An Apology

Every once in a while, there are events in my personal life that make it hard for me to function outside of the fetal position (exaggeration). In the beginning of my blog, this wasn't noticeable because I didn't post often anyway. But when I go from like seven posts a month, down to two and then to none, I feel I should explain.

I am still going to run this blog. I love doing it, even if I don't have many readers and even if I don't make money out of it. Thus, I feel guilty for leaving it sit for a month without explanation. I was going through some insane stuff in my personal life that made it difficult to concentrate on the blog posts I was working on. It was difficult to concentrate on much of anything. I even had to leave my paying job once because I was freaking out so much.

All that is, as far as I can tell, over. I have an article about Phil Spector's Wall of Sound in the works and will also hopefully be reviewing the new thenewno2 album, The Fear of Missing Out as soon as I get a chance to listen to it. I've failed to write about two of the shows I went to, but I figure it's been too long since the shows for me to bother. I have the set list and photos from the Death Cab For Cutie and Andrew Bird show I went to, and will share them at the end of this post, but I don't have anything from the Miniature Tigers show, which is okay since I've already made it pretty clear how I feel about their shows. In any case, I should be back very soon, and I offer a very deep thanks to those of you who care to read!

Now, the Death Cab show:
I went to see Death Cab For Cutie and Andrew Bird on July 13th, in Pittsburgh, PA. I got some pictures of Andrew Bird, but I'm not an expert on his discography, so I have no idea what he played.

 

 

Death Cab put on a good show as always. They played a mix of pretty much all of their albums, kicking off with Ben Gibbard alone on the stage playing "I Will Follow You Into the Dark."

 "I Will Follow You Into the Dark"

"Home is a Fire"

"I Will Posses Your Heart"

"Crooked Teeth"

"We Laugh Indoors"

"Doors Unlocked and Open"

"Grapevine Fires"

"Summer Skin"

"Lightness"

"Portable Television"

"You Are a Tourist"

"New Year"

"Lowell, MA"

"Amputations"

"Monday Morning"

"Cath"

"Expo '86"

"Soul Meets Body"

I had to use panoramic mode on my camera to get the band all in one shot, seeing as Chris Walla likes to stand over yonder by his lonesome, so there are several pictures like the one above and the one below. I don't know, I kind of like them.

Encore:

"Title and Registration"

"Styrofoam Plates"

"Blacking Out the Friction"

"St. Peter's Cathedral"

"Marching Bands of Manhattan"

Thanks, and the regular blog posts will return shortly.

Seasonal Music Roundup: Summer Songs

It's just over a week into summer and the temperature in my area has already shot above one-hundred degrees. I'm not sure how much of a damper this will put on the ability to frolic this year, but it's certainly a good indicator that the season is upon us. I am an irresponsible blog-runner in that I have not yet given you an awesome playlist of recommended songs for the summer. Bad me. But now (a week late, I know), I have risen to the occasion and would like to present you with a summer playlist. Not all of these songs have to do with summer directly, many were just chosen for mood they seem to convey or the tempo (explanations after the image).

"All Summer" by Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam of Vampire Weekend
This track was released for free a couple of years ago to promote Converse shoes. It's still available on the website, and I happen to think it's a solid song.

"Wild Young Hearts" by Noisettes
With a similar feel and energy to that of "All Summer," "Wild Young Hearts" is a great tune for jumping around in the sunniest season.

"Summer Day" by Coconut Records (featuring Kirsten Dunst)
Much more down-tempo, this song is better to listen to whilst lazing about drinking lemonade and whining about how hot it is.

"Weather With You" by Crowded House
Crowded House tends to have a spring/summer sound to them, but this song definitely feels summery to me. The song is about creating your own mood or "weather," so I suppose it suits whatever season you want it to.

"Summer Trippin'" by Push Kings
The all-but-vanished 90s band Push Kings are survived by Carrick Moore Gerety's more recent band Everybody Else, but should not be forgotten. I feel like this particular song has a lot in common with Crowded House, and has all the fun of a 90s pop song without the pain of being a typical 90s pop song.

