Audiophilia: May 2012
Audiophilia is DOOM’s rotating musical recommendation column. It’s where we come together to give you some listening choices every month. This month Aaron Poole and JJ Hawkins give you their picks.
JJ:
Greetings music fans! I am back this month with a couple of selections that at first
glance may seem a bit at odds, but in my mind are spiritual brothers, or at the least,
cousins.
First up is The Ultimate Collection: Hank Williams. I have to admit, it took me several
years to “get” Hank Williams. I was against the twangy, yodel sound that is one of the
hallmarks of his work. However, all it takes is one of his pain soaked lyrics to get into
your brain, and POW, it all makes sense. In my case it was the line from “Cold, Cold
Heart” that says “In anger unkind words are said, that make the teardrops start”. Anyone
who has ever been in a fight with a loved one knows what it is like to say something just
to hurt, and then have to live with yourself knowing what you just did.
We know now that Hank had a short, horrible life. He was married to a shrewish wife,
and had spinal bifida that led to years of abuse, both mental and chemical. His pain,
however, was filtered through his music. Take a listen to this, the last song he recorded
before his untimely death at the age of 30.
Not that all of his songs are sorrowful, some are downright dance worthy
Amazon has this two disc set for download at under $20. For 42 songs, you can’t go
wrong.
Next up is Joey Ramone’s …Ya Know? For those of us who still haven’t accepted
Joey’s death in 2001, this is a welcome return. I, for one, thought we had seen the last
tracks from him when Don’t Worry About Me was released in 2002. However, this album
is a bit different than that album in the fact that …Ya Know? is a collection of recordings
from between 1977-2000 and Don’t Worry About Me was recorded as a sort of farewell.
Much like Hank Williams, Joey Ramone has a singular quality to his voice. Easy to
imitate on the surface, but it is the lack of artifice and posturing that give them both a
raw connection to the the listener.
Aaron:
Brendan Benson’s 5th solo studio album “What Kind Of World” was released in April and I had considered talking about it in last month’s Audiophilia but I was honestly underwhelmed by it at first. Benson (who is also a member of The Raconteurs with Jack White) is known for his blend of folk, rock, and classic pop. He’s an incredibly gifted song writer and his heavy Beatles influence goes a long way in my book.
Having given it a further listen, however, and being able to catch him live recently I’ve really grown to appreciate a lot of the new songs. It’s still not his best work, but What Kind Of World is noteworthy.
Here is my favourite track from the new album called “Bad For Me”. If you like it I heartily recommend you go listen to his back catalog, it’s really amazing stuff.