New Multitudes - full album stream

turpentim
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Post by turpentim »

Hank Snow wrote:are we really having a Mermaid Ave vs New Multitudes discussion? That's even more ludicrous than Wilco vs Son Volt.
A-fucking-men!


Tim in Chapel Hill

Hank Snow
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Post by Hank Snow »

are we really having a Mermaid Ave vs New Multitudes discussion? That's even more ludicrous than Wilco vs Son Volt.

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Post by Hank Snow »

turpentim wrote:
Left A Slide wrote:My God, "Hoping Machine" is fabulous!
I think it's top 5 in Jay's entire catalogue. And that's saying a lot. I get chills every time I listen to it.

Tim in Chapel Hill
I agree that this song certainly ranks very high up on Jay's greatest songs list. Just beautiful, and one of his absolute greatest vocal performances.

great tune, and agreed with other comments that Anders really nails it.

Great album.

dcarter
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Post by dcarter »

I agree with Sam. Why start now? Well, as Sam said, because it's a collaboration. Read your post again slowly and try not to laugh at it.

I enjoy the album and it may be a true collaboration but it doesn't sound like it. Contrast it to Monsters of Folk. For me, that is a fine album and it sounds like a collaboration.

sam6025
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Post by sam6025 »

Why start now? I guess the first reason would be a collaborative release, but that's just me. I guess I was hoping to hear something like Gob Iron where Jay and Anders were together. This, by the sound of it, is a compilation album featuring the lyrics of Woody Guthrie performed by Son Volt v. 2.3, My Morning Jacket, Anders Parker and Centro-Matic.

I think it is a cool album, but I was excited that these guys were going to collaborate, but they totally didn't. That was the letdown for me. But all sorts of things in life let down your expectations and are still awesome because of that.

megaballs1
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Post by megaballs1 »

Sam, its hard to expect four individual songwriters who likely have places to go where they hear and write music individually before presenting it to bandmates or whomever. These four don't have a history of collaboration, do they? Why start know?
Jay goes for minimalist often and yes, Mark Spencer adds great color.
I like or love most every song on here for different reasons. I don't believe Hoping Machine is all that...Mark adds alot as I heard it with Mr Hunt live and it needs Mark...Mark's guitar, probably its his piano and mixing...it sounds like something off "Seattle", with a bit of a forced melody IMO. I prefer Reckless Love, as it sounds smooth and natural. I like California Stars but seriously, its the simplest nursery rhyme musically, which is often how the most popular stuff goes...I could give two shits about Billy Bragg...I loved Jay Bennett's enthusiasm for creating music...but seriously, why are we talking about a 14 year old album again? We have great new music here

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Post by ShuckOwens »

sam6025 wrote: if you believe this even holds a candle to Mermaid Avenue, you're lying to yourself.
I'm working out my self-deception issues. Forthwith, this torches the Mermaid offerings.

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Post by sam6025 »

sturgeongeneral wrote:from the 'for what's it worth dept.' rollingstone review(3 stars)
"Making séance music from dead singers' notebooks is now a familiar songwriting practice, and this session, spearheaded by Jay Farrar, taps the same source Jeff Tweedy (his old Uncle Tupelo partner) took with Billy Bragg on the two Mermaid Avenue LPs: Woody Guthrie's fat verse archives. Four singer-songwriters tag-team in a folk-rock vein, and the high points are when voices unite; see the title track and the Jim James-led "Talking Empty Bed Blues." Elsewhere, dudes sound like themselves, but with mouths full of Guthurie's wit and soul."

the part that got me was the last sentence, 'dudes sound like themselves' jay never sounded more like himself than here........and.....the spelling of 'guthurie'
I agree with the review...and seeing how bad my occasional typos are, I'll let the extra u in Guthrie slide...magazines and newspapers don't hire proofreaders anymore...or so it seems.

It sounds like a split to me rather than a unified group of musicians. I dig a lot of the tunes, but if you believe this even holds a candle to Mermaid Avenue, you're lying to yourself. I was anti-Wilco at the point it came out and instantly loved it....the entire thing...this album has a few high points, but is taking me multiple listens to truly get into. Yim Yames is, by far, my least favorite on here and I like his contributions the most.

