December 2022 Overview

December 2022 Overview

Writer's Check-In

Well, in less than 7 hours, we'll be out of 2022! Overall, I can't really complain much at all because it was a very good year for me. It definitely felt quite long, but I got more well-adjusted to college and made a lot of fun memories along the way. Anyways, compared to how turbulent 2021 was for me, this year was a nice breath of fresh air! 2022 was also great for me music-wise: I've been more productive this year in terms of music writing than ever before, and I garnered over 2k hours of music listening (yes, I'm a crazy music nut, but I'm proud!).

Though, I am quite sad about the song of the day reviews falling apart. A lot of it is because of how hectic this month was for me: falling sick during finals season, having a monster article to write, and moving houses made churning out a review every day pretty much impossible. A bigger problem was that the series felt a bit too disjointed. It's great that I can talk about Muddy Waters and Neil Young on a whim like that, but the reviews seriously lacked a sense of purpose I needed to keep me motivated to write. 

As a replacement, I'll revive an old series I tried (and failed) to launch on my Instagram: reviewing the top songs of each year from 1950 to 1999! I'll try to incorporate both the RYM charts and the Billboard charts and go through and give my thoughts on each of the songs. This brings the best of both worlds: it's a serious reviewing project, but it also is easy to do in bite-sized chunks so I can keep up throughout the year. I might randomly stop for a while or write a bunch of reviews in a text-generating flurry, but it will be a fun series I hope my few (but loyal, thank you guys whoever you are) readers will enjoy! I'll be kicking off the series quite soon once I get the reviewing order in place!

Anyways, that's enough for today. I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve, and let's celebrate the beginning of 2023!

Music Stats for the Month

Total Listening Time: 138 hours. Significantly less than last month, but honestly with how busy I was, I'm surprised it was still that high.

Top Artist: Mothers Of Invention. Freak Out, Absolutely Free, and We're Only In It For The Money never get old, do they?

Top Album: 1928 Sessions - Mississippi John Hurt. Only discovered this man's sublime recordings a week ago and have been listening to his beautiful songs over and over. Words are not enough to describe the deep level of humane warmth of his pre-war output. If there is a collection of music that can make you feel thankful for being alive, it's this set of 13 songs.

Top Song: "Rock Island Line" - Lead Belly. Can't get enough of those vocal gymnastics!

Articles

My Neil Young article is getting edited at the moment, so stay tuned! Will post it once it's out!

Monthly Playlist

Here's the link to this month's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4E3S1uNXHzkmoVH1N0E9xu?si=6b3e2ea299b64eee

I think this is a pretty kickass playlist, but I do warn you that it is over 50% blues/folk. There is hopefully a decent amount of diversity to keep things interesting, but don't even touch the playlist if you dislike blues-based music in general. Sadly, I could not include THREE Neil Young songs ("Love In Mind," "Sugar Mountain," "After The Gold Rush"), so I posted whatever Neil Young recordings I could find as substitutes. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the playlist!

I'll post the list of the songs here and links to the ones that got reviews:

1. Dust My Broom - Elmore James
2. Love In Mind - Neil Young
3. Rock Island Line - Lead Belly
4. Only A Fool Would Say That - Steely Dan
5. It Hurts Me Too - Elmore James
6. Just Like Heaven - The Cure
7. Got My Mojo Working - Muddy Waters
8. Hand In Glove - The Smiths
9. Wang Dang Doodle - Howlin' Wolf
10. Fattening Frogs For Snakes - Sonny Boy Williamson II
11. Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) - Tom Waits
12. Love, Hate, Love - Alice In Chains
    
13. Sugar Mountain - Neil Young
14. Rumble - Link Wray & The Wrayman
15. Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson II
16. Violent Love - Otis Rush
17. Pick a Bale of Cotton - Lead Belly
18. Your One and Only Man - Otis Redding
19. Fell On Black Days - Soundgarden
20. After The Gold Rush - Neil Young
21. Highway Star - Deep Purple
22. Where Did You Sleep Last Night? - Lead Belly
23. Still A Fool - Muddy Waters
24. My Babe - Little Walter
25. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
26. Nobody's Dirty Business - Mississippi John Hurt
27. Louis Collins - Mississippi John Hurt
28. Down Hearted Blues - Bessie Smith
29. Ain't No Tellin' - Mississippi John Hurt
30. She's A Good 'Un - Otis Rush
31. For Tomorrow - Blur

Anyways, that's all for now. I hope you all enjoyed whatever writing I put out this month, and I'm looking forward to tackling new artists and songs in 2023! See you all there!

