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And I get to shill! Also my bathroom is now fixed
Gil Mantera's Party Dream is the best at sex!
El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. Samples
Public Image by PiL and Feliz Navi Nada by El Vez
I was never a big Sex Pistols fan, and only really started listening to PiL a little while ago. The first album is pretty great, short, simple, angsty. The title song has a great little bass hook and then that Irish dude's voice is spot on. So, I thought it was odd when I got a Christmas comp called It's A Cool, Cool Christmas which has some awesome covers, and homages (Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland may appear here soon!) was a cover SLASH sample stealer with El Vez (retardedly great name) singing the Spanish favorite Feliz Navi Dad as Feliz Navi Nada. I think nada means zilch. I'm not sure if it's a straight sample grab or original instrumentation, but it's right there, super blatant, and comes back at the end with the vox. Good times. Happy chewbacah.
[PiL]--------[El Vez]--------Comments Welcome
This article in the NYT magazine is very cute and should be read before it's locked away under the annoying passwords and subs needed.
And here's a question for That's Plenty, Can you name everything you've ever boughten at a Hot Topic? I bought a Rudimentary Peni 7" and this weird contraption, like reverse pliers, to get my old earrings out for when I visited my great uncle.
Looked like this, but silver, and basically had to put the metal edges in the hoop and squeeze and it would extend making the little ball drop out.
Me and Andrea were asked by the troubadour to make out in the new new pornographers video. view it here
(Update: Embedded the video here! -steve)
The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky is one killer piece of work. Snaky oboe lines give way to implosive, full orchestral chords of sheerly dissonant weight, flitting toothy flutes chomp into wavering tones and when you see it with Leonard Bernstein conducting, you get a sense of just how tres difficile the work is for the concert players. But in delving even further, as I did upon listening to WNYC last night, I found that the dissonant layers of this work are actually known to cause schizophrenic reactions! Yes, that's right. How does this happen? Well, the brain processes sounds that are consonant in a much more streamlined way than it does dissonant sounds. Because of this tim elapse, apparently a jumble of confusion occurs, as was evident the opening night of the Rite of Spring. On this evening, reportedly, old ladies with cane sbeat each other, boos, hisses and throwing of objects underscored the performance of the work. Now check this out: one year later they performed again. What happened? Well, Stravinsky was lifted out of the concert hall on the shoulders of audience members and critics alike as the sounds they heard were already familiar, the pathways for understanding them had been established. Kooky. Check this decent clip of Bernstein conducting a youth orchestra.
"You're in your living grave, fuck those neon lights. That's just how I behave riding my bike." Had an extraordinarily awesome bike ride through PTown with Zach last nite which involved weaving quickly in and out of tourists who love to jump in front of you to gawk at sea-themed baubles, seeing the drag queen Dina Martina on her bike doing the same, stopping at Town Hall to watch a guitar player busking with backing looped samples, Zach being toppled by John Waters, pizza and booze. Made me think of this song. Made think of how I love playing Name That Tune with friends. I would have completely rocked that game show. Check the live orchestra memebers in the background, and the guy on the right's face when the host says, "Tahiti." Check the unbelieveably arcane references to pop culture lost on us kids today. This show is so rad.
Without extensive surgery and lessons, I will never be an aviatrix.
CoverAfter Hours sung by Mo Tucker / Coil, but not that Coil
After Heather, my roommate was Amber. This is Amber:
Nice girl. Into being cute full time. Anyway, she played the song After Hours a lot. It's a good song. VU is great and Mo Tucker is great. She was, what I imagine, the feisty lil drummer girl. But she got preggers, quit the band and moved to Georgia and worked at Wal-Mart for the minimum wage until Penn, that libertarian magic guy, put out her records, or some other odd fairy godmother nonsense. Can you imagine going from being a rock star to domestic servitude? The moral of the story is don't get pregnant, just close the door, the night could last forever. Vampires are cool.
The band covering After Hours is Coil, but not the how-to-destroy-angels/analstaircase Coil, but some Japanese band off the same VU cover cds that brought us, you Who Loves The Sun? And what the hell, take an official live bootleg of the version with a Lou Reed intro. Double the hell, here's a clip from Penn And Teller Get Killed where Penn shows off how much he likes the Velvet Underground and the 3 Stooges.[VU]--------[Coil]--------[VU live]--------Penn and Teller Get Killed VU Clip
Without extensive surgery and lessons, I will never be an aviatrix.
Coverwho loves the sun by VU / Honey Skoolmate
Tis still the summer solstice on the wrong coast, the longest day of the year, where the sun pants you in front of yr friends. Luckily, I worked till dusk and avoided the sun:
The guy is a jerk. There's a great cover album of Velvet Underground songs called Rabid Chords, which is filled with Japanese bands that may or may not be obscure. I've heard of the seagulls screaming kiss her kiss her. There's also some USA bands like Of Montreal and that Jim O'rourke guy. it also has these little vingettes of someone named Gerard talking about Andy Warhol and the Velvets. He sounds like he could be huge tic of a man, on scented pillows, recounting the past, stroking an old Warhol wig, the tinsel platinum eroding on his fingernails. I could google it, but maybe Sam can grace us with a comment.
So the sun's a fucker, and Honey Skoolmates know bad spelling and barking dogs do make a good cover on all ends. It also starts to rock in the middle. Be sure to look for another VU nihongo band cover soon, just so I can talk about the tragic magic life of mo Tucker.
[VU]--------[Honey Skoolmates]--------Comments Welcome
In the early half of the decade, my close friend Adam quietly released an album of cover tunes entitled Adam's Greatest Hits. After the critical acclaim that album received, there was no more output from this modern genius.
Until today. Last night Adam passed me his latest release, a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive.
I've been a Nine Inch Nails fan for a very long time, but I've never heard his stance on the state of music and the music industry. Well, now I have, and it's comforting to know that he thinks the record company people are greedy, shortisighted bunglers. Or, as he says
That's ... why you don't see any label people here, 'cos I said 'F--- you people. Stay out of my f---ing show. If you wanna come, pay the ticket like anyone else. F--- you guys". They're thieves. I don't blame people for stealing music if this is the kind of s--- that they pull off.
Read the whole thing here.
The Blow
(Fun fact - their URL contains the phrase "blow us")
talent show grade stuff
except I paid to see this
it's like youtube live
a really good show
precision ferocity
with ecstatic peace
Crowd Surfer
crowd surf in ninety-four
but here in the oh seven
land on your dumb ass
It never grows on you. Even on the north side.
Samplehallucination acid lobot by com.a / Sample from Apple Y2K Propaganda
There was an old Farside comic where they revealed to the president or emperor or something, that his whole life had been an experiment, and the funding has run out. Take that Truman Show/Matrix! Anyway, com.a was a Tigerbeat6 darling that has seemed to evaporated in the late aughts, who did a few nifty little songs with a bunch of beat robbing and sample snatching, including an obscure Misfits' sample that will be revisited someday. Hallucination acid lobot was always just another song with a classic sci-fi sample right out of the history sbemails. However, last summer when youtube was blowing up and I was showing it to one of my editors, he freaked out and tried to find this old commercial he loved and low and behold - the birth of the sample was revealed. It's about 1:53 into the song, till the end, remixing Mac HAL as an apologetic destroyer of mank-ind.
