Our Endless Numbered Days vs. Stone Roses self-titled
I thought this would be easier than it was. I re-listened to Our Endless Numbered Days first. I remember listening to this when it came out and being initially disappointed that Sam Beam had gotten away from his lo-fidelity feel. I quickly came around to this album and recognized for what it is...perfectly enjoyable listening. Iron and Wine feels like music personally performed for you in your living room. His voice feels warm, lived-in. This album really holds up well to repeated listening. I felt like I had to pick this album.
Then I listened to the Stone Roses again. The first 5 tracks on the album are brilliant. I love the jangly/dancy/pop feel to the songs, and they always make me want to turn the volume up louder. Elizabeth My Dear is a joke of a song that hasn't held up as well, but British humor seems to have a longer expiration date on it. It performs a nice segue to the second half of the album and the powerful closing songs on the album. To me, this album is timeless (even though it's very specific to a certain time/music scene). I'll be honest, it's hard for me to separate the nostalgia wrapped up in music. The nostalgia is part of the appeal for me. Objectively, I believe this album is still more impressive, even to this day.
Winner: the Stone Roses (Oh, how I wish I had seen you live)
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It's interesting. I think both of these albums are terrific, but I was disappointed by both bands live. The Stone Roses weren't great, but I did have a lot of fun dancing with Dwight at the back. I saw Iron and Wine a couple of years ago, and they were so boring. Oddly enough, it was just a lot of jamming. Anyone else have examples of bands you love but were completely disappointed with live?
ReplyDeleteI think saying the Stone Roses 'weren't great' is being pretty cheritable. He didn't hit pitch the entire show. I love that band, but that live show was crap (but fun).
ReplyDeletePavement was one of my biggest disappointments live, followed closely by Beck touring after Mellow Gold (which is interesting to me, because he's supposedly puts on an awesome show now). Badly drawn Boy also, just horrible live. I saw Hayden after The Closer I Get and still consider when of the best shows I've been to; I saw him several years later and was very underwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I was suprised to be completely blown away by Dylan live, after hearing his reputation as very hit or miss live
Red House Painters were awful live. Also, when I saw Iron and Wine, they got caught in a blizzard in Utah and only Sam Beam made it out to Denver for the show. He came out and said, and I loosely quote "So, my band is stuck in Utah in a blizzard, and I'm really sick, but I'm here, so here we go." Then, there was this clapper person, who continued to clap off beat throughout about the middle half of the concert. Mutliple times, Beam pretty much stopped in the middle of performing in a sort of shocked dream like state, perhaps cursing the fact that he had ever become live performer. Remarkably, although it certainly wasn't a great concert, I still enjoyed parts of it, and was at least impressed that Beam didn't just walk off the stage due to the clapping moron in the crowd.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't forgiven Ida for the show they put on at Schubas about 6 years ago. i haven't been able to listen to them at all. they argued with each other the whole show about what songs to play and then just played shitty covers and started and stopped. Talk about craptastic.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Me in the Tree.
I know I'm treading on sacred ground here, so I will be careful...It was not a disaster of a show, but I was a little disappointed when I saw Spiritualized play live at Clutch Cargo's in Pontiac, MI, after "Ladies and Gentlemen..." It was just TOOOOOO FREAKIN' LOUD. I remember several points in the show when I could see all the instruments up there but it just sounded like a nauseating wall of squealing, squawking noise that I couldn't process. It almost physically hurt. It probably didn't help that the kid next to me was hitting his peace pipe pretty hard and I was inadvertently inhaling second-hand controlled-substance smoke...At any rate, I don't think the tinnitus has stopped ever since.
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