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September 30, 2007
Numerology Counterpoint: Dirtier Thirty
There's been quite a stretch of slain digits on Numerology's altar since I last piped up with a conflicting view. I guess that was to be expected. As the numerals continue to climb, the songs about them decrease. With fewer songs, the chances that two might hold similar sway begin to dwindle. We'll soon be lucky to find a standard bearer for off-brand numbers like 43, and will long for the days that we could lob rhetorical bombs. So, because I might not get another chance for quite some time, at thirty, I'll take a stand. Needless to say, I'm also right.
A few words about the number itself. Thirty is a conflicted number, relatively low in the scheme of things, but with a weight to it that demands a bit of respect. Twenty bucks for a steak or a concert ticket seems about right, but for thirty, whatever it is had better be amazing. Waiting for twenty minutes is a bit annoying, but get held up a full half hour, and it's a gripe worth angrily repeating. Then there's the notion of age, perhaps the ol' Roman triple x's most dominant cultural connotation. As I quickly speed towards it myself, and continue to amass pals who easily disprove the touched upon aspersions on over-thirty trustworthiness, it increasingly seems like no big deal. But, then again, "Get it together, you're a twenty-seven year old man!" just doesn't have that same shameful sting that an inserted thirty would bring. It seems to me that all things being equal, a victorious representative should carry a bit of gravitas.
I've got nothing against Chuck Berry, or his winning entry, "30 Days." It's undeniably fun, for sure, but I'd never place it amongst Berry's legendary best. It's got the boogie piano, it's got the velvet howls, it screams out our number again and again. But it's missing the indelible narrative of a track like "Johhny B. Goode" or "You Never Can Tell." If another choice were present that had equal or greater artistic merit, and also the weight I was looking for, I wouldn't hesitate to leave it behind.
Klein's runner up was Pere Ubu's apocalyptic "30 Seconds Over Tokyo." It stand as a monument to urban dread; post punk music from before punk had fully cemented itself into the public consciousness. But really, there are some problems with PU's track that knock it a notch or two lower than Berry's second tier. First and foremost, the creeping tension of its central guitar line is never really given the chance for release. Around the two minute mark, when you're expecting the song to provide the sonic destruction that its title implies, the momentum completely derails into a free form wank fest that was probably inspired by Zappa, Beefheart, or some other jerk who hates workable song structure. The menacing lead re-enters, but :40 seconds later we're back in some kind of goofy hoedown that evokes clowns under the big top more than bombers over Japan. When the cool part of the song finally snaps back, our interest has already flatlined. It's like they had the structural kernel of an all-time classic and got way too far up their own asses to pull it off. It was nailed once though, just not by Pere Ubu.
While the CBGB's brand was taking its first steps in New York, Cleveland was ruled by Rocket From the Tombs. (They are not to be confused with with the shitty Rocket From the Crypt, though their name choice is indeed puzzlingly lame.) The band only existed for roughly eight months and never got around to making an actual record, but the shadow they cast on Midwestern punk rock is long and deep. RFTT's definitive line up was stocky Ubu frontman David Thomas--then going by the ridiculously awesome stage name Crocus Behemoth, Cleveland scenester supreme Peter Laughner, Craig Bell--bassist for local punks Mirrors, and two soon-to-be founding members of scuzz rock stalwarts, Dead Boys; drummer Johnny "Madman" Madansky and Gene O'Connor, ultimately known as Cheetah Chrome. There were alot of internal tensions in that group, that in retrospect make their early demise seem obvious. How could the regressive Stooges pounding of the Dead Boys sit side by side with Crocus' art rock freak show? How would Laughner's earnest Lou Reed-as-a-singer-songwriter schtick go down when singing beside a three hundred pound monster in a judge's robe and a pair of skinny glitter-sick gutter punks? Though the fantasy tracklist for an imaginary Rocket LP (imagine a side one containing both "Final Solution" and "Sonic Reducer") would have placed the band in the highest echelon of 70's rock, the center ultimately couldn't hold.
The only real document of the band's prowess is a 2002 compilation entitled, The Day the Earth Met the... Rocket From the Tombs. Cobbled together from fuzzy live performances and a surprisingly good 1975 practice session, it gives only a glimpse into what could have been. For the uninitiated, here are two tracks to demonstrate the group's breadth. "Sonic Reducer" is basically unchanged from the caveman thud of its eventual DB's version. Laughner, who would be an actual dead boy due to drug abuse shortly hereafter, has a grungy sincerity that would later be covered by Axl Rose and blatantly appropriated by Jeff Tweedy on Wilco's "Misunderstood."
Rocket From the Tombs - "Sonic Reducer"
Rocket From the Tombs - "Amphetamine"
Then there's RFTT's version of "30 Seconds Over Tokyo," which, like the rest of their songs, was never released under the name of its original makers. This recording, again taken from the '75 tape, is worse in terms of audio fidelity, but better in every other sense than its Ubu counterpart. You have to remember that this band still had the untidy rock heart of the Dead Boys stuck in its chest. Cheetah and the Madman wouldn't stand for the Trout Mask circle jerk that completely derails Prof. Klein's runner-up. Here, when the song is shaken from Laughner's creeping lead, it's inherited by Chrome's wild flailing. The crawling lead in is actually given the violent pay off that we expect, thanks to the in the red explosiveness of the 'Boys. The star is still Peter's snaking guitar and Crocus' increasingly unhinged delivery, but when it returns here, it really feels like our men have taken some enemy fire. It's raw and it's primal, and it was recorded during rehearsal. This is how this band sounded in practice. The difference between the two versions is the thin line between unrealized potential and a compromised reality.
For thirty, that just seems right.
Rocket From the Tombs - "30 Seconds Over Tokyo"
Numerology is our pal Dave's ill advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. It's starting to get a bit tricky.
Previously: No. 1, 2-4, 5-7, 7 (counterpoint), 8, 9, 10/11, 12/13. 13 (counterpoint), 14/15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26/27, 28 , 29 , 30
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 03:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 27, 2007
After the Jump Returns at CMJ '07!
So, did you think that with one good deed done, the cluster of bloggers that Voltroned together for the After the Jump Festival would simply slink in to the sunset never to be heard from again? Ha! Not while their are still wrongs to right and bills to book. So, now it can be told.
