tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.comments2013-09-12T06:20:11.063+01:00Heavy SoilTom Parnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-80455527900026205472011-08-25T11:01:52.704+01:002011-08-25T11:01:52.704+01:00Hey, thanks for commenting.
You're obviously ...Hey, thanks for commenting.<br /><br />You're obviously quite entitled not to dig TSE. I disagree. I guess that's a matter of personal taste.<br /><br />I don't 'immediately credit' him, though. I've read and studied his work at length, and it's my opinion that he *is* a great talent. An opinion based on a lot of thought and engagement with his work, not in any sense on immediate credit.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-73078522391138405522011-08-25T02:30:24.062+01:002011-08-25T02:30:24.062+01:00Just want to say that I see nothing better (or eve...Just want to say that I see nothing better (or even brilliant) in T.S. Eliot's lines.<br /><br />Why do we immediately credit certain people with the greater talent?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-50043158448809067862009-12-12T04:32:27.238+00:002009-12-12T04:32:27.238+00:00um, gulp, um, i think you're just a bit too cr...um, gulp, um, i think you're just a bit too critical, given the artist and her bag. don't get me wrong, begin to hope is her sargent pepper to me. but this is a good album, and it's a profound milestone, and it's a religious experience, don't forget. i agree, mastered too hot, but not only too hot, no one has to this day EQed her voice correctly, and that freaking voice - which is bassy, middy, and highy at once, therefore completely untamable, to this date anyway, studiowise - mixed with a freaking grand piano, which is of course throughout time bassy, middy, and highy - well it's always been a curse in her recording and studio endeavors. not that she hasn't often deluded the curse, and oedipus is a good example, and many of the old piano songs, lacrimosa, the list is big. but geez man, perhaps give the profundity level of the endeavor some validity in the balance? it certainly works, even with yes, these old goons tweaking nobs and making points with their purportedly 'old school' production. thing that bugs me a little, being a rabid fan, having seen her 4 times live now, the last being this album at radio city music hall, is the record has some songs with bass and guitar (i like led zeppelin, i like my BASS AND GUITAR) then she runs around the planet playing those songs with NO BASS OR GUITAR and this goddamn string section. but you know what?<br />she can do it. with all my critiques in my tiny little brain, she's done no wrong. she is so far above, as you pointed out, in innovativeness, pretty much anyone, whatever she does is<br />another canvas, and i'm going to look at it, and i'm going to enjoy it.chriscavalarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10028276956272956872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-5477516030744038362009-12-07T09:05:15.125+00:002009-12-07T09:05:15.125+00:00Wow- I'm not sure I can agree much at all. I...Wow- I'm not sure I can agree much at all. I'm quite late getting this album, but I'm really loving it. I was interested in who had produced The Genus Next Door, because it was the best I'd heard her voice sounding, and I thought that the techniques used there actually added to the song. As far as song writing goes, she does a lot more story-telling in this album, giving it a very distinct flavour from the last two, where the story-telling songs were the exception rather than the rule. <br /><br />I get your point about the instrumentation though, the strings are overdone in this album, and loses some of the rawness that Regina is so good at bringing.Mykuhlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16821799061116228138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-37066739000822492182009-08-20T04:29:35.803+01:002009-08-20T04:29:35.803+01:00For a guy who doesn't know Jarvis or Pulp that...For a guy who doesn't know Jarvis or Pulp that well, I have to say that this is a fun record. Nothing serious or mind-blowing. Just pure fun. I got it as a CD import (as part of the package from Rough Trade), so I paid a hefty sum but I have no expectations whatsoever. The album artwork itself, which has Jarvis posing like a bendy Tom Green doll suggests that this ain't hardcore, just Jarv having a good time, still hunting for some fresh P.O.A.s. but fortified with some Albini goodness. That is why I don't get why so many reviews are looking for substantial lyrics like political things or heavy stuffs like that. If you got tracks named fuckingsong or discosong, then don't expect a tearjearker.<br />As for Jarvis, he's a self-aware douche, attention whore, sleazebag like Eminem or Diddy so it's so hard to put him down and that is why I love him more. So sad that young ones only know him as Michael Jackson's unofficial back-up dancer.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-59126539745921918772009-08-15T15:25:05.350+01:002009-08-15T15:25:05.350+01:00I'd like to clarify. It sounds like Rachmanino...I'd like to clarify. It sounds like Rachmaninov on acid, qualified by the adjectival 'fucking'. Not like the act of fucking Rachmaninov whilst on acid. Which would probably sound a whole lot different.<br /><br />And a whole lot worse.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-15707952425219374722009-07-27T17:23:44.990+01:002009-07-27T17:23:44.990+01:00Cunts are still running the world...Cunts are still running the world...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08821290153234609990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-19993411591924414822009-07-26T11:28:57.870+01:002009-07-26T11:28:57.870+01:00Hi David,
I'll be very interested to read you...Hi David,<br /><br />I'll be very interested to read your review. I'm not sure you'll be able to persuade me that I'm wrong: months (and occasional relistens) down the line, I stand firmly by my sentiments.<br /><br />I have no doubt, though that it does indeed come from a real place. But, then again, so does the BNP. I just don't happen to like that place and the view from there. But I certainly don't think the album is hollow or insincere. On the contrary. It's way to sincere.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-60048216515595691862009-07-26T03:35:56.354+01:002009-07-26T03:35:56.354+01:00Hey Tom.
