By Reckoning Riddle MeThis >>MUSIC >>MUSIC to decipherStipe’s utterances. cryptic separating seedsfromstems,trying dim glowofdorm-roomlava lamps, clustered Indian-style aroundthe sophomores the nation,red-eyed blue-highway Americana. Allacross atlasof ’60s folkrocktocreateanew and weddingittolove-beadedmid- woods mysticism ofSouthernfolkart U alluding totheByrdsandVelvet America, wecamefollowingthem. jingle-jangle morningofReagan’s a back then,andthatprovedtobean forsure knew ed like—you never sang, oratleastthat’s whatitsound- black pants. andskinny haircuts asymmetrical world ofshattered expectations, toapost-punk listic reconstruction promised fablesofclassicrock’s sty- of Michael Stipe,deliveringthe the mesmerizingmoon-rivermoan nal ringofRickenbacker guitarsand and sepia-tintedlegends,theautum- Slanted and Enchanted and Slanted in1992’sinch singles,culminating spazzy, dust-bunny-on-the-needle 7- Pa S some yearsintheoffing. melody andhooksthatwerestill noise andambiguity tofill thevoidof traffickingrespectively—and in each other—S.M.andSpiralStairs, nicknameson bestowing cryptic the soccerballandpicked upguitars, M boys turnedindierockhobbyists, smart-alecky sun-kissedCalifornia college radio.Aphotogenicpairof in thewarmwigwamofearly-’80s sophomores passingthepeacepipe Kannberg weretwo ofthosestoned jigsaw-puzzle visionsofsummer hiss andpretty pop,nottomention but thatresonatedwithlo-fi crackle, ing butultimatelyconfoundingde- weary ofpunk’sweary doomandgoth’s safety-pinned spiderwebofgloom. ing debut the kudzu-crustedpromiseofband’s andultimatelyconfound- bewitching the underground’s then-favorite albummadegoodon sonsoftheSouth.The R.E.M. released T wful lotoftheircharm.Andinthe tephen Malkmus wenty yearsago—let’s justpauseandthinkaboutthatforasec, Reckoning Reckoning “I’m thesunandyoucanread,” they Recording underthe nderground, miningtheback- alkmus andKannbergputdown vement, they releasedapileof vement, they

Jonathan Valania Murmur contained multitudes, was full of secret maps was fullofsecret ÷ Crooked Rain Crooked Rain Rain Crooked Rain Crooked Reckoning and Scott nom de rock de nom , radiatingamurky buthopefulauratoanalt-worldgrown , abewitch- [email protected] . Itwasthemuch-anticipatedsophomorereleaseby DISCS assured, then-favorite sonsofthecity. sophomore LPbytheunderground’s gant andeligiblebachelors. snob ephemera—alt-rock’s mostele- and deep-wellknowledgeofrock- tails,stonersmirks wrinkled shirt ish members—withtheirprecisely the rockliteratisoondubbeditsboy- Pa Fa L babes, fruit-coverednailsand cryptic utterances. cryptic todecipherMalkmus’stems, trying lava lamps,separatingseedsfrom around thedimglowofdorm-room sophomores clusteredIndian-style sang. Allacrossthenation,red-eyed bought, andsoareyou,” Malkmus popping flannel angst. macho gigantismofgrunge’s vein- ofthe growing increasinglyweary nation covenant foraLollapalooza and slacker ennuitocreateanew and cutting itwithirony, enigma R.E.M., miningthemajesty ofrock multitudes, alludingtotheFall and has longsincedisbandedintothir- Pa miles andofNew York style— trading suburbanCaliforniasunfor Crooked Rain Crooked oretta’s scars. Slanted and Enchanted Enchanted and Slanted Shockingly tunefulandself- In “Songs meanalotwhensongsare vement thetoastofindieland,and vement released st-forward to2004.