[com.a]--------[Mac ad on 'tube]--------Watch it here--------Comments Welcome
[Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver] 
New Interpol track. Not the shitty radio version floating around. Did a source recording from the stream, so it's still not the best quality, but decent. Ok song but a lot of gabba gabba hey hey about the west coast. Gets my goat something fierce. Sounds like the new album will sound a lot like the last two. Whatever happened to songs like the Specialist? Fringe erotic after the jump inspired by Ballard's Crash. Hmm...warm leatherette
Forgive the impromptu logo. Hopefully.
CoverTrap by The Pop Group / Covered by Gogogo Airheart!
This is a nice little piece of spastic anyway you slice it. The Pop Group were a somewhat amazing and horrible band that crawled out of the wreck of '77 punk rock, but didn't fall quite into the arms of 'sound system ragga post punktronix' but still ended up sound like a dance band, but via funk. Like James Brown. One thing that was interesting where their political lyrics. Part of the band wanted to go more and more abstract, the other half was wanted to go more concrete. Trap is from their demo takes and rarities album We Are Time and sits its behind in the abstract column. So WRT and Trap both soundy-feely disconnected, but there other stuff is titled things like "We are all prostitutes" and "How much longer will you except mass murder?" Whatever, it's on Rough Trade, so it's canonical. Anyway, I found out about the Pop Group, which is a great name, it's a big 'oi! fuck you' to The Band, because of the Go go Go Airheart cover. Also, Sharon Singh didn't know who The Pop Group was when I asked.
Monsieur GGGA!'s cover mos def sat in a studio for a bit, despite the delightful tape hissies, and sounds pretty swell. Lot's of echo. Or is it reverb? It's nice to Airheart putting in so much energy, unlike their lazy cover of Queen's Death On Two Legs, but that's for another day. It's a typical cover, but brings a bit of GGGA weird and mixes it with some earnest nostalgia. And they prolly won't ever do a Misfits cover.
[Pop Group]--------[Gogogo Airheart]--------Annotated Lyrics Follow--------Comments Welcome
It is really worth your while to go check out WMFU's beware of blog right now. At the top of the page they have a video of John Cage performing on "What's my Secret". He is gracious, funny, and the performance is both hilarious and wonderful. This video made me love him, and respect his work in a whole new, non-fake kind of way.
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/04/john_cage_on_a_.html
P.S. In a totally separate vein, I will give a dollar to anyone who can help me get my hands on a digital copy of Marjoe Gortner's "Bad, but not Evil" album. To those who are like wtf, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjoe_Gortner. I know I can buy it for not too much, but I really don't want to ship it to Hungary.
[adult swim] made a video for El-P's Flyentology song, which features Trent Reznor, the guy who likes to mow his lawn in N'orleans. new el-p LP has tvotr and someover odd guest stars as well. i think it samples harry nilsson's the point as well which is a bit odd.
They also have a bunch of tracks to download from other def jux guys. I'm not big into rap.hop.hip but I dig this. New Can ox this year please? Oh, the above stuff is all here.
reznor pre nose job.
I'm probably running the risk of blogging about stuff no one but me cares about here. I spend literally hours a day on the Guitar Geek guitar rig database. If you fetishize musical gear in any way you must do yourself a favor and check this page out. It is the shit. What makes it so cool is it has handy little pictures of individual player's gear set-up, including signal flow. All the gear is cross referenced. Shown here is the Joy Division guitar set up. Awesome
One year, I had breakfast with Dylan and Sam. We tried to think of the worst band names. I remember Dylan saying Hoobastank sounds like the word for sucking a fart. I also remember Finger Gazebo, which sounds like a 22 year old guy (with a truck) that likes to date 14 year old girls.
Those witty wits at the AV Club have published their findings of worst band names.
May I introduce Clit Ripper?
Guns and Rosa Parks may actually be brilliant.
i got this in the mail. i like it out of context.
oh my
context below....
bwahaha, are we migrating from a guitar hero 2 centric bloggy?
01. Black Mirror
02. Keep The Car Running
03. Neon Bible
04. Intervention
05. Black Wave Bad Vibrations
06. Ocean of Noise
07. The Well & The Lighthouse
08. Antichrist Television Blues
09. Windowsill
10. No Cars Go
11. My Body is a Cage
editoh crap, anyone going to call 1-866-neonbible? Ext 7777.
ObGH:
They put a new song on their website. Forget anything I said earlier this week. It's amazing. Way to go guys.
Tickets to the FIVE Arcade Fire shows in New York City at Judson Memorial Church went on sale this morning at 9:00am in an online-only sale. The tickets sold out in minutes, but Miss Lanyi and I were lucky enough to grab a pair. Many people, however, were not so fortunate and you can find them ranting and whining over in BrooklynVegan comments section.
An ebay sale started, strangely enough, the night BEFORE the tickets went on sale and ending shortly after the tickets were sold out, closed out this morning at over $2,000 for a pair of tickets.
Another pair of tickets has just recently gone up for sale on ebay. The bidding started at one penny for the pair and, at the time of this writing, has risen to $255 in just 40 minutes.
While it is tempting to sell my own tickets for a king's ransom, I am reluctant because the tickets are will-call only *and* non-transferable. I'm aware that in normal will-call situations you could simply go up to the ticket window with your two buyers, show your ID and credit card, and then hand the tickets off to your buyers. But if the tickets are non-transferable, can you still do that? I think I may just hold on to my tickets to avoid risking the fallout of a botched sale.
Anyway, with all these angry scenesters having now failed to get tickets, this may be an ebay auction to watch. It ends tomorrow. How fast will the music fans out-money each other to buy the tickets they may not even be able to purchase? See you tomorrow!
** UPDATE ** Bowery Presents has updated their website with a newsflash about tickets and scalpers.
*ALL 5 ARCADE FIRE SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT*
TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE. The ticket purchaser must enter
the venue. Copies of ID, Credit Card or Confirmation email
WILL NOT be accepted for entry. Only complete parties will be
admitted. No exceptions. Please DO NOT buy tickets on eBay,
Craig's List, etc. YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED!
So much for getting two thousand dollars just for being lucky on the internet.
Arcade Fire "Intervention" 2007
So Arcade Fire, the biggest indie band of 2005, is about to embark on the release of their sophomore album, a journey that blog-fav bands these days find to be on the same level of difficulty as destroying the Ring of Power in Mt Doom or playing Miserlou on expert in GH 2. I'm sure if you Google the phrase "Arcade Fire" and "Intervention" you'll come across plenty of belly-aching about this track. I don't want to add to the freak out, but I will say this: a)Pipe Organ +1 b)Production -1 c)Arrangement +1 d)"The Boss" style delivery -3. I'd bet 50 bucks McCool is all about this track.
King Crimson "In the Court of the Crimson King" 1969
I heard this track for the first time since high school in Children of Men and I can't stop listening to it. So awesome.
Joshua over at Roadside Picnic has a bunch of great podcasts up right now. Aside from the regular radio show/podcast he's got an awesome field recording section up with submissions by members of Sun O))), Mountains, Diskona, and Hazard. Go check it out
If you needed another sign that the power structure of the music industry is shifting then look no further than CMJ. The long running annual music event at one point was viewed as something akin to an independent music festival. However, along with SXSW and Cochella it has slowly turned into a trade show; a week long junket for the New Industry Insiders made of the Pitchfork-led blogosphere.
Sam and Michelle should team up for a duet...
HOW IT WORKS: Musicians should go to (www.myspace.com/godofwar) to register for the contest and upload their song onto the God of War II MySpace entry page. All musical entries will be available for fans to listen to. Fans will be encouraged to vote for their favorite song - musicians are encouraged to get their fans, friends and family to go to the site to vote for their song. There are three rounds.
