Robert Christgau's Music Criticism Blog - Expert Witness - MSN Music

Jeffrey Lewis/Kimya Dawson

Application Bundles--Hippie-Style

By Xgau Oct 18, 2011 1:06AM

Jeffrey Lewis: A Turn in the Dream-Songs (Rough Trade)

So maybe the idea of this oddly constructed album is to "turn" from some OK meditative songs at track five, commencing a run of six A-OK outgoing ones before re"turn"ing to three meditative ones‑-and then breaking a minute of silence with the gangsta-ripping "Mosquito Mass Murderist"? That's a guideline, anyway. Try "Cult Boyfriend," one of the funnier and more philosophical of the many reflections on romantic frustration this lifetime bohemian's cult career has afforded. Or "When You're by Yourself," one of the sadder and more touching of the many reflections on romantic frustration this lifetime bohemian's cult career has afforded. Or the all-encompassing "Krongu Green Slime," a cartoonist-cum-folki​e's six-minute history of consumerism from "the time before land" to "the time after land." It's also about the meaning of life, if there is one. A MINUS

 

Kimya Dawson: Thunder Thighs (Great Crap Factory)

Too bad Dawson's DIY imprint is above the Deluxe Edition hustle, because tracks 13 to 16 are "bonus" yuck at its most useless. Yuckiest of all is the insipid anarcho-pastoral finale "Utopian Futures," which dreams an ideal world that would in fact lack‑-among many things I enjoy, such as non-DIY CDs‑-the library system she celebrates so heartily right before the album's true climax, the inspirational memoir of vanquished dysfunction "Walk Like Thunder." Oh well. She's 37 now, married and a mom, and like most aging hippies can be a crank or a lump--in her case, usually the former. So be glad her gift for whimsy and/or confessional lifts most of what we'll call the "real" album. Highlights include the pregnancy report "All I Could Do," the literary reflection "Miami Advice," and an ecumenically non-utopian protest song called "Same Shit/Complicated"‑-t​o which I will merely add that Madison, Wisconsin isn't the only place with some nice cops. B PLUS

 

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214Comments
Alex Wilson (Japadsfdf)
Oct 21, 2011 12:35AM
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'Alex, I wouldn't worry. The idea that I missed the point of Crash, or that it is about "how racism really works in the real world," is so absurd, that it would be impossible to feel patronized.'
Richard, I wasn't going to write anything to this, but, seeing as I'm in a good mood (that's not sarcasm), I will just say that I didn't mean it as a jab at you. If you had read the post, in the way I had intended (something rarely done on the internet, I know—myself included), you would have read: Crash has a superb story, message and actors/actresses. Not: Richard, you're a d!ck. (That was a joke, not another jab—not that it was a jab in the first place.)

Cyclops, yeah, I was really put off by the ad. for The Invention of Lying—it looked cheesy as fvck—but, after seeing it in the cinema, I was glad I saw it; it was hilarious!
Not. Milo. Miles.
Oct 20, 2011 10:45PM
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Thanks Chris, have to check out in more detail when not so tired. Underscoring Phil's point, though, I discover a band in the Japan Times called ... wait for it ... Ogre You A**hole, which I am desperate to hear.

But no, not $80 desperate thenkyewverymuch.

[edit]

And you can't take a flyer at those prices. Checking out their tunes on myspace, I find out they're only okay. No more than the sum of their influences. Which include Modest Mouse -- whose bass player named the band. Which he got from a line in Revenge of the Nerds. Oh, well. (Enthusiasm shrivels down to a nub.)

Cam Patterson
Oct 20, 2011 10:24PM
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Sometimes I'll play Kimya's first two solos with the Moldy Peaches in between.
Porno? Sandwich?
JY49NY
Oct 20, 2011 10:11PM
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Sometimes I'll play Kimya's first two solos with the Moldy Peaches in between.

jcarru
Oct 20, 2011 9:54PM
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Listening to Polvo. Rocks like good Sonic Youth or Pavement (all Pavement is good). Difficult album. Demands your attention. Haven't heard many of those lately. That speaks more about me than the current music status however.
CHRIS DRUMM (cdrummbks)
Oct 20, 2011 9:11PM
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Milo: Phil writes an excellent column for The Japan Times. He shared this one with us here a while ago: http://bit.ly/oAcGbL​. You can find others by clicking on his by-line name there. I'm glad he checked in again now, because it reminds me I'd like to do some catching up on his writing.
Not. Milo. Miles.
Oct 20, 2011 7:27PM
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Thanks for the overseas scoop, PhilB220. Who do you write for?
Ryan Maffei
Oct 20, 2011 7:14PM
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GOODMUSIC.THE ALBUM.SPRING2012
A Google search (and the article to the right) indicate(s) that this is apparently in the grand tradition of The Dynasty: Roc La Familia and We Are Young Money. Ergo, double the dubiousness of WTT, which as we know now followed through, with spotlight delegated to a handful non-geniuses.

