Every time I search my mind for a word to describe this band, I come up with 'adolescent' (see the Sept. '06 playlist). A lot of their tunes do nothing for me, but others are hard to dislike. This one is a pretty good example of irresistable retro Britpop. (You can get the entire album from iTunes for only $6.99... not too bad.)

So. This is a stupidly simple song with nothing to it. A piece of empty fluff. (The reviewer at Pitchfork, guide for the uptight and pretentious, says it's an "egregiously innocuous mandolin-folk hootenanny custom-built to have his target demographic tapping along on the steering wheels of their Beemers.") But, really, fluffiness is the point and that's okay. Macca has always had a gift for pop hooks and melodious ditties. It has often backfired (Lennon was being spiteful, but not completely off the mark, to say "the sound you make is muzak to my ears"), but I think it works here. It's a great tune for those summer evenings when things should be stupidly simple. That having been said, at 2:55, the song actually runs a little long...

Nothing spectacular here; just a nice '60s-ish pop tune with some memorable moments. (Vocals are a bit Ringo-ish.)

"Yoshimi" was much-acclaimed when it was released. Happily, it still holds up beautifully after five years. I hear new sounds floating in the mix every time I listen to the record. This song is one of my favorites. Summertime can be dark when you don't or can't bother to look outside.

The songs from "Transfiguration Of Vincent" are all about guitar textures (often taking cues from the legendary John Fahey). This tune, one of my favorites from the album, features an interesting mix of acoustic, electric, and piano.

Speaking of the Chili Peppers, "Dani California" was on a friend's radio and I noticed that it's, well, 'inspired' by Mary Jane's Last Dance -- listen to this clip. Am I the only one who hears the similarity? (It even has an Indiana reference!) Anyway, speaking of Mr. Petty, the reissues of the Traveling Wilburys albums I mentioned a while ago are finally out. I've mentioned the Wilburys a few times recently; the reissues are highly recommended for those of you who never managed to track down the CDs before now.

'Ash Wednesday' doesn't reward casual listens, but if you can devote a bit of time to it (it'll have to be the right time) and overlook the idiosyncrasies, I think you'll recognize the album's richness. The vocals are slightly reminiscent of Jeff Mangum (and even Thom Yorke on occasion) but only to a degree. I knew nothing of Perkins as I was growing to appreciate the album, but I was not surprised later to learn there was some experience behind the music, not just cleverness. He's the son of actor Anthony Perkins. His mother (photographer Berry Berenson) died in the WTC attacks on Sept. 11, almost nine years to the day that his father died of AIDS. (Etc. etc. Insert music critic boilerplate about Perkins being a 'mature' 31 and how he is 'Dylanesque' because anyone who writes moderately complex lyrics is automatically 'Dylanesque' even if they really are nothing like Dylan...)

I'm tired of writing inane comments. Next month I'm going back to not writing anything.

Shut up and say g'night.