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April 29, 2005
Ark's business class only
Felt - Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow
Lawrence Hayward = Felt. However, some might know him as the second most responsible party (behind Stuart Murdoch) in the initial formation of Belle & Sebastian. What happened was that Stuart went down to London to try to find Lawrence- couldn't find him- and so went back to Glasgow and decided to just form his own band. Here's what Stuart said about it back in the day (taken from the Jeepster press page): "I set myself a task to find Lawrence from Felt," Stuart begins. "He'd made wonderful music and it was the only music that would absorb me 100 per cent and I admired him for that. So I went to London, but I never managed to track him down. It's quite pathetic really, but have you ever felt at a total loose end and nothing's happening and you think someone has the answer or at least you'd like to pass the time of day with them? That's exactly how I felt."
The bass notes that start this song cannot be described as anything but 'graceful'. In fact, the whole of 'Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow' is a study in how to write a song that is lithe, curvaceous, and pleasing. Hayward and Maurice Deebank kick up small, pink tornadoes of guitar notes in this song that spin down and Coriolide throughout. Lawrence harmonizes with a woman (or a group of women- it's hard to tell) whose voice gives his nonchalant delivery a hazy, soft corona. On the surface, this song is jubilant, sunny, etc., but there's something about it (the instrumentation particularly) that evokes hopeless, all-consuming nostalgia; not quite regret- just a mood of being trapped in remembrance of happy memories.
'Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow' was originally part of the spectacular "Strange Idols Patterns and Other Short Stories" LP, but it's also on the Lawrence-compiled greatest hits album that just came out recently, "Stains on a Decade", which might be a better starting point (also features the excellent duet with Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser, 'Primitve Painters').
Posted by matt at 08:20 AM | Comments (3)
April 28, 2005
before behind beyond
Elliott Smith - Live at Northsix 6/6/03 - Shooting Star
Is it wrong to want this to be the definitive recording of 'Shooting Star'? It could be because I heard it like this first, or maybe because I always preferred the more acousticore side of Elliott Smith's work, but either way, this is a very pretty version of one of his most compelling/wrenching songs.
Had he ever penned a more vicious line than "you make the scene/like you always do/going upstream/down the avenue/to fuck some trophy boy that you won tonight at the bar"? It resonates, for various reasons. One thing I've always thought about this song: the main progression is almost Sisyphean- it sounds like climbing a cement stairway in the middle of a grassy field only to find that it ends, then jumping over the edge, dusting yourself off, and climbing it again.
Don't get me wrong- the studio version on "From A Basement on the Hill" is fantastic, but there's something about this that just hits home that much harder. [BUY]
Posted by matt at 08:20 AM | Comments (2)
April 27, 2005
Dentist, appalled
Liars - You Know I hate Stupid Phones
This is quintessential early Liars (actually this song was recorded even before "They Threw Us All In a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top") in that it feels like rolling around on a section of the ocean floor that's riddled with sea urchins (does anyone buy that simile?). Let me try again: if I held a party modeled after this song, it would be filled with lots of jerky, interpretive dancing, decorations made of cardboard, and cocktails consisting solely of whiskey, beer, and vinegar mixed in varying proportions. It's that good!
Here is my study guide for 'You Know I Hate Stupid Phones'- pay careful attention to the movement of the bass, it's akin to a gigantic boulder propped up by a sliver of oak, waiting to fall down the slope and roll right into your backyard. Aaron's guitar is shrill (s.o.p. for pre-'they were wrong...' Liars) and alternately stabbing and pulsating. Angus' lyrics here are some of his best: "I had an average dream/two black bears after me/I was moving slow//I dove into a stream/but bears can swim fast in dreams/I saw my sixth uncle's house/but it didn't look like his house/I didn't care/I always wanted to touch a bear"- and who can't empathize with wanting to grab a fistful of a giant carni(omni?)vore's fur?
I personally cannot fucking wait to hear what Liars' new album is like- Aaron has been promising more details on the band's website for the past month, so maybe there'll be some news soon. Given what they told Pitchfork a while ago, the mind reels to think what this new record will contain (not to mention the provisional LP that they used merely as a blueprint for the 'real' one). Anyway, 'You Know I Hate Stupid Phones' is taken from the long-missing but now-found "We No Longer Knew Who We Were" EP, which is available here.
p.s. if you are a glutton for punishment and want to read more of my barely coherent prose, check out the current issue of the Drama, which features 5 of my best G.I. Joe slash fiction stories (kidding). Really though, this magazine is very well put together, and the new issue has (among other cool things) artwork by Mr. Mt. Eerie, Phil Elverum, an interview (and a huge spread of artwork) with Genevieve Castree (of the band Woelv, also Phil's wife), who did the cover illustration, and some excellent writing by my good friend and ex-roommate, Clarke Boehling. Check it out, I promise you won't be disappointed (unless, of course, you hate fun).