"Oregon Girl" by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
A play on 60s surf songs like "California Girls," "Oregon Girl" is a great summery song for those who know that there are also attractive girls in states apart from California.

"Afternoons With David Hockney" by Miniature Tigers
This is a track from Miniature Tigers' latest album. I picked this song as more of a mood song. It has a floating, lazy feel to it that I think suits a summer playlist.

"Super Sunshine" by Tom Milsom
Talented multi-instrumentalist and Youtuber Tom Milsom presented this track on the first of his Explorers albums. It's a fun and intricate piece that can be purchased here.

"Run" by Ben Kweller
Ignoring the obvious grammatical errors, this is really a good tune. The feel of freedom and ease lends itself well to a summer playlist.

"Bloodshot Days" by The Crookes
This is a rather sad song, but I still feel like the instrumentals fit the playlist. I guess we just have to assume that summer isn't all pleasant frolicking.

"King's Highway" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
A far more optimistic song than its predecessor, this song always makes me feel hopeful.

"Be Born" by Tally Hall
I chose this pleasantly lazy song about an unborn child because it's a perfect melody for a summer day whether you catch the meaning or not.

"Sunshine, Lollipops, And Rainbows" by Lesley Gore 
By an artist who could truly convey the innocence and happiness of young love, this is a tune that can make you very happy and optimistic if you let it.

"All Summer Long" by The Beach Boys
Like them or not, The Beach Boys sure do go hand-in-hand with summer.

"Sunny Girlfriend" by The Monkees
Michael Nesmith sings of a manic-pixie-dream-girl in a song that is pleasant and upbeat.

"Holiday" by Vampire Weekend

The oft-used-in-commercials "Holiday," like many Vampire Weekend songs, is great for warm weather. The video is quite nice too:

"Sunny Afternoon" by The Kinks

The moods of the lyrics and music match up perfectly in this tale of a lazy day in the life of a man who finds himself recently unentangled.

"Good Day Sunshine" by The Beatles

The Beatles sing about sunshine from time to time, but the effect is never as unapologetically optimistic as in "Good Day Sunshine."

"The Summer" by Coconut Records

Jason Schwartzman presents another fun summer song. Really, most Coconut Records songs are reminiscent of summer, but this one is blatant about it.

"Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
I close this playlist with another track from the most summer-centric band of all time.


Other suggestions? Drop me a comment.

Concert Review: Feist in Columbus, Ohio

Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite vocalists, Feist, live at the Wexner Center. The Wexner Center, as a venue, is not a rock setting, but it's definitely great for performances. The acoustics are possibly the best I've experienced at any venue.

The Low Anthem opened, playing a folky and Bob Dylan-esque set.

The Low Anthem

Having never heard The Low Anthem before, I was very impressed. They have a warm, rich sound and definitely know their way around musical instruments and concepts. I've never seen the saw played onstage before, and would love to again.

Feist and her band took the stage after a short wait and jumped right in with "A Commotion." I liked the live version of "A Commotion" much better than the album one. Such was not the case with "How Come You Never Go There," which was for some reason sped up immensely, so that it was almost unrecognizable. They carried some of the tribal sounds from Metals over to a version of "Mushaboom" with heavy drum beats.

 

Things began to sound more like the Feist of the earlier albums with "The Circle Married The Line," which I think is one of best songs from Metals, followed by "I'm Sorry." They played "Graveyard" in a style much more similar to something from Let It Die, flowing into a haunting "My Moon My Man," with a keyboard part far more unsettling than the album version. The whole song was played in a very rocky and somewhat staccato style unlike (but not worse than) the album version.

"I Feel It All" was made far more upbeat, causing most of the audience to stand and dance or clap. For some reason, it was performed twice, to no one's disappointment. Next up were three more songs from Metals; "Anti-Pioneer," "Bittersweet Memories," and "Undiscovered First." "Bittersweet Memories" turned out to be a fairly moving performance.

