MIX FOUR: Wellington, New Zealand

This foto is kind of misleading, weather-wise.

As my time in New Zealand comes to an end (literally I’m on a plane in less than six hours) I wanted to share with you all a mix of songs that best exemplified my time in the capitol city of Wellington.

Wellington is often described as a miniature version of San Francisco and even though I hate making those kinds of comparisons it is a relevant starting point. Extremely hilly, compact, windier than anything I could have imagined Wellington has its charms as being a hyper-cultured town that relishes in coffee and cigarettes by day and bars and cinema by night.

Some of you know that I haven’t had the best time here and coming from the suburbs to the big city was probably the hardest adjustment for me personally, harder than I could have anticipated. Sadly I don’t have the best memories of living in Wellington, but if you are touring New Zealand is worth a few days stay.

Flight Of The Conchords-“Inner City Pressure”

New Zealand’s own 4th greatest Folk parody Duo, Bret and Jemaine get their Pet Shop Boys on in this hilarious take on hard times in the city.

Bob Dylan-“Hard Times In New York Town”

Even though ‘ol Bobby D was singing about a different city, the things he’s singing about held true for how I felt coming into Wellington. Smart, sassy, a little funky and very observant, it’s a shame this wasn’t on his first album.

Bright Eyes-“The City Has Sex”

I admit I've been a little angsty and this early Bright Eyes kind of describes the later stages of my time here.

The Carpenters-“Rainy Days And Mondays”

I love Karen Carpenter and if this song isn’t the blues I don’t know what is anymore. Wellington doesn’t have the best weather so this tended to be pretty accurate.

Howard Shore-“The Passing of the Elves”

What is a Wellington mix without at least one Lord Of The Rings mention? This one fit the more serene qualities I felt while at the top of Mt. Victoria and in the forest surrounding it.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone-“Toby take a bow”

After some initial disappointments this song became kind of a mantra. I feel stupid about it now, but this song really encapsulates the worst aspects of my experience.

The Diggs -“Careen”

I listened to this song a lot when I was roaming the city. I don’t really know what it means particularly, but it just matched my surroundings.

Scarlett Johansson-“Anywhere I Lay My Head”

Wellington has been my only home for the past five months and since I don’t have a room at either my mom or dad’s places I shuffle everything with me from apartment to apartment. I love Scarlett’s version because the atmosphere fits Wellington better than the New Orleans-esque original by Tom Waits.

Prince Edward Island -“I've Been To A City”

Lush, dizzying and somewhat harmonious this song by Prince Edward Island kind of captures my first impressions and immersion when I first stepped off the train in Wellington, sublime, beautiful and somewhat terrifying.

The Jesus And Mary Chain -“Just Like Honey”

Lost In Translation is sort of an existential shortcut for how my experience has been and this Jesus And Mary Chain song was in my head as soon as I even thought about coming here.


The view from my flat

Wellington is certainly a beautiful and slightly puzzling city that really caught me off guard. Even if I won’t look on this place as fondly as I wanted to I know I can’t forget it.

Links:
Wellington City site
Flight Of The Conchords on Myspace!
Bob Dylan site
Bright Eyes on Myspace!
The Carpenters on Wikipedia
HowardShore.com
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone on Myspace!
The Diggs on Myspace!
Scarlett Johansson on Myspace!
Prince Edward Island on Myspace!
The Jesus And Mary Chain on Myspace!

Bob Dylan Worth Mentioning That You Might Not Know

Taken During the Rolling Thuder Revue Tour in 1975

The “youth” like myself go through a pretty typical evolution while discovering Bob Dylan. We all start with the early folk years that by now are blended with the “going electric” years (kind of funny if you think about it). Usually The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan or Blonde On Blonde are the stock favorites. Then most people go from there into either John Wesley Harding (if you are a hardcore folkie) or Blood On The Tracks (if you’re of the introspective persuasion). Where do the “youth” go after that? Well unless you got into the recent release Modern Times, most casual fans stop there. Now I am very aware of the pitchfork factor going on here (am I pretentious for making pitchfork a stand-in for pretentiousness?), but regardless the point of this post is to make people aware of other parts of Bob Dylan’s catalogue you won’t find on your nearest hipster’s iPod.

