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September 30, 2005
you're a wrecking ball with a heart of gold
Mt. Eerie - I Can't Believe You Actually Died ("Singers" version)
Frankly, the difference between this new version of 'I Can't Believe You Actually Died' and the "Song Islands" version is that Phil's incredulity is a lot more, um, believable in this one (notwithstanding what happens at the very end). The "Song Islands" version starts with some playful banter between Phil and the chorus, but this "Singers" one jumps right into the track, and places less emphasis on the strings and more on Phil's crooked, echoing electric guitar; the notes he plays bend and break throughout the track, as if he's leaning on his instrument as a sort of crutch for his overwhelming grief and it's bowing under the strain. But it's just a trick- there's no grief- or if there was, it's been supplanted by happy nostalgia. At 4:28 Phil cracks up and finally his chorus collapses in a wash of giggles.
If you want to read something that truly takes a wide-angle look at Phil Elverum's discography and captures a lot of the disparate elements of his work, check out the excellent essay that Matt wrote after hearing "No Flashlight". Matt does a good job of articulating a lot of the more subtle points of Microphones/Mt. Eerie music.
You can order "Singers" either from Phil's label (which is closed right now because he's on tour), or here. Either way, you get both the 12" and the CD version, which is pretty nice.
Posted by Kevin at 04:26 AM
September 28, 2005
a chest full of wet and angry cotton
When Wolf Parade played the Believer showcase back in the beginning of June, the setlist was both amazing and confusing. Even though the name of the 'written-last-week' song is still a mystery, and the one with the 'Be My Baby' beat attached to it by Arlen is still unknown, at least one thing's for certain- that jammed out version of 'You Are A Runner and I Am My Father's Son' is actually a Spencer-stitched medley, where the stark observations of 'Runner...' flow right into the assault of 'Fancy Claps'- so seamlessly that you'd think the songs had originally been conjoined.
Since 'Fancy Claps' had the distinction of being the only true new song on "Apologies...", there was a lot of expectation surounding it. And I think it's actually one of Spencer's best songs; the music is dramatic and haunting, and the lyrical imagery is on par with 'You Are A Runner...', 'I'll Believe in Anything', and 'Snake's Got A Leg' as some of his most compelling. If there's one surface theme that runs through his lyrics, it's the emphasis he places on body parts (either synecdochically or as body parts qua body parts): the mouth and heart in 'You Are a Runner...', the eyes, bones, blood and voice in 'I'll Believe in Anything', and the feet and hair in 'Fancy Claps'. I like especially when Krug imagines himself as a sort of Lilliputian, tiny enough to be stowed easily in the tresses of someone's hair, small enough to crawl down someone's throat to gently graffiti their heart's wall.
Wolf Parade are on tour now (sometimes with Dante DeCaro and Think About Life as openers), and they put on a good show, so you should try to get out to see them.
Thanks very much to You Ain't No Picasso's Matt for the live recording. Too nice.
p.s. I have the flu, or something like bronchitis and pain mixed together in my chest. That's why this was so late and semi-incoherent.
Posted by Kevin at 10:51 PM
endearing organs
The Caribbean's new album, "Plastic Explosives" is a lot like OK Computer, on a certain level (I know this might sound far-fetched, but bear with me here). Michael Kentoff (singer, lyricist) seems to have approached this 3rd LP from almost the same angle that Radiohead's Thom Yorke did- as an attempt to offer brief portraits, accurately if somewhat elliptically drawn, of characters on the verge: of long journeys, of drastic changes, of escape from life-negating alienation and loneliness. Although the execution isn't the same (where RH prefer to work in a sort of electric and static medium, the Caribbean imbue their songs with a late-night bleary-eyed acoustic guitar hush), many of the themes are similar- but because of that difference, the Caribbean's songs aren't quite as claustrophobic and full of veiled threats as the songs on OK Computer. Think of "Plastic Explosives" as the Mr. Nervous to OK Computer's Mr. Worry, with just a shade of meaning between them.
'I Thee Wed' is a perfect example of what to expect from this album- generous portions of acoustic guitar, Michael Kentoff's slightly nasally sing-speaking, and small tangents of intra-song distractions. Plus, philsophically speaking, this track utilizes what is perhaps the industry standard example of performative language when Michael sings, "I thee wed". Each time you listen to this track, M. Kentoff is essentially marrying you (or trying to). Language in action! Woo.
