Isn't the weather gorgeous these days? Jiminy Christmas, I am loving this weather! You can feel the sunshine hit the skin of your arms, blossoms are blooming everywhere and the very vernal air outside is filled with the hormones of crazy college students, It's pure joy! 10/10
But I digress. I'm a music reviewer. I don't write weather reports. I critique music. March 2015 presented a slew of albums from great artists. I'll provide everything you need to know.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress" --
Some fans won't like this album because it shies in comparison to their recent work. Sure it's shorter and slower than other Godspeed projects, but the volume is still there. Instead of focusing on grandiosity, this album is centered on some legitimately weird sounds. 8/10
Death Grips, "Jenny Death"--
Experimental rap project Death Grips have recorded some of the most low budget, abrasive, futuristic music of the last five years. "Jenny Death" is disc two of their now-released double album "The Powers That B." Disc one was released in June 2014 and I didn't enjoy it. "Jenny Death" comes through powerfully sounding more like a Nine Inch Nails and John Bonham collaboration than a rap album. I'd give the entire double album 7.5, but as for "Jenny Death": 8.5/10
Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell"--
Sufjan Stevens changed both indie folk and my life with his 2005 album "Illinois." Some folks are calling his new album is his best. No, it isn't. However, I love it. All the songs are solely acoustic. The lyrics are heartbreakingly personal; the whole album telling his childhood relationship with his step parents. It's depressing as hell yet musically quaint. Try its opener "Death with Dignity." 8.5/10
Bjork, "Vulnerica"--
Iceland's most beloved female artist streamed electronically released this album in January but the physical CD was only released a couple weeks ago, so this is a "March" album if you live in the 20th century. But I digress. Alongside "Vulnerica"'s complex string arrangements and choppy beats, Bjork's voice sounds delicately human. Her best work in over 10 years. 8.5/10
Father John Misty, "I Love You, Honeybear"--
OK, so this album was actually released in February. But you should try this. The instrumentation is tender and its lyrical personality is impressively witty. 9/10
Kendrick Lamar, "To Pimp a Butterfly"--
So. Cal. rapper Kendrick Lamar's 2012 LP, "good kid, m.A.A.d city," is one of my all-time favorites. In addition to its critical reception it produced three U.S. top 40 hits. Having made a loveable 70-minute concept album about hood-life adolescence, what could he possibly deliver three years later? An uninviting 80-minute concept album about the meaning of "negus."
On this album, Kendrick explains that "negus" is an Ethiopian term for "king" or "ruler." Yet when its vowel sounds are switched around, it becomes a skin color-inflicting slang term as old as the birth of our nation. All the music for this album is influenced by funk, jazz, soul; most any genre purely based on African-American roots. The album cover depicts a crew of shirtless, all-black males of all ages celebrating in front of the White House with handfuls of cash. On "The Blacker the Berry" Kendrick claims, "Marcus Garvey got all the answers." This isn't some rapper nagging about Ameirca's undying issues with racism. It's about authority and it's personal. From Kendrick's experiences as a shy boy in poverty and as an internationally renowned star, "To Pimp a Butterfly" expresses his intense, remarkable take on the past, present and future of African-American culture. 10/10
-Scott E Hall
Scott studies stage management at USU. He likes hiking and food. Email: scottehall3@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Thursday, October 16, 2014
The New Weezer Album Doesn't Suck!
There are two types of Weezer fans. There are fans who love "Beverly Hills" and "Hash Pipe." Then there are fans who've been anxiously awaiting some glorious return of an old-school-style Weezer album. Yes I love Weezer, but I only love their 90s material.
1994's "(The Blue Album)" was a perfect power pop record that blended 70s guitar heroism with 90s nerd culture. Its follow-up "Pinkerton" was an uncomfortably personal, sloppy, hormone-driven, artistic triumph. Since then the band has released a string of forgettable albums. However, there were sparks of hope for improvement. Singles "Island In The Sun," "Pork & Beans" and "Memories" are great. Gasp! Is "Everything Will Be Alright In The End" finally Weezer's return to form?
Spoiler; It isn't. However, this album has one thing going for it that Weezer hasn't been able say for themselves in over 15 years. It doesn't suck! As the album title itself states, it's "alright."