  

They played a version of "The Limit to Your Love" in which the beats were made more prominent and heavier. Afterwards, Feist drew attention to the backing vocalists, a trio called Mountain Man. Mountain Man performed a short song acapella, and then the band returned with "The Bad In Each Other," which, like "I Feel It All," they chose to play twice.

They closed the set with three more songs from Metals; the lovely and tragic "Comfort Me," "Caught a Long Wind," and a surprisingly beautiful "Get It Wrong, Get It Right."

 

For the encore, they opened back up with "Cicadas and Gulls." During the song, the bass/keyboard player danced topless backstage and was projected onto the background screen. Much of the audience and some of the band found it difficult to concentrate on the song with the interpretive dancing going on. Next, they played "Sea Lion Woman" from The Reminder, which was essentially everything I hoped for. The show concluded with a keys-riddled "Let It Die."

Seeing as I was not a huge fan of Metals, and the entire album was dispersed through the set, I was quite impressed with the show. Feist is a good performer who is lively onstage and able to engage the audience well. Her band and Mountain Man are also able to hold their own in terms of talent. I wouldn't recommend Feist if you're looking for a rock show, but she certainly gives a good performance.

Album Review: Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? by Elias and the Error

As we dive deeper into the depths of the digital age, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the difference between the production of a platinum-selling artist and someone with their own equipment and software, producing their own music. Elias and the Error don't have all the finesse of a major label recording artist, but they do a pretty great job.

Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? starts off strong with the Mark Mothersbaugh-infused "All You Ever Think About Is Death," which is poppy and intricate, while still conveying a message. "Evil" is a little bit different, with a very 80s synth line. It's definitely an interwoven piece, but some of the repetitive vocal effects can be tough to stomach. "Get This Fag Out of Here" is a successful message song, while still being quite high-energy.

The vocals on "Alex" seem to borrow slightly from David Bowie. "Alex" is a decent track with beautifully functioning synths, but there is a deliberate clash between the vocals and the music that doesn't really suit my style. One of the strongest dance songs on the album is "I Knew You Before You Were Rich," which is fairly repetitive, but not in a way that is grating.

From here, the album moves on to "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 1," which is for some reason introduced by narration. "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 1" doesn't suit my tastes at all, though it's similar to noise-pop. Later on in the album come "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 2," "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 3," and "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 4," which vary in levels of musicality. It's interesting the way all four songs explore the same concept of the title, but with varying instruments, musical styles, and possibly even life-views.

"Always At Odds" features a great underlying keyboard part, which makes the song. The use of electric drums or drum machines is also notable. "Riot" starts out like the lovechild of Devo and Wolfmother. As catchy as "All You Ever Think About Is Death" is, I think "Riot" is probably the most solid song on the album. "Ghost Man, Man" seems to pull heavily from Of Montreal, while "My Sex" has a rough, noisy sound, much like then end of "Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? Part 1."

Another dance-style track is "Now I'm Fine," the redundancy of which is once again tolerable. One of my favorite tracks is "Kanuu," which starts with soft synths and develops into a sound that is constant with the one that has been developed over the course of the album. I can't help but be reminded of Of Montreal's "Gallery Piece" when I hear Elias and the Error's "Mijuana," although they aren't really musically similar.

The last three tracks on the album are all strong, but it closes with "B Where U R," a catchy and musically sound song which perfectly encapsulates the band's sound, without borrowing very much from anyone else.

My complaints about this album are fairly few. I think it could do with a little less unresolved dissonance and clashing, but I gather that's part of their sound rather than a mistake, which is good. Some of the choices aren't really consistent with the style of music I listen to, but I know it's a style that many other people enjoy. I'm sure that by the next album, Elias and the Error will have discovered more of their own style, and will borrow less and less. I look forward to seeing where Elias and the Error go in the future.

