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April 30, 2007

Deerhunter, Live @ the Mercury Lounge, 4.26.2007

photos by Devon Banks

I'm not sure why I was startled by the sudden emergence of "Cryptograms" at the beginning of Deerhunter's set last Thursday. I mean, the transition from still ambient buzz to wild kraut chug was their second album's key trick. I guess I had just considered the high levels of shapeless squall a neat bit of theory, making the home listener fidget before you knock 'em dead. In person, hit with the actual weight of the sonics, getting dazed in the lead-up was easy. When the drums kicked in, I'd forgotten that it was an impending prospect. Of course this was the only song before Bradford Cox slipped off his trousers and slipped into "Whatever Happened to Baby Lurch?" mode, so slipping dreamily into the music wasn't going to be an option for long. From there, rapt attention was required.

During the second bout of radiating feedback patterns, Cox somehow crouched his enormous length behind an amp, de-pantsed and bit into a massive fake blood packet. This freed enough red goo that when he emerged in a little white dress you didn't have much time to be freaked out by that before being made uncomfortable by the viscera covering his lips and teeth. There was so much of it spreading to his face and hands that there was never a moment when the gore might have seemed genuine. As powerful as the band was, breaking from the fog again to attack "Wash Off" (the brutal finale from the "Fluorescent Grey" EP), it's an image like a battered gaunt cross-dresser with an entire microphone in his mouth that'll stay with you.

Despite being overshadowed, let it be said that Cox's band mates were on top form. The chiming guitar leads, the methed-up motorik rhythm, and the gushing walls of sound, all nailed. Further, they did it with such a casual, good nature that it made their singer's antics seem even stranger. They were like a bunch of high school friends whose pal and frontman was unfortunately turned into a zombie. They couldn't bear to shoot him, so they just kept on letting him sing lead and tossed him a brain now and again. While he paced and staggered about, climbed the drum set, or fiendishly invaded their personal spaces, they just played happily along. They chatted with the audience, or playfully put on fans' hats and glasses. It's easy to envision the preceding backstage meeting. "Alright guys, just act like everything's normal!"

For all his bizarre affectations, Cox's voice was quite formidable in a live setting. He easily replicated the airy melodies and aggressive enunciation that seem like the work of crack engineers on disc. The overwhelming volume made Cryptograms' pure pop numbers, like the gorgeous "Spring Hall Convert", into more sinister freak-outs. Around that song, a doe eyed Karen O crawled through the packed room to a stage center position, taking notes from her one time tour openers. She's frequently touting their shows in the press as "a religious experience." When the dominant "Hazel Street" segued into the thrilling "ambient punk" of "Octet," her prescient patronage was more than validated.

The final song of the night was a ragged, blistering version of the band's most incongruously sunny track, "Strange Lights." Again, the sweet melody took on a frayed and fucked up tone. But for the first time the rest of the band lost their cool reserve; writhing on the stage, rutting in the feedback, embracing the theater of the show at last. With the blood smeared face and dress, towering over his fallen, quivering chums, Cox seemed ripped from a horror movie. The kind you see on late night cable as a kid, scarring you enough that you still avoid it on idle flip throughs. The band unplugged and picked themselves up, shuffling offstage like it was no big deal. There was no encore, nor a real need for one. At only eight songs (plus a couple ambient passages) it was an early front runner for gig of the year.

Deerhunter - "Fluorescent Grey"

This might be the best video we've yet foisted upon the public, though the audio is inevitably limited. It's just that the inward fuzz of the compromised recording dovetails nicely with the waves of outward fuzz emanating from the stage. The main guitar melody chimes through just as easily as it does on record, though Bradford Cox's voice is buried. When it does break through, like in the blood curdling "Hiiiiiiiiiiiis body will decay!" around the 1:38 mark, you know he's really screeching. This, remember, is the song's gentle build-up. When our patience has paid off and the guitars really kick in at 2:54, the technology is totally over matched. We're left with white noise, white lights, and pale white flesh. Not an entirely inaccurate lasting impression of the night.

Deerhunter - "Fluorescent Grey"

// Deerhunter - band site
// Deerhunter - MySpace
// Deerhunter - Cryptograms buy

More carnage (and a fuzzy Karen O sighting) on the flip...

Karen O looks on lovingly as Bradford wigs out.

What the fuck's even going on here?

The end of show writhing was the only time the rest of the band really got into the act.

Somewhere, Richard D. James is getting an idea for a new video.

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

True Seeding Waits

(image found at A Reminder)

For an explanation of our Radiohead tournament, click here.

Last Wednesday night, the esteemed Randall Monty and I got together, via IM, to seed the Radiohead tournament. Friday we announced seeds 1-4 (click here). Today, you will get 5 - 8.

Since we believe in transparency, I have included the IM transcript of our seeding selections for the first 16 teams, after the jump. Feel free to poke huge holes in our obvious biases. There can be no tournament without seeding controversies! On Tuesday, we will reveal 9-12.

FIVE
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Subterranean Homesick Alien
Morning Bell
National Anthem

SIX
Electioneering
Exit Music (For a Film)
How Can You Be Sure?
Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box

SEVEN
Black Star
Sulk
True Love Waits
Airbag

EIGHT
My Iron Lung
Bullet Proof ( Wish I Were)
I Might Be Wrong
Myxomatosis

For those of you counting at home, of the top eight seeds, one is from Pablo Honey , ten are from the Bends , eight are from OK Computer , five are from Kid A, three are from Amnesiac, three are from Hail to the Thief songs, and two are from B-sides/soundtracks/etc.

me: now - for five, six; let's go back to submitting eight
Randall: you start the 5's
oh ok
me: no - we'll do that for fives
9:29 PM then six, seven, we'll do the eights
Randall: ok
you start
9:30 PM me: Street Spirit
9:31 PM Randall: homesick alien
9:34 PM me: Morning Bell
Randall: Just
me: three seed
just is, that is
Randall: sorry, didnt' delete it
9:35 PM national anthem
me: ok - let's go back to our eight suggestiosn
Randall: is that already there?
me: nope
Randall: ok
eight, here i go
9:38 PM me: let me know when you're ready
9:39 PM Randall: Black star, bullet proof, Electioneering, Exit music, How can you be sure, packt like sardines, true love waits, where you end and i begin
9:40 PM me: AirbagElectioneeringExit Music (For A Film)How Can You Be SureLike Spinning PlatesPackt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin BoxSulkThe Trickster
Randall: that give us, what, 4?
me: so - Electioneering; Exit Music; How Can You Be Sure and Pakt
yes
9:41 PM Randall: my remainders: black star, bullet proof, true love, where you end and i begin
yours: airbag, plates, sulk, trickster
9:42 PM pick one of yours and one of mine
me: no - let's switch it up - eliminate one of the others
till we have two left -you first
Randall: how do you mean?
me: what you don't want to be the higher seed
the worst of the group
as it were
Randall: of the reamining 8?
9:43 PM me: yeah - presumably of mine.
Randall: trickster
gone
me: bullet proof
gone
Randall: plates
9:44 PM me: where you end
Randall: sulk
me: too many
Randall: sorry
me: we have our four seven seeds
9:45 PM black star
sulk
airbag
true love
Randall: sounds good
me: and I guess the remaining four become eight seeds?
Randall: how 'bout eight more? that way we can keep something we really dislike from being seeded too high (read: trickster)
9:46 PM so those four go back into the pool
me: fair enough
9:50 PM i'm ready when you are
Randall: bends, bullet proff, lucky, motion picture soundtrack, my iron lung, Myxomatosis, stop whispering, where you end and i begin
me: AirbagMy Iron LungThe TricksterA ReminderI Might Be WrongGo To Sleep (Little Man Being Erased)FogLife In A Glass House
Randall: airbag already made it
9:51 PM me: Like Spinning
So - My Iron Lung is the only agreed
Randall: the plot thickens
9:52 PM me: seven and seven for three spots
9:53 PM Randall: how do you want to do it now?
me: i guess we
Randall: we each pick one for sure
me: ok
you first
9:54 PM Randall: bullet proof
9:55 PM me: I Might Be Wrong
Randall: ok... for number four, we each pick one of hte other person's, and then we'll decide who'll give ground on their own
9:56 PM me: i'm willing to go full out for Mxy
i don't care what I have
I agree with you