Feast your eyes on what the collective has planned for New York City's premier independent music festival:
After the Jump @ CMJ
Music Hall of Williamsburg, October 17th, 2007
Confirmed Lineup:
A Place to Bury Strangers
Foals
Cadence Weapon
Sam Champion
Yeasayer
Alberta Cross
Eclectically sexy, just like we like it. Tickets on sale this Saturday at noon. Expect further details soon, and often.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 12:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 26, 2007
Out of context files: Anita Baker is not a rapper
Today's out of context excerpt is especially relevant considering the Retrohump selection. Bill O'Reilly and Juan Williams chalk up black society's social ills to hip hop (via MM4A):
WILLIAMS: It really corrupts people, and I think it adds, Bill, to some serious sociological problems, like the high out-of-wedlock birth rate because of this hypersexual imagery that then the kids adapt to some kind of reality. I mean, it's inauthentic. It's not in keeping with great black traditions of struggle and excellence, from Willie Mays to Aretha Franklin, but even in terms of academics, you know, going back to people like Charles Drew or Ben Carson here, the neurosurgeon at [Johns] Hopkins [University]. That stuff, all of a sudden, is pushed aside. That's treated as, "You're a nerd, you're acting white," if you try to be excellent and black.O'REILLY: You know, and I went to the concert by Anita Baker at Radio City Music Hall, and the crowd was 50/50, black/white, and the blacks were well-dressed. And she came out -- Anita Baker came out on the stage and said, "Look, this is a show for the family. We're not gonna have any profanity here. We're not gonna do any rapping here." The band was excellent, but they were dressed in tuxedoes, and this is what white America doesn't know, particularly people who don't have a lot of interaction with black Americans. They think that the culture is dominated by Twista, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg.
End quote.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:41 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Retrohump: Check, baby, check, baby, 1, 2, 3, 4
Our quest to unearth the bounty of forgotten videos decaying in deep rusty vaults meets the much less publicized goal of inducing havoc with Google's search algorithms for indie rock blogs. Today I present a commentary shortened tour through a few highlights of the Merry Swankster's classic 1993 hip hop mixtape.
Wreckx-N-Effect - "Rumpshaker"
Misogyny gone wild! Inspiring M.I.A. to greatness in '07.
Positive K - "I Got a Man"
I remember someone telling my younger, and far more gullible former self that Positive K did the female parts of this song in the studio. I never found out if that was true or not, but I never stopped loving this song. One of my all time favorite rap lyrics: "So when your man don't treat you like he used to...I kick in like a turbo booster!"
Apache - "Gangsta Bitch"
Trivia time. Has there ever been a more loving ode for a gangsta's lady?
Posted by Merry Swankster at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 24, 2007
Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 9.24 - 9.30
Monday, September 24
Alabama Thunderpussy @ Cervantes' Masterpiece
John Croghan & His Small Orchestra @ Larimer Lounge
Mickey Hart's Global Drum Project @ Oriental Theater
Mostly Bears @ Hi-Dive
New Pornographers @ Boulder Theater
The Tao Jones @ Southern Sun Brewery
Velvet Revolver @ Coors Amphitheater
Tuesday, September 25
AutoVaughn @ Walnut Room
The Donnas @ Marquis Theater
Heaven And Hell @ Coors Amphitheater
Lillian Axe @ Bluebird Theater
Slaraffenland @ Larimer Lounge
Taarka @ West End Tavern
Wednesday, September 26
Billy Joe Shaver @ The Soiled Dove
Black Apples @ Larimer Lounge
The Chemical Brothers @ Fillmore Auditorium
The Hollyfelds @ 3 Kings Tavern
RC Dub @ Herman's Hideaway
Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers @ Bluebird Theater
Ten Pound Elephant @ Dulcinea's 100th Monkey
Thursday, September 27
American Relay @ Hi-Dive
George Inai @ Lion's Lair
Ike Reilly @ Larimer Lounge
The Life There Is @ Bluebird Theater
Prism @ Herman's Hideaway
Sore One @ Pasquini's
Vanessa Carlton @ The Soiled Dove
The Weakerthans @ Marquis Theater
Young Jeezy @ Fillmore Auditorium
Friday, September 28
The Aliens @ Larimer Lounge
The Autumn Film @ Walnut Room
Cephalice Carnage @ Marquis Theater
Ellis Paul @ Swallow Hill
Eric Johnson @ The Soiled Dove
Filastine @ Hi-Dive
The Kissing Party @ Lion's Lair
Metric @ Bluebird Theater
Phil Lesh & Friends @ Fillmore Auditorium
Railroad Earth @ Gothic Theatre
Rick Springfield @ Paramount Theatre
Saturday, September 29
Black Mountain @ Hi-Dive
Bugs Henderson & The Shuffle Kings @ Walnut Room
Holly Golightly @ Larimer Lounge
John Stewart @ Swallow Hill
Over The Rhine @ The Soiled Dove
Phil Lesh & Friends @ Red Rocks
Robert Earl Keen @ Ogden Theater
Upsilon Acrux @ Lion's Lair
Sunday, September 30
Brian Kenney Fresno @ Larimer Lounge
Cryogen @ Gothic Theatre
Raul Malo @ Bluebird Theater
The Smashing Pumpkins @ Red Rocks
Spyro Gyra @ Soiled Dove
Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 22, 2007
Pretty French Girls Playing New Wave Music...
the Plastiscines - "Loser"
Now that I have your attention, please note that Keith and I will be DJ ing tonight at Bar Matchless in Greenpoint. From 9 to late-ish. Live sets from That Fleeting World and Family Lumber. Be There.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 03:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2007
Monolith: Day 2 | 09.15.07
[Click for your new desktop image]
See Monolith Day 1 coverage here.
Forget Cassettes
Forget Cassettes explore the yin and yang of minimalist atmospherics and loud, abrasive in your face-ness. This empty middle ground caused attention to wonder off especially in the awkwardly silent breaks between songs. Beth Cameron is a tiny little thing whose voice is big and powerful much like PJ Harvey, but the band has a long way to go with their live show. At times it seemed watching paint dry could rival them in excitement. I dug their ending song though, "Tabula Rosa" - outro felt like a tsunami of pretty noise drowning the audience.
Matt & Kim
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"I will never forget this! This is amazing!" said Matt of Matt & Kim, the most excited band at Monolith. Husband and wife duo never stop smiling. Can you blame them? Playing on top of the Red Rocks pavilion where local purveyors of tasty beer sponsored the stage, the view is pretty ridiculous.
He even made a heaven joke:
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Anton Newcombe is a big jerk. At least according to anyone who has met him or seen the DiG! doc. Uninitiated Monolith attendees probably think the same. While tuning his guitar the sideburntastic frontman of BJM got into it with his band and yelled - "Give me a fucking D!" Turned to the crowd and continued, "Shut up, I'm doing this for you." Then he blabbed about how great this festival was and that its for real people, not balding old men. Something like that. They may or may not have also played songs during this trainwreck.
White Rabbits
White Rabbits and their dual drumming rhythmic powerhouse brought the house down. According to the WOXY dude, "best band of the weekend."
