Can I just say how happy I am Ryan Adams didn’t die. I’m almost as happy he didn’t die as I am sad Jacko was able to stop, drop, and roll on the Pepsi shoot in ’84. The world would have been better off he just flamed out after Thriller.
The lifestyle, the drugs, the prolific musician thing. As a fan, Ryan Adams has made you nervous over the years. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone to see Adams turn up on the CNN ticker given his past behavior. He walked past me at a club in Manhattan last Spring and he looked like Rick Moranis playing the ghost of Christmas past. He was even using a cane.
Clean and sober, on Easy Tiger Adams does his best to remind us all what we love about him—and what can frustrate as well.
About song 6 after the thunder and lightning of “Halloweenhead,” Easy Tiger goes into a bit of a wasteland with half a dozen songs where Ryan doesn’t seem to be comfortable in his own skin. We get Ryan doing Willie again on “Tears of Gold.,” some self aware breathy vocals on other tracks, and not much you’ll want to send to a friend.
But what takes Easy Tiger to that B+ mark as a record is a strong finish with the last two tracks “These Girls” and “I taught myself how to grow old.” Finally the glove fits, and Adams makes some magic with two straight ahead alt-country staples sung in true voice. I was convinced “These Girls” would have the best lyrics of any song on the album from the onset with, “Well girl sometimes I feel just like a boy. Put here on this earth for you to toy around with, like Matchbox cars you buy and burn in your backyard. Like monsters underneath your bed, you ain’t afraid of yet.” You kiddin’ me. How solid is that?
But then I listened to “Oh my God, Whatever. Etc.” Holy shit. While a nice song, the lyric is so superb it’s worth the money just to hear why Adams has the potential to be a legend. A sample:
“If I could, I’d fold myself away like a card table, a concertino, or a Murphy bed. I would. But I wasn’t made that way, so you know instead I’m open all night and the customers come to stay and everyone tips, but not enough to knock me over, , ,”
That ladies and gentleman is as impressive a lyrical flex and anything Eminem did in “8 Mile..” Good on paper, but to hear it sung shows Adams deft touch for the prose. And makes me want to just leave the ring waving the white flag as a writer myself. Unreal.
“The Sun Also Sets” is the perfect example of the Ryan Adams debate. It starts awkward with Adams doing his best Violent Femmes. The voice is all wrong, but then he sweeps you off your feet and waltzes you around the room for the chorus, and suddenly we have a ballroom sized ballad on our hands—and you’ve found a new favorite track on the album. One of the darkest songs on the album, a love song with one hand on the throat, “The Sun Also Sets” will kill live and become a favorite deep track for true fans on Easy Tiger.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Week 1
Week 1
Tuesday 6.26.2007
Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger
Bought this one off iTunes. I missed the window on the pre-order, and the site wouldn’t let me buy it at midnight. The midnight release seems like a missed opportunity for iTunes, I distinctly remember piling into a car in college and driving down to Tower Records on Newberry Street in Boston to buy Pearl Jam’s Vs. at midnight. That’s the good stuff man, when music reaches Christmas morning euphoria. We may never see those days again. Think about it. 4 guys piling into a car at midnight to drive to a music store and all buy the exact same CD to which one will be ripped open and played (loudly) and dissected on the way home.
I picked up Easy Tiger off the iTunes Tuesday morning. Had to settle for the digital booklet as opposed to my glossy liner notes. I had been going away from digital as of late trying to get back to buying CDs with their booklets and their tangible matter. Like many of us I had fallen victim to the Case Logic craze in the ‘90s trashing my jewel cases and losing my ability to build a proper Wall of Sound CD room in my adult living space. And sadly, I have the music to do it. I could have alphabetized that shit and had one of those weird little library ladders on the wheels to reach the top shelf where I would have the Audioslave, Avril, Angels and Airwaves. . .
. . .and yes, Ryan Adams.
Day one I listened to Easy Tiger in my Jeep Wrangler on the way to the health club, on the treadmill, and on the way to and from the Minneapolis airpor.t. I was through the entire record before 9am. Here was my initial take: on a few songs:
Track 1
Goodnight Rose
Oddly enough, “Goodnight Rose” sounds like morning. And while not a defining song on the album, it serves its purpose as a great opener. The track almost sounds like a clock radio that’s popped off. Adams recently worked with Willie Nelson on Songbird, and the influence is noticeable from the first vocal. Trouble is, “Goodnight Rose” sounds a bit like a Willie Nelson song on a scratched CD. There’s something about the pacing of the track that’s a bit too frenetic to really get into it. But it gets your attention to start the album.