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 06:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 28, 2007

Videos: French Dance Dynasty

While our site's humble patron is entrenched in the Coachella wilderness, hoping to stumble across his next Daft Punk level performance to stammer on about for a year, it's worthwhile to note that the robots' hometown is doing a more than decent job of providing its own successors to their shiny (perhaps blinking) crown.

Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."

The heir apparent in this race is clearly Justice. This other Paris duo has a similar knack for crafting straight to the pleasure center thrills of remarkable purity. This track has been blowing minds for the majority of the year, but it just didn't sound right in the harsh of winter, somehow. Now that the sun is peaking out ever so slightly, its boom-box supremacy will be assured. Also, with the slick dynamic shifts and "damn, I wasn't sure they could top themselves" progression here, it might have the ability to withstand the "I loved it for the first sixty times, but on listen sixty one I never wanted to hear it ever again" factor better than a more repetitive song like Dance Punk's own "One More Time."

This video that recently hit YouTube for the finally released single (the album doesn't hit until July) might be slightly unfinished. It's almost impossible to sit around and wait for the 100% version when the 95% version kicks such formidable ass, though.

Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."

the Teenagers - "Homecoming"

Although less explicitly dance oriented, I think that the breezy pop of Discovery tracks like "Digital Love" is a fair comparison. Not the only comparison that springs to mind, however. Lyrically, maybe a much filthier version of that "Tell Me More" song from Grease? A degenerate (and more musically subtle) make over of Nada Surf's "Popular," perhaps? I described it on Prefix as a really poppy M83 track mixed with the letters from Penthouse Forum, which comes awfully close. You can discuss whether the language used is plainly misogynistic, or excusably satirical mock misogynistic, but the melody doesn't demand debate. Their hometown is often billed as London/Paris, so the part of the dirty Brit is accordingly voiced by a "so fake it might be real" French accent.

As to the widely posted (but still worthy) video clip, imagine an appealingly cast porno circa 1974 that's magically directed by Sophia Coppola. Is that something that might interest our demographic? Seems like that might have wide appeal.

the Teenagers - "Homecoming"

I take it everyone else has noticed the waves and waves of superior dance music coming out these days? It's fairly remarkable. Expect a Springtime Dance Party of, hopefully, not quite so ubiquitous songs later next week.

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 02:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 27, 2007

Every seed in its right place

For an explanation of our Radiohead tournament, click here.

On Wednesday night, the esteemed Randall Monty and I got together, via IM, to seed the Radiohead tournament. We initially suggested our eight top prospects (in order of preference), with any song mentioned in both lists deserving a #1 seed. Three such songs existed: "Paranoid Android", "Creep", and "Karma Police". Through a process too complicated to explain quickly, we got "Everything in its Right Place. Since we believe in transparency, I have included the IM transcript of our seeding selections for the first 16 teams, after the jump. Feel free to poke huge holes in our obvious biases. There can be no tournament without seeding controversies! On Monday, we will reveal 5-8.

ONE SEEDS
Paranoid Android
Creep
Karma Police
Everything in its Right Place

TWO SEEDS
Idioteque
Fake Plastic Trees
High & Dry
2+2=5 (The Lukewarm.)

THREE SEEDS
Planet Telex
Let Down
Just
There There. (The Boney King of Nowhere.)

FOUR SEEDS
No Surprises
(Nice Dream)
Optimistic
Knives Out

For those of you counting at home, that's one Pablo Honey song, five Bends songs, four OK Computer songs, three Kid A songs, one Amnesiac song, two Hail to the Thief songs, and zero B-side/soundtrack songs.

8:49 PM me: Hello!
8:50 PM Randall: what's up buddy
me: Are you ready?
Randall: yep
me: ok - before we start - so I sent you an e-mail today - to ask if you wanted to seed the tournament tonight - the e-mail was just this:
Do you want to do the seeding tonight?
8:51 PM Only I sent it to the wrong person - a woman on my contact list that I don't know very well.
named Randi
Randall: awesome
did she say yes?
me: i had to link to our Web site to prove that it had to do with tournaments.
Randall: and what did she interpret "seeding" to mean?
8:52 PM me: I immediately sent a follow-up; I can't imagine.
Ok - so did you get my e-mail? We have four songs for three spots. Before we can even get to seeding.
A Reminder (Karma Police) 5% (5 votes)Pearly* Paranoid Android 5% (5 votes)Fog Knives Out 5% (5 votes)Gagging Order Go to Sleep [US] 5% (5 votes)
8:53 PM I have my three picks easily; let me know when you have yours.
Randall: yeah, i'm waiting for my ipod to start up so i can listen to them
this computer is rediculously slow
me: ok
8:56 PM Randall: perly gets one of the spots
me: I concur
Randall: it only because it's the only one i've got
8:57 PM well then, let's get to it!
#1s?
me: Well, if you'll defer to me, I go with A Reminder and Fog
Randall: sounds good
8:58 PM me: do you want me to send the final list?
Randall: please, to gmail, of course
9:00 PM me: sent - so given that we're seeding for a contest that only happens in our hearts and minds - what should we use as qualifiers? It probably has to be a little more complicated than just our four favorite songs.
9:01 PM And I don't know if you saw, but we got threatened with a boycott if Creep wins, I think
9:02 PM Randall: seeding = (popularity + how good it is + how much we like it + video + variable_
9:03 PM me: sounds good - should we submit 8 in order of importance - and have the top four be our seeds?
me: I'm open to any tabulation format
9:04 PM Randall: well, let's hear your top eight then
9:06 PM me: Ok - I think I'm there - one last check
9:07 PM Paranoid AndroidCreepPlanet TelexEverything In Its Right PlaceKarma PoliceHigh And Dry2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)Let Down
9:08 PM Randall: Android, Creep, Ideotech, Just, Karma, Plastic Trees, Surprises, There There
1 = Creep, Android, Karma
9:09 PM me: definties
let's go back to the drawing board for the fourth
I take one of mine and one of yours to suggest
you likewise
if either show up twice, they're in
9:10 PM Randall: ok: ideotech, right place
me: No Surprises and Everything
We have our fourth
Randall: are you keeping track of this, by the way?
me: I know you posted that - and there was a gap, but I couldn't see
9:11 PM yes.
so - would doing a S curve - to make sure albums didn't face each other be too complicated?
9:13 PM Randall: yes
9:14 PM me: I guess I'll keep track of ranking of seeds - and we'll see how complicated it becomes.
Randall: my guess: very
me: so onto 2 seed - how do you want to determine these?
9:15 PM Randall: same way, your four, my four
me: ok
Randall: or, let's use the left over 1s and work from there
2 and 2
me: Why don't you re-paste your leftovers and I'll do mine
we pick from each others
Randall: ok
9:16 PM me: Planet TelexHigh And Dry2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)Let Down
you should have five, i think
Randall: surprises, there there, just, ideotech, plastic trees
9:17 PM me: Idioteque and Fake Plastic
Randall: the other two?
high/dry and 2+2
me: k
9:18 PM so we have 3 OK C; 2 Kid A; 1 Bends; 1 Pablo; 1 Hail; 0 Amnesiac
9:19 PM Randall: we're like the real commitee: we claim that we don't pay attention to conferences
me: Ok - let's keep it fresh - you pick one third seed and a brief reason why; then me; then you; then me
Randall: 3: telex, let down, just, there there
me: no - just one and why
9:20 PM Randall: what?
those are our leftovers from our top eights
me: oh - right ok
nevermind
Randall: nevermind, too?!?!
9:21 PM me: yes - switch the game up
now - for the fourth seed - start by just picking one
Randall: ok
9:22 PM me: wait - is there still one at large
?
Of our first sixteen
Randall: which one?
me: because after first seeds - we were left with 9
9:23 PM Randall: what's the left over?
me: no surprises?
9:24 PM yeah
Randall: sounds good
me: you want that to be your first?
Randall: first #4? yes
9:26 PM me: sorry - rearranging my excel file
ok
9:27 PM man, there's going to be some difficult 7-10 matchups
Randall: always are!
me: (Nice Dream)
Randall: ok, my next #4: optimistic
9:28 PM me: Knives Out
Randall: good call