Elias and the Error is an electro-punk art collective from Canton, Ohio. Elias Gowins produces and 

performs the music, and the visual experience is handled by a collective known as "The Error."

Aren't We So Lucky To Be Alive? can be found here.

Emma Hath a Song: "Creep"

Some people consider Radiohead to be the mother of modern independent rock. It's interesting to realize that they made such a powerful introduction to the world as "Creep."

Thom Yorke wrote "Creep" in the late 80s, while attending Exeter University, before the formation of Radiohead. Yorke gave a demo version to bassist Colin Greenwood, to get him to help put the band together. When initially released, "Creep" performed horribly in the charts, and only received considerable attention when it was re-released a year later. When the band recorded "Creep," they referred to it as their "Scott Walker" song, making the producers think it was a cover. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood thought the song was too quiet, and he tried to mess it up by playing the hard noises just before the chorus. Yorke loosely based the melody of the song on "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies. After "Creep"'s release, Radiohead gave credit to Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood as co-writers due to the similarity.

Yorke has said that the song is about a man who tries to get a woman's attention by following her. Supposedly, Yorke wrote the song from his own point of view. The concept of not feeling good enough for someone you have a crush on is easy enough to understand, but Radiohead have reportedly received fan mail from murderers, telling the band how much they could relate to the song.

Radiohead were reluctant to create the radio-friendly version of "Creep," feeling it would imply that they were selling out and that it would disturb the sentiment of the song. Yorke felt the song lost its anger due to the edit.

"Creep" has been covered many times in many varying styles. As early as 1995, The Pretenders performed a moving cover for The Isle of View, almost making it sound like it could have been written by Chrissie Hynde.

More recently, "Creep" has been covered by artists from Kelly Clarkson to Prince. Youtube artist Tom Milsom performed it on the harp at the first Vidcon online video conference. A haunting choral version by Scala & Kolacny Brothers was used in the trailers for The Social Network.

The public remains interested in this song, and in covering this song for fairly obvious reasons. Whatever stalker qualities it might have, "Creep" comes from a deep emotional place, one that many people have either been in or can empathize with. The melody, however simple, is moving.

And that's all that I hath for now.

Concert Review: Eric Hutchinson in Columbus, Ohio

It's been almost four years since I last saw Eric Hutchinson. His live shows are well known for being spectacularly amusing as well as genuinely good, and Friday night's show once again lived up to the hype. The A & R Music Bar is a little bit smaller than The Basement, where I saw him last time, but it was packed.

As soon as I heard about opening act Anya Marina, I knew I'd heard of her before, but I couldn't figure out where. The songs she played sounded cute and I assumed I must have heard one of her songs on Pandora. Like Hutchinson, Marina had a great rapport with the audience. There were some children in the front row that she talked to between almost every song.

Anya Marina

I don't have a lot to say about Marina's set because I wasn't especially impressed or unimpressed with it. It all sounded good, but being unfamiliar with the songs took most of the fun out of it. On her final number however, I did discover where I'd heard her before. As a closer, Marina played a cover of T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" that my college roommates listened to over and over again. Her cover makes the tune somewhat haunting and a little more catchy than it started out. I highly recommend it.

There was quite a lengthy wait between sets. I'm not sure what the complication was, but it seemed to take a while. Eric Hutchinson and his band finally took the stage and launched straight into "Best Days." Hutchinson engaged the crowd, asking them to sing along as much as possible.

They played a couple of songs from Sounds Like This, followed by "Not There Yet." The reggae beats in "Not There Yet" were used to lead into a lively and quick cover of The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da." After that, Hutchinson played "All Over Now" and "Outside Villanova" from Sounds Like This and then introduced "Breakdown More." I learned that "Breakdown More" was originally released on his first album, That Could've Gone Better, which is now out of print.