"Plastic Explosives" was just released by Home Tapes, and is available directly from the nice people at the label for a mere $11 (a steal).
Posted by Kevin at 12:13 AM
September 27, 2005
her hair has too much reverb in it
This song is wordlessly trying to tell you a few things: that French horns should be savored, that the Wurlitzer and analog synth are worthy of your love, and that some sounds are made to be listened to in certain weather. Preferably, one would hear this song for the first time after going for a long run in a heavily-wooded park, at dusk, with a sly autumnal breeze pawing at your back. Torngat join the likes of Kingsbury Manx, Archer Prewitt, and BoC in making music that complements the crunchy leaves and cloudy skies time of year.
'Alberta Song' harbors a deep and abiding love for heavy drums. The percussion on this track really makes it as special as it is, pushing it away from mere 'curiosity' and making it something compelling and substantial. But there's more to it than that- Torngat fill the quiet interstices of their songs with thick, warm synth phrases, and with horns that wrap around the track like delicate climbing vines. This is the kind of music that's vital, life-affirming, and celebratory (without being maudlin).
'Alberta Song' is taken from Torngat's most recent recording, "La Rouge", which is available from the fine people at Cheap Thrills.
Posted by Kevin at 12:46 AM
September 26, 2005
walk this curve from x to y
Max Richter - the Twins (Prague)
As a slight change of pace from that Kevin Drumm track on Friday, this simple piano piece from Max Richter is inordinately pretty, light, and graceful. Those hop-skip notes that cap each phrase sound so perfectly off-balance; it's like watching a highly-trained dancer execute a complicated jump, only to spin slightly off equilibrium and have to steady herself with a few soft steps.
'the Twins (Prague)' is from Richter's pre-"Blue Notebooks" album, "Memoryhouse", which was released on BBC's Late Junction label, in 2002. Richter said that, with "Memoryhouse", he was trying to create narrative music "with any and all means at my disposal", which (the narrative part) shows through on the album, as it tells the story of a kind of journey through the last century. Available here- although it's difficult to find in the U.S., it's a stunning record, and definitely worth hunting down.
Posted by Kevin at 12:19 AM
September 23, 2005
where's my Baedeker's guide to effrontery?
Kevin Drumm - Lurch Two (excerpt)
Sometimes people say they can really 'feel the music'. Usually these people are playing lead guitar in jam bands (mild zing). But if you want to discuss music that has a strong visceral impact upon the listener, why not talk about Kevin Drumm? Most of you are probably familiar with "Sheer Hellish Miasma", the Mego record which can be accurately described as "the wailing, caliginous maw of Hell; a cacaphony lifted straight from the halls of Pandaemonium." (New York Times*). Which is just to say that you'd be hard-pressed to find another piece of music that confronts and agitates in such a well-designed manner.
'Lurch Two' is from Drumm's 2003 record, "Land of Lurches" (actually all the tracks are untitled), and is excerpted here for your listening pleasure in a bite-sized one minute clip. The introduction is innocent enough: soft, sticky aquatic sounds, the record of an object being shoved unceremoniously into an ignominious grave of chocolate pudding. But that's just a feint. Drumm then unleashes a quick-cut jumble of grief-stricken static, oil-curdling screams, and a chorus of ululating turbines. Every time I listen to this, my pulse goes double-time. There's something to be said for music that taps into your 'fight or flight' adrenaline disjunction.
You can order "Land of Lurches" from Hanson Records (the CD has a bonus track).
P.S. Andrew has got the new episode of the PopCast up over at Dig A Pony. This one features the song 'Ruff Gem', from Islands' (ex-Unicorns Nicholas Diamonds and Jaime Tambour) debut album "Islands Return to the Sea", right at the start. Definitely worth checking out. Among other things, Nick Diamonds talks about Th'Corn Gangg's forthcoming LP.
*not really.
Posted by Kevin at 12:40 AM
September 22, 2005
treasure trove of shame
A quick hit of Italo disco! 10 seconds of radio-scanning, a flash of actual japanese, the song playing on a station with weak broadcasting power, and finally you're dipped all the way in (at 36 seconds); bass, then beats, and some power-suited trumpet synth. It's less japanese war game and more pastel-robed eye-shadowed samurai hitting each other with Nerf swords. A moment of danger implied at 4:12, fully realized by the drum machine's eloquent solo, thirty seconds later.