I came in with low expectations considering the lead single "Back To The Shack." I like the lyric Rivers Cuomo sings about making up with his dad, but the riff and the guitar fills on here are corny. Cuomo talks about how he's reinvented his life alongside some AC/DC accompaniment. I don't dig it.
The album's weakest moments are "Lonely Girl' and "Go Away." The first has some bland "copy+paste" lyrics about-- well, a lonely girl. The latter has guest vocals from indie pop group Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino. One might think this would work to Weezer's advantage. It could have been, but the song itself unfortunately uneventful. Sure these songs are weak. But they aren't terrible!
Cuomo is apparently tired of critical people like myself. "I'm not a Happy Meal," he says on "I've Had It Up To Here," the album's middle finger to all the haters. Taylor Swift says "Shake It Off." Weezer on the other hand is just pissed off. Opener "Ain't Got Nobody" refers somewhat to relationships, but mostly to fans. "Eulogy For A Rock Band" is a salute to the fading of anybody's favorite rockers. Could they possibly be singing about themselves? Hmm.
"Everything Will Be Alright In The End" has some surprises too. Referencing Rosetta Stone in its chorus, "Da Vinci" is the band's catchiest love song in years. The album ends with "The Futurescope Trilogy," a song purposely made so epic, you can't take it seriously. There are some other epic song structures scattered throughout the album. I must warn you, most of these songs are lyrically stupid. "Foolish Father" is the best of the epic tracks. I'm legitimately curious who he's singing about here.
The album's an enjoyable listen aside from all its stupid, dorky gimmicks. For the most part, you can tell they're really trying. This is far from their best, but it's worthy of a smile. "Everything Will Be Alright In The End" is alright in the end.
MY RATING: 7/10
1994's "(The Blue Album)" was a perfect power pop record that blended 70s guitar heroism with 90s nerd culture. Its follow-up "Pinkerton" was an uncomfortably personal, sloppy, hormone-driven, artistic triumph. Since then the band has released a string of forgettable albums. However, there were sparks of hope for improvement. Singles "Island In The Sun," "Pork & Beans" and "Memories" are great. Gasp! Is "Everything Will Be Alright In The End" finally Weezer's return to form?
Spoiler; It isn't. However, this album has one thing going for it that Weezer hasn't been able say for themselves in over 15 years. It doesn't suck! As the album title itself states, it's "alright."
I came in with low expectations considering the lead single "Back To The Shack." I like the lyric Rivers Cuomo sings about making up with his dad, but the riff and the guitar fills on here are corny. Cuomo talks about how he's reinvented his life alongside some AC/DC accompaniment. I don't dig it.
The album's weakest moments are "Lonely Girl' and "Go Away." The first has some bland "copy+paste" lyrics about-- well, a lonely girl. The latter has guest vocals from indie pop group Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino. One might think this would work to Weezer's advantage. It could have been, but the song itself unfortunately uneventful. Sure these songs are weak. But they aren't terrible!
Cuomo is apparently tired of critical people like myself. "I'm not a Happy Meal," he says on "I've Had It Up To Here," the album's middle finger to all the haters. Taylor Swift says "Shake It Off." Weezer on the other hand is just pissed off. Opener "Ain't Got Nobody" refers somewhat to relationships, but mostly to fans. "Eulogy For A Rock Band" is a salute to the fading of anybody's favorite rockers. Could they possibly be singing about themselves? Hmm.
"Everything Will Be Alright In The End" has some surprises too. Referencing Rosetta Stone in its chorus, "Da Vinci" is the band's catchiest love song in years. The album ends with "The Futurescope Trilogy," a song purposely made so epic, you can't take it seriously. There are some other epic song structures scattered throughout the album. I must warn you, most of these songs are lyrically stupid. "Foolish Father" is the best of the epic tracks. I'm legitimately curious who he's singing about here.
The album's an enjoyable listen aside from all its stupid, dorky gimmicks. For the most part, you can tell they're really trying. This is far from their best, but it's worthy of a smile. "Everything Will Be Alright In The End" is alright in the end.
