Thursday, April 29, 2004

Five Alive! (No. 3)

1. Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day: I picked this up on a trip to San Fransisco and have been really getting into it recently. She's got a really soft, mystical sound to her songs along the lines of Fairport Convention or the Incredible String Band. The thing I really like about her sound is that it's so stripped down, yet it still sounds incredibly full and orchestrated.

2. Television: Not the band, but the device. In the past couple of weeks, I have been watching a lot and enjoying every bit of it. I know it's not good for you, it adds little to my life, and all that, but there is nothing better than watching The Fifth Wheel or Elimidate.

3. Jefferson Airplane - "Volunteers": I absolutely love this song. I really wish that I had the chance to live in the '60s to be a part of a revolution that never happened because the time made some of the greatest music that these ears have ever seen. "Volunteers" isn't the most mindblowing song, but a great radio anthem. I could imagine tons of high-schoolers loving this song.

4. Faces - "Ooh La La": I love iTunes. I was downloading some music and I couldn't figure out the name of the song I wanted, but I knew it was on the Rushmore soundtrack. (This song is at the ending credits, and one of the best uses of a song in a movie ever.) I clicked through the songs they had, and eventually got a 30 second clip of this. As soon as I heard it I got chills all over my body. So good.

5. The Election Year - Aren't elections exciting? I really can't wait to see all the coverage the presidental candidates are going to be getting in the next few months. Regardless of who you want to vote for, the sense of power the people are given through voting is awesome. Isn't democracy great?

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Five Alive! (No. 2)

1. Dirty Pretty Things: I saw this one sometime last summer. At the time, I thought it was pretty good, nothing all that special. On the second (and third), times around, this movie really starts to fully reveal itself as an incredible multi-layered work of art. The story is based around a human organ trading ring, that is owned an operated in London's The Baltic Hotel. The movie slowly unfolds two characters lives and how organ trading is seen as an entrance in to the Western world by the means of acquiring a passport. This one is truly interesting (no matter if its false) and, with fantastic acting, very entertaining to watch.

2. A fresh tuna sandwich with provolone, lettuce and tomato: The tuna was unbelievably fresh, cooked just the right amount, so it was a nice soft pink in the center. The cheese was melted over top. This sandwich was so fucking delicious. Like a tuna melt, but a thousand times better.

3. Hunter S. Thompson: This writer is so fun to read. Most of his early stuff is not only entertaining but actually has the stuff good, well-informed journalism should have. I don't think I've ever been able to start one of Thompson's articles and have an idea of where he was going to take it.

4. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Greatest Palace Music: So what's wrong with this? Pitchforkmedia.com, the indie superstore gave this one a bad rating for really no reason at all. What's bad about it? Bascially, Will Oldham has taken his back catalogue (that was under the name of Palace Music) and has recorded some fans' favorite songs in a very Nashville way. The songs are well planned and more orchestrated, only ocassionally sounding too slick. For the most part, the disc is very solid and any emotional impact is not lost in the rerecorded versions.

5. Sleep: I need some, and I haven't been getting it well lately. So everytime I do, its fantastic.

Thursday, April 15, 2004

Five Alive! (No. 1)

1. Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days: I still haven’t stopped listening to this one yet. Everything, from start to finish, on this record is great. Soft and soothing, yet intricate and artistically developed. Like having a tall glass of lemonade with Bob Dylan (see #3).

2. Misery: I had forgotten how great this movie is. Kathy Bates plays the most disturbing role I’ve ever seen so perfectly—she definitely deserved that Oscar. The film does a really good job examining celebrity, middle-America ideals, and one’s reluctance to change. It’s certainly not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but you could do a lot worse.

