The Planet Pluto

Real Estate/The Babies/Herzog Live Review

2012-01-23T14:42:00.002-05:00

The following is a slightly modified version of my live review for Cleveland Scene.

Real Estate/The Babies/Herzog at Beachland Ballroom on January 21, 2012:

Three separate shows in 2010 – supporting the likes of Woods, Kurt Vile, and Deerhunter – did nothing to deter Clevelanders from wanting more out of New Jersey band Real Estate. On Saturday night, the band headlined a sold-out Beachland Ballroom.

Since we last checked in, Real Estate added a keyboardist, replaced their drummer, and singer/guitarist Martin Courtney refined his former long-haired look, possibly as a gag during a dramatic reading of The Rape of the Lock. But they’ve also refined their sound on their sophomore album Days, the 4th best album of 2011 by my count.

During an hour-long set, the band put their monochromatic tunes to the test, proving different shades of a single color can still be exciting. “Green Aisles” eased along effortlessly before the set escalated later on with “It’s Real,” which fronts a joyous crowd sing-along chorus.

Bassist Alex Bleeker got his big moment on “Wonder Years,” taking over chief songwriting and vocal duties, which both Bleeker and members of the crowd were giddy about. Meanwhile, as with his Ducktails project, Matt Mondanile colored slightly outside the lines with a squiggly guitar solo.

Real Estate peppered the set with a B-side, “Exactly Nothing,” from their next 7-inch single release, and with a new song, "In My Car," that unsurprisingly wasn’t a departure for the band. And, of course, they also dipped back into their 2009 self-titled debut, most notably on “Suburban Beverage” for the encore.

Real Estate’s tourmates, the Babies, were an obvious choice; the band features fellow Brooklyn-by-way-of-Jersey musician Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls) and former labelmate Kevin Morby (Woods). One of their best guitar riffs merely rides the waves of Wire’s “Strange,” and overall, they come off something like the punk band X reimagined for the lo-fi indie set.

Cleveland band Herzog were tapped as the opening act, and are often pegged as ‘90s-style indie rock a la Guided by Voices and Built to Spill, but they know a little about at least two other years in musical history: They performed a cover of the Three O’Clock’s “I Go Wild” from 1982, an obscure power-pop tune, and injected a lyrical/bassline nod to “Walk on the Wild Side” within an original song. Unlike the hazy nostalgia of Real Estate, Herzog’s influences ring loud and clear, likely winning them over some new fans.

Revisiting 2011: The Best Albums, EPs & Other Awards

2012-01-13T20:43:00.007-05:00

Previously on the Planet Pluto: 2011's Best Videos & Best Tracks.

Over a full year ago, 2010's Best Albums list also awarded Destroyer's Kaputt as the best album of 2011 thus far. Since then, my ears have endured over 300 albums and EPs, yet Kaputt is still #1 with an Aja-slung sax rocket. I've tallied on last.fm, and Dan Bejar's latest blew everything else out of the water at 23 total listens; next closest are currently sitting at 13.

There were a few letdowns in 2011, but the following list will demonstrate it was a much stronger year than some are giving it credit for. Yes, the '90s alternative angle on the new Pains of Being Pure at Heart album resembled a Shania Twain lyric: "So you've got your guitars and you can make 'em crunch / that don't impress me much!" Not to mention a seeming bankruptcy on available band names. In fact, A.V. Club has an entire feature dedicated to bad band names; and while I Break Horses' Hearts is a fair album, reciting the band name and album title together borders on bestiality. Then again, bonus points for the Smog reference.

On to 2011's Best Albums, EPs and other awards!

1. Destroyer - Kaputt (live review + Bill O'Reilly conspiracy / best closing tracks)

2. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

3. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

4. Real Estate - Days (live review)

5. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

6. tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L (live review + blurb below)

7. Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island (album review)

8. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

9. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

10. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse (live review/video links)

11. Blackout Beach - Fuck Death

12. Braids - Native Speaker

13. Big KRIT - ReturnOf4Eva

14. Wye Oak - Civilian

15. Hauschka - Salon des Amateurs

16. Drake - Take Care

17. The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck (album review)

18. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place

19. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact (live review)

20. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972

21. The Antlers - Burst Apart

22. Tom Waits - Bad as Me (discussion feature + album blurb below)

23. Mark McGuire - Get Lost

24. Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow

25. Junior Boys - It’s All True

26. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

27. Low - C’Mon

28. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life

29. Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped (live review/video)

30. James Blake - James Blake

31. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

32. Panda Bear - Tomboy (behind the hype)

33. Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil (live review/videos)

34. Thunder & Lightning - Kangaroo Court ("name your price" download)

35. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

36. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

37. A$AP Rocky – LIVELOVEA$AP

38. Little Scream - The Golden Record

39. Kendrick Lamar - Section.80

40. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne

41. The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence

42. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo

43. Main Attrakionz - 808s & Dark Grapes II

44. Korallreven - An Album by Korallreven

45. Thundercat - The Golden Age of Apocalypse

46. Future Islands - On the Water

47. Twin Sister - In Heaven

48. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

49. Deaf Center - Owl Splinters

50. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

Best EPs:

1. Burial - Street Halo

2. Third Class - 12 and 9 EP (feature + free download)

3. Pictora – Countdown (bandcamp + live video)

4. James Blackshaw – Holly

5. Long Long Long – Who the Fuck Said Family Ain’t Family No More ("name your price" download)

6. Darkside – EP

7. Colin Stetson - Those Who Didn’t Run EP

8. Chad VanGaalen - Your Tan Looks Supernatural (bandcamp to benefit Japan)

9. Grimes – Darkbloom

10. Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics

Best Concert Performance: Randy Newman and the Cleveland Orchestra

Best Soundtrack: Drive

Best New Piano Renditions of Old Tunes: The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 2

Best Collection of Odds-and-Ends from the Glory Days: Stephin Merritt - Obscurities

Best New Christmas Album: John Zorn - A Dreamers Christmas

Worst Album That I Listened to in Its Entirety: The Streets - Computers and Blues

Sample lyric: "You can't Google the solution to people's feelings."

Then, Mike Skinner proceeds to rap the alphabet and punch the sky on the next song. The final Streets album isn't exactly streets ahead, if you know what I mean.

Best 2010 Album That I Didn't Hear Until 2011: Villagers - Becoming a Jackal

"Err, what's the most anticipated album in 2012?" Same as every year of the past decade, Pinky; The Avalanches try to take over the world.

Best Album of 2012 Thus Far: Sharon Van Etten - Tramp (live review)

In an effort to shake things up in 2012, here's my proposed rating system inversion for music critics: a scale of 1 to 20 monkeys flinging poo; the more monkeys you have, the shittier the album is.

"ONLY THREE MONKEYS FLINGING POO!? Damn, this must be a good album." - Excited Reader

Lastly, presenting blurbs written for Beats Per Minute's Top 50 Albums list:

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

This year’s album of the year could be anybody’s number one, but I bet you it wasn’t yours. This isn’t about laying claim to the onliest flying island of Laputa – would be an apt comparison, though, considering we’re yet another male-dominated online publication comprised of educated, yet flawed, people attempting to mask our deficiencies (and no, handing Annie Clark our fictitious AOTY trophy isn’t an attempt to make amends, either). Strange Mercy is the ubiquitous selection charting high on many year-end lists, also functioning as the conversion point for those that defied all odds and undervalued her previous two efforts. And it’s a monster of an album. The year’s best, to be precise. No ulterior motives on our behalf, no fluff – well, a little bit of fluff.

You see, Annie Clark deserves credit for many things in 2011. Most notably, she provided us with a major holy-shit moment, the year’s most compelling cover, by way of Big Black’s “Kerosene” (along with solidifying her good taste on a slew of others like Tom Waits’ “Big Black Mariah” and the Pop Group’s “She Is Beyond Good and Evil”). We also have her to thank for the most annoying twitter campaign, asking her followers to tweet the hashtag “#strangemercy” to unveil album teasers and debut “Surgeon.” And this took at least six times longer to accomplish than the shelf life of the best trending topics. Why did we endure such an unreasonable request? As fans, we might not have Bieber-level fever, but we cared enough to be compliant, anyway, and I even turned to poetry referencing the origins of Clark’s stage name: “After the 18^th straight whiskey – shrouded in smog, illness & misery – Dylan Thomas was admitted to St. Vincent’s to die poetically. #strangemercy”

On St. Vincent’s third album, however, her lyrics dispense of the sometimes coy direction on Marry Me, which was equally endearing, and begin to lean more on the autobiographical, as she hinted on Actor. At least, we’d like to think that we can intercept hints of her home and road life within the lyrics. During a recent interview, Annie Clark told us her inspiration comes from “anywhere and everywhere. Everything is fodder, nothing is sacred.” Well said, but this statement only reinforces our fear that we are the voyeuristic character in “Dilettante,” when she sings, “you’re like a party I heard through the wall / invite me / but I’m always watching you through a keyhole.” There’s a strange duality present where both the artist and the listener function as the outsider. And the skittish, rabbit-like subject of “Neutered Fruit” isn’t offering any answers.

So, let’s put a halt on dissecting her lyrics like a surgeon, and get to the bulk of what matters: these songs! Where the artist and audience really embrace is, somewhat ironically, in the anxious, claustrophobic depths of Strange Mercy’s production. That black cloud of a guitar, lashing out like bellicose lightning, is a force from the start, but extra dexterous on “Surgeon.” Occasionally, the clouds clear, but even the pervasive strings and keys are deceptively pretty, ready to catch you off-guard. On the title track, Clark’s voice catapults to great heights as the low-end distortion mounts, unhinging what was otherwise the first outright pleasant track on the album. And so the honor for most elegant goes to “Champagne Year,” which fronts a gentle post-industrial pulse like a modern Twin Peaks theme. It all amounts to a terrific package; there are so many ideas packed into one 40-minute album.

Before we finish reflecting on the year’s best and begin to look forward to a promising 2012 – who knows, maybe The Avalanches will release their little unicorn of a sophomore effort and/or Clark will wrap-up her collaborative project with David Byrne – we asked Clark what her favorite album(s) of 2011 were. To bid you adieu, we’ll leave you with her response, which begins in 2011 and ends in 1976: “Oh jeez. I'm usually so behind the times. I think Merrill (tUnE-yArDs) did a great job. I have been listening to a record called Selda by a Turkish artist of the same name. It's amazing.”

tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l

Let’s get this out in the open: w h o k i l l is leaps and bounds better than the lo-fi BiRd-BrAiNs, Merrill Garbus’ experimental debut; it isn’t solely the production quality, the talent on display has improved in every area. Garbus’ elastic vocals bungee jump all over the vocal spectrum, occasionally toeing the line towards androgyny. Of course, take a gander at any of the lyrics, and you’ll find a strong-willed woman at the center (one of the most satisfying lines affirms she’s a “don’t take shit from you kinda woman”). Fully capable of flipping this role, she effortlessly shifts to the tender lullaby of “Wooly Wolly Gong,” which clocks-in as the album’s longest song. And she has a knack for this balancing act; on tour, she alternates between fashioning drum and vocal loops to her ukulele, while Nate Brenner splits between bass and drums. Saxophone – specifically a duet of alto and tenor sax – nudges its way into the mix to round out the exuberant sound, notably on “RiotRiot” and the game-changing single “Bizness.” Throughout the endlessly enjoyable album, her glam marching band exhibits a keen globe-trotting prowess, but Garbus’ ability to forge impeachable pop songs is astounding.

Tom Waits – Bad as Me

Tom Waits is a masterful conductor always on the right track. This is evident from the onset of “Chicago”; from there, Bad as Me churns forward with a wider scope than we might have expected. In his interview with Pitchfork, Waits commented on how his wife Kathleen Brennan “wanted to do 12 three-minute songs,” adding that he has becoming more “economical” in his songwriting process. Market the album as you wish, but Bad as Me doesn’t stand as Tom Waits’ first attempt at compartmentalization; Swordfishtrombones (1983), the first album informed by Kathleen Brennan, was marginally leaner by comparison. If anything, the tightened focus on shorter songs is likely a result of the exhaustion after compiling 56 songs – 30 of which were new – for the stellar three-disc Orphans collection (truly the perfect distillation of what makes Tom Waits the best musician still living).

Even Bad as Me’s closing song, “New Year’s Eve,” was cut down from what we presume could have been a “Sins of My Father”-sized track; the end result hints at this potential to reach out exponentially, and really it’s the only track to suggest a larger presence. Ultimately, Waits caved to his impulses, also releasing a deluxe CD-version of the album, which adds three bonus tracks. These extra tracks are largely superfluous, yet critical for the Waits completist.

Admittedly, this has been a lot of talk about his back-catalog, but Bad as Me rarely sees Waits branching out beyond what we’ve come to expect from him. This is simultaneously a terrific revelation because his albums have been uniformly great for most of his career, but also disconcerting, knowing there are few dark alleys he hasn’t traversed. The clamoring military-style verses and blue-collar lyrics of “Hell Broke Luce” are a welcome detour, and if we are to resort to Orphans-style categorizations, it appears to be the lone bastard. Elsewhere, I count seven potential bawlers out of thirteen total tracks: "Talking at the Same Time"; "Face to the Highway"; "Pay Me"; "Back in the Crowd"; "Kiss Me"; "Last Leaf"; "New Year's Eve." That means bawlers consume 25 out of a possible 44.5 minutes, which equates to 56% of the album. Therefore, Bad as Me is a bawler-based album with a brawler for a title track. But the true bright spot will always be the bastard in his heart.

