ObviousPop

Bob’s Vinyl Revulsion

Our favorite music industry blowhard is, of course, Bob Lefsetz. Everyone who’s anyone in music reads Bob’s missives (or as many of them as possible while still having a life). Sometime Bob posts multiple times per day via his email list/blog. The amazing thing is how often his opinions are on target and well written. Unfortunately his output and ego are so enormous that when he misses, it’s cringe inducing. He also goes through streaks where his ego driven opinion blinds him to common sense, logic or reality. This is all magnified by the sheer length and high-octane word count of many of his posts/articles. That won’t stop me from being a fan though. Some of those moments are cringe inducing, but his writing is beyond great, and like a deadly car crash in a high-speed chase, it’s still entertaining and hard to turn away. Bob has a fan-base that reads like a who’s-who of music royalty and he loves to name drop. It’s entertaining and we can all be a part of it by reading, and even emailing him.

Bob recently had a post called “Bugging Me” (yes, he’s that obvious in his role as curmudgeon) where under the heading “The Vinyl Revolution” he stated, “It's a hobby. Like stamp collecting. Albeit with a lot more press. Just because you spinners are yelling at the top of your lungs that does not mean the rest of  us care. While you're at it, why don't you bring back dial telephones,  typewriters, cathode-ray TVs, pagers...” Sometimes I wonder if he really is being that bothered by this, or if he’s trolling for reactions. I think he’s trolling, but I’m not going to lash out, I’m just going to point out…why he’s so off base and on the wrong side of this one. Bob’s credo (when it suits him) is that the industry failed and is always failing because it won’t embrace new technology and trends. I agree and truly believe that is a correct statement. The problem is that he carries that opinion like a club through an antique store trying to kill a fly. Oblivious to what is right, true or good.

The album as a work of art is now lost on him, and many others. It’s great to wax poetic about how music moves you, but what about that experience on the headphones when you listened to your favorite album all the way through while studying the jacket, lyrics and liner notes. Do you want to know one of the reasons no one can stand to listen to music for the entire length of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” anymore? It’s because of the digital format. But you can listen to an entire concept record like The Wall on LP while looking at the nice big artistic double gatefold album and reading the lyrics without ear fatigue…if you own it on vinyl and are playing it on a turntable. Can you do that digitally? You can try, but digital music causes ear fatigue and you better own a great monitor and have very young, healthy eyes to read along staring at your monitor for that length of time.

I get the fact that the pops and clicks scare away some folks from vinyl, but if you keep it clean it’s cool, and it is much more listenable because it’s analog. Sorry Bob, comparing vinyl to the rotary phone is not accurate. The rotary phone was in no way better than phones today, except maybe for the fact that it may not have caused cancer and didn’t need a battery. At any rate, an album is an art form that includes the packaging and the lyrics, not to mention being able to listen all the way through on headphones is a big plus. Why criticize people who appreciate album art and packaging? Nice to know you don’t care about that, I’m just surprised because I really thought you would. I also think the majority of your readers do care about the album as a format and the album as art. I do and I am proud of it. Is it a hobby? It can be and I think record collecting is a great hobby. I find it very odd and perplexing that Bob does not think it’s a good hobby. Is his point that it’s a fad so why should anyone care? Well, it’s a “fad” that’s outlasted and been around longer than all other formats. Will it supplant the singles driven digital market? No. But come on Bob, seriously, is anyone claiming that? No one that I know of is remotely making that claim. I don’t hear any one claiming that it’s the future of music delivery either, so why the negative post? Why are you against people saying how great vinyl is? That’s what the majority of people I respect in this business think. It promotes the album as a whole work of art; it encompasses packaging with room for more art, lyrics and liner notes than any other format, and has a warmer sound that is more natural to the human ear. I love iTunes and Band Camp and downloading new music, but I am thankful for the vinyl revolution that is keeping the album as an art form alive and well.

I encourage you to subscribe & read Bob’s blog: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

(Most of the time) it’s amazing. For some reason he doesn’t get why some people like the vinyl. Weird.

