I had this playlist all set on Friday, and then I heard a great interview with Michael Stipe on NPR. So I just had to add some R.E.M. tunes. I choose two from Murmur and two from Accelerate. Enoy.
Monthly Archive for October, 2009
So, it has been a while since I’ve posted a playlist. And this one is in fact coming out on a Tuesday, and not a Monday. Life, as always, is very busy. Sadly one of my family’s dogs, Josie, died suddenly yesterday. She was a great dog. We got her when she was around two-years-old from the local SPCA. And she was with us for about ten years. Needless to say we are all pretty bummed, especially my six-year-old son. He has collected her leashes and put them in Josie’s food bowl. My grandfather always said that “Life’s better with a dog.” And he was right. So this list goes out to Josie. May she rest in peace.
When Mike Doughty released “Golden Delicious” last year, it quickly became one of my favorite albums of the year. For a fan whose been listening since Mike’s Soul Coughing days, I found it an excellent progression of his musical career. With October 2009’s release of “Sad Man Happy Man,” he has taken his work to a new level by putting forth the strongest album of his career.
The new recording perfectly melds the acoustic approach he has been following in recent years with his much beloved early Soul Coughing work. One way he’s accomplished this is by taking his acoustic guitar and bass of long-time collaborator Scrap Livingston and combining them with drum programming and sonic samples (what Mike himself calls “weird noise stuff”). This definitely harkens back to some sounds prevalent on Soul Coughing discs. Also, utilizing drum machines has allowed Mike Doughty’s unique and highly rhythmic guitar playing to take a powerful place in the mix.
Topically, “Sad Man” takes on a broad range of themes, from relationships, “Keep on Rising Up” to the economic meltdown, “Pleasure On Credit.” And “Lord Lord Help Me Just to Rock Rock On” seems to take on his years of addiction. However, this tune is much deeper than that. It also seems to have a spiritual meaning or component that I’ve found in the rest of his work.
In the end, the one element of major importance in the greatness of “Sad Man Happy Man,” is that Mike Doughty is making powerful music on his own terms. Music that is lovely, funky, and meaningful. And with every listen this depth is becoming more and more apparent.
Oh, and so the FCC says I have to tell you when I’ve received free products. So Mike Doughty’s publicist sent me this record. So there you go. My about section has a bit more info on my review “policy.”