Koto released 4 records in 1993. 'Japanese War Game' is from the "Masterpieces" LP. Beyond that though, I have little in the way of artist information. If anyone knows anything about Koto, it'd be Rich Four Four. However, if you dig this track (which you should), you can download the whole album for a mere 80 cents over here. Enjoy.
Posted by Kevin at 10:32 AM
September 21, 2005
clustering darkness forever ok?
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Albanian
Since about midsummer of 2003, GY!BE have been on a break. Apparently, the members of the band wanted some time off to work on their other projects (Silver Mt. Zion, Fly Pan Am, Et Sans, Hrsta, Exhaust, etc. there's about 4 side projects per person). There were rumors of a break-up, but members of the band have come out to say that Godpseed will get back together, at some point (even if it's 10 years down the line).
'Albanian' is an unreleased track that Godspeed had been playing live during their "Yanqui U.X.O." tour (the one where they were detained in Oklahoma on suspicion of terrorism, thanks to a particularly dim-witted gas station attendant), and along with the gorgeous half-hour long 'Gamelan', is the only indication of what their next album might sound like, whenever they do get around to recording it.
It starts quietly enough: a guitar rocking back and forth, staccato drums, and quick, slashing strokes on the violin and cello. Efrim, Roger, and Dave begin to lay down a steady stream of static and heavily distorted chords- but the focus of this track is the strings, courstesy of Sophie and Norsola. The main theme, which is an ascending, off-balance phrase, is spun out again and again, over the dual drums and in between Efrim's screwdrivered and reverbed guitar interrogations. But the most interesting portion of this piece comes about 6 minutes in, when they quiet things down a little bit, and let themselves ride out the groove they've established. What's suprising, at least for GY!BE, is that during this one minute window of calm, they bust out a few quick, utilitarian guitar solos that sound absolutely amazing. The remainder of the track expands and contracts according to their usual methods, but the strings never lose their primacy- it's a slightly different voice for them, which is a good thing.
'Gamelan' too is just outrageously pretty. It definitely hearkens back to their "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven" work, but sounds way more, well, positive and life-affirming than anything from that album (or anything else they've ever done, for that matter).
'Albanian' is taken from a show that GY!BE performed on March 4th, 2003 in D.C. Versions of 'Albanian' and 'Gamelan' are both actually available here, from a show the band played on May 14th 2003 in France.
Posted by Kevin at 01:34 AM
September 20, 2005
that's not a Volvo.
Hala Strana - Streets of Raised Platforms
Here's why I'm re-running this entry: Steven Smith is releasing a new record on the fantastic Catsup Plate Records, the 40+ minute, single track "Crown of Marches" LP. If I could post an excerpt from that, I would. But for now, you'll have to settle for this goregous song from Hala Strana's s/t debut album on Emperor Jones. This is what I said about it, almost a year ago-
Hala Strana, a band that makes its home within the San Francisco-centric Jewelled Antler Collective, is led by Steven R. Smith and focuses mostly on incorporating Eastern European folk music traditions into more accessible song structures. The Jewelled Antler Collective as an operation is terrifically fascinating, and its constituent bands are almost scarily prolific, so it's tough to keep up with their goings-on, and even harder to find what could be considered an easy starting point in the Collective's wide-ranging discography. However, if I had to recommend anything, Hala Strana and this song in particular would serve as a good place to begin. 'Streets of Raised Platforms' opens with a plaintive, drawn-out violin figure, encased in gossamer metallic guitar work- very much reminiscent of some of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's quieter pre-crescendo moments- and finishes with some dazzling guitar interplay that cuts through the fog of the strings like a beacon, and ends the track on a resigned but hopeful note.
[I was so young, back then. Such a rookie.]
Posted by Kevin at 03:12 AM
September 19, 2005
a teleology defined by ethanol
Nothing's up because I just spent about 17 hours filling out a questionnaire for a job I probably won't get. I'm just kidding, I love this type of corporate shit, it's my bread and butter. Life is sweet. To wit:
Finally found (via Ruffian Hugh McElroy) the website for Horses (the band of ex-Black Eyers that I mentioned below), but the music files won't play at all. However, Hugh says they're going to post everything Horses ever did on the Ruffian Records site at some point in the near future.
