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Indie artists to record John Prine tribute

April 9, 2010 /

The eclectic individuals over at Consequence of Sound let us know that OhBoy Records will be releasing a John Prine tribute album on June 22. Acts on tap for Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John include Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, My Morning Jacket and The Avett Brothers.

Here’s the tracklist:

01. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver – Bruised Orange (Chain Of Sorrow)
02. Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band – Wedding Day In Funeralville
03. My Morning Jacket – All The Best
04. Josh Ritter – Mexican Home
05. Lambchop – Six O’Clock News
06. Justin Townes Earle – Far From Me
07. The Avett Brothers – Spanish Pipedream
08. Old Crow Medicine Show – Angel From Montgomery
09. Sara Watkins – The Late John Garfield Blues
10. Drive-By Truckers – Daddy’s Little Pumpkin
11. Deer Tick featuring Liz Isenberg – Unwed Fathers
12. Those Darlins – Let’s Talk Dirty In Hawaiian

I guess I’m not too surprised that nobody is covering the cheesy, yet hysterical “Dear Abby.” I remember both of my parents enjoying Prine when I was growing up, and this was the only song that made an impression on me. I avoided him until I got older when I suddenly decided to spend some time with more of his songs. What can I say? “Illegal Smile,” “Sweet Revenge,” “Down By The Side Of The Road” — so many good ones.

I could care less if you buy this album, but I do think John Prine deserves more recognition from the younger generations.

Artists, News

Slash: Slash

April 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper

Duff McKagan is the newest member of Jane’s Addiction; Scott Weiland is back with STP; Matt Sorum has a Pussycat Dolls-like rock review with his Darling Stilettos, and Dave Kushner most recently co-wrote the theme song to “Sons of Anarchy.” What about the man in the top hat and the very soul of Velvet Revolver? Slash has left his Snakepit behind to release a guitar player’s record in which a different vocalist is featured on each track. So often these types of records are uneven because the vocalists skew the music so drastically apart, the end results feel like a series of singles slapped together. Most of the tracks are polished musical metal pop songs that his vocalists end up fitting into, adjusting their style to fit into his vision. On most of the songs, he doesn’t make the mistake of trying to build material for the singers except the collaborations with Adam Levine and Kid Rock, which feel more specific for those artists and sound like tracks that would be recorded by the vocalists on their records. Slash is fun, ripping good and more accessible then the two Velvet Revolver records. Contraband and Libertad had their moments, but weren’t very consistent regardless of the commercial and critical hoopla.

The formula mellows a bit for Kid Rock’s funky “I Hold On.” The Adam Levine-sung “Gotten” sounds a lot like a Maroon 5 groove. “Mother Mary” is an earthy effort by Beth Hart that conjures up a Janis Joplin vibe. “Watch This,” featuring Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan, is the lone instrumental and a tasty one at that. Slash compiles an eclectic guest list, but because the music is based on his bluesy soloing and magnificent crunchy riffs, the record has a remarkable consistency. Ozzy also appears on the very predictable sounding, “Crucify the Dead.” Doesn’t it seem like every Ozzy track these days kind of sounds the same? The copy available for this review also featured a Cypress Hill/Fergie collaboration for a cover of “Paradise City.” It has a weird sort of charm and works as does most of this record. Slash is a pleasant surprise and even with the diverse set of singers, is one of the better records thus far in 2010. (Dik Hayd 2010)

Slash MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Metal, Rock

Coheed & Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow

April 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Rush, Dream Theater, Queensrÿche

There have been plenty of concept albums, but Coheed And Cambria may be the world’s first concept band. All of the group’s releases to date have been installments in one epic story, a sci-fi space opera dubbed The Armory Wars. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, their debut album was actually the second part of the saga; the three albums that proceeded it told the third and fourth parts (the fourth part was in itself a two-parter). Now we finally get the first chapter with Year of the Black Rainbow.

Here’s a quick recap for the uninitiated: There’s a federation of planets called Heaven’s Fence, which are held together by an energy force called the Keywork. This system is ruled by the evil Wilhelm Ryan and the only person that can stop him is Claudio Kilgannon, the son of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon (who also happens to share the name of the band’s lead singer Claudio Sanchez). His journey is one filled with violence, heartache and loss as he struggles to accept his fate as the messiah known as The Crowning. Oh, and at one point in the narrative focus shifts to “The Writer” who created all these characters. He’s tormented by an evil bicycle. (There is a comic book that makes all of this a little clearer…but not by much).

Coheed And Cambria

So in case your couldn’t already tell, this is prog rock. But it’s really good prog rock, and while Coheed’s lyrics aren’t exactly user-friendly, their music sure as hell is. Just like the band’s four other albums, Year of the Black Rainbow, effortlessly combines prog conventions (complex drumming, and the aforementioned lyrical insanity) with catchy pop hooks and heavy metal thunder ripped straight from ’80s power metal. And while it works well as a single work (or as one part of an even larger work), tracks like “The Broken,” “Far” and the excellent single “Here We Are Juggernaut” all stand strong as individual pieces, which is something that even a lot of the best prog rock albums can’t pull off.

It can be a little ridiculous and over the top at times, and Claudio’s distinctive Geddy Lee-esque voice will no doubt annoy some listeners to death. But if you like your rock as subtle as a punch in a face by a gorilla, then you’ll enjoy the bombastic insanity of Year of the Black Rainbow, and every other Coheed And Cambria album for that matter.

WARNING: Although all five parts of The Armory Wars records are great, listening to them back to back in narrative order will make you go insane. (Columbia 2010)


Coheed and Cambria MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Metal, Progressive, Rock

Tired of life? Lil Wayne is here to help

April 7, 2010 /

Although Lil Wayne is stuck in jail on weapons charges, that isn’t keeping him from getting some work done. In a recent interview, the rapper’s ex-wife, Antonia “Toya” Johnson, says Weezy has been given the task on making sure the suicidal inmates don’t off themselves.

From RollingStone.com:

Lil Wayne makes his living as the bestselling rapper on the planet, but while serving his year-long jail sentence at New York’s Rikers Island, Weezy has entirely new job: keeping watch over suicidal inmates. Antonia “Toya” Johnson, the mother of one of Wayne’s children, tells Us Weekly, “Wayne has a job. They got him on suicide watch for other prisoners. He watches the crazy prisoners and makes sure they don’t kill themselves.” Finding himself in a 9-to-5, albeit in prison, Weezy shares a similar complaint with much of the working population. “He likes the job even though they don’t pay him much,” Toya says of the Young Money multimillionaire.

This just fits perfectly into the life of Lil Wayne.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Artists, News

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