Monthly Archives: April 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Upon signing to Capitol Records in 1962 and releasing their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year, the three young brothers, cousin, and friend from Hawthorne, Calif., known simply as The Beach Boys, soared to popularity with their ebullient sound that embodied the Southern California beach lifestyle with sunshiny vocal harmonies, twangy guitars, upbeat songs about surf culture, and their youthful exuberance.

Propelled by the hits “Surfin’” and “Surfin’ Safari,” the album, which uncommon for its day, featured mostly original songs, spent 37 weeks on the Billboard chart and set the course for one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, who have gone on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide. With each album, The Beach Boys refined their songwriting and production skills, rapidly evolving from their early surf beginnings to create some of the most sonically exquisite and most important and beloved music ever made.

Sixty years after first transmitting their good vibrations around the globe, The Beach Boys, the first American pop band to reach the 60-year milestone, remain one of the most legendary and influential groups to date, with their timeless music reverberating through modern culture today as strong as ever. In celebration of their 60th anniversary, UMe, the global catalog company of UMG, is pleased to be a part of some of the initiatives planned to celebrate “America’s Band” throughout 2022-23.

The Beach Boys said: “It’s hard to believe it’s been 60 years since we signed to Capitol Records and released our first album, Surfin’ Safari. We were just kids in 1962 and could have never dreamed about where our music would take us, that it would have such a big impact on the world, still be loved, and continue to be discovered by generation after generation. This is a huge milestone that we’re all very honored to have achieved. And to our incredible fans, forever and new, we look forward to sharing even more throughout the year.”

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Remembering Rod McKuen on the date of his birth. —Ed.

When the ancient Greeks coined the word bathos, I’m pretty sure they had Rod McKuen in mind. America’s most popular–and worst–poet of the 1960s, McKuen produced books of poetry the way Virginia opossums make babies, each and every one of them catering to the tastes of a reading public deeply suspicious of the filthy beatnik likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.

But on 1959’s Beatsville Mckuen does a remarkable thing–he goes from schmaltz to shtick. While he serves up plenty of his trademark mawk along the way, McKuen–who’s obviously using Kerouac’s spontaneous bop prosody as a model-comes on like Maynard G. Krebs on a Benzedrine inhaler high, and I’ll be damned if his tongue-in-cheek observations on subterranean pads and co-existence bagel shops aren’t hilarious.

McKuen’s point varies–sometimes he’s your standard real gone Daddy-O who considers business suits and underarm deodorants a total drag; at others he’s the wistful black beret wannabe who moans, “I try to be a good beatnik but it’s hard/I don’t dig turtle neck sweaters/I can’t grow a beard/And I catch cold in sandals.”

Backed by some tastefully tasteless musical accompaniment–including a metronome and some really hep finger snaps–McKuen had me at “Every time I got torn up on sneaky Pete or high on Thunderbird wine/I wind up hitching rides to Sausalito.”

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It’s difficult to separate the punk goddess and long-time X vocalist Exene Cervenka from the Exene Cervenka turned QAnon fellow traveler whose abhorrent beliefs as regards to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School (hoax) and the 2014 mass shooting in Isla Vista, California (engineered by the government to give it more control over us sheeple) have caused so much anguish to the families of their victims.

But that’s not the problem I have with 2011’s The Excitement of Maybe, which so far as I know was recorded well before Cervenka threw herself down the conspiratorial shithole to get high on the fecal stench of her ugly ilk. My problem is Exene sacrifices all of her gifts—her anger, her loveable caterwaul, and her scathing and rich in detail lyrics—in an effort to become a slightly above average female C&W and folk rock-singer-songwriter whose subject matter never strays from the cliched generalities of the broken hearts of popular song.

Which isn’t to say The Excitement of Maybe is a bad album. Far from it. The songs themselves are solid and Exene has a lovely—if hardly distinguishable from the countless other female folk rockers out there—voice. But the LP comes up fatally short in the fireworks department, and lacks the one thing its title promises—excitement. Her work with X shocked and crackled like a downed power line. On this solo album she doesn’t generate enough energy to power a toaster oven. The LP hits its target, I think, if her target was a traditional album of take-no-chances songs about love gone wrong. But she achieves at the expense of her unique poetic powers, and all of her legendary gumption.