1994—having switchedcoasts, Crooked Rain Crooked , themuch-anticipated = Crooked Rain Crooked Around the Sun the Around contained Pa made vement 20 years ago— ? foxy tome—isityou? a shiningpathofsincerity. That’s burned off like morningfogtoreveal snark andgrad-studentsarcasm time whenMalkmus’ obfuscating defining moment,areminderof thrown, emergesasPavement’s aforementioned elbowswere rocker fromwhichthose country really. Givea.Fuck. Corgan? Scott Weiland? Like Icould ways insisted.Imean,really:Billy harmless asthePavement boysal- intensity ofajihad,nowseemas major-labels debatehadthesuicidal back intheday whentheindie-vs.- P at StoneTemple PilotsandSmashing elbowsthrown The has evaporated. but the new but thenew doesn’t soundnearlyasshambolic, pressive careerinrock,R.E.M. would wowon versionsofsongsthat embryonic ture of charter drummerBillBerry,ture ofcharter depar- With thelate-20th-century from thechoresofenchantment. the bandsoundingalittle weary Crooked Rain Crooked 2002’s Pa bonus-track reissueeditionsof has begunreleasing10th-anniversary horse-race handicapping.Matador careers (orKorea,ifyouprefer)and t Thankfully, 20years Reckoning Reckoning tones thenamesofsongsfrom Fence,”Picket in which Malkmus in- R.E.M. called“Unseen Power ofthe bonus tracksisaB-sideodeto cool demotakes of Boys andtheJesus Chain, andMary bum thatcameafter. high-guy odesto tracks ofbeer-soaked basementjams, sides oftheeraand25unreleased withalltheattendantcomplete B- snazzy “Camera.” and-you-can-recognize-it pisstake of ysomething adulthood,elusivesolo ysomething umpkins, whichraisedhackles I And “RangeLife,” therollicking T vement’s earlycanon.Following ncluded inthose nyasltrntoedropof en yearslaternotone Crooked Rain Crooked Slanted ’s isalsoasquint- . There Around the Sun the Around

t wilight mood-piece ’s Wowee Zowee Wowee reissue comesthe

hook-filled charm Smile Crooked Crooked Rain Crooked version 2.0, -era Beach into anim- tunes and f , theal- inds in thelate’80swhenhetradedin- Stipe, wholosthisDelphicauraback of of theblamecanbelaidatfeet gle, thingsbogdownquickly. Much to electronic ambienceand to electronic dog,”legged asStipefamouslyput it. R.E.M. hascarriedonasa“three- Around the Sun the Around Up midtempo mopery ofthejust-out midtempo mopery 2001’s flat-soda pop of came after—the cluding, basedonthealbumsthat back toRockville again. go code thatcomeswithit,youcan’t andthezip taxbracket to acertain thatwhenyouget fundamental fact changethe of course,butthatdoesn’t the hill.That’s agrossoverstatement, hung overthesofainmansionon is iswhenart the twain shallmeet Andtheonlytime in thestreets. art t worth listeningto. worth livesthatmake formusic of ordinary removed fromtheheatandfriction ble ofclimate-controlledluxury, long they’re millionaireslocked inabub- just stinkin’ drunkonairplanes.But the heightoftheirpowers—oreven wereat muting rockintowhenthey werecapableoftrans- they high art stinkin’right toget richfromthe I’d begrudgethoseguysthe never And solar-poweredlimousines. and and it’s allfive-star hotelsthatrecycle singing tothemaninmirror. the Well,” andhecouldwellbe looking stale,” singsStipe on“Boyin restaurants. “Your ropetrickstarted drop ofhigh-speedtrainsandchic back- against aninternationaljet-set cholically infadingromancesset young protagonistslanguishmelan- Coppola movieinwhichthehip working scripttosomebadSofia pluck, mindyou—soundlike the ke “Leaving New York,” folk-pop ofthealbum-opening hunt sogoodanymore. Sounds ween themansiononhillor A In seenR.E.M.’sI’ve worldupclose, Once you get pastthelovely,Once youget elegiac yboard washesandgildedfolk , youcouldbeforgivenforcon- side fromtheintriguingforay in-

the endyouhave tochoosebe- Reveal ex otica of1999’s post-Berry and theunrelentingly —that thedogdon’t Sun songs on T tobe. ly trying stead ofactual- to bedeepin- just pretended better whenhe singing. the hellhewas make outwhat could actually clarity andyou cantation for piano tinklings, colored with all tastefully oo many I liked him ■ ’s f ’s irst sin- Pet Sun —

