"born in the USA volume 2 - the new american songbook"

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Free CD given away w/Jan 2006 "Mojo" magazine. 15 tracks. Genre, I dunno, "American indie", perhaps?

As always, I want to hear a/ something I like & want to hear more of or b/ something memorably bad. I ph34_r teh dreary lyric & the plodding drummer. We shall see:

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

1 Iron & Wine "Woman King"

clipetty clop clippety clop rythm w/slide guitar. Somewhat derivative of Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" & therefore not too bad.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

A bit MOR-ish. Starting to feel a bit overlong at 3.00, and there's another minute to go. Sounds like it's missing one thing that would make it great, dunno what that one thing is though.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

2/ Ray Lamontagne "Jolene".

Somewhat maudlin lyrically. Oh no:
strum...strum...strum...strum-a-strum-a-strum-a
strum...strum...strum...strum-a-strum-a-strum-a
strum...strum...strum...strum-a-strum-a-strum-a
guitar playing

might sound ok at 1.30am, but it's kind of making my metabolism slow down, so, 2mins is enough (skip)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)

3/Frank Black "I burn for you"

How am I supposed to write anything about this when I'm forgetting it as it passes by?

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:28 (twenty years ago)

I can't imagine what would motivate someone to make a record that sounds like this. It's kind of...boilerplate personified.

skip

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:29 (twenty years ago)

4 Josh Rouse "Street Lights"

nice strings at intro & on chorus. Nice lift in the middle, otherwise let down by bog-std acoustic rock verse/chorus. This would probably be good, if the arrangement wasn't so bloody ordinary. I managed to last all the way through it, at least.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:34 (twenty years ago)

5/brendan benson "alternative to love"

........

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:35 (twenty years ago)

uh, it's OK I guess. It picks up a bit when the harmonica comes in, but the harmonica bit lasts like 4 seconds!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

Again, too long! 2 mins worth of song (if that) stretched out to 4.31

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

6/Dan Sartain "leeches pt1"

This is at least short (1.46) how are you supposed to describe this stuff? It's all so...middle. Camper Van Beethoven would have blown any of the bands I've heard so far into the weeds.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)

I thought this CD was OK but I cannot remember any details.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

7/Magnolia Electric Co. - "Hard to Love a Man"

This is actually the best one so far. It's kind of subtly sinister, and I like the folksy dual m/f vox. The little instrumental breaks are nice.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

8/Bright Eyes - "Land Locked"

Lo-fi "naive" production (IE you can hear a bit too much of the room, and it isn'a a very nice sounding room at that) His voice is very, very annoying.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)

fuck if I'm sitting through 5 1/2 minutes of this

(skip)

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)

It's all a bit "poor me".

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)

9/Joanna Newsom - "Sprout and the Bean"

The instrumental backing is great, somewhat harp-like, but argh, what an annoying voice she has! I really want to like this, but I can't hack it.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

10 Sujfan Stevens "John Wayne Gacy jr"

A bit too "sensitive". This would probably be a bit better if it was a bit more annoying! Perhaps a bit too sub nick drake?

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

11/ Rosie Thomas - "Pretty Dress"

..........

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

...........

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:56 (twenty years ago)

She has a nice singing voice. The arrangement is, again, ordinary, boilerplate.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

12/ Willard Grant Conspiracy - "Evening Mass"

The guy's deep singing voice is appealling. This would be ok, if the backing wasn't so BORING. It's another strum strumma strumma strum strumma strumma plod. Listen to some Byrds rekkids FFS, and try to sound like that!! Eh, fuck this.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

13/ Kelley Stoltz - "The sun comes through"

Nothing. Exists.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

This CD needs more mtn gts

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

The instrumental backing is great, somewhat harp-like

That'll be the harp then!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

14/ Jim James (from my morning jacket) "Sooner"(live)

Genuinely weird. Backing track that sounds like it was played on Casio MT41s with this hokey vocal drenched in reverb riding over the top. This is actually really good and likeable.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

15/Black Mountain - "Heart of Snow"

Wrist-slashing acoustic guitars, minimal strings arrangement with harrowing, wracked female vox. The guitarist sounds like s/he's been shot with a tranq dart and is desperately trying to keep playing even as muscles and brain etc shut down. Bizarrely enough, I'm really enjoying this one.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

Bizarre. Nearly 8mins, and didn't feel too long. Kind of country/grunge/prog almost (even feat. mellotron at end) Best track on this CD easily.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

Final score:

Good:
Black Mountain
Magnolia Electric Co.
Bits of the Josh Rouse track
Jim James

Bad but memorable:
Joanna Newsom

Shit:
Bright Eyes

Mediocre:
the rest.

I picked this CD to listen to b/c I was sort of predisposed against liking it. 3.5/15 is a not bad score for a genre comp actually.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

That'll be the harp then!

-- Dadaismus (dadaismus@h

Is that actually a harp? It sounded a bit more twangy. I figured it might be an autoharp.

The Joanna Newsom track is the one track from this comp where I'd recognise the artist if I heard them again. It's also perhaps the one track that sounded like the artist needed to make it. I wish I'd liked it!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:26 (twenty years ago)

She does usually play the harp

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:30 (twenty years ago)

I actually like Dan Sartain a lot, and the record of his that came out on Swami a year or two back is pretty ace weirdo southern garagey rock stuff.

― ZR (teenagequiet), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:36 (twenty years ago)

The instrumental backing is great, somewhat harp-like, but argh, what an annoying voice she has! I really want to like this, but I can't hack it.
....
This CD needs more mtn gts

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

Yes, yes, very good, very good.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Track 10 - Sufjan..You are kidding - A bit too sensitive??? A bit too sub Nick Drake? This guy isn't anywhere but he's been everywhere. This one just haunts and twists around between lips and ears. Give this a couple of listens. It deserves it.
Arcade Fire made the album of the year. Sufjan created the song of the year, and this is it!

― The green vase next to the chair, Sunday, 8 January 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

No Sufjan, no cred...ah, fuck it.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Sunday, 8 January 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

I don't understand the idea behind calling this comp "The New American Songbook" and the choice annoys me for a number of reasons. First, doesn't "The American Songbook" generally refer to "standards" -- classic songs from the tin pan alley days? Are these songs supposed to be the new "standards?" And isn't it also really really obtuse to insinuate that a smattering of current critic-friendly indie represents a "new American songbook?"

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 9 January 2006 05:39 (twenty years ago)

It's because the UK hates America and rock 'n' roll and is therefore always trying to define the American sound into one that sucks mightily, so that their shitty Babyshambles don't have to tremble at night over fear of being found out as frauds. See also: all of hte Uncut "Americana" circle-jerk and Ryan Adams.

― js (honestengine), Monday, 9 January 2006 06:19 (twenty years ago)

Also, Mojo is for people who really, really, really think that finding out just how Jimmy Page concocted alternate tunings will put them back in touch with the spirit of rock and roll. Expect reverential discussions of sodden legends and misguided appreciation of bland newcomers (e.g. Sufjan).

― js (honestengine), Monday, 9 January 2006 06:22 (twenty years ago)

Is this a UK only-thing because the January MOJO over here has actual old songs on the comp from people like Leadbelly. Or is this the MOJO that comes out in January but says February on the cover which isn't quite out in the US yet?

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

There are two CDs for the issue; it depends on which copy you get.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 9 January 2006 12:09 (twenty years ago)

I guess I lucked out then.

― Redd Harvest (Ken L), Monday, 9 January 2006 12:46 (twenty years ago)

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