Once is never enough

Just saw the new movie "Once" that everyone has been raving about.
OK, it's pretty good. Really good, I think. I don't much go in for things I perceived to be dopey, dumb-ass, pseudo-philosophical romantic comedies (I'm looking at you, Garden State), but this movie did a pretty good job of keeping things nice, sweet and low-key.

Here's the deal, it's a musical kind of thing about a girl and a guy, who are love-interests (or no?) in modern-day Dublin. They are both musicians, and they both bond over that, or something.

Here's the gist: It's very well-written, well acted (particularly by the dynamic Glen Hansard of Frames-fame), and really uses both silence and music well--something most movies really don't anymore.



Ah, trailers!

New White Stripes video: "Icky Thump."

Holy shit.



Told you so.

Dylan in Dub?

If you saw the surprisingly good ACL Fest schedule this year, (you can find it here) you might have noticed that perennial glutton favorite Bob Dylan will be headlining the festival this year. Perhaps he's taken a note from last year's headliner and friend Tom Petty.



ACL Fest is pretty exhausting in my opinion, but one or two days can be pretty fun with the right planning, water and sunscreen. On the other hand, it means Dylan will most likely schedule a show in Dallas or Fort Worth on his way down to Austin. No dates yet, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled for some more word.



In the meantime, here's Dylan's last stop in Fort Worth at Billy Bob's with Willie Nelson:

Tool in Fort Worth

Found some so-so footage of Tool in Fort Worth.



Pretty much perfectly sums up what it's like to be in the cheap seats at a rock show.

Here's some Rolling Stones in Fort Worth in either 1972 or 1978 (Feel free to help identify!)

Let's start the eve with Art Brut

Art Brut's got a new CD coming out, called It's a Bit Complicated. It's pretty easy to find on the internet, and if you're not too good for leaks, I say you should check it out.



Why? Because there's not much music like this out there these days. See: Fun, truly punky, Kind of earnest.



I like this CD, too. A lot less raw then the last, but still good. Eddie Argos, our lead boy, still sings like as I said on this blog last year, John Cleese fronting the Sex Pistols.



Want to know what that sounds like?

Dinosaur Jr. in Fort Worth

Going to go ahead and spread the word. Dinosaur Jr.'s original lineup will be playing a secret show with blues-garage-rockers The Black Keys on June 19 at the Ridglea Theater.

Wilco's Sky Blue Sky

Jeff Tweedy is growing Bob Dylan's beard.



That's all there is to know about Sky Blue Sky, the latest CD from Wilco, probably one of the most consistently provoking and interesting bands of the last two decades.







I want to make one thing clear before I go any further. Saying that Wilco's indomitable frontman Tweedy is growing Bob Dylan's beard is not a bad thing. In fact, it's downright refreshing.



OK, I'm done with this metaphor. I was going to tell you that the reason that Tweedy is growing Bob Dylan's beard is because he's trying to make New Morning. And I was going to say Sky Blue Sky is the New Morning of Wilco's rich catalog.



But you can just listen to the CD.



I'm reviewing Sky here in spite of all the other reviews everywhere else for two reasons. The first is that if I remember correctly, I'm the only musicglutton who gives a crap about Wilco. The second is more complex.



I graduated Saturday. I started work as a journalist, at a magazine, Monday. I'm two days in. And, not to get into the personal details of my own life or anything, but I like it.



I've never been so great at existential crisis. I like to think I deal with things like Dylan might. This is not to say I deal with them brilliantly and abrasively, but rather that I just adjust.



And I'm enjoying coming home at night and loading the dishwasher, cooking and washing clothes. It's satisfying.



Every line Tweedy sings, and every guitar note that he and Nels Cline play, on this CD is full of that domesticity. He sings it at one point. he sings that he tries to sweep up and wash dishes. He wonders whether the sun will shine.



Well, Either Way.



Critics aren't responding to it well, either. They want the Wilco from seven years ago. They want the Wilco that tore everything up and then refused to put it back together.







The critics wanted the same thing from Bob Dylan. But what they got in return was a beard. Dylan didn't turn his back on the hippies in 1966. The moment Dylan truly turned his back on the so-called '60s movement was when he said that a cabin in Utah, kids, a wife and trout was what is was all about.



Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. There are parts of Utah that are better than others. Tweedy, at his trippiest, is going to Shake It Off.



Sky Blue Sky is speaking to me. But not in the same way Pink Floyd speaks to some suburban stoner. It's speaking to me the same way New Morning does. This is not a buddy listen. This is a CD that goes on when no ones around, and you're not feeling so sad about that.