Neil Young

No funnybook talk today, folks. I'm still coming down from last night's show at the ACC. This is probably the 10th time I've seen Neil over the last 20 years and he is still so unbelievably amazing. I just cannot get over his intensity at age 63. So many selections seems handpicked just for me. I got my Everybody Knows, Powderfinger and Cowgirl (still waiting on Revolution Blues and Don't Be Denied - but I'm not holding my breath). These songs are part of my DNA and hearing them again makes my mind race all over the place to various parts of my life. The whole thing was almost like an out of body experience. Oh yeah - Wilco opened and they were good but Neil is Neil. I just love the guy and I'm dreading the day he stops touring.

3 Songs to Download for September

The early 70s was a great time for loose, crunchy rock 'n roll. Over the past decades a few bands have attempted to channel all of that early 70s greatness. Here are some examples of fine neo-Honky Tonk Rockers that you should give a try.

Why I Lie - Liz Phair
Ironically, not from her "Exile in Guyville" album, which was crafted in a way to mirror the early 70s Stones. This song, from the sadly ignored Somebody's Miracle album, would fit right in with Mick and Keef's catalog. Crank it, and enjoy.

Rum & Whatever - She Stole My Beer
This is a great, fun song from a Canadian bar band that never quite made it big. It's a fun romp as the song's protagonist tries to make it through rehab without ever sobering up. Imagine Jimmy Buffet fronting Grand Funk Railroad and you'll get the picture.

Minnesoter - Dandy Warhols
This is just a fantastically fantastic song that always pumps me up. It's as if a long lost Faces song had been discovered and remastered with bit of a late 90s sensibility. It's raunchy, rude and very endearing.

3 Songs to Download for August

This month's theme is Power Pop. These are the kind of songs that should please just about any listener - with enough of a melody for true pop fans mix with sufficient musicianship to please your average Spin Subscriber.

Sparky's Dream - Teenage Fanclub
I have no idea what this song is about, but I love it. So many great bands emerge from the British Isles in the 90s, that some like Teenage Fanclub got lost in the mix and never quite received their due. This is a perfect little piece of power pop heaven - an exquisite interplay of guitar and vocals. Lovely stuff.

Someone Who's Cool - The Odds
Truth be told, I was never a fan of the vast majority of this Vancouver-based band's output, but this song was one of the finest to come out of Canada in the 90s. A perfect blend of guitar riffs with wonderfully turned phrases have made it a permanent resident on my iPod.

Wall Come Tumbling Down - Style Council
Remember this one? If not, you should get to know it. The Council had a wonderful pedigree but were a bit short-lived due to Paul Weller's ever changing muse. The somewhat topical lyrics are thankfully drowned out by the impressive horns and backing vocals. Do not waste another minute - download it now!

3 Songs to Download for July

There's a scene in Juno, where Jason Bateman's character tries to convince Juno of the awesomeness of Sonic Youth's version of The Carpenters' 'Superstar'. I've been having that conversation with people since the If I Were a Carpenter album was released (although in my case, I wasn't having these chats with teenage girls). To me, a good cover song should do 2 things: 1) Put a fresh coat of paint on the original song and, at the same time 2) enhance your appreciation of the original. Let's have a look at a few of my favourite that you like to take for a spin on your iPod.

Maybe I'm Amazed - The Faces
Has this one been slightly forgotten in the sands of time? Paul McCartney's power ballad is about as sappy as it gets, but somehow Stewart, Lane et al. are able to dip it in enough Scotch to make it seem vital, almost visceral.

Winterlong - The Pixies
The Pixies take on this fairly minor Neil Young song first appeared on the Tribute for the Bridge School album. I lost my cassette of it years ago, and I don't think it's every been re-released. Luckily, this song has popped up on a recent Pixies compilation so everyone can enjoy this tune, but is simultaneously sunny and melancholic.

Louie Louie - Toots and the Maytals
From the wonderful "Funky Kingston" album, the Maytals' slow romp through this song seems to really show the connection between reggae music and early rock 'n roll. It may seem like an awkward rhythm at first, but creeps nicely into your subconscious with repeated listening. Proof that everything Toots touches is instantly cool.

3 Songs to Dowload for June

The other day I was listening to one of the songs on this list and I got to thinking about great duets that might have slipped under the radar, but would please your iPod a great deal. I'm talking one-offs here, otherwise the list would be full of Otis Redding/Carla Thomas stuff. Here are a few you might not have heard before - or at least in a little while:

Sometimes Always: Jesus and Mary Chain w/ Hope Sandoval
When I was an undergrad student living in Montreal, I listened to Mazzy Star all the time and was 99% convinced I'd marry Hope Sandoval one day. My life headed in a different direction, but I'll bet I still listen to this lovely song at least once a month. It's a mid-tempo heart breaker. One of the best songs of the 90s

4% Pantomime - The Band with Van Morrison
For my money, Richard Manuel has just about the best 'white soul' voice ever, and Van the Man ain't far behind. This is a great, raunchy collaboration likely recorded in the wee hours of the morning. How can you not love a song that gives a shout out to 'Johnny Walker Red'?

