including Wilford Brimley and a young Ellen Barkin) is excellent as well but this is Duvall's show all the way. Director Bruce Beresford includes a lot of beautiful shots of the Texas landscape and they add a lot to the films wide open feel. Tender Mercies is ultimately a simple tale of redemption, spirituality, love and music. It isn't going to appeal to everyone due to it's methodical pacing and lack of showmanship but it's also a great display for Duvall's talents and well worth checking out on Netflix streaming.


Rating: 4/5

Friday Foster (1975)

If you're like me and one of your life goals is to see every 70's blaxploitation film that Pam Grier was in (and why wouldn't that be a life goal for a normal person?), eventually you're gonna get to Friday Foster. Even though it's got one of the finest supporting casts of any blaxploitation movie (Yaphet Kotto, Carl Weathers, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers, Ted Lange), Friday Foster just isn't that great. There's a weird mix of realistic violence and over the top humor that just never connects on either level and the overall tone is all over the place. Despite the great cast and ever welcome sighting of Pam's goods, this one is best saved for people who really like blaxploitation films and are running out of ones to watch. Beginners should stick to Coffey and Foxy Brown instead.

Rating: 2/5

Superchunk Week Video: Monday Edition - "Throwing Things"

This week will be known as "Superchunk Week" here at Shaft Went To Africa, I Went To Perkins.. There's no real reason for it besides the fact that their newest album, Majesty Shredding, was my favorite album of 2010 and because I watched a bunch of their videos over the weekend and wanted to share them here. I'll be posting a different video each day in chronological order from oldest to newest. Hopefully it will show the different sides of this great band and if it turns even one more person into a fan it will be well worth the small amount of time I've spent.

Monday's video is from 1991's No Pocky for Kitty which is generally considered Superchunk's best album. "Throwing Things" is one of the less frantic songs on the album and a really good starting point for anyone not familiar with the band. The video is a pretty simple mix of shots of the band playing intercut with a lot of looks at people's knees. It sorta makes sense in the context of the lyrics.

Weekend Video: The Supersuckers - "Born With a Tail"

After writing a post yesterday about an album full of songs that warn of the dangers of sin and the destruction Satan will reign upon you, I thought it would be a good idea to explore the other side. The Supersuckers are one of the most joyous purveyors of satanic fueled rock and roll. "Born With a Tail" is one of their defining songs and videos. It's even got Linda Blair -- of Exorcist fame -- playing the devil. The video is far from complicated, it's mostly just the band playing while riding around on the back of pick-up trucks. Usually I think simpler is better and this is no exception.

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

Kansas City Confidential is one of the better film noirs I've seen in a while. This movie is said to be one of the inspirations for Reservoir Dogs and it's easy to see why Tarantino would love it. The characters are almost all 1950's tough guys, who talk in 50's tough guy language and do 50's tough guy things. Kansas City Confidential is pretty dark for an older film as well (even compared to a lot of film noir). It starts with a healthy dose of violence and ends with a bang but also manages to be more optimistic than most comparable films as well. If you're into film noir and want to dig a little deeper than the obvious classics, Kansas City Confidential is good place to start. It's available on Netflix streaming.


Rating: 4/5

The Louvin Brothers: Tragic Songs of Life (1956)

Charlie Louvin died yesterday morning from pancreatic cancer. I had heard Louvin Brothers songs here and there throughout my life but I had never listened to any of their actual albums until a few months ago. I'm by no means a big country fan and can't stand almost all contemporary radio country but a lot of classic country music is really good. The Louvin Brothers definitely qualify as being very good. While I'm not familiar with a large amount of their work there are two albums I've listened to multiple times now. This and it's accompanying review will be my tribute to a very important act in country music history.

The Louvin Brothers always sang a mix of gospel and country music. Tragic Songs of Life is a secular album consisting largely of dark, heartbreak songs and murder ballads. While most of the songs focus on the very dark side of life, the beautiful harmonies that Ira and Charlie sing make it easy to not notice the subject matter. Ira's high tenor and Charlie's regular tenor make songs like "Knoxville Girl," "In the Pines" and "My Brother's Will" seem a lot less threatening than the lyrics alone would be. There's a genuine compassion in their voices and that helps to keep the songs from becoming overbearingly bleak.

The music is simple, classic country. Only a few tracks are upbeat ("Let Her Go, God Bless Her," "A Tiny Broken heart," "Katie Dear") and the instrumental backing is sparse. There's only a faint snare drum and some basic bass chords to hold the rhythm. Charlie's guitar is also very minimal although Ira does get to add some mandolin flourishes to a number of songs.

Tragic Songs of Life is my favorite Louvin Brothers album (though I've only heard a couple and a best of album). The harmonies are so beautiful and the subject matter is more universal than a lot of their gospel recordings. It's never too late in life to discover a new type of music and even if it takes Charlie's death (Ira died in a car accident in 1965) to do so, I'd encourage everyone with a love of beautiful harmonies to get your hands on a copy of this album. It's a true classic.


Rating: 5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Kentucky" (2:40)
2. "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (3:14)
3. "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" (2:55)
4. "What Is Home Without Love" (3:00)
5. "A Tiny Broken Heart" (2:34)
6. "In the Pines" (3:15)
7. "Alabama" (2:43)
8. "Katie Dear" (2:34)
9. "My Brother's Will" (3:16)
10. "Knoxville Girl" (3:49)
11. "Take the News to Mother" (2:48)
12. "Mary of the Wild Moor" (3:11)

The Louvin Brothers: Satan is Real (1959)

Charlie Louvin died yesterday morning from pancreatic cancer. I had heard Louvin Brothers songs here and there throughout my life but I had never listened to any of their actual albums until a few months ago. I'm by no means a big country fan and can't stand almost all contemporary radio country but a lot of classic country music is really good. The Louvin Brothers definitely qualify as being very good. While I'm not familiar with a large amount of their work there are two albums I've listened to multiple times now. This and it's accompanying review will be my tribute to a very important act in country music history.

