Rubber Glove Seduction

Triple Play - Three good artists

2008-10-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

So things have been quiet for awhile for me musically speaking. But then, all at once, I got three great new tracks from three really fun artists. Rather than breaking them down into individual posts, I thought I'd hit you all up with one big heap o' love.

The first gem of the day is from electro artist/DJ Morgan Geist. Geist has been in the scene for years but this is his first attempt at taking center stage. With guest vocals from Junior Boys' Adam Greenspan on numerous tracks, Geist takes a serious stab at reinventing and reinvigorating the sounds and styles of minimalist electro and italo disco. He doesn't always succeed, and some of the tracks seem to lack a fully realized punch, or a solid hook. But others show a deep understanding of the genre and real passion for what he's reaching for. This particular track, "Skyblue Pink" would have been as much a fit in an episode of Miami Vice as it would be in a hip lounge today.

Morgan Geist
MP3: Skyblue Pink
Purchase through Amazon: Double Night Time

The second track is from the French artist, Yelle. I've really enjoyed their french pop take on new wave so far and the "Ce Jeu" single and it's remixes are no exception. They make their music light and fun, and somehow way cooler than their American counterparts. Perhaps the French are simply better at sounding both silly and sophisticated at the same time. Regardless, Yelle is on my short list of favorites right now. It's impossible to listen to them and not want to dance and smile simultaneously.

Yelle
MP3: Ce Jeu (Tepr Remix Extended)
Purchase Through Amazon: Ce Jeu

I've saved my favorite for last however. The instant I heard the Royalties, I fell in love. The Norwegian trio may have started as a lark, but this track from their second album shows they are no joke. There's so much good stuff going on in this track that I don't even know where to start. They only comparison I can make is to Squirrel Nut Zippers, and even that doesn't quite fit. Just listen to it. Trust me. I can't wait to get hold of this whole album!

The Royalties
MP3: Music For Cooking With Gas
Purchase through Amazon: The Lost Royalties

It Doesn't Always Have To Be Heavy

2008-10-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite bands are Joy Division, Editors, Nine Inch Nails, and David Bowie. In all likelihood, none of them have been accused of being happy shiny artists. They tend to be heavy, thoughtful, perhaps even morose.

But that doesn't mean there isn't room for some fun in my world. In the past few years, there have been a few bands that, while retaining a punk aesthetic to their sound, nevertheless manage to sound like they are actually smiling while they play. Most of these next gen punkers use keyboards and synths as often as guitars.

This is where MIT comes in. Three young guys from Germany recommended to me by my amazingly talented and very sweet friend, Elhaam. Don't worry if you haven't heard of MIT. You don't need to. You don't need to know their influences or their history - they aren't important.

Listening to them for even a couple of minutes will answer all you need to know about MIT. They're happy, they're fun, they don't feel the need to make their music 'fit' into a particular category. And yet, there is something there. MIT remind me of a couple of west coast bands I know: Peachcake, from Phoenix AZ, and The Chain Gang of 1974, from Denver(both of whom, I highly suggest looking into). All are young, full of chutzpa and armed with synthesizers and a devilish gleam in their eye. Their style might be different, but their aims are the same.

MIT are danceable, quirky and full of life. Considering the way things are in the world today, it's nice to take a step back from things and listen to somebody whose only goal is to make you have as much fun as they are.

If you like 'em, their first full length album is called CODA.

MP3: MIT - Rauch

MIT on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mitmitmit

MIT's website: http://www.mitmitmit.net/

My Bloody Valentine

2008-10-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

After reading this, I decided to ask my dear friend Leia if I could 'steal' her post about her experience at a recent My Bloody Valentine. So consider this my first guest writer on RGS.

If in the practice of yoga you perform certain poses and movements in order to massage the inner organs – said to be healthy and stimulating – can the same be accomplished by massaging the organs with sound waves?

These are thoughts that flitted through my mind as My Bloody Valentine took us along on a ride inside their vortex of sound Tuesday night.

They may very well be the loudest band on the planet.

They are also amazing.

The venue (The Concourse at SF Design Center) was huge and not well-designed for the purpose of a musical performance. I count myself lucky to have been close enough to the stage to avoid having to deal with the poor acoustics of the room. I planted myself in the second row in front of Kevin Shields, donned my earplugs (which were handed out, free of charge, as we entered the venue – though many of us brought our own) - and settled in for the ride.

I counted about a dozen full stacks lined up across the stage – most of them Marshalls – all with additional microphones attached, right against the grills. Colin's drum kit was set up right in the center, between them, buffered by sheets of plexiglass. Kevin's effects pedals were mounted on a board so large that it was carried out by two techs – I think I read somewhere he uses around 32 pedals onstage.

Without a word as they took their places, the band ripped into "Only Shallow" to kick off the performance. Yes! I was exuberant. Finally – getting to see MBV live!
(I literally just missed them in '92 – when they toured with Dinosaur Jr – I went to that show in Atlanta with my ex, but unfortunately, don't remember now why, we arrived late just as they were finishing…..)

With each song it seemed they got louder...layers and layers of sound, ethereal vocals buried within, just like the recordings. No, I couldn't really make out the lyrics, but somehow it didn't really matter. Colin was solid on the drums, Deb Googe was planted in front of him rocking out on the bass. Bilinda Butcher was seemingly effortlessly strumming her guitar, with her big wide curvy smile, and Kevin, true to "shoegaze" form, was focused on his wizardry on guitar. Together, in complete unspoken cooperation, they made powerful, loud, shimmering, beautiful noise. It was an exercise in the art of sound sculpture.

Very little was said between songs, except for Kevin early on several times having quick meetings at the side of the stage with one of his techs. He did, however, near the end thank us for coming out – twice, I believe – which was nice and more than other shows got, from what I've read.

They played no new material, but a good solid selection of tunes from both albums – which was just dandy with us. I was completely happy.
This is a close enough approximation of the setlist I lifted from a couple of other websites :

Only Shallow
When You Sleep
You Never Should
Cigarette In Your Bed
Come In Alone
I Only Said
Nothing Much to Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me With Your Kiss
and, for the encore, You Made Me (Realize)

Yes, this last included the trademark 20-minute jet engine roar. All four members of the band stood in place and furiously banged or strummed, continuously, building this incredible, layered, awesome, outrageous, bone-rattling sound. Lights were wildly flashing and strobing – blinding and sometimes coercing us to just close our eyes and give in to the sound, let it take us where it may.

Wearing earplugs was the ONLY way to really appreciate this experience – otherwise it would have been too painful. In this case, wearing the earplugs actually helped, enabled me to make out distinguishing characteristics within the wall of sound like subtle pitch and volume variations, small twirps and beeps and swirlies here and there coming from Kevin's guitar. But I stood in the vortex of whirling sound and felt it, all around me, despite being surrounded by other human bodies. It was like standing in front of a big jet engine...or inside one.

The hair on my arms felt like it was dancing. The hair on my head lifted subtly off my neck. The cloth of my dress was twitching against my skin. I opened my hands at my sides to the stage and felt the waves coming into my palms and through my fingers like tiny breezes. Several times I thought I felt something against the front of my boot, but when I looked down, nothing was there. The entire building was vibrating. My bones were rattling, my innards were vibrating.

And then I felt my sinuses draining, even though they hadn't been clogged to begin with. Wow! This was literally clearing my head. This is when I started having those thoughts about breathing in sound and the effects of sound waves on the body's organs. I took deep breaths – parting my lips - breathing it in. I thought, "This is a full body massage with sound!" It was truly a visceral experience.

I felt each pound of the kick drum as a hit of wind – literally – like I was inside of the drum itself. I was inside this sound, and it was inside me. I was united with the audience and with the band, inside their music with them as they were making it. It was like we were all participants in some sort of sound experiment. What a mind trip. I sound like a tripping hippie: "Hey, man, we were all one with the music." And look, ma, no drugs!

And then, just when you started to think you might not be able to take it much longer and if it got any louder your head might explode - it was over – by some subtle cue the band suddenly slid off the rocket ship and launched into melody again and finished the song, and then they were gone.

Um. Wow.

And to answer the original question...afterward, my voice felt like clear liquid in my throat as I applauded and cheered. My body felt pretty loose. As I left the venue and walked the several blocks through the city streets to the bus, I felt relaxed yet energized, rejuvinated. My head was clear. As long as you're wearing good earplugs to leave your eardrums out of the exercise, I guess breathing in sound is pretty good for you.

Leia Kaba

My Television Premiere

2008-10-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Not music related, but I thought I'd share anyway:

Some of you may know that I shot, edited and co-directed an episode for a travel show called Travelscope about two years ago. Well, it's finally airing starting this week on PBS!!

If you didn't know - we shot in Germany over the Christmas season. And damn was it fun! This will be the first project I was directly responsible for that's aired on television! If you have it, it's in HD.

If you live in the L.A. area:
It's on this Friday (10/3)at 9pm on Channel 58 (KLCS)for more info you can go to their website: http://www.klcs.org/programmingaz.html

If you live in the New Orleans area it's not on till October 29th at 8:30 on WLAE. Not sure what the station number there is, but here is their website: http://www.lpb.org/whatson/index.cfm

If you arent in L.A. or New Orleans, you can go to the show's website (and watch a preview!!) at: http://www.travelscope.net/TV/broadcast.htm(the preview is on this page: http://www.travelscope.net/Season2/germanmarket/index.htm)

I'm really proud of this piece and I'd love to hear what all of you think.
Okay, I'm going to go continue to pat myself on the back over here. Continue with your day.

Cheers,

Connor

{{{Sunset}}}

2008-09-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion recently that that there are two general paths for music to take. One form is aimed at your conscious mind. This form is often lyric heavy, and goes for an immediate impact. Top 40 music Ala Britney Spears is an example of this type when it's done poorly. A well executed example is Tom Petty. It's hook laden, catchy and goes into 'repeat' mode in your head almost immediately.

The other form is aimed at your unconscious mind. It may have melodies, or not, lyrics, or not. It may have an epic feel or a simple one. But it's impact is often not felt immediately, and the context in which you hear it is vital to the impression it gives. Good examples of this include Sigur Ros, Radiohead or Dead Can Dance. It's music from these bands that seeps in like a half-forgotten dream. It's doesn't demand to be repeated so much as it haunts you later, hanging around at the back of your brain like an itch you can't scratch. Of course, the bad version of this music is known as Muzak.

The band {{{Sunset}}} definitely falls into the unconscious realm. A friend of mine, Elhaam, sent me over a couple of their albums. Her timing on giving me these is oddly serendipitous because even as recently as a year ago, I wouldn't have given this ten minutes of my time. I was still DJ'ing and my brain seemed to simply not notice things that weren't beat driven.

Neither Bright Blue Dream nor The Glowing City are beat driven, that's for sure. And it's not 2007, and I haven't been DJ'ing for awhile now. So when I put on {{{Sunset}}} (we're getting a lot of bands that include symbols in their name lately, aren't we?), I took it in with more open ears. I let it just wash over me, without looking for a dance floor single.

The band, headed up by Austin's Bill Baird, produced their stuff through Autobus records, which apparently operates closer to the concept of a commune than a record label. Along with that comes a touch of 'dirty hippie' feel to the band that sometimes creeps in("New York Love" for example). For the most part, they keep that in check though.

There's a huge roster of artists that have contributed to their sound and it shows. Every track is lush and thick with ideas and instrumentation. I kept trying to latch on to their 'sound' with each track, trying hopelessly to fix a label on them. Psychadelia, shoegaze, experimental, all seemed to fail. I do like one that I haven't heard in awhile: dreampop. I think dreampop covers them nicely.

If dreampop doesn't really do anything for you, I can say that I can hear influences in them ranging from The Birds to Lou Reed to the Beatles to the Grateful Dead to Radiohead to...well, the list could get long( The song "Twenty Four Karat Soul" sounds like Pulp at it's best). My point in all this is that {{{Sunset}}} is a band that, listened to in the wrong context would not only be forgettable, it might be off putting. I often think of music in terms of cinema; Music and film have similar structures, concepts and goals. I think {{{Sunset}}} have a very specific cinematic world they live in, and to play them out of that world would be jarring. What cinematic world do they live in? One that occupies a montage during a Wes Anderson film or a closing credit sequence during a British romantic comedy or a long cross country drive is playing out during a Jim Jarmusch film.

{{{Sunset}}} has it's weaknesses. There's a fine line between 'ambient' and 'droning' and there a few times that they cross that line ( The two minute ending to "Man's Heart Complaint is a prime example). Also, as cohesive albums, I don't think there's a strength here. Of course, as individual tracks it actually becomes a positive. Each song is it's own world, it's own atmosphere. And maybe that's okay in the 21st Century. Maybe singles are the new albums.

Regardless, my suggestion for listening to this band is this: put on an album while you are doing something else. Ignore it. Let it play through twice. On the second play through, something will stop you from whatever you are doing and you'll pay attention. That's the {{{Sunset}}} song that your unconscious wants you to hear. The rest, you can feel free to discard or not. I have a feeling that's the way the band feels too: "Here's what we've got. Take what you like, leave the rest."

MP3: {{{Sunset}}} - Twenty Four Karat Soul

Purchase through their website: {{{Sunset}}}

Not to get political but...

2008-09-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

This was too funny and I had to share. THIS is the photoshop contest currently being held for Sarah Palin. Here's my current favorite. Nothing says America like guns and sex wrapped in an American flag bikini. I want this on a T-shirt.

Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams

2008-08-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Finally some new tunes from FF!! "Lucid Dreams" can be heard on their site here: http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/

An excellent beat, some fun lyrics and great guitar work. This is the kind of song that makes me want to jump out of my bar stool at a club and plow onto the dance floor.

Now, I'm all amped up for the new album.

Oh, and I'd post an mp3 here, but frankly I'm tired of the retards at the major labels and their lack of ability to simply ask me to take it down instead of throwing a temper tantrum at my host. So...instead, I encourage all of you to listen for free at their website, attend a non-TicketBastard show if possible, and while there, buy a t-shirt from the merch booth.

And just because I'm feeling feisty, let me say that again: Sony, EMI, Warner and Universal, you are all morons; Complete fucking idiots without the sense of a brain dead goat. I'm not sure if your mothers were all raped by cross-eyed donkeys, but somehow, you got the short stick when drawing for brains. Your idiocy is so complete and so overwhelming that grandpa needs to take you out behind the barn and shoot you, for the good of the farm.

