Top Two Tracks: “Been Away Too Long” & “Non-State Actor”
As was heralded by “Live to Rise,” their fantastic contribution to the Avengers soundtrack earlier this year, Soundgarden is yet another of 2012’s long-awaited reunions, this album coming out sixteen years after 1996’s Down on the Upside. In King Animal, Soundgarden has found a new groove that brings their signature sound alive again with reinvigorated appeal. “Been Away Too Long” is the perfect opening track, and it is followed up with glorious riffing and cutting lyrics and vocals on “Non-State Actor.” The eleven tracks that follow are reliably exciting with hardly any exception, never trying too hard to be catchy yet clearly concerned with being lively, particularly with guitar and vocal parts. Freshly energetic and consistent throughout, King Animal is one of the year’s best reunion efforts, and despite the considerable expectations facing such a release, it is one of the better albums of 2012 as well.
Well, there’s a first time for everything. And I feel pretty confident as I write this that I am, indeed, the first of the Laptop Sessioneers to record a song from the alternative country genre. This is “Screen Door,” a song from band Uncle Tupelo, which is credited with being one of the pioneers of the alt-country genre.
Even as I write this, I have to chuckle a bit. I mean, truly, how many different genres can the music industry possibly conceive? How many categories do we really need? It’s not quite alternative. It’s not quite country. Let’s call it “Alternative Country”!
What’s next, Alternative Pop?
Classical Ska?
But, seriously, I find this all very interesting. I first heard Uncle Tupelo a couple months ago when I bought their essential tracks compilation 89/93: An Anthology. How does one find oneself motivated to buy an alt country album? Well, you may be aware that I’ve recently discovered and really gotten into the band Wilco. And, if you know me, you know that I need to know the broad history and backstories of bands that I get into.
So, let’s step back for a moment. Uncle Tupelo was active between 1987 and 1994, originally comprised of lead songwriter and singer Jay Farrar, his brothers Wade and Dade, and Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy quickly progressed into a second songwriter and lead singer of the band. His influence was two-fold — he was responsible for booking a lot of early gigs and, through several name changes before arriving at this one and multiple band member additions and replacements, he advocated for the punk rock sound that he had been impressed with when he initially heard Farrar and his brothers play. Dade disagreed and left the band shortly after Tweedy’s arrival.
Eventually, as the tale goes, tensions developed between Farrar and Tweedy over which direction the music should go until, finally, Farrar announced that he would be leaving the band. They played their final gig in 1994, and Farrar went off to form a new band, Son Volt. Meanwhile, Tweedy and all the other members of Uncle Tupelo reformed under the name Wilco.
So, after a lengthy explanation, there you have it — my interest in Wilco’s roots found me in the checkout line at Borders New Britain, Uncle Tupelo CD in hand. Ironically, one of my favorite songs on the album is merely a demo — a rough, but fully arranged track titled “Outdone.” Another song that got my interest is the first track on the compilation. “No Depression,” also the title of their debut album, is a song written and originally performed by the Carter Family (then referred to as “No Depression in Heaven”). Now, in 1936, “the Depression” had an entirely different meaning than it did for Uncle Tupelo in 1990. I love how this song was able to survive and take on a new meaning.
I still haven’t taken the time to check out Son Volt, but I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge fan of Uncle Tupelo, really. I am rapidly becoming an avid Jeff Tweedy and Wilco fan. Even Wilco’s debut album (A.M. in 1995), which Tweedy himself referred to as their attempt to “tread some water with a perceived audience,” is head and shoulders above the Uncle Tupelo CD, in my humble opinion. I can’t believe I’ve only heard three of the six Wilco studio albums…
Lots more to look forward to!
Without further ado, I’ll let you get to the actual video. I chose “Screen Door” because it’s deceptively simple. It could be taken as a Southern anthem about people sitting on their front porches, singing songs, and dealing with the heat. However, the chorus adds an interesting angle — “We don’t care what happens outside the screen door,” Tweedy sings. It’s an interesting social statement that I think applies in all parts of the country. In New England, for instance, it may not be the screen door, but we certainly have developed a sense of apathy for those who pass by us, outside our circle of friends, family, and colleagues.
And now I’ll actually let the song speak for itself. Don’t forget to rush back tomorrow for another all-new session with Jeff…
With this being the season of togetherness and all, it only seems right to present the “Best Collaborations of 2010” category. This is a pretty short one, as there are so many collaborations of different sorts throughout the music industry — I wanted to highlight only a few standouts. Number one with a bullet, at least for me, has to be this year’s Beach Boys reunion on “Don’t Fight the Sea,” a track on Al Jardine’s solo album that found not only surviving Beach Men Jardine, Brian Wilson, and Mike Love but also Carl Wilson collaborating on lead and background vocals. This was, of course, due to Carl Wilson’s vocals being posthumously remastered and added to the mix.
The next collaboration is one of the great partnerships of recent years: rock/alternative pianist Ben Folds and novelist/lyricist Nick Hornby teamed up this year for some of the smartest sounding rock the former has turned out in years.
Danger Mouse has been extraordinarily productive in recent years, but his collaboration with Sparklehorse — a particularly quirky one at that — is one of the darkest albums of the year, and a standout among this year’s music releases.
My honorable mention belies the soft spot I have for all things Wallflowers-related, one that is not nearly satisfied by Jakob Dylan’s solo catalog.
So, enjoy this brief list today, and check back for a top fifteen tomorrow!
BEST COLLABORATION
1) Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, & Carl Wilson (“Don’t Fight the Sea” – A Postcard from California)
2) Ben Folds & Nick Hornby (Lonely Avenue)
3) Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (Dark Night of the Soul)
Honorable Mention: Court Yard Hounds & Jakob Dylan (“See You in the Spring” – Court Yard Hounds)
The Gaslight Anthem’s American Slang (2010) – MAYBE
The Gaslight Anthem's "American Slang" (2010)
(June 15, 2010)
Review:
If you ever wondered what Bruce Springsteen would have sounded like had he been born into the alternative/punk rock legacy, well… the time has come; American Slang suffers a bit from homogeneity of sound, but each of the ten tracks here unfolds as a vivid landscape that transports the listener to a new and yet not entirely unfamiliar locale.
