Silence Is Not Golden

By now you're likely sick of all the ads, the media coverage and the water cooler talk at the office. The election may still be more than five weeks off, but at this point most voters are feeling campaign fatigue.  Chances are pretty good you have made your mind up on the Presidency one way or the other. Maybe you've told yourself you're not thrilled with the options you have for that office or that you've become frustrated with the entire political game and you aren't sure that any of them have your best interests at heart.  These scenarios are all reasonable and understandable points of view. Guess what? You still need to get off your ass and go vote.

I know. You're wondering how I have come to the conclusion that I get to tell you what to do, right?  I don't get to "tell you", but I get to remind you that voting is not just your right, but your responsibility. You can take the coward's way out and say that not voting is as much of a political statement as voting and volunteering and working for a candidate or cause. That philosophy is partially true, because you are making a choice. But it is not a choice based on the good of the government that represents you. It's a choice based on what makes you feel good by doing nothing. Doing nothing in this sense muddles and dilutes the process of democracy.

Not voting is a defiant act that may have the best of intentions behind it, but voting is not a political act. It is a patriotic and sacred endeavor. Like it or not, this is how we have chosen to administer justice and policy in our republic for more nearly two and a half centuries. It is an imperfect system; a system which can be maddening and at times even callous, but most of the time it works. It usually works really well, actually.

Sadly, much of the time when the democratic process does fail, is because we the electorate are uninvolved. This simple lesson that you probably learned in high school civics is just as true today as it was then. No Vote = No Voice.

Before you get all high and mighty and tell me what an ass bag I am, remember that I am not telling you that you have to vote. I am reminding you that you should. You should vote because what gets decided on Nov. 6th and in virtually every election that's occurred since you turned 18, affects your life directly, no matter how slightly. The significance of the decisions we make in the polling booth are almost always of more value than the amount of time it took you to cast a ballot.

For much of our history, large groups of our citizens were denied the right to vote in this country. From minorities and women to the descendants of those who were here before European explorers arrived. For the first several elections in our nation you were required to be a white, male landowner to cast a ballot. The conditions for who is allowed to vote have changed slowly and painfully throughout the last two centuries, many times at the cost of lives. Now, for the most part, you need be 18 years of age and a legal resident to participate in this great endeavor.

The freedom which we are so frequently prideful of in our land is most brightly illuminated in our voting process. It is a freedom which comes with a body count and bloody past. It is not to be trifled with and it is not to be considered lightly. It is not designed to be a playground for base political games. If we choose to let it become something less than a great freedom and a day of celebration for our right to vote, that would be a damn shame.

So, you may choose to not vote on Nov. 6th. That is your solemn right and no one can make you go do it. Just remember that your are an integral part of this process and your voice will have an affect on our future, whether you choose to use it or not.

A Congress Of Dunces

This week, the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago City School District were able to reach an agreement that ended a strike that lasted just less than two weeks. The strike reactivated vitriol and heated debate over the issues of unions, teachers and the state of public education. Finally, after the smoke cleared, the two sides were able to reach an amicable agreement based on compromise that returned more than 350,000 children to the classroom.

Much of the debate against the teachers had to do with poor performance, a lack of clear results based on test scores and the antiquated maxim that teachers get their summers off and leave work everyday at 3:00 pm. This is an issue I have spoken on before, but more than wanting to defend the noble profession of teaching I was actually reminded of another group of employees that work fewer days, with lesser results that are severely over-compensated and require no union to negotiate on their behalf. I am talking of course, about the Unites States Congress.

The second session of the 112th Congress came back to work on September 10, 2012 after their annual five week summer break. They worked all five days that week, and then returned to session the next week to work three days. Now, they're going on break again until after the Nov. 6 election. Yep, you read that right. They took a five week break, came back to work a blazing eight days in two weeks and then hit the road again for six weeks. This means, that in a twelve week period, our legislators have actually been on the job for eight days.

Certainly by now you're thinking, "Well they have to run for office." Does your job allow you to vote on when you'll be taking time off for a round of interviews to get a promotion or schmooze to keep your job? Mine sure as hell does not. And even if the typical election year schedule does allow for time for campaigning, it's imperative to remember two very fundamental points. First, maybe if you need time to campaign to keep your job, you should shorten your break in a summer there is an election. Second, you are being paid to legislate and not to win over voters.