Art Brut
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I spotted a sans Ms Frederica Feedback Art Brut checking out the BJM debacle earlier in the day and said hello. Later I regretted not asking them what they thought of it. Argos' stage shtick remains lively as ever, providing relief for those who thought his clever-dumb powers resided in the now shaved moustache. "Good Weekend" included the apropos improvised lyrics "dancing, get drunk, and fall in love...in a beautiful location."
Spoon
This was my first Spoon show and I was really digging it. I know they have their share of detractors calling them boring live, but I just don't see it. Tightly played, great pop songs, and an amazing singer. What more can you ask for? I got chills during the following verse from "A beast and Dragon, Adored":
I got a feelin it don't come cheap
I got a feelin oh and then it got to me
It took its time a-working into my soul
I got to believe it come from rock and roll
Britt Daniel surprised me when this summer's indie-hit "Underdog" was preceded with "this is a song about warmongers." Never thought of it that way, but makes sense.
Flaming Lips
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Since the 2004 edition of Coachella when Wayne Coyne debuted the spacebubble, an unwritten rule of rock festivals was written and the Flaming Lips have never had a conventional tour since. They are the quintessential festival band - colorful, trippy, full of props, a complete spectacle. I just wish they played more variety and chilled with the reminders of our braindead president. It's getting redundant fellas. Your not telling me anything I don't already know. How about a full show of Yoshimi from beginning to end instead?
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** ** **
See you next year Monolith. I can be hired as a consultant if interested. Maybe produce a Merry Swankster side stage with only Spencer Krug bands? Gotta admit, it'd be awesome...
[Saturday was a beautiful clear day. Denver can clearly be seen in the distance. If you squint really hard, Nebraska and France.]
Posted by Merry Swankster at 06:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Monolith: Day 1 | 09.14.07
[Red rocks from the south east]]
Last weekend, for the first time ever, a rock festival was held at Colorado's breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheater. In some ways hard to believe it took this long. Then again there sure was a lot of hiking involved getting around the five stages. Red Rocks surroundings may be beautiful, but the place makes you earn it. I kinda dig that though, and it's not like excessive walking is an unexpected labor for rock fests. It just might be a difficult endeavor for those incapable of strenuous activity.
Big kudos in the direction of Monolith organizers for coming up with the idea of two indoor stages for a genuine feeling of small rock club atmosphere. Housed in the bowels of Red Rocks in the visitors center. Hands down the best place at the entire festival was the elongated WOXY.com stage sponsored and curated by the revered online radio station. Excellent lineups each day showcased up and coming bands in what was ironically the least picturesque stage at a festival quite literally named for magnificent natural sandstone formations. How Rock and Roll. Also indoors was the Rock Stage (because it was in front of a big exposed section of rock (natch) left protruding through the wall) which for the most part hosted an eclectic mix of local bands. Not enough can be said for Monolith to include Colorado area acts. Nice touch.
I mentioned the lack of festival-y things as a sore point to the whole experience in this post. Some disagreed. I stick by it however. The closest most cities in the US get to a rock festival is in the shape of a radio sponsored all day event at the nearby hockey rink, or more humiliatingly in said hockey rink's parking lot. Increasingly irrelevant with each passing year these lame radio stations complete their handshake deal of our era's payola scheme with guaranteed radio plays in exchange for the appearance at their "festivals". Now, I'm not at all inferring Monolith approached the levels of cheese associated with the radio gigs, but at the same time it didn't convey any resemblance of a unifying theme either. Besides the sculpture of this recycling spacecraft, little or no art was set up.
I would like to see future editions take a page from the Coachella & Bonnaroo playbook and litter the grounds with interactive displays of art and general weirdness. Critics to this will say its all about the music, and why are such distractions needed, and I'll say because it adds to the festival vibe and its cool. I'll stress again that for a 1st year you couldn't really ask for more. But I'll do it anyway from a slight sense of entitlement. Here's a start if anyone cares to follow up on this suggestion.
Quick note to the rude, dirty, drug-dealing, ratty-haired, sorry excuse for a human being hippie swinging his wares in the lot. Suck it fucktard and I ain't your brah. I'm not even a hippie hater, just an asshole hater.
Sermon over, Monolith as seen and heard by Merry Swankster.
Ghostland Observatory - Main stage
[Photo cred]
Painted on jeans look better in dark, dank nightclubs with mirrorballs and disco lights. I imagine the same is true for Ghostland Observatory.
Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band - New Belgium stage
[Photo cred]
Hillbilly Appalachia with a sharp (though harmless) wit, and a big momma playing hardcore washboard. Hailing from Nap town, not West Virginia.
Ra Ra Riot - WOXY stage
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My favorite performance of Monolith. Completely killed it from a performance perspective. ATJ Fest & Syracuse alumni hailing sextet was a charged unit of non-stop motion on the WOXY stage. Like six energy balls bouncing off one another throughout the show. Unbelievably causing only one instance of "wire spaghetti" from all the tangled cables caught in the movement. Big crowd pleasing set marked their first time poking this far west. Possibly the best thing to come from Syracuse University since the entire Merry Swankster.com crew (minus the adopted bastard Dave Klein, who is very much loved regardless) and the 2003 National Title.
Continued...
Ra Ra Riot
Kings of Leon - Main stage
[Photo cred]
Less chest exposure since this was much appreciated. Thank you.
Decemberists - Main stage
[Photo cred]
Colin Meloy promised no U2 references in what was a fun set of lighthearted conversation on the main stage. "Valencia" introduced as not being about "Dracula's daughter." "16 Military Wives" was dedicated to the "military men that are killing our country" and beautifully done. End singalong of "la dee da dee dee dee dee di da" made for a great day 1 highlight.
[Photo cred]
BRMC - New Belgium stage
Tightly structured sharp as a razor guitar licks cut through the heavy fog of the red silhouetted BRMC. I think their sultry blues about girls and sex pretty much calls for that type of treatment.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 04:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Neon Lights Tonight!
So tonight is the night for the fifth installment of our wildly popular Neon Lights concert series. The poster basically says it all, though I've been expanding on it all week. The collected write ups for our bands are below, along with the evening's projected set times. You'll be taking your musical life into your own hands if you play the fashionably late game, but I'm only here to inform.
She Keeps Bees - 8:30
High Places - 9:30
the Most Serene Republic - 10:30
See you there!
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 12:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 20, 2007
Neon Lights: the Most Serene Republic
The last band on Neon Lights svelte three band bill is the Canadian twee-prog powerhouse known as the Most Serene Republic. MSR were first band signed to Broken Social Scene's Arts & Crafts label that wasn't a direct off-shoot from its parent collective, though a casual listener might be excused for thinking that the band's multi-instrument maximalist pop arrangements were a fallen branch from that family tree. Though, actually, now that I mention it, I'm not sure there's anything casual about the Most Serene Republic's listening experience. It's best described as a controlled chaos, with cacophonous swells and mind fuck time signature switches building to climactic moments of pop epiphany. But if active listening is needed to truly crack the sound, shutting down to let yourself be overwhelmed is perfectly viable second choice.
