Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Tracks of 2014 (Pt. II)

Ready to read about 20 more songs? You can also listen to them, if you want to. It's entirely up to you. Here's part deux.

Watch Me Jumpstart

Fear not gentle readers. If you've paid any attention to my Twitter feed or scanned the bylines on Time Out Chicago, you'll know that I am alive and well. Tapes on the Floor isn't dead, it just went on an extended (and, perhaps, well deserved?) hiatus. If the classic lineup of Guided By Voices can get back together and make a new record, you can watch me jumpstart this dusty corner of the internet.

I Shall Be Reviewed

I'm Not There Soundtrack - Various Artists
I'm still not sold on the concept of the movie; a little too artsy for my tastes. The soundtrack is a totally different story; Dylan covers from the likes of Calexico, Cat Power, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus, Jeff Tweedy and the Black Keys just to name a few. While a few artists turn in pretty standard approximations replete with faux-Dylan vocals (Cat Power's Stuck in Mobile is likely the best of this catagory), others provide some pretty unique interpretations that make for a fresh sounding listen. It's almost predictable at times; a blues-stomp take on "The Wicked Messenger" by the Black Keys, a meticulously arranged brass-heavy rendition of "Ring Them Bells" care of Sufjan Stevens, but this approach tends to work. And then there are the perfect moments like Yo La Tengo channeling the Band on Blonde on Blonde outtake "I Wanna Be Your Lover" or Stephen Malkmus ripping through "Maggie's Farm" backed by Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelly and Nels Cline. It's one of the better artist-centric soundtracks I've ever heard, and a worthy tribute to the timeless quality of Dylan's music.

A Wheel Within A Wheel - Southeast Engine
My new hometown of Athens, Ohio seems to have a big thing for folk rock. The poster-child of the scene is local group Southeast Engine, who were recently signed to the independent Misra records, and have just released their first album for the label. A Wheel Within A Wheel exemplifies everything a homespun group like this should sound like; namely a minimal amount of studio gloss and a focus on capturing the group in an accurate way. The band's sound evokes the alt-country gamut, ranging from Ryan Adams to Being There-era Wilco. Highlights of the record include opener "Taking the Fall" and the Oakley Hall-esque "Quit While You're Ahead". The band also shows an impressive use of a string section on slower numbers like "Reinventing Light" and "Oh God, Let Me Back In". If this album is any indication, Southeast Engineis well on its way to joining the ranks of the aforementioned alt-country heavy hitters.

The Triumphant Return

Well, it's been a while since I've posted here. Suffice to say, I'm not dead, just unmotivated and busy with more pressing matters. In the months since my last post I've graduated from high school, landed a summer job and to top it all off, last night I attended Wilco's show at Cincinatti's Aronoff Center. A great night to say the least, especially with an opening band as outstanding as Low. Before the show I ran into Mike Jorgenson on the sidewalk outside the venue and started out the signing of my "What Light" 7" single (a single which none of the band even knew existed, more on that later). Doors opened early and before taking my seat I snagged an amazingly clever Nintendo Wii-themed Wilco t-shirt pictured to the left. Low kicked the night off promptly at 7:30, drawing mainly from their newest release Drums & Guns (a real grower, I've been listening to it quite a bit as of late). The band didn't rely on pre-recorded effects of any sort, opting instead to rearrange songs to be played by their three-person configuration. Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker's haunting vocal harmonies were in full effect, making the accompanying music almost secondary in comparison. The sparse audience in attendance for this opening act were surprisingly respectful, which is really integral at a Low show since so many of the songs are quiet and subdued. In the words of Nels Cline "Low is the only slowcore band who gets it right".

Wilco took the stage to the opening strains of "Shake it Off", quickly launching into "You Are My Face". Both were songs I'd never heard live before and, in my opinion, both greatly improved upon their studio incarnations. The focus on Sky Blue Sky tracks continued throughout the main set, with spot on renditions of "Side With the Seeds", "Impossible Germany", "Sky Blue Sky" and "Walken". The set was surprisingly YHF-heavy, including the usual "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart", "War on War", and "I'm the Man Who Loves You" joined by "Pot Kettle Black" a song from the era which I've never had the pleasure of hearing live before. A welcome change was the lack of Ghost is Born material in the set. While I don't mind hearing the songs, both shows I've been to previously were chock full of songs from that album, so it was nice to hear some new things. The band looked to be having a great time on stage, still full of all their beginning of tour energy. Tweedy introduced the audience to a Spinal Tap-esque stage piece which turned out to be a tiny macramé owl that came down from the rafters onto the stage behind the band ("Adjust yourself to THAT reality"). The main set culminated with "Hummingbird", but the band quickly returned for their first of two encores, launching into the great new tune "Hate it Here" following it up with the a rendition of "Poor Places" that bled into the krautrock of "Spiders". The night ended up with a sing-a-long to "What Light" and the pop-rock goodness of "Heavy Metal Drummer".
After the show I managed to get the rest of the band sign my "What Light" 7". No one in the band had any idea that Nonesuch had even put out a single in the UK. Tweedy wondered why they hadn't at least sent him free copy for his collection. Nels was excited about the inclusion of rocker "Let's Not Get Carried Away" as the b-side. I gave Glenn the URL of the website I imported from (Juno Records, for any of you who'd like to own a copy). My only regret is that I didn't get to meet any members of Low, but I can't complain too much. Yet another awesome night with Wilco.

Candy Left Over From Halloween

Yes, it's high time for yet another gushing Wilco-related post. I picked up my copy of Jeff Tweedy's Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest a few weeks back, and I think I've watched it enough to provide an honest, if somewhat biased, impression of the film. The first thing astute Tweedy fan will notice is the great color footage, and professional camerawork. Previously, the best film taken of Tweedy solo shows was the grainy, slightly shaky, black and white footage captured by Sam Jones for the I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary. While stylistically appealing, there's something about his footage which always made it seem a little surreal, unlike the extremely accurate depiction that Christoph Green and Brendan Canty (purveyors of the exquisite Burn to Shine series) provide. Nit-pickers will argue that the lighting is pretty dismal, and they may have a point. But the thing that stands out in my memory about the Tweedy solo show that I attended was the fact that there was no smoke and mirrors, just a guy with a guitar lit by a single light. The simplicity is the appeal, and I doubt anyone would complain if we had footage like this from some of Bob Dylan's early shows.

Ultimately, the music is the main draw of this DVD (all cuts from the film, plus a few extras, are available as free MP3 downloads for those who purchase the DVD), and the selection does not disappoint. Most of the solo show mainstays are covered, although obviously skewing mainly towards the Wilco side of Tweedy's career. The blemishes are all present, an aspect of Tweedy's show which I feared would be conveniently omitted. Songs are started in the wrong key then restarted, punctuated by rowdy fans, etc. The sound quality is notably higher than a bootleg, mixing a soundboard patch with some mics placed around the room to capture the unique acoustics of each venue. Many of Tweedy's off the cuff remarks/rants to the audience are also left intact, including his "hissy fit" in Portland about people being silent and actually listening to the show the paid to come to. The DVD is by no means a one man show, taking a few chances to showcase bandmates Glenn Kotche and Nels Cline, who opened up dates of the tour and then joined him on stage at the end of each evening. The rendition of "War On War" with Nels on dobro and Glenn on drums gives you an idea of just how talented these guys are outside the realm of Wilco, and also how much fun they have just being on stage together. Overall, if you're interested in Tweedy's solo work, this film is well worth the price especially when you factor in the free MP3 downloads.