Just gave a quick listen to "This Bird Has Flown" the 40th anniversary Rubber Soul tribute album. Most of the versions I have no use for -- they're too true to the originals to be interesting -- but there are a few exceptions. Most notably, the Fiery Furnaces do a version of Norwegian Wood that would be completely unrecognizable save for the lyrics. They really make the song their own.

Sounds like a Dylan song to these ears.

Daybender Bela

"Nobody gives two fucks for Bela." (I really loved Ed Wood.)

the Fiery Furnaces do a version of Norwegian Wood that would be completely unrecognizable save for the lyrics.

Does Eleanor or Matt sing it? 1965/66 was probably the peak of Lennon's love for Dylan, & "Norwegian Wood" is one of the most direct products of that so it's not surprising that you had that reaction, Corwood. He said without having heard the recording...

I don't have a copy here (heard it when it was up on Fluxblog), but I seem to recall thinking that it sounded very specifically like they took the words to "Norwegian Wood" and sang them to "Ballad of a Thin Man" (perhaps, or maybe another contemporary Dylan tune). I can't see where it was unintentional.

Just gave a quick listen to "This Bird Has Flown" the 40th anniversary Rubber Soul tribute album. Most of the versions I have no use for -- they're too true to the originals to be interesting

I bought the tracks I wanted off iTunes after hearing the Fiery Furnaces track on Jon's show last week. I really like Low's "Nowhere Man," but the rest - yeah - too traditional.

I am just home from seeing the New Pornographers at the Metro. Never ever have I seen a band twice and had such totally different experiences. When I saw them on the Electric Version tour they were boring and played a super short set and Neko Case whined the whole time. Tonight, they were just incredible. A.C. Newman was funny and talkative (I kind of love him). Destroyer opened (not bad, made me want to buy a CD because I sense they could really grow on me) and Dan Bejar (is that right? too lazy to double check) came out and did just about every song he's written with them. "Testament to Youth in Verse" was especially good. They did two encores of three songs each including an Electric Version "superset" as they called it for the first encore. They took a zillion requests and played just about every song they knew, I think. I only bought tickets because nice people I had just met wanted to go - otherwise I would have skipped it. For once, trying to be social and make friends has paid off!

Everything they did from Twin Cinema really cemented that it's a very good album. Yay for Pornographers!

Edited to fix stuff.

Yay for Pornographers!

NaTLbSB.

Hey wise folk: Mekons are now on eMusic! What do I really, really need? Have been wanting to check them out for a while, where do I start?

Others are far far wiser than I on all things Mekon, erin, but as a newbie to them myself, I recommend Fear and Whiskey it's a first-time-listen, love-the-whole-thing, oh-this-is-why-everyone-talks-about-them kind of album.

But like I said, others here know better than I.

Speaking of emusic - this morning I downloaded this new Danny Barnes album because it showed up as an editor's pick for both bluegrass and indie pop and I was intrigued. Darn good. He's a banjo player and fine lyricist.

Allmusic sez:

A graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in audio engineering, Barnes dedicated himself to traditional bluegrass playing, picking up the banjo, and seeing where the instrument would lead him. In Barnes' case, the banjo led him to the Bad Livers

Hey! I know the Bad Livers...

The album is called Get Myself Together and their verdict is

you've got a bona fide down-home classic, not to mention a frontrunner for the Americana album of 2005.

It is very good on first listen.

Mekons are now on eMusic! What do I really, really need?

Corwood & Misha are the Mekons fanatics, and Jon & David far more knowledgeable than I am about whichever genre into which they're likely to be lumped, but I think the consensus pick is Fear and Whiskey. Corwood lists Original Sin and Mekons Rock n' Roll on his desert island discs lists (I don't think he'd care if I linked but I'll let him do it). The latter isn't on emusic, and the former is Fear and Whiskey plus some tracks from subsequent EPs. Christgau agrees on the selections, although I can't say whether their reasons are the same.

There's a lot of bad Mekons on there -- avoid Pussy, King of the Pirates and United.

I prefer The Edge of the World to Fear & Whiskey, just because I love Sally, but i'd give a sample-listen to each and see what you think. After that, I'd go for I [heart] Mekons and So Good It Hurts, from the eMusic choices. And, yes, find Rock & Roll.