<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Broken Continuum 

I spent a good part of today listening to my John Mayer albums (because I thought that "Love Song for No One" would be a good soundtrack for today.) It gave me a good perspective on how his music has evolved over the years, and the tastes of the people who enjoy his music.

There are two types of John Mayer fans: those who think "Room for Squares" is his best studio album, and those who think "Continuum" represents his best work. Listening to both reveals a difference as stark as night and day.

"Room For Squares" incorporates some electric guitars complimenting the acoustic guitar work on the songs Mayer re-worked from his EP, "Inside Wants Out." The songs themselves were unique for the time, in that they spoke to the introverted, the insecure, and the socially-awkward music fans who really didn't have a champion until John Mayer arrived on the scene. They were popular with some, while others derided them as trite.

The John Mayer of "Continuum" sounds like he's reacting to his critics more than anything else. As a guitarist, he's come a long way by incorporating complex melodies and occasionally a jazzy feel to his songs. But I also think he's regressed lyrically. Songs like "Belief" and "Waiting on the World to Change" are self-important and often vague, as a halfhearted attempt to work socially-conscious lyrics into his songs. The people who were enraptured by "Room for Squares" were drawn to it precisely because it wasn't socially-conscious.

Nobody will admit that "Heavier Things," Mayer's sophomore effort, was their favorite album. It's often forgotten, but it serves as a link in understanding the progression of his music. Songs like "Bigger Than My Body" still evoke the same emotions as the songs on "Room for Squares" while displaying Mayer's evolution as a guitarist. Other songs like "Only Heart" and "Split Screen Sadness" are overlooked gems that foreshadowed other songs about love gone bad on the "Continuum" album. Admittedly, the album feels like it was rushed to take advantage of the surge in popularity he enjoyed after "Room for Squares" got popular and he won his first Grammy. Songs like "Come Back to Bed" seem like filler, and the number of songs overall has dropped below what was on "Room for Squares."

As much as I hate to say it, I think the future of John Mayer's music lies in the lyrical regression we observed on "Continuum." Then again, that style of song is more suited to his guitar prowess. Eventually I think you'll see a groundswell of fans clamoring for a return to the "Room for Squares" days, and he will have to give into the pressure at some point.

It's a common pitfall in the music industry for artists to stray too far from their roots. The Beatles continually evolved until the band split apart. The Beach Boys experimented, but were able to reclaim their old sound for a few fleeting examples in the 80's. Hopefully John Mayer will find his way back to square one, or find a way to reconnect with his original audience while still maintaining his Hendrix-like skills on guitar.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Breakfast of Champions 

I was watching the news on TV this morning while eating breakfast. Needless to say, I had difficulty keeping my food down when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton appeared during the interview segments. They both stuck to a script, even when I changed the channel to a different network. I found it most telling that Hillary talked of her desire to "End the war in Iraq and win the war in Afghanistan." So Hillary has ruled out victory, at a time when Iraq is far closer than Afghanistan to an end-state that would meet our definition of "victory."

Around lunchtime, I was reading reports on the Washington Post that Rush Limbaugh will not support John McCain in a general election against either Barack or Hillary. Again, I felt like heaving my guts out. While Rush's opinions aren't important to me personally (especially after his admissions of oxycontin addiction,) he does hold tremendous sway over core Republican voters. While the far-right punditry of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter will allow John McCain to portray himself as a centrist (especially with Barack and Hillary making little secret of their Socialist ambitions,) he will still need a unified and energized Republican base to win. Rush and company will only be handing the country over to the defeatist Democrats if they don't change their tune.

I think I speak for all of America when I say that I want the primary season to die and burn in hell. It truly brings out the worst and ugliest in a lot of people.

Monday, February 04, 2008

From Giants to Giant-Killers 

A lot of people were shocked by tonight's Super Bowl upset by the New York Giants over the New England Patriots, a 10-6 wild card triumphing over a 16-0 team flirting with history. Yet in looking over the season that's passed, I can't say I'm too surprised. We all are due for a setback and a serving of humble pie at some point in our lives, and the Patriots were no exceptions. The Pats dodged a lot of bullets this year, and in spite of their Super Bowl experience, the team couldn't pull off this close game in its final quarter.

During Week 17, the New York Giants and New England Patriots played a 38-35 shootout that allowed the Pats to become the only team to go 16-0 during the regular season. In many ways, the game was a Pyhrric victory for the Giants. They already had a playoff spot secured, and Coach Coughlin could have decided to rest his starters and throw the game. Instead, his team went balls-to-the-wall to try and unseat the greatest team in NFL history.

Over the course of New York's Cinderella-story playoff run, football fans gained a lot of respect for the team. Coach Tom Coughlin, once the whipping-boy of the New York sports media, defied his critics. Eli Manning showed more maturity, lived up to his potential, and had the clutch to pull off two fourth-quarter touchdown drives (including a miracle play on third down where he escaped a certain sack to fire off an amazing pass.) Not only did the Giants' defense play the elevated level they've mustered during the playoffs, but they succeeded in shutting down both the deep passes to Randy Moss and the rushes by Laurence Maroney.

For me, it was just offensive that a team like the Patriots could face the single-biggest fine in NFL history over taping defensive signals, but still go down as the greatest team in history. Thanks to the Giants, the Pats will now live with an added element of ambiguity: they amassed the greatest regular-season record in history, but couldn't seal the deal by winning the most important game of the season. Bob Griese, Larry Czonka and the rest of the '72 Dolphins must be drunk on champagne and schadenfreude by now.

The Giants truly earned the title of World Champions. After a depressing 0-2 start that almost cost Coach Coughlin his job, they finished by squeezing out that extra ounce they lacked in week 17 and vanquishing the Patriots. The heart of the champion lies not in going unbeaten until the end, but by refusing to quit when you have been beaten. While the Pats will certainly bounce back from this next season, tonight the Giants celebrate a much-deserved berth in the halls of football immortality.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?