MY RATING: 7/10
Monday, October 6, 2014
Album reviews: What's hot and what's not
Ariana Grande, "My Everything" — Grande gained popularity as an actress for cheesy Nickelodeon sitcoms before she was ever on the radio. How could she possibly get people to take her seriously? Simple, by writing good music. "My Everything" offers some surprisingly mature pop material. It's the ambition of Rihanna coming from someone who just yesterday was in corny photo shoots with One Direction; a quick leap from "Tiger Beat" to "Rolling Stone." You go, girl! HOT
Maroon 5, "V" — Maroon 5 is old. Definitely not as ancient as some other folks getting album sales this week (Tony Bennett, Barbara Streisand, John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen). Maroon 5 have only been making records for 12 years. But on "V," they finally sound old. The instrumentation is watered down. The once soulful voice of Adam Levine is now the imitation of a guy singing falsetto with cotton stuck in his left cheek. Sexiest man alive? Apparently. Sexiest music around? Not at all. NOT
alt-J, "This Is All Yours" — These days, alt-J is making waves in the alternative music world. If you classify their music as "weird," you should spend less time on Tinder and more time Googling random word combos like "stereo-lab" or "radio-head." If you classify their music as "cool," you should try listening to "This Is All Yours" while wearing sunglasses. It doesn't fit. Sorry, alt-J. I honestly think you target your music for people who make iTunes playlists with titles like "I Am So Hipster LOL." NOT
Soundtrack, "Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1" — I could write 10,000 words on how uncool the Billboard Top 20 is this week, but I want you all to consider the "Guardians of the Galaxy" soundtrack. It's a compilation consisting mostly of hits from the early 1970s. This album was No. 1 in the U.S. for two weeks! I look at my Spotify feed and people are listening to Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" or Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love." It's all because of some oddball action movie. It's a fun, proper escape from your infectious car radio. Now is a great time to take a break from modern pop music. HOT
I'd like to remind everybody these are all just albums ranked highly on the Billboard chart. If you grow tired of a world where Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's faces are staring at you from the top of a hill, feel free to escape and explore. There are excellent releases this week from Caribou, Iceage and Flying Lotus you should try out. As far as radio airplay goes, business is as run-of-the-mill as ever.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
"To Be Kind": The album you missed this summer
There was an album I wanted to review last semester. Unfortunately, it was released one week after finals. Of course I still listened to it. Months have passed and I still consider it one of the best albums of the year. Did you hear it?
Swans’ 13th album, "To Be Kind," is two hours of pure confusion. Droning, heartless, bizarre, dynamic perfection.
Swans have a long history of making listeners feel uncomfortable. The new album glorifies the feeling of discomfort and pokes fun at all things normal, natural and joyful. Michael Gira sings about topics like love and freedom amid raucous, doomsday musical accompaniment. He doesn't even "sing about" these topics as much as he just shouts out the actual words repeatedly. "Love is free! Love is strong!" "Freedom!" "Forever beautiful!" "Hallelujah!" "Love! Now!" All the sudden these normal, positive phrases turn into something big and scary. Thank you, Swans.
I've always considered "To Be Kind" to be a score for a psychedelic sci-fi horror film about Egyptians praying to mysterious satanic-alien-gods to help them build pyramids and make human sacrifices on top of them. This is the overall imagery of the music of To Be Kind; a dark, blockbuster cinematic layout of sound. The build-up on some of these tracks are strictly for patient listeners ("Bring the Sun"/"Toussaint L'Ouverture") while some provide non-stop energy ("Oxygen").
Gira is 57 years old. His vocal delivery on this album is the zaniest thing I've ever heard. He heartlessly yells demands. He moans cultist chants. He scream like his eyes are being torn out. He wails like a baby in a tantrum. He imitates southern blues vocal styling. Occasionally, he actually just sounds like an old dude muttering into a microphone. The variety quite refreshing. The fact that he does all of the above- all of the above- proves his uniquely insane personality.
The work from the rest of the band don't disappoint either. Swans' guitars have never sounded so consistently bright and refined. Combined with the screeching synthesizers on "A Little God In My Hands," they turn a cheeky southern funk jam turns into chainsaws vomiting in outer space. The drums on the album-opener "Screen Shot" make for an impressive, eight-minute workout. The surprise brass section on "Oxygen" is full of power. The strings on "Some Things We Do" are heartbreaking.