Bastard Bits from This Blurb:

The last true attempt at brevity came nearly a decade ago in the form of the theatrical collection Blood Money, which was co-released with Alice anyway, defeating the notion of scaling back on content.

I'd gnaw on gravel and tar, rinsing my mouth clean with turpentine if it meant obtaining a voice with as much gravitas as Tom Waits'.

If you'd like more bawlers, stick to the Asylum years, or cherry-pick from everything thereafter.

On the other hand, if anybody's looking for a bastards-heavy album, that'd be Real Gone. Or, y’know, the third disc of Orphans, which was pretty great.

Shabazz Palaces – Black Up

In 2009, Shabazz Palaces’ smokescreen entrance into the blogosphere conscious was forged via two dizzyingly inventive EPs. As everything settled, many were able to target Ishmael Butler of the jazz rap collective Digable Planets as the Seattle-based act’s point person. The MC’s incantations were enshrined by percussionist Tendai Maraire and engineer Erik Blood. Their light-footed, dissident beats were in stark contrast to big-bodied efforts from ‘90s contemporaries like Raekwon, Mos Def and even DOOM to a point. It was an intriguing, mysterious introduction, but the EPs were easily overshadowed by those heavyweights.

Two years later, the state of hip-hop is stronger than ever; the Watch the Throne duo and the increasingly divisive Drake are raking in millions (or whatever it is, it’s way over our heads), while many upstarts are making their mark: “HiiiPower” Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T. and Danny Brown to name a few. Plus, let’s not forget the underdogs with great albums this year like Main Attrakionz’ 808s & Dark Grapes II. Many rappers keep slinging new shit almost quarterly, and if you’re Curren$y, most of it is sticking. Nevertheless, one record, Black Up, hovers high above the others and manages to do so in a compact 36-minute, planet-shifting expanse.

Minute details spot the album, collectively making it a brilliant alternative to, oh, everything else: Maraire’s distressing mbira solo and the banshee vocal sample that dominates “An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum,” the slinky rap-singing of THEESatisfaction on “Endeavors for Never,” the deep boom-bap serving as Butler’s launching pad declaration of “tonight!,” which, in turn, cues the soothing female vocals that demand audience participation on “Recollections of the wraith.” Those elements only amount to a very small portion of an album littered with gold specks such as this. Now, please, “clear some space out / so we can space out” a few more times to this album before the year comes to a close.

Getting Down to Bizness: 2011's Best Tracks

2012-01-06T20:00:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, I presented my favorite videos of 2011, complete with the late discovery, Gellers' "Guatemala" -- the running joke is that the Japanese pronunciation of "Guatemala" sounds more like "not the mama." Today, I will present my favorite tracks of the year after the jump, along with two blurbs originally written for OneThirtyBPM.

My usual routine: ranking songs is even more trivial than albums, and although this list reflects my tastes to the best of my ability, I'd like to share some notes on it first. In an effort to condense the proceedings, artists are limited to one track on this list. While this does represent my favorite tracks over the year, many selections serve to accentuate acts that otherwise failed to produce high-ranking albums on that list. To prove these artists did at least ONE thing right this year, you will find them here. Before I delve into the actual list, I will provide a list of artists that fell short of the track list below and my forthcoming top 50 albums list.

Close-calls:

The Men, IceAge, L.W.H., Dirty Beaches, Wolves in the Throne Room, The Roots,

The Field, Andy Stott, Robag Wruhme, ARMS, High Highs, Ólafur Arnalds

1. tUnE-yArDs - “Bizness”

2. Chad VanGaalen - “Sara”

3. Destroyer - “Kaputt”

4. Drake - “Marvins Room”

5. Beyoncé - “Countdown” (close call: “1+1”)

6. Real Estate - “Green Aisles”

7. St. Vincent - “Strange Mercy”

8. Shabazz Palaces - “Recollections of the Wraith”

9. PJ Harvey - “The Words That Maketh Murder”

10. Third Class - “Look Around” (Beat Happening cover / free download)

11. Junior Boys - “Banana Ripple”

12. The Antlers - “Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out”

13. Fucked Up - “The Other Shoe”

14. Deerhoof - “Behold a Marvel in the Darkness”

15. Big K.R.I.T. - “Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism”

16. Gotye - “Somebody That I Used to Know”

17. Future Islands - “Before the Bridge”

18. Tom Waits - “Hell Broke Luce”

19. Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t - “Days Remain” (my live video)

20. Low - “Try to Sleep”

21. Lykke Li - “I Follow Rivers”

22. The War on Drugs - “Baby Missiles”

23. Wild Flag - “Romance”

24. The Strokes - “Machu Picchu”

25. Women - “Bullfight”

26. Jens Lekman - “An Argument With Myself”

27. Gang Gang Dance - “Glass Jar”

28. Pictora- “Countdown” (bandcamp / my live video)

29. Mister Heavenly - “Bronx Sniper”

30. Bill Callahan - “Drover”

31. Coke Weed - “Not My Old Man” (soundcloud / free album download)

32. Burial & Four Tet & Thom Yorke - “Ego”

33. Jay-Z & Kanye West - “Who Gon Stop Me”

34. My Morning Jacket - “Holdin on to Black Metal”

35. Curren$y - “She Don’t Want a Man”

36. Childish Gambino - “Freaks and Geeks”

37. White Denim - “No Real Reason”

38. Atlas Sound - “Te Amo”

39. Jamie Woon - “Lady Luck”

40. Nurses - “You Lookin’ Twice”

41. Little Scream - “The Heron and the Fox”

42. William Elliott Whitmore - “Bury Your Burdens in the Ground”

43. Cass McCombs - “County Line”

44. Jamie xx - “Far Nearer”

45. M83 - “Midnight City”

46. Wild Beasts - “Bed of Nails”

47. Marissa Nadler - “The Sun Always Reminds Me of You”

48. Cymbals Eat Guitars - “Definite Darkness”

49. Richard Buckner - “Traitor”

50. Minks - “Cemetery Rain”

51. Danny Brown - “Die Like a Rockstar”

52. Grimes - “Vanessa”

53. Eleanor Friedberger - “My Mistakes”

54. Rich Aucoin - “It”

55. Gruff Rhys - “Shark Ridden Waters”

56. Clams Casino - “Motivation”

57. 13 & God - “Old Age”

58. Radiohead - “The Daily Mail”

59. Dark Dark Dark - “Long, Long, Long” (Beatles cover / soundcloud)

60. The Wrens - “As I’ve Known”

Junior Boys – “Banana Ripple”

Some of 2011’s best tracks are expansive works that push the boundaries of what we’ve come to expect from the artist or like-minded giants in their respective genre. These ambitious exercises in form typically fall into three distinct classes within the album format: Gang Gang Dance’s “Glass Jar” is a shimmery, burgeoning introduction to their alien world; Destroyer’s “Kaputt” is the coke-dream core, and title track, to Dan Bejar’s honest-to-Steely-Dan rock vocal breakout; whereas “Banana Ripple” is the elegant end song, a theme expanding red giant to Junior Boy’s typically minimalistic, synth-ridden indie R&B. The latter borders on twisting into a maximalist’s playground, as Jeremy Greenspan’s shrieking falsetto eventually poses a stark polyphonic contrast to the electronic squiggles. Elsewhere, he presents soothing tones in the same vein we’ve grown accustomed. But until now, we haven’t quite seen the Junior Boys exhibiting this level of technical prowess; their craft is consistently refined, sure, but never has it been such a centrifugal force. “Banana Ripple” is one of the year’s best, and a career watermark for the Canadian duo.

Kate Bush – “Misty”

50 Words for Snow’s longest cut, the 13-and-a-half-minute “Misty,” is notorious for its lyrical depiction of a lecherous, yet warmly affectionate, snowman. After building him – “roll his body / give him eyes / make him smile for me / give him life” – Kate Bush’s narrator is repaid by way of a surreal, sexual encounter later that night. Their love is tragically short-lived, as the winter wonderland spirit deliquesces, leaving behind “dead leaves, bits of twisted branches and frozen garden” on her pillow. Don’t worry; the strange subject matter is tactfully understated, unlike the rape scene in the atrocious 1997 horror comedy film Jack Frost. Bush’s gentle coos are bellied by her patient keys, presenting themselves like a modernized, extended take on Chopin’s Preludes. Jonathan Tunick’s orchestral arrangements briefly crop up as interludes, while Steve Gadd’s light drumming and cymbal splashes color the song’s tail end. It’s a terrific show, but thanks to added reinforcement from the official claymation clip of the song, we’ll always remember it as that one about Kate Bush sexing up a snowman.

Revisiting 2011: The Best Music Videos

2012-01-05T14:33:00.003-05:00

Greetings reader. My blurbs were written weeks ago for OneThirtyBPM's year-end lists, and I shall delay no further in posting my own personal best of the year. We'll begin with the best (and worst) music videos of the year.

Late to the Party Entry: Gellers - "Guatemala"

Shugo Tokumaru has long been my favorite Japanese musician (sorry Joe Hisaishi and Boredoms!); in fact, 2004's Night Piece landed at #20 on my top 100 albums of the past decade list. Gellers, a band comprised of Tokumaru and his childhood friends, have received very little recognition in the States. After their uneven self-titled debut in 2007, the band went on hiatus while Tokumaru further pursued his solo career (via The Japan Times). The title track from their 2011 EP is their strongest effort yet, heavily informed by 2010's Port Entropy. Its accompanying video, complete with a papier-mâché creeper, is one of the year's most intriguing. Check it out, because if you're reading this from anywhere but Japan, I can almost guarantee none of your friends have seen it.

The Best Music Videos of 2011:

Destroyer - “Kaputt”
Chad VanGaalen - “Peace on the Rise”
Bill Callahan - “America!”
Wye Oak - “Fish”
Not even the best song on Baltimore duo Wye Oak’s excellent Civilian, “Fish” is given one of the year’s finest video treatments. Recruiting fellow hometown artists Michael O'Leary, whose photograph makes a splash on Civilian’s cover, and Katherine Fahey, who painted the album art for their 2008 debut, the aftermath is a gorgeous bout of shadow puppetry, which takes a bizarre turn into Moby Dick meets Darwin territory. And if Wye Oak keep evolving at this rate, who knows what they will be capable of next time.
The Mountain Goats - “Estate Sale Sign”
Real Estate - “It’s Real”
Tune-Yards - “Bizness”
Tom Waits - “Satisfied”
St. Vincent - “Cruel”
The Clientele - “Come and Play Jingle” (Yo Gabba Gabba!)
The New Pornographers – “Moves”
Third Class - "12 and 9"

The Cleveland Music Video That Managed to Be Comically Worse Than Rebecca Black:

Ahhh-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Destined to dethrone "Free Bird" as the go-to song request at concerts, "The King That Never Was" is given the music video that should never have been, according to some people. But those of us that have seen it are glad it exists. This is what I call rock & roll, dude. None of that glammed-up, funkified shiz. Real chords, devil horns; a kingdom of metal, and mighty swords.

And the award for Best Concert Performance of 2011 goes to...

2011-12-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

Presenting the slightly edited, full-length version of my live review for Cleveland Scene.

Randy Newman and the Cleveland Orchestra - Severance Hall - December 3, 2011

In the spirit of year-end list-making, the best concert performance of 2011 is a two-way tie between Jimmy Buffett and Glee Live! In Concert!

No, no, redact that. Such high accolades belong to Randy Newman and the Cleveland Orchestra. On the way to the majestic Severance Hall this past Saturday evening, I was singing “Oh, it’s lonely in the front” to myself, excited to politely take my orchestra level seating only a few rows from the stage. The concert hall proved humbling, however, as there really didn’t seem to be a single bad seat in the Depression-era’s “temple to music.”

Newman, for the uninitiated, has at least three talents to speak of as a singer-songwriter capable of songs both sincere and satirical, an award-winning film composer, and an able pianist (later that night, he tipped his hat to the orchestra’s pianists that are “better than [him]”). All three talents were on display at Severance Hall along with his hilarious banter between songs.

Throughout two separate hour-long sets, Newman elicited laughter from select members of the audience and orchestra alike. “Quite an orchestra you have here; they’ve chosen not to accompany me on this one,” Newman complimented before launching into “Short People,” his surprise 1977 hit and call-to-fame. It was slotted early-on, and set a contrast between his solo piano songs and those featuring the orchestra, conducted by James Feddeck.

“Dayton, Ohio – 1903” was added to the program upon request. Newman also performed “Burn On,” a 1972 ode to the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. Laughing off a fumbling of the keys, he mocked the lyrics by adding in-song quips like “in case you didn’t hear me the first eight times” and “there’s a fact there” (Cleveland’s the City of Light).

The overlap between classical fans and sports fans must be enormous, but Newman avoided adding “Miami” to the program, which was surely a tough decision if he’s even aware of LeBron’s existence. For his sake, let’s hope not.

Two selections in the set spotlighted Newman as another aging musician. “Love Story (You and Me)” was written when he was 23 or 24, but the final lines cynically foreshadow old age when his kids put him and his wife in a “little home in Florida” where they’ll “play checkers all day until [they] pass away.” Now, at 68, he admits this checkered future “doesn’t look that bad.” On the other hand, he skewers his ‘70s contemporaries for “clogging up stages” decades after their relevance, inviting the audience to sing the “he’s dead!” refrain on “I’m Dead (But I Don’t Know It)” as he offered his “rock & roll rat-face.”

