Afraid Not Scared March 4, 2009

This song is one of my favorites to hear live, and I swear that’s not just because it’s off of my favorite album.  There’s an intensity that you can really feel in the room during this one.  It doesn’t have the same effect on the rest of the fans in the room, since some of them came to hear more Heartbreaker and Gold songs than from the rest of the catalog.  But while they’re itching for him to bust out the harmonica, there are those of us who are more than happy to hear this one.  It’s a very different energy than what you get out of a song like “Magick” or “Peaceful Valley”, and it’s something I really appreciate. 

There are some lines in this song that are, to put it simply, terrifying.  The best/worst is “I’m getting really cold and I’m looking at you/And you’re not moving.”  No offense to a certain song off of Cardinology, but this is my favorite Ryan Adams song that features an aquatic disaster.  I’ve always felt that the song deserved a bigger, more powerful ending than it got.  It just fades out, while I’d like to hear it get the same treatment as “Political Scientist.”

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.

This House Is Not For Sale February 19, 2009

I’m excited to finally get around to posting about this one.  It’s one of my favorite songs on my favorite Ryan Adams album, and one I have yet to hear live.  Before I saw the band in Indianapolis and St. Louis this fall, I sent a message to Brad Pemberton’s Facebook, asking if they would play “This House Is Not For Sale” at one of the shows.  Well, while the sets were absolutely awesome, they didn’t play the song.  I figured they get tons of requests online, and completely understood.  Well, after the St. Louis show, Brad was signing my poster and complimenting me on my large marker (which he dubbed “the Sharpie Magnum”) I let him use to sign everyone’s stuff.  Some girl made a comment about how she added him on Facebook, and I said I had, too.  He looked at me and goes, “What’s your name?  You kinda look familiar…”  I replied, “Yeah, I wrote on your wall and requested ‘This House Is Not For Sale’ for tonight…  You guys didn’t…  You know…  Play it…”  We all laughed and he explained that he has to make the setlist with all of the other guys, and they can’t fit EVERYTHING in there (as much as they’d like to). 

I’m going to see them one last time (possibly?) in Nashville next month.  Maybe I’ll get my chance to hear it then…

Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st) February 13, 2009

I think this song was the perfect way to end Heartbreaker.  I imagine it wasn’t easy to pick a closing track, though.  There are wild rockers, straightforward folk tunes, and just about everything in between.  So it only makes sense to pick a track that’s different sonically and thematically, right?  It’s set in New York City and deals with someone stealing someone else’s shirt, which is something that can’t be said for any other song on the album.  Really, I’ve always felt that ”Sweet Lil Gal” sounds like something that could have been on Love Is Hell or 29, but somehow was written several years too soon.

It’s got a really open, almost live sound to it.  The song’s production isn’t slick or poppy (the rest of the album isn’t, either), but probably could have fared well as a single had it been recorded differently.  Of course, I like having it as an album track that only those in the know get to experience…  (that was soooooo indie kid of me)

Political Scientist February 3, 2009

There are about a million reasons why I love this song. (And it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that I’m a Political Science major)  I feel like it’s the perfect opener for Love Is Hell because it doesn’t sound like an opener.  Let me explain…  Most albums start with a track that lifts you up and energizes you for the rest of your listening session.  All of his other releases follow this formula, with the more rocking or energetic tracks leading the tracklisting.  However, “Political Scientist” plays like the music over the opening credits to a movie.  It builds tension, does a great job of foreshadowing, and contains one of Ryan Adams’ strongest vocal deliveries. 

I’m not sure what it is about his delivery that I enjoy so much, but nothing else sounds quite like it.  The lyrics are sung, spoken, and almost (aw snap!) rapped.  And then, after the hushed verses and rumbling choruses comes the cathartic ending, where Ryan calls out “There’s no guarantees…” a few times in a desperate wail.  He hasn’t written anything quite as emotional as the songs on Love Is Hell since the album’s release, and it’s still amazing to look back and realize that one man could have written all of these songs.  There are so many masterpieces on the album, with “Political Scientist” being the first of them…

Wonderwall January 21, 2009

I figured I’d get this one out of the way.  I mean, it’s not a Ryan Adams song, so I was going back and forth about whether or not I should do it.  (As you can see, I decided to) 

I’ve never really been an Oasis fan, but I really enjoyed this cover.  Maybe it’s because there was just more emotion…  Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for really empty-sounding acoustic songs…  Maybe it’s just because I really like Ryan Adams (and Love Is Hell)…  I’m not sure.  I will say that I could have done without it on the most recent tour, however.  I mean, yeah, it was kinda cool to hear it that first night, but I couldn’t help but think “I wish he was doing “This House Is Not For Sale” or “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?” 

So, in this rambling post, I guess I feel like this song is just kind of eh.  I feel like Ryan really made the song his own, but I still don’t feel that strongly about it.

World War 24 January 6, 2009

One of the things I’ve always liked about Ryan Adams is how straightforward his lyrics are.  It’s really easy to get what he’s trying to say in most of his songs, but he’s still able to use rich imagery and metaphors.  If there’s one song that’s just about impossible to understand, it’s “World War 24.” 

