Circa 1998

Urbane Cowboys
One of the best things I've read in a long, long time. John Molinaro's Masters thesis from 1998 discusses the connection between Country music, Americana, Punk, and everything in between.  What could be boring or accusatory is instead a fascinating read that never strays into pretension.  This may have been around for fourteen years already, but it's still relevant--and wonderfully written.

Easy Money

Bruce Springsteen--Wrecking Ball

The first time I heard Springsteen's last album, I thought someone had created a depressingly realistic parody of him.  I'm a one-legged dog running through town?  Seriously? Just, no.

So I tossed this one on the stereo expecting to laugh it off should anyone give me the side-eye and mumble something hipsterish and douche-y under their breath about selling-out (You know I've seen you playing air-guitar to Led Zeppelin, right? Yeah, you.) But this, this is good.  He's angry and rebellious and all at once wistful in that classic Springsteen-ian juxtaposition of resignation and hope Nebraska had (that Working on a Dream didn't).  It's Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, twenty years from now.  He never did escape.  

 

Blue Giant

Portland's Viva Voce is dead; long live Blue Giant. Kevin and Anita Robinson give up the ghost and join Chris Funk of the Decemberists, Seth Lorinczi of the Golden Bears, and Evan Railton of the Swords in a twangy Americana revival circa the bastard offspring of Band of Horses' "Everything All the Time" and Gillian Welch--with a little Alina Simone (never mind she's Ukrainian) rolled in for good measure--without succumbing to the Saddle Creek camp's nu-country overload (Oh, Maria Taylor, how I loved you so).

(Amazon is offering a free MP3 of "Blue Sunshine," by the way, if you don't mind their slightly invasive download-app. )