Saturday, March 14, 2015
Day 8, Post 8: Happy Pi Day
Today is Pi day, so I'd like to take a moment to thank so many pies for being so delicous; especially peanut butter pie, you fill my soul with joy like few other things in this world. I would also like to take a moment to remember my Ma Bickel and the delicious butterscotch pies she used to make. I miss you both.
Day 8, Post 7: Which Brings Us To... Rant #4,382: Why The *@$# Isn't The Cure In The Hall Of Fame!
...Why the hell isn't The Cure in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame yet!!! Seriously people, this is getting rediculous! They've been eligible since 2004, and have only made the ballot once. That year they didn't make it, likely due to Robert Smith publicly taking issue with the Hall's claim that drummer Jason Cooper would not be eligible for induction, while Smith pointed out that Cooper had drummed for The Cure longer than any other drummer, and played on as many albums as Lol Tolhurst or Boris Williams.
If induction is based on innovation and quality song writing, how can last years induction of Hall & Oats possibly be justified? Take a listen to "In Between Days," "Just Like Heaven," or "Let's Go To Bed," to name a few; brilliant pop songs, every one. Now go take a listen to "Man-eater!"
If induction is based on influence, show me a list of artists influenced by Ringo's solo work. The Cure is arguably the most influential alternative rock band ever. They are to alternative rock what Lynyrd Skynyrd is to Southern rock.
Every year there are groups that get in before groups that influenced them, would Nirvana or Green Day have found an audience without the groundwork that had been laid by Jane's Addiction, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, Pixies, or Dinosaur Jr.? No, they wouldn't have. It's time to start inducting acts on a basis other than popularity, and start inducting them based on what the music landscape would look like without their input.
If induction is based on innovation and quality song writing, how can last years induction of Hall & Oats possibly be justified? Take a listen to "In Between Days," "Just Like Heaven," or "Let's Go To Bed," to name a few; brilliant pop songs, every one. Now go take a listen to "Man-eater!"
If induction is based on influence, show me a list of artists influenced by Ringo's solo work. The Cure is arguably the most influential alternative rock band ever. They are to alternative rock what Lynyrd Skynyrd is to Southern rock.
Every year there are groups that get in before groups that influenced them, would Nirvana or Green Day have found an audience without the groundwork that had been laid by Jane's Addiction, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, Pixies, or Dinosaur Jr.? No, they wouldn't have. It's time to start inducting acts on a basis other than popularity, and start inducting them based on what the music landscape would look like without their input.
Day 7, Post 6: Peace & Love To Ringo Starr
So, it's been difficult to find much time to write lately, been really busy. I heard that Ringo Starr had fallen ill and had to cancel some concerts. I want to start this post by sending peace and love out to Ringo, in the hopes that he recover quickly. He seems like such a good person, and I really admire all he does with the David Lynch Foundation, who presented Starr with the "Lifetime of Peace and Love" award in January, 2014.
I also personally feel that in some ways Starr was an underrated drummer during The Beatles; aside from being in the most universally cherished and respected musical acts of the last century. I really feel he played with a distinct feel that is instantly recognizable to the untrained ear. He'll even be getting inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame later this year for his solo career. Which brings me to...
I also personally feel that in some ways Starr was an underrated drummer during The Beatles; aside from being in the most universally cherished and respected musical acts of the last century. I really feel he played with a distinct feel that is instantly recognizable to the untrained ear. He'll even be getting inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame later this year for his solo career. Which brings me to...
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Day 5, Post 5: Drawing blanks
Struggling to find the time and energy to write while out of town. Looking forward to going to Disneyland tomorrow. Super tired and need to go to bed soon. Watching The Royal Tennenbaums right now. Bill Murray is so subtle in this. He was great in Rushmore, but Raleigh St. Claire is such an understated role. I'll be posting some stuff from the park tomorrow. G'night.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Post 3, Day 3: The Charlatans - Modern Nature (Part 2)
So here's the second part of my take on Modern Nature, which just doesn't do the album justice. But hey, at least I found the time to continue writing.
The album's opening trio of singles are a perfect addition to what is already one of the best collection of singles out there. "Talking In Tones" opens with a low key grove before blossoming nicely with lush guitars and harmonies on the chorus. "So Oh" is a perfect summer song; light, breezy and sunny brining together the classic Brit Pop sound of 2004's Up At The Lake with the Curtis Mayfield inspired melodies of 2001's Wonderland. "Come Home Baby" builds with a soaring chorus and gospel tinged backing vocals.
Elsewhere on the album, the band stretches out, exploring the space between each other on tracks like "In The Tall Grass" and "Emilie." "Let The Good Times Be Never Ending" bounces back and forth between anthemic choruses and soulful dance grooves.
