Vinyl Mine

You Are My Happiness, Now

2012-03-03T09:55:00.002-05:00

Here's some of the tunes I've been listening to lately

"White Hot Gun" - The Phantom Family Halo - sick, violent and deranged no-fi masterpiece from Kentucky band reminiscent of the Touch & Go era - Laughing Hyenas, Killdozer, older Butthole Surfers.

"Look to the Side" - Otis Taylor - a different type of cut from the master bluesman's latest record, this could have been written by Radiohead. That said, it bespeaks a common blues theme, the lost traveller trying to find his way home. Question is, is the singer alive or singing as a ghostly memory to his loved ones? Makes me wonder what it would sound like if Otis teamed up with Richard Russell for his next record.

"As Long As" - Thom Hell - McCartney-ish lite-rock tune from under-rated pop craftsman's latest.

"Hood" - Perfume Genius - Not sure exactly where I stand with Perfume Genius. The entire album takes a patient listen with a few moments of greatness and a number of moments of meandering. This is the "single" from boy somewhat like Antony and the Johnsons without the yodeling and more piano. Worth further watching to see what he comes up with next. Or is this his statement?

"Furry Skin" - Boho Dancer - just what we need - another forest waif spinning stories about magical sex in the woods betwixt man and animal. But this features a nice drum track and good folk vocals alongside a nice bass hook.

"Origins" - Tennis - didn't like the debut record and don't really like the rest of this new album but this is a great pop song worthy of a few plays throughout your lifetime. Has a great buzzy guitar hook, Carole King piano staccato chords setting the rhythm and even though I have no idea what she's singing about, it's probably something interesting.

"Scavenger" - Zig Zags - psyche/metal/punk smashterpiece single from LA combo. Love how it bottoms out 2/3 through and brings it back. Makes me air drum in my car.

"Go Ego" - Eight and a Half - blippy, blappy glitch tune from Stills/BSS cabal. Kinda reminds me of Postal Service but less electronic but a little more chilly.

"Sunday Calling" - Teen Age Kick - Simpleton pop-punk Richman-like raver - guitar, keyboards, bass and drums simply recorded and played but overly self-conscious about it like, say, a "K" band.

"Sweet Sour" - Band of Skulls - 'member when unenlightened stoners would sing songs about how they dig girls who are essentially damaged bitches - "sour by the minute and but cha sweetah by the hour" ---- made for some great stupid rock tunes. This is the type of shit the USAF Rock Band can never play (or write).

Popular Baby Delusions

2012-02-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

Let's get right to the pick of the weeks of the century! All links are to Spotify. Get it, get premium, get the mobile app and then get Tomahawk and listen to Soundcloud and Spotify from the same player on your Mac or PC. You will not go back.

"Black Current - Rachel Sermanni" - Yeah, just what we need - another Kate Bushy / Vashti Bunyon type plying songs about dreams but damn it, can't get this out of the heavy rotation until it makes its mysteries clear to me. Beautiful arrangement of strings, percussion, nylon string guitar (guess) and Ms. Sermanni's fairy princess voice.

"Severus and Stone - Radical Face" - Reminds me much of the Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby that came out of the same NC folk cloud that produced Wye Oak (for better or worse). This song even has a short story attached to it in case you don't get that it's really a chilling ghost story of two brothers.

"Smoke in the Desert, Eating the Sand, Hide in the Grass" - Envelopes. For some weird reason Spotify identifies the band name as BRILDB107DLX, which would be a cool name if they decide to change. And actually, they do change from their previous album (Demon) which sounded more VU'ish. Here, they shed the whole "I'll Be Your Mirror" vibe and are rocking with their tiny French cocks out. Even that doesn't diminish from the awesomeness of this track which comes off their longer player, Here Comes The Wind. They should get Spotify to fix this name FUBAR.

"Pa Que Vives" - Davila 666. If Envelopes are rocking with their thang out, Davila 666 rocks with their middle fingers extended. Can't understand a thing they are saying but the noise is just as glorious in their Puerto Rican garages as any others around this small world.

"Amber" - Labryinth Ear. Superlative dream chill track from the English electronic duo's Apparitions EP.

"Wow Wave Cinema" - Unicycle Loves You - Buzzy midwest trio that sort of remind me of Pavement. Their fronting something else as the single from their album but this oughta be at least the next one.

"Murder1" - Wazu. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to blame MGMT for the wave of electronic duos once they start putting out shitty music. But this ain't one band to throw a tantrum over and makes me rethink the notion that this whole two-person electronic gadget / laptop group is more than just a passing phaze. Excellent first outing (Wavu EP available everywhere and nowhere now).

"Little Things" - Experimental Pop Band. The single off of EPB's latest makes me wish it was a big fluffy pillow I could puff up and lay my head on it. More pop like this, please.

Sunglasses at Night, I don't need Light

2012-02-19T15:04:00.002-05:00

So before I get started - two comments so far about Spotify.

First, to Spotify - please fix your applications. They shouldn't crash so often. This is your lifeblood - even if you have to lose money at it, get your programming talent on it or you will bleed off users. Spotify, you need to REALLY improve the social networking capability, it's more than just interfacing with Facebook and being able to spam someone with songs, which I pity the poor mp3 bloggers once the promotion guys get their spotify user name! Add things like "trophy rooms", skins, stuff users and fans can create and invite their friends to look at.

Second to all the bands, especially those who don't put their music up on Spotify (or RDIO). Forget it, it's too late. ACTA/SOPA/whatever ain't gonna save you. You are missing a great opportunity with Spotify. The APP development capability should be exploited by bands and labels. Think about it - you can make an app that provides bonuses to your users if they buy merch. For instance, I buy a t-shirt and I get a new skin or I get something like a sticker or trophy (and ). What if you get a trophy if you listen to the entire output of an artist. Or a buck off the vinyl album - which you buy through the spotify interface direct to your merchandiser site. The possibilities right now are endless. The first band or label to do this is going ride the first wave in.

Now, onto the tunes of the week. These come from my current "Heavy Rotation" list.

"Orange Blossom" - Gardens & Villa. Although I guess the big song off this is "Black Hills", I really like this one much better. It's got a slow jam, e-drum feel to it but doesn't sound dated at all. The singing is great as well.

"A New Town" - Field Music - A great song off this new album called Plumb. Has a sort of soul feel to it with a great 80 funk bass line. There's also a water pipe played by a percussionist I suppose. It's there in the background and gets a solo in the final seconds. A new town is not enough. There's some other nice cuts on this album I may get to.

"Just A Song About Ping Pong" - Operator Please - Fast snot punk, well recorded, not much else to read into it except that it's just a song about ping pong. We need more songs about ping pong.

"Caught Me Thinkin - Bahamas- This is another slow-ish jam. Bahamas kind of lives up to its name. You expect this light pop to be playing at some beach dive - perhaps New Jersey because the lead up to the bridge has a sort of Philly Soul chord progression. Nice almost plucked guitar hook enlivens the lead-in to the verses.

"American Daydream" - Electric Guest - the second cut I like from this four song EP(? - at least from what I can tell). Another smooth pop thang with an extra slinky chorus, fat, wet snare sound. Love it.

"Cool Bitch" - Trevor Childs - while girls write songs about how guys are jerks around them, guys write songs idealizing the women they then ignore/belittle/cheat on. This has also been mashed up to some Miami Vice cuts so gives you an idea of what to expect.

Arder / Bailar - Tigres Leones - this is the a-side of a single from this Spanish band. It's kind of simple and lo-fi but has mucho spirito and reminds me of stuff I used to do in the '80s.

"Jealous" - The Super Orchestra - Majestic teen-weeper with a creepy stalkerish vibe and musical climaxes - everything but the key change - "If I can't make you want me / I'll make you look at me"... well hopefully whomever is the object of the song-writers affections has heard this song at least.

"This Is Not A Song" - Islands - Clever, sad-alt broken-hearts club song sung with typical perfection by Nic Thorburn. Comes from their new album. This is the song that the girl puts her feet on top of your shoes and you dance real slow.

River Boat - The Soft Hills - Alt-folk with what sounds like a found Moog doing the dirty work of providing a verse answering song hook. More saddy sad musik - what is wrong with me this week?

And Then She Walks Away - Good Shoes. Not usually fan of the pop-punk sound and almost put this album into the do-not-listen-anymore pile and then this number comes up and kind of redeems them (rest of the album still is kinda shitt...er not to my liking). But this rocks alright even if lawyers from The Strokes might want to investigate theft of their sound.

My Soldier - Highasakite. Norway chick who is a cross between K. Bush and Bjork and takes her name, I guess, from Blister in the Sun or maybe that Nickie Minaj song, haha. As you might surmise, this is a song from a girl to her soldier. Again, SAD. Didn't even know Norway had an Army. Love the brittle recording/producing approach to this song. It's almost like the aural equivalent of creme brulee.

Just Getting Started

2012-02-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

More best songs of the moment...

Seven Stars - Air - While the whole concept album kind of drags, this cut stands on its own quite well as a sort of Floydian/Ziggy ode to rocketcraft.

Sick - The Twilight Sad - A love song apparently sung to a dying person, you can't get more depressing than this. Lovely drum track that builds through the song. Sounds similar to that one Radiohead song that I can stand.

Ready On The Line - Big Sir - Electro-bleep-blap chill folk pop about getting high, I guess. Singer maintains icey demeanor until the final second when she finally lets loose with a releasing scream.

Hey Joe - Liz Green - Liverpudian folkstress does her take classic blues song accompanied by guitar, mallet cymbal, strings and brass.

In My Life - Roberta Flack - The pre-eminent septuagenarian song interpreter does a collection of Beatles songs the same week that Macca releases his piss-take on old standards. This bossa-nova crossed with Steve Wonder (minus the overbearing keyboards) version brings new life to a moldy oldie.

Can I get a God damn amen?

2012-02-08T20:11:00.001-05:00

And number one with a bullet today...

Sweet Tooth Bird - Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny. Destined to be a rockestra masterpiece, kinda of reminds me of how I felt with early Fiery Furnaces before they got boring. Ms. Houghton should have quite a future ahead of her and we (meaning, you know, just me...) all anticipate her upcoming album. Also check out her Liliputt single from 2011.

Also peaking in the playlist

Bullet in the Gun - The Delorentos - Pouges / Springsteen / Walkmen / Hold Steady amalgamation kind of sounds bad at first read but for some reason works in this pub anthem. Sing along, I'm gonna.

Cry, Cry, Crow - The Pines. Have loved this group since 2009 and glad they haven't mershed out like Great Lake Swimmers. This fine bit of folk gothic follows the archetypal lost gentleman through the Styxian agricultural landscape and would make a great addition to the soundtrack for American Gods if it really is going to get made.

Deadbeat - Lightning Love. What was I saying yesterday about how we probably wouldn't get good new pop music if 20-something girls didn't fall in love with louses. Think of this as the sequel to "Johnny, Are You Queer?"

The illusion of safety

2012-02-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't the world be great if this illusion of safety is only broken long AFTER a child, say, learns about Santa Claus?

Too Much Blood - Howler - it's got a Mersey-beat drum kick, a table-saw reverb-drenched guitar and a Oooh-wa-wa chorus providing the hook. Not much more to be asked for in one song.

Puts Me To Work - Cate le Bon - Another one of Vashti's grandnieces.

No Matter What You Say - Imperial Teen - Pure pop for the now teen - another cut from a great little LP.

Stay Useless - Cloud Nothings - Yes, I'm jumping on the Cloud N. bus as long as it doesn't stray too far into GoodCharlotte land and sticks with shit like this, hell yes.

La Grande - Laura Gibson - The title track from her Applachia-gothic album this one borrows some techniques from Cocorosie without getting into stinky finger land.

Goliath - Kithkin - While there's something about the vocalist that annoys me (too much, I dunno, Hutchence), the ensemble is incredibly good here and arrangement of this song make it worth sticking into my personal top 40.

"You know what breaking legs sounds like?"

2012-02-06T18:31:00.003-05:00

"Branches snapping."

And so onto the songs of the day... all song links are to Spotify. If your song isn't on Spotify, I don't review it.

Gas and Matches - Deerhoof/David Bazan - This odd pairing of the Pedro singer with what is essentially the rhythm section from Deerhoof allows us to see both of the artists in a new light. Deerhoof sounds more conventional and Bazan sounds less so. While most folks focus on the A-side of this single, I found the flip to be much better - a menacing (and since when has Deerhoof sounded menacing?) 7/4 cut with Bazan's growly voice and Saunier's solid drumming (replete with ride cymbal crashes) and (I assume) Cohen's stalkerish bass.

Chair - Big Deal - What would pop-music be without 20-something's love issues? I guess writing a song about your problems is cheaper than Couples Therapy at least until ObamaCare kicks in. With just female-male vocals (mostly female) and a electrified guitar, Big Deal craft a perfect pop song about a girl who thinks her boyfriend just wants her to sit on a chair and sing along to his songs.

Big Mistake - Anthony Green - This is from Anthony Green's solo album and is his perfect storm - that is where is high pitched vocals are in tune, the instruments are slamming and the underlying guitar riff strings you up in whatever Pennsylvanian forest birthed this creature. It's not the single from the record which is a big mistake in my eyes (and ears).

Put Me To Sleep - Porcelain Raft - Been cherry-picking off this album since it came out. While Porcelain Raft is lazily described as "Dream Pop" I find this cut more like Insomnia Pop both in name and the unsettling twitchy beat and slightly faster tempo than usual. It isn't until the last 30 seconds that it seems to resolve itself and the singer appears to be on his way to the Land of Nod.

I'm His Girl - Friends - This is a silly, slinky song but I can't bear to see it taken off the playlist. With an 80's New Wave detached female vocalist who even does a Debby Harry like rap here and there, the plucky song about (I guess) post-post-feminist and modern day boyf-girlf relations wastes not a beat to keep things moving. You can almost visualize the grainy black and white video of hipsters walking down NYC alleys with heavy eye-shadow and Vulcan-like demeanor.

Love Like Rain - Cardinal - How many touchpoints to the Beatles can one put in a song (title, lyrics, song, riffs, recording style) and still stand alone as a single from a what's turning out to be a pretty great little comeback record.

Finding a Place in the World

2012-02-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

More songs from my heavy rotation playlist:

Seed, Crop, Harvest - Prinzhorn Dance School - Minimalism isn't always my bag but these guys know how to build a song. I might even go so far as to say that Wire has some competition. There are several gems on their 2012 album Clay Class. This one has been around awhile but is worth digging into agin.

Usurper - Prinzhorn Dance School - Following in the same lyrical tradition of Harry Chapin's "Father and Son" but with a slightly more insistent and forward bent. A son sings to his father to get out of the way while many years previous the father sings to his baby boy that he knows that the son is his "replacement" and a symbol of his mortality. That all said, like Seed, Crop, Harvest, this one features some exciting singing and guitar even while the bass/drums which come in and out of the mix are on a loop.

Darkness - Leonard Cohen. I was kind of expecting something more, lifechanging(?) big(?), er. from Cohen's new album. Dunno why - it's just that it might be his final statement and all given his advancement of years (too soon!). So after listening to the entire thing, I kept on coming back to this cut - perhaps because it is sort of the song we expect from a bitter old man facing his last few years. Why not give a massive f.u. one more time to the one that broke his heart? Like Dylan in his latter years, Cohen is using standard chord progressions - this is clearly I-IV-V blues (why do you think the LP is called Old Ideas) - but the arrangement which mixes in piano, organ, rhythm section, backup singers providing woo-woos and echoed lyrics and Cohen's ever-more gravelly voice just pulls you in. From Old Ideas.

Thirteen - Albert Hammond, Jr. I'll forgive the drum machine and the stock arrangement as it seems almost like a throw-off someone put together for a benefit album. But I like it despite all that. Plus it's by the son of the guy who wrote "It Never Rains in Southern California" - it's almost like some sort of circle has been connected. This comes off the Lunchbox Fund benefit album which also includes a twee cover of We're Going To Be Friends by Bright Eyes.

