Each week donewaiting.com asks a guest writer, musician or magician to choose three albums they would recommend for the Tuesday Three: One album released within the next seven days, one released in 2003, and one released from the past or the future, no restriction.
Daisy Glaze is America’s #1 Rock Consultant. She would love to advise your band on how to “make it” in the music business. Find out more at her website www.daisyglaze.com. She also manages Boston band King Radio. This is Daisy’s very first time as a record reviewer, and she’s pretty sure that you’ll dig her picks!
Smudge- Tea, Toast & Turmoil [Something Old]
Smudge is an Australian band known for it?s lo-fi recordings that feature lots of dirty guitars, shitloads of feedback, and catchy songs with surprisingly complex structures, although they seem quite simplistic. Smudge?s sheer brilliance consists primarily of singer/songwriter Tom Morgan, who co-wrote Evan Dando?s best stuff way back when the Lemonheads were cool (“It?s a Shame About Ray” and “Great Big No”, for starters).
The best known song on this disc is the first single, “Don?t Want To Be Grant McLennan”, a scathing 2-minute “tribute” to the leader of The Go-Betweens: “here?s a great song I wrote, so good it doesn?t rhyme”. Hilarious, but leaves you wondering who the song is really about ? Morgan orMcLennan.
“Divan” is another great song about couch surfing (“if you get the feeling you?ll be hanging around, you can crash out on my divan”), starting off slow and acoustic, building verse by verse into a barrage of wonderful, noisy feedback. Covered by many, the original version is second to none.
In a song called “Allison” (about Smudge drummer Allison “starting to happen” Galloway), Morgan rhymes “contagious” with “courageous”, and by then you?re hooked.
Tom Morgan is a genius, plain and simple. A virtual “best of” compilation (with only one song running over 3 minutes), featuring the first two Smudge EPs, as well as unreleased tracks, singles, b-sides and even 3 songs about food. In my opinion, Smudge?s best stuff was the early stuff, therefore making “Tea, Toast & Turmoil” THE smudge CD to own. Period.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Hearts of Oak [Something New]
I tease Ted Leo when I refer to him as “His Vegan Modness”. Back in the 1960?s the term “mod” was defined as “clean living under difficult circumstances”. Ted epitomizes that statement, especially in regards to “Hearts of Oak”, most of which was written after the horrible events that happened on 9/11/01, which also was Ted?s 31st birthday.
“You didn?t think they could hate you now, did you?” is the question Leo belts out, knowing full well the pure hatred the world has for Americans these days in “The Ballad of the Sin Eater”. He even throws one tiny phrase into “The High Party” asking how he was going to “process that birthday”. Socio-political lyrics aside, this album is nothing but a mix of all 31 flavors of rock ? punk, ska, reggae, new wave, The Jam and a little Bad Company thrown in for extra oomph!
“Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?” is a Thin Lizzy-esque (think “Jailbreak”) tribute to the legendary two-tone band the Specials ? using only words from or related to Specials songs as lyrics. I saw him play it live on Late Night with Conan O?Brien and my mind was blown. Who the heck is that mod guy with the raunchy rasp that capitulates effortlessly into a Tilbrook-like falsetto at the drop of a hat? The next week, I saw him play live twice at SXSW and was immediately converted.
This is one of those albums where every single song is a winner, and reminds you of the time when it was all about being young, punk and doing it yourself; writing songs fraught with lyrics that actually said something. Ted Leo has something to say, and I think, finally, that the world is ready to listen. Especially if he keeps the message coded within some of the catchiest tunes this side of the Mississippi.
Steve Wynn Static Transmission [Something Really New]
I got the promo version of this album as a gift: 11 songs, plus one “secret track”. From what I?ve heard the first 1000 or so copies of the proper release of Static Transmission contains two discs ? the one I have and another that contains 8 bonus songs. Excellent idea, but I can?t say much about the mysterious disc two, since I haven?t heard it, so let?s talk about
disc one.
If former Dream Syndicate leader Steve Wynn & his Miracle Three?s last album, “Here Come the Miracles”, was the creepy desert album, then Static Transmission is the breezy, Laurel Canyon-esque California album (even though it was recorded in the same studio, way out in the desert, as the last one). I was introduced to the music of “legendary cult artist” (whatever that means), Steve Wynn this year when he performed at Twangfest, and I can?t begin to describe how fantabulous he was! I missed the whole Dream Syndicate boat back in the 80?s and thought of him as a one of those whiny singer-songwriters and couldn?t believe how hard he rocked my world and changed my life in those 45 wonderful minutes. Really.
Truth be told, the secret weapon in Wynn?s band, The Miracle 3, is drummer Linda Pitmon. I cannot even begin to describe the live, crispy sounds of the drums and percussion on this album ? fast or slow, loud or soft. Amazing.
The absolute best song on “Static Transmission” is the 6:35 rocker “Amphetamine”. It?s the song that college radio programmers cream in their jeans for: fast, loud, tuned-down dueling guitars and lyrics all about driving down Highway 101, freaking out because not only are you speeding, you?re “speeding”. I?m into that. “Started shaking bad/fearing for my life/I let go of the wheel/and flew into the night.” I?m all about that. Actually I have to go get up and dance around my apartment to it right this second. It?s that wonderful. “I?m gonna live until the day I die!” ? come on everyone, are you with me? “We?re gonna take it to the limit in a New York minute” is the sing-along ending of the infectiously catchy “California Style” ? letting us know that although Wynn?s been living in NYC for a couple of years now, he?s not letting go of his roots.
Seriously, the days of Steve Wynn as a whiny singer-songwriter are long gone. Now he?s back doing a darker and heavier sound that, in my opinion, features a little bit of that late 60?s/early seventies LA sound: sometimes loud, sometimes quiet ? but always rocking with just a little bit of that?” something” that keeps it fresh and makes you wishing you lived in California.
Maybe it?s the layering of guitars on top of guitars, dueling each other, if you will, and then all of a sudden getting quiet again. Maybe it?s the edginess of the ballads. Maybe it?s plain old great recording and smart use of dynamics. I don?t know what it is. But I know that I like it, especially when Steve wishes us “A Fond Farewell” at the beginning of track 11 (hint: secret song is at the end). Either way, I know he?s gonna hate this review.
