Record Review: The Kooks - Konk (B+)

Konk

Astralwerks
April 15, 2008

The Kooks (you remember, those guys that gave us "Jackie Big Tits" and that fantastic cover of "Young Folks"), have returned with a grand album loaded with doo-doos and ooh-oohs the likes of which we've never seen. It's around this time of year that we start to consider what the great summer records might be, and at this point in the game I'm willing to offer applications from the Brit-Pop community (perhaps seriously for the first time since 1999). Konk is every single album that The Arctic Monkeys were supposed to have given us but never really seemed capable of delivering.

Lyrically, they're Blur when Damon isn't enduring a terrible separation, musically they're Oasis while Noel is enduring a terrible separation. While it's certainly disposable pop music, it's disposable pop music in that British sort of way… the only culture that seems to have the power to make disposable summertime pop records become decade-old, genre defining anthems. To suggest that Konk has the power to do such a thing would be silly, however, I'd wager that most critics didn't expect to hear My Chemical Romance covering "Song 2" roughly a decade later.

While Luke Pritchard (one of the best names in rock & roll) may not have the enigmatic star-power of Pete Dougherty, he has one thing that Mr. Kate Moss never had… genuine talent. I may stand alone in my aggression toward all things Libertines, but one listen to the Doobie Brothers influenced "Gap" serves as a strong reminder that in a post-Oasis world, very few bands ever came close to deserving a sniff of the torch. While many became walking caricatures of themselves, others chose to buy up every Undertones B-Side and cram their faces into speakers blasting BBC 1. Hey, sometimes it hurts, and every now and then it requires a slight bit more than a heroin habit and a bowler hat.

Record Review: Jamie Lidell - Jim (A+)

Jim
Warp Records
4/28/2008

As if the world wasn't difficult enough to comprehend, we have Jamie Lidell to contend with. The British techno-soul-beatbox-pyromaniac has made a career out of vexing audiences with a stylistic flavor draped in the melodies of Al Green and Sly Stone while maintaining the stage presence of the bastard child of Stiv Bators and Iggy Pop. Somewhere in the middle of punk rock and soul lies this… thing. And, well, it's amazing.

To judge Lidell on his theatrics is akin to judging Van Gogh on his penchant for self-mutilation… the sideshow is fantastic, but it's the art you've come to realize is his true accomplishment. With Jim, Jamie Lidell has created yet another masterpiece of nu-soul, so void of the "nu" that it can only be considered "soul." This is the album that finds common ground between the bleakest coffee-shop trilobite and his or her grandmother's gold lamet stretch pants. It's everything perfect about the music of the past, and everything that should be perfect about music of the now.

To choose any specific song on this album as a standout is an utter waste of time. "Jim" is a modern masterpiece, the likes of which have become so shockingly uncommon that the mere suggestion of such is now (I believe) a criminal offense. While modern music begs us all to discover our own self-awareness through a series of beeps and boops, Jamie has managed to bring us back to earth. He gives us that Van Morrison feel, that Al Green feel, that Isaac Hayes feel, but without ever feeling hackneyed or repetitive. If, after one listen, you question the greatness of this album, I ask you to do this: dim the lights, pour a glass of wine, put on "All I Wanna Do," and relax in your favorite chair with the woman you love. If, at any point during that process, you find yourself thinking of Thom Yorke, then I highly suggest you reevaluate your life… or at least see a couples' therapist.

Record Review: The B52's - Funplex (C)

Funplex

Astralwerks
03/25/2008

Funplex is that giant box that catches your eye in the waning hours of Christmas Eve. It's that gift that's slightly obscured by the limbs of the tree that just by its size has to be the greatest gift ever given. You approach, cautiously, and the sparkling paper dazzles the senses. You take the card into your clammy hand, open the fold, and see that your grandmother has signed the bottom. Your heart sinks, because despite the exquisite trappings and the promise of grandeur, you know that it's just a huge box of underwear.

2008 has revealed a sad truth, the idea of a new B-52's album is far more exciting than the actual result. While "Hot Corner" is undoubtedly one of the great dance songs of the year, it is surrounded by a supporting cast weak enough to make Johnny Bravo into a star, even in his current-day physique. Fred Schneider is impossibly both under and over used… figure that one out. When his barking, flamboyant vocals are needed they seem auspiciously absent, and when totally inappropriate you can expect to hear a heartbreaking soliloquy while waiting anxiously for your cue to scream "ROCK LOBSTER!"

