Angel

A nice song from Valentine's Day

One Headlight

I'm on a bit of a Wallflowers kick, playing a lot of their music. Although I had a lukewarm initial response to Jakob Dylan's last solo album it's grown to be one of my favorite discs. I actually like his music better than his father's although of course the historical/cultural impact between Jakob and Bob Dylan's music don't really compare. The Wallflower's catchiest song, the 90's monster hit "One Headlight" is in my frequent rotation on the Ipod.

I've mainly known the song for it's loping beat, cool organ blasts and chorus so I decided to look up the lyrics. It's a more morbid song than I expcected, seems to do with dealing with the death of a girl but it's hard to tell if the death is literal or metaphoric. In any case, what I get from the song is the feeling of trying to break free from grief. I Like the line "Man I ain't changed but I know I ain't the same".

It's Good To Be The King

Watched the movie The King's Speech last weekend, it lived up to it's hype of being a strong quality film. Nicely done with realistic, interesting characters and mildly dour direction. Colin Firth was thoroughly convincing in his portrayal of Bertie, the stammering Duke that would later be King. The King's Speech does a nice job of showing a friendship between the speech therapist and the Duke without making it seem like the most epic buddy pairing ever.

So how could I not think of the Eric Clapton pairing with B.B. King after this?

A New Kind Of Truth

Bought the new Van Halen disc this week, been impressed with it and like it a lot. A lot of the classic VH sound filled with Roth's hyper extroverted personality and Eddie Van Halen's fastball guitar licks. Like most Roth era VH albums the music pulls a lot from songs they wrote before they had a recording contract, this time including my favorite previously unreleased song "Let's Get Rockin" (now redone as "Outta Space"). As wrong as it is that Michael Anthony is no longer invited to the Van Halen party, Wolfgang Van Halen does a good job on the bass. It cracks me up how Wolfgang gets more room to play in than Anthony ever did, but hey it pays to be the son of the boss. Anyway, the new disc A Different Kind Of Truth is an entertaining album and my favorite song so far is the "Ice Cream Man" styled "Stay Frosty".

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

2012 is off to a bad start for pop music, first Don Cornelius dies and now Whitney Houston. From 1985 to 1993 Whitney Houston's music dominated the airwaves, providing a radio soundtrack to much of my young adult life. So here's a clip showing Whitney Houston the way I remember her, performing on Soul Train.

Mike Seaver's Bad Attitude

Earlier today I went music shopping and almost bought Honeymoon Suite's The Big Prize cd which is a tape I played relentlessly in high school. Since I already had the songs I wanted on mp3 from it I decided to pass on buying it. Then later while eating lunch I was watching Growing Pains and what song is playing in the background while Mike Seaver is checking out a blonde in the school hallway? "Bad Attitude" by Honeymoon Suite.

Roger Wilco

I've been playing the last Wilco album The Whole Love lately. Wilco albums are always a tough listen for me at first, it takes time for me to "get it". Once I do get it though, I really like what I hear. It's unusual for a Wilco song to bowl me over on first pass, yet I really liked the final song "One Sunday Morning (For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)". I don't know what the song is about, just like the easygoing 70s acoustic ramble it is. Even at 12 minutes long, makes me feel all peaceful like.

I've read the lyrics just now, very interesting. Looks like it tells the story of an athiestic man who did not get along with a religious father. The father dies and the man feels a mix of sadness and relief at the same time. Pretty deep and poignant song, the music is so pleasant I did not pick up on the story in it at all. Now that I know the themes of the song the muted tones and 70s style folkiness are that much more impressive.

It's Taboo!

While playing that Dawes album Nothing Is Wrong (I looked up the title!) I've been stuck on the 2nd song on it called "If I Wanted Someone". It's a stand out cut not just for the Neil Young guitar meets Jackson Browne chorus alchemy but for it's 70s styled sexism. Like Crosby Stills and Nash's "Triad", that sort of objectification of women under the guise of sensitive peace and free love spirit. While some bands have picked up on the 70s sounds for their indie rock, this is the first one I can remember to deliver a real 70s styled sentiment. It's kinda cool and kinda offensive simultaneously. The chorus goes:

If I wanted someone to clean me up I'd find myself a maid / If I wanted someone to spend my money I wouldn't need to get paid / If I'd wanted someone to understand me I'd have so much more to say / I want you to make the days move easy

"I want you to make the days move easy"? It just puts a picture in my head of some hippie in beat up blue jeans and no shirt with a sleeveless vest asking his "lady" or "mama" to get him a beer and stop being so "heavy" while sponging off her job. And then saying "C'mon baby, loosen up. Don't be such a square." Bitchin!

F-F-F-Foolish Pride

Just a catchy song I've liked for ages. Daryl Hall (sans Oates) "Foolish Pride".

Alaska You Were Meant For Me

After watching tv last weekend I wonder: is it me or are there more camera crews in Alaska than there are actual state residents. There are at least three reality tv shows shooting up there (Alaska State Troopers, Alaska The Last Frontier and Gold Rush) making a big deal of living and working in a remote yet civilized area. Alaska The Last Frontier was the show I saw the most, an interesting program emphasizing homesteading and old school work-the-land values while driving expensive cranes and tractors. After hearing their last name I confirmed online that the featured family (The Kilchers) are related to the singer Jewel. So now I have some Jewel music on my mind.

Chuck Versus The End Of A Great Series

Last Friday was the end of the tv series Chuck, a low rated show I've loyally followed through five seasons. At the end of season four I thought the show was getting a bit stale and desperate despite great guest casting (Linda Hamilton! Timothy Dalton!). I went into this season expecting the program to limp to the finish line.

Instead the makers of Chuck turned in a lively season that had all the goofy magic, big action and involving drama that made it great in the first place. Loved season five, and going the high risk route in the finale of doing a Jamie Summers / Bionic Woman to Sarah was brilliant. Chuck has introduced me to a lot of great music too, as the program ended to this song "Rivers And Roads" by someone called The Head And The Heart they gave one last musical gift.