3. Bob Dylan – “Lay, Lady, Lay”: Holy smokes. This song is so damn good. Simple, yet so classic. I listened to this about 15 times on today—I was trying to figure it out for the guitar, but I just got sucked into it over and over again. I hadn’t really heard this song before last weekend when I spent Easter in San Francisco. My family and I had just hiked a bit in Muir Woods, looking at some tall Sequoias and beautiful lush greenery. We were coming back in our rented silver Mustang, and it came on. I recommend listening to this song in that environment—crusing on a windy Californian road, about 60 degrees, overcast, the faint smell of burning wood in the air.

4. The Flamingos – “I Only Have Eyes For You”: Another one that I heard in San Fran. This time I was in a throwback diner, eating eggs benedict. There’s an incredibly huge sound to this song even though it’s not much more than a few drums, guitar, bass, and voice. Phil Spector must have produced this one—that watery reverb is spattered all over this song. It makes me want ice cream sundaes.

5. Kill Bill Vol. 1: I saw this on Wednesday night for the second time. It was so god damn good. Some of the most exciting action sequences I’ve ever seen, plus really great writing by Tarantino. Lots of really cool gender dialogue going on here (i.e. women’s roles, male sexuality, etc.). I cannot wait to see the next one tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Note

Hi.

Starting tomorrow, Thursday (and, most likely, every Thursday thereafter), I will be creating lists of five things that are currently grabbing my attention. The focus will be music as always, but will not be limited to just that. I will quite possibly discuss films, books, magazines, and foods.

Until then, I remain your hopeful informant and entertainer,

Brett Baxter

::Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days::

The south has had a lot to offer to music. If one looks close enough, an argument can be made that the American south was actually responsible for a very large portion of pop music; namely rock n’ roll, blues, folk and country.

But one large question looms: why is it that music that sounds like it comes from the South often not even geographically close?

For example, Credence Clearwater Revival were formed in El Cerrito, Calif. Most of the “southern gentlemen” I know would take this group as one of their own.

But the list doesn’t stop there. The Band was from Toronto, the Grateful Dead was from San Francisco, the Byrds were from Los Angeles, and so on.

That brings us to Sam Beam, better known by his alias (and group’s name) Iron & Wine.

He too lives outside of the south, finding a home in Miami, Fla. But the music he creates is undeniably southern, using every slide guitar and finger-picked melody to its fullest potential.

Our Endless Numbered Days has truly advanced Beam as an artist. His last album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, was a more grainy, hushed affair that sounded personal yet distant at the same time, sacrificing modern production methods for a more timeless sound.

This time around, Beam has given up the four-track and has asked the tremendous producer Brian Deck to produce the album.

The effect is immediately evident. At once, the record feels more intimate and thought out because the warm blankets of fuzz are no longer there to hide behind.

Guitar parts are clearer, different instrumentation is immediately distinguishable and there is much more importance placed on percussion, which was practically non-existent on Creek.

The percussion gives Days an interesting vibe. On the opener “On Your Wings” and “Free Until They Cut Me Down,” we see a bluesy side of Beam that, until now, has been underdeveloped.

The result is something that sounds like Gram Parsons covering Captain Beefheart – occasionally becoming weirdly funky but still remaining down-homey.

While the percussive element is interesting, the most alluring element of any Iron & Wine song, by a long shot, is Beam’s fantastic voice. He sounds like a happier, breathier Nick Drake, but he can harmonize as well, if not better, than CCR.

On songs like “Sodom, South Georgia,” “Naked As We Came” and “Sunset Soon Forgotten,” Beam makes an impressive case for how powerful the human voice can be in creating emotion through tone and sound alone.

In addition to these timeless melodies, Beam writes lyrics capable of coming from any time period.

His characters face enduring issues from love to death to Christianity to war, things most anyone has dealt with and things that can be explored over and over. Iron & Wine’s Our Endless Numbered Days is as timeless as the area it borrows its sound from.

While the south may not have the most visible artists ever (although there are many exceptions), it can be proud of always inspiring some of the best art.

In this case, the brilliant traditions of Southern blues and folk music have come together seamlessly to create a simple masterpiece.