http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 4 Aug 2004 19:43:01 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/08/04/194301.php Matthew Parten"Rolling Stone has revealed more details on the unreleased Clash material that will be included on London Calling: The 25th Anniversary Edition. Guitarist Mick Jones unearthed the material last March while rummaging through some boxes in his London home. He discovered a set of homemade recording tapes that had been missing for twenty-five years, long rumored amongst fans who dubbed them the "The Vanilla Tapes." They contain demo versions of fifteen songs that would end up on the London Calling, plus six unreleased songs, including a cover of Bob Dylan's "Man in Me." Also included are early versions of "London Calling" (with alternate lyrics) and "Death or Glory."The legacy edition of the album is due on September 21st. It will be a three disc set, the first disc being the remastered original album, the second will be a DVD with interviews and footage of the London Calling sessions, the third will be the material on The Vanilla Tapes."Love or hate The Clash (I neither love nor hate them), this is going to be a big deal. The Clash re-invented punk with London Calling, and all of this unreleased material from The Clash's hey day is going to drive many a punk fan into wild convulsions. It definitely looks like a must-buy at this point. Music18284@blogcritics.org Wed, 4 Aug 2004 19:43:01 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/31/032446.php Matthew PartenSo, ever since I started posting here, I've wanted to share some of my favorite lyrics with you guys, and explain their importance, try to analyze them, or just tell you why I like them. There aren't any real guidelines to how I wrote about these lyrics, so be prepared for all sorts of rambling and gushing. Will there ever be A volume 2? Probably not, but we can dream, can't we?Radiohead-No SurprisesA heart that's full up like a landfill, a job that slowly kills you, bruises that won't heal. You look so tired and unhappy, bring down the government, they don't, they don't speak for us. I'll take a quiet life, a handshake of carbon monoxide,with no alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, Silent silence.The first thing that you notice about 'No Surprises' is that there are two people represented in the song's lyrics. In the last six lines you have your average tired, defeated member of the American working class, sitting in his cubicle, staring at his computer, giving into the isolation and lack of fulfillment that comes with working in the modern technological age. The first six lines are made to represent the voice inside that person's head, trying to spur him towards an escape from his misery, the government, or any sort of submission to the environment he's living in. The voice inside his head is defeated in the end, and Thom Yorke makes his point: Technology will only lead man into more isolation, vacuousness, and inescapable agony. Seven years after the release of OK Computer, after the Dot Com bust, and as the internet and e-mail plant themselves even further into the mainstream, we can finally start to grasp what Thom was trying to tell us.Modest Mouse-Paper Thin WallsIts been agreed, the whole world stinks So no ones taking showers anymoreThis kind of pessimism thinly disguised as humor is what is going to define our generation (Generation Y, or what ever buzz word people are using to describe us these days). Our mantra is: The world is full of ugly things, why even bother trying to do anything about it? The answer is, of course, why not? Any kind of optimism is seen as stupidity or immaturity to us, when in actuality, the opposite makes a lot more sense. Who would you rather be around: A pessimistic or optimistic person? We can't complain our whole lives. Yeah, the world can be a shitty place, but there are enough of us out there to change that, or at least clean it up a little. ...but don't try telling Isaac Brock, the lead singer of Modest Mouse, that.Pavement-Summer BabeIce baby, I saw your girlfriend and she was eating her fingers like they're just another mealThese lyrics don't seem to have any deep meaning to them, but I really like the mental image they conjure up. The timely (this song was released in '92) Vanilla Ice reference is a nice touch, as well.Pavement-HereI was dressed for success but success it never comes And I'm the only one who laughs at your jokes when they are so bad And your jokes are always bad but they're not as bad as thisEvery time I hear this song, I think of two bickering twenty-something friends at a funeral, looking over a former friend's dead body. Something about the last four lines leaves a weird feeling in my stomach, even though I think the lyrics supposed to be funny. The first two lines are an extremely accurate depiction of the disappointment America's youth feels ...who