With one look at the cover of Satan is Real you'll know you're either in for some serious spiritual guidance or a really cheesy bygone of days of yore. I guess it's really up to the individual listener to determine that for themselves, as Satan is Real could easily qualify as both. This is a straight country gospel album from start to finish. The Louvin's version of gospel music is far from the joyous celebration of God that is generally associated with the genre. The Louvin's focus much more on the existence of Satan and how all levels of drink, women and various other sins will send you to hell.

Fortunately all the things that make the Louvin Brothers music great are still there. The harmonies are as beautiful as ever and while there's little of Ira's mandolin work on display here, it isn't really missed as an electric guitar plays a more prominent role. The upbeat numbers ("There's a Higher Power" and "River of Jordan") approach a level of fun that is rare for the Louvin Brothers work. While those upbeat songs are a nice change of pace, it's ballads that the Louvin's were known for and that's the focus on most of the albums.

Obviously an album of songs about Satan coming to get you is not going to appeal to everyone but it's obvious that Charlie and Ira really believe in what they're singing. I don't think a person has to believe in the same things they do to get enjoyment from Satan is Real. I do prefer their secular work more but Satan is Real is still a classic album full of faith, sin, and Satan. It's hard not to be impressed with the commitment they show and besides who wouldn't want to own a piece of music with that album cover.


Rating: 4.5/5


Track Listing:


1. "Satan Is Real" (3:00)
2. "There's a Higher Power" (2:21)
3. "The Christian Life" (2:16)
4. "The River of Jordan" (2:17)
5. "The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea" (2:51)
6. "Are You Afraid to Die" (2:33)
7. "He Can Be Found" (2:14)
8. "Dying from Home, And Lost" (2:46)
9. "The Drunkard's Doom" (3:14)
10. "Satan's Jeweled Crown" (2:56)
11. "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night" (2:18)
12. "I'm Ready to Go Home" (3:08)

Old Man Markley: Guts 'N' Teeth (2011)

Old Man Markley is a fairly unique band. They play a style of music that's basically a mixture of punk and bluegrass. The only other band I know of playing a style of music close to this is Trampled By Turtles from Duluth, MN (side note: I avoided TBT for years thinking they were some crappy jam band only to be blown away when I first actually heard them but that's better saved for a different post). I'm sure there are other fine bands rocking out with fiddles, banjo's, autoharps and washboards (that right, washboards!) around the country but I'm not aware of them.

If you're having a hard time envisioning what bluegrass-punk sounds like, at least in the case of Old Man Markley, it sounds a lot like if Flogging Molly focused on traditional American bluegrass instead of Irish folk. There's a healthy mix of fast punk influenced songs ("For Better, For Worse," "Killing Time," In a Circle Going Round") and slower songs that lean toward the bluegrass side ("Guts 'N' Teeth," "Lowdown Blues"). Guitarist/singer John Carey has a nasally everyman voice that's easy to sing along to. That's important because every song is obviously meant to be heard with a few drinks and a group of friends singing in unison. Gang backup vocals and male/female harmonies are all over the album and the music is a party waiting to happen (which is what I expect an Old Man Markley concert likely is).

Guts 'N' Teeth is a really fun album that I've been listening to pretty heavily for the last week. The songs will get stuck in your head for days in a good way. While I'm pretty sure they just tweaked the Flogging Molly formula a little bit, there's nothing wrong with another party band that's fueled by moonshine instead of whiskey.

Rating: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. "For Better, For Worse" (2:56)
2. "At the Bottom" (2:50)
3. "Running Weight" (2:36)
4. "Guts 'N' Teeth" (2:56)
5. "Do Me Like You Do" (2:19)
6. "Killing Time" (2:41)
7. "Song Songs" (2:17)
8. "In a Circle Going Round" (2:23)
9. "Letterman" (3:05)
10. "Lowdown Blues" (4:18)
11. "Living and Learning" (2:51)
12. "Struggling" (3:13)

Red: Blu-ray (2009)

When previews for Red first started appearing on TV in October I wanted nothing to do with it. It looked like a straight, gimmicky, paycheck for the numerous stars (Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Mary Louise Parker). Once the original reviews started coming in (and were generally positive) my stance softened enough to add it to my Netflix que and forget about it. I almost removed it on more than one occasion to make room for other "films" but ultimately it stayed on and I got to be pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Frank Moses (Willis) is a retired CIA agent who's life gets thrown into disarray when a hit squad attempts to take him out. He then goes on the run to figure out who is trying to kill him and why. Along for the ride are his potential love interest (Parker) and a bunch of his former CIA cohorts (Malkocich, Freeman, Mirren) and a couple surprise guests.

The plot is the stuff of a pretty generic action comedy but the cast elevates it above the level of standard fare. Now there is by no means a part that's overly challenging for actors of this caliber but they all appear to be having a blast while making it. There's definitely a Ocean's 11 type vibe emitting from the whole movie. Willis is playing a guy he's played numerous times before and Freeman doesn't get all that much to do but they're welcome screen presences nonetheless. I've never seen Mirren in this type of role before -- not a lot of movies call for a 60+ year old women to be somewhat sexy -- but she acquits herself very well. Malkovich plays his part a little too jokey but it's hardly detrimental to either the role or the movie. The rest of the cast is rounded out by some good character actors and a couple more familiar faces that I wasn't expecting and it paid off.

