Disc of the day
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
(Lost Highway, 2002)
2002’s low-key offering from Elton John endorsed boy wonder.
It’s a testament to Ryan Adams’ mercurial songwriting ability that a record essentially made up of leftovers and ‘non-releases’ from previous albums stands out amid a discography as long as the singer’s pharmacological shopping list. Ethan Johns’ laissez-faire production style complements Adams’ songcraft perfectly, especially on Cry On Demand, a song whose playful, bittersweet melancholy captures the essence of the album. Demolition garnered accolades from a steadily growing list of celebrity Adams-fans, including Elton John, Alanis Morissette and Bono, who all saw the genius buried within the mayhem of Adams’ on/offstage performances. Even nonchalant rocker Starting To Hurt achieves the kind of the intimate, credible stadium feel that U2 have been striving for their entire career. Since embarking upon a somewhat erratic solo career that often threatened to disappear amidst the ether of regrettable YouTube clips, Adams has self-documented his rocky ride, up, down and around the block. The achingly poignant lyrics on Hallelujah show Adams’ frustrating awareness of his own tendency to balls things up: “If I could have a simple love, how would it feel and what would it mean? / I’d only trade you in, for a Mary Magdalene.” Art, imitating life, imitating art, imitating life, ad infinitum.
David Harfield
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 18/12/2008
Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000)
Jesse Malin – The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction (Artemis, 2002)
Neil Young – After The Gold Rush (Reprise, 1970)
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
6:00 AM GMT 18/03/2010
Essence De Choogle from John Fogerty and crew. Badass!
9:54 AM GMT 17/03/2010
Matt Johnson's self-excoriating - but tunepacked! -classic.
6:00 AM GMT 16/03/2010
Metal Britannica inspires MOJO metal amnesty. Studded leather wristbands aloft!
2:32 AM GMT 12/03/2010
For connoisseurs of pop-as-rupture-in-the-space/time-continuum
6:00 AM GMT 11/03/2010
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