You Give Pause, I Take It

I'm working on a Top Such-and-Such of 2007, and I do aim to finish it. It just mightn't arrive until January. End o' December is such a superbusy time: social engagements, holiday doings, retail hell, etc. My silly little countdown can wait.

Given a free weekend I can type scads.


Daniel says, "Say, whatever happened to Anah Aevia?"
I says, "ionno".
But here's one of their songs I sure like.
Anah Aevia, one of the severest purveyors of "pterodactyl vocals" ever.

Anah Aevia - Closed Arms and Clenched Fists

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas songs are dumb. I'm sure at one point in history Christmas songs were fun and enjoyable, but even though they're only played one month (sometimes two) out of the year, the same songs are repeated over and over EVERYWHERE.
You know all this already. You've suffered from lame Christmas songs enough this year. But I'll offer a few that are at least tolerable. I do find that I'm more inclined to appreciate the hymny Jesus songs. Tunes about jingling bells and frosty snowmen don't stack up so well against songs about the savior of the world, if you know what I mean.

Anathallo - O Holy Night
Pedro the Lion - O Come O Come Emmanuel
Viva Voce - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Wheeler Sisters - Don Oiche Ud I mBeithil

Merry Christmas, y'all.

The art of trickery

- Awww Snaps! You got RickRolled!

Rick-rolling or RickRolling or being Rick Rolled all refer to the subtle art of misdirection. You look left while I lead you right.

HOLY CRAP a V1DE0 of a dude lifting a bus off of a K1D. Amazing…

Bam you just got rickrolled. You weren’t expecting it, they never are. This little act of shenaniganary is merely a testament to the fact that anyone will think of anything to use YouTube for. Whether it be Mastering the Quadruple Kickflip or Taking the Kitty to the Spa. This can only be categorized into the lowest form of entertainment right next to old clips of “Kimmy” Gibbler or Joy Junction.

I pain to have to link that.

On a side note…Who is Rick?

Rick is Richard Paul Astley. Rick was a Dance-Pop singer in the early to mid 80s with a few top hits, mostly in the UK. He was nominated for a Grammy award for best new artist of the year but lost to Tracy Chapman.

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On a more metal note. I would like to plug my latest metal fancy. A small band by the name of The Devil Wears Prada.

Yes. yes. you’re thinking, why the hell am I being fed this, my girlfriend already made me watch the movie with her, which wasn’t all that bad, but was all about fashion and girl-crap like that.

I swear to you this is no hoax. The Devil Wears Prada is a metal band. Damn good one at that. I mean look at these ablum coverz.

Nought but metal found within.

Pretty good metal at that.

Okay so what I think about said band is as follows. They mix very fluent and fluctuating sound into a diverse harvest of musical talent and lyrical mastery. That was almost poetic...

Anyhow I think theys good. I likes good. They make muh eers giggle. I like to tickle puppies.

The albums images above are actually in reverse order. The bottom one “dear love: a beautiful discord” came out last year (2006) while “Plagues” was released August 21 of this year. The prior is much more youthy with a very distinguishable basement or Generator stage quality while the latter is more polished and sophomoric, flaunting a bit more experimentalism and edge. Both albums are choice and can be purchased using the wizardry of iTunes or from the artists’ label site Here.

No seriously, Here.

Rofl.

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okies. I’m done, but before I go I’ll leave you with something seriously and truly disturbing…you will never want to read Mark Twain again.

Children’s Show?

The Letter O

In this series I spotlight five bands and/or artists whose names begin with the same letter. I try to feature active (or recently active... it's hard to keep current with all the break-ups) performers so as to reflect who I'm listening to and enjoying at the moment.

Again, with the tracks from Insound.com, if you've saving them to your harddrive you may actually have to physically type ".mp3" at the end of the file name. Don't let typing four extra buttons prevent you from enjoying these songs.

O

of Montreal
Not actually of Montreal. Of Athens, Georgia. Like REM. But despite being from Georgah, of Montreal's music is otherwordly. I don't know specifically what world, but it's fancifal and bouncy and probably looks a lot like Pepperland. The music, then, is in that same sort of sub-psychadelic vein, though the band is not opposed to dishing out some thick trance beats or, at the other end of the musical spectrum, unplugging entirely to coo something nice and folky.
If it looks like I'm dumping a ton of tracks on you it's because they're so dang prolific. There's so much of Montreal to hear.
"She's My Best Friend" (Velvet Underground cover) .mp3 from The Elephant Six Recording Company. There's also a bunch of live tracks and a demo I haven't listened to yet.
"Heimdalsgate Like a Promethian Curse" .mp3 via Insound.com.
"So Begins Our Alabee" .mp3 via Insound.com. Good song.
"Disconnect the Dots" .mp3 via Insound.com. This song has been played everywhere.
"Doing Nothing" .mp3 via Insound.com. Also a good song.
"Spoonful of Sugar" .mp3 via Insound.com. Some of that folksy stuff I mentioned. A VERY good song.
"The Past is a Grotesque Animal" .mp3 from Under The Rotunda blog. Twelve minutes of sweet awesome goodness.
Also, for fun, check out the track list for The Early Four Track Recordings.


Okkervil River
Okkervil River is a bit hard to define, but I could get away with calling it rootsy indie rock. They utilize non-conventional rock 'n' roll instruments like accordians and mandolins and whatnot, but still lean more towards rock than folk. Their lyrical imagery is often pretty dark and usually tells some sort of coherant story. It's those big musical hooks that'll nab you, though. Just good songwriting all around.
I don't know. LISTEN.
"Westfall" .mp3 via Insound.com. Probably the best song ever. Evil don't look like anything.
"Red" .mp3 via Insound.com.
"The War Criminal Rises and Speaks" .mp3 via Insound.com.
"For Real" .mp3 from the Jagjaguwar Records site. This song is super good. For real.
"Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" .mp3 from the Jagjaguwar Records site.
"The President's Dead" .mp3 from the Jagjaguwar Records site. Not morbid, but no less real.
"No Key, No Plan" .mp3 from the Jagjaguwar Records site.