Oh Mercy:
Released in 1989 and the first album produced for Dylan by Daniel Lanois, Oh Mercy is one of Dylan’s greatest albums. The songs shimmer with a kind of energy not seen since Slow Train Coming. It kicks off quite insidiously with “Political World” a fun, romping protest update that is anything but positive. “Ring Them Bells” is a great spiritual song where the words themselves weave together poetically. “Most Of The Time” is a beautifully written song about crumbling self-denial. The whole album is sonically delicious and is layered quite intricately; definitely check it out.

“When The Ship Comes In”:
Released on 1963’s The Times They Are A-Changin’, this song was written in frustration of a refused entry into a hotel, yet it is became so much more. This is one of the great Dylan anthems and deserves so much more attention than it is given. It’s moving and empowering and refuses to quit.

“Corrina, Corrina,” and “Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance”:
Both based on “traditional” songs, Dylan took the originals really made them all his own. Both taken off of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, this one-two punch couplet is very complimentary to each other. Both are songs of longing, “Corrina, Corrina” is quiet and sad while “Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance” is an energetic stomp of hopeful desperation. Two underrated gems on one of Dylan’s most famous albums, really take a second listen to these two.

The Bootleg Series Volume 1:
Were most of these songs really rejects from Dylan’s first three albums and if so damn, anyone would beg to have b-sides this fucking good. “Hard Times In New York Town,” “Let Me Die In My Footsteps,” “Rambling Gambling Willie,” “Quit Your Low Down Ways,” “Walkin’ Down The Line,” “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues,” and of course “Who Killed Davey Moore?” are all amazing songs that could easily be an album unto itself. These are b-sides? Really?

“If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got To Stay All Night) (Live 1964 Version)”:
The electric version was released as a b-side in Europe during the release of Highway 61 Revisited, but it’s the version played at the famous Halloween show in 1964 (released as The Bootleg Series Vol. 6, Live 1964) that I really dig. Sort of a relief between “Gates of Eden” and “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” this is a hilarious and clever song about hooking up; it ain’t just a modern phenomenon.

“Cocaine (Live At The Gaslight Café)”:
I talked about this before as an Mp3 of the Week and I still think it’s a beautifully fragile rendition of a crazy state to be in.

“Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” and “One Two Many Mornings” (Live 1966):
In the historic “Albert Hall” concert of 1966 (Released as The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4) Bob Dylan only played three pre-electric songs and these two songs are reworked quite beautifully, one more dramatically than the other. “Baby, Let Me Follow You Down” is certifiably blues and rocks fast and furious. “One Two Many Mornings” was one of the only none political songs off of The Times They Are A-Changin’ and here is transformed into a booming, slow burner with an equally cool reworked chorus. Both demonstrated Dylan’s dedication to pissing off the old guard, but how could you argue with such majesty?

“I Threw It All Away”:
Released off of the magnificent country album Nashville Skyline, this is one sad country song. I play it at my shows often and it’s because anyone can so terribly relate to this message of love we often let go of foolishly. The croon used on this entire album is used most effectively here and will have you welling up guaranteed.

Dylan Playing The Piano:
Nowadays he often plays piano more than guitar, but earlier in his career he used the piano in quite interesting and bizarre ways. Never played live ever, “Black Crow Blues (off of Another Side of Bob Dylan" is light and springy and sounds like it could be played in a saloon. “Day of The Locusts” off of New Morning takes on a gospel, organ-laden lilt about being at a university. “If Dogs Run Free” and “Father of Night” off of New Morning are funny, strange jazz numbers that really entangle the dynamic between vocals and piano. “When He Returns” is the closer to Slow Train Coming, Dylan’s first Christian album in 1979 (And a fantastic one at that). This song focuses solely on a lone piano and Dylan’s more affected vocals. The passion is immense and makes for a very moving experience. Messy and only a shadow of what it was to become, “Like A Rolling Stone” was first written on the piano. This demo (On The Bootleg Series, Vol. 3) carries a waltz-like quality and is fascinating for no reason other than the fact that it’s played so whimsically at first. Even he had no idea what it would turn into. Dylan rarely released himself playing piano during the majority of his career (until New Morning), but even at the beginning he could see its endless possibilities.

“Shelter From The Storm”:
One of my favorite Dylan songs out of his entire catalogue, this number from 1975’s classic Blood On The Tracks is certainly one of my favorites. I feel safe and at home when I listen to this, nothing that real life could guarantee. This song will never let me down.

