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March 31, 2008
Out of context files: 50 Cent no longer following US Election
Above image taken from everyone's favorite yellow journalist. I don't know what is more retarded, the fact that this article exists or that Drudge linked to it - with alarmist red font! Feed your intellectual curiosity with even more stimulating tidbits from that other bastion of hard hitting scoops at MTV News to see why fiddy is so conflicted.
But...in case you don't. Here is the quote that prompted such a shocking headline:
"To be honest, I haven't been following that anymore. I lost my interest," he said. "I listened to some of the debate and things that they were saying, and I just got lost in everything that was going on. ... Don't look for my vote, for me to determine nothing on that. Just say, '50 Cent, he don't know, so don't ask Fiddy.'
It gets better. And/or more confusing:
"There's a lot of people that agree with me that may not voice their opinions, and I don't blame them for not voicing their opinions, but you need me."
Endquote.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 06:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Merry Swankster's twittering birdies
A while back we mentioned our new web presence at Twitter. In case that was ignored, now is a good time to check it out. It's not our "page 6" or anything, but a few juicy nuggets of info from very buzzy bands is making its way on to the page.
Go here: Merry Swankster Twitter
Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 3.31 - 4.6
[Vampire Weekend]
Monday, March 31
Black Tide @ Marquis Theater
Collective Soul @ Boulder Theater
DJ Scooter @ Larimer Lounge
A Fine Frenzy @ Bluebird Theater
Tuesday, April 1
Baby Bash @ Ogden Theater
Cryptacize @ Hi-Dive
The Deciders @ Larimer Lounge
Nada Surf/Sea Wolf @ Gothic Theatre
The Rocket Summer @ Boulder Theater
Secondhand Serenade @ Marquis Theater
Vampire Weekend/YACHT @ Bluebird Theater
Wednesday, April 2
Bob Schneider @ Bluebird Theater
Chevelle @ Fillmore Auditorium
Eric McFadden Trio @ Soiled Dove
Grand Ole Party @ Hi-Dive
Still Remains @ Marquis Theater
Topaz @ Fox Theatre
Valio Mierda @ Larimer Lounge
Thursday, April 3
Back Door Slam @ Soiled Dove
Bodies of Water @ Hi-Dive
Citizen Cope @ Ogden Theater
Degrees Of Sanity @ Larimer Lounge
Hotel Cafe Tour @ Fox Theatre
I Hate Kate @ Bluebird Theater
Machine @ Ogden Theater
Mae @ Marquis Theater
Rob Drabkin @ Walnut Room
Friday, April 4
Angie Stevens And The Beautiful Wreck @ Soiled Dove
Hell's Belles @ Fox Theatre
Hotel Cafe Tour @ Bluebird Theater
Killfix @ Hi-Dive
Machine @ Ogden Theater
Morcheeba @ Gothic Theatre
Phix @ Boulder Theater
The Vergers @ Larimer Lounge
Saturday, April 5
Authority Zero @ Gothic Theatre
Daniel Johnston @ Ogden Theater
Hell's Belles @ Fox Theatre
Hello Kavita @ Larimer Lounge
Jessica Sonner @ Soiled Dove
Miser @ Marquis Theater
The Rouge @ Hi-Dive
The Swayback @ Bluebird Theater
Sunday, April 6
Beto Cuevas @ Ogden Theater
Colin Lake @ Walnut Room
Deadly Companions @ Larimer Lounge
Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 30, 2008
Texas: April Show(er)s
According to Wikipedia (That's you!), the origin of the name Aprils is uncertain. It might stem from the Latin, aperire, meaning "to open." And This is supposedly in reference to the fourth month being the time of year when the weather takes a serious turn for the better, plants start their return to green and flowers start to bloom. The temperature in the Valley had already hit the mid 90's a handful of times in March, and the bluebonnets are even now decorating the edges of the highways.
There is no SXSW hangover mode. Like the weather, the concert season in Texas is starting to heat up (or at least increase in size.)
Austin
01 South Austin Jug Band at Waterloo Records
02 The Weakerthans, AA Bondy, Christine Fellows at the Parish
04 RJD2 w/ Dalek and Happy Chichester at Emo’s
05 Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Clue to Kalo, Tre Orsi at Emo's
05 Xiu Xiu at the Mohawk
06 B.B. King at the Austin Music Hall
07 Colin Meloy w/ Laura Gibson at La Zona Rosa
09 Say Anything w/ Manchester Orchestra, Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves at La Zona Rosa
10 Marcia Ball at Waterloo Records
10 The Mars Volta at the Austin Music Hall
11 Ra Ra Riot w/ the Little Ones at Stubb’s
11 Wilco at Stubb’s
12 British Sea Power at Club Deville
12 Wilco at Stubb’s
13 Health w/ Daniel Francis Doyle at Emo's
15 Feist at Stubb’s
15 James McMurtry at Waterloo Records
15 Ministry w/ Meshuggah and Hemlock at La Zona Rosa
17 Dirty Projectors at the Mohawk
17 the Wailers at La Zona Rosa
18 Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith at Antones
19 Dillinger Escape Plan, The Bled at Emo's
19 Panic! At the Disco w/ the Motion City Soundtrack, the Hush Sound, Phantom Planet at Stubb’s
19 Prince Paul at the Mohawk
19 Blind Melon at Antones
20 Cat Power at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q - MS.com Pick
20 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ the Joggers at Las Zona Rosa
