Album Review: Monsters of Folk

In a way, I’m glad I’ve been too busy to write this album review, as I really didn’t get this record to start with.  I possibly still don’t but somehow, over the last few weeks, it has become a bit of a mainstay in my workplace CD rack and has grown on me immensely.

They don't look like monsters....

Monsters of Folk is a collaboration between soloist M Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Jim “so good they named him twice” James of My Morning Jacket.  Please, can we just refrain from the overused tag of ‘supergroup’?

Right off, I can admit to being a huge fan of both M Ward and Bright Eyes, whilst finding the oddly high pitched vocals of My Morning Jacket pretty much impenetrable as far as accessibility goes.

This album, on the first listen, felt like I’d interrupted some self-congratulatory, backslapping jam session, where someone pipes up “hey, i’ve not sung a song for a while” and where the mic is passed around like some poisoned chalice.

After a few listens though, something remarkable happened.  It still seemed disjointed, but the quality of the songwriting began to shine through.  No matter which way you look at it, this album is disjointed and suffers badly from having too many chiefs and not enough indians.  Somehow though, I now bloody love it.

Opening track Dear God isn’t like any other song on the album and may as well be from a totally different band.  It sounds like a theme tune to a cheap Channel 5 soft porn movie which took up much of my teenage years.  Why then did I dance around my shop when it came on? Mr Freud, time to speak up…

After that, the general tone of the album emerges, which takes the form of familiar territory for the likes of Conor Oberst.  The country influences appear on tracks like Whole Lotta Losin’ and the Dixie wailing of The Right Place.

Blues influences appear in abundance too, especially on the wonderfully dirty Man Named Truth, which is one of the album’s highlights.

The tracks which stand out for me are generally those fronted by Oberst, such as Temazcal and Map of the World, which are reminiscent of the best Bright Eyes tracks I can recall and wouldn’t be out of place on any of his finer albums.

The exception to this Oberst dominance is the penultimate track, Sandman, The Brakeman and Me, sung by M Ward, which is certainly up there with the best of his slow paced, introspective works.

Overall, I struggle to see why they have come together when this album ends up playing like a compilation.  My initial feeling was that if they all went off and recorded their own solo projects, we could have had at least two great albums out of this.  Thankfully, the highlights here make it all worthwhile and, if my procrastination is anything to go by, within a few listens all will be forgiven.

Have a listen on the band’s MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/monstersoffolk

Micah P Hinson: All Dressed Up and Smelling of Strangers

By The Mule

It would be fair to say a new Micah P Hinson album has the power to make or break my year.  Ever since I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of Baby and the Satellite on a whim around 4 years ago, the Texan singer’s crackling voice has provided the soundtrack to my life.  Those familiar with his work will agree, this makes me a miserable bastard, but I’m strangely comfortable with that description.

The album is Hinson's 5th, recorded in his hometown of Abilene, Texas

So it was with a great deal of intrigue that I greeted the news that his latest album, his 5th studio record, was to be a 2CD covers album.  I also worried a lot, as I tend to do, as an entire album of covers is not something many artists can pull off, possibly with the notable exception of Cat Power.

My general problem with covers records is that it takes a delicate balancing act; on the one hand you need to make sure you don’t disrespect the original by simply rehashing someone else’s work, on the other you need to avoid trying too hard to make it your own for fear of ruination.

I need not have worried.  Hinson has chosen the 16 tracks as his homage to “the stunning minds of the past and present”, and has such a distinctive voice of his own that he is always going to offer something new within a cover track.  I genuinely think that were his voice not so phenomenal, there is no way he could have pulled this off.

The song selections represent a wide range of influences, and some of the braver tracks include John Denver’s This Old Guitar, Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne and, most controversially of all, Bob Dylan’s The Times Are A’Changin’.  Quite how he gets away with this I have no idea.  But he does.

Not every track is a winner – there is a limit to my praise of Hinson.  Covering My Way has more than a sprinkling of the old fromage to it, and I found his version of Leadbelly’s In the Pines (aka Where Did You Sleep Last Night) a little odd, but this was mainly due to the Nirvana version already being a credible cover.

Quite where such a powerful voice comes from in such a slight man, I have no idea.

Like all of Hinson’s work though, when it is good, it is staggeringly so.  Years ago I was lucky enough to find a copy of his cover of The Beach Boys’ Waiting For The Day; a version so ridiculously good I was pretty much reduced to a curled up ball of tears and snot, crumpled on the floor of my Leith residence.  There are tracks on here which aren’t far off this level.  His Kazoo influenced lo-fi version of George Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps is another brave choice, but is genuinely moving.

The best song on the album, for me, comes down to either This Old Guitar, where his voice creaks and fluctuates over the vocal range like tears of his own are imminent, and Roy Orbison’s Running Scared. Here we see Hinson apply the distinctive formula of his own work to someone else’s song, with strings a plenty and drums which build to an almighty climax which is so good, he could have written it himself.

