The Decemberists have been one of my favorite bands for many years now.  I first got turned on to them a couple years before the release of their fourth full-length album, The Crane Wife.  Previous to the release of The Crane Wife the Decemberists had found their niche in folky, nautically themed indie rock.  Their palette of sounds, timbres, and instruments was far more extensive than any of their contemporaries.  They have used some instruments I had never heard of (and I’m a music major who works in an instrument office) that bring a quaint and nostalgic feeling to the music.  For a man who pays little to no attention to lyrics, lead-singer Colin Meloy’s word-smithery really caught my attention from the get-go.  While his voice borders on whiny and has been subject to criticism by some who have heard it, his genius as a lyricist is undeniable.  

While this formula has worked well for them and their relatively large fan base, they really mixed things up with their fifth full-length album, The Hazards of Love.  This was an epic undertaking on many levels.  The album is an honest-to-goodness rock opera complete with a fully developed plot, characters, and reoccurring motifs.  While The Crane Wife has some reoccurring themes and stories, its scope is not the same as The Hazards of Love.

           The Hazards of Love tells a fairy tale-like love story of Margaret, a typical town’s person, and William, the adopted son of the Queen of the Forest.  The story follows them as they try to remain together despite objections of the Queen and the advances of the Rake, a despicable character who’s after Margaret for the most sinister of reasons.  While Colin Meloy does the voice of both William and the Rake, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond and Shara Woden of My Brightest Diamond were brought in to do the voices of Margaret and the Queen respectively.  

          Aside from the operatic style or storytelling, there are other changes from previous Decmeberists’ albums.  There are a couple of tracks that rock much harder than most previous Decemberist albums.  A Bower Scene and Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga) specifically have a great crunchy guitar sound and heavy bass.  These were the first songs I heard before I had a chance to listen to the whole album.  I was really surprised (pleasantly so, I might add) by the heaviness of the sound and The Decemberists really pull it off well.  The mainly folk-driven group shows a much edgier side that contrasts well with the rest of the album.  There are typical sounding Decemberists tracks like The Hazards of Love 2 and The Hazards of Love 1 that would have been right at home on any other Decemeberists’ album but in context serve as plot development as well as a calm before the storm of harder songs.  The instrumental interludes are some of the highlights of the album.  You'll find them sprinkled throughout the album and they're 

          All this being said, this album is one of the best albums to have come out in the past ten or so years.  I’m truly impressed by the song writing and planning that went in to such an undertaking as a true rock opera.  The musicianship is impeccable and the fact that they did an entire tour where they played the entire album just as it sounds adds greatly to my respect.  I recommend everyone everywhere listen to the whole thing.  I literally teared up when I listened to the final track.  It’s an emotional journey as much as it is a musical journey and I hope it’s a journey you’ll soon take.  

Unplugged.

Recently some roommates and I participated in a special event known as "Eric Clapton Week".  It is more or less a religious observance for the King of Blues.  Like many religious services we put aside distractions (in this case all other music) and focused our efforts on what really mattered (crunchy solos and face melting licks).  At first I was skeptical, I am by no means a new convert to Eric Clapton's work, but a whole week?  A man can only listen to so much blues.
Wrong.
Let's start with the blues.  So much of what Eric Clapton is and plays comes from the 8 and 12 bar blues.  My uncle Stallion Cornell once said about the blues something that has stuck with me - "The blues, like jazz, sounds like a lot of fun to play, but generally sounds like boring drivel to all those listening".  In many respects I agree.  Repeating the same three chords over and over again would tend to bore me, but there is something in the blues that resonates in me.  I think it all started when I told my Pandora station that I liked Muddy Waters and it proceeded to play nothing but Chicago and Louisiana blues from old 1950's African-American artists....for three days.  Needless to say I came out of that experience crooning like Howlin' Wolf, and looking for more.
I grew up listening to Clapton Unplugged in the backseat of Dr. Jimmy Senior's Subaru Impreza, to which I'm eternally grateful (unlike Dr. Jimmy Senior's love for all things Andrea Bocelli, which I hope is just a 10 year passing phase).  When I purchased my first iPod and began putting all the music on it that I could get my hands on I found the Clapton Unplugged CD buried far back in our family's CD collection.  I dusted off the case and decided to put it on my newly purchased mp3 playing device, thinking that I should have some sort of Clapton on my iPod and promptly forgot that it was ever there.  Then something amazing happened to me - I discovered the shuffle setting of my iPod.  Walking to and from campus at the university where I teach/attend/am the dean of students, my shuffle kept spewing Clapton Unplugged at me and I kept skipping the songs, considering them relics from the archives of my iTunes.  Then I gave up - I listened to a song off the album - probably the first time since I was about 8 - and it was "Running on Faith".  I was hooked.
Eric Clapton is the King of Blues for a lot of reasons that are all apparent on this album.  He doesn't play the guitar, he never plays the guitar - it is merely another appendage that does exactly as he pleases.  His voice is not just smooth, its creamy like the first scoop of perfect temperature ice cream.  Some songs are just pure blues - "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Walkin' Blues", "Malted Milk", these songs sound like the only friend this man has left is his delightful Martin Co. guitar.  The lyrics are so good :
 "Baby, fix me one more drink and hug your daddy one more time, keep on stirring my malted milk, mama, until I change my mind"
"I ain't got a nickel and I ain't got a lousy dime. She don't come back, think I'm going to lose my mind. If she ever gets back to stay, it's going to be another brand new day, Walking with my baby down by the San Francisco Bay".