New Music: Dutch Uncles - Out Of Touch In The Wild

This is the new release from the Dutch Uncles, Out of Touch in the Wild. Yet another fantastic art-pop release to come out of England. This one has the Doctor's Obvious Seal of Approval!

Listen to a couple of the tracks below...

 

Three New Must Hear Albums! New Music is Now!

This has been a fantastic week of new releases. Fans that want their music with more experimentation and creativity need look no further than these 3 new albums.

First up is the new album from Steven Wilson, The Raven That Refused To Sing. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Steven, he is the founder of Porcupine Tree and has been involved in many prog and experiment endeavors both as an artist and a producer. Never before has he reached these heights however. It may pain some Tree fans out there, but this album is definitely the best thing he has ever done, and that is saying something. It is the culmination of what he’s been trying to achieve with Porcupine Tree. Progressive art rock and fusion fans will love it, but there’s more here going on that should attract others as well. Serious Yes fans will have a hay day with the first track, “Luminol” which borrows liberally from the band, including the Drama style opening and the vocals and arrangements at about 7:40 into the song. There is also some flute and orchestration that reminds me of Chris Squire’s Fish Out of Water solo album. In fact, the bass on this first track is very Yes and King Crimson, which shouldn’t be a total surprise as the bass and Chapman player on this album is the amazing Nick Beggs who ranks up there with the greats. This album pushes the limits and boundaries unlike anything that you have heard in awhile. If only the groups and artists that influenced this record were still making albums as good as this. Just because you can hear some blatant influences here and there doesn’t mean this one isn’t original. The best way I can describe it is Steven took the best of his Porcupine Tree style to a whole other level. You can definitely hear him and that bands sound all over the record. There is no doubt this is Steven Wilson, but it is so much better than his first solo album or anything he’s done. The vocals, the arrangements and the songs are all superb and one step beyond. It’s edgy, it is beautiful and somehow manages to be both melodic and experimental at the same time. Not a bad song on it and it is diverse enough to hold the interested of even the most jaded listeners. Steven Wilson has made his Fragile or OK Computer.
Check it out here: http://stevenwilsonhq.com/

Speaking of OK Computer, I gave up on Thom Yorke and Radiohead years ago. I have bought and listened to everything he’s done, but the only 3 albums I can stomach were the first three, Pablo Honey, The Bends and OK Computer. Part of that may be because they were so brilliant and Thom and the boys couldn’t live up to that. But the songwriting itself, not to mention the sound, took a sharp turn into ambient drudgery that is so awful; I think no one would buy it if it didn’t have the name Radiohead on it. That’s my opinion, please don’t flame me for it. I know so many critics fall all over themselves for everything that band touches but it’s not for me. Thom’s solo effort and work outside of Radiohead has also left me wanting…until now. Thom has put together a band with Nigel Godrich (Radiohead’s long-time producer) and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) called Atoms For Peace and this week saw the release of their debut album, Amok. Thom and the crew have been working on this one since 2010 and Yorke’s electronic experimentation continues on this album, but what makes it work here, versus everything he’s attempted since OK Computer, are the songs. They have a groove; they have vocals and real instrumentation that you can hear.  The elements all come together here to form a quirky mix that electronica fans and Radiohead fans should equally enjoy. I don’t love it, but I like it, a lot. It is extremely creative and original, unlike anything else out there. Thom’s voice shines when he lets it and I think this is going to be incredible when performed live. That said, it’s not a hooky record with memorable melodies for a sing-a-long, nor can you dance to it (not that I’m looking for anything to dance to) but it is full of quirky keyboards and sounds that manage to hold my interest. Thom’s lyrics are moody and interesting and the music is experimental and fun enough to hold your interest. This is an album to put on when you really want something different to listen to. Start with the tracks “Before My Very Eyes” and “Ingenue.” The artwork and packaging are brilliant as well.
Check it out here: http://atomsforpeace.info/

