Album Review- Bob Dylan -Tempest

Bob Dylan

Tempest

** out of *****

With pre-album leaking of the fact that Bob Dylan would be releasing a new album that contained a 10+ minute opus on the Titanic it was fair to say this was the most anticipated Bob Dylan original studio release for a very long time.  Even after classic albums like Time Out Of Mind, Love and Theft and Modern Times, there seemed to be a greater sense of enjoying the present without looking forward much to the next release.  As Tempest shows this was probably a wise move, anticipating anything about the bard is utter folly.     

Dylan has slightly moved away from his late career style of throwing together smart/funny/prophetic couplets into standard 12-Bar-Blues numbers, mixing oldies with newbies so to speak, and gone back into more of a folk singer mode for this disk with songs that string together coherent stories/ideas.  The already mentioned "Tempest" deals with the Titanic and manages to bore almost from the get go becoming a weight around the neck of the album.  It never develops any real energy in the lyrics or the playing, which itself becomes a major issue with the album.

Musically speaking, Tempest is by far the weakest of his "comeback" albums (which now stretch back to Oh Mercy). The band behind Dylan is so nondescript and lacking, adding virtually nothing to the songs.  You will be hard pressed to find one musical number or phrase that stands out apart from the opening old-timey swagger of "Duquesne Whistle" which plays back into the 12-bar blues while shuffling the night away.  "Scarlet Town" is a 7 minute work that only deviates for a brief moment into an extremely mellow guitar solo, while the rest of the track repeats the same restrained musical phrasing over and over again.         

This musical mannerism (restrained repetition) seems to be the norm on the album the band stays very low key and repetitive with only minor flourishes.  "Early Roman Kings" plays an accordion over a "Mannish Boy" riff while "Narrow Way" is pretty stand-up bluegrass with electric violin and steel guitar.    

The two best tracks on Tempest are vastly different.  "Pay In Blood" is a defiant career spanning tune that at once feels vengeful and remorseful, taunting and empathetic.  It is classic Dylan over a swirling mix of piano, electric/steel guitars, bass and drums.  Disk closer "Roll On John" is an effecting, direct tribute to John Lennon.  The straight forwardness that Dylan writes and sings this song is a bit shocking, and powerful as he usually masks his songs topics.  Both tracks prove Dylan's talent will never leave him as they can stand with any in his catalog.    

Making it a point to never try to read too much into any lyrics it is tough not to notice Bob's aggressive fronting when it comes to the fairer sex in multiple songs. Using derogatory phrases like "Flat Chested Junkie Whore", "Bitch or a Hag" is sure going to raise some eyebrows, but critically it adds an lyrical edge that can be lacking here.  On the flip side he loves his "Heavy Stacked Woman" who is above him (probably both literally and figuratively) on "Narrow Way".  

Sure you can't compare artists to their former self (especially Bob), but we do it anyway and more recently in examining the late career output of Dylan, Tempest is closer to 2009's middle of the road release Together Through Life then the all-time classic Love and Theft.  The beautiful thing about Dylan though is we all see/hear/experience/live different things when we listen to his songs, that's why there is no one else like him.    
________________________________________________________________
Anyone who reads RtBE knows our massive Dylan love, that said we can see faults in our hero, he is human and can't be perfect (even though some of his songs are). Tempest falls shorts on a few levels with just some boring tracks, the title track being the biggest culprit.

While Bob does sound more into his lyrics and singing then he has in the past the music backing is bland at best. Who knows maybe in 5 years RtBE will be singing more then just a few tunes praises, but for now we can't go much higher then 2 stars and without "Pay In Blood" and "Roll On John" it wouldn't have gotten those...very curious to see what songs if any he plays tonight at the Barclay's center.

We can talk about Dylan all day and sometimes do but we will end here.  You can find more info on the artist here, buy the album here, and check out a few songs below. 

Grateful Dead New Yorker Article

There is a fantastic article in the New Yorker that I need to point out by Nick Paumgarten on one of RtBE's favorite topics, The Grateful Dead and specifically their back catalog of music. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/songlyric

You can read the full article, titled The Vast Recorded Legacy of The Grateful Dead here.  Fair warning it is a long one, but it is really a solid read from an obvious fan of the band who can easily communicate with non-fans.

