La Cienega Just Smiled March 6, 2009

One thing I’ve always really appreciated about “La Cienega Just Smiled” is how casual the imagery is.  It all starts with the one of the first lines: “It’s on with the jeans, a jacket, and a shirt.”  You also get the impression that this relationship isn’t necessarily as serious as the one found in some other songs.  There’s still a level of uncertainty that comes with a young relationship, and when he sings “I’m too scared to know how I feel about you now”, it’s all painfully obvious.  This whole song is about not being able to understand someone.  He’s going through all of this trouble to figure her out, and she acts like it’s all no big deal.  She just smiles and waves goodbye…

This is one I think most listeners can relate to pretty easily.  At one point or another, we’ve all been attracted to a person who sometimes seems like they’re more work than they’re worth.  I think it’s really great that the song doesn’t provide any closure as to how he ends up feeling about her.  She just says she’ll see him around. (Whatever that means…)

To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) March 5, 2009

I know it’s technically a different track, but I get a real kick out of the way Heartbreaker starts.  As a Morrissey fan, to hear one of your favorite artists debating whether or not you can find “Suedehead” on certain albums is a real treat.  For the record, “Suedehead” is on Viva Hate and Bona Drag.  Ryan was totally right, Bona Drag is a collection of the singles from the first album (and some non-album releases).  Anyway, enough about Morrissey, onto the topic of this whole blog.

This song has been dismissed by quite a few people as a Bob Dylan knockoff.  I can hear their argument to a certain extent, but I think it was just very heavily influenced by Dylan.  Really, it’s always reminded me of classic country music, back when it was OK for artists to be a little rough around the edges.  The quack of the guitars resembles the old Bakersfield sound, which is something that has been missing from country for a long time.  There are the wild “AW MAN!!!”-s that tend to find their way out right after the choruses, and it all makes for a gritty, groovy good time. 

My only gripe about this one is that, after seeing Ryan Adams four times, I still haven’t heard it live!

Tomorrow March 2, 2009

On the surface, “Tomorrow” sounds just like any old country song.  It mentions trains, missing your baby, and Waylon Jennings, for god’s sake…  But when you find out a little more about the situation, the song is a lot heavier.  I never really looked into it, but found out just this evening that the song was co-written by Carrie Hamilton, who passed away during the making of Demolition.  While you could look at the song literally and see it revolving around a man and woman who are physically and geographically seperated, it’s hard to not think about two people being seperated by death. 

When you think about introducing death into the lyrics, the first lines of the second verse really mean something more than they do at face.  “A million miles of nothing/Yeah, you’re driving all alone” represents that journey she’s making by herself into whatever comes after life.

Tears of Gold March 1, 2009

A while back, I posted about how I had never been crazy about “Two Hearts.”  I wasn’t surprised that other people had similar feelings towards the song, but the attitudes towards “Tears of Gold” definitely came as a shock.  I have a friend who is a Ryan Adams fan, but he also says he feels like this song is one of his weakest.  But, in the song’s defense, my friend isn’t really into the country stuff.  Personally, I’ve always felt like this is a song that’s truly by The Cardinals.  There are the great harmonies throughout the song (especially in the “Bring the band around…” part), and a great performance by Jon Graboff. 

I just can’t really see what people could dislike about the song.  I understand that it doesn’t fit that well with the rest of the songs on Easy Tiger, but it’s not like the rest of the album has a consistent sound or anything…

Closer When She Goes February 26, 2009

I’ve always liked listening to this one, and it made perfect sense that it would appear on an EP rather than a regular album due to its length, but it’s just never felt like a real song to me.  It’s just verse-chorus-verse-chorus DONE!  The lyrics are all pretty good, and I feel like they were definitely onto something really cool.  I’m not sure why it was never made into a full-length album track, though.  I always think about that when I hear it, and I’d be lying if I said sometimes it makes me feel just a little bit shortchanged.  The Halloween EP has one pretty good song (“Halloween”), one really great song (“Funeral Marching”) and what sounds like a demo that they threw on for the sake of having three songs. 

A nice listen, but it always leaves me wanting more.  (And not in the good way)

Magnolia Mountain February 25, 2009

I got into Ryan Adams in 2006, and started going after his back catalog like it was nobody’s business.  I was nuts about “Gold” and “Demolition”, found pleasure in listening to “Rock n Roll”, and connected with “Love Is Hell” more than I should have.  When I finally hit “Cold Roses”, I didn’t know what to think.  I could tell by the artwork that this album was just going to be…  you know… different… 

So when I put in that first disc and heard this start up, I really didn’t know what to think.  After the first listen, I could get into “Beautiful Sorta” and a few other obvious ones, but it wasn’t until a few more spins that I realized how great of a song “Magnolia Mountain” is.  What I like about the album is the fact that it’s set in its own little world.  There’s Magnolia Mountain, the Easy Plateau, Cherry Lane, Meadowlake Street…  I’m not sure if all of the geographical titles were intentional or not, but I’m a big fan of them. 