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:27 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 26, 2007

Coachella beckons the Merry Swankster

In just a few hours I will be landing in beautiful Southern California to spend a weekend with 60,000 new friends and about half a dozen old ones. Different this year is Coachella's addition of a third day. An expansion that seems to have alleviated some of the torturous decision making that defined past editions. As festie veterans know - you never leave Coachella seeing all the bands you thought you would. It's part of the charm really. I'll still share with you my plans as they stand today.

Indio's weekend forecast calls for high temperatures of 98 - 101 degrees. Sunburn in a tight crowd with an oppressive, menacing sun is a one way ticket to awful-town so be careful out there ye of fair skin.

I plan on returning to MS headquarters with a handsome booty of stories, reviews and diverse images to share . Top goal - goth-kids in patent leather pants and assorted accessories dying a slow death passed out on the grass wishing they took the hippie route on the identity trail. Bonus points if I get them on video proclaiming such desires. Crunchy wookies are much more adept at these festival gigs.

After the jump: Merry Swankster's plans for the weekend.

Friday:

Tokyo Police Club > Of Montreal > Amy Winehouse > (throw bananas during finale of..) Arctic Monkeys > Jesus and Mary Chain > Jarvis Cocker > Interpol > Bjork

Unfortunately missing: Brazilian Girls, Silversun Pickups, Sonic Youth, DJ Shadow

Merry Swankster's non-sexual man-crush on Kevin Barnes will finally be realized. Of Montreal tops every band on the bill as far as anticipation and expectations go. Giggity giggity.

Saturday:

the Cribs > the Frames > (20 minutes of) Regina Spektor > Hot Chip (or over to New Pornographers if watching people play on their Macbooks get boring) > Peter Bjorn & John > Andrew Bird or the Decemberists or Kings of Leon (only to begin jostling for a prime spot before the crush of ...) > Arcade Fire > (energized and euphoric I skip to the dance tent where the night cap includes a 1-2 punch with..) > LCD Soundsystem > the Rapture

Saturday picks up amazing momentum as the day progresses. You can't beat the final trio of bands.

Unfortunately missing: New Pornographers, Fratellis, Ghostface Killah, Black Keys

Sunday:

Lupe Fiasco > Mando Diao > Grizzly Bear > Explosions in the Sky > Junior Boys > CSS > Willie Nelson > Klaxons (take a minute to make cracks on the freakout that just occurred) > Jose Gonzales > Air > Ratatat > Spank Rock

Sunday is the weakest day. Bodies will be worn out so by then it won't matter. I have nothing but respect towards anyone planning to rock out to Rage. Good luck with that.

Unfortunately missing: Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Lily Allen, Manu Chao, Rage Against the Machine

Look for a guy taking pictures with a digital camera during any of the above sets and say hi. I'm friendly.

Coachella links:

//Set times
//Event map -
//Scheduler
//MS Advice - Stay away from the hooch until the sun goes down

Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Numerology: Number Nine...Number Nine....Number Nine...Number Nine...

by David Klein

It is a wise populace that speaks with a nearly unanimous voice, especially when proclaiming the preeminence of the Beatles. In these shaky times, it seems essential to have a few truths we call hold self-evident. Besides, now that the 8-spot is firmly in the hands of Liverpool’s finest, I am officially absolved of having to consider “Revolution #9.” With its mind-numbing repetition of the titular numeral, it’s certainly a kind of iconic 9 song; of the other major 9 songs I assayed, R#9 is the lone eight-minute Dadaist freak-out. More traditional fare abounds: the Lieber/Stoller classic “Love Potion #9” (pornographically covered by Blowfly) the lunk-headed Bob Seger song called “Nine Tonight” (and I like Bob Seger), and several from the early ‘80s when the phrase “9 to 5” was that era’s “you go, girl.” As with most earthly phenomena, Dolly Parton was there first, with her bouncy rendition of the title track to the movie 9 to 5. A year later, Sheena Easton was unleashed upon a fascinated public, scoring a monster hit with “Morning Train (9 to 5).” Even the Ramones seemed to pick up on the trend with “It’s Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World),” a decent track from one of their lightest albums, 1981’s Pleasant Dreams. Easily the best song to utilize both 9 and 5 comes from one of my favorite unheralded bands of all time, Game Theory, with a quirky little pop gem (like so many of their songs) called “Nine Lives to Rigel 5.” With a title that refers to one of the stars in the constellation Orion, the song is typical of songwriter, Scott Miller, who seems to have written the book on obscure references, even going so far as to name one CD The Tape of Only Linda, in reference to the famously embarrassing isolated-mic version of “Hey Jude” that a waggish roadie made of the late Linda McCartney. But somehow the dedicated Game Theory fan in me still hesitates to pronounce the track the definitive 9.