So again to reiterate, this selection was mostly meant for me to tell you all some of my favorite Dylan moments, songs and albums that aren’t necessarily being played in every college dorm room. Some might contest me on this, but really, just take a listen and you’ll discover something cool and maybe new from the greatest songwriter of the last century.

Link:
BobDylan.com

See Your Fragmented Self In I’m Not There (2007)

So If I were in the Todd Haynes film I'm Not There concerning Bob Dylan I would play the seventh Dylan.

As a young student I would discover Bob Dylan through easily palpable sources (ala “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” by The Beatles) because I didn’t like his voice at first. But, I’d soon be familiar with Christian Bale’s character Jack Rollins, the prophet, finger-pointin’ folkie. Bale gleefully exudes the stereotypes I had about Dylan (the kind most people have) leaving me optimistic and expectant but vulnerable.

At this time I re-picked up the guitar and like Marcus Carl Franklin’s character Woody Guthrie, I picked up my heroe's songs pretty well, harp and all. I could start naming all of his influences, move a crowd and fake my way through any trivia contest. Like Franklin I could charm my way through all the standards (Just hear my desperate versions“Blowin’ In The Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin”), but I didn’t yet realize that imitation leads nowhere.

Finally I tried to branch out on my own, wildly and chaotically in the same vein as Ben Wishaw’s Arthur Rimbaud. I feel like I can provide a commentary on my current situation and I do well during the interrogation like cool Arthur, but after awhile the pressure gets too much to me and I start to lose my composure. I just cannot take these hounds and flashbulbs anymore; they do not say who I am.

I grab my weapon (“Not in any literalized sense”) and I decide to blow them away like Cate Blanchett’s Jude Quinn. “I refuse to be heard,” she exclaims nervously, neurotically; she’s a ghastly site, a person not quite centered and on a witty, fierce defense. And oh does she defend well against the likes of ravenously selfish fans, confused reporters, Michelle Williams as Coco Rivington (Edie Sedgwick) and Bruce Greenwood as a BBC journalist. I feel things starting to crack; I know that I cannot survive very long on drugs (maybe it’ll help The Beatles deal with those hard days and nights), apparent disinterest, angered disassociation and witty cool.

Maybe I should turn to God. Maybe I’ll see angels in the street like Jack Rollins. Christian Bale could lead me in the right direction as Pastor John singing the magnificent gospel of “Pressin On.” Could this be the freedom I need from the wary eyes of those who seek to impose on me like they’re trying with to do with Jude? It could be, but that would end in comfort and stagnation. So instead I start to hurt those around me without realizing and get caught up in the electric period of the man I’m imitating.

Heath Ledger as Robbie and I now have some problems with women and our own egos due to this ease of cynicism and wit that we borrowed from our heroes (The Godard references are perfect). Like Robbie I could only break through by listening and letting those around me listen (Charlotte Gainsbourg is the most gorgeous, striking woman on the planet).

Do I understand everything yet? No, there still is that whole fame and identity entrapment thing to confront. I decide to leave for awhile, maybe grow a beard and live a simple life ala Richard Gere’s Billy the Kid. I even live in a surreal world with carnivals, funerals, Halloween and animals. I try hard believing that I’m free from it all, but I really do care and I am forced to stand up and fight once again.

I jump back into the fray with Jude who is now dealing with a Fellini-esque circus around her. Can it be true that “Death is so part of the scene right now”? Is a motorcycle crash the correct way to escape? At the time it seemed the only appropriate tactic to get off the whirlwind. I don’t blame Jude for it one bit. Is reinvention death? Maybe in some circles, but I’m sure those are the circles you want to get out of.

Seeing the Todd Haynes masterpiece I’m Not There was like staring into a mirror.

Bob Dylan however remains as elusive as ever.



Mp3:
Bob Dylan-"I'm Not There"

Links:
I'm Not There on IMDB
Great review in Film Comment
Part 1 of an interview with Todd Haynes
Part 2
Part 3

Mp3 of the Week-“Cocaine (Live)” by Bob Dylan

I recently (yesterday) found Live At The Gaslight 1962, an album released a few years ago (at Starbucks exclusively for awhile). It is a small sample of songs Bob Dylan sang pre-Freewheelin’ days at The Gaslight Café in New York before he exploded into the spotlight. The track “Cocaine” is a song written by Luke Jordan in 1929 and what's remarkable about Dylan is that even in 1962 he could take many blues and folk standards like this song and brand them with his own sensibilities. There is simplicity and plasticity of Dylan’s version of "Cocaine." The refrain, “Cocaine all around my brain,” is so morbidly catchy that he lets it swirl over and over again until his voice cracks and he mumbles the ending; enhancing the effect of a man falling apart due to this “delicious” (err) drug.