47 PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY >> OCTOBER 20-26, 2004 >>MUSIC DISCS

’80s U2’s anthemic pieties had funny. Because U2 should be doing grown insufferably self-serious. commercials for Apple. Because I The BombSquad Because in the early ’90s U2 learned dare you to name two other artsy the importance of not being earnest. commercial entities with their com- Because Bono told Rolling Stone: bined mega-unit-moving stature Why you should buy the new U2 album. “I’ve learned to be insincere. I’ve that are quantifiably trying to change learned to lie. I’ve never felt better!” things for the better. By Jonathan Valania [email protected] Because Achtung Baby was the Because, as Bono sings on “Miracle sound of four men chopping down Drug,” “freedom has a scent like the Because some bands have greatness what it does best: rattle and hum. The Joshua Tree, and it was even top of a newborn baby’s head,” and thrust upon them and other bands Because in the greed-is-good ’80s, better than the real thing. don’t let anyone, not even the presi- thrust greatness upon themselves. speaking out about faith and hope Irish eyes: Because all the cyber-punk theoriz- dent of the United States, tell you Because U2 knew that if they had it and sex and dreams and peace on Because despite ing and dystopian consumerist bur- that some people hate the scent of a both ways, they could be bigger than earth was a thankless job. Because U2 the shades, U2 lesques of the PopMart tour were newborn baby’s head. Jesus. actually went down to the demonstra- is still looking dead-on, even if the songs were not. Because only a fool would try to Because in the early ’80s, if you lis- tion to get their fair share of abuse. forward to Because 9/11 turned back the clock save the world, and Bono was fool tened closely, you could actually hear Because Jesus spent 40 days and on the promised 21st-century hyper- enough to care—and God bless him Bono’s mullet. Because the Edge fig- 40 nights in the desert being taunted changing the world. capitalist utopia of a free-range for giving it the old college try. ured out early on that with the right by the devil and never cried un- chicken in every pot, an SUV in every Because Bono was willing to sleep ratios of pinging echo to pealing de- cle. Because U2 went to the garage and high-speed wireless with the devil if he could lift the boot lay, the electric guitar could build desert (aka Joshua Tree everywhere in between. Because of world debt off the necks of the dy- cathedrals of sound that are holier National Park) and were it’s no longer too late, ing. Because, as the man sings from than thou. tempted by Elvis Presley tonight, to drag behind those ever-present blue-state- Because Bozo-haired bassist Adam and America and cried the past out into tinted shades, where you live should Clayton and pretty boy drummer “hallelujah!” the light. Because not determine whether you live or die. Larry Mullen Jr. could make rock do Because by the end of the on that soft Because “Sometimes You Can’t September morn, we Make It on Your Own,” and we all were harshly remind- need something to lean on—be it ed of all that we can’t God, dope, rock ’n’ roll or your leave behind. father’s deathbed. Because despite all Because, in the words of Max von that, sometimes even Sydow’s character in Woody Allen’s new messiahs have to Hannah and Her Sisters, “If Jesus put down the weight of came back and saw what’s going on the world, look up at the in his name, he’d never stop throwing sky and notice that, hey, it up.” Because Bono recently told The is a beautiful day, and then New York Times: “I don’t talk about step back and let the Edge my faith very much, because the peo- take it from there. Because ple you might want to talk with, you during the Elevation tour, don’t want to hang out with.” U2 reapplied for the job of best rock Because we live in a time when reli- ’n’ roll band in the world, aced the in- gion is no longer, in Karl Marx’s fa- terview and got hired. mous estimation, the opiate of the Because How to Dismantle an masses—it’s the crack cocaine. Atomic Bomb proves that U2’s new Because U2 knows that the last thing sincerity is the same as the old sin- the world needs right now is more cerity, only better. Because if the cocaine. Nuggets-meets-War garage-shake- Because what the world needs now, bamalama of “Vertigo” doesn’t com- in the words of another philosopher, pletely rock your world, we seriously is love sweet love. Because only love need to send out a search party for can dismantle an atomic bomb, and your groove thang. no band on earth has a bigger, more Because when Bono sings, “The immaculate heart than U2. boys play rock ’n’ roll/ They know Because you can snort, you can that they can’t dance” and follows it scoff, you can even hate on them, but up with “at least they know,” well, you simply cannot deny that they

