She claimed she was five-foot-two.

A little Saturday tuneage for all y'all.

The Year in Music

My rankings of 2007 releases
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Lyle Lovett - It's Not Big It's Large
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!
Rush - Snakes & Arrows
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Same band, new band, takes the top spot two years in a row, with each of their first two albums. I can't even explain how small the odds of that happening are. They beat out Pearl Jam in 2006, and Bruce and Lyle this year. Even I'm astounded.

Acquired just recently, too soon to tell
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
M.I.A. - Kala
Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High
Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
Grinderman - Grinderman
Against Me! - New Wave

New to me (acquired, but not released, in 2007)
The Replacements - yeah, yeah. They were big when I was in Greece. I never heard of them until college, when their last album came out, and no one in my house listened to them. I always liked Paul Westerberg's solo stuff, though, so I got my hands on the originals, to see what the fuss was about. Not bad. Some great stuff, some meh stuff. In general, good old alcohol-fueled garage rock.

Dreamgirls - (2006) Soundtrack. Got it for the wife. Jennifer Hudson is amazing. I can do without the rest.

OK Go - Fun. Nothing too deep, just enjoyable party powerpoprock? I don't fucking know what to call it. Good shuffle tunes.

Silversun Pickups - (Carnavas) Meh. A little too noodly, and the guy whines even worse than Billy Fucking Corgan. And that's pretty fucking bad.

Chris Whitley - (Living With The Law, 1991) Toast insisted I listen to this. I knew the name, but couldn't think of anything he did. I really like the title track, Living With The Law. If no movie has that song playing at the end, with the heroes riding off into the sunset (fade to credits), then I may have to make a movie just so I can do that. And then... track fucking 2. I hate that song. Hated it when it was popular, and have managed to avoid it for 16 years. But noooooooo. Here it was again. I swear, I was so aggravated 30 seconds into the song, it colored my listening of the rest of the album. I couldn't give it a fair shake. So I stopped that day, took the song off the iPod, and gave it a week. Played it on another commute. Still love the first song, and the rest is very good too. Dark, creepy, blues/country/folk. Maybe a little too samey for many more straight-through listens (I'm way too ADD for an album full of low-energy music), but if any of these songs comes up in a shuffle, I won't be skipping it.

Blind Melon - (Goodfoot Demos, 1990) Apparently, 4 of these songs were on the demo tape that got them their major label deal. They then retreated to a barn in the country (one of the guys had a farm in the family) and practiced and practiced and played and wrote and jammed and practiced and jammed, until they were sure they had the chops, the cohesiveness, and the material. Then they started recording. These 8 songs were the can when they scrapped the whole project, because it sounded too polished, not organic enough. Of course, the A&R people were pissed. Money wasted, time wasted, buzz starting to fade and no album to release. Well, as luck would have it, Shannon Hoon hooked up with Axl Rose and did guest vocals in the Use Your Illusion albums, and appeared in the Don't Cry video. Buzz comes back. Meanwhile, they had been recording the album they wanted to make. Which was phenomenal. Anyway, 5 of these songs are on the album, so it's interesting to compare and contrast. They made the right choice. Ditched the over-produced, reverb-heavy "slick" sound, and came out swinging with a raw rock album; grinding staccato guitar rhythms, heavy driving bass, great vocals. Of course, if all you know is that fucking bee-costume No Rain song, well, you're missing out. That's not what this album is. Short story long, even though I like the songs as released better, I am getting a kick out of this. And hey, don't forget, three "new" songs too, at least to me.

Lyyyyyyyyyyle!!!!!

Here, finally, is my impression of Lyle Lovett's new album, It's Not Big It's Large.

Tickle Toe - PheeeeeNOMenal interpretation of an old Lester Young tune. Your ass will demand you get up and boogie to this one. The Large Band is out of this world.

I Will Rise Up/Ain't No More Cane - Deep, dark, bluesy spiritual; mostly a Lyle original with some of ANMC, an old Southern work song, woven in. Quite powerful, and the backing vocals are, as usual, outstanding. Sweet Pea, Harry, Francine, Arnold, and Jason nail this song.

All Downhill - Sublime silliness. I don't think any lyricist makes me smile as much as Lyle does.

I've had an excellent time so far
There's only one thing that I fear
I've been up so long on this lucky star
It could be all downhill from here

Of course, being the poster child pessimist/self-saboteur, it's as if he's talking directly to me.

Don't Cry a Tear - Where are my razor blades again?

South Texas Girl - A very nice reminiscence. So detailed and specific that it loses me a bit, because it's difficult to find a metaphorical connection. Still, good story.

This Traveling Around - Yes. And I don't even go anywhere...

And I'd change my ways
If I knew how else to be

Up In Indiana - Kick-ass country swing. Emphasis on the swing. And lo and behold, intelligent lyrics! What 99% of country lacks. Dance, motherfuckers!

The Alley Song - Pensive, regretful, with a touch of chasing the dream.

And even when you're not the best
You still try hard as hell

No Big Deal - Cheating bitch! Oh, wait... I did it first. And if you're thinking "that old country cliché," you couldn't be more off-base. A wonderfully bluesy/jazzy shuffle, and lyrically outstanding. This type of song is his forté. Outstanding. Yeah bitch, I said it twice.

Make It Happy - Shit, and I already used "sublime silliness." OK, fine, just multiply that by 10. Ridiculously infectious music, simple but not simplistic lyrics, instant-smile-on-your-face perfection. This song alone is worth the $12.99. All-timer.

Ain't No More Cane - The actual "traditional, arranged by Lyle" version of the old work song. Excellent.

Rating: 4

I love this album, but I already have four of his albums rated 5, and this isn't quite there. Victim of his own standards, I guess.

It could be all downhill from here

So last week, I went online to order a couple books and a CD, Springsteen's Magic.

On my suggestions page was a Lyle Lovett album. One I don't own. Hmmm. This must have just come out too! Awesome! Click on it the link. Release date was in August. I hang my head in the deepest of shames. I am embarrassed to live, at this point.

It's getting its first spin right now. We're batting 4 for 4, track-wise.

An in-depth review will follow, after 9 or 10 listens. Sometime this weekend, I'm guessing.

Well... you ugly too!

Lyle

Thank you, thank you, thank you, QuakerDave over at Shakesville, for pointing this out to me.

My second favorite song of all time, with some random shit interspersed.

I'll have to watch it again tomorrow, when I'm sober, to figure out why this even exists.

But tonight, feeling all drunk and sentimental? It's perfect.