There are some Clapton classics on it as well - Layla,  Before You Accuse Me, Tears in Heaven, etc.  which he adapts to acoustics perfectly.  The transition is made easier by the fact that he has an awesome band backing him up (like always), especially the piano player who he refers to a few times as "Chuck".  The blues come through so pure on these tracks, and it converted me forever.
 I came out of college understanding a little more about the blues, but it wasn't until this Eric Clapton week that I became aware that he is the best.  The best.
If you have ever wanted to play a guitar, have listened to a guitar, or have a vague idea of what a guitar looks like - stop whatever silly thing you are doing and purchase this album.  You can thank me with monetary donations (just put "Dr. Jimmy" on the envelope, the mailman will know where it is to go).  

Dr. Jimmy  

The Black Keys: Thickfreakness

A tasty guitar line and the right mix of moxy can work wonders incomparable to anything else I know in music. And that wonderful combo is just what you'll get from The Black Keys. In the not so distant past I found myself in possession of a few dollars worth of free music, just enough to buy a new album as it turns out. I was looking for something guitar heavy with replay value, something akin to what you might hear from Jack White in "Icky Thump".
After consulting our resident Dr. Jimmy, I concluded that what I needed, The Black Keys would provide. I knew of The Black Keys, but admittedly was largely aware of only their most popular stuff, tracks such as: "Tighten Up",  "Howlin' for You", or "Just Got to Be" of NHL '08 fame! Hits that many of you may be familiar with. The album I ultimately decided on purchasing was Thickfreakness. And may I just say, free money well spent!
Thickfreakness is The Black Keys 2nd album. The album was recorded in April '03 in drummer Patrick Carney's basement in a mere 14 hours. And for my tastes, boy oh boy was it just what the doctor ordered! From the first note, all the way to the album cover, the aptly named Thickfreakness provides just the kind of heavy, hair raising, bluesy sounds I longed for. The album contains 2 covers, "Everywhere I Go" and personal favorite "Have Love, Will Travel" (seriously, listen to this once and you'll be singing it in your head the rest of the day) as well as other killer tracks like opening song "Thickfreakness" and "Set You Free" which was featured on the School of Rock soundtrack. Guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach's guitar parts take center stage while his voice has just the right twang to accentuate the sultry sounds he evokes from his 6-String. Meanwhile, Carney's drums move the songs unfailingly forward and may involuntarily set your foot to the rhythm of the music. I intend to enjoy this one over and over again and those of you who take the time to look it up are in for a real treat.
-SouthPaw

Tomorrow the Green Grass

If you’re not one of the 200+ going to the Jayhawks’ concert this Saturday, January 28th at the State Room in Salt Lake City, or one of the thousands attending the tour elsewhere around the nation, you probably didn’t listen extensively to their new CD, Mockingbird Time. The CD is the first with the original Jayhawks’ lineup in years, and Louris, Olsen and Co. held very little back. Filled with three-part harmonies and crunchy guitar riffs, you can’t help but tap your toe and sing along to tunes like High Water Blues or Cinnamon Love.
However, if you’re reading this, you probably have given Mockingbird Time many listens, and I am not paid to convince you to believe a CD is great if you already do. (Yeah. They don’t pay me). Instead, I’ll be spending some time on an older CD, and one that has not lost its flavor—indicated by the number of tracks the Jayhawks have been playing from it during their 2011-12 tour of MT.
If you are familiar with Tomorrow the Green Grass, you know how listenable the CD really is. Written in 1995, amid a huge rush of music, especially out of the Minnesota area, the Jayhawks proved they had what it took and became one of the forerunners of their genre. Mark Olsen and Gary Louris’s haunting harmonies on tunes like Blue, Miss Williams’ Guitar, and Red’s Song are known by every Jayhawks fan, and the cover Bad Time (originally done by Grand Funk Railroad) is known by virtually everyone above 20 and below 80 years of age. The upbeat, distinctive crunch that is Gary Louris’s SG isn’t missing either. Real Light has two featured solos, which Gary sticks to in his shows. Nothing Left to Borrow features great guitar melodies which turn into a seemingly mocking narrative sung by Olsen and Louris. All in all, the album remains one of the best in the genre to date. If you haven’t picked yourself a copy in the last 8 years, get one. It’s available on iTunes and Spotify. And if you’re in the Salt Lake area, you might get scalped and gouged, but you might get lucky and get into the show.
-Schiffmeister