Song of the Day #32: Highway Star - Deep Purple

 Highway Star - Deep Purple

Song of the Day #32

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/highway-star/1099334597?i=1099334871

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4gVTozEmzwAUXpwj3jEetX?si=2dd659a6e4614c9d

If Motorhead took rock 'n' roll to its dirtiest heights and if AC/DC & Aerosmith took rock 'n' roll to its cockiest heights, Deep Purple simply pushed rock 'n' roll to its most puffed up and absurd. Seriously, no band ever played rock 'n' roll with their levels of flashy pretense and showmanship easily on par with the likes of Keith Emerson and Jon Anderson. Even fucking Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page would know their limits, but nope, definitely not these guys. With the extravagant pompous soloing of Blackmore and Lord, the glass-shattering Pennimanesque vocals of Ian Gillian, and the monstrous charge of the rhythm section, this is a band that did not have the word "restraint" in their vocabulary, for better or for worse. 

No wonder so many are quick to dismiss them under the banner of 70s excess, but if you ask me, they represented everything that was great about this era of rock music. Yes, many of these bands got so ambitious that they often reached the point of collapse rather quickly, yet most of them did not forgo the emotional gut-punch factor in the midst of their artsy zeal. In their golden era from 1970 to 1972, Deep Purple was one of the greatest pure rock 'n' roll bands on Earth, using their magnificent playing chops and "wankery" to actually amplify the kicking of ass rather than hindering it. At least for me, even their epically long live renditions of "Space Truckin'" and "Strange Kind of Woman" are thoroughly entertaining the whole way through.

Indeed, no other song of theirs captures this incredible magic of theirs than "Highway Star," a strong contender for their greatest work (only "Child In Time" competes for that title) and one of my favorite rock 'n' roll songs ever. This is just the ultimate 100-miles-per-hour car ride anthem, charging out the gate at full speed and not dropping the energy level for even a moment. Really, this is where the heavenly synergy of the band works to their advantage. The song whips up a powerful thunderstorm under the all-out triple assault of Lord, Blackmore, and Gillian pummeling your brain into oblivion, but it only feels like such a ferocious onslaught because Glover and Paice hold down the line, giving the song thick, heavy bottom so all of the showmanship of the more flamboyant members can properly blow your mind. And blow your mind they should: how mind-bending is that sonic vortex of Gillian screams in the intro? Better yet, how fucking magnificent are those classically-inspired solos of Blackmore? How many guitarists can sound so damn beautiful and violently aggressive at the same time? I sure as hell can't think of many. 

It's no use in me pointing out more great details that makes the song a masterpiece. It's just a timelessly awesome recording that has never been bested by anyone, including themselves. They tried to make it rip even harder on Made In Japan, but it was no use when the original was already a force of nature to reckon with. If you haven't heard this song, I feel sorry that you haven't experienced the aural bliss of hearing a glorious band firing at all cylinders. And if you have heard the song, well, you're probably listening to it again as we speak :)

Song of the Day #31: After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

 After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

Song of the Day #31

Sorry for disappearing for so long. Finals season was crazy this year and then I had to write a HUGE article on Neil Young, so I was a bit burnt out. Fortunately, I started to miss doing this, so we'll hopefully get things back on track!

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/after-the-gold-rush/1015783330

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/313E9ix5jgK6JPt3M5aJLX?si=17cd968b2d5a4253

No matter how much hardcore fans like myself claim that the ditch trilogy is where Neil truly found himself, this masterpiece of a title track may be the quintessential Neil Young composition after all (as far as his softer side goes). Really, it's songs like this that make the Dylan comparisons feel utterly ridiculous because of how different their songwriting approaches are. For all the surrealism within Dylan's complex lyricisms, you still feel he was firmly grounded in reality, taking observations from the world around him and extracting the united spiritual thread between them. On the other hand, Neil would often get so deeply lost within himself that he would lose touch with the real world entirely. The depressing disappointments of human existence were too difficult for him to endure day after day, so he retreated to these glimmering, impressionistic worlds of his own creation. He never claimed to fully grasp his microcosmic personal universes, but you can tell he felt much more at home in their refuge than in the decaying world around him.