This isn't going to be a detailed ar...Hey Tom.<br /><br />This isn't going to be a detailed argument, but I'll say it anyway and maybe I'll write a real review in a couple of days.<br /><br />I finally got around to listening to the album, and you're wrong.<br /><br />It comes from a real place. I don't know if you've never been there, or if you just don't like it, but it's got a lot of power.<br /><br />The fact that I can only sing the chorus of 'you don't know me' after a few hours of listening doesn't disturb me. Because the album still needs more time, and I need to look up the lyrics. There's an awful lot to digest and analyse in this album. More anon.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16341674616104409513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-47945718192215773522009-07-20T12:23:04.555+01:002009-07-20T12:23:04.555+01:00As I said on twitter yesterday: If the adult enter...As I said on twitter yesterday: If the adult entertainment industry was like the music business, we'd all be sued for having our own genitals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-27964742208669025632009-07-07T18:41:43.365+01:002009-07-07T18:41:43.365+01:00My enjoyment of music is enhanced by the impressio...My enjoyment of music is enhanced by the impression that the creator would be the kind of person I'd respect. Not necessarily someone I'd want to know -- I love Thelonious Monk's music, I have great respect and affection for him and his sense of humour (in music and deed) appeals to me, but I imagine he'd be very difficult person to hang out with. But I don't get the impression he was ever truly unpleasant.<br /><br />Bitterness has been a humorous undercurrent to Ben Folds' work, but I agree Way To Normal made him come across as a total bastard. Even if rumour tells you an artist isn't very nice, it's problematic when it actually comes across in the music. Maybe he's just lost his way a bit recently.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-30743384147535071802009-07-07T16:14:57.185+01:002009-07-07T16:14:57.185+01:00Agree agree agree. Get rid of the producers, sit o...Agree agree agree. Get rid of the producers, sit on the piano and press record. I prefer the live versions of these songs to the ones of the albums!! amandusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-28106883115024422992009-07-07T03:15:05.202+01:002009-07-07T03:15:05.202+01:00On creativity:
Every artist should be allowed a &q...On creativity:<br />Every artist should be allowed a "dry patch" or "less than amazing" period in his or her lifetime. We can't all be incredible all the time. Having said that, I personally believe that once an artist has attained a certain credibility, comfort level, and studio of his/her dreams, it becomes more difficult to create edgy music...because the edge has been eliminated. <br /><br />On Ben Folds:<br />In my opinion, his genius as of late has resided in his ability to produce other artists' albums. Take Amanda Palmer's first solo album. To hear the originals, then hear what he did with instrumentation, is nothing short of amazing.<br /><br />On personalities:<br />I, too, am guilty of gauging an artist's personality by his/her music. We humans are critics, label-ers, and categorizers by nature (I believe it goes back to our evolutionary cycle) and I am more than willing to admit that I judge a person by the music he/she listens to. Favorite band is Nickelback? Let's <i>not</i> hang out. <br /><br />I see nothing wrong with this, as long as it doesn't turn into moral classification. Zappa's music sounds like it's on drugs, but Zappa was as sober as the chair I'm sitting on.Ameliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09596072674639869222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-60635498089529833592009-06-30T11:45:17.629+01:002009-06-30T11:45:17.629+01:00That's a pretty thorough review.