Round 1 "The Beginning" - Starting OCTOBER 11 - Musicians can log on and post their own recording on the official entry site. Fans can listen to all the entries and then vote for their favorite. The top fifty vote getters will make it to Round 2.
Round 2 "The Semis" - The top 50 songs/vote getters from Round 1 will be whittled down to the top 10 songs by the development team behind the creation of God of War II. They will pick their ten favorite songs that best embody the spirit of the game and potentially deserve a place on the official soundtrack.
Round 3 "The Finals" - The top 10 will be announced on the website and fans will be encouraged to listen to the top 10 and vote for their favorite. The song with the highest number of votes will win and it will be featured on the God of War II soundtrack alongside other major recording artists (recording artists to be announced).
I'm still waiting for the aural experience of being flushed down a toilet.
Also, Sam, put up some new tracks.
Tenacious D made a little video to promote their new album. The iTunes plug at the end is probably the best convincer to buy music instead of steal that I've ever heard. Tell it like it is, Tenacious D. (I'm probably going to continue stealing, though.)
Not too sure about the Tenacious D movie coming out soon, (Trailer) it could easily go either way. I'm really feeling up for some dumb comedy though. Anyone seen Jackass 2? I hear good things, but not from reliable sources.
Also, wasn't School of Rock a great movie? I like Jack Black, most of the time. (I was going to make a crack about Nacho Libre being crappy, but frankly, the hater jokes in the comments are getting a little tired, and for one post, I'm trying to avoid them).
I'm playing on Saturday at Sin-E with Judah Johnson and Lions & Tigers. Please come if you can make it!
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness: "The Owl"
Well, Emmanuel Ho made it. This is probably the best music video I have ever seen.
This is pretty sweet. the place i work is having a skillmovie contest and this guy submitted this. Not really videogame related but still sweet. Oh, Sam, my old boss has a bunch of John Carpentar CDs and i know we talked about how he was always credited with composer and some other guy got the synth credit, but it seems he actually was is a real musician, was even in a band and stuff.
I saw John F Carpenter and the Pines a rockin and a rollin at Sin-é last night. Check out his super sexy vocals at http://www.ilistentojohn.com or go hear them live at Southpaw on October 14th
I had to work tonight, which is ok normally, but it means that I missed 80-year-old Jimmy Scott playing in the city tonight. I'm not the biggest jazz fan in the world, but I love this guy's voice. He may in fact be the best. He was born with Kallmann's syndrome, a genetic defect that stunted his growth. But just like in the X-Men, his mutation has given him a super-human singing voice. He's been playing since World War II, but had a major comeback in the early ninties after an appearance on Twin Peaks. I could listen to this guy sing anything. Check out this clip from a PBS documentary, singing "Motherless Child", and dear god, check him out in The Black Lodge after the jump...
Sick of those four Apes and Androids songs breaking up while myspace buffers them? Because I know I am. Well soon, the 3 million unsigned bands on myspace like them can sell their music right on myspace. They can charge whatever they like, with a small percent going to myspace. This is excpected to go into effect by the end of this year.
The idea of using Myspace and sort of manipulating it to your advantage is a really interesting phenomenon, which has been especially apparent to me with Four Eyed Monsters, who are using myspace to generate interest in their self distributed film. They have a series of podcasts about the film, as we all know and love, which are about the creative process of the film, the problems that they had, the things that were exciting. Watching this process is especially inpiring for young artist types who are trying to do the same thing (and who all, naturally, have Myspace accounts). And through the fans of these podcasts, they've gotten screenings four screenings in six major cities (Thursdays in September), completely on their own.
Did you guys see that the "guerrilla artist" Banksy (the guy who hung his own art in the Met and the Brooklyn Museum last year...go look at his website, he's amazing) hijacked a shipment of 500 Paris Hilton cds and replaced the cd with a disc of ridiculous remixes (Banksy had the help of Danger Mouse on these, who said, ""It's hard to improve on perfection, but we had to try.")... and replaced the inner artwork with his own manipulated artwork? Oh, it's just priceless. (Actually, they're going for about $1,500 on Ebay right now, so maybe not quite priceless, but almost).
Pics and video after the jump:
Long live James Tenney. One of my favorite modern composers, and one of the first boys to go to Bennington (MFA,) he got fed up with computer music early on but For Ann (Rising) and it's use of the Shepard Tone was one of the first moments of pure awesome I had. Audio illusions. Sigh. He also composed the fantastic Having Never Written a Note for Percussion which Sonic Youth played on Goodbye 20th Century. I was supposed to see him play gamelan stuff the summer I spent in North B, but I got a speeding ticket and sat on a chair and felt shitty instead. For what it's worth and not in the tiny obit., he also dated cat lady artist Carolee Schneemann and they did a nifty eros filmy at Bennington (I think?) called Fuses that I have somewhere. Also, he was in some early Stan Brakhage [also dead] films. Art super star. I think Heather even liked him.
Expect MP3s and youtube clips later. Frames from Fuses above.
I know I've slacked off on the music section here on thats plenty, I've gotten quite busy with non-blog music projects. But fear not music fans! I am currently at work on a three volume Mix CD for a friend of mine, and I shall share it here for the common erudition. The theme of this anthology is simple: a chronilogically ordered history of music that I think is sweet from 1967 to present day.
*There are only 3 of them.
I guess I gave it all away in the title. It's sort of like Hail to the Theif, but less soul crushing. (Or maybe Hail to the Theif just seems soul crushing to me because I was reading Altas Shrugged when I got it, and now I will forever associate the book with the album (but doesn't the cover art for Altas Shrugged go perfectly with Hail to the Theif?)). The Eraser is dreary yet makes me feel a bit anxious. It's not rock and roll at all, which I was hoping against hope that this album would be, but I suppose the days of Pablo Honey are over and I'm just going to have to accept it. Regardless, I like it. Everyone wants to feel like they're entering an album-long bout of dispair once in awhile. And you can only read Ahn Rand so many times. Right guys?
http://mcsweeneys.net/2006/7/11moe.html
We are suddenly playing a show tonight at pianos at 9:30. It is so sudden in fact that no one we know will be there, so if you are around please stop by.
Jackie Chan used his awesome star power (no, not that star power) to disrupt Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jonathan Lee's concert in Hong Kong the other day, when, presumably tanked, he climbed up on stage and demanded to sing a duet. He also tried to conduct the band. Awkward!
The audience started heckling him, but the Great Jackie Chan will not be heckled. He shouted insults at the audience in a great demonstration of class and composure. He was all like, "I'm Jackie Chan and I was in Rush Hour and even though Chris Tucker was the only part of that movie remotely worth seeing, I do my own stunts! Or something. And I bet you didn't know about my totally corny music career! Ha! I'm Jackie Chan and I can totally do a roundhouse kick in your face! And then I'll use random props to fight with in an inventive and arobatic manner, like that time in Shanghai Knights with the unmbrella, furniture, wax dummies, and even a globe! Don't you love my wacky fighting style? I sure do. You dicks will never hold a candle to the Chan. THE CHAN RULES THE SCHOOL! THE CHAN RULES THE SCHOOL!"
God Jackie Chan, grow up.
Happy 4th of July, folks. Hope you find a British person and give what for.
edit: Oh yeah, Brandon aka Darth Omega aka Cap'n did the music for the Power Shovel video for Cinematech.
Grand Buffet, amazing wierd hip-hop geniuses, creaters of such excellent songs as Ben Franklin Music (not to be confused with actual Ben Franklin Music), have created a new rock band called COBALT BLACK. They only have one song, but you know its pretty awesome. I have a lot of hope for these youngster. Anyway when I was on their myspace page I ran across this video. Its retarted, but for somereason I couldn't stop laughing. Awesome or idiotic...YOU DECIDE!
