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Post by kgp on Jan 19, 2005 17:13:38 GMT -5
from the ever punctual Riverfront Times: Paul Westerberg Folker (Vagrant) Jon Wilkins Published: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 While most people use their basements for washing clothes or hiding bodies, Paul Westerberg has been busy pumping out a steady stream of records from his Minneapolis subterranean studio. If you're a fan of the more bipolar ragings on Grandpaboy, you may be a bit disappointed by Folker. Clearly, Westerberg must shed the bulk of his Replacements persona in order to create something truly great. But he has taken the lo-fi hints from his alter ego and continued to deliver solid songwriting. These twelve numbers run the gamut from the heartfelt reminiscence of "My Dad" to the pure pop of "Looking Up In Heaven," the fuzzy garage rock of "Gun Shy" and the alt-country crooning of "$100 Groom." What Westerberg promised with 2002's Mono/Stereo he more than delivers, continuing the DIY ethic that has thankfully muddied his records for the past several years. There are some classic rockers like "As Far as I Know" and "What About Mine" that more than make up for some of the filler he often stumbles over, most notably the never-ending blues yammering of "23 Years Ago" and the tired satire of the record's opener, "Jingle." Not the fabled masterpiece Westerberg fans swear is coming -- this is more like finding Bigfoot than greeting the Messiah. |
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Jan 19, 2005 17:46:13 GMT -5
I'm so sick of people listing 23 years ago as a filler song. I don't think I'm alone here but I think its a touching song with some amazingly personal lyrics. And the way he sings the lyrics makes the song even more crushing. I think too many reviewers are making their comments off the first listen.
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Post by PeterCetera on Jan 19, 2005 20:25:33 GMT -5
I think the lyrics are great in 23 years ago and the song is good but needed some editing..theres something about it to me that kind of meanders but its not filler at all. Definately not. I think Westerberg would admit that $100 groom is filler but not 23 years ago. I could be way off
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Post by troublkepnyerhedup on Jan 19, 2005 21:00:14 GMT -5
I don't think I'm alone here You are not alone. Although I like the Bigfoot comment. That's a good way of rating albums ... is it like Bigfoot or not like Bigfoot? I find the lyrics devastating. Lengthy yes but not meandering to my ears. |
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Post by landshark on Jan 19, 2005 21:09:39 GMT -5
You may not be alone, but it's still a chore getting through that song. PeterCetera's right, a bit of editing would help. Maybe speed it up a bit too.
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Post by kgp on Jan 20, 2005 12:53:26 GMT -5
I find the lyrics devastating. Lengthy yes but not meandering to my ears. I agree. The only thing I would add is that it's almost a little self-indulgent. (and it seems a bit too personal for comfort). But I like the 'taken right out of real life' lyrics. |
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Post by kgp on Jan 20, 2005 12:56:08 GMT -5
By the way, that's probably the best review the Riverfront Times has given any of his albums. It always seems like they're afraid to like Paul's solo work, like they might loose their cool points.
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Post by A Regular on Jan 20, 2005 13:39:54 GMT -5
I agree. The only thing I would add is that it's almost a little self-indulgent. (and it seems a bit too personal for comfort). But I like the 'taken right out of real life' lyrics. repectfully disagree. When you sit on the back porch swapping stories they are supposed to meander around...and that is what 23 years sounds like to me. Or when you "drink and dime" (stolen from Sideways) you're supposed to ramble on... that's probably the better comparison. |
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Jan 20, 2005 13:56:52 GMT -5
repectfully disagree. When you sit on the back porch swapping stories they are supposed to meander around...and that is what 23 years sounds like to me. Or when you "drink and dime" (stolen from Sideways) you're supposed to ramble on... that's probably the better comparison. Well put. I think the song is so great because its so personal. Its heart wrenching. And I also don't think it should be sped up. I think that would take away from the emotion of the song. |
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Post by FreeRider on Jan 20, 2005 17:41:03 GMT -5
The song has sort of grown on me and it happened when I was stuck in rush hour traffic, not really paying attention to details in the song.
But still---Paul's voice could've been better on this song. Sounded like he just woke up, lit a cigarette for breakfast and then cut the song like that.
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Jan 20, 2005 17:45:30 GMT -5
The song has sort of grown on me and it happened when I was stuck in rush hour traffic, not really paying attention to details in the song. But still---Paul's voice could've been better on this song. Sounded like he just woke up, lit a cigarette for breakfast and then cut the song like that. I think the rawness of his voice works for this song. It just makes it sound more like he's pining, that he's feeling that emotion at that moment. |
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Post by FreeRider on Jan 20, 2005 22:09:27 GMT -5
Uh, yeah. Maybe it adds to the emotional content of the song. Maybe. But jeez, when I hear the song, I can't stop thinking, "clear your throat Paul! Get something to drink!"  |
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Post by butzodaddy on Jan 20, 2005 22:24:05 GMT -5
From my first listen 23' is/was my favorite of the slower darker tunes. I like the way Paul applied voice. I don't get how anyone could think of it as "filler". It's personal but I think we all identify with longing for something that could have been...
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Post by cellarfullofnoise on Jan 23, 2005 1:48:54 GMT -5
I put 23 Years Ago up there with Can't Hardly Wait and Left of the Dial ... they share a theme of long distance relationship/ communication.
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Post by GoddamnJob290 on Feb 1, 2005 17:42:54 GMT -5
When I first got the record in Septemember, I couldn't stop listening to "23 Years Ago" and "Folk Star" over and over.
I thought it was one of his all time best ballads, which made it all the more surprising that so many people didn't like it.
For what it's worth, I think it's probably the most perfect song on the record.
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Post by FirstAveFiend on Feb 1, 2005 18:59:53 GMT -5
When I first got the record in Septemember, I couldn't stop listening to "23 Years Ago" and "Folk Star" over and over. I thought it was one of his all time best ballads, which made it all the more surprising that so many people didn't like it. For what it's worth, I think it's probably the most perfect song on the record. I've listened to 23 years ago so many times because it is one of the songs you can feel the raw emotion in and yes that song is becoming my favorite on the album. That and gun shy. |
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