Four soundtrack suites were performed with Newman taking Feddeck’s conductor role temporarily. Struggling with the microphone as he switched roles, he comically requested they “send a gentile to work this for [him].” Beyond celebrating individuals among the robust orchestra, he commended their advanced skill set as “the result of practicing alone in their room[s] for thousands of hours – snipers do the same thing.”

As the lead violins ascended, the others followed in a grand homophonic sweep during the Toy Story suite. On film, this suite saw the toys, Woody and Buzz, outsmart the evil neighbor Sid, evade his vicious dog Scud, only to rocket skyward, safely landing in the backseat beside their owner Andy. It’s the most riveting orchestral movement from Pixar’s first feature film, with great modulation propelling the story forward. And to appease the patient children in the audience, we were also treated to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” later on. It can be assumed that to appease parents, Newman avoided songs, like “Rednecks,” which feature prominent racial epithets.

Before the suite from Maverick, Newman advised the audience to avoid laughing at the deliberately quirky introductory music for the film’s lead actors, and it was definitely a rollicking, Western-themed score for a lost time when people still liked Mel Gibson. In contrast, the suite from Avalon was brassier than the other selections, which also included The Natural.

The second set’s final two songs emphasized how his early works continue to resonate today (fortunate for Newman, unfortunate for the rest of us). The lightly adorned “Political Science” continues to accurately depict U.S. foreign policy. And the lovingly ornate “Louisiana 1927,” a song critical of President Coolidge’s lax political reaction to the Great Mississippi Flood, was co-opted as an anthem for the eerily similar Hurricane Katrina catastrophe in 2005.

Prior to the two-song encore performance of “Lonely at the Top,” which Neman joked was about Billy Joel, and his oft-covered “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today,” he offered some parting consolation: “If I ever do a Last Chance to See Me Tour, I’ll be back.”

Quickly recanting the sarcasm for sounding “shitty,” Newman assured he would be back. OK, we’ll be waiting. Until then, the Cleveland Orchestra goes on, and so do we. In the meantime, I’m sure we’ll do something stupid enough, sociologically speaking, to inspire another album from Old Faithful. Either that, or they’ll make another Toy Story.

Stray Observations (to cop an A.V. Club tradition):

Rounding out the bulk of the night were Newman’s passing remarks on his finer songs. For “The World Isn’t Fair,” he provided domestic trivia to a song about the “failure of Marxism.” Concerning his five total children between two wives, he joked that his first wife said if they had the girl first, she “would have thought the boys were retarded.”
Interestingly enough, this orchestra performance comes the same year as The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2, which contains newly recorded versions of his material, stripped down to piano and his voice.
“You Can Leave Your Hat On” was described as a “diseased love song.”
On “In Germany Before the War”: “this is a song about a murder, I don’t know why it wasn’t a hit.”
“The Great Nations of Europe” manages to “sum up 200 years of Western Civilization in 3 minutes and 36 seconds.”
“Dixie Flyer” is unlike some of his caustic numbers; it’s “autobiographical,” save for a “couple lies.”
“Sail Away” is about a “recruiter for slave trade,” as you may well know. “The best song ever written on that subject.” Not to mention one of Newman’s best.

Local Band in Focus: Third Class

2011-11-18T20:48:00.001-05:00

The following band bio is from Cleveland Scene's Local Band in Focus.

Third Class

Meet the Band: Lee Boyle (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Jack Boyle (drums, bass), and Pepe Parish (bass, drums).

A Rough Start: Originally forming as a rap duo in 1996, Lee and Pepe let Lee’s little brother Jack join “on the condition that he didn't try to hang out with us all the time.” Their musical tastes eventually turned to indie rock, and Jack ended up hanging out all the time.

The Joke’s on You: Recent mock hip-hop music video for “12 and 9” spotlights the Youngstown group’s funny side, though it’s far from the first time. They’re all involved with Bull Skit, which has uploaded more than 400 “off-the-wall sketch comedy” skits to YouTube. A tad too many? Check out “Sex Education.”

We’re All Poets Here: Third Class’ second studio album, The Red Wheelbarrow, is a reference to the poet William Carlos Williams. Lyric-writing duties are split between the band, Jack works at Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center, and both Boyles are published poets.

Why They’ll Never Grow Up: The band’s newly released free EP features songs like “Kitty-Cat Eyes” and “Heaven and Ice Cream.” “The album's overall theme is childhood,” says Lee. “Much like the band’s other efforts.”

Where You Can Hear Them: http://www.thirdclass.net/

Where You Can See Them: At Caribou Coffee (1 North Hawkins Ave. in Akron) on November 19.

Free Download of 12 and 9 EP

Bonus: Third Class owes much of their indie pop sound and childish subject matter to Beat Happening. Check out their contribution to the [also free] Calvin Johnson tribute album, Hot Chocolate Nation; "Look Around" stands as one of my favorite tracks in 2011.

Excerpts from the interview with Lee Boyle:

"After two studio albums since 2006, this album, we notice, is different in that the vocals are higher in the mix. The signature fuzz bass and quirky keys and guitar licks are there, but the lyrics and harmonies are more important this time 'round. Pepe Parish had more to do with the lyric-writing on the EP. He penned 1/2 of the lyrics to the songs "12 and 9" and "Heaven and Ice Cream," and wrote all the lyrics to "Kitty-Cat Eyes." The album's overall theme is childhood, much like the band's other efforts, especially Chloe's Epitaph Is Chloe. "A New Kind of Mars" is a song which references Jack and Lee staring at the ceiling while lying on the living room floor, as childhood brothers. "12 and 9" talks about coming of age and realizing happiness as an adult looking back at being innocent. "Heaven and Ice Cream" is an idealist's song exaggerating and weirdly over-romanticizing the "road" of life or "dreams." "Demons Outside" is about childhood fears of ghosts. It creates a haunted universe of a Halloween-like night in a child's life. "I Think I See You" talks of seeing a young person in just the right light in order to catch a glimpse of their future, older face. "Kitty-Cat Eyes" is dark love song, expressing a devotion in innocent, simple, child-like terms."

"Funny stories, etc: We've been heckled as a joke, we've been heckled for real, at least once in Athens, Ohio and in East Liverpool, Ohio. We once left our trailer door open while we were driving home from a show in Louisville, Kentucky. Fortunately, someone stopped us and told us before we hit the highway. We've been paid in pizza, coffee and beer. We once booked a show in Long Island, NY because a band on Myspace was looking for an opener and mistook our younger brother, Steve's music page, for a funk band's page. He asked if we could jump on the bill and we went there and opened for a rap group and it turned out fun anyhow, even though the crowd was a bit reserved when we played. We once played a show in Manhattan to one person."

"Some of our favorite venues are Cedars Lounge in Youngstown, The Lemon Grove in Youngstown, Donkey Coffee in Athens, Ohio, The Treehouse, because there is really a tree in the bar, in Columbus, Ohio, Stone Tavern in Kent, Ohio, Caribou Coffees all over Ohio, The Black Cherry Infoshop in Toledo, Ohio, an Anarchist commune/venue which scared us at first, Friends Roastery in Salem, Ohio, The Smiling Moose in Pittsburgh, PA, Boba Bubble Tea in Akron, Ohio (closed), and The Highlands Taproom in Louisville, Kentucky."

"[Lee] only has 2 strings on his guitar and the band gets crap about it from "real guitarists" at every other show they play. The bass is tuned unconventionally to (from the top string down) F, A, C, F. Once we went to play a show in Butler, PA and it got rained out so we just went down a giant slip and slide into a thorn bush instead. It was fun. A friend of ours introduced us at our High School Talent show, 2001, by pantsing himself and he got suspended for it. The Morning Journal roasted us for it. I once got nostalgic in a Pennsylvania venue which still allowed smoking inside because it reminded me of days past in Youngstown, and I don't even smoke."

Mister Heavenly Live Review

2011-11-18T20:02:00.001-05:00

This live review can also be found over at Cleveland Scene.

Mister Heavenly at the Grog Shop on November 15, 2011:

Last night at the Grog Shop, Mister Heavenly headlined a mister-heavy lineup, which also included punk upstarts Mr. Dream and Cleveland DJ Mister Bradley P.

Mister Heavenly is fronted by Nick Thorburn of Islands and Ryan Kattner (aka Honus Honus) of Man Man, with Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse. Early west coast dates added actor Michael Cera on bass, a real-life extension of his Scott Pilgrim role. Last night's performance didn't suffer for lack of a bassist, but Cera's presence would have surely boosted ticket sales.

The members' respective main gigs have lost some of their early spark, most notably, Islands' prog-pop has largely stagnated, modern-day Modest Mouse has nothing on when they used to "talk shit about a pretty sunset," and even Man Man's trashcan carnival barkers aren't quite what they once were.

But there's a lot of promise in this new project, which dips back to an early rock & roll aesthetic, offering an approach they've dubbed "doom-wop." The lyrics of these love songs would be well-suited for the '50s and '60s, while the cohesion of these unique artists into a unified whole is impressive.

The band's chemistry and professionalism elevated them far above a one-off project used to kill time, and their sound was far more precise onstage than it is on their uneven debut album, Out of Love. Thorburn's high-flying guitar bounded around Kattner's keyboard theatrics, as Plummer kept pace perfectly.

A lean 45-minute set meant every song from their debut, including fan-favorite "Bronx Sniper," as well as a cover of Cody Chesnutt's neo-soul "Look Good in Leather," which meshed well with their sound. The encore was introduced by Thorburn as a Mr. Dream cover despite being the Misfits' "Hybrid Moments," where Kattner took to spitting his way through the crowd.

It was a fitting remark anyway, as Mr. Dream, at best, channeled early Fugazi and post-hardcore, coupled with the crunch of '90s alt-rock. One track presented the staccato start/stop thrust of Shellac's "Prayer to God," yet lacked the same impact. Look for this band to fully-form in the future. Until then, at least one of the Misters really delivered.

On Autumn & the Eighties

2011-11-11T21:07:00.002-05:00

For archiving purposes, may I present blurbs previously written for 130BPM.

Below, you'll find my addition to the fall soundtrack feature. After the jump, the rest were originally part of BPM's top albums / tracks of the '80s feature.

Previously on Planet Pluto: the complete numbered best-of list.

Siouxsie and the Banshees – Juju (1981)

Some albums are autumnal based on their ability to elegantly decay before our ears, stripping away the layers of overdubs and swabbing the waxy excess; this is why folk albums often fall comfortably into this sphere. Or, albums might gain this seasonal distinction purely by association with their original release date or personal memories. (Elliott Smith is an important also-ran to note, as we commemorate his untimely passing on October 21, 2003, even though his themes aren’t inherently tied to the season.)

Then, there are those albums that hang prominently in the night sky at least one month of the year: October. Siouxsie and the Banshees leapt out of the cemetery gates in 1981 to provide us with an excellent Halloween soundtrack for years to come. And no, this isn’t the half-assed result of searching for the word “Halloween” on iTunes. It’s the sinister undertone of lines like “I heard a rumor / what have you done to her?” (“Arabian Knights”), each delivered with that witchy sensibility. Budgie’s percussive impact boils beneath every spellbinding guitar line, reining in Juju from becoming little more than a showcase for John McGeoch’s guitar. All the elements are there and bigger than ever before.

It also helps that the band is held as one of gothic rock’s chief forebears, and if you’re looking to create a Halloween playlist for parties or late-night drives, any track from “Spellbound” to “Voodoo Dolly” will work nicely next to, say, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” But if your playlist selections are as obvious as my spooky-time adjectives, you’ll opt for “Halloween” alongside “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)” and the Ghostbusters theme.

Fugazi- “Waiting Room” (1988)

“Come on and get up!” goes Guy Picciotto’s call to action. Arguably Fugazi’s defining moment, “Waiting Room” provided the foundation for the band to sustain a healthy, lucrative career for over a decade despite Ian MacKaye track record of quick-to-dissolve former groups: Minor Threat and Embrace, not to mention that he recorded Rites of Spring’s debut. Joe Lally’s dub-dipped bassline is instantly recognizable, leading us to the initial gritting guitar before the trap door to suspenseful silence opens at the 22-second mark. Unsurprisingly, the silence is quickly quelled, thrusting us toward the D.C. post-hardcore band’s punishing chorus. In the coming years, Fugazi would catapult from their early groundwork to grander statements, most notably on Red Medicine (1995). But the late ‘80s – and specifically, “Waiting Room” – solidified Fugazi’s status as world-hopping musical purveyors of the highest degree.

Brian Eno & David Byrne- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981)

As they say, everything is a remix. Sampling is a conduit to artistic influence and with that in mind, Brian Eno and David Bryne weren’t exactly breaking new ground on My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Bryne’s biggest group, Talking Heads, released the Third World trotting, critical darling Remain in Light, only one year prior. Yet recording sessions for My Life began before Remain in Light was recorded. As such, My Life can be viewed as a precursor to the artistic peak of Talking Heads along with Eno’s greatest ambient achievement, Ambient 4: On Land (1982), but it’s certainly not to be overlooked.

The sampling on the album – which ranges from radio hosts to Lebanese mountain singers to evangelists to Egyptian singers to Algerian Muslims chanting the Qur’an (removed by the second edition at the request of the Islamic Council of Great Britain) – is easily the most varied, accomplished work prior to Paul’s Boutique. It is a pioneering effort that dispels superficial notions of ethnocentrism in Western music. That aside, even the percussive layers that pervade this album are praise-worthy, and consequently, My Life is much more than a footnote within these legendary artists’ careers.