pardon my French, but that’s fuckin’ come in the name of love. ■ , 2004 -7 R1 MBE CE DE >> PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY 41 34 PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY >> DECEMBER22-28, 2004 we or Moby’s New Order-ish “Porcelain,” used so s like thePolyphonic Spree’s car-commercial be familiar from otheruses outside of albums, y electronic next to folk next to, well, whatever t Ry vi al s jazz (the Bad Plus) andeven, asthewebsite de- blings (Dirty Three), Hungarianfolk, rock-bred Rós), Norwegian fiddle, tidalAustralian rum- classical, hauntingFinnishchoir-tronica (Sigur Y the topics being segued between ontheshow. interest butnotso quirky thatthey overshadow treasures thatare quirky enoughto piqueyour who show adistinct knackfor miningmusical T admire thealways-deft use of incidental music. lulling news-and-arts coverage atleast have to sibilities don’t jibewiththeorganization’s gentle, t Okay, there’s nothingnerdier thangetting amix- NPR C All Songs Considered 4CD V ev silently congratulate yourself for appreciating blanket, putonthiscozy campfire collection and fo ev but rather theoverall organic flow thatkeeps greatest feat isn’t thebroadness of theartists, se there—of abox set, three of thediscs are available the singlebiggest threat to commitment out mitment—and we allknow theholiday season is fa Grandaddy’s lumberjack-slacker majesty. Let’s oddball Brooklyn troupe Piñataland and T Midwestern atmosphere, pre-bop pianist Butch jazz bassist Rob Wasserman, Lanterna’s moody ta alt-rock supergroup Tuatara, country soul gui- sionary Bill Frisell. Inthenameof range, there’s playlist quite so eclectic. like allkindsof music,nobodyyou know hasa >>MUSIC >>MUSIC >>MUSIC >>MUSIC Considered er its source material, theshow ape madeby NPR. But even peoplewhose sen- ymphony “Section I(Have aDay/Celebratory)” cribes it, some “1950srock ’n’ roll sax.” You’ll ou’d call Lambchop. Some songs may already ou’ll hear accordion-playing bothSpanish and he wise choices come courtesy of NPRtalent, hompson, acoustic jazz group Pearl Django, olinist Itzhak Perlman to blues slideguitarist so ollection ce rist Duke Levine, the88’s hooky nerd-pop, rc pa ery micro-genre underthesun. en thesharpest transitions from feeling

ll intrailers for arious Artists C ed orjarring.For those fearing thebigcom-

ooder to Irishfolkie DamienRice to jazz vi- it—despite most people’s claimsthatthey hear thework of everyone from concert ra t SPIN CYCLE ely. So get comfy underyour favorite —sets indierock next to jazz next to The Beach The All Songs Considered Songs All disc NPR’s hand.The four- lot of wildcards in Orchestra, butalso a W like & Medeski Martin instrumental choices T Considered —DOUG WALLEN here are predictable ood andPalm Fabric a few years back. All Songs All All Things All —named af- DISCS DISCS ’s would appearonthePixies’ hootenanny ofnearlyallthesongsthat ed in1987. first The discisaone-take vorite CDsreleasedthisyearwasrecord- Still, Ihave fa- tosay thatoneofmy very down. Yeah, I youcanputyourhands I see.Thanks, if you’re Isee, boredwiththe’80srevival. Fr Okay, who’s everybody notamemberof SPINART Fr B Fr Nevermind between Sometime GEFFEN W Nirvana Tape Purple rock inthehandsofPixies. minding usoftheunassailablemajesty of the Two Pale Boyssucceedonlyinre- the limitationsofguitar-bass-drums,but pointsout bestelectronica derless. The these arrangementsareanemicandrud- T Andwhile drum-less electronica. Pixies songsintoalargelyguitar-lessand who gamelyattempt totransmute classic alumni, theaptlynamedTwo Pale Boys, ing thingsovertoapairofPere Ubu re-singing Pixiesclassicsandthenturn- of thefirst. It’s circalastyear, Thompson ond discisnottheunqualified triumph want tosoundlike Hüsker Dü.” sec- The beginning of“Caribou,” istheoneI “This need be.He announcesbeforethe cutely drum Valhallas meowingwhen andeven thunderousair with hismouth,cueing Santiagoguitarleads mimicking spacey Smith bysingingtheKimDealparts, out hisarrangementsforthesongs T are. but howfullyrealizedthey years— come gloriouslyobviousinafew union—that muchwouldbe- deathandincestuous sex, thesesongsonGod, performs adroitly andsoulfullyThompson hereisnotjusthow revelation real hear thephonering).The middle of“Nimrod’s Son,” youcan sang(inthe while Thompson Smith,whomadepasta Gary ofproducer at theapartment T the earlyPixiescave paintings. studio and cut thelegendary studio andcut the day beforehisbandenteredaBoston verb singingintoaWalkman recorder with anacousticguitarandasplashofre- to beknownasBlackFrancis, armed M Pilgrim Pilgrim hompson’s vocalsarespoton,mostof hompson doesdoubleduty, sketching he recordingsessiontookplace lack Francis Demo anz Ferdinand, pleaseraiseyourhand ichael Kitteridge IV, Thompson soon ith theLights Out ank Black Francis ank BlackFrancis buy theserecords and , Kurt Cobainrepurposed Surfer Rosa Surfer , theRosetta Stoneof knew it wasn’t justme. Bleach . It’s justCharles Come on Come and f in theshadowydigitalchopshopsof tracks—haslongbeentraded Nirvana and earlyacousticversionsofclassic mo tapes,radiostationperformances time. Much ofthismaterial—home de- climbedwerejustseasonsoutof they despite thegrowingsensethathills younger days having joyandhaving fun, footage ofthebandmembersin guitar—interspersed withhomemovie Grohl onbassandKristNovoselic on Sun”—with Cobainondrums,Dave “Seasonsinthe meisterwork soft-rock Terryperforming Jacks’ maudlin’70s band inaBrazilianrecordingstudio F Fields acoustic demoof“Strawberry angel-wing flutter ofJohn Lennon’s ing of“All Apologies”thathasthesame throughout;asoloacousticread- crying Franciswith anewborn BeanCobain stand up:ademoversionof“RapeMe” make the haironthebackofmy neck of80-sometracksthat on thiscollection arethreemoments melodicism. There tomless capacity for heart-shaped when hefeltlike it,hisseeminglybot- tantrums andterritorialpissings, time capsuleofhiselectrifying afour-discbarrel-bottom-scraping is shrine ofSt.Kurt, f cifixion. Doledoutbythekeepers ofhis cru- the grimprismofhisself-inflicted of hisworkwouldbefiltered through futureassessment ensuring thatevery into thehallowedhallsofmartyrdom, so managedtofreeze-framehislegacy word.He al- ples whohungonhisevery andanentiregenerationofdisci- his art and essentiallyorphanedhisdaughter, with onestone.He widowedhiswife pulled thetrigger, hekilledalotofbirds on thebarrelofa20-gaugeshotgunand the end.In 1994,whenCobainbitdown rise fromtheslabandkillitscreatorin Seattle. monsterwould,ofcourse, The outinrainy Sabbath hewasconducting periments withtheBeatlesandBlack the Frankenstein-ish gene-splicingex- enormous chiponhisshoulderduring canic chorusdynamictopropupthe the Pixies’patentedlullingverse/vol- ile-sharing networks, butthetruevalue ile-sharing networks, lame tore-upthevisitorship orever”; andafilmed segmentofthe orever”; With the Lights Out Lights the With By