Psych-O-Path Records is re-issuing Jane's "Cococnuts" EP on CD. Available right now at Other Music.
Rory Allen Phillips (Impossibles, Slowreader) is alive and well, and he's still writing music. Check out his website and listen to the new track he's got up.
The Eagles won (42-3). However, my football picks were, once again, astoundingly bad.
More later.
Posted by Kevin at 01:19 AM
September 16, 2005
destroying something no one's ever even seen
'Eternal Life' starts where 'Cough, Cough' ends, with a dizzying stew of sounds; an ether made of saxophone, orphaned drums, and bass static. Hugh sings like he's making a speech to a mob, "who have eyes to see let them see/who have ears to hear let them hear/the strength of the lion lies down before the strength of the lamb," straining to make himself heard over the intentional din. Then the drum attack commences, and Hugh has to really reach for it, screaming, "We are the sun!".
When I wrote about Black Eyes before, I said they were like Animal Collective in terms of their experimentation, but more focused on a sort of urban/grimy ideal (instead of the pastoral/sylvan style of AC), which I still think is a fair comparison, at least in terms of the energy and creativity that both bands exhibit. But on their second record, "Cough", Black Eyes focused less on the drums-and-guitar erosion and built their grooves more on the thickness created by Jacob Long's saxophone, Hugh and Daniel's voices, and an overwhelming love of percussion- a sound that speaks of hard, dirty sidewalks, covered in gum and stained by a thousand different indiscretions. "Cough" is like a very tortured shoegaze record (pretty in sections, but also angry and abusive). Some say Drum-punk, or Jazz-punk. With their last record, Black Eyes were moving in a direction like This Heat, Liars, or Black Dice, toward some vanishing point where the extremely beautiful collapsed into the unbearably caustic, and I think 'Eternal Life' perfectly represents that. "Cough" is a straight up-and-down masterpiece.
Black Eyes broke up, and spawned a million different bands. Horses (Hugh, Mike, Dan Caldas) and White Flight (Jacob, Daniel) were born. White Flight broke up. Horses continued. Flowers (Jacob and Maya) started and ended. Go to Sleep started. Earthensea started (Jacob's solo project). Water Wolves was born when Daniel moved out to the West Coast and joined up with Jacob. Horses broke up. Hugh runs Ruffian Records and plays in Hand-Fed Babies (and maybe Go To Sleep?), and Dan Caldas plays with Ris Paul Ric. Not positive, but I think that's about where it stands right now.
Anyway, you can buy "Cough" right here.
Posted by Kevin at 12:22 PM
September 15, 2005
yi, er, san, si. one tussis too many.
This song is a preface, really. A warm-up. The track I really want to talk about is 'Eternal Life', but that's for later on. 'Cough, Cough' is the show before the show, and it's sort of a hellish miasma (albeit a gentle one). All of Black Eyes' usual techniques are on display, but scattered and disorganized. love it.
Posted by Kevin at 03:14 PM | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
secretaries don't like my ways
Gone to a temp agency to get my office skills tested. Hopefully by 'office skills' they mean: writing email, drinking coffee, surreptitiously downloading music, and manipulating co-workers into performing menial tasks on one's behalf (or 'delegating').
Later on: Black Eyes. "Cough". more prose nonsense from yours truly.
Posted by Kevin at 11:11 PM | TrackBack
crushing hopes and dreams in a cavalier way
Electric Six Organs of Admittance - Close to the Sky
This is not, as Michael suggested in the comments the other day, a mash-up of Electric Six and Six Organs of Admittance (which, if anyone cares to try their hand at such a thing, I will post the resultant insanity here, tout de suite). What this actually is has sort of a story behind it.
Ethan Miller (from Comets on Fire) writes in his liner notes to "Bread, Beard, and Bear's Prayers", that this track comes from a period in 2002 when Ben Chasny (= Six Organs) asked Comets to serve as his backing band, for a sort of free/noisy/groove version of Six Organs. They played a few shows, mostly on the West Coast apparently, and recorded some of their rehearsals for a full LP that was going to come out at some point under the Electric Six Organs of Admittance name. Eventually, Chasny decided to break-up the project (sorta) and the Electric LP remains in limbo.