Galaxie 500- “Blue Thunder” (1989)

The EP version of “Blue Thunder”, augmented by Ralph Carney’s tenor saxophone, is a chaotic yet critical non-album cut. The sax elevates the track beyond the moody tone of its early stages, and imbues exuberant, golden sounds of shaky brass slicing through the song’s somber rays. Thankfully, the album version doesn’t suffer in the slightest, and it provides plenty to clamor about: the delicate guitar swell that dominates the track, Damon Krukowski’s rhythmic wallop like a slow-motion storm and, of course, Dean Wareham puts forth perhaps the finest vocal work of his lifetime. As the opening track, “Blue Thunder” firmly sets the tone throughout On Fire, as Wareham wails that he’ll “drive so far away” on Massachusetts’ Route 128, the same highway that Jonathan Richman immortalized over a decade earlier on “Roadrunner”. No matter the version, this remains one of the many great songs by the short-lived Boston dream pop trio.

Kate Bush- “Cloudbusting” (1985)

On the second single to emerge from Hounds of Love, Kate Bush tackles the magical relationship between a father and son. In the music video, she portrays psychologist Wilhelm Reich’s young boy, Peter, watching with excitement as the father demonstrates his cloudbuster prior to being arrested. This invention was designed according to pseudoscientific principles of orgone theory to produce rain for practical applications like in time of drought. This is alluded to in the lyrics: “I still dream of Orgonon / I wake up crying,” the song begins, referencing the 160-acre home, laboratory, research center – and later, burial place – of Reich. Strings sweep the track like a hang glider in heavy wind, only to be joined by militant drums as Kate Bush leads a vocal chorus to holler out the thrilling conclusion.

Talk Talk- Spirit of Eden (1988)

Atmospheric, beautiful and always begging to replace the album you’re currently hearing: this is the leap into the unknown that Talk Talk took [intentionally troublesome T’s] after vaguely hinting at what was to come on their commercial hit album The Colour of Spring (1986). It’s a bit embarrassing to say an album titled Spirit of Eden is ‘spiritual’, but that’s how it pans out. These tracks aspire to higher plateaus of enlightenment like John Coltrane’s watershed free jazz album Ascension. There’s a reason Talk Talk never toured after ’86: to do so would undermine the spontaneity and lose sight of its purity, according to Mark Hollis.

Critics peg this masterpiece as a distinct influence for post-rock, yet Tim Friese-Green’s crisp production and Hollis’ vocals remain unmatched by anybody else. On Laughing Stock (1991), they return to this technique once more before turning in. Mark Hollis’ 1998 self-titled debut provides a minimal take on the proceedings, but there’s very little that can top the transcendent final two Talk Talk albums. “The Rainbow” signifying the beginning of a great thing, while Spirit of Eden as a whole draws on ambient flourishes and dynamic shifts to create pure sonic bliss.

Big Black- Songs About Fucking (1987)

Even Steve Albini’s loudmouthed antics can’t overshadow his work as an artist and recording engineer (he’s responsible for everything from Surfer Rosa to Ys). Throughout the ‘80s, Albini offered no apologies for Big Black’s subject matter, and naming his next band Rapeman after the title character in a Japanese comic book didn’t dissuade misogyny claims. On Big Black’s final album, Songs About Fucking, they cram songs about assholes (“Bad Penny”), the unfortunate cure to the “sleepy sickness” epidemic (“L Dopa”), sexual dominance (“Precious Thing”), and humiliating execution methods (“Columbian Necktie”) into a tight half-hour package. And that’s only side one. Working like an efficient lumber mill, the drum machine laid an aggressive backbone to the whirring fury of electric guitars. Side two eases up by their standards, especially on “Tiny, King of the Jews” which features subdued, distant vocals that still manage to be menacing. But on “Fish Fry”, Albini steams as he depicts a murderer hosing the blood from his pickup truck with his “8-track playin’ really fuckin’ loud.” Ah, Albini: always the analog loyalist.

Tom Waits- Rain Dogs (1985)

With the assistance of his wife, Kathleen Brennan, and stronger influence from the likes of Captain Beefheart and Howlin’ Wolf, Waits adopted his signature sound in the ‘80s. Rain Dogs epitomizes that effort with his best all-around collection of songs [borrowed from the discussion piece]. Inhabiting the New York City underground, Rain Dogs acknowledges the existence of folks many turn their back to: drug dealers, drunks, vagrants, prostitutes and, generally speaking, the destitute denizens of the city. Lyrically, “Gun Street Girl” also reaches out to include transvestite guitarist Falling James. Even Rod Stewart’s cover couldn’t derail the force of “Downtown Train”. Keith Richards checks in to lend guitar to a few tracks and his rusty pipes to back “Blind Love”, while Mark Ribot is responsible for the album’s fiercest hook on “Jockey Full of Bourbon”. Waits assembles a crack squad throughout, complimenting bankrupt ballads and seedy street tales with Chinatown percussion, New Orleans brass and the Southern fiddle. “I’ve seen it all through the yellow windows of the evening train,” Waits asserts, but Rain Dogs is the sound of freighthopping countrywide.

XTC- English Settlement (1982)

Transitioning from a post-punk powerhouse to a braver form of jittery psychedelic pop, the double-album English Settlement marks their breakout moment behind the power of its first single “Senses Working Overtime”. Unfortunately, this fame would lead Andy Partridge to a mental breakdown while touring the album. Diving into their work is daunting considering the sheer volume of their output in the ‘80s alone. The two albums represented on this list, English Settlement and Skylarking, are certainly worthy of celebration, and mere shades better than Black Sea (1980), which was very much an extension of the sound they mastered on Drums and Wires (1979). Their Dukes of Stratosphear pseudonym allowed Partridge and Colin Moulding to pay a more direct homage to ‘60s psychedelia. But it was on this album that they apparently were taking notes from Talking Heads, and recorded one of their most ambitious and coincidentally well-accomplished works.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- Your Funeral… My Trial (1986)

The volatile bleakness of Nick Cave’s early stint in the Birthday Party be damned, Your Funeral… My Trial is midnight at the morgue. The CD bonus track “Scum” is a vicious attack on a critic and former friend, Mat Snow, that had the nerve to give him a bad review. Or, as Cave articulates, he’s a “miserable shitwringing turd.” Elsewhere, there’s the horror story of a circus catastrophe on “The Carny” and the brooding strength of “Stranger Than Kindness”. The entire album is submerged in despair, and with only one cover to speak of (Tim Rose’s “Long Time Man”), this is the Bad Seeds’ turning point: a significant shift to original, powerful material. Tender Prey (1988) would continue this trend, and is likely just as deserving to be on this list. If you’re new to Nick Cave, Your Funeral would be a great introductory point; this and every subsequent album has largely squelched Snow and his ilk.

Closing Time

2011-11-04T20:17:00.003-04:00

(photo via Patrishka)

Album closing tracks are of a highly specialized class: there are variations to the rule, but as a whole the underlying principle states they should either present themselves as either a short coda -- reflecting back upon the album themes, often presented as a quiet, acoustic piece -- or they raise the stakes into high-flown territory, stretching their musical arms into the expanses, touching upon an area the rest of the album dared not traverse.

Hip-hop, in particular, is not very conducive to this theory; many have a superfluous remix tacked on at the end, offer a sampled outro to show us the door, or proceed like it's business as usual. That's not a knock on the genre as a whole by any means, only a personal frustration over the lack of hip-hop reflected in this stew I've cooked up rather quickly. It can be argued that Kanye West's "Who Will Survive in America" or OutKast's "Chonkyfire" serve as excellent closing tracks that support my theory, and they do, but their respective albums didn't hinge on them to become classics; basically, they are outshined by other tracks. Or, more tellingly, I should simply say I'm not fit to be the spokesperson for the history of hip-hop.

It should also be very apparent that this is an unorganized, non-comprehensive list of pop and rock music (jazz/ambient/classical and other genres outside of the usual song spectrum would be much harder). I'm also aware some of the tracks represented are cover versions. You can decide which fall into what class of song: short coda or theme-expanding red giant?

Closing Time (full list):

Bob Dylan - "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
Radiohead - "Life in a Glass House" (honorable mention: any closing track by them not found on Pablo Honey, In Rainbows, or The King of Limbs)
Prince - “Purple Rain”
Randy Newman - "God's Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)" // (Shearwater's terrific cover)
David Bowie - "Subterraneans" & "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"
The Beatles - "Tomorrow Never Knows" & “Her Majesty”
Destroyer - "Bay of Pigs"
The Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations" & "Whistle In"
Rufus Wainwright - "Imaginary Love"
Scott Walker - "A Lover Loves" & "If You Go Away"
Spiritualized - "Cop Shoot Cop..."
Spoon - "Chicago at Night"
Clipse - "Nightmares"
Tom Waits -"Anywhere I Lay My Head" & "Rains on Me"
The Velvet Underground - "Sister Ray"
Sebadoh - "As the World Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger
The Verve - "Come On"
The Walkmen's "If Only It Were True"
Weezer - "Butterfly"
The Wrens - "This Is Not What You Had Planned"
Erykah Badu -"Honey"
Galaxie 500 - "King of Spain"
J Dilla - "Donuts (Intro)"
Neil Young - "Ambulance Blues"
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Scum" & "Death Is Not the End"
PJ Harvey -"We Float"
Rapeman - "Trouser Minnow"
Portishead - "Glory Box"
The Replacements - "Answering Machine"
Gordon Lightfoot - "Did She Mention My Name?"
Cat Stevens - "Tea for the Tillerman"
Can - "Spoon"
Bruce Springsteen - "Jungleland"
Talking Heads - "The Overload"
Talk Talk -"Wealth"
Low - "Sunshine"
Yo La Tengo - "My Little Corner of the World"
Elliott Smith - "I Didn't Understand"
Silver Jews - "The Wild Kindness"
The Dismemberment Plan - "Ellen and Ben"
The National - "Mr. November"
Songs: Ohia - "Blue Chicago Moon"
Slint - "Good Morning, Captain"
Menomena - "The Monkey's Back"
Jim O'Rourke - "Life Goes Off"
Circulatory System - "Forever"

Solipsism Isn't Everything, But I Am

2011-11-01T00:16:00.006-04:00

Despite my absence, yes, I have been writing. I prefer speaking in monthly tangents, in coded fragments, at a poetic distance. Before I move any further, here are a few such instances.

Here's an adage for you to alleviate our worries: I was once a child (I know!). My friend and I took our scooters (I know!) to the Greenway Bike Trail in Ohio. The weather shifted drastically into an outright downpour. We were stranded miles from any foreseeable escape route as my friend's mother had dropped us off there. Luckily, my friend had a cell phone (I didn't have one until college), but we were still push-kicking our soaked, adolescent bodies through the monsoon-lite for maybe a half hour, maybe more.

During this experience, I composed a little ditty that remains uplifting to date:

"Such a nice day! / Such a nice day! / If it gets any better, I'll be killing myself /

What a great day! / What a great day! / If it gets any better, I'll be killing myself..."

In essence, this encapsulates our woes. Mine continue to be nothing more than resenting being stranded on a scooter during inclement weather. And they have never been truly worse, even when there's no one around to hear my consolatory song.

"Silent Film Star"

She steamrolled her body, becoming a beauty that immediately set about felling string-cheese men: an heir to a vast railroad fortune, a wizard salesman in possession of a potion shop, and a magician with a penchant for disappearing up his own asshole, always reappearing to golden applause. The public loves a good trick.

"Coney Island Cats"

Cats crying out their perceptive cat eyes (the slit pupils make for perfect night spies), fretting over whether their human mother has died.

But the cats' momma wasn't slaughtered by a train or lost and pegged for dead in the same city she was bred; she was visiting her own mother, the mom's mom to the furry brothers.

Snuggled safely in Ohio on the second floor, the brothers are cared for by the first floor roommates. Safe, safe.

Only the cat brothers' balls are in danger; it's getting on into their seventh month dropping, which the vet, Dr. Snips, will see to stopping.

Until then, purring in contentment, the two are like twin volcanoes competing to be the superior sibling, presenting their cat assholes to thank you for the petting.

Finally, the following poem is far more personal, and perhaps not my finest effort, either. I have never specialized in heartfelt affairs, but hopefully it's a notch above standard purple prose fare.

“Call Me Rex”

To wake in any state and not contact you at the outset,

however trivial the content, is madness.

An extension of my being,

mistreating the lot of us in equal measure.

We deserve far better.

In the brief absence of my out-of-work father,

I have taken to weeping on a whim,

howling at nothing, yearning to be anything other than this:

cannon fodder in the war on terror,

as if zealotry could ever finally be kaputt,

or,

a gargantuan centipede in your basement,

the one you affectionately refer to as Rex,

as if I would have anything to offer human kind (and you)

beyond a fever-inducing bite on moonlit laundry days.

To expire even eight waking hours,

the slow, deadening depletion after years of heightening devotion,

is crippling at most – disheartening at the least.

From Cleveland West to Coral Springs,

there is a limit to our unrelenting travels,

but never before to the ardour our heart sings.

Those adventures including but not limited to:

the rally for our sanity, the zoo, countless shows,

milkshakes, museums, ballparks, bike rides,

and withering corn mazes spitting us back out to the rivers,

reservoirs and Pennsylvanian mountain ranges.

To think I am reduced to positing my least potent verses

in an effort to feel closer when truly further than ever,

is beyond me – as all successes seem to be.

The mere notion of you enduring me for this long

deserves the antithesis of this catastrophe,

the antithesis of my rotting complacency,

and the totality of my love.

And to think there could ever be an end

to what seemed a never-ending adventure,

is torturous to be honest.