23 Rush at Frank Erwin Center
25 Elf Power at the Mohawk
27 Caribou w/ Fuck Buttons at Emo’s
27 Steve Earle, Allison Moorer at the Paramount Theater
27 Avril Lavigne w/ Boys Like Girls at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
28 Joe Jackson, Mutlu at the Paramount Theater
28 Little River Band at One World Theater
28 My Chemical Romance w/ Billy Talent, Drive By at Stubb’s
30 Bonde do Role at Emo’s Jr.
30 Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., Rihanna at the Erwin Center
30 Man Man w/ Yeasayer at Emo’s Outside
Corpus Christi
04 Atreyu w/ Avenged Sevenfold at the Concrete Street Amphitheater
16 Megadeath, Gigantor and High on Fire at the Concrete Street Amphitheater - MS.com Pick
30 Kid Rock at the Concrete Street Amphitheater
Dallas
01 Tokyo Police Club w/ Eagle Seagull at the House of Blues
01 The Weakerthans at the Granada Theater
04 Cross Canadian Ragweed at Billy Bob’s Texas
04 Angie Stone at Nokia Theater
05 RJD2 at Palladium Loft
08 Colin Meloy w/ Laura Gibson at Granada Theater
12 Mary J. Blige & Jay-Z at Superpages.com Center
12 Miranda Lambert at Lone Star Park at Grand Prarie
13 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at American Airlines Center
15 Megadeath, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy and High on Fire at Nokia Theater
16 Feist at the Palladium Ballroom
17 Julio Iglesias w/ DSO at Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
19 Cat Power at Palladium Ballroom
21 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ the Joggers at Granada Theater
25 Rush at Superpages.com Center
26 Avril Lavigne w/ Boys Like Girls at Superpages.com Center
28 Caribou w/ Fuck Buttons at Palladium Loft
29 Joe Jackson at Palladium Ballroom
29 Man Man w/ Yeasayer at the Loft
Denton
04 Casiotone for the Playfully Along w/ Clue to Kalo at Hailey’s
El Paso
26 Caribou w/ Fuck Buttons at Club 101
Fort Worth
24 Tony Bennett at Bass Performance Hall
Frisco
26 Jimmy Buffet at Pizza Hut Park
Grande Prarie
15 Megadeath, Gigantor and High on Fire at the Nokia Theater
Houston
01 Eisley, Rev. Horton Heat at Meridian
01 Saul Williams at Warehouse Live
10 Jay-Z at the Toyota Center
11 Superdrag at Meridian
12 Mushroomhead w/ Hate Eternal, Solient Green, Skeleton Witch, Brain Drill, Pinhead
14 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at the Toyota Center
16 Son Volt, Bobby Bare, Jr. at Continental Club
17 Megadeath, Gigantor and High on Fire at the Verizon Wireless Center
18 Shelby Lynn w/ David McMillan at Warehouse Live
19 Buddy Guy at International Festival
20 Blind Melon at Meridian
20 Dillinger Escape Plan w/ The Bled, Dear Life at Warehouse Live
20 The Wailers at International Festival
22 Cat Power w/ Appaloosaat Warehouse Live
23 Johnny Mathis at Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
24 The Temptations at Verizon Wireless Theater
29 O.A.R. w/ Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights at Warehouse Live
Laredo
06 Juanes at Laredo Entertainment Center
RGV
03 Decedant Suits (Battle of the Bands winners) at UTPA, Edinburg
11 Emerson Hart at Cine El Rey, McAllen
20-21 Juanes at the Dodge Arena, Hidalgo - MS.com Pick
24 Avril Lavigne at the Dodge Arena, Hidalgo
29 Kid Rock at the Dodge Arena, Hidalgo
Tempe
17 Cat Power at Marquee Theater
Posted by Randall Monty at 07:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Muxblog
Due to circumstances beyond my control, the first quarter podcast of 2008 will likely be held up for a week or two. As an unintended result of this situation, the inclusions and running order will just be that more painstakingly deliberated. But, while we're vaguely on the subject of mix-o-logy, allow me to direct you to the fruit of maybe a half hour's labor on Muxtape, which is currently the cat's pajamas for the crazy music blog shut in types. Here's my first stab at it using mainly stuff we've posted before, because you know, that's the stuff we like.
Tracklist, with links to when we've actually discussed the song (or failing that, artist) previously on MS:
Side A:
1: Atlas Sound - "Activation" (4:06)
Discussed previously in Two.
2: Pavement - "Circa 1762" (John Peel Show) (3:27)
Mentioned previously in Retrohump Day: Two Sans Theme.
3: Love is All - "Motorboat" (2:11)
Discussed previously in MS Picks: A Whisper, A Shout.
4: the Volcano Suns - "Needle in the Camel's Eye" (live, in Boston 1989) (2:31)
Discussed previously in Obscurer Than Thou: Volcano Sunset.
5: Tall Dwarfs - "All My Hollowness to You" (2:20)
Discussed previously in Retrohump Day - Retro Revisited.
6: the Monochrome Set - "The Lighter Side of Dating" (2:45)
Never posted actually, but Monochrome Set was the topic of Works in Progress: the Monochrome Set, and Retrohump Day: Two Sans Theme.
Side B:
1: Ruth - "Polaroid-Roman-Photo" (5:03)
Discussed previously in THE LIST: Mwaahhh, the French Champagne.
2: Malaria! - "Your Turn to Run" (4:10)
Discussed previously in Retrokraut Day and Retrohump Night: Malaria!'s Only One.
3: John Carpenter - "Assault on Precinct 13" (3:31)
Discussed previously in Entrance Music (For Two Films) and Numerology Counterpoint: Triskaidekaphobia.
4: Sunset Rubdown - "We've Got Broken Eyes" (6:58)
Discussed previously in Six Synth Songs.
5: the Kills - "the Search for Cherry Red" (2:58)
Discussed previously in Bleak Girls Club.
6: Serge Gainsbourg - "Requiem Pour Un Con" (2:54)
Discussed previously in Songs Left Off Pitchfork's 60's List (Part 2)
Quickly looking at the list above and then clicking over to the Muxape page will immediately illustrate the biggest drawback of the site as it stands: you can't split up your tape into two distinct sides. This is pretty much sacrilege, and I've rejected it on its face by presenting 12 songs that are pretty clearly split into two six song runs. Another drawback for true obsessives is the lack of any space to jot down a few liner notes for the object of your mix affection. Here we can easily provide links for a little context if desired, but Muxtape won't allow even that.
But these are small gripes for a legitimately neat little time waster of a site. But implement my suggestions, and perhaps add a function where you can search all the mixes made to find others who've included your specific favorite songs and where their own mixes took them from there, and maybe you've got a cultural hub with some staying power.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2008
Video: Phosphorescent - "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise"
Phosphorescent - "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise"
Phosphorescent "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise" from The Friends of Friends on Vimeo.
Underwater kind of phosphorescent
Posted by Merry Swankster at 10:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New Ladytron: Too Detached to Allow an Exclamation Point
Ladytron, one of the very few artists to be lumped in with the maligned electroclash scene and emerge successfully from it, returned this week by dropping off the first track from their upcoming Velocifero to little rapturous notice. Their previous album The Witching Hour was also an undervalued gem of modern synth music. Now that a follow-up is starting to become tangible, anticipation is creeping skywards.
"Black Cat" is not the undeniable neon injection that "Destroy Everything You Touch" was, not at all. It's more of a continually black and occasionally amazing Eastern European brush off. When Stereolab fluttered off into French the lilt of the language gave their singing a romantic fluidity beyond their lyrics' revolutionary bent. The effect of the sung Bulgarian here may be exactly the opposite, lending the whiff of (sexy) oppression to whatever it is that's being sung. The retro futurist backdrop has some great Blade Runner synths and old fashioned twinkling bells in its favor, as well as thundering drum breaks that sound recorded in an abandoned hangar. So right up my street, as usual.