Hopefully the real My Beautiful Dark Twisted Hangover was Throne and something as sobered and focused as Late Registration is slated for sometime before Mayans say the world ends.
PhilB220
Oct 20, 2011 6:32PM
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I've been using emusic for five years now. I also liked it better when it was a certain number of downloads for a fixed fee. The current "pricing" system is just awkward, though in principle, what with all the "deals" they offer, it probably isn't any more costly--unless you used to opt for the most expensive plan (originally, I got 90 downloads for $20).

My main problem is that I live in Japan, which means I can't download all the major label stuff because of licensing issues. Increasingly, more and more of the independent-label stuff is off limits now, too, so I'm beginning to question whether or not it's worth it. Since I write about music, I still get a lot of freebies from local record companies, including the majors. But Japan's music market is in many ways even worse than the US, at least with regard to foreign (meaning non-Japanese) artists. The majors here are cutting back on a lot of foreign releases as "kokuban" (dedicated Japanese editions) and leaving them to the parallel importers. Strangely enough, thanks to a handful of smaller local independents, most of the foreign indie artists get released here on kokuban, which sort of makes emusic pointless for me since they send me samples. Right now I mostly use emusic for indie country releases (except for Ms. Swift, American country has no traction in Japan); comps, like Dedicated and Note of Hope; and so-called "world music," especially the African things I see on this blog. 

The only thing I can say about buying music is that, with the yen so high imports here are dirt cheap. But, then again, imports have always been cheaper than kokuban, as anyone who's ever bought a "Japanese edition" in the U.S. or Europe has found out.
Richard Cobeen
Oct 20, 2011 6:30PM
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The Invention of Lying.  It went slack during the last 20 minutes, but there were some scenes that were hilarious.  The "presenting the written on pizza boxes commandments" section is simply brilliant, a side-splitting distillation of the lie of religion.
Ñīçkÿ
Oct 20, 2011 6:27PM
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The new Wussy is an A+. Spoken from a non-fan who's struggled with the first three... mightily. 

Awaiting the review like Christmas. 

..Christgus? in November? Oh joy. 
Cyclops703
Oct 20, 2011 6:09PM
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 AW, did you see that movie (blanking on the title) where Ricky lived in a world where everyone tells the truth all the time but he discovered how to lie?  I thought that was pretty brilliant.
Alex Wilson (Japadsfdf)
Oct 20, 2011 5:55PM
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Cyclops, IDK, The Ricky Gervais Show is, IMO, the best thing he has done in years, even if it's kind of a one trick pony!
Cyclops703
Oct 20, 2011 5:54PM
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 ALex, I like Gervais' Extras, in part because it shows how success can change people for the worse.  I more or less despise the Karl Pilikington cartoon, which I've only seen two or three times, as I think Gervais is really arrogant and condescending toward the title character.  Also, the animation seemed pretty static, so the whole thing could have stayed a podcast as far as I'm concerned.
Ñīçkÿ
Oct 20, 2011 5:52PM
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Kanye's twitter reactivated: 

"GOODMUSIC.THE ALBUM.SPRING2012."

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Hangover? Even if it is, it'll still be worth a listen. 
Richard Cobeen
Oct 20, 2011 5:50PM
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Alex, I wouldn't worry.  The idea that I missed the point of Crash, or that it is about "how racism really works in the real world", is so absurd that it would be impossible to feel patronized.
JY49NY
Oct 20, 2011 5:47PM
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I'm hearing good things about the new Blondie album.  An mp3-only exclusive from Amazon.  Just saw them on Leno and it appears that Debbie, Chris and Clem are the only original members.  Unless Jimmy Destri looks really great for his age.
Alex Wilson (Japadsfdf)
Oct 20, 2011 5:22PM
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Cyclops, wow, that's awesome! Open-mouthed My dad was friends with Ricky Gervais! He used to put buckets of water on doors, so that my grandad would have them fall on his head! Obviously, my grandad doesn't care too much for him; he thinks he's an obnoxious @ss. I, myself, enjoyed The Office, but, since then, he has been pretty self-involved, IMO.
Cyclops703
Oct 20, 2011 5:16PM
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 Alex, I also really like Crash.  One nothing I haven't mentioned here before is that I went to junior high with Sandy Bullock (and actually swapped an email or two with her back in, I believe, early 2002.  She remembered me Smile).  Not surprisingly, she was already very good looking when she was 13 and 14 but, she was not close to being the best looking girl at Stratford Junior High or later at Washington & Lee High School.  We were born exactly six months apart. Although one always hears that she grew up in Europe, we were both born at GW hospital in D.C.
Cyclops703
Oct 20, 2011 5:07PM
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 I grudgingly use emusic and have for years.  What I do is accept the occasional but eventual offer to use the service for 99 cents in return for $11.99 in songs or albums.  I pick up my two plus albums and then cancel.  They always come back after a while with a new offer.  One time this summer I even got $16.99 in music for less than a buck.  If one is satisfied with mp3s, they have the advantage over torrenting that there are always some things that are simply unavailable via blogs or torrents on-line.  If you prefer downloading from pay services, they're cheaper than Amazon or Apple and usually have bit rates at or near 256.  (They  seem to use vbr a lot, which I know some people, e.g., Cam, don't like.)
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about the blogger

Robert Christgau

Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.

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