More from Crowder; is nothing -- not even a Neon Bible -- sacred?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I think it all when wrong”—Me.
And I had the nerve to talk about proofreading! The ironic hilarity boggles the mind.
Is anybody else disturbed with the lack of backlash against the new Arcade Fire record? The major publications want to seem hip, of course, along with those kids who discovered Funeral a little later than most (remember when it made “best of 2005” lists, even though it came out in 2004?). It’s the Austin Powers 2 syndrome. But both Pitchfork and Tiny Mix Tapes gave it favorable reviews. The latter even took the opportunity to take shots at everyone who liked Funeral, insisting that their debut LP lacked identity and was front-loaded. People I know were mostly spinning “Wake Up” and “Rebellion,” (tracks 7 and 9, respectively) but what do we know down here in Florida? As for the identity thing, I’d say the crisis is much more pronounced when sounding kinda like the Boss (that one about raising a baby on motor oil) turns into sounding exactly like the Boss with the E-Street Band but not the black guy from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure that wasn’t in Revenge of the Nerds and Spies Like Us (I know their names, so let it go).
My only other comment on Neon Bible is this: I’m always skeptical when a band includes a re-recorded version of a previously released song (in this case, "No Cars Go") on a full-length. As a B-side or EP track, it’s understandable, but on an anticipated second album, it screams writer’s block and lack of inspiration. Oh, and the energy’s gone. And oh yeah, “Win” did their singer become such a whimpering pussy?
That’s probably all for this week, but the residents of Ricotta Park will be visiting Chapel Hill this weekend to see Battles at Local 506. I’m not going to take on the responsibility of writing about said performance. Then I’ll be in Philadelphia for a few days, courtesy of my real job. I may offer my worthless opinions on the Ponys and Black Lips at Johnny Brenda’s, a bar called Monk’s that boasts an extensive selection of Belgian beer, and the happy hour at the Embassy Suites. If all goes well, Pepe Lopez will be in attendance.
(ed. note -- it's the official opinion of RP that Funeral was something akin to the Big Bang for aughties music. while we may agree that the respective considerations of the album by the above named institutions are specious at best, the album remains one of the most tender, ferocious, warm and moving albums of our lifetime. just wanted to clear that up.)
Recent Comments