By Chris Moore:
Crazy For You cover (Best Coast, 2010)
(July 27, 2010)
Review:
Best Coast sounds like the product of Zooey Deschanel and Tegan & Sara meeting on a drizzly day in sunny Californ-i-a, deciding to form a band; unfortunately, though, not much is surprising after the first couple tracks, but the band oozes potential and hints at what they may be capable of in the future.
Top Two Tracks:
“Crazy for You” & “Boyfriend”
By Chris Moore:
Hello and welcome to another edition of Original Wednesday here at the Laptop Sessions!
Tonight, I’m happy to present the second installment of my summer preview series of my forthcoming album The 2010 Project. I began recording demos a few months ago, as I mentioned in a previous post, and now I’ve officially hacked out a track listing. There will be thirteen tracks, all of which are fully composed now and have been recorded in demo form — a few of the demos are more fully produced, but minimally.
Now, I’m at the phase where I’m putting together the tools I need to record. With the help of a friend, I’ve recently picked up a set of seriously great headphones, which will be a necessary component of the mixing process. He also helped me pick out a USB microphone that I’ve been experimenting with this week. There is a line in and external mic plug that I may use if I’d like to refine the sound quality as I begin to record the tracks in a couple weeks. Finally, I had to replace my guitar pedal, which I had to throw away a few months ago when I pulled it out of storage and found the batteries had leaked. I tried to clean it out, but it was too far gone. So, I just got the latest Zoom pedal, which I can’t wait to try out!
Which brings me to the track I’m unveiling today. Previously, this has only been played for two people: my girlfriend and one of my dearest friends of all time. Both encouraged me that the new music I’ve been writing is among my best, so I’m hoping to make them proud by the time I’ve finished recording this new album.
And it’s about time — this marks four years since Love Out of Fashion!
“I Would Prefer Not To” will be the second track on the album, following “No Lights, No Sound.” Those of you English majors out there will pick up on the allusion to the Herman Melville short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” The verses are as simple as they come, only two chords: D and A. When I record the studio version, I hope to flesh out the riff I have in my mind and make that more catchy. The chorus is more interesting and, as in my favorite songs by artists like Bob Dylan, Mike Fusco, and others, the lyrics change slightly each time around. The song deals with the conflicts that arise from not wanting to disappoint others, but also needing to follow your impulses and passions. It’s a very personal song, critical at times — though it’s meant to be more confident than scathing — and I think there is a universal quality to it, regardless of its personal nature.
Without further ado, I give you my acoustic performance of “I Would Prefer Not To.” I hope you like it, and that you’ll continue to check back for more Original Wednesdays in the near future.
See you next session!
By Chris Moore:
Both of my favorite debuts this year weren’t true debuts, but rather they were solo debuts by artists well-established as the front men of bands: Jack White of the recently defunct White Stripes and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, which is currently on hiatus. Neither topped my year-end best albums list, but both were exciting nonetheless and suggest much promise for future solo efforts.
Blunderbuss – Jack White
Clear Heart Full Eyes – Craig Finn
By Chris Moore:
Producer: Jude Cole
Released: December 11, 2012
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Top Two Tracks: “Gotta Be Tonight” & “Right Back Home”
For a band that I have accused in the past of being derivative of itself, I picked up this album with some hesitance. To be honest, I haven’t heard an album from Lifehouse that I truly loved and respected since 2002’s Stanley Climbfall. That being said, Almeria is a welcome surprise. At every turn, it is an energetic return and it features a dynamic sequence of tracks. From the extremes of the modern-sounding yet carefully-paced seriousness of “Between the Raindrops” to the bluesy throwback sound of “Right Back Home” and so many stops between, Lifehouse seems to delight in showing off their range. “Gotta Be Tonight” bubbles with potential as it stomps away as the opener, and it is followed by highlights such as the catchy, fittingly cyclical “Nobody Listen” and the nearly-Beatles-esque “Lady Day.” All in all, Almeria is a notable effort from Lifehouse and one whose diversity should bring listeners back for more across many listens.