The technical aspects of the blu-ray are very strong. Visually, Red is a very colorful movie but still retains it's realism. It looks great and the transfer is pristine. The audio is as impressive as the video. The action scenes come alive with surround and low end usage. The dialogue is well mixed and understandable even when it's surrounded by chaos. There's not much more to say, this is a reference quality disc.

Red isn't a great film but it is fun. You can tell everyone was having a ball making it and that sense of enjoyment can't help but rub off on the viewer. I doubt it's a movie that someone would need to own but a rental is well worth your time.

Ratings:

Movie: 3.5/5
Blu-ray: 5/5

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

Is there a more famous soul music label than Motown? Between The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Miracles, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight and the Pips, (as well as numerous others) the label produced 139 number 1 hits between 1961 and 1972. The main thing all these songs had in common is generally referred to as "the Motown Sound." While everyone is familiar with the billed artists, the people who were most responsible for the Motown sound were Motown's house band, the Funk Brothers. The Funk Brothers toiled in relative obscurity until the 2002 documentary Sanding in the Shadows of Motown was released (and brought them to slightly less than relative obscurity).

Standing in the Shadows of Motown is a mix of live concert footage -- featuring the living members of the Funk Brothers playing famous songs with singers that include, Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Bootsy Collins, and Gerald Levert -- interviews with band members and Unsolved Mystery style reenactments.

The concert footage is absolutely outstanding. There are no weak moments, the band (even though a number are elderly) is in top form, especially considering this is the first time they played together in about 30 years. The various singers really put their heart into their performances and it's very obvious the love they have for the songs and the respect they have for the band. The interviews are very informative and reveal numerous entertaining and touching anecdotes of the label and bands glory years. If there's a weak link in the film, it's the reenactments. They're pretty cheesy and feel too much like a low budget cable show. The film would have been better off just letting the band members tell the stories without attempting to show them (though I understand why the filmmakers did this).

Standing in the Shadows of Motown is my favorite music documentary of the last decade or so. It definitely helps to love 60's soul music but even a viewer with only a general knowledge should get great enjoyment from it.

Rating: 4.5/5

127 Hours (2010)

The Oscar nominations were released yesterday and 127 Hours was the only Best Picture nominee I had yet to see. I'd had a screener at my house for quite some time but never got around to watching it. A couple friends of mine had seen it and really liked it but I had no idea how great the movie was until yesterday.

127 Hours is the biographical story of Aron Ralston (James Franco) who's arm was trapped underneath a boulder while mountain climbing. He had to go through some very extreme measures in order to free himself and be rescued. I'll leave the plot summary at that for anyone who doesn't know the specifics.

First off, I loved the movie but it is not an easy film to sit through. There are plenty of scenes (and one in particular) that will cause a viewer to be very uncomfortable. There are even reports of people fainting when the film was making it's rounds on the festival circuit. There just isn't any way to watch 127 Hours and not get a strong reaction from it.

The movie rests almost entirely on two people. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire ) and star James Franco. It's easy to see why Franco got a best actor nomination. He runs through such a wide range of emotions and reactions all while being stuck in one place for over 3/4 of the film. He's shown a lot of acting skills in his previous career but really nothing that would prepare a viewer for what he does in 127 Hours.

Boyle's contributions are a little less obvious (no Best Director nomination for him) but are no less important. The sense of tension that runs throughout the movie is amazing for a film that doesn't leave one area. Using multiple camera's and in his choice of shots, you can really feel the sense of claustrophobia that Ralston went through as well as the vastness of the mountain's right outside the canyon he's trapped in. It sounds cliche but Boyle really does more with less in 127 Hours. With his past films, Boyle has proven to be one of the best directors making movie's today and this might be his best work yet.

127 Hours is both very challenging and very rewarding. It really shows the great sense of human resolve that we all have underneath if put in an extraordinary position of despair. I hadn't yet seen it when I made my favorite movies of the year list and it's only been a day but 127 Hours would surely have made the back half of the top ten. It's a fantastic showcase for Boyle and Franco and is required viewing when it's released on video March 1st.


Rating: 4.5/5

Mid-Week Video: Elvis Costello and the Attractions - I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

I watched an episode of Spectacle: Elvis Costello With... Smokey Robinson last night (it's a great show for music fans and the first season is on Netflix streaming). At one point Elvis and Smokey both mentioned how neither one can dance. For proof of that fact Elvis showed clips of this 1980 video for Elvis and the Attractions cover of Sam and Dave's "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" taken from the album Get Happy!! (great album and the song is vastly different from the Sam and Dave version). I've heard the album many times but had never seen the video. After watching it I know why. I'm not exactly a great dancer but the level of dancing ineptitude on display here is amazing. I'm sure it was done at least partly tongue-in-cheek and the results are fantastic. Pure awesomeness.

Stone: Blu-ray (2010)

Almost every thing you will read about Stone will have something to do with the teaming of Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton. Though they're two of the finest dramatic actors of the last 50 years, neither one is immune to making a stinker (Hide and Seek, Righteous Kill for DeNiro,  Pride and Glory for Norton). I wouldn't go so far as to call Stone a bad movie but it's certainly not going to be a crowning achievement for either actor.