Posted by matt at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2005
Where'd you get those mathematics?
Am I good enough to write about this band? No, no, no: too much ground to cover. So instead, read these words and then assemble them into full descriptive sentences: post-punk, Joy Division vocals, excitable rhythms, dominant basslines, lyrical quirkitude, aggregated fragments. This is my lo-tech way of making Molars more interactive.
One thing I can tell you though- the Knight Rider theme bears more than a passing resemblance to 'Do the Du'. In fact [semi-unrelated anecdote], this segues nicely into a story about my 8 year old mind being blown by the K.I.T.T. car on display down in Universal Studios- I remember sitting in the car (which was posed at a rakish angle, as if it had just turbo-boosted into the parking lot), asking it questions, very specific questions, that only the real K.I.T.T. would know (e.g. q: where is Michael right now? a: he's at lunch. (amazing!! at lunch- who would have guessed?)). Even now, some 16 years later, I can only figure that Universal had blackmailed St. Elsewhere-veteran William Daniels and had, at great expense, imprisoned him bodily within the chassis of a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am. It's the only thing that makes logical sense. (A great image: Daniels emerging late at night from the front hood of the car, having sweat off 10 lbs. due to the 300 degree gloss-black-paint-finish induced heat).
Well. 'Do the Du' is originally from A Certaion Ratio's debut LP, "The Graveyard and the Ballroom", but, if you'd like to own some ACR work, I would recommend the Soul Jazz compilation, "Early" (it's good).
Posted by matt at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2005
Harmonicandada
A while ago, there was a piece in the Believer about the strange but compelling aesthetic appeal of abandoned, crumbling factories (n.b. it was in Believer 11, and the piece was called "The Acropolis of Northern New Jersey", by Angela Starita), and the industrial archeologists who do not just appreciate but cherish these structures. Ray Raposa, the talent behind the Castanets, seems like he could be one of those people for whom an old, semi-windowless tire factory would be a thing of beauty.
The song starts off quietly, just Raposa and his guitar: "all buried in the industry and snow I saw you, they're breathing down the backs of all those hills". He sings very matter-of-factly, as if he were stating a case to the crickets outside his porch. Then there's a small and awesome interlude with a toy piano, which gives the song a weird, delicate, missing-tooth feel. The ending of 'Industry and Snow' is bracing- like a bucket of cold water dumped over your head unexpectedly (slide guitars, squealing static, revelrous drums).
Interestingly enough, Raposa, like Sufjan Stevens, is also a fiction writer, and is said to be working on a novel that will explore many of the themes that "Cathedral" (the debut LP that 'Industry and Snow' is taken from) addresses. [BUY]
Posted by matt at 08:20 AM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2005
Int'l Union of Cavity Fillers
Robbers on High Street - Love Underground
'Love Underground' may be the finest song that ROHS have written- it's probably the catchiest (and the shortest). I can't even imagine how much fun the band must have playing this song live- it's effervescent, streamlined, the drums bang, the guitars chug, and Ben Trokan sounds like he's having the time of his life singing it. [BUY]
(I wanted to write more about this band, but I am brain-dead and exhausted right now. Sorry. Just pretend I wrote something really compelling and slightly more coherent than usual, then download the song and cherish it, close to your heart, for the rest of your life. Pass it on to your children. That's all I ask.)
Posted by matt at 08:20 AM | Comments (3)
April 21, 2005
Body lay bloodless
Knife in the Water - Watch Your Back
This song is unhealthy love. Wan and vengeful. The two characters in 'Watch Your Back' live in an inscrutable world of smoke, humid nights, quick meals, minimal furniture, and crumbling walls. Malfunctioning cars that go only from home to work and back again. This song is the slow, unairconditioned, and gorgeously told disintegration of a relationship. Knife in the Water tell this kind of story well.