Oneida
Oneida might be a bit of an acquired taste, but once you figure out how to appreciate them then you'll find their awesomeness knows no bounds. The band's songs are all at once hazey, hypnotizing, weird (like a nebula causing a traffic accident is weird), dense and heavy. Fundamentally, though, it comes down to the rock, and your face will eventually come off due to the rock.
Like Okkervil River, they've also released a bunch of albums through Jagjaguwar.
"Run Through My Hair" .mp3 via the Jagjaguwar Records site. Very cool.
"Up With People" .mp3 via the Jagjaguwar Records site.
"Wild Horses" .mp3 via Jagjaguwar. Not a Stones cover, but still a great song.
"Each One Teach One" .mp3 via Insound.com.
"To Seed and Flower" .mp3.
"Turn it Up Loud" .mp3. Bizarre, but in a good way.
Also, www.myspace/oneidarocks.com.


The Out_Circuit
Several bands rose up from the ashes of Frodus. One of them, founded by Frodus' last bassist Nathan Burke, is called The Out_Circuit (with or without the underscore). The Out_Circuit continues in that same bass-heavy paranoia-ishness that made And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea so good. In fact, I highly recommend checking out that album (the fourth track, non-coincidently, is called "Out-Circuit the Ending") very soon after checking out these Out_Circuit songs.
There are currently four downloadables on the Lujo website. They are:
"Glasgow" -- Cold and atmospheric, listening to this song is like losing a fight to an arctic ghosttown.
"We Will End" -- The music is so rich, the mental imagery it provokes is outstanding.
"Across the Light" -- New song from the new album, Pierce the Empire With a Sound. I spy guest vocals.
"Come Out Shooting" -- Watch out for those unexpectedly abrasive vocals. Be lured back by the beauty of the music. Fantastic song.
A couple other listen-worthy streamies on the band's Virb.com website.
And appearing on a Lujo Christmas compilation, this is the best version of O Come Emmanuel (.mp3) you've ever heard.


Ozma
Ozma is awesome, but you already knew that. They broke up in 2004 but came back together earlier this year and released an album. Unfortunately, probably because I'm stupid, I haven't listened to that album yet. I bet it rocks. I bet you can't tell me otherwise.
Now I'm listening to some of those new songs on Myspace.
Now I'm done. They're a little world-weary, but still quite excellent. "Eponine" is great.
Other songs of excellence --
From the Kung Fu Records site: "Apple Trees", "No One Needs to Know", "Flight of the Bootymaster", "Bad Dogs", "Gameover".
And personal favorites of mine: "Natalie Portman", "Battlescars", "Korobeiniki".

1979

Shakedown, 1979.
Disco was in full disgusting glory, as was glamrock, David Bowie, and various other facets of music that celebrated dazzling cocaine-feuled androgynous misbehavior. There were others, though, not terribly interested in the excesses of rock 'n' roll. Others whose music was likened to poetry rather than hoppin' soundtracks to coke-lining. I like these guys 'cause they kept it real. I like these guys because they preferred subtlety to outRAGEouness.


Neil Young - My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
Though it might be better to burn out than to fade away, Young's burn out example, Johnny Rotton, still periodically plays reunion shows with the Sex Pistols. Way to screw up the impact of this song, Lydon. Anyway, this track opens up Young's Rust Never Sleeps album, while the song's plugged-in counterpart, "Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)", closes it. I prefer this sad and lonesome version, as I would to any song that had a sad and lonesome version.

Bob Dylan - Gotta Serve Somebody
This is probably Dylan's best-known song from his "Christian Phase". It's just a soulful little tune about, no matter who you are or what you're doing, you're either servin' the Devil or you're servin' the Lord. Despite the frustratingly vague lyrics he was known for earlier in his musical career, Dylan at this point in his life is a straight shooter, making very clear his message and motivation and not worrying about whom he might offend.

Patti Smith Group - Dancing Barefoot
This is probably one of the best and more accessible of Patti Smith's songs (though I'm also a fan of her cover of "When Doves Cry" found on her 2002 Land retrospect/compilation, of which "Dancing Barefoot is the lead track). This is a love song to be sure, but not in the conventional poppybopp way. Both lyrically and musically she paints a picture of love that comes from mysterious origins and ends up in unknown places. And while I think that spoken words in music should be limited to 1960s girl groups, this is still a great and nearly magical song.

Joy Division - She's Lost Control
Is it ironic that a song about epilepsy is also kind of danceable? Instrumentally (and even lyrically, I suppose) this is a very unique and ahead-of-its-time song. Despite being very stripped down (you can easily identify each instrument at any given time), heavy studio effects amp up the hazardous atmosphere of the song. Everything sounds as though it's being played through a mattress with the exception of Ian Curtis' voice, which is coming from some barren region of paranoid outerspace. And though the tune is outright weird, it's still dang catchy. Like pop music turned inside-out.

Commodores - Sail On
Okay, maybe the Commodores didn't prefer subtlety at all, what with those huge afros and all that funk they brought. But for every "Brick House" in this world there exists a mellow ballad about moving on. There's a few things I really like about this song. First, I like how well Lionel Richie harmonizes when he sings through his nose. Second, "Would you please just go away" is like asking somebody (oximoronically) to kindly eff off. Third, despite being a very sad song, it gets all optimistic in the end. Good times never felt so good.

1997

It's hard to believe that ten years ago was... ten years ago. I was in 9th grade in 1997, and I still often wake up thinking I have geometry homework due.

Anyway, the music of 1997 was awesome. It killed me to limit this to five songs so we may have to have a revisitation sometime.


Strongarm - Council of Perfection
Probably the best band of the 90's Spirit-Filled Hardcore movement. What's impressive (aside from delivering the pozzy Jesus message to people who were only interested in stomping each other with army boots) was the progressiveness of Strongarm's music. It wasn't speed, but neither was it slow and doomy. The music stopped, started, sped up, slowed down, sometimes slipped into something pretty, sometimes crushed your skull audio brutality, all with terrifically passionate vocals. For other examples, check out Strongarm on Myspace.
After the band broke up, four of the five members (everybody but the vocalist, basically) started Further Seems Forever.