The band has been exalted by a cavalcade of upstarts and institutions. A partial list;
Spin
Brooklyn Vegan
Gorilla vs Bear
Splendid Magazine
Drowned in Sound
Heart on a Stick
The band's impending album, Population, is out on October 2nd. You could listen to the whole disc, all fair and legal, on the Arts & Crafts website right this second, if you were so inclined, but I've also provided a morsel below;
the Most Serene Republic - "Sherry and Her Butterfly Net"
For the visually centered, we have this floating freak head centric, Canadian spelling exhibition of a video from the band's debut, Underwater Cinematography.
the Most Serene Republic - "Content Was Always My Favourite Colour"
...and a bonus MSR related trinket, for those fond of prettiness in general;
Stars - "Ageless Beauty" (the Most Serene Republic Mix)
--
Though time to enter to win tickets is running very short indeed, you can still try to slip one under the wire by reading up here. A better bet is grabbing an advance ticket through Ticketweb here, or hell just show up early-ish. She Keeps Bees, High Places, and cheap drinks will reward you generously.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 10:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
National played Ogden Theater, Denver, CO 9.18.2007
Hey! So, umm...the National also played in Denver this week. Completing a triumphant string of shows in which pretty much every single major indie rock band in the known universe came to Colorado. I got there really late and missed St. Vincent and most of the National's set. I would normally be bummed but I was fading fast after the crazy week. What I did see sounded good. However, coming off the heels of the LCD & Arcade Fire show it was tough to really get into. Color me spoiled. They closed with "Mr. November" and more pics after the jump.
The National:
09-20 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *
09-21 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
09-22 Chicago, IL - The Vic *
09-23 Cincinnati, OH - Madison Theater *
09-27 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
09-28 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *
09-29 San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom *
10-01 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
10-02 Seattle, WA - Showbox *
10-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
10-06 Boston, MA - Roxy
10-07 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-08 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Hall
10-09 Buffalo, NY - The Tralf Music Hall
10-10 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
10-11 New York, NY - Terminal 5 *
10-12 New York, NY - Williamsburg Music Hall
10-30 Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador Theatre *
10-31 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Spring + Airbrake *
11-01 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre *
11-02 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC *
11-03 Sheffield, England - Leadmill *
11-04 Manchester, England - Academy 2 *
11-06 Birmingham, England - Irish Centre *
11-07 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire *
11-08 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire
11-09 Bristol, England - Anson Rooms *
11-10 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids *
11-12 Brussels, Belgium - AB #
11-13 Reims, France - La Cartonnerie #
11-14 Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre #
11-15 Rennes, France - Ubu Club #
11-16 Toulouse, France - La Phare #
11-17 Barcelona, Spain - Apolo #
11-19 Clermont-Ferrand, France - The Cooperative de Mai #
11-20 Lausanne, Switzerland - Le Romandie #
11-21 Milan, Italy - Transilvania #
11-22 Zurich, Switzerland - Abart #
11-23 Zagreb, Croatia - KSET #
11-24 Vienna, Austria - Szene Wien #
11-26 Stuttgart, Germany - Schocken 12 #
11-27 Cologne, Germany - Prime Club #
11-28 Amsterdam, Holland - Melkweg #
11-30 Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio #
12-01 Stockholm, Sweden - Bern's #
12-02 Oslo, Norway - John Dee #
12-03 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega #
12-05 Hamburg, Germany - Knust #
12-06 Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof #
12-09 Moscow, Russia - Apelsin Club
* with St. Vincent
^ with Blonde Redhead
# with Hayden
St. Vincent:
09-20 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *
09-21 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
09-22 Chicago, IL - The Vic *
09-23 Cincinnati, OH - Madison Theater *
09-27 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
09-28 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *
09-29 San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom *
10-01 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
10-02 Seattle, WA - Showbox *
10-03 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom *
10-11 New York, NY - Terminal 5 *
10-18 New York, NY - Knitting Factory (CMJ)
10-30 Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador Theatre *
10-31 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Spring + Airbrake *
11-01 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia Theatre *
11-02 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC *
11-03 Sheffield, England - Leadmill *
11-04 Manchester, England - Academy 2 *
11-06 Birmingham, England - Irish Centre *
11-07 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire *
11-09 Bristol, England - Anson Rooms *
11-10 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids *
* with the National
Posted by Merry Swankster at 06:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Okkervil River - Live @ Marquis Theater, Denver, CO 09.13.07
For all the sentiments that are roused up when writing about music, I find the most genuinely free-flowing ones come from the inspiration a great, ass kicking live performance can provide. One that refreshes and encourages while entertaining mightily. When the search for cool is momentarily forgotten and a performance transcends the music itself. An experience that moves you to think. Maybe about the words in the song, maybe about the person you love, maybe about what you want to be when you grow up. If even for just a few minutes of wide awake daydreaming, the music becomes the catalyst to something special. Let me tell you about how Okkervil River completely killed it last Thursday night in Denver.
For every paragraph or page or chapter or book that could be devoted to Okkervil River's greatness, there is but one thing to say about their live show to someone that hasn't experienced it, go see them straight away. I guarantee you'll have a much better than average evening versus whatever else vies for your time. I'd sleep better knowing at least one person heeded my advice. And if that helps clear the nagging kink in my shoulder then all the better. Forget that digression, at least I'll know the world is slightly better off with more people joining the Okkervil River party and that is plenty satisfaction.
Last Thursday night saw Okkervil River play the Marquis Theater, effectively kicking off an epic long weekend of heavyweight indie rock happenings in Denver. Competing directly against Bright Eyes' show across town at the Fillmore, Denver metro found itself with a serious surplus of modern folk heroes holding court in the 'hood. Given the pull for partisans from pretty much the same demographic pool, the Marquis was fairly packed. Not sold out, but as close as possible without being so.
Okkervil River got things started with the reference heavy, numerology fetish that is "Plus Ones." The recently featured M.S. Pick set the table for a ride on the Will Sheff & Co. school of understated rock. Their sound was a dichotomy of sharp and dull. Possessing a dull edge without the negative denotation, edgy in terms of clean drops within the typically sparse compositions and dull for the softly filtered method in which everything comes together. Rustic drums and a persistent modern twang adds a classic feel that is hard to describe in other terms besides authentic. Serving well as compliment to Sheff's deep baritone brooding. His suspenders are indescribably stylish too even though this evening the fashion was mixed in with ragged and frumpy look. Not unlike the scene of college students juggling breakfast and a hangovers at the dining halls come Saturday mornings/afternoon.
