Since Ryan Adams’ retirement from the game, there’s been a particular void in the alternative country genre.  Granted, that genre isn’t populated by a lot of artists, but there hasn’t been anyone (for me) that was as compelling or prolific as Mr. Adams.  I’m not saying that Los Angeles’ The Lonely Wild are the next Ryan Adams or not, but I am enjoying the relatively little I’ve heard from the band.  They have a dusty, yearning quality to their songs.  It’s distinctly American in nature; it feels vast and comfortable all at once, like you’ve known it all along.

The band was formed by Andrew Carroll after his previous band ended, forged around songs that he’d written that had no previous home.  Over the next couple of months the new band will be going into the studio to start recording their first releases.  They’ve already started to perform around LA under their new moniker; this weekend finds them playing alongside the likes of Voxhaul Broadcast at LA Zoo’s Local Scene.

Grab the demo version of “Dead End” here, then head over to their website and MySpace for more info on where they’re playing in the near future.  Their website has another mp3 available for download as well.  I’ll be looking forward to hearing what else the band puts together if the demos sound this good.

The Lonely Wild – Dead End (mp3)

I’m feeling somewhat introspective this morning, so I’m getting into a couple of tracks that are pretty intensely personal.  If you have no idea why they’re numbered and what the Time Remaining means, take a second to catch up on my personal take on The Project here.  Once you’re up to speed, lets get reflective:

71. Ryan Adams – So Alive (mp3) from Rock N Roll (3:58) [Time Remaining: 660:16]

If you don’t already know the story behind the release of Rock N Roll, allow me to give you a brief rundown.  It was recorded in its entirety in two weeks as an appeasement to Ryan Adams’ label after their disappointment with the tracks that would become Love Is Hell.  The album has its detractors and its devoted following – as do all of Ryan Adams’ albums.  Consider me firmly on the devoted follower side, although I’m not as firmly entrenched as others.

“So Alive” is the centerpiece of the album, to be sure.  The music is upbeat, the lyrics are much more dynamic than Ryan’s general melancholy, and listening to it feels to me like spinning in circles.  It’s a song that quite literally forces me to digest it for periods of time.  Listening to it once requires at least another 5 listens to take it all in properly.  Writing about it required a cool dozen spins to obtain a proper handle on suitable words.  This is a song that makes me want to write about music because – even having listened to it innumerable times since its release, I’m still so taken aback by how truly incredible it is.

72. We Are Scientists – This Scene Is Dead (mp3) from With Love and Squalor (3:44) [Time Remaining: 656:32]

I bought the debut from We Are Scientists on a whim after being intrigued by the serrated rock of their first single – “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt.”  The album became a bit of an obsession for me, and it dominated the soundtrack of quite a few nights of drinking that summer.  (My pal Ryan moved across the country about 3 years ago now, and he said that to this day he’s unable to listen to the album without missing that summer.)

We Are Scientists didn’t take themselves particularly seriously, and their debut made it seem as though they were just intent on having a good time with their music, and that’s subsequently all I’ve ever enjoyed it for.  It was great for driving, better for pre-gaming and ideal for drinking games – particularly 99 around our place.  This song is still tops on my drinking playlists.

The amount of music I have by Ryan Adams is ridiculous.  In fact, I could probably write an mp3 blog dedicated solely to his music and have enough material for at least a year or so.  (I won’t be doing that, in case you were wondering.)  In fact, because space on my computer is limited, I have literally 18-20 CDs of music by him that’s not immediately accessible to me on my computer.

But last night, after I turned off the Mets game out of frustration, I was scrolling through my iPod, listening for something to write about, and I came across all of my songs by Mr. Adams.  And here are two of my favorites of his extensive list of b-sides and alternates.  One you’ve heard in a different form, the other you may not have heard at all.  Who knows?  Maybe he won’t record anymore, and we’ll never hear a new song from him.  We’ll all just have to live off of compilations released by his former labels.  Let’s hope not.

Ryan Adams – La Cienega Just Smiled (The Suicide Handbook Version) (mp3)

This is a simpler, prettier version of a song I liked in its released version.  It seems a lot more sad, too.

Ryan Adams – Hypnotixed (mp3) from the UK/Japan release of Rock N Roll

Fans of Ryan Adams are divided on how good Rock N Roll actually is.  (Great album?  Or greatest album?)  I personally like the album a lot.  “So Alive” is an incredible song, and it’s worth the album’s price in and of itself.  (There are other good songs on there too, however.)  This track is one I’m surprised wasn’t on Rock N Roll, because I would put it in the Top 3 of Ryan’s from that era.  (And, yes, it’s spelled with an “x,” not “z.”)

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