Taken for a Ride

Some music stories are destined to be tragedies from the start.

"Pop" is a dirty word in most critic's circles. It evokes disdain and instant poor reviews. But what do you do with a band like The Cardigans? I mean, it's obviously Pop, but when you take in the fact that they're writing their own Pop, their own way, you can see why the jury is still out.

What I mean is Pop is usually written by a "machine"; expensive writers, producers, and guest vocalists/musicians all come together to force an artist on the general public. We are supposed to see just how amazingly "pop"ular that artist is. OMG, "insert Favourite Hip Hop/R&B star here" is on this track? Holla!

But the Cardigans have no guest stars, no guest writers, and no shame; They set out to write a hopelessly catchy and sweet album in "Life", and they prove they understand what real irony is. (Note to Hipsters: claiming to like something random from the 80's is not ironic, it's just annoying. Go back to playing with your iPhone. Now THAT's the ironic part).

Just one year before "Lovefool" would make the Corduroy Boys dance at the same time as the Crop Top Girls, "Carnival" came out. We didn't really embrace it in Canada, but we should have. And so should you.

"Carnival" by The Cardigans

Trapped. And I Like It.

Myself and Dave rarely disagree so sharply as we do about Blitzen Trapper. He can't believe I listen to this trash. Well, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I found myself drawn back to the 90's when I heard them; You know, when "alternative" actually meant something. To me, it stood for(and still should stand for) artists that don't give a rat's bum about what might sell. It meant (and still means, and should mean) complete artistic freedom.

Blitzen Trapper runs the gambit; They don't care what's in, what's cool, or hell, they sometimes seem to not care about what sounds pleasing. They (in the immortal words of Big Audio Dynamite) just play music.

In "Wild Mountain Nation", we are treated to a journey down a southern gravel road. Smoking a joint on top of a hay bail in the back of a '68 F-100. Could we start a fire?

I don't give a truck. Just play music.

"Wild Mountain Nation" by Blitzen Trapper

What I Really Want

When the name "Muddy Waters" comes up, about 3 or 4 blues songs come to mind, and it seems that's the only thing the casual fan knows.

Well listen to this.

First, the scene opens on a poorly-lit, smoky jazz club in Chicago. That's right, Jazz. This is quite possibly the smoothest Blues you'll ever hear... The spotlight snaps on the trio of Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, and Fred Below. Little Walter's playing from the backroom, harmonica hauntingly echoing from down the hall.

The lights come up slowly on Muddy Waters, seated, with his guitar, at the front. This is a perfect moment for anyone who digs the history of blues, and it's all caught on a 10" 78.

"I Just Want to Make Love to You" - Muddy Waters

Not Fade Away

I think sometimes there's a belief in the Singer/Songwriter genre these days that you have to be coffee-shop friendly... and that doesn't have to be an eye-rolling experience.

Julie Fader shows the modern, refined side of folk. Contradictory almost, I know. But eventually, we as music connoisseurs have to accept that our Sarah McLachlans and Alanis Morrissettes aren't "the bar" any more. They've been replaced with Julie Doirons and Neko Cases, and that's not a bad thing. We need to progress.

There's something about the warmth she brings; I hate the imagery of an oversized coffee cup being held in both hands, sitting on a fluffy chair in a big sweater, but I kind of understand that now... and that makes me shudder. But I'm okay with that.

Listen to "Maps" by Julie Fader

Baby, Nooo.

151 million views on Youtube. A writing and production team that includes The-Dream, Ludacris, and Christina Milian, so I guess if they were being paid $1 per view, they'd still need about 200 Million more views, but hey, gotta spend money to make money, right?

I understand criticizing Justin Bieber is like going to a 6-year-old's soccer game and saying that the skill level just isn't there... I know that the music wasn't supposed to be for me. I know it was supposed to appeal to the only people left with disposable income: Kids. I know they never set out to impress me.

"...You want my love, You want my heart
And we will never ever ever be apart...

And I was like
Baby, baby, baby ohhh
Like baby, baby, baby noo
Like baby, baby, baby ohh
I thought you'd always be mine mine..."

All I ask is that we try a little. Try a little harder. Try to write a song again that appeals to young people and doesn't patronize them. Broaden their minds. This doesn't do that.

I know it doesn't set out to do that. But maybe, just maybe if our kids were a little smarter, they'd make the world a better place. And it starts with the music.

The Greatest Pretender?

One thing that's never changed about music; The industry wants money. The only way to get that money? Churn out the hits.

Buck Ram saw what he needed in the Platters; flexibility and a desire to be successful... all he needed to do was encourage the enigmatic Tony Williams to join the band. The result? One of the greatest acts of the 50's, and the first black act of the rock 'n' roll era to top the charts.

For a disgustingly short time (they deserved more), the Platters made the hits Ol' Buck wanted. But doo-wop was just a style, and soon passed. But they left some great music behind.

Sharon Learned the Hard Way.

When Sharon Jones last came through Edmonton, I heard heartbreaking news. She said that she wasn't sure she could tour with the band forever because her mom was ill, and needed her to take care of her.