[Continued with photos, MP3 and more. Okkervil River tour is just getting it's sea legs, full dates after the jump]
//Okkervil River - site
//Okkervil River - Myspace
//Okkervil River - Stage Names - buy
Sheff admitted the switch to tour lifestyle has already induced deliriousness during the long driving sessions. Either a cause for concern or a clever play off valid delirium for conversations sake. Denver's show was only the seventh show of a very long tour stretching through December. Hopefully the stated effects of road weariness are just signs of needing to pass that first hump created by messed up routines while on tour. Otherwise he's in for a world of hurt while the tour van passes through the comparable wasteland of cornfield eternity defining America's heartland.
Potential for dementia aside, we'll ignore Sheff's self-diagnosis. The show was about a rock band unhinged. Delivering a high energy performance without an ounce of sloppiness. Okkervil gave it their all in one of the best shows I've seen all year (including the big string of shows that followed at Red Rocks throughout the weekend). Balanced from beginning to end, engaging well past the point of engrossment. Sincere passion for success on a level that can be compared to a stud athlete sacrificing his or her body on the field. They may start tired, hurt, or sick, but once the lights burn bright and the roar of the crowd electrifies the air its about harnessing whatever remaining energy for the forward push. It is what separates the not-boring from the amazing.
This line from "Unless It's Kicks" relays things quite well. One of Stage Names most brilliant tracks. Can you hear the "Wake Up" riffs? Pretty much just as badass:
"And on a seven day high
That heavenly song
Punches right through my mind
And pumps through my blood
Okkervil River - "Unless It's Kicks"
Other highlights included "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene," which is more or less a lyrical ride guided by Okkervil River songs that have appeared on television (Bonaduce's reality show, others). "And there's this one episode, close-up cameras were showing him crying/His red head and his red eyes." Jabbing guitars sounded like The Edge added slivers of riffage followed by an authoritarian fiddle twap-twap-twap. Immediately following "...Hold of the Scene" was the similarly Hollywood dipped "Our Life is Not a Movie Or Maybe." This epic beauty harps on why real life is nothing like the moments crafted for film. Nothing new there, but the songwriting is top notch nonetheless. If Okkervil River ever gets really big, this is the big arena rocking mega-hit. If the big stages can echo the owl-like whoo whooo's that filled the Marquis...expect something refreshing. You might even be moved too.
Tour dates
09-17 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater *
09-18 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium *
09-19 Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club (Pygmalion Festival) *
09-21 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace *
09-22 Hamilton, Ontario - Pepper Jack's Café *
09-23 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *
09-24 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
09-25 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs *
09-26 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street *
09-28 New York, NY - Webster Hall *
09-29 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
09-30 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel *
10-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle *
10-03 Athens, GA - 40 Watt *
10-04 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder *
10-06 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *
11-03-04 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11-06 Colchester, England - Colchester Arts Centre
11-07 Nottingham, England - The Social
11-08 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University
11-09 Glasgow, Scotland - Nice N Sleazy
11-10 Manchester, England - Roadhouse
11-12 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
11-13 Paris, France - La Cigalle #
11-14 Fribourg, Switzerland - Fri-Son
11-19 Vienna, Austria - Szene
11-20 Munich, Germany - Registratur
11-22 Frankfurt, Germany - Brotfabrik
11-23 The Hague, Netherlands - Crossing Border Festival
11-24 Muenster, Germany - Gleiss 22
11-25 Cologne, Germany - Prime Club
11-26 Berlin, Germany - Lido
11-27 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
11-29 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
11-30 Stockholm, Sweden - Spark Club @ Debaser Medis
12-01 Oslo, Norway - John Dee
12-04 Brighton, England - Pressure Point
12-05 Liverpool, England - Liverpool Academy
12-06 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan's
12-07 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
12-08 Cardiff, Wales - Barfly
12-09 London, England - Luminaire
12-10 London, England - Luminaire
* with Damien Jurado
# with Vic Chesnutt
Posted by Merry Swankster at 02:54 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Numerology: The Big Three - Oh
For a brief period at the height of hippiedom, “never trust anyone over 30” was one of the favorite aphorisms of young Americans. To be sure, it constituted one of the more detailed pronouncements of a generation that pioneered theretofore uncharted usages of “like,” “I mean,” and “you know,” and tended to gravitate to catch-phrases like “out of sight” and “too much” and “far out” rather than outright sentences. An obvious exception is Timothy Leary’s “tune in, turn on and drop out,” but no one ever took credit for “never trust anyone over 30.” Probably because he or she turned 30 and it suddenly seemed pretty stupid. No one has named a song after this nugget of pop cultural ephemera either, and that seems a shame.
Most 30 songs relate to measurement of some kind: days, seconds, and if you’re Simple Minds, “30 Frames a Second,” which is a lot more paranoid and robotic than you might imagine if all you’ve ever heard was their tuneful Breakfast Club anthem “(Don’t You) Forget About Me.” Even more upsetting than the sight of Judd Nelson’s nostrils flaring in that 1985 John Hughes vehicle is “Thirty Whacks” by the Dresden Dolls, a haunting cabaret-style take on the Lizzie Borden story, which contains this splendid line, “How did I manage to station myself in harm’s way/and only get hit with a ticket for loitering that I have no way to pay?” Tom Waits roars through “16 Shells From Thirty-Ought Six” in his most Howlin’ Wolf mode, hurling Beat gems as he goes but it’s at least as 16-ish as it is 30ish. “30 Days in the Hole” by Humble Pie, whom Peter Frampton left for solo glory, is a big lazy jam set to a decent-enough groove, if you like Bad Company, and sounds like a bunch of heavily bearded musicians on a stage shouting themselves hoarse for a contract-satisfying double-live release. Bow Wow Wow’s ode to cassette tapes, “C30, C60, C90” is the musical equivalent of a mouthful of pop rocks, a fizzy burst of disposable fun, but it lacks essential 30-ness. And our shortest entry, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 14-second spoken-word piss-take called “Thirty Dirty Birds,” from 1985’s Freaky Styley, reveals just how elusive a New York accent can be for Michigan natives like Anthony Kiedis.
The two major contenders for the 30 crown couldn’t be further apart. In one corner is a harrowing, hallucinogenic sprawl written about the first U.S. bombing raid on Japan in World War II, and in the other, a Chuck Berry song. It’s hard to believe both were spawned in the same universe.
