The Fabled Automatic

It was a rocky start for me and the most influential band of my generation.   OK, the most influential band ever .   The British invasion hit when I was in 7 th grade.   The Beatles were everywhere.   You couldn’t get away from Beatlemania no matter how hard you tried.   When it came to the interlopers from across the pond I personally preferred the edginess of the Kinks and the driving beats of the Dave Clark Five, but the Beatles so dominated the radio stations those bands could hardly get a song in edge-wise.   Strike One. The Fab Four pushed my beloved Beach Boys from the top of the charts.   Strike Two. But what really put me off was how the girls just swooned over them.   There I was, thirteen, just starting to notice (and be noticed by?) girls, and along comes this gang of Brits with their lilting accents and long hair. Was I getting noticed any more?   Not a chance.   How was a short, skinny, prepubescent teenage...

I worked hard on the best of 2011 post and thought it turned out pretty well. However, in the last few weeks I have been listening to one major oversight from that post. Death Cab For Cutie's Codes and Keys . Sonofabitch this is a good record. They are very sonic and 'deep' but this album is 100% accessible and really shows what DCFC is all about. Great lyrics, unique lead vocal and really interesting, progressive music. I love these guys, a huge new beacon on my radar. Check it out.

So I am looking for ways to keep us more on-task as far as posting to the blog.  We appreciate all of the great feedback we have received, but as my wife (author of a much better blog than this) reminds me, if you don't post often, they don't come to read.  You may have noticed our posts tend to be long and involved; that takes time and editing, especially for a perfectionist like myself.  In an effort to improve and to give you reason to visit more often,  we are going to try and post some shorter, easier to prepare/ digest stuff that catches our attention.  Here's one: Song of the Day (won't pretend it's going to be everyday, but you get the idea). One of the great things about my job is I can wear headphones about 75% of the time.  This= lots of tunes, and I often think "I should post about this". Today it's the record Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket.  This is the only thing I own by them, but they have been in my pipeline of bands-to-check-out fo...

Kevin's album of the year: Old School-Nils Lofgren I read an interview about this album on Backstreets and decided to give it a try. I’ve been listening to Nils since his power pop , guitar slinging days of the early 70s, way before he joined the E Street Band. What intrigued me from the interview was that a lot of the album was recorded “live” without overdubs and post production.  Lay down the track and let ‘er rip. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  His guitar craft is better than ever and his voice has matured. The album is a great blend of rockers, ballads and  blues with some old school Nils ala the Grin days, the power pop of Love Stumbles On and Just Because You Love Me thrown in to tie it all together.  To top it all off, I can relate the titles: 'Old School' , 'Sixty is the New Eighteen' (I can only hope!) and ' Ain’t Too Many of Us Left'. My favorite song on the album is ' Miss You Ray' , Lofgren’s tribute to Ray Charles.   “I poun...

Other recommended listening from 2011 The Damnwells – No One Listens to the Band Anymore.   I picked up this band from the guys at the Popdose podcast . They share my tastes and generally steer me in the direction of good music. I don’t really know how to describe this band and can’t pinpoint exactly what I like about them, but I listened to this album a lot this year.  It is great music for work; upbeat and very catchy so that you don’t have to pay attention all the time to enjoy it, but well written so it is worth really listening when you do. Lots of good rock and roll on this record, but the slower ‘Werewolves’ is a standout and really showcases frontman Alex Dezen’s voice and songwriting ability.  --SCB Alison Kraus and Union Station - Paper Airplane   Union Station is everything that’s right about bluegrass.  This is a group of very talented musicians and Alison Krauss sings like an angel. The album opens with her soaring soprano on the title ...

Happy New Year from the Fabled Automatic.  Sorry for the month long hiatus, holidays and all that.   But we are back and hopefully better than ever with lots of great music to look forward to in 2012.   Look for a dual post this weekend about our favorites of 2011, it was a great year for the artists we love and for new discoveries. Speaking of music to look forward to in 2012....  We FINALLY get the news today of the new Springsteen release entitled "Wrecking Ball".  www.backstreets.com   The first single "We take care of our own" is out today.  Lots has been said about the new record. Of note from manager John Landau. "Bruce has dug down as deep as he can to come up with this vision of modern life. The lyrics tell a story you can't hear anywhere else and the music is his most innovative of recent years."   It has been described as "very rock, and very angry" using a wide range of influences.  Regardless of whether y...

Based on some recommendations from fellow Springsteen fanatics, I have been checking out a more recent Jersey-based act a little bit lately, The Gaslight Anthem .  I would describe what I have heard so far as power-punk-pop; lots of recognizable influences in their music. I really like them so far.  Last week they played the final show of their tour at the Asbury Park Convention Center; Bruce's back yard of course and a venue frequently used by the E Street Band to warm up for their own tours. Wouldn't you know, the man showed up, clearly ready to hit the road and the stage this spring.   Proving once again that he is the man.  Great song and, to me, what the history and the future of Rock and Roll is all about.  I think the look on the the lead singers face at 3:15 just about says it all.  Part II.  Thanks to Pat for this link. And the reciprocal, from the same day.  The verse Brian from Gaslight Anthem takes is phenomenal.  I ha...