Martes 5 Ago 2008, 21:22

Top 10 of the Week: Ferris Bueller Edition | Top 10 of the Week: Smokey and the Bandit Edition

He who draws the sword from the stone, he shall be king. Arthur, you're the one.

It’s been a couple weeks since my last journal entry and, at the time, I was itching to (finally) see The Dark Knight starring the late Heath Ledger. Having seen it twice since then, I believe it is safe to say that it is one of my favorite films ever and Heath Ledger’s Joker is one of the greatest villains in film history. There are not enough words to express how amazing The Joker is. Aaron Eckhart deserves a nod as well because while he gets overshadowed by Ledger, he gives an amazing representation of Harvey Dent/Two-Face. The returning cast is just as solid (if not more so) as they were in Batman Begins. I definitely need to see this again.
While we’re on the subject of films, I still cannot get Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Doc Holliday from Tombstone out of my head. The man was just perfect in that role. Have fun watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yDgkvWh3JQ

I also watched Superbad the other night and thought it was hilarious, save for a couple exceptions. McLovin’s side story with the two cops was definitely pushing the line for me the whole time and never really gelled with the movie especially when they pulled out their guns on Evan (Michael Cera). Plus, Seth (Jonah Hill) was an annoying bastard despite his comedic efforts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5zDOjgTY_A

Also in my last journal, I was excited for my mini-vacation trip to Asheville, North Carolina to visit The Biltmore Estate. Now, I don’t want to give everything away since I’ve been working on a journal about my visit to the massive, 4-acre house and 8,000 acre estate. One thing is for sure: I found it pretty damn awesome. The coolest parts of the Estate for me were the Gardens (which are beautiful), the Winery, and my favorite room of the house was the Salon. In the Salon was a chess table and set which belonged to Napoleon (behind this set stood a bust of the short French man on a marble stand). The cool thing about this chess table and set was that Napoleon owned it during his exile. There is a myth surrounding this table, though. When Napoleon died an autopsy was performed. Supposedly the box that held Shorty’s heart during the autopsy was placed upon this table before the heart was replaced. Pretty cool bit of history to me. There’s more, but I’m going to be a tease and save the rest for later.

Originally my lady and I wanted – more like dreamed – to partake in The Biltmore’s Summer Concert Series with B.B. King. The thought of seeing B.B. King play with the mountains as his backgrounds just screams “automatically best concert ever” to me. Unfortunately the financial stars did not align and we figured it was best to go the Estate and see B.B. King locally. As such, I’ll be seeing B.B. King this Wednesday night at the Charlottesville Pavilion in downtown C’Ville. I am definitely excited – I mean, it is B.B. King for crying out loud so it’s an automatic feeling of excitedness. I’m not really sure what to expect from him, but I’m sure he still has a shit-ton of fire in him so I don’t think I will be anything less than blown away. I’m hoping he’ll bust out Sweet Little Angel and Worry Worry because 1) My girl loves calling me just to hear my Ring-back tone, which is Sweet Little Angel and 2) Blues Boy’s falsetto on Worry, Worry is amazing.

I’m sure by now most people have heard about Chris Cornell’s team up with producer Timbaland. For awhile I have just been scratching my head over this – its puzzling at best, still, but I think I’ve come to terms with it thanks in large part to Hanson. He made a good point – the album may suck, but it should, at the very least, be an entertaining listen unlike his previous solo effort. I have decided that this album is now an automatic buy just because its such a ballsy move for Cornell. And deep down, I think I’m even a little bit excited for it.