hasn't gotten really excited about that big job interview, only to have their resume thrown in the trash as soon as they leave the office? Or studied up for that chemistry exam, only to fail not only the exam, but the class? Life is full of disappointments, especially when you're young, no matter how optimistic you are about your prospects.Desaparecidos-The Happiest Place On EarthI want to pledge allegiance to the country where I live I don't want to be ashamed to be American but opportunity no it doesn't exist it's the opiate of the populace We need some harder shit now the truth is getting around and each public school is a halfway house...I got a letter from the army so I think that I'll enlist I'm not brave or proud of nothing I just want to kill something Too bad that nowadays you just point and click Swing low satellite hot white chariot in the computer's blue glare the bombs burst in the air There was a city once now nothing is there Our freedom comes at their expenseThe main criticism of lyrics like these are that they're overstated, exaggerated, and desperate for attention. That's a completely unfair analysis. A liberal viewpoint is no worse than a conservative 'fair and balanced' view of America's governemnt, and it's increasingly controversial actions. Conor Oberst is giving a State of the Union address of his own, and he speaks for millions of Americans who are stuck financially supporting a war that they morally, ethically, and logically can't agree with. Conor's sick of being lied to and manipulated, and after listening to his song, he hopes you are too.The Pink Floyd-The Final CutThought I oughta bare my naked feelings, Thought I oughta tear the curtain down. I held the blade in trembling hands Prepared to make it but just then the phone rang I never had the nerve to make the final cut.Forget The Smiths, Weezer, or Sunny Day Real Estate: Pink Floyd, on their final album, The Final Cut, invented Emo. Roger Waters uses the title track to showcase his vulnerability and depression, rather than his excellent bass and vocal talents, culminating in an account of a failed suicide attempt. When this album came out, honest, confessional, vulnerable lyrics like this were very hard to come by, and even today, it's hard to match Waters' outbursts of emotion without sounding hokey. The kid-friendly, mall-punk 'emo' bands of today could certainly take a cue from Mr. Waters. Emo isn't about crying over the glass of milk you just spilled, it's about releasing inner demons, and making something beautiful out of something ugly (i.e. Depression and suicidal tendencies+musical talent=The Final Cut). It's a form of therapy, not an easily marketable way to sell records.Oasis-HelloWe live in the shadows and we had the chance and threw it away And it's never gonna be the same Cos the years are following by like the rain And it's never gonna be the same 'Til the life I knew comes to my house and says HelloI love the irony of these lyrics. After a string of mediocre releases, and dozens of empty promises for the new record in the form of in-fighting between the band, release date postponements, and a virtual revolving door of producers, don't you think Oasis themselves wish that the popularity and song writing ability that they once knew would come back to them and say "Hello." I wonder if Noel is regretting ever writing these lyrics. Oh, Oasis, how far you've fallen...here's hoping the sixth proper record can pull you out of the downward spiral of cocaine abuse and megalomania you find yourselves in now.The Beatles-Hey BulldogWhat makes you think you're something special when you smile?A lyrical bitch slap courtesy of The Fab Four! What A way to put A bitchy, overconfident woman back in their place. Just kidding, ladies!**But in case my apology doesn't seem sincere to you, send your angry e-mails to sarlik@gmail.com Thank you!Thankyou for reading all the way through, and leave some comments for Pete's sake! It's the only feedback I get from this blog. Tell me some of your favorite lyrics... And buy some products from amazon.com too. That's always good. Music18091@blogcritics.org Sat, 31 Jul 2004 03:24:46 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/28/173025.php Matthew PartenLast night, the Democratic Party unleashed their secret weapon, Keynote Speaker Barack Obama, onto the unexpecting masses. Obama, handpicked by John Kerry to outline the issues to be discussed at the Democratic National Convention, and establish some much needed excitement for Kerry's presidential campaign, did that and more with an excellent speech that left both left and right leaning individuals with a reason to get excited about our nation's future.Watching Obama's speech, you can't help but wonder if we're getting an early preview of the bright future of the Democratic party, and a possible future African-American presidential