I had never heard Brent Wood's characterization of the Dead as "Electronic Dixieland" but I love it. We have called the Grateful Dead, the best American Band and that description accentuates it nice-like.     

In talking about the community and taping of the band this sentence stands out:

So a drug-addled, rehearsal-averse, error-prone band of non-virtuosos perfected a state-of-the-art sound system that created a taping community that distributed a gigantic body of work that often came to sound as sloppy as some of the performances.

Some of those sloppy tapes will always be my favorite (as I am sure they are for Paumgarten) and that was kind of the personal touch and generosity that really got me and countless others into the band.  These tapes were mine, I owned them, shared them with any who wanted them for free, entering into a special kinship with the music. 

Nick's recollection of the Fox Den tape is so fucking funny and spot on it is hysterical, and he is right, that transition from "Scar>Fire" is amazing, Grade A stuff.  I wonder if the digital age is going to feel the same way with all of the top notch streaming shows on sites like archive.org as opposed to dusty old tapes?

Just the sheer volume of live tapes described in the article is staggering.  While it is always sad when a person dies, having the musical legacy the Dead has is unequaled; new fans will be analyzing it for years to come and that is exciting.    

Something odd also came out of reading the article, I realized after the latest mishap with my iPhone's music I do not have one Grateful Dead show on the phone...an error I need to correct this weekend, and that Fox Theater show will be on there.

Also I have not pointed out this year that once again the Dead are releasing a song a day for November, 30 Days of Dead.  When they are all aggregated come the end of the month I will post a link for all of them, but feel free to jump in now and enjoy a pretty good version of "Playin' In The Band".  Thanks to Paumgarten for a great article and a reminder of how important the Grateful Dead truly are

Dylan Cover #62 John Withnail "Man In The Long Black Coat"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by John Withnail playing "Man In The Long Black Coat"
Thoughts on Dylan Original:
From the Dylan album that proved Bob had something left to offering in regards to original songs, Oh Mercy, comes this song which may be about the Devil, or some dude he saw on the street who knows.  Whatever it's meaning Dylan likes this song having played it often during The Never Ending Tour and it is a good one.  Bluesy, simple, direct but still in the shadow's a solid song.   
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Part of this series was to find random artists and be able to highlight their work along side established performers. I had not heard of this artist and in searching for info on the performer John Withnail, I found this reverbnation page that has a few songs on it.  It seems Withnail is from Oslo, Norway and has at least an EP to his credit.   
Thoughts on Cover:

A solo scaled down version of this latter day Dylan song finds Withnail taking a minimalist approach to the song.  His voice is raspy and engaging but the pace may be a touch to fast, perhaps a slowed down version would accentuate his vocals and the lyrics.  Who knows maybe Withnail was at the Olso show back in 96 and saw Dylan play this one.  Cruising to a finish under 3 minutes seems a touch quick, otherwise a fine listen.

Grade: C- 

Friday Funday: Free Album Download Action Bronson

Happy Friday, and to celebrate the end of the week we have a free download for all of you, Action Bronson's brand new full length release Rare Chandeliers.

Click Here to Download

To be honest I hadn't heard of Action Bronson until our friends over at Brooklyn Vegan had this post, but c'mon, how can I not share it with you after one look at that freaking amazing cover art??!?

The NYC MC's new 14 track LP is produced by the Alchemist, who provides some pretty dope beats.  Action Bronson, vocally,  sounds a lot like Ghostface Killah, it is kinda weird, especially when you see him and there are even a few similarities in what they are rapping about; as weird as it might be I could see Ghost use samples from Antiques Roadshow too.   Overall I am pretty impressed by this mixtape...full review to follow

If you are hesitant to download the disk, you can give it a full streaming listen at the link below, Enjoy your weekend:
 Action Bronson - Rare Chandeliers

Album Review: Yuppicide-American Oblivion EP

Yuppicide 

American Oblivion EP

*** out of *****

Has it really been since 1995 that the NYHC/punk legends Yuppicide has put out new material?!?  Well time flies and so does American Oblivion as it's 6 songs speed past you in under 13 minutes.  This EP (and their anthology from a few years ago) just points out that the band never reached the large audience it deserved as they throw down aggression and power as if it was second nature. 