I had planned last week to include something about Hank Williams III and his father’s (crazy) relationship with Kid Rock in a journal about last week’s top ten, but since weekly charts weren’t updated by the time of my trip I never got around to it. ANYWAY…with Kid Rock’s latest single being played repeatedly (as if Sweet Home Alabama wasn’t played enough, now it has to be sampled) and the rumors of him being Jr’s illegitimate son I thought I would look into this. For reasons I can only assume, Hank Williams Jr and III don’t seem to get a long too well and with Jr. hanging out with Kid Rock I don’t see father and son resolving their differences anytime soon since III dislikes (understatement) Kid-Rock. I found this comment from III on snopes.com

brought that upon himself… I’ve met him, back when he hit with that big song, and he came in, like, “You know, I’m the next Elvis.” I’m like, “Whatever, dude — the Beastie Boys have been around a lot longer than you have.” I first immediately saw that OK, this guy’s an asshole, and I can see why him and my dad get along pretty good. And then we came back through Detroit, and he kept trying to come on the bus — you know, him and Pam , and all that shit — and I said, “Tell that motherfucker I got nothing to say to him,” and then he finally gets his way back in there and tells me how I need to be treating my father (Hank Williams, Jr., who Kid Rock has collaborated with), and I’m like, “All right, you just crossed the line motherfucker.” And I don’t know how many times I have to say it: “No, he’s not my fucking brother. He’s a goddamn Yankee from fuckin’ up in Detroit, and his dad runs Cadillac dealerships.” He’s got no blood relation to us at all.

Not to mention that III addresses the rumors head on with his song Not Everybody Likes Us

Just so you know, so it's it's set in stone,
Kid Rock don't come from where I come from:
Yeah, it's true, he's a Yank, he ain't no son of Hank:
If you even thought so, god-damn, you're fucking dumb.

I never thought this was true, but the notion of Hank Jr. calling Kid Rock his “Rebel Son” is just puzzling to me. I guess Jr. fell off hard really hard. I guess III's assessment of his father is the same I hold: Hank was an original gangster, plain and simple. Jr, aside from a couple songs of his I do enjoy, just seemed like he always pandered to the likes of Nashville and I can see how III doesn't respect him for that. But whatever. 2 out of 3 ain't bad!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkgO9urDJtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6B-X6EEiHE

While I was browsing around on Youtube, I can across this video of Neko Case performing Brown Eyed Handsome Man. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKz3D1cQz0

The days of our kind are numberèd. The one God comes to drive out the many gods. The spirits of wood and stream grow silent. It's the way of things. Yes… it's a time for men, and their ways.

Top 10 of the Week

10) Neko Case and Her Boyfriends andSoundgarden – 12 Plays
Last week I picked up Neko Case’s debut solo album The Virginian as I continue to fall in love with the sexy redhead more and more. This album is definitely different than the other two albums I have of hers: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and Blacklisted. The Virginian seems to be rooted in more of a rockabilly basis than the other two albums which seem to be rooted in a country/roots Americana basis. I get a distinct Wanda Jackson vibe on a couple tracks, especially the more up tempo songs. I don’t think the album is on par with the quality of her last two albums, but it’s a more upbeat afar compared to the more serious and somewhat brooding Blacklisted and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.

With Soundgarden, I decided I needed to give Louder Than Love a much needed spin after a long absence. This is definitely an underrated album, so I’m always recommending to as Soundgarden purchase #3. I guess its hard not to get overshadowed when the previous release was a terrific debut and then the next release was the amazing Badmotorfinger. As such Louder Than Love is a good album which leans on more of the “fun” side of Soundgarden – or as close as they got to being fun/funny especially with the 80s Cock Rock Mock theme they got going. Not to mention the album houses one of my favorite intros of all time with Thayil’s intro to Loud Love – its just heavenly.

9) GZA – 13 Plays
As much as I pimp out Ghostface as my favorite member of the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA’s Liquid Swords is without question my favorite Wu-Tang album. GZA’s fine tuned, intellectual lyrical intricacies continue to amaze with each listen as something new pops up on my radar. The attention to detail throughout Gold is superb – I cannot get enough of that picture he paints as everything is vivid. Talking about the album and not mentioning RZA’s production would be criminal as it really completes and unifies the album, creating an album that flows together with a calm, chill vibe despite what GZA lyrics portray. Plus, those samurai interludes are gangsta.

