Miscellaneous Miscellany

I have been terrible at keeping up with this blog lately. Between work and an incredibly busy 13-month-old child, I just haven't had time for this blog or any others. So, here's some miscellany from the last week or so...

• As previously mentioned, I had the week to myself. What does a man (stereotypically) do when he's on his own? He watches Monday Night Football, I guess. I watched Brett Favre's triumphant match-up versus his old team while eating hot dogs and baked beans and enjoying a couple of Bell's Octoberfests.
• I never get out to see movies these days, but I was able to catch Michael Moore's latest, Capitalism: A Love Story. I realize folks are tired of Moore's shtick, but this was maybe his most straightforward film ever. Also, Moore was finally able to follow up his acclaimed debut, Roger and Me. I walked out wishing we in this country could get over our hangups over socialism. Capitalism isn't working...well, for 90% of us anyway.
• The Decemberists played their outdoor show inside the luxurious Blue Note last week. Opener Laura Veirs was pretty good. The Decemberists were fine, but some enjoyed it more than I.
• I pulled a 12+ hour day on Thursday. That's all I'll say about that.
• Friday was an extended happy hour-kind-of-thing. I met friends at Sycamore for the always-delicious Founders Curmudgeon. This is the most vanilla olde ale I've ever tasted. That's a good thing. I followed that up with some beers, conversation, and a bánh mì at the 'Tag/Uprise. The night ended at Broadway Brewery where the beers are still a work in progress, but suspect it will only get better.
• On Saturday, I did what I normally do which was watch my Buckeyes. This time they put a whooping on an undefeated Wisconsin team while gaining half as many yards and having the ball for a third of the time. How does a team do that? Watch.
• That same evening, I brewed my third batch of beer. This one is a barley wine called Never Forget 9/11 - more for Lucia's birthday than for the other 9/11 you're never supposed to forget. The ABV will measure in somewhere between 9% and 11%. I've been planning this beer for a while and finally got around to brewing. It's so sticky and even the first bits of it taste good.
• R and Lu returned from their adventures in Michigan. The best part was that Lucia reached for me right away and gave me the longest hug ever. It was nice.
• I am a lifelong Browns fan. That's not easy to put into print these days. Of course, they won their first game this Sunday (over the 1-4 Buffalo Bills) by a whopping 6-3 baseball score.
• This guy makes me think all the time.
• And this time he made me think about this blog and what I'm doing with it.
• This blog made me think what I do is worthwhile. It's picked up where Bathysphere left off. Read A Ravenous Horde now.
• Columbus Day came and went. Does anyone celebrate Columbus Day anymore? Why? What did he do that's worth celebrating? And don't tell me he discovered America as if there were not already people living here or others who crossed the Atlantic before him.

I think that's all for now. Tell me what you want in the comments. I'll try to do better. I swear.

The Best in Lit-Rock

If there's one thing that can define music of this past decade it's that we will constantly find new monikers for every conceivable genre to describe nearly every single musician's unique take on the art form itself. More genres have popped up since the millennium than houses foreclosed upon in the last year. (What? Is it too early.) Lit rock is one such genre.

Without getting into too many specifics, lit rock is basically a form of progressive/alternative/ college/indie rock that is highly literate and almost pretentiously filled with references to all the great novels and their endless themes. Lit rockers are either failed novelists writing songs to pay the bills. Another way to identify lit rock is to find music that English students would love. Dylan, the Kinks, and Costello are probably the greatest influences on the genre.

Here is my list of the ten best lit rockers right now.

10. The Hold Steady
Admittedly, I don't even listen to The Hold Steady. I can't get past front man Craig Finn's vocal style. It just sounds like he's reading straight from a book. I guess some people like that stuff.

9. Camera Obscura
Camera Obscura comes to us via Belle & Sebastian territory. I don't know how literary their lyrics may or may not be, but they do sound like a band that an English major would love.

8. Bright Eyes
I already realize people will have a problem with this pick. People hate the little Dylan from Omaha, but he can write. Sure, his songs are typically overwrought with allegory and self-pity, but what could be more literary than that?

7. The Mountain Goats
this is another band on the list that I haven't really adopted as my own. It doesn't mean I don't like them. They just have stuck. Anyway, I cannot deny what I have heard and what many, many others think. Songwriter John Darnielle insures the band's spot on this list.

6. Decemberists
Reviewers' attempts to describe this band might be where the term "lit rock" originated. This what you get when a bunch of grad students who love Morrissey as much as they love Faulkner get together and write songs about pirates and gay teenagers.

