Did you hear? Rudresh Mahanthappa

NPR music is a great resource for when you want to get caught up on what the patrons of Amazon.com are into. Not to mention they post entire concerts from captivating artists (like Antony and the Johnsons, Leonard Cohen) and half-hour+ interviews. I listened to an interview/listening party with Rudresh Mahanthappa yesterday, and I was blown away.

Mahanthappa graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Mass. before discovering Kadri Golpanath, an Indian Carnatic saxophone player. He got in touch with his Indian-American heritage, studied with Golpanath in India, and then created some genre-bending jazz jams that are currently blowing my mind. His album is in the top 30 at Amazon! A fucking jazz record! People are so into India right now. All the best to Mahanthappa. I can't wait to buy Apti, his latest trio record with a guitarist and tabla player. But maybe I'll get Kinsmen instead. That record features Golpanath, and I'll post a link to an ensemble performance on youtube. Who said jazz in the new millenium sucked? When you have dudes playing ragas and talas on the saxophone, who knows what other shit could go down.

Myspace
Myspace for the Apti record

Did you hear? Various Artists - I Wonder

"I Wonder" was a minor hit for the Crystals in 1964. The Ronettes also recorded a version of the tune. I don't think it was a big deal, Phil Spector produced both tracks. My question is: which is the better version?





The Ronettes clearly win this battle. The song has more momentum, clearer vocals, and one of the sexiest bridges ever. I love the Crystals, but I'd take the Ronettes any day.

Vinyl news #6 - Fall Out Boy

Until recently, Take This To Your Grave was pretty hard to find on vinyl, and worse, widely bootlegged. Fortunately, FbR is reissuing it on blue vinyl /2500. Start to finish, this is Fall Out Boy's classic record, and always a personal favorite.

Get it here!

Review: Desperate Man Blues

Desperate Man Blues is a fascinating documentary about a record collector named Joe Bussard. An expert on early twentieth century blues, jazz, gospel, and folk, Joe owns ~25,000 records from the time period. He's totally into it- so much so that anything after 1955 he considers garbage. (Take that Steven Blush!) This documentary makes me want to smoke tons of cigars, dig in the crates, and learn that damn banjo that sits downstairs.

Be sure to check out his myspace! I wonder if he likes Lil' Wayne? The question is: does it really matter when you own one of the most precious archives of American music ever assembled?

Coupling: Boom or Bust?

Many hit American television shows are based on British shows. Coupling was not one of them. The American version failed to make it through one season. I didn't watch it. (Who did?) BBC's Coupling ran strong for 4 series- that's 28 episodes. Fresh off reruns of The Office (BBC) and Extras, I started watching Coupling to capitalize on my growing appreciation of British humor. To my surprise, Coupling has more in common with our Seinfeld than with anything I've seen from Britain (though, admittedly, I haven't seen a lot).

In the pilot, Susan (Sarah Alexander) and Steve (Jack Davenport) start dating. Steve's Jane's (Gina Bellman) ex, and Susan's Patrick's (Ben Miles) ex. Susan (Kate Isitt) and Jeff (Richard Coyle) kind of drift about causing chaos and trying to shag whoever. If you can't tell, Coupling is all about sex, relationships, and modern love (good Bowie song).

Everyone says it reminds them of Friends, but I disagree. For one, Coupling is funny. For two, the tangling plots and characters have more to do with Seinfeld. In one episode, Jeff explains how an invisible man can take your erections when you need them the most. Soon, everyone starts goin' limp. Never profane, Coupling owes a lot to "The Contest" episode in Seinfeld. Have you mastered your domain tonight?

Verdict: Boom! I hope the library has Series 3. Just wondering: who's the hottest?

Review: Keane - Perfect Symmetry

My fondest memories always have soundtracks, and the soundtrack to a lot of senior year in high school was Keane's Hopes and Fears. Not an ambitious record, Hopes and Fears won me over on its melodies, honest lyrics, and Tom's phenominal voice. I still think it's a fine record and one of the best debuts ever.

Keane released Perfect Symmetry in October 2008. The greatest of Keane fans, Jordan, told me that I should expect 80s vibes throughout. He was right. I don't like the record as much as he does, but I can't fault Keane for trying out new things. Still, my favorite songs sound like they could be on Hopes and Fears, or even the enjoyable, Under the Iron Sea. In the standout, "The Lovers are Losing," Tom belts out unusual vocal lines over Tim's anthemic chorus. Nothing really rhymes, but that makes it stand out. On Hopes and Fears, everything rhymed, fit, and sounded just right. I'm pleased that Keane takes (very small, but appreciated) risks. Other standouts are "You Don't See Me" and "Love is the End."

I don't highly recommend this, but it's good for a few spins.

Keane's Myspace

Did you hear? The Broadways - Live in Hoffman Estates

I wish I was just five years older. It doesn't matter if you're 21, 25, or 15 - if you like music, you've said it before. When you listen to music as much as I do, you end up discovering bands that are defunct. No more, rest in peace. I am fucking pissed I never got to see The Broadways, Tuesday, and even Alkaline Trio during their Asian Man days. Fortunately, the internet can sew up these wounds and make them a little less painful. For your pleasure, here's a live Broadways set from 1998. I was 12. They were playing in Hoffman Estates (at a little place called Record Breakers). Even if I listened to them at the time, you can bet your ass my mom wouldn't have let me go.

A year ago, I saw the Lawrence Arms plays "15 Minutes" and "Kitchen Floor". Still, I can't help but think that the Broadways would have played it a little faster, a little gruffer, and all because they were just a little bit more punk. It would have been better.

Get it here!

PS - On my first trip to Record Breakers some five years later, I bought Tuesday's Freewheelin', The Suicide File's Twilight, and Gorilla Biscuits's Start Today. Not bad.