Whew. I feel better. I'm going to go listen to some more Franz Ferdinand on their website. I really hope Sony is paying for the bandwidth.

1135 Decatur Street, New Orleans Lousiana

2008-08-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

I moved from the blustery cold of Minneapolis, Minnesota to New Orleans in 1996. I didn't know anyone then, but I went to a concert at a bar venue called Jimmy's to see ...was is Sister Machine gun?..I have no idea any more. Anyway, that's not important. It was the girl sitting on the steps that was. Her name was Sharon. I didn't know it then, but she was about to change my life.

She introduced me to Harry K., Ryan Jones and Mark Taranto. They in turn asked me where I was headed after the show. I had no clue. I was informed that THE place to be after the show would be at a bar/club called The Crystal. I went down to a block of Decatur Street in the French Quarter that I wasn't really familiar with yet. That block was to become a second home to me over the next ten years.

The Crystal was a shithole. It still is, for the most part. If you're trying to impress someone from out of town, I don't recommend walking them in there as their first stop. But from the moment I stepped through those ratty-ass wooden doors at the front, I knew I'd come across something important, something special. And it's that something special that you get to experience if you stay there long enough despite the fact that its a shithole.

When I first started attending the Crystal, it was in it's gothy heyday, lots of candles, velvet, and a spookily lit dance floor. There were couches(which I'm sure by daylight would warrant lighting on fire), and dark cubbies where a guy and girl could smear their black lipstick all over each other.

There was a gorgeous tall bartender there, who's name is escaping me (she works over at OEJ's now -someone help me! We always remember each other but forget each others name! I used to have a huge crush on her!), and a big friendly door guy (who's name is also escaping me -grrr). The drinks were cheap, and like most NOLA establishments, served in plastic cup.

The sound system stunk, the dance floor was tiny, and the DJ's played a setlist that seemed to repeat itself each week. There were 'themed' nights that all basically boiled down to how many Siouxsie songs they'd play as opposed to how many Front 242 songs they'd play. Don't even get me started on the horrendous bathrooms.

But all that didn't matter. Because Ryan and Mark and Harry introduced me to so many people, I could spend the rest of this article listing them. And those people introduced me to even more. I could turn this whole post into a Romper Room sequence: "Oh look, I see Joey, and Leia, and there's Mykelle! Hi Mykelle.....". The Crystal was one degree from Everyone. It was too small for bands, but acts like Thrill Kill Kult often came over for after show parties.

Eventually, it died. When and why isn't important (I'll get to that in a minute). But it went away. Born as the Blue Crystal, then dying as the Crystal.

Shortly after that, it was reborn as the Crowbar. No one liked it. It didn't last long. It was gone. I'm not sure when it opened or why it closed. It isn't important.

Later, in the early 00's, a friend of mine that I worked with at the Shim Sham decided to put his own spin on 1135 Decatur. The Whirling Dervish was born.

Unlike earlier incarnations, Matt and his cohorts put a fresh spin on the place. Taking the focus away from 'goth' and putting the emphasis on 'eclectic' or perhaps more accurately, 'freaks'. I say freaks with a fond inclusiveness. He opened the upstairs and turned it into a hookah lounge. He hosted Dada art nights and pursued DJ's and theme nights that brought in a whole range of people. He renovated the bar, brought up the lights, cleaned, painted and gave the whole thing new life.

Over time there were ups and downs, the upstairs closed, things lost their luster.

I began DJ'ing there for the third time in early/mid 2004 for a night called "No Name, No Slogan" (Thanks for that Mark) which, for me, would mark the high point of my time at the Dervish. It was the first night there where new indie music was really embraced. Within a year, bands like the Postal Service, The Faint, Felix Da Housecat, and Fischerspooner were getting played right along with the Smiths and the Cure and packing the dance floor.

Despite all of these changes, it was still the people that made 1135 so special. Many of the old faces were still around, but there were always new ones. People like Cynthia and Shelly, Seale and Jene put a new mark on that address for me.

I'm sure the Dervish has caused me significant liver damage, but it was all worth it. Which brings me around to why it isn't important when the Crystal closed or why the Dervish is closing. The place has been around long enough in enough incarnations, that it's become an idea, a concept. You can't destroy concepts, just morph them. The Dervish may be gone, but 1135 Decatur will rise again from the ashes, I have no doubt. Hopefully, Matt Vaughn is involved with it (The little schemer is always planning something!).

If he isn't, it will probably still be a place where I can roll in on a Saturday night and see a familiar face behind the bar, Shelly and Cynthia on the dance floor, Chris James sitting at the end of the bar, goth girls dancing horribly to Wumpscut, Ryan Jones making out with...umm someone who's name I've redacted, Seale showing off a new skirt, Candace talking about a new band she found, Eugene up in the booth spinning a tune I love, Joey showing someone his disco ball, Jack, Travis and Harry talking about their bands, Matt presiding over a happily drunken crowd, or where Mykelle and Leia and I can sit at the bar and reminisce about the old days back when it was still called, "The Whirling Dervish".

The Whirling Dervish is dead. Long live 1135 Decatur.

Hiatus - sort of

2008-08-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I won't be posting as often as I usually do (in case you haven't noticed already). It's not because I'm giving up on this blog or that I've committed Hari Kari or any such.

No, I'm in the throes of writing a script and it's taking up much of my creative mojo as well as my free time right now. I'll still be posting - just a little more sporadically. Hang in there campers.

The Faint - Live in Los Angeles

2008-08-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

Few things can inspire insipid, shoe shuffling emo kids to remember there's a reason to live, to get off your asses and dance, the way the Faint can. Their shows are destined to become legendary; that rare combination of energy, skill, charisma and great music that makes a concert larger than the sum of its parts.

It's taken the band three long years to come full circle from Wet From Birth. There have been huge changes in the world of the Faint (One friend of mine was sure they'd broken up. I'd love to know where that rumor started.) and I was scared that maybe some of the magic from their previous shows would be lost.

I took my girlfriend with me, who was a fan but had not seen them live. I'd almost over-hyped them to her, and as we got through the doors of the Henry Fonda theater, I got this horrible idea in my head that they'd suck and she'd blame me somehow.

It was a sold out show (both Thursday and Friday sold out) and after an eclectic if ultimately boring set from Jaguar Love, Shy Child came on. I realize a lot of people really like Shy Child, but I just can't get into them. They remind me of a new wave version of Rage Against the Machine. That previous sentence should never have to be written.

All thoughts of a let down show were quickly wiped away. The Faint came blasting onto the stage and let it rip with "Agenda Suicide", Take Me To the Hospital" and "Dropkick the Punks". All of the pictures on this post, I shot during those tracks.

After that, they brought (in no order)"Worked Up So Sexual", "Your Retro Career Melted", "The Conductor", "Desperate Guys", "Birth", "I Disappear", and from the new album Fasciinatiion, "Get Seduced", "Machine in the Ghost", "Forever Growing Centipedes", and "Mirror Error".

They came back for an encore to a shouting and stomping crowd that was shaking the building, and did "Glass Danse", "Paranoia Attack", and "the Geeks Were Right".

Of course, just listing the tracks doesn't do justice to a Faint show. The energy there is unbelievable. It's almost surreal. The band gives off this huge aura of power and the crowd seems to suck it all up, amplify it, then spit it back out. Combine that with a fantastic light show and video projection and you get something very rare.

Lead singer, Todd Fink, has taken on a mad scientist persona for this tour, donning a lab coat and goggles. More than ever he captures the kinetic energy of the Faint, focusing his bandmates talents and shooting it out at the audience like some kind mind control beam that has only one setting: "Dance!".

At one point I was on the bouncing, gyrating, undulating dance floor and a girl leapt onto my back, shouted "Oh my god! The Faint!", then proceeded to sing along with me to "Birth". She squeezed my hand momentarily before disappearing into the biomass of the crowd again.

I can't recommend them enough. If you have the power, see the Faint. It'll change your life.

I was lucky enough to score a photo pass for the show, hence the better-than-point-and-shoot pics. I'll be doing an album review later this week separately.

The Sapiens - Good to Lose

2008-07-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

The Sapiens are trying really hard. Really, really hard.

Don't get me wrong. These are some talented Chicago boys. Equal parts Mighty Mighty Boss Tones, Killers, Smashmouth and Rolling Stones. Sound like a bizarre mashup? It could be, but it isn't. Instead, it's ineffectual and drab. Uninspired.

My first instinct was to recoil from the Sapiens. To denounce them outright. But something made me listen to their stuff a few more times. And again. And again.

Finally, it clicked what it was. Whomever was producing them was entirely dumbing them down. Their dynamic range seems really 'radio compressed' and the vocals are so forward that they not only drown out the music, but seem to emotionally suppress it as well. The arrangements are such that the songs sound like they are built for maximum broad spectrum 'alternative' appeal.

So do I like the Sapiens? The answer is...I might. I'd like to see them live. I have a feeling it's an entirely different experience. But I have a feeling this album doesn't represent the real Sapiens.

Take a listen for yourself and let me know if you hear what I'm hearing.

Oh, and if you're in the Chicago area and get a chance to see them, let me know what you think. I'm really curious to see if there's a huge dichotomy between their live sound and their tracks.

MP3: The Sapiens - Good To Lose

Purchase through Amazon - Rind EP

The Sapiens

Love Motel - Mind the Void remixes

2008-07-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

Remixes are a tricky thing. I'm really picky about which ones I like. There's so many ways to ruin a really good song and so few to do it justice. After all, the goal, in theory, is to create a track that keeps the essence of the song while emphasizing it's dancefloor aspects and making it easier for a DJ to work it into a set. It's not a simple task.

That means that any given remix needs the following: 1) A good intro that allows for the DJ to work it in from the previous song. 2) An easily recognizable and danceable beat (especially if your crowd is predominately white) 3) It needs to be repetitive without being monotonous. This is the 'dancier than the original' concept. 4) In my opinion, it should also contain most or all of the lyrics.

Which brings me to today's tunes. These are two remixes of Switzerland based, Love Motel, from their new album "Mind the Void". If you haven't heard the band, take a minute and check them out on their myspace page. With influences like Moroder, T-Rex and Goldfrapp they have a firm grasp of the dance floor. The remixes from Anderson Vila Nova and Baxter Beez do a nice job of taking that core material and simply ramping it up to the next level. All those elements I listed in the second paragraph are here, making these great tracks for a DJ. Best of all, Love Motel's songs span so many genre's (glam, electro, house, etc) that these make excellent crossover tracks for when you want to start changing the vibe a bit.

Even if you don't DJ, these will put a smile on your face and a twitch in your ass.

MP3: Love Motel - Cosmic Love (Anderson Vila Nova Mix)
MP3: Love Motel - Mind the Void (Baxter Beez Edit)
Purchase through Amazon - Mind the Void
Love Motel

Video of the Day...no wait, of the Week

2008-07-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA people. I'm kind of in a screenwriting mindset and my energies have been in that department. Nevertheless, the need for new and non-crappy music must be sated. On that note, I give you the newest from one of the most badass bands on the planet - Electric Six !!!

This is "Formula 409".

I wonder if they got permission to use the name and logo? Formula 409, please don't sue Electric Six. I'm sure they can't afford it. Just look at those production values!

Stereogum = Sad, Courtney Love = Pathetic

2008-07-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, when I blog, I get my news from wherever I can. I like reporting on music, and the events that affect the bands. I try really hard to keep things relevant, yet impersonal. I really don't care about fights (Kele vs. Lydon, etc) or marriages, or kids, or partying. I want to know when I can hear the new Faint album and how much it rocks.

There are a few websites out there that I consistently peruse for useful and exciting tidbits. I certainly won't be getting anything from Rolling Stone. Stereogum on the other hand is a different story. Even if I don't agree with all of their reviews, at least they are current, lively, and generally informative.

That changed for me today when I clicked on a link, entitled: Courtney Talks About Trent Reznor, Blog Hiatus (Warning: Please read the rest of my post before you click!) Being an ardent NIN supporter, I decided to click and see what Stereogum had to say.

Well, Stereogum didn't really have anything to say. They weren't really reporting anything, just passing on a link to Courtney Love's Myspace page. Let me repeat that: A 'news agency' posted an article that was nothing more than a link to a Myspace blog. I had no idea that Stereogum was made up of 15 year old girls. How very very sad.

Of course, I didn't know this until I clicked on the link and discovered....What? You thought it would take me to the blog entry? No, No. It takes you to the Myspace homepage. Where you have to log in. How's that for news? We won't give you anything, we'll make you log into another site to get it.

By this point, I felt like I was rubber necking on the freeway and I had to see what was actually going on. I signed in and read the first paragraph intently. The second one, I whipped through. The third I scanned for something, anything that might be coherent. Finally, I just began scrolling and occasionally stopping to let my jaw slip a little further open at the amazing, completely unstable ramblings of this woman and all of her commenters (actually, some of her commenters outdid her on the crazy-o-meter).

Her writing is full of disjointed thoughts and half-conceived ideas. She rants, rambles, digresses, shifts gears, and verbally jabs at the air at all of the invisible ghosts haunting her. And like a crazy person with a loud voice who has escaped from an asylum, all of the other crazies, her commenters, follow along gleefully.

It really is like reading Burroughs if he were an infantile, self-absorbed has been.

The world is a bleaker place for Courtney Love. Thanks for calling that news Stereogum.

Video of the Day

2008-07-24T11:50:00.001-07:00

I realized that I haven't given much love to the Smiths since I started this blog. I went back and dug through some old videos and realized that most of the Smiths videos are remarkably poor. Sad to say, but true. In any case, "There Is Light That Never Goes Out" is an exception.

It's a great example of how simple can be better. The shots don't rush, the transitions are easy. It lets the song do most of the talking, without being boring.

Waking up with David Lynch

2008-07-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Every day, on my way to work, I turn on the radio and there's David Lynch. He tells me the day and date, tells me temperature and weather and then leaves me with a thought for the day. Today's was: "She rolls the dice". What a great way to start the day.

Where do I hear this? On Indie 103.1. I've blogged about this before on my personal blog but I thought it deserved a full outing. I know there are lots of diehards out there who remember the heyday of KROQ and all the good it did, and yes, Indie has a few chinks in its armor. Sometimes they act too cool for their own good. I know a few of you Angelinos actually despise the station (shooting a quick glance at Liz).