This song almost chronicles this starry-eyed self-exploration of his. Each stanza of the song talks not about some real-life memory but a dream, describing otherworldly places with knights in armor speaking to kings and queens, spaceships flying into the haze of the sun, and Mother Nature herself spreading her silver seed. Yet, these perplexing descriptions have a delicate beauty and intimacy, where you feel how these dreams made an incredibly powerful impact on him. That surrealistically confessional spirit is embodied in the stumbling, grandiose piano chords. inducing that sense of wonder and awe as he tries to sort out those transcendent experiences and understand himself in the process. To solidify the perfection of this song, he throws in the flugelhorn solo as a masterful finishing touch: recalling similarly stylized horn interludes in psych-pop songs like "Penny Lane," that dreamy idealism in 60s psychedelia fits wonderfully with the mood expressed here. It's all of these things that separate Neil Young from almost all of his soft-rock contemporaries: there was barely anyone who could express themselves in such abstract terms back then and still make them so amazingly personal.

Above all, "After the Gold Rush" just feels so genuinely magical. From the very first notes, you feel just as hopelessly lost in these entrancing worlds as he does, and its atmosphere becomes so breathtaking you might want to stay there for a little longer. At least, it's a testament to how awesome the song is that it didn't lose any of its mystical sheen when performed live with the harmonica solo replacing the flugelhorn. Though, we should expect no less than genius from dear old Neil, right? Go ahead and give the song one more listen to pay tribute to this songwriting brilliance.

Song of the Day #30: Old Shoes - Tom Waits

Old Shoes - Tom Waits

Song of the Day #30

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/old-shoes-picture-postcards/1485071375?i=1485071441

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/1MbqOV4uT2Rrxxyk1ZvCTT?si=623619fb9b4449cc

I swear, there is no title more perfect for this collection of songs than Closing Time. Each piece has this exquisite sense of finality, where you can imagine Tom sitting in the piano bar laying it bare before the audience at midnight hour. By mixing a lonesome bluesy introspective feel with jazzy refinement, he created the ideal "end-of-year reminiscing" album, which is why I always play this one late at night on the last days of the year.

So, it was inevitable I was going to write about at least one song from this record this December, but instead of choosing "Grapefruit Moon" (my favorite song of his) or "Ol' 55" (made famous by the Eagles' butchering of the song), I settled for this lovely country-tinged gem. It's a bit of an oddball on the album, being an uplifting anthem displaying his folksy roots more obviously than any other from here. Yet, I've always loved it because of how beautifully it complements the overall mood. Closing Time is about bittersweet contemplation and sorting out his feelings, whether it be about a past lost love ("Martha") or frigid loneliness ("Lonely"). "Old Shoes" isn't like this at all: Tom acknowledges his regrets and painful memories, but he comes to terms with his reality and gets himself to move past them. 

Many songs touch on this theme, but unlike so many of them, this one is cognizant that moving on isn't easy. It can be a tough journey of remembering all that has to be left behind, but the grit and conviction of its spirit are enough proof that making it through is worth it. It's one of those truly soul-healing songs that can give hope to the most hopeless, and the fact that it made it onto this type of album only adds greater complexity to Tom's artistic persona. If you're feeling anxious about the end of a certain period of your life, be sure to not only hear this song but also all the songs that surround it. It will help, take my word for it.

Song of the Day #29: Only A Fool Would Say That - Steely Dan

 Only A Fool Would Say That - Steely Dan

Song of the Day #29

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/only-a-fool-would-say-that/1652580027?i=1652580321

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/7GVvj4zJNVuBJSl6StEfn5?si=0295cb7577e6420f

It boggles my mind to think how many people must love this band without fully comprehending the venomous hatred Becker and Fagen held for the world. At face value, this is some of the most buttery-smooth music you'll ever hear. The breezy melodies, catchy choruses, and crystalline production are all so damn seductive that it's hard not to fall in love with their music. One listen to "Reelin' In The Years" or "My Old School" is enough to understand why they sold millions of records and are played ubiquitously on the radio even today. Yet, every single note Fagen spews out is acidic and hateful, the lyrics offering almost no sympathy for anyone or anything. They are so gifted in composing and songwriting that they easily could make their music dense and incomprehensible, but they chose to make their music accessible simply to inflict the largest number of casualties possible. It is a diabolic musical paradigm that makes me sick to the bone and would induce hatred in me...if only they weren't brilliant musical geniuses. Ah, why do some of the most talented guys on Earth gotta be such assholes?