Nine is about good things: the players on a baseball team, Salinger's Nine Stories, a cat’s lives, the chorus of “London’s Burning”—good things. It's the last of the single digits, solidly comprised of three threes. There’s a classic country song called "Nine Pound Hammer" that I've loved since childhood. John Lennon's "#9 Dream” was a big hit on A.M. radio in the mid-‘70s, with its strangely addictive chorus of “Ah! Bowakawa pousse, pousse,” and then there’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room,"Karn Evil 9" by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ELP is, hands-down, the group most railed against in documentaries about the birth of punk. Every punk doc worth its salt features an interview with a punk legend, wearing shades and smoking a fag, who says something like, “It was bloooody awful back then. All ELP an’ that. But when we saw the Pistols, we said, we can do that…”) It is so much part of the received wisdom of punk history that ELP represented all that was wrong with the music scene at the time, that no one ever questions whether the group deserved to be despised so much. You mightjust be inspired to take a second (or a first) listen after reading the following quote from the trio’s vocalist/bassist/guitar player, Greg Lake. “ELP was so bloody dark and aggressive. When the whole punk rock thing came out we used to laugh at them. Because if you’re talking about aggression—real aggression—that’s ELP. This was a truly aggressive band, aggressive to each other, aggressive in the music, aggressive in performance, aggressive in stage production. It makes Johnny Rotten look like a fucking walk in the park.”

So, intrepid MS reader, go listen to “Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression” if you want a taste of something seriously aggressive. As for me, I couldn’t really consider this track even if I wanted to be perverse, because it doesn’t mention its title, and as we have established, a song that mentions its title will always score higher than a song that doesn’t, (all together now) except if its by Stereolab.

Wilson Pickett - "Engine Number 9"

In the end I'm down to two slabs of sizzling soul. "Engine #9" by Wilson Pickett has to score way up there. With a truly backbone-slipping groove established almost chiefly by means of the holy trinity of cowbell, maraca and vibraslap, and a typically charged-up vocal, this is classic Pickett. My only reservation is that, as an extended vamp, the song seems to suffer slightly by comparison to both the temporal concision and breadth of sonic touches that mark my winning selection, "Cloud Nine" by the Temptations.

The first single to feature pioneer producer Norman Whitfield’s “psychedelic soul” style, “Cloud Nine” is a stone-cold classic, with urgency, a brilliant arrangement, fuzzed out guitars and gospel-inflected vocals that helped extend the group’s reach beyond the traditional Motown audience and into the mainstream. More important, this dark ode to self-medication as a means of escaping the world’s ills still has plenty of resonance today, and still packs a mean punch.

the Temptations - "Cloud Nine"

Finally, you just got to love that wah-wah pedal…

Numerology is our pal Dave's ill advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. It looks easy now, but there are rough times ahead.

Previously: No. 1, 2-4, 5-7, 7 (counterpoint), 8

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 10:23 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 25, 2007

New White Stripes: Also Fierce (or "heavy")

Wonder why XFM didn't call this the "hottest record in the world today" (like their compatriots did last time this happened)?

You'll swear Jack is rapping after the first listen. His multi-tracked vocal delivery ranting on what appears to be illegal immigration sounds pressing. Maybe not. Check out the radio rip over at Web Vomit. Radio rips on the Internet. Reason #38294 why DRM is pointless.

"Icky Thump" excerpt:
While Americans want nothing better to do
why don't you kick yourself out your an immigrant too
who is using who what should we do
well you can't be a pimp and a prostitute too

Posted by Merry Swankster at 05:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

New M.I.A.

Fader blog is streaming the new M.I.A. song. And it is fierce.

Check it out here.

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 02:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Retrohump day - Coachella Geezers

Everyone knows Coachella organizers love reunions. We've already covered the most exciting one of 2007. Along similar lines though what other graybeards will appear in Indio this weekend?

Jarvis Cocker - "Running the World" - Karaoke edition

"Smash the system" and get back into the playhouse. "I want my words flying over clouds," said the crabby curmudgeon who wanted a softer backdrop for the word 'cunt.' Done.

Bjork - "A Hidden Place"

Not really old but the Icelandic princess has been around for long enough to qualify. Her card dealer-cum-percussionist reminds that everything and anything is musical. Forcing a link to this little nugget - Crash! Boom! Bang! Both Winona and I apologize in advance.

Willie Nelson - "Funny How Time Slips Away"

Nelson's jangly inclusion at Coachella is baffling. Did they want to ensure he was adjusted and well baked by the time Stagecoach took over the grounds?

Lemonheads - "It's a Shame About Ray

Winona and Johnny Depp referenced in a single Merry Swankster post? Who'da thunk it? As goodwill ambassador from 1992 Evan Dando clearly deserves inclusion on this Retro-bizarro day.

Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Franz Ferdinand's Cover of LCD's "All My Friends" now, more later

Note: A cover of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" by Franz Ferdinand has been posted on LCD's MySpace page. It is planned for inclusion on a series of CD singles and 7" records to be released in the UK on May 21st. It's worth a listen.

Further Note: Also from these batch of releases is another cover of the single by Velvet Underground's famed string man John Cale, which should theoretically be awesome. Then there's the studio take of the Soundsystem performing Joy Division's "No Love Lost," shoddy video of which was featured here. Also, a new James Murphy penned "club song" called "Freak Out/Starry Eyes." Damn.

Update: Download the Franz tune here

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Thom has weighed in, sort of

As you may have seen yesterday, we're embarking on our second music-themed tournament. Our focus, this time, is Radiohead.

Well, as fortuity had it, Thom weighed in on his choice for the best song in 2006.

Speaking to 'The Culture Show' last night (October 22), Yorke was asked what single moment he would most like to be remembered for.

His response was 'How To Disappear Completely' from 2000's 'Kid A' album. Explaining why, he simply said, "because it's the most beautiful thing we ever did, I think".

The article goes onto say that respondents to an August 2006 NME.com poll named "The Bends'" Just as the band's greatest song. Both of these songs are currently in the field of 60. Help determine the final five here.

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 08:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Icky Thump defying leaky Internet

So yesterday I reported that the first single from the new White Stripes album will be the eponymously titled single from Icky Thump. Funny story about that. Instead of a waxy June debut through the flawed but lovable UK rock institution turns out "Icky Thump" is coming to us a lot sooner. Try in about 24 hours, give or take a few minutes. Exclusively on iTunes literally first thing Thursday morning.

The White Stripes' first single, 'Icky Thump', will be available exclusively online through the iTunes music stores (US and Canada only) starting at 12:01 am this Thursday, April 26th.

CD and vinyl versions of the 'Icky Thump' single on June 11th in the UK. The formats and track listings are as follows:

White vinyl 7" (free with June 6 NME)
A. Icky Thump
B. Etching (no audio)

Standard 7"
A. Icky Thump
B. Baby Brother

CD single
1. Icky Thump
2. Catch Hell Blues

I feel like such a sucker. Though I am more amazed the song hasn't leaked yet. Standby for the handy strikeout font to cancel this out in 3..2..1 (DONE)!

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2007

Knives Out! for this tournament

Do you get the feeling we love tournaments? Boy, do we. We do, boy. The pageantry; the statistics; the upsets. Oh, I could elucidate for hours as to why I love determining everything by virtue of tournament, but we have more tournaments to run.

We recently concluded our March Madness-styled tournament to find the top album of the 90s. Radiohead's (Duke University-esque) OK Computer bested Nirvana's( UNLV-esque) Nevermind.