Mp3:
Bob Dylan-“Cocaine (Live)”

Links:
album info on Wikipedia

YouTube Video of the Week: “Boots of Spanish Leather” Cover

I spend about as much time on You Tube as I used to spend watching television as a child. Yet, I believe it is a lot more proactive and we are able to see so many things that no one ten years ago would have been able to see. So in honor of this information democratization I will try doing a You Tube Video of the Week.

For this first week I stumbled upon a wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather". The song was released on The Times They Are A-Changin' in 1963 and this song was one of the only non-political songs on the album. It is a sad song and Anthony da Costa's interpretation of it really brings out a new dynamic and powerful punch to the song with his expressive voice. Check it out!



Links:
Anthony da Costa on myspace

MIX TWO: NorCal Road Trip Mix

The open road, the open sky

It was time again for another road trip up to Northern California (“affectionately” dubbed NorCal). Work was slow, I felt a comfortably confident about my place in class, my legs were itching to see the highway and I had lots of good music and I need even more good music. I headed to Santa Rosa and Berkeley this time around to visit some close friends. There are some great music and movie stories there too. However on the way up I had to stop at Best Buy (there are none in Santa Barbara). They were having a $3.99 movie sale and though most of the movies were bad I was able to pick up Pi, Audition and American Psycho. I also bought a “greatest hits” compilation of The Temptations comprising of their songs from the 60s (their best period). If you ever get out to Santa Rosa (home of Charles Schultz and the location of Hitchcock’s first American film Shadow of a Doubt) you should all definitely check out The Last Record Store. Located next to the Junior College, this little but packed record store hosts an interesting, but diverse collection of CDs, vinyl and music DVDS. The Reggae section is the most impressive and the vinyl has great prices. I was able to find the recent but rare Flight of the Conchords EP The Distant Future and Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline on vinyl. The album cover is possibly one of my favorite album covers ever. I didn’t spend too much there because I knew once I strolled into Berkeley on a Sunday afternoon I would be going to Rasputin. My favorite record store, it hosts an impressive diversity of CDs, vinyl, tape and an amazing DVD section in the store (Note: They have a large section devoted to Criterion Collection and foreign films). While I was there I was able to pick up Darren Aronofsky’s greatly ignored epic from 2006 The Fountain and Wong Kar-wai’s amazingly poetic film 2046. I also found the sort of rare album Black Monk Time from the anti-Beatles The Monks, and one of Numero Group’s amazing compilations Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label. The next day I could not resist, I had to go to Amoeba too. I mean I have a job now, I can afford all this right? The Amoeba in Berkeley (down the street from Rasputin mind you) is not nearly as impressive as the one in Hollywood, but it still is great for carrying stuff that you would only be able to buy online. I was able to find Bob Dylan’s under appreciated 1970 album New Morning, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone’s second album of lo-fi goodness Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars, The Pogues Irish Folk Punk masterpiece Rum Sodomy & The Lash, and Bob Dylan’s “Reggae” album Infidels on vinyl.


My friend's apartment overlooking Telegraph in Berkeley.

Too much good music to manage, but six hour long car rides gave me ample to time to explore these albums and then some. So without further ado here is my NorCal mix, enjoy!

The Monks-“Monk Time”
The Monks were a group of soldiers who were stationed in Germany together. They became dubbed the anti-Beatles for their focus on rhythm as opposed to melody. Everything about The Monks can be found in this great opener off of Black Monk Time; anti-war Dadaist yelps, tribal-like drums, monk like chanting, and just all around coolness with being formally against everything 60s.

Rilo Kiley-“15”
This lovely horn laden track off of their latest album Under The Blacklight took some time to grow on me, but now I love it. This is a great song to sing while following the dusty landscapes. I mean what can be better than singing, “But she was only/only/only/15!” at the top of your lungs with the windows rolled down? Plus the theramin solo is just wicked.