While Atoms For Peace is a good record, it probably won’t make my top ten this year, we’ll see how things shape up. One record that definitely will make it is the new one from Everything Everything. I have saved the best for last here. The new one is called Arc and it is yet another brilliant album coming out of the UK. This one sets itself apart though by managing to be totally original. Arc is only available as an import right now, but it is worth the extra few bucks. The amazon.co.uk store has the deluxe version with a disc of 6 bonus tracks and it is well worth the price of admission! I discovered this band back in 2010 at SXSW and they were fantastic. Their Man Alive album had a couple of great songs that I played on the ObviousPopCast. Arc is a huge step forward though because the entire record is great, from start to finish. You can currently get two of the tracks from the album (both are very good) on iTunes right now. The first single and one of my favorites is “Cough Cough.” Great song, and dare I use this word again, it’s very “quirky!” Take that Andre Salles! I actually have Andre to thank because I wasn’t aware this new one was releasing and he gave me the heads up. Check out his totally different an much more professional reviews at www.tm3am.com . Another stand out track is “Kemosabe” and is also available now on the “Cough Cough” EP on iTunes. If you like those 2 tracks you’ll love the entire record. If you don’t, well, what in the world is wrong with you?
Check it out here: http://www.everything-everything.co.uk/home

COMING SOON: New podcast with new music and more!

 

Corin Ashley’s Power Pop Dream

Corin’s dream comes true with his New Lion Terraces release. This is the album he’s always wanted to make. His dream was to record at Abbey Road studios in the shadows of his musical heroes like The Beatles and Badfinger. I have to say he’s living the dream and has to be happy with the results. Sure, the fact that he scraped and saved to fulfill a dream of recording there is a neat story, but it wouldn’t matter if the songs and final results were not good. Fortunately this fantastic album is a power pop masterpiece. Fans of Badfinger, Matthew Sweet, The Beatles and Jellyfish need to grab this one. Don’t get me wrong, the recording sounds like it was done like a classic album in a great studio, you know right away this is not a bedroom recording, so there is something still to be said about Abbey Road...But again, it’s the songs that make it. The hooks and the wonderful arrangements are the highlight here. With each listen I find something new to enjoy. "Geeze Louise" is the obvious single that will be played on the ObviousPopCast, but it’s a tough call when every song sounds like an A-Side. "Second Hand Halo" is a close second.  There’s still time to donate to his Pledge Music drive and get a copy. I recommend the CD and Vinyl!

Check it out here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/corinashley

Wintergatan - Brilliant new music from Sweden

I have a new favorite song and video... it's called "Sommarfågel" and it is from the forthcoming debut release from the new Swedish band Wintergatan. For those of you that may have been familar with the group Detektivbyrån, they broke up and the main member Martin is in this new band, which I dare say is even better! I am very excited for this release. Check out this video and watch it all the way to the end. They show how they did it.

 

Joe Walsh on the Music Industry

Joe Walsh talks about where music and the industry are at... He's got a good point...

 

The NEW ObviousPopCast! Episode 35 is here!

Episode 35 of the ObviousPopCast is now available for your perusement! Just in time for the holidays! It's over 50 minutes of brand new music from Bleu, Django Django, Abandoned Pools, David Byrne and more! All of us here at ObvioiusPop are extremely happy with this one! You can stream or download it right now as a high quality MP3, and it's free!

 

To stream it now click play:

 

Download it now: ObviousPopCast Episode 35

 Add it to your iTunes podcasts: CLICK HERE

(If you use the link to download it to iTunes, it may go into your podcast folder or possibly be listed in the main music library under the title: ObviousPop or the artist name: Dr. Tony Shore.)

 

EPISODE 35 TRACK LISTING

Artist - Title -  Album

Bleu - All Downhill From Here - To Hell With You (new album coming out next year)

Twenty-One Pilots - Guns for Hands - Three Songs (Single)

Abandoned Pools - Sublime Currency - Sublime Currency

Benjamin Dunn And The Animal Orchestra - My Name Is Eustace - Fable

Mike Doughty - Reach Out/Higher State of Consciousness - The Flip Is Another Honey

Jeff Lynne – She - Long Wave

David Byrne & St. Vincent - Who - Love This Giant

The Honeymoon Stallions - It Never Ends - Moonlighting

Django Django - Default - DJango DJango

The Producers - Garden Of Flowers - Made In Basing Street

Plushgun - Galaxies - Me.Me.

