TheMaker

Holy crow, that's a great single. Can't wait for a proper leak! Also, the band has announced their Canadian tour, for those interested. There are some pretty interesting dates scheduled, too, in a lot of places that don't normally get big honkin' rock shows. I just about pooped my draws when I saw that they'd be playing not only most of the Maritimes and east coast, but also Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqualuit. They'll be flyin' 'em in for that last one. And even then, I bet it'll be the most intimate show they've played since they were unknowns.

Whew! All of these stone cold facts have sure put me in my place.

Pitchfork's reviews are wonderful... if you're into reading essays by creative writing majors frustrated by the lack of an appropriate venue eager to showcase their work. Okay, some of their reviewers are pretty good (I read the notices by Dom Leone and Amanda Petrusich), while others are so predictable that I sometimes find myself chuckling out loud at their scrawlings from my desk (Howe, I'm looking in your direction). It's cute that there's at least one person out there who only trusts these guys as far as reviews are concerned. I didn't know people were still that naive in 2007!

Lucky you! I wish my standards were that low. Of all the boring, mediocre blooze-rock I heard last year, MT ranked somewhere around the middle of the list (at the top, in case you're curious: The Black Keys, whose song "Modern Times" is what an inspired blues pastiche sounds like in my book). Huck's Tune is shit, too, unsurprisingly. Another lazy lyrical pastiche that makes me think of wandering attention spans and counting sheep. Dylan's consumption is particularly bad here, as he swallows the end of virtually every line in the song (not before literally gasping out the last few words), but

Not a one. It's a great record, so aside from Pitchork's inevitable 6.whatever review, I'm not expecting a whole lot of disappointment.

Uh, "Take Take Take" is a great example of a song that sticks with me long after I take the proverbial needle off the wax. White manages more than just the tricky time changes that have already been mentioned - he also manages to make a comment, and he does so in the most anachronistic way imaginable. Depending on what you feel like reading into it, "Take" is either a song about the way society at large tends to dehumanize anybody in the public eye, or it's a comment on how enough is rarely ever enough. The other songs on Get Behind Me Satan are a gas too, from the small clutch of typical St

Man, you must really hate every other Dylan interview. Because no other interviewer has balls enough to even ask him about religion or why he's suddenly so accessible in his old age.

I couldn't disagree more even if there were vast sums of money involved as a motivating factor. I think the band's growth is strikingly evident, especially with regards to Jack's phrasing, which was exceptional on Get Behind Me Satan. The old-timey piano ballads and concept songs like "Take Take Take" are a far cry from the prototypical Dee-troyt rock of their first record. And I'm glad for that.

Wow, that was shitty beyond belief. An artist myself, I'm perhaps overly sensitive about this curious brand of intolerance, but I think most people would agree that what happened here was just plain bad behaviour. An individual walking out on a performance after registering some sort of genuine grievance is fine and dandy, I think, but this sort of organized "protest" (tinted with an added bonus in the form of vandalism) seems remarkably shallow and self-important to me. I'm not familiar with Daisey, but his anecdotal style seems observant and witty. I think he handled the incident with a lo

I like Let It Die better, but only by a hair. The songwriting on the new one is generally very strong, and the production is flattering. It feels like a really rewarding grower to me.

This is a classic combative Dylan interview. I love the way he handles these things - he's almost like he's a boxer trying to wear down his opponent. It's also a real treat to hear him speak. He always seems to emphasize the strangest syllables. (I find it hilarious that he's developed yet another voice entirely for the XM radio show!)

Personally, I think he's a huge jerk, but I don't see that that has anything to do with his talents as a songwriter or musician. And he's prolific enough that I also don't like every single thing he does. I think I'd enjoy ritual bloodletting more than I would a second listen through his Rock 'N' Roll album, for example.

Well, Modern Times was shit on a stick, so... I like the fact that there's a discernable melody here, and that it sounds nice, and I also like that I can't immediately place the lines Dylan is singing. Hey, it's a start, right? I don't see how you can fault me for that. Hopefully it'll be at least as good as North Country's "Tell Old Bill," a song I liked a whole bunch.

I'm considering this year's Ottawa Bluesfest. Dylan, The White Stripes, Metric, Cat Power, Bela Fleck, Fema Kuti, George Clinton and P-Funk, Los Lobos, Leo Kottke, Randy Newman, etc., etc.

There's a short sample of this song over on the Sony Music Store site. It sounds a lot better than most of Modern Times, which is unsurprising when you consider that Dylan almost always hits 'em outta the park on soundtracks.

Wow, you've got to be kidding me. It's not on there? I've watched this clip like six times since yesterday. I think this is one of the tightest things he's ever done. Is there a for-sure definitive track listing out there? The online music retailers don't seem to offer much in the way of information on this disc.

A report from a day in the future! Gasp! Seriously, these sets sound absolutely great. A fantastic balance of new and old, featuring some songs I didn't think we'd hear again, at least not with the full band behind them (Remember the Mountain Bed, Reservations, etc).

Holy shit, that was great. I don't care what anybody else thinks, I hope Adams strip mines this musical vein for all its worth. I think Cold Roses is the best thing he's ever done - in or out of Whiskeytown, even - and this performance makes me really anxious for this summer's album.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...eoid=2022006788

Hail, hail. All things considered, one of the most underrated albums of all time.

Nutty! I'll bite. '00s: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco Funeral - Arcade Fire '90s: Time Out Of Mind - Bob Dylan OK Computer - Radiohead '80s: Rain Dogs - Tom Waits Blood and Chocolate - Elvis Costello and the Attractions '70s: Blood On the Tracks - Bob Dylan Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (this could also be either On the Beach or Marquee Moon, depending on the wind, temperature, etc.) '60s: Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks

Sniff. I'm missing this one because of a bunch of half-expected dental bills that have to take precedence. Shit, guys, stop playing Massey Hall - it's the only time I ever seem to miss your localish shows. Anyway, fingers majorly crossed for a Buffalo date when they expand the tour in the summer/fall.

I dig Bill Fay and Time of the Last Persecution quite a bit, but this is the first time I've heard of Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow. What's the deal there?

Jesus, what a song. Still my favourite thing they've ever done more than a month after first hearing it. Don't expect that'll change any time soon.

These people are unholy freaks. Do not trust them. DO NOT.