Steve wrote a while back about how some of the best rock today is country. With that in mind I listened to the new Lydia Loveless EP and was not impressed. A pop move, it has some rock and country sounds, but it sounds crafted for the radio.
But tonight, when I called up Google Music All Access, her last album, Indestructible Machine, was in the queue. For some reason I played it and there’s a world of difference. The first song on side one is called Bad Way to Go and it is one of a bunch of drinking and drinking some more songs, and not always regretting how things worked out. On YouTube I couldn’t find performances of any of the songs with the album arrangements, but I did find this live performance at SXSW from a few years back of the second song, Can’t Change Me.
Not as hot as the album version, and not a perfect song, but very driven and likeable. And the guitarist is sharp.
There are a lot of references on Indestructible Machine (Can’t Change Me uses the ringing guitar sound from London Calling, though I think that was actually originally on a Blue Oyster Cult song, but she doesn’t appear to be aping anyone. And with the hard guitar and drum attack she reminded me some of Chrissie Hynde (with less melody). On other songs though, when the country sound played fast peeks through she reminded me most of Exene Cervenka and the music she made with the Original Sinners.
Country coming from a different place.