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Top 20 CDs of 2012

It's here! The best CDs of 2012! The top albums of the year here at ObviousPop. 2012 was again a weak or spotty year in music for me. Fortunately there were serious standouts for the top 10. Fun., The Producers and Bryan Scary helped save this year, along with releases from David Byrne, Abandoned Pools and Mike Doughty. The Top 12 songs of the year podcast will be coming soon!

 So without further delay, here is my ObviousPop Top 20 CD’s of 2012:

1. Producers – Made In Basing Street

2. Fun. – Some Nights

3. Pugwash – The Olympus Sound

4. David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant

5. Bryan Scary – Daffy's Elixir

6. Abandoned Pools – Sublime Currency

7. Django Django – Django Django

8. The Candle Thieves – Balloons

9. Mike Doughty – The Flip Is Another Honey

10. The Honeymoon Stallions – Moonlighting

11. Field Music – Plumb

12. Shiny Toy Guns – III

13. King Charles – Loveblood

14. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan

15. Of Monsters And Men – My Head Is An Animal

16. Passion Pit – Gossamer

17. The Pinker Tones – Life In Stereo

18. Terry Scott Taylor – Return To The Neverhood

19. Ben Folds Five – The Sound of the Life of the Mind

20. Jukebox The Ghost – Safe Travels

Honorable Mentions (Classic Comebacks):
Joe Walsh – Analog Man
Trevor Rabin – Jacaranda
Jeff Lynne – Long Wave
Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth

Best Concert: Fun. - The Myth, Maplewood, MN

The Return of Jeff Lynne & ELO

If you don’t already know by now, Jeff Lynne was ELO. He wrote, arranged and produced almost everything they ever did. He sang it all and he recorded it all. It was his artistic vision. Since ELO’s final album in 1986 (Balance of Power) we have been blessed with one amazing solo album (Armchair Theater) and a pretty good second solo album that came out under then name ELO (Zoom). That was in 2001 and Zoom is the last we had heard from Jeff, with the exception of a few new bonus tracks on reissues and his ongoing production work. Now he’s back with 2 new releases and there’s a documentary movie on Jeff Lynne and ELO. The bad news is both releases are covers of older songs. That’s where the bad news ends however because both are must have’s for any ELO/Lynne fan.

We will start with “Mr. Blue Sky – The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra.” This is a disc of 12 classic ELO songs completely recorded and performed by Jeff over the past year or so. We don’t know exactly why he did this, but he’s eluded to the fact that there were ELO tracks he could improve the sound on and make a better recording that the originals. With many of these I would agree with him. Don’t Bring Me Down, Can’t Get It Out of My Head and especially the amazing 10538 Overture are truly improved and sound great. I don’t know why he included Mr. Blue Sky, because the original is so good and the new version doesn’t have the energy or charm. Some critics are saying that he stayed too true to the originals, so what is the point? While I understand their overall view and where they are coming from, I still feel it’s an amazing accomplishment and that some of these tracks are really great improvements over the originals. The real treat though is track 13, the one previously unreleased original tune “Point of No Return.” This is a song he had originally demoed for ELO but never released, I’m glad he decided to finish this classic. The other reason to run out and buy Mr. Blue Sky is the packaging. It comes in a hardbound CD book with an embossed ELO logo ship, metallic ink and a satin finish. The booklet is very nice and complete with liner notes and all the pertinent info.

Next we have Jeff’s new solo album, Long Wave. This is an album of cover tunes that Jeff grew up listening to in Birmingham. Fear not, this is a great Jeff Lynne solo album with his classic sound. I personally wasn’t very familiar with most of the tracks, which probably helps as well. If you like his style on Armchair Theater you’ll love Long Wave. It’s full of real harmonies, plenty of hooks and a whole lotta’ love. The first track is called “She” and is one of my favorites. This album is easily one of my favorite releases of the year.