In fact, thus far in 2012 Congress has been in actual legislative session just 111 days. As a direct contrast, the average school teacher spends about 180 days in the classroom. Sure, the congressman needs to have time to campaign and spend time in his district in much the same way that a teacher must obtain advanced degrees, plan lessons, correct homework and attend meetings, conferences and extra curricular events. After the election is done, there are likely to be only 20 - 25 days of legislative session time before the end of the year. Meaning that at best, congress will come up at least 35 days short of the average school teacher.

The average salary for a public school teacher in this country is somewhere near $44,000. Teachers in Chicago weren't even negotiating about money as much issues like the length of school day, tenure, the affect of test scores on promotion and retention and of course benefits like health care and pensions.

Meanwhile, the average congressional member receives around $174,000 per year. That works out to an average salary of about four times a teacher, while working seven fewer weeks a year. But it doesn't stop there. Congressional members also receive a very generous benefits package including lifelong pensions guaranteeing them a full salary for life and the very best health care money can buy.

So, we must be getting great results from spending so much money on these illustrious national leaders. Well, that is not how it appears to the average observer. Several recent polls show an approval rating for Congress at somewhere around 10%. In other words, 9 of every 10 Americans think they're doing a poor job at running our country. Gridlock rules the day and the blame game is more rampant than at any time in modern history.

Some pundits have even speculated that the reason for the lengthy absence prior to the election is the simple political fact that no one will compromise enough to pass legislation because it may give the other party some sort of political capital. They're refusing to work together, so they just won't work at all.

The Chicago teachers have returned to the classroom to help children learn and to help them grow to become members of a productive society. Perhaps those students will become productive as long as they aren't taught to run for Congress.

My Freeloading Ways

In the hours since the first appearance of the now infamous video of Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney speaking candidly about his campaign and economic viewpoint at a Boca Raton fundraiser last May, pundits and strategists have been calculating the political damage and assessing the fallout. Even conservative columnists like David Brooks have taken Mr. Romney for being completely out of touch with the electorate.

In terms of how this affects Romney's chances of winning will take weeks to play out. In the immediate aftermath of these incendiary, and deeply cynical statements I have attained a crystallization as to why I find the tactics of the right so appalling and out of touch with my own view on life.

I paid no federal income taxes for the year 2011. Therefore in Mitt Romney's eyes I am a free-loader sucking at the teat of big government. According to his Orwellian vision of a failed America, I have no ambition, no work ethic and no desire to better myself or to take responsibility for my life. Mr. Romney, while I respect your right to your own ideas and the right to free speech, let me show what my life is really like and perhaps in that example you may begin to see why I am offended by your short sighted and bigoted policy views and why you will not get my vote this November.

For the last several years of my life I have co-owned my own small business. During that time I have purchased a building, paid to have it renovated and paid annual property taxes. Obviously, our business has hired employees, paid unemployment taxes, federal payroll taxes, state withholding taxes and made employee contributions to retirement accounts and paid for our own health insurance policies. We pay these bills on time and in full and are always in good stead on our accounts.

At the end of 2008, my wife graduated with a bachelor's degree after quitting her job and focusing again on her education. Upon completion of her degree, she was not only unable to attain a job in her field of study, she was unable to attain any job at all. Yet, her student loan bills still came due and a crumbling economy had nothing to offer our family. Still, she helped at our business and four years later is waiting for that opportunity to garner full time employment.

As a family with two children and an unemployed wife, our family manages to get by on what I make for a living. However, after Earned Income Credits, deductions for our kids and mortgage and various other factors, our final income tax bill is zero.

So you'll pardon me sir, if I do not share your view that because we borrowed federal funds to send my wife to school and because we pay no federal income tax that we are irresponsible and unmotivated. I work very hard to run my business. My wife gave up a job to return to school and build a better life for our family and we wound up worse off than before, but we're not complaining to anyone or waiting for a handout. My kids have access to a special health program run by the state that affords the two of them excellent medical care for a very low rate. We take advantage of this because it is in the best interest of our children and their future. I would imagine that if you found yourself in the same situation, you would do the same thing.