The album's penultimate song, "Trouble Understanding" harkens back to the Madchester vibe of early singles like "Indian Rope" and "Over Rising." The album closer "Lot To Say" is lush and filled with an optimism that would be surprising from any other band that had been through as much as The Charlatans have; but then that's their magic, no matter what the band goes through, they always turn out good albums filled with classic choruses and danceable grooves. They have been the most consistently strong band, album for album, of the last 25 years, and here's hoping it continues for the next 25.
The album's opening trio of singles are a perfect addition to what is already one of the best collection of singles out there. "Talking In Tones" opens with a low key grove before blossoming nicely with lush guitars and harmonies on the chorus. "So Oh" is a perfect summer song; light, breezy and sunny brining together the classic Brit Pop sound of 2004's Up At The Lake with the Curtis Mayfield inspired melodies of 2001's Wonderland. "Come Home Baby" builds with a soaring chorus and gospel tinged backing vocals.
Elsewhere on the album, the band stretches out, exploring the space between each other on tracks like "In The Tall Grass" and "Emilie." "Let The Good Times Be Never Ending" bounces back and forth between anthemic choruses and soulful dance grooves.
The album's penultimate song, "Trouble Understanding" harkens back to the Madchester vibe of early singles like "Indian Rope" and "Over Rising." The album closer "Lot To Say" is lush and filled with an optimism that would be surprising from any other band that had been through as much as The Charlatans have; but then that's their magic, no matter what the band goes through, they always turn out good albums filled with classic choruses and danceable grooves. They have been the most consistently strong band, album for album, of the last 25 years, and here's hoping it continues for the next 25.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Post 2, Day 2: The Charlatans - Moden Nature (Part One)
As I started to write this, I realized that this review was going to be longer than originally anticipated, so here's the first part of my take on The Charlatans new album, Modern Nature.
When life knocks you down, you can either stay down or come out swinging. I love Norwich's The Charlatans because they always come out swinging. They are the only band to come out of the Madchester scene who hasn't stopped. Sure, Happy Mondays are still around, and The Stone Roses might be, or might not, depending on which rumors you're listening to this week, but The Charlatans have been going strong for 25 years, overcoming enough challenges to fill an entire season of Behind The Music. Released on January 26th in Europe, and sometime later this month in the US, their twelfth album, Modern Nature, finds the band recovering from the loss of founding drummer Jon Brookes with an album that will likely go down as one of the highlights of their already magnificent career.
Modern Nature proves that lightning can strike twice. Following the death of organ and keyboard player Rob Collins in 1996, Tellin' Stories was hailed as a triumph upon its release the following year. To me, however, the real triumph was 1999's Us & Us Only, because by all accounts, Tellin' Stories was in the mixing stages at the time of Collins passing. Not that completing the album and touring for it upon hiring Tony Rodgers wasn't challenging, but Us & Us Only was the first album they had to make without the member who set The Charlatans sound apart from the other bands of the time. It was Collins Hammond C3 sound that made early tracks like "The Only One I Know" and "Weirdo" distinct, so Us & Us only was the first album they really had to write without any input from him... and they came through like champs! At some point in this blog I'll probably post about each of their albums, so I won't get too deep into Us & Us Only in this post, but suffice to say the album is a bold statement that said The Charlatans were here to stay.
Eleven years later, they released their eleventh album, the fantastic Who We Touch, at the time their strongest album since Us & Us Only, when Brookes collapsed onstage in Philadelphia and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When he lost his battle with brain cancer three years later, you had to wonder if this might be one obstacle too many for the band to overcome. When they joined friends for a charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in Brookes' memory, even guitarist Mark Collins is quoted as saying he wondered if it would be their last show.
However, Brookes was adamant that there be another Charlatans record, and the band reconvened in early 2014 to work on new material with the help of Factory Floor's Gabe Gurnsey, New Order's Stephen Morris, and The Verve's Pete Salisbury on drums. The result is a stunning collection of songs filled with warmth and soul; a collection filled with the types of grooves and melodic hooks that have been the trademark of the band's career.
When life knocks you down, you can either stay down or come out swinging. I love Norwich's The Charlatans because they always come out swinging. They are the only band to come out of the Madchester scene who hasn't stopped. Sure, Happy Mondays are still around, and The Stone Roses might be, or might not, depending on which rumors you're listening to this week, but The Charlatans have been going strong for 25 years, overcoming enough challenges to fill an entire season of Behind The Music. Released on January 26th in Europe, and sometime later this month in the US, their twelfth album, Modern Nature, finds the band recovering from the loss of founding drummer Jon Brookes with an album that will likely go down as one of the highlights of their already magnificent career.
Modern Nature proves that lightning can strike twice. Following the death of organ and keyboard player Rob Collins in 1996, Tellin' Stories was hailed as a triumph upon its release the following year. To me, however, the real triumph was 1999's Us & Us Only, because by all accounts, Tellin' Stories was in the mixing stages at the time of Collins passing. Not that completing the album and touring for it upon hiring Tony Rodgers wasn't challenging, but Us & Us Only was the first album they had to make without the member who set The Charlatans sound apart from the other bands of the time. It was Collins Hammond C3 sound that made early tracks like "The Only One I Know" and "Weirdo" distinct, so Us & Us only was the first album they really had to write without any input from him... and they came through like champs! At some point in this blog I'll probably post about each of their albums, so I won't get too deep into Us & Us Only in this post, but suffice to say the album is a bold statement that said The Charlatans were here to stay.
