Fiercely Me

Three newish records.        One listen through each record. Five stupid ratings.      One more educated music listener...You! 1 Miley-free day.  Nice but not really worth much. 2 Miley-free days.  Good.  Stream it once. 3 Miley-free days.  Better.  Stream it repeatedly. 4 Miley-free days.  Very good!  Download it illegally and consider a purchase a year or two down the road. 5 Miley-free days.  Excellent!  Buy it immediately on multiple formats. Lou Barlow "Brace the Wave" 4 Miley-free days. This is mostly Lou B. and some acoustic instruments.  So if you're looking for the rock...move along.  The weird thing that I noticed is that Lou's voice sounds different in some of the songs.  Like he is intentionally trying to not sound like himself.  Why is that weird?  Because it works!  I think 30 some odd minutes of more Lou sounding like Lou would be too ...

Where have you been?  I've been not looking all over for you!  3 records.  One listen. Reviews based on first impression.  On with the record reviews: 1 Donald Trump autographed toupe- Meh.  Not worth the time. 2 Donald Trump autographed toupes- Ok but what else you got? 3 Donald Trump autographed toupes- Nice.  Now this is something to email Mom about! 4 Donald Trump autographed toupes- This is breaking new grounds! Like might turn into love! 5 Donald Trump autographed toupes- The best thing ever!  Open a store and dedicate your life to turning people on to this record! La Luz "Weirdo Shrine" 2 Donald Trump autographed toupes.  Seriously La Luz, what else you got. On Weirdo Shrine La Luz plays surfy, dreamy, but mostly sleepy pop songs.  Key word in that review is "sleepy".  Yes Ty Segall produced the record and that alone should help this already good band shine, right?  Not so much.  The retro, reverby sound that ...

Tony Molina is another artist I discovered through NPR's All Songs Considered Podcast.  With nods to Teenage Fanclub, Weezer, and Heavy Metal riffing, my only regret is I didn't know about this a year ago.  Every song is too short.  "Leave them wanting more" must be Tony's motto.  "Walk Away" is the closest thing to a "normal" guitar hit on the record and at 1:24 it ends the record with one verse, one chorus, one solo...and...done. "Don't Come Back" is my favorite on the record.  It sparkles with Indie pop shine through the first 35 seconds and at 36 seconds it morphs into a heavy instrumental rocker. Even the short guitar "snippets" are worth a listen.  "Dissed and Dismissed" is what happens when Bob Pollard and Rivers Cuomo have a musical baby and leave him at the Alex Chilton Home For Wayward Records.  Lovely in it's ugliness.

New feature alert!  I call it "Just missed it"!  I will be featuring records that I've recently discovered that may have been out for a while.  When I say "a while" I mean it could be a couple months to a couple of decades.  I've heard NPR's Bob Boilen say that there just is not enough time to listen to everything that is worth a listen.  This is from a guy who listens to music every day and goes to tons of live shows.  I tend to agree. JUST MISSED IT    (1st edition) Laura Stevenson "Wheel" (2013 Don Giovanni Records) I first heard Laura Stevenson on NPR's podcast "All Songs Considered".  They played the amazing track "L-Dopa" and I was hooked.  For some reason I have a problem connecting with female artists (insert juvenile comment here).  They need to have something really special to grab me as a fan (insert even worse comment here).  Something in Laura's vocal delivery paired with her not-too-predictable s...

Hi kids!  Miss me?  Probably not.  So it's been almost a year since I've published a blog.  Does that mean I'm no longer a Blogger?  So what's been the holdup?  A. I haven't been listening to new albums in full lately. B. I have two bands again.  No longer just the one. C. I have a life other than music. D. I've been playing around with the idea of starting a podcast. So what's up with the podcast?  Of course I've been thinking of doing a music podcast but I've been very disappointed in the copyright issues involved in using music for a podcast.  So I guess I will put the call out there. ARE YOU A SONGWRITER?  DO YOU PLAY IN A BAND?  ARE YOU A PERFORMER?  I WANT YOUR MUSIC!  SEND LINKS TO YOUR ORIGINAL SONGS OR MP3S OR EVEN VIDEOS TO FIERCELYME@HOTMAIL.COM!  I WILL GLADLY SHARE YOUR MUSIC WITH THE WORLD!  However I do have the right to comment, criticize, or just plain bash your song!  But you don't ...

I listen to a record one time.  I give it a rating.  I write a short first impression review.  Nothing earth shattering. 1 personalized guitar pick - lame 2 personalized guitar picks - below average 3 personalized guitar picks - pretty okay 4 personalized guitar picks - good stuff 5 personalized guitar picks - pretty damn perfect  Mudhoney "Vanishing Point" 4 personalized guitar picks I missed the Mudhoney boat the first time it came around.  I heard random songs but I was never blown away.  If "Vanishing Point" came out 20 years ago I would have been one of their biggest fans for a long time.  This record is fun!  Even if the lyrical topics are a little dark and most of the songs are minor key rockers.  I really like this new record.  Mudhoney is in prime form and even the screaming sounds great! Highlights: "I Like It Small" and "Chardonnay".  Rogue Wave "Nightingale Floors" 3 personalized guitar picks Dear Rogue ...

What makes a great record?                What makes a great record review?    Who cares? 1 free ride:   This record stinks. 2 free rides: This record is okay. 3 free rides: This record is pretty damn good. 4 free rides: This record is great. 5 free rides: This record is a work of genius. Johnny Marr "The Messenger" 3.5 free rides. Better than pretty damn good but not great. Johnny Marr is best known as the guitarist of the legendary band The Smiths.  I was never a fan of that band but man alive this album has made me a fan of the man.  His guitar playing and layering is quite remarkable all over this record.  Two songs are possibly the best two back to back songs I have heard in years.  "Upstarts" and "Lockdown" are so good they will make playlists all over the world.  It's saying quite a lot for a guy who has been playing for so many years to put out possibly...