My Amazon Reviews: Dawes “All Your Favorite Bands”

Your New Favorite Band Brings It All Together
4 Out Of 5 Stars

On the new "All Your Favorite Bands," Dawes maintain their infatuation with that 70's California sound. I guess all that time spent on the road with Jackson Browne helped mold the band's shape, but on this album, as on the previous albums, Dawes mine that vein successfully enough that they claim it as their own.

As much as this album harkens back to the LA heydays of yore, leader Taylor Goldsmith roots much of the album in modern heartache. The title song may seem like a fond farewell, but it's really a bitter kiss-off. Same with the opener, "Things Happen." Replace "Things" with a four letter word starting with the letter 'S' and you'll catch my drift. All this lyrical tension is buttressed by the band themselves. The playing has become more organic, and they went to a live in the studio recording method. ("Things Happen" was reported to have been nailed on the first take.) It leads to a few surprises, like the electric guitar solo in "I Can't Think About It Now." Or most obviously on the near 10 minute closer "Now That It's Too Late Maria."

Starting with just a hushed drum and low key bass, Goldsmith sings lightly, "Nothing sadder than a street light/shining on a stretch of empty sidewalk." Builds to a slow burn solo before the final verse, then eases into a jam session that winds up as the song continues. It captures perfectly how much the band's chops and trust in interplay has grown, even with the short span of time between "All Your Favorite Bands" and "Stories Don't End." Credit should be given to producer David Rawlings, who captures the band in their natural element, and to Dawes themselves for the leap in compositional acumen. "All Your Favorite Bands" is modern folk rock of the finest caliber and a contender for the best thing I've heard this year.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Train "Save Me San Fransisco"

Back On Track
4 Out Of 5 Stars

"Save Me San Fransisco" was a somewhat prophetic title for Train. For many, the band had been written off, even the members themselves were in the throes of doubt. What's a band in trouble to do? Get back to their roots. The reward was one of the biggest singles of 2010, a million selling album, and a band that suddenly were everyone's golden boys.

"Save Me San Fransisco" is a journeyman's effort, filled with breezy melodies and a free spirited sound. They even lift a few lines of another San Fransisco band, The Doobie Brothers' "Black Water" to reference their home city one more time (on "I Got You"). In fact, pop cultrure references are all over the album: Winger, Madonna, Mr.Mister, the Fillmore, Sonny and Cher (yeah, check your cool-meter at the door, folks) that come off as catchy as they are corny. After all, if they can pull off the rhyme of "Hey Soul Sister, ain't that Mr Mister on the radio?" and get you to believe they mean it, then Train has got more going on than most bands who want you to take them ever so seriously.

Lead singer Pat Monahan delivers the goods vocally, too. He's just earnest enough to make "Marry Me" transcend its sappy wedding bells tale, yet can make the travelogue of the title track feel like both a confessional and a plea to Train's old fans to remember the band and the good times that the likes of "Drops Of Jupiter" did in the early 2000's. "Save Ne San Francisco" does that and more. It's not only a great return to form for Train, it's one of the better pop albums you're likely to hear from this decade.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Train "California 37"

When You Move Me, Everything Is Groovy
5 Out of 5 Stars

Proving that "Save Me San Francisco" was no fluke, Train roll on with their career's second act with "California 37." They've matured into a first class pop band, wielding hooks alongside an often bizarre sense of humor. Kind of like Maroon 5, but without the teen-idol thing going on. They're even smart enough to self-reference their surprising comeback on the opening song by giving lead singer Pat Monahan the opportunity to give both a history of his life and the evolution of Train in under four minutes, but to thank the band's fans and then do it all without the least bit of irony. "This'll Be My Year" alone would put the album at 4 stars just for compositional value alone.

However, "California 37" has plenty of other charms. There's the twisted "50 Ways to Say Goodbye," in which Monahan cuts down an ex-lover by singing "How could you leave me on Yom Kippur?" The mariachi inspired horns on "Drive By" (a great single, by the way), lift that song into a fun and unusual direction, and the title track again turns to Train's fans and thanks them for being there when the band wasn't in the spotlight.

Relationships are also put to the test, song-wise, including "You Can Finally Meet My Mom," sung as a plaintive love song with a straight face. Country singer Ashley Monroe sings along in a duet about old flames getting back together in "Bruises," made ironic by the fact that both parties are coming down from bad relationships. Train keeps making these very standard sounding pop songs that have crispy tops, so the temptation to call "Highway 37" perfect is awfully close. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. At the very least it's a 4.5 just on the unconventionality of the lyrics and the fact that I've been listening to it for over a year without getting tired of it.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Eagles "Eagles"

Hatchlings
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Convened as refugees from Linda Ronstadt's backing band, the 1972 "Eagles" was a calling card of the easy going California rock scene. At this point, the Eagles were something of a democratic quartet, with the members each getting shots at lead vocals and writing credits. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner all came from varying backgrounds and different bands, including Bob Seger (Frey), Flying Burrito Brothers (Leadon) and Poco (Meisner) in addition to Ronstadt, so the dominant musical theme was countrified mellow rock. Having Jackson Browne as a friend and co-writer kind of cemented that deal.