candidate:"Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief-I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper-that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America-there's the United States of America.There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States.There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here-the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!"If you would like to watch or read Barack Obama's entire speech, go to his official site: http://www.obamaforillinois.comDid anyone else see the keynote address? If so, what were your thoughts on the speech, and Obama? Post some comments, and we'll see if we can't get a real debate going here. Culture17975@blogcritics.org Wed, 28 Jul 2004 17:30:25 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/01/180332.php Matthew Parten2004/Geffen 1994. The year the (shitty) music died, and Weezer was born. Weezer has Kurt Cobain's suicide to think for a good bit of it's success. In 1994, grunge was at the zenith of it's popularity, and Nirvana had established themselves, albeit unintentionally, as the godfathers of the entire genre. They were one of the most popular bands in the world, and In Utero was still riding pretty high, but that all changed in early April, 1994. Kurt Cobain decided that grunge was bullshit and didn't want to go on making/performing/living grunge music, and committed suicide. Everyone finally figured out that grunge is one of the most horrible genres of music ever created, and that Nirvana was the only band to transcend their genre and make something worthwhile. Soon, people were looking for something new and different, and a month later, in May 1994, =w=eezer arrived. Weezer became a huge success, and for good reason. The Blue Album is one of the most deceptively simple albums ever recorded. Their influences bleed through rather clearly, especially in 'Undone (the sweater song)' (Pixies), 'Say It Ain't So' (more Pixies/Nirvana), 'Holiday' (The Cars), 'Surf Wax America' (Elvis Costello), and 'Only In Dreams'(Sonic Youth). Despite the obvious influences, however, they end up with a collection of songs that sound quite distinct. Many bands have tried to write pre-Green Album Weezer songs (including post-Green Album Weezer), and almost everyone has failed. It's not easy to duplicate the urgent harmonies of 'My Name Is Jonas,' the constrained glee of 'Buddy Holly,' or the completely unironic, gloriously corny sentimentality of 'In The Garage.' So, while the music might sound a bit familiar upon first listen, after a few times through, it becomes clear that Weezer is onto something brilliant, a sound all it's own: geek-punk. There isn't a song that's even remotely bad on the new deluxe edition, until you hit the second disc, made up entirely of live cuts, B-sides, and alternate versions of Blue Album tracks. Most of the old B-sides are great, including 'Susanne,' a story of a man, and his love for a baboon (or at least that's what Mallrats would have you to believe), and 'Mykel and Carli,' 'Paperface,' and 'Jamie,' who's quality suggests that they were three of the last songs cut from The Blue Album. The live songs, 'My Name Is Jonas,' and 'Surf Wax America,' are solid, but nothing amazing, if you've ever heard Weezer live. The alternate versions of 'Jamie,' 'Undone,' 'Say It Ain't So,' and 'No One Else' are completely unnecessary, as they are all inferior to the original versions, but are probably of some interest to most Weezer Fans. Overall, this is one of the most important debut albums of the last ten years. It ushered in an entire sub-genre of music, brought Emo to the mainstream, and still maintains it's artistic merit ten years later. Legendary.10/10 Music17025@blogcritics.org Thu, 1 Jul 2004 18:03:32 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/24/014106.php Matthew Parten...In 25 words or less (with no more than four exceptions)The TerminalHalf-baked, uninspired, corny, and surprisingly pleasant. $20M opening weekend is further proof that Hanks+Spielberg=$$$6/10 Dodgeball: A True Underdog StoryThe funniest movie I've seen since Old School. What's with the instantly forgetable subtitle though?9/10 Tupac: ResurrectionDon't you dare dismiss Tupac before watching this documentary. Often one sided (in favor of Tupac), but aren't most documentaries/biographies?8/10 City of GodEasily the best movie I've seen since Mystic River. Great Cinematography, and a very bizarre twist ending. Now available on video.10/10 Wilco-a ghost is bornCriminally underrated (come on...a 6.6, pitchfork?) new LP from Wilco that isn't quite perfect (...I'm looking at you, Less Than You Think), but comes damn close. Better than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.9.5/10 Pitchfork Media's review of a ghost is bornI'll go ahead and paraphrase this review for you: "Guitar solos have no place in modern rock music, Wilco is too weird to be enjoyed, I hate music." To quote Uncle Grambo, Durst.0/10 