They played their first show a month ago, but I've already heard about them from a few different sources, including Gothamist today. From their myspace page and the videos available it would seem that they are pretty fucking awesome, and whats more they are playing on saturday at Sin-e. For the record, I am calling it right now, this is going to be a quick rise to fame for these lucky awesome bastards. Check it all out now.
Angelo Badalamenti "The Pink Room" from Fire Walk With Me 1992
Angelo Badalamenti "Red Bats With Teeth" from Lost Highway 1997
Angelo Badalamenti is, without question, my favorite film composer. Although some of his best work has been for Jean-Pierre Jeunet films, he is better-known as the composer for pretty much all the David Lynch films, and for good reason. Without his mix of smokey lounge/jazz, 50's instrumental guitar, and early Romanticism the Lynch films would never achieve the insiduous brooding nature for which they are known. We here at the Juggernaut threw a Lynch themed party a week ago, and it was a pleasure to break out some choice Badalamenti cuts on the decks, two of which are presented here. I definitely count him as a large influence of my own stuff. Interesting side note: David Lynch usually plays all the guitar in Badalamenti scores.
The Good:
Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) does everything live on stage. He records each layer of song right there, loops it, plays over it, and everything on the violin, he beats on it, slaps the strings with the back of the bow, plucks it, screams bits into the distortion mike attached to it, etc, etc. It was mesmorising to see one person turn one instrument into an orchestra. His performence was flawless and fun. I couldn't believe it was only him. If you ever get a chance to see him live, do it. It's amazing to see the power over music (and live music too!) that technology can give to one man. He pulls it off beautifully.
The Bad:
Final Fantasy's crowd was the strangest collection of people I've ever seen at a show. There's nothing bad about that in itself, until they started being jerks. While Owen was recording his loops, people kept screaming from the crowd, trying to be a part of the loop. Jesus, let the guy do his show! This happened, repeatedy, throughout the entire concert. He was a good sport about it, but he did have to start over about 3 times to try and get a clean loop. Then there was spastic LARPer-type dancing everywhere, (but not everywhere enough so that it was communal dancing, it was one person here, one person there, amongst the normal crowd, who were standing still (have you heard Final Fantasy? It's not really the type of music you boogie down to). I saw at least two people singing along...at parts where there were no words! Were they trying to sing the notes of the violin?! It had a very creepy holy-rollers-speaking-in-tounges effect. There was the kid on his DS the whole time (playing Final Fantasy, I wondered? I was too far away to tell, but I could definitely make out anime). And of course, the chubby, frizzy-haired drama major who you can read about in the post below this one.
All in all:
Final Fantasy: Good
Other People: Bad
Last night at the Final Fantasy show at Tonic, Dylan and I were attacked by a chubby frizzy-haired drama major and her boyfriend as they blatently ignored the unspoken but obvious set of rules that exist at small New York shows. Here is a simple set of guidelines that she could have benefitted from before attending this concert:
Concert Rules and Regulations:
1. If a crowd is tightly packed in, do not tap someone who is standing up front on the shoulder, and then shove yourself in front of her as she turns around to see who's tapping her.
2. If you are up front (I'm talking leaning on the stage, here) and you leave to get another beer, do not act pissy when people are reluctant to give you your "spot" back. You can't save spots at a show. You want to stand up front, you have to just stay there.
What do you get when you mix Tv On the Radio, Peter Murphy from Bauhaus, and Trent Reznor singing for about 15 people?
The greatest-song-ever-written's first public performance, live in 1983 on the BBC's "The Tube".
It must be a slow news day over at Pitchfork, cause they posted a YouTube link-fest of a hundred random music videos with short reviews. They aren't, in a very un-Pitchfork mannner, ranked; they do however vary from being good to being "so-bad-its-good". Ah well.
Joshua over at Roadside Picnic has put up a new edition of his awesome podcast. Check it out
My bros the Bellmer Dolls are playing tomorrow night at Union Pool. Not only are they one of THE BEST NYC bands, but they were recently included in Paper Magazine's "Most Beautiful People" issue. They are really really The Birthday Party-ish. The video above is pretty much exactly what you can expect. Sidenote: all their clothes are designed by the bassist, Anthony Malat. Here's the Info:
Truncated and re-edited from Wikipedia:
Her recording career began in 1966 with a rare one-off single for A&M Records, the title song from the film Breakaway. It wasn't until 1981 that she recorded a follow-up, the international hit song "Mickey". Toni Basil has appeared in movies such as Easy Rider, as the prostitute Mary.
If being a two-one hit wonder isn't enough.... now check this out, Bruce Conner, artiste de cool, whose films are almost all made from found films, shot an art film with Ms. Basil with the song Breakaway. Here is a link to the video, with an embedded one below, and here's a semi decent essay on the film. (She gets naked in it, be warned) Conner also made a Devo video for Mongoloid (has an into by Mothersbuagh which isnt on the DVD hmmm) as well as a video called America is Waiting (also embedded below) with music by David Byrne and Brian Eno.
Conner is one of my favorite avant garde film scribblers, and went on to be a mentor to Craig Baldwin who makes fairly lengthy revoiced, appropriated films and once bought me a burrito. (Heather worked at his theater.) The Toni Basil film is a lot of fun, and the song iss catchy. I like it better than Mickey, I think.
(She now is a choreographer for Sandra Bullock movies. I hate this town.)
I found this really great hour-long Velvet Underground documentery on youtube. It's got a ton of great footage and interviews with all the members. Here is part one, and the rest can be found here
Hail SATAN
Thom Yorke "Black Swans" 2006
Thom Yorke "the Eraser" 2006
Here are two tracks off the Yorke solo record coming out next month. I don't know how you guys feel about radiohead; maybe you are obsessed, maybe you hate on the hyped up Kid A period and what not. Either way, stop reading this right now, dust of your copy of Ok Computer and crank it up. Remember? The guys deserve some worship. I say guys plural, because the Yorke by his lonesome is not making the big ass super-radiohead record alot of people are hoping for. Its pretty good, don't get me wrong, but unless mid/late 90s Aphex beats really blows your hair back, then don't get too excited. Ah well, if anything I would say this bodes well for a pretty big departure on the radiohead record due out next year. Nigel Goodrich, their long time producer and producer of The Eraser will not be touching it. They got the Keane guy. We'll see.
NYT Magazine article, reg. required, blah-blah, about someone playing an Eno ambient peice on the jukebox at a bar. Hour and ten minute piece. 3 seconds. Hahaha.
I don't remember doing that. But I'll come running to tie your shoe.
Could really go for a Shamrock Shake about now...
Icarus Line "Big Sleep" 2004
It's RaWK day on thatsplenty, and frankly I am shocked that the sheer, brutal force of Icarus Line hasn't made them super stars. This band blisters. Its all there, the falling-apart rhythm section, the atomic battling guitars, and the menacing and incredible singer. After being taken on tour with Ink and Dagger before any of them were 20, the Icarus Line went on to eventually record the incredible Penance Soiree LP in 2004, confirming themselves as the greatest working band from California.
Turn Pale "Slow to Drown" 2004
Turn Pale is one of the best gothish bands running around today. What is so refreshing about them is that although Joy Division is vaguely involved in their music, they obviously really don't give a shit about any of the now-hip goth sound IE: they sound nothing like interpol. Fantastic live.