I haven'...That's a pretty thorough review.<br /><br />I haven't heard the entire album yet, but I agree with your general position.Dr Rosen Rosennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-19058174319659751752009-06-19T14:13:31.697+01:002009-06-19T14:13:31.697+01:00Hi delizade ...
Criteria? Well, whether or not I ...Hi delizade ...<br /><br />Criteria? Well, whether or not I <i>like</i> the song is generally a good start ... I think I'd be hard-pressed to define a list of ingredients that would guarantee a good song.<br /><br />In the case of the song featured in this post ('Ammonia Avenue') -- I think this is a great song, because it has a brilliant lead vocal melody, great chord changes (nice 1st-inversions), a smattering of key changes and a coherent, satisfying structure and progression, despite the fact that it's pretty long.<br /><br />I also just like it. Because it reminds me of being a child (when my parents would play it).<br /><br />Does that answer your question?Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-54243723414612700782009-06-19T10:50:40.379+01:002009-06-19T10:50:40.379+01:00hi,
I don't understand your criteria whather ...hi,<br /><br />I don't understand your criteria whather is good song or not?seksenakildoksanfikirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10101848586930720916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-8018732016894391642009-05-30T20:42:16.766+01:002009-05-30T20:42:16.766+01:00Hi Adam ... Nope: English. Why do you ask?Hi Adam ... Nope: English. Why do you ask?Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-24955346190798942712009-05-30T20:35:18.800+01:002009-05-30T20:35:18.800+01:00are you american?are you american?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14442059044137558260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-17323161615172424302009-05-29T18:04:02.626+01:002009-05-29T18:04:02.626+01:00I'm delighted you liked my recommendation so much!...I'm delighted you liked my recommendation so much! And I learnt a new word - vertiginous. That'll come in handy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-15017317244614611162009-05-27T21:09:26.295+01:002009-05-27T21:09:26.295+01:00Perhaps the reason I have no problem with the latt...Perhaps the reason I have no problem with the latter part of the album is that I don't own any other Pulp or Jarvis Cocker records. Although I'm far more likely to investigate now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-23450725261738583572009-05-06T19:32:00.000+01:002009-05-06T19:32:00.000+01:00... Oh, and my prediction was right: I still fucki...... Oh, and my prediction was right: I still fucking *love* this album.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-44022607441588878692009-05-06T19:31:00.000+01:002009-05-06T19:31:00.000+01:00As a bonus, y'all get to see how my review-writing...As a bonus, y'all get to see how my review-writing style has changed over the months.<br /><br />Stylistic comparisons ROCK.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-13875133019372414142009-04-23T20:45:00.000+01:002009-04-23T20:45:00.000+01:00Ally: My answer would only take two characters, if...Ally: My answer would only take two characters, if that'd help?<br /><br />STL: Thank you kindly. Yes, Borges. I'd like to hear you tell me about him, some time, as I'm woefully underacquainted. Indeed, you inspire me to dig out my book of his ...<br /><br />Thank you, both, anyhow, for your comments -- always received with delight.Tom Parnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15585203595319919384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-69706328189138834162009-04-22T12:38:00.000+01:002009-04-22T12:38:00.000+01:00wonderful review. i hope for more essay-like refle...wonderful review. i hope for more essay-like reflections of contemporary music in the future. in your opening remarks i immediately began thinking of borges (as i am wont to do). there seems to be a similarlity in callahan's 'literary' preoccupations and those of borges. this is particularly present in your astute links to eliot and whitman.<br /><br />also reminded me of borges's interest in forgetting and repentance. he says that wilde has brought us the idea that to repent, is to change the past. he is also persistent in his prodding of paradoxes, conflicting realities and history.<br /><br />this is what i bring now to this album. cheers!stubborn tiny lighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02417596963202483650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1068887141761067808.post-28773228203481857492009-04-22T11:45:00.000+01:002009-04-22T11:45:00.000+01:00Can you condense this to 140 characters or less pl...Can you condense this to 140 characters or less please?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com