Eleven years later, they released their eleventh album, the fantastic Who We Touch, at the time their strongest album since Us & Us Only, when Brookes collapsed onstage in Philadelphia and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When he lost his battle with brain cancer three years later, you had to wonder if this might be one obstacle too many for the band to overcome. When they joined friends for a charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in Brookes' memory, even guitarist Mark Collins is quoted as saying he wondered if it would be their last show.
However, Brookes was adamant that there be another Charlatans record, and the band reconvened in early 2014 to work on new material with the help of Factory Floor's Gabe Gurnsey, New Order's Stephen Morris, and The Verve's Pete Salisbury on drums. The result is a stunning collection of songs filled with warmth and soul; a collection filled with the types of grooves and melodic hooks that have been the trademark of the band's career.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Operation 100 Thoughts In 100 Days
Apparantly by "Periodic" I've meant hardly ever. I've returned, oh faithful readers! By "faithful readers" I of course mean myself as I proofread this later, because let's face it, I'm likely the only one reading this or remotely interested in what gets written here. Life has taken me for quite the spin since my last post, causing me to feel more and more desperate to improve my situation. The fact that I earned a degree in Communications and Multi Media studies has manifested itself as a hot steaming pile of JACK SQUAT! Still, I continue to send resumes into the ether with only the occasional rejection letter to show for it. I have recieved suggestions that I should concentrate on my blog in the mean time to hone my craft and to build a body of work, but with the stress and time constraints of working two jobs, I find it difficult to find the time and energy to do so. In the interest of full disclosure, I also find it difficult to become motivated, as I greatly question if what I write has any value to anyone who might read it. I mean, you can throw a rock and hit someone with an opinion, so why should mine matter to anyone? But, as Stewart Smalley once said, "That's just stinkin' thinkin'!"
So here I am giving myself a challenge. Write 100 blog posts in 100 days. No matter how long or developed, I am going to post something every day for the next 100 days. For the next 100 days, The Periodic Whatnot will be considered The Daily Whatnot! I make observations and have opinions, and I'm going to write to myself about them, damnit! There are several things that have occurred since Bob Weir hijacked my rock 'n' roll show that I've thought about writing about here, and now some of them will come to light. I may even stray from the usual frivolity of music & film to discuss the challenges I've been facing in everyday life, or I may not, we'll see just how personal I want to get, but two topics I will definitely be addressing here will be the new album from The Charlatans, as well as the backlash and really disturbing venom surrounding the new U2 album. So I'll keep an eye out for those in the next few days.
I will say this, the main reason that I've been so absent from posting has been that 2014 was the most difficult, challenging, depressing and unrewarding year of my life. Shit went down that I still have not recovered from and it has left me feeling completely exhausted and emotionally devistated. The lack of any real improvement in my situation has caused me to try and do something different, even though I question if there is any point to doing this. I question if blogging regurlarly will be of any point, as I really feel like I'm the only one who's interested in what I think. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and at the very least, perhaps it will have some sort of therapeutic bennifit. We'll see, for now I will feel good if I'm able to stick to this goal of 100 posts in 100 days. So, as Marty DiBerggi once said, "But hey, enough of my yakin', let's boogie!"
So here I am giving myself a challenge. Write 100 blog posts in 100 days. No matter how long or developed, I am going to post something every day for the next 100 days. For the next 100 days, The Periodic Whatnot will be considered The Daily Whatnot! I make observations and have opinions, and I'm going to write to myself about them, damnit! There are several things that have occurred since Bob Weir hijacked my rock 'n' roll show that I've thought about writing about here, and now some of them will come to light. I may even stray from the usual frivolity of music & film to discuss the challenges I've been facing in everyday life, or I may not, we'll see just how personal I want to get, but two topics I will definitely be addressing here will be the new album from The Charlatans, as well as the backlash and really disturbing venom surrounding the new U2 album. So I'll keep an eye out for those in the next few days.
I will say this, the main reason that I've been so absent from posting has been that 2014 was the most difficult, challenging, depressing and unrewarding year of my life. Shit went down that I still have not recovered from and it has left me feeling completely exhausted and emotionally devistated. The lack of any real improvement in my situation has caused me to try and do something different, even though I question if there is any point to doing this. I question if blogging regurlarly will be of any point, as I really feel like I'm the only one who's interested in what I think. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and at the very least, perhaps it will have some sort of therapeutic bennifit. We'll see, for now I will feel good if I'm able to stick to this goal of 100 posts in 100 days. So, as Marty DiBerggi once said, "But hey, enough of my yakin', let's boogie!"
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