Glasvegas!

Call me a sucker for a thick Scottish accent, a female drummer and gratuitous use of reverb, but I just can’t seem to get enough of the new Glasvegas recording. Dylan aside, it’s the best thing to come out on Columbia in quite some time. You can check out the band here…http://www.glasvegas.net/us/frontpage - Chris

Oh, 9!

"This place, is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can't go on no more
The people getting angry
This town, is coming like a ghost town"

Those words were sung by The Specials in 1981. The band was lamenting the depressed state of their native England, deep in the throes of Thatcherism with nothing but darkness on the horizon. But those words (soon to be sung again at the band's reunion shows) do an excellent job of describing the current situation we Americans find ourselves in.

And speaking of ghost towns, we were in Vegas earlier this month for the Consumer Electronics Show. The place was (relatively) deserted, with half-built hotels flanking The Strip. It was eerie.

As you may have read, attendance at CES was down about 25% which, despite being a bummer for the CEA, actually made the show a much more pleasant experience for attendees. The usual cattle call was replaced by something resembling a dignified gathering of CE professionals and various hangers on (ahem). We were able to park with ease in the Hilton garage (score!) and experienced very few lines. What struck us though was that every single person we met with said the same thing: "I hate Vegas." Seriously. Everybody. Now, Brandracket's disregard for Sin City is well established, but I always figured that most people liked it. Turns out that's not the case. Frankly, I think the whole "adult Disneyland / 'what happens in Vegas...'" schtick is played out. Do I need to go to Vegas to get drunk or cheat on my wife (hi, honey!)? Not really. I can get thoroughly debauched in my own zip code. So why go? Gambling? Yeah, right. The shows? No thanks. In fact, it's been really entertaining reading the positively brutal reviews of Criss Angel's Believe show.

So, yeah, I don't really know why anyone would want to go to Vegas. And I sincerely hope that the CEA will consider moving it to a different locale. Like one where I don't feel like I need to take a shower just by being there.

In other news, I'm finding it hard to contain my excitement at the fact that the Oval Office is now occupied by a smart, articulate, exceedingly competent human being who claims to like Wilco. Finally, I feel like the POTUS may actually be the smartest guy in the room. Here's hoping that our man lives up to his potential. My gut feeling is that he could be one of the greatest ever, but only time will tell.

Now please excuse me, I'm stimulating the economy. Are you?? ~ Tim

Oh Joy!

New Doves record coming in spring '09!! Rejoice!

Here Comes The Fear...Again

A lot is being made of the current "economic downturn", but those of us toiling in the music sector have been witness to a slow-motion apocalypse for nearly a decade now. The phrases "job security" and "career in music" are rarely uttered in the same sentence, but lately things seem to be getting a lot worse, a lot faster. It's kinda like when a ship sinks - once the stern is vertical, you know you'll be wet soon.

Just today Viacom announced the down-sizing of 850 people, including a number of cuts in the NYC office of the Rhapsody music service. As someone who's actually been down-sized by Viacom (back in '01), I can attest to the fact that getting laid off really sucks, and my heart goes out to those folks.

The thing that really interests me is the number of "music professionals" that are / will soon be out on the street trying to find jobs in music. Frankly, I don't think our industry - which is relatively small and insular - can sustain them, and I suspect that many people who've spent their entire professional lives parked at the intersection of Music and Business will soon be exploring new career avenues.

That's a tough pill to swallow. What if you were a pastry chef and suddenly someone told you, "That's it - out of the kitchen!" Yet, that's what's happening. The technological disruption occurring in the music space - and the resultant file-sharing - is unprecedented and it's making a lot of people either 1) unnecessary or 2) redundant or 3) unemployable.

We here at Brandracket take some comfort in the fact that we don't pay our rent selling music. We're essentially a service business - helping brands find and license music for a variety of purposes. Lucky for us, brands will always respect copyrights (thanks to the armies of lawyers they employee...), and they will always need someone to help them navigate the musical waters.

But that said, don't think for instant that we're not battening down the hatches over here. The looming economic storm is gonna rain on everyone's parade, including ours. So we're doing everything we can to keep existing clients and aggressively (but nicely!) go after new ones. Ultimately, that's really all we can do.

And if it doesn't work, we'll just ask for a bailout. :)

Enough hand-wringing. Last time I checked, none of us are in a Turkish prison, so let's keep things in perspective. (Apologies to anyone who actually is in a Turkish prison. Keep digging.) If I don't get around to writing something here before the end of the year, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. See you in '09! ~ Tim

OMG: DBT

I contend that Drive-By Truckers is currently the best band in America. Over the last two decades, this Alabama-by-way-of-Athens, GA outfit has honed its songwriting chops to a knife's edge, as witnessed by its latest platter, Brighter Than Creation's Dark. Yeah, I know, the album came out in January, but I'm still listening. It's good, people.

There's no musical slight of hand occurring here, and no incredible production job. There is simply a group of super-gifted songsmiths with an uncanny knack for putting just the right words to just the right music.