Previously:
- Ladytron, Live @ the Irving Plaza
- Best Albums of 2005
- Numerology: ...going on Seventeen
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:18 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
March 26, 2008
Retrohump: The Year of the Scavenger, the Season of the Bitch
It was almost a year ago that I articulated a desire to gradually sift through the mountainous stacks of vintage Bowie footage on YouTube in order to comprehensively tour his every creative spasm and identity tweak. As this is the first I've mentioned it since, I'm sure you're all now deeply stunned by the depth of my master plan and the patience its taken to execute it just so. *cough*
1974's Diamond Dogs ended up being a less cohesive and interesting project than it was originally conceived to be. Following the so so covers record Pin Ups, David holed up to write a musical based on the facist fable 1984. Halfway through, the George Orwell estate put the kabosh on letting letting Ol' Blue Eye androgynize the classic novel for the stage. So rather than scrap the work he'd done entirely, he threw it together with a single or two and some really vague "future gone wrong" work of his own design, releasing the resulting mish-mash as an incoherent record. It's an album without a concrete identity or unifying sound, that's really more of a place holder for greater things to come.
Perhaps it would be more distinctly remembered if its original artwork was allowed to stand. Bowie's stretched out man-hound is disconcerting enough. The original version literally showcasing the dog's bollocks was several brush strokes too far, though it remains a highly sought after commodity among pervy vinyl collectors to this day.
1974 Diamond Dogs TV Spot
This clip is a strange artifact from a historical moment in which money making entities known as major label record companies had commodities known as records, the profitability of which they felt enough confidence in to go ahead and launch prime time commercial advertising campaigns to support them. Not ads for luxury sedans in which the music played briefly in the background mind you, but spots advertising the music itself! In this case totally creepy propaganda that probably just weirded people out.
Despite its opening claim to the contrary, this ain't genocide, this is top shelf rock n' roll...
Hey, remember the Beck cover of this one? Me neither.
David Bowie - "Rebel Rebel"
(promo video)
This psychedelic clip features perhaps the most lackluster persona of Bowie's career, the urban pirate Halloween Jack. According to the lyrics of the album's above posted title track, Jack is a real cool cat who lives on top of the Manhattan Chase building. Due to faulty dystopian elevator service, Jack swings from building to building looking for plunder and bedding wenches with blank faces. From the looks of this clip, his main target for pillage was the women's blouse department at Macy's. Stacked up against the well hung rock star spaceman of Ziggy Stardust or the sadistic coke fiend blue blood of the Thin White Duke era, this is some weak sauce indeed.
The swaggering guitar line that anchors "Rebel Rebel" is not suspect at all though, especially considering that Spiders From Mars' guitar god Mick Ronson was given his walking papers shortly before the record was made. This is Bowie proving himself to be more than just an inspired theoretician. So it's strange that his axe in the video is much like the cane of a strong legged pimp--purely ornamental. If the glitterball riff still had some life, it was clear that even a slightly tweaked glam persona was losing its novelty.
David Bowie - "1984"
(Broadcast live from New York, 1974)
Exit lady pirate, enter smooth Philly soul man. Smack in the middle of a the promotion for a single mixed up record, Bowie pulls a switcheroo that would launch his 70's commercial peak Young Americans. The pivot point was the theme from Shaft-ish would be musical anthem "1984". In spite of its odd totalitarian lyrics, it was conventionally groovy enough to be covered by one Tina Turner on her smash hit record Private Dancer. The blogosphere is good for finding many things and Tina Turner album cuts are not one of them. You'll have to raid your parents record collections to confirm my limited impression that she almost pulls the damn thing off with a frazzled intensity.
What's plain to see in the above clip is that Bowie is coked to the teets. Watch him flutter and shimmy. Watch him repeatedly lick his lips and grind his teeth to nubs. Not surprisingly, he's supremely confident and wildly energetic, so it works quite well. Those who remember the 1976 Soul Train performance I featured in the previous Station to Station themed post can perhaps see rock bottom rushing up to meet our man already.
Another thing I wonder about this clip, labeled as live broadcast from New York, is how that came to be in the first place. Did they just interrupt The Carol Burnett Show in progress to bring you a live transmission from David Bowie? Was this shot for Brit audiences, slammed in the middle of a Benny Hill episode? Can anybody out there fill me in on some era specific info?*
* A commenter points out that the clip is from the Dick Cavett Show, follow their links to watch a jumpy interview...
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 09:06 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Video: Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
The Raconteurs - "Salute Your Solution"
I'm getting an almost Hot Chip vibe from the bridge two minutes into this one.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 01:08 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Justice played the Ogden Theatre in Denver, Marshall stacks are just for show
Heh. How about that?
The stage was impressive, especially for a tour of this size. Perched on a riser above an illuminated, five-foot tall cross, the duo led the party with no crowd interaction but lots of bouncing. On each side, they were flanked by an impressive load of Marshall stacks -– 18 in all. In the middle of the set, I texted our photographer (who was shooting from the pit), asking if they were live, and she thought they were. But hanging out afterward with a colleague at the theater I watched as stagehands moved them on dollies out the front of the Ogden with ease. “Those aren’t live,” I said to my friend.The stagehand laughed as he passed us.
“Um, no.”
The sound was still tremendous – loud and bold and crackly, while still allowing for a certain amount of definition. (We were standing about 10 feet behind the soundboard.) The room felt –- and sounded –- like a rave, much to the band and venue’s credit. (via)
Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2008
Dear Radiohead & Raconteurs,
Thanks for reminding us what anticipation feels like. Thanks for giving everyone a fair shot at a virgin listen.
To record labels, leaks are impossible to ignore, like finding cash on a deserted street. Even the most righteous amongst us will pocket found treasure without question or guilt. As far as I'm concerned the ones that deny it are either out of the loop, or lying.
Previously:
On Radiohead, where I'm compelled by the Zeitgeist
Posted by Merry Swankster at 10:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Numerology: With Care for "...Cell 44"
I know what you’re thinking. If you’re anything like me, 44 makes you think of Dirty Harry and his .44 Magnum, “the most powerful handgun in the world, which would blow your head clean off.” I’m also reminded of that memorable turn in front of the camera by Martin Scorsese, playing a cuckolded psychopath in Taxi Driver who manages to creep out Travis Bickle himself, by posing disturbing questions about the destructive power of the .44 he’s planning on using on his wife. Accordingly, “.44 Magnum is a Monster” is the name of an instrumental piece on the movie’s soundtrack, scored by the great Bernard Herrmann, who put shrill violins permanently on the map in his score for Psycho. The mighty Howlin’ Wolf apparently never left home without packing his piece. In his oft-covered “Forty-Four,” a jaunty two-steppin’ blues, Wolf delivers a raw, impassioned vocal that shows off his unmistakable jagged-edged timbre. “I wore my .44 so long,” he wails, “I’ve made my shoulder sore.” In just a few words he conveys both a world of pain and the sense that healing can come through the sheer power of expression.