Thus, it makes sense that our next tournament would be to find the best Radiohead song of all time. Co-tournament creator Randall Monty and I have picked sixty songs for inclusion in the Radiohead tournament (found below). We're now asking you, the public, to help us find the last five to round out the bunch. We haven't begun seeding yet, so don't assume your pick is just a 16th seeded lamb to the Paranoid Android slaughter. These tracks will have as good a shot at garnering good seeding well as the ones we picked. After the jump, please tick five boxes for the five songs you want in the tournament. Also after the jump, our explanation of our drafting process.

Teams with spots in the tournament

Nice Dream (The Bends), 2+2=5 (Hail to the Thief), A Punch Up At A Wedding (Hail to the Thief), A Wolf At The Door (Hail to the Thief), Airbag (OK Computer), Anyone Can Play Guitar (Live), Just (The Bends), Black Star (The Bends), Blow Out (Pablo Honey), Bones (The Bends), Creep (Pablo Honey), Dollars & Cents (Amnesiac), Electioneering (OK Computer), Everything In Its Right Place (Kid A), Exit Music (OK Computer), Fake Plastic Trees (The Bends), Go To Sleep (Hail to the Thief), High And Dry (The Bends), How Can You Be Sure (Nowhere), How Do You? (Pablo Honey), How I Made My Millions (No Surprises), How To Disappear Completely (Kid A), I Can't (Pablo Honey), I Might Be Wrong (Amnesiac), Idioteque (Kid A), Just (The Bends), Karma Police (OK Computer), Killer Cars (Oxford's Angels), Knives Out (Amnesiac), Let Down (OK Computer), Life In A Glass House (Amnesiac), Like Spinning Plates (Amnesiac), Lucky (OK Computer), Morning Bell (Kid A), Motion Picture Soundtrack (Kid A), My Iron Lung (The Bends), Myxomatosis (Hail to the Thief), No Surprises (OK Computer), Optimistic (Kid A), Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box (Amnesiac), Paranoid Android (OK Computer), Planet Telex (The Bends), Polyethylene (Paranoid Android), Pyramid Song (Amnesiac), Scatterbrain (Hail to the Thief), Sit Down, Stand Up (Hail to the Thief), Stop Whispering (Pablo Honey), Street Spirit (Fade Out) (The Bends), Subterranean Homesick Alien (OK Computer), Sulk (The Bends), Talk Show Host (Romeo + Juliet), (The Bends) (The Bends), The National Anthem (Kid A), The Tourist (OK Computer), The Trickster My Iron Lung [EP], There There (Hail to the Thief), True Love Waits (I Might Be Wrong), Where I End And You Begin (Hail to the Thief), You (Pablo Honey), You And Whose Army? (Amnesiac), You Never Wash Up After Yourself (My Iron Lung)

JUMP NOW TO VOTE

Randall and I both selected 65 songs. We agreed that any song we both picked was automatically in the tournament. We ended up with 48 songs that way. Next, we were allowed to each submit five songs from our list (that the other didn't select) to gain entry to the tournament.

My selections were:

Dollars & Cents Amnesiac
The Trickster My Iron Lung [EP] [UK]
Sit Down, Stand Up (Snakes & Ladders) Hail To The Thief
I Can't Pablo Honey
Like Spinning Plates Amnesiac

Randall's selections were:

How To Disappear Completely Kid A
Anyone Can Play Guitar (Live) Just
Stop Whispering Pablo Honey
True Love Waits I Might Be Wrong
You Never Wash Up After Yourself My Iron Lung

We then asked fellow Merry Swankster writers to submit their own suggestions.The first two to respond were Jeff, who pushed for "Talk Show Host" and Yonah, who stumped for "How Do You?" That leaves us with 60. You determine the final five.

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 05:05 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack

Sunset Rubdown - Live @ Hi-Dive, Denver, CO - 4.16.2007

The last time I saw a Spencer Krug band was at last year's Coachella. A ridiculously late Wolf Parade got their gear set up with only a sliver of their allotted time remaining. They proceeded to tear through it and still impress. Even finding time in between songs to polish off a bottle of Jäger. Aside from syrupy German liqueur antics they absolutely killed. On a related note, I can vouch for Jäger-bombs almost always being a good substitute for breakfast during the early stages of lazy weekend benders.

The Spencer Krug from that train wreck performance was a stark contrast from the gear slogging Krug I saw last week. Breaking down equipment and hauling it offstage to an awaiting tour vehicle instead of hastily arriving onstage in a drunken stupor. Notable for reasons that make perfect sense with the work ethic framing Sunset Rubdown's existence, so really not surprising. Like a competitive warrior seeking Progress by starting over, taking no favors, and working harder. Had enough of my Sunset Rubdown psychoanalysis? Ditto.

Evening standouts included the still heartbreaking "Us Ones in Between". Soaring with amazing lyrical energy it was the most anticipated song for me. Part of the reason one goes to live shows is to experience music in a communal and organic setting by the creators and patrons of music. Another part of the experience is the chance to witness the craft of music being created live in which you experience things that are impossible if you did not make the effort to leave your house, pay a cover and see a band play out. Often this is taken for granted with the frequency of guitar/bass/keys/&drums standard setups, but every once in a while you run into a truly wicked display of sound-making merriment that serves as a reminder. For me it happened twice during "The Empty Threats of Little Lord." First when Camilla Wynne Ingr used a small vibrating device over the bells to create an impossible to explain choral effect that had me mesmerized.

The other was Krug, natch. Standing in front of his keyboards with an acoustic guitar strapped on he crooned the “You Snake” lyrics just prior to the crescendo peak of the song. He repeated the beastly refrain while his fingers crawled up along the guitar’s neck in a slithering motion. It all punctuated a subtle visual of emoting digital showmanship for the set finale. Like great writers who never waste words, this was a performance cue that wasted not even a pinky.

Sunset Rubdown - Winged/Wicked Things (from Daytrotter session)

Sunset Rubdown - Three Colours

After the jump - More pics, setlist, tourdates, and background information on Sunset Rubdown.

(Almost) Complete Setlist

1. Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
2. NEW or Unknown - (Intro'd as same song as above with different chords?)
3. NEW - I recall an ethereal guitar solo and many "Uh uh uh ohs"
(See Track 1 here)
4. Us One in Between
5. NEW - "Your Highness is Holding Your Chains" ??? - Sounding like an Irish jig throughout. Quivvering vocals get demonic while mimicking Celtic sounds
(Track 2 here)
6. Three Colours
7. Winged/Wicked Things
8. Stadiums and Shrines II
9. "The Empty Threats of Little Lord"

Sunset Rubdown Tourdates

04-24 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour*#
04-25 Phoenix, AZ - Modified*
04-27 Austin, TX - Emo’s*
04-28 Denton, TX - Hailey’s*
04-30 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn*
05-01 Charleston, SC - Map Room*
05-02 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel*
05-03 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church*
05-04 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom*
05-05 Cambridge, MA - Middle East*

#w/Xiu Xiu
*w/Katie Eastburn

-- -- --

More Sunset Rubdown

Try and find the website for Sunset Rubdown. The closest resemblance of one is this simple page on their label, Absolutely Kosher's site. Looking more like a relic from the Internets circa 1996 than a proper web presence for a modern group, it gives the impression that Sunset Rubdown is not a band that cares to help you much on what they are up to. More on this later.