Overall, this album is jacked up. Yet there are subtle moments of joy. The "bum-bum" vocals on "A Little God In My Hands." Gira's little boy impression and the assorted blues guitars on "Just A Little Boy." The vibraphone part on "Kirsten Supine." The never-ending ending of album-closer "To Be Kind." As draining and dismal this double album may be, it's good to know they're having fun in there.
Some fans are probably asking themselves if this is the band's best work. Judging by the album cover alone it seems like a sequel release to 2012's "The Seer." Some sounds on here are reminiscent of 1996's "Soundtracks for the Blind." This is another world from their 80s releases. Consider this: Which album do you think they worked hardest on? I'll just leave that there.
MY RATING: 9.5/10
Swans’ 13th album, "To Be Kind," is two hours of pure confusion. Droning, heartless, bizarre, dynamic perfection.
Swans have a long history of making listeners feel uncomfortable. The new album glorifies the feeling of discomfort and pokes fun at all things normal, natural and joyful. Michael Gira sings about topics like love and freedom amid raucous, doomsday musical accompaniment. He doesn't even "sing about" these topics as much as he just shouts out the actual words repeatedly. "Love is free! Love is strong!" "Freedom!" "Forever beautiful!" "Hallelujah!" "Love! Now!" All the sudden these normal, positive phrases turn into something big and scary. Thank you, Swans.
I've always considered "To Be Kind" to be a score for a psychedelic sci-fi horror film about Egyptians praying to mysterious satanic-alien-gods to help them build pyramids and make human sacrifices on top of them. This is the overall imagery of the music of To Be Kind; a dark, blockbuster cinematic layout of sound. The build-up on some of these tracks are strictly for patient listeners ("Bring the Sun"/"Toussaint L'Ouverture") while some provide non-stop energy ("Oxygen").
Gira is 57 years old. His vocal delivery on this album is the zaniest thing I've ever heard. He heartlessly yells demands. He moans cultist chants. He scream like his eyes are being torn out. He wails like a baby in a tantrum. He imitates southern blues vocal styling. Occasionally, he actually just sounds like an old dude muttering into a microphone. The variety quite refreshing. The fact that he does all of the above- all of the above- proves his uniquely insane personality.
The work from the rest of the band don't disappoint either. Swans' guitars have never sounded so consistently bright and refined. Combined with the screeching synthesizers on "A Little God In My Hands," they turn a cheeky southern funk jam turns into chainsaws vomiting in outer space. The drums on the album-opener "Screen Shot" make for an impressive, eight-minute workout. The surprise brass section on "Oxygen" is full of power. The strings on "Some Things We Do" are heartbreaking.
Overall, this album is jacked up. Yet there are subtle moments of joy. The "bum-bum" vocals on "A Little God In My Hands." Gira's little boy impression and the assorted blues guitars on "Just A Little Boy." The vibraphone part on "Kirsten Supine." The never-ending ending of album-closer "To Be Kind." As draining and dismal this double album may be, it's good to know they're having fun in there.
Some fans are probably asking themselves if this is the band's best work. Judging by the album cover alone it seems like a sequel release to 2012's "The Seer." Some sounds on here are reminiscent of 1996's "Soundtracks for the Blind." This is another world from their 80s releases. Consider this: Which album do you think they worked hardest on? I'll just leave that there.
Despite the excellent production on "To Be Kind," I don't believe Swans tried to get ahead of "the game" with this album. They're creating a game of their own. Whereas the rest of the music world is trying to one-up each other, Swans is more focused on becoming a monster.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Blog Update
I'm updating this blog by posting every music-related thing I've written in my other blogs (from the last few months) onto this one. Because I just don't write about music for The Statesman. On average, I do it whenever the heck I want.
10 Years of Kanye West
I remember being 14 years old and I believed anything without a guitar solo wasn't good. I was a freshman at Linden High School and sometime Ms. Grant would play Late Registration during class. I remember liking "Heard 'Em Say" and I thought- maybe there is such thing as good rap music. These days I listen I listen to every genre, but I remember Kanye's "Heard 'Em Say" was the first rap song I ever liked. Soulful, melancholia, catchy...
What happened to that guy?