While I do see plenty of room for improvement, I also think that the people lucky enough to pick up the station are getting something really rare and special. For a quick history on the station, including a list of some of the really great shows they have check out this link.

I guess I'm grateful because I lived in New Orleans for 10 years where the only thing alternative was Clear Channels version of alternative. And only one station. Everything else was jazz, RnB, blues, country, gospel, classic rock, etc. It can be hard to sometimes appreciate what's right in your face. But every morning, David Lynch reminds me to be thankful.

Overlooked - Speak and Spell

2008-07-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

In these heady days of 80s nostalgia, bordering on worship, there are lots of names thrown around: Gang of Four, Kraftwerk, PiL, the Pixies. The list goes on. In my book however, there's a holy quad of 80's bands that stand above the rest. Their influence resonates throughout the sonic landscape, even today. Even tiny school children, not born until after 9/11 know their songs. New Order. The Cure. Duran Duran. And Depeche Mode.

DM are one of the few bands out there that were relevant in '81 and still sound relevant in '08. It might seem like I'm heaping an overly generous portion of praise on them, but go back and listen to their singles collections. Then look me in the eye and try to deny that every band that uses a synthesizer since the 80s hasn't been influenced by them. They set the standards.

Going all the way back to their first album, Speak and Spell, we can see the roots of the band that is to come, but we can also a see a band that might have been. Martin Gore and Dave Gahan have become the heart of DM over the years (not to diminish Mr. Fletcher). But their first outing also had Dave Clarke, who would go onto Yazoo and Erasure fame. His lighter sensibilities were at lead when it came to writing the songs for Speak and Spell and it shows. Tracks like "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Dreaming of Me" have more in common with many Erasure tracks then they do with "Personal Jesus" or "Barrel of a Gun". Who knows where the band would have gone had Clarke stayed with them.

But that doesn't eclipse the importance of this album. Speak and Spell is quite possibly the first real introduction of entirely synthesized music into the pop genre. That's not to say they pioneered anything, but they certainly refined synth-based music in a way that made it palatable to the dancefloor masses for the first time.

Almost every track on Speak and Spell is a gem. Not many debuts can claim that kind triumph. And as good as it was, Clarke's leaving didn't kill DM, it freed them up. Once Gore took over writing duties the band took a darker turn and began forging what would become one of the most iconic bands the post-arena rock world had ever seen. Violator seems to be, for many people, a turning point for the band. Going from underground scenesters to pop megastars. But the band didn't soften their sound, or broaden it. They just kept evolving, kept getting better (and kept going into rehab). They moved from being a great synthpop band, to just being a great band.

Speak and Spell often gets over shadowed by Black Celebration or Music for the Masses, or the aforementioned Violator. But listen to "Photographic" from S&S. It's still a fantastic track today - 27 years after it's release. I might get called on this one, but I doubt anyone will be listening to Vampire Weekend and crying their genius in 2035.

MP3 - Depeche Mode - Photographic

Purchase through Amazon - Speak and Spell

Depeche Mode

Infadels - Universe in Reverse

2008-07-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon the Infadels awhile back while listening to Last.fm. I'm pretty sure it was "Love Like Semtex" from their first album, We Are Not The Infadels. I was immediately hooked and soaked up the rest of that album.

Now, two years after that first release, I've got my hands on Universe in Reverse, the Infadels latest. Considering how much I liked their last one, I was understandably excited to hear the new material.

If you haven't heard them, the Infadels are a London-based rock outfit that surfs the edge of post-punk, disco-punk and mainstream rock 'n roll. If I was describing their first album I might compare them with bands like Radio 4.

This new album though is a strong departure from their danceable roots. Right off the bat "Circus of the Mad" says this is a band that has turned a page. Heavy funk bass lines have given way to a fuller, richer, guitar-led sound. There are more chorus-style vocals, tempo and chord changes, and less obvious melodies. It all leads to a more 'epic' sound. There are more nuanced synthesizers here. They surf near Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand territory.

It's a gamble, making a move of this sort. You risk alienating your initial fan base for one you may not attract. Unfortunately, I think this is what will happen here. Their songs are well-produced, complex and full of intent and purpose. The problem is that few of them leave any real impression once they are done. As you listen to them, you can hear plenty of elements to appreciate but nothing really sticks.

There are exceptions to this. "How To Disappear" seems to have some of the urgency of their first album. "Code 1" has energy to spare, launching itself up and out from the rest of the album. It's fun keyboards and driving drums immediately reminded me of We Are Not.

All in all, this comes off as a tactical error on the part of the band. If anything, it's now obvious that band is extremely talented and can play a wide range of sounds. The mistake here was to try to push the band into a more generic, 'rock' sound that would play to a broader audience. It comes off like a dog that loves to run, who's been put on a really short leash. You can see the Infadels straining at it - they want to run. A note to whomever produces their next album: Let them.

MP3: The Infadels - Code 1

Purchase through Amazon - Universe in Reverse

The Infadels

The Prids had a serious car accident

2008-07-21T12:14:00.001-07:00

The Prids, a great Portland-based band, apparently got into a major accident yesterday on the way to Los Angeles. A tire blew, their van flipped. No fatalities, but serious injuries resulted and at least one member is in dire shape.

If you are a fan of the band, you can donate here

Also, now's a great time to go buy some music from them at their website: The Prids

Video of the Day

2008-07-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today's video is a great one. It's hard not to like Johnny Cash. And this track from American Recordings is so damn dark and bleak. The video is just as grim.

Is it just me?

2008-07-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Or is this one of the more stupid things we've seen lately? I wasn't a big fan of the Vampire Weekend in the first place, but now I think they've moved on to 'grating'.

This picture from their latest video says it all:

Video of the Day

2008-07-18T11:00:00.001-07:00

Things are a little slow this week, so I'm taking some time off to do some other writing (finally getting into my feature length script). But I do have a jucy VOD for you all.

There are puppets, which are evil. And not good evil. Bad evil. But then there are Muppets. Which rock. Go ahead, try to deny it. Muppets rock.

The new Futurehead videos doesn't exactly feature "Muppets" - more like 'muppets'. But close enough. This video is great - and the song is a lot of fun as well. You have to appreciate a band that has enough self-deprication and sense of humor to allow themselves not only to be portrayed as muppets, but to not appear anywhere in the video. It's a cute 'behind the scenes' style shoot and it works really well.

Enjoy "Walking Backwards", by the Futureheads. It's a brand new track from the bands new album.

Overlooked - Love is The Slug

2008-07-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine if the Go-Go's had gone to prison and come out as broken bottle swingin' bar bitches who didn't take shit from anyone. That's pretty much what Fuzzbox sounds like. An all-girl rock band from the 80's(they're actual full name was We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It), they were a flash in the pan, here and gone kinda thing. In fact, even as an 80s DJ, I managed to miss this song for years, until my wonderful girlfriend introduced me to it. It stuck immediately.

It's one of those tracks where you go, 'this is over 20 years old? No Way!' . It's definitely got an 80s vibe, but it's still chock full of attitude and style. Fuzzy danceable guitars, synthesizers that aren't over the top, and half-sung, half-shouted vocals from Vickie Perk. This is one of those rare tracks that makes me actually miss my high school years.

*Although...upon watching the video, maybe 'bottle swingin' bitches' is overstating their street cred.*

MP3: Fuzzbox - Love is the Slug
Purchase through Amazon - Fuzzbox

Video of the Day

2008-07-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today we have the new Cure video, "Sleep When I'm Dead". It's an interesting tune and a sonic departure for the band. I think I actually like it. While 'sleep when I'm dead' does get repeated quite a bit, it's nice to hear a real change in guitar work. Gone are the clean jangles of the typical Smith track. Instead we have upfront aggressive stuff reminiscent of The Edge's work.

As for the video. Blech. Robert's already looking his age. Washing out all the color and leaving us with nothing but shades of dingy blue is rough. Not to mention, this is another video that, besides hearing the song, does nothing except say, "Look at me for four minutes, I'm Robert Smith." A little creativity here could have gone a long way.

Video of the Day

2008-07-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

"True Faith" from New Order. I loved this video as a teenager. As an adult, I look back on it and I can see that there was a label douchebag that stuck his big fat stupid nose into the process here and said 'this is all too weird, we need to intersperse all this weird shit with the band pretending to play'. The director then says, 'but we've already finished! We don't have any footage of the band!'. The label douche follows up with 'Well, just use some live footage from somewhere, I don't care. I just don't want to see all that weird stuff!'.

Douchebags.

Still a great song, and a mostly great video.

She Wants Revenge - Save Your Soul EP

2008-07-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

I did a review of SWR's single "Save Your Soul" last month, but it's taken me awhile to really be able to sit down and take in the entire EP.

First off, kudos to the guys for making the daring leap into the world of self-production. They managed to get out from under Geffen/Interscope and are now on their own label, Perfect Kiss (Which I really hope is a New Order reference). I'm hoping that this means that one of my favorite L.A. bands will flourish both creatively and financially.

I've said in the past that SWR is an out of the closet picaroon. They lift from their influences so overtly that they often get slammed for it by reviewers. I have two counters to that. One, it's only obvious because their influences are so unique sounding: Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, etc. If you are influenced by those bands, there is no way to hide it my friends. Secondly, it doesn't really matter, because they not only sound great, they still sound like they're in the present not floundering in the past. SWR might take from some 80s icons, but they sound like a 21st century band through and through.

Okay, all that said, what do I think of the new EP? Not bad. In fact, it feels like an appetizer to something much bigger. This Is Forever, while a compelling album, felt somewhat constrained, which I suspect had to do with label control. This collection of four tracks isn't a huge departure and yet there is a difference. All of their ingredients are the same, but there is a loose feeling that wasn't present in past work. Maybe it's that Adam and Justin are just more comfortable with their own work and they're having more fun with it.

Regardless, this shows in the music. "Sleep" recalls some of the best work of the Psychedelic Furs and guitar-era New Order. "A Hundred Kisses", with it's light acoustic guitar and chamber hall vocals lives somewhere between Love and Rockets and Echo and the Bunnymen. "Sugar" is classic Cure. I've already written about "Save Your Soul".

I think the last step for the band is to let Justin expand his vocal range. While I love his Peter Murphy/Ian Curtis style, I think in the end, he doesn't need to stay with it so tightly. There are plenty of other good 80s post-punk frontmen out there to emulate and work in.

If Save Your Soul is a signpost for things to come for She Wants Revenge, then I couldn't be happier.

"Save Your Soul" would get played around 1:30am right between some Depeche Mode and some Sisters of Mercy.

MP3: She Wants Revenge - Save Your Soul

Purchase through iTunes - Save Your Soul

She Wants Revenge

Video of the Day

2008-07-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Best. Commercial. Ever.

Portishead - Third

2008-07-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I've always been a huge fan of Portishead, but I certainly respect their work. While they often get labeled as trip-hop, I don't think that's very accurate, especially their latest album, Third.

There are artists out there that transcend genres; Johnny Cash, Sigur Ros, Leonard Cohen come to mind. Certainly Portishead have moved beyond 'trip-hop' and into just being 'Portishead' minus any genre.

Third is the culmination of that movement. Here, Portishead strip away all conventions, beat back any attempts at categorization and create something almost entirely fresh. I say 'almost' because there is one thread, one small bread crumb trail to be found on this new adventure. It's Beth Gibbons haunting voice. In previous works, it was used to add to the power and mood of a track. But on Third, her voice is put to a much better use. It's a guide, a small beacon of comforting familiarity on the bizarre and surreal odyssey that this album takes you on.

The album opens with "Silence". It's one of the more beat and melody driven pieces on the album. But lyrically, it sets the tone. "Empty in our hearts, Crying out in silence, Wandered out of reach, too far to speak, Drifting, unable," Beth laments.

"Hunter" drifts from ultra-delicate, distant vocals and light strings to heavy dirge-like synthesizers. There's a sense of travel in many of their songs, of motion. "I stand on the edge of a broken sky, And I'm looking down, don't know why. And if I should fall, would you hold me?", she queries.

No instrument goes unturned. Everything is laid out like a strange garden, where every sound is a new exotic plant or flower. Beth takes you by the hand and leads you through this beautiful but dangerous sylvan. Nowhere is this more apparent than on "Machine Gun". Brutal staccato synthesized drums punch erratically throughout the song, jarring and unnerving. You find yourself clinging to Gibbon's vocals for a sense of reprieve, although she gives none. Drifting analog synthesizers come in (That oddly remind me of Vangelis' work) near the end, only adding to the sense of discordance and chaos. It's a signature piece of work on an already singular album.

Which brings me around to labels again. I think many of the fans of Dummy will be disappointed with Third. In fact, I'm not sure if the public in general will know what to do with this. It's much like the film Apocalypse Now. It's a fantastic film, an amazingly well done piece of art. But it's also gruelling. It takes a toll on you emotionally, and although you might have it in your collection, it's not something you put on casually. Third is a journey not for the faint of heart, nor for the top 40.

MP3: Portishead - ~~Magic Doors~~ Removed as per label request
Purchase through Amazon - Third
Portishead

Video of the Day

2008-07-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm ingesting the new She Wants Revenge EP right now. I'll have a review shortly. In the meantime, here's a video off their first album. "Tear You Apart" is on a short list of my favorite all-time videos (It's also directed by Joaquin Phoenix).

Black Ghosts - Remixes and B-Sides

2008-07-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

I always feel bad when I have to give an album a bad review. Call me a softy, but since I'm often getting music from labels who are out there working hard to promote their band, it's difficult to turn around and tell them that something sucks.

I had to do that last week when I reviewed the Black Ghosts debut album. The fantastic folks over at Musebox were totally cool with it though. They've also given me a set of remixes and b-sides to review from the Ghosts. They're really good people over there at Musebox.

Sigh.

There's a remix from BG of The Gossip's "Listen" . There are two remixes of "Face"(the Teenagers Mix, and the Switch Mix), two remixes of "Anyway You Choose To Give It"(Boy 8 Bit Mix and Fake Blood Mix)and one of "Some Way Through This"(The Replicants Mix)all from the debut album, as well as a cover from the Ghosts of Olivia Newton Johns' "Let's Get Physical".

The Ghosts remix of "Listen" is passable. Nothing too exciting here, but a decent dance floor version of the track. If you like the Gossip, then you probably won't mind this remix.