 

Another staple of Eric Hutchinson concerts is songs made up on the spot about the audience. Hutchinson created a song about the inconveniently located pillars in the venue that was not only musically sound, it was also quite funny. Next up was the lead single from Moving Up Living Down, "Watching You Watch Him." The crowd loved the energy-riddled sad song. The energy of "Watching You Watch Him" provided a stark contrast to the intensely emotional "Back To Where I Was," for which the rest of the band left the stage. Still solo, Hutchinson moved on to a frequent cover, "Stand By Me." 

The band returned for two more songs from the new album. They ended the set with "Food Chain" and "Okay, It's Alright With Me."

There was a very short wait before the encore, which started with a cover of Sublime's "Santeria" that really sounded like an Eric Hutchinson song. I was completely unfamiliar with the song and couldn't figure out why so much of the crowd knew it so well. They closed the show with "The Basement" and finally Hutchinson's biggest hit "Rock & Roll."

Eric Hutchinson still puts on one of the best shows you can go to see. I can't help feeling there was a little less energy to this one than the first of his shows I went to, but it was still incredibly good.

Special thanks to my brother for snagging a set-list, which made it much easier to complete this review.

One-Mind Tracks: The Music Industry

It's no secret that there's as much politics to the music industry as there is to the government. Frequently, artists end up expressing their annoyance at the bastardization of the good art in the form of a song. Most times, the record executives don't even notice.

The Fear by Lily Allen
Lily examines the ugly lust for fame many people have, along with the idea that we are all conditioned toward the rich and sleazy archetype.

So You Want To Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star by The Byrds
The Byrds delivered this wonderful how-to song in 1967, during the hey-day of five-minute fame.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly by The Smiths
The sickening side to a life as a rock and roller is outlined. "Mr. Shankly" is also rumored to be Geoff Travis, the head of Rough Trade Records.

The Compromise by The Format
The Format used this song to express their anger at record labels. Elektra, the record label for their first album, failed to give it any kind of marketing or promotion. Elektra was bought out by Warner Music Group shortly after the release of their first album, meaning they ended up releasing Dog Problems on their own label.

The Moneygoround by The Kinks
All of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is about various parts of the music industry, including the people that populate it. This is by far the most cynical song on the album, discussing how everyone connected to the business side of music, despite their level of involvement, divides the majority of the money up, with very little reaching the artist.

You and I by The Monkees
Davy Jones and Bill Chadwick wrote this tune about the temporal nature of fame. It was written and performed near the end of The Monkees' career, after Peter Tork had already left the group.

Blood From a Clone by George Harrison
The song that gives this blog its name was written in direct response to Warner music rejecting Harrison's first version of Somewhere In England. Mo Ostin told him it "contained no hits," implying that Harrison was out-of-touch with the world of modern music saleability. Hence, in the re-do of the album, Harrison created this rant-filled opener with a ska beat and off-beat drums*, making a statement in the song that anyone can produce a soulless hit, but that doesn't make it good. Harrison was strongly opposed to the formulaic process executives wanted to apply to music and I think this song does a perfect job wording his concerns.

It's Still Rock and Roll To Me by Billy Joel
Like Harrison, Joel was asked to change to appeal to larger audiences. He responded with this uncharacteristically poppy tune with a new wave sound, arguing that music is still music no matter what the singer looks and dresses like.

Grace Kelly by Mika
A record executive reportedly asked Mika to be more like Craig David and change his sound to better fit the pop music arena. Mika was angered, and wrote this song in response, implying that he could try to be anyone to win approval but he's not willing to do that and lose himself.

Pork and Beans by Weezer
Geffen asked Rivers Cuomo to produce more commercial work, which angered him into writing a song about how he was going to do whatever he wants to do. Ironically, the song was quite a commercial success, getting great reviews and debuting at number 19 on the Billboard modern rock chart. But I think by now, the world is aware that Weezer really do only what they want to do, with complete disregard of approval from record companies, radio DJs or their fans.