I would like to humbly thank Ryan for writing his post about the Books show many months ago. I liked with Books, but without his glowing review, I probably wouldn't have bothered to sit in line for 2.5 hours last night for their free show at the World Financial Center. And I wouldn't have gotten to see their spectacular projections. Ryan, do you know if they did their own editing? I assume they did, in which case they are really creative editors. As a video editor myself, I was really impressed with the amountof time, effort, and thought that must have gone into those. The video was at times hilarious, quiet, and touching. Some great wordplay too. I can't imagine how many hours went into just watching all the footage they used. They said they had just sent home over 200 hours of new found material from thrift shops for their next tour. I appreciated that they seemed to put as much work into their visuals as they do with their music. I was at the back, standing room only, in really uncomfortable shoes for 1.5 hours, in a hot, ugly room, being crushed against the wall by the moron who got a seat in front of me, who kept backing his chair up out of his row, plus I had to pee, and The Books totally made it worth my while.
So, I've been playing around with Sphere now that it's in open beta. I sphere'd the word Vectrex and found listing number two very interesting: Hidden Village at Tyndall Assembly concert 5. Now this was odd, since I did some Vectrex-y videos for our own Tyndall few years back. I was hoping maybe I ran into Sam's parents' (who are awesome, even if they love Sam tooooo much.) blog. But no, its some experimenal sound guys from Australia (dime a dozen there) who have been doing some cool things with videogame music, including the awesome Atari 2600 Synthcart, and visuals with a Vectrex and Vectrex Logo, which is news too me and now I fiend over. Check it out.
Oh, and to auto-felate myself: Small, soundless excerpt of some of my old Vectrex animation. Whee. I got a replacement lightpen a few months back; I need to start doing some more stuff.
Last night Dylan and I could be found at Mercury Lounge, watching two of my favorite bands, Beirut and Sunset Rubdown. It was incredible.
If you don't already know them, Beirut is 19 year old Zach Condon along with some members of A Hawk and a Hacksaw and one from Neutral Milk Hotel. The music is reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel, but it seems more true to traditional Balkan/Polka type stuff. And his voice I think is really beautiful. They got a subpar review on Pitchfork which was then reiterated by Tuningfork. Basically what they said was that Beirut is more or less mimicking traditional polka, and since indy music fans don't normally listen to polka while cracking open their PBRs, they give Beirut a credit to a type of music that is not new at all, just new to their ears. Well, maybe that's so, but after seeing them play last night I decided that it's a good thing to bring traditional music to a crowd that never hears it. Who cares if their mimicing something else, all music does, doesn't it?
I usually don't follow Eurovision, because it usually isn't much more interesting than American Idol. I mean sure, its been around since our parents were born, and sure its country VS country, AND SURE its whole bands instead of prancing pop stars, but by in large it usually ends up being the same thing. ANYWAY, this year a band called Lordi won, apparently on costumes and make-up alone. If we must have competetive "music" shows, please let us see a demonic/silly "metal" band go up against TATU or whoever. I want to see pre-teen blood.
You may have heard of the Raconteurs, Jack White's side project with Brendon Benson and two other guys (Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes). Their first single Steady as She Goes is pretty great, but what's really great is their website. You should go check it out: www.thereaconteurs.com. It looks and functions like the first Commodore computer (you know, popular 1982-1993, the first personal computer with an integrated sound synthesizer chip? You know, the best selling single computer model of all time with it's own Commodore DOS?) Anyway, its neat. Check it out (but don't feel the need to bother watching the Steady as She Goes video. It's totally lacking in concept.)
The Stranglers "Nice and Sleazy" 1978
Man, listen to that bass. Every now and then I hear a song where all the instrument tones sound exactly right. This is one of those. Getting all the tones right is one of the trickiest and most over-looked part of making rock music, yet all the greatest bands of all time are masters of it. I think it counts for like 75% of that feeling you get when listening that says "This song I'm listening to right now, a real band made it." It's whats lacking in your roommate's brothers band who writes really good songs, but something's missing. Its the reason the Strokes are famous. Check it out, want to hear another example?
Love & Rockets "Mirror People" 1987
She Wants Revenge "Red Flags and Long Nights" 2006
Oh man. My band mate, Catherine Bates and I got comped a few months ago by Geffen to the Electric 6 show at Bowery. Free drink tickets in hand we made our way to the completely empty VIP balcony, prepared to be ironic.
Some by-the-numbers NYC band, I think it was Rock Kills Kid opened to a throng of nodding friends and associates, the She Wants Revenge started setting up their stuff. I had forgotten they were opening too, and I was eager to mock them, as I had read nothing but shit talk on the ole Internet for this "indie" (Major Label) band. The main things I heard were:
1)Far beyond Interpol's wildest dreams of Joy Division rip off. With a name like "She Wants Revenge" and song titles like "Tear you apart", it was mimicry enetering the territory of satire.
2)An unfortunate combination of JD riffage and songs about wanting to bang out chicks.
3)Made by band wagon pretenders. Apparently the two main guys were trying to make it as hip hop stars in the 90s.
A multitude of 18 year old B&Ts came pouring in to see them play. They knew all the words. As me and Catherine laughed and laughed and as I drank more and more something sinister started blossuming inside me. I started to get in to it. I heard a neighbor listening to it a few days ago and I buckled and picked it up. Bottom line, this is the only actual guilty pleasure I've ever had. I can't even explain why I like it. It IS NOT GOOD. IT IS BAD. What is wrong with me?
PS: Does this sound like DOOM music to anyone else?
Radio 4 "Dance to the Underground" 2001
Off the top of my head, aside from a few Basement Jaxx songs, this is the only other cut I can think of that makes me feel shame to listen to, that I own. This song seemed really rad in college, but now sounds really dated. I believe this song has a great future in car commercials for years to come.
Sorry everyone, I swear I'm still cool.
Glass Candy & The Shattered Theater "Love Love Love" 2003
Now that the YYY's sophmore album officially suX0rz, Glass Candy's naysayers might give them another look. Unfortunately for Glass Candy's Ida No, post Yeah Yeah Yeah people trashed her for "copying". Little do these people know that Glass Candy had 3 releases before the YYYs played their first show. Anyway. This song is rockin. PS: Everyone in Glass Candy is h0ttttt.
The Flesh Eaters "Digging My Grave" 1981
In my version of histroy, there are two LA punk bands. X, and these guys. As far as I'm concerned, if you don't have saxophone in your punk band you are a bunch fags. You hear me Dead Kennedy's? If you can find A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die buy it. Its out of print and way too good.
This weekend Dylan showed me the Adidas Adicolor animation for "Pink", which is really great. Adidas commissioned 6 animators to create shorts inspired by 7 colors: pink, white, black, blue, green, red, and yellow. So far I believe white is the only other one that is completed. These animations are supposed to promote Adidas's Adicolor sneakers, which are basically white sneakers you get to color with markers! Whoopie! The novelty! I like that so many mainstream companies have been looking to animation lately, because I think, and I'm sure you will agree, the advertising market can always use a quality boost, and the Pink animation is great, but it sure as heck doesn't make me want to buy sneakers I can color on. (and if i did, I'm pretty sure I'd get some white sneakers at Payless for $10 and a couple of sharpies rather than shell out the $75 clams for the name brand.) (Note: The image you see at the right is some sort of delux set that does not represent the dopey marker set I'm talking about. I just think this image is ridiculous and this set isn't even for sale yet but if it ever is it will probably cost about a swillion dollars and boy I find it obnoxious.)