F U C-3PO - Zammuto. This is a Books side proj. that has picked up blog buzz and now that the EP (Idiom Wind) is out, we can see that at least for this cut the fuss is worth it. This is a treat for the headphone, a sort of modern day Traffic song about ill-mannered robots and the humans who their "acid tongues."

Seahorse for Dragon - Hyperpotamus. A capella indie rock. I wouldn't have believed it could be pulled off but by damn, this here One Man Glee Club does it all and more. I'm afraid to listen to the rest of the LP (just-released Delta) as I wonder if it will wear out its welcome as a gimmick but I suspect it won't if I time it right (late night, 'haps?). I see a considerable future in vocal arranging if the band doesn't pan out. A beaut, don't pass it by.

Lilacs - Lilacs & Champagne. Another spin-off, this time from the guys behind Grails so you know you gotta at least sample it if you treasure the proper health and maintenance of your ears. What it is, I'm not really sure... what it sounds like is a kind of a dirty ambient groove, chill e-drums and an arrangement that snakes around a single verse before slinking away.

New Music for the Tired People

2012-02-03T17:26:00.000-05:00

Annnnd I'm back.

Yayyy!

For M - Vegomatic - There's a familiar classical piano riff riding on top of this meeeestereeeeussss 3/4 waltz from Vegomatic's latest LP. A voice speaking an unknown foriegn language delivers a message but it's not for me or you, it's for "M".

Time is Not - Laura Gibson - I was content with just the title track from Ms. Gibson's La Grande and maybe the flip side of her web single (a cover of In the Pines) so it's a pleasant development that there's another track on the album worth more than one listen. Like the rest of the album, the background/backing band is produced to give that eerie sorta Cocorosie, sorta Low Anthem feel while enhancing the overall effect of Ms. Gibson's song and vocal timbre.

Major - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - While on one hand I'm thinking they are for the vast horde of people with the one or two brain cells available to appreciate, say, the Black-Eyed Peas, the AGT are still a delightful listen at least for now. The pop funk music is happily under-produced which gives it if not a lo-fi pop feel a sort of throwback to the 70's but with a Aughties "Let's Dance Bitches" sneer. Extra points for the snappy horn arrangement. "Dis is wot u get!" Via the just-released Out of Frequency LP.

Festejo - Novalima - I'm a big fan of Latin and especially Peruvian percussion in my "other life" as a soft pro drummer so this has both sentimental personal appeal but for those wanting to add some crossover contempo Andean music to atone for their rockist ways, give it a try. From the recently released Karimba album.

The Storm - Pepe Deluxe - What if someone wrote the greatest early 70's rock opera ever mixing elements of rock, classical, prog, pop, surf and even hillbilly stomp and then it got lost to the ages. This would have been the Opening/Overture. From the recently released Queen of the Wave album.

A Night And A Day - Pepe Deluxe - Late 60's style acid rock funk also from Queen of the Wave. Even the instrumentation and recording techniques hew back to that era - fuzzy guitar, Edgar Winter screams, Moogs and analog processing.

Last To Know - Imperial Teen - While this is probably aimed at younger demo than yours truly, but I like the two-step garagey verse, the trippy bridge and the hooky accusatory refrain "Were you the last to know?" This comes from the brand-spanking new album Feel the Sound. (Smell my finger, too)

Friends of Friends - Hospitality - This comes off the self-titled LP that came out last week. I'm actually kind of shocked how much I like this record and I've already cycled through two other songs from it. This one, like those others, both manages expectations one might have of NYC-based girly pop and breaks them. Really, I'm shocked that I'm thinking this is one of the early contenders for better albums of the year.

Funny Girl - PacificUV - And finally I leave you with this cut that almost didn't make the list. It took me several listens to come to the conclusion that this bears further consideration. I normally don't like smug English-y (ok, kavalierbariton) singers but there's a certain appeal to the misery that one little girl can provide a boy songwriter so might as well wallow in it with him. From the just released Weekends.

Hello Vinyl Mine readers. All one of you (me, of course).

As you can tell, I am only providing Spotify links. This solves my fears caused by DCMA and more recently the SOPA/PIPA imbroglio.

If you don't have Spotify or Rdio and love music you are a either a pretty stupid person who shouldn't be reading this or a pure audiophile snob who can tell the difference between 320 bps and CD sound.

While I'll still buy vinyl, the Spotify Unlimited service with its iPhone app has made my previous life as Mp3 downloader tons more easier and guilt-free. It also makes me a much better informed vinyl addict and I no longer have to take a flier on something I haven't heard all the way through.

If you are on Spotify, let me know so I can add you because God knows I need new friends.

Mass Tango Redux

2010-04-10T16:52:00.000-04:00

You request, we respond.

"Dreaming of Jane" - Mass Tango

Kick Back not Kick Ass

2010-03-20T00:12:00.000-04:00

http://www.gnomonsong.com/michaelhurley/"Wildegeeses" - from Michael Hurley on the Ida con Snock LP

Most relevant song of our times

2010-03-05T11:10:00.001-05:00

Raptor in the woods

by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

Did you hear that did you hear it?
Yikes! I think it's over there.
It's a monster. It's the wind.
Does the wind have lots of hair?
Can a dinosaur be hairy?
Stop! We'll never get some sleep.
It's the wind, there's nothing scary.
Look! A prehistoric sheep!

Chorus:
Is that a raptor in the woods
The Loch Ness Monster swimming by
Something's made off with our goods
That must be Bigfoot just outside
Wait! There's a simple explanation.
It's just our imagination.
Things that scare us in the night.
Just seem funny when it's light.
Right? Right. Right. Right.
Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight.

Did you see that did you see it?
Giant shadows in the trees
It's a wombat. What's a wombat?
No, I think it's killer bees
No it's worse. It's from the iceage
Something time has left behind
It's a giant pterodactyl, with a little puny mind

Chorus

You guys, you've heard my explanation,
It's just our imagination.
Who's around and hold me tight.
Just don't let the bedbugs bite
Right? Right. Right. Right. Goodnight.

But if I don't make it, give my goldfish to my twin.
I don't want your goldfish.
But you're my next of kin.
Sometimes you can't win.

Wait! I know the explanation.
It's not imagination.
Arm yourself it's time to fight
or let's book ourselves a flight
Right? Right. Right? Right. Right? Right. Right?

Chorus

By popular request: Vox Pop

2010-02-19T22:31:00.002-05:00

I've had a request to repost the Vox Pop Mp3s from one of this blog's more popular posts on "The Man The Myth The Volume"

Done!

"Production" -

"Procession" -

"Become a Pagan" -

So... any other old posts I should reactivate? Given the current anti-Mp3 blog environment on blobspot, I'll make a decision based on whether the songs are available anywhere else... from what I can tell Vox Pop is not available generally anywhere else.

Happy VD (day)

2010-02-14T20:58:00.003-05:00

Yeah, just emerging from the murk that is life in the Tennies to DJ you a great cut from that ol' psyche band Mooseheart Faith for those who still have that mooseheart faith somehwere deep in the core of their bones. yeah, it's random....(and sorry Mooseheart for not getting your permission but here's their site, go buy their shit if you can find it). I do find it quite funny that Firedoglake still links to me. Thanks Jane, you are the coolest chick on earth.

"Golden Light" - Mooseheart Faith

Gil-Scott Heron covering Smog

2010-01-12T13:52:00.002-05:00

Update: This song available free on Insound's Jan '10 Mixtape

Happy Fucking Holidays - Here's Your Shit, Now Get Outta Here

2009-12-24T12:25:00.002-05:00

It being the holidays and given that its a tradition at so-called MP3 blogs to give shit away that isn't ours, I thought I would be no different.

Here is a ringtone from New Times Viking's free promotional MP3 from their most excellent recent digital, uh, 7" - "Call & Respond" - the ringtone is renamed just "Call Respond"

Jack Rose - some downloads

2009-12-20T19:26:00.003-05:00

Silver Currant blog has a 2009 Jack Rose live show for download

And there are some links to Jack's favorite Raga, upcoming release news and tributes sites on Ilx's I Love Music Board

"Which Of You Assholes Ate Christmas!"

2009-12-19T23:20:00.002-05:00

DES ARK + PYGMY LUSH recorded in September 2009

http://desark.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/new-song-which-of-you-assholes-ate-christmas/

Blog about Jenny Mae and the late Jerry Wick (Gaunt)

2009-12-19T19:46:00.004-05:00

Bela Koe-Krompecher started a blog about his life with Jerry Wick from Gaunt and Jenny Mae (There's a Bar Around the Corner Assholes). via http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=505

My Faves of '09

2009-12-19T16:09:00.006-05:00

As if you all care... I mean I got delisted from Hype Machine in 2009 and posted maybe 20 times total but hey I'm still here and you know gosh-darn-it I still care.

Fave albums - these are selected as stuff I like to listen all the way through, in order and not get tired and then do it again... the songs hang together -- that's why they call them albums or something like that:

Embryonic / The Flaming Lips (psyche headphone masterpiece)
Transmissions from Sinai / Various Artists (nice collection of art doom metal)
For the World To See / Death (literally retro Detroit I-spit-on-you rock)
Summer of Hate / Crocodiles (the album NTV should have done)
Horehound / The Dead Weather (surprised me, too)

Honorable mention (because not all the songs work): Dark Was The Night compilation album & Steve Earle's cover album of Townes van Zandt songs

Most Over-rated: Grizzly Bear's album that starts with a V

My fave songs tended more towards poppy shit than my fave albums did. Most of these artists had so-so albums lightened up by these great songs and alot of these songs can be found online easily:

"Now We Can See" - The Thermals (pictured above)
"I Don't Feel So Happy Now" - Personal and the Pizzas
"Angela" - Jarvis Cocker
"Pine On" - the Obits
"Home" - Edward Sharpe
"They Done Wrong / We Done Wrong" - White Rabbits
"My Only Offer" - Mates of State
"The End is Near" - Fiery Furnaces
"My Friend" - Bill Callahan
"In Our Talons" - The Bowerbirds

Honorable mention: "Wet Wings" - Dan Deacon (I'm so not on this guy's wagon but this experiment worked well on a mix-tape I made)

Favorite Shows I Played or Saw:

Pygmy Lush (picture above) at MacRock, Harrisonburg VA (guys blew me away with both their electric and acoustic set)
Whatever Brains at MacRock, Harrisonburg VA (insane set)
Vetiver at Iota, Arlington VA
Soft Power at Black Cat, Washington DC
Parade (me on drums) at St. Marks' Church in DC (loved doing this show about Leo Frank and The South)

Most over-rated: The XX on Carson Daly - whatta bunch of moronic deadbeats!

Versus / Soft Power at Black Cat DC 12/12/09

2009-12-13T10:34:00.003-05:00

let's get technical

Soft Power | MySpace Music Videos

Soft Power is sort of a late 80's "Underground" power / art / guitar band - Nice Strong Arm, Music From Elba, late 80's Sonic Youth but as if rewritten by some German art rock band from the early 80's. The band is fronted by the guitarist and guitarist/bassist who offer male/female vocal tradeoffs on the songs. The drummer ties this band together - innovative beats and knows the songs better than the others. There's a keyboardist who generally provides background with occasional riffs thrown in - I kind of like it when the keyboardist knows how to take the backseat.

The band does some interesting stuff with odd measures. I counted one songs that appeared to be in 15/8 and another that veered from 6/8 to 4/4. The drummer never stumbled on any of this. A band to continue to watch over the next few months.

Versus are a mid-90's to late 90's Teen Beat/Merge who (I think) were once local to DC but now live in Brooklyn and aren't really a "functioning" (touring) band anymore but are putting together a new set of songs. They've got guitar, bass, violin/keyboardist, drummer. They added a fifth member halfway through the set - I think he was covering bass but couldn't really see from my vantage point.

The pros for this band is that half their tunes are an interesting take on post-punk - where the "punk" part is defined as garage punk (so I guess its post-garage punk). These songs (and I can't name them) shimmer and throw in exciting twists at the genre. Richard Balyut (the nerdy lead), while not exactly a likable prescense onstage, does best when he's mixing/harmonizing vocals with the competent female bassist (Fountaine Topps?).

However, the other half of their stuff seems too 90's indie rock and antiquated. The thing is I don't know enough about their music to tell whether this was the old stuff or the new stuff. I'm thinking it was the old stuff I didn't like.

The problem with this band is the drummer. He doesn't know the meaning of loosen up. A kid playing pots and pan in the kitchen plays with infinitely more joy and ease than he does. It's in the wrists man - feel the beat, be the beat, it's like you are trying to hunt and kill the beat. Being as the drummer is the lead's brother I don't see them changing up anytime soon.

Like I implied above, I didn't really "get" the lead singer. He's kind of a nerd who thinks he's cool and I just find that, well, annoying to watch onstage (I don't like Carrot Top either). Judging from my +/- CD collection, Richard Balyut may be better suited for studio work than live appearances.

Jack Rose - 1971 - 2009 RIP

2009-12-06T11:35:00.005-05:00

More sad news:

Jack Rose, a renowned Philadelphia-based acoustic guitarist, has died of a heart attack at 38, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.

Rose was born in Virginia in 1971. His professional musical career began in the Richmond noise band Pelt, which formed in 1993. But Rose is best known for his solo work, which he began recording in the early 2000s, releasing numerous EPs and LPs on a number of different labels, most frequently VHF.

http://klang.org/stories/219-1971-2009

Pelt - "Deep Sunny South"

Al Alberts RIP

2009-12-05T17:33:00.003-05:00

Just was squeezin' out a log in the water cabinet, reading this week's EW and come across the sad, sad news that Philadelphia's Uncle Al Alberts has succumbed. This is indeed the capstone of celebrity deaths this year for me!

As anyone who grew up in the 70's in Philadelphia and watched too much TV, Mr. Alberts curated a weekly show of proto-Jon Benets and 8 year old boys in suits, with spit-coiffed hair, trained to sing like Frank Sinatra. Mr. Alberts and his wife were sort of the local Jim and Tammy Faye except their religion was 30s and 40s show tunes and standards. Hosted on the twisted WFIL Channel 6 (which also featured the perennially sloshed Sally Starr, the ambiguously gay Gene London and legendary sky divin' anchorman Jim O'Brien), Mr. Alberts was just as freakish as the little kidults he hosted every week. Paul Begala could only wish to have his forehead topped by the Conway Twitty style hair apostrophe.

Despite all this, perhaps Mr. Alberts will (hopefully) be fondly recognized not for his Phillie freakshow but as one of the Four Aces whose graceful male harmonies soothe us even to this day.

Love Is A Many-Splendored Thin...

Stranger In Paradise - The Fou...

Image found at http://www.singers.com/jazz/vintage/fouraces.html

CORRECTION: Gene London was on WCAU Philadelphia (the CBS channel). As Wikipedia notes: "Early programs began with Gene London opening the door of his General Store and flipping the sign to read "Open for Business." As the kids passed by Gene, he palmed the tops of their heads and sang the opening theme song."

Arms - "Kids Aflame"

2009-12-04T18:43:00.004-05:00

ARMS (Todd Goldstein) photo by Elizabeth Weinberg, June 09

This is lo-fi bedroom closet pop at its best - vocal harmonies mixed with banjo and finger snaps all fronted by a Neil Youngish nearly breaking vocals whining "They lie, they lie to your face / you were in love / you were on your way." The band does shows so there must be a band as well and not just a multi-tracking gargoyle behind this.

Group/project called Arms who released an LP this year that was massively and unfortunately (for them and anyone else who cares) ignored. Guitarist is also with Harlem Shakes but I have yet to hear of them so I just offer that as a factoid.

Here's a direct link to the subject MP3 [Arms - "Kids Aflame"] - but do go to the Arms site and check out the music tab for more. "Whirring" is another tasty piece of home recording for ya.

