Yeah, I had the same thought about the demo. It's basically a fleshed-out version of that, with some nice harmonies on the chorus.
― something totally new, it’s the AOR of the twenty first century (tipsy mothra), Monday, 21 September 2015 13:34 (nine years ago) link
These covers sounded more exciting as snippets posted on Instagram. Hearing the full thing is proving to be a bit of a drag.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 21 September 2015 13:44 (nine years ago) link
I think this is the lamest thing I've ever heard
― Wimmels, Monday, 21 September 2015 13:46 (nine years ago) link
waaaaaayy too quiet. This is precisely why I avoid Adams' kind of music.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 21 September 2015 13:59 (nine years ago) link
I liked Ryan Adams in the early/mid 90s circa Whiskeytown's debut, but I haven't bothered with him since then. these covers are borrrrrrring.
― droit au butt (Euler), Monday, 21 September 2015 14:06 (nine years ago) link
I hadn't listened to Ryan Adams in years, because he is generally full of shit, but I really like his self titled from last year. So sure, this marks a return to fucking around, but I have hopes it is something my kids and I can enjoy.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 21 September 2015 14:46 (nine years ago) link
I'm with Josh that self titled album is his best record.
― DavidLeeRoth, Monday, 21 September 2015 15:00 (nine years ago) link
Cold Roses is definitely my favorite of his solo records. Strangers Almanac with Whiskeytown is pretty hard to top overall.
― kornrulez6969, Monday, 21 September 2015 15:10 (nine years ago) link
idk i kinda think the s/t while refreshing is a little underwritten. maybe that's what ppl like about it
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 15:19 (nine years ago) link
Finally, someone found a way to rob "Shake it Off" of any sense of energy or fun, and make it dreary and boring, like it was always meant to be!
I wonder if I can con one of these fuckers into doing a hot acoustic guitar take on Toni Basil's "Mickey?"
― I might like you better if we Yelped together (Phil D.), Monday, 21 September 2015 15:36 (nine years ago) link
he's also successfully renewed my interest in "this love" and "i know places," or in the case of the latter generated interest. it makes so much more sense as an expansive dirtbag rock song
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, September 21, 2015 7:02 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i have zero intention of giving this the time of day because acoustic indie covers of pop songs can go fuck themselves always & forever, just popping in to defend the honour of the og "i know places". it's sooooooo dramatic and one of the few songs on 1989 that i fully adore
― lex pretend, Monday, 21 September 2015 15:45 (nine years ago) link
i know you love "i know places" lex
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 15:46 (nine years ago) link
The RA self titled has a nice way of nodding to lots of stuff I like, like the War on Drugs album, but better played, recorded, arranged, etc. I think that's why I liked it. Never really liked his capital A alt country stage.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 21 September 2015 15:57 (nine years ago) link
listened to a few tracks. sounds like something he just threw together at home for fun and he should have just given copies to his friends and family as a goof. but maybe he was sad that nobody cares about him anymore? and here people are talking about him, so, there you go.
― scott seward, Monday, 21 September 2015 16:01 (nine years ago) link
Ryan Adams is so far up his own ass he very well might disappear.
― Your Favorite Album in the Cutout Bin, Monday, 21 September 2015 16:03 (nine years ago) link
Wonder if this is going to be his highest-charting album.
― something totally new, it’s the AOR of the twenty first century (tipsy mothra), Monday, 21 September 2015 16:22 (nine years ago) link
mark kozelek version would have been better.
― scott seward, Monday, 21 September 2015 16:53 (nine years ago) link
normally completely agree with suggestion that treacly acoustic covers of chart pop songs by pale balladeers are unwelcome
but it's taylor swift
that's baked into her thing at the molecular level no matter what collaborators she's currently using
― james brooks, Monday, 21 September 2015 18:19 (nine years ago) link
also fwiw it's mostly a full-band record, not some tossed-off "ironic indie aoustic covers" thing. almost as slick as the original, in a different way.
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:24 (nine years ago) link
yeah it's also not really ironic
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:25 (nine years ago) link
anyway i kind of hope the ultimate product of this is ryan producing taylor's next record
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:26 (nine years ago) link
also, it's a lot more roots than indie isn't it? makes more sense in a swift genre perspective too
― niels, Monday, 21 September 2015 18:27 (nine years ago) link
i am just coming by to say I love that he turned Welcome to New York into a Springsteen song, it was so obvious looking back now but it kinda delighted me
and i really like this album
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:31 (nine years ago) link
sounds pretty good to me altho I'm not a taylor fan so i don't know 70% of these songs. So for me it's basically a new Ryan Adams originals album with a few covers.
Shake it Off is annoying by both artists tho.