Track 2
Two
Now Adams gets into it here. As a musician Adams is a chameleon, capable of mimicking anyone. To some this has become a negative as they deduce that the reason Adams always sounds different is he doesn’t know who he wants to be—or worse yet, that’s he’s a poseur. I disagree, I think there’s more swagger to it than that. This cat is a musican’s musician capable of pulling anything off. On “Two” Adams assumes the character of Ryan Adams, at least the Ryan Adams most of us know and love. For the Whiskeytown and Gold set, “Two” finds Adams playing the part of loveable alt-country mutt. Like “Does Anyone Want to Take me Home” and “Come Pick Me Up” before them, Adams is the puppy dog with two different colored eyes begging you to take him home from the pound. “Two” is vintage Ryan Adams, a song that sounds like a favorite flannel even in the middle of summer. From “the sink is broke, it’s leaking” this track is broken-in on the first listen, and worthy of immediate download. Lyrically it’s interesting as well, as Adams dissects new love, “it takes two when it used to take only one.” He seems to be begging an independent woman to take a chance on him. Trying to hitchhike with someone who has grown comfortable doing it alone and is struggling to adjust to a new mate. A woman who perhaps has had the taste of the selfish life, and love feels as inefficient as two city workers leaning on a shovel. Especially when his hair is in his eyes and his pockets are empty.
Track 4
Halloweenhead
Wow. The high water mark for the album comes at song 4. It appears Adams has built upon some of the experimentation of recent records to find a way to throw the throttle down in a way that sounds more authentic. “Halloweenhead” has a short fuse, exploding into a Semisonic, Killers-like arena rocker in the first 5 seconds. It’s so good it will rott your teeth, “Halloweenhead” ebbs and flows with a swagger. Even Adams “Hi I’m Johnny Cash” like command early in for the “Guitar Solo!” has it’s collar up. Whether it’s kids looking for candy or junkies looking for their fix, “Halloweehead” holds the excitement of backyard night-games eventually finishing with some haunted house train sounds and a bit of piano that will make one wonder if Michael Myers himself is in goal. The only knock on “Halloweenhead” is common to all the songs on Easy Tiger—it’s a bit brief. Ryan Adams makes blue jeans music, and blue jeans music needs to come over the tops of the boots, long enough songs to get frayed at the ends. Yet most of the tracks on Easy Tiger are tapered to around 3 minutes. If the goal was to make you long for more, mission accomplished. But the net result isn’t a good one as blue jeans music in some cases is reduced to the just plain wrong –jean shorts and no one wants that.
Tuesday 6.26.2007
Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger
Bought this one off iTunes. I missed the window on the pre-order, and the site wouldn’t let me buy it at midnight. The midnight release seems like a missed opportunity for iTunes, I distinctly remember piling into a car in college and driving down to Tower Records on Newberry Street in Boston to buy Pearl Jam’s Vs. at midnight. That’s the good stuff man, when music reaches Christmas morning euphoria. We may never see those days again. Think about it. 4 guys piling into a car at midnight to drive to a music store and all buy the exact same CD to which one will be ripped open and played (loudly) and dissected on the way home.
I picked up Easy Tiger off the iTunes Tuesday morning. Had to settle for the digital booklet as opposed to my glossy liner notes. I had been going away from digital as of late trying to get back to buying CDs with their booklets and their tangible matter. Like many of us I had fallen victim to the Case Logic craze in the ‘90s trashing my jewel cases and losing my ability to build a proper Wall of Sound CD room in my adult living space. And sadly, I have the music to do it. I could have alphabetized that shit and had one of those weird little library ladders on the wheels to reach the top shelf where I would have the Audioslave, Avril, Angels and Airwaves. . .
. . .and yes, Ryan Adams.
Day one I listened to Easy Tiger in my Jeep Wrangler on the way to the health club, on the treadmill, and on the way to and from the Minneapolis airpor.t. I was through the entire record before 9am. Here was my initial take: on a few songs:
Track 1
Goodnight Rose
Oddly enough, “Goodnight Rose” sounds like morning. And while not a defining song on the album, it serves its purpose as a great opener. The track almost sounds like a clock radio that’s popped off. Adams recently worked with Willie Nelson on Songbird, and the influence is noticeable from the first vocal. Trouble is, “Goodnight Rose” sounds a bit like a Willie Nelson song on a scratched CD. There’s something about the pacing of the track that’s a bit too frenetic to really get into it. But it gets your attention to start the album.
Track 2
Two
Now Adams gets into it here. As a musician Adams is a chameleon, capable of mimicking anyone. To some this has become a negative as they deduce that the reason Adams always sounds different is he doesn’t know who he wants to be—or worse yet, that’s he’s a poseur. I disagree, I think there’s more swagger to it than that. This cat is a musican’s musician capable of pulling anything off. On “Two” Adams assumes the character of Ryan Adams, at least the Ryan Adams most of us know and love. For the Whiskeytown and Gold set, “Two” finds Adams playing the part of loveable alt-country mutt. Like “Does Anyone Want to Take me Home” and “Come Pick Me Up” before them, Adams is the puppy dog with two different colored eyes begging you to take him home from the pound. “Two” is vintage Ryan Adams, a song that sounds like a favorite flannel even in the middle of summer. From “the sink is broke, it’s leaking” this track is broken-in on the first listen, and worthy of immediate download. Lyrically it’s interesting as well, as Adams dissects new love, “it takes two when it used to take only one.” He seems to be begging an independent woman to take a chance on him. Trying to hitchhike with someone who has grown comfortable doing it alone and is struggling to adjust to a new mate. A woman who perhaps has had the taste of the selfish life, and love feels as inefficient as two city workers leaning on a shovel. Especially when his hair is in his eyes and his pockets are empty.
