Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
scott@scottlongonline.com
Been a while since I posted about what I was listening to and since I know all of you have been waiting on the edge of your seat - ha! - I'll hit you with a virtual mix tape. Or is it CD? You know, in the digital age, I wonder how we'll adjust. Will we beam a ten-song set via Bluetooth over to our significant other's iPod when we want to set a mood?
Enough thinking ... let's rock after the fold:
1. Amos Lee, "Arms Of A Woman" - My friend Goldy always says that everything can be described in three words. He works as a mutual fund manager, so this comes in handy talking with companies. If they can't describe what they do simply and succinctly, he walks. Amos Lee is easy: Male Norah Jones. I'm not a Norah fan (she sounds passionless to me), yet this is still a compliment. Lee's single isn't even the strongest song on this very strong debut.
2. Long-View, "When You Sleep" - A friend who went to SXSW says Long-View rocked and I took his advice, even though he's a damned Longhorn. In the vein of Keane and Snow Patrol, it's a solid British post-Radiohead pop album that has a lot of depth.
3. Billy Idol, "Scream" - He's baa-ack! Idol returns after a long, long hiatus and sounds just different enough to not make this retro. Steve Stevens is better than ever and the songs are a tinge harder edged. It's missing the Keith Forsey pop edge that Idol's songs always seemed to have, so there's no real single that jumps out. Great comeback.
4. Meat Loaf "Bat Out of Hell Live" - No album was ever made for the symphonic version more than this one. Playing with the Melbourne Symphony, Meat Loaf rings up the quintessential over the top pop opera. It may actually sound better than the original, which is the "Catcher in the Rye" of American music.
5. Coldplay, "Don't Panic" - The "Garden State" soundtrack stands apart from the movie as a solid work of its own. Since I haven't seen the movie yet, it has to, I guess. I'm curious to see how it fits in or whether it's just Zach Braff's version of a virtual mix tape. My pal B hooked me up with this one.
6. James Ulmer with Alison Krauss, "Sittin' on Top of the World" - Alison can do no wrong, but I never expected to hear her violin singin' the blues. Showing there's a fine line between the two most American music forms, she echoes a Mississippi thick slide guitar while maintaining that distinct sound. This soundtrack of a massive Hall of Fame style blues mashup is song after song of "Man, I wish I'd been there". Pick up the "Lightning In A Bottle" soundtrack and thank me.
7. Ingram Hill, "Never Be The Same" - Somewhere on the sonic map between Counting Crows and Tonic is a spot for Ingram Hill. They have a harder sound than most of the rootsy bands, but the Duritz-style vocals keep them swirling around your head for days. Good old fashioned rock and roll that you're happy to be singing along to all day.
8. Fiona Apple, "Better Version of Me" - The lost album doesn't have a single. Don't let that fool you into not listening. Apple's unique voice does a great job elucidating often opaque lyrics. I don't understand half of what she says. I keep listening anyway. Unreleased for two years, it's leaked onto the net and finding fans like good music always does. It's just a Google search away.
9. Diana Krall, "Almost Blue" - Two back to back women singers with voices to break your heart into tiny shards. Krall's not new, but she really only came to my attention when she married Elvis Costello, one of my musical heroes. Singing one of his songs, she completely envelopes it and by the end of the song, you'll forget anyone ever did it but her. Few singers own covers like Krall.
10. Jimmy Eat World, "Work" - Classic, classic video. It adds to the song rather than breaks your vision of the song. Their latest album is even better than their last, breakout album with ten thousand layers of guitars and a tightness that recalls few bands that don't feature Neil Peart on drums. Jimmy is one band that I almost can't compare to another and that's high compliment.
So, there's my tunes for you. With AllofMP3 declared legal and
Bat out of the Hell........Catcher in the Rye........God do I loathe Meatloaf and his music. I would rate his stuff as some of the worst in rock history. The biggest nightmare I can remember in college was being caught on the dance floor, when Blinded by the Dashboard light came on. Any dance club DJ that played this should be shot, as it droned on and on, while it had not rhythm to shake a groove to. Also, it always seemed to come on when I had been working hard to score with the meat market babe of the night. We had probably been jamming to Club Nouveau or Ready for the World, waiting for the Freddy Jackson song to come on and seal the deal. Then, Phil Rizzuto appears over the speakers, spoiling a mood faster than phone sex with Rosie O'Donnell. Oh the memories.
The real question is, is it Meat Loaf or Jim Steinman that you don't like? I love Meat Loaf, but LOATHE Steinman's attempt at finding a female Meat Loaf - Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (which was just MURDERED on American Idol. I didn't think that song could get worse.)
A similar, and equally over-the-top great song of his was Air Supply's "(Making Love) Out of Nothing at All." One of my personal favorites, and I refuse to feel shame for that any longer.
Wow!! If you thought 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' got murdered on AI last night, how would describe the treatment the rest of the songs typically get?? Annhilated?? Obliterated?? Eliminated from the face of the Earth??
Maybe I'm weird, but I thought it was decent considering the show it aired on.
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