The true tragedy of this record is how close it came to actually being great. I can't overstress how fantastic "Hot Corner" and "Ultraviolet" are, being the kind of song that only the B-52's are capable of creating. They transcend genre and time, managing to be the kind of masterpiece that "Love Shack" echoed for both subsequent and prior generations. However, a single (or two) surrounded by an album's worth of filler doesn't impress, it only disappoints. While Athens' Finest released a career defining album only a week earlier, the B-52's have created a promotional single for a reunion tour.

Record Review: She and Him - Volume One (A)

Volume One

Merge Records
03/18/2008

Just when I thought I'd heard the best record I'd hear all week, I happened across M. Ward's newest project. Arising after he and collaborator Zooey Deschanel were brought together to cover a Richard and Linda Thompson tune for the movie The Go-Getter, She and Him - Volume One is an instant classic. It combines Ward's haunting arrangements with the smooth, beautiful voice of Zooey Deschanel. On first listen I began to wonder if I wasn't listening to Jenny Lewis. Famous as an actress, Deschanel carries the vocal weight here, and reportedly wrote most of the lyrics. Matt occasionally gets a few words in, but its his musicianship that pulls it together. If you like Jenny Lewis mostly for her voice, or for that matter if you like Patsy Cline at all, you should buy this album right now. If you're just dying to hear M. Ward craft and sing another lyrical masterpiece, you'll have to wait a bit longer, but to give an update, his backup lyrics on "You Really Got a Hold on Me" are perfect.

Record Review: The Trews - No Time For Later (A)

No Time For Later

Bumstead Productions Ltd.
02/19/2008

The Trews first album since 2005, No Time For Later is good ol' fashioned rock at its best. The Trews have used the interim well, delivering thirteen excellent songs, with no filler whatsoever. The clean production qualities allow each musician to shine, while at the same time every lyric is clear. Colin MacDonald's voice delivers crisp, pleasant vocals with intelligent meaningful lyrics. The Trews excel at the ability to create interesting lyrical hooks, i.e. the chorus of "Can't Stop Laughing." Every song is catchy and memorable and fun to listen to. That's probably the reason why The Trews have gained a reputation as being one of the best live acts in Canada. Only the lack of a great deal of variety in style and tempo keep this album from getting an A+.

Most Anticipated: Ike Reilly - Poison, The Hit Parade

Ike Reilly releases a new record April 8th, only 8 days from now. After Sparkle in the Finish was so incredibly good, fans were a little disappointed in the direction that Ike and company took on the next couple studio albums. This album is all solo recordings, no Assassination to speak of, and if the track on Ike's web site's splash screen is any indication, this record could be as good as Sparkle. Look for the review right here.

Record Review: Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward (C-)

Get Awkward

XL/Ecstatic Peace
3/18/2008

As expected, Get Awkward roars out of the gate with the same intensity as their self-titled debut… unfortunately, that's where the comparisons seem to end. Gone is the raw, uncouth grittiness of just two years ago, replaced by over-produced, unoriginal teen-scowl rock. While Jemima Abegg still shrieks like a woman on fire, the subject matter becomes stale after a few tracks. The incessant whining and often cringe-worthy rants about losing a boyfriend, disliking a rival girl or all-night parties could be cute or even an interesting twist on an old idea, if Abegg wasn't so damn convincing. Instead of a slightly ironic twist on teen angst, the album comes off as legitimate teen angst, with lyrics pulled directly from a high-school girl's poetry notebook.

Not everything about the album is wrong, while it may rely a little too heavily on influences (if you're aching to get thrown in jail, take a shot every time that you hear Black Flag or Black Sabbath), Get Awkward manages to feel relatively original. Be Your Own Pet have written the soundtrack to a terrific mid-80's B-movie, unfortunately it's 2008. The songs are catchy, relatively enjoyable and most likely better when performed live, and therein lies the problem with the album. Seeing the band live is an amazing experience, hearing them through headphones leaves listeners largely unfulfilled. While it may not be as good as their debut, Get Awkward has its strong points and shouldn't be completely dismissed. Perhaps the band, and Abeeg in particular, should be viewed as Hannah Montana's evil twin.

Tour News: Set Possibilities for Springsteen

With Bruce Springsteen playing in Indy tomorrow night and Cincy Saturday night, it's time to look at possible set lists. The set for Milwaukee on Monday night is below, with the subs for Sunday night in St. Paul in brackets.