Kanye's voice was first heard on the radio in 2003 with a verse on Twista's #1 hit "Slow Jamz." He rapped about sexual innuendos for a little over 30 seconds while name-dropping Luther Vandross, Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson, 90s rappers and Cool Whip. Apparently it was enough to get him a record deal on Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella records within the year.
:his solo album works, in a nutshell:
This album was very cheerful and even more cheeky. Commercially popular and critically acclaimed. My mission buddy Elder Funk knows all the words to "Jesus Walks," and I'm pretty he's not the only one. On his debut, Kanye was already causing a cultural stir. Rolling Stone ranked it among their 300 Greatest Albums Of All Time, one of the 8 albums from the 2000s with a ranking so high. I never got the 'bear' thing...
LATE REGISTRATION (2005)- I personally think this one was better. If you can't decide on whether you you want to listen to a cocky rapper or your favorite Curtis Mayfield record, you can chose both with this album. The soul of this album may just be from the direct sampling, but Kanye was producing bigger things and rapping about bigger topics. "Gold Digger" reached #1. That bear was still around...
I remember when this album came out. "Stronger" was the immediate #1 single, although I preferred "Can't Tell Me Nothing." The album's personality was based off 80s-throwback synths. Kanye single-handedly made these shades cool! I love those things!And yes, that bear was on the cover...
808S & HEARTBREAKS (2008)-I think much of the world has forgotten that this album happened. I personally try to. But this has just been universally accepted as his worst work. I think the track "Love Lockdown" is underrated, but I don't even like most of the songs on this album. Plain beats + plain pianos. Nerdy glasses are cool now, but not because of Kanye.
MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (2010)-
The most important part of the album title is the word "my." I've heard plenty of albums that are more beautiful, darker, more twisted, more fantastical than this one. But this album is definitely his. It's as Kanye as it gets. It's my favorite one by him. "POWER" lives up to its title, coming from the cockiest, angriest man in the music business. More so out of drunken depression than humility, he calls himself a "douchebag" on "Runaway." The album was just so darn loud and legitimately crazy. Critical acclaim up to wazoo- it was the first album in 8 years to get a perfect 10/10 upon release from Pitchfork. It was his first album to have not top 10 singles, but I don't think he was focused on popularity when he made this. As usual, he was more focused on himself.
YEEZUS (2013)- Generally like this album, but I like it less and less every day. I ranked it #11 on my list of favorite 2013 albums, which is lower than where most folks would put it. But I think its minimalism, darkness and volume is only shocking to those who listen to popular rap. I still give it some props for being purposely heartless and overly nasty. I love "New Slaves." But just how unique is this album? Why are critics calling it the best of the year? Who is Kanye West anyway?
:the future of kanye west:
Kanye West is an idiot, a bigot and a wimp. Unlike the best rappers in hip-hop history, he has never experienced poverty or street violence. He may be "artistic" among other celebrity rappers, but seems pretty plain standing next to the underground likes of Death Grips or Shabazz Plalaces. Yet I approve of 5 of the 6 albums listed above. Is it possible to like a guy's music and hate the guy himself? (sigh) Meet Kanye West...
Is he overrated? Yes. But he's done some GREAT stuff. Critics love Yeezus because its release and approach are bold. My buddy Liam Perry said of the album, "Musically it's his worst album, conceptually it's great." This is true. He represents a character in the studio- a different one for each album. I think he's a great artist with great potential. But if you think he's the best, you've fallen into a trap.
I predict a sad future for Kanye. He doesn't have fun anymore. Even cocky people can be fun. Even depressed people can have fun. I've yet to mention any remarks he's ever made outside the studio. Long-story-short: It's all an act. At least it used to be. I'm starting to think that Kanye actually believes all the stupid stuff he says ("I'm the Braveheart of creativity"/"I am the next Nelson Mandela"). I'm a lot more impressed with Kendrick Lamar threatening to murder a list of 11 rappers in the middle of a rap verse. Kendrick just wants a rap battle. Kanye wants an eternal, gold-plated cookie of greatness.