Model Engine - Drawing Lines [Also called "Hang You Upside-down"]
There was no shortage of Christian rock bands in the 1990s, but Model Engine went about crafting their music more intelligently than their peers. Originally called Black Eyed Sceva, their songs dealt with God and Jesus and other aspects of Christianity, but in more worldly contexts. That is, they sang about AIDS and prostitutes and Mark Twain's sarcastic depictions of spirituality. This particular song is about first century martyrdom where early Christians did in fact draw fish in sand as a means of secret communication (because "if they find you out they'll hang you upside-down" on crosses, and this did indeed happen). But, like Strongarm, the message wasn't the only appeal. Musically they were all about song progression and shifting tempo and non-standard metre and fun little creative things like that, though this was more evident in their Sceva days.

Richard Buckner - Lil Wallet Picture
This is the first Richard Buckner song I ever heard and it's still one of my favorites. I like steel guitars, and this one, even though only sparingly used, bends out all the bitter and sad and wistful notes that amplify the thick stew of emotion this song conveys. Buckner's warbly yet rugged baritone, which is the very first thing you'll notice, does the same thing. In fact his voice alone could probably carry the song, but add that aching steel guitar, his own story-telling acoustic guitar, and a chuckling fiddle that doesn't seem to care about your pain, and you'll be a mess by the end of the song.

Neko Case - Somebody Led Me Away
The Virginian was Case's solo debut and doesn't carry the weight that her subsequent releases do, but there are some definite gems here. Half the songs are old country covers, and this one is the best (unless you really enjoy the boot-scootin' of "Honky-Tonk Hiccups"). Originally done by Loretta Lynn in 1976, Case here shows off her big voice, not even needing the group of backing singers that appeared in the original. Singing absolutely solo, then, enhances the mood of this song about the guilt of a woman NOT standing by her man. But don't worry, the guy in lyrical question is a douchebag and doesn't deserve Loretta Lynn or Neko Case.

Roadside Monument - On Molasses Lake
Roadside Monument is one of my all-time favorite bands. They were kind of a part of the 90s Christian rock band thing, but Christian bookstores would eventually quit carrying their music, so they kind of weren't. Anyway, reglardless of who would or wouldn't affiliate with them, the music of Roadside Monument is completely and wholly mindblowing. Especially on their final two albums, there's so much going on with each song that's it's hard to believe that only three guys are making all the music.
"On Molasses Lake" appeared on a split with Puller (an amazing band themselves). The song starts calmly enough with an ambling guitar, a low-key bass and sly unobtuse drumwork, followed by what I guess would be the instrumental "theme" (no verse-chorus-verses here) of the song paired with some call-and-response vocals (and here it's worth noting that the vocals of RM's songs are often like instruments themselves, not necessarily standing out but neither falling into the background -- all part of a musical picture). The song then takes a darkly pastoral route, mellow but tense, as things quiet down and the vocals hush. After half-a-minute of this the "theme" returns, now more effective than before as it comes fresh from that interlude. That ends, and just when it sounds like it's going to quiet down for another interlude... you're hit with the best explosive instrumentation this side of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. After steadily rattling the room for a while, everything suddenly stops to let Johnathon Ford's bass taunt you for a moment. Then things really pick up. The music becomes violent, Matt Johnson beats out a hasty rhythm on the drums and is pushed by Doug Lorig's abrasive (yet restrained) guitar. Finally the triumphant end. Up until this point the music had a dark edge to it, but in the final minute everything turns oddly hopeful (and remains fully loud). Johnathon Ford, I'm convinced, has the most tortured scream in all of music (listen to "S.R.B" for example) and here he about turns himself inside-out.
Just another awesome song by an awesome band.

The Letter N

As you may or may not remember/care, I've been profiling five bands/artists that begin with a particular letter. I started it over on my personal xanga site, did the letter M on the Bipedal prototype, and then got distracted and forgot all about the alphabet.

But now I'm back to let you know I can really shake 'em down.

N

The New Pornographers
I suppose it's a little weird that I heard of the band first and then Neko Case and AC Newman later. I work supergroups backwards. Anyway, peppy bouncy (yet perfectly restrained) indierock. For those of you expecting the sultry country stylings of Case you're going to be disappointed. For those of you expecting candycane rock 'n' roll... well, here you go. Their new album, from the bits I've heard at least, is more subdued (but no less awesome) then their previous releases.
"Myriad Harbour" .mp3 (via Matadorrecords.com)
"My Rights Versus Yours" .mp3 (via Matadorrecords.com)
"Twin Cinema" .mp3 (via Insound.com)
"The Laws Have Changed" .mp3 (via Insound.com)
[Note: for the tracks from Insound, you may have to physically type .mp3 at the end of the file name. Or you might not.]


A.C. Newman
Speaking of Mr. Newman...
His solo stuff is very similar to that of the New Pornographers (he is the band's principle songwriter), just not as zesty. That's not necessarily a bad thing as his solo style leaves the door wide open for introspection and soft little nuances.
Give the two songs on the A.C. Newman Matador page a listen.


Nurse & Soldier
An Oneida side-project, Nurse & Soldier is a male-female duo (though I think they've added more members now) specializing in foggy rhythmic fuzzrock. While the cloudy guitarwork may be reminicent of Oneida, the vocals and song presentaton are more pop oriented (though no less rewarding).
You can download the entire Nurse & Soldier 7" as well as an excellent hypnotizing track from their Marginalia album HERE.


Salim Nourallah
Some nice contemporary Texas-based folk music about love and unlove and 1978. There's nothing terribly striking about the music or the vocals, just sit back and enjoy the good songmanship. In fact at times Nourallah comes across as mellow George Harrison (as if George Harrison could be any mellower). Salim also has a brother named Faris who's got his own records too, and sometimes they'll record together as the Nourallah Brothers.
"The World is Full of People Who Want to Hurt You" .mp3 (via Insound.com)


The National
Low-key (but driving) indierock with some strings and stuff. Sounds about what Interpol would be if they went a different direction. You'll first notice the deep vocals (no sissy high notes here), then you'll notice the layers of surprisingly beautiful music. Sometimes a guitar or some sort of horn will pop out and say hi, and sometimes (like on "Slipping Husband") the band will for a brief moment go ballistic, but for the most part The National's music is pretty steady.
Three tracks are available for download on their website (along with a terrible picture of somebody's toes).
"All the Wine" .mp3 (via Insound.com)
"Son" .mp3 (via Insound.com)
"Beautiful Head" .mp3 (via Insound.com)

2007

The random number generator gave me the year 2007, and I must always yield to the random number generator. Hopefully this short list won't steal any thunder from whatever "best of 2007" countdown that I'll inevitably do in December or January.

