It took a while, but I have listened to all of Peter's CD, most on repeat listenings, and here is the big review. I hope that this will buy me at least a few days' peace from those that claim that I only know how to post in phrases and smileys!
Peter’s CD
# --- Title --- Artist --- Album
1 - The Execution of All Things - Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
8 - Pictures of Success - Rilo Kiley - Take Offs and Landings
I like these a lot; will get their albums. Any harmonic rock/pop with intelligence and a waifishly sweet female vocalist will hook me every time. See my music collection for evidence: Belly, Blake Babies/Juliana Hatfield, Mazzy Star, Frente, etc.
OK, after writing this whole review, I’m listening to track one again, and it is the best thing I’ve heard in a while. It’s a perfect song. It has now kicked the new Weezer single out of my head.
2 - Real Good Looking Boy - The Who - Then and Now! 1964-2004
The Who is easily my favorite classic British rock band. I own most of their stuff, but I don’t have this one, making it a nice find. Sad that Roger’s voice has given out now (so I can’t recommend their latest, Endless Wire), but for forty years, they have thrilled me, and he sounds fine on this track. I didn’t realize that it was Pete Townshend who coined the term “power pop” until today when I looked up the Who on wikipedia. If you had to sum up my favorite music in two words, that’d be it.
I almost included Pete Townshend’s “White City Fighting” on my mix CD. It would have gone after the Echobelly track, with the guitars fading into each other.
3 - Boomtown - Greg Brown - The Live One
Fun folk track of a guy I had not heard of. Makes me think of “Little Boxes” from the Showtime hit “Weeds”. Peter, can you dig this vibe, living in northern Virginia as you do?
4 - The Weight of Lies - The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism
Another totally new one to me. Also quality.
5 - River of Deceit - Mad Season - Mad Season
Mad Season was a grunge supergroup formed in late 1994 by members Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees. I had heard this one before, in the 1990s on Channel Z, an awesome radio station in Augusta, GA. Along with Atlanta’s 99X, it was my favorite station. It’s long gone now, a victim of radio’s changing formats and corporate bloat. What I wouldn't give to have a good radio station to listen to in my town.
6 - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
Back in the 1970s, Stevie released some genius stuff. I need to dust off his CDs.
7 - The Good Life - Weezer – Pinkerton
If you were gonna find some Weezer tracks I’m less familiar with, they’d be on this album, which is the least-played one on my collection. Another one I need to dust off.
9 - Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie - Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Can’t say I need to dust off this one, as I don’t have any CDs by harpists. For someone from California, she has a voice that sounds as if it was plucked (*groan) from Appalachia. A nice change of pace.
10 - Screenwriter's Blues - Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom
12 - Stranded - Van Morrison - Magic Time
15 - Searching for the Ghost - Heartless Bastards - All This Time
More quality tracks. I’m running out of things to say, so it’s good that I’m not a journalist.
11 - California - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - She's the One
Tom’s awesome. I’ve been digging his work in the Traveling Wilburys lately, along with Full Moon Fever, which is unofficially the Wilburys’ second album. I don’t have this soundtrack, which is now clearly revealed to be an oversight on my part. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
13 - Guess I'm Doing Fine - Beck - Sea Change
Man, his voice gets low on this one. I liked the track, but I have to get my mind around the fact that he’s a Scientologist. I like the name of another of his singles: "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack". Reminds me of Cracker’s “I Hate My Generation” and Bob Mould’s “I Hate Alternative Rock.”
14 - Float On - Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
One of the few new CDs I’ve bought from artists of the 2000s. It hasn’t caught on to me yet, but this single is catchy enough.
16 - Dress Up In You - Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Every time I put this track on to review it, I get distracted by work and this becomes nice background music, so I’m sure it’s a nice track, but I can’t say why!
17 - Nocturne from Bohemian Rhapsody - Lucia Micarelli - Music from a Farther Room
Nice to hear it in the original context for the first time. Like about half of Marchs, Peter’s CD goes out like a lamb.
Peter, all in all, a great CD. Five stars out of five! Like you said, it’ll be good for road trips.
Sean's CD came Saturday and CV's came Monday, and I've not yet had a chance to review them. I plan on taking my Discman with me to Chicago, so next week, maybe I'll get my CD out to you guys (so it can blow your MIND!) and review your CDs.