Perhaps this is a large part of why you misunderstand the average American so terribly. Because you have been privileged to grow up with means, it's likely that you lack a real world understanding of families like ours who have taken advantage of government help. Maybe, you do understand my situation and still think me a freeloader. Or, it could be, that you don't really mean what you said and you just keep the saying the wrong kinds of things the wrong way. I don't know.

What I do know is that in you I see a man bereft of compassion and empathy for a group of people who need help. Working families, starving families, sick families and hopeless families. If you are elected President, these people will be your constituents as well and I would very much like to believe that you will look out for their best interest and that you will enact policy to help them make their lives better. Your actions and your words betray that you will not do that. You will treat them like lepers and hangers on who are just dragging the system down.

The 47% you so blatantly chided in your speech are not a drag on our system Mr. Romney. They are our system. They are social security recipients, student loan holders, veterans, business owners, the working poor, the unemployed and the lower middle class fighting to get to the next rung on the ladder.  In a way, we are the 21st century's poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free. We may not be of import to you and you may look down at us with scornful indignation, but I can promise that our family will be at the front of the line on election day to ensure that you don't get an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. Because it would irresponsible of me to let a man like you be the President of the United States.

Heavy Rotation - Sept. 7, 2012

After a six month hiatus and a lazy summer, the Heavy Rotation column is back. Let's roll . . .

In our weekly series, Heavy Rotation, I will write about the five records I have been spinning regularly over the last week. There is not an expiration date. The records included can be from any time period at all. All entries are eligible to appear for multiple weeks. In fact, repetition is likely due to the fact that while I listen to a fair amount of music, it's not as much as I'd like to make time for. Also, as some of you may know, we have a vinyl only policy around our house, so as expected, all entries on the list are being listened to via turntable.

Ladies and germs, presenting the Sept. 7th installment Heavy Rotation:

Elliott Smith | An Introduction To . . .
Kill Rock Stars | 2010

Seven years after the untimely death of Elliott Smith his complete catalogue was reissued on vinyl along with this primer designed to court a new generation of fans. The collection is an interesting melange of obvious pop gems, bedroom folk recordings and a handful of deep tracks. In essence, it is precisely what it claims to be, a great introduction to a terrific pop songwriter, not a "greatest hits" collection. For those looking to dip a toe in the waters of Mr. Smith, this LP is a great place to begin.

Of Monsters And Men | My Head Is An Animal
Universal Republic | 2011

At this point, you have probably heard the My Head Is An Animal's lead-off single, "Little Talks" at least once even if you're just soaking it up through osmosis via the teenagers in your neighborhood. I knew, as soon as I laid ears on it, it was the sort of thing my teen/tween daughters would love to bits. So, this LP has rested comfortably on our turntable far more than any other this summer.   With lots of records selected by youngsters, the repetition might get old. It hasn't happened with this one yet.

Paul Simon | Graceland
Warner Bros. | 1986

After recently spending a rainy afternoon watching an episode of VH1's Classic Album's on this record, I gave it my first full listen in several years. Graceland is one of those remarkable records that sounds as vibrant and urgent today as it did to my high school self the first time I heard it twenty five years ago. Simon has made other great records, most notably the Simon & Garfunkel records and his other "African" records have moments of beauty, but this is album is so vastly better than anything else he touched, that it's almost difficult to believe. Once you learn the story of the way the record was made - by recording jam sessions with African musicians and then bringing them back to the States to turn the sessions into songs - your jaw drops even further to the floor. It's brilliant.

Depeche Mode | 101 Live
Sire Records | 1989

There is a maxim that goes something to the effect of "you'll always have a special love for the music that you loved when you were sixteen". Depeche Mode is an object lesson in the truth of that adage. This record spun through during our family dinner the other night and even though certain songs were far too drippy with syrupy, soap opera narrative - I'm looking at you "Blasphemous Rumours" - this double LP still makes me happy. Perhaps the most alluring thing about the recording is that a live record by a synth band seems to be such a contradiction in terms. Yet, DM are at the height of their live power here and in the midst of touring some of their very best material. It's a biased love, but that's part of the attraction.

Happy 100th Birthday Woody!