Let’s have a burger and talk this over,

and over, and over, and over, and over

until one of us caves and collapses into the other’s arms,

or at least until the meat meddles with your stomach

like how I have regrettably upset our perfect balance

of love and friendship.

It is easier / to tell a cat “I love you” / than other people

But I do.

Tune-Yards: On Fiya

2011-09-30T22:15:00.001-04:00

You can also find this show review over at Cleveland Scene.

Tune-Yards at the Beachland Ballroom on September 27, 2011:

Leave it to a new buzz band to beat the turnout* for the legendary Swans at the same venue less than a week later and practically quadruple audience feedback. Last night at Beachland Ballroom, Tune-Yards turned in a 65-minute set heavy on highlights.

Tune-Yards' Merrill Garbus graced the stage to lay the groundwork drum loops of an unreleased live staple "Party Can (Do You Want to Live?)" before Nate Brenner stepped in to provide the bassline. From the start, the crowd was more than eager to chime-in on the emphatic "yeah!" callbacks the song encourages.

From there, the band ripped through much of the new whokill, which is leaps and bounds better than the debut album, and one of this year's finest.

Garbus alternated between fashioning drum and vocal loops to her ukulele, while Brenner split between bass and drums. This tour adds a saxophone section — specifically alto and tenor sax — to round out the exuberant sound, and proved most dexterous on the game-changing single "Bizness."

Tune-Yards presented themselves like a glam marching band with a keen globe-trotting prowess. Aware of Garbus' affinity for facepaint, many crowd members used this as an excuse to spot their faces as they saw fit.

But the audience really was quite varied and eager to cheer the tiniest details, from the first inclusion of sax to Brenner spitting a single line during the encore of "My Country."

The real surprise didn't come from the only older track "Fiya" or even how well this young band presented itself onstage. It came by way of a new song that hinted at a more ambitious sound reminiscent of Steely Dan, though primarily in form.

But I wouldn't expect Tune-Yards to take a major detour just yet, especially considering the surplus of fan and critical praise coming their way.

*It certainly seemed, by my estimation, that the Tune-Yards turnout was better. It might have been less than 50 people better, or it might have been the simultaneous Megafaun show in the Tavern. Hard to tell, it was pure speculation. Either way, the crowd response for Tune-Yards was crazy. Swans fans mostly stood there being pummeled by the massive sound for two hours like masochists.

Related: I refuse to stylize Tune-Yards in Garbus' preferred upper-and-lower-case typography.

Setlist: Party Can (Do You Want to Live?), Gangsta, Es-So, Killa, Powa, Riotriot, Bizness, Fiya, New Song, You Yes You

Encore: My Country

Swans Have Landed

2011-09-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

You can also find this show review over at Cleveland Scene.

Swans at the Beachland Ballroom on September 23, 2011:

The legendary New York no wave band Swans are thriving once again, pummeling audiences with their sweeping, all-enveloping sound. And one by one, band members took to the Beachland Ballroom stage Friday night, each to their respective stations to construct an ominous extended intro. Frontman Michael Gira was the last of the wild bunch to emerge, appreciatively tipping his cowboy hat to the crowd.

After 15 minutes of rising action — church bells chiming, bass rolling, the dulcimer looping, guitars stirring the voluminous stew — the band broke into the heart of “No Words/No Thoughts,” the opening track from 2010’s My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky.

The deafening attack rarely granted space to breathe over the course of the two-hour set, with every crevice of the Beachland invaded by thick, reverberating energy. It was massive, even for those prepared with earplugs. But still, there was an inkling that Swans were holding back, road-weary and perhaps reacting to the reasonably docile crowd (many recent shows have reported sets expanding well beyond the two hour mark).

Yet that mild concern might have been my imagination, as it was easy to get lost in the looming black hole these harrowing noiseniks conjured. It’s like asking to get our asses kicked just a little while longer… please.

Swans treated us to the terrific recent material, new songs that will allegedly surface on an upcoming album in 2012, and they even dipped back into their ‘80s bile twice, casting longer shadows over industrial gravestones.

“I Crawled” (from 1984's Young God) flaunted spastic firecracker drumming, compliments of Phil Puleo and Shearwater's Thor Harris, who later also contributed clarinet. Heavy washes of guitar signaled “Sex, God, Sex” (from 1987's Children of God), a song that features some of Gira’s most impassioned vocals. That’s not to downplay the new material, or the rousing encore of “Little Mouth.”

None of this should completely overshadow opener Sir Richard Bishop’s comical storytelling and dizzying fretwork, which recalled Django Reinhardt and North Indian raga, to avoid typecasting it as gypsy gibberish.

They Have Landed:

September 23 also marked the unveiling of Loren Naji's "time capsule" art project. He must be a fan of Parks and Recreation's "Time Capsule" episode, which aired earlier this year. Did you go, and if so: what did you leave? A copy of Twilight, maybe? A Ziploc bag of blow or a sample of used kitty litter? Maybe even the Parks and Recreation Season 3 DVD, which released last week. If you missed the event, you can play this time capsule game and watch the video below:

GOP Debate, the Mission Statements

2011-09-08T16:04:00.004-04:00

Say, how have you been lately? I'll retaliate in full-force soon with some goodies as soon as I stop doubting my abilities. There was a considerable drought of shows to cover in August, and I have endured a personal drought, also. More on that later. Until I dip backward (speaking of, check out One Thirty BPM's music feature on the 1980s, which I contributed to), collect and form past writings into a tangible post, let's concern ourselves with current events.

The GOP Presidential Debate: Candidates' Mission Statements

Perry: Shoot first, act like a brain-dead cowpoke about Social Security and Galileo later
Bachmann: Drill first, drill second, hunt down "the gays" for sport third
Santorum: Lube first, then stick it in whichever country's hole will take it
Huntsman: Let 'em in, kick 'em out, I've nothing more to say 'bout that
Gingrich: C'mon guys, we must unite as one to beat Obama - we all know I never win
Romney: There's no tea party card up my sleeve - but they share my values and my wife
Cain: Blah blah, bureaucratic pigs, blah blah, Chilean miners and pension plans

And Ron Paul is the feces monstrosity that flings his worries around the moon like a lasso.

Perry's prospective VP (hidden talent- it can accurately predict NFL games):

Bachmann, however, will opt for something a little subtler, like say, John Wayne Gacy Jr's ghost.

Quick recap of the Straw Poll, in case you've forgotten:
Bachmann brings BBQ, Pawlenty gets his paws on DQ, Cain slices Godfather Pizza, I don't think you're ready for Santorum's jelly.

This isn't a sporting event. I'm not picking teams here. On a completely unrelated note: we only have a little over a year until kickoff, folks! A spectacle we're all dying to see.

Florida Toll-By-Plate Parody (+Chad V.)

2011-08-21T19:56:00.001-04:00

In music related news, I wrote a review of Chad VanGaalen's Diaper Island recently.

Then, there's this unorthodox notice from the Florida Department of Transportation:

"Dear Florida Visitor,

The State of Florida and Florida's Department of Transportation would like to thank you for your recent travels on Florida's Turnpike toll roads.

Occasionally, travelers may be unaware they are driving through a toll lane, may find themselves in a SunPass lane by mistake, or their SunPass transponder did not register the toll. When this occurs, we act like dicks and send you a bill for $3.50 for the unpaid toll of $1.00. We recognize this was nearly three months ago, and thank you in advance for paying one-fourth of a tollbooth worker's hourly wages. Believe us, it is worth sending you this notice.

We value your patronage and thank you for letting us be dicks.

Sincerely,

Florida Dickpartment of Transportation
Florida's Turnpike"

The Best Albums of the '80s!

2011-07-27T21:01:00.001-04:00

As OneThirtyBPM continues to prep their forthcoming '80s feature, I'd like to present my mildly flawed list. In the future, the consensus staff list will be unveiled complete with blurbs and other features. Until then, may this serve as a bare bones presentation of my experience thus far in the decade of my birth. Born into punches, if you will, and the same year as my -- and many others' -- favorite Tom Waits album.

The most difficult portion of this came when I was faced with ranking albums from artists with large discographies. R.E.M.'s Lifes Rich Pageant could easily supplement for Document, and I'm not altogether certain that it shouldn't.

Then, there's the issue of albums lacking their fair shake. Many of which are popular artists in which I am far more familiar with singles than their entire discography. Examples include the Cure's late '80s discography and Below the ordered list, you'll find a batch of Misfits: these are albums I'm not confident enough to rank appropriately, and cramming a few listens in the last week wouldn't have changed that. Plus, it's always plausible that I've forgotten something: quite the daunting task to be all-encompassing.

Overall, the disparity between the extent of my modern music collection versus older decades can be disheartening. In my defense, and likely yours, we're force-fed hype acts and it's often more engaging to actively participate in what's relevant today. Spending weeks submerged in the '80s and almost entirely disregarding new music was very refreshing, but now I'll return to my scattered listening habits of both new and old material.

Previously: my top albums of the aughts. Full '80s list after the jump below.
Related: the night of this post, hosted an '80s night at the Cedar Lounge in Youngstown, OH. Called it "Straight Outta Yompton" (other awful pun ideas: "Cedar's Boutique" and "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the '80s").

BEST ALBUMS OF THE '80s:

1. Tom Waits- Rain Dogs (1985)

2. Galaxie 500- On Fire (1989)

3. Brian Eno- Ambient 4: On Land (1982)

4. Talking Heads- Remain in Light (1980)

5. Pixies- Doolittle (1989)

6. Beastie Boys- Paul's Boutique (1989)

7. The Replacements- Let It Be (1984)

8. R.E.M.- Murmur (1983)

9. Talk Talk- Spirit of Eden (1988)

10. Joy Division- Closer (1980)

11. Kate Bush- Hounds of Love (1985)

12. Public Enemy- It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

13. Brian Eno & David Byrne- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981)

14. The Smiths- The Queen Is Dead (1986)

15. Big Black- Songs About Fucking (1987)

16. Sonic Youth- Daydream Nation (1988)

17. Kraftwerk- Computer World (1981)

18. Fugazi- 13 Songs (1989)

19. Orange Juice- Rip It Up (1982)

20. John Zorn- Naked City (1989)

21. Tom Waits- Swordfishtrombones (1983)

22. Pixies- Surfer Rosa (1988)

23. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Your Funeral... My Trial (1986)

24. Beat Happening- Jamboree (1988)

25. The Jesus and Mary Chain- Psychocandy (1985)

26. XTC- Skylarking (1986)

27. Big Black- The Hammer Party (1986)

28. Meat Puppets- Meat Puppets II (1984)

29. The Soft Boys- Underwater Moonlight (1980)

30. Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)

31. The Smiths- Meat Is Murder (1985)

32. R.E.M.- Reckoning (1984)

33. Kate Bush- The Dreaming (1982)

34. The Fall- Hex Enduction Hour (1982)

35. Eric B. & Rakim- Paid in Full (1987)

36. The Mekons- Fear and Whiskey (1985)

37. Hüsker Dü- Zen Arcade (1984)

38. Mission of Burma- Signals, Calls and Marches (1981)

39. De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

40. Galaxie 500- Today (1988)

41. The Fall- This Nation's Saving Grace (1985)

42. Bruce Springsteen- Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

43. New Order- Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)

44. Talking Heads- Stop Making Sense (1984)

45. Leonard Cohen- I'm Your Man (1988)

46. R.E.M.- Document (1987)

47. X- Los Angeles (1980)

48. The Replacements- Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)

49. Echo & the Bunnymen- Ocean Rain (1984)

50. Meat Puppets- Up on the Sun (1985)

51. Paul Simon- Graceland (1986)

52. Spacemen 3- The Perfect Prescription (1987)

53. The Cure- The Head on the Door (1985)

54. Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers- Rockin' and Romance (1985)

55. Cowboy Junkies- The Trinity Session (1988)

56. This Heat- Deceit (1981)

57. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Juju (1981)

58. Minor Threat- Complete Discography (1989)

59. Talk Talk- The Colour of Spring (1986)

60. The Feelies- Crazy Rhythms (1980)

MISFITS:

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Tender Prey, Glenn Branca, Pylon- Gyrate, The Residents- The Commercial Album, Elvis Costello & the Attractions- Get Happy!! & Imperial Bedroom, Gang of Four- Solid Gold, Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska, Mission of Burma- Vs., Prince & the Revolution, U2, Arvo Pärt- Tabula Rasa, The B-52’s, Dexys Midnight Runners, Bauhaus, Michael Jackson, Philip Glass- Koyaanisqatsi & 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, Arthur Russell- World of Echo, Steve Reich- Different Trains / Electric Counterpoint, The Stone Roses, Slint- Tweez, Lou Reed- New York, The Pogues, My Bloody Valentine- Isn’t Anything, Daniel Johnston, John Zorn- The Big Gundown & Spillane, N.W.A- Straight Outta Compton, New Order, The Cure, Wipers, Dinosaur Jr., Jaco Pastorius, Japan

SONGS (unordered):

Talk Talk- “The Rainbow”

Scott Walker- “Rawhide”

Roxy Music- “More Than This”

Young Marble Giants- “Include Me Out” – “Final Day”

XTC- “Respectable Street” – “Senses Working Overtime” – “Dear God”

Pylon- “Cool”

Prince & the Revolution- “When Doves Cry”

The Stone Roses- “I Wanna Be Adored”

The Pretenders- “Back on the Chain Gang”

Robert Wyatt- “Shipbuilding”

Michael Jackson- “Billie Jean”

The Pogues- “Fairytale of New York”

LL Cool J- “I Can’t Live Without My Radio”

The Replacements- “I Will Dare” – “Alex Chilton”

N.W.A.- “Straight Outta Compton” – “Fuck tha Police”

New Order- “Blue Monday” – “Ceremony” – “Temptation”

Kate Bush- “Babooshka” – “Suspended in Gaffa” – “Cloudbusting”

Tom Waits- “Clap Hands” – “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought-Six”

Pixies- “Gigantic” – “Monkey Gone to Heaven” – “Where Is My Mind?”