Quick and too the point the band focuses on American fears post 9-11 with the title track and overall feeling.  "Too Late" is pure punk with it's straight ahead drive and power while "Flies On..." dissects our smothering fascination with celebrity.   

The opening and closing tracks "Dead Inside" and "Not With You" are both top of the line, no-frills punk rock.  With the popularity bands like Off! have received over the last few years Yuppicide looks to toss its name back in the ring as a punk rock heavyweight.  
________________________________________________________________
We have been fans of Yuppicide since we first heard "Fist Full of Credit Cards" (below) back in the mid 90's. It is exciting the RtBE's good friend Glen Lorieo was the producer of this EP and we have been meaning to review it for some time now.  There is a great interview with the band here, buy the disk here and peep a few videos below:
"Too Late", "Dead Inside", and "Follow The Leader" Live 9-30-12

"American Oblivion/True Love" Live Tompkins Sq 8-5-12

"Fist Full of Credit Cards"  

Album Review: Elim Bolt-Nude South

Elim Bolt

Nude South

**and1/2 out of *****

Nude South, the first release from this South Carolina, indie-rock 5 piece has a roots vibe with flashes of the blues and early 50's ballad induced rock and roll. There is an easy feeling throughout the 7 song affair that was the brain child of front-man Johnnie Edward Matthews III.  The vocals are clear and the obvious focal point at the forefront of every song with Matthews sounding like a slowed down/restrained Jim James, with touches of Roy Orbison's style for good measure. 

The organ flourishes on "Field" add nice flairs of sound while "Farm Kid" works behind stout drums, a droning tone and solid electric guitar line.  The most upbeat track on Nude South, "Batshit" marches with its stomping boots and "Only You" twists around the blues with it's waltzing tone and lyrics stating "Only You/Can Bring Me Down".

The overall tone of the album is very low key but "Alright" contains a growing sense of tension that works well.  On the flip side some of that same laid back vibe can be a bit dull like on "Myers Farm" and disk closing "Blue Jays".      

The production, tone, playing and singing calls to mind Monsters of Folk fantastic album and while the songwriting might not be as memorable, Nude South is a soothing and successful first step for Elim Bolt.  
____________________________________________________________
Coming from the Hearts and Plugs label Elim South has crafted a solid first release, shout out to producer, organist and RtBE Interviewee Dan McCurry for his help with this one. Give it a listen here, and peep a video below of the band live:

Dylan Cover #61 K'naan "With God On Our Side"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by K'naan playing "With God On Our Side"
Thoughts on Original
Perhaps the most poignant and lasting song Dylan has written and that speaks volumes. Lyrically it is perfect, using history, the warping of religion and politics to get across the point that man will rationalize anything, even war. Only played live 30 times since it's debut at Dylan's historic Town Hall show the song has added weight and meaning when it is played.  Morality and War, Religion and Righteousness, all just words when it comes down to it hold life inside those letters. Musically stark Dylan uses his impressive lyrics to express the confusion perfectly, should be mandatory listing in every history classroom.   
Cover

Thoughts on Cover Artist
I had not heard of K'naan until I was walking into The Global Citizens Festival in Central Park and his music could be heard in the distance.  We actually missed seeing the Somali Canadian Poet/Hip hop artist that day but just being on that bill speaks wonders regarding his stature as does his cover of this tune for Amnesty International. 

Thoughts on Cover
This week the term "cover" is a misnomer, this is a whole new song that just barely uses "With God On Our Side" for inspiration and a few choruses.  In all honesty it probably isn't fair to compare it to the original because the lyrics and presentation are totally different.  When it comes to reinventions like this though I am always interested and usually give more credit then most.  To me straight covering a song speaks to the artists tastes, but not necessarily to their talent.  I usually love when artists own a cover song and change it up...not this time.  K'naan certainly makes it his own, putting all of his own lyrics into the verses before doing an interpretation of the chorus twice (switching that up too).  He drops the seriousness from the song and the weight it carries vanishes with his phrasing about missed kisses and popcorn, while I appreciate the effort I hate the result.
Grade: Incomplete (this is a different song)

Below is the original for comparison as it is Veterans Day (Observed) and I want the message to get through for those who haven't heard the original:
   

NYPL Blog Post: Baseball Nicknames

Hey everybody.  This post got delayed a bit, but I have a blog post up on NYPL's site that I think you might get a kick out of regarding the Baseball Hall of Fame and Nicknames:

Baseball Nicknames and The Hall of Fame

 Unfortunately Chappie didn't make the hall...