The guitar in the beginning of this song is all-business, grinding out casual distrust, giving way to Aaron Blount's and Laura Krause's voices, which wend together like dirty hands folded in prayer. Aaron and Laura harmonize in the same way that Low's Alan and Mimi do, but in this song their voices combine to make something that is dangerous, fraught with tension, and vigorously unnerving. Listen to the martial beat, the jaw-droppingly pretty pedal steel swells, and the guitar that sounds like it's chipping away at something, methodically. I would be hard-pressed to find a song that features such an intense and beautiful ending as 'Watch Your Back': "Your heart beats out/your blood/a little slower now/then when/you turned/on me/I saw it coming down", scaffolded warily by Bill McCullough's pedal steel, Aaron and Laura's voices build and build, strengthened in their resolve by a spectating organ. If the band had stretched this song out to the 10 minute mark, it would have been perfect.
Unfortunately, it looks like Knife in the Water may have broken up recently (two of the band members are moving away), or at the very least the band will be on hiatus for a while. Hopefully it won't be too long until they release another album. 'Watch Your Back' is from the very, very good "Red River" album, which you can purchase (along with any of Knife in the Water's other recordings) right here.
Posted by matt at 08:20 AM | Comments (2)
April 20, 2005
Falling Qualia
Kingsbury Manx - Over the Waves
The Kingsbury Manx started off as a substitute band for me. When I say 'substitute', I mean that I came to know their work through a roundabout 'recommended if you like' scenario (Greenideas Matt was actually the one who told me about them, in late 2000), with the 'like' variable occupied by Belle & Sebastian. 'Piss Diary' was the first song I heard of theirs, and I loved it immediately, on its own merits (the band sounds like B&S only in the fact that they play quiet, semi-pastoral music)- their pretty melodies and soft, alt-country arrangements were what got me hooked.
One of the things I like best about Kingsbury Manx is the way their music is (to put it in a weird way) extremely porous- their songs absorb certain moods, seasons, thoughts, and experiences- well enough so that I can remember exactly what I was doing, for example, when I heard their album "Let You Down" for the first time (sitting at a train station). Having said that, Kingsbury Manx's music is particularly well-suited to the sunny days and chilly nights of the autumn- there's something in their songs that perfectly accompanies late afternoon contemplation.
'Over the Waves' is my favorite track from their 2003 EP, "Afternoon Owls", which preceded the release of their most recent album, "Aztec Discipline", by a few weeks, and contained some of the most exciting work Kingsbury Manx have done to date (the song 'Half Man' is unstoppably great). 'Over the Waves' has two parts: the first is the standard gorgeous acoustic guitar/piano melange that Kingsbury Manx pull out of their pockets- however, there's an electric guitar wringing small, mysterious phrases out of this tune- sounding alternately like a huge, thick bell, and a small cutting instrument. At 1:54, "You'll find it's hard/to touch/the tops/of the waves, you'll find it's hard/to make/your way/through the haze", the band wanders through a thick miasma of distorted drones, and emerges on the other side, exuberant: "deep sea diving down, down, down, down, down, down, further down", handclaps and wild, neon basslines adorning untethered guitars.
Kingsbury Manx are one of those bands that seems (to me at least) unduly ignored. They've released three classic albums that really do deserve your attention. Hopefully the band is recording/touring soon (their website hasn't been updated since last summer)- Pitchfork had this news item (bottom of the page) about the band's unfortunate van accident back in '03, when they were supposedly writing material for their fourth album ("4-0"), but god knows what they've been up to since then. If you like 'Over the Waves' though, you can buy the "Afternoon Owls" EP here.
Posted by matt at 08:02 AM | Comments (1)
April 19, 2005
Evolution of Whimsy
Sunset Rubdown - I'll Believe in Anything, You'll Believe in Anything
Let the Wolf Parade obsession continue! Sunset Rubdown is the solo project of Spencer Krug, keyboardist/co-lead singer + songwriter (along with Dan Boeckner) of Montreal's talentastic Wolf Parade. Sunset Rubdown has an album coming out on June 14th on Global Symphonic Records (Atlas Strategic's (Dan's old band) label), entitled "Snake's Got A Leg". [Spencer is also involved with a band called Fifths of Seven, along with Beckie Foon from Silver Mt. Zion and Rachel Levine- however, there is almost no information about Fifths of Seven outside of their French record label, and unfortunately, it costs like $900 to buy the CD and get it shipped to the U.S. Does anyone else know anything about this album? It sounds like it'd be good.]
