scene but not herd

Tomorrow night I'm going to see Paul Westerberg. I can't say I'm too hyped about it. If I didn't already have the ticket I probably wouldn't go at all, but I shouldn't be so negative. Who knows, maybe I'll actually enjoy it.

In contrast, here are some shows I'm curious about or that I look forward to that have just come to my attention:

Antony and the Johnsons at Amoeba.

Cass McCombs March 8th at Spaceland.

Oneida and Black Mountain March 19th at Spaceland.

Midnight Movies March 30th at Spaceland.

Deerhoof April 8th and 9th at the Echo.

Dead Meadow April 15th and 16th.

Magnolia Electric Co. April 22nd at the Echo.

Two things that get a lot of press and I'm profoundly unimpressed by are the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes. Maybe I'm getting old, but I just don't see what all the hoopla is about. Maybe the reason I don't care is the fact that so many people seem to be forcing it down my throat that this is music of quality and importance. Count me out. Yawn. Someone that has also been getting a lot of press is Joanna Newsom. She sings and accompanies herself on harp and I have yet to hear her album. Last night I taped her appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show and I'm not sure how I feel about her. She definitely has a presence that, at least to me, is quite attractive. In her own way she is very pretty and she looks quite stunning playing that large harp which really sounded great. The problem for me is her voice. The only way I can describe it is as disturbing. It is not a bad voice, but it is definitely a unique voice and right now I just don't like it. I could see it growing on me, but I'm not sure if that is right. I often think that music should be immediately visceral. It should hit you right away and you should be able to say I like it or I don't. I guess things aren't always that simple, though and Joanna Newsom is someone I might have to work on for awhile. She might just one day define the phrase "an acquired taste" for me.

Tuesday I went to pick up the new Dead Meadow album and my nearest record store didn't even have it in stock. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because right now I think their recorded work pales in comparison to their live sound. The albums I've heard are good, but they don't quite cut the mustard for me and I wonder how this new record will stand up. Well tonight I went to another store and they had it, but they were selling it for $16.99. That just seemed too much for me and I passed it up again. I might just have to order this one from Amazon. I like supporting my local stores, but sometimes I just have to save some money as well.

There are also a couple of other things I'm interested in getting right now. There's some kind of special edition of Unrest's Imperial FFRR album out right now and this is a must have for me. It's one of my top ten albums of all time and I really can't explain why it holds so much importance to me. I've already railed against hyperbole in terms of the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes, but I could hypocritically heave a bunch of hyperbole on Imperial FFRR. It's just a beautiful album and I love it. The only other person I know who also liked it a lot is my friend Kirk. If you knew Kirk you probably would never imagine him liking this album, but he once told me that he and his girlfriend used to listen to it everyday for months when it first came out. I can totally relate to this because I probably did the same exact thing. The other thing I want to get is a collection of Scritti Politti's early work. I was never a huge fan of them, but I really do find them intriguing. I don't know if I so much like their sound as I do the ideas around them. The song "The Sweetest Girl" is probably the best way ( or 'perfect way," ha ha) to try to describe what I mean. The music is basically a pop reggae rhythm, but the lyrics are what really stand out. I've always loved the use of language and how meanings can be changed and simplified or even made more complex. When you read that song title I have to think that you immediately think of a love song and it is that, but it is so much more:


The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me

When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it

The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me

What I want I shall take what you think that you know
Oh such an awful mistake to never let go
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it

The weakest link in every chain
I always want to find it
the strongest words in each belief
Find out what's behind it
The politics is prior to
The vagaries of science
She left because she understood
The value of defiance

When the government falls I wish I could tell
When necessity calls I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it

The sweetest girl in all the world
These words are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that died before me
When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
You know that it can never be told


I just love the verse that begins with "the weakest link in every chain." It just totally changes the song as it literally exposes the "bigger picture." It is not just a boy and a girl, but the "political" world and their place in it and the way they convey and receive meaning in that world. All this in a little pop ditty. I love a good, dumb rock song as much as the next person, but it is nice to be challenged sometimes by "art" especially in a form so "insignificant" as a pop song.