Main Set: No Surrender [Night], Radio Nowhere, Lonesome Day, Streets Of Fire [Darkness on the Edge of Town], Gypsy Biker, Magic, Reason To Believe, It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City (Milwaukee Only), Prove It All Night, She’s The One, Livin’ In The Future, The Promised Land, Cadillac Ranch [Waitin' On a Sunny Day], My Hometown [Backstreets], Devil’s Arcade, The Rising, Last To Die, Long Walk Home, Badlands

Encore Set: Loose Ends [Girls in Their Summer Clothes], Meeting Across The River (Milwaukee only), Jungleland, Born To Run, Ramrod [Dancing in the Dark], American Land

As you can see, for some reason the Boss threw in a couple bonus numbers for the Milwaukee crowd, and switched out six other songs. To anyone going to one of the upcoming shows, a show review would be very welcome.

Ad: Bruce Springsteen Poster - Magic

Record Review: The Presidents of the USA - These Are the Good Times People (B)

These Are The Good Times People

Fugitive Recordings / EMI
03/11/2008

These Are the Good Times People is chock full of the whimsy you might have come to expect from The Presidents of the United States of America. There’s hardly a substandard track amongst the fourteen on the album. That presents a problem for POTUSA though, as all the songs are equally whimsical. There are no real standouts like “Lump” or “Peaches” to push this one to the sales of their debut effort. The closest thing to a single is “Mixed Up S.O.B.,” which seems shifted out of its natural place to the front of the album, perhaps with single in mind. Even that might be difficult with some radio stations preferring not to play songs with that particular word, at least not as part of the titular chorus. It’s not that this album is bad. It’s just that with its somewhat formulaic whimsy rock it falls squarely between Cake and They Might Be Giants. Not that those guys don’t have fans, just that the popularity experienced by this band after their self-titled album came out has probably eclipsed anything they will ever do again. Occasionally they do get their head above water long enough to do something a little more interesting. The swing number “Flame is Love” manages to mix it up musically, and “Mixed Up S.O.B.” not only rocks but also connects with a lot of spiritually wounded men. All in all, this is a recommended record because it’s fun and a clear alternative to anything like emo. Just don’t expect to be wowed or have a life changing epiphany from it.. Sorry guys, you still can’t be naked and famous just yet.

Record Review: R.E.M. - Accelerate (A+)

Accelerate

Warner Brothers
4/1/2008

There's an excitement building through the first track of the album, one that seems to impossibly reach a climax mid-way through the second… by the time the opening notes of I'm Gonna DJ kick in, you may feel that your head is going to explode. Folks, R.E.M. isn't just back, they may have done something not seen since Bruce Springsteen released The Rising, they have made a career defining album nearly 30 years in.

The explosive nature of the album's opening tracks settles in a bit for the head-bobbing, almost Sonic Youth-esque "Mr. Richards," which blends beautifully into "Sing for the Submarine," a track that could have been a stand-out on the nearly flawless Automatic for the People. But, it's not just a track here and there; Accelerate is almost like a time capsule, a reminder of exactly what made R.E.M. great. Whether it's "Hollow Man" echoing Document or "Living Well is the Best Revenge" sweeping you back in time to Monster, this album is everything that an R.E.M. album should be: pitch-perfect college rock from a band that surely has to have finished that master's thesis by now.

An album without one single throwaway track isn't just a rarity these days, it's almost unheard of. Some of the greatest albums of the last decade, while no less impressive, have their share of mediocre tracks. Somehow, amazingly, Accelerate has absolutely none of them. The album is a consistent, cohesive piece of work without one single moment of disappointment. While band after band has attempted to follow in the footsteps of Athens' finest, aping sounds and guitar licks as if they were common property, we're finally given a reminder of exactly why it never really worked. There is only one R.E.M., and even though they seem to have been on hiatus since 1996 (face it, the last three albums didn't exactly set the world on fire), they are inexplicably back and better than they've been in decades.

To put it bluntly, Accelerate is a masterpiece… the jury may have reached a verdict for album of the year even before the snow has melted.