Anyway, 2007 saw (and continues to see) me lean heavily towards remixes and post-punk dance rock, though plenty else caught my ear as well. Here are five jammin' tunes that deserve a listenin' to. This isn't a best-of-the-best list, and it's killing me to limit this to five songs. But again, something more complete and comprehensive regarding 2007 will show up in a couple months.

[Due to the intensely frustrating fact that Filegunner isn't workin' right now, I've had to link these songs from various elsewheres. This means that I don't know how long these tracks will be available for download, so get 'em while they're hot.]


Blonde Redhead - 23 [Linked from Inflightatnight.com]
Uh-oh, it's the number 23. Fortunately this song is much too blissful to drive me to madness. This is the the title track from their first full-length release in three years and though it may not be as great as their prior albums, this track and a couple others stand out. "23" (the song) is at the same time heavenly, slightly dark, catchy, and spacey. I like densely packed sound that envelops, but it's a rare thing that a song envelops and drives all at once. It's like a nebula with a V8 engine.


Klaxons - Golden Skans [From Dancehallhips]
Apparently this song was kind of a big deal in Britain. It might be a big deal here, but I'm a little bit out of touch. Anyway, "Golden Skans" short and to the point. I don't know what that point is, but it's dang catchy. Also, is "post-disco" a genre?


Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Remix) [From Badmintonstamps.com]
"Roscoe" originally appeared on The Trials of Van Occupanther, which was released in 2006. The song has a very rootsy vibe to it (equal parts folk, 70s, and modern indie) and initially doesn't appear as though it would lend itself to any sort of remix. But Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve (a duo I know next to nothing about) crafts it into perfection. The percussion, guitars, everything but the vocals are muted and draped across a soft electronic bed. The song itself is extended by a couple minutes, effectively enhancing the already mellowfied atmosphere.

Mob - Wait For Me [...And until I can get things working again you'll just have to stream some of their other excellent songs from their Myspace site.]
I first caught this one from the It's A Trap blog, but rediscovered it a few months later. I know very little about Mob -- they're Danish and the lead singer sounds like he's about to explode all over himself, what else do you need to know? -- but they've already made a great impact on the way I perceive music. If you're a stickler about your definition of "emo" then check these guys out. If you like intensely passionate (and passionately intense) music then check these guys out. If you like music, then check these guys out.


Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (clean)
I only have the clean version because I snagged this one from the FREE Definitive Swim album. Not like you can easily sing along anyway, he's so powpowpow fast. Mr. Aesop strings together those multisyllabic words to create fascinating imagery-laden ideas that flow into eachother like a sweet groovin' river of poetry. Por ejemplo:

If you never had a day a snowcone couldn't fix,
you wouldn't relate to the rogue vocoder blitz.

Things like that.
I sure do like snowcones.

1990

Maybe I'm just a crabby old man, but 1990 wasn't such a great year for music. During this odd transition from the 1980s to the 1990s pop music was a disgusting hybrid between what was left of synthesized beats and the re-emergance of guitar-oriented music to come. If I controlled the calendars I would've skipped directly from December 1988 to January 1991. But even the grayest of clams can spawn a glisteny pearl. Here are five songs from five bands that knew better.



Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth
Violator is a great album. "Policy of Truth" is a great song from this great album. In fact I could have gone with any of the songs from Violator (although Personal Jesus was released as a single in 1989), but "Policy of Truth" is my current favorite.

Cocteau Twins - Iceblink Luck
I've only just discovered the Cocteau Twins (about twenty years too late). I don't know if this is true of many of their other songs, but the lyrics, though sung, are very conversational. The Scotsy slang and inflections crooned by vocalist Elizabeth Frazier are lovely (and indeed, if these same words were sung by a Scottish man then you'd end up with some sort of sea shanty).

Pixies - Velouria
This is a great song for many different reasons, not the least of these being the quivery theremin casually hanging out in the background.


Primus - Too Many Puppies
Best anti-war song ever.
Best worst album cover ever.
And puppies!





The Cure - Close to Me [Closest Remix] (.wma file)
Originally recorded in 1985, "Close to Me" was remixed (Paul Oakenfold doing the honors) for Mixed Up which, naturally, was an album of Cure remixes. There were actually two mixes of this song, the "Close Remix" and the "Closest Remix", which is what we're listening to here. This one appeared on the 7" single and cassette single, if you're interested. I think it's interesting that despite all the black garb and pseudo-goth make-up, The Cure made a lot of really bouncy songs.

MMFRR#9 -- Ralph Hinkley Syndrome

Often, in lieu of actual people wanting to be my Myspace friends, I get piles of friend requests from bands and musicians attempting to get me to check 'em out/attend their shows/join their street teams. Naturally a great bulk of these bands are awful and I want nothing to do with them. But yet the requests keep coming. As a mild form of revenge I have decided to review these bands. Welcome to another therapeutic entry of what I like to call Myspace Music Friends Request Review.

I know I'm always touting the glories of grunge, but sometimes it's just not 1992 anymore. And something that sounded good then sounds a bit silly and dated when reproduced in these modern times. Fortunately enough every musician alive during the late 80s/early 90s grunge era has matured stylistically to create new, unique, and exciting works of... oh, wait, no?

Something about a missed memo.
Something about Ralph Hinkley Syndrome.

After perusing their myspace page and reading their blogs and even watching that silly little video I got (and continue to get) the impression that these guys are super swell and probably cool to hang out with. Unfortunately only douchetards make the best artists and musicians. I bet if they punted some babies and quit smiling so dang much they'd notice a significant increase in musical quality. As it stands, though, I'm burdened with the guilt of giving a couple upright citizens a so-so Myspace Music Friends Request Review review.

