My thoughts, views, critiques, fanboyisms, and rantings about music. Also movies and books, I guess.
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On her third full length offering, Asking for Flowers, Kathleen Edwards breaks her sure-thing formula. Rather than bouncing between rockin' bar brawlers and super soft sleepers as she has on her prior two albums, Kathleen keeps it all pretty much right in the middle. Mid-tempo, mid-tempered tunes like the title track and "Oil Man's War" are the bread and butter of this record, with little chances taken. For one, it keeps her from making the same record thrice. But I think the beauty here is that the listener is compelled to find the subtleties and the artful turns of phrase in this record. The tongue-in-cheek Nashville romp entitled "I Make the Dough, You get the Glory" is the the tasty bite in the middle and "Goodnight, California" is the sweet piece you save for last, with Kathleen sounding like she's fronting Wilco. The letdown here is the attempt at recreating that same badgirl hit single with "The Cheapest Key", where she misses the mark, but it's reassuring to know that Kathleen's still got that same good ol' fowl mouth. The sang detracts from the polish gems that make up the rest of the album that prove Edwards is really is a tough badgirl without being so obvious. If you're expecting the third coming of Failer, you're out of luck, but if you're willing to let this seasoned and mature collection of songs grow on you, you're in for a treat.
Season 6 was hilarious. The ending was so funny, I couldn't believe it. Sometimes the season wrap-ups are a little contrived, but this was perfect, surprising, and funny. Oh Larry....
At least that's what all the kids are calling it. Netflix sent No Country For Old Men to us even before it came out. We never get that treatment from NF. I've yet to watch it, but you know I read the book. I was just reflecting on a statement I had made to a friend. I claimed that the Coen Bros (I'm a huge fan of them, too. The Big Lebowski?) always make films where the little guy has so much good in him, that he's able to survive ("abide", for you Lebowski fans) and sort of conquer evil; or at least his own struggles (i.e. Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou). The main theme being that the common man is full of good and can, therefore, abide (in the parlance of our times). I claimed that McCarthy is too dark for the Coens. A common McCarthy theme is the idea of the antichrist as a common character. The embodiment of evil, rather than good. The term anti-hero does not suffice. I originally thought this was a strange project for the Bros to take on.
But I call take-backs. I was overlooking Barton Fink, a Coen Brothers masterpiece. John Goodman's character in that movie was much like the Judge in "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy. Barton Fink is a film not unlike many McCarthy novels. So I call do-overs and say that I was wrong- this was the perfect project for Brothers Coen to take on. And I'm so excited to watch it.
Friday night to-do idea: rent Barton Fink, or NCFOM, or the Big Lebowski, or read NFCOM, or read Blood Meridian. Basically, I've just planned out your whole weekend!
Sun Kil Moon "April" out April 1 Will Oldham does some vocals on it. I'm excited.
Mates of State "Rearrange Us" out May 20 Here's what the record co. has to say about it: "Though conceived as a duo, Mates of State have never failed to generate a trademark wall of sound built on dozens of varied voicings of keys, drums, and alternately lushly-layered and playfully-dueling vocals. On re-arrange us they move beyond these boundaries (their traditional organ sound is a distant memory, replaced with organic piano and synth sounds) with additional instrumentation — not to mention a quantum leap in songcraft apparent on instantly indelible gems like now, jigsawget better. Throughout re-arrange us, Kori's piano and the emergence of both Mates' lead vocals from their trademark harmonizing signal the next stage of Mates of State's evolution."
On her third full length offering, Asking for Flowers, Kathleen Edwards breaks her sure-thing formula. Rather than bouncing between rockin' bar brawlers and super soft sleepers as she has on her prior two albums, Kathleen keeps it all pretty much right in the middle. Mid-tempo, mid-tempered tunes like the title track and "Oil Man's War" are the bread and butter of this record, with little chances taken. For one, it keeps her from making the same record thrice. But I think the beauty here is that the listener is compelled to find the subtleties and the artful turns of phrase in this record. The tongue-in-cheek Nashville romp entitled "I Make the Dough, You get the Glory" is the the tasty bite in the middle and "Goodnight, California" is the sweet piece you save for last, with Kathleen sounding like she's fronting Wilco. The letdown here is the attempt at recreating
that same badgirl hit single with "The Cheapest Key", where she misses the mark, but it's reassuring to know that Kathleen's still got that same good ol' fowl mouth. The sang detracts from the polish gems that make up the rest of the album that prove Edwards is really is a tough badgirl without being so obvious. If you're expecting the third coming of Failer, you're out of luck, but if you're willing to let this seasoned and mature collection of songs grow on you, you're in for a treat.
