Apropos of the question of Genius, three damn fine recording artists have all released new records within the last few months: Stephen Malkmus, Will Oldham, and Mikael Akerfeldt.
The records are as follows:
The last five to six years of my life have been in many ways guided and stunted by the consistent output of these artists. More than anything, I hope to hear others' thoughts on the latest from these vets.
My $0.02 -
The solo output of Malkmus is, so it seems to me, much maligned and for the worst reason: it's not Pavement. Bollocks. I thought Pig Lib was outstanding, "It Kills" is one of the best singles ever, and his s/t record was better than solid. That said, I still expected him to start declining a little. I was completely wrong, as Real Emotional Trash might be his best shit since disbanding Pavement. He's always been a strong guitar player with a wry sense of non-performance, but I think his true strength has always been his songwriting, not his style, and I think that is just getting better and better. His lyrics and delivery are still a hurdle for a lot of people, and the fact that he records in his basement in suburbia between raising his kids and having dinner with his wife, makes some people scoff. I think he's brilliant.
Will Oldham has been one of my favorite songwriters since I heard Days In The Wake. His obsession with the Light/Dark dichotomy has come full circle with his latest, Lie Down In The Light. A far more optimistic record than its brooding sister, I See A Darkness, Lie Down In The Light shows Oldham aging but losing none of his trademark wit and quirky delivery, not to mention the songs and performances are terrific. I'd say this is his best since I See A Darkness.
When Martin Lopez left Opeth, I was downcast. When Peter Lindgren left, I was crestfallen. However, Mikael Akerfeldt has proven that he has always been and always will be the heart and soul of Opeth. Watershed is a fucking watershed of an album, and it proves that Ghost Reveries was no fluke; Opeth has synthesized Deliverance and Damnation, the Light and the Dark. "The Lotus Eaters" KILLS!!!!!
In other news, I think In Rainbows is one of the most disappointing records I've ever heard. I was once (and still am I guess) an enormous Radiohead fan, but the newest just doesn't do it for me. 40-year-old Brits making pristine records and giving them away (only to have their entire back catalog raped by Capitol records a few months later) doesn't make me excited.
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11 comments:
S.M. is my hero anyway. Nothing to dispute, period (talking about genius).
UPDATE: Not surprisingly, Robert Pollard released yet another record today. I have not been too interested in his recent solo work, but boy can he crank them out.
from a compound eye was amazizizizing.
agreed. but come on, ought 6 was like 50 records ago.
he's a workhorse. plus it doesn't hurt that his songs average in 56 seconds in length.
Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department - best solo Pollard.
Psycho and the Birds records are sickkk as well.
Bands intended as one-offs now have 4 or 5 records -- thats how much shit the dude writes.
And -- there is at least one brilliant song on all 400 or so albums
"Gimme a ballpark estimUHT"
it's at least the best in the Fading Captain series.
Also - Opeth are the kings of the 1-2 punch. Tracks 2 and 3 on the new album are so good.
I saw Malkmus at the paradise when Face the Truth came out, he played drums for the whole encore. Plus it was basketball playoff season and he kept going backstage to check the scores. It was still pretty incredible.
and everyone should own a shirt that says:
Who the
fuck
is
Stephen Malkmus?
i haven't seen him since he (almost!) upstaged Radiohead at the Tweeter Center in ought 3
however, he is headlining the Siren Festival this year...can I get a HELL YEAH
a free Hell Yeah, I saw Saul Williams at the Siren festival a few years ago...seriously fucking amazing.
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