New Old Music

I don't do a lot of music yammering here, but it's about time I started.

I was just reading Tangonat's blog and she mentioned Camper Van Beethoven has a new album out. Coulda knocked me over with a Dixie Cup fulla spit. Camper Van Beethoven?! I had no idea they were even back together, let alone releasing an album. In fact, the very idea that they might get back together was such a non-possibility to me that I'd never even had cause to hope it might happen. But it has come to pass. Their new album is called NEW ROMAN TIMES and was released last Tuesday.

Camper Van Beethoven was one of my favorite bands from late high-school through college, though not from the start. I bought their album KEY LIME PIE based on the cover art and the fact that the writers for the "alternate music" section of the Columbia House Record and Tape Club's monthly catalog were treating them like the second coming.  After a once through listen, I declared they were absolute crap and sank into a hateful rage that I'd shelled out good money for it. Buncha whiney outta tune garbage as far as I was concerned. What the hell, Columbia House!?!  Morons!  In fact, I hated it so much that I began playing it for friends just so they could see how horrible a band could truly be. Only, after playing it a few more times, I could feel my hatred softening even as I ranted aloud.

"Boy, isn't this just the shittiest band ever? Just goddawful. I really really can't stand this... whiney.... awful... garage country-soundin'... layered... quirky.... kinda catchy... sorta intriguing rock music. Boy, it's just.... starting to sink its teeth into my head. Here let me rewind `All Her Favorite Fruit' to hear that crap again.... Yeah... fourth time through, I'm really starting to feel the hate... um, lessening. Oh, and their version of `Pictures of Matchstick Men' is just so much... better... than the original... Dammit, I like them!"

Before I knew it, I was a Camper Van convert and played the album non-stop for months.

Unfortunately, around the time I decided I really liked them, they broke up. However, I was completely unaware of this fact until lead singer David Lowry's new band Cracker came along four years later. (By then I had started DJing in college radio, WMSV outta Mississippi State. This was the only time in my life I can truly say I was fairly well-informed about new music, since every record label in the country, from the mighty to the lowly, was actively trying to cram their wares down our throats. Heard an awful lot of shitty music during those years, but found a huge amount of great music I would otherwise never have been exposed to. Folks like Moxy Fruvous, The Waltons, Jason Falkner, Alex Lumelsky, Richard Barone, Ben Folds Five, the Subdudes, Jeff Buckley, Ben Harper, Southern Culture on the Skids, October Project, Sonia Dada and even the Dave Matthews band, back before they were DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!!!!)

This is very similar to the way I was completely unaware that Crowded House had broken up even after their core members, Neil and Tim Finn, released their first Finn Brothers album in 1995. Or how I had no idea Peter Gabriel had released a new album in 2002 until I heard a song from it on my old college radio station while visiting back home in late 2003. Or how I had no clue that the Finn Brothers had released a SECOND CD two months ago until I heard it playing as background music in a local gallery.

I'm so out of the music loop. I faithfully read Rolling Stone every two weeks and where does it get me? Apparently, nowhere.

So I've recently purchased a lot of new/old music. I bought Peter Gabriel's UP, Finn Brothers' EVERYONE IS HERE, and Neil Finn's ONE NIL which I had to buy a used import of since the original wasn't released in this country. (Yes, I do realize that ONE NIL was essentially released here in 2002 in the form of ONE ALL, but even that I only recently learned while researching what I wanted to buy.) All three are fantastic CDs, with the Finn Brothers new one earning top spot among my current favorite albums. I almost need to curse in order to convey how great this album is to me... though, again, not right away.

ME UPON 1ST LISTEN: I can't believe "Luckiest Man Alive" is the big single from this album. It's okay and all, but nothing great.

ME UPON 2ND LISTEN: Wow. I'm kinda liking the rhythm of this "Luckiest Man Alive" tune. Turkish Banjo, huh? That's kinda nice.

ME UPON 3RD LISTEN: Shit yeah, this is the single!

So now I gotta go get in line for Camper Van's new one. All the reviews I've now found say it's worth waiting 15 years for. Most of the song snippits I've heard are pretty Camper Van Beethoveny too.