035 This and Every Subsequent Wednesday

I'll add to this post throughout the day as I tackle the ridiculous task of counting down...

*** The Top Ten Records Released on May 10, 2005 ***

10 The String Quartet Tribute To Mars Volta

Elliott Smith? Check. Pixies? Check. Madonna? Check. Oasis? Check. Train? Check, I guess. Would anyone really be interested in a string version of "Drops of Jupiter" or even less likely, any of their remaining album filler? Sum 41? Ok, now we're getting loopy. I guess it makes sense, I mean, they've had a number of hits. Sure, check. MARS VOLTA? Hold the phone, we're going in! Someone needs to put a stop to this before they decide to do a string tribute to my first ska band, Kemosabe. Maybe they should think about doing a string tribute to The Rachel's...

But in all seriousness, I can see where a "tribute" to a relatively obscure band like Mars Volta would have its allure. I mean, even I would have no idea where to even begin transcribing and converting those manic drum parts into some outrageous cello line. Could it be that the quartet just feels the need to show off a little after that Sum 41 thing? Easiest orchestration ever! In my opinion, I think this record would do just fine if Mars Volta wasn't even mentioned on the cover. How about something like "String Quartet Chases Hits Of Acid With 50 Cups Of Coffee And Rolls The Tape." People would line up to buy that.

09 Bryan Adams - Room Service

Before we go any further, i feel i need to clarify that my list does not necessarily reflect the albums in the order of their quality, per se. I’m taking many variables into consideration including novelty, interest, and my general knowledge of the subject at hand. Now, I know this particular subject and I can’t help but wonder... did the fax that Badman Recording Co received have some letters blurred out? “Hell yeah, we’ll totally do a Ryan Adams album!” After some more searching, it was revealed to me that the Badman Limited label that released this atrocity has nothing to do with the Badman that we know and love for Hayden and Mark Kozelek. Thank heavens.

You have to give the guy credit for stickin’ with it, i guess... and for having the courage to go on a co-headlining minor league baseball park tour with Def Leppard... which just solidifies the wussiness of 80’s hair metal and its co-dependence upon top 40 schlock. Hey, I had “Hysteria” and I had “Reckless.” I felt a little something when the Summer of 69 video went from black and white to color signifying the inevitable change to adulthood. But if Bryan was feeling that way back in 1984, then maybe he should have considered quitting or getting married like Jimmy or Josie before we had to be subjected to “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me is You” or this album that no US label wanted to touch with a ten foot pole until yesterday.

08 Dave Brubeck - Two Generations of Brubeck

Originally released in August 1973, this intriguing record gets a well deserved CD treatment courtesy of the Wounded Bird label. Get this: It’s (arguably) the greatest jazz pianist ever... with three of his sons(!) taking on keyboards, trombone, & drums. Impressive to say the least. I had no idea, but the Brubeck Brothers actually released a record in 2000 called “Second Nature” which, as you’d assume, featured a version of dad’s classic “Take Five,” surprisingly left off of this disc. They do tackle two of my favorite jams, “Blue Rondo a la Turk” and “Unsquare Dance,” both with mind scrambling time signatures. (hmm... mp3 weekend....) Who is this Mars... Volta?

I was fortunate enough to see Dave Brubeck play a few years ago at the Ravinia Festival in the northern Chicago suburbs and it was such a strong testament to the man’s talents. At 70+ years of age, this frail old man shuffles up to the mic and can barely speak to the audience, although his words are filled with charm in that lovable grandpa kinda way. He lumbers over to the piano and starts to play. Boom, he’s in his twenties and the piano may as well have burst into flames. He was amazing. I love hearing different versions of “Blue Rondo” and so i’ll have to track this down.

07 DJ Captain Crunk - Crunk Wars

Ah, crunk. Is it a mix of “crazy” and “drunk” or is it “funk?” Is it just plain ol Southern hip-hop? I dunno. That’s why I looked it up in the urban dictionary where we find such uses as "We about to get crunk in here!" and "I got so damn crunk last night, i shot up dat house!" Either way, i can't find a damn thing about the Captain on the internet, no name, no picture, no interview with him revealing his favorite cereal, nothing! What i do know is that Crunk Wars is basically a non-stop mix of 16 different crunked tracks by artists such as Ludacris and the undisputed kings of crunk, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. So as far as i can tell, what the Captain did, is he decided to pirate his favorite tracks into one long dance party extravaganza and then ship it out with his name on it. Sounds pretty bootleg to me but i guess it's legit. I, for one, cannot wait until the release of Peanut Butter Crunk... but that's another Wednesday.

06 Robert Plant & The Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger

I was going to start with a lil history about my past love for Led Zeppelin and my all too brief brush with Page and/or Plant's solo excursions, and then I saw the title of Track number 3: FREEDOM FRIES! That's incredible. Wasn't it some backwoodsy North Carolinan hot dog stand that coined this term to protest France's refusal to back DJ Captain Bush's invasion of Iraq? And of course, we all know that when word that a few restaurants had ditched the French intro to the fried potato string reached DJ Captain Chirac in France, all hell broke loose. "No! Not the defenseless French Fry! ... Dammit. Better send in the troops now..." Who knew that the term would end up as the title of a Robert Plant song?

From everything I've read, this album seems to be pretty sweet. A little something for everybody. A protest song here, a piano driven tribute to Ray Charles there, a Kashmir-esque Zeppelin nod here, an acoustic ballad there. I needed a quick taste so upon reading one reviewer's claim that "you'd need 3 legs to dance to 'Freedom Fries'," I downloaded it and had a listen. Holy shit, it's awesome. It's got a typical blues structure but the beat is absolutely insane. From what i can gather, it's in 9/8 time and still catchy. What the hell? Who is this Dave... Brubeck?

