the title and opening line are from an "over the rhine" song ("what i remember most"), but ryan adams sure seems to subscribe to it. i'm not sure what it is about a heartbreakingly sad song, if it's the simple beauty, the honesty, the raw emotion, the guts to just say what & how you feel for the whole world to hear, i have no clue what it is but the great ones do it well. dylan, waits, townes and my favorites, over the rhine and cowboy junkies & ryan adams, they take you some place special with their words and music. there is something in their words, their phrasing, their music. it moves you in a strange way, to a strange place, not to sadness, it's more of a comfort, a peace, they "relate." or to quote OtR once again, it gives you a sense of "yeah, we're gonna be alright." when done properly, there's not much better, ryan adams does it properly. from his first solo effort, the brilliant "heartbreaker" to his lastest "easy tiger" and many times in between, he has mastered it.
at his best, he is one of the top two or three people making music right now, at his worst he is troubled, confused and fucked up. but regardless, whatever he is, you get the sense, for better or worse, that there is an honesty in his music and he's just throwing it all out there, almost like he can't hold it in any longer. you can take it or leave it, he's just tellin' you how it is. i thought this record was pretty damn good at first listen, and it gets better and better every play. this one's gonna stick with me for a while.
callie and zach came over after work, we grilled hamburgers and corn, had "daddy fries"(tm) and a happy birthday cookie to celebrate zach's birthday (last monday). he reached in the 'fridge and grapped a BBC american pale ale to have w/his burger. weird. callie is taking him out with her friends tonight to celebrate. i think he gonna have a helluva headache tomorrow morning.
they left and lilly and i took a long walk and gave "easy tiger" yet another listen.
"Tears of gold, tears of gold promise the rapture and heal the soul
Replacing tears of gold with music and laughter
Tears of gold, tears of gold"
~Tears of Gold | Ryan Adams | Easy Tiger
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