Known to slam the ivories like no other contemporaneous player, Spencer Krug has been producing great music at a simmering and steady pace and making a name for himself as a prolific though (not yet) ubiquitous artist. Whether with his debut with Wolf Parade, creating avant-rock with Daniel Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes) or simply taking a no-frills approach with a band that emits the highest percentage of Spencer Krug ruling the mix- Sunset Rubdown.

Krug is new school rock royalty. Steeped in the drive for authenticity that has been trumped-up, but rarely practiced in modern times (save for the early days of grunge). He is stirred with a passion to create music All The Time. Having experienced success with the higher profile Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown takes a decided distance away from the spotlight. Trying hard to keep things controlled and unassumingly under the radar. Mind you that this isn't merely the lip service heard time and time again from artists demanding to be taken seriously. Sunset Rubdown is deliberately shunning opportunities that Wolf Parade's success made available. It was important for Sunset Rubdown to go out alone with minimal assistance. For lack of a better phrase – they were determined to keep it real from the start.

By hooking up with the much smaller Absolutely Kosher label as opposed to the comparatively slick corporate machine of Subpop (WP's label), little, or at least much less pressure exists to promote or "push" the record. Commendable is the determination to keep art pure and untainted by what are obvious advantages. Krug is quoted as saying they actively avoid making a "huge fuss." Not the words typically heard from hustling musicians. It’s a respectable way for new projects to get established on their own merit. Sunset Rubdown actively shuts off the short cuts available to them and it deserves mention.

//Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming - buy
//Sunset Rubdown - EP - buy

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:25 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

News: "Icky Thump" single on NME wax

White Stripes announced the title track from upcoming Icky Thump will be the first single. It will be sold in June as a white 7" companion to the red 7" of "Rag and Bone" which will be included free with purchases of that week's NME. The special issue commemorates ten years of Las Rayas Blancas.

White Stripes are teaming up with NME for a unique record release to help celebrate the band's 10th Anniversary and reveal new material. A very special limited edition gatefold red vinyl 7"single, featuring the track 'Rag And Bone' on side A and an etching on side B, will be available free with every copy of NME on sale June 6th.

Less than a week later on June 11th, a white vinyl 7" of the new album's title track 'Icky Thump', containing a different etching on the flipside, will be available in stores as a companion to complete the NME distributed gatefold.

//Pre-order Icky Thump

Posted by Merry Swankster at 01:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 23, 2007

Works in Progress: Oh, Canada...

the Unicorns - "2014" (demo)
the Unicorns - "the Unicorns: 2014"

The 2004 release of what turned out to be the Unicorns final single was, at the time, met with a hearty shrug. Aside from rumors of unrest, however, we had no real knowledge that this would be the last offering from the much too brief tenure of Montreal's first real buzz band of the decade. So, knowing what we do now, it seems we should afford the sad unloved "2014" with the attention that a final recording deserves.

The demo version starts with an uber cheap Casio sound, that is A:like particularly manic video game music, and B: catchy as all hell. Then the dynamic duo of Penner and Diamonds come in, shout singing in harmony, tossing off their typically amusing non-sequiturs with a quasi dystopian bent. The most appealing thing about the Unicorns' music was the sense of restless unpredictability. How they would get bored with a memorable refrain, discarding it as soon as it stuck. In the earlier version, that admirable wanderlust actually gets them into a bit of trouble. They abandon a strong motif for a middle section that shuffles its feet for far longer than such a short song can bear. Of course, when the ghostly "dum dum dum dum dum duh duh duh" enters like a rattle snake rattle, warning of the joyous shouted "In full force" strike, not to mention the "la la la" breakdown, all is forgotten/forgiven.

The finished product features no major structural shifts, but is definitely the cleaner, more focused version (as you would hope and expect). The insidious keyboard tone sounds a bit more expensive and less 8-bit, for better or worse (I'm on the fence). The switch from enthusiastic to whispered nervous vocal delivery is a step up, however. The beloved alternating line readings from Nick and Alden are better developed as the song progresses as well. The most important upgrade though, is in that damned middle section. The aimlessness is cured with a steady beat, and some well used empty space. The quiet surroundings allow a sense of building tension as we wait for the funky key lines to finally return. The climax probably feels a touch more exuburant in the demo, but more because its prelude was worse. The finished version is dark and thick, a progression from the band's best song "Tuff Ghost" rather than the guitar based tracks that dominated Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?. Shame we never got to see where it might have lead. Islands are OK, but when oh when will we get new songs from Alden Penner? Why are the heavens so cruel?

//the Unicorns - the Unicorns: 2014 EP buy

the Handsome Furs - "Dumb Animals" (demo)
the Handsome Furs - "Dumb Animals"

As stripped down and primal as Handsome Furs' Plague Park is, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the songs on that record were recorded extemporaneously without much tinkering. Surprisingly, the final product of "Dumb Animals" is altered and expanded a good deal, with more than two minutes added to the song's length. The quavering, in the red vocal bleating from Boeckner is tidied up, and the wailing wall of sighing moans that was the fledgling version's signature sound is entirely excised. In the end, Dan decided to go it alone. He handles it quite well, but the percussive force of the demo's fuzz-alanche is slightly missed, as is the home-y touch of the radio drama subliminally playing underneath.

The added two minutes of doom laden instrumental makes up for the "recording in a cave" charms that the studio sheen negates. In the outro, Dan shuts his primitive trap about "the miracle of electric light" and gives us an excellent death march, full of crashing cymbals, hanging reverb, and slow motion riffing. As a (bad) mood piece, the expanded version is tough to beat.

//Handsome Furs - MySpace
//Handsome Furs - Plague Park pre-order

Works in Progress is where we look at the evolution of songs by comparing and contrasting their various stages of being. It pops up now and again when you least expect it.

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 02:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Times New Viking - Live @ Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, NY - 4.22.2007

photo credit - Listen Missy

No less than two MS.com editors were in attendance for this show at the cavernous (by Williamsburg standards) venue.

This will be a super quick review, but Times New Viking are every bit as promising live as they are on the Paisley Reich. They ran through a number of songs in rapid succession, including the MS.com popular "Let Your Hair Grow Long" and "Love Your Daughters," as well as an encore cover of Pavement's "Box Elder."

The show proved that the band could bring both the energy and the fuzzed nature of their music to a live stage.

Believe the hype re: these three kids from Ohio.

Times New Viking - Love Your Daughters

Pavement - Box Elder

// Buy the Paisley Reich
// Times New Viking MySpace

Previous coverage of Times New Viking.

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 11:56 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

April 21, 2007

The joke about no interest in joining a club that would have us

Randall Monty reports

Every year the Boston Phoenix, an "alternative weekly newspaper" that's a bit closer to The Onion than to any credible news source, releases its "100 Unsexiest Men" list. The list is comprised of local and national politicians, television, radio and film personalities, athletes and coaches, and pertinent to this site, people from the world of music.