Anyway! I digress. This post isn't supposed to be sneakers. It's about a musician, and his name is Greg Weeks. Learn it. Love it.
While doing my normal Zelda scavenging, I came across an interesting fact that Ravel's Boléro was going to be the orig. title theme to the first Zelda game. Nintendo decided not to liscense it and now we have the Zelda theme. Intrigued, I hit up soulseek for Borelo, realized I had spoonerized the r and the l, and was on my way. I d/l'd a few dif versions, all about 15 minutes long, but one weighed in at 6 minutes, and cuts the slow buildup straight for the sex. Indeed.
WMP. still my sampler tool before music gets ituned away, d/l this pretty picture of one Vanessas Mae. Intrigued and in search of a thesarus, wikipedia told the tale of a Linda McCartnyish violin player - an average musician selling sex appeal in the world of classical violinists. But the best part was she has a grudge match with a Finnish violinist, Linda Brava, who is said to be a better violonist and posed for playboy. A google image search confirmed. I don't know. They both seem sort of plasticy in that dead-kittens-posed-for-greeting-cards sorta way. Oh, and vaguely related: Condoleezza Rice is a concert pianist.
Funny, the Bolero was a wildly popular song, and the snare drum up top has been assimilated into popular culture, but I have feeling the Zelda theme, the replacement, may be known to more people. Or at least more people that are going to be alive in 3 years. Zelda: Ocarina of Fucking Awesomeness had borelo in the fire temple, which is nice. I wonder if it was the song with the Islamic chanting that had to be taken out in the grey cartridge. Anyone?
Talk Talk "Life's What You Make It" 1986
Today's theme is music to wake up to, and music to go to sleep to. Put this Talk Talk track on real loud as you drink your coffee and get ready for a day full of awesome. Could also be put to effective use in a training montage.
Prick "The Universe" 2002
Prick lost their record deal with Interscope after what I can only imagine to be dissappointing sales of their incredible, highly underated, way ahead of its time, self-titled debut in 1996. They put out a new record in 2002 titled "The Wreckard" (Get it?) on their website. This is the closing track, and is sweet before bed music. Also good for a suicide montage.
I don't know why I'm even linking to their myspace page. Their songs aren't great. Most of em aren't even good. That being said, I can say without a doubt that Denmark's The Blue Van is one of the greatest rock bands that has ever lived. So, if you check out the tunes online and are unimpressed, I won't blame you. This is one of those things that has to be experienced live. I'm not the only one. I saw them last night at Shindig, and they blew the place up. So, the show on sunday at Mercury Lounge is probably going to sell out, but follow these fuckers around. You have to see it.
Joshua over at Roadside Picnic has put up his new monthly updated section of submitted field recordings. This month's theme is Silence. Check it out
(For serious, Boston blogging on the way...I just wanted to embed a little video action, and I'm still on the wait for Google to verify that it's not porno) But I am so excited about this, Phantom Buffalo is back! Phantom Buffalo is a band from Portland, Maine, formerly know as the Ponys (not to be confused with the Chicago-based garage rocky Ponys...which is why they changed their name). Anyway, they put out one album, Shishimumu, which became my anthem album last year. The production on this thing blows my mind. To me, it's one perfect song after another. The instruments are weaving and intertwining together in a way I can't even reference another band to explain. The vocals are smooth and flowing on top, and the more you listen, the more you discover underlying melodies. Sweet lord, I freaking love them.
I'm simply titilated about this. Of course, the guy who made the shirt (oh, I've already mentioned this) did the cover for the XX ep Fleshlettes.
Hmm... interesting interview: Jamie Stewart is single. Caralee will sing more on the next album (She does Helsabot aces live.) New album about hurting people instead of being hurt. Sam, you ever do more of that "i'm an asshole boyfriend" album?
Hey kids, my band The Kiss-Off has a show tonight at Fat Baby at 10pm, drop by if you are around.
What with having nothing to say to anyone unless it's regarding guitar hero these days, a quiet american I am not (a totally hard rocking american, however...) But this guy who calls himself just that records, not totally sweet geetar solos, but the music of field recordings from Nepal, Vietnam, Fiji Islands, Burma, Cambodia, and others. Ever heard the rattling sound of a bamboo harvest in Nepal? Or the call of midnight vendors in Burma? The quiet american sure has, and he wants to share it all with you. There are about 5 hours of recordings on this site, and he's always adding.
If your fret hand wrist and your strumming shoulder and your bleary eyes need a rest, check out the Quiet American and listen to the sounds of other countries.
Our good friend Joshua over at Roadside PIcnic just put up another installment of his transcendent radio show/podcast. If you are in to good music you haven't heard, then this is for you.
Sonic Youth "Superstar" 1994
It's Sonic Youth cover day here at That's Plenty. First up, SY's '94 cover of the Carpetner's hit, proving once again that the Carpenter's songs all kick ass plugged in. Maybe we'll have Carpenters day soon (You hear that McCool?!). Don't worry folks, my cover of Solitaire is just around the corner.
Wylde Ratz "TV Eye" 1998
So, in the late '90s Mark Arm of Mudhoney, Ron Asheton of the original Stooges, and Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth started a "RAWK" cover band called Wylde Ratz, recorded an album, put a cut (this one,covering the Stooges) on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, and promptly broke up. The album was never released...However, it did make it on to the Internet as things have a tendency to do, and promptly fell on to my hard drive. After listening to these songs, I think Sonic Youth should stick to covers...just kidding...kind of...
The Chameleons (UK) "Paradiso" 1986
The Chameleons deserve as much credit for influencing the current post-punk sound (esp. the 8th note guitar sound) as the oft-name-checked-on-press-release-darlings Joy Division, Gang of Four, or Wire. If you are into this stuff check out their record Strange Times. Easily 70% of the kids at Interpol's first shows were wearing Chameleons Tshirts. This is my favorite song of theirs.
Echoboy "Telestar Recovery" 2000
Echoboy's other songs on, "Vol 1" and "Vol 2" have almost nothing in common with this sweet track; ie: they aren't sweet tracks. I wonder if Echoboy knows this. I wonder if when the Echoboy guy wrote this he was like "Man this is awesome...Oh well, enough of that, tiime to get back to my true passion: writing music no one likes." Seems to me like once you take the first tender steps down the road of awesome one cannot turn back. Maybe the the light of awesome was too blindingly beautiful and terrible to embrace, like when Frodo offered Galadriel the One Ring. I'm just saying.
So here you go. Just don’t go messing up my stamp collection when you are doing your twisty dance.
http://20-248-e.onlinestoragesolution.com/spikepriggen/public/The%20Tornados-Robot.mov
You liked that, did you? Then eat your heart out at http://scopitones.blogs.com/ where there is a whole bunch more crazy French music videos. They were originally made in the 60's for French Film Jukeboxes, which eventually failed, and many of the videos were lost to history. That is until a Blog came along to the rescue, and began bringing you these amazing videos through the magic of the information superhighway. So show some appreciation, you cantankerous little whippersnappers.
While everyone else was wearing green, I and fellow CT exile Casey saw The Books at The Getty. It was free. Caliphone opened. They had a drummer AND a percusionist, which is always a good sign. The program made reference to James Joyce and John Cage. The Books used found footage music videos, not limited to mormons taking off hats. The guitarist in the books got married recently and revealed his bacheleor party conisted of watching videos from the national archive. He then showed a newsreel from the 1930s of a man who makes fart sounds with his hands to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy. Also, the Getty is nifty. You park and then take a monorail up to some elaborate villa while you look at poor ant people stuck on the highway.
