i’m always looking for new music. the radio is kind of “meh” for the most part, but there are occasional surprises. sometimes i’ll hear a new song and thing “damn, that’s really good… i love that guitar part” and go looking for info on the band. it’s surprising how often i’ll then find a band that, either for a single song or a whole album, is working with johnny marr. there’s just something about his writing and guitar style that seems to catch my attention.
what first hooked me on the the was the dusk album. i’d heard some of the earlier singles, including stuff from mind bomb which also featured marr, but i really think dusk is where johnny just jumps out of the speakers at you. at the time i knew the name and his work with the smiths, but that was about it. soon after he parted ways with matt and i don’t think the the has been the same since. i love the rest of the the the catalog (soul mining in particular), but dusk just sticks out as being a little different from the rest and has that more distinct marr sound. a couple points: dogs of lust, love is stronger than death.
modest mouse is a band that i heard on and off in the early days, but never really got into. by the time “good news for people who love bad news” i was starting to take notice and quite enjoyed a few tracks from that album, but it was 2006’s “we were dead before the ship even sank” that really hooked me. i remember hearing dashboard for the first time and immediately loving it. super catchy guitar part, and i’m a sucker for an awesome and interesting bassline. i picked up the album and was reading the liner notes when i saw a familiar name… johnny marr. yep, there he is again.
fast forward to a few weeks ago. tivo often tapes the wedge for me. most of the time i skim through it and don’t find anything too interesting, but on this particular day we share the same skies by the cribs came on and i was again transfixed by it. i fired up wikipedia and who did i see playing guitar? yup, the ubiquitous mr marr at it again. not only that, but he considers the album that this track came from, ignore the ignorant, to be the best thing he’s done in 25 years! i like what i’ve heard so far, and the deluxe “roses edition” of the album is in the mail on its way to me now.
clearly i’ve got another artist whos catalog i need to pick up. i think the johnny marr and the healers album is next on the list…