The remixes from Black Ghosts range from 'not as irritating as the original' to 'Jesus, please make it stop'. Part of the problem is that the original material is not much to work (as I said in my original review). The Boy 8 Bit Mix of "Anyway" is actually a good dancey electro piece of work that goes well with the original, but the Fake Blood Mix is so glitched and re-sampled it sounds like an epileptic on two turntables. The Teenagers failed to strip out the annoying repetitions in "Face". On "Some Way Through This" Simon Lord's vocals are so awful it's painful. I don't think I realized until I listened to this track just how strained and limited his voice is. He spends an amazing amount of time sounding off key.

The capper here though is the cover. From across my house, my girlfriend piped up "Oh my god, is that someone covering Olivia Newton John?", when she heard "Let's Get Physical" coming from my laptop.

It's funny. In my previous review, I accused the Black Ghosts of trying to sound like the 80s without having listened to the 80s. This track hammers that point home. Taking one of the most slapstick disco pieces from the 80s and covering it without any sense of irony or humor is just sad. John's original track was fun, light, and done with a wink. Trying to make this into some dark, modern piece just sounds wretched. If it weren't "Let's Get Physical", it would be a decent little dance tune, but it is. Listen at your own peril.

MP3: Black Ghosts - Let's Get Physical
Purchase through Amazon - Black Ghosts
Black Ghosts

Video of the Day

2008-07-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

Oops. Guess I forgot the VOD yesterday. I was riled up about the whole Fratellis thing and it totally slipped.

Today we've got a good one. This is one of my favorite tracks of the last few years. When I saw the video I couldn't help but think how much these guys looked like little adorable bri'ish lads with their sweaters and bad teeth. I can just picture them playing in their mums ga-rage.

This is "Tendency" by Battle.

Pity The Bands On Major Labels

2008-07-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

I knew this day would come. Just a few posts down, you'll notice that two Fratellis tracks have been removed from my review. Maybe I should take it as a sign that my blog's getting big enough to be noticed. Yay! Or maybe I should take it as a sign that the labels don't think I'm important enough to let me offer MP3's like some other blogs do. Boo!

MP3's are the lifeblood of the modern band. How much music out there would we have missed entirely if it weren't for MP3's? Not only do they allow us access to new bands, they give us a freedom and portability to listen to music much more often than we used to. I have a co-worker in my office who walks around with an iPod attached to his hip, one ear bud in his ear, the other dangling. Not really possible with a CD player.

To make things worse, Interscope didn't contact me about the MP3's, they contacted my host, Box.net. Why? After all, I've put up a message right at the top of my blog that clearly states that if you want MP3's removed, just ask. Instead, by asking Box.net, Interscope has jeopardized my relationship with Box.net. If I were to lose that account, all of the bands and labels who do want their music to be exposed on my blog all get the rug pulled out from under them. Interscope punishes everyone else.

I'm not making any money on my blog. I spend an hour or so a day on it, not counting all the time I dedicate to listening to new music and reading other blogs. There's no profit here for me, and certainly not much glory. I write this blog because I love music and it's a great feeling to have someone say 'thanks for turning me on to that band, I love them'. It's why I DJ and it's why I blog.

So who loses the most in all this? The Fratellis do. I gave their album a lukewarm review, but I love the band. I offered MP3's so that people could decide for themselves if they wanted to run out and get it. Now that the MP3's are down, how does that make the band look? Perhaps like they have something to hide? Certainly Interscope has something to hide. My first thought is that Interscope is ashamed of the music and that they think they only way they'll sell albums is by duping people into buying something that their customers can't hear first. Not exactly a friendly way to treat the Fratellis' Fans.

At this point, I'm really confused as to why anyone who isn't only interested in being famous would sign to a major label. We all know the labels make the majority of the artists money, they maintain a lot of creative control, they become the voice of the band. Worse, they take what is, at it's heart, an artistic endeavor and turn it into a business model.

What are labels good for at this point? They might (temporarily) still serve a purpose as distributors, but as management and promoters, they are nothing more than a giant leech on the artists back, sucking the vitae from the music and the fans.

Let me be clear that I'm talking about the major labels here. There are plenty of small labels out there busting their asses for their bands, and I have nothing but respect for them. The smaller labels understand that community, word of mouth, and MP3's all go hand in hand to help get a band heard.

So let's take a moment and feel bad for all of the Fratelli's out there. They've got a ball and chain dragging behind them.

Oh, and for a refresher on the whole scheme, here's a classic rant from Steve Albini on the labels. It's a little out of date, but still really applicable.

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

2008-07-09T10:15:00.001-07:00

I wasn't sure what to expect from MGMT. I'd heard the name mentioned in conjunction with other bands that I liked and it had certainly gotten around on the blog circuit. But I avoided reading reviews for fear of contaminating my opinion. I thought what I would be hearing would be some sort of electro/punk style band.

That wasn't totally off-base, and yet, it totally was. There isn't anything trendy sounding in MGMT's debut, Oracular Spectacular. At the same time there are lots of recognizable sounds and ideas here. The first track I listened to, "Kids", made me think of the Scissor Sisters (I realized I had my iTunes on shuffle - it didn't feel like a first track). "Time To Pretend" still felt a little like Scissor Sisters, but I also felt like I was hearing some Arcade Fire there. There's a strong psychadelia component to the songs.

All of the songwriting here is really solid. None of the songs seems to be in a hurry to get anywhere, and at the same time, there isn't really any filler here. Strong back beats, light easy melodies, and high, sometimes falsetto, vocals carry you through the album with one foot in the 70s and one foot in 2008. The tinkling piano and the swanky singing of "Weekend Wars" is right out of Elton John's playbook. "The Youth" sails smoothly into Stardust-era Bowie. There's plenty of funk/disco to go around as well, especially on tracks like "Electric Feel". "Pieces of What" sounds oddly like a Violent Femmes song, yet still works in the greater whole of the album somehow.

Nothing in this album grabbed me and made me want to hit replay over and over. On the otherhand, I find myself grooving along to almost every track here. Each has its own charms, its own little world. Oracular Spectacular never seems like it's trying to overshadow it's influences either, rather MGMT come across as genuine devotees and audiophiles sharing their passion with us.

I'm looking forward to hearing some remixes as well. I have a feeling they'd tear up the dancefloor.

MP3: MGMT - ~~Electric Feel~~ Removed as per label request
MP3: MGMT - ~~Kids~~ Removed as per label request
Purchase through Amazon: Oracular Spectacular
MGMT

The Fratellis - Here We Stand

2008-07-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

It's really hard to write about Here We Stand without discussing the Fratellis' first album, Costello Music, a raucous, snarky affair. Being a popular indie-rock band is a much easier feat than it used to be, so when tunes like "Chelsea Dagger" hit the airwaves a couple of years ago, it was nice to see someone stand out from the crowd.

Fast forward to Here We Stand. The band, made up from three actual brothers named Fratelli, have taken a lot more care and thought on this outing. That might not be a good thing. Much of their swanky glam-influenced, off-the-cuff sounding britpop has given way to slickly produced arena style rock. There's plenty of well-done music here, but the question is, does it suit the Fratellis that we loved from Costello?

The answer, unfortunately, is only moderately. Tracks like "Acid Jazz Singer" and "Jesus Stole My Baby" seem to capture some of their past vibe. But tracks like "Lupe Brown" sound more like Cheap Trick, especially in their guitar work. Again, it's not necessarily bad to sound like Cheap Trick, but I'm not sure it works for this band.

Like Costello Music, this album seems to have been written with the idea of singing along with them in a bar, all of your friends hoisting pints in the air. The vocals are all clean, front and center, and full of fun.

But with almost every track I found myself thinking of another band from the 70s. "A Heady Tale" instantly recalls Paul Simon or Billy Joel. "Shameless" again, recalls Cheap Trick. There are various country, surf and rock swipes. But none to any real effect.

In the end, this isn't a bad album, they just seem to have chosen a direction that has swapped post-punk edge for 70s arena rock indulgences. You could do worse on a sophomore album. But I think what was lost on Here We Stand was the sense of playful immediacy that made Costello Music so fun.

Here We Stand will keep me around at least long enough to hear their third album though.

MP3: The Fratellis - ~~Jesus Stole My Baby~~ Removed at request of label

MP3: The Fratellis - ~~Babydoll~~ Removed at request of label

Purchase through Amazon: Here We Stand

The Fratellis

Video of the Day

2008-07-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

This song recently came up in conversation between my girlfriend and I and we ended up doing our 'Night at the Roxbury' style laugh off in the car to it. Then, serendipitously it came up on Stereogum and I laughed myself to the point of peeing at the video. I've never seen a mainstream video so funny and so pornographic simultaneously.

This is Eric Prydz's remix of Steve Winwood's "Valerie", titled "Call on Me". Let the laughter begin.

Video of the Day

2008-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is from the Infadel's first album. The track is "Can't Get Enough". I've been really digging on this track lately.

But the video...is it just me or does it seem vaguely, unintentionally homoerotic? And is that some sort of trendy bib he's wearing? All in all, a pretty funny video, even if that isn't what they were going for.

Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies

2008-07-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize that this album was released almost 8 months ago. I admittedly didn't get it till just a couple of months ago. It got less than stellar reception initially, and my enthusiasm waned.

It ended up on a play list I brought to work with me though, and I've had the chance to really absorb it. Make no mistake, there's nothing original on Slick Dogs and Ponies, the bands sophomore effort. But then, there wasn't on their first album either. The band, from the beginning, has taken the attitude of 'it's all tongue-in-cheek'. They make their music the way the Muppet's Swedish Chef cooks. Influences fly haphazardly like distraught chickens, while the band gleefully stirs its pot. Bowie, AC/DC, the Beatles, T-Rex, and a host of others are all pulled from, not to make some new fancy dish, but comfort food, something familiar.

This new album is much darker than their last however. Sure, most of the songs are still about sex, drugs and rock n' roll, but this time, they've taken a more cynical attitude. Adding string sections, complex choruses and relying less on their straight forward rock sound from their debut, Slick Dogs sounds much more epic and well thought out.

It's strange, all of the things I thought of as positives in this album seem to be listed as negatives in most of the reviews from the major mags. It's like Louis XIV handed us this album, and then slyly winked at us, but the big guys missed the wink. I'm sure that Jason Hill knows he sounds exactly like Bon Scott. I'm sure they know they are totally copying T-Rex chords. That's the point.

The more I listen to Slick Dogs and Ponies, the more I like it. From the ballads ("Hopesick and "Air Traffic Control") to the juicy glam rock bits like "Tina" and "Guilt By Association", there are some very memorable songs here. No, Louis XIV are not re-inventing rock n' roll. They're just in the kitchen having fun.

Wink.

MP3: Louis XIV - Tina
Purchase through Amazon - Slick Dogs and Ponies
Louis XIV

Video of the Day

2008-07-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today's video comes from a fun, straight up rock and roll band, the Subways. I love this video for a few reasons. One, the kinetic camera action suits the band so well. Two, I love the fact that the girl is far more aggro than the guy - she's jumpin all over the place. Three, you have to love pissed off girls in skirts and rollerskates. What's not to love? This is "Oh, Yeah" by the Subways.

The Black Ghosts - The Black Ghosts

2008-07-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

"The repetition kills you, so bring it on, bring it on." The Black Ghosts sing this line over and over on the track aptly titled, "Repetition". This sentiment pretty much sums up the entire album, The Black Ghosts, unfortunately.

The opening track, "Anyway You Choose To Give It", is a glorious bit of synth-disco. Smartly done lyrics, a catchy beat and that oh-so popular electro sound. I'm sure it's going to be a smash on the dance floor.

From there on, however, the entire album vacillates between bland mediocrity and nails-on-the-chalkboard irritating. There are basically three main influences in each of the tracks: 80s Duran Duran, 80s synthpop and 80s top 40 RnB. But rather than coming up with a fresh sound, every one of these tracks sounds like something El DeBarge left on the studio floor. It's cheesy in all the wrong places (I swear that's an actual Casio they're trying to play off non-ironically in "Repetition"), seems to lack any direction or gravitas, and often gets sickeningly repetitive ("You've got to face the music, face the music, face the music, face the music" gets chanted about a hundred more times on "Face").

What the entire thing sounds like is a band that never actually listened to anything from the 80s, but instead listened to '00 revival bands and tried to guess what music from the actual decade sounded like. The Black Ghosts want desperately to get into the niche that Cut Copy have carved for themselves. Instead, they've just highlighted why Cut Copy have it right. Cut Copy understand the elements they are ..well, copying from. But they have the right mix of new and old and their song writing is tight, hook filled and catchy. The Black Ghosts got it right with the first track and then just fell flat on their faces.

On the bright side, this duo comprised from fellas from The Wiseguys and Simian might be able to save themselves with a set of remixes. I haven't listened to them yet, and I'll be reviewing these separately. But maybe, just maybe, they won't completely suck.

MP3: The Black Ghosts - Anyway You Chose To Give It

Purchase through Amazon - The Black Ghosts (released July 8, 2008)

The Black Ghosts

Video of the Day - Locals

2008-07-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

The video of the day is about as near and dear to me as it gets. After all, I directed and edited it. It's the promo video for the pilot episode of my series, "Locals".

Why is it the video of the day? Well, the version you are looking at below is on the Independent Televsion Festival YouTube site(which is also why the aspect ratio is wrong, sorry). The show is an official selection this year and they've put up trailers for all of the festival shows.

Please, if you get a minute, watch the trailer, leave a comment here. Even better, if you live in L.A. come out to the festival in August. You can learn more about ITVFest here.

You can also come to the show's website: Locals

Tom Petty at the Hollywood Bowl

2008-07-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood Bowl is a mystical place. There are few venues in this world where, once inside, the rest of the world seems to fade away. Surrounded by hills, trees and a gorgeous Summer night sky, it seems like the Bowl is like a focal instrument for the Universe to speak through. Whomever steps on that stage has the whole of humanity listening. Or so it seems.

Anyway, I've been a Tom Petty fan since I was a wee one, so it was with something like awe that I responded when I found out that my lovely fiance's mother had gotten us all tickets to see Tom at the Bowl last Wednesday.

I spent most of my time during opener Steve Winwood's set in the beer and popcorn lines, which was fine by me. He never was my style. I noticed, in line for my absurdly priced Corona, that the crowd was about as diverse as I'd ever seen. Rednecks, hipsters, geriatrics, teenagers, and everything in between.

It struck me then that there are few American rockers that fall into Petty's category. Most of them (Springsteen, Aerosmith, etc) have all had careers that have waxed and waned. Moments of popularity due to particularly good albums and have then moved on to more subdued careers. They might still pack their shows, but it's with their fans from two decades past.