[editor's note - track order may vary]

Record Review: Flogging Molly - Float (B+)

Float

Side One Dummy
3/4/2008

“I’m a ripe old age, just doin’ the best I can,” sings Dave King in the title track of Flogging Molly’s new album. Closer to fifty than forty, King still knows how to write, play, and sing rock songs. Flogging Molly’s sound is crisp as ever, the lyrics are still poignant, and the Irishness just as Irish as ever. Filled with traditional rhythms and instruments, swirled together with electric guitar and hard rock drum lines, each song is invigorating in the way that only punk songs can be. The sound does appear to be a bit cleaner than in previous albums, the four years of working together since the last album definitely shows. They key transitions and rhythm transitions come off perfectly.

Highlights of Float include “Paddy’s Lament,” an unexpected rocker seemingly celebrating the end of hostilities in Northern Ireland, and “Lightning Storm,” a poetic sentiment about our own freedoms at home that comes with a warning. “On the Back of a Broken Dream” is the highlight of the album. It does the best job of expressing the overall theme of the record, that is to leave dead things in the past and move on to better things. Let bygones be bygones.

The last song, “The Story So Far,” is a bit weak. Much slower and than the rest of the album, it just doesn’t seem to be a fitting way to end it. Other than that, the only problem with the album is its very consistency. Each song, with the exception of the last one, is patently Flogging Molly. Flogging Molly seems to be concentrating on getting better at doing what they do rather than try to do something completely new.

Record Review: The Smashing Pumpkins - American Gothic (ep) (B+)

American Gothic

Wea International
3/4/2008

The partially reunited Pumpkins’ second project, American Gothic, delivers classic Pumpkin sound but in a slightly different package. Breaking up in 2000, and with two members still estranged, it appeared for a while that the particular sound of Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain would be lost. Fortunately they “reunited” the band in 2006 and produced Zeitgeist in July of 2007. The fact that they’ve released this EP now (digitally in January) shows that the song-writing process for Corgan is getting easier again. The new EP doesn’t contain the hardness of Zeitgeist. Zeitgeist employs the classic overdubbed guitars from earlier projects, but American Gothic isn’t nearly so dense. The music has a lighter sweeter character. Of course that might just be because Corgan and Chamberlain couldn’t spend so much time in the studio because they’re still on tour. The songs stick to a comparably basic set of instrumentation, with only a few vocal effects. Lyrically, the songs, in the order on the international EP, seem to present the story of a man falling in love with a woman, eventually being disappointed, feeling as if he can’t live without her, and eventually deciding that he’ll get along after all. It’s difficult to say why the order was changed for the digital release on iTunes, but in that order the overall meaning is obscured. Fans should download this from iTunes, and then rearrange it into the proper order (The Rose March, Again Again Again, Pox, Sunkissed) before listening.

Record Review: Protest the Hero - Fortress (B)

Fortress

Vagrant Records
2/11/2008

I never listen to metal. The closest I get is a little bit of Metallica’s black album, but it was a gift for my eighteenth birthday, so I’m obligated. That being said I may not be the best reviewer for Canadian band Protest the Hero’s album Fortress. I do have the advantage of fresh ears however, plus I’m guessing I can literally hear better than most metal fans.

The first thing that strikes me is the extensive part that the drummer plays in the music. Moe Carlson seems to be giving the floor tom a real workout. It isn’t all just bass and crash cymbal. Protest the Hero makes extensive use of electronic instrumentation, as well as extremely impressive lead and rhythm guitar work. The bass guitar is adequate. The vocals are extremely impressive. Though there’s a fair amount of screaming, there are also a good number of clean vocal phrases and Rody Walker’s voice is quite crisp. Like most good metal, the album is a technical masterpiece, however emotionally and lyrically it probably works best for angst-ridden teenagers. The lead guitar goes on soaring, if short-lived, solos that remind one more of glam rock than metal, but it all seems to fold nicely into the wall of sound that the album braces the listener with. The rhythm of it all is electronically smooth and crafted to be entertaining.

The individual tracks do tend to be variations on a theme, a fault I find with most metal that I’ve heard, but the transitions make sense, and there are differences between songs. The early part of the album is actually a little better than the end. “Palms Read” stands out as the best song. Lyrically, the entire album seems to present a belief in the impossibility of true knowledge, but as the album winds down the lyrics begin to get a bit more preachy and the overall design of each song seems to suffer from a greater reliance on the vocals, while the vocals are becoming less refined. If the last three tracks had been chopped this would have been at least an A- effort. Of course if you don’t have at least an open mind for metal, don’t even attempt this one.