The Soft Boys- “I Wanna Destroy You”

Talking Heads- “Crosseyed and Painless”

Kraftwerk- “Pocket Calculator”

Mission of Burma- “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver”

Orange Juice- “Rip It Up” – “Blue Boy”

Meat Puppets- “Lake of Fire”

The Cure- “In Between Days”

The Jesus and Mary Chain- “Just Like Honey”

The Mekons- “Last Dance”

The Smiths- “How Soon Is Now?” – “Bigmouth Strikes Again”

Big Black- “Kerosene” – “Steelworker”

Rapeman- “Trouser Minnow”

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- “Scum”

Paul Simon- “Graceland”

R.E.M.- “Cuyahoga” – “Radio Free Europe”

Beat Happening- “Indian Summer”

Galaxie 500- “King of Spain” – “Strange”

Joy Division- “Love Will Tear Us Apart”

Morrissey- “Everyday Is Like Sunday”

Public Enemy- “Bring the Noise”

Bruce Springsteen- “I’m on Fire”

Beastie Boys- “Hey Ladies”

De La Soul- “Eye Know”

The Field Mice- “Let’s Kiss and Make Up” – “Emma’s House”

Fugazi- “Waiting Room”

Minor Threat- “Cashing In”

Echo & the Bunnymen- “The Killing Moon”
The Fall- "Spoilt Victorian Child"

Satirical '80s Song: Stephen and the Colberts- "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)"

Commentary on '90s Videos

2011-07-22T21:21:00.001-04:00

One of my bestest friends and prickly poetry-collaborators, Ashley Darner, decided to post '90s music videos and invited others to spam her Facebook wall with its ilk. The following few videos are an example of the result. More after the jump below.

Blur and the Misadventures of Mr. Milky:

Strawberry Milk was a total babe while she lasted.
Observation: why would you drink a stray, presumably warm, milk carton that you found on the ground? Related: I love Blur, and 13 is my favorite album of theirs.
The Milk was willing to hit the streets and uncover the family's missing kid while they were content to cry behind stained glass windows.
Milk cartons are troublesome to open. In grade school, I always knew it was going to be a good day when I could open them effortlessly.
Oddly enough, a year later, Graham Coxon would run away from Blur. He's home now, he's home.

A Tribe Called Microsoft:

Look Ma, Windows '91!
"Who's that, BROWN!" (recently sampled by Das Racist)
On another note, why didn't the "Can I Kick It?" video retain the "Walk on the Wild Side" sample?

Paranoid Pervert:

Been a few moon-ages since I've seen this.
Why do all the women have big breasts? If you look, even the opening shot of his apartment has a "Big Tits" poster. I'm banking that this cartoon was created by a tiny little British guy (clearly not a feminist). There are two mustachioed men making out in the alley, but still.
Really, the opening shot foreshadows the entire video: he wants the big-wig business man to "Die!", see some big tits along the way and, uh, listen to Kiss.

In other news, after tweeting #strangemercy for days, we've finally unlocked the St. Vincent mp3! Here are some of my contributions:

Ants have infested my household and overrun my cat's food dish. Even still, set them free outside to be at peace and multiply. #strangemercy
Imperial forces stormed our hideaway - a makeshift shelter on the edge of jurisdiction - and surprisingly didn't burn it down. #strangemercy
After the 18th straight whisky, shrouded in smog, illness & misery, Dylan Thomas was admitted @St_Vincent's to die poetically. #strangemercy
I spent the summer on my back tweeting #strangemercy, and still nothing ever happened. H.E.L.P.
The fan inexplicably began working double-time. #strangemercy #thisheat #deceit

Moonface Not Sunset Rubdown Like I'd Hoped

2011-07-22T20:45:00.001-04:00

Moonface Live at Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, OH - July 17, 2011

I'll preface by saying that despite the post's title, witnessing Spencer Krug perform in any format is perfectly acceptable and warmly welcomed.

This past Sunday, Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Swan Lake, etc), accompanied by Mike Bigelow providing percussion, took to the Grog Shop to preform under his newer Moonface moniker. The upcoming album, Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped, currently holds the award for 2011's best album title, and as a longtime Krug fan, the album's an impressive exercise in restraint and droning organ sounds. Scaling back on a wealth of material according to Krug, the resulting album is a trim affair that expands and contracts in minor pop vignettes that evoke the sort of imagery we've come to love from him.

On "Loose Heart = Loose Plan," perhaps the album's finest moment, Krug references the Talking Heads and '80s nostalgia before alluding to Nietzsche's The Will to Power: "You said "come on, let's kill individual will!" / I said "I will. I will. Oh I really, really will."" This assertion is based on the talk of revolutionaries and the presumed role of those who revolt, though this connection may be stretching too far beyond simple notions of free will, which are common in philosophy.

The scarce crowd was likely the result of limited awareness of Krug's latest project, but it was still an inspired set that treated us an encore performance of "All Fires" from Swan Lakes' Beast Moans. This was a terrific choice as the song is the one most of us clung onto the most from their first album. The second album, Enemy Mine, would be marred by Dan Bejar (of Destroyer) during his relative cold streak before he regained his swagger on Bay of Pigs and Kaputt. In fact, the Carey Mercer (of Frog Eyes) tracks that bookend the album ("Spanish Gold, 2044" and "Warlock Psychologist") really carry the album. But I digress, below you'll find a relatively shaky -- likely due to Dogfish Head's 60-minute IPA -- video of "All Fires" and links to two other songs.

Video:
"The Way You Wish You Could Live in the Storm" (Organ Music b-side -- download)
"Loose Heart = Loose Plan"

Das Racist at Rock Hall: Simply the Best

2011-07-22T19:23:00.004-04:00

Summer in the City free concert series: Das Racist w/ Smoke Screen & Muamin Collective:

July 13, 2011 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH

Last year, Das Racist's Sit Down, Man - their second mixtape - landed at #11 on my best albums of the year list (one notch above Big Boi!). To my knowledge, the rap trio didn't perform any new cuts from their upcoming debut, Relax, but they did firmly assert their standing among hip-hop's brightest up-and-comers.

Around the midway mark of Das Racist's set, I was inexplicably handed the microphone at a moment where no clear refrain was evident. My white dude status was cemented as I first remarked, "what am I supposed to be saying?" The subsequent instance resulted in me repeating some crap about rapping that was ripped straight from their sound check. In the wake of this event, I continued brainstorming clever asides that I could have contributed to avoid the disappointed head-shake. The crowd thought little of it, but this was clearly a case of staircase wit. Either I missed the opportunity to riff on the ridiculous notion of handing the mic to the white dude in glasses and Sperry's or I committed a serious gaffe and missed some refrain cue. In my defense, I was in front of the monitor and am apparently much whiter than I ever thought myself to be.

For professional photos sometimes featuring yours truly, Rock Hall has some in their photo gallery. The following photos/videos highlight how the group had a tremendous time onstage performing their mixtape material and riffing on Rock and Roll history between songs. So, to remix my friend Sean's recent remark to his wife, dust off the old air guitar and check out more after the jump.

Videos:

"Rapping 2 U"

"Ek Shaneesh"

"Simply the Best" Outro

Gang Gang Dance at the Grog

2011-07-17T14:54:00.001-04:00

You could also have found this review nearly a week ago over at Cleveland Scene.

Gang Gang Dance at the Grog Shop on July 11, 2011:

It's bewildering.

What do you expect from a band that has released two of the most dynamic, fusion dance albums over the past few years? Both of which — 2008's Saint Dymphna and this year's Eye Contact — are top of the heap material in their respective years.

After career-highs like conducting an orchestra of 88 drummers (a collaboration with Japanese band Boredoms), Gang Gang Dance have honed their dance sensibilities on Eye Contact.

And at the Grog Shop last night, much of their tribal polyrhythms were forsaken in favor of freewheeling house music.

As you can expect from the Grog Shop, there was a hefty delay before the night got underway. But the sparse crowd was forgiving, as several fans in the front danced for both the opening DJ act and GGD. The former went on too long, as if to compensate for the late start and presumably the lack of another opener. It wasn't altogether clear what the concern was, but the youthful crowd was patient.

GGD's set provided little insight into the weird underpinings of their albums. Their earlier work from God's Money (2005) was neglected in favor of their crowd-pleasing, epic freak-out incantations.

"MindKilla" was stretched far beyond its logical center in an effort to elongate the primary grooves and streamline the rest. The result was a little underwhelming from an act that challenged us to make futile attempts at coining sub-genres for Saint Dymphna, which still stands as their greatest effort, even if only by a small margin.

This Brooklyn bunch are certainly capable of cranking out experimental albums that topple year-end lists, but their live set doesn't support this notion. Rather than coming on-stage to test their own limits and the audience's expectations like Animal Collective, for example, they settle for making your feet work a bit, then slipping off stage sooner than you'd expect.

Bill Callahan in the Sculpture Garden (July 8)

2011-07-13T15:29:00.002-04:00

There have been numerous memorable shows this year: Robyn, Calvin Johnson, Jonathan Richman, Elephant Six, Destroyer, Sebadoh, Sharon Van Etten and the always on-target Mountain Goats. And that's leaving out a few well-deserving acts. There are many factors that can elevate a show to an even grander status, however. Atmosphere, location and outside circumstances are simple principles that catapult a show into the higher echelons of live events. This is often beyond the artist's control, but there is no grander gesture to an artist than traveling distant expanses to see them.

Side note: sorry, Chad VanGaalen, I really couldn't swing the five hour drive to Ithaca, NY.

Pittsburgh is no great adventure from here, but part of the night's success can be attributed to the curators of the Sound Series in the Sculpture Court (a collaborative effort between the Carnegie Museum of Art and The Warhol). It was a beautiful night that was only marginally dampered by squirming around uncomfortably on concrete steps.

More after the jump, including photos/videos:
Beyond that, Bill Callahan and his band deserve the highest praise. While The Warhol's online description called for a 10 o'clock closing time, we were treated to a whopping 100-minute set that never ceased to amaze. There's always something to be said for intimate outdoors performances, and this one was top-notch. Taking requests at the end of his set and presenting himself with the utmost poise throughout, Callahan seemed as delighted as we were to be there.

As usual, I'd strive to articulate this better, but I'm pressing time to catch Das Racist as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Summer in the City free series.

What I will say is that I wish I had captured "Eid Ma Clack Shaw," which excelled in replacing strings with an electric guitar. And I also regret struggling for days to upload the second fifteen minute video, but hope that you'll enjoy it (you will). The poignancy of his performance really shouldn't come as a surprise since I did name Rough Travel for a Rare Thing as 2010's best live album.

On another note, I've heard "Weird Al" Yankovic's Alpocalypse is entirely comprised of covers from Bill Callahan's new album. "Drover" becomes a rollicking tune about a Range Rover, and "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" is sung as a bonus song verbatim. It's funny enough, as-is. But, uh, can anybody confirm this?

Click the links for videos ("America!" is an official video, others are my recording).

Setlist:
Riding for the Feeling / Baby's Breath / Eid Ma Clack Shaw /
Universal Applicant / Too Many Birds / America! /
One Fine Morning / Drover / Say Valley Maker /
Let Me See the Colts / In the Pines

At the end of "In the Pines," Callahan sang: "Thank you everyone, that was our show / If you'd like to hear more, please let us know."

Encore (we let him know):
The Well / Sycamore / Blood Red Bird

Halftime Hierarchy: Best Albums of 2011.5

2011-07-06T00:32:00.001-04:00

It's officially been 2011.5 for five days. At a quick count, the grand total of new albums I have listened to thus far surpasses the 150 mark, but I have compiled a small offering of albums worthy of your attention. The process of selecting and arranging albums to represent best-of lists is always a daunting, evolving one. But there tends to be a good deal of overlap in halfway selections and year-end lists. Last year, seven of my midway top twenty landed in the coveted top ten slots come year-end. Joanna Newsom held onto number one, while Beach House and Flying Lotus stayed in the top five. In 2009, the top four albums were precisely the same for midyear and year-end. On the other hand, 2008 proved inconsistent beyond the top album (Fleet Foxes, a band that I may have worn out).

That is to say, there's certainly a margin of error even in my own subjective lists. Even still, I am very confident that Destroyer's Kaputt will keep the tradition of my early favorite hanging onto the number one spot. If there's any uncertainty in the following list, it can be attributed to the fact that I'm often seeking refuge from hyped acts and new music in general. It can be far more refreshing to listen to a solid jazz album or further my Steve Albini exploration, for example. This means many 2011 albums like Deerhoof vs. Evil sit unattended after only a few listens. Meanwhile, promising albums from Moonface, Curren$y, The Men, David Thomas Broughton and Beirut require more time.

There are clearly constant favorites on the Planet Pluto front such as the consistently grand Chad VanGaalen, but I can enjoy any music for a period of time. Based on the tracklisting, album art and band history, I'll take one second of new Limp Bizkit, please.