I’ve saved the best for last… The documentary, “Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO.” This will make you a Jeff Lynne believer. You basically have ever member of the Beatles talking about how much they love ELO and Jeff Lynne, which is a recommendation very few if any artists have ever received (including John Lennon via a 70’s radio interview). It shows Jeff at work in his home studio with clips of a parade of musical greats and stars raving over him and his songwriting and production. There are live performances of him in his home with his long time sidekick and keyboardist Richard Tandy. He uses every room in his house for recording and the walls are all lined with platinum and gold albums.  I was truly moved by this documentary and you can truly see that Jeff is just a fellow music geek at heart. Music excites him and he is a true fan of the artists he works with and listens too. “Mr. Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne & ELO” is playing on HD Channel Palladia and VH1 Classic.

 

REVIEW: Producers - Made In Basing Street [Deluxe Edition]

Every year there are a few good albums that come along that can really spark your fire and get you excited about new music. Very seldom, however, does an album come along that is exceptional from start to finish. So tailor made to your tastes that you fall in love with it like it was your first crush and you just cannot stop listening to it. When you buy a new album or get turned onto a new artist, do you hope that it’s going to be something exceptional, even a classic? I think we all do. I can recall those times and releases in my life…Bellybutton by Jellyfish, Alarma by Daniel Amos, 90125 by Yes, Out of the Blue and Time by ELO, Welcome Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne and the self-titled release by The Dissociatives. There are more, but those are some of the highlights of the past 30 years for me.

This album has been a long time coming with at least 2 name changes and numerous delays. That is understandable considering who the band members are and what they’ve accomplished with this release. Once called The Producers, then US and finally settling on Producers, this super-group consists of producers Trevor Horn (Art of Noise, Yes, Buggles, Seal, Frankie Goes To Hollywood) and Stephen Lipson (Simple Minds, Jeff Beck) along with Lol Crème (10cc, Godley & Crème, Art of Noise), Ash Soan (Del Amitri, Squeeze), Gary Langan (ABC, Queen, PiL) and Chris Braide (Lana Del Ray, Yuna). The group was formed in 2006 and for the past 6 years they have been writing and recording while working out songs at numerous live shows. They teased fans with snippets via You Tube and a single release of “Freeway,” but nothing that would adequately prepare the listener for the final result. The final version of “Freeway” That kicks off the album is a great showcase of the songwriting and production that follows for the rest of the record. That is not to say it all sounds the same, far from it. There is a lot of diversity and a variety of sounds that all compliment each other to make a very cohesive record by an actual band that plays and records together.

You have to hear the whole record but key tracks include “Man on the Moon,” which is a beautiful and melodic track that is one of my favorites, along with the totally Trevor/Buggles sounding “Garden of Flowers.” This group of artists really gels to make some super intelligent and melodic pop. The keyboards loop, swim, and swoosh over real guitars, drums, piano and bass to make some songs that you will want to listen to over and over. Grab a pair of headphones and listen to the whole thing to get the full sonic impact of one of the best sounding recordings I have ever heard. I expected good production from a group of producers that call their band “Producers,” but this is truly brilliant production with some beautifully subtle touches that truly come to life with a decent pair of headphones. For a great example of this check out “Your Life.”

There is some bad news though… This release is only available in the UK at the moment, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any promotion or attention, so the odds of it being released as a physical product beyond England are probably not great. Also, you have to get the deluxe version with a disc of bonus tracks that aren’t just crappy demos or throwaway tracks but fully realized new tracks (the song “Seven” is as good as anything on the record) and extended versions. The alternate extended version of “Garden of Flowers” is currently my favorite track. The deluxe version comes in a nice 6-panel eco-wallet with 2 CD’s and full lyric booklet.

Bottom line… Order the deluxe version now and enjoy. This isn’t a flavor of the day, buzz band or critics darling. In other words, this is not something you’ll forget in a month. This is a beautiful record with great lyrics, production and melodies.

To find out more check out the Producers site here: http://www.producersmusic.co.uk/