05 Team Sleep - s/t

The allure of the Deftones to me was not the bone crunching guitars or those ever present sing along "mosh parts," for lack of a better term. It was always Chino Moreno's voice that drew me in. It's very unique and always seems to be teetering on the edge of just falling apart. It reminds me of some of Billy Corgan's vocal work in a lot of ways minus the nasality... anyway, all of the signs point to me loving the Team Sleep album. Gone is the spine shattering rock and it's replaced with subtle electronica, courtesy of DJ Crook, not to be confused with DJ Captain Crook.

I've had some Team Sleep on the iPod for quite some time now as demos and whatnot had found their way onto the net. Songs with titles such as "Natalie Portman" and "Appollonia" had breezed by me with not too much interest, but i never took it to heart. These were unmastered demos. Enter Ross Robinson. Enter Mary Timony. Enter Rob Crow. Now we have something to cheer about! What seemed like little more than Moreno noodling around with some keyboards is now a full blown juggernaut. Let's hope people appreciate it.

04 Adam Ant - Remasters Box Set

I want to publicly thank Christopher for finding and sharing those amazing Dexy's Midnight Runners' videos. And now my next request... As a young Chicago lad glued to the tube in the early 80's, I stumbled across a UK video show that ran on channel 55 after school and every day, i was there in my parents room (the only room that received this odd channel) watching. Adam Ant was a fixture on this station and it was in his most flamboyant Prince Charming stage. I remember videos for that title track, "Stand and Deliver," and "Ant Rap." Please find them. Somebody. Help...

So when "Goody Two Shoes" actually made Adam a household name in the US for a few months, it was old hat to me. I revelled in saying, "yeah that's a good one, but you simply have to hear his old stuff." Nevertheless, the latter days of the flamboyant Adam (before his "Wonderful" comeback coupled with subsequent arrests) were pretty great. Remasters compiles three albums (Friend or Foe, Strip, and Vive Le Rock) and has an extra disc of rarities... lotsa demos and bonus alternate versions. I can only imagine. And get this... in a brilliant marketing scheme, this "box" comes with three extra spaces so that you can add the first three albums that were recently remastered. Like one big puzzle. I like that.

03 Headphones - s/t

As I conversed with dear friend, R. Chavez, at the Minus The Bear merch table, my eyes obvously gravitated toward the big “free” sign below. It was a Suicide Squeeze sampler CD, so i grabbed one, threw it in my pocket, and went on with my life. Soon the car’s radio was lovin’ me up with Minus The Bear, and then an awesome Crystal Skulls, song and then... hmm this is pretty good... this sounds like David Bazan... oh wait, it is, i heard about this.

Upon first notice of the Headphones project, I was leery. Perhaps it stemmed from my dissatisfaction with the most recent Pedro the Lion record, or maybe i was just expecting something more along the lines of (yes, every review mentions it so i will too) Postal Service. But no! In fact “Pink and Brown” sounds like it could be a slightly bouncier Pedro the Lion, and that’s nice. I really enjoy the chord structure of the song as well, especially the chorus. Enough to land this release at number 3. What could the top two be? I’m sure you could easily guess...

02 Weezer - Make Believe

If you’re in the mood. If you can stop being judgemental about the borderline annoying simplicity of the lyrics or the blatant rips on rock songs of old, then you’ll probably enjoy Make Believe. I have a few songs on the ol iTunes and when i’m paying attention, i think it could be so much better... but when it’s on in the background, i find myself bobbing my head along... There is a place for this record in my collection, even though i’m sure that everyone will agree that it’s no classic. It’s no Pinkerton. Perhaps it’s because Pinkerton brims with brash honesty and dissatisfaction. Life, love, the music business... everyone had something poignant to grab onto and sing along with. The Green Album just had catchy pop tunes, Maladroit was a little closer, and from what I’ve heard of Make Believe, we’re a little closer still. It’s a sad fact of life that anger and frustration brings out the best work in songwriters, and if you can’t “get into character” aka “write a song from the perspective of a non-millionaire,” then you can only expect to be a little off the mark when trying to connect with listeners... unless you’re Jay-Z... or DJ Captain Crunk.

But it’s still early. Hell, the record came out yesterday. Maybe it will grow on me. I remember hearing the chorus of “El Scorcho” for the first time in a campus bookstore in Urbana and saying “this is absolutely terrible.” Out of context, it really was terrible to me, and that’s probably why the single never took off and for awhile it seemed Pinkerton was destined for the cut out bin. I’m fairly certain that Make Believe will debut at the top of the charts or at least in the top 10, so the cut out bins can now look forward to housing numerous copies of Room Service instead.

01 Spoon - Gimme Fiction

And so the number 1 album that was released yesterday is Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. I’m a late comer to the wonders of Spoon despite the many failed attempts of many stubborn friends. But I’m there now, sorta. The fact is... i had to eat my words one night as “Everything Hits At Once” played on a local college station in Chicago. I instantly loved it. “What is this? It’s great!” said the driver. The passenger replied that it had been played for me before, but with an opposite negative reaction. Sadly, I gave in.

I’m not sure how Britt Daniels does it sometimes. If you listen hard and analyze any number of Spoon songs, you’ll be surprised at how simple they are. “Everything Hits At Once” is basically three notes. I was hooked. Just like Chino Moreno, it’s that voice that gets me. One reviewer likened it to John Lennon even. I could see that. Maybe John Lennon with a cold. Anyway, where Weezer may be handicapped by simplicity, Spoon dives in and has fun with it like it’s a big bowl of mushroom bisque...

Goodnight. See you in a few hours.