Plastiques?

I like vinyls. I think they're pretty nifty. I also like CDs. But the vast vast majority of my collection is mp3 format. And this is the strange life I live with my music.

The thing I can't stand is people who "only" listen to vinyl. Or claim it sounds better. Or whatever. Because it's blatantly not true. Yes, a very good quality vinyl will sound better than a song 96 kbps encoded mp3 downloaded off of limewire or wherever kids are getting their illegal mp3's these days, but so will an 8-track. Fact is, most vinyls are recorded on recycled plastic and contain a lot of errors, and the ones that aren't are older and just poorer quality. Most of the time the sound is only as good as the receiver and speakers it's piped through, and because hipsters don't understand this, they have poor quality equipment a lot of the time.

So why do I have vinyls? Because they're fun. They're big, tangible, and just so very real. I rarely listen to my vinyls. In fact, I don't know when the last time I did listen to them. Another thing I like is that it's like having part of history. I have a first edition Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, which I've never had a desire to listen to (I'm bizarre and don't like that album. One of my few faults, I'm sure.). But it's such an important album in history, it feels really cool to own. I even have the little mustache cut-outs.

What I really like owning though are CDs. They are the perfect music format. They don't compress the music down, or do so by only a bit. So they have a much better sound than mp3s, but aren't as awkward to carry around as vinyls. Plus the whole tangibility thing is going on again.

I have a secret love for country music

It's true.

I mean, not even the hip alt-country stuff like Wilco (overrated, by the way). I mean, I like some alt-country, Ryan Adams would be the prime example, along with the Jayhawks, Son Volt, and Uncle Tupelo. But I mean real country. Buck Owens. Hank Williams Jr. and Sr. Gary Stewart. Gram Parsons. Loretta Lynn. Dolly Parton.

That's music with a soul. I mean so much of what's popular and critically well received is this trashy flavor of the month indie/electro/pop sound. Like the Ting Tings. It has no soul, no passion, no heartache. I mean, I love a catchy song as much as the next person, but it gets old quickly. But songs like I've posted below- they are eternal.


Buck Owens- Excuse Me, I Think I Have A Heartache


Loretta Lynn- Portland, Oregon


Hank Williams Sr.- Lovesick Blues


Love Hurts- Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris

Covers: Warm and snuggly or hot and stifling

Covers are a controversial thing in the world of music listeners. Some people love them. Some people think they were the first evil let out of Pandora's Box. Others don't even realize they exist "Britney didn't write (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction? What?"

For me, it really depends on the cover. Some I love. Some bother me. But truth be told, I'd rather listen to a cover that sounds nothing like the original than hear it basically remade. Anyhow, the way I see it there are three types of cover songs.

1.) The Tribute cover.
I'm not talking about singing a song for a tribute album or a tribute concert. That's a different issue entirely. This is more a la Jack White singing Dolly Parton's Jolene. And not changing the genders because it's how she would've sung it.


These are fine. They may sound similar to the original version, but hopefully not too much.

2.) The "it's a really good song, so I'm going to put my own spin on it" cover.
This is the most common sort of cover, and is generally not even thought about, since almost everyone does this. For instance, Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen. If I can't stand his original version, I could go out and listen to a version by any of the following people: Elisa, Maxwell Murder of Saturday's Car Ride Home, Rea Garvey of Reamonn, Alex Lloyd, Sephira, Adam Nikkel, Keren Ann, Willie Nelson, Beefy, Bono, Bon Jovi, Blake, Bret Darby, Clare Bowditch, Fred Eaglesmith, Steve Acho, Allison Crowe, Patricia O'Callaghan, Jackie Greene, Julie Felix, Damien Leith, Anthony Michael Hall [2], Bettie Serveert, Kenny Zhao, John Owen-Jones, Custard, k d lang, Kevin Max, Gord Downie, Simple Plan, Gov't Mule, Steffen Brandt/Tina Dickow (in Danish translation), K's Choice, Enrique Morente (flamenco version, translated to Spanish), Street to Nowhere, Wayne Whittaker, the Prayerbabies, Kevin Christy, Kathryn Williams, Lucky Jim, Over the Rhine, Pat Terlizzi, Myrra Malmberg, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Michael Wolff, The Brown Derbies, Imogen Heap, Popa Chubby, Jimm Zombie, Joe Wilson, Kristian Meurman (in Finnish), Hilary Scott, The Choir of Hard Knocks and Kate Voegele.

Okay, that was a bit unnecessary, but Wikipedia made it so easy.

Point is, there are songs like this that everyone forgets are covers, because everyone covers them. Another great example would be Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Or Yesterday by the Beatles.

3.)The Tragedy Cover
This is not so much the reason behind the attempt as it is the failure of said attempt. What exactly do I mean? This and this (not embedded due to awfulness).

Why I shouldn't be allowed to write about music

I read a lot of music blogs and magazines, and I know what's hip and cool with all those cats. And I know that they'd never let me sit at their music-reviewing lunch table for 4 simple reasons. Basically it's a sort-of pet peeve list regarding music press and bloggers.

1. I don't like Radiohead.
It's not just a lack of like, it's an active dislike. But even more than my dislike for Radiohead is my disgust for Thom Yorke. I don't get him. His music is the absence of everything I like about music. He drones. He has no structure, no real harmony. And it pisses me off that he's so popular. It actually makes me angry. That's how much I dislike him.

2. I enjoy U2, and think Bono is a pretty decent guy.
I don't understand some of the finer points of music elitism, and this is one of them. Everybody who's involved with the music journalism industry seems to have it out for Bono. "He's pretentious." "He wears sunglasses inside" "He's called Bono". I don't see how any of these are basis for irrational hate. Kanye wears freaking venetian blind sunglasses inside. Where're his haters? And how do you know that he's pretentious? Have you met him? Maybe I'm a naive fool, but I think it's nicer to have an irrational like of somebody as opposed to an irrational hatred. But what do I know?

3. I don't see what the hubub is about Daft Punk and Nirvana
I mean, I think they're alright bands. But nothing fancy. Maybe it's just one of those "you had to be there when they changed the music world" deals. I was in elementary school the huge years of both artists, so I guess I wasn't there.

4. I don't listen to music ironically
It seems like everyone has to have something ironic on their iTunes to be hip and chic today. Whether A-Ha, Backstreet Boys, or Hannah Montana, that's how they show their irony chicness. And the more godawful one-hit wonderness it is, the cooler they are. I have A-Ha's Take On Me because I like listening to it. It makes me smile. I have Taylor Swift on my computer because my lady gave it to me and it grew on me. I like Joss Stone. Even the new stuff.


Later today/tonight: Album Review