Norton plays the title character, Gerald "Stone" Creeseon, who is serving time for arson and has recently converted to a unnamed religion. His attempts to get an early parole involve him playing a set of mind games on correctional officer Jack Mabry (DeNiro) while using his wife (Mila Jovovich) as a form of enticement. Choices are made, consequences unfold and that's about it.

Stone is a pretty small scale film. There are no giant set pieces and even the performances are understated. All three leads play their parts very well. I was a little thrown by Norton's prison accent right away but ultimately it worked very well. DeNiro plays his role in a much more subdued manner than a majority of his most recent performances and it's a welcome sight. Jovovich holds her own against the two in a femme fatale role. Unfortunately director James Curren really wants Stone to be a major philosophical thought piece and jams numerous religious themes down the viewers throat. This type of thing can be very effective when done well but here it seems to lack focus. It's obvious that Curren does not wish to tell you what to think and I applaud him for that but those themes never click enough to successfully allow the viewer to make those decisions. Stone just doesn't achieve the sort of lofty goals that I'm sure everyone making the film had in mind. 

The blu-ray is perfectly acceptable but nothing that will blow you away. The picture quality is solid and clean while the audio is almost entirely dialogue based and always understandable. Stone just isn't the type of movie that's going to be a demo for anyone's home theater.

How much enjoyment a person takes away from Stone is going to be entirely up to them. The acting is great but the characters, story, religious themes and the lack of a definitive purpose won't appeal to everyone. The blu-ray is solid as well but I'd hardly call it a must own film.

Ratings:

Movie - 3/5

Blu-ray - 3/5

Monday Video: Genesis - "Land of Confusion"

Last night I joined on a twitter argument dealing with Minnesota vs Wisconsin sports. I try to stay away from this stuff as it's usually just a pissing match filled with name calling and last night was no exception. The conversation consisted of five MN fans ganging up on one WI fan (follow him on twitter for one of the greatest NSFW feeds on the internet), with the WI fan generally coming out on top (sucks but it's true). The only place said WI fan doesn't know his stuff is college football history (this is a large problem with many Badger fans as they conveniently "forget" about life before Barry Alvarez). Long story short, WI fan is a sports trivia master except for the one area where he lives in a "Land of Confusion." He also happens to love this song so it works on that level too.

Weekend Video: Sir Douglas Quintet - "She's About a Mover"

The Sir Douglas Quintet is one of the more underrated bands to come out of the late 60's. They were very influential in their home state of Texas but never really broke through nationally. While a majority of their music would qualify as Tex-Mex, their best known song "She's About a Mover" sounds like Ray Charles (who the song obviously owes a ton to) fronting a British invasion band with a heavy keyboard. That British invasion influence is really noticeable in the visual look the group adopted in the following clip, taken from when they performed on the NBC show Hullabaloo. I love this song and it's a great gateway into the world of the Sir Douglas Quintet and eventually their frontman Doug Sahm's solo work as well.

The Aquabats!: Hi-Five Soup! (2011)

If you've never heard the Aquabats! music before, the cover of their new album, Hi Five Soup!, sums up their sound pretty well. Also consider their habit of adding exclamation points to the end of all their song titles, the fact that their lead singer is the creator of the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! and that they have always maintained a superhero mythology and you'll get a even clearer picture of what's in store. The Aquabats! started out in the mid-90's as a 3rd wave ska band but over the years they have dropped their horn section and became a synth-based new wave inspired band. Think of a less serious Devo (if that's possible).

The Aquabats! have always walked a fine line between outrageous fun and obnoxiousness and I've generally found them to fall on the latter side of that line. Hi-Five Soup! is no exception. Songs like "B.F.F.!," "My Homies!," "Poppin' a Wheelie!" and "Food Fight on the Moon!" all are high energy tracks with strong melodies that also have the chance to drive a listener crazy if you don't buy in all the way. Rapper Biz Markie makes a appearance on the faux-reggae of "Radio Down!" (that quotes "Dancing With Myself") and although it's my favorite track on the album, I wouldn't want to hear it on a consistent basis. The rest of the songs follow the same blueprint and while I like that they don't take themselves seriously, it's all a bit much to take in at once.

At this point in my life I think it's safe to say I'll never be a big fan of the Aquabats!. I won't say that they're a terrible band. They know how to make "fun" music that will appeal to a select fan base that just doesn't happen to include me. If you're already a fan of the band then Hi-Five Soup!, will probably appeal to you. If not, they're a band best served in small doses.


Rating: 2/5


Track Listing:

1. "The Shark Fighter!" (2:57)
2. "B.F.F.!" (3:20)
3. "The Legend Is True!" (3:21)
4. "Radio Down!" (3:32)
5. "Poppin' a Wheelie!" (2:16)
6. "Hey Homies!" (3:05)
7. "In My Dreams!" (3:05)
8. "Just Can't Lose!" (3:40)
9. "All My Money!" (2:49)
10. "Pink Pants!" (2:41)
11. "Food Fight on the Moon!" (2:39)
12. "Luck Dragon Lady" (3:47)

Smith Westerns: Dye it Blonde (2011)

It's pretty tough to write about Smith Westerns without referring to things the Nuggets Box Set and bands like T. Rex. Their influences are so obvious right from the start that it's easy to go down that path. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Smith Westerns self titled 2009 debut garnered some pretty favorable reviews but not too many people heard it. The biggest problem with that album is that the production was so bad it was hard to hear what was going on in the music. Still there was a undeniable charm to their ultra hooky brand of garage punk.

