New Music (4.29.2016)

Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide to Earth

It's not often we review country here at The Conquest of Gaul, but every once in a great while, a piece of art is so beautiful that it's impossible to ignore. Such is Sturgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide to Earth.

To be honest, the last time something even remotely country popped up on this blog would have been Amy Lavere's absolutely brilliant Americana record, Stranger Me, back in 2011, where it also ended up in the Top 10 of the year. Simpson's work here inspires just as much admiration for what can be done in the genre, and saddens me to think of all the wasted opportunities other artists have let slip by, writing the same blase psuedo-country since Dollywood opened.

A Sailor's Guide to Earth isn't just a collection of various amazing songs performed at such a high level it makes your jaw drop. No, it's also that loftiest of nigh-unattainable albums (at least in this genre with a dearth of creativity)--the concept album.

The plot laid out by the title, as well as the opening track, "Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)" is simple: if you have to leave something behind to explain to your progeny how to navigate this mortal plane--physically as well as morally--what will that manual look like? Simpson's version is an aural wonder, confirming that the "outlaw" and "alternative" forms of country need not be so disparate, nor their combination be so dreary (as his previous album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was).

But while Simpson's tone is lifted here, he doesn't dissuade the listener from taking a trip down the long rabbit hole, even if that means hitting bottom. Instead, he encourages the journey--the journey of life--no matter where it might lead. A beautiful assertion indeed.



P.S. There's an absolutely amazing cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" on here. In terms of covers, it's bested only by Eagles of Death Metal's "Save a Prayer" from last year.

The Prince Is Dead. Long Live the Prince. (4.25.2016)

I'm not a fine enough writer or journalist to eulogize a person as ingenious, unique, and groundbreaking as Prince. So instead, I will simply describe my favorite song of the Purple One's and feebly attempt to explain why I think it's his standout best amongst a mountain of insanely original, catchy pop-funk songs.

That song is 1982's "Automatic," originally appearing on that year's 1999, Prince's breakthrough album. Certainly he had singles in years past that put him in the charts, but nothing to that point would quite reach the zeitgeist that was his fifth album, and artistic masterpiece.

And, certainly, 1999 included many singles itself that were much more well known and successful: "1999" for one, "Little Red Corvette," "Delirious." However, "Automatic" is a technical marvel, and a musical wonder.

At nearly 10 minutes you would expect artsy noodling, but not a single note is wasted. Sonically, it includes speak-singing, electroclash beats, pitch-shifted lyrics, a disturbing loop of caterwauling lamentations, and a false ending. With those ingredients, the best any musician could hope to come up with is a very bad Pink Floyd tribute.

But Prince isn't any musician. He's Prince, and he doesn't just take that mess and turn it into a workable song...he turns it into THE BEST F***ING SONG.  You swing your hips, find yourself singing along, and pray to the great God above that it never ends.

I would be remiss if I didn't make a favorable comparison to David Bowie. Prince is perhaps...no, he is the only artist I can use to make that comparison and not just mean "like David Bowie during a specific period," but instead mean "he IS David Bowie, just born a decade later." One day, Prince was tired of funk and wanted to make electronic dance music, so he did. Then he was tired of that and wanted to make rock music.

So he did.

Prince is the billboard of the 1980's, neon and overshadowing everything in the landscape. He's the only artist to compete with Michael Jackson for space on the charts, and was maybe even better at cultivating his public image.

"Automatic" is not a standard Prince song, but what was ever "standard" about Prince? Instead, it proves he is a musical genius of the highest order, unifying fans of disparate genres and warping the laws of time and space. It is a tour de force, a masterwork. "Automatic" is perfect.

Long live Prince.

Prince (or his publisher) has removed most of his music from streaming services. You can buy (or free sample) 1999 from Tidal to hear "Automatic," or watch the original NSFW video (slightly shortened version) here.