Petty seems to be one of very few who've avoided this. His songs seem to connect with everyone. Yet he never seems to be 'popular' or 'hot'. Just always there, below the roar. If you stop paying attention to the 'album of the minute' you can always turn around and find a good solid Tom Petty album right there.

He writes the songs that you can sing along to, that you can relate to, that you can drive fast to, that you can shout at your ex, that you can finish a beer with a friend to. He's always been a rebel, but never felt the need to prove it. He's the kind of guy who'd have you laughing your ass off to endless road tales, without ever seeming like he was boasting.

It's also nice that he has a love of L.A. Not so much because I'm in love with L.A, but like a begrudging relative, I understand the city, and know her and 'get' her. So when he sings song "Free Fallin'" and you can hear the whole crowd chanting along, it has an extra significance.

When Petty finally came on, he launched right into classics: "You Wreck Me", "Listen to Her Heart", "I Won’t Back Down", "Even the Losers", "Free Fallin’", and "Mary Jane’s Last Dance".

He followed with a B-side, and some rarities, before inviting Winwood back for a couple of his openers old tracks.

This was the only problem with the show for me. If you've ever played Guitar Hero III, you know there's this spot where the game is loading a song and the screen displays little bits of rock and roll advice. One that often comes up is: 20 minute free form jazz solos are NOT okay. Someone in the Petty/Winwood camp needed to remind them that that is a mighty fine bit of wisdom.

These 'extended' versions ate up much of the Bowl's allowable time limits on shows, which is a shame, because otherwise, Petty sounded amazing. The man has a ton of energy and doesn't sound tired even doing his oldest material.

The set picked up again with "Saving Grace", "Honey Bee", "A Face in the Crowd", "You Don’t Know How It Feels", "Learning to Fly", "Don’t Come Around Here No More", and "Refugee". After a brief break he encored with "Running Down a Dream", "Gloria", and "American Girl". All done, not only gorgeously, but with a packed house of fans that new every lyric.

My only complaint was that the 'free form jazz solo's' might have caused him to cut out a few classics that I would have loved to have heard, especially, "You Got Lucky". All said though, a fantastic experience.

Thanks to The Spaghetti Incident for posting the set list that I was too dumb to write down. And thanks to Stiletto Lawyer over at Flckr for posting pics. I couldn't get my giant camera in through security.

MP3: Tom Petty - You Got Lucky

Purchase through Amazon: Tom Petty

Tom Petty

Overlooked - Sex Beat

2008-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Death Rock is one of those genres that people either love, or know nothing about. It was either connected to or spawned lots of other sub-genres. Names like Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, Sisters of Mercy, 45 Grave, Christian Death, and so on and so on. (I can already hear the anguished cry of 30-somethings still caking on white face paint on Friday nights, screaming about definitions of 'goth' versus 'industrial' versus 'death rock' versus post-punk'. Yawn.)

Some of the music doesn't hold up. It was either so wrapped up in trying to be the 'death rockiest' song ever or it was just plain crap to begin with. But other songs out there hold up just as well as anything. Good song writing is good song writing. Go back and listen to any old Bauhaus album and you can instantly see why they can still pack clubs while bands like Electric Hellfire Club elicit little more than a snicker from the most die hard fans of the genre.

Like any era in music, it has it's one hit wonders. In this case, "Sex Beat" by "Sex Beat" is a classic example. Made up of scensters, DJ's and random folks in the NY goth scene, centered around the notorious Bat Cave club, Sex Beat was there and gone before anyone knew what happened. They signed to a label after "Sex Beat" was a hit on the Young Limbs and Numb Hyms Bat Cave compilation album. But after only two follow-up singles, drifted into musical oblivion.

The song, however, magically captures all that was right in the scene at the time. A dark, driving beat. A dirty, less than perfect production that had more heart than skill. And a finger on the pulse of the crowd it was playing to. It's become one of those tracks that I think will live on on many a compilation, play list and set list for a long time to come.

MP3: Sex Beat - Sex Beat
Purchase through CD Universe - Sex Beat

*Side Note: Happy birthday to my dear friend, Leia. Leia is one of those amazingly rare human beings that doesn't just listen to music, she absorbs it. She never tires of her favorites and always loves to hear new things. She is one of the finest souls I know.

Video of the Day

2008-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today's tasty animated treat is from Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The track is "Let's Make Out". Great video and built to be played on a big screen at a club. I liked this better than the previews for Speed Racer, that's for sure.

Video of the Day

2008-06-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry no posts yesterday - I'm really busy at work (my paying job). Still busy today, but I thought I could squeeze a couple in.

Today's video is not my usual material, but I have to say, girls with glowing eyes and silver skin are really hot.

The Great Northwest - The Widespread Reign of

2008-06-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

The term "Magic Hour" is used in filmmaking to describe that rare time near sunset and dawn, when the sun isn't visible, but has indirectly lit everything. Colors are brilliant and shadows are soft. The band The Great Northwest live in this fleeting time. They exist in that brief period and their debut album, The Widespread Reign Of does an excellent job of capturing this space aurally.

The band (around 20 of them) hail from all over. But their hometowns don't matter much. Both their sound and production bring them back to (you guessed it), the Pacific Northwest. Mixed in the same studio that Dandy Warhols use, the album sounds a lot like them, if played back at half-speed.

That might sound like a burn, but it's not. TGN might live in that brief 'Magic Hour', they just aren't interested in rushing anything. They have a story to tell, and like an old friend, they settle back on your couch and tell it to you at their pace.

One of the first things I noticed on the album is the shear range of dynamics and sounds. I thought I'd gotten a bad copy of the album when I first played it because the opening track, "Surprise I Love You" is so quiet. Then I realized that it wasn't my copy, but instead a quiet piece that beckons you a little closer, like a friend whispering a secret. "Game" has a wonderful background sound that makes me think of rain falling outside a house, and "Be Coming" sounds like it was recorded next to a power line. There's more instrumentation on these tracks than you can shake a stick at, but rarely do the songs feel cluttered or noisy.

**Note**: I've since been informed that my tracks were out of order. "Surprise I Love You" is the last track not the first.

The Warhols presence/influence can be felt throughout this work, especially on tracks like "Know What I Mean" "Western American" and "Game". The light tinkling keyboards, the trombone, the well placed wall-of-sound guitar, and the richly layered witty vocals. And for full disclosure, I have to say, I'm a big DH fan(much of this album makes me think of the Warhols track "Sleep").

There are stumbles here to be sure. "Did It Once" the second track, is at once both too folksy and a bit too repetitive. The band also has a habit of closing out tracks with very synthetic noises that drift into the next track. For a band that feels so organic and alive, these sort of sterile transitions don't do them justice.

On the whole though, this album does exactly what it sets out to do. It provides a soundtrack to a quiet rainy day in Portland. Grab a cup of coffee, put this album on, and go watch the rain fall.

The Widespread Reign Of comes out July 29th from Kora Records

MP3: The Great Northwest - Game
The Great Northwest

Video of the Day

2008-06-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Cute poppy French fun from Yelle. This is "A Cause Des Garcons"

The Faint - The Geeks Were Right

2008-06-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

I can not tell you all how excited I am about the new Faint album. Without a doubt, my favorite band this decade. I don't have a download here for you yet, but I do have a player. Enjoy "The Geeks Were Right". (btw, of course they were!)

Oh, and if you are in the L.A. area, hurry up and get your tickets - they are going fast!!

Video of the Day

2008-06-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Faint don't do as many music videos as some of their contemporaries, and they are kind of hit and miss. This is one of the hits. The style and integration of the animation on this fits the song like a glove.

Agenda Suicide

Vampire Weekend - Self Titled Album

2008-06-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

I had a rare opportunity before me. It doesn't happen often that a band gets really buzz worthy and yet by the time I get a hold of the album I know almost nothing about them. So rather than do what I usually do, which is, read about a band and do research as I'm listening to them, I decided to just play the album and take it entirely on its' own merits. The only thing I'd heard about them beforehand was the track "A-Punk", which is played incessantly on Indie 103.1, and that they are all the rage right now.

With that, I sat down this morning and put on my headphones and went off into about 30 minutes and 11 tracks of Vampire Weekend. My first impression was that these guys listened to a lot of David Byrne, Paul Simon, a little bit of reggae, and something else. I couldn't quite nail it until they actually said his name in "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" - Peter Gabriel. I also think that secretly, one or more members of the band has a copy of Bruce Hornsby and the Range on vinyl that they sit and listen to in the dark with a solitary candle burning in the window, but I digress.

Those are all pretty influential names I threw out in that last paragraph. But don't think I'm drawing quality comparisons between Vampire Weekend and the likes of Paul Simon. The production quality on the album is sharp. The vocals are well layered without being over-processed. The instrumentation is rich and full - lots of strings, horns and piano. No doubt someone dropped some cash on this album. Therein lies the problem.

I noticed early on that almost every track I listened to mentioned either New England in some form (Hyannisport, Boston,) or college (Oxford). It wasn't long before I pictured the entire band wearing khakis with pastel sweaters tied around their necks and all sporting names like Chip, Blaine and Chet. Their sound went from sort of a 'world music' sound to a 'don't we sound cultured' put on. I couldn't take them seriously by the time the 30 minutes was up. And yet, I could see more than ever why they were the big buzz band(more on that later).

Okay. Before I go on with this review, I'm going to stop and go do some research and some reading. When I come back, I may contradict myself or look foolish even.

....

I'm back. Did you miss me? So, Pitchfork gave it an '8.8'(whatever that means) and said, "...they play it all like indie kids on a college lawn, because they're not hung up on Africa in the least", and "plenty of people have found reasons to hate Vampire Weekend from the first note, many of them having to do with their prep aesthetic and Ivy League educations".

Stereogum listed them as a 'band to watch' and said, "these are indie-pop gems of a different cut, pulling on the world music bend of Paul Simon's Graceland and late Talking Heads, wrapped in literary barbs and ample alliteration".

Fader said, "Four dudes hailing from the far reaches of Morningside Heights and the grassy confines of Columbia are bringing Afrobeat-infused indie-pop downtown and they’re bringing it in rumpled Oxfords and Topsiders!"

Okay, so obviously, I wasn't too off the mark. But the million dollar question is, are they any good? As usual, I can only offer my opinon (and some samples). In this case the answer is (a qualified) no.

Why, you ask? Two reasons. The first is not their fault, the second is. This might be a bit of a diversion, but this is my blog, so I can make statements like this: Vampire Weekend are not 'indie' in any sense. I already loathe categorizing bands. By the same token, there is a big difference between Gwar and Beethoven and it's sometimes useful to have phrases that help easily explain the differences. But in this case, labeling Vampire Weekend as 'indie-pop' is not something that helps describe their music, but instead helps to sell to a demographic.

Let me paint a scenario for you. Vampire Weekend, instead of getting hyped by all the rock blogs, gets picked up by a label that specializes in afrobeat or world music and signs. They get pitched and promoted that way. Would they still be on the cover of Spin? Doubtful. You'd be hearing about them on world music and afrobeat blogs, but not Stereogum. But these are white college kids. So slap the 'indie' tag on them and all of a sudden they're hip and should be lumped into discussions about the Klaxons or Conor Oberst. Those three artists have ridiculously little in common with each other. In the case of Vampire Weekend, I don't think they did this intentionally (although I wouldn't put it past some Ivy League kids to do just that), but the whole band seems like it came out of some focus group. All the little pieces are in the just the right place. It's all so wholesome and yet edgy!

Which brings me to the second reason I don't like Vampire Weekend. I don't believe them. Their music sounds like someone approached it as a mathematical problem. There's no dirt there, no fire. Both rock and afrobeat sounds are cut from emotional cores - anger, joy, frustration, fear, sex, love. There isn't any of that in Vampire Weekend's work. It comes at you like a brand new Ipod: Clean, well packaged, easy, meant for mass consumption, glossy and pretty. In fact, this band might be the first band that was born to be on an Ipod.

Going back to my rating system (which I haven't used in a bit), I'd never play this band during a set. Not because I'm not a huge world music fan (which, I'm not), but because they wouldn't bring any life to a club.

MP3 - Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

MP3 - Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Purchase through Amazon - Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend

Video(s) of the Day

2008-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, a friend of mine invited me to a party that I couldn't attend. Later when I asked some friends about it, I got a great story. This is a paraphrase of the conversation that took place at the party and was relayed to me.
Friend A: "They put up a maypole in the backyard!'
Friend B: "What's a maypole?'
Friend A: "You remember that video from Men Without Hats, "Safety Dance"?
Friend B: "Oh yeah! Okay. "
Friend C to friend B: "Wait, your only knowledge of maypoles comes from a Men Without Hats video? That's like saying your only knowledge of Mozart comes from Falco."

Without further ado, I give you your dose of maypoles and Mozart.

Dreams of Death

2008-06-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

Last night I had a really disturbing dream that William Shatner died. In the dream he was also Captain Kirk, they were one in the same. Spock and McCoy were there too. It was very sad, and personal. (On a side note, I'm a sci-fi nerd, so anything Star Trek related is going to feel personal) I have a feeling it's connected to those wierd Priceline commercials he's been doing. The ones with the Lemur and the three babies. If you haven't seen it, that last sentence doesn't nearly convey the strangeness.

Anyway, I was further saddened to learn when I woke up this morning that while Shatner was still alive, George Carlin had passed away. I'd followed him on and off through the years. He'd had his high points and his low. But he always struck me as really sharp, intelligent. One of his lines that always stayed with me was 'did you ever notice that anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, and anyone who drives faster is insane?'. Still makes me smile.

I've got some Carlin video (his most imfamous bit), along with some Shatner mp3's. Hopefully they'll put a smile on your face. If you're near any booze today, drink something for George.

MP3: William Shatner - I Can't Behind That (with Henry Rollins)
MP3: William Shatner - Mr. Tambourine Man
Purchase through Amazon - William Shatner
William Shatner

Overlooked - Red, Hot + Blue

2008-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine introduced me to this Cole Porter tribute years ago, called Red, Hot + Blue. It's rapidly approaching 20 years old and yet, much of this stuff still holds up. This is as much a tribute to the longevity of Cole's amazing writing and composing as it was to the fine selection of artists chosen to interpret him.