Smith Westerns second album, Dye It Blonde, has been recorded by and released on a fairly prominent indie label (Fat Possum), and the sound quality is greatly improved. It manages to retain the bands scruffy charm but you can actually hear the music instead of a mass of noise. Dye it Blonde is less rambunctious than their debut but far more enjoyable. The opening track "Weekend" sets the tone perfectly for the album. It's loaded with T. Rex and Mott the Hoople style fuzz guitar and has a giant hook to draw the listener in. The vocals are mainly delivered with a breathy style of singing that's reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine but with a bit more power. The rest of the album follows suit with a mix of up tempo tracks ("Imagine Pt. 3," "Fallen in Love," "Dance Away") and slower material ("Still New," "Smile," "All Die Young") that are equally effective. The only major downside to Dye it Blonde is that the band doesn't really have it's own voice yet.

Smith Westerns are a band with a ton of promise (they're all around 20 years old) and even if it isn't completely fulfilled on Dye it Blonde, the record is another step forward for the group. I look forward to future releases from them and hopefully they can turn their influences into something with a bit more of a personal stamp. They seem fully capable of doing so but they're not quite there yet.


Rating: 3.5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Weekend" - 3:20
2. "Still New" - 4:10
3. "Imagine Pt. 3" - 3:32
4. "All Die Young" - 3:45
5. "Fallen in Love" - 2:28
6. "End of the Night" - 3:24
7. "Only One" - 3:22
8. "Smile" - 4:09
9. "Dance Away" - 2:44
10. "Dye the World" - 4:11

The Decemberists: The King is Dead (2011)

Editors Note: This post is a guest review from my friend AJ Osterkamp who's blog can be found at http://minnesotawriter.com/

​As a big fan of The Decemberists’ 2009 release, The Hazards Of Love, I was worried by the opening note on their new album, The King Is Dead. The possibility that this album might perhaps be startlingly different than anything previously released by The Decemberists rattled my cage a bit. I was soon relaxed, however, by Meloy’s strong vocals calling forth in his usual operatic style. The King Is Dead is very much different from anything else the band has done to date, and as much as I wanted to see a repeat of their 2009 release, I found myself very much pleased by the sound The Decemberists have created on this album.

The King Is Dead draws heavy influence from the band R.E.M., and even has R.E.M.’s Peter Buck contributing guitar on several tracks. In fact, upon first hearing the new album’s second track, "Calamity Song," I nearly mistook it for a cover of R.E.M.’s "Talk About the Passion." Another one of the albums songs titled "Down By the Water" (which also features Buck contributing), feels a lot like an R.E.M. track as well. If I have one problem with this album it’s that rather than drawing influence from R.E.M. to create something that is wholly their own, The Decemebersits, at times, seem to be simply mimicking R.E.M.’s sound. While I like the new sound on The King Is Dead, I would have rather seen The Decemberists really form the influence R.E.M. gave them into something a bit more unique.

The King Is Dead has a sound that will have a much broader fan base, which is certainly good for the band. I for one am not a believer of good bands staying small so I'm also happy about them appealing to a larger demographic. People should experience all of the greatness they can, and if The King Is Dead helps some more people discover The Hazards Of Love, that will be a great success in itself. Ultimately though, The King Is Dead isn’t starkly brilliant, like it's predecessor. In the end all I found myself doing was dusting off my copy of R.E.M’s Murmur to relive the classic sound from the originators.

Rating 3.5/5

Track Listing:

1. "Don't Carry It All" - 4:17
2. "Calamity Song" - 3:50
3. "Rise to Me" - 4:59
4. "Rox in the Box" - 3:10
5. "January Hymn" - 3:14
6. "Down by the Water" - 3:42
7. "All Arise!" - 3:10
8. "June Hymn" - 3:58
9. "This Is Why We Fight" - 5:31
10. "Dear Avery" - 4:52

Gregg Allman: Old Country Blues (2011)

I think it would be impossible to name a better white male soul singer in history than Gregg Allman. His work with the Allman Brothers Band is legendary and -- after a large period of inactivity in the 80's -- they are still a major recording and (especially) touring draw. It's easy to think of The Allman's as a group that's primarily focused on instrumentation and while that's true, Gregg's voice has been the one constant in their career and a very important piece of the puzzle. While Gregg had some very good solo albums during the bands 70's heyday, his solo career has not been resurrected to the same level of that of the Allman Brothers Band. Old Country Blues isn't going to be a multi-platinum best seller but it is a highly enjoyable collection of songs that fans of the band will love.

Produced by the ever busy T-Bone Burnett (this where I'd usually list a bunch of his work but there's so much recently it's easier to do this), Old Country Blues is consisted primarily of obscure blues covers -- I'm not an old blues expert but I have listened to my fair share and I recognize 3 of these songs -- with one original ("Just Another Rider") holding down the middle. T-Bone's production style is immediately recognizable in the opening seconds of "Floating Bridge." The sparse sound is unmistakably Burnett and fits the material very well. Even though the sound has the sort of empty vibe you'd expect from his production style, there is a lot of stuff going on in almost every song. Horns, multiple organs and guitars as well as female backup singers are prominent throughout the recordings. Gregg's voice is in fine form and he sounds practically rejuvenated at times. On songs like "Little By Little," "Checking on My Baby" and "Please Accept My Love," I'd swear it was the early 70's version of Allman singing, not a 60 year old man.

The only small complaint I have with Old Country Blues is that the songs tend to bleed together a bit. It's a fantastic album from start to finish and it flows amazingly well but distinguishing which track you're listening to while it's playing isn't always easy. I'm not familiar enough with Allman's solo catalog to say exactly where this would rank but I'm pretty confident that it's his best one since at least 1977 and holds up there with the best of not only his solo work but also with the Allman Brothers Band. Any fan of The Allman's, or just roots, blues and soul music in general should greatly enjoy it.