Now, for those of you who follow Wolf Parade and have anxiously snapped up every available recording (the CBC sessions in particular), then you'll recognize this song. It's not really clear whether "I'll Believe in Anything, You'll Believe in Anything" will emerge on Wolf Parade's Sub Pop debut or if Spencer just decided to play it with a full-band arrangement or what. That's none of my business, really, so let me just talk about the song:
The beginning is abrasively beautiful- a recursive function programmed into a distorted Simon pad- then Spencer sets off the kick drum, spaced out into counterintuitive intervals, very off-balance. "Give me your eyes/I need sunshine", the first lyrics that he sings- Spencer's voice exhibits his emotions readily (this man has a voice that is rife with tiny vesicles of pity, sadness, grief, exuberance, and passion). The best line in this song, in my opinion: "and I could give you ideologies/I could take away your shaky knees/and put it all up into the trees/and into the sea/and away from here". It sets up the end of this song, which sounds like a waterfall (full of frustration, desperate optimism, and romantic inertia). I cannot wait to hear the rest of this album.
Anyway, if you're aching for some Wolf Parade, Cheap Thrills still has the second EP (six songs- three w/Dan singing, three with Spencer) in stock (for only $8, which, believe me, is a total steal). Also, Insound has a great interview with Arlen Thompson (Wolf Parade's drummer) in their Spring 2005 catalog, which I think comes free with any order- check it out if you get the chance.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 18, 2005
My lifters are tired of lifting, my smeller is tired of sniffing.
John Fell Ryan, Dan Hougland, Calder Martin, Macrae Semans, and Caitlin Cook make exactly the kind of music that they want to make. That might read like a semi-tautology, but accomplishing something like that is a lot more difficult than it would seem: when I listen to Excepter's music, it doesn't sound to me like the band is just crafting formless and meandering jams, but that they're perfectly synthesizing the disparate noises, beats, and conjunctions of sound that each member of Excepter wants to hear (hears in his/her head). Their music is warm, organic, and inviting; it sounds like it's fun to make.
'Shattered Skull' is one of the more mournful pieces on last year's insanely good "KA". It starts with a thick vocal fog, cut only by the occasional emergence of Caitlin's high, wailing moans. If anyone has heard (and enjoyed) Black Dice's equally gorgeous 'Miles of Smiles' piece, then you'll love the percussion on 'Shattered Skull', which has the same gravel/dried leaves/angry rattlesnake feel to it. In the latter part of the song, Caitlin sings this crazy elongated vocal hook that complements all the acute angles the rest of the band is spinning around her, and it's just so, so good. The whole record is full of moments like that (which, I have to say a few random things about- Excepter's cursive logo: A+, the cover art for "KA" is AMAZING, and the fact that they (maybe?) named it after the snake character from Jungle Book is CLASSIC).
Anyway, Excepter is releasing a new record, "Throne", on Load Records, April 26th. Order it and then listen to it and then cherish it. "KA" is available (along with everything else Excepter-related) from Fusetron (these people are super-nice), or Insound (the "KA" CD, or the Vacation/Forget Me 12"). Either way, you can't lose- all of Excepter's stuff is out of control great. Also, be sure to stop by the band's website, since they offer recordings of their live shows as free streams (currently streams 19 and 09, both of which are stellar).
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 15, 2005
silentists and brisk sign language
Animal Collective - Live at Lee's Palace 11/11/04 - Banshee (Swimming Pool)
When I saw Animal Collective play this past November in Philadelphia (nine days after the show at Lee's Palace), I was completely blown away by their performance- the energy, the songs, and the dynamic they had with the crowd was just staggering. Going into the show, I had no idea what to expect. I had read that they liked to play ahead of their albums, but since Sung Tongs was so popular, I figured that they'd almost have to dedicate at least part of their set to playing songs off that record (only one, it turned out- 'Kids on Holiday'). Avey Tare and Deakin started playing first, two guitars playing two different intervals that held steady for the first 3 or 4 minutes. Deakin bent over his guitar, swaying slightly, while Avey Tare rocked his head back and forth on his shoulders. Panda Bear and Geologist negotiated a wooden-sounding, slapping beat. Then, out of the blue, Avey Tare sings in a high, inquisitive voice, "Will there be time/to get by/or get dry/after the swimming pool", and a few quick, fluttery notes speed up and get pulled along with this phrase, like a ribbon attached to a kite.