― Spottie, Monday, 21 September 2015 18:35 (nine years ago) link
the verse kinda reminded me of "i could never take the place of your man" so i was just sort of hoping that was a natural result of compressing taylor's lyrics into a rock structure
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:37 (nine years ago) link
omg you're right. i didnt hear that the first time but that's def there
'style' is not my favorite, something about it feels illfitting/awkward
his version of 'out of the woods' makes me like hers a bit more now, i never took to it til now
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:42 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/ZTuatCU.png
can't figure out if this is expert trolling or otm
― niels, Monday, 21 September 2015 18:48 (nine years ago) link
omg
all you had to do was stay!
brilliantit's one of my faves on her album & he nailed it, pretty much perfect <3
sorry I'll stop
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 21 September 2015 18:49 (nine years ago) link
i was tentative about this but i've listened to it like three times idk
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 19:06 (nine years ago) link
think "this love" is the best cover on this, he really expands it emotionally
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 19:09 (nine years ago) link
feel like greg dulli could do a killer cover of "i wish you would"
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 21 September 2015 19:30 (nine years ago) link
I really wish he and mark lanegan would cover more things.
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 21 September 2015 19:37 (nine years ago) link
so yeah v predictably the sparest covers here work the best for me (plus "All You Had to do Was Stay")
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 21 September 2015 19:38 (nine years ago) link
i wish ryan adams and mark lanegan and greg dulli would make an album together that i would never listen to. of N.W.A. covers naturally. done country style. because those are HILARIOUS.
― scott seward, Monday, 21 September 2015 20:01 (nine years ago) link
I don't really think any of those people are into ironic lolsy covers?
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 21 September 2015 20:26 (nine years ago) link
I gave up on him from gold onwards but akm is quite right aboug love is hell, it is pretty good. He often reminds me of jeff buckley there. Another diva. Btw the title track is one of the weaker songs.
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 21 September 2015 20:44 (nine years ago) link
And why the hell did he cover wonderwall, the biggest stinker in the universe?
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 21 September 2015 20:47 (nine years ago) link
My 10-year old daughter's reaction: "Wow, this really makes you pay attention to the bad lyrics." I think she liked it, though.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 21 September 2015 21:37 (nine years ago) link
father john misty covering ryan adams covering taylor swift:
https://soundcloud.com/fatherjohnmisty/blank-space
― scott seward, Monday, 21 September 2015 21:45 (nine years ago) link
In future, we will all have covered Taylor Swift.
― Love, Wilco (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 21 September 2015 22:06 (nine years ago) link
the narcocorrido ballad style on "I know places" is p dope imo
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 21 September 2015 23:12 (nine years ago) link
'that's how you get the girl' <3 <3 <3aaahh killing me rn
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 21 September 2015 23:41 (nine years ago) link
I would never listen to Taylor but I like this album
― calstars, Monday, 21 September 2015 23:51 (nine years ago) link
He is slated to play Bridge Benefit this year (and I am going), hoping for a Taylor set (plz o plz)
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:01 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, this is very much of a piece with that last album, so I like it a lot. Swift's songs are at their essence pretty simple, so it's neat to hear him take them in the opposite direction. Not huge pop productions but dark night melancholy, more or less built on the same basic frames. Fun exercise to hear them re-contextualized. His conviction is key.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:09 (nine years ago) link
listened to a few tracks. sounds like something he just threw together at home for fun and he should have just given copies to his friends and family as a goof. but maybe he was sad that nobody cares about him anymore? and here people are talking about him, so, there you go.― scott seward, Monday, September 21, 2015 9:01 AM (8 hours ago)
― scott seward, Monday, September 21, 2015 9:01 AM (8 hours ago)
The first part of this may be true - and I suspect might've been had Taylor not responded publicly - but the second part of this makes me think that it's just maybe a teensy weensy bit possible you have no idea what you're talking about. There was significant press/buzz around the self-titled release. He sells out multi-thousand-capacity venues all over the world. People definitely care about and talk about Ryan Adams, though not as many as Taylor Swift.
I'm not here to play Cap't Save-A-Sad-Troubadour but the ignorance of RA's sound, style, stature, etc., in this thread is ... oh wait, no, it's exactly as expected.
― alpine static, Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:32 (nine years ago) link
i guess i just never hear about him.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:33 (nine years ago) link
Fair enough. :)
― alpine static, Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:34 (nine years ago) link
read the rolling stone thing today where he said he started doing it by himself with a 4-track a la Nebraska but then went into a studio instead. he also said he had no intention of releasing it and that he was just gonna make it and play it for taylor and be done with it. which i totally don't believe.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:35 (nine years ago) link
he's big in Japan
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 22 September 2015 00:35 (nine years ago) link