Some highlights:

#84. Devendra Banhart: "...a less well-groomed Charles Manson."
#69. The Ying-Yang Twins: "...imagine if George Clinton and Lil' Jon had triplets, then killed the cute one..."
#65. Colin Meloy: "...a marketing gimmick to get people to listen to more NPR."
#52. Jay-Z: "It's like he's got a lazy eye, only it's his whole face."
#39. Ryan Schreiber: "Rock critics rank slightly below child molesters on the food chain of sexy..."
#23. Pete Doherty: "Heroin chic is predicated on being able to do lots and lots of drugs without looking like a scabby, skid-row pin cushion."
#21. Gerard Way: "...may be the only rocker who aspires to look more like Billy Corgan."
#17. Chuck Klosterman: "Corn-fed, ass-faced classic-rock apologist..."
#9. Bob Dylan: "In a police lineup, he could be mistaken for a grizzled wino..."
#4. Karl Rove: "...skin-crawlingly awkward rapper."

With #39 in mind, rest assured that MS will probably make an appearance on the "100 Sexiest Men of 2007" list.

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 06:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Saturday links...

Brooklyn Vegan: Jam bands will invade Williamsburg's Pool Parties. All jokes re: hipsters hating jam bands will be rendered moot when sizable crowd comes from (gasp Williamsburg) and other NY boroughs (via Curbed).

GlennWolsey.com: Interview with NY Sun music columnist about his iTunes collection, which he purports to be the world's largest one (via TUAW).

Upcoming: Get to Williamsburg's Luna Lounge tomorrow to see Times New Viking (but not before we purchase our tickets).

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 02:15 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 20, 2007

Daft Punk Fridays: Final and Complete

[Photo cred: Jeremiah Garcia]

We have reached the conclusion of Daft Punk Fridays. Our 12 week feature wraps today with the complete setlist of songs loyal Friday MS readers have seen trickling in for the past three months. I'll let the music speak for itself now, but if you are interested my review is here. If this is your first time on this site or you suffer from crippling amnesia I will repeat: these are high quality MP3 recordings of last year's Coachella performance by Daft Punk. If the weather is as nice in your area as it is today in Colorado let this be an excuse to have a dance party.

Sincerely,
Merry Swankster

PS - Coachella is a week away! Anyone going?

Daft Punk - 4.29.06 - Live at Coachella
1. Daft Punk - "Robot Rock"
2. Daft Punk - "Technologic"
3. Daft Punk - "Television Rules the Nation"
4. Daft Punk - "Steam Machine"
5. Daft Punk - "Around the World (Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger mix)"
6. Daft Punk - "Too Long"
7. Daft Punk - "Face to Face (Harder remix)"
8. Daft Punk - Interlude
9. Daft Punk - "One More Time (Aerodynamic remix)"
10. Daft Punk - "The Brainwasher (Rollin' & Scratchin')"
11. Daft Punk - "Alive (The Prime time of your Life)"
12. Daft Punk - "Da Funk"
13. Daft Punk - "Human After All (Superheroes)"

Follow the jump for the weekly breakdown from the previous 11 weeks.

Previously:
Daft Punk - Live @ Coachella - 4.29.06
You may have heard Daft Punk was pretty good at Coachella...
Daft Punk Fridays: 2 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 3 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 4 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 5 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 6 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 7 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 8 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 9 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 10 of 12
Daft Punk Fridays: 11 of 12

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:45 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

April 19, 2007

Numerology: Enough 8's

by David Klein

As much of a conundrum as the number 7 presented, 8 ups the ante significantly with two out-and-out ‘60s rock classics heading the pack: “Eight Days a Week” and “Eight Miles High.” It really comes down to this: Are you a Beatles man or a Byrds man?

In this corner, you've got Lennon and McCartney at the peak of the collaborative powers, their voices melding in a delirious, rough-hewn harmony of rare beauty. Hand claps that practically make the song. Those swelling, heavenly chords that seem to arrive out of nowhere, to mark the song's beginning and end, and a clever, purposeful use of the number “8.” All wrapped around a single that is 2:44 of pure hook, 8DAW looks invincible.

the Beatles - "Eight Days a Week"

But maybe you are made of stronger stuff. Maybe the whole “ooh I need your love babe” thing is no longer relevant to your nuanced existence. Perhaps you prefer the challengers, in the corduroy trunks and rectangular purple shades: The Byrds. The ominous distorted bass line that opens the track like a Morse code signal, soon joined by those unmistakable Byrds harmony vocals, and that guitar: Coltrane lines after a trip through a psychedelic play-doh factory and filtered through McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker. This startlingly vivid reenactment of the drug experience is unlike much of the blantantly drug-inspired music from this era, which today sounds more campy than trippy. “Eight Miles High,” on the other hand, manages to convey both the euphoria (through, what else, euphoric vocals) and the paranoia that a lysergically altered consciousness can bring. Building to a satisfyingly chaotic ending—always a plus—8MH looks like a winner.

the Byrds - "Eight Miles High"

It’s probably pointless to say one is better than the other, unless it makes sense to argue that a lemon is better than a lime, or a crocus is better than a snapdragon. I’m tempted to consider these two old warhorses like Dame Judi Dench and Helen Mirren canceling each other out at the Oscars, and give the statue to Anna Paquin in an upset. And I think I see my Anna Paquin right now, in the form of R.E.M. My computer screen is now bathed in autumnal light and slow-moving kudzu, as Michael Stipe emerges in miniature, followed by mini Pete Buck, mini Mike Mills and mini Bill Berry, and a miniature locomotive. Look everybody, it’s “Driver 8.” I’ve always been a sucker for that song. But wait, how could R.E.M. win out over the Byrds, when R.E.M’s trademark sound is like, two thirds Byrds?

R.E.M. - "Driver 8"

I still have half a mind to choose “Driver 8,” but what about “8-Ball” by Underworld, from the soundtrack to Leo DeCaprio's big emission of cinematic greenhouse gas, 2000’s The Beach? From all the pressure that went into making that piece of hokum, a diamond was squeezed out, in the form of this fantastic, unheralded track. The time might be right for“8-Ball” to go global…

Underworld - "8 - Ball"

It’s pretty obvious that I am struggling with this one. Maybe it’s too big a decision to make on my own. If you care about this pressing issue, please post a comment and let me (and the rest of the world, including the remaining Byrds and Beatles) know. As it stands, Anna Paquin will be doing “The Swim” on a remote beach, in terpsichorean homage to Michael Stipe and company’s upset victory over rock royalty (while a pantless Harvey Keitel looks on), unless I am barraged with views to the contrary.

Numerology is our pal Dave's ill advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. It looks easy now, but there are rough times ahead.

Previously: No. 1, 2-4, 5-7, 7 (counterpoint)

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 01:30 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

April 18, 2007

The QT Effect

Whatever you think of the cinematic abilities of Quentin Tarantino (and for the record, I vote rad), you have to envy the man's record collection. More than any other contemporary director, Tarantino has an uncanny knack for picking exactly the right piece of music to set the mood for a scene and brand it into your mind forever. Wes Anderson might be a quality selector of pop music, but that's more a function of a genteel good taste than a savant knack for unearthing hidden treasures that will forever bear his stamp. Nico's "These Days" is going to make anything sound sad and doomed, after all. And Scorsese, forget it, little dude's selection well has run dry. While QT generally excavates multiple songs from the ether per film, there's always that one, that one song that you think of immediately when one of his flicks is brought up.