Apostle of Hustle - "Soul Unwind"

2009-12-03T21:36:00.003-05:00

The band of the day is guitarist Andrew Whiteman's Apostle of Hustle from Toronto, Ca - home of the Space Needle and a bunch of fine restaurants and bus stations.

While the 2009 album ("Apostle of Hustle Eats Darkness", great name) was a bit uneven, perhaps too overladen in experiments and concept, this track, which incidentally is free, was the standout.

Not sure whether its the Broken Social Scene ca. 2006 vibe or the amped up drums and vocal recording distortions.

You can download "Soul Unwind" at RCRD LBL - here

Apostle of Hustle website

A Classic Education - free digital single

2009-12-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

Today's band is an Italian bunch that make wistful yet dark lo-fi pop and cover old classics like "Spanish Harlem".

Anyway, Holiday Records has a digital freebie of their original "What My Life Could Of Been" b/w "Toi", a cover of a song from an obscure 60's movie. It's not the best I've ever heard this week and I certainly wouldn't order you to go out of your way to buy their records until I hear some more virtuosity and originality but it's free and at least worth the time it takes to click.

You can pick up the digital single at Holiday Records and learn more about the band at SoundSXP.

Acid Mothers Temple - Are We Experimental? LP

2009-12-01T17:14:00.007-05:00

Warning, this music may not make you peaceful and loving as the cover suggests. In other words, you'd be foolish not to plug this into your earlobes prior to, I don't know, sacking a city.

Obvious tribute in the cover above which if you don't get well STOP READING NOW but it they froze Jimi, Noel and Mitch in a single moment of pure acid reflux, this might be the resulting melt. If other purveyors of so-called psychedelic music aren't malevolent as you would have liked and you just felt well lost at sea with it all, then this my friends is your lifesaver even if it is a eye-popping, ear-liquifying, tounge-scroggling noose.

I haven't always appreciated these geniuses too much before but I'm gonna have to stop being such as wuss.

Wired Stinky Pussy Luver - Aci...

Not for the faint-hearted or impatient. Other great song titles include: "Goodbye Big Asshole Emanualle" and "Ultimate Unhip Blues" (Mr. Acid Mothers Temple's guitar here is well real, real inspired - hail feedback and skronk!).

Here's more on Acid Mother Temple

Aa

2009-11-30T18:46:00.003-05:00

In case you are ever stuck for a band name in Scattergrams that starts with A and you think your neighbor has already got Arizona Amp and Alternator, you can clue them into this Brooklyn 4-drum electronix noise band. But hell, I just make up band names - my relatives never know the diff.

This name thing, though, is making it hard to google them (hell-o AA Bondy, wtf are you?), and I guess that adds to the mis-teek. So they go by BigALittleA

Kinda reminds me of a tight butthole surffin' down the NYC sewer in that closing scene from Escape From New York that I imagined. The only thing that kinda makes me cringe, though, is I start to thinking about those dorks that dance around on stage with garbage can lids.

Some samplin's

Best Of Seven - BiG A little a

Aa (the band from Brooklyn) lala

Aa (the band from Brooklyn)'s website

Magik Markers side project

2009-11-15T20:28:00.001-05:00

Why Mp3 Blogs and Pitchfork Make Music Suck

2009-10-11T20:46:00.002-04:00

Pitchfork responded the next morning with a headline that would echo across the Internet: "Wavves Self-Destruct in Barcelona." Indie sites Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum pounced on the story, and their reader comment sections quickly turned rancid.
"happy it didnt take longer for everyone to realize this band sucks," said one commenter on Brooklyn Vegan

From article on Wavves

It's all about the "next big thing" and then "how to take down the next big thing"... I don't know which is worse.

Super Awesome Happy Fun Set - DEERHOOF

2009-10-08T17:23:00.003-04:00

The ATP set by Deerhoof is available for download at the every day awesome Free Music Archive.

The set includes "+81", "Perfect Me" and "Fresh Born"

The sound is "B"

Download Deerhoof at ATP here.

Deerhoof photo by Michaelcz under CC

TV Montage Song of the Week: "Kingdom of Rain"

2009-10-07T20:30:00.002-04:00

Not great TV but I saw this on "Lie to Me" and had to share... missed it the first time in 2007. This is Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) singing. The band is Soulsavers.

I'm gonna punch all your blood out

2009-10-05T19:54:00.003-04:00

Greetings, reader.

Here's some stuff you oughta want or oughta want to know:

- WFMU posts 70's rock stars and celeb's anti drug commercials. These will certainly fill out those mix tapes.

- Turntabling.net is a cool vinyl blog - the mod is currently on a massive road trip to visit stores that sell vinyl. Give them gas or sandviches if you see them.

- I've been delisted from Hype Machine for lack of activity. I feel free.

Free Free Jazz. Made in Japan. And America.

2009-10-04T11:10:00.002-04:00

You hate free jazz so do not download this. But I've loved Chris Corsano since he played with Ben Chasney on that Six Organs record. Here he's teamed with some free flowing 65YO alto sax player and a double bass.

The shit gets really intense about seven minutes in so let it build on ya. Via Brainwashed.

"Friendly Pants" Akira Sakata and Chikamorachi - buy it or dl it here if my direct link doesn't work.

O Sweet Mama... It's the Pens

2009-10-04T11:01:00.005-04:00

I break radio silence for one of the few tracks these days worth breaking radio silence for. I found these young aspiring hoodlums out in my backyard throwing shit around, smoking reefer, breaking my swingset and shoving the sandbox dirt up their hoo-has. The cats are also missing.

Their myspace ID is "penispenispenis" and Rupert Murdoch regularily logs in just to see if its true.

"Networking" is glee for kids without glee.

"Networking" - Pens

Buy it here and listen to the title track of their crayoned masterpiece.

Note for parents: Coke Machine Glow doesn't get it.

Zombies on Your Lawn

2009-06-04T13:53:00.003-04:00

Geez, what's wrong with bloggers these days - here's this great theme song from one of the greatest VGs of the year and no one is giving it love. We'll just have to fix that and make sure this gets some Hype Machine luv and lolz.

Laura Shigahara - "Zombies On Your Lawn"

(Great for kids mix tapes - proof).

Ms. Shigahara's blog has this perm-loaded (we'll only be offering our zombie killing lawn for a limited time). Snatch up the Japanese version as well (even MORE fun for kids mix tapes) and check out the link to the viddie she got shot for this song.

This weeks for real montage song

2009-04-24T18:45:00.003-04:00

Maybe I should do a blog about music used on TV shows - seems to be the only thing I'm doing these days with this thang. Ha ha.

"La Maree Haute" stands for "High Tide" and it comes from the lovely and talented Lhasa de Sela, a Mexican-American who sings in French and has a brand new spanking 3rd album out.

It was featured on the off-montage from this weeks' RESCUE ME (episode "Wine"). I guess since the episode concerned a French journalist simultaneously trying to get into Denis Leary's character's pants and writing a book about 9/11, it was appropriate. Why do women throw themselves at this character?

"La Maree Haute" - Lhasa de Sela

Little Itty Bitty Weekly Best TV Background Song Posting

2009-04-24T09:40:00.003-04:00

It's not exactly a montage piece (for that I would have used the odd music behind the final scene of "Rescue Me") but this song plays in the background of the great mythos-building episode of this weeks "Supernatural"

"A Little Bitty Tear" - Burl Ives

This song is also great for Asian girlfriend cellphone montages - check out this awesome piece of found art:

And of course, what mention of Mr. Ives wouldn't be replete without a nod to the world's greatest EP.

This week's TV montage song

2009-04-18T20:52:00.001-04:00

"Hey Ya" by Ted

Eat Skull

2009-04-13T15:08:00.002-04:00

Raven Sings the Blues has some new Eat Skull up. You'd be foolish to ignore.

this week's closing montage cut

2009-04-11T10:44:00.001-04:00

"Fake Empire" - The National (Southland) - from The White Sessions recorded 5/7/07

Bats for Lashing

2009-04-09T09:08:00.001-04:00

Now that this band is getting huge, I should point out that I was the first blog to blog their bloggy goodness. Hype Machine doesn't go back this far but here's the posting for proof. Pats on my back or head accepted.

Entertaining Ourselves

2009-04-08T21:54:00.001-04:00

Bull Tongue Goes Online

2009-04-07T09:37:00.002-04:00

Yeah, Sheesh, indeed. B. Coley and Thurston M.'s Arthur column is now an online thingie with links and everything.

Nice find of this month's Top 10 - The Renderers.

We stay because we don't know where else to go

2009-04-05T14:19:00.006-04:00

"Lonely Ghosts" - O+S - It's like Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby but with different chromosones. Its's like YLT but not Jewish or old. It's like Aimee Mann but with less complex issues.

MacRock Day 2 - the party's over

2009-04-05T11:13:00.006-04:00

Friday's shows seemed so much better than Saturday for me. Maybe it was the fatigue kicking in - ameliorated no doubt by the bad night's sleep at the Budget Inn motel or whatever it was called - stanky room, rough sheets, thin walls and I found a puddle in the bathroom from somewhere undefined.

I got back in time for Whatever Brains and Monument sets at Artful Dodger, an arty but servicable college bar right next to the Theater. Neither of these bands turned out to be too memorable for me - I had higher hopes for Whatever Brains and lower hopes for Monument and they were just okay. I stuck for one song of Piroutte but that wasn't happening either. There's just something so wrong about seeing a band in a bar when the sun is so high in the sky still.

On to Clementine where the initial novelty of Eternal Vacations got them through about one song for me but it quickly wore off. The band is a two person outfit like White Stripes and do a Deerhoof-ish hard psyche. It's a band worth watching I think - there's a spark of something there - just needs some feed and caring to get it out. (Speaking of which -- lots of two-person bands this year).

Super Vacations totally turned me off. It was like watching a bunch of apes except not as funny (think Lancelot Link's band). They do some sort of pysche-garage schtick but I didn't think they did it very well.

I then went up to one of the odder venues -- a living room sized apartment above a wine bar where Pygmy Lush just blew me away with their "quiet" set. It wasn't acoustic and the whole band was there - hard to believe this was the same band that played a Flipper Holish skater thrash set the previous night.

Caught the end of Cinnamon Band's set and was impressed. Another two man act with awesome sounding drums and interesting songs. The demo they are selling is a disappointment- -underproduced but not in a good way and the studio they used must have been rotten - but that's why they call it a demo. They deserve some larger exposure as they are local to the area.

Cinemasophia - I hate to be brutal but the thought that kept on repeating in my mind was "why hasn't this band broke up?" They don't seem to enjoy what they are doing, sound slightly under-rehearsed (just enough to be noticable). They do not play as a coterie of musicians should --- their drummer is all but ignored and the lead guitarist/singer seems oblivious of his other guitarist. I can kinda hear the Decemberists go garage vibe they are trying for but either they were having a bad day or they need to regroup.

Gifts From Enola - Answering the question as to whether we really need another Explosions in the Sky. I say no but the audience enthusiasm suggests yes.

Power Pill Fist - Oh, such wankery. Video-game electronics are layered while an old silly movie from the 60's or 70's plays and another screen shows some random computer graphics circa 1981. The movie choice was kind of funny -- it was about a guy who trolls for women in his helicopter and then takes him to his mansion where he feeds them to the cats. He has a bald fat guy with a limp and wearing a servants robe helping him. I was fuming though cuz it went on way too long and I wanted to hear the next act and not lose my seat.

Pattern is Movement - their new CD is of that genre that has yet to be named and probably never will - a sort of balance of Modern Classical, Show Tunes, Indie and Prog. PiM fill the room that Swami Sufjan left as he dallies in sabbatical. Yet they fill the room with impressionistic pieces where Sufjan is at heart a story teller and portrait artist.

Live, they are more of an assault on the senses than their studio work suggests - the drums are incredibly defeaning and the keyboards aren't as varied as in the album (often reminding me of this guy I used to play with at the Holiday Inn near the airport).

Lots of fat jokes between songs from Andrew Thiboldeaux - perhaps too many - but overall the best between song banter I heard all weekend. Loved his riffs on going to a Ci-Ci's in West Virginia ("where they have to greet you with 'Ole!'"). Didn't so much love their R&B cover. I know its a tribute to the R. Kelly / Timberlake axis of music and they do it well -- I just can't stand that music.

Final Jerry Springer thoughts:

- nice spacing between venues and huge variety of other restaurants and bars to chill out. Harrisonburg is a great place for a small music festival.

- the label expo was kind of sorry. Too band some of the labels that host the bands on the roster could'nt make it. There were more "non-label" vendors there than labels.

- I'm in awe and inspired at almost all the drumming I saw all weekend.

- There should be more small regional festivals like this. SXSW is the mother ship and its gotten way to big and way too much hype. Really - Rachel Ray is now validating bands???

image via public-domain.zorger.com

MacRock Live Friday

2009-04-04T07:59:00.003-04:00

Some quick impressions of the bands.

American Tourist - needed three songs to warm up and by the fourth song (which was very good) their set was over. They do suffer from a bit of sameness in song structure. Think Okkervil River - whisper to scream dynamics.

Josh Small - nice picking; too much singing.

Tideland - Tight enough hardcore - they could use a week or so more rehearsing.

Pygmy Lush - dronethrash with overtones of Flipper, Buttholes

Brainworms - incredible set of prog-core. Extremely tight and awesome sound/mix.

Antlers - I couldn't really dig this after Brainworms. Instrumentalcore, I think -- I left after two songs.

Extraordinaires - Decemberists meets Jam band but without the Jam and plus English glam/classical rock + reggae overtones. Nice songs - worth tracking - look for new record soon.

Des Ark - strutting and boiling rage on stage. I like her rocking songs - she's got some great musicians backing her and her stage prescense makes up for the lack of guitar prowess - but her acoustic stuff was hard to hear and I'm afraid if I could have I'd stamp it overly precious. That said, the rocking songs were some of the best I heard that night (Brainworms might have peaked over the top, though).

Medications - very tight, post-dischord era progpunk. Good to see them together again.

May I draw your attention to...?

2009-04-02T18:39:00.001-04:00

This being MacRock overdrive, might I point out this stellar posting from Bright Young Things (v. cool name) written by one of the organiziers of the festivale:

http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/music/macrock-preview/

Back to Team Fortress 2.

MacRock 8 - Canada Cream Corn Can Crease Crybabies Coronations

2009-04-02T18:01:00.004-04:00

I'm kinda getting worn out with this burst of blogging but I can't NOT get by without noting the stellar HC/Punk line-up on Saturdaynight -- it has a hole bunch of good 'uns --highlights inclood reunited Spanish Bombs and the prolific End of Year ("Michael Larsen" court. DeathWish Inc.). Stick some doom and some 80's generic-core in a grinder and out came Black Teeth. DC's Police & Thieves hew to Faith/Void/Threat altar worship ("Exit Strategy" via Young Blood Recs). Had I ever heard the originals, I'd kinda get nostalgic it's that yeah. I politely fail to point out the whole "you were in diapers when this music was new" meme-thing. If I write anymore, my elbows will collapse and I'll pee in my pants. The rest o the lineup

Blue Nile

181 North Main St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22802

3:30pm - 3:50pm	Nervous Habits
4:05pm - 4:25pm	Constrictor
4:40pm - 5:00pm	Just Die!
5:15pm - 5:35pm	Shards
5:50pm - 6:10pm	The Guilt
6:25pm - 6:45pm	No Excuse
7:00pm - 7:30pm	Police & Thieves
7:45pm - 8:15pm	Kingshead
8:30pm - 9:00pm	Balaclava
9:15pm - 9:45pm	Savage Land
10:00pm - 10:30pm	Black Teeth
10:45pm - 11:15pm	Spanish Bombs
11:30pm - 12:00am	End of a Year

Strolling through Memory Lanes

2009-04-02T17:38:00.001-04:00

Funny the things you find on your own blog sometime. F'rinstance:

Circular free association fun: Antietam the band was formed in Louisville on Derby Day, 1984. A horse named Swale won the Derby that day. A swale is a "depression in the earth." Antietam was named after a Civil War Battle that occurred on September 17, 1892. The "Bloody Lane" is an 800-yard "sunken road" - or a "depression in the earth" is one of the more notorious sections of the Antietam battlefield. Music from Elba includes an anti-war song "War is (the health of the state)" Another song from Elba is called "The Haunting of Rocky Face Ridge" home of another Civil War Battle in Georgia. Georgia Hubley produced the third Antietam album, Burgoo, which is a traditional Kentucky stew served on Derby Day.

