Lindas, Idols and Obits

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Somehow I only became aware this morning that the Linda Lindas have unleashed another new single, "Resolution/Revolution", and it sounds great, much tougher than a lot of the tracks off of Growing Up.  They continue to deliver the goods.



Meanwhile across the sea, Yee Loi have posted not one but two live versions of "Dad's Money" - one acoustic.  Both sound fine though I'm wondering if the point of this is to prove something. Well, they don't have to prove anything to me.  YL is one of the bands I'm most excited about these days.




Now as to my older idols - look I don't expect any of them to live up to my standards.  If I cleared out my collection of every artists who'd said or done anything I don't approve of I wouldn't have a single book, CD or DVD in the house.  Hell if I only cleared out the ones who were out and out scumbags I'd be down about 75% I suspect!

Nevertheless, I was disappointed that my first rock and roll idol, Alice Cooper, went and put his foot in his mouth re: transgender folks.  It was a really ignorant statement and I hope the Coop, who once challenged people's ideas about gender himself, will walk it back.

I'm supposing I should put something in here about Robbie Robertson, who died not long ago (another one gone...).  But in doing so I have to confess I was not a fan.  He was first-rate guitarist and I love his playing on Dylan's "Albert Hall" set, and some of the sides he cut with Ronnie Hawkins.  He was a fine, literate songwriter and I can see why he appealed so to someone like Greil Marcus, who saw in him a kind of American genius ala Walt Whitman or Mark Twain.  But I think Marcus overrated him.  The Band themselves were basically special for two-and-a-half albums - the tracks that were later released on The Basement Tapes album, Music from Big Pink, and The Band.  Even the hardest-core Band fanatics admit it was all downhill from there.  But to these ears it was precipitously downhill - there not a single track on any of the post Band albums that so much as catches my ear.  And while I sorta credit Robertson for not going out and doing The Band mk II on his solo albums, that doesn't alter the fact I found them pretty friggin' awful, no matter how you slice it.  So, to me, a good musician who shot his wad a long time ago.  This is not to take anything away from Robertson, but he wasn't one of my heroes.  If he was one of yours - well, look elsewhere I suppose.

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