Only a Northern Song by The Beatles
George Harrison has always been fairly cynical about the music industry. This song was a denouncement of The Beatles as a group and of Northern Songs, Ltd., the publishing company that all Beatles songs belonged to. Northern Songs was started by Dick James, Brian Epstein, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon, but after Epstein's death, James sold his shares to ATV, resulting in The Beatles no longer owning their own songs: even the ones that had yet to be written. Harrison had begun to feel fairly meaningless in the music creation process.

Ditty Diego (War Chant) by The Monkees
Written by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, this track from Head is about the lack of freedom The Monkees had, not only from their producers and from their TV show, but from their image and the position they developed in society. I'm not sure whether it's fitting or sad that they didn't get to write this song.


Radio Radio by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Costello wrote this song as a protest about the way radio was run. Costello was angered by the fact that radio was so commercialized and that broadcasts were essentially owned by record studios and larger radio corporations which decided which songs were to be played. On a 1977 Saturday Night Live appearance, the band were pressured by their record company to play "Less Than Zero" instead of this, a more recent song. A few seconds into the song, Costello made the band stop and they started over with "Radio Radio," a song Costello also felt was more relevant to American audiences. The song change did not go over well, and in fact resulted in a twelve year ban from the show for Costello and co.

Panic by The Smiths
Morrissey and Johnny Marr were listening to BBC Radio One when they learned about the Chernobyl disaster. The presenter moved on immediately from the news report to "I'm Your Man" by Wham!, juxtaposing disaster and whimsical pop songs with no apology.

Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal by They Might Be Giants
As usual, They Might Be Giants use lyrics and music that sound slightly insane to get their point across.


Got any more? I'd love to hear them!



*These facts come from While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison by Simon Leng.

Concert Review: fun. in Columbus, Ohio

The last time I saw fun. was at Slim's in San Francisco. A couple of local bands opened for them, and they played a powerful set to a few hundred people. It was a small show that has to be one of the best ones I've ever been to.

Thursday night, I had the pleasure of seeing them again, with another of my favorite bands, Miniature Tigers, opening. The show was originally set for the Newport, a smaller Columbus venue, but there was such demand that it was moved to the Lifestyle Communities Pavillion, a venue that will hold around 2,200 people- and it still sold out. The line at 6:00 reached all the way down the block.

The show started at almost exactly 8:00. Miniature Tigers took the stage mostly unknown and played a knock-out set. Charlie Brand displayed his usual ability to engage a crowd, despite the fact that the crowd was much larger than a typical Miniature Tigers turnout.

Miniature Tigers

Miniature Tigers played a forty-five minute set that was a pleasant mix of their first three albums. Although Brand's voice seemed a little worn from several months of touring, he still remained on-key and belted the tunes out. I was already a fan, but most of the rest of the crowd also seemed convinced. 

There was a decently short wait time between acts, and fun. took the stage to uproarious applause. 

Fun. played an energetic set true to my memories of them...except more. The crowd seemed to dance and sing along to every song, but the music was still audible- and properly mixed- over the top. 

Fun. pounded through their songs, playing the popular "We Are Young" somewhere in the middle of the set rather than saving it for the encore as I expected they would. They performed a version of "The Gambler" that brought tears to the eyes of some patrons. 

It was clear before the group left the stage that there would be an encore. The crowd's claps and cheers and yells went on for only a few minutes before fun. returned to the stage. They kicked off the encore with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" that seemed to improve on the original and blow the roof off. The show ended as fun. shows generally do, with "Take Your Time Coming Home," played gorgeously despite the crowd's constant cheering making it difficult to complete the softer section.

If you enjoy fun.'s music at all, I strongly recommend getting out to see them live. They put on a consistently excellent and lively show no matter what the crowd size is like. 

Album Review: Moving Up Living Down by Eric Hutchinson

It's been four years since the clever and talented Eric Hutchinson hit the scene with Sounds Like This, but he's finally back for more. Hutchinson expands his genre on Moving Up Living Down, but still keeps some of the Motown feel he's become known for.