'Close to the Sky' though was chosen by Ethan Miller for inclusion on the "Bread, Beard, and Bear's Prayers" compilation that he did for Arthur Magazine's Bastet imprint. And thank god he did, because this song is out of this world great. As Miller himself says, "the vocals were muddy as hell but great grooves and solos". And it's true- despite Chasny's voice sounding subterranean, it still shines through clearly, and the guitars on 'Close to the Sky' are alternately abrasive, scrambling, decorative, and absolutely searing. Listen to it- you won't be disappointed.
I have to say though, if there's a whole album of this kind of stuff out there somewhere, Chasny and Comets on Fire should think seriously about releasing it, cause it's just jaw-droppingly pretty. The sounds they get are inspired, in the literal sense- everything seems so 'breathed into'.
"Bread, Beard, and Bear's Prayers" is available over at Bastet. One note about this compilation though: it is uniformly excellent, from beginning to end, and the artwork/packaging is immaculate, with a hand-stitched cover and fantastic silk-screened art. Plus it's got a bear on the cover, and how can you resist that, really?
Posted by Kevin at 12:08 AM | TrackBack
September 13, 2005
goodbye to fun
Black Dice - Smiling Off (Luomo remix)
On this remix, Luomo does what he does so well: he parses Black Dice's fantastic 'Smiling Off' (which is a window's view of gnarled thickets of thorns, rapacious kudzu, and undiagrammed railroad tracks punctuated by blurry ellipses of eye-catching meadows and spare, old forests) by taking Aaron Warren and Eric Copeland's vocals and drawing them, in a way, into one of his soft and fluttery grooves (e.g. 'the Present Lover').
If you think of the Black Dice original as a relief print block, where the details are raised and articulated, surrounded by rough-hewn patches of wood, then the Luomo remix is like the intaglio analogue, with a clean shiny surface and with only the most prominent of details etched into the copper plate. It's not that the remix is quite the diametric opposite, but some elements (the thicker Black Dice noises) have been lost in translation (to be replaced by other, sleeker, more polite noise). Side by side the two tracks converge, aesthetically, at certain points; the border between them may be fixed, but it's also porous.
This remix will be released on both a 12" and a CD, also featuring remixes by ZZ Pot and the DFA, on October 4th. You can buy it here right now, and it'll probably be up on here soon too.
Posted by Kevin at 12:41 AM | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
seeking bookies
After making these atrocious football picks (7-7 record right now, but I still have a chance to come out on top if the Eagles win tonight) yesterday and watching the Chargers fall apart against the Cowboys, I don't have the energy or the good will inside me to write about music (maybe this afternoon). God help me if I ever start actually betting on games. Things would go downhill, fast.
But what's coming up??? I've got an Electric Six Organs of Admittance track to post and write about (it's gorgeous), and, if 30 other people don't write about it before I get to it (unlikely), that Luomo remix of Black Dice's 'Smiling Off'.
Posted by Kevin at 01:41 AM | TrackBack
September 09, 2005
kitchen gossip is full of secrets and soda
Raccoo-Oo-Oon - Cave of Spirits
The first time I wrote about Raccoo-oo-oon, I compared them to the fauves, and that's not quite right. The more I think about it, and the more I listen to their music, the more I'm reminded of the paintings of Henri Rousseau. The jungle imagery that Rousseau used, the weird and delicate layers or color that he employed for the exotic foliage, and above all, the pervasive sense of danger that pops up in some of Rousseau's best paintings- it works as a compelling visual analogue to Raccoo-oo-oon's songs (not that there has to be one, but it's interesting nonetheless).
'Cave of Spirits' is the title track on Raccoo-oo-oon's recently released CD-R on Time-Lag Records, and it's quite a ride. I feel like Raccoo-oo-oon are going to have a hard time escaping the Animal Collective comparison (and on this track, it's all too easy to hear the similarities to 'Here Comes the Indian'-era A.C., or, even moreso, "Hollinndagain"-era A.C.), but really, they're doing something quite different from Avey Tare and co. This song alone shares traits with Hella, Boredoms/Vooredoms, Excepter- and the rest of the album, particularly 'Under the Deck', has the same kind of sprawling, decaying energy that made Black Eyes so exciting.