The generic lyrics are the first thing that stand out—or rather make that don’t stand out. I’m assuming Cervenka was attempting to work a songwriting vein that stresses universal emotions expressed in a received shorthand understandable to your neighbor’s Bichon Frise. There’s nothing wrong with that. But the end product is a hodgepodge of commonplaces and clichés—I can count the number of inspired lyrics—or basic imagery for that matter—on one hand.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | On March 11, a full-length documentary film directed by Amy Scott, entitled Sheryl about the singer-songwriter’s life and career, premiered at SXSW, ahead of the May 6 premiere on Showtime. An intimate story of song and sacrifice, Sheryl navigates an iconic yet arduous musical career while the artist battles sexism, ageism, depression, cancer, and the price of fame, before harnessing the power of her gift.

In conjunction, UMe/Big Machine Records will release a new album called Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary digitally and on 2CD on May 6. The release features Sheryl Crow’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up The Sun, “All I Wanna Do, “My Favorite Mistake, “Redemption Day,” and many more, as well as deep tracks and three newly recorded songs. To preorder Sheryl: Music From The Feature Documentary, click here.

“I am excited for the premiere of my documentary,” said Crow. “I hope people will find strength and courage through my story. It was a journey through years and years of incredible memories, and I am proud of the beautiful documentary that Amy Scott made about my life.”

Sheryl Crow is a nine-time Grammy Award recipient and an American music icon. Her first nine studio albums have sold 35 million copies worldwide; seven charted in the Top 10, and five were certified for Multi-Platinum sales. Crow has been feted by a new generation of singer-songwriters who have covered her songs and talked about her influence, including Phoebe Bridgers, H.E.R, Haim, Maren Morris, Lorde, Sasami, Best Coast, and Brandi Carlile.

Celebrating Jacques Dutronc, born on this day in 1943. —Ed.

Who says the French can’t rock? I do, mon ami, I do. They can write like mad motherfuckers, as anybody’s who’s ever read Arthur Rimbaud or Louis-Ferdinand Celine or Alfred Jarry knows, and I would never impugn their oral skills (“The French they are a funny race; they fight with their feet and fuck with their face”) but rock? As in roll? Don’t make me le har har har.

But if the French can’t rock per se—and I know there are exceptions such as Les Négresses Vertes, whom I saw once in Philly and got hit in the head with a filled water bottle—they can do something every bit as interesting, it’s just I don’t have a word for it. It’s what Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot do on “Bonnie and Clyde” and Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin do on “Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus” and Francoise Hardy does on “Il Vaut Mieux Une Petite Maison Dans Les Nuages” (my rough translation: “I Live in a Small House with Ted Nugent”) and it’s cool as shit. Chanson modifié? Whatever you label it, it beats most rock by a hasty French retreat.

And thanks to my Dutch pal Martijn, I have a new name to add to my list of superchic French pop-toners. Martijn suggested I give the coolly named Jacques Dutronc a listen, so I did, and I’m sold like the Eiffel Tower for 10 Euros to a rube. Dutronc may look like Le Lurch de la France on the cover of his self-titled 1966 debut—either the most arrogant or least imaginative l’homme in the world, Dutronc’s following six LPs were self-titled as well—and he’s wearing a shirt so bright green I suspect it’s a product of photosynthesis, but the rad hair says it all. This man is all French, and he means business.

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John Fred and His Playboy Band are secure in pop history for one song, namely “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses),” which climbed all the way to #1 in 1968. Now, some deride the tune as a brazen rip-off of a certain Beatles ditty, while others persist in enjoying its upbeat and faux-psych bubblegum vibes. Those in the latter category who’d like to add that track (plus 11 more) to their shelf are in luck if they act fast, as Liberation Hall has reissued Fred and Co.’s 1968 LP Judy in Disguise With Glasses for Record Store Day 2022 on “psychedelic purple vinyl” in an edition of 1,000 copies.

Some call the Louisiana-based John Fred a one hit wonder, but that’s arguable. He did place two other songs on the Billboard chart, but neither broke into the Top 40; the first was “Shirley” way back in 1958 (issued by John Fred and the Playboys), released by the Montel label with help from the band of Fats Domino (this song, as covered by Shakin’ Stevens, became a #2 hit in the UK in 1982).

“Shirley” is an okay slice of horn-laden ’50s NOLA pop-R&B action landing in the tight crevice betwixt bathtub-era Bobby Darin and Frankie “Sea Cruise” Ford, but it’s not included on Liberation Hall’s reissue so we will devote no more space to it here. “Hey, Hey Bunny,” a rock & soul revue-styled number complete with horns and strings that stands as Fred and the Playboy Band’s second biggest hit (#54, 1967) is featured on the album; it brings to mind Mitch Ryder with a touch of Mark Lindsay and some Rascals-y organ, but it’s frankly not as cool as that description (might) insinuate.