Moving Up Living Down kicks off with "Talk is Cheap," a song which serves to demonstrate Hutchinson's abilities as a vocalist from the fore. Although "Talk is Cheap" starts out like a traditional Motown or soul tune, it breaks down into a reggae beat that's a little surprising for Hutchinson. "Best Days" is a much more traditional tune for Hutchinson, featuring the sentiment: "and when this craziness is through//I'll spend my happiness with you."

Hutchinson seems to discuss his roots and inspirations in "The Basement," a celebration of classic 60s/70s rock and soul that finds him channeling Little Richard. The lead single, "Watching You Watch Him" is a catchy ditty with interconnected beats and guitar vaguely reminiscent of late-era Talk Talk and the overall feel of an early 70s Paul Simon song.

"Breakdown More" is a calm tune with touches of a country music sound to it. "The People I Know" is a more traditional Hutchinson tune, in the vein of "Oh." "The People I Know" outlines some relationships in the protagonist's life, wrapping up the stories with a chorus of "how'm I gonna get by//without the help of the people I know?//For better or for worse we all come together//and they won't let me die alone." The digital sounds on "Living in the Afterlife" would sound out of place on an Eric Hutchinson album, but he somehow makes them a part of his sound. "Living in the Afterlife" borrows from late 80s Michael Jackson. Hutchinson's voice is once again showcased on "In the First Place." "I'm Not Cool" is another song that almost could have been on Sounds Like This, featuring a series of stories to prove a main point.

The reggae beat is brought back for the closing song, "Not There Yet." "Not There Yet" could stand to be a stronger song, particularly since it's the closer. Toward the middle of the song, it even begins to feel a little repetitive. "Not There Yet" isn't a weak song, but it's probably one of the weaker tracks on the album.

Moving Up Living Down is a solid album. It's not as strong as Sounds Like This, and I almost feel like Moving Up Living Down has less soul than the former album, although there are also a lot more musical tests in this most recent record. Hutchinson's soulful voice and talent at both lyrics and music definitely make the album worth a listen.

Eric Hutchinson is a singer-songwriter.

Moving Up Living Down can be purchased here.

A Personal History: Buddy Holly

Going back to my early childhood, I would have to cite Buddy Holly as the reason I probably got into classic pop/rock. Before I knew who The Monkees were or listened to any Beatles, I was listening to Buddy Holly. How so? A tiny, one-shot cartoon called Dixie's Diner.

Dixie's Diner was a series of toys and what I assume was supposed to be a TV show pilot that were highly collectible in the early 90s. I got to play with the diner and characters once in a while if I was really good, but the cartoon was available to watch any time.

Dixie's Diner was set in an idealized 1950s, with pool sharks, street racing, and rock-and-roll music played on the Jukebox. The characters had to solve their financial problems by winning a "dance-off" - to the music of Buddy Holly.

In a sense, I think the plot was almost based around Buddy Holly's songs. One of the characters was even named "Peggy Sue." But I fell in love with the music. As I got older, I think I wanted to watch the cartoon more so that I could hear the Buddy Holly songs than for the cartoon itself (although to be fair, it wasn't a bad cartoon). My parents had a cassette of Buddy Holly songs that they played for me too, possibly to give the cartoon a rest.

There were years in which I didn't listen to Buddy Holly. I listened to The Sound of Music soundtrack and oldies stations. But eventually, I began to add Buddy Holly back into my listening diet. He was such a talented individual (along with The Crickets, I suppose). You can hear the influences of his music on the early Beatles all the way up to Vampire Weekend.

At this point in my life, I am amazed every time I realize that Holly was a fifties performer. Not only was the music a few years ahead of its time, it has a great deal of timelessness. I'm sure Buddy Holly's music will always be a part of my life.

 

Other Recommended Tracks:

Not Fade Away
Oh, Boy!
Heartbeat
That'll Be The Day
It's So Easy