Tony's Music Blog

I don't care if you do call me a stodgy ol' timer living in the past, but I just don't think music today is as good as it was in the Sixties. Man, that was really a renaissance! And don't expect another one in Earth's short future.

I know there were a few notable gasps and shudders after the orgasm that was the Sixties: Progressive and Punk especially (that's right flannel-wearers-- Grunge was just a post-punk shiver.) The fact is, ironic as it may seem on the surface, the counter-culture movement was as much a product of economic prosperity as was tract housing and interstate highways. The New Deal's recovery (hey-- WWII is still up for argument!) fueled the rebellious artistic spirit of the decade.

How many Mozarts are bestowed on a generation? I say at least one-- maybe more if we count those languishing in refugee camps or reactionary moslem regimes or other such anti-musical fates. However, America, as with everything else it seems, has been blessed with more than its share. We already had our Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix, our Velvet Underground and Soft Machine. Of course, a list would baloon with esoteric favorites from Quincy Jones to the Mothers of Invention.

A friend once told me he was jealous of my generation because we lived while these forces were still vibrant. My ex saw Morrison and Hendrix live and I've seen Led Zeppelin and the Dead; another (older) friend told me about the time he blew burning pot all over his jeans when the giant pig flew out of the stage at a Pink Floyd show, and yet another relayed a similar tale about Mick riding his inflatable dildo.

The best artists today aren't even in the same league as these legends, and time will only bear this out. Many of them are simply overhyped by an avaricious industry; and many, many others don't deserve a dollar. But their best punishment is to be ignored, so let's forget 'em better still. Instead, let's focus on some who could potentially prove me wrong:

The Roots. This group is the best thing going these days. Perhpas it is only a sociological phenomenon (or lack of one) that keeps them from occupying the niche that the Grateful Dead left void (Go back to Africa Dave Mathews!) DJ ?uestlove, the drummer, commands an almost messianic purview over some of the most masterful musicaians of the Hip-Hop generation. The strength of their recordings and the assertiveness of their concert performances san yet save us. They may even resurrect Rock 'n Roll! Their latest album, "The Tipping Point" is a master's thesis that sweeps urban idoms into a truly artistic pile. I am extremely dismayed that they did not even get a Grammy nomination for this album.

Thievery Corporation. Sometimes I believe that just because these guys are home-town heroes (DC finally got on the map! Steely Dan and Foo Fighters notwithstanding: they hail from Northern Virginia's suburbs.) This pair of DJs aspire to the highest goal of art: the reconciliaton of disparate elements into a cohesive synergy. Self-professed Rastafarians with an obviousl heavy Reggae influence, these lads glue together samples and snatches into sound collages that speak of transcendence, that question what is valuable, that ultimately wag your fundament. "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)," from their new album, The Cosmic Game is played at least once a day on my iPod, but makes great Sunday morning wake-and-bake!

Beck. Man, this guy's got some serious mojo! He's forced me to exchew a rule that no one since the Doors (even since Zappa and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) could do: that no good music ever comes out of L.A. Beck is more than just an eclectic melange of strange influences and Robert Williams' influenced glue-huffing hallucinations. He is Atlas, holding American music up away from the mongrel's who'd sooner see it made into a commodity. He is a demigod who oozes music like sweat, who can't even say hello without breaking into song. His new album Guero is just amazing.

Alicia Keyes. Poor lil' Alicia-- the pretty girl with the gangster voice and the shy white momma. She has more talent in her right hand than every American Idol contestant combined-- ever in perpetuity! She could be the Mozart of y'all's generation if the Hollywood Hit Factory didn't have their claws tangled in her braids. I hear Borhter Stevie and His Maagesty the Prince have offered her tutelage, but it will all be for naught in the end I'm afraid. I hope that she'll use the profits from The Diary of Alicia Keyes to buy an island where she can build a recording studio-- away from Clive Davis and the others-- it's the only chance she's got.

The Helio Sequence. Too bad this Seattle duo aren't getting more exposure. Their music is incredible-- genre-spanning psychedelia that can really mean a thing or two to the jaded masses. Go out and buy everything you can find of theirs, then see if you can book them at your favorite club.

Mos' Def. As much as I've tried to hate him for tryin' t'be a "Race Man" in this day and age, I've got to hand it to him. His Rap is quirky, quaint, and different. Mos' Def has something to say, and he says it in ways so's I "get it." Who was the last one to change your opinion mid-song? Neil Young? Patti Smith? Bob Dylan? Mos' Def belongs in that pantheon. Personally, I am most smitten with his collaboration with the Charlie Hunter Quartet.

Green Day. Here stand the last bastions of Rock 'n Roll. Argh! I cannot believe Rock 'n Roll has sunk so low that Green Day is now the standard-bearer. I mean, their style is alright, but so blatant that they become almost a parody of Punk. So there is a niche for it, but to me their dominance is almost a de-evolution of Rock. Sometimes watching them is like watching your father succumb to Alzheimer's.

Outkast. It's hard to write about Ourkast because I am always so ambivalent about them. Sometimes their music, especially the stuff w/ Andre 2K in the backbone, reminds me of Prince or even Bootsy. But then other times-- they remind me of Zappa when he composed dross to check who was listening. Right now, I'm tending toward the latter and feel that they are over-hyped by an industry starved for a superstar. Speakerboxx/The Love Below was such an uneven album-- and the fault is not in the concept. As a matter of fact, the concept is once again that achievement of High Art: resolving conflicting elements. No, the weakness is in their lack of discipline (it hurts to say this about one of Hip-Hop's few groups that actually play instruments!) Their willingness to leave songs undeveloped and gloss over them with comedy makes me grit my teeth.

Eminem. If only Eminem was smart enough to drape himself in John Lennon's or Bob Dylan's mantle. Perhaps he ate too many paint chips as a child. His wit is, however, so caustic, and his aim is so straight thathis truisms sometimes approach poetry. Lately he seems to be growing some self-consciousness (which would be great, believe me!) He may just grow into something stupendous, but I doubt it. Like Outkast, Eminem likes to cop out and resort to stereotype rather than just THINK for another couple of minutes and build a song with an actual conclusion.

So while we wait for a new Golden Age for America, give the above a listen. Otherwise, stop buying music from major labels. Go see small local artists or take up an instrument yourself. Keep your ear to the ground in case some natchul rhythm comes up from s burgeoning economy, or somewhere else that just might prove me wrong.