As an added bonus, the row we were sitting in had the median age of 62, a mode of 74 and a mean of 42. Elegance.
Q Lazzarus "Goodbye Horses" 1988
A friend of the Juggernaut family was over last night, and somehow this song came up in conversation. The song has some sort of magical essence in it, I'm convinced. It first appeared in "Married To The Mob" in 1988, but didn't really reach anybody until its appearence in "Silence Of The Lambs" in 1991. Much to music fan's annoyance, it was not featured on the soundtrack, but apparently the band released a single to capitalize on the movie. Anyway, the band broke up. This, as far as anyone knows, is the the only song they ever made. It's incredible.
Gerard McMann "Cry Little Sister" 1987
Speaking of awesome songs in movies, LOST BOYS MOTHER FUCKER. If you have ever been to a bad goth night anywhere, then they probably played this. That doesn't make this song less awesome though.
Lou Reed "The Kids" 1973
Many VU fans have yet to pick up Lou Reed's Berlin, because of song over lap or poorness. Well, pick it up. It is his best album. Whats that you say? Transformer? Oh, I think this track begs to differ. From AMG: "...To ensure that the horror of the song truly hit home, producer Bob Ezrin set up a tape recorder in his own home then, when his children returned from school, told them that their mother was dead. At least, that's the legend, and the uncontrolled howling with which the song ends, fading in over the skeletal guitar and boiling percussion, certainly does not contradict it."
Banbarra "Shack Up" 1975
Sorry to bum you out with that last track. Don't cry children, the funk starship just landed!
Einsturzende Neubauten "Alles" 2000
If you are already down with the Neubaten, skip down to the next song. Alright, yes their name is really german, yes many of the songs are in german, and yes they build their own instruments. This band has been around for so long and has consistantly broken barriers and evolved that I think they should get some kind of award. If you are in to good music, check them out. I can't say enough good things about them. Basically if you start a band and make all the right decisions for 25 years you end up as Einsturzende Neubaten.
Cordel do Fogo Encantado "Na Veja" 2001
I know next to nothing about these guys, aside from that they are from Brazil and their album is awesome.
....
György Ligeti Lux Aeterna 1966
I hate 20th century composition, as well as so called "new music". If you aren't familiar with this particular genre, you'd best stay clear of it, which will be easy because, by design I might add, the only people who like it are academic musicians. They like it, but even they don't listen to it. This piece however is straight amazing. Sung by a mixed 16 person chorus. Somedays I think its beautiful, other days terrifying.
Brian Eno "The Big Ship" 1975
I couldn't find the John Cage cut I wantedto put up today, so here's some brian eno. Who doesn't love Eno? If you aren't in to Eno, then think of him as the guy who made up all that stuff that radiohead got credit for in 2001.
Echo & the Bunnymen "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue(Live)" 1985
One of the greatest bands ever play one of the greatest songs ever. It really doesn't get much better than this. Echo has been easing its way deeper and deeper into my heart for the last five years or so. If I had to make a top three list right now I'd put them right below Bowie and Joy DIvision...I know you guys are keeping track.
The Human League "Seconds" 1981
No other song about assasination gets me this juiced. Play at maximum volume. I highly recommend this for city-walking music. Oh, and pick up Dare! if you haven't already. Its got a bunch of songs on it you like.
Tomorrow: My only foray into 20th Century composers this site will ever see
Now, I've been reading TF off and on for the last 4-5 months, and I just love the hate and the birthing of a subcounter-culture. The writing isn't excellent, but there are weathered old people here, spinning yarns and bitching about record reviews, and trying to cull bands and albums that Pitchfork hasn't absorbed into its omniprescence.
At this point, I think I'd see Sharron giving slight accolades to TF, if that weighs in at all. Also, at this point, the only thing I read on PF is the news and the number reviews. The text may have become insipid, but spit a lil fuzzy math on the numbers and you have a diving rod to some stuff you like (Sam, Clap Yr Hands may have to get back in line, but they have cuts.)
Anyway, its TF first birthday and they reposted their first, spiteful lampoon, and it's almost enough to make me go out and buy some zines.
Psychic Ills "January Rain" 2006
Psychic Ills play the kind of stuff that, no offence to them, is great background music. Their new album is a great background album, joining the ranks of Music For Airports, all the new Einstruzende Neubaten records, and every Godspeed album ever. I like it. SIDE NOTE: Brooklyn gets a lot of pats on the back for having the awesomest music scene around. That's most of the reason I moved here. However, most (99.99999999%) of the bands I see here I don't particularly like. This may seem like a pretty low regard for our music scene, but keep in mind there are, by my last count, about one hundred trillion bands in Brooklyn, so that still leaves around around 100 good bands here, including Psychic Ills, the Bellmer Dolls, TV On The Radio, The Rapture, The Liars, all of DFA Records, and every band that I am in (Not so fast there Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, get back in line). Does your town have one hundred good bands? Shut up Montreal.
Antarctica "Absence" 1999
If Antarctica could have held out for another few years until post punk and New Order got cool again then they could have gotten the respect, acclaim, and piles of money they deserved. They'd be on MTV2 and Volkswagen's cash would be buying their girlfriend's drinks. Oh well, at least they got that one sweet album off. This is the first song on that album and is also mixtape gold.
It's nice to finally have some time to just hang at home. I am a freelance editor/animator/general random film crap guy. Lately I spend most of time working with a stop motion animation director by the name of PES, www.eatpes.com, which so far has been an awesome experiance. I spent this last week on the set of a Nutri-Grain commercial production. It was the funnest of all the on set experiances I have had so far. But even so, the days were long, and it's nice to have a chance to chill out. My friend Jim is back in town after having been in Scotland for almost a year. Plans tonight include drinking alot of Scotch and playing a game called pressumo. This game was made up by a Scottish band called the Delgados ( who have since broke up apparantly), involes two combatants, both in push up position, trying to knock the other one down by pulling their opponents hand out from under them without falling down themselves. I can't wait.
![](http://www.linusland.co.uk/linuzine/ps.jpg")
Pete Shelley "Telephone Operator" 1983
Not alot of Buzzcocks fans like to talk about Pete Shelley's solo career following the breakup. Its a sore subject. Punk rock legend turns New Wave; it makes purists uncomfortable. So, it isn't surprising to learn that not alot fo people know just how good at new wave Pete Shelley was.
Macha "No Surprise Party" 2004
Good production and instrument choices can make a good song a great song. Just ask Eno. I love this song alot, its the kind of album closer that brings the house down.
Welcome to March, That's Plenty! As a march 1st treat, two of my favorite bands "leaked" their new albums to the internet...
TV On The Radio "Province" 2006
Yes Virginia, that is David fucking Bowie singing on this track. I honestly don't know who I'm more envious of, Totr for getting Bowie in the studio, or Bowie for getting to hang with these guys. My roommates already know how big of a totr fanboy I am, but let me tell you: whenever I see Dave, Tunde, or KIp out on the town I make a complete fool out of myself. Just imagine that girl or boy you had a crush on in 5th grade, and how you approached it. Its that bad, and the new album isn't helping me get over it. (its great).
The Black Heart Procession "Not Just Words" 2006
Don't worry Black Heart fans, the new album is pure BHP...except this one, which my personal jury is still out on. Is it really ok for these guys to write this kind of song? I mean, I'm sure they really really wanted to, what with all the gloom. I guess its ok.
Leadbelly "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down" 1944
Constantly beating the shit out of people, killing like eight dudes, and getting out of jail by singing to the governor, Leadbelly is a complete badass. Songs he wrote and/or popularized include "House of the Rising Sun", "Goodnight Irene", and "Where did you sleep last night". I mainly like to imagine him beating up Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Devendra Banhart after drinking all their booze and telling them to pack it the fuck up.