Anyway, I think I am ready for another GZA album, so hit me up with some suggestions.

7) & 8) Chris Cornell and Hayes Carll – 15 Plays
Ah, good ol Euphoria Morning. At the time a giant leap away from the sound of Soundgarden to the dismay of fans – now its all we’re craving for with the release of his collaboration with Timbaland on the horizon. Cornell’s debut solo album still remains one of my favorite albums ever for reasons I have regurgitated a million times over. Soundgarden was his outlet to wail like a banshee, but his solo debut lets him get more personal and intimate. Despite the horridness that was Carry On and no matter how bad any future releases may be, they will never erode the quality of Euphoria Morning.

I’ve been pimping Hayes Carll pretty damn hard since I picked up Trouble in Mind, but the album seems to be cooling off just a little bit now. I still love the album and its definitely a top 5 album for me this year, I just need to set it aside before I run the risk of overplaying the bitch and its pretty damn hard when its so good. She Left Me For Jesus is one of the best songs of the year and really sounds like it would be a Waylon or Merle cover. Just thinking about the album brings a smile to my face. HW3 is right that there isn’t any (or much) country left to be savored in Nashville, but when the border guys are doing this good, I could care less.

5) & 6) Johnny Cash and Ghostface Killah Killah – 20 Plays
At Folsom Prison is on the verge of taking over my favorite Johnny Cash album spot, knocking off At San Quentin, but perhaps I need to listen to the other first before I make that decision. Regardless, At Folsom Prison is amazing – letting Johnny run wild creating an album centered around the blue collar caste with his superb tales of hard-work, criminality, prison, and love. Although the album doesn’t contain as much chatter between Cash and his audience, there is still a sense of control in Johnny’s persona over the prison crowd and honestly the set list definitely fills that void as it does an equal job of showcasing Johnny’s knack for witty comedy. Although all the songs are superb with personal favorites been Cocaine Blues and The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer the definitive moment of the album is in the interlude right before Johnny and June Carter sing their famous duet Jackson.
Johnny – I like to watch you talk.
June – (laughs) I’m talking with my mouth. Its way up here.
Plus, her vocals in this song make me smile with her country growl – definitely sounds sexy.

Also, where can I go from here – aside from the American Recordings? I see Johnny liked to do themed albums and was thinking about picking up one of them.

As I mentioned when talking about GZA, Ghostface Killah is my favorite of the Wu-Tang Clan. I gave Fishscale a spin this past week after pimping it hard when it was first released. There is a definite fire in Killah’s flow like he is on a mission to prove that he’s still got mad game and he definitely does because he gets a KO with The Champ just on its intensity alone. With this listen, the thing that really clicked with me this time was that Killah knows how to pick some damn good beats. Instead of simply continuing to rehash that Samurai-theatre inspired production that made Wu-Tang Clan a household name, he continues to change shit up and lays some fresh verses on some very nice beats, thanks in large part to MF DOOM. If only they would finish their collaborative album already!

4) Neko Case – 27 Plays
I gave both Blacklisted and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood a spin. I honestly, deep down in the chambers of my heart, love these two albums. Neko not only creates a distinct traditional country vibe that harkens back to Hank Williams and Patsy Cline while at the same time keeping things up to date, but she has a knack for creating a sense of gothic Americana in her slower, more serious tunes. The more I listen to each of these albums the more the latter resonates with me, giving me a vibe that relates to something I would classify as a type of mystic and gothic form of Americana. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood specifically because of the more story-teller approach. Somehow, both continue to amaze me – not only with Neko’s vocals which are just as awe inspiring as the first time I heard, but Neko’s lyrics which are definitely underrated.