Saturday, July 14, 2012 marks the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. For nearly half of that century, 45 years to be exact, Woody has been gone; his life cut short by a pernicious nerve disorder known as Huntington's Chorea. In times like these it is usual to look back at a man, his work and his life a full 100 years after his birth, but whether we realize it or not, the spirit of Woody is with us everyday.

Of course, Guthrie is most famous for his brilliant and ubiquitous anthem, "This Land Was Made For You And Me", a song that nearly every American school child of the last six decades has grown up learning to sing. It is in many ways, more American than our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, in that it evades the Francis Scott Key bombast and jingoism to supplant a more noble idea that this coalition of states and immigrants is a humble unit and not a victorious force.

Guthrie actually penned "This Land" as a response to his intense dislike of Irving Berlin's God Bless America" which he thought to be a trite and simplistic view of our nation. Instead of creating a pastoral and bland view of America, Guthrie wrote America as he had seen it, riding its rails, hitching its roads and working its land. He wrote of natural beauty, of man made wonder and vastness and of people fighting for their very lives. In other words, he wrote the truth, and nothing but the truth. Guthrie envisioned America as a beautiful and flawed place. A land that he loved and felt he could claim ownership of, but not at the expense of a fellow human being. It was not a song about the greatness of America, but of its heart and potential. Guthrie saw what was great and that which was broken, but could some day be great and he wrote it all down and set it to music.

For many, this is the extent of the legacy of a scruffy hobo from Okemah, Oklahoma. Guthrie was a man who wrote a song that children grow up singing and he rode some railroads in the depression. Beyond that, he was just a folksinger. But to paint such a one dimensional picture of th man would be to miss the point entirely.

In so many ways, Guthrie's ability to write such an affecting song as "This Land" could only be possible through the life which he had lived. He sufered through the west Texas dust bowl as a sign painter and headed west to California without his wife and children, essentially leaving them behind. Guthrie, like the land in his song, was a flawed entity with the an innate selfishness and rambling ambition. He entertained migrant workers on a nightly radio show, he joined the Merchant Marines during World War Two and even settled in New York City after the war, a sort of Kerouacian hero who finally settled down to start a new family in the late forties.

By joining forces with the Almanac Singers, Guthrie became a direct personal influence on folk icon, Pete Seeger and his recordings during the 1940s were the architectural plans on which the folk revival of the early 1960s was built. The songs and stories of this man have become the lore of our national concept. He was a humble, meager, rambling rag top with a scratchy voice, a devious sense of humor and an insatiable case of wanderlust. Guthrie was and is a legend, a real life folk hero that is equal parts Huck Finn, Johnny Appleseed and Sal Paradise. Woody's story is the American story and this author hopes that one day his grateful nation will make his song the national anthem and put his face on a postage stamp.

Mile Marker Forty

On the morning of May 25th, I will celebrate my fortieth birthday. My inner cynic reminds me that the journey is half over. His booming voice echoes a refrain of all that there is left that I wish to accomplish and see and do and of the fleeting nature of time. The nagging sense of that inner alarm clock has kept me awake in the middle of more than a few nights in the months leading up to this moment.

Shouting amongst the chorus there is also a song of regret. A litany of moments I'd like to go back and change and of paths never taken, rivers of risks never  swum. While trying to drown out the cacophony of time's noisy march, I have looked back upon fences never mended and mistakes that haunt me still, even if only slightly.

These are the sorts of voices I am normally prone to hear; sounds of warning and emotional reminders acting in the guise of tough learned lessons for self-improvement. And yet, these are not the voices I have heard the clearest these last weeks of my thirties. Oddly, it has been a calm, and welcome voice of contentment and optimism that rings in my ears loudest when I consider the importance of this personal milestone.

My four decades of life have been filled with uncanny luck, humbling acts of generosity and the consistent kindness of many, many people. I have a wonderful wife and two beautiful children. Somehow, my kids are in the midst of growing into young adults and this July I will have been very happily married for fifteen years.  My family has been an amazing source of support and encouragement and I have a coterie of friends who I feel have given me so much more than I could have possibly given them. These relationships have left me continually humbled and appreciative for every single one of them.