Entertainment Weekly's Yearly Must List IssueI'm all for some Batman hype (Christian Bale, the new Batman, topped this year's Must List), but BRANDY at #9? Please.6/10 Harry Potter and The Order of the PhoenixPlot pattern recognition...sense...tingling... Yeah, It's predictable (I'm not done yet, but I think I know what's going to happen), but it's good, harmless summer fun.7/10 Lots of co.Mr. Jones is in full summer blogging mode, which means at least 4-5 interesting links daily, and plenty of humorous pop-culture commentary. Bookmark it.9/10 Beastie Boys-To the 5 BoroughsWatered down, uninspired protest rap, with some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard (sample lyric: "We need a little more gun control"). What happened to the funky jews that gave us Ill Communication and Check Your Head?4/10 Culture16791@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:41:06 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/21/190125.php Matthew PartenBonnaroo was both the best and worst experience of my life up to this point. I got to see some of the greatest bands in the world, but also get to sleep in a wet tent, burn up in 90+ degree temperatures during the day, with no shade, and shiver throughout the wet, cold nights. As long as you come prepared (or more prepared than I was), you will do ok. If not, get ready for one of the worst experiences of your life.Ok, enough logistics, let's discuss the only reason to go to Bonnaroo (besides the atmosphere, of course): The music.In 3 days, I saw at least half of all of the following bands' sets:Calexico The Black Keys Wilco Bob Dylan Dave Matthews and Friends Kings of Leon Grandaddy Ween Primus Guster David Byrne Material Trey Anastasio with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra (first set) and his band (second set)Every band was great, just because they were playing right in front of me, but some were better than others...I might as well review all of the shows for you, I know some of you are interested to see what some of your favorite bands are like live.CalexicoCalexico was an excellent choice to kick-start the festival. While most people were heading over to the second stage to see Los Lobos, and all of the hippies were at the smallest tent to see New Monsoon, the smart Bonnaroovians were rocking out to some eclectic Tex-Mex rock straight outta Tucson. Calexico isn't a very well known band, and it was obvious that they were thrilled to be performing at a festival as big as Bonnaroo, in front of about a thousand people, no less. Calexico fed off the crowd's energy the entire time and employed some interesting techniques in their music, including two trumpet players, and an accordion/drum solo in a few songs. I was pleasantly surprised by this band, and they got me really pumped for the rest of the weekend. It was easy to get within ten feet of the band, and everyone was friendly and fresh, ready to enjoy the weekend. It was rare seeing everyone this happy over the course of the weekend, especially during/after the rain on Saturday, so, in retrospect, the Calexico show left me with one of the best after show recoveries (sometimes, after an amazing 2 hour set by a great band later in the weekend, your body will over-compensate for all the energy you use during the show, energy that you didn't even know you were using, and give you what I liked to call a post-show hangover). Calexico left me fresh, and ready for the bigger bands I would be seeing the rest of the day.8 out of 10 Steak QuesadillasThe Black KeysThe Black Keys are some extremely funky white kids. They're basically A two man band made up of mid-20's blues loving hipsters who would love nothing better than to be transported back to the 30's as poor black harmonica players. I enjoyed The Black Keys well enough, but the anticipation for Wilco, who played right after TBC, on the main stage, made me leave halfway through the set to stake out a very close spot for Wilco (fifth row!). I enjoyed what I heard, but it wasn't enough to keep me too interested.6 out of 10 Huey Lewis'WilcoThis was easily the best show of the entire festival for me. Wilco walked onto the main stage four minutes early looking and acting like the head liners for the entire festival, and despite a less than enthusiastic reaction from the frat boy masses (Dave Matthews and Friends were set to play later in the evening), Wilco rocked Bonnaroo harder then even I thought they could. They opened up with Late Greats, and in the middle of the song, Jeff Tweedy looked at my extremely over-enthusiastic self singing along to the song, smiled, and nodded at me. It was one of the best moments of my entire life. From then on, I was completely hooked, and rocked out way too much for the rest of the show.Right before 'A Shot in the Arm,' Tweedy asked the crowd, "Are you high?" and everyone screamed, then he yelled "Well, I'm not!" and everyone screamed louder, and