Monthly Archives: April 2009

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Song of the Day #256: ‘The Only Flame in Town’ – Elvis Costello

goodbyecruelwordIn the liner notes of a reissued CD of Goodbye Cruel World, Elvis Costello starts off with this encouraging sentiment: “Congratulations! You just bought the worst album of my career.”

It’s tough to argue with him.

I called Punch the Clock a step back, and compared to Imperial Bedroom it is certainly that. But Punch the Clock is a masterpiece compared to Goodbye Cruel World. This album suffers from the cheesy production that crept into Punch the Clock but also falls short in terms of the songwriting.

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Song of the Day #255: ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ – Dixie Chicks

dixieCan you believe there was a time not too long ago when saying something mean about George W. Bush could result in death threats (to the person who said it, that is, not to George W. Bush)?

I guess when you say it shortly after 9/11 on foreign soil and you’re a country singer, you should expect a bit of backlash. But the firestorm that erupted over Dixie Chick Natalie Maines’ comment that she was ashamed President Bush was from Texas was unreal. Death threats, CD burnings, radio bans… whoa. And it was all captured in the excellent documentary Shut Up and Sing.

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Song of the Day #254: ‘Hold It In’ – Jukebox the Ghost

ghost1I saw Ben Folds in concert the other night and these guys were the opening act. My general reaction to opening acts is annoyance… I attend live shows infrequently and when I do it’s because I want to see the headliner. I don’t want to sit through a 30-minute set by some band I’ve never heard of just to get to the good stuff.

Now that’s a poor attitude to have, I realize. The opportunity to open a show for an established artist is manna from heaven for a struggling band looking for new fans. How else would Jukebox the Ghost be able to play to a captive audience of that size? And getting Folds’ stamp of approval goes a long way for a group that plays the same sort of smart piano pop he does.

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Song of the Day #253: ‘Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby’ – Counting Crows

One of the things that irks me to no end is the utter lack of respect shown to Counting Crows over the years by both critics and music fans. Sure, they have their ardent fans, but so do all bands. Somewhere out there is a well-visited Right Said Fred fan site.

But for Counting Crows to be lumped in with the Hootie and the Blowfish(es) of the world is just criminal. This band has put out five stellar albums… albums full of literate, challenging music. Their songs are smart, funny and emotional. Yes, they’ve cribbed from Van Morrisson, The Band and R.E.M. over the years, but if you’re gonna steal, steal from the best.

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Song of the Day #252: ‘Faithfully’ – Journey

journeyI mentioned to Alex recently that Journey seems to pop up on the XM dial quite a bit, and every time they do we listen to the whole song. Now, of course we’re talking about maybe seven or eight songs, total, but there is definitely a quality to Journey’s best stuff that reels you in.

‘Open Arms,’ ‘Don’t Stop Believing,’ ‘Who’s Crying Now,’ ‘Any Way You Want It,’ ‘Stone in Love,’ ‘Separate Ways’… these are all really great songs. And yet it seems Journey is often dismissed as an 80s joke. Or maybe that’s just a false impression I have for some reason. What do you think? Does this band get enough credit?

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