Better is “Agnes English,” which dials up the similarities to Lindsay (without going overboard) alongside pop-psych elements (crashing echo at the start, fuzz guitar) that intersect with utterly mainstream strings and horns, plus some mildly oddball gal backing vocals. It’s a fun stew (shoulda charted higher than its reported #125), but I much prefer the straight soul-isms of “Out of Left Field” (with a bit of that strange backing singing retained), a song first recorded by Percy Sledge (and written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham).

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Utopia has announced that tickets are on sale for the May 31st one-night-only special theatrical event release of Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr., the feature documentary that charts the legacy of Dinosaur Jr. Theater locations and tickets can be found at freakscenemovie.com.

Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr. celebrates one of the most influential acts in alternative rock, from their formation in the mid-1980s to their reunion concert celebrating their 30th anniversary, and introduces viewers to the introverted power trio behind Dinosaur Jr.—Lou Barlow, J Mascis, and Murph—who quietly opened the door for the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, The Cure, and Soundgarden.

Ahead of the May 31st theatrical release, Utopia will host a special New York Premiere in partnership with Murmrr at The Opera House in Brooklyn, New York on May 28th, followed by a special Q&A and solo performance from J Mascis. Tickets are available now. The film will be available on digital platforms on June 3rd.

Directed by Philipp Reichenheim, German filmmaker and J Mascis’ brother-in-law, the documentary features exclusive interviews with the trio and some of their musical contemporaries, including members of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and The Pixies, painting a portrait of a groundbreaking period in American music as well as a poignant rumination on friendship and personal growth.

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One thing the recently delayed and altered Grammy Awards made clear is that rock music is no longer on the radar of today’s pop music tastemakers and many music fans. Other than a few token nods to the genre, the awards show and today’s music charts reveal an almost total absence of what was once the ruling musical sound in popular music.

Thankfully, another genre that also was in its heyday during the ‘60s and ‘70s does seem to be going through a revival. That genre is R&B and its cousin soul music. Silk Sonic and H.E.R., while also mixing other styles with R&B and soul, were prominent at the Grammys. Groups like The Black Keys and The Roots have been exploring related retro genres with much success, and Alabama Shakes and Brittany Howard have also been scoring with their roots stew. Gary Clark Jr. has also brought a guitar blues approach to the party.

These groups and artists are just some of the more popular and well-known, and all mix different styles to create their own contemporary sound. The Black Pumas have quickly joined the elite of this revival, and Michael Kiwanuka has slowly achieved a key place in this scene. Others that have been making soul waves include Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Leon Bridges, and Yola. One more name to add to this welcome revival is Curtis Harding.

Harding released his third album and second for Anti late last year and could easily eclipse everyone mentioned here. Like Leon Bridges, he prefers a more chill vibe, and like Michael Kiwanuka, he puts out recordings that are immaculately and imaginatively produced. Unlike most mentioned here, he draws from many other strands of music, including both cool and more experimental jazz. On this latest release, there are times he seems to be tapping into What’s Going On-era Marvin Gaye and the experimental, but groove-conscious side of ‘50s and ‘60s Ornette Coleman.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Originally released in 1971, during the dark days of the military dictatorship in Uruguay, Musicasión made a strong and lasting impression on Juana Molina when she was a child. The forthcoming new 50th anniversary reissue, out June 3 on Sonamos (Juana’s recently-formed label), is a patient labor of love conducted by Juana and her associate producer Mario Agustin Gonzalez. This beautifully-crafted reissue of a lost masterpiece is available on limited-edition 2LP and CD. The release includes 16 unreleased tracks plus an informative album booklet.

Musicasión was a series of collective shows by a group of artists, mixing theatrical elements, poetry, improvised stage effects and music with a very special blend of rock (then called Cbeat, in a dual reference to British pop bands of the sixties and to Beat Generation poetry), candombe (the percussion-driven style created in Uruguay among the descendants of liberated African slaves) tango, jazz, and bossa nova. A combination which bears more than a passing resemblance with Brazilian Tropicália, which originated around the same time.

The masterminds behind the concept was the great singer, songwriter and composer Eduardo Mateo and his friend Horacio Buscaglia, a poet, actor and theatre director. Four different Musicasión productions were staged in 1969 (for a total of 14 performances), featuring musicians from Mateo’s band El Kinto and a host of other artists. The original album was put together in 1971, using recordings made before and during these performances.

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