Music – Page 25 – Voenix Rising

September 12, 2012

Meh.

I've been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys since Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) and the Please album first hit the airwaves back in 1986. In fact, that CD provided the soundtrack of my life when I first moved to San Francisco and will always hold a special place in my heart because of it. (Two Divided by Zero will forever be tied to a memory of driving over the Bay Bridge on a foggy August morning for a job interview in Oakland.) Over the years, I've always eagerly looked forward to each new release, and when Yes popped on the scene a few years ago I was ecstatic. I thought it was one of their best albums ever.

So you can imagine the anticipation I had for Elysium. Could they top—or at least equal—the genius of Yes?

Sadly, no. Not even close.

I believe "underwhelming" is a good description of how I feel about Elysium, their latest release. The tempo and lyrics seem to reflect a pair of artists who are realizing that not only are they not 25 and the life of the party any more, but also that they've passed through middle age and now find themselves wondering what they've actually accomplished. I've listened to the album several times, and—with the exception of Memory of the Future, which sort of reminds me of Ben and I—I just can't get into it. It's all downtempo, agonizingly navel-contemplating, and ultimately (which is a horrible thing to tell an artist) forgettable.

WHERE are the upbeat dance tunes laced with biting social commentary? Where is this album's Sodom and Gomorrah Show or even I'm With Stupid?

But after a string of incredible hits that span the last twenty six years, I'll grant that even the Pet Shop Boys are allowed a stinker now and then…

August 15, 2012August 27, 2016

This and That

While taking the freeway to work is relatively okay in the morning (although it can be hit or miss, depending on what time I actually get on the 25), in the afternoon it's uniformly fucked. For that reason, I've started taking what I refer to as "the back way" home, avoiding the insanity altogether. My alternate route is slower speed, fewer cars, and much less stressful than that stupid freeway. It also takes me past places like this.

And surprisingly, it only takes me about 10 minutes longer to actually get home.

Tonight I chose Elton John's Greatest Hits to accompany me on the drive, and after not hearing any classic EJ for several years now, it was quite refreshing. The songs he wrote back in the 70s—providing the soundtrack for a good portion of my adolescence (much to my parents' consternation) show that even though he's turned into a pompous, arrogant old queen of late, at one point there was some major talent burning inside Sir Elton.

Captain Fantastic remains my favorite EJ album, followed closely by Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player.

Good stuff.

July 27, 2012

Let's Have a Kiki Instructional Video

July 21, 2012

You Knew This Was Coming, Right?

Especially after a few of today's earlier posts…

Don't get me wrong, I luvs me my iPod somethin' fierce. It literally holds my entire music collection (12,700 items and counting). But there is something wonderfully organic about the experience of listening to music on vinyl that digital will never be able to reproduce.

I'm so happy to have been able to live through the "big iron" period of audio equipment in the 1970s. It was truly something amazing.

I only wish my hearing was still as good as it was back then. Getting old sucks on so many levels.

I pulled a random record from the shelf tonight, ending up with Dead or Alive's Rip It Up. It was a fun, but not completely satisfying experience, so I moved on to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, an album meant to be heard on vinyl—loud—through headphones.

July 19, 2012