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…)

Somehow, Someday March 3, 2009

Telling someone how you feel about them can be way harder than it should.  This song features a narrator who obviously has some pretty serious feelings (and romantic interest) towards someone he has known for quite a while now, and he’s trying to figure out how he’s going to let her know that he wants his relationship with her to move from friendship to something heavier.  It looks like telling her is his only option, too.  He openly admits “There ain’t no way I’ll ever stop from loving now.”  This doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to be telling her soon, though.  When he says “I’m gonna try and show you somehow/Somehow…/Someday…” 

Who knows when “someday” will come?  To be honest, there’s a really good chance that it never comes… 

I’ve always really enjoyed this song, and I feel like it would have been a great choice for a single.  As an R.E.M. fan, I find the guitars pretty much irresistable, and I imagine Peter Buck would definitely be proud.  This song just has such a big chorus, it’s a shame that it wasn’t sent out to promote Gold.

Harder Now That It’s Over February 23, 2009

How awesome is the ending to this song?  There’s the dial tone that just kinda hangs out behind the “I’m sorry…” part, and then the operator’s voice comes in at the end.  “If you’d like to make a call, please hang up and try again.  If you need help, please hang up and dial your operator.”  HEAVY!  I think the whole dialtone thing is a killer idea for use in a song, and I can’t believe no one else has used it.  (On second thought, someone probably has…  I just don’t know of it…)

This song was always one of my least favorite on the album, but I still really like it.  Like so many great country songs, it’s about break-ups, bars, and fighting.  Of course, there’s more to it than, say, “Shakedown on 9th Street.”  Oh, and have you noticed how similar it sounds to a certain single off of Easy Tiger?  It seriously sounds like “Two” right around 1:48!  Go ahead, listen!

The Rescue Blues February 9, 2009

This is another song that I feel was one of Ryan Adams’ greatest vocal performances.  It manages to be soulful, confident, and still have a tough rock edge.  The choir backing him up really adds to the atmosphere, providing a large sound while still sounding natural.  Obviously, that choir helps contribute the soulfulness I mentioned earlier, but the song itself really has a vibe unlike Ryan’s other work.  There’s a really heavy Elton John influence that’s undeniable (yet absolutely welcome).

Really, I consider this to be one of Ryan’s “epic songs.”  There are a few more on Gold, including “Nobody Girl” (which blows me away whenever I have the time to listen to the whole thing).  I feel like these songs led to the sound he perfected later on with the Cardinals.  (For the record, other “epic songs”, in my opinion, are “Goodnight Rose” and “Magnolia Mountain”)

Sweet Black Magic February 4, 2009

God, I love it when Ryan Adams gets folky.  This is right up there with “Pearls On A String” for my favorite folk/bluegrass style song of his.  I think one of the reasons I like this one so much is because it breaks one of the major rules of bluegrass.  While a lot of songs refer to simpler times in the Southeastern/Midwestern rural U.S., he goes ahead and modernizes it with references to Los Angeles and drugs…  Not exactly “Keep On The Sunny Side”…

There are bouncy banjos, warm acoustic guitars deep in the background, and some backup singers who make this song sound like it could have been recorded during the Great Depression.  (You know, if they don’t pay any attention to the lyrics)  This is one of the few songs on the bonus disc that I feel wouldn’t have fit on Gold that well, but I’m definitely glad they included it.  It’s a fun listen and a really good song to drive to, as I discovered recently.

Touch, Feel & Lose February 2, 2009

A few weeks ago, some HD channel was showing the “Music In High Places” featuring Ryan Adams.  I hadn’t seen it before, but it was something I was always interested in ordering from the store on the old website.  I’ll be honest, I actually had no clue what it was until I DVR-ed it and got a chance to sit down and enjoy a really interesting series of performances and cultural experiences.  Anyway, the special was right around Gold, as that’s what the majority of the material was from; and the real standout track, for me, was “Touch, Feel & Lose” with a bunch of Jamaican kids.

