Tom Waits, 'Nighthawks at the Diner', 1975.
I been up for 24 hours packing up for crunch week, alcohol my my only companion to fight off the fear and loneliness. This helped me out.
I've tried a few times but his voice seems so forced and comical to me. Can you recommend a good starting point for the skeptical ear?
You might like to start here Kory. It's where I jumped in and it took a couple of plays before I really appreciated what a terrific writer he is.
Thanks! I'll put it on the headphones tomorrow.
Listening to Blue Valentine right now, and I'm vacillating a lot. The music is cool, and his voice goes between annoying and listenable. Will continue listening. I still hold that he should play Bukowski in a movie, though.
Give Rain Dogs (particularly the songs I suggested) a try. He's a lot more straightforward on that album and less, I don't know, show tunesy.
Don't ask me to explain it, but Sera Cahoone has a very connecting human voice, generating comfort and sympathy. Listening to her with a jug of whisky handy would make a stoic weep freely.
Have you tried her new album? Similarly enjoyable. Got to see her live in April but it was an opening gig. She did a full band tour a few weeks ago, but new baby ruined that for me.
I've listened to it a few times but it didn't grab me as much and then it got lost amidst other listening habits. Next time I walk up to campus I'll make a point of do that. I'll always be appreciative that you introduced me to Deer Creek Canyon—such a beautiful collection of performances.
I've tried a few times but his voice seems so forced and comical to me. Can you recommend a good starting point for the skeptical ear?
You might like to start here Kory. It's where I jumped in and it took a couple of plays before I really appreciated what a terrific writer he is.
Thanks! I'll put it on the headphones tomorrow.
Listening to Blue Valentine right now, and I'm vacillating a lot. The music is cool, and his voice goes between annoying and listenable. Will continue listening. I still hold that he should play Bukowski in a movie, though.
Give Rain Dogs (particularly the songs I suggested) a try. He's a lot more straightforward on that album and less, I don't know, show tunesy.
Definitely digging the instrumentation on Rain Dogs so far. I'm a sucker for marimbae.
You might like to start here Kory. It's where I jumped in and it took a couple of plays before I really appreciated what a terrific writer he is.
Thanks! I'll put it on the headphones tomorrow.
Listening to Blue Valentine right now, and I'm vacillating a lot. The music is cool, and his voice goes between annoying and listenable. Will continue listening. I still hold that he should play Bukowski in a movie, though.
Give Rain Dogs (particularly the songs I suggested) a try. He's a lot more straightforward on that album and less, I don't know, show tunesy.
Definitely digging the instrumentation on Rain Dogs so far. I'm a sucker for marimbae.
There's a bit more of a rock feel with the lead guitar on Hang Down Your Head and Downtown Train.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 03 Oct 2017, 5:06pm
by Flex
Remember when Kaleb argued you needed to listen to Tom Waits' early, inferior material before digging into his best stuff? He should write an article about how bad that idea was.
Remember when Kaleb argued you needed to listen to Tom Waits' early, inferior material before digging into his best stuff? He should write an article about how bad that idea was.
Knowing him at this point, it would be pretty convincing. At what point does he say the early era ends?
Listening to Blue Valentine right now, and I'm vacillating a lot. The music is cool, and his voice goes between annoying and listenable. Will continue listening. I still hold that he should play Bukowski in a movie, though.
Give Rain Dogs (particularly the songs I suggested) a try. He's a lot more straightforward on that album and less, I don't know, show tunesy.
Definitely digging the instrumentation on Rain Dogs so far. I'm a sucker for marimbae.
There's a bit more of a rock feel with the lead guitar on Hang Down Your Head and Downtown Train.
Pretty good, but I think Clap Hands is my favorite so far.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 04 Oct 2017, 7:03pm
by Dr. Medulla
I still love "Cooling Card" a whole helluva lot. What a weird period when bands like that could get sorta mainstream airplay.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 10 Oct 2017, 10:09am
by Dr. Medulla
The music is mostly sludgy, slow metal (I'm sure there's a proper name for it but metal has nine million subgenres) but with vocals that are more like dream pop. I'm not totally won over but I'm still listening.
You mean it sounds like all of Phil Collins records played backwards.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 12 Oct 2017, 3:58am
by muppet hi fi
The Rolling Stones, 'Sticky Fingers: Live at the Fonda Theater, 2015' (2017).
The lads are really on fire here, despite age and Keef (allegedly) pissing himself onstage the other week in Hamburg ("We piss anywhere, man..."). They clearly shine these days as a small-unit R&B band in smaller venues. And "the kids" still dig 'em. Nuff said.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 13 Oct 2017, 8:24pm
by gkbill
Hello,
JD McPherson - Undivided Heart & Soul. Great. Updated. Rockabilly. Still kind of rockabilly but with some updated touches (at least to my ears). When I tell my phone "OK Google, what does cool sound like?", my phone plays his stuff.
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 13 Oct 2017, 10:15pm
by muppet hi fi
Peter Perrett, 'How the West Was One' (2017).
His second solo album since '95 or so, it's not exactly the Only Ones. Very low-key and aside from the lead-off title track a bit disappointing to me. The title song is uncharacteristically "political", his two sons turn in fine work on guitar and bass, but I miss the lush yet rocking bliss of his Only Ones days. Maybe he's burnt out (as ex-junkies often are), but I'll give it a few more shakes. After all, he does still have "that voice" (musical and literary).
Re: What Are you Listening to Right Now?
Posted: 16 Oct 2017, 9:36pm
by muppet hi fi
The Replacements, 'For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986' (2017).
Having never (knowingly) heard the famous boot of this before, I'm a tad disappointed that they've seemingly edited out most of the (always amusing) stage banter. Also, Paul sings a lot of songs in a very staid, controlled lower register - I guess he knew they were being recorded and wanted to save his voice and sing "properly". Otherwise - it sounds great and the band is on fire. Buy it.
