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 Sat, 6 May 2006 17:48:12 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/2006/05/06/174812.php greg van dykeSometimes the less you know about a subject matter, the better. Getting all tied up in back stories and history only complicates matters. Ignorance is bliss, or something like that. There are instances, such as this, that taking things at face value is the only way to go. Let the work speak for itself, and let everything else be damned.Pete Seeger -- I don't know anything about him and it is likely going to stay that way. Bruce Springsteen's interpretation of Seeger's work on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is not only Bruce's finest hour in years, but also possibly 2006's finest record thus far. When this project came to light, or when I caught wind of it, it sounded like a complete bore. The world didn't need another Devils and Dust, which is a fine record, but a little underwhelming. This is a Bruce record that has been a long time coming. We Shall Overcome is classic Springsteen, which is to say it's very reminiscent of Born to Run and Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ. When Bruce counts out over a muted guitar strum and the banjo kicks in on the opening track, "Old Dan Tucker," its immediately clear that We Shall Overcome is going to be special. A drunken collective spits out the chorus, "get out the way old Dan Tucker/you're too late to get your supper/get out the way old Dan Tucker/you're too late to get your supper." It is truly a glorious racket. The Tom Waits-infused and eerily beautiful "Erie Canal" and "Eyes on the Prize" would not sound out of place during a turn of the 20th century New Orleans death march. Both feature horn sections and a backdrop of singers sounding solemn enough to make even the most melancholy of persons mourn. "Pay Me My Money Down" is a foot stompin' barnburner and a much-needed shot in the arm after the slow burn and emotional movement of "Shenandoah." "We Shall Overcome" could be, and probably is, straight out of the protest songbook of the 1960s. Not to say it's stuck in a time warp, because the sentiments most certainly carry over into today. This may come across as a strange comparison, but We Shall Overcome reminds me of a folk version of Pubic Enemy's legendary It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Resonating throughout We Shall Overcome are fiddles, horns of all shapes and sounds, banjos, organs, guitars, accordions, and more, that all seem to come out of nowhere. With so much going on at once, it makes for a Bomb Squad-type wall of sound. Even the more subdued tracks, like "Shenandoah," have much going on then what one might hear on first listen. Oddly enough, We Shall Overcome makes for a great headphone record.We Shall Overcome is the sound of an artist reborn and revitalized. A record with so much passion and fervor it puts musicians 30 years his junior to shame. We Shall Overcome proves that sometimes it's all right to patronize the past, if only to move forward. Music47320@blogcritics.org Sat, 6 May 2006 17:48:12 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/05/04/082758.php greg van dykeI don't know about you, but I seem to have quite a bit of free time on my hands. Couple that fact with being a music junkie to the highest degree, I find myself browsing Myspace for what seems to be hours on end. The number of musicians with "spaces" on Myspace is absolutely mind numbing. Are there that many clubs or basements in the world to fill this staggering amount of musicians with? It's a question for the ages. For those who ponder these types of questions, like myself, it's like trying to figure out where the universe ends. It truly is akin a never-ending math equation.To be realistic, for every one thousand bands, one of them might make a livable wage. I know, I know, it's not about that all mighty dollar; it's about the art, the passion to create, etc. I think anyone would be lying if they said that they didn't want to make at least something off their craft, and making out with someone at the local Denny's after the gig doesn't count. There are bands that should be huge, see Centro-matic, and then there are bands that sound huge. Boston's The Bleedin Bleedins satisfies both categories. Their self-released debut, Life Without Computers, is a tour de force of summertime driving-with-the-top-down-singing-at-the-top-your-lungs ditties. (Wow! That was a mouthful.) Think early U2 anthems combined with The Killers' rock 'n' hip shake and you have The Bleedin Bleedins. As far as sounding huge, they put out a racket that seems much bigger than their 3-piece status would lead the listener to believe. Usually, it's been my experience that records such as this contain 86% filler. While there may be a couple of memorable "singles", the rest of the album seems much like an afterthought, made strictly to get the chicks and to get some radio play. That's one of the reasons I typically stay away from disposable type records. Luckily, Life Without Computers is a record with nary an ounce of filler. Filler or no, Life Without Computers does suffer in some areas. A bit of sameness runs throughout the record. It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between tracks. There is not much difference in tone or pacing, and lead Bleedin, Mike Coen, seems to play it safe and doesn't stretch his vocal range too often. When he does though, he has a nice set of pipes. Hopefully with each successive record, they will grow their sound in the range of instruments used. MP3s and up to date information on the band can be found on their Myspace profile. Will Life Without Computers be 2006's feel good record of the summer or linger in some state of perpetual obscurity? It would be a shame if the latter occurs, because there are much worse ways, or records, you could devote 40 minutes of your life to. All I know is that The Bleedin Bleedins have made a strong case for not ending up making out with chicks in their local Denny's any time soon. Music47228@blogcritics.org Thu, 4 May 2006 08:27:58 EDT