Punk rock was loud, messy, uncontrollable and rowdy. Then Joy Division came and changed all that almost over night. Ever hear of U2, the Killers or Phoenix? All followers of this one band that barreled into the vision of the public almost overnight and then exploded and reinvented itself upon the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis (here’s the fascinating movie about him). Emphasizing emotional music over loud noise and somber emotions over rage and anger, they were the first to synchronize synthesizers, drum machines and live instrumentation.
Phoenix
Joy Division happens to be one of the most depressing bands ever but those influenced by them moved more towards the land of unicorns and butterflies. One of those bands happens to be Phoenix who turned the Joy Division sound slightly upside down. Their most recent release, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, builds upon the simpler drum machine and snyth combinations by adding multiple layers of guitars. It’s a really cool sound and overall a really great album.
I’m connecting these bands with a synth and drum machine sound and it’s my post so I’m going to throw in a little curveball. The next band has many related characteristics to Phoenix, incorporating a lot of drum machine and other samples and a lead singer with a wacky falsetto voice. Passion Pit relies heavily on sound samples which gives a much wider variety of sounds then a simple drum machine, such as in the following song.
I’m going to go from my oldest obsession to my newest. Hip hop music. I’m going to say upfront I never liked hip hop music. If your name starts with a “lil,” I don’t like you and I know your music sucks. For that shrinking subset of rappers whose names don’t start with a “lil” or autotune, I’ll give you a chance. That being said, I don’t like most rap. I can’t really relate to either the excess rappers (smoke blunts) or the socially conscience rappers. That being said, there is still good rap even if you have to dig deep for it.
Take everything I said about excess rappers and throw it away for a second. Just a second. Or however long it takes you to read the following. Despite what I’ve said, I really like Jay Z despite his embodiment of much that I despise. The only explanation is that he has really soulful beats. Try The Blueprint or the Black Album. Neither album has him rapping over a drum machine which I particularly dig, even if much of his stuff is about living the life.
Watching that video, I remember just how great Eminem is. Eminem was the first rapper I ever heard and said wow. The man doesn’t just rap a line and take a break, he barrels forward without a break, even if it means you have to catch up to him. His dark humor and violence turn me off at times but even then, he is, undisputedly, the most clever lyricist out there. Similarly, Louis Logic’s clever lyrics and similar sense of humor remind me of Eminem.
My favorite rapper, however, is Common. Originally attracted to his cool, soul and jazz influenced beats, I also started listening to his meaningful lyrics and was hooked. There are, like with every other rapper, particulars that I don’t particularly enjoy but his album Be is the only rap album that I enjoy all songs on.
This last bit is about my favorite verse in all of hip hop. It’s on a Kanye West song but no, it’s not a Kanye West lyric. Jay Z is also on the song, but it’s not his either. It’s by a hip hop poet by the name of J Ivy and you can skip to 3 minutes to hear it on the following link.
The Beatles were the most popular rock band throughout the 60s, and many believed their reign of supreme rock band could not be challenged. Well, I’m going to give you two bands that definitely could put up a legitimate fight.
Led Zeppelin wasn’t just a band of musicians, but a conduit to the dark side. They didn’t have to tune down to ungodly low notes or play loud or fast for their music to be bad ass because they weren’t mere mortals. Jimmy Page wasn’t a guitar god, Robert Plant didn’t sing like an angel, John Bonham didn’t play drums like a sissy and John Paul Jones’ bass lines weren’t stairways to heaven. Page was a demon, Plant howled like a Viking warrior, Bonham played like he was at war with his drum set and Jones’ bass lines were chutes to hell. Check out How the West Was Won for 10 minute drum and guitar solos from some of the most talented musicians who ever lived!