Considering how his latest album is a musical step down from anything he's done before, I think he'll just keep stepping lower and lower. Crude concepts are great and all, but he can't back it up for much longer. The fact that he's already made an album spilling his guts in the studio (Twisted Fantasy) and an album comparing himself to Deity (Yeezus), he has nowhere left to go. I bet his next album is a rap-rock opera with one truly great song as a centerpiece surrounded by awkward turds of music. Coming sooner than later. I might call him a genius if he didn't think so himself. 10 years of this guy... one of the most important artists of our time... but his time is up.
Is he overrated? Yes. But he's done some GREAT stuff. Critics love Yeezus because its release and approach are bold. My buddy Liam Perry said of the album, "Musically it's his worst album, conceptually it's great." This is true. He represents a character in the studio- a different one for each album. I think he's a great artist with great potential. But if you think he's the best, you've fallen into a trap.
I predict a sad future for Kanye. He doesn't have fun anymore. Even cocky people can be fun. Even depressed people can have fun. I've yet to mention any remarks he's ever made outside the studio. Long-story-short: It's all an act. At least it used to be. I'm starting to think that Kanye actually believes all the stupid stuff he says ("I'm the Braveheart of creativity"/"I am the next Nelson Mandela"). I'm a lot more impressed with Kendrick Lamar threatening to murder a list of 11 rappers in the middle of a rap verse. Kendrick just wants a rap battle. Kanye wants an eternal, gold-plated cookie of greatness.
Considering how his latest album is a musical step down from anything he's done before, I think he'll just keep stepping lower and lower. Crude concepts are great and all, but he can't back it up for much longer. The fact that he's already made an album spilling his guts in the studio (Twisted Fantasy) and an album comparing himself to Deity (Yeezus), he has nowhere left to go. I bet his next album is a rap-rock opera with one truly great song as a centerpiece surrounded by awkward turds of music. Coming sooner than later. I might call him a genius if he didn't think so himself. 10 years of this guy... one of the most important artists of our time... but his time is up.
MAYBE HE'S A NICE GUY
My favorite Kanye songs? "Jesus Walks"//"Heard 'Em Say"//"Flashing Lights"//"POWER" to name a few.
Thank God for Carl Sandburg & the World's Columbian Exposition
I remember the first time I listened to Sufjan Stevens' Illinois. I remember I heard a few tracks from it over my spring break, senior year of high school. I got a job as a dishwasher at Redfish where a guy named Tony would put Sufjan tracks on shuffle in the kitchen. I eventually copied Illinois from him and knew it was going to be awesome. I had already heard a few tracks, the classics- "Chicago," "Casmir Pulaski Day," "John Wayne Gacy Jr," "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" So I had the thing sitting in my mp3 player for a few days before I decided to listen.
I remember hiking alone up to the Shangri-La lakes and getting intensely lost on my way back. I was worried sick until I remembered how to read military time: The shuttle boat doesn't arrive in 1 hour, it arrives in 2 hours. So I stopped running around like a chicken with its head cut off and walked by the river until I rediscovered the trail. I had some time to kill at the dock, waiting for the shuttle to come. So after experiencing some horror and feeling a lot more comfortable with myself, I decided, what the hey! Lets listen to that Sufjan Stevens guy! And yes, I took a picture at the docks that day. So this is exactly where I was & what it looked like the first time I heard Illinois:
...Not bad, eh?
So not all of the songs hit me at first. "Concerning the UFO Sightings Near Highland, Illinois" has become one of my favorite tracks, but it wasn't at the time. And I didn't even get to hear the whole album yet- by the time Mikee Linville rolled in with the shuttle boat, I was kinda lost on a track where Sufjan was singing about Abraham Lincoln. He then took a pee in the trees behind me. Anyways, the song that stuck out to me that day, and even the first time I heard it a few months prior, was "Come On! Feel the Illinois!" Now I know, "Chicago" is one of the greatest things of all time, and it makes me question divine intervention associated with songwriting. "Come On! Feel the Illinois!" however, is my track.
The song is divided into 2 parts (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream). The song title in itself is cleverly ingenious, the divisional titles are just as enjoyable. Part I is the definition of life and joy in music. I remember listening to it in the Redfish kitchen and Chad asked if we were listening to the Charlie Brown theme. It indeed sounds like Vince Guardali's "Linus & Lucy," only in 5/4 and and with some bright, extra instrumentation. The city of Chicago has a lot of Columbian immigrants who have helped out with the building of the city. It's a fun, insightful lightbulb of a history lesson. The history lesson lasts for a little over 2 minutes, then the song shifts (VERY suddenly).