Many albums are vying for the 20th spot, but I'll spare you the complete list of midyear misfits. If you and I still care come December, they can be surprises in the year-end top fifty. Unlike previous years, I had extreme difficulty even picking my number two, so I bet there will be a whole lotta shakin' going on in the latter half of 2011.

Destroyer- Kaputt (live review)
PJ Harvey- Let England Shake
Shabazz Palaces- Black Up
Chad VanGaalen- Diaper Island
Big K.R.I.T.- ReturnOf4Eva
The Weeknd- House of Balloons
Bill Callahan- Apocalypse
tUnE-yArDs- W H O K I L L
Gang Gang Dance- Eye Contact
Colin Stetson- New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
James Blake- James Blake
The Mountain Goats- All Eternals Deck (review)
Braids- Native Speaker
Fucked Up- David Comes to Life
Wye Oak- Civilian
Panda Bear- Tomboy (early look)
Junior Boys- It's All True
The Antlers- Burst Apart
Julianna Barwick- The Magic Place
Tim Hecker- Ravedeath, 1972

Also, Thunder & Lightning's Kangaroo Court is a relatively unnoticed album that has been hanging around before many of us were engulfed in the hoopla of that Kanye West album. It's a fine record that pairs the indie pop cheer of acts like the Unicorns with lyrics that read as if they had been ghostwritten by Silver Jews' David Berman. Get into it for free (or donate).

A Smattering of What You've Been Missing

2011-06-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

Oh, hello. I've missed you. If you've been following my twitter, you haven't missed much during my blogosphere absence. In the past six weeks, I went on vacation in Florida, then fell into the ruttiest rut. There's much to sort out (myself included), and below are the bits you might have missed.

If I've done my numerical crunches correctly, day 182 marks the halfway point of 2011. To be specific: tomorrow, July 1, noon o'clock. No time for the annual halfway best-of album list until this weekend, though. But, never fear, Kaputt is firmly in the number one spot and very little can threaten this early lead. The rest will surface soon, promise.

April 12: The Mountain Goats (w/ Megafaun) at Mr Smalls in Pittsburgh
Videos:
"Color in Your Cheeks" / "Alpha Incipiens"
"Golden Boy" (joked that it sounds like a 10000 Maniacs b-side)
"Going to Georgia"
"No Children"
Extra:
Previous Mountain Goats Reviews
The Best Ever Mountain Goats Compilation in Columbiana County
(Personal mix of 30 songs, didn't include anything from All Eternals Deck or The Sunset Tree - you should have those already - plus I tossed in six extras that didn't fit)

April 16: Youngstown's Nouveau Rock Music and Art Festival
Featuring: Pictora, who I also recently saw at Beachland Tavern in Cleveland

April 23: The New Pornographers (w/ The Walkmen) at Cleveland's House of Blues
"Myriad Harbour"
"Challengers"

Florida, the dildo capital of the world (based on billboards)
The Tumblr is rarely updated, so you can easily find the Florida recap, complete with tweets.

Music Criticism on One Thirty BPM:
Wild Beasts- Smother Review
(wherein I somewhat underestimate their ability in contrast to every other critic)

FEATURE: Tom Waits Discussion w/ Andrew Bailey
(add to the discussion via the comments section below, as I have)

SUPPORT!
Two terrific artists need your help to record their albums, and both have created videos for their cause.

Sam Goodwill
(containing some of the finest musicians in a seventy-seven mile radius)
Third Class
(on a Calvin Johnson tribute, Third Class also recorded one of the best songs of the year: "Look Around")

The Rapture and Everything Thereafter

2011-05-21T00:35:00.003-04:00

In my absence, I've written a few poetic things. May I present them:

“A Rapist in the Night”

"Rapture" is also cognate to the English words "rapids", "ravish", and "rape". So, in the 0% chance that Xtians are caught up tomorrow, I am not anticipating the Second Coming of Christ when He steals the air from our lungs like a rapist in the night, employing that air to abduct the purest, beardless babies into the Heavens. Paul the Apostle, best known for spreading the Gospel on the whitest wheat bread possible, stated, “He will then rape their pudgy faces in clouded, pillowy places for good measure: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

After the Great Arm of the Geddon, the chosen ones will reflect on this from Heaven: it was the best of times, it was the end of times. I would continue, but preparations are in order for the Damned on Earth: laugh over debts unpaid, kiss loved ones on the face, finish watching the “Dollars Trilogy” by Sergio Leone, and shave our ass hair for the Lord.

XOXO

Some folks on twitter have made the same general blow up doll joke, best displayed in this Six Feet Under scene.
An Akron-area business hopes to capitalize on gullible Christians that fear their pets may have to suffer for their salvation.

"Dogs"

The carpet groans at my toes / as I / walk to and fro / cursing at the plants / thirsting for bold, full-bodied beer to make my belly grow / loaning my hours to the will of my ennui / I'm onto something / a familiar plaintive view / a road that has seen minor wrecks, animal neglect, some anger and shouting / but few deaths / and far fewer success / chipped and sealed / redressed / a clown in a business suit / is a skydiving stripper / according to my neighbor / but what the fuck does he know? / his dogs are starving.

“An Pseudonym's Apology to a Dying City”

I am Youngstown: the abandoned homes, the potholes, the dope fiends, the drug deals. I am the east side arsonist. I am the art show director, the high school coach, the underpaid urban teacher, the vagrant on the corner. I am coming clean and scrubbing my dreams from rusting Youngstown Kitchen sinks. Say what you may, but I mean everything I say in the meanest possible way. I am the ghost of Johnny Cash, and a cashless societal strain. I confess.

I am a figment of your imagination; a Fig Newton constellation. I do whatever I please. I please whomever I do. This is me. I am you. I'm quick like lightning, or maybe more like thunder: I always come after. I am the reason Michael Jackson didn't make it. I'M SORRY, OKAY?

Yes, Raina Fire is my name. No, it isn’t a pseudonym. I’m more of a pseudo-nympho. One thing's for sure, I am definitely a real person.

The first guy I ever slept with went all Johnny Cash on me afterward and sang, "I fell into a burning Raina Fire." Five guys have done it since. It's. Not. Funny.

"I went down, down, down." Well, you shouldn't have, and won't again.

More men should realize having a penis and living within a 30-mile radius are not the sole criteria for gaining my interest. There's a closed-book test to be completed. Sample questions: list all 9 members of the Wu-Tang Clan and answer when the War of 1812 took place.

Meanwhile, Youngstown's on fire, Warren's cracking down on sex-ridden massage parlors, but Hookers Only Live Bait & Tackle thrives along the countryside. There are plenty of fish in the sea, but only a select few will make like a Suckerfish on your cock in the port-o-potty out back for only 10 squid.

Ultimately, the city doesn't need me adding to its bad name. I am LeBron James; I quit.

Sharon Van Etten Live Review and Videos

2011-05-04T03:46:00.002-04:00

The following live review could be found on Cleveland Scene nearly a full month ago. Unsure why it has taken me this long to post, but here you go, complete with videos.

Sharon Van Etten at Cleveland's Beachland Tavern on April 10, 2011:

Within a two-year timespan, Brooklyn-based Sharon Van Etten has released two albums, toured and collaborated with the National, and contributed to a number of other artists' albums. Quite impressive for someone who writes songs alone in a basement.

Last night at the Beachland Tavern, Van Etten crafted a cozy platform for her beautiful voice – both fragile and commanding – out of minor chord arpeggios on her guitar. That was only the first two songs, culled from her debut, Because I Was in Love.

She confessed some tour fatigue (she's been on the road for seven weeks straight) and dude fatigue from traveling in a van with three guys. Then she introduced her band, who helped propel her heartbroken songs out of the basement.

The affection from the relatively small but decidedly awestruck audience wasn’t out of the ordinary, but a folk singer-songwriter of Van Etten's stature doesn’t usually warrant super-fandom. Yet such an anomaly exists, and he took every opportunity to proudly display his gushing adoration and reinforce that he already saw her in Columbus.

Everything came together nicely, from the authoritative stomp of “Peace Signs” to the resentful yet resigned lilt of “Consolation Prize” to new material that worked in a similar dynamic as last year's epic.

Before Van Etten dished out doleful harmonium for her final song “Love More,” she agreed to fake leaving the stage and return for an encore. Refusing silly requests of “Thriller” and R. Kelly, she settled on a solo cover of Blaze Foley’s “Ooh Love.”

The opening acts were both from Cleveland: Mike Uva & the Bad Eyes boasted standup bass and some fair folk before Uno Lady looped operatic vocals to create a dizzying sound. The novelty of Uno Lady’s impressive vocals wore thin after a few songs, but she might do well by adding another musician or two into the mix. In which case, a name change would be in order: Tres Ladies, for instance, or however many the music calls for.

If you missed Van Etten this time around, she’ll be back in Cleveland by the end of the month opening for Iron & Wine.

Videos:

"One Day"
"Love More"

"Ooh Love" (Blaze Foley cover)

Spewing Dissonant Hiss at Every Show, Sebadoh!

2011-04-12T18:15:00.000-04:00

Time permitting, I would write a thousand words on one of the greatest forces the 90s had to offer: Sebadoh. But dinner time is nigh, and the voyage to the Pitts in the good name of the Mountain Goats beckons.

Last year, I was fortunate to catch Lou Barlow and the Missing Men at the Grog Shop in Cleveland, Ohio. The show alternated between full band sets and Barlow performing solo, often taking audience requests. During these solo sets, he indulged songs ranging from Sebadoh classics, ones under his own name and even "Imagination Blind" from Dinosaur Jr.'s Farm (2009). A common sight at many Cleveland shows is music fan Jim, who routinely sets up his camera mount in the back of the room to record entire sets. If you're curious to (re)visit that show, a good starting point would be "The Freed Pig." If you're seeking another song, search "Barlow" on his Youtube.

On April 4, 2011, Barlow returned to the Grog with his old band Sebadoh. Barlow and Jason Loewenstein alternated guitars and vocal duties every few songs. The grand total came to be a massive two-hour, 29 song setlist, which they split 15/14. If you're curious about the setlist, it was very similar to the one in Chicago. At one point, an older song was dedicated to original member Eric Gaffney. There wasn't much not to like for a Sebadoh fan, and Barlow was his usual witty self.

Below, you'll find links to what I recorded from the show.

"Dreams"
"Bird in the Hand"
"Together or Alone" / "Not a Friend"
"Give Up"
"Brand New Love"

Lastly, my favorite because it contains Barlow's best rant, and the audio isn't muddy from the low-end until they start playing. This comes at the end of Sebadoh's set. While tuning his guitar, he jokes with the audience and mentions everything from Mike Watt, Niagara Falls, Cedar Point, Lake Erie, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then, he tells us how much he likes Don Henley and the Eagles. I would have recorded the rest of "Willing to Wait," but my SD card ran out of space.

The Books Live Review, Pt. 2

2011-04-08T20:18:00.000-04:00

Most of this is rehashing what I wrote about the Book's Pittsburgh performance in August, 2010. But, to reiterate, and once more expose the popular folk song used as source material for "Free Translator," here's my show review for Cleveland Scene. If you're still craving more of the Books, check out some photos and video, compliments of yours truly, after the jump...

Videos:

"A Cold Freezin' Night"

"Free Translator"

"Meditation"

Destroyer Live Review / Dan Bejar vs. Bill O'Reilly Conspiracy

2011-04-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

On March 31, 2011, I trekked to Pontiac, Michigan to see Destroyer. There isn't much to say about their performance that hasn't been said here or here. The 80-minute set was on point, and a strong argument for the new 8-piece outfit to release an EP consisting of old songs in the new mode (check out their KEXP session for further proof). "It's Gonna Take an Airplane," in particular, benefited from being reworked. As great as it was to hear the bulk of 2011's current AOTY, Kaputt, and an old favorite, "Painter in Your Pocket," the absence of any Streethawk cuts was unfortunate.

To push the night over the top, it would have been perfect to have Dan Bejar come back for a solo encore of "The Sublimation Hour," for instance. As it stood, though, their performance was well-oiled. Bejar nestled into his stance as a lyrical laureate while trumpet, saxophone and flute swirls resonated comfortably in the air.

Bejar remains indie rock's closest answer to Bill O'Reilly's reasoning for the existence of God: "tide comes in, tide goes out, never a miscommunication." Stephen Colbert comically addressed this in January and February. And you might have spotted a similar tide-centric refrain in "Bay of Pigs." Mere coincidence, or some coked-up conspiracy? In the song, Christine White, a recurring inspiration for Bejar's music, is exposed as sealing the lid on the "world's inutterable secret." Let's ask her.

Setlist: Chinatown, Blue Eyes, It's Gonna Take an Airplane, Downtown, My Favorite Year, Kaputt, 3000 Flowers, Painter in Your Pocket, Suicide Demo for Kara Walker, Song for America
Encore: Bay of Pigs

Panda Bear's Tomboy: the Hype and Hysteria

2011-04-04T02:51:00.000-04:00

Only the smallest supporters wear Tom Arma costumes.

As many rush to weigh in on Tomboy, the highly anticipated new solo album from Animal Collective's Noah Lennox, I'd like to offer some commentary on the hype.

Spoiler Alert (assuming you haven't read it and/or care): Person Pitch was my #1 album of the last decade. It surprised even me, and continues to do so. That spot could easily be claimed by any of those top ten, and the primary motivation for placing it there was based on my early reaction. Never before had an album overwhelmed and consumed me. That's not to say there aren't better albums (there are), but the glorious sounds were fresh and exciting at the time. Constantly exposing myself to more music from the aughts and other decades has diminished that initial euphoria, but I'm not ready or even curious to reassess my personal picks.