And that's one of the things that makes this band special, and something they definitely do share with Animal Collective- their relationship to their music seems dynamic and visceral, like when Noah (Panda Bear) was talking about what A.C. like to try to do for their live shows, "I think when we do it right we go deep inside ourselves when we play and I'd like to encourage people to do the same sort of thing with their stuff, even if it's not music at all." Raccoo-oo-oon definitely project a sense of being carried away by their own music, which is a good thing indeed.
"The Cave of Spirits Forever" is available either from the band themselves, or from the excellent Time-Lag Records. However, as was the case with the Wooden Spoon CD, Raccoo-oo-oon's album is a limited release (200), so you better jump on that.
Posted by Kevin at 01:49 AM | TrackBack
September 08, 2005
kicking names and taking ass
Wooden Spoon specializes in music that is positively incandescent, and don't think I'm just saying that because there's a picture of a candle on the album's cover. No no. Owen Hills' songs are lambent, flowing, unexpected, and downright sneaky. There are precedents of course, as the publicity prose kindly points out: Basho, Fahey- but I think a better comparison (and more contemporary too) is Kevin Barker's Currituck Co., which shows the same versatility of expression (if within a different range) as Wooden Spoon.
"Untitled 3" (all the songs are unnamed) begins with the slow, tenuous fingering of a piano note, pierced soon after by a few tight packets of chords. Then, incongruously, brilliantly, a flurry of acoustic guitar rises up and weaves itself in through the stark air of the piano, like a group of kids playing tag, running suddenly and unwittingly through a house in the midst of a dour wake. Underneath it too, there's a slight harmonium drone, tugging gently at the rest of the song.
Wooden Spoon's debut CD-R is available from either Digitalis Recordings or from Time-Lag Records. There are only 100 copies though, so if you like what you hear, order it quick.
Posted by Kevin at 01:17 AM | TrackBack
September 07, 2005
Drum's Not Dead, merely postponed
Even though P-fork says it's coming out in October some time, Liars' "Drum's Not Dead" isn't actually going to be released until early '06- maybe. According to Mute, "Drum's Not Dead" is tentatively scheduled for a February release, and the band will not be playing any dates in the U.S. any time soon. This is severely disappointing news.
No music today, I was too drunk last night to write anything. Apologies. Good stuff coming tomorrow and Friday though, for real.
Posted by Kevin at 11:24 AM | TrackBack
September 06, 2005
what a pink infant
I almost forgot: Molars is a year old today. Strange. Thanks to Matt and everyone that reads this pink beast. You're too nice.
Posted by Kevin at 10:19 AM | TrackBack
the bones of seven lemons
Atlas Strategic - Day in the Life
Some of you might know this song through its Wolf Parade incarnation, which Dan StG wrote about a couple months ago, but 'Day in the Life' made its debut on Atlas Strategic's "Rapture, Ye Minions" album. Dan Boeckner's old band had a very different style, as anyone who's heard them can attest. While Wolf Parade may make some dark, fractured pop, Atlas Strategic made music that was broken, stuttering, partial to tangential asides, and expressed via mildly abrasive (old steel wool) arrangements.
Wolf Parade's version puts the sadness of the song in parentheses; it's quarantined by strong beats, jagged guitar, and syrupy/sour organ sounds. There's no question that its gorgeous, but the passionate delivery that Dan and Spencer give the lyrics almost masks the patent despair of the original. In the Atlas Strategic version, you can hear every heartrending nuance of Dan's words, reflected in the slow, almost torturous pace of the track- the herky-jerk guitar and the way the organ only rarely deigns to become an actual part of the song. Dan harmonizes with a beautiful female voice during the emotional climax of the song, where he sings about being "on the bus into town/through the clear, shining air/the houses with the shades pulled down/you can guess what goes on in there"- and it captures that personal bubble of loneliness that seems to envelop any public transportation traveler (c.f. Belle and Sebastian's "the State that I Am In" when Stuart sings "riding on city buses for a hobby is sad").
Atlas Strategic broke up in 2002. "Rapture, Ye Minions" is sadly out of print, but you can find some more information here, at Global Symphonic, and here, at the band's old website.
P.S. the contest is on. please enter.