I wrote this? - how cool is that?

MacRock 7 - Pine on (Street)

2009-04-02T16:50:00.003-04:00

Clementine Cafe

153 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22801

4:50pm - 5:10pm	Elephant Child
5:30pm - 5:50pm	Facepaint
6:10pm - 6:30pm	Eternal Summers
6:50pm - 7:20pm	Super Vacations
7:40pm - 8:10pm	Mas y Mas
8:30pm - 9:00pm	Snack Truck
9:20pm - 9:50pm	Ancient Sky
10:10pm - 10:40pm	The Points
11:00pm - 11:50pm	Obits

I'll politely not speak of the first two bands 'cept they seem a bit outta their league. Waaaait, that's not polite.

Eternal Summers is blog-love creature getting first SaithDuhWankerphone love and then GirrlVsBare luv and then even more Say-Yo-Gramma'sphone luv. WTF? A Roanoke band? Way coollllzzzz... See the saga unfolden here. VinylMine weights in heavily and saith the VinylMine: I kinda nice, a girl band version of The Warlocks (oh wait, we're supposed ta hate the Warlocks, nyah).

Super Vacations follows Eternal Summers, geddit? And I guess they can borrow their reverb boxes, too. One song on their bi-space page "10 Seconde Freakout" is as if Jesus and Mary Chain got faster, lo-fi and better sounding all at once. The others well kinda weird, kinda bad in a good I don't really know how to play my guitar but it makes cool sounds way....

Mas Y Mas - I thought they were a Los Lobos tribute group but turns out they're a concept band - currently flagging some sort of subgenius-style meme about Pepsi and China. The music has a World Music meets Jonny Richman feel to it. Their tryspace page calls it Chinese Pop but more like Chinese INDIE pop whatever that is. My mantra: I'm not opposed. I'm open to any and all possibilities that this might bring it on. Change is good, world music can be good. World music, ironic mash-ups and bearded men can be good, too.

Snack Truck - Uh, instrumental group. Not totally gone.

Ancient Sky - Brand-spanking four-man new group from Brooklyn. Farfisa organ and guitar seem to be the core of the sound. Like their fourth or fifth show and they got a decent spot in a "festival" if that's what this still. I think if you like Akron/Family, Iron Butterfly & Six Organs of Admittance, this might be your thing.

The Points - Sneering/party-grade mid-to-fast late 70's/early 80's punk rock, slightly updated, and from DC's Mud Memory lapel/label. KinDuh like "Feeling Sorry" and "No Girl" currently streaming on their blahspace page.

The Obits - Rough-hewn band makes a nice back-to-back with the Points.

"Pine On" - crtrsy Subpop

MacRock #6 - Saturday night's alright for drowsing

2009-04-02T15:04:00.002-04:00

The line-up:

Court Square Theater

61 Graham St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22801

5:00pm - 5:20pm	The Great Migrators
5:30pm - 5:50pm	Wild Animal Party
6:10pm - 6:30pm	Moon High
6:50pm - 7:20pm	The Cinnamon Band
7:40pm - 8:10pm	Cinemasophia
8:30pm - 9:00pm	Gifts From Enola
9:20pm - 9:50pm	Power Pill Fist
10:10pm - 10:50pm	Pattern is Movement
11:10pm - 11:50pm	Cast Spells (Dave of Maps and Atlases)

Great Migrators and Wild Animal Party are two local bands, interesting listens, unpolished indie pop-rock. They don't strike me as nothing special but then again they don't seem horrible or anything.

Moon High is an anamoly from Columbus, Oh - a folk collective from a town that usually produces more rockinger types.

Cinnamon Band is another local act - two men, one guitar, one drum set - Songs:Ohia, Great Lakes Swimmers type stuff.

Richmond gives us Cinemasophia, a new group (if by new you mean two years old and about ready to drop their first full-length), that has an interesting lush, fuzzy quality to them - like a big old blanket - the layered vocals, crispy but wet drum sound and jews harp guitar wants to wraps around your ears. I think the kids call it shoegaze or something. I'm most interested in hearing more here. Jay Breitling, (( whomever HE is but I understand he likes it when you say his name)), has listened to their recent album with great intensity - here.

Gifts From Enola do the cinematic orchestral instrumental Crack the Explosions on the Saxon Shore thing, I guess, I do. Not my cup of ale but Dog bless 'em anyway as I'm sure they bring light into someone's world.

Power Pill Fist are: electrical powertool kitchysink chunky-sized hypnohouse industromeat improv(able) videogling gamertong bleatreatbliptrip stuff. They live to own YOU. Not me. YOU.

Pattern is Movement - I'd like these guys more if they grew longer beards and got balder and fatter. This is what I love about them, fuck the music. No seriously, I saw them in 2005 and I was blown away and that's not usually the case with highly choreographed prog-math type duo (trio?) (to be fair, I think their band was larger when I saw them last). I think its just that I respect the hell out of their hearing ability, the ability to keep all in tune, melody, rhythm and make it look like they're eating lunch or taking the dog for a walk.

First time, I saw a drummer roll his brushes on his snare like he was kneading dough and it made such an asskicking sound that I've never been able to reproduce. No really seriously, fatter and balder, please. I need company at these shows.

"Right Away" - courtesy Home Tapes

Cast Spells has that sort of laid back American Analog Set vibe going. Or is it just that they use vibraphone that I'm drawing the comparison. Interesting, never heard of them before but they're from Chicago and list Pattern is Movement as a friend on their whyspace page.

Macrock #5 - one of these things is not like the others

2009-04-01T17:07:00.004-04:00

Whatever Brains - This is the band to see at 2:35. Dude, I hear this band, I hear 100 million tormented children screaming at once with 500 billion guitars chiming along and 11, 000 trillion drummers stomping. And lo it was good. And low, it sounds so much better than one child screaming. Does this have beast have legs? What kind of legs and do they have multiple joints, retract up to the side, are hairy, splotted or splayed. Earplugs will be stomped into the ground.

Here's the rest of the Saturday Artful Dodger line-up. I'm sure they are all very well-spoken, over-rehearsed, cute in that regretful sort of way and oh-so indie-rock nice. I'll be sure to pinch their cheeks.

Artful Dodger

47 Court Sq., Harrisonburg, VA, 22802

2:00pm - 2:20pm	Invisible Hand
2:35pm - 2:55pm	Whatever Brains
3:10pm - 3:35pm	Monument
3:50pm - 4:10pm	Pirouette
4:25pm - 5:00pm	Algernon Cadwallader
5:20pm - 6:00pm	Slingshot Dakota

MacRock #4 - the golden ticket says pass

2009-04-01T11:26:00.008-04:00

who do you think you are, edie sedgewick?
pict courtesy wikipedia

Gar... what have I gotten myself into. Let's make this short - here's the line-up of the next group o' bands:

Clementine Cafe

153 S. Main St., Harrisonburg, VA, 22801

4:50pm - 5:10pm	Rapid Cities
5:30pm - 5:50pm	Title Tracks (ex Q and Not U)
6:10pm - 6:30pm	The House Floor
6:50pm - 7:20pm	New Rock Church of Fire
7:40pm - 8:10pm	The Fordists
8:30pm - 9:00pm	Edie Sedgwick
9:20pm - 9:50pm	Liquid Limbs
10:10pm - 10:50pm	Fin Fang Foom
11:10pm - 12:00pm	Medications

This is sort of the obligatory Mac-Rock Dischord-lovein line-up full of "good guy bands" - mostly soul-less and over-saturated with influence and too smothered in their earnestness to really stick out in a crowd. Doon't get me wrongga... They're all technically competent and perhaps talented but they seem to lack any sort of meaningful life experience beyond seeing Fugazi play live. And that ain't enuf.

Out of this group, Edie Sedgewick is an original and pretty funny if you follow his campy set-up - ironically, though, its an act which, if it had come out of outsider land, it would have never gotten the acceptance it has received. That said, it's just a bit too thought out to truly be a wonderful outsider act. Is he still doing his music backup with an iPod I wonder?

I'm happy to see Medications are back together - they had some good songs back in 2005 but then lost steam when their drummer moved on... if there's no other conflicts, I would try to check them out, see where they're heads are at.

"Twine Time" - dl ctsty: Medications

MacRock #3 - We covet our neighbor's wife but quietly

2009-03-31T15:20:00.003-04:00

Artists playing at MacRock in the "soft rock" venue

Zac Hryciak & the Jungle Beats - appealing youngster who has surely sniffed his gatefold Banhart and Jana LPs all too often. Derivative sure but also dulcet, sweet and harmless. Don't believe me then check out his "Up On The Mountain" cut on his cryspace page before dismissing him too quickly.

American Tourist - and continuing in the folk vein... more business, less hat than the previous guy which aint thought of neccesarily as a good thing Recent JMU grad so home court blahblah. His mountain song is "House Mountain" (there's more at his website) recalls Animal Collective's forays onto the porch.

Josh Small - Sloppy Fahey axe-oriented classish folk but w/enough raw talent to make ya kinda perk out an ear or three. Nothing I'd norm. seek out but the slight type of stuff that didn't make you 180 degree when you heard it in coffee shops (B.S.W. - as in Before the Starfuckstrification of the World). "Move Your Hips" (courtesy Suburban Home Records)

Pree - Tell the cops: Jana Hunter is locked in a closet somewhere in Arlington being fed cathair and Easy-bake oven cakes. Pree is May Tobol's project and no it's not slang for pre-ejaculate although that would be way cool if it was. It's an obscure reference to the title of a somewhat disturbing Jeff Mangum song. IT also rhymes with twee but that's gotta be a coincidence. Lotsa love already for this project on the hype so I ain't gonna add to it.

The Young Sinclairs - Kindercore's garage-psyche revivalists. What's lacking in gusto is traded in for authenticity. Roanoke calling to the far away towns, phoney flaming groovies has bitten the dust.

Accordian Death Squad - Be thankful you live in a era when people have the leisure time to form bands like this. Or be not thankful because it adds more evidence to the already so full its sinking feeling that nothing much really matters anymore and so people just do anything and seem to want a paycheck/bed&board/props for it. Not everybody is worthy of being Jack Rose.

Still. I am not mean.

It's quite fetching instrumental Balkan-punk fare suitable for your next chili-cookoff or indie film soundtrack. I wouldn''t kick them out of my backyard if I had one and I'd probably kick out Gogol Bordello. Whereas. If Hawk and a Handsaw showed up, I'd tell these guys to just shut the fuck up and sit down.

The Extraordinaries - Ah, a pop band?! I like their "The Chicken Or The Egg or The Song" - after this the Beatles swipes get a bit too obvious. I like Dr. Dog more but I wanna be present for their set if possible.

Des Ark - The place to be at 10:10 on Friday night. Everytime I see or hear this rage-folk/rock singer, I wanna buy her a sandwich and a beer or something. And everytime I see her she's gotten more awesome and grown like 50 feet taller. huge ketch, not at all "soft rock", an original coming up for air, touched by God, etc. etc. "Jesus Loves You"

Bowerbirds - I've already expressed what passes for fealty these days to the headliner & we could have done so much worse but perhaps better - they'll certainly fill up drab and empty spaces with their pretty "soft rock" ness... Never seen them live so I'd be happy to hear what they do with fare such as "In Our Talons"

MacRock Revue #2: Just don't act like you've been here before just dance

2009-03-30T18:08:00.002-04:00

yes, you will worship these fuckers

Hail Hydra - Points for the Marvel comic book ref. "Oil Seller" (342 plays on their Myspace page) kinda gives you the tingly feeling you get when your balls automagically shift in the sac and the pubes kinda tickle ya insides your underwears. I'll be elsewhere when they play but if I feel the earth shift a few notches, I'll know whom (or it who?) to blame.

MouthEater - anudder VAG band - makes me think this here MacRock has stacked the deck for the Sons of the Confederacy. Moutheater is the sorry howling of the smashed and rotten tomatoes lying on the floor of stage David Yow and Michael Gerard built in their garages with their 9-5 paychecks. You can't help but feel that this vocalist has already started building said stage and is looking forward to years of entertaining his nieces and nephews after doing their taxes. Which is to say I probably will truly like and respect this outfit and hate myself for doing so. See?

Mouthbreather - so right after Moutheater comes this Richmond crew and is it a coincidence or is something at play at some higher level of the universe? Wasn't Mouthbreather a Jesus Lizard song, too? Wow, because unlike Moutheater, Mouthbreather doesn't sound even remotely like Jesus Lizard more like an thrashy emo band lost somewheres in the mid to late 90's. So what gives, universe? Some other blog has an empty-3 for your collection if you don't beleeve me and want to make your own conclusions ref: general sucktitude of this vibe.

Tideland - Kelley Deal has huge fucking migraine headaches, so fucking huge, every bone aches just to make her brain feel like it won't explode and all that pain, she has to record that shit it runs off her brain in thick green blobs and she pushes it into a tiny tape machine (THAT REALISTIC thing she swiped from DAd cuz it had a handle and she used to bop down the street to it while chewing bubblegum) and it makes everything tinny and without that low and high end shit she can sleep at night knowing and she dreams then that she's got some band thing going and its going to be named after some Terry Gilliam flick she hated because it was so fucking cute and sad and stolen from her life and in the dream her band reaches its zenith opening for another scummy band in some scummier midwestern college town than the last one they played. In the middle of one of the songs, she remembers how she wants to kill her sister and replace her with some other sister that skinnier, more bitchy, less nice (maybe that other Kim) and doesn't flush her stash down the toilet at the gas station where they stopped to get gas and water and cigarettes and whirly pops - she's crying in the gas station and that chick at the cash register who used to play bass in Scrawl hands her a tissue. Its. So. Really. Bad...likethat. Or something. And if this band does "Shatterface" and if it doesn't sound too much like the Silversun Pickups then none of this ever happened.

Pygmy Lush - Tideland's Sterling, VA townmates jump right in next. Will they be emo's answer to White Zombie's second album [(and yes, emos, there is a need for an answer to Soul Crusher in I count at least 30 countries, so shut yer fat traps up and just, y'know deal with it or get into your fucking time machine and go write a song in 1989 that is better than "Godslayer", Q.E.D.)]... or will they be wearing their M. Ward asshats and singing into some vintage microphone aboot trains and shacks and the walking dead and wondering where they can buy a scarf or sumpin'. So... If yer Dad was a security guard at some black windowless building in the world's most powerful country, you'd probably do goofy shit like this, too. Band motto: "Slurp shit and die"...

Brainworms - the entire demo of 16-25 year olds from Richmond VA will prolly be in Harrisonburg next weekend. They will be pounding under mic'ed drums, getting cramps in their necks, standing around talking shit between sets, breaking guitar strings, making $16.50 at the merch table (which pays for gas, yay) and getting their whole I ain't gonna do drugs and drink likker vows tested. Hard. On Monday there will be much headaches and a full accounting. Many kitchen tables will be play host to streams of invective, grudges and complaints. Suicides, murders and even some guys will go gay. Rock is a fucking evil business you'd better know. You might as well learn how to read music and keep better time or just totally go do something else like knitting or soccer. "Born With a Beard " mp3 courtesy of Rorshack Records. Continental European tour begins in May.

