Lets Rave On; Trying to have some meaning

On my Coachella Review:

Good review although I disagree on Wilco and Bright Eyes.

Your previews were very helpful. I took your suggestion on Buck 65 and he was outstanding. Good work all the way around!

-Johnnypolite

Thanks man, and thanks to everyone on the official Coachella boards who read the big feature.

You know, I thought that a week after the biggest concert of my entire life, I’d be remorseful. Turns out, I’ve got my head up, I’m staying positive, and I’m looking ahead without any conscious effort. I love it when that happens. I feel like the bright speck of sunshine in the middle of charred remains.

Perhaps it has something to do with the three brand spanking new albums happily spinning away in the jukebox. I received an advance copy of the new Weezer album, Make Believe, because I really liked what I heard live. I got the new Raveonettes album, Pretty in Black, because they’re my favorite band at the moment and will follow their every move like a little lost puppy in need of someone to love me, kiss me, hug me, and call me George. And finally, there’s the new Ryan Adams double album, Cold Roses.

Now, I’m not part of the review board here, so don’t expect me to tell you if you’ll like these albums or not, because you will. They’re all perfectly great records put out by artists clearly loving what they do. As well, I don’t like doing reviews, because I don’t want to be
the guy you scream at in the night if you didn’t like what I prescribed. I could do without that sort of attention, thank you.

Now, I’m going to ask one of those questions that sound extremely stupid when it comes out but interesting if you let it stew for a minute. Stay with me.

Why do bands put out more than one album? Have you ever really thought about it? I bet you haven’t, but now that you are, I’m assuming you
subscribe to one of two ideas. The first is that the band rocks just so, so much that the fans demand they produce more and more. Most
people are in this group, and this is one of the more subtle reasons as to why older people think that newer music is no good. Elvis put out a record every 8 months. Radiohead goes about 2-3 years or so. The second theory, and the slightly more jaded, is that bands need to make money, and the label needs to make money, and the guy who makes the shrinkwrap so goddamn hard to open needs to make money, which necessitates a band that keeps delivering more product. Perhaps you
believe in a mixture of both, and that’s sort of how it really is. It depends on the band, really. Some will take years to make an album
they love, and some will put it together in 3 weeks without a thought because Wal Mart told them to (cough3doorsdowncough).

What I’ve got here are three albums that fit all three categories and modify them in interesting ways. The Raveonettes are part of Columbia,
which is one of the big 5 record companies, but have the feeling and appeal of an indie band. Major record deals are usually 3-5 records.
With today’s expenses for booth time, records can really only come out every two years. So far, The Raveonettes have followed this model
pretty extensively. They put out an indie EP in 2002, got picked up by Columbia, and released their first full length in mid 2003. Now, two
years later, they have a third album. Like clockwork, they’ll have another in 2007.

Weezer is a little different. They’ve only put out 5 records, but it’s taken them 11 years to do it. One in 1994, one in 96, one in 2000, one
in 2002, and one in 2005. There would almost be a pattern there if not for Make Believe. This brings to light the really obvious answer to
the big question here. Perhaps they just release records because they simply want to. It’s always possible that bands make music simply for
the joy of making it. I guess I’m jaded, but for some reason that doesn’t do it for me completely.

Ryan Adams defies the rules of record making as often as possible. He’s also the complete opposite of Weezer. They’ll toil for 3 years
and write 70 songs for an album, but only release 12 or 13. Ryan Adams will record every song he has and find a way to release it, such as
what he pulled in 2003 with one full length (Rock n Roll) and 2 EPs (Love is Hell I & 2, which was done far too obviously just a complete
album split apart). This year, he releases a monster double album and only charges 12 bucks for it.

All of these artists have released multiple records. Was it just for the money? It’s tough to say. Really, Weezer said everything they
needed to say with Blue and Pinkerton. Everything since (and especially Make Believe) has had slight modifications, but is essentially the same slice of key lime pie. If it comes down to saying “they’ve found what works” then they immediately lose any credibility as artists and become commercial whores. Somehow though, I don’t think that’s the case with Weezer. If that was the case, they’d release a record of 10 songs every 2 years on the dot like Good Charlotte does,play a 15 show tour over the course of a month, and spend the rest of
their time wondering exactly what is in their garage.

With Ryan Adams, you never know where he’s coming from. One one album, he’s a strumming country superstar, wondering aloud where that love of his life went. On another, he’s coldly giving his opinions on America and their war. On yet another, he’s rocking out like, of all bands,
Big Sugar. But at the same time he’s never really had a ton of commercial success. Is he still “finding his place” in the music
market? After half a dozen albums, I would think not. He’s a clear example of someone who still has so many things left to say.

