Irv Rosen Poop 09




What I Listened to in 2009

I just can’t do this anymore. Music seems to have lost most of its relevance. I listen to almost no new music, i.e. music by new artists. I only listen to new and old music from the old fogies I mostly grew up on. Why? I suppose it is meant to be this way. Today’s music does not speak to me for the most part. Is it a quality issue? Maybe. Is it older age? Probably. I am amazed at the shelf life of the music of the 60’s and 70’s. Not only for me but for today’s listeners as well. A lot of that music still resonates
40+ years on. I wonder: forty years from now will people be listening to Modest Mouse, to Arcade Fire, to Phoenix? I suspect not.

Having vented and shown my age, I did listen to some stuff last year:





Maria Muldaur
Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks
Buy New or Used through amazon   OR   @ eMusic
Buy New or Used through amazon  OR   @ eMusic


Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy – Good Music for Hard Times
Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks
Depression-style jug band music makes a triumphant return in recession era. The tone is very appropriate to the times. Maria’s voice, in particular has aged very well.




Fire in My Bones   Buy New or Used through amazon

Fire in My Bones – Raw + Rare + Other-worldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007)
Absolutely amazing compilation of raw (sometimes almost unlistenably raw) black church music. Included are the expected admonitions against rock & roll – tracks that rock themselves. There are some substandard tracks, but for the most part, this is incredible.




Keep Your Soul  Buy New or Used through amazon   OR   @ eMusic
Keep Your Soul – A Tribute to Doug Sahm
Took me several listens to appreciate this. For a relative commercial obscurity, Doug sure was influential. And missed.




Levon Helm   Buy New or Used through amazon
Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
A continuation of Levon’s disease-ravaged voicing of Americana, as only the one American born Band member could.




Those Darlins  Buy New or Used through amazon   OR   @ eMusic

Those Darlins
A silly confection of retro girl group punk. Especially recommended: DUI or Die




Tom Waits Glitter and Doom Live   Buy New or Used through amazon
Tom Waits – Glitter and Doom Live
As entertaining as ever, typical Tom Waits. Especially recommended is the bonus disc of spoken material. He is a hoot.




The New Mastersounds Plug and Play   Buy New or Used through amazon  OR   @ eMusic
The New Mastersounds – Plug & Play
Booker T lives.




Charlie Haden Family  Buy New or Used through amazon
Charlie Haden Family & Friends – Rambling Boy.
Actually a 2008 release, but so what. Multi-genre Charlie enlists the whole family and others for a great roots release. Understated and elegant.




John Fogerty - Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again   Buy New or Used through amazon
John Fogerty – Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again
Always a sucker for John. Not quite as rootsy as the first one, but great anyway.




WILCO   Buy New or Used through amazon
Wilco – (the album)
Every time I have had enough of Jeff Tweedy, I get sucked in again, this time by the lack of pretense of this very popish album. But this is it, no more after this one (maybe).



Things I Missed Before but Picked Up on in 2009:


Del-Lords Frontier Days
Del-Lords Based on a True Story
Del-Lords Johnny Comes Marching Home
Buy through amazon
Buy through amazon
Buy through amazon


Del-Lords – Frontier Days, Based on a True Story, and Johnny Comes Marching Home
Not sure why these 3 albums eluded me, but I listened to them a lot. Simple, straight forward, as music should be.




DVD
Gogol Bordello Live from Axis Mundi   Buy New or Used through amazon  OR   @ eMusic
Gogol Bordello –Live from Axis Mundi
Amazing.




Live Shows
Slavic Soul Party
Twice: once at the staid Academy of Music in Philadelphia and once on the water in an East River cruise (thanks Mark).
Leonard Cohen
Much has been written about his current tour, and I must admit that I had previously not been a big fan. I am a convert. A musically elegant performance that was mesmerizing. From the moment he skipped (yes skipped!) onto the stage, until he ran off 3 hours later, great. An impeccable band, completely in tune with Mr. Cohen.
Bloodshot Records Anniversary Concert
A day long, 11 hour marathon extravaganza of Bloodshot artists, current and former. A test of listening stamina, especially for the aging. Too many highlights! Robbie Fulks, Yayhoos, Bottle Rockets, Waco Brothers, Dex Romweber Duo. All for $5, including a brief buffet.






Irv, Philadelphia, PA