[Photo cred: © Sandy Guy Schoenfeld - Howling Wolf Photos]
Even without the gun association, no. 44 signifies power. Ask Henry Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and Willie McCovey, Hall of Fame sluggers all, who slammed the white pill skyward hundreds and hundreds of time with 44 stitched across their broad backs. I would be surprised if they would have hit a collective 1,839 homers had they all worn no. 43. “Surprise Me 44,” by the UK folk-tronica purveyors known as Tunng, has nothing to do with baseball, but with its comforting acoustic guitar lines and hazy campfire vocals, if the song were a baseball player, it would be a light-hitting but dependable second baseman. Even the hippie-dippy sentiments of lines like “Let all the moments go down on you/we’ll sleep tomorrow/it’s nice to do” don’t really rankle. I wish I could say the same for Insane Clown Posse’s “The Night of the 44, ” a rhythmically and lyrically uninspired mass-murder fantasy. A much better song about murder is “44,” from Happy Suicide Jim! (2006) by the Love Kills Theory, which mocks vigilantism instead of celebrating it, and makes its case with a combination of sturdy chords and an upbeat chorus bolstered with gunshots (a full two years before M.I.A. pulled the same trick on “Paper Planes,” to an admittedly grander height).
Nevertheless, no. 44 is the opposite of a big brawny chest beater of a song. In fact, it’s incredibly light on its feet, but before we go there, let’s set this up properly. It’s worth it.
I’m sure it never occurred to Al Kooper in 1968 that one of his most lasting contributions to music would involve the stack of 40 or so British LPs he brought back with him from London that summer. Al Kooper was on the hot streak of his life at the time, and would have been well within his rights to be thinking primarily of his own career trajectory. After all, three years earlier the man makes history, twice: going electric with Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, and playing organ on “Like a Rolling Stone,” a great song that becomes revolutionary when Dylan tells Al to turn up his organ. From 1965-68, Kooper proceeds to play guitar and keyboards on hundreds of sessions, with the Stones and Cream, Jimi Hendrix and the Who, and other lesser mortals; he starts and leaves not one, but two, successful bands—the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears—and now he is poised to add solo artist to his resume. In the midst of all this, one of those British LPs, starts to haunt him. One of them, Kooper later writes, “stuck out like a rose in a garden of weeds.”
Odessey & Oracle by the Zombies is now recognized as one of the finest pop records of its decade, or any decade, but in 1968, no one else but Kooper seems to recognize the record’s greatness. Kooper’s so passionate that he personally leans on the new head of CBS Records, which owns it, Clive Davis, to release it in the States. CBS doesn’t think much of the record’s commercial prospects, and they’re about to just shelve it. Remember, Columbia has all the big acts at this time, from Dylan on down, and they’re just not excited enough to get behind a bunch of specky Englishmen singing intricate, minor-key, utterly English-sounding psychedelic pop. But Kooper, a producer at Columbia with nothing to gain from his efforts save for avoiding a crime against nature, persuades Davis to change his mind and Odessey gets released, with little fanfare, and no one pays much attention. The first few singles are released that fall, including this week’s winning song, and they go nowhere. But November spawns a monster, in the form of “Time of the Season,” which grows into an international hit. Of course, by this time, the Zombies have long since broken up.
It’s hard to imagine how Kooper, with his golden touch, somehow believed that “Care of Cell 44” was a stronger single than “Time of the Season” and advised CBS to put it out first. While undoubtedly the definitive no. 42 song of all time, “Cell 44” had already tanked as a single in the UK. It’s suitability as a single notwithstanding, “Care of Cell 44” is the glorious opening of a record that is as good as Pet Sounds or Forever Changes, and flat-out better than Sgt. Pepper, with which it is often compared. The song is a perfect pop tapestry woven of Colin Blunstone’s delicate, dreamy vocals, washes of gauzy mellotron, harpsichord plinks, and a richly melodic bass line. The exquisite, guitar-less arrangement just soars. In addition to its remarkable beauty, the song offers a scenario that appears to be unique in the annals of rock: a love letter to an incarcerated girlfriend. In the hands of Johnny Cash or Nick Cave, a song with this lyrical conceit would be a dirge, but the Zombies fill it with such barely suppressed joy and musical inventiveness (the falsetto-dominated middle eight is remarkably sublime) as to render the prison part irrelevant. We know she’s a good girl; it’s probably just a lot of parking tickets or something. The point is she’s coming home, and soon, and we can hardly wait.
I can never imagine getting tired of this song. That’s even higher praise than “I’ll always love this song” or “This song has a lot of meaning for me” or even “I’ll always think of my first love/car/dog when I hear it.” Nope, a lifetime skip count of zero trumps them all.
the Zombies - "Care of Cell 44"
A final note: Al Kooper’s first solo record, I Stand Alone (1968), received critical praise but was not a commercial success. While he would continue to matter greatly in the music world in the ‘70s (and beyond), mostly as a producer and as the man who discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kooper never made it as a solo artist, a fact that he apparently took pretty hard. But in the year in which he was arguably at his absolute peak, Kooper helped the Zombies leave an indelible mark with their posthumous masterstroke. We can be thankful to Al for that, just as I am grateful to the Zombies, from a numerological standpoint, for ditching both of the song’s original titles: “Prison Song” and “Cell 69.” How they settled on 44 is unclear, but oddly enough, ’44 was the year Al Kooper was born. Guess it was just meant to be.
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 creep everybody out.
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, 30 (counterpoint), 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
Posted by David Klein at 09:20 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
March 24, 2008
I am the Undertow
According to reports from the New York Times and CNN/Fortune/Money, the Department of Justice has approved the merger of the XM and Sirius satellite radio services.
The two companies now must await for the OK from the Federal Communications Commission, which according to Arlen Specter's (R-PA) March 19 appearance on the Sirius-carried Howard Stern Show, should come by the end of the month.