Quadrophenia: The Real Me

There is music and then there is MUSIC.  Then within the MUSIC there is MUSIC MUSIC.  You know, the music that changes you, makes you think, takes you somewhere else, gives you tingles, makes you yell at everyone else in the car to shut their gobs because the best part of the song is coming up.  It is rare when we find that music and then feel like everyone in the world must partake in this wonderful secret that we found.  For me this CD was The Who’s, Quadrophenia.  Now when I’ve shown this CD to others it has received welcome reviews and nods, but never the shout it-from-the-mountain-tops acclaim that I give it.  I think the reason is the following story.

You see, I found Quadrophenia my sophomore year of high school.  Ahhhhh sophmore year.  If I were to make a coming of age/Wonder Years show it would just be about that year.  The discovery of Quadrophenia came hand-in-hand with my first break-up, a nasty experience for a darling 16 year old boy such as me.  I was angry and awkward all at the same time, trying to still be cool enough to get back the girl, but distant enough to make her ridiculously jealous so that she had to come crawling back to me.  A sure fire plan.  Needless to say I needed an outlet, and then Quadrophenia fell right into my little sixteen year old hands. 

My Uncle, who I will refer to as Stallion Cornell, and my father (Dr. Jimmy Senior) had both highly recommended Quadrophenia, but it was the big man, Santa, who came through for me.  That Christmas I listened to the story of a boy from Brighton who was weird, awkward, jealous, and just like me.  I felt like I was living Quadrophenia and was hooked.  The music sealed the deal. In my opinion The Who’s best work.  Songs like The Real Me, Bell Boy, and Sea and Sand rock.  I mean they really swing.  Keith Moon sounds like he’s having a drum seizure.  Others make you think – they grab you fast then suddenly stop and make you feel suspended in mid-song, like I’ve Had Enough and Cut My Hair.  Perhaps my favorite part of this record is that it is just that – a record.  I could never just listen to one song without listening to the whole album, the whole story.  Each member of the Who plays a different part in the story with a different theme, something that you just have to listen to in order to understand.  There are two instrumental tracks on the album, The Rock and Quadrophenia (the song).  These became my theme music, music that I wish could be played behind me at all times if possible.  Then after two CD’s of awesome music the story ends with Roger Daltrey screaming the lyrics to Love Reign O’er Me whilst the pitter patter of rain sounds in the background.  Then that’s it.  The journey is over.  Welcome to the new world. 

I still listen to Quadrophenia after every break up.  I think it’s a nostalgic thing.  It changed music for me and a little bit about how I view life.  But don’t take my word for it (Cue “Reading Rainbow” music).

-Dr. Jimmy

The Death of the Album

There are many reasons to fear for the future of music (or even its present state).  In large part I find the radio to blame.  The radio picks its heroes to play over and over again, unrelentingly bombarding the public with the same10 hits for 6 months straight before changing their lineup.  Dance music is the focus of the day.  Now don’t get me wrong, dance music has its place and purpose.  I like a good electronica tune as much as the next hipster.  However, when I hear anything by LMFAO outside of a club or house party, I cringe.  It’s like listening to self-improvement tapes while pulling into a McDonalds.  It’s obviously being misused.  

Now, leaving dance music to run its course, I find the more alarming trend in radio is the death of the album.  How many times have you picked up an [enter apple product name] and found a list of artists that only have one or two songs a piece?  Let me give you a for instance.  I was on a road trip with a friend who had his iPod plugged into the car.  As the sole heir to the shotgun seat I took control of the iPod.  I would scroll down till I found an artist I liked (My Morning Jacket, Death Cab for Cutie, Cake, etc.) and would find they had their one or two hits and no other songs.  This is only one example of a trend I’ve seen with most people my age.  

