Temporary shut down of Look Left Turn Right

I'm temporarily putting this blog on hold while I finish up my dissertation.  Even though I set a goal of listening to all of my CDs over the span of this year, I just can not find the time to go back and truly listen to all of these CDs with the depth that I want to.  Due to this, and time constraints related to finishing up my dissertation, I have decided it best to limit any outside distractions beyond the TV shows I already currently watch with my wife, the blogs I already browse, and the countless minutes/hours of each week that I spend daydreaming about nothing in particular.

If you like what I have been doing over the past month and half, then please go back and leave a comment.  I'll hopefully pick this little project back up in April.  Until then, so long suckers!

Vaselines - Enter the Vaselines (Day 45)

The simple driving snare of 'Son of a Gun' starts off this compilation album beautifully.  In 'You Think You're A Man', the singsong vocals of "Man.... Boy...." may be the best refrain ever.  'Molly's Lips' and 'Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam' are really good, but I am not afraid to say that I like the Nirvana cover versions better.  I definitely think the "Son of a Gun" EP is the strongest offering here, with the "Dying for It" EP in a close second, and the "Dum Dum" LP coming in third (they definitely got the sequencing of the track order correct).

Huey Lewis and the News "Fore" & Pavement "Slanted & Enchanted" (Day 44)

I listened to Pavement's "Slanted & Enchanted" on vinyl (I also own it on CD) and there's something about listening to it in this format brings out the fuzz/lo-fi in full effect.  I love 'Summer Babe', 'In the Mouth a Desert', 'Zurich is Stained', and I like how 'Loretta's Scars' leads off the other side of the record so that I can listen to it at a moment's notice by just flipping it over. This album is so good that I would probably buy it on cassette if I came across it. 

My love of Huey Lewis & The News goes back to some of my earliest memories of riding in the passenger seat of my Dad's car.  The album "Fore" has some great tracks on it.  I didn't know this until recently but the great track 'Jacob's Ladder' that starts this thing off was written by Huey Lewis's brother, Bruce Hornsby. 'Stuck With You' & 'Doing It All For My Baby' are classics and 'Hip to be Square' is so great! Also, another cool tidbit about this San Fran-based band - they had 'Joe Cool' Joe Montana & a few other 49ers do background vocals for 'Hip to be Square'.  Somehow this song didn't end up on their Greatest Hits that they released back in 1996.  That review will come sometime later in the year. 

Ben Kweller - Go Fly A Kite (Day 43)

'Mean to Me' is a great lead off song. The horns at the end of that song are a tremendous addition.  I love the "oh-oh-oh's" of 'Jealous Girl'.  'Out the Door' has a Bob Dylan feel in the verses and I like the falsetto in 'Free'.  'Gossip' and 'The Rainbow' are also solid tracks on this return-to-form album from Ben Kweller.

Black Crowes & Beck "Mellow Gold" (Day 40)

I'm not sure that I have ever listened to the Black Crowes - Greatest Hits all the way through until today.  Of course I love 'Jealous Again' and 'Hard to Handle'.  The slide guitar on 'Twice as Hard' rocks! 'She Talks to Angels' and 'Remedy' are also really good songs and there are some great vocals on 'Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye'.  I love how 'Conspiracy' rocks on the up beat and there's a great ending to the song 'Go Faster'. 

On Beck - Mellow Gold, 'Loser' is obviously the stand-out track.  I remember playing that on the jukebox every time our group of friends would hit up our favorite pizza place in high school.  'Pay No Mind' is exactly why I like his album "Mutations".  He really uses the super distorted voice effect in 'Sweet Sunshine' and 'MFer'.  'Beer Can' sounds a lot like something The Avalanches would have done in the middle section.  'Steal My Body Home' is so chill, and I really like 'Nitemare Hippy Girl'. 

Tortoise "It's All Around You", "Standards" and Willis Earl Beal (Day 34)

I listened to Tortoise "It's All Around You" and "Standards" today to chill me out while I was doing some writing.  As I wrote previously about some other Tortoise releases, I really like everything by this band and find it to be engaging and relaxing depending on how actively you decide to listen.  There are a lot of intricate, neat sound effects and rhythms going on in each of their songs. 

Willis Earl Beal is a breath of fresh air in the lo-fi world.  I love how all of his recordings from "Acousmatic Sorcery" are straight to tape, and how you can actually hear all the pops and hisses that come from recording straight to analog tape.  'Evening's Kiss' is an amazing song that you should definitely spend some time listening to.  His interview for X Factor USA is very insightful and gives you a look into how he approaches music/art.  Check it out here - Willis Earl Beal - X Factor interview

On his website he has written that if you write him he will send you a hand drawn picture or if you call him that he will sing you a song.  I sent him a letter today, so we'll see if he sends me something back.  Nevertheless, I'll be waiting in anticipation for the next release from this artist.

Gin Blossoms, Wavves, and Archers of Loaf (Day 33)

I really wanted the Gin Blossoms debut album back in the day, but my mom wouldn't buy it for me because of the word 'Gin'.  She didn't want me to be a drunk.  This album starts off great.  The hits are all here, including 'Hey Jealousy' (by the way, in the 'Hey Jealousy' video the lead singer sings through a chain length fence, probably because he really liked Pearl Jam "Vs"), 'Found Out About You', 'Until I Fall Away', and 'Allison Road'.  Not sure why they go country on the last song; in fact, I usually turn it off before the song is even over. Today is no different.  

The debut album by Wavves "Wavvves" is more of an experience than anything.  Most of these song just meld together into one composition.  You've gotta love 'Gun in the Sun', 'So Bored', and 'No Hope Kids'.  'To the Dregs' is just ok here, but rocks in the recordings the lead man, Nathan, did with Zach Hill.

Archers of Loaf "Icky Mettle" rocks hard! If you haven't heard this, then stop what you are doing and listen to 'Web in Front' right now.  'Wrong' and 'Might' are also great tracks.  There's a great warning siren sound to the guitar in 'Hate Paste' and there are some good song near the end of the album, but nothing comes close to beating the A-sides. 

Sebadoh "Bubble and Scrape" & Everclear "Sparkle and Fade" (Day 32)

'Soul and Fire' starts out "Bubble and Scrape" perfectly with the great drop off in the song's musical tone following that bright guitar-strumming intro.  'Cliche' is a good song, and I can say with certainty that I prefer the Lou Barlow songs over any of the rest.  'Sixteen' and 'Homemade' are both really good songs, and end up being the standouts from this album.  I saw Sebadoh perform this album in 2008 and as they were finishing their set with 'Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)', Public Enemy was getting set up on the next stage.  Every time I hear this song, I think about the ridiculous contrast of these two bands performing on the same bill.  This was made completely evident as Lou Barlow performed this song solo, seated in the center of the stage, while Public Enemy's DJ proceeded to pound out sledgehammer beats and repeatedly run through his mic checks.

Everclear actually did make a good record, and it's "Sparkle and Fade".  I like to joke around about the fact that all of Everclear's songs are basically variations on the same guitar riff, but despite that I really do enjoy this album.  'Santa Monica' is of course the take-away hit, but there are a lot of other strong songs such as 'Pale Green Stars', which is excellent.  I also like 'Summerland' despite, or because of, the fact that every time I hear that song I am 100% convinced that I am listening to Oasis 'Live Forever'.  Those lyrics say it best, "Maybe you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see..."