The Cars - Move Like This (2011)

Who sang "Bye Bye Love"?

That would be Orr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XitrgD1BPsQ

Ben Orr's lead Cars turns, grouped by albums:

Just What I needed
Bye Bye Love
Moving In Stereo
All Mixed Up

Let's Go
It's All I Can Do
Candy-O

Cruiser
This Could Be Love
Think It Over

Don't Tell Me No
Down Boys
You Wear Those Eyes
Running To You

Drive
Stranger Eyes
It's Not The Night

Double Trouble
Everything You Say
Coming Up You
Go Away

feel like i'm in an alternate universe where this was the actual follow-up to heartbeat city. doesn't actually sound "retro" or whatever but timeless. imo this isn't just a good reunion record but a good cars record period.

there's also some straight-up nu wave sock hop songs on this that wouldn't be out of place on candy-o. skinny tie music for ponying.

Orr sang a ton of songs, but the actual tone of his voice was so similar to Ocasek's that I never realized it wasn't Ocasek singing everything until a few years ago. Orr was a better singer, but Ocasek does a fine job on this album. Heard the live shows have been kind of fun and sloppy; Oakland is sold out and I can't make it anyway, but I'm hoping they come back through later in the year.

As a kid, the Who and the Cars were the first two bands that stuck out to me on rock radio, and it took me months (felt like years) to distinguish between songs sung by Daltrey and Orr and those by Townshend and Ocasek- a lot of it was that the playing is so distinct, it doesn't matter who sings. Some of it's that the melodic sense of the songwriter overshadows the delivery. And some of it must be Daltrey and Orr just liking the demos they heard.

Anyways, "Drag on Forever" is my fav here. Those couplets are like Leonard Cohen filtered through Brian Ferry. But so much here is solid. I'm still in shock that old pros could pull out something so inspired.

totally a happy surprise.

feel like i'm in an alternate universe where this was the actual follow-up to heartbeat city.

They certainly put art on the thing like it was a 1985 follow up

http://musictap.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/TheCarsMoveLikeThis.jpg

http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/s/starship/album-knee-deep-in-the-hoopla.jpg

http://s.dsimg.com/image/R-1349092-1211774944.jpeg

straight-up nu wave sock hop songs on this that wouldn't be out of place on candy-o.

Which tracks?? I dunno, I've loved the Cars since 1978, but I'm not really hearing the new one yet. Played it over the weekend, sounded okay, but I wasn't hearing anything in the neighborhood of their greatest and catchiest songs. I'll definitely go back and re-listen to any specific ones people recommend, though.

Enjoyed the short interview with Ric in the Times las weekend

He's such a curmudgeon in that interview, especially toward the end -- it was great! Plus, in the picture, he looked exactly like this even more curmudgeony and depressive animator friend of mine named John. A link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/magazine/mag-08Talk-t.html

xhuxk - the ones that are really doing it for me are "Blue Tip", "Sad Song", "Free", and "Keep on Knocking" to a lesser extent. It took me a few listens before they really clicked in, probably because I was too busy over-analyzing them the first couple of times.

i still think this is pretty okay! sixth place out of seven is not bad.

sounded okay, but I wasn't hearing anything in the neighborhood of their greatest and catchiest songs.

yeah, i suppose nothing on here really reaches those heights; i think what i was excited about was that they actually made a few songs (the first three sean mentions) that sound close enough to the type of thing that i love about the earlier stuff. probably too reactionary and the wrong way to approach music but i have needs.

also, i bought this with money! at a real store!

best buy clerk: the carters?

me: the cars

bbc:uh, what genre is that?

me: straight-up nu wave sock hop music pop/ rock i guess

that was the only copy they had in stock. now they have to order another one.