This week, Mojo Nixon made his entire catalog available on Amazon for free. So I’m sampling a little bit. The only time I’ve heard anything by Mr. Nixon, it was via an MTV story about his song, “Don Henley Must Die.” I actually heard that song when it first came out in 1990. At the time, I was a HUGE Eagles fan, so I was not too interested in what Mr. Nixon had to say. Years later, I understand Don Henley actually jumped up on stage with Nixon to perform the song. I’ve since improved my musical outlook, so I too have moved past the initial offense.
That leaves me where I am today. Wondering if I should bother downloading any Mojo Nixon records. I looked ole’ Mojo up on Allmusic guide to see what they recommend. Nixon’s Bo-Day-Shus!!! receives the nod with 4.5 stars. So I downloaded it and the record with DHMD, Otis. I’ll work my way through these and let you know what I think.
In advance, I’ll make this early assessment: he’s somehow achieved a modest amount of fame by writing the same rock-a-billy song over and over again, varying only the names of celebrities to whom he refers in an irreverent manner. Does that about cover it, Mr. Nixon? If so, free sounds like the right price.
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Here’s what I’m jamming this week:
Jesus Lizard interview on eMusic. I might actually like this band if I devote some time to it. Earlier this week, “Cold Water” from The Jesus Lizard EP came on my mp3 player, and I think it might have been the first time I gave any thought to hearing them out. I admit their performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival piqued my interest.
Slate spends two pages figuring out whether CDs, Records, or MP3s are better for the environment. You can probably guess that MP3s are more “green” without having to click over.
Why do I love this so much?
Assorted listening? New records from Built to Spill, The Clientele, and Lou Barlow. All recommended. But my best new addition has got to be The Future of the Left’s second full-length:
My pal Matt Brownlie recommended it a while back, but I hadn’t checked it out until this morning. And it has rocked me thoroughly. Matt’s a big fan of their previous incarnation, Mclusky. I’ve never heard them, but I’m very much inclined to investigate further.
On the bummer side of new music, I am sad to report I am not a big fan of the new Kurt Vile record (at least not yet). His last release was one my favorites from 2008. If you’re interested, I can’t possibly recommend that previous record enough. His Matador debut, Childish Prodigy, does sound a lot like Constant Hitmaker. It certainly has the same goofy, spooky homemade charm. But the songs aren’t there. I’d been worried because I’ve had much the same opinion about his other interim releases. The proper follow-up does, in fact, suffer from the same aimlessness and lack of hooks.
1. mojo nixon’s manager used to work at emusic. he was intimidating, but ultimately pretty amenable to anything if you asked the question right.
2. oh my god! i want one of those tape measure things.
3. i hope kurt vile is good too. i’m supposed to go to his show later this week.