And then there’s the Raveonettes. Indie folk’s worst nightmares are comprised of their favorite artists signing huge record deals and producing nothing but corporate rock radio-approved rock. Anyone who listens to The Rav’s original EP and their major label debut could spot the difference in sound a thousand decibles away. Beginning like a souped-up Jesus and Mary Chain, they transformed into crooning Buddy Holly wannabes. On the new record, they’ve dropped the fuzz pedals entirely, sounding almost note for note like something you might dance the jig to at the big school dance before going over to Pop’s for floats and the best hamburgers this side of Memphis. However, you could also argue that this is progression, something we all say we’d like more of in pop music. In a mere 3 years, this band has changed their sound in a logical fashion so much. If only
everyone did that; we wouldn’t fear the sophomore album stinker any longer.

So, ultimately, what’s the point of this? Why encourage artists to have something new and (if only slightly) different to say on new recordings? Because not only does it ultimately produce better music (would you prefer two Coldplay albums or two Bright Eyes albums?
Exactly) but it stops encouraging the existence of American Idol, since looking like a metrosexual clone singing the worst of the Elton
John catalogue would cease to be the sincerest form of flattery. I wish I could get into how American Idol is the largest advertisement
for communism right now, but I’ll save that for another week.

It also saves us from those bargain bins at Music World littered with Nine Inch Nail EP’s and that other Wallflowers CD. Basically, do
something new, or get out of dodge. There is simply too much new and exciting coming out of rock these days to be bothered with the same
stuff I listened to in 2003.

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News

The Austin City Limits festival has announced their full lineup. The MASSIVE group of bands showing up are headlined by Coldplay, Widespread Panic, Oasis, The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers Band, Wilco, Lyle Lovett and more.

The full lineup can be found here.

credit: www.austincitylimits.com

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Audioslave have become the first US rock band to play outdoors in Cuba.

The band performed in front of thousands at Havana’s Anti Imperialist Plaza last night (May 6). The Plaza was purpose built five years ago as a place for mass protest against the US government. It marks a massive sea-change for the country where rock and roll was previously viewed as one of America’s most effective weapons.

“It’s exciting to play music in a place that American bands haven’t been to play,” frontman Chris Cornell said, “and it’s exciting to be the first American band to come and play some loud rock music and it’s all about that. The music is what it’s all about, period.”

Credit: www.nme.com

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A new film is attempting to imagine what the final hours of KURT COBAIN’s life might have been like.

Directed by ‘Good Will Hunting’ director Gus Van Sant, ‘Last Days’ the film is not actually about Nirvana, but a musician called ‘Blake’ (played by Michael Pitt) and his grunge band who, as these shots reveal, bear a striking resemblance to the people who created ‘Nevermind’.

‘Last Days’ follows the tormented blonde haired Blake as he hides from managers, friends and record company executives during the lead-up to his death.

However Van Sant insisted this is not a film about Cobain, but a tribute to him. “He’s like a Shakespearean Hamlet, reflecting on his personal ghosts and demons,” Van Sant told MTV.com, “and while I don’t know what his were, I’m imagining what they might have been.”

The director was also quick to assure fans that the film will not try to draw any conclusions – even fictionalised – about the singer’s demise.

“We’re not showing anything specifically that’s challenging anyone,” he explained. “There are no answers, no ‘This is causing that.’ “

While Dave Grohl has already said he’ll be giving the film a wide berth, ‘Last Days’ has received the blessing of Cobain’s widow Courtney Love.

The film was premiered this week (May 11) at the Cannes Film Festival, and will be released in the UK in September.

Credit: www.nme.com

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Links

Tony B put up a review of Mike Doughty that is likely the most mainstream attention Doughty has ever received. The man who sings 5 second songs about firetrucks and sometimes great songs about love and loss and political leftiness deserves it.

Gloomchen gushes over Beck. He deserves it, too.

Michael Chadwick write a pretty good essay on post-punk . Like I figured, the idea is completely different than that of post-rock.

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lyrics to live by

Love In A Trashcan – The Raveonettes

If you touch that girl
You know it’s okay
People say she’s a whore anyway
I think she looks like a nice vamp
Looking for love in a trashcan

If you kiss that girl you won’t be caught dead
She’s the coolest girl you think you ever met
I think she fits right into my life
On the road till the end of time

Now the time is right and you feel the need
To go down low and receive a treat
The jukebox churns out songs about sex
Come on baby you’re my best fix

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Next week, I’ll talk about all the music that real music fans call crap – the top 40 pop that, after next week, will be referred to as Mallcore.

Party On, Garth.