Some of the tracks are stronger than others of course. I'm not a Sinead O'Connor fan (personally, I think she's an arrogant harpy), and bands like the Thompson Twins are doomed to sound dated.

But some don't just hold up, they shine. Tom Waits and Annie Lennox both sound fantastic in their tributes ( "It's Alright With Me", and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" respectively).

Without a doubt, the true gem in this bunch though is U2's "Night and Day". The song made famous by Sinatra, is a wonderfully simple dedication to a fierce love. They covered it at a time when they were working on Achtung Baby, an album that would radically change they way the band sounded and was perceived. You can hear the push toward synthesizers from Clayton and Mullen that would reshape U2's future direction.

It's Bono's voice that really brings it together though. It's clear and soaring and crooning and husky in all the right places. I'd challenge anyone out there to say that this isn't one of the best Cole Porter interpretations ever. Maybe even one of the best covers in general. Enjoy.

MP3: U2 - Night and Day

Purchase through Amazon - Red, Hot and Blue

Video of the Day

2008-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today's video was directed by my friend Morgan Night. It's a great send up of the war and old USO shows, and it's hilarious song. The tune may sound familiar, but the lyrics are all Spankers.

This is "Stick Magnetic Ribbons On Your SUV" by the Asylum Street Spankers.

Kanye West at Bonnaroo

2008-06-19T13:31:00.001-07:00

I was reading this article about Kanye West's performance at Bonnaroo and the controversy surrounding it, as well as the video from the recent Queens of the Stone Age show. The comments got me thinking about shows I'd seen over the years and what made them special.

Kings of spectacle, U2, made a huge impression on me at the ZooTV tour (where they played with the Sugarcubes and Public Enemy), with their monolithic screens and totally over-the-top show.

Nine Inch Nails wowed me with their giant screen that dropped in front of the Downward Spiral tour crowds.

And I love the light show that She Wants Revenge had going on their last tour.

But those things didn't make them good shows. They might have made them 'better' shows. What really makes a memorable show for me though is feeling like I've connected with the artist. Music, for many people, myself included, is very personal. There are songs out there that will literally bring me to tears, every time I hear them. There are tracks out there for every bit of the emotional spectrum. We memorize these songs, make mixtapes, dedicate them to others. They become the soundtracks to our lives.

I've never had someone come up to me and say "Oh my god, that is my favorite song! It changed my life! I love it!" I can imagine though, that must be really powerful every time you hear it. There's a responsibility that comes with that power. Artists need to remember that when they play to a crowd, the crowd knows them through their music (and in some unfortunate cases, the tabloids) and is communing with them through their songs.

I'm sure when millions of young girls screamed relentlessly at the Beatles, John, Paul, George and Ringo felt that power. The ability to carve a memory into someones life permanently, either a shining wonderful one, or a painful scar is something most of us only experience in a one-on-one basis.

I mentioned in a post last month that my worst concert ever was the Circle Jerks. Why? Because the lead singer stopped playing and yelled at the audience and made it seem like he was doing us a favor by being there.

One of my favorite show memories is hanging out with Radio 4 in New Orleans after they'd played. We all went drinking together till about 4 am. Or the time I ran into the Faint the morning after they'd played in Houston. We were staying at the same hotel and all had that same haggard look on us. We joked and laughed and took pictures.

All of those memories had nothing to do with the bands' performances or the lighting or tricks. They had to do with an individual connecting with someone else. I harbored all of these memories and emotions in connection with these bands' songs and now I was able to look these people in the eye and say 'I get it,' and 'You're being heard'. That's really important. Maybe even imperative. It didn't even have to be so direct. It could have just been singing along with them at the show, being able to hook into a real human, instead of an mp3.

Whether or not Kanye's stage production glowed in the dark at 5am is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he didn't address his fans or take just a moment to connect with them as one human being to another. If he'd come onstage on time, I can understand that some artists want to maintain a certain mystique. Fine. But if you come on two hours late, you had better do something to heal that wound. All those Kanye fans out there won't remember that the sound was good or that the lighting effects were catchy. They'll remember that they waited till dawn to connect with Kanye, and he didn't acknowledge them. That's got to hurt.

Video of the Day

2008-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, this song is overplayed. I don't care. I still love it and the video. Although, Ben Gibbard and Deathcab have gotten much too big for their own britches (Yes, I know, people don't say that anymore, but I'm so retro I'm bringin the 40s back).

This is the Postal Service, with "Such Great Heights".

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 17

2008-06-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday campers. Technical difficulties. Your regular programming will now continue.

We're going to wrap up the Radio Broker series today with the last two tracks on the station. They also happen to be two of my favorites. It's been fun doing this series and it's really added to my enjoyment of GTA IV. Kudos to Rockstar for putting together a really good station.

The first track is from the(sometimes) NY dance/funk/psychadelia band, !!!. "Yadnus" appears on their last album, but this particular remix comes from the single. !!! are a hit or miss band for me. Some of their stuff seems to ramble or drift too much for my taste (ex. "Me and Guliani by the School Yard"). Others though, like "Must Be the Moon" are amazing. They're good enough that I don't really care about the tracks that miss. "Yadnus" is definitely one of the tracks that keeps me coming back to this band though. This particular mix is a bit long for me, and it pulls out some of the bass, which for me is one of the bands strengths. Nevertheless, it's a fantastic song.

Oh, and here's the video from the original track:

The final track is from Whitey. I'd only recently heard of him but boy did he make an impression with the track "Non Stop". My girlfriend said it sounded like Beck to her, and while I see the similarities, I think his GTA track, "Wrap It Up" clearly defines the differences. I haven't heard his full album, Get Shakes(which isn't available on Amazon currently), yet, but I've really liked every track I've heard to date.

Whitey is a shining example of everything right in the dance/punk genre right now. Full of attitude, but without seeming 'ironic' or 'retro'. Amazing bass lines and hooks. Catchy, understandable lyrics. And beats that stick in your head for days. "There's only one thing to do," he sings, full of swagger, "Get even, Get Even! GET EVEN!" I love it.

MP3: !!! - Yadnus (Still Going to the Roadhouse Mix)

Purchase through Amazon - Yadnus (Still Going to the Roadhouse Mix)

!!!

MP3: Whitey - Wrap it Up

Purchase through Amazon - Wrap it Up
Whitey

Video of the Day

2008-06-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

Today's VOD is an example of 'less is more'. A simple setting and a simple concept can have a powerful impact. The thought put into this video along with the attention to detail is fantastic. The CG is fine, but like any good sci-fi film, it's not about the effects, but meaning behind them.

This is Nine Inch Nails' "Only".

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 17

2008-06-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

As far as I know, only one song was written solely for the GTA IV radio stations. "Vagabond" by the Greenskeepers is quite possibly the most infamous track in the game since it's played in most of the commercials and previews.

Known for their song "Lotion", the Greenskeepers managed to capture every aspect of the GTA universe in a simple yet amazing song. "I came a long way to see you. Now I wish you were dead". If you're playing the game, those lines make perfect sense. The lyrics capture the angst, despair and anger of Niko Bellic perfectly. From the opening hand claps and the absolutely pounding bass, this track works anywhere, anytime as you try to survive on the streets of Liberty City.

I'm hard pressed to pick an absolute favorite song from Radio Broker, but this track is a contender.

MP3: the Greenskeepers - Vagabond

Purchase through Amazon - Vagabond

the Greenskeepers

DJ Schmolli vs. Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down

2008-06-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've got a love / hate relationship going with mash-ups. As a genre on their own, they're pretty weak. Even within the genre, many of them are closer to train wrecks than mash-ups. Simply stripping a setting of vocals and putting them on top of another beat does not a good mash-up make.

Which brings us to this gem from DJ Schmolli. The track's about a year old and I just recently came across it again. I'd forgotten just how amazing it is. The original was spectacular, (What Johnny Cash work isn't?)but DJ Schmolli has done a brilliant job of taking apropos beats and guitar work from multiple artists and basically creating an entirely new track.

It's easy to pick out the Beastie Boys and Led Zeppelin. But watch for the Beatles guitar in there too.

MP3: DJ Schmolli vs. Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 16

2008-06-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe I've already gone through 16 tracks of GTA IV's Radio Broker. Only a few left!
There's something innocent and playful about "The Teacher" by Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band. Maybe it's in the half-whispered vocals or the blippy keyboard that seems to swim above all the rest of instrumentaion. This easily could be a Dandy Warhols track, which of course, instantly gets it some points. I'm not sure it fits in with the GTA atomsphere, but I like it anyway. Oh and the video is hilarious.

MP3: Ralph Myerz - The Teacher
Purchase through Amazon - The Teacher
Ralphy Myerz

Video of the Day

2008-06-16T13:01:00.001-07:00

Today's video comes from one of my favorite albums of the last ten years, Goldfrapp's Black Cherry. What the video lacks in story telling, it makes up for in slickly done visuals that evoke the same ecstasy trip feel that the album does. This is "Strict Machine".

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 15

2008-06-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to say that today's GTA IV, Radio Broker band, the Pistolas, have recently broken up. Their track "Take It With a Kiss" was released as a single, after a short 2006 EP. Their demise is really too bad. The song, hopefully an indicator of their music in general, was a great mix of swanky rock and Rapture-like dance/funk.

I really like this track. Along with a couple of tracks we have yet to cover and the Deluka track, I think this ranks as my favorite.

The Pistolas may be gone, but for GTA players, they'll live on on Radio Broker.

MP3: The Pistolas - Take It With a Kiss
Purchase through Amazon - Take It With a Kiss
The Pistolas

Slightus Interruptus

2008-06-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in the middle of moving and I'm in that limbo where I have no internet connection at home. This means I can blog from work, but alas, no mp3's to upload. This also means no Radio Broker track of the day either.

My connection to the civilized world should be restored within 24 hours and I'll make it all up to you, I promise.

In the meantime, here's the video of the day. I stumbled across this yesterday and the geek in me was overjoyed. Laugh your ass of to "Dance With Me" by the Old 97's.

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 14

2008-06-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Probably the most widely recognized band on the Radio Broker playlist is the Black Keys. Often compared to the White Stripes, this bluesy-rock band supplies the track "Strange Times". While this track isn't exactly an adrenaline rush, the tune does get under your skin in an almost eerie way. It lends a weight to Radio Broker that is otherwise missing. I always appreciate hearing this track during GTA while I'm driving to some new mission location. It has such a heavy sense of foreboding.

MP3: Black Keys - Strange Times
Purchase through Amazon: Strange Times
Black Keys

Video of the Day

2008-06-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

So, lately I've been re-appreciating Nitzer Ebb. I used to listen to them constantly in my late teens/early twenties. Their sound has sort of come back around. It sounds dated, and yet it somehow works with a lot of the electro stuff that's out right now. When I DJ again, I'm going to have to find a way to work in some Nitzer Ebb.

This is "Murderous".

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 13

2008-06-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The disco-punk genre is pretty much dominated by male voices. !!!, LCD Soundsystem, Shitdisco, the list goes on. Bands like Dead Disco, the Ting Tings, Yelle, all sound more pop/new wave - although whether having female leads is an aspect of that is a debate for a different post.

Bucking this trend is Deluka, a band out of Birmingham, who provide us with today's GTA IV Radio Broker track, "Sleep Is Impossible". With a bass and guitar reminiscent of Radio 4 and a cowbell that would make even The Rapture squirm with envy this song is one of the most danceable, energetic tracks on Radio Broker.

Prior to doing this series of posts, I'd be playing GTA IV and this track would come on. Immediately, my girlfriend would pop her head in the room and say 'who is this?' I could tell that I wasn't the only one who was energized by this song.

When Ellie Innocenti's husky vocals first come in, I thought I was in for something like The Gossip, but then the chorus hits you over the head. She shouts "What's the deal honey?!" over and over followed by "Sleep is impossible now...". There is no way to drive through the streets of Liberty City slowly to this. It drops back into a synthy, crooning snake again between choruses, then comes charging back out like the Hulk with a personal grudge. I've lost track of the number of cars that I've turned into fireballs while listening to this song. That's about as a good an endorsement I can give.

MP3: Deluka - Sleep Is Impossible

Purchase through Amazon - Sleep Is Impossible

Deluka

Video of the Day

2008-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I was excited to stumble across a video that I think is a good comparison to ~~yesterdays~~ day before yesterday's Bjork video. This one comes from the industrial/synthpop band Covenant. The song, "Bullet", is, in my opinion, as strong as "All is Full of Love" and the video is thematically very simliar. Both are choreographed well and have high production values. The difference though, is that this video treats it's subjects and effects as nothing more than an aesthetic, where Cunningham used his robot protaganists to enhance and embellish the music. It's difficult to pinpoint, but watch them both and see if you don't agree. Both great songs, but only one great video.

"We are the only ones right now who are celebrating, we are the dying ones". Love the lyrics to this track.

Kakkmaddafakka - Down to Earth

2008-06-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

No, I did not have a seizure while typing the bands' name. It really is Kakkmaddafakka. Yes, it's a silly name and no, I don't know what it means. These guys from Norway seem to have a relatively simple grasp on the English language as evidenced by the bands' myspace page quote, "Party is a trend that never stops." That is be true. That is be true.

Make no mistake though, these guys understand the language of rock. They also understand the history of rock. Every one of their tracks is dripping with the blood, sweat and tears of the last 40 years of rock and roll. Leading with a piano and following with chorused vocals, horn sections and everything but the kitchen sink, KMF have a sound that is like no one else out there right now. Influenced heavily from bands like the New York Dolls, David Bowie, Queen, T-Rex, Cheap Trick, Elton John, and I'm not even sure who else, KMF take all of that history and run with it.

When I first heard them, my reaction was "What the F*** did Musebox send me?" It was so stark a contrast from everything else I'd heard lately. But I kept listening, and gradually, my feet began to tap and a smile crossed my face. With track titles like "Dancing Elephant", "Feeling Okay", and "Crazy on the Dance Floor" and running times averaging less than 3 minutes, their mediocre grasp of English goes from a weakness to a strength. The songs are fun, light-hearted and surprisingly complex. The 13 tracks whiz by in less than 40 minutes (not counting the dead space on the hidden track) and Down to Earth leaves you feeling that maybe the world isn't such a rotten place after all.

Oh, and rumor has it that their live shows are completely off the hook. The picture above lends some credibility to that claim.