Annoyingly, Hinson is still only 28, which makes me feel like I’ve wasted much of my life.  Old beyond his years in both voice and musical taste, it staggers me that he is not a household name.  On our Fresh Air radio show, Dylan once commented that he could “do no wrong”. “Well, apart from the time in Jail for drug dealing”, was my response. “Oh yeah, apart from that”, came a sheepish voice.

Micah P Hinson is a fascinating character whose contribution to music, in just 6 years as a recording artist, has been immense.  I certainly don’t have his talent, but perhaps telling everyone I meet about his work may be my useful contribution to this crazy, tragic world of ours.

Micah P Hinson’s MySpace

MOBO Awards: Why oh why oh why?

Welcome to the first entry on the new Dylan and the Mule blog, which partners our podcasting site.

Words by The Mule

As the MOBO awards venture out of London for the first time and head to Glasgow on the 30th of September, we open up the debate…

“‘Music of black origin’ is already over-represented in UK popular music culture and the name MOBO represents a form of racism in its own right“. Discuss…
Okay, so I know this is not a new argument (the awards have been going since 1995) and it is one which is likely to upset some people, but please hear me out. I have several fundamental problems with the MOBO awards. So here goes…
The name is the most obvious problem. Music Of Black Origin. It is so pedantic and reeks of an attempt to deflect charges of racism, but actually invites them. “It’s not black music, it is music of black origin, so it doesn’t exclude anyone”.

Gospel MC Jahaziel: But where does gospel music come from?

Right, that’s unhelpful. So now we have to define what is meant by ‘black origin’. Can we really claim that all the music at the MOBOs is uniquely of black origin?  There are many non-black people who have had a huge influence on a host of genres which are being celebrated at the MOBOs. It is often argued that the root of modern popular music is in blues. Well I don’t accept that one ethnicity can claim ownership of three chords and a pentatonic scale (aside from the fact that ‘black’ is not an ethnicity, but let’s not overcomplicate this any more than I already have).

What about the roots of gospel being traced back to white slave owners and the Presbyterian churches of the Scottish highlands? Even that is only part of an argument because musical styles are too complex to claim they come from one ethnic source. The premise of the awards, brought about by a need to not make them appear racist, is deeply flawed and thus smacks of racism.

The beauty of music is that it draws influences form so many places. If you listen to the music being showcased at the MOBOs on Wednesday night, you will be able to spot influences from many different sources. It is the same at the Mercury awards and just about every other awards ceremony I’ve seen. Music is multi-ethnical and as fewer and fewer cultures exist in isolation, it will become even more intertwined.

Carrie Grant: Not strictly 'of black origin', but I may have missed the point here...

Music should be categorised by style rather than some outlandish claim that any particular style is the property of one ethnic origin. Often, music is excessively categorised to the point where it becomes confusing. I don’t know what post-fusion funk is, but I’ve seen it written. The point here though, is that ‘black origin’ is not a musical category. An awards ceremony celebrating under-represented hip hop and urban acts would be uncontroversial and of great worth. There could be many sub categories within this, just like at the MOBOs, but it wouldn’t be playing the race card at all. Let the talent speak for itself.

Also, is there really any need for these awards? It is important to note though that popular music is one area where being ‘of black origin’ is not generally a boundary, but often a plus. Urban and hip hop acts are seen as ‘edgy’ by the marketing types and A&R people. The market decides, and MTV and the charts are awash with acts which can be classed as being of black origin. If you look at the ethnic make-up of the UK, then compare that to the amount of acts ‘of black origin’ appearing in the main popular music output on radio, TV and subsequently in the charts, then it can be argued that music of black origin is vastly over-represented in this sense. As I say though, the market decides and this statistical over-representation occurs because the buying public likes the music. Therefore it is a valid indication of the quality of music on offer.

So if the music is over-represented rather than under-represented, then why the need for a separate awards ceremony, placing needless barriers in the way of accessibility?

To be honest, I had other complaints before I started writing this article. I was going to mention the problems with homophobia and murder incitement in 2004, the excessive consumerist culture which accompanies the MOBOs and my general dislike for awards ceremonies. However, I have come to the conclusion now that I would be happy to let it slide if it wasn’t for the ridiculous moniker.

So, let’s please keep race out of music awards shows so that we can ALL choose to enjoy them, or not, depending on our taste. ‘Black’ is not a musical genre. ‘Black origin’ is also not a musical genre. Music Of Black Origin is a needlessly confusing, ambiguous and inflammatory title and one which riles people up and causes endless controversy… and…erm…a…lot…of…publicity…..

…Hang on a second, I think I’ve just figured it out!!!