Row Knows

It’s that time of year again when we share with you what didn’t suck about 2008. This list is a subjective list of favorites rather than some attempt to objectively detail the supposed “Best”. As an objective reviewer, I get bored so allow me to tell you about ten great records that will continue to get some play as we go into 2009. after which I’ll mention a few additional good records and some stinkers, too! 
(Listed in alphabetical order.)

Beck - Modern Guilt

This one, I reviewed at length earlier this year. It is still one of my favorite Beck albums and a highlight of the year. Read the full review here: http://www.rowjimmy.com/archives/136

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

This record slays me. Largely acoustic, it is passionate, smart, and heartbreaking. Recommended for rainy days in a window seat…

Deerhunter - Microcastle

I was aware of Deerhunter but had never heard their work until (I think it may have been) NPR’s All Songs Considered that turned me on to this album. Part of me thinks that this may be as close as we’ll ever get to a followup to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. The guitars wash in waves over the listener in just the right way. The songs fade and give way to one another in a mindful succession that insists (but does not require) a straight-through listen. When the title track,  ”Microcastle”, kicks in after two minutes, I challenge you to sit still and unaffected. The inclusion of an entire second album is a wonderful bonus.

Dr. Dog - Fate

Building on the late works of The Beatles and the early works of The Band, Dr. Dog has created a stunning album of ear-catching melodies and striking lyrics. Explorations of spirituality, romance, and the weight of time fill this record along with some terrific playing and singing. This is one of those records that I can listen to again and again and I have been doing exactly that since I first came across it.

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The original lineup of Jane’s Addiction (Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, rj.com number-one drummer Stephen Perkins, and original bassist Eric Avery) played on Thursday night in LA.

Setlist:
Up The Beach
Trip Away
Whores
1%
Ain’t No Right
Pigs In Zen
Ted… Just Admit It
Oceansize
Had A Dad
Been Caught Stealing

Straight up old school.

If you were never a fan of Jane’s Addiction, you still have time to learn about one of the most powerful bands to rise up out of the 1980s. Try to imagine a blend of psychedelic surf, punk, metal and a bit of glam (they are an LA band, after all) and you’ll find that your mind cannot conceive of anything greater than Jane’s Addiction.  They’d hade “reunion” tours and even an album but all left Eric Avery behind. He may not be the best bass player of his generation but there is much to be said for the synergy between these players. Flea, as capable as he may be, could not properly fill that gap.

Hopefully, this one-off gig turns into more gigs and a tour and a hot night in a club near you (and me!)

Read the recap from Dave Navarro here.

Check out a couple of videos too:
Ted… Just Admit It

Ocean size

More videos here.

Merle Saunders passed away this morning in San Francisco, CA.

Through his music both in partnership with Jerry Garcia and beyond, Merle spread great joy through his music and with an unebbing enthusiasm.

I saw him play a countless times in the 90s including my first, very memorable, trip to the Wetlands Preserve in New York City.

He will be missed.

Three weeks ago, on a Tuesday night, word flew all over the internet about the impending announcement of Phish’s return to touring. Wednesday, October 1^st, it came to fruition. I’ve got to say, I was barely able to keep my seat at work that day. The excitement of a kid who just learned about Christmas comes to mind. Only bigger. Imagine if, at six years old- when Christmas is the biggest freakin day of the year- someone told you that Christmas was going to happen 20 times in the next year.

Bigger than that.

This is one of those, “if you know; then you know,” sort of things. If you don’t get it, it probably seems a little ridiculous.

But, it’s not.

Phish is coming back.

The implications of the reunion are broad. In 2004, as they played their final shows, it was stated repeatedly that this wasn’t like the previous “hiatus”. This was for real. This time it was for keeps. Problem is, the shows were abysmal. The near-toxic combination of drug addictions and depression hit members of the band; Trey in particular had been having a difficult year onstage (and, it was later confirmed, off.) The missed notes, flubbed cues, etc,  made it all the more depressing that not only were we not going to see these guys again, but we had already lost them. Phish, as we knew it, was already gone.

In retrospect, that may have softened the blow. One could justify the loss as being “for the best.”

But now, despite their previous statements, Phish is returning to the stage. Trey has come through to the other side of a painful and public ordeal with a drug arrest and rehab. They’ve all explored solo projects (Mike Gordon’s recent tour garnered very positive reviews from the fanbase and Trey’s current solo tour is getting rave reviews) and, it would seem, they are intesested in being a band again. The question is, are they out for redemption and a new lease on life? Or are they reaching for dollars and nostalgia? 

As a fan, I’m hoping for the former.

When Phish played what was their final song, I, like so many fans, was extremely sad. Not just because they weren’t able to play my favorite song correctly (that did not help!) but because I felt as if a chapter of my life had just been closed forever. Getting into parenthood early, I did not spend as much time on the road with Phish as many of my like-minded friends. For me, Phish became a long weekend, once or twice a year; sometimes close to home, sometimes not. Their music connected these ‘weekends’ to earlier points in my life like beads on a string. The end of Phish’s touring career meant the end of that string. Listening to a show on cd or watching it on dvd can never supplant the actual, visceral, live experience.

Now, as I see it, that chapter cannot be reopened. The past is past. But a future with Phish shows is a pretty good future, indeed.

In March, when the lights go down on the first show back, I’ll be there.