MP3: Kakkmaddafakka - Crazy on the Dance Floor
Purchase through MusicFromNorway.com: Down to Earth
Kakkmaddafakka

Video of the Day

2008-06-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

I'd never seen this video before today, but I love Suede, and I adore this song. It's everything right about britpop. The video surprisingly is damn good. It hits on some of the same ideas ideas that the Justice video for D.A.N.C.E. does, but I think tackles the whole thing much more inventively. I especially love the cigarette burning with the word 'kill' on it. This is Suede's "The Beautiful Ones".

Suede - Beautiful Ones
Uploaded by scootaway

*Note: I didn't use the YouTube version here because it's embedding is disabled there. I hope this doesn't cause anyone issues.

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 12

2008-06-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today's GTA Radio Broker track is from a Leeds act called White Light Parade. This relatively new act only has a couple of singles out to date, but I'm pretty sure that with the hype they'll get from GTA, they'll have an album soon.

This band is a complete mish mash of post-punk whatnot styles. The GTA track, "Riot in the City" owes everything to the Clash. In fact, this band is so derivative, so completely entrenched in its influences that it's hard to separate them from the bands they borrow from. I guess this can be seen as both a plus and minus. You can't like the Clash and not like this band. (Unless it's for sounding like the Clash) In the end, I appreciate their energy and their skill, but unless they bring something new to the table, something that is uniquely themselves, they may as well just change their name to the Clam (Did you see what I did there? That's the Clash and the Jam, squished together. God, I'm witty.)

All this is not to say that I don't like "Riot in the City (after all, I like the Clash). It's a rockin' good song, with plenty of yelling, pissed off guitar, and British youthful rebellion to it. Besides, a 'riot in the city' is pretty much a shoe in for a GTA title.

MP3: White Light Parade - Riot in the City
Purchase through Amazon - Riot in the City
White Light Parade

Video of the Day

2008-06-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today's video comes from my all-time favorite music video director, Chris Cunningham. It's also quite possibly my favorite video ever. Rarely does a music video director get to tell a story, capture the vibe of the song AND make very subtle commentaries on other things (in this case, technology, sexuality, and even our humanity). Most videos come down to 3 minute spots to get face time for a band. Cunningham continually rejects this idea, making his videos at once eye candy and pieces for thought and expansion of the artists original expression.

This is Bjork's "All is Full Of Love"

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 8-11

2008-06-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've missed a few days of posts. I've been dealing with getting ready to move, including a garage sale. That also entailed getting rid of my CD collection which was both traumatic and liberating. I've gone entirely digital now (With the exception of a few choice pieces of cherished vinyl). It feels good.

Back to my GTA Radio Broker series though. To make up for my lack of posts the last few days, we're going to do four tracks today.

The first is from Tom Vek,the innovative disco-punk artist that brought you dance floor kids "I Ain't Sayin' My Goodbye's". While the track included in GTA, "One Horse Race" is not as dance ready, nor as catchy, it's a pretty solid track. Funky bass, plenty of forward guitar and appropriately wailing (if slightly whiny) vocals. The end drones on a bit too long. "This is not a test of fate" repeated over and over and over gets a bit tiring.

MP3: Tom Vek - One Horse Race

Purchase through Amazon - One Horse Race

Tom Vek

The second track is from down under band, Teenager. "Pony" definitely has some explicit, sexually themed lyrics, although I have yet to be able to track them down (the band has no official site, the myspace page doesn't have them, and the web has turned up nothing so far). But you don't need to understand them to get the vibe of the song, which to me takes me back to the early 00's and the birth of the electroclash scene. This song really reminds me of acts like Mount Sims or something Larry Tee would have produced. It's all attitude and sex, while also being slightly tongue-in-cheek. This is becoming one of my favorite tracks on Radio Broker and I'm looking forward to hearing more of Teenager.

MP3: Teenager - Pony

Purchase through Amazon - Pony

Teenager

The third track I've got for you today is from one of my favorite bands of the last decade, cow bell happy, the Rapture. "No Sex For Ben" is a track that doesn't seem to appear anywhere outside of GTA, but it seems to follow the rest of Raptures move toward more slickly produced disco-punk and away from the more raw, complicated sounds of Echoes. This isn't my favorite track by the NY boys, but it's right up there with the good stuff. Besides, you can always use more cowbell.

MP3: The Rapture - No Sex For Ben

Purchase through Amazon - No Sex For Ben

The Rapture

Finally, we've got Les Savy Fav's "Rage in the Plague Age". It's weird. I've never been truly drawn to these NY indie-rockers. On the other hand, I like their stuff every time I hear it. They've got so much in their music that reminds me of the early 80s post-punk scene. The Clash, Buzzcocks, PIL, all squeezed, mashed, tweaked and most importantly, revitalized. Oddly, this track has NEVER come up on my Radio Broker station while playing the game. I realize that the song selection is random, but come on! Never? Not once?

MP3: Les Savy Fav - Rage in the Plague Age

Purchase through Amazon - Rage in the Plague Age

Les Savy Fav

The Shim Sham Club - Anniversary

2008-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today is special. It's been exactly five years since the Shim Sham Club in New Orleans closed it's doors. For those of you who know it, this post will be a trip down memory lane. For those of you who didn't, well, it might be informative, but it won't capture what really happened there.

I've re-written this paragraph five times now because I don't know how to begin telling you about it. There are certain clubs (or places, or people, or food, or whatever) that become more than etched in your memory. They take on a certain bit of magic, a glow. Personally, I've had some of the best and worst experiences in my life in nightclubs, so naturally, they're important to me. There's a short list of really mystical ones, and the Shim Sham Club is at the top of that list.

I could regurgitate shows I've seen there (X, Daniel Ash, Dead Kennedy's, the list is long) or the girls I've met there (I won't list any of them here - you know who you are). But that can be said of almost any club. What separated the Shim Sham Club from so many others was the feeling of family. It almost always felt like the regulars outnumbered the tourists. The employees were always regulars, and quite often, vice versa.

It was a place you could go to on any night of the week and see a familiar face, share a story, catch up with old friends, and sure, see a good show. There were burlesque shows, 80s nights(not to mention just about every other genre out there besides top 40), theater (including a long running version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch), even a porn night. But it was all couched in friendship and community.

I was fortunate enough to be a regular DJ there, for their 80s nights, and it's given me some of the better memories of my life. Two really stand out. The first was closing night. Five years ago. The AC's had gone bust and everyone got progressively more naked as the place heated up and the drinks flowed. It was an 80s night and there were three of us DJ'ing, taking turns. At one point, I'm guessing around 1am, I took a break and walked outside for some fresh air. The line to get in the club went well around the block. I knew then, that we were at the end of something really special. I think I got home around 7 am that night.

The second standout was of my wedding reception. Morgan Night, who was the owner, and I'm proud to still call friend, was kind enough to let us use the main room of the club on a Tuesday night for my wedding reception. That's the kind of place the Shim Sham Club was.

I'm sad that those glory days are over, but things are as they should be. The best things in life aren't supposed to last, and the Shim Sham burned hot and fast. When I look back now, it's not with longing, but with happiness. I can't really say I'm able to observe any silence (this is a written blog, after all), but I can say, out of love and respect, this will be my only post today.

I encourage any and all of you who remember the Shim Sham Club fondly to post your memories, photos or videos here. And cheers to Morgan, all the Shim Sham employees, and all those people in New Orleans I miss dearly.

(You can also visit Morgan's site, which has some Shim Sham stuff at Devils Night )

Both of these videos were shot at the Shim Sham.

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 7

2008-06-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Today's Radio Broker track comes to us from the pairing of the electronic collaborative UNKLE, and wall-of-sound style band, the Duke Spirit. Despite the heavy drums and grindy guitars, Leila's voice along with some swoony background vocals make this make this much more of mood piece than it should be. I don't think UNKLE is quite represented strongly enough.

I'm just not sure this song's a fit for GTA. Maybe at the in-game strip club. Otherwise, this track seems to drift by without making a huge impact. Don't hate. Don't love it.

MP3: UNKLE - May Day (feat. Duke Spirit)
Purchase through Amazon - May Day
UNKLE
The Duke Spirit

Video of the Day

2008-06-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most underappreciated bands in the post-punk scene. The Chameleons. I love 'em. This is a live version of "In Shreds".

A Joy Division Zune?

2008-06-05T11:41:00.001-07:00

Never have I wanted to own something less than a 'Joy Division' Zune. What's next? 'Souixsie Souix feminine products'(hmmm what would they call them? 'Swimming Horses Tampons?)? Oh, wait, I know! Clash breakfast cereal! It's a rebellion in your mouth!

Whom ever is coming up with these abominations, they need to be found and stopped. Who's with me?

If you're a masochist you can read more about it here.

Coldplay - Why?

2008-06-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

This entry is a bit of a rant, but bear with me. With the 'exciting' news that there is a new Coldplay album out, I'm asking myself a question I've asked before, "Why does anyone care?" This is a bit different from what I posted a couple of weeks ago about Hot Chip. I see that those guys have talent and I see a niche they are filling. But Coldplay?

At this point, I'm ready to start making Yanni comparisons. Or perphaps Michael Bolton is more appropriate. Whiny, listless, lifeless music that seems written for elevators. That's how every single Coldplay track comes across to me.

I've heard people say, 'oh but they're like U2'. Um, no, sorry, not buying it. Go listen to "I Will Follow" or "Bullet the Blue Sky" or hell, even "Vertigo" and try making that comparison again. If Martin's voice hits any of the same inflections or tones as Bono's, it's coincidental. And let's not even get into comparisons with Edge or the rest of the band.

Coldplay represents everything wrong in mainstream rock right now. A major label act with tons of money in its marketing campaign. They siddle up with the 'indie' crowd for some kind of cred, but their music is so safe and generic that it should have been born and died on an easy listening station.

The only reason I'm so riled up is that with this new album out, I'm going to have to read, watch and listen to a lot of coldplay in the coming months. I'll do my best to avoid it. At this point though, avoiding Coldplay is going to be like avoiding McDonald's and Starbucks.

Please feel free to counter my arguements here. Or share my loathing.

Oh one last thing for your pain/pleasure:

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 6

2008-06-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

For the most part, film stars that try to become lead singers just don't work. You have the earnest if misguided types, like Bruce Willis and Scarlett Johansen. Then you have the train wrecks, like Eddie Murphy, Don Johnson, and Jared Leto. So, we come to Juliette Lewis. Not only is her bands track our GTA IV track of the day, she's also the DJ of Radio Broker.

Not too long back, I remember seeing a reply on another blog regarding Juliette Lewis, and I wish I could remember where I saw this said, so I could link it. But here's the basic gist of what this commenter said: "Sometimes I think, 'damn, she's kinda hot' and then I'm ashamed for wanting to fuck a retarded girl." I laughed my ass off when I read that. It summed up so much about what I've heard a lot of people say about her.

I can't say I'm a huge of Juliette Lewis the actress. Her bread and butter seems to be slightly off balance trailer trash girls. I honestly think that's most of her range. The great exception being her turn in Christmas Vacation.

Anyway, all of this is a set-up to say that I think that Juliette and the Licks is the exception to the rule. I like her better as a lead singer than I ever did as an actress. She seems to like herself better in that role as well. There's something visceral, maybe even guttural in her singing on "Inside the Cage", the track that appears on GTA. Her voice is at once brazen and inviting. She sounds like a rock star instead of an actress pretending to be one. The Licks seem like mud-flinging, dirty, nasty, rock n' rollers, giving all the attempts at genre categorizing them both the middle finger and a lick on the cheek, simultaneously.

This particular version is the 'David Gilmour Girls' remix and it lends itself well to the song, stripping it down to its bare essentials and giving it just enough of an electro beat to make it dance floor worthy. It's in and out in under 4 minutes.

It's not my favorite track on Radio Broker. Not by a long shot. It has however peaked my curiosity enough to go back and listen to some more of the Licks material. I have to say, I'd even like to see a show.

As to her DJ'ing on Radio Broker - priceless. Her rant about being an individual because she bought a messenger bag always makes me laugh.

Oh, and on the off chance that Juliette Lewis ever reads this: I totally take back every bad thing I've ever said about you, and sincerely apologize. You rock.

MP3: Juliette and the Licks - Inside the Cage(David Gilmour Girls' Mix)

Purchase through Amazon - Inside the Cage

Juliette and the Licks

Video of the Day

2008-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Stumbled across this video today. I'm not sure if I'd ever seen it before, but damn is it good. Sometimes I forget just how amazing Jarvis Cocker and Pulp are. If you haven't heard "Babies" before, take a listen. It's sixteen years old now and it sounds and looks pristine.

Gitane Demone - Incendiary Lover

2008-06-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you may know, this isn't a new track. My answer to you is, 'eh, so what?' I found myself thinking of this track about a month ago and it's been rolling around in there since. I need to purge it from my system.

If you aren't famliar with the artist or track, a quick history lesson: Gitane was the female lead in death rock staple Christian Death, until the late 80s when she took off on her own. She put out things here and there until her own full length album in '97, Am I Wrong? followed by another in 2000. 'Incendiary' is from the late 80s.

I was fortunate enough to tour with her during the Texas/Louisiana leg of Am I Wrong? while working with the band Hollow Girl. I knew who she was before then, of course. But it was on this tour that I gained a real appreciation for the amazing voice she has. It definitely harkens back to some of the better jazz vocalists of the 30s and 40s. Using it for good grindy gothy death rock stuff just made it even more ethereal and haunting. In this particular case, a good synthy beat makes it prime dancefloor material for a spooky club at 3am.

Anyway, "Incendiary Lover" has always been my favorite track from Gitane. Maybe it's an old favorite of yours, or, even better, you've never heard it before. Enjoy.

MP3: Gitane Demone - Incendiary Lover

Purchase through Amazon - Incendiary Lover

Gitane Demone

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 5

2008-06-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

Chicago duo Scott Lucas (of Local H semi-fame) and Blake Smith are the next band up on our review of Radio Broker, the indie style station in Grand Theft Auto IV. The two perform under the moniker The Prairie Cartel. The title of this track explains why it appears in GTA IV. "Homicide" is a slow burn. I can't say I liked it at first. It's got all the good components there, the funky bass line, the tight snare, the analog synth sounds, the all attitude vocals. But it seemed like it took awhile to get where it was going.

Of course, I can be wrong now and then. Upon a second/third/fourth listen, it's build up is exactly the right length and makes the payoff worth that much more. I enjoy this song more every time I hear it.

In fact, it's one of my top GTA tracks. Shouting 'Homicide' over and over is a great way to get you into the mood for some video game mayhem.