Rating 4.5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Floating Bridge" (4:45)
2. "Little by Little" (2:45)
3. "Devil Got My Woman" (4:52)
4. "I Can't Be Satisfied" (3:31)
5. "Blind Man" (3:46)
6. "Just Another Rider" (5:39)
7. "Please Accept My Love" (3:07)
8. "I Believe I'll Go Back Home" (3:49)
9. "Tears, Tears, Tears" (4:54)
10. "My Love Is Your Love" (4:14)
11. "Checking On My Baby" (4:06)
12. "Rolling Stone" (7:04)

Pearl Jam: Live on Ten Legs (2011)

This one's gonna be short and simple. I love Pearl Jam but does the world really need another live album from them? If you count authorized bootlegs, Live on Ten Legs is roughly the six hundred and forty third live recording the band has released in their career. I suppose they want to get live version of some of the songs off Backspacer out there for the die hard fans (of which there are many), but this just seems unnecessary even by live album standards.

The good news is that the music contained here is excellent. There is a nice mix of radio hits and lesser known album tracks. Pearl Jam are one of the finest live bands in the business today and their concert sound is generally faster and tougher than on their records. That's documented here as every song is very well done and enjoyable. It's also fun to see what covers the band will bust out and here we get versions of Joe Strummer's "Arms Aloft" (which is great) and Public Image Ltd.'s "Public Image" (not as great).

The problem with Live on Ten Legs has nothing to do with the music presented. It verifies that Pearl Jam is still a great live band but I don't think anyone really doubted that. There are few surprises (other than the covers) and the album just feels unnecessary. If you're a die hard Pearl Jam fan who wants to own anything they release by all means pick this up (though you were gonna no matter what I say), but for everyone else there's no shortage of live Pearl Jam material available to choose from so I can't say this a must own.


Rating: 3/5


Track Listing:

1. "Arms Aloft" (3:27)
2. "World Wide Suicide" (3:16)
3. "Animal" (2:41)
4. "Got Some" (2:57)
5. "State of Love and Trust" (3:18)
6. "I Am Mine" (3:23)
7. "Unthought Known" (3:55)
8. "Rearviewmirror" (7:00)
9. "The Fixer" (3;27)
10. "Nothing as it Seems" (5:13)
11. "In Hiding" (4:52)
12. "Just Breathe" (3:53)
13. "Jeremy" (5:19)
14. "Public Image" (2:52)
15. "Spin the Black Circle" (3:05)
16. "Porch" (7:00)
17. "Alive" (6:21)
18. "Yellow Ledbetter" (5:20)

Heaven's Gate (1980)

It's almost impossible to talk about Heaven's Gate the movie without getting into Heavens Gate the fiasco. Michael Cimino's western flop of epic proportions was so bloated and over budget that it derailed Cimino's promising career (just one year earlier he won a slew of Oscars for The Deer Hunter), bankrupted United Artists Studio (who had produced some of the finest films in history, (The Night of the Hunter, Some Like it Hot, Midnight Cowboy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rocky and Raging Bull to name only a small few), and basically forced studios to take control of a film's production away from it's directors from that point forward. The production of Heaven's Gate is well documented in the book and documentary Final Cut. I haven't read the book but the documentary is available in eight parts on Youtube. It runs about seventy minutes and is a great accompany piece (and actually more interesting than Heaven's Gate) to the film.

But what to make of the film itself. When Heaven's Gate was released the reviews were scathing. Some labeled it as the worst movie in history and to my knowledge there was only one positive review written at the time. A quick plot summary reveals that Heaven's Gate is a fictionalized account of the Johnson County War starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges, Isabelle Huppert, John Hurt, Brad Douriff and Sam Waterston with smaller roles played by now familiar faces such as Mickey Rourke and Terry O'Quinn (John Locke!). Kristofferson is the sheriff of Johnson county who gets involved in a love triangle with Walken and Huppert's characters, while at the same time trying to keep a group of wealthy land owners led by Hurt and Waterston from murdering a large group of immigrants (Bridges, Douriff). 

After watching it for the first time, I think it's safe to say that most critics were too caught up in the hype surrounding the troubled production to appreciate some of the many positives Heaven's Gate has to offer. For starters, the film is absolutely beautiful to look at. Even though the version I watched featured some pretty terrible video quality, it was impossible to not marvel at the shots that Cimino and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond put together throughout the entire three and half hour run time. Cimino's attention to detail is quite legendary and for the purpose of the overall visuals, it served the movie very, very well. The musical score by David Mansfield is excellent as well and is a key component is keeping the tone consistent throughout the movie. Almost all the performances are of a high quality with Hurt's supporting role being a highlight. For the most part, when taken on their own, individual scenes are excellent. The violent portions of the movie specifically are very well done and exciting, though at times it's difficult to tell what exactly is happening.

Even with all the positive aspects of Heaven's Gate it's also easy to see why the movie was such a horrible failure. For starters there's the runtime. There's at most two hours worth of story here and it's stretched out for at least an extra hour and a half. I generally hate when people complain about a movie being slow since it usually means that they're not paying attention to other aspects of the film but in this case there's no denying that the movie crawls along at a snail's pace. There's also no one who (at the time) was a bona fide movie star and box office draw. Though Bridges and Walken were both well regarded actors (Bridges was nominated for a couple Oscars and Walken had won one), at that point in their careers, they were not reasons to see a film like some (or a lot of) people would consider them today. Huppert was making her English film debut and it shows. She's a fine actress and does a good job but her French accent is very heavy and can be hard to understand (I suppose this could just be the audio track as well). The fact that the movie is about a violent and negative point in American History could not have possibly helped either. Though I'm sure the script plays loose with the facts, the U.S. Gov't does not come off positive at all and in the early Reagan era that wasn't nearly as accepted in films as it was a few years earlier or would be today.