Bob Dylan-“The Man In Me”
Kind of a cult favorite, this track off of 1970’s New Morning is so sublimely happy, is it to good to be true? Maybe, but I don’t care and neither should you. Just sing those la la las until everyone on the highway starts singing along.

Joe King-“Speak On Up”
Normally a guitarist for other Prix artists like Eddie Ray he got his own shot at singing duties in this quasi-gospel number. He has a smooth, unassuming voice that totally sells this tale of yearning and desire. On the road we have time to think of those ones who we wish would love us, and we just want them to “Speak on up!” All we need is some back up singers.

Kanye West-“School Spirit”
Right now I am in a big Kanye West mode. This hot track off of his first album The College Dropout is one of the best examples of Kanye’s signature style of using great samples and speeding them up. Here he use’s Aretha Franklin’s “Spirit In The Dark” to maximum effect while rapping about dropping out of college to make it big. If only I were so brave. Whatever, I’m living vicariously through this song.

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone-“Destroy The Evidence”
Owen is a pretty emotional guy, but this one packs a wallop. Listening to this song at 5:30am on the road brought tears to my eyes. It has a great drum track and Owen is the Vonnegut of lo-fi with lines like “There are 26 steps to your door/but I’m not counting anymore”. There is nothing so succinctly said, but so expansively felt.

Otis Redding-“Pain In My Heart”
Perhaps the greatest song about heartbreak of all time, Otis Redding’s voice digs so deep into our minds and our hearts that I sit back reeling by how physically effected I get while listening. Try singing along to this and not losing your voice by the end of it. Sadly Otis Redding was not with us for very long, but his legacy will last beyond the end of time with songs like this.

The Pogues-“A Pair of Brown Eyes”
Shane MacGowen is the greatest drunk poet of the last thirty years and it really stands out in this track off of their second album Rum Sodomy & The Lash. “And I heard the sounds of long ago from the old canal/and the birds were whistling in the trees/Where the wind was gently laughing.” Sentimentality has often been associated with schmaltz, but Shane MacGowen and The Pogues shed those labels. They took gritty realism and infused it with romantic sentimentality creating songs like this one that made you cry and smile at the same time. A great sing along too, “And a rovin’ and a rovin’ and rovin’ I’ll go/for a pair of brown eyes!”

The Temptations-“I Wish It Would Rain”
This 1968 tune from Motown’s greatest hits all the right notes at all the right moments. Probably one of the most melancholy songs sung with the original lineup you just can’t help but feel lines like, “But everyone knows that a man ain't suppose to cry, listen/I gotta cry 'cause cryin' eases the pain, oh yeah.” All the men out there gotta sing this one loud!

Freezepop-“Outer Space”
This song by my favorite Synthpop band is off of their second album Fancy Ultra-Fresh. It makes me feel infinite. Listening to it at six in the morning when the sun starts to rise feels like nothing else. I’m soaring, flying sailing speeding through this world and beyond.


There is a dusty road somewhere that is most beautiful at 6 am

MIX TWO is complete. Sorry it took so long to get up, but I’m in-between apartments at the moment. When I get settled there will be more updates I promise!

Links:
The Last Record Store in Santa Rosa
Rasputin
Amoeba

The Monks' site
Rilo Kiley on Myspace
Bob Dylan's site
The Numero Group with info on Joe King and more!
Kanye West on Myspace
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone on Myspace
Otis Redding's site
The Pogues on Wikipedia
The Temptations on Wikipedia
Freezepop on Myspace

I'm Not There Trailer hits Teh Interwebz

IGN is the first site to release the trailer for the Todd Haynes flick based on Bob Dylan's life called I'm Not There. The cool thing about this "biopic" is that six different actors (Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and Cate Blanchett) will be playing Bob Dylan at different stages of his life. When I first heard the premise I was immediately excited because the recent slew of biopics all followed the same formula: Musician experiences traumatic moment as a child, meets a girl, becomes famous, gets the girl, does drugs, potentially loses girl, and then gets over drug due to the love of the girl. I'm Not There seems like a much more compelling approach. However, I haven't seen a Todd Haynes film yet so I do not know what to expect. All I know is that this trailer makes me giddy as a hardcore Dylan fan. Enjoy!



I'm Not There Downloadable at IGN

IMDB page