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 3.24 - 3.30
[Ra Ra Riot]
Monday, March 24
DJ Scooter @ Larimer Lounge
The Loved Ones @ Marquis Theater
Nile @ Bluebird Theater
Thrift Store Cowboys @ Hi-Dive
Tuesday, March 25
Aloha @ Hi-Dive
Bad Manners @ Gothic Theatre
Felice Brothers/Justin Earle @ Larimer Lounge
Louis XIV/What Made Milwaukee Famous @ Marquis Theater
X @ Bluebird Theater
Wednesday, March 26
Dengue Fever @ Hi-Dive
Explosions In the Sky @ Ogden Theater
Wild Sweet Orange @ Larimer Lounge
Thursday, March 27
Carbon/Matt Pond PA @ Bluebird Theater
Headlights/Evangelicals @ Hi-Dive
The Invisible Now @ Larimer Lounge
Jens Lekman @ Gothic Theatre
Jet Lag Gemini @ Marquis Theater
Les Nubians @ Fox Theatre
Friday, March 28
Ace Frehley @ Ogden Theater
Action Figure 8 @ Walnut Room
Blind Melon @ Fox Theatre
The Cribs/Ra Ra Riot @ Larimer Lounge
Ghost Buffalo @ Marquis Theater
The Passage Project @ Soiled Dove
The Starting Line @ Gothic Theatre
The Tanukis @ Hi-Dive
Tech N9ne @ Fillmore Auditorium
Tristan Prettyman @ Bluebird Theater
The Wailers @ Boulder Theater
Saturday, March 29
Ari Hest @ Soiled Dove
Etta James And The Roots Band @ Paramount Theatre
The Gutter Twins @ Fox Theatre
The Heyday @ Marquis Theater
Kaki King @ Walnut Room
Pitch Invasion @ Larimer Lounge
The Railbenders @ Bluebird Theater
Super Diamond @ Ogden Theater
These United States @ Hi-Dive
Sunday, March 30
Apostle @ Walnut Room
Beneath The Massacre @ Marquis Theater
Big Time Entertainment Show @ Hi-Dive
DJ Mykel Martinez @ Larimer Lounge
Stanley Jordan @ Soiled Dove
Tristan Prettyman @ Fox Theatre
Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 10:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 20, 2008
Video: Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You
The "new" Black Kids album (title TBA), is scheduled to come out July 7. "Boyfriend", the first single from the album, also found on their 2007 (free) debut EP, Wizard of Ahhs, charted at #29 on MS.com's year end list. (It was #2 on my personal list.)
The video doesn't really add much to the enjoyment of the song; it's pretty hyper literal. Although, there is the satisfaction of knowing that I wasn't the only one who spent the past five days watching every single airing of John Adams.
Black Kids - "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You"
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:15 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
MS Pick - Bon Iver
Bon Iver’s story is one loaded with ingredients for myth making manipulation. It starts with a cabin in the woods of rural Wisconsin and ends with an album influenced by ghosts from within that were granted release with the help of severe isolation prodding a creative catharsis. In 2007, Bon Iver (real name Justin Vernon) spent four months in a cabin recording For Emma, Forever Ago. All it takes is one spin of this record to recognize the harsh, unforgiving climate needed to create such heartbreaking music.
When the passion in Bon Iver’s voice increases intensity, it breaks through the gentle folksy veneer and reminds of an emotionally overwhelmed version of [TV On the Radio’s] Tunde Adebimpe’s jarring inflection. Otherwise buttery smooth, the dynamic transitions from soft to loud change with such dramatic effect you’d swear a chorus of doppelgangers is lurking in the overdubbed shadows.
The tragic truth behind the words of this gorgeous song lays bare a path blemished by rotten loves poisoning the hopeful airs of springing futures with a memory cloud of past failures. In other words, any promise of new love will ultimately get ensnared by the lingering issues of loves preceding. A point most telling in the painted imagery of romantic bondage from the following lyrics:
“I'll be holding all the tickets/ And you'll be owning all the fines”
-- -- --
Bon Iver is currently on tour with the artist behind my 19th favorite album of 2007 -- Phosphorescent. Dates after the jump
//Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - buy
//Bon Iver - Myspace
//Bon Iver @ Jagjaguwar
03-20 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo +
03-21 Santa Barbara, CA - Muddy Waters +
03-22 Visalia, CA - Cellar Door +
03-23 San Francisco, CA - The Independent +
03-24 Portland, OR - Holocene +
03-25 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club +
03-26 Seattle, WA - Nectar +
04-01 Rock Island, IL - Huckleberry's Pizza Parlor
04-02 Grinnell, IA - Grinnel College
04-03 Upland - Taylor University
04-04 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
04-05 Iowa City, Iowa - University of Iowa
04-07 Columbia, Missouri - Mojo's
04-08 St. Louis, MO - Biliken *
04-09 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club *
04-10 Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theater *
04-11 Madison, Wisc - Orpheum Theater *
04-12 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
04-13 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club #
04-14 Duluth, MN - Kirby Rafter (Duluth University)
04-15 Fargo, ND - Aquarium
+ w/ Phosphorescent
* w/Collections of Colonies of Bees
# w/ The Wars of 1812
Posted by Merry Swankster at 10:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2008
I wonder where they got this idea?
Because we're too busy/lazy to put up a proper music-related March Madness-style bracket, here's a link to 94 WYSP's (Philly's Rock Station) tournament to determine the GREATEST ROCK BAND OF ALL TIME!
In the affectionately-titled "Rock Madness", the number one seeds are Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Green Day. And apparently Disturbed is worthy of a two seed.
There's a brutal Nickelback vs. Limp Bizkit 8/9 game in the Jennifer Reed bracket, the winner of which, I can only hope, will be laid to waste by long-haired Metallica in round two. Meanwhile, some of the interesting pairings lead to Sweet Sixteen births for Jane's Addiction, Motley Crue and Bush. Even more surprisingly, the Black Crowes might make it out of the first round. (But Maxim already knew that.)
The band with the biggest gripe for the selection committee is clearly Black Sabbath, seeing as they pretty much invented the music that this station pays the rent with*. Ozzy makes it on his own as a five seed, which is some consolation.
For reasons of full disclosure, my Final Four: Zep, Metallica, Guns n' Roses (2) and Pink Floyd (3).
* = To be fair, I have never actually listened to WYSP.
Posted by Randall Monty at 07:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Coachella: Prince added to lineup?
How about contrasting the previous post with rumor mongering on a much better music festival? Ok lets. Earlier today, the LA Times blog reported that Prince was added to the Coachella lineup. Pretty awesome right? Well, turns out it was bogus.
*Correction: Brandon K. Phillips, CEO of AEG Live, writes in an email: “Paul Tollett, the head of our Goldenvoice division and our partner in the festival, just called to tell me that the LA Times put on their blog that Prince was playing Coachella. This is absolutely not true… Regardless of what the Times was told, there is no commitment from Prince to play Coachella.” Stay tuned…. this is the Purple One we’re talking about, so anything could happen.(LA Times via Urb)
It should be noted that Goldenvoice parent AEG are organizers of the terrible aforementioned Denver festival. Hey AEG, get the purple one to commit and shape up with Colorado events.