3) Loretta Lynn – 28 Plays
As with Neko Case, I gave the only two Loretta Lynn albums I own a spin each. While Van Lear Rose is an absolute masterpiece, much less a superb come-back album, the hard-to-find Coal Miner’s Daughter is a cool little piece of Loretta discography despite being a little out-dated. I really wish her discography got the treatment it truly deserves. There is no reason for her early albums not to be reissued on CD, especially her stuff with Conway Twitty. As much as I despise compilation albums, especially for artists that released good albums, I might have to break down and get one for Loretta or else get a record player and just pick up her LPs.

2) The Steeldrivers – 33 Plays
Well, I guess The Steeldrivers’ self-titled debut is starting to cool down just a little bit :-) Sticks That Made Thunder amazes me every time I listen to – the lyrics combined with the strings of the song makes for a stellar and unique look at the Civil War. The thing about the album that continues to stick out (many things stick out) is the banjo and basically the intensity to which it is being played. Perhaps it’s a common trait in bluegrass for the speedy, up tempo banjo but it sounds like thrash-country to me. HA. Whatever. It just sounds awesome and I can definitely see a line to metal through country, as scary as that sounds. Perhaps I’m completely off base. Regardless, I definitely want more of this type of bluegrass and definitely look forward to the ‘Drivers’ next album.

1) Sleater-Kinney – 48 Plays
A similar theme here this week – I listened to all of the Sleater-Kinney albums I own, going from All Hands On The Bad One to One Beat and finally The Woods. Being able to listen to these albums practically back to back over the course of last week, it definitely feels like each album builds off the previous one. All Hands On The Bad One lays the basis for the weaving and harmonizing, vocals of the girls with a pop-rock structured basis. One Beat does a damn good job of expanding on that, with the girls building off the pop-rock structure and expanding it with their instruments as they create certain atmospheres around their songs (Funeral Song comes to mind immediately). The Woods completes the picture, adding in a garage-rock styled production to balance out of the pop-rock. Speaking of which, it had been way too long since I listened to The Woods that I had almost forgotten exactly how brilliant that album is. I mean, I think I literally said, “wow” at one point while listening to the album –probably during Lets Call It Love, though to single out one track on this album is hard to do since all the songs are equally as good as all the others. Not a lot of bands can go out on top, but these girls not only went out on top but with a loud bang. My only regret is not being able to see the girls in concert.

Lancelot: Your rage has unbalanced you. You sir, would fight to the death, against a knight who is not your enemy. Over a stretch of road you could easily ride around.
Arthur: So be it. To the death!

New CDs, Discoveries & Wishlistings

I think I am actually looking forward to Chris Cornell’s next solo album in a way that equals the puzzledness and twistedness that surrounds the collaboration of Cornell and Timbaland. Every time I start to think about the duo WTF, mate? starts creeping into my head.

Per suggestion of JC (jcshepard) and Johnathan (ACKthehack), I checked out Old Crow Medicine Show and they seem to be a pretty good contemporary bluegrass band. They have a new album coming out next month and the single is pretty good – I’ll probably pick up the album when it drops.
Caroline

So, Gerry (Teaforone) made me aware of a couple of Elvis Masters boxsets, which are now on my must-have list, especially the 50s masters. Now, being a fan of albums and album-oriented music, this is kind of a conflicting want, especially since I enjoy Elvis’ debut self-titled album is a favorite of mine and I still want to pick up Elvis. I’m not sure what albums after that I should get, so I think I’ll just pick up the Masters instead after that – unless anybody else has a better idea of what to do because quite honestly those Masters look pimp.

I want to add some stuff to my bookmarks/music lists, so if anybody has any knowledge and suggestions on Marty Stuart and Dwight Yoakam I would definitely appreciate it.

Thanks!

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l175/MrModernRock/Movies/arty.jpg
Arthur: Merlin, where are you going?
Merlin: Where do you think? You have a kingdom to rule.
Arthur: But how? I don't know how.
Merlin: You knew how to draw the sword from the stone.
Arthur: That was easy.
Merlin: Was it? I couldn't have done it.