Now I understand not everyone is as fanatical about music as I am.  I don’t expect others to have the discography of the Beatles ready to go at a moments notice (though I highly recommend it) but what worries me is people aren’t even given the chance to hear the rest of the album.  I’m not the biggest Coldplay fan (by a long shot) and yet I heard the same 2 songs from Viva la Vida nearly everyday on one radio station or another for months on end.  Now, maybe that was a great album, maybe not.  Irrelevant.  What’s important is that I would have never heard any other song off that album if I didn’t take the initiative to go listen to the whole album.  So few people ever bother to listen to the rest of the album thereby missing out on some great music.  This is such a shame to me since we live in a day when it’s so easy to listen to a whole album before ever having to spend money on it.  We have Grooveshark, Spotify, NPR First Listen, and sometimes the artists themselves post the album to try out.  And yet, so many are content to hear what the radio spoon-feeds us, never knowing there are songs we may even like more than the single.  

When Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was release in 1967 the Beatles didn’t send a single out before-hand.  This was a big deal at the time since the trend of the day was to have a single play on the radio to get listeners excited about the album and then they would go out and buy it.  When Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band came out  there was no single for the DJ’s to play so many of them simply played the whole album.  Awesome.  And not so surprisingly, it is now considered the greatest rock album of all time.  That doesn’t happen anymore.  Heck, most groups nowadays can do a worldwide tour on the fame of a single alone.  Big artists aren’t nearly as worried about making an album as they are about getting a single grossly over-played in order to boost their ticket sales.  I don’t blame the artists mind you, it’s just the way things are now.

My friends, what I ask is not that we boycott the radio or occupy X 96.3.  The radio will do what it has to in order to stay on the air.  I respect that.  All I ask is that when we hear an song we like, that we look up the album and try it out.  The majority of the time we won’t end up buying the album because it sucks.  Sometimes a great single is a stroke of genius from an otherwise mediocre band.  Don’t buy an album just to get the single in these cases.  That’s why we have iTunes.  I wouldn’t blame anyone for getting the singles from Fastball and not buy the whole album.  But at least listen to the album.  

The Eels : Elctroshock Blues

I frequent a little record shop called "Graywhale".  It is my equivalent to Norm from "Cheers" I suppose, except no one actually shouts my name when I walk into the store.  The trouble for me is that there is so many CD's and so little money that is currently residing in my bank account (that is until that estranged Nigerian princess makes good on her word once her father's back in power).  Recently I made a trek there to browse/peruse the aisles as usual and stumbled across a CD that I had been looking for quite some time.  Perhaps a small back story first to explain.
When I was about 16 my friends and I playing music together because a new bass player moved into our neighborhood.  He was big into punk (leather boots, patched jean jackets, etc, etc) and opened my eyes to a lot of new music.  Most of the punk stuff I never really latched onto, but some of the other ones developed to be some of my favorite stuff to listen to on my practically vacant ipod at the time.  One of those was a song by the band the "Eels" named "Last Stop: This Town".  I had always wanted the CD that it came on, but had never come across it until last Tuesday.
As I paid for my newly acquired CD entitled "Electroshock Blues" the cashier decided to give me the low down on this CD.  He was a burly man with a large beard and smelling slightly of a species of cannibas.  AKA your average Graywhale employee, who I will now refer to as Brucie.  Brucie told me that the CD was written after the lead singer and songwriter's sister died and his mother was diagnosed with cancer.  Brucie informed me that this CD is amazing and even in his top 5 CD's of all time.  Of all time Brucie?  Really?  Alright you have my attention.  Brucie's last words as I left the store were "Don't go skipping around on that record okay!?  You listen to all of it all the way through!".  Deal.
For the record I like this CD.  I really do.  Top 5 worthy, no, but definitely worth a listen.  It struck me originally as if Sufjan Stevens was singing at a funeral.  The songs are about sad things, but many of them have awesome music backing them up.  The songs are catchy, my favorites being  "3 Speed", "Climbing to the Moon", and "The Medication is Wearing Off".  The singer Mark Oliver Everett (known as "E" apparently) doesn't really sing necessarily.  He kind of sing-speaks, a new word I'm trying out.  There are no guitar solos or drum fills, yet the guitar is catchy and the drums are clean.  That being said there songs that I can't get behind.  The auto-harp song "Dead of Winter" feels like you are watching thick molasses drip from the bottle or ice melt and "Baby Genius" is a little too ambient for me, but luckily they are both stuck in between other good songs so the actual flow of the CD isn't really disrupted, just slowed down.
Overall my rating of this CD is: Tasty.  Tasty licks and material.  Recommended for light listening and "Dead of Winter" is recommended for narcolepsy.

Dr. Jimmy.