Track 4
Halloweenhead
Wow. The high water mark for the album comes at song 4. It appears Adams has built upon some of the experimentation of recent records to find a way to throw the throttle down in a way that sounds more authentic. “Halloweenhead” has a short fuse, exploding into a Semisonic, Killers-like arena rocker in the first 5 seconds. It’s so good it will rott your teeth, “Halloweenhead” ebbs and flows with a swagger. Even Adams “Hi I’m Johnny Cash” like command early in for the “Guitar Solo!” has it’s collar up. Whether it’s kids looking for candy or junkies looking for their fix, “Halloweehead” holds the excitement of backyard night-games eventually finishing with some haunted house train sounds and a bit of piano that will make one wonder if Michael Myers himself is in goal. The only knock on “Halloweenhead” is common to all the songs on Easy Tiger—it’s a bit brief. Ryan Adams makes blue jeans music, and blue jeans music needs to come over the tops of the boots, long enough songs to get frayed at the ends. Yet most of the tracks on Easy Tiger are tapered to around 3 minutes. If the goal was to make you long for more, mission accomplished. But the net result isn’t a good one as blue jeans music in some cases is reduced to the just plain wrong –jean shorts and no one wants that.
The Manifesto
Music Martes
the new music experience
The idea: I’ll be buying one album every Tuesday for the next 52 weeks. I’ll review it in this space. I’ll focus on new releases, but reserve the right to mix in an old standard. Music Martes reviews will be unlike regular record reviews. They will change your expectations for a record review. They’ll be longer, more thoughtful, more dynamic as the stock of a particular song rises or falls throughout the week. They’ll be bilingual, kinda. Music Martes will also be a place of innovation as we look to add new features to the weekly reviews.
Music Martes reviews will not be about delivering a record rating and moving on. If you’re looking for thumbs up or thumbs down, look elsewhere. Our goal is to help you engage with a record. How does it sound at first listen? After a week, what songs grow on you? Where does it sound best? Music Martes will give each record the attention it deserves, even if it doesn’t deserve attention. It may only be a $9.99 investment, but to read a Music Martes review you would think we were helping you make a college decision. It’s not about research either. I’m not going to be listening to the artist or band’s 3 prior records, I won’t be striving to get all the influences correctly nailed.
It’s not a strange idea when you think about it. People talk and write about the arts and sports. Movies. Games. Books. The last episode of Sopranos. There is conversation about all of these things whether it’s in the car ride home, pizza place after, or the proverbial water cooler at work.
But somehow music has been left out of the conversation. Most music writing today is focused on the celebrity of the artist or the transaction of whether or not to buy the record (standard review). You won’t find that here. This space is dedicated to capturing the journey of a new record. Over time I hope to make the site a destination. A place you can go to find someone as excited as you are. Music Martes will be more companion than tool, and we would be honored to ride shotgun with you as you experience new music. Or feel free to live vicariously through us.
Who are we for? People who think music is most important. If music is bigger for you than sport, film, fashion, etc. –you have a home here. If not, feel free to visit for that new music smell whenever the mood strikes you.
the new music experience
The idea: I’ll be buying one album every Tuesday for the next 52 weeks. I’ll review it in this space. I’ll focus on new releases, but reserve the right to mix in an old standard. Music Martes reviews will be unlike regular record reviews. They will change your expectations for a record review. They’ll be longer, more thoughtful, more dynamic as the stock of a particular song rises or falls throughout the week. They’ll be bilingual, kinda. Music Martes will also be a place of innovation as we look to add new features to the weekly reviews.
Music Martes reviews will not be about delivering a record rating and moving on. If you’re looking for thumbs up or thumbs down, look elsewhere. Our goal is to help you engage with a record. How does it sound at first listen? After a week, what songs grow on you? Where does it sound best? Music Martes will give each record the attention it deserves, even if it doesn’t deserve attention. It may only be a $9.99 investment, but to read a Music Martes review you would think we were helping you make a college decision. It’s not about research either. I’m not going to be listening to the artist or band’s 3 prior records, I won’t be striving to get all the influences correctly nailed.
It’s not a strange idea when you think about it. People talk and write about the arts and sports. Movies. Games. Books. The last episode of Sopranos. There is conversation about all of these things whether it’s in the car ride home, pizza place after, or the proverbial water cooler at work.
But somehow music has been left out of the conversation. Most music writing today is focused on the celebrity of the artist or the transaction of whether or not to buy the record (standard review). You won’t find that here. This space is dedicated to capturing the journey of a new record. Over time I hope to make the site a destination. A place you can go to find someone as excited as you are. Music Martes will be more companion than tool, and we would be honored to ride shotgun with you as you experience new music. Or feel free to live vicariously through us.
Who are we for? People who think music is most important. If music is bigger for you than sport, film, fashion, etc. –you have a home here. If not, feel free to visit for that new music smell whenever the mood strikes you.
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