416 - Tom Waits - Mule Variations

[csberry]

My primary knowledge of Tom Waits and his music is via his 1992 album, Bone Machine. That album was a theatrical, junkyard rock/blues album that really shook how I could envision artists musically experiment. Afterward, I found some of Tom's songs from the 70's and got an idea of how his sound had evolved through the years. Mule Variations was released this century and sounds more like a retrospective of his musical styles than a cohesive album.

Tom Waits's music fits in a spot between Leonard Cohen and the Muppets. His instrumentation on this album varies from junkyard orchestra to a single piano. His vocals range from low rasp to a distorted, gravely shout one might expect to hear from a booze-soaked guy in the alley. What I really like about the album is that no matter how the atmosphere and attitude may change from song to song, Tom always sounds true to character and not contrived.

Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Big in Japan," "Hold On," the spoken-word "What's He Building?," and "Georgia Lee"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: I wouldn't stop anyone from playing the album, but I can't say that I see myself feeling a need to hear it.