Woo-Hoo, I'm Not Last! Aaron's VOL.7 Comments

Sorry for the delay on these, I did have comments almost ready to go three weeks ago, but I changed my mind on what I thought of some of the selections. Things are pretty crazy for me right now, Krista has quite a bit going on, and that leaves me with Elsa most of my waking, non-working hours. I also no longer have time to work on comments at work (where I did most of my blogging). I am trying to get more exercise in, and that is taking any free time I have(in fact, I'm finishing these up three hours before I have to get up for work). So again I apologize, but I can’t promise things will get much better in the future. If that is grounds for excommunication, so be it. I have no plans to quit.

Sam Phillips (Hmmm)

My first thought was “I thought Phillips just produced records.” Second thought was “That’s a chick, and doesn’t sound like a ‘Sun’ record anyway.” Sorry T-Clog, never had any doubts. I dig her voice, and the sound, but these offerings don’t make me want to rush out and buy, or even add to a list if “somedays” for that matter.

1. "How to Quit"

I like the waltz in 4/4 sections. Overall there seems to be a Beatles influence in there, maybe circa The White Album. I like the lyrics (although, like Dan I am left wondering about the message), but there is an effect on vocal that makes it hard for me to clearly understand, and that may keep me from liking this one better.

2. "Red Silk Five"

Dan may be onto something with his wondering about the ethnic influence of this song. Maybe gypsy, with a jazzy blues mixed in. I envision hearing this song in a café in the south of France. Tom’s Sammy wandering through the tables singing to the patrons, snaking her boa around men’s necks. I like this one about the same as the first. Pleasant, but not outstanding.


The Decemberists (Ah Ha!)

The next three songs were not the original sticking point of this collection for me, but rather the cause of the second delay. I know that I have heard The Decemberists on The Current, and I know that I liked what I heard. That said, for some reason I was not liking them one damn bit. And that was driving me nuts. I had comments done for Sammy, and for the second two in this set, and I was giving Vol. 7 another listen on the iPod at my monthly poker tourney, and it hit me. My QQ ran into KK, and I was out, but The Decemberist had an Ace in the hole, and caught a break.

Make no mistake, this is folk music. From Montana, but not of Montana. From the 21st Century, but not of it.

3. "We Both Go Down Together"

OK, here it is. My problem, an irrational one to be sure, started with the first line of this song, and I subconsciously held the grudge through all three songs.

Here on these cliffs of Dover
So high you can't see over

That bugs the shit out of me. It doesn’t make any sense, and it still bothers me every time I hear the song. But now that I’ve come to terms with it I am moving on. Otherwise I like the song. The vocals don’t bother me at all, but then again I think Tom Petty and Geddy Lee have fine voices. I like the mix of the acoustic instruments, and this carries over to the other two songs. The pizzicato violin is something not often heard in pop music and I like it here at the 1:16 mark. The harmonic turn at the 2:00 mark is nice, but the lyrics there get to me again. Her name seems like a cheap rhyme. And “untouched?” We know that ain’t true. She’s got a tat, and we KNOW he nailed her in the clearing.

4. "Eli, The Barrow Boy"

And now for something completely different, The Larch. It should become a requirement that each volume have at least one tree reference.

Another love song, this time they are both from the wrong side of the tracks, so they got that going for them. But the barrow boy can’t swim for shit, and that is a real downer. I love the somber mood of this song. But for the lyrics, and vocals (in other words, the guitar and violin), this seems like it could be at home on a Lyle Lovett album. Funny how the vocal style and lyrics can have such an effect.

5. "The Mariner’s Revenge Song"

Sorry to hear that this song gives T-Clog visions of an izmel. I for one like the song. This would make a great screen play. I’m thinking Depp and Bloom…

Great all around. The music matches that tale perfectly. He does have a knack for storytelling. I love the whale attack at 6:35. As Dan mentioned the music doen’t do much, but the lyrics are the focus of this song, and the music comliments them perfectly.


Sufjan Stevens (Meh…)

I love the album title, and it’s an interesting concept, the 50 states/50 albums. I hope he ca finish it, otherwise people are going to point and laugh. I’ve hit a roadblock with these last five songs. I’ve listened and listened to this collection, more than any of the others, almost every day for the three weeks I’ve had it (and since I delayed these comments due to tracks 3-5), and I just cant get anything on these last five tracks. The music is pleasant enough, and I don’t have the urge to skip ahead on any of the tracks, but I can’t really listen to it. On all of my listenings while working around the house or playing with Elsa it has faded to the background. Even on my serious listens, following along with the lyrics I have trouble concentrating, and my mind wanders, even as I am looking at the words, but not seeing them. I’ll give a few notes on each track, but assume that all I’ve said so far applies.

6. "Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois"

Starting out, I dig the piano, and I would like to get into a song about UFOs, but all of the above apply here.

7. "John Wayne Gacy Jr."

Chilling indeed. Especially the last line. The music starts to draw me in at the end of the first verse, but fades again as the song goes on.


8. "Decatur, Or, Round of Applause For Your Stepmother!"

This is my favorite of the selections from Stevens. I like the instrumentation, but I would like a little more progression musically. Some places the vocal seems a bit rigid, but overall, not a bad selection.

9. "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!"

Toward the end of the song things get busy musically (ala The Polyphonic Spree), but it still doesn’t grab me.

10. "The Seer’s Tower"

Nothing here for me really.


Wrapping up

Bold move for Mix highlighting only three artists, but not a bad idea. I wouldn’t object to others taking this approach if they feel the urge. Not finding myself a fan of Stevens, but it certainly wasn’t torture. Like I said, his music was pleasant enough, but just didn’t grab me.

BS: A tie between The Mariner’s Revenge Song, and Eli, The Barrow Boy.
SIWHI: NA