Ralph Hinkley, as a matter of common knowledge, is the main character's name on The Greatest American Hero, which aired on ABC from 1981 to 1983. "Believe it or not I'm walking on air," etc. I don't know what kind of syndrome he may have had or induced, but I find the idea of a band referencing The Greatest American Hero either completely awesome or wholly stupid. I can't decide which. A rose by any other name, I suppose.

It's interesting how, despite the lameness of a lot of myspace bands, they usually have one decent song. It's as if they put all their effort and talent into one four-minute piece of music, then hastily put together some other pieces of mush to fill up space. RHS's decent non-mushy song is a nice one called "Travel". It's simple, got a good beat, and stays low-key enough not to drift off into suckiness. I wish understated music wasn't so ignored by those who are able to perform it well enough, but I guess sometimes it's a lot more fun to rock out.

Anyway, RHS is suffering a bit from time warp problems (maybe that's a symptom of the Syndrome), and consequently we're all stuck with some dated grungy stuff. Again, "Travel" is a keeper, but other than that I'm definitely NOT walking on air (believe it or not).

I give Ralph Hinkley Syndrome 3 alien red superhero outfits out of 10.

1977

When I think 1977 I think of disco music and I think of Bob Seger. I don't really care for either (though you could probably dig up a handful of Commodores tunes I'll willingly shake to)(and I like "Turn the Page"), so this entry will lean away from sparkly dancefloors and burly men with classic rock mullets. Instead we'll dabble in the pseudo-proggy and the protopunk, all while keeping our pop sensibilities about us.


Genesis - "Pigeons"
In 1976 Genesis released Wind & Wuthering, and the following year they released the Spot the Pigeon EP to accomodate three W&W leftovers. These three songs, the band felt, were good songs that didn't quite belong on W&W. (Steve Hacket, however, thought that "Inside and Out" would have fit just fine. Disgruntled for this and other reasons, he left the band later in '77.) "Pigeons" is unlike any on W&W and indeed unlike any other Genesis song up to this point. Though embodying the band's characteristically dark undertones, it's almost numbingly simple and surprisingly bouncy. And, y'know, pigeons! And the killing of them! After perusing some album reviews I seem to be the only one who favors this song above the two others.


Peter Gabriel - "Solsbury Hill"
Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 and "Solsbury Hill" is about him making that difficult decision. The song is both cautious and hopeful, teetering between nostalgia and the unknown future, and the lyrics mesh perfectly with the outstanding use of instrumentation. Performed in 7/4 time (except for the "...I've come to take you home" parts, which are in 4/4) the song begins simply with a jangly acoustic guitar, a steady beat, and a shaker. But percussive elements and subtle harmonzing are gradually introduced until, at the onset of a triumphant electric guitar, things get celebratiously raucous.
It always slips my mind, but this is probably the best song ever made.


Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
You all know this song, now go dance and speak French and serial kill.*


Television - "Marquee Moon" (link from Poptartssucktoasted)
I like looong songs, and this one clocks in at 10:40 (though on the original vinyl release it was about a minute shorter). It's a full song, though, with elements of punk and prog and even jazz. Apparently it was recorded in one take, with the drummer not even aware that they were actually recording. But the band had been performing "Marquee Moon" for years, and by this point the dueling guitars and Tom Verlaine's warbly voice had been rehearsed to perfection.


Bob Welch - "Sentimental Lady"
This is 100% soft-rock fluff, which is fine as long as soft-rock fluff doesn't make up most of your music collection. Bob Welch (not to be confused with the 27-game winner of the same name) originally recorded this song as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1972, then re-recorded it for his first solo album, French Kiss. Interestingly, for this newer version Mick Fleetwood is on drums, and Christine McVie and Lyndsey Buckingham do backup vocals. And though I'm not usually a fan of updated versions, I enjoy the French Kiss "Sentimental Lady" more than the Fleetwood Mac Bare Trees "Sentimental Lady".
Also, the 1970s were known for some particularly egregious album covers. I'll elaborate on this sometime in the future.



*Please do not actually commit any murders.

MMFRR#8 -- Jimi Maze

For reasons that probably won't be known until therapy peels back the layers, my musical tastes tend to lean towards the dark and dour. Angry/sad music seems more authentic than something knee-slappingly bright, and melodically usually sounds better too. There's a reason why "Shiney Happy People" is REM's worst song and "Drive" one of their best. It's all about attitude, and there's little room for a good attitude in rock 'n' roll.

So here in my Myspace Friends Request inbox to prove my point is Jimi Maze.

Hypnotizing.

Jason Mraz.
Jimi Maze.
Mraz, Maze.
JM, JM.

The comparisons don't stop there, either. Maze, in fact, is a Mraz clone, sent to us by science to keep the fratboys occupied enough to not set things on fire. Armed with a guitar, a penchant for bustin' rhymes, and a feel-good repertoire of music, Maze is here to emcee your kegger and possibly steal your girl.

It's amazing, shocking if it weren't so commonplace, how bastardized rap and hip-hop have become. Once a tool for social consciousness, the genre (facets of it, at least) is now a fun little toy for those too lazy to mess around with melody. Rap's delivery is easy and mindless (just talk to the rhythm, yo) and apparently cool. Undoubtedly there are many people doing wonderful things in/with rap and hip-hop, but this isn't about them. This is about Jimi Maze.

At least, at very least, Maze doesn't take himself so seriously. Fred Durst takes himself seriously and consequently everybody laughs at him (they better, anyway). Maze, I get the feeling, is probably unfazed by how stupid I and others think his music is. The stupidity of the music is part of the appeal, for goodness sakes.

Peppy, bouncy, lowest common denominator feel-good acoustic guitar pop, faux-hop rhymin'... Maze is pretty good at what he does, but it happens that I can't really stand what he does.

Jimi Maze: for fans of Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, underage drinking, Greek rushes, backwards baseball hats, and that peculiar phase between high school and college.

I rate him 4 Hey brahs out of 10.

MMFRR#7 -- Haingo

Somebody wants to be my Myspace friend, and that can only mean one thing.
Myspace Music Friend Request Reviews!
Today we check out Haingo who resides somewhere in French Canada.

(I like to think that somebody was taking a picture of some artwork when she randomly jumped in front of the camera and struck a pose.)

Two things that surprised me here:
1) How does somebody who appears so brittle have such a deep and resounding voice?
2) R&B exists in Quebec?