When Chuck Berry had a hit with “Thirty Days” in 1955, he probably never imagined that 20 years later, singing about high school heartache and hijinx would become passé, and disaffected youth in American industrial cities like Cleveland, would start writing songs inspired by the whir and whine and hum of the nearby factories. (I do realize that Run DMC also have a “30 Days,” a single their debut self-titled platter, but I would defy anyone to tell me that it’s one of their essential jams. I don’t think it’s blasphemy to say it was one of the only less-than-killer offerings from the primo phase of kings of Hollis, Queens.) As Chuck’s song hurtles along, the singer’s voice provides the main current running through it. This simple paradigm was all but dispensed with by bands like Pere Ubu, and admittedly, things did need some shaking up by the mid-‘70s. But “Thirty Days” is as fine an example as any of the man’s way with words. And it’s the sound of the words—the hoarse exuberance the vocals, the sheer fun of the way he enunciates “worldwide hoodoo” and the quintessentially Southern pronunciation of “agin’ ya”—that makes me smile so broadly. Somehow this simple tale of boy loses girl/boy wants girl back becomes panoramic in Chuck’s hands, with his references to the FBI, the United Nations and a gypsy woman. He takes a tale of woe and makes it sound joyous, which is not the same as taking a sad song and making it better.
Pere Ubu - "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo"
“Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” is the name of a book about the famed “Doolittle Raid” of 1942, in which a fleet of American planes hit targets in Tokyo, proving the city’s vulnerability and helping to turn the tide in the Pacific war. It is also a1944 film starring Van Johnson (who played the arch-villain “The Minstrel” on the ultra-campy “Batman” TV series) and Spencer Tracy, and oh yes, a song by those sons of America’s polluted heartland, Pere Ubu. The seminal outfit’s first single, from 1975, begins with a few shards of guitar, and you already know you’re in a strange land. After several bars, the one unifying melodic lick emerges, a guitar figure with a tone not far from Tony Iommi’s patented sludgy Gibson SG sound, and then David Thomas’s damaged tenor comes in with a sinister singsong melody, almost childlike, but with lyrics that speak of danger to come: “No place to run, no place to hide, no turning back on a suicide ride”
Around the midpoint the song devolves into a tangle of cacophony as the bombing raid commences—sonic chaos, pure freak-out stuff—and it goes on for some time until, out of the ashes and twisted metal, the smoke clears and that guitar lick crawls out and Thomas & company “take it home,” amid final images of “toy city streets crawling through my sights, sprouting clumps of mushrooms like a world surreal…” The song ends with Thomas repeatedly intoning the title phrase, amid sounds of static, metallic scrapes, and shrieking feedback. What would Johnny B. Goode say?
With musical apples and oranges of this kind, it would be pointless to argue which is “better.” One is spry and swinging, the other is damaged, corroded, and menacing. I can only say that I’ve always been one to opt for a cheap thrill over even the most audacious mind-fuck. Both kinds of songs have their hallowed places in my consciousness, but Chuck touches my heart while Ubu touches (prods at? assaults?) my mind. But in my desert island scenario, in which I am left with only my definitive 100 number songs to carry me through my prolonged Tom Hanks-ish isolation, Chuck Berry’s chonka-chonk guitar and joyful, articulate singing ultimately win out over the toxic skronk of Pere Ubu…but only by a scorched, chemically damaged hair.
Previously: No. 1, 2-4, 5-7, 7 (counterpoint), 8, 9, 10/11, 12/13. 13 (counterpoint), 14/15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26/27, 28 , 29
Posted by David Klein at 11:25 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Neon Lights: High Places
The second boy-girl duo on Friday night's Neon Lights bill is the ultra hip, and winningly odd, High Places. Their debut 7" record on art imprint Ancient Almanac totally sold out, probably in part to the stone rave it received from Pitchfork. The Fader and the Village Voice have also been charmed by the pop hooks locked inside their rolling tin can shells. Dumbstruck commenters and UK blogger savants alike describe their woozy psych as something they've only found in dreams until now. You can spot them at roof parties with the indie elite and soon touring the east coast with the Blow. You're desperately attracted to them, and they think they remember you from a party that one time. Your name's Ed, or something, right?
But the tunes, man! :
Like all of High Places' songs to date, "Head Spins," is seemingly over just as it's begun. When the not even two minute running time is so filled with odd instrumental digression and plain, pretty vocals such a small dosage seems cruel. Mary Pearson's voice practically skips as she tells of budding romance with playful word puns and graceful "oooh"s. Rob Barber's background is a strange and beguiling mix of steady percussion and unidentifiable clatter. His sounds swirl around Mary's down to earth singing, here a chime, here maybe something tapping on wood? But for all it's puzzling bobs and weaves, the catchiness never suffers.
"Golden" starts with spacey blips and a lightly churning ambient rattle that recalls a slightly more dynamic Fennesz. Then, out of nowhere, the song morphs into some kind of simulacrum of steel drummed Caribbean pop. With the thick scramble of sound, it's tough to tell whether Mary's warped melodies are double tracked or not, and again the two minute run time is too short to solve the sonic mysteries. It's engaging enough that repeated rewinds and Zapruder level dissection might be in order.
An earlier track from last summer, "Sandy Feat," has a cutesier indie-pop feel, albeit one cobbled together using found sounds from cracked 8 bit cartridges. Ambient squawks from intimidating synthesizers or stray game birds flutter around the edges. Mary bounces her way through a fanciful scenario about, uh, a space traveling duck, apparently. It has its own logic though, like the delightful children's story that plot line suggests. The cheap yet insistent beat it's married to is perfectly useful for full grown ass-shakers, as well.
High Places - "Greeting the Light"
(from a forthcoming Post Present Medium DVD, via Pitchfork)
Lest the comforting, yet alien wonder of all this might leave you intimidated, we leave you on a gentle and intimate note. This charming low tech video for "Greeting the Light" lays a tender exchange out for all to see, without actually depicting much but the darkened view from a nighttime window.
--
Soon, we'll profile our third and final act the Most Serene Republic. But since you've just been convinced once and for all, you can buy tickets through Ticketweb right now. Or, try to win them, if you're feeling lucky.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Shillest: What will Frere-Jones think about this?
Stephin Merritt + Volvo =
Via AdFreak
Posted by Keith O'Brien at 10:54 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 19, 2007
Video: LCD Soundsystem "Someone Great"
Nicely done.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 05:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Out of context files: Indie crowds discover dancing
Slate mentions LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk. Tries to be funny (cool?), fails miserably (link).
"This year, LCD has released one of the year's strongest albums (The Sound of Silver) and best singles ("All My Friends"). In an even greater feat, the group has converted countless "indie rock crowds"—traditionally as dynamic as a queue at the DMV—into pulsing, fully functional dance floors."
End quote.
-- -- --
Our own Keith O'Brien pontificated on the Daft Punk phenomenon last week. Read: "One More Time". [ed note: submitted to slate, rejected by slate.]
Posted by Merry Swankster at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Retrohump: Tell Me, They Both Matter Don't They?
I've sung the praises of Chromatics' cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" on multiple web-sites now, and my slight preference for the understated sex appeal of the newbie over the stridently powerful original has touched a bit of a nerve (on one site at least). Finally getting to wrap my head around Chromatics' stellar album Night Drive, which you can order from the band right now for a reduced price ahead of its appearance on shop shelves, has done nothing to overturn that preference.
