Posts Tagged ‘Elliott Smith’
August 23, 2011
First of all, I’d like to issue a formal apology. It’s directed at my readers, for sure, but mostly at myself since that’s the main reason I keep adding to this blog – I’m terribly sorry for not posting anything for the last 4 months. It’s really inexcusable. It makes me feel good to write about music that moves me, and though it makes me feel even BETTER to know a few people are reading this stuff, I would still post it if that wasn’t the case. But really, I’d like to make it a goal to post stuff at least 3 times a week, so that’s what I’m going to aim for from here on out. Thanks again to everyone who reads and comments on RGH – you make my day, and I will have more for you to look at very soon! First off, I will begin my “Best of 2011” column right here, where I will post 3-4 capsule reviews of my favorite 2011 albums in each section. Let’s begin!

Matador Records
Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo
Kurt Vile’s wheezy vocal drone has likely caught the ears and hearts of many a disaffected hipster in the past few years. When it comes to his music and general attitude, Vile fits today’s Rock and Roll nativity scene perfectly – he has the balls to point out bullshit going on in the world, but also possesses this Elliott Smith-esque sense of responsibility, as if anything bad happening around him were all his fault. It’s this dichotomy of anger suppressed by an almost laughable guilt that creates Vile’s most usable energy and gives his tunes a bottle-up-and-explode quality (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Andrew Scott, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Murphy, Elliott Smith, Jay Ferguson, Konnor Ervin, Kurt Vile, Patrick Pentland, Sloan, The ACB's, Tom Petty
Posted in New Music | 1 Comment »
April 5, 2010

As we enter this new decade, it is already apparent that in the rock production world, a changing of the guard is at hand. There is a whole new batch of producers, engineers, songwriters and arrangers that are setting a new standard for music today, and thanks to them, it seems we’ll have many more years of memorable tune-age to expect. This list compiles the people who, in my mind, currently stand out as the ones to watch, for their future potential as much as their already impressive achievements. (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Arcade Fire, Beck, Brain Wilson, Brian Eno, Built To Spill, Chris Walla, Dave Fridmann, David Brewis, David Lovering, Death Cab for Cutie, Elliott Smith, Final Fantasy, Fleet Foxes, George Martin, Grizzly Bear, Guided by Voices, Jim Guthrie, Jim Vollentine, Mercury Rev, Mudhoney, Nada Surf, Nigel Godrich, Owen Pallett, Paul McCartney, Peter Brewis, Phil Ek, Pixies, Radiohead, Rob Schnapf, Spoon, Steve Albini, Tegan & Sara, The Anniversary, The Beatles, The Dodos, The Flaming Lips, The Futureheads, The Jesus Lizard, The Last Shadow Puppets, The Loft, The Pet Shop Boys, The Postal Service, The Whigs, They Might Be Giants, Throw Me the Statue, Weezer, White Rabbits, Wilco
Posted in Top Ten Lists | 9 Comments »
March 6, 2010

Island 1969

Kill Rock Stars 1995
3/4/10
Albums of the Day: Nick Drake Five Leaves Left
Elliott Smith Elliott Smith
I found it fitting that the I-Pod album shuffle randomly paired these two albums. Not only are the artists pretty similar musically and thematically, but these albums represent similar facets of their respective careers. (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Billy Corgan, Columbine, Dischord Records, Eddie Vedder, Elliott Smith, Epic Records, Fairport Convention, Frank Black, Fugazi, Guy Piccioto, Ian Mackaye, Island Records, James Iha, John Denver, Kill Rock Stars, Kurt Cobain, Minutemen, Nick Drake, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Richard Thompson, Smashing Pumkins, Spacemen 3, The Promise Ring, The Rolling Stones, The Smithereens, Uncle Tupelo, Virgin Records, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Posted in Music Journal | Leave a Comment »
January 2, 2010
Now to finish it off!

25. Bjork—Selmasongs (2000)
Like the film Dancer in the Dark did for the musical, “In the Musicals” reinvents the musical number. It has all the rising, uplifting trajectory of the best Rogers & Hammerstein tunes without being cheesy and overbearing like those were. Sure, musicals were the thing back in the forties, but it can be safely said that their popularity and credibility are slipping these days. (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Animal Collective, At the Drive-In, Beck, Best Albums of the Decade, Best Music of the Decade, bjork, Brian Wilson, Coldplay, Decade Lists, Deerhoof, Elliott Smith, Midlake, My Morning Jacket, Nada Surf, Pernice Brothers, Phoenix, Sloan, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Spoon, Starling Electric, Sun Kil Moon, Super Furry Animals, Superdrag, The Exploding Hearts, The Shins, The Strokes, Wilco, Yo La Tengo
Posted in Top 100 Albums of the Decade 2000-2009 | Leave a Comment »
December 17, 2009

Kill Creek—Colors of Home
Second Nature, 2001
If Kill Creek’s previous album, Proving Winter Cruel, was bleak, then Colors of Home is downright dreary. To play off a popular cliché, it feels right at home on one of those days in Kansas where the sky turns yellow-green before a tornado. The fact that Kill Creek hails from Kansas may have something to do with this distinction (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:American Music Club, Brian Wilson, Columbia, DreamWorks, Elliott Smith, From A Basement on the Hill, Kansas, Kill Creek, Lawrence, Mark Eitzel, moog, Scott Born, Second Nature Records, Songs From Northern Britain, Teenage Fanclub, XO
Posted in Top 100 Albums of the Decade 2000-2009 | Leave a Comment »
November 25, 2009

Sloan—Pretty Together
Murderecords, 2001
Maybe it’s the fact that they are Canadian and American audiences just can’t stomach them, maybe their songwriting is just too saccharine for most American tastes—who knows. Whatever the reason, Sloan will never get what they deserve from America. (more…)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Tags:Anti-, Brian Wilson, Canada, CMJ, CMJ Heatseekers, Elliott Smith, Epic Records, Jagermeister, Murderecords, Sloan, Super Furry Animals, techno
Posted in Top 100 Albums of the Decade 2000-2009 | 5 Comments »