This summer when Jeff, Hot Tub, Mike and myself drove up to Cooperstown to catch Lee Ranaldo and Wilco play (review here and pics here) we made the obvious trip to the Hall of Fame to check out the history etched there.  For those who read the site or know me, my love of baseball knows very few boundaries, and a trip to Cooperstown needs to be done every few years.  So much goodness can be seen in those halls and hours can get lost.  While checking out the plaques I started taking pictures of some of my favorite nicknames and it was suggested I should do a blog post for this.  So during the world series I got one up on NYPL blogs.  

Give it a read, feel free to comment (here or there) and let me know what you think....excitingly Spring Training is only a few months away!  

Album Review- Gary Clark Jr. -Blak and Blu

Gary Clark Jr

Blak and Blu

***and1/2 out of *****

Talent and success do not always go hand in hand, the music business is just that, a business.  With access to fans being greater then ever now through technology, bands and artists need less help from labels and the "industry" then ever but mainstream success can be even more elusive with a more segmented then ever before listening population.

Gary Clark Jr's first full length album tries to break through on a national scale casting a broad net trying to appeal to everyone.  It is mostly successful but strays from the electric bluesman roots that earned him this major label debut. It seems to put style on shuffle with songs that have pop ("Ain't Messin 'Round"), hip-hop/new school R&B ("The Life", "You Saved Me", "Blak and Blu"), and rock-a-billy("Travis County") overtones; even the blues track "Numb" has a metal texture that should appeal to the headbanging crew.      

You can't fault him for expanding his pallet but these tracks, especially the hip-hop/smooth stylized tracks, don't hold up with the hot bread and butter blues songs that made Clark such a sensation when he burst on the scene.   

3 of the 4 songs from Clark's Bright Lights EP show up here in re-recorded style and show off his blazing skill with the guitar and form the best songs on Blak and Blu. "When My Train Pulls In" gets a burning electric treatment this time around as does "Things Are Changin'" while "Bright Lights" keeps its confident, sexy, strut.

Knowing that the Jimi Hendrix/Stevie Ray Vaughn/Every great electric bluesman from the past comparisons are going to be inevitable Gary Clark Jr attacks them head-on with a staggering take on Jimi's "Third Stone From The Sun" that melts into Albert Collins "If You Love Me Like You Say".  This is an explosive pairing that shows off Clark's talent and even incorporates Tom Morello like guitar scratches in the middle.      

Overall Clark's talent will win the day, and maybe expectations were too high coming in for the Austin, TX man, but this album seems to be trying to hard to appease everyone straight out of the gate and ends up playing like an i-tunes shuffle of his skills rather then a modern era classic.

Clark is still be finding his way as an artist, but just like recent super talented players before him (Robert Randolph, Trombone Shorty, etc) his skill is so immense he will always have a crowd in front of him cheering him on until the next effort.  
________________________________________________________________
We loved Clark's 4 song EP when we first heard it earlier this year.  We were blown away when we caught him live as he dominated the blues tent down at Jazzfest, hopefully making it his home stage for years to come.  We have to say on the grand scheme of things we are disappointed with this full length album, while it is a good first step in his career (hence the 3 and 1/2 stars) it isn't the masterpiece we were hoping for.  The comparisons to Shorty and RR are easy; super skilled players who tend to write songs all over the map in terms of quality and context when it comes to the studio. I will always try to catch all of them live, but I am guessing I won't be reaching for their studio albums much (except for Backatown, I still love that disk).