I’m not sure if I like the performance because of the choir of little Jamaicans or if it’s just the really cool acoustic arrangement, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for the song.  It had always blended in with the rest of the songs on the album for me, but I feel like that particular live recording captured the essence of the song.  Really, I find it hard to go back to the version found on Gold, so I guess it’s a good thing I have the audio from “Music In High Places”  on my computer, isn’t it?

Cool song with a really great performance officially released…

YouTube: (the amazing clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dw8TmlMAyA

Answering Bell January 24, 2009

The first Ryan Adams album I got was Gold, and there were two tracks I had heard before I bought it: “New York, New York” and “When The Stars Go Blue.”  When I hit “Answering Bell”, it felt really familiar to me even though I knew I hadn’t heard it before.  I think that was the intended, with the whole “modern classic” approach to the album.  With its charming swagger and waves of powerful backing vocals courtesy of Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), I feel like “Answering Bell” fall in the same category of “Let It Ride”: this song sounds so complete. 

If you listen to “Just Saying Hi” demo found on The Suicide Handbook, it’s clear that the recording is really lacking.  It’s completely lacking the sexiness and power found on Gold.  I think this is, of course, due to the fact that the organ, electric guitars, and awesome banjo intro aren’t there.  It almost sounds like something pulled off of a radio broadcast and just doesn’t have the same amount of soul found on the album version.  Like I say about all Ryan Adams outtakes/b-sides: it’s nice to have them. (Even if they aren’t as good as the finished version)

Rosalie Come and Go January 22, 2009

I still can’t believe that the record company discouraged Ryan Adams from releasing Gold as a double album.  When you listen to the songs featured on what became the Gold Bonus Disc, you can’t help but notice that these songs don’t sound like outtakes at all.  I mean, they’re too good to be unreleased…  Too good to just be tacked on as a b-side…  So that’s why they were included as “Side 4″ of Gold.

The clanging electric guitar riff in the intro reminds me of “New York, New York.”  It’s got an instant catchiness that would have fit in really well at the beginning of the album alongside “Firecracker” and the aforementioned track.  The lyrics are rough, shady, and all around totally bad-ass.  It’s got an almost Rolling Stones-like quality, with a really cool, funky outro.

I feel like these songs should have been released as an EP or something…  They deserve more than just a bonus disc!

Hallelujah January 12, 2009

When I first learned how to play harmonica, I made sure to get one in the key of A so I’d be able to play this song.  I spent an afternoon listening to the track over and over (bothering the people in the rooms around me) so I could get it down.  Really, it isn’t that hard, and is a really great song for beginners who want to play guitar and harmonica at the same time. 

The song’s about another one of those troubled relationships that neither party can stand to break.  The narrator of the song is the root of the trouble, admitting that he used her “like I used ‘em all.”  He’s constantly throwing her out of his place and is starting to lose his sense of self, which makes him come to his senses and realize that it’s best for both of them if he just ends it.  He then wonders what it would be like if he could be in a normal relationship without any fighting or deception.  Would it be something he could handle, or will he just go ahead and screw it up again?  Either way, this girl’s gone, and things can go back to normal. (For now…)

Enemy Fire December 31, 2008

“Enemy Fire” is another one of those songs about a dysfunctional relationship. (A recurring theme in the music of Ryan Adams)  While many of these songs are slow and relfective, “Enemy Fire” is aggressive and gritty.  The conflict between them is likened to a war, with enemy tanks and planes. (Also, ”enemy-colored roses” for that special lady in your life)  He keeps making it clear to hear that it’s over, but then decides to give her a second chance.  The narrator is making his ultimatum, saying “Learn how to change/And maybe I could stay.”  Still, if it’s reached this point, the odds are slim that she’ll change.  That’s why the final line of the song is “Um… No…”

“Enemy Fire” has some killer classic rock-style guitar riffs and cymbal crashes, making it a nice throwback to the 1970s.  With it’s dramatic music and potential to be a major highlight during a show, it’s really disappointing to know it’s only been played live seven times.  I feel like this song should be seeing a lot of action with the Cardinals, so maybe it’ll appear in a setlist soon.  There’s a lot of potential for jams in there, I hope the band sees it.

It’s aggressive, it could be amazing live, and should definitely be revisited soon.