he held up his arms. The man is obviously really happy about being sober (he just recently got out of rehab after finally ridding himself of his addiction to prescription pain killers for the migranes he suffers on a regular basis).Nels Cline, Wilco's new guitarist, is an excellent live addition. Spiders, a 10 minute long, criminally underrated song off of A Ghost Is Born, has to be experienced live to be fully appreciated. At a festival dominated by incredible jams, the breakdown towards the end of Spiders was without a doubt the best jam I heard. They easily spread it out over 15 minutes, and at the end, Tweedy waved goodbye to Nels, and threw down his guitar and stumbled off. No encore. The place went nuts. Even the Dave Matthews fans (who were only there because they were staking out a spot for Dave and Friends later that night) flipped out over it.Wilco knew their audience at Bonnaroo better than any other band I saw. Over 3/4 of the songs they played came from their breakthrough album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and their new, heavily leaked album, A Ghost Is Born. The new CD might be their best, so the new songs were a welcome addition to their live catalog.I hope to see Wilco again soon, because they were definitely one of the best live bands I've seen in my entire life.10 out of 10 Crushed Vicodins Bob DylanThe man that played Bonnaroo 2004 may physically be the same man as the man that gave us Blood On The Tracks in 1974, but that's where the similarities end nowadays. Bob Dylan is an old, frail man with a voice that's shot beyond belief. He's not capable of playing the guitar on a regular basis anymore, and uses a lyric sheet when singing most of his songs. During the entire Bob Dylan set, I was overcome with a feeling of deep sadness. This is the man that gave us 'Like A Rolling Stone,' 'Hurricane,' 'Tangled Up In Blue,' and 'Ballad of a Thin Man,' now barely able to remember how to play the songs that were so ahead of their time back in the 60's-70's.Still, seeing Bob Dylan in person, from the fifth row, was a personal thrill. He could have sat on his posterior while his band played and never opened his mouth, and I would have still stayed for the entire set. The man is probably the greatest musician alive, and he DID play Like A Rolling Stone, so I feel that my 2 hours with Bob Dylan, in the end, were time well spent.7 out of 10 swarming colonies of locustsDave Matthews and FriendsDave Matthews and Friends were surprisingly solid, though that had a lot to do with Dave's two "friends," Trey Anastasio of Phish and Tim Reynolds. Everytime Dave would start one of his boring solo songs, all it took was one look at Trey spazzing out to every single note to perk me up and give me a serious fit of the giggles. I was unsure of whether to stay or go at first, but 5 songs and an excellent 'Solsbury Hill' cover later, I was hooked. I ended up staying an hour and a half, and thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout. Seeing three larger than life musicians like that from the fifth row fueled my enthusiasm for Bonnaroo even more. I went back to the camp (which took me 2 hours to find by the way, I hate trying to remember directions to anywhere, espcially in the dark) ready to tell anyone who would listen how great Dave and Friends' set ended up being, and ready to change a few peoples' perspectives of Dave.8 out of 10 Dancing NanciesKings of LeonIf there was any justice in the world, Kings of Leon would be much bigger than Jet ever was. They are much better representatives for progressive Southern Rock (since, you know, the mainstream only has a tolerance for one Southern Rock band at a time), and put on one of the liveliest, grittiest live shows I've ever seen. They were playing at one in the afternoon, but it felt like they were playing at eight of nine at night, with the intensity that only a fresh, up and coming band like Kings of Leon, performing at their first big festival, could have. They played 4 or 5 brand new songs for the Bonnaroo crowd, all of which sounded better than anything off of their current (and only) album. Here's to Kings of Leon, the next big thing.8 out of 10 Street SurvivorsGrandaddyOf all the bands at Bonnaroo I was blown away by, this was one of the most surprising. I came into the concert expecting a nice, mid-afternoon set to sit down and enjoy, but what I got was an epic, hour long set complete with numerous hilarious pot-shots at the band's extremely tardy sound technician, a Pavement cover (a sped up, hard rock version of 'Here'), a set consisting almost completely of fan favorites, and one of the best live recreations of a song I've ever heard in 'The Crystal Lake.'I knew I was going to like Grandaddy when I walked into the tent, but I came out an ardent Grandaddy supporter. If you ever have a chance to buy a Grandaddy album, download a Grandaddy song, or attend a Grandaddy