Noise Annoys column

Since my Door County column don't appear to be online, here's a copy of the latest for your reading pleasure --

Noise Annoys

While we wait for 2008 to get started musically (the record industry usually takes some time off early in the year to lick its wounds from the holiday-season crush), here are a few leftover thoughts and releases from 2007.

Emmylou Harris Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems

Of course, if there isn’t any new music to deal with for a while, you could sink yourself into this mammoth four disc collection, which – as the title promises – tracks down dozens of unissued and hard-to-find Emmylou Harris tracks that are drawn from her entire three-decade-plus career.

In some ways, Harris is a musical chameleon who can disappear into any number of styles, from aching country-western to traditional folk to alternative-tinged rock to even ‘50s-style pop music. At the same time, her music is unmistakable. Much of that comes from her singular voice, but it also draws from her very style. Harris always sounds like she’s on the edge of complete heartbreak, but also has the strength to persevere throughout whatever trouble the song may have in store for the singer. She even manages to out-Springstreen the Boss on stunning versions of “Racing in the Street” and “My Father’s House.”

Songbird is thrilling, compelling and more than a little overwhelming. It’s not a collection you can easily digest in a few listens, which makes it perfect fodder for a long winter.

Rufus Wainwright Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall

It shouldn’t be a surprise that flamboyant and decidedly “out” performer Rufus Wainwright would tackle the music of Judy Garland. This two-disc live set finds Wainwright recreating Judy’s legendary 1961 concert at the same venue. He brings along a number of special guests, including sister Martha and mother Kate McGarrigle) along with an orchestra, but the focus is truly on the singer.

Wainwright does a fine job channeling his inner Judy throughout, though he seems to have an easier handle on the moodier torch songs than the more spry musical theater staples (such as “That’s Entertainment” or “The Trolley Song”). In the end, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is exactly that – a loving tribute to an iconic artist who has inspired generations of performers. In his own way, Wainwright keeps the fabulous reign alive.

Radiohead tops the charts

There was much hand wringing late last year when Radiohead originally issued their latest album, In Rainbows, as a digital-only release. One where the purchaser could choose the price – all the way down to nothing if they chose to do so. About two-thirds of the people took that last option, with the rest paying about an average of $6 per album. A failure? Well, $2 an album isn’t a bad amount considering there were no 1) outside label costs, 2) no production costs or 3) almost no promotional costs. And the band’s decision looks even stronger now that the physical form of the disc has topped the charts in both England and the United States. Sure, it’s not a tough time to do that, but it does give the band another number 1 release, solidifies their status as one of the few “rock” bands that actually matter these days and shows there may be a new way to make music – one that doesn’t include a middleman. Considering the bone-headed actions of the mainstream music industry in recent years, that is not a bad thing at all.