Antlers - (not THE Antlers or Crystal Antlers you dimwitted fucks). So... What happend to Mass Movement of the Moth? Kinda liked them. I once asked myself this question in 2006. Or was it 2007? And then I drank a diet Coke. Considered a cheese snack. I think I turned on the TV. I sleeped walked that night (or should it be sleptwalked?) and found myself a choclate glazed donut filled with Reeces Pieces. I choked on the green piece until I realized there are no Reeses Pieces that are green so I must have been drugged. PRobably the diet Coke - who knows where it got it? Oh yeah, Richmond Virginia, hey I know that dude - he's in my journo class down at Virginia Commonwealth. He said the Fleet Foxes CD was shit and why was I wearing their t-shirt. I said it was better than anything he liked (Gwar, probably) ... ...fucker dosed me over some stupid band convo..."Catalpa " (again, thanks or not thanks to Rorshach Reccids ) and then I woke up in someone else's living room and played some X-box for awhile and went home in my boxers and t-shirt.

My Disco - (no, no, not My Dear Disco). Kenny Powers on My Disco: "Hey is this mic on? Yeah, shit. This is some of that post-punk minimalist shit that retards listen too. But even so, I cannot say how much the sustained single guitar chord stokes the buzz I got from this weed and coke. If I could put this tune behind that scene where Stevie smashes all those fire alarms at Jeff Davis High School, then my TV show would have been fucking perfect. Can't believe Australians made that shit." "You came to me like a cancer lain dormant until it blossomed like a rose " MP3 blatantly hotlinked via SXSW.

Young Widows - Tundra melodies for old Russian farmers who got fired from their position in the Army for drinking too much and bleeding in all the wrong places. They packed up their shit and moved to Siberia where they hunted wolves and slurped potato and leek soups into their toothless souls. They dreamed of fat Caddilacs and fags on Miami Beach retching out their silvery guts of all the octupus and cheese rind and sour wine. Dogs came to grin at them and they could feel the cold from the outlayer of the skin of their feet to their scab-ridden bald heads. Inside bars, they knocked themselves out playing Pac-Man and that other video game with the worms that came down on top of you. They would stumble out, rank of Husky dogpiss and peach mouthwash, watching flocks of moths rise and fall with the suns and moons. Their faces fell into the ground and there they remained until the next issue of Maxim dropped. That metal blog Brooklyn Vegan has told this story already so don't act like you believe me until you have been there, maaan.

MacRock Revue #1: Skateboards Optional

2009-03-30T13:37:00.005-04:00

The joke of vodka fart in post was wery funny, comrade

Hey MACROCK is next weekend - Ima taking a listen to sumbitch of these bands, mosta I never heard of. I'm down in this post with that metal showcase on Friday night or whatever the kids are calling it these days:

Forensics -- Hard garage/new age outfit who cover Ms. Spears, Murder City Devils in between 'riginal ear-ripping 80'sish 'core and floaty instrumentals. Worth a trip to the Lucy Simms Boys and Girls Rec Center just to see if the merch table includes the 2005 split 7" they made with Daughter Of Ozzy. They've subtitled their act "Sonic Victimization Unit" uh so I'm guessing I should take along multiple pairs of ear plugs. Boat Day from 2004's Things To Do When You Should Be Dead Anyway courtesy Magic Bullet Record... you could start your night in worse places.

Inter Arma - In H-burg, necks and hair will gyre and gimble, peni will be poorly mimsy, pus heads into waiting borogrove mouths of brillig momes and slithery guitars will shred the slithy toves. Richmond has a toxic reason to raise their heads only slightly higher than they are now. '

'bout this time I'm expecting to be leaving the jernt for other "showcases" but here's my honest impressions of some of the other bands:

A Cosmonauts Ruin - Question: What are vodka farts? Answer: A cosmonaut's ruin. Har. Har. Uh. Make up your own, dudez it's funn. Comes now this edge o' abyss sci-fi-fantasy hardsplore. Oh yay. Uh, from Richmond - once and future home of The Prevaricators so its got some claim to metalcore umma I guess. To quoth a Myspace pal of theirs: "Those songs are just straight brute and smell of old spice that only the manliest of men can wear."

Music Hates You - They're from alternate reality Athens GA where Athens GA is actually Detroit and its '69. About the most metal of the bunch. They have two cuts up on their webbysite and while I'm not gonna rush to their table for T-shirts or anything, I imagine if I'm present I'll be banging my head like the rabid cocker spaniels this music was meant to torment.

The Devil and The Sea -- I would have named my band something more ludicrous like The Devil and The Sex or The Devil and the Cupcake but then I woulda missed the oh so not so subtle reference to the mash-up of black worship with wayfaring chanteys. Haul that line, raise the sale and kiss that demon's ass, drink some urine sorta thing going... "Monolith " curtsey of label Acerbic Noise .

Black Tusk - isn't it weeeird how when you get closer and closer to the headliner in a "metal showcase" you get more hate, more disgust, more unfunny and that's not just from the bands? So chuggy it makes me shruggy. And I guess Black Tusk is easier to say than Black Rhino but the latter is an only slightly cooler name, is it not? Say something positive. Well. It sooths me heart that children such as this were never taken under Sally Struthers helpful wing and taught to mind their manners and shave their beards. That esteemed metal fan Brooklyn Vegan* helpfully links (how unmetal of them) to their SXSW mp3 - so like dig. Or don't.

*Yes, I know its not REALLy Brooklyn Vegan.

I am true Cosmonaut's ruin

HypeM Lunchtime Listening Party

2009-02-03T13:45:00.002-05:00

Nathan Hollywood - mediocre spooky cowboy songs. Laughing Evergreens

Flight of the Conchords - We're supposed to take them seriously outside the context of the TV show? F that. They ain't that good. Music from a Green Window

Anonymous??? "Died in Ya Arms" - Mixtape DJs....zzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzz.... oh wait, I'm white I'm supposed to claim this is very good pat child on head for being sooooo clever replaying someone else's music. F that. Subservient Experiment

The Unbearables - Twee pinky-finger extended chamber orchestra rock. You will want to kill yourself five minutes into it. Sufjan, pls smite your bastards. Subservient Experiment

The Police - Roxanne (Discotech remix). Some things should remain buried. Unless this was meant to be an example of "comedy rock" ... Chromemusic

With apologies to Melzer: A HypeM Listening Party

2009-02-02T14:33:00.004-05:00

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream- Slap, slap, slap...slap..slap...slap...slap......slapslapslapslap.

The Main Drag - A Jagged Gorgeous Winter - Memo to the surviving members of The Postal Service: hire more lawyers.

Jet Weston - GroundHog - This one-tooth hick song will definitely make it onto my next Feral Niece (Tm) mix CD.

Megadeth - The Killing Road - I'd say this is more like it, maaan, but Megadeth megasucks

Death Cab For Cutie - Love Song- I just watched My Fair Lady on HDNet last night so who the fuck am I to criticize someone's manhood. Great musical - never realized what an original stalker song that Freddy who sings "On The Street Where You Live" is... and and Higgins is so gay for Pickering and Pickering so wants to tap that guttersnipe Eliza.

Katy Perry - Black and Gold (Sam Sparro Cover) - Anyone know a five letter word for "Okay Legally". First letter "L" and last two "IT" - it is not LEGIT.

Mixel Pixel - Sinking Feeling - I found this in my underwear.

Avengers - We Are The One -Penelope Houston's wiki entry is one line longer than Houston (the singer)'s entry. Ha. Also, I love noisy vinyl rips.

Kentucky Nightmare - Caroline & I- Hippies dance from their hips /thrusting their big belt buckles /in tight smelly jeans

Kentucky Nightmare - Going Back To Lucy- Harmlessly indie-pop sweetsong with non-predictable chorus and animaly collectively harmonliess that aren't flayed and stretched by that gawful reverb machine. Bloomington, huh? Worth a place in the library. Read full post

New layout, Twittering

2008-10-27T19:48:00.001-04:00

I've resisted long enough and now I'm a twitterer. I'm probably over-compensating right now but hey at least I'm back to writing and thinking about music among other things. See my tweet (I really hate that) in the sidebar over there --->

My all too infrequent list of lists

2008-10-27T15:30:00.001-04:00

CDs
- TVotR - "Dear Science" - brainac, funky but do these guys rock - ***
- RaRaRiot - "Rhumb Line" - ez listening for indie nerds - ***
- Fratellis - "I forget the name" - loving this Beatles tribute band - ****
- Fiery Furnaces - "Bitter Tea" - farty-arty as opposed to artsy-fartsy - ***

DVDs
- Mad Men, Season 1 - A secretary is not a toy. You watch this part with dread - little girl playing in plastic, secretaries going insane, pregnant women drinking and smoking and part with jealousy - sauve men, shapely women, mistresses in The Village. *****
- The Band's Visit - Egyptian band hangs out in Israeli village ****
- Once - indie rock romance that doesn't end soon enough and once yet, never again. *

Movies
- Saw Eagle Eye. Bored. Hardly remember anything from it.

Foodies
- Dixie Kitchen's low-carb biscuits - makes you forget you aren't eating regular biscuits... sort of ***
- Omaha Steaks - OMFGROFD these are great. You'll never eat steak anywhere else again *****
- Mama Something's low carb tortilla -- Fry them in leftover bacon grease and roll eggs, salsa and bacon into them for breakfast - ****
- The "new" Ruby Tuesday -- ha, ha ha omfg - puke/ack/cough - *
- Jaspers in Greenbelts Chophouse Steak Salad -- ***

Games
- Far Cry 2 - feast for the eyes, realistic shooter - *****
- Saints Row 2 -- best thing about this game is the character customization. I currently have an obese man wearing women's clothings with a Latino female voice who taunts. Gameplay is kinda lame, though -- ***
- Deadspace - Eh. I found others games more scary and dark
- Left For Dead -- no I don't have it but wantwantwant nownownow
- Team Fortress 2 - this most awesomest multiplayer out there - remains my number 1 obsession

TV Shows
- Supernatural - best show on TV, bar none - *****
- Heroes - still has its moments -- I mean Robert Forster as the Big Bad?!?! still, half of the characters could die and I wouldn't care ***
- True Blood on HBO - awesome new entry to the movie/TV vampire canon - ****
- Entourage on HBO - kind of feels like an apology for Hollywood being Hollywood - ***
- Dexter (uneven) - ***
- The Shield - **** - Vic, Dutch and that creep with the weird hairline should get together and whack Claudette - she is just not a good foil for Vic -- otherwise this woulda been a five-star
- Sons of Anarchy - ***** - 2nd best show on TV.

Crappy shows that really shouldn't be crappy: Chuck, Boston Legal, Smallville, Fringe, South Park

Shows I don't give a rat's ass about but other people rave - House, The Unit, CSI anything, Law and Order anything

The Highly Anticipated Jensen Ackles Eye of The Tiger Lip-Sync Contest

2008-10-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist

2008-10-21T13:07:00.001-04:00

Frank Kogan mixtape

2008-09-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

The Great Frank "Why Music Sucks" Kogan got a mixtape up on his new and improved myspace page...

Go here

If he doesn't get elected, the kids get a cat?

2008-08-27T15:05:00.001-04:00

The candidates were recently asked by the Washington Post (Kid's Page)

"When you are President do you think you will have a pet in the White House?"

McCain has a menagerie: "If I am elected president, I will definitely have pets in the White House. At home in Arizona, we have 21 pets: Sam, an English springer spaniel; Coco, a mutt; Oreo, a black and white cat; three parakeets; 13 saltwater fish; and the newest additions: Lucy and Desi, teacup Yorkshire terriers. If I am elected president, they'll all get to move to Washington."

So much for returning dignity to the White House. Maybe we can move the White House to where it really belongs. The National Zoo.

Obama has commissioned research into the issue: "When I started running for president, Michelle and I promised Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog when we move into the White house -- and they're holding me to that promise! Malia has been doing a lot of research into dog breeds just to make sure she is ready."

This would make a great commercial. Obama at the gates of the White House, a gun held a dog's head, his daughter standing next to him horrified. "Elect me or the Puppy gets it..."

Neil Diamond, shame on you

2008-08-13T16:40:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Vegan posted this photo of Neil Diamond:

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music/neildiamond/msg/3.jpg

For some reason this "deer in the headlights" look you so rarely get from a polished performer made me remember my one of my first albums. I also remember when my Mom had a "talk" with me about the dirty lyrics ("hot damn! hot damn! hot damn!") in Neil Diamond's album Moods:

Bikermutt Permalinks

2008-08-04T17:50:00.002-04:00

Hi -- as long as I have the freespace, I've decided to put some of my songs up on a more permanent basis. I've previously blogged these here and here.

From Bikermutt (self-titled tape)
"All God's Children (Get Crucified)"
"Betty"
"Action Line"
"New World Order"
"Biker Angels"
"Ninja Bitch"

from self-titled 7"
"I Won't Hurt You"
"New World Order"

Candidates as High School Archetypes

2008-07-31T17:14:00.001-04:00

Obama as the cool basketball player dating the smarty-pants debate club chick... he acts like he's everyone's friend but only hangs around with the other jocks and cheerleaders.

McCain as the absent-minded history professor who still lives with his Dad. Cindy as the youngish blonde science teacher next door who hangs out with him because they both smoke.

Presidential politics makes me soooo cynical.

"Daddy Cool" - Boney M

Shit I am Consuming

2008-07-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

Video games:
- Pixel Junk Monsters
- Metal Solid Gear 4
- Team Fortress 2

DVDs
- I'm Not There (sucks)
- Cloverfield
- One Missed Call (sucks)

CDs:
- Stage Names - Okkervil River
- Bowerbirds "new" CD
- new Devendra Banhard - Smokey something
- Man of La Mancha (English stage version)

TVs:
- Tim and Eric's Awesome Show
- Dethklok
- Robot Chicken
- Swingtown
- Generation Kill
- Weeds

And Some Even More Awesomeness

2008-07-27T19:34:00.000-04:00

My Pal Foot Foot are doing an American tour and coming to DC:

Aug 4 2008

9:00P

Goodbye Blue Monday

Brooklyn, New York

Aug 5 2008

9:00P

Velvet Lounge

Washington D.C., Virginia

Aug 7 2008

9:00P

FIREHOUSE 13

Providence, Rhode Island

Here's some older stuff from them:

"Chasing the Full Moon" (from BlACK Knight,Black Tie...Where DO THE Strangers Meet?)
"Here is Very" (from Songs for Nao)

image via the yumtown

Great Job! Awesome Show is back

2008-07-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job is back for a third season tonight. If you have a DVR now is the time to set. If not, drink some caffienated beverages.

The New York Times, of all places, gave them a big lovely wet kiss of an article in today's paper. There's a quote there from their mentor, Bob Odenkirk that mirrored exactly what I was thinking. Odenkirk says, "that they aren’t being influenced by anybody. They’re in their own little world, and that’s why they’ve gotten good at this." What I was thinking was there are absolutely no reference points at all in this show. In a way, they are like Tod Browning's Freaks movie -- it's a horror film that made its own rules, its own horror with no history or checkpoints. Maybe that's what makes them so funny.

They aren't parodying anything, they aren't making cool little name drops. In fact, they aren't cool at all. Says Eric (or "Mr. Warheim" as the Times calls him):

“There’s nothing less funny than someone who looks cool,” Mr. Wareheim explained. “There’s nothing more unappealing.”

This is exactly my problem with both Indie Rock and the presumed Democratic nominee for President.

Some other factoids from the article - John C. Reilly's Dr. Steven Brule is getting his own spinoff:

The Brule character has proved so popular that he is being given his own six-episode spin-off show, tentatively titled “Check It Out!,” starring Mr. Reilly and produced by Mr. Wareheim and Mr. Heidecker. “So much happens in a day of him improvising and us throwing stuff at him that you want to use it all,” Mr. Heidecker said of Mr. Reilly.

And even more welcome:

Mr. Wareheim and Mr. Heidecker are also developing a game show for Adult Swim that would star the comedian Neil Hamburger. Mr. Wareheim described it as “a mixture of a Japanese bizarre game show and ‘The Price Is Right.’ ”

These two strike me as a perfect match for Hamburger.