In the name of fairness, as well as legitimate admiration, I give you the original's video, with Ms. Bush in all of her interpretive dancin' glory. Her videos always sum up a respectable, if irreparably time stamped, strain of the eighties aesthetic and this clip is no exception. Afterwards, you can pick your preferred version and declare it to the world.
* Write ins for Placebo's version will be considered, and then snickered at.
Kate Bush - "Running Up That Hill"
Kate Bush "Running Up That Hill"
Chromatics - "Running Up That Hill"
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 18, 2007
Neon Lights: She Keeps Bees
So, this Friday we'll be mourning the last precious drops of Summer and celebrating the first fledgling steps of Fall with the latest entry to our exemplary Neon Lights concert series. Once again, the Union Hall's lovably Lynchian concert space will play host for our lovingly selected spate of bands.
The first duo to take the stage will be Brooklyn newcomers, She Keeps Bees. In reference to their home recorded 2006 debut album, Minisink Hotel, Washington D.C.'s City Paper filed this accurate report:
"Under the moniker She Keeps Bees, Jessica Larrabee along with collaborator and co-producer Andy LaPlant recorded her debut album, Minisink Hotel, with the most minimal of accouterments, mainly her home computer and a microphone. The arrangements are sparse, allowing Larrabee’s vocals to take center stage. There’s a hint of the alluring guttural quality of PJ Harvey, assuming Polly Jean spent an evening with a banjo and some old Merle Haggard records. Larrabee has the kind of twangy, whiskey-soaked voice you would assume was nurtured in a dying coal mining town, not Brooklyn."
As our prized readers are clearly to clever to rest on press clippings for proof of smoldering blues excellence, I give you audio evidence below:
This Minisink stand out recalls the stark minimalism of Chan Marshall's pre-sobriety jams, though Jess never sounds as hopelessly fragile. There's a self possessed power to her smoky vocals that would never crumble under a beam of spotlight. The dark tone doesn't offer many rays itself, but the track's beauty doesn't demand high beams to discover. Late in the track, singular piano stabs are joined by a limping rhythm and some slow motion hand claps. It's a minor nod towards a low end, but it pushes the song forward as the melancholy threatens to blanket our gal once and for all.
This track, from July's Shhhh! EP ironically finds Jessica sounding more like Fiona Apple, as she forsakes the piano for some mean alt blues guitar. Lyrically, the song seems to tread in the muck of a recent break-up, but again Larrabee sounds too strong to be the victim. "I've got daddy's eyes, and they refuse to see me cry," she spits. I'd hate to be the bloke on the receiving end of their glare.
Buy tickets for Friday's show, right here, right now. I'll be here all week with mp3's from and general info on our remaining two bands.
Meet me back here tomorrow?
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 17, 2007
Don Imus influence on the new 50 Cent album
Time's 10 Questions gets to the root of 50 Cent's Curtis:
"I take into consideration what the music business is facing with things like the Don Imus situation. I think it would cause a full uproar if I wrote [hard-core] lyrics from that perspective all the way through my album. That's why I released Curtis instead of my next project, Before I Self Destruct. It's more of a hard-core sound, and it would be too aggressive for this period.
End quote.
-- -- --
Boxscore: 1- 50 Cent is concerned about the record business. 2- 50 Cent is concerned about inciting riots, or at least the proverbial media riot, storm, controversy, what have you. 3- 50 Cent backhandedly predicts tumultuous times ahead where his next, more "hard-core," album will be a better fit. 4- 50 Cent spews more B.S. then your announced presidential candidates (see exhibit B after the jump).
This just confuses things further:
Posted by Merry Swankster at 01:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 9.17 - 9.23
Will heads be exploding at Red Rocks tonight? Count on it.
Monday, September 17
Arcade Fire w/ LCD Soundsystem @ Red Rocks
The Richard Thompson Band @ Gothic Theatre
Damien Rice @ Fillmore Auditorium
Katatonia @ Bluebird Theater
The Besnard Lakes w/ Maserati @ Hi-Dive
Pure Country Gold @ Larimer Lounge
Casual @ Fox Theatre
Tuesday, September 18
The National w/ St Vincent @ Odgen Theater
Muse @ Red Rocks
Josh Rouse w/ Jason Collett (of BSS) @ Bluebird Theater
Satellite Party @ Gothic Theatre
Yo! Majesty @ Marquis Theater
The World Romantic @ Larimer Lounge
Richard Thompson @ Fox Theatre
Baka Beyond @ Boulder Theater
Wednesday, September 19
The Used @ Fillmore
Audio Dream Sister @ Larimer Lounge
John Mclaughlin & the 4th Dimension @ Boulder Theater
James Hunter @ Fox Theatre
Thursday, September 20
They Might Be Giants @ Boulder Theater
Guster @ Fillmore
Alesana @ Marquis Theater
Lenka Dusilova @ Bluebird Theater
Joe Bouchard @ Oriental Theater
Cross Canadian Ragweed @ Gothic Theatre
Gore Gore Girls @ Hi-Dive
The Fucking Champs @ Larimer Lounge
Friday, September 21
The Flobots @ Gothic Theatre
Today is the Day @ Marquis Theater
Melismatics @ Hi-Dive
Qui @ Larimer Lounge
Saturday, September 22
Two Gallants w/Blitzen Trapper @ Hi-Dive
The Melvins @ Gothic Theatre
Charlie Hunter Trio @ Bluebird Theater
Stephen Marley @ Ogden Theater
Paper Mache @ LIon's Lair
Sunday, September 23
Ophelia A Go Go @ Larimer Lounge
Days of the New @ Bluebird Theater
Global Drum Project @ Boulder Theater
Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:47 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
The New Monty
A few weeks ago, the MS readership increased by one small girl, namely Eva Grace, the brand new daughter of our valued contributor Randall Monty. When an mp3 blog wants to collectively congratulate, said congratulations must take the form of a list of posted songs and text. This is also its response towards condolences and a particularly delicious empanada. She is a limited medium.
So, the non-Monty members of our little corner of pixels have taken it upon themselves to each recommend a song that we felt the newborn might enjoy. With one notable exception, these suggestions have not been field tested in any way, and some are perhaps even wildly inappropriate. We leave it to the proud papa to enlighten us as to which those might be.
On with it, and congratulations from us all...
Merry Swankster:
"Mayonesa" is neither the best song (under any criteria), nor a song for a newborn, let alone best song for a newborn, but certainly a fun Latin dance track with a silly name. And from what I know about babies they love fun, dancing, and silliness so there you go.