Jonathan Valania whine, like, say, as glorifyingsuicide, I’m abouttosay mightbemisinterpreted for thatmatter, and aprimalyowl.Andoneday he—or grace intothreeserratedguitarchords loathing andham-fisted fumblingfor realizing hecanpurgeallhisrage,self- Breakfast at Tiffany’s at Breakfast mensely talented,deeplytroubledsouls Isaidit.Bothwereim- Cobain. There. more significant thanthelossofKurt lossofElliottblasphemy: The Smithisfar ’ DREAMWORKS Fr Elliott Smith listening to bitten double-wideinCow’s Ind., Ass, is L this, arunny-nosed kideatingFroot in thisenterpriseisthat,asyouread once again. Elliott Smithdoesn’tdiein theend. isthatinart, lifeandart ference between butthebeautifuldif- to breakyourheart, more orlessbecame histoprettynote, butheset music,andit slept much,andhetoowroteasuicide sleeps.Elliottthat rustnever Smithnever that may betrue,Neil alsopointedout to burnoutthanfadeaway. Andwhile suicide note,Cobainnotedthatit’s better album.QuotingNeilBattery Young inhis alongside unsoldcopiesofthelastLove just seemstoberustingoutintheweeds era Velvets. But10yearsA.D., alotofit Burroughs’ junkie confessionalsthatmake William brations—crossed withPlasticOnoBand hymnal organ,infinite echoandgoodvi- We Wilsonian orange-sunshine whimsyof frown,” apost-Prozac updateofthe for inthelastyearsofhislife“California ty breathtakingbeau- and, mostimportant, courage, brutalhonesty, swoon druggy matching itsunflinching emotional N hands-down choiceforalbumoftheyear. Tis theseason,solet’s endwithabitof the Hill the oops out of a dirty bowlinsomeflea-oops outofadirty . Smithdubbedthesoundhewasgoing othing Iheardallyearcamecloseto om aBasement ontheHill [email protected] st Coastpop—sunbeamharmony, his angry noisewillmellowintofinehis angry ways ugliness— Cobain’s fall-backpositionwasal- his songbookafarlengthier shelflife. felt ontheinside,andthatwilllend was beauty, nomatter howuglyhe ence isthatSmith’s fall-backposition wells ofself-pity. crucialdiffer- The doing thebackstroke inthedeep the righttospendtheirtimeonearth bruised ontheinside,bothearned not longforthisworld.Profoundly want to die, and this is what that what is this and die, to want sounds like sounds . Despitemy misgivingsthatwhat Naked Lunch Naked With the Lights Out Lights the With White Light/White Heat Light/White White —and maybe oneday all she —will changemusic From a Basement on Basement a From I hate myself and I and myself hate I Basement . Yes, hewastrying look like is my and ■ -