Anyway if you haven't heard GCJr yet grab the disk here, and definitely catch him live when you can RtBE will be there tomorrow.  Below are a few samples of the tunes:
"Third Stone From The Sun/If You Love Me Like You Do"
 
"Nextdoor Neighbor Blues" Live

"Numb" Live

Dylan Cover #60 Pat Guadango & Tired Horses "Hurricane"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a live cover by Pat Guadagno & Tired Horses playing "Hurricane"
Thoughts on Dylan Original:
We already covered this a few months back when we discussed Ani Difranco's cover version, so lets take a minute to talk Hurricane Sandy.  We were out in Cali last weekend for Jen and Ed's fantastic wedding and we couldn't make it all the way back east to NYC as Sandy forced us to explore Denver for a week (great city BTW).  We had to watch the damage from afar, but it was for the best as our apartment was without heat, hot water or power for 5 days.  In all honesty that is nothing but an inconvenience; we really feel for Jersey, Staten Island, Long Island and all of the places truly wrecked by Sandy.  It is never easy but we know since it effected the NYC area things will be fixed as quickly as possible, that's just how we do. 
Already politics seem to be out the window and the devastation is being handled fairly well all things considered, even though it can be hard as we have friends, loved ones and co-workers displaced from their homes still. In the grand scheme of things being without power, heat or gas for a few days isn't the end of the world and we should treat it as such, even though it can be hard to at the time, things could always be worse.  Just reinforces our overriding belief that Warren Zevon so elegantly stated: "Enjoy Every Sandwich".
Cover

Thoughts on Cover Artist
I had not heard of Pat Guadagno before but after some research I found out he has had a nice career as a touring cover musician.  Here he is playing with the Tired Horses band at a Bob Fest.  More importantly Pat is from Jersey, Matawan specifically and I know that there is major damage in that area.  Here is hoping Pat, his family, friends, band and fans are all doing OK today.     
Thoughts on Cover
My thoughts on the cover seem secondary at this point, but I will say that is a direct, straight ahead reworking of the song in a live setting.  A fantastic live cover that any Dylan fan in attendance would be excited to hear and I am sure Pat and crew can not wait to play live again.
Grade B
If you would like to donate to help out Hurricane Sandy Victims please do so here.

Friday Funday- Chamberlin Covers Paul Simon

Happy Friday Suckers!

A few weeks ago we covered Chamberlin's newest EP.  Now thanks to Scott at Popgun Pr we got hip to the bands cover of the Paul Simon classic "Call Me Al".  This is a distinct, original take on the song. We here at RtBE love when covers take on a whole new direction for a song, and Chamberlin has done that here, give it a listen: 


Here is the original if you ain't too keen on the cover:

Have a great weekend.

Album Review- Japandroids-Celebration Rock

Japandroids

Celebration Rock

****and1/2 out of *****

The award for the most aptly named album of the year has to go to Japandroids for their second release Celebration Rock.  Starting off with literal fireworks the album doesn't let down the energy until it's 8 songs are completed as the Canadian duo fire off drum fills and guitar riffs with beautiful frantic energy.     

The party rock of "The Night of Wine and Roses" is infectious, you can't help but singing along to debauchery filled lyrics and "Yell Like Hell To The Heavens!".  The tour love song of "Fire Highway" shows hearts colliding and gypsy fears running amuck; apparently the band was getting anxious to get back on the road when they wrote this album and this song encompasses that burning desire.

"Evil's Sway" bites a Tom Petty "Ok! All Right!" call out from "American Girl" but the band sneaks past this with a tune about slinky night time activities that is infectious.  The bombastic "Adrenaline Nightshift" is the best out and out  jam the band has put on an album filled with them.  The song contains both the passion and teenage rebelliousness that makes rock and roll constantly invigorating to anyone with a pulse.  The rising climax of "Continuous Thunder" that closes things is so powerful you may just start the whole road-trip over again when it is done.    
 
Celebration Rock isn't perfect, the cover of Gun Club's "For The Love of Ivy" is slightly lacking and the whole album is fairly one note, but these are small complaints when that one note is so fucking exhilarating.  Perfectly titled, expertly played, feel free to thank the Japandroids for a hell of a ride.  
________________________________________________________________
We dug the bands first album, but didn't know if it would stick around...honestly except for "Young Hearts Spark Fire" it didn't, Celebration Rock proves Japandroids are for real.  The band has energy for days and have produced some of the best party rock out there.  Support the band here, buy the album here, and peep some song previews below:
"The Night of Wine and Roses"

"Adrenaline Nightshift" Live

Friday Funday- New Black Keys/RZA Video "Baddest Man Alive"

RtBE got hip to a new video from The Black Keys and RZA for a ditty called "The Baddest Man Alive", it is a fun ride, peep it below:

The song comes from the soundtrack to the RZA's new kung-fu movie, The Man with the Iron Fists. You can stream the whole soundtrack from the upcoming film right ch'ere!

