Since U Been...(something witty).

I may be behind on this cover of "Since U Been Gone" by Ted Leo, and admittedly I did hear this a while back, but I felt it was appropriate being that the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has canceled her summer tour due to poor ticket sales (this, I've got to say, honestly surprised me. I thought people loved her. Is it over for KC???). Am I upset about the cancellation? Not really. Did I plan on going to any of her shows? Nope. Am I a fan of this song? ......yes. For pop music, I've got to say this is one of the best, And who better to rock it out solo-style than Ted Leo, chugging out over-caffeinated acoustic palm-muted power-chords.

I'm also including a track from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' latest release, Living with the Living (recorded in Western Massachusetts!), which is a great new record that you should check out.

Ted Leo - Since U Been Gone
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - A Bottle of Buckie

East Coast name-drop power pop

Fountains of Wayne have returned with a new album Traffic and Weather, complete with all that you'd expect from this band if you've listened to any of their previous work: power-pop chord progressions, vocal harmonies, and of course, plenty of East Coast references. This album continues on the themes of travel and driving, which have always been present but have become even more prominent starting with their last release, Welcome Interstate Managers. Fountains of Wayne continue to name-drop all sorts of places back east, and tell stories of everyday people in those areas.

If you've ever driven down I-95 on the East Coast, you will understand just about every reference on this track, and if you haven't made that drive, you will get dead-on depiction of what you would encounter. Interestingly, lead singer Adam Schlesinger describes a "9-hour drive," but does not reveal that actual points at the beginning and end of that drive. On I-95, this could be 50 miles or 500 miles. You just never know.

Fountains of Wayne - I-95

I have returned!

So I apologize for the loooong gap in between updates. First it was the end of the semester crunch, then a visit to the east coast, and then accommodations that had no internet access. But I am back in L.A. now and (relatively) settled in.

And Wilco is also back with their new album Sky Blue Sky! Another great release from one of my favorite bands. A bit of a departure from A Ghost Is Born, this new record focuses less on the noise textures, and more on the melodies both in the vocals and the lead guitar. The star on this album? That would Nels Cline, who delivers sweet, melodic lead lines with guitar tone that would make Steely Dan jealous. The compressed, warm tape sound of this album makes it sound like it could have come out in 1975. All in all, another quality addition to the always interesting Wilco catalog. Wilco are also on tour, so check them out this summer.

Here is the lead track from Sky Blue Sky.

Wilco - Either Way

Turn the Phage

I know, I already posted a track from this band a while back, but they really deserve another post because you really need to know about them. The Most Serene Republic released a tour EP last year called Phages that I finally picked up via the Arts and Crafts (their label) store. Standing out on this EP even more so than on their album Underwater Cinematographer is the pristine, detailed drum work and the powerful yet beautiful and melodic female vocal lines. Of course you still get the big, lush, layered harmonies and the interesting forms and changes you'd expect from this band. So all in all, a successful endeavor from a band that I can not wait to release another record. I'm very interested in what their live performance is like, and if they can pull all of this off on stage. Please tour soon!

The Most Serene Republic - Anhoi Polloi

In the city...

On this past week's episode of South Park, the town is overtaken by homeless people, acting like zombies, as a parody of Night of the Living Dead. But most importantly, the boys devise a plan to move all the homeless to California, resulting in them performing an amazing rendition of the mid-90's rap classic "California Love." I recommend watching the whole episode, but here is the payoff at the end.

Hey Idol, Get Your Facts Straight!

On Tuesday's episode of American Idol, (yeah I watch it. So what?) Blake sang "When the Stars Go Blue," and credited the song to Tim McGraw. However, it should be known that this song was originally penned by Ryan Adams for is album Gold. Shame on you Idol producers for not correcting this mistake! Feel free to drop that trivia at the office tomorrow to show up that know-it-all jerk that sits next to and thinks he's a music whiz because he can list the Top 12 Finalists from every year of Idol.

Here is a live solo acoustic version of the song from a concert in Denver in 2002, performed by the actual author.

Ryan Adams - When the Stars Go Blue

Baseball is Back! #3

Today my Dad and I attended the home opener for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A few highlights:

1. Trying to scalp tickets for the sold out game. This is actually very difficult in LA, much more than I thought it would be. I think we talked to about 4 scalpers in the hour we were looking. Then we get in, and there had to be over 1000 empty seats. Where are those tickets? If someone knows where the scalpers congregate in that massive parking lot, please let me know for next time.

2. Guy running onto the field from the stands in left field, making it all the way to right field, and then being aggressively tackled by security. For some reason, this whole ordeal is much more hilarious in person than it is when you see the highlights on TV. I always wonder what goes through someone's head when they do that. Really, where are you going to go? It's a field with walls. And if you are going to do it, at least go all out and streak.

3. Jason Schmidt, the Dodgers pitcher, hitting a home run - the 7th of his career. I always love to see pitchers produce good offense, because its usually such a downer when the pitcher comes to bat, especially with 2 outs. It's like a guaranteed out. Seeing pitchers bat always reminds me of the '04 World Series when Pedro had to bat in the games at St. Louis. I don't think the bat left his shoulders, and its good thing the Sox were ahead.

4. The "All-you-can-eat" pavilion seats. Our seats were in an area where they have introduced the gluttonous concept of all you can eat ballpark food. All the nachos, hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn you want, as well as soda (no, beer is not included - see #2). We saw people come back with about a dozen dogs at a time, and judging by the size of some of the dudes in our row, this concept is totally unnecessary.

5. "Giants suck!" A woman over in the left field seats showed up with a San Francisco Giants hat on. You would have thought Hitler showed up. The entire section (both left and right field bleachers) stood up, started booing and yelling, threw food at her, and one guy even ran up and grabbed her hat and threw it, almost getting it on the field. She was actually being escorted to her seat by security, and they did nothing to stop it. "Giants suck!" chants ensued, and it made me feel good that Dodger fans are this passionate (well, at least between the 3rd and 7th innings).

So in tribute to Southern California baseball, I'm posting my favorite baseball-themed song, penned by SoCal natives Ozma, from their album Rock and Roll Part Three. One of the best power-pop groups out there, this anthem-ballad will bring you back to the good ol' little league days (and hopefully won't remind you of the coach that took everything too seriously, or playing every game in right field, or playing only 2 innings a game, or striking out a lot, or getting hit every other at-bat because no one knows how to pitch to leftys, or......ok, enough about my little league experience).

Ozma - Baseball