'Banshee(that may or may not be the title)/Swimming Pool' takes a huge leap though at the 3:55 mark, when the beat stabilizes, and Deakin and Avey Tare take the groove that they've built and start adding on to it, making it more urgent and (even more) devastatingly gorgeous. When I heard this for the first time, it was overwhelming. I don't know what it is, but this song creates the kind of all-consuming joy that I had previously only associated with your standard upper-level Maslow-need-fulfillment. 'Banshee' is like your car breaking down on the side of a deserted road in the summertime, where you're forced to walk (wander) through the surrounding countryside, and end up stumbling blindly upon a huge, breezy block party, filled with impossibly hospitable neighbors; it's the deep and tidal sense of relief that you'd experience. If 'Banshee' ends up on their new album, I can't even imagine how good it'll sound.
I feel like I'm articulating this badly (not surprising), so listen to the song and you'll see what I mean, hopefully (the file is sort of quiet, so you'll have to play it pretty loudly). You can actually listen to the rest of concert that this song was taken from, courtesy of CBC Radio 3. You can buy any of Animal Collective's releases here, or just anticipate the "Prospect Hummer" EP that comes out in a few weeks (and then Jane's "Berserker" in June). If you can get out to see Animal Collective live on any of the upcoming tour dates, I would recommend it, as they are not to be missed.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (2)
April 13, 2005
Call on into work quick
This is the first FF song I ever heard, and it still may be my absolute favorite. I remember the exact moment when I decided that I loved 'Inca Rag': when Eleanor sings, "or are we in Cadiiiiiiiiiiiiz yeah?". The Fiery Furnaces are one of the group of bands (Animal Collective, Excepter, Wolf Parade, Liars) that makes me excited about music- I get such a feeling of elation when I listen to their work.
Yesterday, my band (or, I should say, the band that I'm in), the Cuddlesluts (long story), played a short show at a local elementary school for 16 first graders. This came about in a semi-convoluted manner, but basically it boils down to the fact that one of my employees is also a student teacher at this school, and needed some musical entertainment. Playing as the more G-rated 'Cuddlebuddies' (a name which the other bandmembers and I realized in retrospect has sort of an unfortunate creepy flavor), we accompanied the kids on four different economics-themed songs (the school is very progressive, obviously)- imagine 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' with lyrics like, "goods, goods, goods are things/that we buy and sell"- and ended with a brief, sloppy, almost improvised original medley. We took the title of the Fiery Furnaces' (Pancake Mountain debuted) 'Mouse House, Moose Hoose' song as lyrics and set it to different chords, gave it an alternate (slower, less imaginative) melody, and then used it to segue into a short, calming instrumental that other Cuddleslut/buddy, Chris, had written. The kids loved it (especially the dance that went along with the song), and I personally have never seen a group of people more excited by music than that little class of first graders was (it's more empirical support for Matt Fluxblog's theory that the Furnaces would go over huge with the grade school set in general).
Anyway- I know many of you have probably heard 'Inca Rag' already- so if you're interested in hearing some more of the current Furnaces output, stop by Fluxblog, which has this post about a brand new song (the fantastic 'Police Sweater Blood Vow'), and this post about a recent live show (along with a great mp3 of a live medley they did this past September). And you can buy the ridiculously good mini-LP, "EP", over at Insound.
Posted by matt at 10:04 PM | Comments (2)
Nothin doin
The Flamin' Groovies - Have You Seen My Baby?
Here is another small installment of quasi-dad-rock. Although, in their defense, the Flamin' Groovies sound a lot like the Rolling Stones, and I think we can all agree that the Stones (early to mid-period Stones) are pretty badass, regardless of whether older American males jam out to their music or not.
The Groovies functioned within the same scene as a lot of the freak-out jam bands back in the day, but, as you can hear, did not indulge in the same sort of hippie leanings as their contemporaries, and for that they were ruthlessly ignored. 'Have You Seen My Baby?' is a cover of the Randy Newman song, and it simply explodes right off the bat: quick guitar movement, then it's full-bore band assault, complete with an incredible spur of a scream from lead singer Roy Loney. If this band still existed and had released this song maybe 3 or so years ago, they would be HUGE. Believe that. Anyway, you can track down the reissue that this song is from, "Teenage Head", over at the Amazon.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
Wired by Pollen
Thanksgiving - Before You Died
Thanksgiving - The Ghost and the Eyes
Double-shot Tuesday! Ahhhhhhhh (for those Philly people out there- I will forever associate this phrase with WMMR). So, I'm sorry about yesterday's lack of music, this is intended as a reconciliation between me and my (12) loyal readers.