MP3: The Prairie Cartel - Homicide
Purchase through Amazon - Homicide
The Prairie Cartel

Video of the Day

2008-06-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine turned me on to this band and it was one of those songs I fell in love the first time I heard it. Take some T-Rex, some Goldfrapp and some Joan Jett, top it of with a heaping spoonful of Butch Vig and you've got "Stripper" by the Soho Dolls.

I was watching the video, which, while not much on plot, is sparkly and glammy, like the song, when I noticed something. Everyone in the band is hot. Even the guys. How often does that happen?

Video of the Day

2008-06-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Came across these guys on Last.fm. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the rest of their music, and the video is just sort of lukewarm. But the song rocks. Oh it rocks. This is "Put You In Your Place" by the Sunshine Underground.

Overlooked - German Pop

2008-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be a semi-regular post I'm going to do called 'Overlooked'. Guess what it's about? Basically, this is a chance to explore hidden or forgotten gems, past and present. If you have your own, please let all of us know.

Today's post, 'German pop', refers to a sort of enigmatic style of music that might not really be pop by our standards. Certainly, Germans listen to plenty of English speaking tunes, and they have a wide array of music coming from their own country. But American pop (Britney and Co.) has very little in common with German pop.

Prior to this decade, Germans were known for their electronic music, like pioneers Kraftwerk, the newer artists like Miss Kittin, and their industrial/goth scene, with bands like Rammstein, Project Pitchfork, and Das Ich. But in the last eight years, a number of strong indie-influenced bands have been moving to the forefront. There are a broad number of styles and genres that encompass German pop and very few formulas, which to me, makes it closer to what we call 'indie' over here.

I'm still a noob in the world of German music, but I thought I'd share a few tracks with you that have opened my eyes (and more importantly, my ears) to our faraway friends.

I first heard 2raumwohnung (a Berliner slang for '2 room apartment') from a DJ friend of mine, Liz O.(who sometimes still DJ's here in L.A. Catch her if you can.) She passed me a track called "Ich Und Elaine" (Elaine and I). Immediately I was captivated by it. It was almost impossible to classify, but I knew it made me want to dance. German lyrics, which can sometimes sound harsh and aggressive, come through Inga Humpe's throat like a third glass of wine. The music is firm and forward, but never angry. The song is about a very close friendship, but the whole song feels like an invitation to sex. It's still one of my favorite tracks for the dance floor and I spin it whenever I get the chance. They aren't one hit wonders either. Since this 2002 track they've come up with numerous fantastic follow-ups.

The second track I'm going to recommend is from the band Wir Sind Helden (We Are Heroes), arguably the most successful of the bands I'm going to write about today. A German friend of mine raved about these guys and who should know better than an actual German citizen? "Gekkomen Um Zu Bleiben" is a track that dares you to classify it. It's got so many disparate influences that I'm not even going to bother trying to break it down. Imagine if the Squirrel Nut Zippers had sex with the Flying Lizards and locked their love-child in the basement with David Johansen, and you'd get this track. The wonderful thing about WSH though, is that they don't stick to that formula. For a pop band they are completely free of stereotypes and schticks.

The last band is one I came across on Last.fm, Klee (Clover). I haven't had the chance to listen to a lot of their material yet, but the one track I've got for you here, "Gold", reminds me of Goldfrapp but with more pop sensibilities. I did a complete double take when it came up on my Last player.

Hopefully, these tracks will get you thinking about and exploring some new German stuff. If not these bands, then others. There's some great stuff out there and it's not just in the US,UK or France.

MP3: 2raumwohnung - Ich Und Elaine
Purchase through Amazon - Ich Und Elaine
2raumwohnung (in German)

MP3: Wir Sind Helden - Gekkomen Um Zu Bleiben
Purchase through Amazon - Gekkomen Um Zu Bleiben
Wir Sind Helden (in German)

MP3: Klee - Gold
Purchase through Amazon - Gold
Klee (in German)

Video of the Day

2008-06-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

This one is from the most recent Louis XIV album. Normally, the kings of (wink wink) misogyny churn out rock n' roll tracks about T&A. "Air Traffic Control", however, is a thoughtful, soaring piece that is right up there with some of the more epic pieces by Oasis and Suede, and owes a huge debt (as do the previously mentioned bands) to the Beatles.

This video does what all good videos should. It tells a story that doesn't overshadow the song, nor does it try to define what Louis were trying to say. Rather, it gives us a visual interpretation that leaves the viewer to their own thoughts.

It also does a great job of using CGI and blue screen for a wonderful effect that reminds me of Terry Gilliam's animation, in spirit, if not in simpleness.

Radio Broker - GTA IV - Part 3

2008-06-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Continuing our tour through Grand Theft Auto's radio station, Radio Broker, we're at a zippy little number called "Disneyland, Pt. 1". The band, Get Shakes, break the Radio Broker mode of mostly NY bands. These two guys are from the UK.

The track is immediately reminiscent of Pop Will Eat Itself, although if I had to choose between the two, I'd still take PWEI. 'Disneyland' is a decent track, but it doesn't quite pack the punch and angst of the usual PWEI track. To be honest it goes on a bit too long.

For the most part though, there's lots of good stuff here: A good funky bass line, shouty, layered vocals and a grindy, driving rhythm. It's definitely an appropriate track for GTA.

MP3: Get Shakes - Disneyland Pt. 1

Purchase through Amazon - Disneyland Pt. 1

Get Shakes

In addition, there's a video. Although, to be honest, it's crap. A hodgepodge of budget effect shots with no real progression, theme, or any idea where the hell it's going. I'll try not to hold it against the song though.

Video of the Day

2008-05-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Still one of my favorite voices of all time. It exudes sex, class, power and so many other things. Just like the woman. Siouxsie and the Banshees. Hong Kong Gardens.

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV - Part 2

2008-05-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Iggy Pop. Southern Death Cult. A twelve pack of malt-liquor. A really loud car with a blower in the hood. Am I creating a picture yet? Well, if I have, you've got the band Cheeseburger pretty well pictured.

At this point, I'm pretty sure all the bands from Radio Broker are from NY and this one is no exception. "Cocaine" is a 2 minute rock fest ala the prime years of the Stooges. I'd call it a rip off, except everything here seems genuine and not a put on. These guys love what they do, and it shows.

MP3: Cheeseburger - Cocaine

Purchase Through Amazon - Cocaine (Hehe, that reads kinda funny)

Cheeseburger

Huey Lewis - Finally getting his props

2008-05-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a Huey fan from way back. He was the master of the cross-genre pop-rock that helped define the 80's. And, he was/is really damn talented. You may scoff, or roll your eyes, but there's no denying the man penned a lot of hits. Plus, unlike many of his counterparts (I'm looking at you, Flock of Seagulls), he hasn't resorted to campy 'reunion' shows or other displays of 80s nostalgia. Mostly, he plays golf.

Anyway, I'd posted about my first concert a couple of days ago. It was Huey Lewis and the News. I was 14 and the album Sports was all over the radio. BTW, it was also my first vinyl LP ("One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head and "Stranger in Town" by Toto were my first 45s).

Then serendipity smacked me upside the head. First, I ran across a cover of "I Want a New Drug" by the Greenskeepers. You can hear it here.

Today I came across this. Yes, folks a Huey Lewis tribute album. Genius. With bands like Menomena and Mooney Suzuki supplying their interpretations a whole new generation of indie kids can now be given the word of Huey.

In the coming days I may go dig up some Huey mp3's for you all.

If you can't wait, here's an Amazon link to do some samplin' and buyin - Huey Lewis

Video of the Day

2008-05-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Great video from a great band. I love the over the top feel to the whole thing. Every idea in here is pushed way too far. Good stuff. This is "Wolf Like Me" by TV on the Radio.

Radio Broker - Grand Theft Auto IV part 1

2008-05-29T18:26:00.001-07:00

Like many of you out there, I'm enjoying GTA IV. Of course, one of the best things about the game is it's 'radio stations'. For it's last three incarnations GTA has been liscensing real world music which adds a whole new level of vitality to the play IMO.

There are quite a few good stations in IV, but my favorite by far is Radio Broker, DJ'd by Juliette Lewis. As tribute to that station, I'll be reviewing each of the tracks from that station, one a day. Where possible, I'll post videos, mp3's and other such links.

The first track is from NY's the Boggs. The band is a staple in the infamous indie scene there. The track is "Arm in Arm", remixed by Shy Child. It's a sparse grindy electro track. Fun stuff for driving around town and blowing things up to. It gets annoying in a few spots, suffering from someone in Shy Child going a bit too far with the distortion and effects. But for the most part, it's a fun ride. Not the best track on Radio Broker, but not a loser either.

MP3: The Boggs - Arm in Arm (Shy Child Remix)

Purchase Through Amazon - Arm in Arm (Shy Child Remix)

The Boggs

Video of the Day

2008-05-29T11:48:00.001-07:00

I love this song and I love the video. The simplicity and playfulness of this video make me want to get up and dance. The washed out and yet high contrast camera work is fun and the whole thing feels very tongue-in-cheek. This is The Rapture's "Pieces of the People We Love".

Ladytron - Velocifero

2008-05-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

I've been a Ladytron fan since I stumbled upon the "Playgirl" single. Since then, the band has seemed to be continually metamorphisizing. With each change they seem to add some new element or appendage, while keeping and enhancing their prior strengths, like Helen Marnie's vocals and Wu's amazing analog keyboards.

With Velocifero, the band has done that and more. This album, more than any other, feels like a complete work by a fully realized band. All of the elements here are crisp, well defined, lush and beautifully arranged and produced. From the opening dirge of "Black Car" to Helen and Daniel's airy duet "Versus", this feels like the best piece of work Ladytron has put together to date. On an interesting side note, two of the tracks are sung in Bulgarian, which despite having been around the block a couple of times, I don't honestly think I've ever heard spoken. It's haunting and works well with the respective tracks.

Now, I certainly have my favorites. "Versus" is a nice track, but it's not my particular musical style. One thing the band is great at is pulling from a variety of era's of electronic music and then using them to dance along the borders of various genre's. I think my immediate favorites are "Runaway" and "Burning Up". I have a feeling this may evolve as I really get to absorb this album. There's so much here that it may take a bit.

Ladytron's Velocifero is out on June 3rd. Go get it.

Ladytron

MP3: Ladytron - Runaway

Purchase through Amazon - Ladytron - Velocifero

You can also listen to the entire album on their myspace site - Here

Sex Pistols DVD?

2008-05-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

According to this article, the Sex Pistols are set to release a DVD of last years tour.

Re-read that sentence and tell me how many things you find wrong with it. The Sex Pistols are set to release something? A DVD? Of their tour?

To me, the Sex Pistols were a moment in history. They occupy a special place in music and culture. Had things not ended with a death, I'm sure we would have seen the band drop into irrelevance and obscurity. Sure, there was talent there, in all of the band. But the band itself was like a hot burning sun, it can't last. It wasn't supposed to last. Now, not only do we have the band on tour but massive co-opting of their name and image, promoting exactly the thing that the Pistols were supposed to be the antithesis of.

Would you dig up your dead grandmother and bring her to Thanksgiving? Of course not. But that's what a Sex Pistol's tour is. Bad taste.

I wasn't happy about the INXS reunion ( I think they should have given the band a different name. Anything else is riding coat tails.) and, in general, any reunion that involves a band with a dead key member. At least the Beatles got it right. The Beatles without John, was just George, Paul and Ringo.

Sex Pistols

Video of the Day

2008-05-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here's the video of the day. It's Ministry's "Just One Fix". This is a song that will make you want to drive 100mph and break stuff. The video itself isn't much, but it gets the job done. Be sure to watch for the W.S. Burroughs cameo. He also supplied some of the audio samples.

P.S. This post disappeared earlier this afternoon. Blogger went wonky on me. This is a repost. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Blank Concert

2008-05-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, time a for a little audience feedback. Hearing that I'd missed Hall and Oates playing at the Troubador got me thinking about good shows I'd seen. Quick Poll: First concert, last concert, best concert, worst concert.

I'll start.

First Concert: Huey Lewis and the News, 1984 (Bakersfield)
Last Concert: Lemon Sun, 2008 (Las Vegas)
Best Concert: David Bowie, 2004 (New Orleans)
Worst Concert: The Circle Jerks, 1995 (Minneapolis)

As a side note, the reason Circle Jerks get 'worst': Kieth Morris stopping the show multiple times to complain that the crowd was being too rowdy. Too Rowdy? TOO ROWDY?? What kind of F'ing rock and roll is that?

Anyway, share your list and your stories.

Video of the Day

2008-05-27T15:50:00.001-07:00

Hands down, the creepiest video ever. I can't even watch it all the way through anymore. It will give me nightmares. This is Interpol's "Evil".

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

2008-05-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Ting Tings are a stereotypical example of 'overnight fame'. Their rise in Britain (where they started) rapidly went from playing house parties to appearances at Glastonbury, with only a couple of catchy singles under their belts. By the time "Shut up and Let Me Go" appeared in an iPod commercial, their fame was already a sure thing. Their debut album, We Started Nothing, is out now.

"Fruit Machine", "That's Not My Name", and their iPod track are all right in line with other electropop sounds in the current soundscape. Think CSS, Dead Disco, LeTigre, etc. While these tracks are sure to be huge hits at the clubs and probably garner them more fame than the rest of the album, it was the other tracks that caught my attention.

"Great DJ", "Be The One", and "Keep Your Head" all have far more in common with older indiepop bands, early Go-Go's being the best example. As I listened through a second time, I was struck by how strong all of those tracks are. Together they make for a formidable collection. Many debuts frame their album around the strength of a couple of singles. I'm happy to say that the Ting Tings pop sensibilities are matched by strong and diverse musical skills. If they can keep it up, The Tings Tings will be a force to be reckoned with.

I was going to post a track from the album, but instead, I'm going to post an old favorite of mine. If you like this track, you'll like the Ting Tings. I promise.

The Ting Tings

MP3: The Popguns - Waiting For the Winter
Purchase through Amazon: Waiting For the Winter

Purchase through Amazon: The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

Video of the Day

2008-05-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hey campers, I took the weekend off from blogging, but I'm back today. Here's my favorite song from the Fratellis first album. I psyched to see that they have a new one coming out soon!

Video of the Day

2008-05-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

I love this video. That is all.

It's unfortunate that this is the short version.