The Keys have a knack for combining hip-hop and rock, never an easy thing to do, just look at Nu Metal... This tune is really solid as is their full foray into genre combining titled Blakroc. There were rumors a Blakroc 2 would be released, but that does not seem to be the case, but it would not be surprising to see the Keys flirt again with hip-hop since they are one of the biggest bands in the land. 

Here are two Blakroc tracks if you aren't familiar with it, have a great weekend and catch some funky kung-fu via The Man With The Iron Fists when it comes out next week.    
"Coochie" Ft. Ludacris and the one and only ODB!!!

"Ain't Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)" Ft. Mos Def and Jim Jones

Full Slayer Concert!!!

So now every month we will search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts posted to the channel.  They may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every way you can but especially by seeing them live...This month...SLAYER!!!!

Close to Halloween let's kick some fucking satanic metal...and who better then Slayer?!?!  This is a professionally shot, professionally sounding concert from the Big 4 tour in Sweden.  Yeah...throw up your metal fingers...this shit is raw, oh but skip to 16 minutes in to avoid all the nonsense.  Christ, look at all those Marshall's....

Here is Slayer from 7-3-2011 Ullevi:

1. Disciple
2. War Ensemble
3. Postmortem
4. Hate Worldwide
5. Mandatory Suicide
6. Chemical Warfare
7. Snuff
8. South of Heaven
9. Raining Blood
10. Black Magic
11. Angel of Death

Live Review- Primus 3D Hammerstein Ballroom NYC 10/19/12

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elisamoro

Hey all,

Got a new review up on Glide.

You can read it right c'here!!!

It is a live review of Primus 3D at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on last Friday night 10/19/12.

Primus have always been an RtBE favorite but it must be said I just can't get into their new stuff and more hippy direction. Getting 8 of those songs played on this night just didn't do it for me.  The album and now the band feels more like another Les Claypool side project then the band that shaped my youth.

Maybe it is just growing up, but they have really made a move towards the "jam" now and the music is solid just not as engaging as I hope it would be. I am not sure maybe it was just me as the crowd really seemed to be into it...and were uber fucking high, but that is what it is needed to be done now at a Primus show.  Don't get me wrong I had a fun time but I just think their new tunes aren't up to snuff for Primus. 

Below are some clips from the night and if you go to this link for Toasterland and scroll to the bottom of the page you can listen to the full streaming concert.  Granted for a show like this music was only about 75% with the visuals adding, but it is still pretty cool Toasterland posted this.  Pretty apropos that you can hear somebody hawking "Mushrooms and Doses" about 5:30 minutes in "American Life".     
"Hamburger Train"

"Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers"

Album Review- Nu Sensae -Sundowning

Hey All,

Got a new review up on Glide.

You can read it right c'here!!!!

It is of Nu Sensae's most recent release Sundowning.

This punk rock/hardcore/noise trio put out one interesting album with this release.  It is the first time the group is playing as a three piece and it makes them instantly more engaging.

There are unique phrases and sounds but lots of energy and surprises, this album certainly surprised me and that is the reason I love doing these reviews; finding bands I probably would have never heard of any other way and thoroughly enjoying their efforts.  Of course reminding me of a young, aggressive Sonic Youth can only help you in my ears... 

If you like adventurous loud music give this a shot.  You can buy the album here and peep some samples below of 2 of my favorites.   
"Burnt Masks"

"Whispering Rule"

Dylan Cover #59 Mike Ness "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's tune is a cover by Mike Ness playing "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

Thoughts on Dylan Original:
Yet another one of the mega-Dylan tunes that we haven't covered someone else covering on this site (got that covered?).  Hard to believe because this song is so iconic and flat out awesome.  Biting and yet not bitter, a toss off of the grandest proportions, "Don' Think Twice" is epic and yet so straight forwardly simple.  It easily ranks as one of the bard's best works, truly a classic.     
Cover:

