Sound Opinions, being the scholarly work it is, has provided footnotes to help you navigate through the show's vast maze of musical knowledge.
Because, let's face it—sometimes even we have no idea what the heck Jim and Greg are talking about.
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07-25-08 Footnotes
Show 139: "We Were Wrong," Reviews of The Hold Steady and King Khan
Listen to the MP3 Stream of this show: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 After all the hubbub caused by the “Nipplegate” scandal, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has now tossed out the FCC’s indecency fine against CBS. The network aired Janet Jackson’s famous wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show and was subsequently fined $550,000 by the FCC. The court ruled that the FCC acted arbitrarily and can’t change 3 decades of policy without due cause. Jim and Greg are curious to see how this decision will impact broadcasting and music performances on television in the future.
2 The name you are sure to hear this year, especially if you are a parent, is Miley Cyrus. The tween sensation has shed her Hannah Montana alter-ego to release her first solo album Breakout. While much of the talk about Cyrus concerns her rocky road to adulthood, Jim and Greg focus on the music. Greg hears nothing out of the ordinary: “assembly line pop rock.” It’s like second-rate Go-Go’s, which isn’t a bad thing, but he hopes fans graduate to something more interesting after this album. Greg gives Breakout a Burn It. Jim is much more enthusiastic, calling the album “absolutely wonderful.” It’s exactly what he would encourage parents to give their kids. He gives it a Buy It.
3 Music fans tell Jim and Greg they are wrong all the time, but the critics are not too big to admit it themselves. This week they come clean with some of their critical errors. Here are Greg’s self-confessed mistakes:
Jesus Jones: Greg initially liked the group’s melding of rock and techno in songs like “Right, Here, Right Now,” but can see now that they weren’t the breakouts he thought they’d be.
Oasis: The British brothers were immediate hits in their own country, but not with Greg. He admits that he fell prey to that common critical trap of being a “hype-buster.” But now, listening to songs like “Champagne Supernova,” he has to admit that they are solid, melodic rock songs. Sorry, Gallaghers.
U2: Greg didn’t take to the band’s album Achtung Baby when it came out in 1991. He was used to a different sound from the Irish rockers. But after seeing them tour behind the album, he grew to love it and now counts it as his favorite U2 album.
R.E.M.: These contemporaries of U2 also shed their ‘80s image with the album Monster. In retrospect, Greg doesn’t think this effort was so successful. What he once saw as glam, now appears shallow, and the songs just don’t hold up.
4 While Jim was stumped to think of any bands that had fallen from grace and stands behind all his pleasures, guilty or not, he did reveal some bands he was quick to dismiss and grew to love. Here’s where Jim had it wrong:
Radiohead Partly because of its subject matter, and partly because of Thom Yorke’s vocal style, Jim found their Radiohead’s album off-putting. But, as time has gone by, he’s come to appreciate Yorke’s voice and now understands that OK Computer was fittingly cold and alienating.
The Jam Jim confesses that he used to mock his good friend for being such a huge fan of the British Mod-revivalists. But, after becoming a fan of Paul Weller’s solo work, Jim has since gone back to The Jam and become a fan in his own right.
Arcade Fire Jim really loves the orch-pop genre, but was dubious of these indie phenoms. He was lukewarm to negative on their debut Funeral, but after seeing the Arcade Fire live and really getting to getting to hear those rhythms he can now admit that he was wrong.
5 Jim and Greg review two of the bands who appeared at last weekend’s Pitchfork Music Festival. The first up for review is The Hold Steady. Their fourth album, Stay Positive, continues with the band’s literary bar music formula, but according to Greg, the emphasis has been moved away from guitarist Tad Kubler’s riffs and hooks. Greg wishes there was more great guitar work and less “harpsichord filagree.” He gives Stay Positive a Burn It. Jim has never been a Hold Steady fan, but was impressed with their performance at Pitchfork. On record is another story. He agrees with Greg about the keyboards and describes Stay Positive as overdone and a whole lot of nothing. Jim gives the album a Trash it.
6 The day after The Hold Steady took the stage, Pitchfork fans were wowed by the antics of King Khan and His Shrines. Jim was less wowed with Khan’s own wardrobe malfunction, which he felt distracted from the music. He’s impressed with Khan’s collection of past recordings, The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines, which is almost like Iggy Pop meets James Brown. Greg hears Nuggets-era soul, and thinks The Supreme Genius is a great introduction into Khan’s music. Both critics give the album a Buy It rating.
Songs Featured in Show #139
Justin Timberlake, "Rock Your Body," Justified, 2002
Miley Cyrus, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Breakout, 2008
Miley Cyrus, "Breakout," Breakout, 2008
Patsy Cline, "So Wrong," The Patsy Cline Story, 1963
Jesus Jones, "Right Here, Right Now," Doubt, 1991
Oasis, "Champagne Supernova," (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, 1995
Radiohead, "Paranoid Android," OK Computer, 1997
Fiona Apple, “A Mistake,” When the Pawn Hits…, 1999
The Jam, “That’s Entertainment,” Sound Affects, 1980
U2, “Zoo Station,” Achtung Baby, 1991
R.E.M, “Let Me In,” Monster, 1994
Arcade Fire, “Neighborhood #2 (Laika),” Funeral, 2004
Air, “Kelly Watch the Stars (Moog Cookbook Remix),” Moon Safari [10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition], 2008
The Hold Steady, “Sequestered in Memphis,” Stay Positive, 2008
The Hold Steady, “Constructive Summer” Stay Positive, 2008
The Hold Steady, “One for the Cutters,” Stay Positive, 2008
King Khan & His Shrines, “Took My Lady to Dinner,” The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines, 2008
King Khan & His Shrines, “Torture,” The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines, 2008
Venetian Snares, “Poo Yourself Jason,” Detrimentalist, 2008
Foreigner “Love on the Telephone,” Head Games, 1979
Nas, “You Can’t Stop Us Now,” Untitled, 2008
Reverend Horton Heat, “Psychobilly Freakout,” Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em, 1992
The Feelies, “Forces at Work,” Crazy Rhythms, 1980
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