Shrek on your Mobile Phone

Walkers and Spectacles Preview

2008-07-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

Last night was our first "show" although it's not really. Let me explain. One of the traditions of Little Theatre is that they host a "preview" show before opening weekend for the senior citizens in the community. They make for a great audience by the way although we occasionally get random yelps from the audience. They laugh at things we never thought were that funny such as Ben Franklin's corny jokes and proverbs and they cheered the part where Franklin said Virginians are a kind and loving people (or something like that) when Franklin is defending the over-the-top Richard Henry Lee to Adams.

Tonight is the "benefit" preview where a local charity does some fundraising, speechifying, etc. The charity du jour is the 9/11 Memorial folks.

Had Dinner a Trattoria da Franco, a Northern I-Tie place near the theater. The owners basically live in this converted row house and love talking and talking and talking so it's a great place to go if you are alone. Had the sole special with a lemony sauce and steamed veggies plus three glasses of wine and a rum / tia maria Cappuccino confection that made for a nice post-dinner buzz.

Don't tell the conductor but there's something to be said about a little bit of alcohol helping a musician's performance. It loosens you up a bit and gets rid of the jitters. I'm no alchoholic -- first drink I had since Sunday. Too much alcohol before a show is bad and often the effects wear off by intermission and you're all groggy. That's where the cappuccino (and a can of Coke) help.

Weather continues to be so very fine here in DC. Had a great walk - listened to Banhart's "Seahorse" several times again - awesome headphone song - and went down by the river to watch the sun rise and the rowers row.

The effects of a monster thunderstorm a two nights ago appear to have cleared out the July humidity, at least for now.

The Gift of Rain

2008-07-24T11:48:00.000-04:00

We had another one of those wild DC thunderstorms here last night and it broke the nasty humidity. This morning's walk was so fine I took a couple extra blocks before pain set in. Rehearsal last night went fine but it's like any other show, you think if you had one more rehearsal we would be ready -- but tonight's opening night. I was tearing up the shit with the snare drum during the songs but messing up the most basic stuff like the snare drum roll you do whenever George Washington sends a letter to the Congress - wrists kept freezing up. Sometimes I worry about arthritis - for a drummer this might even be worse than losing a limb. Recovering from an accident is enough but worrying that the pain isn't related to that but arthritis is something else. The maternal side of my family had arthritis (also glaucoma and mild Alzheimers). Worry, worry, worry...

No great food to report. Basically did the English Muffin and Coffee for breakfast and it's almost lunch and I'm not terribly hungry so I'll probably skip - there's a nice Ital restaurant near the theater that I'll probably indulge in tonight.

I watched "The Ruins" on DVD late last night and this morning. Ho hum thriller although they did fool me (SPOILER) into thinking the opening scene was with Jena Malone's death scene and that the rest of the film was flashback. Instead they used an actress who looked like her. The part where the flowers imitated people was kind of cool but it was pretty standard fare. One or two "shock moments" and quite a bit of gore. (END SPOILER) For all the hosannas given when the book was released, the movie doesn't really live up to it. But it was good to see the guy from The Black Donnellys still working.

As for music, listening to the new D Banhart record. I'd like to say he's back to the form he showed in his first two records and it has its moments. There's lots of "spot that classic rock and pop" influence. I hear CSN&Y and Barry White in some of the songs. Cut 4 and 8 are pretty good. But there's alot not to like here. His "I want to live off my music but still not be considered a Starbucks sellout" makes for moments that totally undermine the rest of the music. I also appreciate that he wants to educate us dimwits on Spanish music but I get the sense I'm being talked down to. The record at times sounds like a demo -- musicians sometimes sound under-rehearsed - maybe that was intended but it doesn't match with other cuts. The cardboard packaging on the CD is shoddy. The cardboard that holds the disk and book is already smashed flat. The little book is poorly printed -- you need a klieg light to read the damn thing and its full of crappy Devendra art. My disc fell also out of its case while I was walking to my car. There's nothing to keep the book in its case as well. Compare this packaging with, say, Shellac which was like a slick mini-LP and you held it thinking this is a work of art. I'm not saying you have to be slick but at least make it look like you took some care and thought into it. I always like to get down on bureacrats at work who make up surveys and checklists for us engineers to follow -- my quote is "obviously the guys who designed will never have to fill one of these out" -- sometimes I think musicians and artists should think about what they would want if they bought the damn thing if they want us to continue to buy CDs.

Fish and Chips

2008-07-23T09:14:00.000-04:00

No walk this morning -- the rehearsal from last night had me totally wasted the next morning. Had dinner at the Union Street Public House -- what is it about some dishes where you have them it's like the best meal you've ever had and the next time you go it's no comparison. Was the chef just hot that night? It's a pretty mundane dish -- fish and chips -- but when I had it there several months ago, it melted in the mouth. Last night the fish was kind of spongey -- and too hot -- and the breading was just bleh. Even the Yuengling lager had a funny after-taste. Is it me -- were my endopmorphins high the first night?

I'm sitting there at the bar and this guy sits next to me. He's got those ice blue eyes, great build - one of those guys that if I were gay, I'd be buying drinks for. He acts kind of weird though and about 20 minutes later I glance over and notice that he's sketching me on a napkin. Not sure what to do in these situations so I started straightening up and pulling my "regal lion look" (this is what my lady friend calls it) so at least he doesn't make me look bad.

Rehearsal went okay. Some of the singers still aren't on point. The guy playing John Adams is in a classic rock cover band. I've seen him around. Well at least he didn't have to wear a ponytail wig. Our Ben Franklin really looks the part (although was Franklin really that fat?) but the Richard Henry Lee needs elevator shoes.

At work today -- have to do a "lecture" to some scientists at noon. Bleh...

Harper Valley PTA Clogged

2008-07-22T10:22:00.000-04:00

WFMU posted this video and it had me rolling on the floor. It's a reenactment of an cheesy country song by Tom T. Hall combined with teenage girls clogging.

I went to college in Southwestern VA so I have some experience with clogging. It's actually quite fun and easy to do but the end result is you look pretty ridiculous doing it for a long period of time.

Typically, the cloggers I knew were either locals or Virginians (not NOVAs, though) who would also rip off their shirts, get very drunk and do the "rebel yell" while doing this strange dance.

IF you share my sense of humor, you'll probably dig this video...

Shows I'm Playing

2008-07-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

I'm also getting back into playing. I'm subbing for the drummer in Man of La Mancha in two weeks and I start 1776 this weekend (I won't be playing next weekend but all the other shows are mine). In case you don't already know, I'm a drummer -- both shows are great for snare drum work.

La Mancha is a great primer in odd signatures and Spanish rhythms while 1776 is a marching drum workout. There's also a Latin-tinged piece in '76 believe it or not -- I'm playing my bongo set there -- the song about the slavery debate during the Declaration of Independence.

I know people may question my manhood but my eyes always well up during this song. For that matter, if I was in the audience I'd probably bawl like a bitch during Alonso Quixano's death. Both the relationships between Abigail Adams and John Adams as well as the friendship "until the end" between Sancho Panzo and Don Quixote are inspiring.

wow, two posts in an hour... guess I'm getting caught up. Thanks for the inquiries.

Early AM walk

2008-07-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

630AM. Temperature in high 70's, medium to high humidity. Stretching my legs in the morning to aid in recovery. At the corner of G and 24th, I see a homeless guy covered in a black blanket with white dots with a big ugly foot sticking out into the sidewalk. Minus the foot, he has the perfect camoflauge for a 30's-40's B&W film noir. About the third block my legs start aching and the brow starts sweating so I turn around and limp home.

Listening to the Bowerbirds CD in my car. First time through, you hear all the things wrong with it. The samey folkness, the trembling vocals, the pastoral lyrics, etc.

Second time through you hear all that's right with it. The occasional surprise chord in "Hooves" (see this Ohmpark post for an MP3), the accordian "hook" in "In Our Talons" (see Yellow Stereo), the drum arrangements and so forth. I'm not saying this is the best LP of 2008 but if you like this sort of folk-pop, harmonies and acoustic music, it's worth checking in on. I got mine via Forced Exposure.

Des Ark / Bellafea

2008-06-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

This is ripped from a 2005 7" -- someone somewhere asked to post some Des Ark.

"stranger" - Bellafea
"Send Jolly to Raleigh" - Des Ark

My ideal woman

2008-05-29T11:07:00.000-04:00

... would be a cross of the utter sexiness of Chloe Sevigny, the looks of Michelle Williams, the common sense appeal of Catherine Keener and the smarts of Allison Anders. While I'll probably never find her, at least we have Sonic Youth in common.

Does this mean my ideal wingman wouldn't be a cross between Eddie Vedder, Mike Watt, Beck and Gus Van Sant?

Top Five

2008-03-24T16:07:00.000-04:00

1. New Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks CD
2. Old Nick Lowe singles
3. Team Fortress 2 - Uber Me!!!
4. My final four picks: Kansas, UCLA, Memphis, North Carolina (I know, I really went out on a limb here)
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford on DVD

I really, really will return someday

2007-11-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

But until then... Bomp Records has, along with Mick Farren, put out a Bomp! Magazine retrospective. I'm told the books are now in stock and if you order direct from Suzy Shaw, you get a T-shirt and CD to go along with it. Great thing to give or get for the you-know-what season. Here's some marketing verbiage from the widow Shaw:

When Greg died I knew it was the most important job I had, as this book is not just the story of BOMP and Greg Shaw, but a unique document of a time, place, and perspective in the history of rock and roll. This is a work beyond anything Greg and I could have dreamed of, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many talented people, and of course thanks to all of you, my customers, for making it all possible.

Order here

Other than that, I can't stop listening to that "new" (well, 2007) Shellac record... anyone else, uh,

Sic Alps on WFMU! Sweet....

2007-11-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

hey

SIC ALPS recorded 10 songs (4 of em unreleased) live in the WFMU
studios last week for broadcast on Brian Turner's show today (tues
3-6pm EST) (in about an hour!) Listen @ 91.1 in the NYC area or at
wfmu.org The set
will also be available after airing at:

http://www.wfmu.org/Playlists/BT/

check it out!

True Confessions Mini-Mix #1

2007-07-07T17:01:00.000-04:00

What's the most embarassing place you did a Number ~~One~~Two?

Mine was in an under-the-stairs closet in a small Pennsylvania city on a Sunday, during the daytime in July. I was playing a gig in the area but it was outside, a bit impromptu and all of a sudden that queasy gotta-take-a-shit-feeling snuck up on me and ... I couldn't find a bathroom. It was in a downtown area, no gas stations nearby, nearly everything closed, too young to get into a Pennsylvania bar... Finally got into some decrepit old office building with an unlocked door, snuck around trying to avoid the janitor cuz I knew chances are he would kick me out and expediency was of the essence... so not able to get into the real bathroom cuz ol' mop bucket guy was between me and nirvana... and I went into the closest darkest place I could find. Shat it out in my tighty-whiteys and left it there for the poor janitor to find, perhaps months later by the look of that dingy dusty closet (you hadda stoop to get in).... had it been night time I might have just found some place outside but hey, you gotta go, you gotta go...

"You Kept Me Waiting Too Long Long Long Long Long Long Long Long Long (E*Vax [Ratatat] Remix)" - Television Personalities(downloaded via Audioversity - see also Indie Muse)
"Secret Room" - Robert Colbert Orchestra (from the Dark Shadows soundtrack CD)
"Shitty Bum" - C-Mon&Kypski (from the SXSW 2006 website)

I was tempted to put up Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Right Now" but the song isn't about that and it's a bit too obvious-literal don't you think?

If you wanna respond with your own horrifying experience, use the comments - suggest a song or two to go along with your "experience"....

Nice Strong Arm: Reality Bath

2007-07-07T16:16:00.000-04:00

Nice Strong Arm came to my attention back in the '80s pretty much how many bands came to my attention - got a record made with Homestead or SST or Touch and Go. Hate to admit that's how shallow I was but there was no college radio of any merit in the Washington DC area (at least that I could tune in - University of Maryland had a real limited coverage) and WHFS rarely touched anything without a major label behind it - so you either had fanzines or just had to trust a couple of labels to come up with something you'd like.

Overall, I'd give this record a solid B. IT's got some problems - the two drummers sometimes have trouble syncing and keeping basic 4/4 time, the bass is recorded kinda flat and often seems limp and there's some of that "goth" basso-profundo style vocals that I never really dug (Bauhaus, Joy Division crap) - most notable offenders are on Side 1's "Disenchanted" and "Date of Birth" which adds insult to injury with use of a cheap-sounding reverb unit to process the vocals.

The band also took a great deal of guff for sounding too much like Sonic Youth - in fact I can't get through the whole sequence of songs on Side 1 without constantly being reminded of "Confusion is Sex" - it's sorta like a concept record of variations on the chord progression. But anyway such crititique was pretty small-minded and narrow-casting. They also have similarities to Live Skull, Swans and other NYC no wave outfits as well as other acts of the period - Big Black, My Dad Is Dead - what I'm saying is that they perhaps were lost in the noise because it was too easy to dismiss them - that and they didn't seem to play the personality game - there is no mention of the names of the band, they didn't pose for publicity shots and so in effect had no personality beyond what was presented in the albums, shows and songs - there was no Gira or Albini or Moore or Michael Gerard saying outrageous or interesting things in the zines and papers.

Others have pointed out some link to the jangly early 80's Athens sound as well and I've already talked about the horrorshow influences, though not just the Brit stuff previously referenced but Cramps as well. Overall, it's a moody gloomy bunch at work here.

Whatever. Like I said, solid B.

I might even given 'em a B minus if Side 2 didn't have this great 3-song sequence in which they kinda show they are more than just a one-trick pony - take these three songs and do some attention-getting cover song and they mighta had a hit EP on their hands... unfortunately I don't have a time machine or a smart pet dog to build one so I could go back in time and give them some career advice...

first cut: "Life is So Cool" is kinda this epic romp built around, like so many of the songs, Kevin Thomson's spacey pedal-effects and amp feedback guitar sound - and again, it's hard not to imagine a big floating Thurston Moore buddha appearing in the air during the recording of this song but again SFW. ... the fucking effect is still stunning, no matter who is doing it, duh?

"Minds Lie" (the second cut on side 2 takes the band's sound into a different direction (here's where that early R.E.M. - Pylon reference might be drawn) with the bass handling the whole build-and-release structure of the song a bit more and bringing in some of that hurting style of singing that the Dischord bands had been peddling the previous year with Rites of Spring. The effect is this sort of one two punch - where "Life is So Cool" builds up the delusion of being cool and in a band or whatever and "Minds Lie" blows it all apart. The drummers actually sound somewhat in sync as well - maybe because the song is pretty short.

"Free At Last" then picks all the pieces up into something unlike anything else on the album - an almost acoustic guitar and bass riff that supports, what, ummmm ... uplifting vocals. I'm finding it hard to say I like "uplift" ever but there it is... there's a band that this reminds me of but I can't put my finger on it... I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night and remember who it is... any way.... these three songs are sort of like an EP within the LP for me and I more than I care to admit did the needle lift at the end of "Free At Last" to redo the sequence several times over the past month.