Thanksgiving is actually just one person, the impressive Adrian Orange, out of Portland, OR. Guy's been writing music since he was like 11. That was just north of the age when I stopped pretending I was a superhero named Mothman and about when I started trying to cajole neighborhood kids into building a working airplane out of leftover lumber (long story). Needless to say, Mr. Orange is quite talented and continues to grow as a songwriter.
'Before You Died' is from one of his first LPs, "We Could Be Each Other's Evidence", released in June '02. The most superficially remarkable aspect of this song is the similarity in tone and movement to (weirdly enough) the songs Nirvana played during their 'Unplugged' session. Something about the guitar captures that same feeling. However, when you really listen to it, the thing that just absolutely nails this song into your brain is the vocal break at 56 seconds in. That is keening and lamentation at its best. Everything redoubles in intensity for the last minute (esp. the drums), cathartically. [BUY; look down towards the middle of the page]
'The Ghost and the Eyes' is a much more recent recording, from Thanksgiving's 'double EP', "The Ghost and the Eyes (with) Trees in the Ground Outside the Window". If you listened to it right now, you could probably guess without me telling you that Phil Elvrum produced this EP- the acoustic guitars have almost the exact same texture as heard in the beginning of 'The Pull' (from "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water"). 'Ghost and the Eyes' feels like a nighttime walk along tree-lined and sodium-lit streets during a deep snowstorm- when there's no one out on the road and you can sort of hear the snow hitting the ground (if the flakes are big enough). Popping handclaps and sleek moans envelope Orange's lyrics: "and their meanings were covered like dreams". [BUY]
Thanksgiving is going to release a triple-LP shortly, through Marriage Records and Phil's P.W. Elverum and Sun LTD (along with a 4-way split hardcore 7") so be on the lookout for that. Also, Insound is carrying the "Welcome Nowhere" LP that was released this past fall, if you're interested.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 11, 2005
interwebbetry
I've been having some major problems with my connection over the past few days- consequently it takes about 17 hours for the computer to load up even the most rudimentary webpage, so trying to post any kind of music file becomes a Sisyphean task. Hopefully I'll get something up later tonight, maybe??? If you'd like to recreate the Molars experience for yourself at home, here's what you can do:
1) Go to Misra Records and find the link to Great Lake Swimmers. Download the song 'Moving Pictures, Silent Films'.
2) Cobble together a rambling and imagery-heavy paragraph describing the music in the song, relying on personal experiences, hazy memories of cartoons and/or torturous fever dreams, press releases, and seemingly random references to quadrapeds.
3) Mix it all together and enjoy it as hard as you can.
Posted by matt at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)
di5eps
Posted by Kevin at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2005
Hot-a-tot begotten
Avey Tare - Crumbling Land
Dave Portner (Animal Collective's Avey Tare) has such a fantastically versatile voice -even without the effects that Geologist expertly smears all over the place when they play live- he sings in such an expressive and almost stream-of-consciousness manner. There's a particular verse in one of the new songs (the 'Swimming Pool' song (maybe titled 'Banshee'?)- it's the one that's usually first in the set, for those who've seen them recently) where Tare sings "And I don't wish/that I was dead/a very old friend/of mine once said/that either way you look at it/you'll have your fit/we'll have our kids/and feeling is good", and in between the words 'dead' and 'said' Tare drops his voice to the point where it sounds like a totally different person, like a little kid trying to imitate an adult on the phone.
The first part of 'Crumbling Land' sounds like a baby rattle filtered through a delay pedal, accompanied by soft tones in the background. That gives way to a whale-sized guitar noise, like the strings were struck with a board instead of picked or plucked. Then Avey Tare appears, both in the foreground and background (at first sounding like Grandpa Joe and Charlie from the 'Charlie in the Chocolate Factory' scene where they narrowly escape dismemberment by burping out the bubbles from the Fizzy Lifting Drinks (this description is so apt it hurts)) with his voice just barely poking through the digital miasma of the song (warbly and aquatic). At one point he says, "he will eat you", then "he sharpens his chompers at night", and finally "feeling like a werewolf" repeated and harmonized until the end of the song. It's both scary and pretty (like my ex-wife, ZING!).