Posted by Kevin at 12:18 AM | TrackBack
September 02, 2005
the linear algebra of romantic comedies
No Things - Tears for Time Lost
Last time I wrote about these guys was almost a year ago, and in the meantime No Things have released their debut single (Coward/Trees) on Blast First Petite, have played a ton of shows around New York, and have recorded a bunch of new songs, one of which is "Tears for Time Lost".
One of the most compelling aspects of No Things' sound is the way that their songs sound so built. The band seems like they're constructing something new with every track, carefully laying down each element- voice, bass, drums, guitar- to make something concrete. No Things' songs are like muddy, rusty scaffolding; what I mean by that is that their music is interesting in a way that's uncomfortable, they're not a band that you would ever put on to soothe yourself after a bad day at the office, or after a nasty break-up. It's wiry and hard and spare. On "Tears for Time Lost", Christian sounds like he's singing, menacingly, through a walkie-talkie with low batteries while Ron pounds out a war-drum pattern. Pat's bass doesn't really make itself known until towards the end of the song, when it winds itself up through the other instruments, sounding like a huge old turbine trying to turn on. Oh, it's good.
No Things' debut single is available here, and hopefully there'll be some news on the full-length soon.
Posted by Kevin at 01:25 AM | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
Childballads and Contest
1) I already said this today on the blue-and-gray, but I don't know how much overlap there is between this and that, so here goes again. Betsy Wright from Childballads stopped by to say that the band has a new website up, and they would like people to come by and check it out. So do that please. They've got new tour dates up and some cool photos of the band playing out live. If you want to listen to some Childballads, I left their debut mp3, 'The Onion Domes of Tallahassee', up on the original entry.
2) All right. The long-promised contest. All you have to do to enter is send me a song that either directly or indirectly references sexual harassment in the workplace. Some of you may know that I'm trying to compile a mix of such songs, as seen here and here. But! You also have to write something about the song, just a short paragraph or whatever. Whoever sends in the best one (as judged by myself and my 4 younger brothers) will win a $25 gift certificate to Insound. Ok? Send any entries to molarscontest (at) gmail (dot) com. This contest will run until the end of September, or until I at least have enough entries to make it fair.
P.S. today's music entry is below.
Posted by Kevin at 03:55 PM | TrackBack
all my sour grapes are exported for grapeade
Joke songs. Some say 'classic', others say 'dud as fuck'. A proud tradition, stretching back to the time of the ancient Greeks, when wandering musicians would compose arrangements for their lyres and flutes to match the playful and amusing anecdotes that included such topics as: mistaken identities, swapped robes, oxen sacrifice bloopers, humorous plagues, etc. Like King Missile, like Blink-182, the Do Nots are part of this tradition.
This is my little brother(Sean)'s band, first of all (for those of you who missed this charade the first time around). They finished recording their demo, and it actually turned out really well. 5 tracks, sort of an EP, which they decided to title "Mechadroid Clinic". 'Fat Chicks' is probably the catchiest of the five, or at least the most interesting and entertaining.
One of the strongest elements in this song is the intro- the guitar's little buzzy figure at the start sets the pace for the drums and loping bass to make their entrance, and it's dramatic in a way; they actually manage to build some tension right from the get-go. I like how micro-sloppy the cymbal hits are right before the verses start, it's endearing in a weird way. Jo(h)n sings the verses on this one, telling the story of a hapless young lad who goes on a blind date with some rhinopotamus-girl who's carrying some major lbs. Right? Okay, so then in the chorus, which Jo(h)n and Nick sing (Nick is the one who sounds like he's passing a kidney stone and having a really bad temper tantrum at the same time), we find out that main character dude ends up marrying this hefty-hefty-cinch-sack of a woman and, in fact, embraces (perhaps fetishizes?) the Fashion Bug Plus kind of lady, on the whole.
The other best part of this song comes at 2:23, when the bass and guitars exert enough force on each other to form a Charybdian whirlpool-breakdown. V. pretty indeed.
the Do Nots may or may not become Famous One-Liners. Depends. Apparently there's some German band named Do Nots, so conflicts are bound to occur. Cease and desist letters flying across the Atlantic, perhaps crossing each other, tragically, in transit. You get the idea. Anyway, so if you're into this music and would possibly consider purchasing a copy of it, go to the band's website and get in touch with them kids (btw, my brother is the one all the way to the right, in the picture they have up), right here.