What I really like about this song is the way they manged to really capture the soft/loud dynamics without sounding like Nirvana or something.  Really, this is probably the most live-sounding recording the band has.  Sure, they tried to achieve it on Cardinology, but there’s a certain freedom I hear on “Magnolia Mountain” that hasn’t been matched by any other studio recording I’ve ever heard.

Go Easy February 24, 2009

Before the album came out, I had read several reviews that mentioned a U2-esque quality found in some of the recordings.  I expected it from “Cobwebs”, but was very pleasantly surprised by how well the studio version of “Go Easy” turned out.  The lyrics aren’t anything special, really, but that doesn’t take away from the emotion found in the song.  The second part of the chorus is what carries the song: “If only I could say this to myself: I will always love you/I will always love you/So go easy on yourself.”  It’s something we all have to tell ourselves time and time again…

Another line that always stood out to me comes in the first verse.  It’s when he sings “Funny how I still hear that voice/Sometimes it’s like it’s so loud/I only hear a ringing sound.”  Yeah, it’s just a line, but it’s hard to hear it and not immediately think about the hearing issues that have been plaguing Ryan for the last year. 

While the song itself isn’t great (still good, though), it’s obviously very personal, and I appreciate being along for the ride in this case.

My Winding Wheel February 22, 2009

I’ve expressed in several other posts on here that I never really saw Heartbreaker as the amazing album that a lot of other fans do.  I feel like it has some good songs and a few that are absolutely amazing, such as “Oh My Sweet Carolina” and today’s song: “My Winding Wheel.”  It’s a pretty simple folk song, all built around a loose guitar rhythm and lyrics about lovving someone who has other men on her mind.  What’s interesting about it is the fact that this song isn’t sad, though.  Rather than sitting around, feeling sorry that he isn’t up to her standards, the narrator is defiant and challenges her to go out and try to find someone better.

The chorus is one of his best.  “Buy a pretty dress/Wear it out tonight/For anyone you think could outdo me/Oh, better still/Be my winding wheel” truly says it all.  But, to be honest with you, I don’t know what a “winding wheel” could be.  I mean, I guess every wheel winds…  I just don’t really understand the words in the line.  I completely get what he’s saying, but the term just doesn’t really click with me.  I feel like this song is the highlight of his folkier material, and I’m surprised it isn’t a regular in his setlists.

Starlite Diner February 21, 2009

This is another track I would say is one of my favorites off of 29.  I really enjoy how casual the lyrics sound sometimes, especially “Is it possible to love someone too much?/You bet…”  But while the song is able to have lines that seem like that’s how they would be said in conversation, there are others that are among some of the most poetic lyrics Ryan Adams has ever written.  (“Haven’t woken up at night, my love/And dreamt that you called them all/Every person that you can never love”)

This song, along with many of his other piano pieces, took a while for me to get into.  I think a big part of that is the fact that I became a fan because of his alt-country work, and these slower songs don’t really fit that category too well.  But, of course, the same can be said for the majority of the songs found on Rock n Roll and Love Is Hell.  And as I’ve said before, the latter is my favorite album he’s released.  That really says something about an artist, when they can bring you in and show you things (in the case, styles of music) you otherwise wouldn’t have been a fan of.

Everybody Knows February 18, 2009

At my school, we get a channel called MTV-U.  It’s basically a raggedy-ass version of MTV that is exclusive to college campuses.  I get it in my room, but never watch by choice.  However, it’s a different situation when you’re walking through the lobby of another building or eating in one of the dining halls.  The televisions in there are constantly showing the shitty MTV-U videos (they show the same ones ALL THE TIME) and we have no other options.  So while they’re typically showing crappy “indie” videos, every now and then they show something that’s really good.  Like last October, when they had the video for “Everybody Knows” in constant rotation. 

Needless to say, it was the happiest that channel has ever made me.  Honestly, where else (you know, besides the internet) can you see Ryan Adams videos?  Not regular MTV…  Not VH1…  CMT?  Readers, please! 

Another fond memory of mine was when I worked at the university radio station.  The station manager got some new CDs in, (I got an advance copy of Easy Tiger) and just happened to have the single.  So I now had that to add to my Ryan Adams collection.

Anyway, the song has always felt unfinished to me.  Part of it could very well be the fact that it’s pretty short, but there’s also the omission of a bridge, solo or anything similar.  Lyrically, I think it’s one of his smoothest songs.  You get the impression that these lyrics are exactly how he would say these words in an everyday conversation.