Record Review: Wyclef Jean - Carnival II Memoirs of an Immigrant (A)

Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant

Sony
12/4/2007

One can tell from the first notes of “Intro” that Carnival II will be an intense musical experience. Wyclef Jean is most known to me through The Fugees or “Gone til November,” but after giving this new album a listen I’ll be checking out his back catalogue. Intensely danceable, intensely verbose, Carnival II is filled with tracks of impressive un-obscured lyrics that anyone can understand. Reminiscent of Eminem in places (“Come on, chill out Angie, let daddy finish writin'”) only more intellectual and very much more island inspired, I’ve never heard a more listenable hip-hop record. Almost every track is filled with complex instrumentation and multiple layers of vocals, all blended together into perfect harmonies. Wyclef makes extensive use of guest vocalists (Paul Simon even makes an appearance), sometimes providing counterpoint to his own lyrics, sometimes singing multiple verses. Wyclef’s own trademark smooth voice is ever-present throughout, presenting the main message, but often blending with the music so well that it’s as if he’s actually the backup vocalist.

Highlights of the album are numerous and include “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill),” “Slow Down,” and “Fast Car,” (the Paul Simon track). The only low-point of the album is the overly urban “Selena,” purportedly about immigration to the US from south of the border. It doesn’t really fit with the rest of the album. The next-to-last track of the album is the thirteen-minute plus “Touch Your Button Carnival Jam.” Except for the closing guitar solo, which starts about 11 minutes in, it all sounds a little too arranged to be a real jam. Divided into different sections, it starts out weak, but if you have patience to listen deep, the last eight minutes or so are great.

Carnival II is a strong album that the listener can take as much as he wants from. It’s enjoyable at the most shallow, leave-it-on-in-the-background level, all the way up to carefully analyzing the lyrics for metaphors, and the meanings of the interplay of the instruments with the sound effects.

If you can grab the deluxe version, so much for the better.

Record Review: Alive in Wild Paint - Ceilings (C)

Ceilings

Equal Visions Records
3/18/2008

It's not to say that the recent output from members of Goodbye Tomorrow and Terminal is a bad record, as it certainly isn't… it's just not something to get terribly excited about. Ceilings is mini-van rock, perfect for the suburban soccer parent that hasn't yet let go of their youth, but isn't quite ready to settle into a nice James Taylor collection.

Musically there is nothing wrong with the album, much as there really isn't anything terribly right with it. Alive In Wild Paint have constructed a very palatable, if not completely unremarkable record that begs the attention of every fan of Train and The Fray. Notable producer Mark Trombino certainly isn't aspiring for greatness here, but rather seems interested in creating a collection of tracks destined to be featured in the background of teen-friendly movie trailers and the occasional episode of The OC. Don't believe me? Just tune into "Forecasting" at about the three minute mark and imagine it layered underneath a Mischa Barton's latest painful breakup.

While it isn't a bad album, it's certainly not a good one. Fluff after fluff, with the occasional pseudo-Jonny Buckland guitar riff tossed in for good measure, Ceilings is a masterpiece of uninspiring, white bread rock music. The track, "Everywhere, An Ocean," conjures up thoughts of what must have been every single throwaway track for Travis' The Man Who, while "Sleep With Your Soul In" could fit easily onto any Dashboard Confessional album.

Some suggest that Ceilings grows on you with each listen, to those individuals I doff my hat. Maintaining consciousness for one listen was difficult enough, but multiple spins must require expert training the likes of which I've never seen. Essentially, if Coldplay or Death Cab For Cutie seem to be just a little too edgy for your tastes, Alive In Wild Paint may be just the band you've been waiting for.

Record Review: Dolly Parton - Backwoods Barbie (C+)

Backwoods Barbie

Dolly Parton’s Backwoods Barbie (February 2008) is an album of dramatic ups and downs. Starting out a little slow, at least for this reviewer’s tastes, it finally starts to sparkle after a few songs, heads back into the tank for a track or two, and then finishes strongly. Dolly has released forty-seven minutes of music on her own label so far, and some of it is great, and some of it is not so great.

