The Moog & Opinions on Kings of Leon
Jim and Greg celebrate one of the 20th century's greatest musical innovations: The Moog. Plus, they review the new album by "Band of Brothers" Kings of Leon.
Music News
Europe is really setting the stage for how the U.S. will approach digital music in the next couple of years, so Jim and Greg take a look at news coming out of that region. In France, the government plans to subsidize legal music downloading to encourage young consumers not to illegally get songs. This is going to cost the French government some $35 million. But, this might sound like a better option than the "three strikes" law to one French ISP. Free has declined to send out warning letters to its users. Over in Ireland the three strikes approach got struck down entirely. The big four labels were unable to convince an Irish court that laws to identify and cut off internet users should be enforceable in that country like others in the EU. And finally, one U.K. music executive offers another solution entirely: £1 records for all!
If you'll only spend a dollar to support a band, how much would you pay to stop them? $10 million? That's how much a former Seattle fan of Weezer intended to raise as part of a campaign to get the Rivers Cuomo-fronted band to stop playing. Jim and Greg like this idea, but think Weezer might be the wrong target. Who would you pay to (not) play?
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The Moog
Guitars, bass, drums...blah blah blah. This week it's all about the Moog! The Bob Moog-invented synthesizer has experienced a resurgence in popularity in the past few years. New artists love the analog sound, and many are gathering at next week's MoogFest in Bob Moog's adopted hometown of Asheville, NC. Jim and Greg talk to Brian Kehew, the Bob Moog Foundation's official historian, about the synthesizer's history and legacy. Kehew also co-founded an all-analog band called Moog Cookbook in the '90s and has worked in the studio with Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann and Moog superstars, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. In addition to ELP, Kehew points to the following as great synthesizer musicians:
Great Moog-ers
- Wendy Carlos
- Stevie Wonder
- Return to Forever
- The Monkees
- Brian Eno
- Kraftwerk
- Kinky
- Chromeo
And two of Jim and Greg's favorite Moog tracks are "Chameleon" by Herbie Hancock and "Les Yper-Sound" by Stereolab.
Come Around Sundown Kings of Leon
A couple of weeks ago Jim and Greg discussed the career trajectory of U2. Kings of Leon seem to be on a similar path. The southern "band of brothers" (and cousin) are opening for the Irish band on their 360 tour, and Jim and Greg hear a lot more stadium bombast with their latest release Come Around Sundown. Lead singer Caleb Followill has turned on the rawk singing, and no funky or soul blues cliche was left unturned, according to Jim. It's way too over the top to him and lacks any experimentation or originality. Jim gives it a Trash It rating, adding that this might be one of the worst records of the year. Greg calls that a ridiculous statement, but agrees that he doesn't like the direction the band is headed. They've lost much of the rhythm and distinctiveness from their 2003 debut. But still, Greg wouldn't throw it in the bin. Kings of Leon gets a Burn It.
Featured Songs
- Plastic Bertrand, "Ca Plane Pour Moi," Ca Plane Pour Moi (This Life's For Me), Sire, 1977
- Weezer, "Say It Ain't So," Weezer, DGC, 1994
- Neon Indian, "Terminally Chill," Psychic Chasms, Lefse Records, 2009
- Wendy Carlos, "Two-Part Invention in F," Switched-On Bach, Columbia, 1968
- Wendy Carlos, "Two-Part Invention in B flat," Switched-On Bach, Columbia, 1968
- The Monkees, "Daily Nightly," Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., Rhino, 2007
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer, "Tank," Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Island, 1970
- The Beatles, "Here Comes The Sun," Abbey Road, Apple, 1969
- Brian Eno, "Julie With...," Before and After Science, Polydor, 1977
- Stevie Wonder, "Living For The City," Innervisions, Tamla, 1973
- Richard Hayman, "The Look of Love," Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine, Command, 1969
- The Moog Cookbook, "Black Hole Sun," The Moog Cookbook, Restless, 1966
- Return To Forever, "Beyond The Seventh Galaxy," Where Have I Known You Before, Polydor, 1974
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer, "Lucky Man," Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Island, 1970
- Tubeway Army, "Are 'Friends' Electric," Replicas, Atco, 1979
- Beastie Boys, "Sabrosa," Ill Communication, Capitol, 1994
- Kinky, "Minotauro," Atlas, Nettwerk, 2003
- Fred Wesley, "Blow Your Head," Damn Right I Am Somebody, People, 1974
- Herbie Hancock, "Chameleon," Head Hunters, Columbia/Legacy, 1997
- Stereolab, "Les Yper Sound," Emperor Tomato Ketchup, Elektra, 1996
- Kings of Leon, "Radioactive," Come Around Sundown, RCA, 2010
- Kings of Leon, "The End," Come Around Sundown, RCA, 2010
- Ratatat, "Drugs," LP4, XL, 2010
- Fleetwood Mac, "Tusk," Tusk, Warner Bros., 1979
- Pink Floyd, "In The Flesh?," The Wall, Columbia, 1979
- Ben Folds and Nick Hornby, "Levi Johnston's Blues," Lonely Avenue, Nonesuch, 2010
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