Brandon's Buzz

Joni Mitchell — “All I Want” (from Blue) —

After weeks of dragging our feet, A and I finally caught up with summer 2010’s it-indie-film The Kids Are All Right last evening, and while I’ll refrain from boring you with the specifics of a formal review, let it suffice to say that A thought it was terrible, and I thought that even though the script (and the film’s premise and conceit in general) was seriously underdeveloped, the performances — particularly Mark Ruffalo’s as a free-spirit restaurateur-slash-accidental dad to a pair of teenagers — were uniformly exquisite. And if you’re asking yourself what in hell any of the above has to do with the incomparable Joni Mitchell and/or with today’s drop of honey from the hive: this tune — a diamond from one of the ten most important, most influential albums in the history of ever — turns up at a pivotal place in the film, and reminded me in a flash that I don’t pay nearly enough respect to the magnificent Ms. Mitchell here on the Buzz, and that’s just not acceptable.

After a handful of bum weeks, the new release wall is cookin’ with gas this Tuesday, as pop music’s two strongest songwriters — who, quelle coinky-dink, just happen to be touring together this summer — face off against each other with thrilling new projects. ‘Bout damn time:

Handling the production reins for the first time, the peerless Ray LaMontagne reaches for a looser, more organic groove on his fourth studio album, God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise, out this week. Recorded with his backing band, now coined The Pariah Dogs, Rise continues LaMontagne’s breathtaking knack for crafting quality folk music with a sumptuous modern edge, and he even proclaimed to USA Today last week that these new tunes are among the best songs he has ever written. Pretty bold proclamation, that. (If you’re in the mood for a bit more of the magnificent LaMontagne, you should check out “Do U Wanna” — a buzzworthy track from Mike Posner‘s much-discussed debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff — which is built around a frisky sample from LaMontagne’s yearning “You Are the Best Thing.”)

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