The Rolling Stones are one of the few bands that could compete with Zeppelin and the Beatles for popularity. In fact, the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll band was formed as an anti-Beatles (despite singing Lennon/McCartney songs on their first few albums). They contrasted the Beatles’ finely tailored suits and mop-tops with rugged and dirty looks. Their image, however, wasn’t just a front. Their music was the blues with attitude and I don’t mean Tony Robbins keep a positive outlook on life attitude. It was at times mean (check out “Bitch” on Sticky Fingers) and at times tender (check out “Angie” on Goat’s Head Soup) but they always played with Attitude with a capital A. The Stones are recognized for their sustained popularity, but I want to bring up a band that was just as good.
Faces played a similar Honky Tonk blues style and they played it exceptionally well, albeit for lesser years. Check out pre-pop Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood (future member of the Stones) on guitar as they play a no-nonsense song about a one night stand.
The Stones and Zeppelin sold millions of studio records in their rise to popularity, but it was a live album that skyrocketed the Allman Brothers Band to stardom. Unlike the previous bands, the Allman Brothers’ blend of blues was purely Southern and helped to create a Southern Rock sound emulated by many. That album, Live at the Fillmore East, features two of the greats in the line of talented Allman Brothers Band guitarists. Duane Allman’s slide guitar is unmatched and the interplay with Dickey Betts defines early Allman Brothers’ sound. Current guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks are no slouches either.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Hey guys, Matt here. I just wanted to give Aaron Shipper, the author of this post, a full Music Court welcome. Aaron, a blues aficionado and lover of good music, has joined the small editorial staff at the Music Court and will be bringing you music posts in his “A Different Drummer” category two days a week. So, everyone please make Aaron feel at home!
I’d like to take you on musical journey, more specifically my musical journey, from a tiny dweeb with a mix CD of songs downloaded from Kazaa to this post pubescent humanoid interested enough in music to volunteer to write for this esteemed music blog.
I envision this category as an exploration of musical genres that I enjoy, handpicking artists, albums and even specific songs that are part of my musical gospel. These music genres and how I divide and subdivide them are really of my own creation and bear no resemblance to what you may or may not have read on wikipedia. Also, I haven’t decided yet if I will crossover artists between genres. You’ll just have to stay tuned to find that tantalizing bit of knowledge out.
With that administration stuff out of the way, we can now make way on this exploration. I’d like to start with my longest obsession: the blues!
The Blues: Great Guitarists
My guess is if you’re here, you’ve at least heard of the greats. Perhaps you enjoy listening to the Pioneers of Blues, like Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, the three Kings (BB, Freddie and Albert), Buddy Guy, or Hendrix. Or maybe you rock out with the blues guitarists of the British Invasion, try Jeff Beck, Mr. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Keith Richards. Perhaps, (like myself), you find something really cool about Southern Blues like SRV, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts or Gary Rossington. Those guys are the greats for many reasons but they certainly are not the only great players out there.
I’m sure you’ve heard of a guy named John Mayer. Tall, skinny white dude who only seems like a prick until you actually hear him speak and you can confirm it. Everytime I used to hear the man’s songs I had the sudden and barely controllable urge to break things. Sometimes I still do. However, that doesn’t change the fact that although he may have the voice of a pop singer who injects himself with estrogen, Mr. Mayer plays like a guitar god on steriods with three hands who will be killed painfully when and if he stops playing with a healthy does of skill and soul. Just check out the mans solo and even compare it to the great Eric Clapton’s.
As amazing as some of these guys are, I’ve never wanted to learn to kick ass and take names on guitar more than seeing a guy by the name of Davy Knowles play live. I was standing next to another act, a pretty good guitarist himself by the name of Evan Watson (checkout this video) who was standing there, mouth open, shaking his head as Davy fretted and played with one hand. Check out his album Coming up For Air to understand just how talented he is.
Just watched Davy? The song he just played isn’t actually his. It’s by a guy by the name of Rory Gallagher. I know, wimpy first name, not wimpy player. The bad boys of rock and roll themselves,, those Rolling Stones even asked this guy to play for them. That’s how good. Check out the Irish 74 tour live double album for a legend in tippy top shape.
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