The Random Friday Rundown

The work week is wrapping up, and another weekend of The Copperhead is before me. I'll make another appeal to those in Chicago to make an effort to see it. The critical response (so far) has been very positive. We've also been Jeff recommended, which is always a nice thing.

Been listening to the new Foo Fighters release, Wasting Light. Good stuff, generally. I mean, I don't think it's anywhere near as good as There is Nothing Left to Lose, which is my personal favorite of their catalog, but it's a very solid rock album. I think tracks 1-7 of  There is Nothing Left to Lose might be the best sustained run of album tracks in the last 20 years, so it's a mountain almost impossible to climb (with me).

Still, there's a lot of people out there who will disagree on that score. Wasting Light is certainly less aggressively "poppy" than  TINLTL, the songs aren't so much constructed around hooks. Plenty of people will immediately take that as meaning it's a better record. I don't, but then I don't really "get" Radiohead, either.

Which will, undoubtedly, make me Satan in a lot of folks eyes.

I do find Wasting Light very, very listenable, more so that Colour & The Shape or, especially, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. Albums that are good, solid records, but don't leap up and say "listen to me!" when I'm thumbing through the Zune.

I'm also amused with the whole story behind the album, recording on analog equipment in Dave Grohl's garage. It's a cool story, but I'm a little tired of that being held up as a reason why the album is good. Yes, analog produces a slightly warmer sound (audiophiles are grabbing knives right now due to my use of "slightly"), but that doesn't mean a damn thing.

A great album is a great album. Doesn't matter if it's recorded on reel-to-reel or Pro Tools, because you can get great sounding albums in either case. The songwriting and the performance is what makes a great record. Production just illuminates the material you have. Yes, yes, poor production can kill an awesome set of tunes, but a track list full of turds is still going to be a track list full of turds. A shit song with terrific production is just a shit song that sounds great.

Speaking of which...

Now that my show is open, I need to get my ass in gear on the new CD. I've got good, solid takes on 3 tracks, and one (the millstone around my neck known as "Zep") that needs to be torn down and built back up. I know there's something really good in there, I just need to find it.

Outside of that, I've been working on tracks, and transcribing them. I found a great piece of freeware that allows me to do tablature on the computer. (Yeah, I don't read music...Shame on me) It's pretty damn slick, and it lets me put together readable tabs (and real notation) for my guitar and basslines. Which is really useful since I'm still fully intending to bring in an outside bassist, and while I don't expect him to hew exactly to what I have, it'll give him an idea to work from.

I am sad I've been unable to play, really, for weeks. I do pick up the unplugged Les Paul and work out riffs all the time. I've also got pages and pages of lyric ideas in my notebook. The material is building, and I'm still hopeful to have it finished and "released" by my birthday in August.

Also got the Blu-Rays of season 4 of Mad Men....So awesome. That show just kicks my ass.