Year End Music Summary
Well, it's that year end kind of top ten sort of wrap it all up in a column time it seems, and as much as I hate those kinds of summaries that proliferate in all media publications at this time, I guess I should just go for it and dream one up. I've read quite a few of them already, caught Spin Magazines rather sad year end issue, sad because the state of Rock and Roll seems quite obviously to be slipping away, or into some weird new realm of multi-nationally inspired, techno-manipulated, retro-obscure, sad and quiet indie acoustic honesty or Japanese post-modern film soundtrack preciousness in a cultural vacuum looped and repeated with a new approach to language as we know it or a language sung or whispered by some new teenager from Amsterdam who sings in fragile English because it sounds better or Japanese girls who whisper breathy French and English over old Einsturzende Neubauten or Fad Gadget machine rhythms or analog systems of lo-fi studio wizardry. All such very precious unique and fresh ideas that so far mean nothing to me. Well, not exactly nothing, I like Air's LP Moonwalking, and Buffalo Daughter's New Rock is quite good, but to have the store employees at Aquarius Records roll their eyes when you aren't familiar with the latest freaky analog cultural hybrid lo-fi vinyl-only Japanese release or French discovery or German, French and Japanese studio-only triumvirate is ridiculous. This particular vein of new music seems very esoteric and subtle and vague. Musically it translates as boring to me, or lite, as in individually wrapped sliced cheese. I still love guitars, I will always
crave harsh sputtering, terse strangled wrenching guitar sounds blasting forth from my speakers at home, and thankfully the places where I work as a DJ, where certain standards are set and maintained, because when there's no place left to rock and roll, that's no kind of place I want to be.
Considering the year in Rock and Roll, it wasn't a big one. Granted there were definite occasions and developments and releases of note and relative importance, but it was a somewhat streamlined affair. The most wave-making individual force in rock and roll this year would have to be Marylin Manson for all the controversy this walking press conference waiting to happen has stirred up, from assaulting journalists and torching hotel rooms to "outing" his grandfather as a dildo and bestiality enthusiast on national television, and having male cops open mouth kiss in his video, in glitter platforms and a new glam-rock look no less. I've found Manson's entire reign of terror on all that is right and good and god-fearing, his clever tongue in cheek comments and intelligent rapport with television appearances and interviews, the wonderful ways he incites the hell out of the Christian coalition and other groups, clearly show a man who knows where his next meal is coming from. He's playing that controversy sells game to the hilt and loving it all the way because it's working and it's so absurd to think about the powerlessness of these moralizing groups, stupidly attacking what they don't want to poison the minds of America's children, which ultimately leads those children, money in hand, right to the very evil they renounce-that's how Manson himself became acquainted with the dark forces of rock and roll, by rushing out and buying what they taught him was satanic, subliminal, and evil in Christian school. Spun backwards or forwards, he's made it big time, and his LP Mechanical Animals is a fine
record, heavy on traditions of another sort, glamour, sex, and of course drugs. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Now I'll list a few records released this year that I
consider the best with a brief description of why. I might stray from some of the more obvious choices for reasons of seeming like Courtney Love is all I ever write about, and hopefully cover some lesser known and worthy records as well.
1. Andre Williams Silky: This disc is one nasty fun romp
through the dirty mind and historic raunch and roll stylings of a true original in the dirty blues and voodoo love daddy ala Screamin Jay Hawkins realm of dramatic sensual devils music. With titles like "Pussy Stank", "Bonin'", "I Wanna Be Your Favorite Pair of Pajamas" and "Let Me (Put in a Bid For Your Love)" Williams takes the lowdown dirty blues out from under the porch where the dogs sleep and buries it face first in a drawer full of fine ladies underthings. Yeah, it could be considered sexist and offensive but shut up! This is conviction from an artist I'm very grateful to see making music again after a long retirement.
2. Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion Acme : I've seen this band several times and loved their 10 or so discs full of spirited lo-fi blues/rock. At around their 8th or 9th LP they began to get very popular with the college radio crowd and I started to tire of or doubt their fervor as just postured buffoonery. Well, I was wrong. Acme comes along and I thought I didn't care enough to even listen, but when I do, I find this disc to be possibly their finest to date-replete with some great collaborations and production credits from a roster of indie-music heroes and figureheads like Calvin Johnson of Dub Narcotic and members of Luscious Jackson. The final result is innovative arrangements song by song yet the core of it all is still unmistakably a fuel rod of pure Blues Explosion power.
