Current Music Blog

So, I was supposed to be on cnn.com/live again today, but due to some technical difficulties, it didn’t work out. These things happen, but it is kind of annoying that I trimmed my beard, put on a clean shirt, and showed up to work sober. Anywhoo, here’s the music I was planning to push today.

“Electric Dirt” Levon Helm

Levon Helm is the man, plain and simple. Not only did he sing some of The Band’s greatest songs with Ophelia, The Weight, The Night they Drove ol’ Dixie Down and Cripple Creek, he also beat throat cancer two years ago and has released two albums and a live record sense. You try that shit.

Electric Dirt is primarily full over covers ranging from the Grateful Dead to Nina Simone, then back around the horn from the Stanley Brothers to the Staple Singers. Yeah, he’s covering a lot of ground here.

Levon sounds like classic Levon on this album, with his Southern Arkansas melodic growl, but the real beauty on this record is his studious blend of classic American musical styles. Just when you think he’s given a song the Appalachian treatment, a crazy funky New Orleans tuba bounces off the back of your head (in the good way). You can preview the album here, and buy it here.

And in case you’re about 40 years late to the party, and have never heard The Band, go get The Last Waltz as an introduction. Martin Scorsese filmed their final concert and the were joined by the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Emmy Lou Harris, Ronnie Wood, Van Morrison, Ringo, Ronnie Hawkins, and your mom. How awesome was that party? Well, MGM had to spend thousands of dollars airbrushing a booger brick of cocaine out from under Neil Young’s nose, so yeah, it was a good time.

PS: to whomever represent’s The Band’s catalogue, you better get on some search engine optimization, or The Band could disappear from history in 30 years.

“Wilco (the album)” Wilco

I love Wilco—always have, always will. I probably would have given this album four stars before I even heard it, and fortunately, I would have been right. Anyone who has spent any time listening to Wilco knows how great they are, but if you haven’t this is a good album to start on.

Each of Wilco’s previous six albums have had their own sound corresponding with the bands stage of evolution, but for the first time, this album brings all those sounds together. There are a couple of songs that sound like they’ve been pulled from each previous album Wilco has done. While this may sound strange, in effect, Wilco has essentially created a completely original greatest hits album.

If you don’t consider yourself the world’s biggest and best Wilco fan (most Wilco fans think they are the one person that truly “gets it”) go buy this album and then watch the DVD I am Trying to Break Your Heart. However, if you do consider yourself the penultimate Wilco fan, please stop getting in semantic arguments over grammar in the comment section of all their album reviews. And it probably wouldn’t kill you to stop motionlessly staring at Jeff Tweedy like a he’s an original Warhol, and actually get up and dance at a show.

“It Was This or Football” Kid British

I guess it was a good thing I was bumped on CNN this morning, considering this album doesn’t actually come out today, which means I get to save my review for when it does come out and I don’t look like an feckin’ eedget—wait that’s Irish slang, not English, ah feck it.

Anyway, instead of writing about them, I’ll just embed a few of clips from singles these genre-bending Mancies have released.

Fun stuff, right? No? F@ck you.