Thoughts on Cover Artist:
Ahh Mike Ness, the man all punk rockers want to be (or be with) by the time they turn 24 or so...Having had a great career in the seminal punk rock band Social Distortion, which still plays to this day Ness got to grow up a bit when he put out his first solo record Cheating At Solitaire.  That disk showcased Ness's love of country/roots music and opened him up for a career beyond the mosh pit.     
Thoughts on Cover:
This cover was the second song off that record and is a great version of the classic tune.  Odds are Mike heard this one via Johnny Cash's classic cover version, but any-which-way he does the original justice. The sped up almost rock-a-billy tempo adds to the urgency while Ness's vocals are tough and raspy, not too much different then Dylan himself on that front. Adding a hickory flavored guitar solo to the proceedings feels effortless and keeps things humming along.  Rock solid in every aspect, different from the original and still authentic to both artists.

Grade: A-     
 

Friday Funday- The Hold Steady Covering "Scarlet Begonias"

Over the years we have come to love a few things here at RtBE.  The Grateful Dead are one, The Hold Steady are 2. Combining those forces make for one happy Friday.

This comes from the Move Me Brightly party that Bob Weir threw for a legitimately dead Jerry (more on that when I can stomach it) and features not only Craig and Tad from tHS, but Mike Gordon from Phish and a slew of others.  From a personal note I have defended Donna era Dead for years, but this is pretty tough, granted Craig vocals aren't for everyone either, but I love it and think he does a bang up job here.

You like the cover?  Hate the cover?  (like many of the youtube commentators?) let me know in the comments.

Enjoy yerself, and enjoy yer weekend, I will, I am seeing Primus tonight.
  

Album Review- Hidden Pictures -Rainbow Records

Hidden Pictures

Rainbow Records

***out of *****

This Kansas City based outfit has crafted a sweet mix of pop hooks and lyrics that will make you smirk into a tight package they are calling Rainbow Records.  Albums like these have a distinct sense of song-craft and this one also contains a loose theme; the decline of the record business.  While possibly a depressing idea, the group can't help but make uplifting short tunes to get their point across.      

Opening with the breezy pop of "Calling Christine" Hidden Pictures manage to pack a bunch of changes into the 2:22 track.  "Evil Kangaroo" contains some cool lyrics about a broken love affair but even when singing about failed love or the upcoming lonely winter ("Say Hello To Darkuary") they can't help but sound positive.  The charm of this innocence reaches a high high point in the middle of the album with "Boyfriend A.D.D" which sounds like it was scribbled on the inside of a high school locker and the title track which is an ode to 80's icons calling out Axl Rose and NKOTB by name.

There is a New Pornographers-esque indie-pop likeness to the group possibly because of the male/female vocals of Richard Gintowt and Michelle Sanders, but the overall talent of all players involved is noticeable from the first bright note to the last. 

The disk is arraigned like an LP and the second side of things isn't as successful as the first with no real standout tracks.  "It's Just Me (and I'm Sorry)" has some on point lyrics and "You Don't Have to Do That" has some energy but the downside with this kind of song writing is that it isn't really designed to stick to the roof of your mouth; you have your fun in the time it is here and you move on smiling.      
___________________________________________________________________
This is a pretty, sweet, almost innocent sounding album from KC's Hidden Pictures.  You can support the group here and check out some samples below. 
"Solo Record Shop"

Album Review- Diego's Umbrella -Proper Cowboy

Hey All,

Got a new review up on Glide

You can read it right c'here!!!

It is of Diego's Umbrella newest release Proper Cowboy.

I won't rehash what I said in the review but I do want to point out that I mention "pop" and "commercial" a few times when discussing the album.  I don't mean that in a negative way, not at all, I was just expecting something a bit different as everyone compared these guys to Gogol Bordello, which isn't really accurate IMO, at least not from Proper Cowboy.  There is a clean produced vibe to the album that makes it easily listenable, not a trait I would give to any of GB's releases.   

I think the more accessible versions of Sublime would be better as their is a distinct west coast vibe that emanates from this disk, just like it used to off of the Long Beach Bands albums.  Anyway, check it out for yourself support the artist, catch them on tour, and peep some samples below.   

Oh and one more thing, check out the art of Kelsey Brookes whose work the band used for it's album.  It is truly amazing.  So far it is running away with album art of the year.
"Thrash Mexican Budapest"

"Moneymaker" Live