DBT represent the melding of Skynnrd-inspired Southern Rock with a northern/western/eastern indie rock sensibility. But where they depart from current indie rock - and where they earn the title of Best Band In America - is with their lyrics. DBT do not traffic in irony, or witty turns of phrase. Their lyrics are literal; you know exactly what they're talking about. It's this ability to articulate their thoughts in a down home, funny, poignant and more than anything human manner that puts them far ahead of their peers.

I challenge anyone to read this horrifying story about the murder of ex-House Of Freaks singer Bryan Harvey and his family, then listen to "Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife" from Brighter Than Creation's Dark, and not shed a tear. Of course, the story itself is an unfathomably sad tragedy, but the way in which Patterson Hood answers the event - not with righteous anger or calls for blood, but with a heartbreaking vision of Harvey and his family - is truly poetic.

Two other songs on BTCD deal with the emotional and mental cost of the war in Iraq, a topic that most American bands seem to avoid like the plague. "That Man I Shot" is a harrowing first person account (with an awesome Afghan Whigs-inspired riff) of the enduring horrors of war, while "The Home Front" is a Springsteenian portrait of a wife and mom struggling to keep it together in the face of her husband's deployment. In both cases, Hood paints detailed portraits of lives torn asunder by a morally ambiguous war. [NOTE: for another heartbreaking commentary on the Iraq conflict and its aftermath, check out "Dress Blues" from ex-DBT Jason Isbell's album Sirens Of The Ditch. It's one of my favorite records of the year.]

I could go on with my praise for DBT and try to convince you of their greatness, but it's late and I gotta work in the morning (I'm sure Patterson could write a great song about that). The band is currently headed to the West Coast with another lyrically gifted American band, The Hold Steady. Do yourself and favor and check 'em out. ~ Tim

No Drummer Jokes

Last night, Chris and I attended the launch party for Fallout 3, the third installment of Bethesda Softworks' massively popular Fallout video game franchise. We music supervised the game, including licensing a great collection of classic vocal jazz from the 40s and 50s. (Full disclosure: Chris did pretty much all the work on this one. Nice job, buddy.) Set against the post-apocalyptic carnage of the game, the music comes off as super spooky.

Anyway, the launch party was at LA Center Studios and it was pretty much off the chain. We're talking red carpet, tons of paparazzi, 15 open bars, and about 1500 mostly beautiful people, many of whom looked like they were trying desperately to get a part on The Hills. Oh, and the Foo Fighters played.

Now, I give Dave Grohl mad, insanely huge props. Not only is he one of the greatest rock musicians of all time, but if you want to zoom out a bit, he's also the living embodiment of the American Dream. The guy grew up poor with a single mom in Virginia, joined a punk band called Scream, spent years on the road, joined another band called Nirvana, buried his singer, then parlayed his fame and immense talent into a whole second career. Which brings us to the present, where Grohl and his fellow Foos are headlining Wembley Arena. Basically, they're one of the biggest bands in the world. Which makes me sad that I don't really like their music anymore.

By all accounts Grohl is an absolute sweetheart. Every person I've met who's had an interaction with him says the same thing: "Man, he was so nice and cool!!" And his musical prowess has been well established (the dude is one of the greatest drummers E-V-E-R). But I gotta say, I think Grohl and the Foos are done. I think they've reached the terminus of what they're capable of. It's all starting to sound the same to me and I kinda wish they'd stop.

And what's up with Dave looking like Lemmy these days? Dude has long stringy hair, a beard & 'stache, prominent tats and a little cross medallion/choker thing...just like Lemmy. My theory is that Dave really wants to be seen as part of the Continuum of Rock, a big dot in the straight line that goes from Pete Townshend to Jimmy Page to Ritchie Blackmore to Lemmy and on and on. And that's fine - part of the allure of rock 'n' roll is the ability to reinvent yourself. I just think he might be trying a little too hard.

But in Dave's defense, it's gotta be kinda tough to maintain your edge if you're him. I mean, what's left to accomplish? What's left to kick against? Courtney Love? I think that battle has been fought and won. It just seems like Dave is kinda treading water. I think he'd be much more creative if he was put into a situation where he can contribute, but he's not running the show (like playing drums for Queens of the Stone Age, which he did).

Anyway, something tells me Dave doesn't really care what I think (probably 'cause he'll never know I exist...[sob]). I still respect the hell outta the guy, and wish him nothing but the best.

I kinda hope some 14-year old Foos obsessive stumbles upon this post and lambasts me in the comments section. Have at it, kiddies. ~ Tim

The Kid Is Alright

My 3 year old son Aidan is bonkers for a book/cartoon series called The Magic School Bus, wherein a teacher named Ms. Frizzle takes her class on crazy field trips to the stone age, outer space - you name it. Aidan is now convinced that "Magic Bus" by The Who is about The Magic School Bus, and he insists on hearing it on the way to daycare every morning.

Now, The Who is my favorite band of all time. Actually, let me clarify: the Who between the years 1964 and 1973 is my favorite band of all time. For me, there is no other band that has so perfectly combined epic song craft with unhinged rock power (haters: watch this in its entirety and then let's talk). So the fact that my son is now a Who fan? Worse things could happen. I just pray that we can get through the teenage years without him embracing godawful music (i.e. whatever his generation's version of Korn is). For now, I will appreciate the fact we get to listen to cool music in the car. It's better than Barney. Much, much better. ~ Tim