Translated from the Spanish word for mayonnaise, this cumbia-candombe hybrid was a giant hit in the Rio de la Plata region of South America circa austral summer 2001. I'll save the Google search for those of you geographically challenged, I'm specifically referring to Uruguay, Argentina and environs. In 2001 I took an extended trip to the region and this song was defined by the infectious ridiculousness of the subject matter as much by the ubiquitous of the track. It was everywhere. I can't really vouch so much for how many other countries Chocolate infiltrated with their hit, but I did hear the song a few times later that year in Spain. Twice to be exact, once at a disco and again in a television commercial for what else, mayonnaise. Little Monty, the world is flat, welcome.
David Klein:
I'm recommending this swinging rockabilly thang because of personal experience. My iTunes shows that "Freight Train Boogie" has a play count of 406, making it our most popular song of the past few years, because my twin sons had to hear it several times a day between the age of 1 and 2 (they are now 3). They demanded it by name (they dubbed it "Wah-wah" for obvious reasons.) John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" was a close second (393 plays).The song has a kid-friendly bounce and a nice woody bucolic feel. And that "ooh ooh wah wah" train thing is totally primal and childlike. Michael Stipe once said that "murmur" was one of the easiest words in the English language to say; ooh ooh and wah wah are even easier, hence their appeal to moppets. Many congratulations to you and yours.
the Louvin Brothers - "Freight Train Boogie"
P.S. Check out "Pink Thing" by XTC. That was my second choice for you.
Koren Zailckas:
Congratulations Monty! Because it sounds like a nihilistic nursery rhyme or maybe a School House Rock lesson in gun safety ('My daddy has a gun, it's not a toy but it's loads of fun'), I'm giving you and your new babe 'Fairy Stories.' Additionally, I hear infants enjoy the sounds of other infants. And prior history tells us those Black Lips could use a Huggies diaper.
Yonah Korngold:
It turns out that my attempt to do a wide search for the term “baby” in a song lyric didn’t really narrow down the possibilities. So I picked the most famous song ever to be inspired by baby talk. I had to turn a blind eye to Muddy Waters and give the nod to Clapton’s version for after all, when you're talking babies, you can’t really deny a song that’s featured on an album titled From the Cradle.
Eric Clapton - "Hoochie Coochie Man"
Congrats and best wishes to the Monty family and may your new one grow up strong and take after her Pa by displaying her unabashed disdain for Pearl Jam’s Ten.
Keith O'Brien:
Hello - I listen to some depressing, lyrically (emotionally) unstable music. No way for a baby to enter the world.
I ran through a number of songs. First that resonated was Sufjan Steven's "Vito's Ordination Song," which always struck me as a good celebratory song - (wedding, graduation, successfully returning to abode with ice cream in slightly-frozen state), and it is a beautiful, if wussy song. But Eva Grace is not a son, and, even if we ignore genders, I can't tell whether the father and son relationship is about Sufjan and God, or a fictional character and his son, or a same-sex relationship. Neither can anyone else.
So, Eva Grace will have enough confusion with religion at some point; that is not going to be my doing.
I thought the song structure of most shoegaze pop - anthemic - would be motivating, inspirational - but damn if all of those songs are not about love lost. And I can't proffer the beauty by ignoring the scarily-titled "A Violent But Flammable World" of Au Revoir Simone.
For not more than four seconds, I thought, "Why not, 'Stay Fly?' by Three 6 Mafia? Underneath the warnings of not leaving your weed near DJ Paul, it's fundamentally a song about motivation. The "hustle" is metaphorically translatable to the hustle Monty will insist on the soccer pitch.
Then I tried to reverse course and go with M83's (short on the lyrics) "Teen Angst", but the soaring synths might be a little too much for developing ears to bear.
I really wanted to go with something from Low - specifically from Things We Lost in the Fire, one of my favorite albums of all time. Not because I hoped to irrevocably depress Eva Grace before she could even start formulating emotions, but that the melodies are so gorgeous that (if we're to believe these songs hold weight) she would seek out the entire album 18-20 years in the future - you know, when we're battling our nanobot-controlled toasters. But it just didn't fit.
Next, Nico's "Time of the Season" - but it doesn't really bespeak of my experience growing up.
So what does speak to my experience growing up? Nirvana (next); Public Enemy (I'd prefer she first learn about racial equality (read: existing racial inequality) without the undertones of sexism and anti-semitism.
So that lead me to Portishead's "It's a Fire." It's gorgeous, and it's melancholy, but hopeful. And it's my song for Eva Grace.
Portishead - "It's a Fire"
Jeff Klingman:
My pick for the newborn may be a bit too on the nose, as it is basically a musical mobile. A hyper active toddler would surely have no patience for the sweet piano circles of Brian Eno's Music for Airports, but for a crib bound tyke, it seems like just the thing to soothe a confused little head. My lovable, though jam band loving, college roommate used to say in regard to the incomprehensible information infants were constantly given, that babies were perpetually "tripping balls." Maybe these static and deceptively lovely notes will serve as a necessary calming influence. I know that when I feel like sobbing, spitting up, or shitting my pants, this is where I turn.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 10:10 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
September 16, 2007
Matt of Matt & Kim really loved Monolith
Matt makes a heaven joke.
Monolith is over. Excellent lineups, creative use of indoor space, and a final blowout (however wordy) by the Flaming Lips capping things off last night. Hopefully these will define the festival as it focuses on improvement for next year. Ancillary to the music was the serious amount of legwork exerted by attendees going up and down the venues' stairs to get around the different stages. Fitting for Colorado to add hiking as an inadvertent central aspect to an event, but at least it wasn't hot, so pick your poison.
I believe that overall Monolith was a success and will be defined as such. Definitely from the point of view of the artists who were all quick to point out gratitude for being able to perform amongst such incredibly beautiful surroundings. Serving as constant reminders for the locals not to take the natural treasure of Red Rocks park for granted.
However excellent the lineup was, nothing about Monolith conveyed the feeling of a real "festival". If the long term goal of Monolith includes efforts in making it a destination festival which attracts audiences located outside immediate driving areas, organizers will need to seriously think how something unique can added to the experience. Coachella and Bonnaroo are the big boys of American music festivals for reasons that transcend the music. They are all encompassing. Even after the final note, the feeling lives in your soul as a fond memory, later gelled into anticipation during the months leading up to next editions. Simply adding stages and stretching show schedules into the early afternoon does not a festival make. I don't know if kettle corn, funnel cakes, and hippie knick knacks (none available at Monolith) change things, but slapping the word festival on all day music concerts doesn't either.
Look for lots of detailed coverage on performances as well as more pointed commentary on the good and bad from Monolith's debut on Merry Swankster tomorrow, and all this week (or at least sometime in the not too distant future if our consistently unreliably track record is anything to go by).
Posted by Merry Swankster at 06:37 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 15, 2007
Video: Kanye West - "Good Life"
Kanye West feat. T-Pain - "Good Life"