Some bands show all the signs of numbering among my favorites and then just stop dead in their tracks.
When I first heard Jump, Little Children, on their first studio album Magazine, it was love at first listen. The band’s sound was unique and rich — a product of their choice of instruments: guitar, upright bass, cello, accordion and drums. Lead singer Jay Clifford’s vocals sweetened every song like rough honey.
I could see loving or hating this song. In fact, I could see loving this song and hating this song depending on when you were hearing it.
It certainly has a vibe — a vibe that might make it more effective if paired with visuals. In a very dramatic and disturbing movie scene, for example.
Or if you’re 16, misunderstood, angry at life — I could see playing this through headphones while lying on the floor of your bedroom in the dark.
I’ve never liked Stevie Wonder as much as I feel I probably should. Certainly Songs in the Key of Life deserved consideration for my list of the best 70s albums, but I never gave it a second thought. As much as I appreciate this album, and Wonder’s music in general, I’ve never found it in me to love it.
Today’s Random Weekend selection is a perfect encapsulation of my feelings about Stevie Wonder — it’s brilliant right up until it stops being brilliant and starts being annoying.
U2’s tenth album, 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, was a comeback record following the failed electronica experimentation of 1997’s Pop.
The record was a deliberate attempt to return to the earnest rock style of The Joshua Tree — the style that catapulted the band to superstardom in the first place.
After several weeks of predictable Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan selections, it’s nice to see another Random Weekend selection that actually feels random.
This is probably just the second time I’ve heard the opening track from Jude’s self-released 2004 album, Sarah. I downloaded the album from CDBaby.com (where it apparently holds the title of the site’s most downloaded album ever — a fact that says more about CDBaby.com than Sarah) but I was unimpressed after my initial listen.
Meet Me In Montauk 