Category Archives: Music

Davy Jones, R.I.P.

Posted by Lee M. in Music, People

I’d be betraying my childhood if I didn’t note with sadness the passing of Davy Jones. I loved The Monkees TV show as a kid–I used to watch it every day after school on WPGH-53 out of Pittsburgh, which showed it in syndication. And the first album I bought with my own money was a Monkees greatest hits collection on cassette.

The show wasn’t just a farce aimed at kids: it had an absurdist, anarchic sensibility reminiscent of the Marx Brothers. And for all the needling The Monkees received as the “Pre-Fab Four,” their music holds up well and compares favorably to a lot of other pop from the era.

R.I.P.

And just for kicks, here’s the Frank Zappa cameo from the TV show:

Favorite music of 2011

Posted by Lee M. in Music

As always, these are based on what I listened to and enjoyed the most, not on an objective, “critical” take.

Five metal albums:

Anthrax, Worship Music

Hammers of Misfortune, 17th Street

Darkest Era, Last Caress of Light

Red Fang, Murder the Mountains

Cormorant, Dwellings

Honorable mentions: Obscura, Omnivium; Argus, Boldly Stride the Doomed; Sinister Realm, Crystal Skull; The Human Abstract, Digital Veil; Mastodon, The Hunter

Five non-metal albums:

Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials

The Decemberists, The King Is Dead

Gillian Welch, The Harrow and the Harvest

Wye Oak, Civilian

Best album from 2010 that I slept on till this year: Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More

Lifetime acheivement award: I spend a big chunk of 2011 delving into the catalogue of veteran hard rock act King’s X; in fact, I probably listened to them more than any other band this year.

Mumford & Sons, “Winter Winds”

Posted by Lee M. in Music

I’m not feeling very metal this week; I have, however, been enjoying the heck out “Sigh No More”–Mumford & Sons’ album from last year, which I first heard only recently. It’s also happens to be chock-a-block full of Christian themes and imagery, which is pretty interesting for a mainstream pop album.

Hope everyone is having a happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Elvis 101

Posted by Lee M. in Elvis, Music, pop culture

The AV Club has a great primer on the music of Elvis Presley, presumably in honor of the anniversary of his death this week.

You may wonder why arguably the most famous pop/rock star in history needs an introduction, but the article hits the nail on the head, I think:

While Presley’s fame continues unabated, his musical legacy is a different story. Presley’s many hits still get played on the radio every single day, but actually hearing those songs for what they are requires unpacking a lot of baggage and addressing many of the same prejudices that haunted Elvis’ career back when he was alive.

It goes on to identify the recordings from the different phases of Elvis’s career that merit revisiting. I wholeheartedly endorse this top 5 list of essential Elivs:

1. Sunrise

2. Suspicious Minds: The Memphis 1969 Anthology

3. Elvis Country (I’m 10,000 Years Old)

4. Elvis 56

5. Memories: The ’68 Comeback Special

I’d include as an honorable mention Ultimate Gospel. I also have a soft spot for Aloha from Hawaii

Friday Links

Posted by Lee M. in Atonement, Beer, Bible, Church matters, Culture, Economy, Environment, Food, Gerhard Forde, Judaism, Keith Ward, Liberalism, Music, Philosophy, Politics, pop culture, Rowan Williams, Social justice, Theology & Faith, TV, Urbanism, Vegetarianism/veganism

–Marvin on the Presbyterian Church’s decision to allow congregations to call non-celibate gay and lesbian pastors.

–Libraries are part of the social safety net.

–”I hated vegans too, but now I am one.”

–On anti-Semites and philo-Semites.

–Mark Bittman asks, “Why bother with meat?”

–Jesus and eco-theology.

–Jeremy discusses Herbert McCabe and Gerhard Forde on the Atonement.

–Your commute is killing you.

–Rowan Williams’ Ascension Day sermon: “The friends of Jesus are called … to offer themselves as signs of God in the world.”

–Grist’s “great places” series continues with two posts on the industrial food system and its alternatives.

–Keith Ward on his recent book More than Matter?

–Russell Arben Fox on the Left in America.

–The Cheers challenge. My wife and I have already been rewatching the entire series. We’re on season 6 now, which replaces Shelley Long’s Diane with Kirstie Alley’s Rebecca. It’s one of my all-time favorite shows, although the earlier seasons are probably the best ones.

–Ozzy’s first two solo albums, which are generally considered classics, have gotten the deluxe reissue treatment. Here’s a review.