First of all, before I say something mean (accidental or otherwise), this woman has a terrific voice. I can appreciate a talent even if I don't appreciate the way it's been put to use. And even though this style of R&B isn't/ain't my thing/thang, I find her actual voice very appealing.

[note: I've got to say nice things like that on the off-chance that Haingo will come to my blog and read about herself. I may sound like a jerk sometimes, but I'm honestly not that interested in hurting feelings.]

Now then,
I don't know how up-to-date the trends wafting through Quebec are (though admittedly Montreal's indie scene is killer), but Anita Baker and Whitney Huston ate this genre up fifteen years ago. I'm done with it, and I thought everybody else was too. But not Haingo. Haingo is not done with fifteen-year-old R&B.

Most of the tunes on her Myspace page are just song snippets, but snippets are all I can handle. Thirty seconds is even a bit long for some of these tunes, and I can't even imagine the damage a full album of Haingo might do. There are two full-length songs, "Aza" and "Nifamilafila". Predictably I don't care for "Aza", which sounds like a Christmas song I often hear in department stores during the holidays. (In chemical nomenclature, by the way, aza- is a prefix indicating the presence of nitrogen [thank you wikipedia]) But UNpredictably I DO care for "Nifamilafila". It's the cool jazz that saves it. The slow-going, perhaps. Maybe the undescernable French lyrics too. Saucy. If you're going to give Haingo a chance at all then concentrate all your listenability onto this song.

I will say that Haingo is better than Celine Dion, but what kind of comparison is that?

In all I give Haingo three Haingos out of ten.

(And look, I didn't even make fun of her name. Not once!)

1969

In the 1950s a lot of folk music was closely connotated with Beatniks and left-leaning banjo-pluckin' musicians (Woody, Seeger, etc). Due to the political nature of a lot of folk music the general public didn't find it as palatible as, say, big band/showtunes/Sinatra/country songs about your cheatin' heart. But a decade later the Beatniks morphed into hippies, the banjos into electric guitars, and a cultural revolution brought opinionated music from fringe to mainstream. As the 1970s neared, music (folk or otherwise) could sound like absolutely anything and people would listen.

Even though there were some pretty rockin' acts from 1969 (MC5, The Stooges, Led Zep, etc.) here are five softer (though no less important) songs from five musicians who's musical influence is still apparent today.


The Monkees - "Listen to the Band"
Peter Tork left The Monkees in 1969, but the remaining three members recorded two albums that year anyway. These albums weren't a big commercial success, but Michael Nesmith's songs (mellow-fied country-rock, a genre that wouldn't reach full fruition until the mid-70s) nonetheless stood out.


Townes Van Zandt - "Waiting Around to Die"
Van Zandt once said that his songs weren't necessarily sad; they were hopeless. Also, I can't think of any other song that mentions codeine.




Nick Drake - "Day is Done"
The instrumentation is beautiful, Drake's voice and lyrics ache, and the pacing is just right. I sort of love this song.


Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Guinnevere"
Some of the best harmonies ever. This song is so gentle that one day I'm afraid it's going to flutter out an open window like a feather snatched by an unperceivable breeze. Or something.



Tim Buckley - "Dream Letter"
Happy Sad was Buckley's first real experimental album and deviated from the folksy appeal and accessibility of his first two albums. His new approach was minimalistic and contained jazz influence and resulted in a completely unique style of music.

[Note: In an effort to facilitate the purchasing of the albums from these artists, in addition to linking .mp3s I've also linked up where you can buy the music from Amazon.com.]

1959

I've always liked the late 1950s, at least as far as music is concerned. There was the doo-wap, country, early rock 'n' roll, the rockabilly hybrid of country and early rock 'n' roll, and smooth r&b. Not that there was anything wrong with big band and show tunes, but after half a century it was time for something new.
This entry contains tunes glorifying sex and violence, which is less a warning than it is a point of interest because... well, it's 1959.


Ray Charles - "What'd I Say"
Most songs back then were well under three-and-a-half minutes long. This one clocks in at six-and-a-half. Naturally 7-inch records weren't large enough to incorporate the whole thing on one side, so the single was released with "Part 1" on side-A and "Part 2" on side-B. The best part of the song (or at least the most obvious part) is the sassy call-and-response section. I don't know how they got away with it, and songs have been outright banned from radio for far less.


Lloyd Price - "Stagger Lee"
This song has been sung a hundred different ways by a hundred different people, but this version will always be my favorite. Based loosely on an 1895 incident in St. Louis, "Stagger Lee" is about a gambler who lost some money, went home and grabbed a gun, then shot the guy who swindled him. The end! Somehow blatant violence is so much more acceptable when it's in music form (see also: "Mack the Knife")


The Skyliners - "Since I Don't Have You"
A more traditional song from the era (complete with orchestral backing), the vocals here are fantastic. And melodramatically saaaad.
"I don't have fond desires. I don't have happy hours. I don't have anything, since I don't have you."


The Fleetwoods - "Mr. Blue"
The Fleetwoods, which their simple two girls/one guy harmonies, amp up the melancholy even more here. From the lamentingly poetic introduction to the lonely brass to the last broken-hearted notes, this one's a weeper. (And wait, wasn't Mr. Blue the name of a Reservoir Dogs character... who DIES?) The vocals are so butter-smooth, and it's a shame that the floppy-haired madness of the British Invasion effectively ended interest in this kind of music just a few short years later.


Santo & Johnny - "Sleep Walk"
The face of music has changed so much during the latter half of the 20th century. For example, I think I would like to hear more instrumentals on the radio (not composed by Yanni or John Tesh, that is). But at least one thing hasn't changed after fifty years -- "one hit wonders". Although their follow up single "Tear Drop" peaked at #23 on the pop charts in 1959, it's "Sleep Walk" that has survived and maintained familiarity status all these years. As for the song itself, it's amazing how much emotion a steel guitar can convey. Modest Mouse does a lyricized cover of this song on 2000's Building Nothing Out of Something, as do a handful of others.