Vinyl Mine Recommended Mind-Blowing Nice Strong Arm Song Sequence Sample:

Band Photo:
This rare picture of the band was taken by, provided and used with permission from Derek von Essen who has a real cool archive of band photos from this time period

Assumed band line-up:

Kevin Thomson - guitar, vocals
Jason Asnes - bass, vocals
Jamie Spidel - drums (there's some female backing vocals I think here as well)
Steve McMurray - drums

Nice Strong Links:

A 1992 New Puritan ReView interview with Kevin Thompson responds to all the criticism about their influences:

The other band we got pegged with right off the bat was Sonic Youth, and at that time I think there was definitely a bit of an influence. We had all just learned to play our instruments, and you know, who impresses you the most when you start learning how to play is definitely going to have an effect on how you learn how to play. Which is why some people play a certain style of metal or rock, because when they first learned how to play, that's what they were hearing. Jason and I learned how to play our instruments at most four years ago - actually five, I'm gettin' older. Jason's been playing for even less than me.
Anyone who says they don't have an influence is lying through their teeth - unless they were living in a monastery, sitting with a Zen master who said, "Here's a Fender guitar and an amp...why don't you just figure it out, you know, think like one with the string." That doesn't happen. It wasn't like anybody tried to figure out what other bands were doing or anything like that, but that creeps in. It did on Reality Bath , and I don't think any one of us is gonna deny it that much. We don't think we sound like it, but we do feel that there is a bit of an influence there. It's not such a big deal, why does it bring so much derision upon your head, just because there's not twenty years between the two? Maybe some people should give it some thought.

Trouser Press's Nice Strong Arm entry covers their three subsequent records
Mr. Scaruffi has an Italian entry on the band plus some info (in English) on Kevin Thomson's post band activities
Spin from Afterbirth of the Cool gives his own reaction to Reality Bath and Nice Strong Arm - his MP3 links are still active.
Dana from Mystical Beast found the album too generic and "Homesteady" for his tastes.
Kevin Thomson's latest project is Enablers and its gotten some recent traction in the blogs. I've only listened to their Myspace stream and the spoken word story-telling complements Thompson's atmospheric guitar playing pretty well.
Jason Asnes current status is unknown but last I can tell he was in the ill-fated Crown Heights project with the late Jon Easley from Sorry.
Right now if you want to own this piece of Americana, your best bets are going to be on an auction site or used record store. Start here.

Bonus Album Insert Scans:

card stock insert:

additional xerox insert:

Airto: Identity LP (1975)

2007-06-18T20:38:00.000-04:00

Hello? Airto? Anyone know him? If Downbeat magazine had a crossword puzzle, he'd probably be in every one given that he's won their drummer award and has so many vowels in his name. Met him while he was in Return to Forever, my LP initiation into jazz really, I was like 12 years old and got to see them somehow in Philly. Airto was was this drummer shaman, never seen anything like that shuffling around the stage with a massive percussive set of toys slamming things around. Things I never heard before and never heard again he had at his fingertips. He played with Miles Davis -- the Bitches Brews session no less, before my time, ah ha and I knew nothing about that shit just that he was jamming with this band that my Uncle had inadvertantly turned me onto (via a John McLaughlin album which made me seek out other stuff like it). Immigrated from Brazil, married or lived with and still does live with singer Flora Purim, another Miles/Chick Corea alum. He also played in Weather Report, a band I didn't like as much as RtF but just as seminal among most jazz fusion fans. Turns out he's not as weird as I imagined - his web site makes him out to be a pretty cool personable cat what with all his first person stories about his life.

Identity (1975) was to be, I guess, his breakout - produced by the then uber-crosserover hot Herbie Hancock (still sizzling from his smoking Chameleon album and later to be canonized with the biggest jazz crossover song in MTV history) -- Identity had lots of cross-overish poppy Latin jazz (what we would call "smooth jazz" in the '90s was often Latin-ish pop jazz in the '70s) . The album echoes in many ways both Hancock's recent work and the second incarnation of Return to Forever but is centered around Airto's effusive and celebratory drumming and percussion. A couple great guest stints from Raul DeSouza (trombone on "Flora on My Mind") and Herbie on his then familiar sounding Arp Odyssey synth.

The opener ("Wake Up Song") really makes a case for Brazilian Latin pop jazz that I didn't feel back in the day. I think that's Herbie cutting loose with an awesome synth solo and certainly that's Wayne Shorter doing his just a little schmaltzy thing on the sax near the end.

Airto uses three different bassists here and almost all of their work is uniformly good - it's just the liner notes don't give you enough information to provide credit where credit is due - the open bass work on "The Magician" is so fine that I almost forget about Airto's sappy and slightly off-key vocals and the lyrics ("let meee geeev you alll my luuuuuv") but he can sustain a note and someone (is it Gismonti) does the George Benson scat along with the guitar thing, only faster and better. Still, it's another fine sonic jam.

The lesser tracks "Mae Cambina" is very electric pianoish, ballad thing like what Hancock put into some of his albums (again with Airto vox) but has some of his cool bird calls so I don't dislike it too much. "Tales From Home" is Airto's biographical duet with Flora Purim that gets the funk on and Purim's vocals are worth the price of the tune even if it probably goes on a verse or two too long.

Two cuts stand out for me and they're the final cuts. The title track, written by Airto, short and sweet predicts Airto's work with Mickey Hart on Planet Earth, primal and tribal, it's the least pop thing on this album and so much more wonderfully messy than Mickey Hart's rather self-conscious efforts at ethnic music probably cuz its much more genuine. I can't place the African style guitar here and can't find anything in the liner notes as to what instrument it is but it fits really well with the layered vocals - the female chanting and screaming bores into the brain with repeated listens in a good good good way.

The final track, "Encounter", is co-written by Egberto Gismonti (who arranged everything here) and I think that's him on acoustic guitar and wood flute. Who knows who is playing the awesome bass line (they just don't make bass like this anymore do they?!). The singing here, also, cool Latin is well integrated into the rest of the jam and cuz its in a foreign language (at least for me) I don't hung up on any sappiness in the lyrics. You can hear Airto's awesome bird calls here and the drumming outro is sublime.

Some MP3s to try him out (recorded from vinyl):

"Encounter" - Airto
"Identity" - Airto

Buy it!

The album was remastered a few years back and is still available as an import.

LINKS:

Airto's website includes lots of cool stories about his life - enjoyed most his descriptions of meeting Miles Davis
Fan site dedicated to both Airto and Flora Purim
Drummerworld has a set of photos of Airto and his often artistic-looking percussion instruments
Blogroll Buddies ickmusic on a recent Airto performance
Airto does a one man drummer and scat thing on Youtube (the whole thing is kinda annoying but ffwd to 1:32 for some really nice Latin set beats)

The Wrong Trousers

2007-06-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a sweet little Internet find I discovered through the ever-awesome Neatorama - a buncha kids from one of my old stomping grounds in Coronado, California doing cool covers on harp, mandolin and stand-up bass. I would have written them off as a novelty had I not heard their original, "Calvin," a high school flirt song with, I guess, a big reference to Cal Johnson. They already appear to be well on their way to becoming a YouTube band - their myspace blog recounts how they were freaked out after being approached at Coachella by a fan who discovered them from the video site and started talking mandolin technique with them.

MP3s (downloaded via their Sonicbids site):

"Calvin" (Melodica solo written by Peter Sprague)
"Such Great Heights" (Postal Service cover)
"Handle With Care" (Travelling Wilburys cover)

The Wrong Trousers Myspace (also includes what appears to be another stellar original - "Had")

Youtube:

Busker version of "Video Killed the Radio Star"

"Peach Plum Pear (live)" (Joanna Newsom cover) and a version of "Calvin"

In a Single Vein

2007-06-02T14:27:00.001-04:00

The A-side comes off their 2006 Ace-fu release Be He Me and can be got here ("Brother") while the b-side comes off a lesser available EP Git Got. In case you've been hibernating from the indie rock world, Annuals are sort of America's version of Arcade Fire but angle in from the direction of Aphex Twin and Animal Collective rather than U2 and Smashing Pumpkins. Field and forest and mobile electric generator pop. An "It band" for a few seconds last year but don't hold that against them.

Packaging is pretty spare for this limited release single.

"Ease My Mind" - Annuals (buy this single here or here)
Bonus link: I prefer the insane studio version but this Coffeehouse version of "Ease My Mind" is a nice companion if only to suss out the chords.

Speaking of Aphex Twin, here's what's on that 7" giveaway if you bought the latest Blonde Redhead CD from certain outlets. Can't say I've fallen in love with their new CD ("23"), it all sounds so same-ish and lacks any of the punch (or hits) of their previous release but I'd have bought this single anyway, I think, since this song and to a lesser extent - the A-side (the sort of 70's soft rockish "Silently") are about the best results of those recent sessions.

"Signs Along The Path" - Blonde Redhead

Bonus link: Remix the "Signs Along The Way" and sample other people's versions here.

Stephen McBean's Pink Mountaintops has perhaps the best cover of the bunch. The A-side is a rocky, gargantuan sneering fuzz and organ tribute to the slacker/druggy life best listened to all the way up while B-side is where he downshifts, a hazey psyche slide guitar and organ trip. Both require copious amounts of pungent herb to fully enjoy. Looking forward with bloodshot eyes to his next long-player.

"My Best Friend" - Pink Mountaintops

(out of print - but still can be found)

(all samples recorded straight off vinyl so don't whine if you hate my cheap stereo equipment - go buy the originals yr damnself).

Holiday Drive Mix Tape

2007-05-25T10:40:00.000-04:00

A sort of mellow late Spring - early Summer folk, Americana, electro pop mix, some popular well known artists, some not so well known for the holiday weekend drive home and something that won't hopefully be too objectionable from my fellow travellers - all tunes found on fellow mostly undersung MP3 blogs* you should check out - who also should have links to the artists and the where to buys (I can't do everything)...

"I Will Dare" - The Replacements via Rock Sellout
"Dead Flowers" - Townes Van Zandt via The Canals
"Brand New Day" - Van Morrison via Badminton Stamps
"Long Lost Penpal" - Hello Saferide via Stop Me...
"Heart it Races (Architecture in Helsinki cover)" - Soft Tigers via Art Snob Solutions
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"**** - Sufjan Stevens via The World Forgot
"10AM Automatic (live)" - The Black Keys via I Am Fuel, You Are Friends
"Blues Run The Game (live)" - The Decemberists via The Canals
"Here I Dreamt I was An Architect" - Patti Smith via The Music Slut
"Venus in Furs" - DeVotchka via Pitchfork*
"Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" - Okkervil River*** via YANP
"A Favor" - Okkervil River via The Music Slut
"The Ghost of You Lingers" - Spoon via Pop Headwound
"Girlfriend (Remix) Feat. Lil Mama" - Avril Lavigne** via Mixtape Maestro
"Us Ones in Between" - Sunset Rubdown via Jacob Sudol

*Disclaimer: Pitchfork is not an MP3 blog
**Yes, Avril
***Leaked from upcoming album
****Yes, I know it's a Christmas song but it's also a Memorial Day song. So say I.

Photo entitled Memorial Day by LoneBlueLady on Flickr (CC protected)

Raw Power: After Your Brain LP

2007-05-17T18:30:00.000-04:00

(Toxic Shock Records, 1986)

I was walking around town today and apropros of nothing, the tune "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" popped into my head, so I spent my liquor shopping time singing it under my breath. Not sure why it did that as I don't remember hearing it today on the ubiquitous radio-soundtrack-of-our-lives nor I'm not aware of anyone doing somebody wrong or even doing me wrong, though there's plenty of stuff I could gripe about in the past.

Raw Power was an early, early hardcore band from Italy, one of the first. The earlier tapes and releases lived up to the "Raw" part of their name and there's nothing intrisically wrong with this release, just nothing much to push it above the rest of the many records released in this time period of this genre. More metalish than previous outings - their Screams from the Gutter is considered a superior record, I guess. There's a lot of head-nods to NWoBHM here and a little bit of acknowledgment of the post-hardcore scene even (your opinion may vary). Some of the first use I remember of the cringey Satanic scream-vocals that were so in vogue in 2004 Headbanger's Ball videos came from singer Silvio - but back then when he did it, it all seemed quite new and novel. Mauro replaced Silvio here I think on lead vocals. Another novelty of the time, they did that call and response thing that System of a Down have turned into an (annoying) science.

Drummer seems to be one of those guys that if he has an instrument he wants to play it - cowbell fills and the use of those still-cringe-inducing Bad Company electric drums (the ones that sound like high-pitched castrated dog woofs) but other than he keeps the beat and you can mosh to it.

My fave song of the bunch is "We Shall Overcome" - that is if you don't try to over-analyze the title or the lyrics ... Italians singing about "red Indians" - their words -- is like me singing about, I dunno, Mario Roatta's persecution of Slavs during World War II... instead give them props for pushing out against the more prevalent exhausting polkas and guitar grinders on this album.

Here's some highlights from the record - which you can buy on a CD combined with the previous album here:

"Buy and Pay"
"Is There Anything You Like"
"We Shall Overcome"

Band:
Giuseppe (RIP) - guitars+vocals
Helder - drums
Mauro - vocals
Silvio - guitars + vocals

The band is still together although one of the founding members died a few years ago. I saw them live once and all the things people say about how albums can't capture a good live show are operative here.

They're heading out on tour on the West Coast this month - via Myspace:

May 23 2007

8:00P

Knitting Factory - Hollywood Ca

May 24 2007

8:00P

The Blue Café - Huntington Beach

May 25 2007

8:00P

The Juke Joint - Anaheim

May 26 2007

8:00P

Jumping Turtles - San Marcos

May 27 2007

8:00P

OFFLIMITS - Chico

May 28 2007

8:00P

Thee Parkside - Berkely

May 29 2007

8:00P

The Phoenix Theater - Petaluma

May 30 2007

8:00P

The Haz Mat - Oakland

May 31 2007

8:00P

The Distillery - Sacromento

Jun 1 2007

8:00P

Hells Kitchen - Tacoma, WA

Jun 2 2007

8:00P

The Funhouse - Seattle

Jun 3 2007

8:00P

Mount Tabor - Portland, OR

Jun 4 2007

8:00P

The Stork Club - Oakland, CA

Further Research:

Raw Power official website is not kept up to date - The RawPower myspace appears better tended... here's a summary page on Raw Power from the always useful KFTH

Thomas Truax and His Dark Tricks: Spook Show (entire album)

2007-04-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

At the request of a reader and by kind permission of Mr. Truax (who is in the midst of a UK tour) and despite my reservations previously stated, here's the entire Spook Show LP. See the original posting here.

Rigatoni recipe with your chef Steve Albini

2007-04-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

I tried this last night - but I used Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon - RECOMMENDED!

From the electrical audio forum:

Boil water. Salt it. Add rigatoni. while it is boiling, sautee some onions and apples (apples in 1/2-inch pieces cubes) in olive oil. Season (salt and pepper, maybe some thyme) everything. If you have some, throw in some bacon or pancetta cut in little cubes. When the apples are starting to brown a little bit, throw in a bunch of chopped garlic. If you have some, throw in a mess of diced celery.

Just before the pasta is al dente (it should still be firm at this stage), drain it and dump it into the skillet with the stuff, along with some of the pasta water. Toss to mix and continue cooking until the pasta is nicely al dente. Just before service, crumble a bunch of gorgonzola into the skillet and toss until it is somewhat melted and coats the pasta a little bit.

Serve with fresh herbs chopped fine as a topside garnish. I like mint and parsley together.

Some more SXSW selections...

2007-03-25T13:09:00.001-04:00

I'm probably about a 10th of the way through these... no rhyme or reason to this, just the cream of the crop.

"I Knew" - 22-Pistepirkko. It has a gong in it and guitar played like bouzoki. What more do you need?

"Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here" - 65daysofstatic. A descriptive title for this ghostly electronica instrumental.

"Mystic Song" - The Berg San Nipple. French Indie-tronica in the Album Leaf - +/- style.

"Throw It Away" - The Pink Reason (photo via band myspace) Not reverb-drenched. Reverb-waterlogged. The kind of really awful good stuff that only works in lo-fi. I wasn't surprised to read after this made my hit list that the band has a 7" out via Siltbreeze.

"Wake Up Heroes" - Sally Crewe and The Sudden Moves. They sound like early Elvis Costello and The Attractions in this 1:19 chartbuster but she's got way better lines such as "If this car had a backseat, we'd be in it" - something I'm sure Ed Begley regrets about his electric car.