I have had my fair share of creative successes. There have been a number of bands with whom I have grown as a musician and written and recorded a respectable amount of songs and albums that I still feel a great deal of pride in. There have been benefit shows for political causes and charitable endeavors.  I was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help build a theater company from the ground up and take part in a number of very well done productions. This list may seem like a self-congratulatory resume of personal accomplishments, but in my eyes I see the people who helped me make these things a reality. From my theater contacts to my bandmates and beyond, I have had the undeniable good fortune to meet people with talent and commitment to a vision of creativity in which I could flourish. None of these are solitary accomplishments, even though it's easy to forget that.

I own a home, I co-own and run my own business, but mostly, those seem like mere possessions and I have known myself long enough now to know that I am listing these items last because the importance of them pales in comparison to the people in my life who have truly mattered. So, instead of lamenting my age, I'd rather use this occasion to recognize my own good fortune and do something that I rarely do on my own: Feel thankful. If you're reading this right now, chances are you have played at least some small part in this. Thank you. Thank you very much.

WATCH: New Bon Iver Video

Grammy winner for ahem - best new artist - Bon Iver, have unveiled a new video for their song "Towers". The beautifully shot video seems to have much in common cinematically with its predecessor, "Holocene". They both feature stunning cinematography, a great use of color and have the typical lugubrious feel of a Bon Iver project.

Believe it or not the visual narrative in the Towers video revolves around an old man and the sea. It's even an old man with a big white beard and the sea. No joke. And, while it may seem a bit trite, it's a lovely song and quite a well made video from a film making perspective. You can watch it below.


Bon Iver - Towers (Official Music Video) from Bon Iver on Vimeo.

LISTEN: Stream The New Bowerbirds LP | WATCH Short Doc

The eagerly anticipated third Bowerbirds album, The Clearing from Raleigh is slated to hit shelves on March 6th on Dead Oceans. However, the entire record is streaming online right now courtesy of Stereogum.

Back at the end of January we revealed some details about the new LP and streamed a new song from The Clearing. Now the whole record is right at the door step of your eager little ear canals.

In addition to stream of the new record, the Bowerbirds site has posted a short documentary on the making of The Clearing. Watch it below.


About "The Clearing" by Bowerbirds from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.


Bowerbirds Tour Dates:03-17 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
03-21 Washington, DC – Black Cat
03-22 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
03-23 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03-24 Boston, MA – Paradise
03-26 Montreal, Quebec – La Sala Rossa
03-27 Toronto, Ontario – The Garrison
03-29 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
03-31 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Centre
04-03 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
04-04 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
04-06 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
04-07 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
04-08 San Diego, CA – Casbah
04-11 Austin, TX – The Parish
04-12 Dallas, TX – The Loft
04-14 Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree
04-15 Atlanta, GA – The Earl

LISTEN: Stream The New Andrew Bird Album "Break It Yourself"

Andrew Bird will release his newest album Break It Yourself on March 6th via Mom and Pop Records. Perhaps you even heard the first single, "Eyeoneye" when we streamed it just a few short weeks ago. Well, if your patience has waned awaiting the newest release from America's preeminent indie-pop whistler you can find something new to worry about because the kind folks over at NPR Music are streaming the whole record on their site. Writer Stephen Thompson also shares some of his initial thoughts on the record as a primer for those about to take their first listen.

Stream the record now at NPR Music

In addition to the new long-player, Bird and his band will be hitting the road this spring. Below are his upcoming American dates.

Andrew Bird Tour Dates:
03-15 Dallas, TX - Majestic Theatre
03-16 New Orleans, LA - The Howlin' Wolf
03-17 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
03-19 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
03-20 Columbus, OH - Southern Theatre
03-22 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
03-23 Kansas City, MO - The Uptown Theater
03-24 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
04-09 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
04-10 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Vogue
04-11 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
04-13 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
04-18 Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center
04-19 Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center
04-20 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
05-03 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
05-04 New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
05-05 New York, NY -Beacon Theatre
05-06 Boston, MA - House of Blues
05-08 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-09 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head Live
05-10 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit
05-12 Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre

Kraftwerk To Perform 8 Albums Live At MoMA

Legendary German techno group, Kraftwerk will be performing eight of their studio albums live this April at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The concerts will take place from April 10 through April 17 and will feature the band playing live versions of their now famous albums with the accompaniment of three dimensional video.

You can get more info and read the full story over at Slicing Up Eyeballs.