1991

Except for the marvelous things happening in the grunge/alternative rock scene, 1991 (and indeed, that whole front half of the decade) was a pretty lame year for music. I don't care to expound on that, but here are some great songs that didn't appear on Pearl Jam's Ten.
Drive Like Jehu - "Caress"
Interestingly this song can be downloaded from several different websites, which is probably why I'm so familiar with this song but so UNfamiliar with any other Jehu tunes. I do know that this is the first track on their debut album -- an album I should probably buy. Anyway, squeeling guitars, frantic screaming, post-hardcore awesomeness... give this one a listen.

Moving from the first song from a debut album to the final song of a final album...

The Psychedelic Furs - "All About You" (.wma file)
This song has a bleak Joy Division feel to it, as does most of World Outside, The Furs' final studio release. It's an interesting departure from the commercial direction they seemed to be going in the mid-to-late 80s, and harkens back to their darker punk-minded releases of the late 70s and early 80s.


My Bloody Valentine - "When You Sleep" (.wma file)
Loveless is so dense (yet mostly recorded in mono) and so instrumentally creative (yet soothingly consistent) that it's very difficult to try and briefly summerize any particular song from the album. "When You Sleep" stands out because it's the most accessible song on the record, though that shouldn't take away from the etheral beauty of the other tracks. In fact, regardless of whether or not you like this song, you should listen to Loveless in its entirety. It's like swimming through crimson clouds during that peculiar moment between wakefulness and sleep.


Believer - "Sanity Obscure"
The album Sanity Obscure was originally released on REX Records in 1990, but was given wider distribution when it was re-released by Roadrunner Records in 1991. So though technically a 1990 release, I'm giving this one to 1991. Also for some reason I'm chompin' on the bit to feature some thrash metal. The title track sounds as fresh today as it did sixteen years ago, and you can hear the influence in modern bands like Extol.


Sebadoh - "Violet Execution"
What's better than indie lo-fi? Re-issued indie lo-fi! Sebadoh's album III was re-issued last year by Domino Records and contains a second CD full of extras. As if the 23 songs on the original release wasn't enough...

Basia Bulat, Final Fantasy, Grizzly Bear, 9/21/07 @ Lola Festival, London, Ontario

The LOLA Festival is a music and art showcase in downtown London. This is the second year of the festival, and this time around the artwork of Brian Eno (among others) was featured. But I was mostly interested in the free outdoor concert featuring Beach House, Final Fantasy, and Grizzly Bear (again, among others).

I was hoping to catch Beach House, but when I got to the outdoor amphitheater they were nowhere to be seen. Either I had missed them completely, or they never made it. That was disappointing, but there were still a handful of great bands to come.

Local artist Basia Bulat and her merry band of folk music makers took the stage first. At least, she was the first performer I saw. There may have been others before I got there. But anyway, I knew I was in for a treat because there was a celloist and a couple violaists and a flutist (flautist?), and Bulat herself sported a zither.

I found I favored her mid-tempo songs. The slower songs were nice but sleepy, and I wasn't terribly enthralled with the up-tempo ones. But every song in between sounded gorgeous.

Basia Bulat (pronounced BASH-ah boo-LAH, I believe) has a beautiful voice and is a talented guitarist/zitherista. Her songs were usually folky, and sometimes she strayed into Celtic territory. Other times there were tinges of Appalachia in her music. And like a good hodgepodge there was something for everybody to enjoy (granting that everybody likes female Canadian singer-songwriters... and I know that they do). As far as local London talent, she's the best I've seen so far.

Between this set and the next a dance troupe from Montreal took the stage. They did some interpretive dancing, but I was unable to interpret it. It looked like Daryl Hannah's death scene from Blade Runner... if it were half an hour long. I didn't care for it, but I suppose these things are good for the artistic integrity of the community.

Final Fantasy was up next. The only Final Fantasy song I've ever heard prior to that had been a Final Fantasy remix of a Stars song, but the people around me were talking about what a fantastic live show Final Fantasy was.

Final Fantasy is, actually, a one man band consisting of violinist/pianist Owen Pallett. He plays a violin (sometimes a piano) into a sampler, then loops the sample so he can play something else over top of it. The end result is a marvelous piece of dense baroque-pop music that doesn't require guitars or percussion. Aside from being pleasant to listen to, it's also neat to watch.

His last album was called He Poos Clouds, for whatever that bit of information is worth.

Lastly came Grizzly Bear. I was familiar with their type of thick hazey mellow rock 'n' roll, but I couldn't (and still can't) remember how any of their songs go. I just knew that I enjoyed their music, even if I couldn't recall any of it.

When listening to a Grizzly Bear recording you hear instruments not usually associated with a rock band, and the sound gets so distorted and tweaked that it's difficult to identify what it is that's making a particular sound. But when you see them live it all makes sense. A clarinet! A Flute! A zither! Ah, a recorder!

They played a very enthralling set... the feedback and haze and distortion was very absorbing, and they retained the musical hooks to keep it interesting and cohesive.

Also interesting was their choice of a cover song: The Crystals' "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)". Grizzly Bears' style of music doesn't seem to mesh well with that of a girl group, but the song is dark enough and slow enough for Grizzly Bear to warp it into something oddly fantastic.

Due to time restraints they had to cut out their last song (which they apologized profusely for), but I was satisfied with their performance, and indeed the performances of the two bands before. The LOLA festival was a success (at least for that day) and I look forward to next year's line-up.

And for the fair price of FREE there was really nothing to complain about.

1962

I had a social studies teacher who defined the 1950s as an era spanning from 1946 to 1962. During this time life appeared ideal and everything was consistent and bubblegum fun. But thanks to the Cold War and American race issues and other sources of unease there was a dark paranoia-feuled undercurrent to the whole decade. Naturally all this tension resulted in the social clashes (and protest songs) of the 1960s, but this expanded 1950s era yielded some pretty great music. The tunes were generally innocent and full of hero worship, but at the same time wary and untrusting... more and more so as people became sick of social stasis.

So with that in mind, here are some songs from 1962 that I like.


Jay & the Americans - "She Cried"
An honest and tough breakup song. "And when I told her I didn't love her anymore, she cried."
Sha-la-la.


Gene Pitney - "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"
From what I gather, Burt Bacharach and Hal David originally wrote this song for the movie of the same name, but for whatever reason it wasn't used. Regardless, this song unfolds like a classic western film. There's a hero, a villain, a showdown, fair maidens, etc.