(photo via Village Voice via 12xu)

SXSW 2007 MP3s, Edition 1

2007-03-18T13:30:00.000-04:00

I'm way behind on the yearly daunting task of trying to listen to every MP3 up on the SXSW site... I think the festival is basically over by now but I've tried to ignore as much of the hype as I could so it didn't affect my listening parties.

Here's my first set... let me know what you like.

"Jim's Room" - Nina Nastasia & Jim White. Very quiet singer-songwriter folk piece with above-the-cut lyrics from former Touch and Go artist Nina Nastasia(left) - made extra-special by Jim White's understated drumming and Steve Albini's pristine recording. From last year's overlooked On Leaving.

"Catching and Killing" - Youth Group. Worst band name of the bunch but this several-year old poppy single from this aging Aussie band still wears well.

"Ecstacy" - zZz. This garage-tronica piece - think Jim Morrison fronting a trance band with 60's instruments makes you wanna put the lava lamps and colored lamps on and stick your girlfriend inna birdcage and say, "dance, Sister, dance"...

"Ping Pong" - x-Wife. Nice little pizzicato guitar riff frames this post-punker.

"Waste" - White Christian Romance. 10cc weren't really that bad of a band and this reminds me of some of their stuff - lush orchestral synths, cascading piano chords and vocals that provided whispered rhythmic counterpoint fitted in with a baritone guitar lead.

"Through A Keyhole" - Walter Meego. People might not like the nasal falsetto vocals here but it fits the whole paranoid mutant stalkerish vibe.

"Deen" - Wativ. Cutting edge jazz - don't get put off by the longish robot-analog reverb drum intro -- let it work for awhile --the aural payoff occurs when the strings made up to sound like wailing dogs kick in and the analog (moog?) synth starts cranking up.

In An Aeroplane With My iPod and Soduku Book

2007-03-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

Some random tracks/images that just sound/look too darn good in the earbuds not to share and encourage you to seek these artists and albums because I'm just a nice guy with nothing else to do on a Saturday morning...

note: this song is probably not a tribute to famous asexual philospher Simone Weil

"Simone" is a liar. You pronounce her name "See-Moan-Ay" and she's a double-dealing, cheating lying dirty dog. Two-faced, too. If I wasn't up high in some airplane, I'd wanna scrunch up over my guitar and scratch out some wicked stereo feedbackish riffs over some retread psyche-drone just to get even with the bea-atch... (Calla: Strength in Numbers - tour)

I couldn't find a picture of The Besnard Lakes, so this picture OF Besnard Lake (rife at is with phallic symbology) will have to do

"Because Tonight" - Bobby has some brass knuckles in the inside pocket of his school letter jacket and Donna can feel them as he slow dances with her in the roadhouse. This was the song the band was supposed to play before Bobby pulled out those knuckles and went after Big Ed. (The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse - currently on tour)

Daniels chomps down with some sharp teeth but finds he can't swallow until you look away

"American Pastime" - The guy who's girl was so into baseball that he had to write this breakup song for her. I don't remember the term "send a bullet across her spine" being some sort of sports phrase. (more bitter break-up music on David Karsten Daniels' Sharp Teeth - currently on tour)

Ian and Amy reveal true identiy as soul-sucking, corporate vampires

"Minding One's Business" I got both of The Evens new album at the same time but I find the first one way more interesting, experimental, together, cohesive (if that's a good thing) than the second one (Get Evens) which is more strident, less daring, more musically "competent" (if that's a bad thing) and, well, less interesting. It also sounds like the two songwriters are starting to go their separate ways and that's a bad thing cuz they really clicked together in the first album. Shoulda listened to it more when it came out, but oh well, there's still plenty in stock for everyone else to catch up. (The Evens: The Evens)

Deerhoof E.S.P. powers former guitarist's head explode - how sad, how bad
photo by Asha Shechter, NYTimes

"Believe E.S.P." Trying to avoid making lists but this new Deerhoof album is def. got me by the shorthairs for 2007's best overall CD. Don't know how else to describe except as an anti-breakup album (maybe DKD's album is still resonating in my head as I write this). It features some surpringly great arrangements, incredible drumming and percussion and some really wild multi-vocals and makes their "weirdness" go beyond just something "special" into something truly mindblowing. It's like the band blossomed from this little petite crooked tulip into a giant skyscraper-sized multi-hued sunflower in the space of two years. (Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity)

It's true that he was born this way...but don't laugh at him at least to his face

"Pocket Knife" Notable for several things - one being that this is one of the coolest one-man band songs I've ever heard and this, along with his stellar work recording harp for J. Newsom, adds yet another notch in Steve Albini's recording belt. (Phillip Roebuck: Fever Pitch)

Did someone say Kinky Vans?

"Kinky Vans" - A mindless meld (Pfork called it "derivative", ha ha) of what sounds like a live string quartet, classical guitar, piano with bleets and blats, instrument samples and a high pitched drum machine. It all should make as much as sense as the title and it does and it doesn't. But it's quite a pretty thing for floating above the clouds. Released in 2005 in the UK. (Tunng: Mother's Daughter and Other Songs - short US tour happening this week)

FINAL THOUGHT: "A mind enclosed in language is in prison." - Simone Weil

Thomas Truax: Spook Show

2007-03-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

(PsychoTeddy Records, 1988)

Here's one I forgot I had - an EP (or is it a mini-LP?) of very badly recorded synth-goth -- think of the most overwrought Cure song and then imagine it recorded on a 4-track cassette with Radio Shack microphones... This promo came to my post office box in the late 80's from Thomas Truax, whose PR photos (see below, too) suggest he was trying to cast himself as a pretty boy Edwardian vampire.

Truax has since been sporting more of a Mad Scientist personna - inventing instruments such as his "Hornicator" (a video showcasing the instrument is here) - he's also gotten better in his recording techniques. Drowned in Sound calls him a "one man anti-folk machine." At any rate, his website disavows this recording - there's no mention of it in the discography.

Couldn't really bring myself to digitize much of this except for the pretty little music box instrumental (unintentionally made prettier by the "vinylizing" effect) called "Above My Bed." Listening to it reminds of music you might have heard on a Tim Burton movie of which I was a big fan in the late 80's even though I never got much into the "goth" thing.

I've included a newer song below from Mr. Truax (hope he doesn't mind), which I kind of enjoy, called "Escape from the Orphanage" and it's readily available at his website here.

An accompanying Truax show review to the Drowned In Sound page compares Truax's live performance to Tom Waits saying, "because there's a creativity about it and an attractively skewed aesthetic at work..." He appears to be playing 'round UK and Ireland at this point in case you want to check him out.

Songs:
"Above My Bed" - from the out of print Spook Show
"Escape From The Orphanage" - from the 2002 Full Moon Over Wowtown

For your enjoyment, here's some of the PR material that was included in this promo EP I received when I was still doing a fanzine:

Love the "cat and mouse photo" above. I've researched but can't find any reference to co-producer Frederic Harris having been associated with Klaus Nomi.

Promo photo from Spook Show package
Although all the parts on this record are played by Truax, his touring band line-up is in the promo materials above. Bassist Stephan Wichnewski (believe that is the guy second from the left but go ahead and correct me if I'm wrong) played on Yo La Tengo's New Wave Hotdogs and the President album in the late '80s.

There was also a nice little hand-crafted lyric sheet put together in a format like a mini-zine.

More links:

Truax on Myspace ("Inside the Internet" which continues Truax's lifelong obsession with minor key composition is is his most streamed track for good reason)
Truax is interviewed by Splendid Zine mostly on his instrument inventions
Partly Porpoise does a timely review of Truax's live show - "I spent the whole set slack-jawed and then grinning inanely"

Saved Round:
Truax claims in his bio he is an illegitimate son of Screamin' Jay Hawkins and works as an animator on Cartoon Network's Robot Chicken.

Charles Gocher, RIP

2007-02-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

Shit, I come up for air from my current project surge and see this:

02/20/07

With deep regret, we must announce that Charles Gocher passed away yesterday in Seattle due to a long battle with cancer at the age of 54. He is survived by the two of us who adopted him as a brother 25 years ago and his many friends around the world. He will be missed more than most could ever know. Our thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement during the past three, very difficult years. Many of you were not aware that Charles was ill and that’s because he wanted it that way. Details of a memorial in his honor will be announced soon.

---Alan and Richard Bishop

"Space Prophet Drogon" - Sun City Girls

Apple Insanity

2007-02-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

Everybody loves Apple, right? I admit I use iTunes as my music library and even download an occasional song. More recently, I've used it to keep up with some fave TV shows like The Office, Heroes, Ugly Betty and Lost -- stuff I've been missing because one of my projects is coming to fruition and I'm reaching roll-out phase (sorry for the lack of postings).

Anyway, yesterday I fired up iTunes, hoping to burn a drive mix CD and after five seconds the thing crashed and gave me one of those "we don't know your problem, sorry for the inconvenience, please contact Microsoft (HA!)" boxes.

I tried again. Again. Again. Panic starts to set in -- not because all is lost but because I know nothing else but iTunes and didnt want to spend the weekend farting around trying to either fix the problem or load up some alternative media player program.

I go to Apple "Support" page and find that REAL hard to find anything but ended up in a forum and eventually found someone who posted what seemed to be a similar problem and followed the solution that was posted because the original poster and others said it worked.

Do all that shit, wank, wank, point, click, install, deinstall, start, restart, stop, start, rinse, remove, scrub, bleep, blop. You know... computershit.

Nothing helps.

Finally I search long and hard and find an actual phone number for iPod support. Well, I have an iPod so I called up, got the usual guy who was probably English as a Second Language tech support. Of course, the first thing he tells me is the shit on all the message boards. While I'm googling, I'm finding what appear to be other legitimate solutions such as use Windows Install Clean-up to delete stuff, etc.

Anyway, after several minutes with the guy, he says there is a solution to fix iTunes but... my iPod is out of warrentry and would I like to get the solution for $30.

THIRTY DOLLARS?! For you to help me fix your STOREFRONT? What kinda shit is that? It's like paying admission to go shop at Trader Joe's (and I'm sure there are people who would actually do that). I asked to speak to a supervisor and after about 10 minutes got online with a lovely woman who asked me about my system, blah blah and then said, well, we don't normally do this but since you seem pretty riled up about this (well, she didn't say THAT), she would give me the magic $30 formula to reinstall Apple's "free" software...

To quote a recent appearance by Ian MacKaye in front of a DC Council Member "This is INSANE, that place is INSANE"... oh, and ef Steve Jobs...

Here's how to totally uninstall Apple shit from your Windoze computer and save yourself $30 bucks or 45 minutes on the phone harruanging their tech support:

Open up Windows Install Cleanup - delete all iPod, Quicktime, iTunes stuff
Open up Control Panel: Remove Programs Window - delete all iPod, quicktime, iTunes stuff
Open up Program Files under your Cdrive and find all iPod, QT, iTunes, Apple folders and delte them. If you can't delete them, go to the Process Manager (ctrl-alt-del) and remove any related processes such as iTunes, Quicktime, etc, etc.
Empty Trash

Restart

(and optional: Reinstall iTunes/quicktime)
yeah, I'm too dependent on the program to quit and too lazy to switch... any suggestions what I should do to break the iTunes dependency (the solution should allow me to DRM-remove my TV shows and few music tunes).

Sufjan/NSO and others at the Kennedy

2007-02-06T06:42:00.000-05:00

photo by andrea bruce - washington post

Well, there was a little concert last night in my neighborhood. I didn't see the headliner but had an awesome night at the symphony... Above is the Washington Post picture of Sufjan doing his thing looking all like a hick going into the Big City. You can read their review of his performance but here's an excerpt:

To listen to Stevens is to wonder what it's like to live in his head. It must get loud in there, with all those Beatlesque references, the baroque instrumentations, the darkly rhapsodic lyrics and those lushly romantic medleys all competing for attention. One gets the impression that Sufjan played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons as a kid. If he spent his adolescence toiling in rarefied geekdom, banging out Mozartean sonatas on a toy Casio in Michigan's Lower Peninsula (as his MySpace page suggests), then his Kennedy Center performance last night was a nerd's sweet revenge.

The Symphony played Pictures at An Exhibition - rock fans will remember the Emerson Lake and Palmer album of that same name (well some rock fans will remember it). But this was the real deal - nine movements based on a different painting. If you've never heard the symphony live -- and it's a rare thing for me -- it's something else especially in a decent acoustical theater.

I can't get it to work right now - but when they fix the link or I figure out what's wrong with my RealPlayer (sigh) the Sufjan performance is available here

The NSO performance is here.

Photo used without permission - but here's a link for purchase in case you want a version suitable for framing.

New Stuff: Sic Alps: Pleasures and Treasures CD (2006)

2007-02-03T18:45:00.000-05:00

This CD, coming as it is from a two-man band with roots in The Hospitals and Coachwhips - both of whom I adoor - is the reason I gut blistahs on mah fingahs... and NOT what you are thinkin. West coast guitar and (mostly) drums bliss-noise-garage-psyche, simply put - tailor made for my ears, tired as they are of uber-cold indie emo-pop and meandering Americana that's soooo prevalent these here days. A test of a good try at this type of playing is that it can induce a natural high if listened to correctly (distance from the two speakers, volume, that type of stuff, trust me).

....so - I'm pretty sure that van on the CD cover is where they recorded this - that is after they ripped everything out and coated it with machine oil, lit a few hundred candles and set up a 30 year old 4-Track, is my guess at least. And yeah, that gives the whole thing a rusty, found-in-a-musty-basement aural sheen and smell (might as well go for broke in mixing metaphors).

CD was purchased via Forced Exposure. Visit the Sic Alps 'n' get you info on some of their other recordings -- I have their Semi-Streets 7" in my stack-o-vinyl for future listening parties. Big ups for the band for deleting their Myspace site because of "crappy ads, Madonna videos, and the fine print about them owning your tunes"... (1/2 snicker).

MP3s posted with permission of the band - other highlights from the album are "Down Comes The Perm" (available on their website), the stomp-drunk "Stories" and the two guitar screecher "Reconnection Land.":

"Semi-Streets" (video) - Ever been lost and confused?
"Surgeon And The Slave"- At some point, masters will run out of slaves

Liner Notes...

2007-01-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

If you read my Dischord.com site review post on Sunday, I said I had some problems with the store. Whatever the issue was, it's been fixed now. Just wanted you all to know in case I scared anyone off. Also, thanks to Alec (the site codeslinger) for contacting me.

I'm not a big blog for comments and that's cool but sometimes they come in many moons after a post. And it's really sweet when someone in one of the bands I wrote about leaves a message (even Pillsbury Hardcore). It appears Jeff Weigand from the Volcano Suns has left a comment on my blog posting on the All Night Lotus Party LP explaining what some of the songs were about:

hey...not a bad review of lotus party...tho' your readings of songs is abit off...ride the cog is about two things...I wrote it as a sorta anti minor threat manifesto about jon and me going on some pretty good drinking binges while we were digusted with the music scene and girls...and the infamous train ride up Mount Washington which tends to cut loose ever so often and kill its thrillseekers (sadly, due to modern innovations and safety inhibitions, this rarely hapens anymore)....four letters is about a fucked up relation pete had with a girlfriend...sounds like bucks is just about living in america and all of the money is you bullshit...crotch on fire is about beating off too much, again a sorta offshoot of the girl theme...and room with a view is about me being a young boy and watching the neighbor divorcee masturbate thru her window for many years jeff

As Kevin Costner said about Madonna, "neat," huh?

Speaking of Pillsbury Hardcore, the angry comments continue. here's the latest from Anonymous:

I'm sure you're befuddled by Crucial Youth and Stikky as well. After all, any band that used the Pillsbury doughboy as a logo must have wanted to be taken completely seriously.

I wasn't befuddled by Crucial Youth (they just kinda sucked, joke band or not, so I guess the comparison with PH is apt) and I never heard Stikky (isn't it something they give horses so they poop better?). And hey, I said some nice deserving stuff about Bob Durkee recently, so I can't be all that befuddled.