For those not paying attention, here are some artist additions since the initial lineup announcement:
Goldfrapp
Aphex Twin
Serj Tankian (of System of the Down)
Redd Kross
Kate Nash
Posted by Merry Swankster at 05:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Denver's Mile High Music festival is a snoozer
My first thoughts after seeing the lineup for the much discussed Mile High Music Festival consists of wtfs, huhs, and blehs. A full day after the announcement in the local press and I can confidently stick with my initial position of full throttle snark. I have one suggestion for the event's marketing folks, to attract their target audience and all. Instead of trying to play up some sort of fantasized Colorado version of Coachella (which is ridiculous), they should stick to their curated guns and shout from the highest mountain: "Boring College Bands from the late '90s to early '00s! And Tom Petty!" I imagine this thing will be a success, and attendees will likely enjoy it. Guaranteed so as long as their tolerance for insufferable fans woo-hoo'ing to the faux-jambands and adult contemporary mish-mash rounding out the lineup remains extraordinarily high. Can't you already picture the nightmare of exuberance when O.A.R. closes their set with that poker song. Everyone magically transported to closing time at the bar and its cue for last chances to hook up, score weed, and/or pass out in a gutter/frat house/dorm. Party like it's 1999 or something.
Initial lineup after the jump.
Previously:
Denver music festival for your parents
Dave Matthews Band
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
John Mayer
The Black Crowes
O.A.R.
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Rodrigo & Gabriela
Steve Winwood
Spoon
Flogging Molly
Colbie Caillat
Onerepublic
The Roots
Moe
Leftover Salmon
Citizen Cope
Martin Sexton
Andrew Bird
Josh Ritter
Flobots
State Radio
JJ Grey & Mofro
Ingrid Michaelson
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Bob Schneider
Brett Dennen
Tea Leaf Green
Newton Faulkner
Meese
The New Mastersounds
Born in the Flood
Railbenders
Serena Ryder
The Photo Atlas
Rose Hill Drive
Posted by Merry Swankster at 01:41 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Retrohump: Filling the Back Catalog
Jeff's still filling out his bracket (The Butler/South Alabama pick is absolutely killing him.), so today you get a retro-substitute. It probably would have been nice, on the eve of the NCAA Tournament's first weekend, to put together some sort of Retrohump/basketball tie-in post. Instead, I'm going to use this opportunity to talk about some of the lesser-expected music that I've been keen to lately. With last minute duties, you invariably get narcissism.
Thanks to eMusic's Verizon-like policy towards monthly download allotments, I've managed to collect a lot of albums that had previously fallen into the category of: "I should get that someday." Some are albums that I've had before but lost or ruined (Trompe le Monde is still waiting in the queue), some are albums I'm giving fair shot to after never really favoring them before (Jesus Lizard, American Music Club), some became instant favorites (the Wrens), and some are albums I'd never thought I'd own (Hello, The Pleasure Principle!). Here are some that have lately been in heavy rotation at the MS.com southern headquarters.
Fugazi - "Break"
The song starts after about two minutes of stage banter, but then we get the opening track from 1998's End Hits. The sound quality isn't the greatest, but that seems to be par for the course for Fugazi concerts.
Jawbox - "Reel"
Another '90s D.C. area post hardcore act, albeit a lesser known one. This comes off of Jawbox's highly regarded 1994 release, For Your Own Special Sweetheart.
Archers of Loaf - "Web in Front"
I came to this band retroactively, introduced as "the guy from Crooked Fingers other band." Eric Bachmann's two acts couldn't be more dissimilar: Fingers are all orchestrated neo-Americana, and Archers are categorical lo-fi indie rock.
The Extra Glenns - "Baltimore"
For all intents and purposes, the Extra Glenns are really just John Darnielle's excuse to add electric guitar sections to his songs, in this case they're thanks to Nothing Painted Blue's (another eMusic queue) Franklin Bruno. Thematically, "Baltimore" fits right into the "Going to..." series of the Mountain Goats songs.
Circulatory System – “The Lovely Universe”
I wear my affinity for the Elephant 6 Collective plainly on my sleeve, so it was only a matter of time, really, before I developed my crush on Will Cullen Hart's pet project. As seen in the video, Hart attempts to get all of member badges in one fell swoop (Use of woodwinds unconventional to pop music - check.), almost as though he knew this would be a one-off.
Pharcyde – “Passin’ Me By”
A Stuff White People Like post waiting to happen. Pharcyde come in third to A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul in the rankings of early '90s alternative hip-hop, but are funnier than either one. In a move that probably drove Dave Klein nuts, Pharcyde titled their first album Bizarre Ride 2. "Passin' Me By" was the second single from that album.
Posted by Randall Monty at 09:03 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 18, 2008
Video: Portishead - "Machine Gun"
Whoah, while I'm at it there's a brand new video for the first single off of the beloved new Portishead album Third. Read our track by track preview of the album here.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Video: Chromatics - "Killing Spree"
Here's a moody and obtuse new video for the very John Carpenter indebted instrumental "Killing Spree" from last year's Night Drive LP. It was directed by band member and disco svengali supreme Johnny Jewel.
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 17, 2008
On "Century"
If any of our current readers were on board way back in our gawky fledgling days of 2006, they'll know that we were then in the grips of a collective death crush on UK new wave band the Long Blondes. With every new track or morsel of news we came running, bits of hyperbole falling from the toppling stacks we carried. So intense was the infatuation that it almost seems silly now. It's like remembering that summer as a kid when all you could think of was race cars or something. Their debut album Someone To Drive You Home is still plenty sharp, and those early singles thrill when they come up on shuffle, but the all-consuming element of our former coverage has inevitably gone. For that reason, hitting play on the band's new album "Couples" made me feel rather apprehensive. How could such a brief, blazing flame be rekindled? Well for the most part it can't. The record does have its moments though and the best is its first. If nothing else, "Well, that's the one with "Century" on it," can be an enduring legacy of recommendation.
The song and album start with a ominous sustained synth note that sounds not unlike a spaceship descending through cloud cover. Soon Kate Jackson is singing, "catch me when I'm falling/ century." From the beginning it's clear that this will not be a linear narrative like the band's usual soured romances. When the beat kicks in, it's somehow not as kinetic as you're expecting. The background music plays like a snippet of a fast club track, but looped and replayed on a slower speed than originally intended. "Everything I touch, lightning trails of human lust," she says. Jackson usually plays the victim of circumstance, but she's never sounded so adrift. This impression is intensified because she's singing in an airy disco-diva register that's an inch or two beyond her natural range. Throughout "Couples" she uses this device, often to distraction. In this context, with the music ineffably warped and her words removed from the limits of character study, the disorientation from a regular comfort zone fits the song's mood. Something is definitely amiss here.