To get you in the mode, you can watch a video for "Das Model" below.

WATCH: New Video For Girls' Single, "My Ma"

San Francisco's Girls were heavily  - and justifiably - lauded for their wonderful 2011 LP, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Now, the band have prepped a single for the track "My Ma". True Panther will release the single on May 22nd and will limit the pressing to just 1000 copies.

To celebrate the release, the band have also assembled a video for the single. The heartfelt video follows an elderly woman around as she ruminates on her former life as an actress. The footage is endearing and works very well with the narrative of the song, but at times comes off a bit creepy as the woman rehearses her faces to prove that her acting chops are still in tact. Goofy, but ultimately, effective.

In addition to the forthcoming single, Girls will also be making a live appearance on Conan on March 22. Watch the video below.

Heavy Rotation - Week Of Feb 25th

In our weekly series, Heavy Rotation, I will write about the five records I have been spinning regularly over the last week. There is not an expiration date. The records included can be from any time period at all. All entries are eligible to appear for multiple weeks. In fact, repetition is likely due to the fact that while I listen to a fair amount of music, it's not as much as I'd like to make time for. Also, as some of you may know, we have a vinyl only policy around our house, so as expected, all entries on the list are being listened to via turntable.

Ladies and germs, presenting installment five of Heavy Rotation . . .

John Cale | Vintage Violence
Columbia Records | 1970

After leaving the Velvet Underground, John Cale wrote, what he referred to in his biography as "some very simple songs" and assembled a group of studio musicians to record Vintage Violence. The results are a wonderfully eclectic melange of styles from 60's pop (Cleo) to Nashville infused rock (Hello There) to smooth 70's rock (Gideon's Bible). While Cale would go on to make more assured records like Paris, 1919, the charming energy on this record is utterly infectious.

The Left Banke | Too
Smash Records | 1968

This second album from baroque popsters, The Left Banke would be their last for nearly twenty years. The 30 minutes of this record simply fly by as the listener is inundated with intricate arrangements and lovely harmonies populating deftly crafted pop songs. It's a wonder that The Left Banke were never a bigger hit, despite their lone charting single, "Dont Walk Away Renee". One interesting bit of trivia is that several songs on Too feature the backing vocals of a young man named Steven Tallrico who later changed his name to Steven Tyler and went on to start a band you may have heard of called Aerosmith.

Camera Obscura | My Maudlin Career
4AD | 2009

This week's theme of compact pop records continues with the fourth offering from the Scottish quintet, Camera Obscura, whose entire oeuvre is a nod to the great song craft, production and power of early and mid-sixties Motown and girl groups. Led by songwriter and frontwoman, Tracyanne Campbell,  Camera Obscura take their unabashed affection for retro-pop and create a new millennium version on that style. There are notes of orchestral pop, bright horn accompaniments and some wryly hilarious lyrics. Simply put, this record is a ton of fun and should be listened to loudly and with the windows open whenever possible.

Aretha Franklin | Aretha Now
Atlantic Records | 1968

Starting off with the iconic "Think" and rolling through a powerhouse half hour, Aretha Now is the sort of record that grabs you by the scruff of the neck in its opening bars and lets go when the needle rests at the end of side two. Aretha's pipes treat us to the best renditions of "I Say A Little Prayer" and "You Send Me" that are available to ears anywhere. There is a rollicking great time to be had with "See Saw" and of course she reminds us as only she can that "The Night Time Is The Right Time". Maybe you've heard "Respect" too often or just recently saw that video for "Pink Cadillac". If so, please just throw this LP on the deck and be reminded why Aretha Franklin is a national treasure.

Grandaddy | The Sophtware Slump
V2 | 2000

Grandaddy mastermind Jason Lytle has some pretty  obvious influences. Jeff Lynne of ELO and Neil Young seem in a way to almost coat the songwriting and production choices on The Sophtware Slump. And yet, Lytle manages to rise above this by writing about an anachronistic universe where man and technology and nature meld together in a dissolved land of confusion and blurred boundaries. This intermingling geography and a melancholy nostalgia create a canvas on which Lytle's influences seem brand new rather than rehashed. It's a bit like listening to a record made by the love child of Mr. Blue Sky, H.D. Thoreau and Steve Jobs.