On all of Jay's songs, I knew it was him solely by the acoustic tone and the background instrumentation. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Jay's songs are all he and Mark Spencer with some drums from Anders or Will. I'd bet Anders' tracks are he and Creston...I can't vouch for the others' backups, but I bet the only time the 4 worked on the same song was with vocals. It sounds that disconnected to me. I could be wrong.

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Post by manshank »

I just got a copy of a Mountain live show from the Fillmore..........with Humble Pie!

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Post by sturgeongeneral »

from the 'for what's it worth dept.' rollingstone review(3 stars)
"Making séance music from dead singers' notebooks is now a familiar songwriting practice, and this session, spearheaded by Jay Farrar, taps the same source Jeff Tweedy (his old Uncle Tupelo partner) took with Billy Bragg on the two Mermaid Avenue LPs: Woody Guthrie's fat verse archives. Four singer-songwriters tag-team in a folk-rock vein, and the high points are when voices unite; see the title track and the Jim James-led "Talking Empty Bed Blues." Elsewhere, dudes sound like themselves, but with mouths full of Guthurie's wit and soul."

the part that got me was the last sentence, 'dudes sound like themselves' jay never sounded more like himself than here........and.....the spelling of 'guthurie'

turpentim
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Post by turpentim »

el caballo loco wrote:Tim in Chapel Hill brings some outstanding perspective, recommendations & opinions to this board. Calling anything from New Multitudes in the Top 25 of Jay's catalog is simply rooted in overexcitement. I like what I hear. Let's settle down now.
Thanks, El Caballo... I am indeed shamelessly (over?)excited. 'Rightfully stoked' is how I might put it.

Tim in Chapel Hill

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Post by el caballo loco »

Tim in Chapel Hill brings some outstanding perspective, recommendations & opinions to this board. Calling anything from New Multitudes in the Top 25 of Jay's catalog is simply rooted in overexcitement. I like what I hear. Let's settle down now.

turpentim
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Post by turpentim »

While disagreeing with you, Sturg, I should say that, if it actually came down to it, I couldn't put 'Hoping Machine' in a top 5 of Jay's catalogue either. But that's simply because he didn't compose the lyrics. However, going on aesthetics alone, for me it's right there with all the other gems you so rightfully list in your post. And, as one parts Jay and one parts Woody, it might should even be considered in a league of its own. I can't imagine too many mergers any better than one between those two.

Tim in Chapel Hill

turpentim
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Post by turpentim »

sturgeongeneral wrote:please allow me to state first and foremost that i respect the opinions expressed on this message board. taste in music is ultimately a subjective determination. and i, as much or more than anyone, am guilty of premature adulation of jay's efforts. and, i must confess that i have of recent become lukewarm to my initial hot iron sizziling reception of all things jay.

however, with all due respect to tim, i have great difficulty with the top five award given for the song you speak of. i mean, we are talking about a vast catelogue of expressions from jay that will live two days short of eternity, i.e., windfall, too early, streaets that time walks, left a slide, strands, creosote, tear, high water, criminals, ten second, etc., etc.

so, with the humility that i truly deserve, i cannot embrace or nominate what i have heard as being the best that jay has produced to date. it is, in my opinion, a distant second to what he and anders created with gob iron. and, i am not confident woody would give the nod to jay and the gang versus what tweedy and the brit achieved all those years ago.

but, all of the above must be taken into context because i have been listening of late to mountain and moby grape. and, intersecting with new orleans nu funk and zydeco.
-1

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Post by sturgeongeneral »

please allow me to state first and foremost that i respect the opinions expressed on this message board. taste in music is ultimately a subjective determination. and i, as much or more than anyone, am guilty of premature adulation of jay's efforts. and, i must confess that i have of recent become lukewarm to my initial hot iron sizziling reception of all things jay.

however, with all due respect to tim, i have great difficulty with the top five award given for the song you speak of. i mean, we are talking about a vast catelogue of expressions from jay that will live two days short of eternity, i.e., windfall, too early, streaets that time walks, left a slide, strands, creosote, tear, high water, criminals, ten second, etc., etc.

so, with the humility that i truly deserve, i cannot embrace or nominate what i have heard as being the best that jay has produced to date. it is, in my opinion, a distant second to what he and anders created with gob iron. and, i am not confident woody would give the nod to jay and the gang versus what tweedy and the brit achieved all those years ago.

but, all of the above must be taken into context because i have been listening of late to mountain and moby grape. and, intersecting with new orleans nu funk and zydeco.

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