Dawes, "All Your Favorite Bands"
Ken's still got on that hat that says let's party
Ken’s Pitch:
“Ask anyone in California where the craziest people live and they’ll say L.A. Ask anyone in L.A. where the craziest people live and they’ll say Hollywood. Ask anyone in Hollywood where the craziest people live and they’ll say Laurel Canyon.” - Joni Mitchell
It’s hard to describe the Laurel Canyon sound, especially since it’s evolved from the early stuff like The Mamas and The Papas and Crosby, Stills, & Nash in the ‘60s, to Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne in the ‘70s, with stops along the way to pick up gems by legends like James Taylor, Carole King, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt, and Buffalo Springfield. If I had to slap a definition on it, I guess I’d call it “full band folk,” but that probably isn’t doing it justice.
In the late ‘50s and throughout the ‘60s, folk music was just as Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy wrote about in their hilarious parody, A Mighty Wind. It was a musician or a group, a couple of stools, a bunch of acoustic instruments, and lyrics that did their best to say something personal or societal. That’s obviously a bit of a stereotype, and there were certainly exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, I think that description is pretty accurate. When Dylan went electric at Newport in ‘65, it all changed. Almost overnight, folk became folk-rock and those center-stage stools were replaced with electric instruments and drum kits.
Starting in the late ‘60s, the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Hollywood became a sort of holy land for folk-rockers to make their pilgrimage. What’s great about this scene is that it simply never ended - it may have ebbed and flowed especially in the ‘80s and ‘90s - but it’s still around today, and no one is doing it better than Dawes.
In 2009, after being “discovered” (which is a terrible description because I’m sure thousands of fans knew them prior to what I am calling their discovery) by the always incredible Jonathan Wilson, Dawes’ released their first album North Hills to critical acclaim. With an airy sound, almost minimalist in instrumentation, combined with Taylor Goldsmith’s wonderfully sparse yet bright vocals, Dawes was on their way.
Six years and three albums later they would release All Your Favorite Bands, a beautiful collection defined by romance, camaraderie, and reflection. Defined by the band’s effortless harmonies and the emotional walk they take us on, it would be difficult to leave this album off any list of Laurel Canyon greats.
Opening with the gorgeous “Things Happen”, a song that certainly foreshadows the rest of the record, the band delivers honest and vulnerable lyrics that immediately allows us to relate to the band on a deep level. Goldsmith continues his storytelling with “Somewhere Along The Way” which has such a lovely little melody that you want to sing along despite the somewhat depressing story it tells. “Don’t Send Me Away” might be one of two songs that is occasionally skipable, but only because it’s a bit repetitive. The title track is one of most amazingly beautiful songs we’ve done here at EONS. It’s a dirgy anthem who’s chorus sings,
“I hope that life without a chaperone is what you thought it’d be, I hope your brother’s El Camino runs forever, I hope the world sees the same person that you’ve always been to me, and may all your favorite bands stay together.”
Even the deepest cuts are a joy, and the finale of “Now That It’s Too Late, Maria” is the perfect close to a near perfect album. I sincerely hope we find room on the shelves of the Newbury St. Collection for one of my favorite bands, and may they always stay together.
CJ’s Response:
The whole CBD thing never worked for me despite the inordinate number of people who told me it would. Aches and pains? Try CBD. Tense and anxious? CBD will fix that. Inconsistent with your short irons? The answer, of course, is CBD.
Side Note: I am absolutely killing it in the fantasy golf league to which Ken, Mitch and I belong. The irony is that I am by far the worst golfer in the group. It just goes to show you that the old adage is true: Those who can’t…are really good at betting on those who can.
I had a knee that was banged up from years of abuse on the basketball court and in a racing shell. So, I went to the local CBD store and stocked up on all the various iterations of this miracle cure. I put CBD gel under my tongue. I rubbed CBD ointment on my knee. I drank CBD-infused coffee and ate CBD-enhanced cookies.
So, what happened? Absolutely nothing. My knee still hurt. My anxiety level remained the same. And my pitching wedge continued to betray me. The best thing I could say about my CBD adventure was that it left me with a faintly pleasant sensation and little more.
It’s exactly how I felt after listening to Dawes.