You can kind of understand what the song is about, but not much more.  It takes place in London and involves a man and a woman who are doing drugs and just bumming around.  Still, some of the lyrics are so abstract, I’m not sure anyone could get to the bottom of them.  Like, what’s “She loves it when it hits her teeth/The river hides the carousel” supposed to mean?  There’s a bit of a Radiohead quality to this song, and not just in the lyrics.  In his vocal delivery and in the music, I could see this song appearing on The Bends without sounding too out of place.  Interestingly enough, I have a friend who’s a die-hard Radiohead fan who absolutely loves this album.  Just a coincidence?  It’s a peculiar world… 

This is one of my least favorites on Love Is Hell, but it’s not a bad song at all.  It’s one I would be interested to hear live, but I guess I could say that for any Ryan Adams song…

Funeral Marching January 5, 2009

When I first got the Halloween EP, I was impressed by how good the songs were.  The first thing I thought was: “Why weren’t these put on an album?”  Well, I turned to our friend Google and found out that “Halloween” had been featured on Love Is Hell Pt.1 in the United Kingdom and “Closer When She Goes” was a b-side to the This Is It single.  But it was then I realized these are on an EP because they didn’t fit on the albums.  After the release of Halloween, his next solo album is 29, which wouldn’t work with any of these tracks.  The fact that “Halloween” was released with Love Is Hell is puzzling enough, considering it’s way too folksy and happy sounding to work.  “Closer When She Goes” has a very garage rock sound, but also has a country vibe that would be out of place on Rock n Roll.  So, to sum up this little wall of text: it was right for these songs to appear on an EP rather than albums. 

In my opinion, the strongest song out of the three is “Funeral Marching.”  The lyrics are, for the most part, just OK.  There are a lot of hooks, which makes me wonder why it wasn’t released as a single.  There’s a really nice, big chorus that sounds like an alt-country U2.  Every time he sings “Oh, you used to be beautiful” I imagine this could have been an rock radio hit.  Of course, Ryan Adams has never really been about singles, so it’s no surprise it wasn’t promoted this way.

What really makes the song, for me, is the music.  There are several electric guitar tracks that give it a very live feel.  There’s the rhythm section that just chugs along, the little bursts he’s grown to be so fond of, and the fills coming at the end of each verse.  However, those kick-ass chimes in the intro are what really do it for me.  It’s classy, it’s rocky, it’s brilliant…

Anybody Wanna Take Me Home? January 3, 2009

There’s something that’s really nice about this dysfunctional song.  It stumbles along with a nice right guitar part Peter Buck would be proud of and lyrics that are bratty, desperate and shameful.  “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?” is the perfect for this point in Ryan Adams’ life.  That’s probably why it was featured on both Rock n Roll and Love Is Hell.  While the albums are pretty different, this song fits remarkably well with each set of songs.

The first line sets up the story perfectly: “I am in the twilight of my youth/Not that I’m going to remember.”  The narrator is at that age where he anything in the world is possible.  While this should be a good time, he’s just wasting it by drinking himself into a stupor (or a coma, as the lyrics say).  Besides the fact that he’s just wasting opportunities, he sees everyone else around him having a great time.  (“They seem happy/But I am sad/I’m still dancing in the coma of the drinks I just had”) 

Life just isn’t doing it for him anymore.  That’s why he asks for someone to “recommend an education or drugs/Because I’m bored with you already.”  He needs something to fill that open time so he can’t be self-destructive.  Maybe if he’s with someone, he won’t be dangerous to himself while he’s alone?  That’s why he’s desperately calling out: “Does anybody wanna take me home?/Take me to your house and I’ll leave you alone”

Now, if that line looks a little familiar (besides this song), it’s because a very similar lyric is featured in the song “Two” on 2007’s Easy Tiger.  “If you take me back/Back to your place/I’ll try not to bother you”  Just an interesting observation…

My Blue Manhattan December 25, 2008

It’s pretty easy to realize that Ryan Adams likes to use cities instead of names in his songs.  Two of his most well-known songs feature this technique of his: “Dear Chicago” and “New York, New York.”  I’ve always imagined that “My Blue Manhattan” was another song about the subject of “New York, New York.” 

The girl is the same as she was in “New York, New York.”  She’s got her problems, but there are still a lot of endearing qualities.  This song tends to focus on some of her more negative characteristics.  Here are some examples:

“She’s angry like a child”
“It’s you against me most days”
“She cusses like a sailor”

While she has her flaws, he still finds her to be pleasant.  The romantic winter imagery from the third verse in “New York, New York” makes a return in this song, which furthers my belief that it’s about the same person.  I particularly like the line “Making snow angels in the gravel and the dirt.”  It manages to be beautiful and gritty, much like New York City…  (Much like the girl in the song!) 

I think this song is about the other side of the girl.  There are times when she’s a little rude and crude, but she’s still the same person he loves.  Really, there isn’t anything about her that we can’t relate to.  We can all be standoffish sometimes…  We can all cuss like sailors…  But we’re still just as good as everyone else in this world.  This girl may have a bit of an attitude sometimes, but even when she’s in a bad mood, it’s nice to have her around.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!