To date:

Reservoir Dogs - "Stuck in the Middle With You"
Pulp Fiction - "You Never Can Tell"
Jackie Brown - "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time?"
Kill Bill - "Woo-hoo" (the lamest on its own, but it worked in context, and I'm going for cultural saturation so I'm taking it over the amazing Nancy Sinatra song in the opening credits)

and now, from Grindhouse's Death Proof segment...

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, & Tich - "Hold Tight"

If the loud mouthed in-film pop culture references are to be believed, and let's assume they probably are, the awkwardly named Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Tich narrowly missed out on the talents of one Pete Townsend. That should key you in to the sort of hard charging Mod rock we're dealing with. It won't ruin anything for those who've not seen it to say that this mid-sixties single comes in at a moment of extreme tension. The relentless drum pounding and carefree, almost reckless vocals create a perfect in-song dichotomy. We know there's imminent trouble, but the protagonists aren't so sure. The dirty beat and guitar lick, forever fused to the twisted frames of a Tarantino flick are now officially impossible to forget.

As to why it was ever forgotten in the first place...

With all respect to Quentin, the trouser display here is perhaps more disturbing than even his best efforts.

(video via Covert Curiousity)

// Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof Original Soundtrack buy

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Retrohump Day: Station to Station

David Bowie gets mentioned every other week or so on the site in some way or another, because he's David Bowie, and he's a freaking genius. Surprisingly, there's never been a full blown Bowie Retrohump. There was a casual comparative one clip wonder, a small slice of a composite, and the mocking of a truly unfortunate time capsule, but nothing comprehensive. The problem is, that comprehensive is kind of a (queen) bitch too. An artist as successful, long lasting, and media savvy as Bowie has spawned hundreds and hundreds of clips. If we're going to cover it right, we've got to go album by album, persona by persona. Not in a row or anything, but gradual like.

We're going to start with my current album infatuation, Station to Station. I had resisted buying it for ages, mainly because there are only 6 songs, and that always felt like kind of a gyp. The fact that I've bought all sorts of fewer tracked import EP's in my day did not crack this dome of logic. Now that I've corrected the my error, I've been loving it to pieces. Wedged between the commercial apex of Young Americans and the critically unimpeachable Berlin trilogy, it was one of those poor orphan records known as "transitional." But the flux works in its favor, a bizarre mix of art and accessibility that's harder to pin down then some of his better loved records. The big bag of crazy facist leanings and extreme drug paranoia that is the "Thin White Duke" persona is a bonus.

David Bowie - "Station to Station"
(from the film Christiane F., 1981)

The most pristine footage of Bowie performing the album's towering title track actually comes from a 1981 West German film, called Christiane F. The film's teen girl in trouble storyline takes a time out for extended concert footage. Ever the positive role model, Bowie belts out "It's not the side effects of the cocaine/ I'm thinking that it must be love" with particular gusto for his pill popping teen fan. That's kind of anti-drug, right?

David Bowie - "Golden Years"
(live on Soul Train, 1975)

Far from the confident, rosy cheeked Bowie of Christiane F, the actual Station to Station period was not full of health and vigor for the Thin White Duke. Two guesses what he's actually full of. Here, in this amazing piece of footage, dead-eyed Dave faces a fresh faced crowd of teenage dance machines on the colossal Soul Train. He stutters and stammers out a few answers, while trying at every opportunity to shoehorn info about his avant garde sci fi film, the Man Who Fell to Earth, which the kids could care less about. Then, they switch on the lip synch, and Bowie flips a showman switch of his own. Sure he's not singing, but the transformation is still amazing considering the shrinking violet who had just been speaking. That this particular song (StS's big hit) makes so much sense in the Soul Train setting, only aids to the magic trick.

David Bowie (w/ Klaus Nomi) - "TVC15"
(live on Saturday Night Live, 1980)

You have to love a big star who uses high profile public appearances to mess with people, and get wider exposure for cult figures in the process. Here, by 1980, Dave looks in much better health than he did during the original Station publicity. The fetching ladies suit is just a smokescreen for the real bizarro aspect, performance art cabaret types, Klaus Nomi and his band member Joey Arias, freaking it up in the background. They pull in a TV mouthed poodle, mime around, and add back-up vocals, maybe? Anyway, I firmly admire the weirdness. All Arcade Fire attempted was a weak, weak, guitar smash. Not even some of their patented drumming on a helmet enthusiasm. Of course, Bowie's song is once again impeccable. The pop/soul/funk of Young Americans beginning to bleed away towards Low's prickly brilliance. An under appreciated gem.

David Bowie - "Stay"
(Dinah Shore Show, 1976)

The Dinah Shore show was like an even lamer 70's version of the Ellen Degeneres Show or the View aimed squarely at the housewife set. For full blown what the fuck factor, nothing can beat the footage of Dave backing up his man Iggy Pop in that white bread setting. I can't believe no one has uploaded that one to You Tube, but the snippets you can see here are amazing. Back to the subject at hand, we have suave David charming the ladies with his liquid samba dance moves, Carlos Alomar's giant afro swaying in time for support. Of further note is how with it, Henry "Fonz" Winkler is, immediately ready to vouch for Bowie's importance and then standing still, uncomfortably grinning.

David Bowie - "Sister Midnight"
(1976 rehearsal footage)

Though I share the deepest sorrow for the absence of the full Iggy/Dinah interaction, it's still important to note the symbiotic Pop-Bowie relationship. This high quality rehearsal footage shows David tackling "Sister Midnight," a track that could have seamlessly added some dark heft to Station to Station, but instead found a home on Iggy's Bowie produced classic the Idiot. Production wise, the Idiot was basically a dry run for the Low sessions to come, all dark rhythm and detached vocals. He handles it well, but the delegation was probably the better choice. This song just aches for a sneering roughness that seems a bit too much like play acting coming from the frail Duke.

Bonus: Bowie participates in Karate lesson
(Dinah Shore show, 1976)

Self explanatory.

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 17, 2007

Pre-Retrohump: Radiohead

This is a special edition of Retrohump (Tuesday) celebrating Radiohead's victory in our Album Insanity tournament. Your regularly scheduled Retrohump, helmed by the estimable Jeff Klingman, will drop tomorrow.

No Surprises

Don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia, but believe this:

The single featured a simple video which consists entirely of a close-up shot of Thom Yorke's head inside a plastic bubble which slowly fills up with water until he is completely submerged. He spends 57 seconds completely submerged with his breath held before the water is released and he resumes singing. The documentary Meeting People Is Easy showed that Thom only held his breath for a fraction of the time, done by speeding up the track Thom is miming to as his face becomes totally submerged and that the footage was edited to make it look like he was under for longer. Additionally, reflected on the bubble the lyrics scroll up and lights blink on and off. Both the video and the documentary were directed by Grant Gee.

Karma Police

Director Jonathan Glazer was not happy with the end result.

BONUS

Street Spirit (from The Bends)

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 16, 2007

Now, how does that feel?

In what seems like a paradox, Felt (born Lawrence Hayward) enjoyed exploring a wide range of music styles without ever feeling the need to experiment with the sound of his voice. Law