Take this little gem off of their debut album Can't Buy A Thrill. If you aren't a professional hater of pop music, you will easily be entranced by the song's hypnotic, Latin-inspired rhythms, the way that beautiful chorus wraps around your brain in the most delightful way possible. The band gels together flawlessly as an ensemble, delivering a perfect melody that will be stuck in your head for days. But the subject matter, dear god. They do not just criticize societal idealists — they beat the daylights out of them, knocked them to the ground, and stomped and spitted at their ugly faces. They show all of the violence, deception, brutality, and lack of empathy that are associated with many of these grand utopian visionaries, leaving no room for other interpretations. In Fagen's and Becker's view, the essence of what they stand for means they are trash and deserve to be treated as such, and while I don't fully agree with their views, I definitely see where they are coming from. That's the best part about these guys: whether I want catchy pop music or intellectually stimulating material, they satisfy both needs, and though this dual personality can be jarring at first, it becomes quite rewarding in the long run. Give the song and try and see what kind of reaction it provokes in you.

Song of the Day #28: Rock Island Line - Lead Belly

Rock Island Line - Lead Belly

 Song of the Day #28

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/rock-island-line/219637503?i=219637960

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0JIFjQLPP9qMDJ9HUpu0v6?si=64db52801d824b20

To me, Lead Belly's main appeal lies in his charisma and presence above all. While bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson would dazzle with their technical playing prowess and enigmatic personas, Lead Belly succeeded by the sheer passion and emotions he squeezed out of every note he sang. He sounds like an ordinary guy, but he performs it with a level of conviction that forces you to take his material very deeply. Every time I listen to a Lead Belly recording, I feel I come closer and closer to the beating heart of the human spirit, and there just aren't that many artists that can make their personal material that impactful.

So even if Lonnie Donegan used Lead Belly's version helped to kick off the skiffle craze (thus the rock 'n' roll scene in the UK) and Johnny Cash recorded a funny, kickass version for Sun, neither of them ever fully surpassed the fervor of Lead Belly's original rendition. He truly unlocked the potential of the original prison song by capitalizing on its subject matter, transforming a mere chanting tune into an exhilarating journey just by the passion in his voice. When he starts to show the depot agent the animals he has on board, you can feel the excitement brew up for getting onto the road, and when the chug-a-chug guitar starts to pick up, you know you're in for a hell of a ride. He performs the song with such overpowering energy that it's hard not to get caught up with the thrill of it all, and he accentuates the excitement by adding little hooks to make each verse mind-grabbing. What can resist the rapid fire of "if you want to ride you gotta ride like you find it, get your ticket at the station on the Rock Island Liiiiiiine" or the subtly twisty phrasings of the main chorus? It's one of those songs performed with so much sincere feeling that it cuts so much deeper than you would expect, one among his many timelessly beautiful recordings that haven't aged a day. If you think that pre-war country blues are deadly boring, this is one of those songs to dispel that notion. 

Song of the Day #27: Love In Mind - Neil Young

 Love In Mind - Neil Young

Song of the Day #27

Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-in-mind/1173689398?i=1173689791

Spoti-err, never mind

A wonderful little gem that often gets overlooked on the most underrated album of his classic period, Time Fades Away. As much as I love albums like After The Gold Rush, the true Neil Young really came out ditch period, where his personal troubles and disillusionment seeped through and his music became the most honest, vulnerable, and beautiful. This is a perfect example of his ditch-style confessional ballads, where his dizzying array of emotions comes out of him in an impressionistic, steam-of-consciousness flow. The lyrics do not have a coherent message, each phrase relating to some deep psychological facet he was exploring. Even then, the lyrics are beautifully written, especially the lyric "it was rainin' outside, but my love still shined / kept me warm till my plane touched the sky."

Yet, as it usually goes, the true power and genius of Neil still lie in how he performs the song. Give this song to almost anyone else, and it wouldn't be nearly as heartbreaking. That little pause he gives before delivering each shivering verse shows how broken down he was around this time, the lonesome piano chords giving an overwhelming feeling of isolation. The transition to the climax is not only cathartic but also completely organic, taking the same fragile tone to even more desperate heights. We have no idea what Neil Young is actually singing about, but when he repeats "what am I doing here?" with such painful honesty, I can't help but shed tears right beside him. Few artists are so fearless to allow themselves to lay themselves entirely bare, and fewer of them can do this so incredibly powerfully in front of a live audience. Even outside of the context of this era, "Love In Mind" is an emotional rollercoaster, and the fact that this was merely a small trifle to Neil shows the extent of his musical genius. Yes, I do think it's time for me to relisten to much of this album again, and you should go do the same.