If there's thematic worth to be gleaned from the word soup, it's the very feeling of disconnect that we'd already begun to internalize through passive listening. "Traffic stops abandoned/ out of sync, out of fashion." It seems that the fingers of our vintage clad fashion plates have slipped off the pulse, to their great dismay. In the song's world that qualifies as some kind of dangerous shift that would provoke panicked pedestrians to flee their vehicles. It's soon apparent that it's the world gone mad, and not our mod heroes. "Sharp lines in gloss/ a new world war/ untimeless beauty/ all the rage, all the rage." We're presented with a realm of fleeting pleasures, a style battlefield where ephemeral whims trump lasting quality. The Blondes seem to be holding up a certain nostalgic ideal that they don't see reflected in the world outside. "Nothing is sacred/ can can dance to the golden age," is Kate's doomed verbal cue before the song suddenly whiplashes the listener into the hedonistic present they've impressionistically described. It's at the 3 minute mark that renowned dance producer Erol Alkan makes his presence felt.
At it's most overtly nostalgic point, the song erupts into spastic day-glo dance music. Alkan has smuggled a techno beat or two into b-sides he's produced for the band previously (see: "Five Ways to End It"), but never has a Long Blondes' song featured an electronic segment so vital and dominant. From the previous lyrical puzzles, it would seem that this sort of amped up Hot Chip breakdown is the lamented perversion of the band's freeze dried Britpop world view. The cerebral content of the band's lyrics don't usually allow their protagonists to get this lost in a specific moment. This is a watershed moment in their catalog, the onset of a brave new world. In the face of such futurism, Kate can barely keep up. She shouts increasingly choppy phrases into the void. "White! Black! Grey Light! Spacecraft!" No time for withering wit in the pulsing swirl. The mournful synth melody from the song's first part returns, though the now-pounding beats underneath threaten to trample it entirely. It's like we're hearing sentimentality failing to stand up to the relentlessness of the present. The warped loop comes back for a second as well, but it's clearer now, snapped clear of its previous speed trap. It too is quickly overwhelmed by aggressively accelerating synth bubbles.
Calm comes with Kate's regally drawn out recitation of the song's title. The song began by viewing the "century" before it as alien and bewildering, but now there's an understanding of sorts it seems. Going forward is still a menacing prospect (as mashed synth stabs forcefully assert) but Kate's voice and it's multi-tracked echoes seem more in control. Then all of the accumulated elements are simultaneously vacuumed from the mix. The last thing we hear is the low sound of an idling motor. Perhaps a sly suggestion that we're not quite ready for the progress we've just glimpsed? As the record immediately regresses back to the Long Blondes' tastefully retro style of old, it seems they weren't entirely prepared for modernity's neon embrace either.
Previously:
- On "Manchasm"
- On "Plus Ones"
- On "Bushels"
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 04:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Denver/Boulder: Shows this week | 3.17 - 3.23
[Saturday Night Hotness: Justice / Beach House]
Monday, March 17
DJ Abilities (Rhymesayers) @ Fox Theatre
The Giraffes @ Larimer Lounge
Pitch Invasion @ Bluebird Theater
Red Fang @ Hi-Dive
Sherwood @ Marquis Theater
Slim Cessna's Auto Club @ Gothic Theatre
Tuesday, March 18
Dandi Wind @ Marquis Theater
Infected Mushroom @ Fox Theatre
Les Claypool @ Ogden Theater
Low Red Land @ Larimer Lounge
Say Hi @ Hi-Dive
Wednesday, March 19
The Aggrolites @ Marquis Theater
The Angel Devil @ Soiled Dove
Bonerama @ Boulder Theater
Ian Cooke Band @ Fox Theatre
Japan Night! @ Hi-Dive
Oh No Not Stereo @ Larimer Lounge
Ryan Bingham @ Walnut Room
Thursday, March 20
De Novo Dahl @ Hi-Dive
DeVotchka/Au Revoir Simone @ Boulder Theater (E-town)
The Epilogues @ Marquis Theater
Face @ Soiled Dove
The Hands @ Larimer Lounge
Lauren Brombert @ Walnut Room
The Pharcyde @ Fox Theatre
Roll, Roger @ Bluebird Theater
With Arms Raised @ Gothic Theatre
Friday, March 21
Asphodel @ Larimer Lounge
The Coast @ Hi-Dive
Glyphic @ Marquis Theater
Jose Gonzales @ Fox Theatre
Hoots And Hellmouth/Jim Bianco @ Soiled Dove
Kenny Lee Young @ Walnut Room
Lost Point @ Gothic Theatre
Serj Tankian @ Ogden Theater
Shwerver @ Bluebird Theater
Spring Creek @ Boulder Theater
Saturday, March 22
Beach House/Papercuts @ Hi-Dive
Birdy @ Bluebird Theater
Bob Mould Band @ Fox Theatre
Buzzard @ Larimer Lounge
Ian Tyson @ Soiled Dove
Justice @ Ogden Theater
Reno Divorce @ Marquis Theater
Robert Mirabal @ Boulder Theater
Shawn Michael Perry @ Walnut Room
Silverstein @ Gothic Theatre
Sunday, March 23
Gary Louris @ Bluebird Theater
The Photo Atlas @ Hi-Dive
Sammy Dread @ Fox Theatre
Uddermadness After Party @ Gothic Theatre
Schedule appears courtesy of Mystik Spiral.
Posted by Merry Swankster at 11:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 15, 2008
Low-Watt Spotlight
With my current Times New Viking infatuation soaring to ear-threatening levels, I've been willfully subjecting myself to unhealthy levels of fuzz. We currently live in a paradoxical time where cheap software makes producing a fairly polished sounding recording exceedingly easy and good old 4-track recordings are also much easier to distribute to the world outside your basement. It's now just a question of aesthetics and intent. My tastes are bi-polar. Either give me meticulous DFA perfectionism or sublimely undercooked enthusiasm. From the latter column, here's a quick rundown of what's sounding good in the relatively recent world of willfully obscure pop.
In this inspired single Home Blitz's Daniel DiMaggio captures the seemingly instantaneous glee of golden amateur savants like Jonathan Richman or Dan Treacy. The song's premise is that Home Blitz the band is playing on the New Jersey street across from the house where the song was presumably recorded. The realities of chilly fall air and the negative impact of gloves on guitar playing are comically addressed. There's still room amid the stream-of-consciousness for premeditated sinister couplets like "Hey girl, I'm gonna cut your spine/ down a straight and narrow line." If you don't find the "screw it, let's just record a song" vibe charming, perhaps you should just click away now.
This UK band attracted the ear of the reputable German label Tomlab by sounding like a glorious fucking mess. "Wet Nightmare" is a b-side to a recent single and it sounds about as focused as I've heard them manage, which is actually not all that focused. It starts with epileptic beats and music box twinkles and then introduces a synth tone that sounds vaguely like a pan flute. A minute in to the song, it starts stabbing away at one maniac note while drum fills begin raining down from angry skies. Then it just turns totally awesome for thirty or forty more seconds.