I know the Laurel Canyon enclave has produced some legendary music and much of it is part of my playlists. But it’s not the kind of thing that sets the soul on fire.
There are certainly some pleasant songs on All Your Favorite Bands. “Things Happen”, “I Can’t Think About It Now” and “Right On Time” are solid efforts. On the other hand, I’m surprised Ken called out the title track. It’s got some of the dopiest lyrics on the album. “I hope your brother’s El Camino runs forever.”
Why? Is he your ride to work?
It’s cuts like this which remind me of the worst parts of Jackson Browne and the regular parts of Jamey Johnson (cheap shot, I’ll admit.) And yet, people swear by it. Maybe there’s something out there that would help me enjoy it. You know, really appreciate it the way others do.
Nah, there’s not enough CBD in the world.
Pitch Failed (Let me know if you need any help setting your fantasy golf lineup)
Mitch’s Response:
Well that was predictable.
Is anyone surprised to learn that Ken loves Laurel Canyon-inspired folk-rock and that CJ finds it pleasantly boring?
Let’s take some inspiration from the Dawes album that preceded All Your Favorite Bands and go ”just beneath the surface” and analyze what’s really going on here. It seems to me that CJ connects with music on a physical level. He likes albums that move him viscerally, and Dawes is probably just a little too restrained to grab him. Ken connects with albums on an intellectual level, always looking for meaning and substance, and his pitch reflects that perspective, placing a modern band in the context of the old music that he loves so much. For me, I want music to tell it to my heart (just like my old drinking buddy Taylor Dayne) and Taylor Goldsmith - gibberish lyrics about novelty cars aside - always delivers, especially on this truly fantastic album.
I’m a melody guy and Taylor’s vocal melodies on this album are absolutely incredible (just like another great vocal melodist named Jamey Johnson.) I won’t bother listing songs because there’s not a runt in the litter (okay, “Waiting for Your Call”, “All Your Favorite Bands” and “Now That It’s Too Late, Maria” are the best of the best). Not including the (consistently excellent) albums I’ve pitched, this is my favorite album we’ve covered, along with Tom Petty’s Wildflowers. I saw Dawes on this tour and I’m with Ken - this is a stellar example of a modern take on the Laurel Canyon vibe - the kindest of the kind.
Speaking of, CBD is the most effective fake drug ever invented - it convinced a bunch of squares to legalize weed everywhere. And all folkies eventually plug-in because they realize they got into the business to get laid, not to impress a bunch of smelly communists in the basement of a coffeehouse. In this case, Dawes puts out a rock album and Taylor immediately starts dating Mandy Moore, following the iconic example of another short Jewish folkie from the ‘60s.
Pitch Successful (Talor Gooch is a really good fantasy golf pick)
Ken’s pitch didn’t echo through the canyon, and Dawes’ All Your Favorite Bands has been exiled from Newbury St.
Things happen, and most people can roll with the punches, so give me time to be completely honest and let us know in the comments section if Dawes’ All Your Favorite Bands give you a little bit of everything, or if you want to send it away.
Please join us next week as CJ trades in his poncho (a real poncho, not a Sears poncho) for a leather jacket, with a lively pitch for Ramones’ Ramones.
The Exile on Newbury St. Spotify playlist features our favorite songs from all the albums we’ve discussed to date. Subscribe today and listen back on the fun we’ve had so far.
Yeah, this is a good album Not as great as Tom Petty's Wildflowers, but for some reason it sounds really nice in regular rotation with Wildflowers. Dawes have plenty of pleasant easy listening songs spread across all their albums. I always look forward to new music from them as they seem to tie things together nicely. But this is the album I reach for when I want some Dawes.
"Things Happen" was (kinda) in heavy rotation on The Current for a little bit, but otherwise, this record was all new for me. I landed somewhere between Ken and CJ; I really dug "I Can't think About it Now." It feels like it would be at home on a Fleetwood Mac album. The melodies were nice too, but I'm at work, and that means Taylor was competing with a couple of different work radios I monitor.
I missed the El Camino line, but I'm rooting for it to keep running/driving on principle- they're a dying breed, and rare in places where roads are made of salt 8 mos./year.