5. Destroyer
This one was a stretch, but I think Dan Bejar's lyrics speak for themselves.

4. Silver Jews
Lead Jew, David Berman, is one of the few (if not only) musicians on this list who is actually a published author. He's a poet with a penchant for all that is dirty in Nashville. American Water could stand up to any novel written in the last fifty years as a great literary piece of Americana.

3. Belle and Sebastian
Our friends from Galsgow are every thinking man/woman's favorite mope rockers. Stories about failed artists and transgendered school children litter B&S's seven albums and numerous EP's. The name comes from a French children's book.

2. Okkervil River
Besides the literary tales Okkervil River weaves, they might have the most compelling figure in Will Sheff of any of these bands. All the great writers were dynamic people, but few could captivate an audience the way Mr. Sheff does.

1. So I lied. I don't have ten lit rock bands. A list of the top nine just didn't have the same ring. Besides, I'm sure all of you have thought of at least one band I have left off this list. So, speak up. suggest your favorite lit rock performer in the comments.

Another Tuesday, Another Three Records to Review

The Breeders - Mountain Battles Three Hundred Twenty-Eight Words: It's been like 15 years since Last Splash, The Breeders' breakout monster of a record, was released. Maybe they drank too many PBR's or maybe they're old and tired, but Mountain Battles is a bit of a drag at times. Sometimes it reminds me of the crush I had on Kim Deal circa 1994, but it mostly reminds me of 2008 Kim Deal, post-rehab.

What does that all mean? Well, I still hear those melt-y, Deal sister harmonies, but now it's over mid-tempo thuds and twang instead of the surprising tings and poppy bass lines of their grunge-era work. It's as if The Breeders will relapse into a life of heroin busts and nights slumped over the bar at Walnut Hills if they rock too much. Luckily, the sisters from Dayton haven't lost their penchant for nontraditional song structures, which makes the tracks interesting at least. However, this does make much of the record difficult and tiresome.

The best demonstration of the highs and lows in which MB reaches happens between tracks 8 and 9. "Walk it Off" is a classic Breeders rocker where Kim hollers and the bass is chunky and out front. The beat is simple, but it leaves room for some fun guitar play. Then the next song begins, "Regalame Esta Noche". No one from Dayton, OH should sing Latin standards. Bob Pollard should not sing "Feliz Navidad" and the Breeders should have never taken on "Regalame". The track falls flatter than any previous Breeders' track ever. The song requires an accent that does not come from anywhere near the Miami Valley.

Although I am glad to see The Breeders release another record, I am saddened that they may have lost that edge that made them so important to me. It's similar to the Stephen Malkmus record, if you may recall. I guess that's part of growing old or whatever. Your heroes lose what made them great before you realize your own youth is gone.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "German Studies"

Pitchfork Says: ???

Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It OffTwo Hundred Twenty-nine Words: So, I was out of the loop (or Loon) when Tapes 'n Tapes were first a buzz band, or more specifically, a blog band. And when I did catch on, I was told that it was too late. Tapes 'n Tapes were a disappointment as soon as their record was released. Well maybe if stupid bloggers didn't use hyperbole in every sentence when describing every band who ever played a nightclub, the bands might have time to develop and mature in some sort of obscurity. Alas, that is no longer possible, but I digress.

I actually liked The Loon and I like Walk It Off. That's it. That's the review.

I'm not going to wax poetic about back in ought-3, before Gorilla vs. Bear and Pitchfork made Tapes mega-indie stars. I won't tell you that the wildness of the first record has been tamed into a more coherent sound that borrows less from Pavement and Pixies and more from...I don't know, maybe their own heads. I won't write about the possibility that the hype created by the blogosphere that both raised the band to stardom and crushed it may have allowed Tapes 'n Tapes certain freedoms that allowed them to make a solid record.

Nope. I'm just telling you that it's not too late to pick up Walk It Off (or The Loon) despite what Brooklyn Vegan says.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "Say Back Something"

Pitchfork Says: ???

Colin Maloy - Sings Live!One Hundred Thirty-One Words: Anybody who listens to The Decemberists knows that what keeps them coming back for more is Colin Meloy's voice and the band's lyrics. Here, you get just bare bones Decemberists. Meloy has released a collection of songs from his solo tour in 2006. It's not the most complete or even best set list ever, but it gives Decemberist fans what they want: Colin Meloy singing about pirate ships, espionage, gay teenagers, and Dracula's daughter (well, not that last one). While it's probably only essential for die-hard fans of the band, it should be noted that your dollar does go to Meloy's indie label, Kill Rock Stars. KRS is one of the few labels from my generation to stick to its indie roots. For these reasons, it might be worth a listen.

The one song that makes it worth $17.95: "Barbara Allen"

Pitchfork Says: 6.5