show, I would definitely recommend doing so.10 out of 10 humanoids.WeenHOLY CRAP. Ween rocked harder than any band I saw at Bonnaroo. They were one of the few non-head liners I saw there with more than a few fans that were at Bonnaroo solely to see them, and they delivered. For 3 hours. Ween's songs don't really make much sense to me, but damn, if they don't sound incredible when performed in a live setting. Dean Ween plays like a genuine guitar god, and Gene Ween might be the best frontman I've ever seen in person. Every song they played was met with so much enthusiasm by the Ween freaks that everyone in the audience couldn't help but get caught up in the moment. If you never thought you could like Ween, give them a chance live, and you will be converted.10 out of 10 BoognishesPrimusThere is one reason and one reason only to care about Primus: Les Claypool. He's one of the most eccentric front men I've ever seen, and has an incredible, quirky stage presence that draws you in more and more until you're hooked. Personally, I liked hearing Les talk between songs and watching him strut around the stage during one of his many bass solos (Especially during Primus' epic, 12 minute cover of King Crimson's 'Thela Hun Ginjeet') more than I liked hearing him sing the actual songs. Apparently, this is one of their last shows as a band, so I feel privileged to have seen them in their Prime...us.8.5 out of 10 seas of cheeseGusterGuster was great, except for one little thing: their fans. The sing-a-long atmosphere combined with the 'exact same sequence of songs as our new live album' set-list nearly ruined an otherwise solid set. I enjoyed hearing all of their best songs, but midway through, I wanted something different. Guster is a really poppy band, and their sound can start to get grating after a while, especially with over a thousand people singing along to every. word. of. every. song. They did play a Talking Heads song ('This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)'), and the lead singer has one of the dirtiest mouths I've ever heard, so they earn a few cool points in my book. The highlight of the show was definitely the lead singer playfully making fun of Maroon 5, the next band scheduled to play in their tent, who didn't show up for Bonnaroo. "Well, Maroon 5 couldn't make it, so we're the last band playing in this tent today. It doesn't matter, their album isn't very good anyways. WE'LL play 'This Love' for you, if that's what you're waiting for." *Guster proceeds to play half of 'This Love,' until they can no longer hold in their laughter* Classic.6 out of 10 gun barrelsDavid ByrneWhere did David Byrne come from? I left Guster for David Byrne, the former lead singer of The Talking Heads himself, expecting a mediocre set filled with Solo material and Opera. What I got was one of the best and most energetic performances at Bonnaroo, filled with Talking Heads classics, Solo highlights, and no more than 2 (very good) Opera songs. David Byrne busted out every song you wanted to hear him sing, including 'Once In A Lifetime,' 'Burning Down The House,' 'Blind,' 'Psycho Killer,' and 'Like Humans Do.' Byrne has also aged VERY well, and still is just as lively and brilliant as he was in his talking heads hey-day (which was actually less than 20 years ago). I was in awe of him throughout his set, and now consider him to be a living rock legend, right up there with Dylan, Costello, and McCartney.And he's a funky dancer to boot!Amazing.10 out of 10 Roads to NowhereMaterialMaterial was one of the most amazing bands I have ever seen live. Over the course of two hours, the band of more than 10 musicians, including bass guitar legend Bill Laswell, guitar playing, chicken bucket/Michael Myers mask wearing Buckethead, and ex-Primus drummer Brain, crossed the musical spectrum, playing some instrumental metal, soul, bass guitar driven funk, a 20 minute drum(s) solo, an African chant, a 20 minute dj set with everything from 'America the Beautiful' by Ray Charles to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by nirvana, an old Negro spiritual, a second funk jam, and even a 15 minute keyboard/synthesizer intro. I walked into Material never having heard of them, but they did not fail to impress at all, and exceeded any expectation I could have had for them. 10 out of 10 Chicken BucketsTrey Anastasio and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra/His BandTrey Anastasio was just horrid. You shouldn't conduct a 30 piece orchestra for 2 hours in front of 80,000 people that are expecting spazzed out jams and a Phish reunion. I didn't even stick around for the second set, which I heard was ok, but by that point nothing could have saved Trey's performance for me.3 out of 10 MegalomaniacsTo see more reviews by me, go to my personal weblog, Confessions Of A Social Retard, at: http://www.sarlik.blogspot.com Music16711@blogcritics.org Mon, 21 Jun 2004 19:01:25 EDT