3. R. L. Burnside Come On In: Not too long ago I wrote this disc up so I won't go into it all over again but rather just say I defy anyone to not find it a completely pleasurable mix of traditional gritty blues with some dare I say hip-hop influences and studio trickery. No integrity is lost because 72 year old R.L. himself took on most of the producing chores for this joint.
4. P.J. Harvey Is This Desire?: Her show at The Warfield was the most satisfying, moving and majestic performance I saw all year and this disc is continually enchanting with each listen. It's difficult to even convey with words the tangible gut feeling, the tingling spine, the mesmerized state this disc produces, yet it's effortless to know that Harvey is one of the truly great artists of Rock, period.
5. Monster Magnet Power Trip: This is another extraordinarily satisfying disc in a completely different way. This New Jersey guitar-based stoner metal outfit has enjoyed only a fringe sort of recognition and level of success, which prompted singer guitarist Dave Wyndorf to head for Las Vegas where he immersed himself into a process of writing a song a day in his hotel room and roaming the sour neon glowing streets by night. He came up with one of the most pure, true-to-form, classic rocking, sin and discontent slinging, morally blank and dark assessments of American culture of the year, grinding it into our consciousness with the same muscle as The Stooges at their best and shades or flourishes of that delicious eerie dark farfisa organ from countless obscure 60's garage bands like The Sonics or lesser. But this is the end of the 90's and production technologies are so much more advanced and proficiency worked in their favor, creating a crisp brilliant take without cleaning the grime and fear out of it all. There isn't a weak or lame cut from one end to the other. The tales Wyndorf spins are pretty ugly and frighteningly indictful of the state of our nation and culture, tossed off with no remorse and a slight evil grin-like a truth someone has needed to face for awhile. One of the best cuts, "Bummer" has the repeated refrain, "I know life's a bummer baby/ but that's got precious little to do with me." I also love the song about the hippies who throw away their baby in a Jersey landfill, the re-telling begins with the line "Secrets are just like mescaline/ they don't get old." Buy this disc. Catch the video for "Space Lord" where the band apes every single current visual cliché
used in every hip-hop video, from Fly-girl dancers to fish lenses and expensive cars and clothes that shine. Monster Magnet have hit the mark in a massive way.
6. Queens of The Stoneage-This debut LP and group rises from the ashes of a band from Palm Desert California called Kyuss who achieved a cultish sort of "band's band" popularity and level of respect before disbanding and eventually forming QOTSA. This is another LP that just rocks so convincingly and innovatively, replete with great hooks, complex but pleasing melodies, low-end gut rumbling bass and intelligent lyrics delivered with clarity. I just got this disc a few weeks ago and it's overall appeal is hard to explain-it's a solidly constructed sound that never fails to rile me up and make me smile. The band has a great detailed website to visit for the full history and discography of side projects etc. That site is http://loosegroove.com/queens.html. Go there and buy this one too.
7. The Murder City Devils Empty Bottles Broken Lives : Again, this band I wrote about in the not so distant past so I won't go into it all over again. Essentially all I can really say is this is one record you must own if you crave that raw rocking sound and attitude of a group of folks who you just know are in this for life-this rock and roll thing is what they do-to the hilt, with a triple guitar assault, organ, bass and drums and a very intense devoted-to-the-show, over the top vocalist named Spencer Moody. When he sings, "I got a preachers mouth/ and a rock and roll heart," you believe it and you know the Murder City Devils heart is in the right place. As for the disc, it's place is definitely in your collection, right away.
8. Baby Number 8: Sort of a debut and a posthumous release in one, the death of multiple birth baby number 8, we'll call it L'il Coke Can, makes my list for having the good taste and will power to buy the farm right away, spoiling the plans of that fertility drug popping, trophy litter
hungry, zealous birth machine with her eye on the Guinness Book and cash prizes for at least a decade in her attempt to beat out that other fertility drug taking hate criminal litter spawning witch who produced seven last year, none of whom had the decency to stop breathing in a heroic gesture to prove a point. Oh well, ha ha ha lady, eight minus one equals seven. Seven and seven is a tie. Tough shit! Too bad you haven't any older children already. They'd have loved to play funeral with it, providing you haven't turned it into a piece of jewelry. One more and you'll have earrings! Just remember, Multiple births who reach adulthood have an extraordinarily high rate of suicide. Look forward to it. You should be doing so from a prison cell as far as I'm concerned.
9. I just have to say one more thing. GOD BLESS LARRY FLYNT AND HIS MILLIONS FOR WHAT THEY CAN DO ON CAPITAL HILL. HE IS A HERO INDEED.
