Disc of the day
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Magnificent late-'50s singles round-up that keeps on giving.
Features Disc of the day
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard
’Em Are I
(Rough Trade, 2009)
Likeable "anti-folk" bloke's bid to join the big boys
Jeffrey Lewis's fifth Rough Trade album has sustained me since February and I return to his wobbly voice and over-sharing lyrics as if they were a pair of comfy, dog-gnawed slippers. For me, this marks his transformation from "jokey NYC songwriter" (© Pitchfork) and (admittedly ace) part-time cartooner into a musical artist of note, heir to that unpolished rock-naïf lineage that runs through Jonathan Richman back to the Velvets of I'm Sticking With You. 'Em Are I's strengths include its wit and musical variations, from Slogans' Buzzcocksian brief history of low self-esteem to The Upside-Down Cross's groovy indie rave-up, via Whistle Past The Graveyard's helter-skelter, bluegrass-tinged musings on mortality. Good Old Pig, Gone To Avalon even features a gleefully unwound guest guitar solo by one J. Mascis. Haunting the whole thing, there's a bittersweet air of existential stock-taking, with Lewis aware of the "sun setting on my youth" and weighing the value of the touring muso life, with its grabbed naps, cheap desserts and expensive medication. While he has yet to draw the line between public and private to his complete satisfaction, the tension has shaped a funny, honest and touching record that's thoroughly good company from start to finish - perhaps even an It's A Shame About Ray de nos jours. And as Lewis remarks about something else entirely: "That's easier said than done and it's not even easy to say."
Danny Eccleston
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 23/10/2009
Further Listening
Jeffrey Lewis – 12 Crass Songs (Rough Trade, 2007)
The Modern Lovers – Modern Lovers (Beserkley, 1976)
The Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray (Atlantic, 1992)
Previous Disc of the day
-
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Magnificent late-'50s singles round-up that keeps on giving.
6:00 AM GMT 20/11/2009
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-
Isley Brothers - The Brothers: Isley
The Cincinnati siblings bed into their heavy period.
6:00 AM GMT 18/11/2009
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Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land
The trumpeter's most soulful excursion entrances MOJO messageboarder.
6:00 AM GMT 16/11/2009
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