This band tours in a van. No bus, no planes, no limos. The Dap-Kings are in huge demand because of their authentic sound. Do not call this a retro act. This is real, and this is what music is supposed to sound like.

When I ordered my first Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings album, It cost $45, and the staff looked at me like I was from Mars. When I bought my second Sharon Jones album, it cost me $20, and the staff jumped down my throat with "Isn't that a great album?". Yes. Just like the first one was a great album.

Don't pretend you know great music only after somebody tells you it's great. Form your own opinions, people. You don't like Sharon Jones? Fine. But she's real, and she kicks the crap out of any catchy pop or discordant indie band I've ever heard.

Hear it for yourself.

Shame: Boys Like Girls

Note to music industry: Nobody likes Pop Punk. Unless you're and 11 year old girl... and that says something about the dudes who start bands like this.

I have no idea why anyone would think this kind of music is still relevant. It's not 1997, and I'm pretty sure nobody in Boys Like Girls is a former member of blink-182, which would be the only (if piss-poor) excuse for putting out this crap. I don't want to waste a lot of space on this, but my main point is this - It is depressing when counter-culture and the general goofiness that was a happier time for punk music is turned into the squeakiest, photo-copier pop music possible.

The creativity was sucked from these boys a long time ago... This is a prime example of what happens when a record company wants to make a quick buck. Should be fun seeing Martin Johnson mud-wrestling Bristol Palin in whatever version of "The Surreal Life" is available to us in 2015.

Hey, but don't let me tell you what to like. If you're reading this on facebook, go to theshave.blogspot.com to see the latest big "punk" hit from the boys. If you're already at the blog, look out below!
--Shawn Pallier
"Two is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls

Beautiful Midnight

I'm convinced that in every person’s life there's that one musical moment in one’s life that is of significant musical meaning, that you know exactly where you were and what you were doing, who you were with when this impactful moment hit you deep within the pit of your soul. For argument sake I will call it "Spiritual-Music Enlightenment."

For anyone that has known me for more than the length of the span of one day will most definitely know that I'm referring to Matthew Good Band's album - Beautiful Midnight.

My spiritual-music enlightenment started the first time I heard this album in the summer of 1999. Admitantly, when I first heard this, my ears where audibly fixated on the stereo speakers eating every single note that dripped precariously from the speakers.

As cliché as it may sound my musical world had changed from that moment on and would never be the same! At this period in my life, I had not known of this band (at all). Beautiful Midnight would go onto inspiring me to pick up and play guitar, to sing, to write songs, to be inspired and really feel music on a deep spiritual-music level.

I'm not proud to say this, nor feel it of any real importance that each individual have a similar experience that he/she can relate too but, to this day there has not been an album that capsulates how significant this album is or was(to me).

Interesting facts about Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight (and myself)

- To this day after the many thousands of times listening to it from start to finish it still remains as good today (now)as when I first heard (it's the only album I own that I still love absolutely every single track).
- Even after 11 years and after thousands of plays I still get emotionally rattled when I hear "I Miss New Wave"
-This album is now 11 years.

Kindest Regards,
David Bakker

Significance: Spoon

The Shave is made up of 2 very important connoisseurs of all things Music - Shawn Pallier and David Bakker. You want proof?

Shawn likes Spoon.

Over the last few years, I've worked very hard to put Spoon on the map in Edmonton. I even went so far as harass a local radio station, Sonic 102.9 (oh, by the way, the "." is silent) into adding 2 of their songs into their playlist. Alas, the romance was short, but I did manage to get "The Underdog" and their cover of The Natural History's "Don't You Ever"(re-named "Don't You Evah") played on the modern rock station.

Now Spoon's "Transference" has been out for a little while, and Sonic wants to play like they've never heard of them before.

I can't really be surprised; it took the station a while to warm up to "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" in 2007... Heck, one time Rick Lee asked listeners to phone in with their favourite albums of 2007, and when I told him my choice of "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga", he said "Look, I've never heard of that", and hung up the phone... Sorry to bug you, man. Don't ask questions if you only want to hear "PARAMORE (omg omg omg)!!" or "THREE DAYS GRACE (I hate stuff and things too!)". Some listeners actually developed their own opinions about music.

Not that I'm bitter.

Spoon plays rock with razor precision. If you are a frequent listener, you'll notice they only play the notes they need to get their point across. Sometimes, they don't even get all the instruments in on the act, and that's the beauty of it. There's a simplistic, traditional feel to everything, and all the while they sound fresh and progressive... Almost contradictory, I know... but they evoke an understated atmosphere of cool, sounding like the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino Western. Has he made a western yet? Because Spoon would make a great soundtrack.

Comparisons to Nirvana are downright lazy and somewhat nonsensical, by the way.

So I challenge Sonic to play a track or two. Come on, even Starbucks thinks "The Mystery Zone" deserved to be a pick of the week. Starbucks, Sonic. You don't want to be outcooled by Starbucks, do you?