Overall Heaven's Gate is nowhere near the disaster it's reputation suggests. There are numerous positive aspects to the film. Unfortunately the negatives will still outweigh the positives for most people. If you're interested in film history, this is a movie that you must see at least one time in your life. I would definitely not recommend it to the average moviegoer though. It's just way too bloated and self-indulgent to hold most people's interest for three and a half hours.

Rating: 2.5/5

Social Distortion: Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is Social Distortion's first studio album in seven years. That type of delay isn't all that uncommon for a band that's released 7 albums in 30 years. As I noted in my rank of Social D's records, putting out records at that type of pace usually means they're of a very high quality. Hard Times is no different. Frontman Mike Ness knows what type of music the band excels at and doesn't ever have them stray too far from their established roots-punk sound. That's not to say that aren't any new wrinkles added to the fold this time around. The album opening "Road Zombie" is the first instrumental to make it's way to a Social D record and while The Rolling Stones have always been a giant influence on Ness, "California (Hustle and Flow)" and "Can't Take it With You" -- which also features some boogie-woogie piano --  utilize Exile on Main Street type gospel background singers for the first time in Social D's history.

The rest of the album checks all the traditional Social Distortion boxes. The bands usual songs about sensitive tough guys ("Machine Gun Blues"), survivor anthems ("Still Alive"), self-reflective ballads ("Bakersfield", Writing on the Wall") and punk covers of classic country songs (Hank Williams' "Alone and Forsaken") are all represented. The lack of differentiation from previous albums really doesn't matter when the songs are as uniformly strong as the ones on Hard Times. The band -- guitarist Johnny Wickersham, bassist Brent Harding and drummer David Hidalgo Jr. -- lay down the backing tracks with the expected Social D energy and style. (As usual) Ness makes the most of his limited vocal range by infusing the rock songs with toughness and the ballads with tenderness but there's more soul in his delivery than normal. The production is just a little bit too clean sounding for my tastes but that's a minor nitpick as there is no lack of power behind these songs.

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is yet another great Social Distortion album in a career full of great albums. Longtime fans will not be disappointed and anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of hearing Social D are highly encouraged to do so. This probably wouldn't be the first of their albums I'd give to a newcomer but it still is a fine showcase for the band

Ranking: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. "Road Zombie" - 2:21
2. "California (Hustle and Flow)" - 5:00
3. "Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown" - 3:23
4. "Diamond in the Rough" - 4:35
5. "Machine Gun Blues" - 3:33
6. "Bakersfield" - 6:25
7. "Far Side of Nowhere" - 3:29
8. "Alone and Forsaken" - 4:02
9. "Writing on the Wall" - 5:01
10. "Can't Take It With You" - 5:02
11. "Still Alive" - 4:05

Cage the Elephant: Thank You, Happy Birthday (2011)

Do you miss the alternative rock that dominated airwaves in the 90's? Cage the Elephant certainly does. They scored a fairly sizable hit last year with "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" and while there's no song on Thank You, Happy Birthday that approaches that tracks instant gratification, it's a fine record nonetheless.

Cage the Elephant mashes up a lot of influences to create their brand of pure alternative rock. The music is a mix of some classic rock staples (Rolling Stones) but with the edge and energy of Nirvana or the Smashing Pumpkins. The drums sound huge, and the guitars even bigger. Vocalist Matthew Schultz sings and yells like he's paying Black Francis for the rights to sing in a Pixies cover band.  

Thank You, Happy Birthday certainly seems out of place in todays indie rock dominated rock landscape and they seem to realize it. "Indie Kidz" is a spastic slam of all things hipster, and the songs "2024," "Sell Yourself" and "Sabertooth Tiger," while not lacking in hooks, are pure garage rock rave ups. If I didn't know better it would be easy to mistake "Aberdeen," and "Around My Head" for covers of lost Pixies b-sides. While the heavy songs are the first to jump out at you, Cage the Elephant isn't afraid to calm down and show off their sensitive side. Both "Rubber Ball" and the album closer "Flow" are fine ballads. The first single "Shake Me Down" and "Right Between My Eyes" split the difference between the two extremes and are highly enjoyable pop rock tracks.

Before hearing Thank You, Happy Birthday, I was pretty skeptical of my chances of enjoying the album. I had only heard "Ain't No Rest" and while I enjoy that track greatly, it screamed one hit wonder to me. Thankfully Cage the Elephant is fully capable of making a full record of hard hitting and abrasive yet melodic alternative rock. There aren't too many popular bands out there currently making this kind of music and even though there's nothing too original going on, Thank You, Happy Birthday makes up for it with a rush of pure mid-90's style enjoyment. 

Rating: 4/5

Track listing:

1. "Always Something" - 3:41
2. "Aberdeen" - 3:12
3. "Indy Kidz" -5:02
4. "Shake Me Down" - 3:31
5. "2024" - 3:10
6. "Sell Yourself" - 2:11
7. "Rubber Ball" - 3:47
8. "Right Before My Eyes" - 3:14
9. "Around My Head" - 3:11
10. "Sabertooth Tiger" - 2:51
11. "Japanese Buffalo" - 3:03
12. "Flow" - 7:43

Weekend Video: Fishbone - "Everyday Sunshine"

I've had a pretty rough morning. Between waking up with a headache, a couple of job rejections and dropping a carton of eggs on the ground, the weekend can only look up. The hopeful start of the upturn may have happened when I heard this song for the first time in years. Early Fishbone is really good stuff and this is my favorite of all their songs. Try and be mad after watching it, it's just not possible.