The first track, and first single, “Better Get to Livin’” casts Dolly in the role of Dr. Phil. In trying to give advice to the rest of us about how to live, Dolly seems to have momentarily forgotten how to be interesting. Unfortunately it gets even worse with “Made of Stone.” This track is just plain forgettable. “Drives Me Crazy,” a modified cover of the song written and made famous by Fine Young Cannibals, is refreshing but still lacks inspiration. It tries to recreate the excitement of the original, only with bluegrass/country instrumentation. Unfortunately that doesn’t work as well here as it did with “Shine” in 2001. The title track, “Backwoods Barbie,” is very impressive lyrically, but here Dolly chooses the standard fiddle/steel guitar of late 80’s country that much of the beginning of this album seems to be trying to recreate.

The religious tune, “Jesus and Gravity” finally breaks out of the 80’s mold with key changes and an impressive buildup of energy throughout. It uses a choir for ambience, and Dolly gives her voice a real workout. Dolly’s voice, while still strong and perfectly in key, has taken on a whispering quality over the last few years, and this is showcased nicely on “Only Dreamin’.” She seems to be backing herself vocally. There are many elements in this song, various backup singers, the deeper strings, flute, solo violin, and an ever present softly strummed guitar. “Only Dreamin’” is the standout of the album.

“The Tracks of My Tears,” written by Johnny Rivers, isn’t a bad cover, but it unfortunately doesn’t offer anything that Smokey Robinson didn’t do much better. With “The Lonesomes,” we’re back to standard forgettable country fare. Thankfully this rough stretch doesn’t last so long.

“Cologne” comes on heartbreakingly strong, detailing the dilemma of a woman in love with a man who isn’t leaving his wife. “Shinola” uses a catchy tune and lyrics to entertain the listener. “I Will Forever Hate Roses” and “Somebody’s Everything” express staples of country music sentiment, but Dolly’s voice and musical sensibilities keep these two from being quite so dull as the first few tracks.

Dolly still looks like a million bucks, sings like an angel, and writes, well, like George Strait. Backwoods Barbie is a presentable collection of radio friendly country music. It doesn’t inspire, but there’s enough good here to assure us that Dolly will be a force in country music for years to come.

Record Review: Billy Joe Shaver - Everybody's Brother (B)

Billy Joe Shaver’s Everybody’s Brother (September 2007) can be described as the affirmation of faith by an aging and beaten-up honkeytonker. That classic honkeytonk twang is still the centerpiece of his vocal repertoire. Shaver’s ode to Jesus, this album features duets with many major stars including John Anderson, Marty Stuart, Tanya Tucker, and even Johnny Cash. The first duet with John Anderson, “Get Thee Behind Me Satan,” enjoys frequent play on GAC’s The Edge of Country. Standouts on the album include “When I Get My Wings,” which captures the intensity of the best parts of Tramp on Your Street (August 1993), and the Tanya Tucker duet “Played the Game Too Long.” Tanya’s voice sounds as perfectly reedy as it ever has.

Unfortunately the intensity of “When I Get My Wings” is lacking in most of the other tracks. One gets the feeling that Shaver’s own music isn’t so much about catharsis as much as it is about escape. Many of the slower tracks blend into each other a little bit, not providing distinctly memorable experiences. None of the tracks are painful to listen to, however, and when played in the background comfort the soul with their warm fuzziness.

A few of the songs get a little preachy. In fact, the most interesting song musically speaking, the title track, “Everybody’s Brother,” is essentially a song of invitation for a new age. It includes the line “With blind faith you will hit the mark, and seldom will you miss.” That aspect aside, the album is still good news, in that one of America’s great songwriters is still going strong and practicing his craft.

The fine treat of the whole record is the last track, the duet with Johnny Cash, recorded in 1970, “You Just Can’t Beat Jesus Christ.” Providing the inspiration for the name of the album, and presumably the name for the title track, this song is nostalgic of the very best of the collaboration between Cash and Jennings, and serves as a reminder that those glory years probably owed a great deal to the songwriting of Shaver. This one track is worth the price of the record.

New Velvet Underground Track Uncovered

A new bootleg of a heretofore unreleased Velvet Underground song has been uncovered. It's entitled "I'm Not a Young Man Anymore." The quality isn't great, meaning both the tape quality after decades of deterioration, and also the quality of the music. It does seem to indicate a tendency toward more raucous roadhouse type rock, and it smacks of improvisation. The guitar work is technically pretty good. The lyrics are tragically uninspiring. The phrasing is similar to other Velvet Underground songs. It's a jam in every sense of the word. All that probably explains how it was nearly lost. You can listen for yourself here.