Anyway, this song was taken from Avey Tare's split 12" with David Grubbs that came out on Fat Cat a little while ago [BUY]. Plus don't forget, it's only about 5 weeks until the "Prospect Hummer" EP (feat. Vashti Bunyan) comes out (exciting!).
p.s. If any of you want to read what happens when I try to write about something in a serious/good way, check out this train wreck of an entry I did for the ILMixor project.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2005
Never you mind
Okkervil River - Black
[This was supposed to be up at 8:00 a.m., but for some reason Typepad didn't publish it- sorry]
Organ and bass are used in this song to lay down a sort of surpressing fire (or enfilade, perhaps!?) in the very beginning, as cover for Will Sheff's vocals. It all bounces along in a pretty carefree manner (note: the lyrics are burdened and heavy, however), mostly thanks to the aforementioned bass. Also, Sheff sounds something like Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes, just in the way that his voice cracks and explodes at certain points (which is a good thing, in Sheff's case).
"Black Sheep Boy" is the LP that Okkervil River just released, and oh boy, it's got some zing to it. Probably their best record yet- see for instance (if you need more evidence), the excruciatingly good 'For Real', offered as a free download on the Jagjaguwar site. Also, does anyone else find it odd that the lead singer's name is Will Sheff and the guy who did the artwork for the album (and also Godspeed You! Black Emperor's awesome 'Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven' LP) is named William Schaff? Also compelling for whatever reason is the fact that the band recorded this in a house in Texas over the course of many late nights (if the press sheet is to be believed). I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. [BUY]
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2005
Made of iron ore, mined by bears in bright orange helmets
Crystal Skulls - No Room for Change
The pacing in this song, the way the guitar moves, specifically, and Christian Wargo's vocals are all v. reminiscent of Steely Dan. Let me say that first. And anyone who's been reading this for a while knows that 1) I love Steely Dan (I might never have said it before, but there it is) and 2) have been threatening since almost day 1 to feature a week of Dan songs on the blog. QED, anything that smacks even slightly of S.D. will win my approval and endorsement.
Of course, Crystal Skulls aren't Becker/Fagen doppelgangers- but they've definitely got that world-weary tone, a sort of aggressive apathy coupled with a 'sit-in-the-back-of-the-classroom-and-make-smart-remarks' attitude. "Emotions are demanding/but there's no room for change", pretty much sums it up. One of the other songs that I've heard from their debut album, "Blocked Numbers", called 'Airport Motels', lurks along in a stained leisure suit and intermittently bursts out into overjoyed synth-melted bossa nova. That is just undeniable.
Please buy "Blocked Numbers", since, hey let me just cut to the chase: Crystal Skulls have perfected music.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2005
Living the legacy of Marlboro
Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
Okay, this is lazy, I know. However, let me tell you a quick story: it's 10 p.m. right now, as I'm writing this, and I have sneezed maybe over 100 times today. It's starting to take its toll on me. My sinuses have staged a coup d'etat in my skull and demand full, unwavering attention from yours truly. I don't get it- the pollen isn't even out and about yet (usually it coats the sidewalks here in a fine, green particulate, delicious to the taste, but DEADLY to the touch) but here I am, under unrelenting dust-attack. As long as I don't sneeze blood though, I'm good to go.
Everyone and their mom knows this song from Kill Bill Vol. 1, and some may know it from Nancy Sinatra's "How Does That Grab You?" LP, or perhaps, if you possess some sort of eldritch knowledge of the past, from Sonny & Cher's album "All I Ever Need Is You". The Nancy version is, however, superior. Know why? Cause that tremolo guitar is just begging to give you a hug. That's an irrefutable fact. Listen to it and give your speakers a quick, tender embrace.
I'm off to inject some Claritin, wish me luck.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (5)
April 04, 2005
My badge and my milk bottle
Tim Hecker - The Work of Art in the Age of Cultural Overproduction
There are certain mechanical noises that can be incredibly soothing: an idling car engine, the hum of a fan or an air conditioner, the percolating buzz of a harmonically interesting refigerator, or the fuzzy bass of water flowing into a bath. Tim Hecker's album, "Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again", draws on a lot of similar drones, especially on this track. 'Work of Art...' is what I feel like the end result would be if you challenged someone to make a lullaby out of field recordings from an industrial park, a lumber yard, and a steel mill. It's exceedingly pretty. There are some sections of it that sound so prickly- like Hecker recorded electrostatic generators to add some more texture. Hecker's music isn't something that you can listen to all the time, but it is perfect for when you want something that's fulfilling in a melancholy, desolate way.