The Crystals - "He's a Rebel"
Early sixties girl groups are a guilty pleasure of mine. I really can't explain why I like the post-doo-wop pixie-like R&B stylings from groups like The Shangri-Las and The Dixie Cups and The Chiffons and whoever else. But I do, and that's that.
What's really interesting about this song is that this isn't really The Crystals. Producer Phil Spector wanted to record this song (penned by Gene Pitney, as a matter o' fact) as soon as he could, but his Crystals were on the other side of the country. So for a nominal fee he had a local group named The Blossoms record it. The song became a #1 hit and The Crystals became famous. The Blossoms did not.


The Tornados - "Telstar"
I mentioned producer Joe Meek in a previous post. With his outerspace fixation and his knack for electronics he helped craft this catchy little novelty instrumental that quickly became a #1 hit in the United States (The Tornados became the first British band to have a chart-topping song in the States, predating the British Invasion by two years).


Tommy Roe - "Sheila"
Buddy Holly had been such a prolific song-writer that record labels were able to release "new" Buddy Holly albums for years following his 1959 death. Something as trivial as dying couldn't ebb Holly's popularity, and subsequently (at least until the Beatles came along) there were many imitators. Tommy Roe would develop his own style in later years, but his first big hit was obviously influenced by Buddy.

1996

I can't say I remember a whole lot from 1996. That was a Jr. High year, and the sheer awkwardness of Jr. High prevented too much from sticking to my memory banks. I do recall listening to a lot of Oasis, Wallflowers, and a bunch of ska. Five years later my musical priorities shifted and I had to backtrack. So while I can recite to you the lyrics of What's the Story Morning Glory, THESE are the don't-miss tunes of '96 that, tragically, usually were missed.

Ninety Pound Wuss - "Something Must Break"
90lb Wuss did punk the right way: brashly, fastly, and funly. In subseqent years frontman Jeff Suffering led the band down more experimental routes with outstanding but underappreciated results, but with their self-titled Tooth & Nail debut we've got Wuss in all of their punk rawk glory.

Cat Power - "Nude as the News"
My favorite song about Jesse Jackson's lovechild.

Jawbox - "Spoiler"
When you hear about an indie-label band hopping to a major you might assume their next releases will be overproduced and uninspired. But Jawbox's -- in my opinion, at least -- two best albums were released on Atlantic records (though Atlantic didn't really think so; they dropped Jawbox after their 1996 self-titled album because they felt there weren't any marketable singles). So don't be so quick to criticize the "sell outs," unless it actually turns out that their new albums are indeed overproduced and uninspired.

Jeremy Enigk - "Shade and the Black Hat"
There's a thin line between ambitiousness and pretentiousness, but as long as it's perfectly executed it really doesn't matter. Enigk, during Sunny Day Real Estate's first hiatus, recorded Return of the Frog Queen with a 21-piece orchestra. It's initially difficult to imagine his howly octave-too-high voice meshing with classical instruments, but somehow it all sounds completely brilliant and epic (even though the entire album only clocks in at twenty-nine minutes).

The Lassie Foundation - "I Can be Her Man"
Probably leaning more on the pretentious side (after all, who mentions the name of their own band in their very first track in their very first release?), The Lassie Foundation came together in 1996 on the back end of that British pseudo-glam shoegazey thing. The West Coast is too cool for that though, and rather than being all dreary about their rock 'n' roll the Foundation opted to define themselves in a more sweetmellow SoCal manner. Eventually they would dust off their fuzz, but a dozen years ago haze was hip.

MMFRR#6 -- Golden Death

Myspace bands, reaching out to me from beyond Myspace.
I recently got this message via Last.fm. As I read it, here's what the voices in my head responded with:

"Hello"

(Well hello there.)

"sorry to reach out to you seemingly at random, but i was hoping that you might be interested in hearing my music"

(Um, actually...)

"I realize you might have gotten similar inviations from bands in the past that turned out to be awful..I know I have..."

(IT'S AS IF HE'S READING MY MINDZ)

"I think I am doing something at least a bit different and worthwhile though"

(Hopefully!)

"Feel free to send me a message via www.myspace.com/goldendeathmusic or goldendeathmusic@gmail.com if you like"

(Only if I like)

"Thank you so much for your time and for taking a chance"

(You are very welcome, for I have nothing better to do today)

"Sorry again for the spammish nature of this message, but i am really trying to make something happen with the music as i have a daughter on the way!"

(That was a random bit of personal information, but congratulations.)

I hope you are very well

/Michael

Thanks, goldendeath


GOLDEN DEATH... rolls off the tongue like a bouncing football.

(Mr. Golden Death, I presume.)

So we click on over to the Golden Death Myspace page and... whoa. We've got some presentation problems here. Imagine the ugliest outdated pattern you can possibly think of. Now make it your Myspace background. Now spray liquid bleach into your eyes. I guess this is what we call... "Psychedelic."

Psychedelic rock is a peculiar thing. Unless it's 1968, you can't get away with labeling your self as part of a "psychedelic" genre. Nobody listens to anything psychedelic anymore. It carries a kind of antiquated vibe with it and, if anything, the mere word (unless followed by Furs) is fairly repulsing. Oddly, however, listeners do appreciate hints of psychadelia in their music. (Remember Smashmouth's "Walking on the Sun"?) But you really shouldn't ever use that word, even if you mean it.

But what's most disarming about all this psychedelic nonsense, at least in this instance, is that the music is pretty good. The dressy imagery, the effort to present this as something psychedelic, is all a goofy waste of time because the music stands on its own. Granted, it's not my cup o' tea, but if I needed some background music, or I just needed to chill, this would definitely suffice. But what's probably more impressive is that this is home made music. Some guy, some instruments, some computer... the quality of the sound is pretty dang good, as is the quality of the musicianship.

Worth a listen? It is, actually. But once you click on the Myspace link you may have to close your eyes to prevent yourself from barfing all over your computer monitor. One of the songs will start up automatically, and since your eyes are closed anyway just let the music taaaake you plaaaaces. Maaaan.

I rate Golden Death 7 groovies out of 10