Mr. Mod Launches First Strike on Indie Crybabies at Stereogum

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Mar 212007
 


I just watched some new video by The Hold Steady over at Stereogum, a site I sometimes check in on and sometimes enjoy (the content, that is). However, almost any time I feel moved to leave a comment in response to a video or story I’ve read, I’m confronted with the least-articulate set of college-educated, indie crybabies known to man. At times like these, I’m left leaving a message such as the following:

Shoot, we’ve spent 25-30 years trying to preserve what cool is left in rock so The Kids can go ga-ga over Born to Run? And then all you can do is cry over syntax and ignorance of case rules? Wah-wah.

I’m sorry to have to put a hit on the well-intentioned Stereogum and The Hold Steady in response to the folks who leave comments, but Jeez Louise! Check out for yourself what passes for discussion.

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RTH Fantasy Rock Band League Draft Enters Round 3: RTH Member DiFuria Selected

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Mar 212007
 

The third round of the 2007 Rock Town Hall Fantasy Rock Band League Draft is about to begin! Free agents may be selected in lieu of a band’s pick in this round and the following round. GMs who signed free agents in the second round are ineligible for selections in this round. Watch your salary cap!

Picks from the second round are listed here.
Picks from the first round are listed here.

Following a series of trades, Mr. Mod and Andyr have flipped draft picks in this round. Meanstom and Sally C have forfeited their third-round picks owing to free-agent signings. For the third-round draft order and analysis…
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Lou Reed…As His Music Was Meant to Sound!

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Mar 202007
 

First, you know you wanted another selection from Lou’s 1974 All-Star Porn Rock Band. It’s going to be hard continuing this feature once I move beyond this era, but I’ll do my best.

I was watching a making of Transformer doc on VH1 Classics. You know, as much as I love Lou Reed and as many mediocre – some might say “humble” – albums as I do by the man, Tranformer is a generally flat listening experience for me. I’m only stoked by the album’s version of “Walk on the Wild Side”. As great a song as “Satellite of Love” is, I find the album’s version lacking in something. I’ll take any number of live versions over it.

The album’s subject matter doesn’t grab me – all that glam/butch-femme dynamic/Andy Warhol stuff ranks down there with workin’ for the weekend cock-rock subject matter in terms of my lyrical interests, but I think the real problem is Bowie. Here’s a rare example of an artist in his prime being produced by an artist he heavily influenced. As with Bowie’s production of Raw Power, I’m left cold.

That said, let’s hear what Lou and his contributors had to say about the making of this supposed classic!

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Minute-by-Minute Review of Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky

 Posted by
Mar 202007
 

If you don’t have it yet or haven’t found another place to check out Wilco’s latest, Sky Blue Sky, you can listen to a streaming version here. As you listen along, I’ll provide the thoughts inside your head.

The opening number, “Either Way”, is a tasty, mellow nugget, isn’t it? They don’t make cascading guitar solos like the one in this song any more – or they didn’t until now. What more can I say – what more can you say? Fine opener!

“You Are My Face” worried me for a minute. I thought they were opening their album with two mellow songs, which is OK if you’re someone else, but you and I like a little fire within the first 8 minutes of a new album. Sure enough, a spark is struck about a minute and a half into this bad boy, when a patented Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere guitar tone shows up and Tweedy and the rhythm section pick up the next verse as if under the direction of Rick Danko. Bring us down, faux Garth, and suddenly we’ve got Simon & Garfunkel doing the quiet verse from “The Boxer”. Now, take us out Garth-like organ player.

“Impossible Germany” is not pleasing us from the git-go. It sounds like some mush that might have come out of our radio circa 1975. I keep waiting for Mickey Thomas to take over the leads for a verse. Do I have time to grow my pinky nail longer, so I can do coke off it? Ooooh, check out Craig Chaquito on lead guitar! And here’s more. I feel a summer breeze. I hope these guys had shit-eating grins while recording this one.
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