The 2nd part has even more layers of instruments, including an Americana strings section (qunitet? gah! i'll never know!) that's hard to forget. He sings about writing poetry and the conversing the meaning of life and death with the ghost of Illinois poet Carl Sandburg.
The songs ends nearly 7 minutes later, and it's a very eventful 7 minutes. The composition is brilliant. The background singers, vibraphone, trumpets, electronic organ solo, strings, piano, the hidden woodwind parts, the jazz drumming- I realize now that these are all standard Sufjan habits. But hearing it for the first time, a midst Mother Nature; in the sunshine... was life-changing for me.
"Oh, God of Progress
Have you degraded or forgot us?
Where have your laws gone?
I think about it now...
I cried myself to sleep last night
And the ghost of Carl, he approached my window
I was hypnotized, I was asked
To improvise on the attitude, the regret of a thousand centuries of death...
And we laughed at the beatitudes of a thousand lines
We were asked at the attitudes they reminded us of death...
And I cried myself to sleep last night
For the Earth, and materials, they may sound just right to me...
Are you writing from the heart? Are you writing from the heart?"
I remember hiking alone up to the Shangri-La lakes and getting intensely lost on my way back. I was worried sick until I remembered how to read military time: The shuttle boat doesn't arrive in 1 hour, it arrives in 2 hours. So I stopped running around like a chicken with its head cut off and walked by the river until I rediscovered the trail. I had some time to kill at the dock, waiting for the shuttle to come. So after experiencing some horror and feeling a lot more comfortable with myself, I decided, what the hey! Lets listen to that Sufjan Stevens guy! And yes, I took a picture at the docks that day. So this is exactly where I was & what it looked like the first time I heard Illinois:
...Not bad, eh?
So not all of the songs hit me at first. "Concerning the UFO Sightings Near Highland, Illinois" has become one of my favorite tracks, but it wasn't at the time. And I didn't even get to hear the whole album yet- by the time Mikee Linville rolled in with the shuttle boat, I was kinda lost on a track where Sufjan was singing about Abraham Lincoln. He then took a pee in the trees behind me. Anyways, the song that stuck out to me that day, and even the first time I heard it a few months prior, was "Come On! Feel the Illinois!" Now I know, "Chicago" is one of the greatest things of all time, and it makes me question divine intervention associated with songwriting. "Come On! Feel the Illinois!" however, is my track.
The song is divided into 2 parts (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream). The song title in itself is cleverly ingenious, the divisional titles are just as enjoyable. Part I is the definition of life and joy in music. I remember listening to it in the Redfish kitchen and Chad asked if we were listening to the Charlie Brown theme. It indeed sounds like Vince Guardali's "Linus & Lucy," only in 5/4 and and with some bright, extra instrumentation. The city of Chicago has a lot of Columbian immigrants who have helped out with the building of the city. It's a fun, insightful lightbulb of a history lesson. The history lesson lasts for a little over 2 minutes, then the song shifts (VERY suddenly).
The 2nd part has even more layers of instruments, including an Americana strings section (qunitet? gah! i'll never know!) that's hard to forget. He sings about writing poetry and the conversing the meaning of life and death with the ghost of Illinois poet Carl Sandburg.
The songs ends nearly 7 minutes later, and it's a very eventful 7 minutes. The composition is brilliant. The background singers, vibraphone, trumpets, electronic organ solo, strings, piano, the hidden woodwind parts, the jazz drumming- I realize now that these are all standard Sufjan habits. But hearing it for the first time, a midst Mother Nature; in the sunshine... was life-changing for me.
"Oh, God of Progress
Have you degraded or forgot us?
Where have your laws gone?
I think about it now...
I cried myself to sleep last night
And the ghost of Carl, he approached my window
I was hypnotized, I was asked
To improvise on the attitude, the regret of a thousand centuries of death...
And we laughed at the beatitudes of a thousand lines
We were asked at the attitudes they reminded us of death...
And I cried myself to sleep last night
For the Earth, and materials, they may sound just right to me...
Are you writing from the heart? Are you writing from the heart?"
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