No Paws (No Lions) - "I've Always Been Content"
No Paws (No Lions) are a Riverside, CA band that may have already broken up. The last word I'd gotten (via MySpace bulletin) was that they were already slapping down the creative differences card after maybe a half-dozen promising no frills keyboard songs. It's hard to even know what to say about such an immediately snuffed flame, but the off-kilter singing and adorably rich tones here suggest that any form they might have eventually morphed into would have just left me nostalgic for a minute and thirty second-long pop songs like this. Below is You Tubed proof that they were a fully functioning band for a split-second at least:
No Paws (No Lions) - "Kobe Bryant Jersey (No. 8)"
(live @ KSPR, Pomona College Radio)
Torn Curtains - "Paranoia Strikes Again"
To see that level of obscurity and raise it to an untrumpable level I give you Torn Curtains, the alias of one Byron Tennant with whom I went to high school. Hints of bias should be immediately squashed by a listen to the inspired, Lynchian small town America gone wrong lyrics. When the dread reaches a fevered climax around the 2:45 mark, projecting a sinister motive to "a crowd that gathers all around you," I have to doff a cap of appreciation every time. We also went to school with Jon "Napolean Dynamite" Heder. I rightly consider this the (certainly less lucrative but) more artistically worthy alumni achievement.
It seems that you almost need to come from Michigan to summon up this kind of frustrated garage angst. Songs about nighttime Satan visits just shouldn't be recorded with any more polish than this. Or anything less than manic pogo energy, for that matter.
caUSE co-MOTION! - "Who's Gonna Care?"
This track, from a new caUSE-co-MOTION! 7" EP sounds an awful lot like all the Brooklyn band's other singles. But if you're shopping for subtly harmonic stop-start nerdery that vaguely reminds you of early Feelies records, they're pretty much monopolizing that niche at the moment. These guys make college kids dance so spastically that you may be better off listening in the comfort of your own home.
the Invisible Hand - "Don't Sleep With Whores"
As I was putting this post together I received an e-mail from one Adam Smith, a compatriot of our recently beloved Neon Lights artist Titus Andronicus. Three cheers for kismet! If your name is Adam Smith, the market pretty much demands that you call your band the Invisible Hand. The double-tracked vocal melody, pleasantly waltzing guitar lines, sloppy countrified Meat Puppets breakdowns, and continual crunch should find a few willing consumers as well. "Client 9" cultural moment, I give you your anthem in waiting.
Sic Alps - "Strawberry Guillotine"
This instantly sold-out 7" a-side from late last year is the only on this list to approach the squealing in-the-red abrasiveness of the aforementioned TNV. But instead of a lovably sweet center, the San Francisco band gives us a throbbing slab of early Sonic Youth menace. There is plenty room in the heart and hard drive for both approaches.
the Capstan Shafts - "61 Sideburns"
And then there's Dean Wells, the home recording prodigy who calls himself the Capstan Shafts. It's not hyperbole at all to refer to him as the second coming of the early Guided by Voices' work ethic and creamy yet fucked with aesthetic. Dean's songs are a smidge less surreal, briefer in composition length, and somehow even more prolifically produced than Bob Pollard's. Such is the man's tireless output that the 2006 album I'm currently smitten with, Euridice Proudhorn, is already 8(!) releases old(!!). "61 Sideburns" is an amazingly catchy and minorly profound way to spend one minute of your life. "We lived in the last genuine time," he asserts, with a convicted wistfulness that really stays with you. It enjoys a moment in our blog sun now before becoming merely a footnote to Dylan in a Numerology column several months in the future.
Wells has only ever ventured out of his Vermont home to perform his songs live twice. Because this is the age we live in, you can watch a moment from the first (in a darkened rural church no less) below;
the Capstan Shafts - "Sleepcure Theory Advancer"
(Live @ Stannard Church, Stannard, VT, 10.06.07)
the Capstan Shafts - "Sleepcure Theory Advancer"
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 04:50 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 14, 2008
Better than Garfield minus Garfield!
It seems like too long since we shared an individual act of brilliance from the ol' Internets. Garfield minus Garfield has been hitting the rounds with great enjoyment by squatters at the Merry Swankster flophouse, though as hysterical as it is, the non-connection to music keeps our enthusiasm off the blog. Now that someone has lifted one of Pulp's, arguably, best songs, we have a chance to reference not only Jon Arbuckle's hidden mental anguish, but this amazing dose of comic extraction too! "Common People" dubbing Archie and the gang. More please. (via)
*Archie In...A Different Class!
*Garfield minus Garfield
Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:03 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
You Tube Rodeo
Some recent favorites from the grand central archives...
the Clean - "Fish"
(the Cake Shop, Manhattan, Dec. 1st, 2007)
Punkcast was on hand for the previously discussed and sincerely terrific three night stand by Kiwi legends, the Clean.
Times New Viking - "Dance Walhalla"
(the Cake Shop, Manhattan, Dec. 1st, 2007)
I'm struck a deep forest green that the night I attended was not the night where the opening slot fell to my current lo-fi heroes, Times New Viking.
Times New Viking - "Relevant: Now"
Atlas Sound - "Requiem For All the Lonely Teenagers With Passed Out Moms"
(40 Watt Club, Atlanta, GA, February 16th, 2008)
I kept meaning to write up the stellar Atlas Sound show I attended a few weeks ago, and then I got hit by a metaphorical busload of ill. I fear it may have slipped away from me for good. But here is a pristine document of Bradford playing this aggressively lovely ballad, which was originally posted on his blog but is also the A-side of a swell tour-only 7".
Atlas Sound - "Requiem For All the Lonely Teenagers With Passed Out Moms"
High Places - "Shared Islands"
(the FADER Sideshow, Manhattan, Oct. 17, 2007)
And just to end on a note where everyone can smile broadly...
High Places - "Shared Islands"
Posted by Jeff Klingman at 09:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2008
Retrohump: Sighing Eternally
Lost in the shadow of the more instantly bloggable performance piece/prank/cautionary tale cooked up by Madonna and Iggy Pop was the fact that one Leonard Cohen was also inducted into the not-so-hallowed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cohen remains something of a cult figure, even now. Where Dylan stands as a universally known cultural high fence that seems necessary to climb, Cohen's work still feels like an undiscovered piece of scenery that everyone just happens to wander by on their own. He snuck into my consciousness in small ways; a deep baritone in the soundtrack margins of myriad films, a song covered on a new record where everything else is suspiciously much worse, or even a lyrical homage like the Nirvana line paraphrased in this post's title. But Hell, they're singing the man's songs on American Idol these days. Let's not dwell on that unpleasantness. Here are two clips of the original Montreal hipster, performing classics from 196