Ranking the Albums: The Social Distortion version

For a band that's been around since the early 80's, Social Distortion doesn't have a whole lot of studio albums to their name. When Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes releases on February 18th, it will be only their 7th full length album in a 30 year history (frontman Mike Ness, the only remaining original member, has a couple solo albums to his credit). To celebrate that album releasing I will now perform a patented Shaft Went To Africa, I Went To Perkins album ranking post. One of the positives about only releasing a handfull of albums in a career, while still touring and writing on a fairly consistent basis, is that the quality will likely be very high. That is most definitely the case with Social Distortion's output. There are no bad records on this list, just some that I enjoy more than others.

For the purposes of this post Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes along with their rarities collection Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past and the live album Live at the Roxy will not be included.

Cake: Showroom of Compassion (2011)

I've never been a serious Cake fan and most of what I know of them consists of their singles. They're a band that I enjoy hearing randomly but I have never went out of my way to listen to one of their albums. One of my New Years resolutions (that I just decided on a couple days ago) was to update this blog more and with some stuff that I may not necessarily enjoy. This is my first attempt at that.

Cake hasn't released an studio album in seven years prior to Showroom of Compassion and vocalist/songwriter John McCrea has said the album would be a much different sound that previous releases. Since I've never listened to Cake intensely, I guess I can't say for sure that it's not different, but Showroom of Compassion sounds exactly the same as every cake song I've ever heard before.

That's not to say the album is bad, it's just more of the same. There's a lot of enjoyable stuff here. "Got To Move," "Sick of You" and "Long Time" could all be decent alternative radio hits and the more offbeat side of the band (though they're pretty offbeat in nature) is represented as well with the instrumental "Teenage Pregnancy," the slow country of "Bound Away" and the album closing "Italian Guy."

Showroom of Compassion isn't going to change anyones opinion of Cake. If you liked them before you'll like them now and if you didn't you still won't. It's a solid album from start to finish but I still don't see the need to seek out future Cake releases for myself.


Rating 3.5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Federal Funding" - 3:50
2. "Long Time" - 4:36
3. "Got to Move" - 3:40
4. "What's Now is Now" - 3:37
5. "Mustache Man (Wasted)" - 4:04
6. "Teenage Pregnancy" - 2:41
7. "Sick of You" - 3:18
8. "Easy to Crash" - 4:08
9. "Bound Away" - 3:25
10. "The Winter" - 4:06
11. "Italian Guy" - 3:11

Marshall Crenshaw: Marshall Crenshaw (1982)

Pop music can get a bad reputation in certain musical circles (i.e. snobs like me, or so I've been told) and for the most part it's well earned. Of course there are always exceptions and when pop music is done right it can be a thing of beauty. Marshall Crenshaw's debut album is such an exception. The music is pure guitar pop. The songs are all about girls and rarely go on longer than 3 minutes. The production is extremely clean but not overpowered by unnecessary touches. Crenshaw's melodies will bury their way into your brain and stay there for long periods of time. 

You can tell what the album is going to sound like just by looking at the cover photo of Marshall. It's Buddy Holly music filtered through Elvis Costello and covered with an early 80's sheen. The fact that this wasn't a giant hit in 1982 is a mystery to me and even though "Someday Someway" hit the top 40, the album never took off. Listening to it now, there are at least 4 songs that should have been all over the radio including the previously mentioned "Someday." The album opens with "There She Goes Again" and it's a perfect take on seeing your ex with someone else. "Cynical Girl" and "Mary Anne" both have ridiculously catchy melodies that belong on everyone's Ipod. The rest of the tracks are all very enjoyable as well, especially the rockabilly vibe of "The Usual Thing" and a faithful cover of Arthur Alexander's "Soldier of Love." 

It's never too late to discover great music that may have slipped through the mainstream cracks a bit.  I can't think of too many better artists and albums to do so, than Marshall Crenshaw.

Rating: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. "There She Goes Again" - 2:39
2. "Someday, Someway" - 2:53
3. "Girls" - 3:04
4. "I'll Do Anything" - 3:03
5. "Rockin' Around in N.Y.C. " - 3:10
6. "The Usual Thing" - 3:06
7. "She Can't Dance" - 2:47
8. "Cynical Girl" - 2:37
9. "Mary Anne" - 2:57
10. "Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)" - 2:39
11. "Not for Me" - 2:38
12. "Brand New Lover" - 2:39

Mid-Week Video: Drive-By Truckers - "Used To Be A Cop"

It's been a while since I linked any video's here but it's a new year which means a new plan to update this blog with inane content much more often. We'll see how long that lasts. Anyway I can't really think of a better band to start the new year off with than the Drive-By Truckers. I've written about them before, reviewed their albums, included them on best of lists and linked a previous video. They're one of my favorite bands and for the second time in a little over a year they have a new album coming out. Go-Go Boots releases on February 14th and I'm sure it will live up to the Truckers usually high standards. The video is for the song "Used To Be A Cop" and it's a great looking black and white film that showcases the band playing. Good stuff as always.



Used to Be a Cop - Go-Go Boots - Drive-By Truckers from Drive-By Truckers on Vimeo.