You can buy "Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do It Again" right here, and check out an interview with the man himself right here.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 01, 2005
Oranging Julius!
Orange Juice - L.O.V.E. LOVE
Orange Juice - Upwards and Onwards
So, as I mentioned way back when (uh, 3 months ago), I love the living hell out of Orange Juice's music, and the news that Domino Records is releasing a compilation of the band's early material has me in a tizzy (I never use that word, but I feel like it's justified in this case, despite its grandmotherly associations). People, get ready for it!! Do you know how out of print the band's catalogue is? Ruthlessly so. Available above are two irrefutable pop masterpieces, neither one of which will appear on the Domino comp. (unfortunately).
'L.O.V.E. LOVE' is a song that could survive simply as a makeout jam. And it does. Just listening to it right now, I'm almost tempted to grab my staple remover and give it a quick smooch, its metal fangs be damned. But once you get past the pure and unadulterated seductiveness of that bassline, you notice the intricate and neon guitar work of James Kirk, and those back-up vocals that are so strong and integral. "Love is a walk down main street/love is an apple that's so sweet". Clap your hands, say yeah.
'Upwards and Onwards' is a little bit different, but similar to 'Tender Object' or 'Wan Light', (both posted previously) one in a number of exquisitely written little guitar pop gems polished up by Edwyn Collins and J. Kirk. I dare you to tell me that the sprightly guitar solo at 1:18 is not adorably wistful (same goes for the piano at the end). This song is best served either at a picnic lunch, or during a late-night wine-drinking session.
Please do yourself a sweet favor and purchase "The Glasgow School" when it comes out on May 17th.
And now, the last installment of Dan's adventures in Kenya:
Three bouts of malaria, an auto accident, two street robbery attempts, one break-in where almost everything I own was stolen, and an invitation to watch 8 Nandi thirteen year-olds get circumcised don't come anywhere near the terror of getting a haircut in Kenya.
The first time I got a haircut here, the barber swore he had cut long hair before (he chose not to mention at the moment that this hair had belonged to a sheep). He begged me to give him a chance and 20 shillings (25 cents). I did. Locked down in his chair with a dirty cloth around my neck, he turned on the shaver, leaned over and whispered in my ear, “don’t worry. I’m going to make you look like the oriental Denzel Washington.” Not a promising start.
After 3 months of hats, I needed another haircut. This time, I decided to take the extra precaution of bringing a photo with exactly the kind of hair I wanted. A week-long search through the local papers produced two options: 1) the Japanese prime minister (who looks kind of like Albert Einstein, but worse), and 2)Michael Chang. I chose Michael Chang.
So I go to this local shop with the photo. Emmanuel (the barber) kind of screws up his eye and studies this photo of the one-man Asian Invasion. After a minute or so of reflection, he guaranteed me that he would be able to cut my hair just like it. Like a fool, I believed him. Also like a fool, I took off my glasses.
With a heart beating like a hummingbird, he started cutting huge chunks of hair. There was a moment when my blurry reflection actually looked pretty good. But it went up to, and then waaaay past that point by the time the cutting stopped. After one hour, both of us pouring sweat, he said, “Hapana. Finished.” A trembling hand gave me back my glasses.
Well, the only thing in the reflection that looked vaguely like Michael Chang was my face. There is a bizarre diagonal ridge (or alternatively, a “lightening bolt-shaped racing stripe”) running around the right side, inexplicable spiky tufts shooting out of the left, and the top of my head looks like a UFO-landing site. We both sat there silent, studying my reflection. As a way of getting me to leave, he suggested, “umm…fifteen shillings is okay.”
Research is wrapping up (something I have said for 4 months now), and I think I will go home in a few weeks. To celebrate, tonight I go see Tears of the Sun for the 2nd time. It is the most popular movie in Nairobi, at least among ex-patriots with martyr syndromes.
Read installments one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight of Dan's correspondence. In a few weeks, I'm going to work on putting all his material together into a .pdf or something for those (very few, I'm sure) of you who'd inexplicably like to have all of Dan's stories collected neatly in one digitally-bound volume.
Posted by matt at 08:00 AM | Comments (3)