Ween La Cucaracha Rounder Released 10.23.07 Rating: 6.75 out of 10 Philistines, it’s as if I’m one of you. It pains me to scribe words of discontent regarding a band that has been cited more than once as “genius,” especially since I finally get it. I’ll admit it: Ween ’s bus was one that I avoided many, many times. And why? “Push The Little Daisies” put me off my food. I was probably fifteen or sixteen when that rather unpleasant little ditty broke through into then alterna-heavy MTV and it wasn’t something I wanted any part of. Consequently, I missed out on Chocolate And Cheese , The Mollusk , White Pepper …eee tee see. And now after taking a month or so to absorb the back catalog, I see the error of my ways and admit that I should’ve been a little more open to what they were doing. However, it’s too bad that La Cucaracha , Ween’s latest foray into cross-genre copycatting, is almost making me revert to past opinions. This time of course, I’m better informed. It’s not that the ...

So, the finishing touches are such: Radiohead – “Backdrifts (Honeymoon Is Over)” From Hail To The Thief . Aside from the fact that this is just a very pretty piece of music, it’s fitting that the track is subtitled, "Honeymoon Is Over.” The Beatles – “Blackbird” I always considered this song to be more of a lullaby than anything else. It seems fitting. Talking Heads – “Stay Up Late” David Byrne 's little ditty about keeping the cute little baby "up all night" isn't necessarily conducive to what I see as the perfect situation, which would probably involve a baby that sleeps more than I do. But, seeing as my wife and I are going to be up 5 times a night for months, awoken from dead sleep by loud cries of "change my diaper" or "feed me," we may as well try and convince ourselves that “yeah, we WANT this kid to be awake all the time.” The Monkees – “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” The Monkees were my first favorite band, my first conc...

“Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read.” You would have been 67 today. Despite what you thought about those that write ABOUT music as opposed to WRITING music, you are part of the reason that I am as passionate as I am about music. The first time I heard Joe's Garage , it was for me an epiphany of the most epic proportions, altering my narrow perception of things and allowing me to find those lines that I'm supposed to read between. Thanks for blowing minds, namely mine. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Om Pilgrimage Southern Lord Released 10.2.07 Rating: 8.5 out of 10 Some people take their meditation really fucking seriously. As the rhythm section for stoner metal band, Sleep , bassist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Hakius updated Sabbath , providing their own take on the Ward/Butler juggernaut and bringing an air of “huh, wha…?” back into sludgy rock n’ roll. You can hear it within the first five seconds of Sleep’s Holy Mountain , that drowsy blues riff that starts off “Dragonaut.” The influence is evident, as is the scent of the secondhand air swirling around that studio. As Om , Cisneros and Hakius’s entrancing bass/drum combo, they take the simplest and most repetitious song structures and turn them into these highly evolved and lengthy sound odysseys that simultaneously crush you underneath swells of thick bass and cymbal accentuation while setting you mentally adrift. Quite a feat. Think of it as Gregorian bass chant for Coltrane fans. Pilgrimage , Om’s third LP, (and ...

Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog Sub Pop Released 9.25.07 Rating: 8.25 out of 10 So, here was the conversation I had with my wife toward the end of a drive one evening, probably after hitting a restaurant. As I was parking, “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car,” the first song from Iron & Wine ’s The Shepherd’s Dog , was randomly selected by my iPod. Curious, my wife inquired, “Umm…who’s this?” “Iron & Wine.” Shocked. “You’re listening to a Garden State band>?” It’s true. Zach Braff , if you’re reading this, I hope you realize that The Shins weren’t the only casualties involved in your little independent advert/film. Yes, my wife, the one that usually nails me for crimes of shameless snobbery as I keep my nose firmly stuck in the air when it comes to all things music, yes, she was suddenly flipping the script and acting the snob. And, I really couldn’t say anything. In fact, I was almost offended, asking myself, “Is this really what I sound like when I talk music?”...

Sometimes our actions overshadow our accomplishments. Hard lesson to learn. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Life gets in the way of music sometimes, so forgive me for being a little late with a review. I'm working on a couple as I type this out, but have yet to finish them up so, in the meantime, I thought maybe I'd throw out some possible points of interest: As has been well-publicized since it's happening Monday night, an incarnation of Led Zeppelin (the late and legendary John Bonham 's son, Jason , filling drum duties) performed Monday night at a tribute show for Ahmet Ertegun , the late and great co-founder of Atlantic Records. I'm hoping that, despite an overall positive consensus regarding Zep's show, this doesn't turn into a tour. I'm sure that Jimmy Page would be all about it, seeing as his contract with the devil expired once Zep took a powder, but a reunion of this magnitude would only really say one thing: Yeah, we're Led Zeppelin! Get out'cho Led wallets and throw up some o' that Led monay and watch us get the Led owwwt! And, tho...

What would you like wrapped up in a box and stuck under a tree? I like to sometimes entertain the notion that I might just sneak by and shell out some dough on something for me, in a strictly hypothetical sense of course. December being the month of giving and all that shit, I’ve been scouring the web in search of goodies. Music goodies. Might be a few things here to consider: Miles Davis The Complete On The Corner Sessions 6 CD Boxed Set Epic/Legacy Released 9.25.07 Okay, before I say anything else, let me warn you about two things: 1). They want an obscene amount of money for this 6 CD set, as high as $140 through some stores, which is criminal. Just about every Davis box set that Epic/Legacy has released up until this point has ranged from $35 to $40, so if you want it, try and find an alternative to mainstream music sources. I did see that someone had this set available for $55 on EBAY and that’s the best price I’ve seen thus far. Otherwise, used or discounted copies are going...