"Eagles" reflects that combination of talents. The calling card first single, "Take It Easy," was the perfect blend. Frey sings it as a breezy song about just relaxing into what comes your way while Leadon adds a banjo solo. "Witchy Woman" highlighted Henley's gruff singing style and was the first of many Eagles songs about wicked women. Then there was the ballad, "Peaceful Easy Feeling," which again was a precursor to many of the Eagles' greater successes. The formula worked for the bulk of the album, with the true wonder of the band being their exquisite vocal harmonies.

However much "Eagles" wanted to be a rock band album, though, the band just wasn't there yet. The most memorable non-single is "Train Leaves Here This Morning," a country ballad sung by Leadon (and one of the few non-hits played on the 40th Anniversary tour). The one attempt at a bona-fide rocker is "Chug All Night," which is generic bar-band stuff. Meisner's "Tryin'" fairs just a bit better. Tack on the dreadfully annoying bird whistle intro on "Earlybird," and you hear a band still finding its footing. They'd make a major leap when releasing "Desperado" (which also began Henley's ascent into the groups main voice) the following year, but "Eagles" remains a decent album of it's time and an interesting introduction to a band that would ultimately evolve into one the biggest bands in history.

     

Bootcamp Deer.

While we were attending Bootcamp in Northern CA last weekend, this little Miss thing decided to lay herself down perhaps 40 yards away from our cabin. She seemed totally unperturbed that I was trying to snap a picture of her.

My Amazon Reviews: Dawes "Stories Don't End"

Story Telling
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Does your definition of classic rock mean the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and the Eagles? If so, you're going to love the third album from Dawes. "Stories Don't End" exquisitely recreates the sound that used to be made by 'the mellow mafia,' with each song drenched in harmony, acoustic guitars and no overloading bombast to startle or shock you. It's breezy California rock that could have easily dropped in from the late 70's, and that is meant in a good way.

Vocalist Taylor Goldsmith is often a dead ringer for Jackson Browne, in fact the title track could have easily been an outtake from any given 70's Browne album. They work up singer songwriter storytelling (the cover image is the band around a campfire, theatrically passing along some sort of legend in the dark), with songs like "From A Window Seat." Following America from one side to the other, it's a chronicle of the country and its loner/losers from a tour plane and self-examination, and the disc's best song. But that doesn't even take into account just how good some of the other songs on "Stories" are. They blend jewel precise three part harmonies (the title track), wistful lyricism ("Just My Luck") and a sense of classic pop ("Hey Lover") into a seamless album.

If you're nostalgic for the sounds that used to flow out of Laurel Canyon or just miss really well done singer-songwriter music in general, Dawes is just for you. They may be making throwback music, but theirs is not a nostalgic viewpoint. "Stories Don't End" is grounded in the here and now, and is a triumphant album to have in this decade.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Eagles "The Studio Albums 1972 - 1979,"

Great albums, disrespectful packaging
3 Out Of 5 Stars

As indicated by the title "The Studio Albums 1972 - 1979," all six of the Eagles' studio albums are here, and by now, everyone has their opinions of them. As for me, "Hotel California" is an indispensable album, and I have a very soft spot for "On The Border," the first Eagles album I owned. But what you get here is problematic.

The albums are from the 2002 remasters, which is fine. There are no bonus materials, so by now I am assuming that everything recorded from this decade that Don Henley and Glenn Frey want you to hear has been released. The CD's however, are packaged in single-slip cardboard sleeves. That means the gate-folds of, say, "Hotel California" or "The Long Run" are left behind. It also means that the print on the sleeves ranges from small to teensey weensie. There are no historical notes included with this box set. I guess if you want history, you'll have to watch "The History Of The Eagles" on blu-ray or read the copious notes in the two-CD "Very Best Of The Eagles" from 2003.

Also, since the box-set from 2005 could contain "Eagles Live," why not this one? Seems a bit skimpy to me. Still, you're getting the entire studio run of Eagles' albums, of which only "The Long Run" comes anywhere close to being a clinker. If you don't already have the discography or you want to delve past the greatest hits, this set will do as a quickie insta-collection.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Green Day "Uno!"

Uno a GoGo
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Green Day certainly aren't lacking for ambition. After two groundbreaking rock operas and a Broadway play, they decide it's time to revisit their roots of punk blasters. But not like they'll just rack up 12 songs and see what happens. "Uno!" is the first step in a rapid fire release date trilogy, with "Dos" and "Tre" to follow. The album is a machine gun zapper of the kind of songs that made "Dookie" a classic," with the band now sounding older loud and snotty instead of young. This is not a bad thing.

In fact, there are remnants of the Ramones that haunt a lot of these tracks, be it the immediacy of "Nuclear family" or the snap-to-it of "Let Yourself Go," that buzzsaw guitar riffing is care punk with the kind of pop-sugar coat that Green Day has excelled at for decades. Yet the band stretches on the dance ready "Kill The DJ," which is begging for a remix, or the simple and sweet "Oh Love."

What is missing are good lyrics. Too many F-Bombs sound like the band wasn't 100% ready with the words, so they just filled in the blanks with obscenities. Not that there are a lack of great couplets, like "Want to crack your cranium delirium" on the rocker "Troublemaker" or "I ain't got much time, so I'll get to the point/Do you wanna share a ride and get the f--k out of this joint" on "Stay the Night." (Which is backed up by "Carpe Diem.") "Uno!" is not a great album, but it kicks off the trilogy with a bang.