ryan adams

Best of 2017: Dan’s Rainbows in the Dark Edition

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9C 2017 EOY Header Image

I know I’m far from the only person on our staff capable of writing an end-of-year Rainbows in the Dark post, but I guess I called “dibs” first? So here we are. As you may recall, I made a point to keep my 2017 metal recap strictly metal. So now that 2018’s here, we’ll take a look back at 2017-in-Non-Metal, and keep it strictly non-metal. And don’t worry, this one will be a much shorter read than the metal list. (That’s not to suggest that these aren’t as good, or are less worth of extended written rants; it’s to suggest that at this point, I’m just kinda tired of writing about music from 2017.)

One stipulation: again — despite what the title may imply — I’m not suggesting these are the Best of 2017. I can’t make that call. These are just some albums I enjoyed from outside the metal spectrum. Okay. That’s it. Let’s get started…  Continue reading →

Sunday Side-Splitter: Night Sweats

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Hello, friends, hope the hangovers are treating you well on this fine Sunday! I strangely don’t have one, despite a full day of drunken soccer-watching at Red Bull Arena yesterday–hooray for copious amounts of water consumption, I guess! Anyway, to help you through yours, here’s a new Sunday Side-Splitter to digest with your bacon and eggs–Ryan Adams’ “Night Sweats.” Check it out:

Take a second to think about what you just watched: an intentionally-low-budget-looking production (seriously, this could be a regular Tim and Eric segment if it wanted to be) of a fake metal video show, co-hosted by a model dressed in corpse paint playing a character called Balthazar. Pretty amusing in and of itself, no?

But when you factor in the source, it’s hard not to appreciate “Night Sweats” even more. Ryan Adams, as some of you probably know, is primarily an alt-country performer, and a pretty good one at that. But he’s never been shy about his appreciation for rock music, either. In addition to his country output, he’s released several records with varying degrees of heaviness over the years, on top of a terrific acoustic cover of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years.” And as “Night Sweats” shows us, he’s got a pretty strong knowledge of even heavier stuff, too–name-dropping bands like Emperor, Satyricon and Darkthrone in his playlist. (And, at one point, jokingly calling the latter “dad-rock” and suggesting they open for Train–which actually works out more amusingly than you’d think.)

All in all, “Night Sweats” is a terrific way to kill five-and-a-half minutes, and should earn Adams a horns up or two in everyone’s book. Queue it up, and enjoy the hangover!

-Dan

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.