This is the Picture (Excellent Birds) - Peter Gabriel & Laurie Anderson
I'm talking about the version that was included as the last song on the So cassette (it wasn't on the vinyl). It's a great little bit of accessible performance art rock; quirky without being nauseating. A true collaboration by two innovative artists. It's artsy but not humourless.

3 Songs to Download for May

I hope that this will be an ongoing series of entries to help all of you suffering from iPod malaise. There are a lot of great songs out there that we've all forgotten to add to our libraries. Here are a few initial gems that are perfect for this time of year:

Revolution Blues: Neil Young
The best Neil Young song you may have never heard. Some of us suffered for years, listening to out scratchy LPs, waiting for On the Beach to be released on CD. In this day of instant gratification however, you don't have to feel the pain. Within seconds, you can be listening to this bleak and beautiful song that is the best love song Charles Manson never wrote. It may seem a bit dated at times, but change there will never again be a lyric as cool as '10 million dune buggies coming down the mountain'. Play it loud!

Love --> Building on Fire: Talking Heads
You've always wanted to like the Talking Heads, haven't you? You know they're cool, you know that you'd love them if you just gave them a chance. Here's the perfect entry point - not as iconic as either Psycho Killer or Once in Lifetime, but a great little gem for a stroll down a sunny sidewalk. It's silly and earnest, campy and compelling. Only David Byrne can demonstrate putting his heart on his sleeze with line like "It goes, tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet like little birds'. A perfect example of the crazy thoughts that flow from our brains when we're in love.

Start Choppin': Dinosaur Jr.
An early 90s classic that should never be forgotten. It's got all of the various ingredients of a great grunge song, but is so much more than that. It's sad, high speed car crash of a song pushed along by the crunch Crazy Horsey guitars and J. Mascis' singing which runs the gamut between Lenonard Cohen-lite to pure chalkboard scratch. On one listen, it can be very relaxing and yet 10 minutes later, it's totally jarring. Download it and pretty that you're hanging out with me at McGill in 1993.

Lucinda Plays it Safe

Lucinda Williams

Went to see Lucinda Williams at Massey Hall last night. It’s still the best place in the city for concerts; the acoustics are phenomenal. This was my 3rd time seeing her and I was totally looking forward to it as the past two shows (one in 1998 and the other in 2002) were awesome. This was another good one – but a certain something was missing.

Lucinda was in fine form – her raspy vocals were perfect and her band was tight (except for a few flubs on ‘Car Wheels’). The show was a good mix of old and new, but my only real complaint was the audience. Way too many people calling out requests (which seemed to throw Lucinda a bit) and even worse the people yelling “Play whatever you want” or “Play What’s in Your Heart”. The latter sounds like the next Mitch Albom book. This was a particular old crowd – made me feel very young for a guy who’s staring down his 33rd birthday. I felt that these were people who couldn’t afford tickets to last week’s Stones tour. I am probably just sounding cynical – but there is a time when an artist has become so popular that you are in danger at running into friends of your parents at the show. Anyhow – it was good, just not as great as the previous shows. It was a fairly sedate set – none of the real gut wrenching rockers like ‘Lost It’ or ‘Changed the Locks’, nor the quieter equally gut wrenching ones like ‘Sundays’ or ‘Side of the Road’. I also would’ve loved a ‘Crescent City’ – but 3 shows down and I haven’t heard it live. Basically, there wasn’t anything from before the ‘Carwheels’ album – that to me says that Lucinda is a little too plugged into her audience. All in all, it was a good night – but just a bit too safe.

Bathroom Destruction

Kat and I are having our main bathroom redone. It will take a few weeks and the first week or so will be the most disastrous in terms of mess to our house (we are also having kitchen ceiling replaced and one bedroom ceiling replaced), so we are living at my parents’ house for the time being. After visiting our house after Day One of tearing out the old walls, I realized that there was no turning back. Hopefully, it will be a heck of a lot better, but it’s hard to see that far down the road. One of the more interesting things about doing any work on our house it to see what’s behind the walls. The house was built in 1888 and some of the old wallpaper back there seems to be original, or at least from the turn of the century. Unfortunately, still no stack of Golden Age books anywhere to be found.