Entrance "Wandering Stranger" 2004
Guy Blakeslee may be a johnny-come-lately to the blues biz, but this mother fucker can sing, and is from Baltimore.
Mr. Flagio "Take a Chance" 1983
When I was assembling my DJ set for our past vs future party last month, I stumbled on this gem. My friends who are in fact real DJs already know about this one, but its new to me. I've liked Giorgio Moroder and Yello for a while, but I haven't been able to find any other proto-disco or italo disco trakcs that suit my fancy, until this one. I'm pretty sure Larry Tee already mined the irony out of this kind of music, but I really like it. Wikipedia on Italo Disco.... DFA, Prins Thomas and Lindstrom really have the right idea about what parts of old, cheesy disco records to reference...
Lindstrom remixing LCD Soundsystem "Tribulations" 2005
I guess this turned into dance music day. I listened to this track for about four days straight when I first got it. Something about that bass line and sloppy hi hat really stroke some dark, secret part of my soul; a part that is constantly giving itself haircuts and sniffing coke off of dorm room keys. I'll post some obscure rock tracks tomorrow, I swear...just give me a few more moments on my idealized dance floor.
Howe Gelb Love Knows (No Borders) Expected 2006
Will probably have a chorus where someone, perhaps Howe, goes Looooooove Knoooooooows, and then an actual chorus effect goes NO BORDERS. I'm thinking of a Everything I Do (I Do It For You) but will probably end up with a I'll Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That.) I'll give it a quality luncheon meat, but then again, I'm a vegetarian.
Voxtrot Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives 2006
The titular track from Voxtrot's 2nd EP. I'm hoping for a sort of sonic treatsie on Ivan Turgenev's seminal Fathers and Sons a favorite for gloomy Latin students, Bolsheviks-in-training and etymologists for an early apperance of the word nihilism. However, if Voxtrot is thinking of unupping the Fathers and the Sons by adding Wives and Sisters as well as the natural counterparts, they may be overplaying their Anglio-Roman linguistics. You see, according to the forward in the Norton critical edition of F&S, a more appropriate translation of the title would have been Fathers & Sons & Mothers & Daughters, but kept with the traditional translated title. I'm not saying the song is going to be a second class citizen, let's just say it probably won't be able to vote anywhere (with the exception of unincorpirated parts of Wyoming,) for the time being.
Yngwie Malmsteen "Far Beyond The Sun" 1984
In my version of history this song lead directly to the creation of Castlevania. You can hear the Simon Belmont all over this mother fucker, whipping stuff.
The Tubes "White Punks On Dope" 1975
This song is the answer to the riddle: How can you possibly get away with the lyric "Hang myself when I get enough rope"? This is the classic indictment of wealthy punks...you know, the St Marks kids. Also contains:
1) an out of nowhere choir at the end
2) the "fake" ending
In reference to Sam's Paganini post, I wanted to post about the badass composer Berlioz. In fact he loved the composer so much that he gave him an open ended 20000 frances. "My dear friend", wrote Paganini in his accompanying letter, "with Beethoven now dead who could revive him if not Berlioz?" Loved the motherfucker.
So if Paganini was the first rock star, that makes Berlioz the first rock stars idol. For more on Berlioz...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlioz
Celebration "Lost Souls" 2005
Oh my god, if you haven't got this album yet, get on top of it. Speaking of getting on top of things: me and every other hipster on the planet has a big ole cruch on Katrina Ford, the singer for Celebration. Last time I saw them was at the bowery opening for Calla. They pwned it hardcore, so much so that I think I heard Calla say "Ah fuck it, lets go home and play XBox."
The Call "I Don't Wanna" 1987
I don't know how exactly to catagorize this song. Imagine a Journey without notalsgia, or humor, but with all the bombastic progressions and lyrics. Tell me if I'm crazy to love this song. Maybe my sense of kitch has gone so far it doubled back to sincereity. I honestly don't know. What I do know is when I'm listening to this on the subway or on the street, life takes on a whole new purpose and clarity, and we race towards the future, hands on brows towards the horizon. Fuck you.
Niccolo Paganini "No. 3 in E Minor" ~1815
Niccolo Paganini was, in most people's opinion, the greatest violinist who ever lived. He is also credited with being one of the first musicians to tour, if not the first. From wikipedia:
"A pervading myth about Paganini is that he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his fearsome technique, a rumor which he delighted in and may have even started himself. During a performance his eyes would roll into the back of his head while playing, revealing the whites. His swaying stance, long unruly hair and thin, gaunt stature would add to this rumor. He played so intensely that women would faint and men would break out weeping."
In my opinion he is the first rockstar.This is my favorite of his compositions.
Angels of Light "My True Body" 2001
If you are a fan of the Southern Gothic asthetic in any way, this is your new soundtrack for being a badass. Press play, pull on your black boots and dusty coat, pull out a hand rolled cig, light a strike anywhere on your leathery palm and blow smoke through your nostrils, you embodiment of awesome you.
Asa-Chang & Junrei "Parlor" 2005
Self-proclaimed experimental musicians in other countries use musical devices other than Noise (capital N). Come on America, lets get it together, there are lots of good, new ideas out there that people actually want to listen to...as this track shows us. I'm not saying you can't get drunk, pummel your guitar, wreck your vocal chords, and give your drummer a heart attack. I'm just saying that sort of thing is being moved out of the "experimental" section and put in the "budget" section of your local record store.
Freur "Doot-Doot" 1983
Alright, I've been OBSESSED with this song for well over a year now. "Obsessed" in the deeply personal, emotional way, not in the wacky irony way. On paper, it doesn't sound that good:
-Made by guys who went on to be Underworld
-The chorus consists only of the words "Doot Doot"
-Contains serious amount of roto toms (the Phil Collins drum sound. You know what I mean.)
-Featured at the end of Vanilla Sky
But believe me, this is a great piece of music. Throw this on a mixtape to a girl and watch the pants fly off.
The Knife "One Hit" 2006
Their 2nd album just came out, and Pitchfork gave it really high marks. Most of the album is pretty run of the mill, but three tracks are amazing, and this is one of them. Kate Bush + Basement Jaxx.
Sparks "Tryouts for the Human Race" 1979
If you ever find yourself walking down the street and saying to yourself "I need the next six minutes of my life to rock....hard.", then this is the track for you. This is the best Sparks and Giorgio Moroder collaboration song, and easily one of the greatest dance songs ever made.
Monday: Wolf Mother, Black Lips at Mercury. I don't know anything about Wolf Mother, but I do know that having "wolf" in your band name is cool yesterday. The Black Lips suck really bad, but they know how to act like rock and roll douche bags better than anyone, they are from atlanta, and they're cute!
Tuesday:Nothing
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: Yeah Yeah Yeahs at bowery ballroom. However you feel about them, you should see this show. If you like them: they are playing stuff from the new album (early demos I heard are Zinnerific[that means rad]). If you hate them, then its your duty as a hater to call "SOPHMORE SLUMP!" during the quiet parts.
Friday: Gotta go with Bad Brains at CBGB. I mean, you haven't been there since you moved here, so this would be a good time. Start buying a t shirt and then say "sike".
Saturday: Weird War at the Syrup Room. I don't know where that is either, but Weird War is killer live, Ian hasn't lost "IT" yet. Still sassy.
Sunday:Nothing, unless you like RJD2, which I don't.
