Shakespeare In The Alley

You're writing it off after two songs? Come on, man. At least listen to the whole thing a few times.

Oh man, I loved the music. It's all horribly, and deliberately, out of tune, and it fits with the spirit of the original song, I thought. I'm even more psyched for the rest of this album. I can't wait for the really intense tracks.

New cover, "I'm Waiting For My Man," is up on Beck.com.

As Solace said, it wasn't his fault. He didn't get to have a normal childhood, so he tried to replicate this as a grown man. Obviously it didn't bode well for him.

My stepdad said the local news reported he died. If that's true, then this is very sad. Even still, very sad.

Conan is a very tall man. He frequently makes fun of this. I think it's part of what makes him so damn funny.

I thought that Conan might have hinted at something like that when he mentioned the zebra earlier. It kinda happened...

I wouldn't have expected Wilco to be #1 regardless of who else releases something that week. Realistically, I think they'll come in at 2 or 3. Has this album been heavily promoted, beyond the tour and the Conan appearance?

Yea, it took an especially long time to grow on me. I always thought there was something there that I wasn't getting, but after I heard the Dark Night Of The Soul album, I decided to give the regular Sparklehorse albums another shot. This one especially did not disappoint. The range of emotions on this thing is astounding. I think the "ahead of his time" tag might be applicable.

Yea, he is quite tall. That's why I thought it was hilarious when Conan asked for one, and Jeff said "yea!"

I really want to see Conan in one of those suits. To me, he's one of those guys that can make me laugh with nothing but a stare, so I can only imagine how great he's look in a Nudie suit.

I love Evil Urges too. Most of it, at least. And Jim is a busy, busy man these days. I'm hoping for a solo tour.

I was wondering about those two other guys too. I guess they were in Max's band. The song sounded great. Those piano/organ parts were pretty prominent.

You can watch full episodes on Conan's website, as well as numerous other places on line. However, they probably won't have the Wilco episode until tomorrow.

I'd say a second solo release. This Harrison thing is just an EP, isn't it? If it is a full Jim solo LP, then good lord has that guy been busy lately. Monsters of Folk, a solo EP, and a solo LP?

I've had this thing for a few years, and it never really clicked with me. I guess I hadn't given it enough time. I love how easily Linkous can shift from upbeat, almost pop songs, to horribly depressing and slow, yet beautiful, songs.

Soft Machine's Third. The record store (CD Cellar in Falls Church, VA) was playing the live concert that was the bonus disc to the import version of the album, so I bought it. Good band.

I'd want

I'm being 100% serious here, but I'd want Rainbow Connection. That song is beautiful.

A lot of these connections are a bit of a stretch. Some of them, like Buffalo Springfield/Uncle Tupelo make sense, but I think you're reaching a bit.

Very true points. I guess when I think of "experimental music," which I think is a shitty term/genre, I think of more difficult stuff than anything Wilco's put out. The band certainly experiments with their music, so I guess you could call them experimental. I don't know, like I said, I think it's a dumb word to describe music.

Yea, I guess it's the fact that Jeff coats everything with his amazing pop sensibilities. I do find a lot of their recording techniques to be interesting, and "experimental," I guess, but the end product has always come across as mostly poppy. Not in a bad way, at all. I guess it's fair to call Wilco an experimental band that releases predominantly non-experimental music.

Wow... Sad news.

Well, I think Damon Albarn is a genius, so I've always liked the two Gorillaz albums. And Danger Mouse is one of the best producers around, and Demon Days is proof of this. Listening to this band with fresh ears again is a wonderful thing.