the main thing that I look for in any music is this…do I understand why they are doing this? why did they write these songs? why did they become musicians instead of doctors, lawyers, truck driver's wives etc...if i can answer those questions, then we're off to a good start...this is what i feel sarah was getting at in her first match-up (luna vs. the band)...
l i have to say, this has been a my toughest matchup, so far...i agree with uncle eric about sufjan stevens...his voice lacks bite to me...his albums, "illinois" in particular, are heavy on concept, cleverness, and complexity...i find this to be a deeply weird album that lacks a perceptible emotional center...like it's weird just to be weird...the sprawling epics, like "the tallest man..." and "come on feel the illinoise..." just wear me out and make me irritated...the quiet ones, like "john wayne gacy, jr." and "casimir pulaski day" don't annoy me as much, but the singing just doesn't do it for me and the end of the day "gacy" seems like a cheap lyrical trick about original sin...deep in a shallow way...i listened to whole thing again today without stopping and i felt like i really accomplished something...i like the chorus in "the man of metropolis steal our hearts"...i tried, i really tried...i watched youtube clips, read reviews and interviews, and watched a bunch of his BQE documentary on Pitchfork...it just doesn't do it for me...
when I first heard “separation sunday”, i thought hey, this is the more fully realized/hardcore version of “only the good die young” by billy joel that the world has been waiting for…i listened to it while reading the lyrics and that made it a lot more enjoyeable...he really does have something to say and has found a convincing way of getting it across...i don't know shit about catholics, drugs, and hoodrats in the twin cities, but this album still makes sense to me...i really like "don't let me explode" "charlemagne in sweatpants" and "how a resurrection really feels"...this is a weird album, too, but it feels more honest and less of a put on...i really hate the line: "she got screwed up by religion, she got screwed by soccer players"...dumb, dumb, dumb...
what made this such a hard decision is guilt..."illinois" is so highly seeded i felt that unless i loved what it was against quite a bit, i'd pick it...it just didn't work out that way...the winner: the hold steady
I listened to some of "Illinois" after I had finished with Seven Swans, and I agree with what you said about it, Mr. Wilson. I feel bad that you and I knocked down Sufjan twice in this round, but then again maybe I don't. I suspect zwartitude will be pleased with your decision anyhoo.
ReplyDeleteWow, the weaker album won. Shocking. And it was an Eric or Andy W. pick. The world as I know it is upside down.
ReplyDeleteLove this part: "the main thing that I look for in any music is this…do I understand why they are doing this? why did they write these songs? why did they become musicians instead of doctors, lawyers, truck driver's wives etc...if i can answer those questions, then we're off to a good start..."
ReplyDeleteI do like Illinoise, though I haven't listened to it in a good while. It IS gimmicky, but that's its schtick and it's open about it. I have a feeling Karl's earlier review may have tarnished my appreciation for it a bit. He just dissected it too dang well.
I actually love Illinois. That Palisades songs makes me teary almost every time. However, I don't need to convince any of you of the joy I feel about The Hold Steady moving on. Andy, your line about this being the hardcore version of "Only the Good Die Young"--man, I just feel like you just nailed it.
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