Nor am I ready to give first impressions on an album after streaming once on NPR.

So far, I will say that hearing the album didn't leave me in a hypnotic trance, catatonic state, or send me rushing to the internet in a fervor to shout "AOTY!" or "Best New Buddha Machine!" In defense of David Greenwald, dude doesn't like Panda Bear. Big whoop. Critics can have preferences, right? I'm completely behind his assessment of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Belong. The '90s alt. mode they've adopted doesn't belong with their core sound (their self-titled album landed at #22 in 2009).

Truthfully, critics should be more divisive on Panda Bear's music than they appear to be. The looping and chanting is enough to annoy a pedestrian within earshot of your car stereo, and despite Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion charting at #13 on Billboard, Tomboy will likely be met with a collective shrug commercially.

But for fans such as myself, the anticipation can be overwhelming, and there's more at stake than album sales. As testament to the high demand for an album that was originally expected last September, the bounty for uploading Tomboy to the invite-only torrent website What.cd is 800gb: the music fan's equivalent of one massive bank heist to be set for life.

The forums have been fiercely lashing out against Simon Reynolds, who posted a photo of his watermarked copy, only to reinforce he would not be sharing it. If you bother to follow the last link, you will likely arrive at the same question: who sneers about waiting for music in the '90s when they have a copy themselves? When you have advance copies of albums, don't upload photos to dangle in front of ravenous fans.

In conclusion, I'm anticipating future listens to the proper release. At this early stage, it's impossible to tell whether Tomboy will overcome my reservations after Panda Bear's set at 2010's Pitchfork Music Festival. Last year's lukewarm reception to the new material could have been the driving force behind the delayed album release. By early estimation, the album versions have improved upon the early singles, so this may not be the flop we feared, but hold off calling it superior to Person Pitch or any album of the year claims. We have a long way to go, but the AOTY title belt still belongs to Destroyer's Kaputt.

The Mountain Goats Album Review + Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour Video

2011-03-30T13:04:00.002-04:00

This is a slightly different version of my album review for Cleveland Scene.

The Mountain Goats- All Eternals Deck (Merge Records)

John Darnielle has amassed hundreds of songs over the years. The ‘90s were characterized by lo-fi boombox recordings, only to see a shift to the studio in the 21st century. His compact, flash fiction style of folk songwriting is not unlike the work of author Donald Barthelme. Describing the new album as a “surviving record,” Darnielle pockets dread like a young thief at the market by enlisting seasoned death metal musician Erik Rutan to produce four songs. The album’s other three producers also helped flesh out the subdued reflections on death and the afterlife on 2009’s The Life of the World to Come. The result is a record of great breadth, one of the most varied in the Mountain Goats’ catalogue: there are spirited songs (“Estate Sale Sign”), suspenseful songs (“Beautiful Gas Mask”), and a somber country tinged track (“Never Quite Free”). There are also some new tricks; most notable is the barbershop vocal harmony on “High Hawk Season.” No hyperbole: there is no greater modern lyricist than Darnielle. He’s both prolific and consistent; a feat matched by the elite few, not even Bob Dylan himself.

Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour!

Before I depart for Pontiac, Michigan to see Destroyer's set at the Crofoot, I will leave you with video links from the E6 show (March 17). For those that missed my E6 feature, check that out for some details on new Olivia Tremor Control. Here's what I caught on video (check YouTube info for more details):

"Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye cover)

The Olivia Tremor Control - "Can You Come Down With Us?"

The Late B.P. Helium - "They Broke the Speed of Light" / "Rabbit's Ear"

Pipes You See, Pipes You Don't - "Days Remain"

"Alcohol" (The Kinks cover)

M Coast - "Out of the Water"

Finally, my favorite moment: after performing Sun Ra's "Enlightenment" on stage, the E6 Orchestra marched into the crowd and led us in a sing-along. This is the very end of that performance, which likely lasted fifteen minutes overall. The mad man yelling lyrics from the bar is none other than Will Cullen Hart.

Warpaint, the Live Review

2011-03-30T04:58:00.002-04:00

The following review can be found over at Cleveland Scene.

Warpaint at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH on March 25, 2011:

Warpaint’s debut album, The Fool, swept over us late last fall, briefly threatening to pull us under as the hype roared. Fittingly, the album’s narrative is stuffed with imagery “full of swimming thoughts beneath deep breathing that sinks so far down” (“Lissie’s Heart Murmur”). Meanwhile, there’s the theme of latching onto a love you fear losing. Amid the murky post-punk clamor mixed with shadowy pop, this L.A. quartet delivered one of 2010’s best. And if it matters, the members are all women.

Last Friday, Warpaint took to the Beachland Ballroom, somewhat surprised by the large crowd. Three of the four members contribute vocals, as drummer Stella Mozgawa hammers away diligently. While the vocal harmonies could have been sharper, the rest of the performance was incredibly tight. It’s clear this band has been sculpting these songs for years, and their current stage show is the culmination of that effort.

The largest crowd response came from album highlight “Undertow,” and “Billie Holiday” from 2009’s Exquisite Corpse EP. The latter heavily borrows lyrics from the Smokey Robinson-penned tune for Motown’s Mary Wells.

When the pre-encore finale, “Beetles,” turned into an extended jam stretching out for more than 11 minutes, it felt like the band earned it. Warpaint clearly enjoy themselves onstage, something that translates to the audience, and something the show’s openers desperately need to learn.

To be fair, the NYC-based Family Band tote ominous, often beautiful, songs that sound like Cat Power backed by Black Mountain. The lead singer looms like a skeletal, female-version of Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, and they could do a lot if they hone in on their most concise musical statements.

On the other hand, Australia’s PVT were basically Swans in Joy Division-mode, complete with excessive reverb to further aggravate already droning vocals. The best parts of their set were instrumental, but even those weren’t so original. In fact, I spent some twenty-odd minutes reading Norm MacDonald's tweets in an effort to distract myself from what was happening onstage. I saw PVT watching Warpaint’s set. Hope they took notes.

Elephant 6, and the Return of Olivia Tremor Control

2011-03-17T17:04:00.002-04:00

In this week's Cleveland Scene, you'll find my feature on the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour. What follows is a slightly extended version of that, including more quotes from my interview with the Olivia Tremor Control's Will Cullen Hart. There were a few other teaser tidbits in last month's post. Will seems terrific and is often hilarious to speak to, but his MS made for 45 scatter-shot minutes to decipher.

I witnessed Circulatory System's 2009 tour at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, and tonight, Will and many E6ers will return to the venue. During the interview, he also commented on playing the original Grog Shop with Olivia. They had slept the night there, and Will recalled asking if they would "leave the PA up and we'll just blast fucking records all night and get fucked up." We can hope tonight's show will be half as fun.

Elephant in the Room

An influential indie-pop collective reconvenes

Three years ago, Julian Koster released a new record by the Music Tapes, one of several bands he's played in since the early '90s. He used old-timey instruments — like the singing saw and banjo — for the set of fuzz-folk music that sounded a lot like Neutral Milk Hotel, another, more popular band he was a member of.

To drum up support for Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes (as well as for The Singing Saw at Christmastime, which was released under his own name), Koster organized the Holiday Surprise Tour, including many members of the influential Athens, Georgia collective Elephant 6, which made some of the best experimental pop of the '90s.

For years, there's been a slow reemergence of Elephant 6, which included (in addition to those already mentioned) the Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, the Circulatory System, and others. Koster is now bringing together more than a dozen Elephant 6 artists — including Olivia's Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, who helped form the collective — for a new version of the Holiday Surprise Tour!

Elephant 6's most famous, most elusive member, Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum, probably won't show up at the tour's Grog Shop stop this week. But you will hear some Neutral Milk Hotel songs performed by the group, who'll appear onstage in different configurations, while trading instruments and playing each other's songs for a freewheeling set that will span Elephant 6's history.

Commenting on the Mangum's potential guest appearance during tour dates, Hart reinforced that “he will probably show, but we don’t know when. Maybe in your town! Ten years ago, I was like, “why can’t you commit?” No, [now] it’s like, “just show up if you feel like it.” And that’s it. It’s beautiful.”

(Notably, another founding member of the collective, the Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider, is also absent from this tour. Hart says he's "going back to school to learn some more cool math," a reference to the Non-Pythagorean musical scale Schneider dabbled with on his band's recent albums — including last year's Travellers in Space and Time.)

After struggling with multiple sclerosis for much of the past decade, Hart overcame his fear of needles, recovered most of the sight in his right eye, and in 2009, recouped with a new album by his other band, Circulatory System.

But the big news coming out of this tour is the return of the Olivia Tremor Control, who are now mounting a comeback that will result in a new album later this year. Hart says they already have "a bunch of songs recorded" — actually "30 bits," which will most likely be shaped into songs.

Best of all, they'll probably sound a lot like the band's classic 1996 album (and one of the finest records to come out of Elephant 6), Dusk at Cubist Castle. "When Bill [Doss] and I started to do this originally, we wanted to do something that was [not] low-fi, but more home-fi — Sgt. Pepper production-ish," says Hart. "How good it can sound if you [mix] that sound with higher fidelity. We're carrying on with that."

And take note, fans: There's a limited-edition seven-inch, credited to the Elephant 6 Orchestra, that's available only at the shows. "Welcome to Our Story" was mostly recorded in Schneider's Denver apartment on a four-track by Hart, Doss, Mangum, and a few others back in 1994. (Hart calls the collectible a "mini-EP," consisting of older material that's been "changed, but in the greatest way.")

The Holiday Surprise Tour! features more than music. There are also audience-participation games led by Koster and short films by Brian Dewan, who created some of the artwork for Neutral Milk Hotel's best album (and Elephant 6's greatest contribution), In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. "He's a creative genius," says Hart. "He has 20 to 30 [filmstrips]. And he makes synthesizers of his own design. They are my favorite synthesizer sounds, like Roxy Music."

To illustrate, Hart proceeded to mouth convincing synthesizer sounds and deviate from topic by divulging his recent obsession, Arrested Development. Throughout the interview, he exercised his comedic side: “Thank God for [the show] in the 2000s. I mean, Bush lost twice, clearly, and why didn’t we rip the walls of the White House down? Because I wasn’t an anarchist then. Yeah, there were thousands and thousands of people ripping the walls of the White House down [screaming], “You didn’t fucking win!” But it didn’t happen. They would kill us.”

The scope of Elephant 6's growing influence over the years isn't lost on Hart. It's been more than 20 years since the formation of the collective, and now, many younger indie-rock fans needn’t knock down any walls to see most of these bands onstage. It's an exciting prospect, which spreads from the audience to the stage, says Hart. "I'm excited right now over us," he says with a laugh. "Over me!" And thanks to the collective, we have good reason to come together.

Because Jonathan's Shows Are Raw and Wild

2011-03-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

The following live review can also be found on Cleveland Scene.
Videos included of both Jonathan Richman and the yo-yo master after the jump.

Jonathan Richman at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH on March 6, 2011:

Lots of people know singer-songwriter Jonathan Richman from his key role in There’s Something About Mary, but this Velvet Underground fan-boy earned his high reverence as leader of the ‘70s proto-punk outfit the Modern Lovers. Since then, Richman has scaled back into being a surprisingly minimal, acoustic songwriter accompanied on stage only by drummer Tommy Larkins.

When we last saw Richman, he was accompanied by Steve Brown, the yo-yo master based out of Cleveland Heights. Once more, Brown served as an entertaining opening act. As his final act of inventive, freehand yo-yo play, Brown successfully knocked off a quarter resting on an audience member’s ear, but not before sufficiently teasing and prodding the volunteer first. Very few acts could provide such a succinct and thoroughly engaging opening act. Unfortunately, unlike the previous show in 2009, we were not treated to the since-deceased Vic Chesnutt.

Richman immediately capitalized on the audience’s good spirit with “Celestial” and “Let Her Go into the Darkness,” which found the 59-year-old alternating between emphatically finger-picking his guitar, twirling it, and shaking his hips. As the almost-too-brief hour-long set progressed, he would continue to place down his guitar, grab sleigh bells, and display some dance moves when the mood struck.

As expected, much of the night featured more recent material, of which is routinely good. But Richman did indulge a live standard, “I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar,” and the Modern Lovers’ “Old World” reprise found recently on Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild. Art is always a popular subject in his oeuvre, and new song “Road to Bohemia” was a highlight, depicting his pretentious early days in Harvard Square.

Ultimately, none of the song selection seems to matter. The crowd is always at the whim of this joyful, spectacular performer. We know what to expect every show: some foreign-language songs, dancing, spoken word and plenty of smiles. Yet he did recite a poem titled “The Real Question,” and while the mighty internet has failed to produce information on the author, like everything he does live, it was wonderful.

Akron/Family: The Cosmic Concert and Blah-Blah TNT

2011-03-07T19:43:00.001-05:00

This is a live review (complete with video) that can be found over at Cleveland Scene.

Akron/Family at the Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights, OH on March 3, 2011:

Whether or not you enjoyed Akron/Family at the Grog Shop last night largely depends on how willing you were to embrace the communal spirit. Beyond that, the 90 minute set required you to be patient with three members of the community seemingly content to casually stroll their way through some of their more recent songs.

Openers Delicate Steve would periodically join Akron/Family on stage, and crowd members would sing or clap along when properly provoked. Roughly midway into the night, we were led in a mild form of meditation to imagine ourselves at the beach, “but not Miami because fuck the Heat, right?” Instructed to sway along to the beat as if we were careless at the beach, “Island” provided a solid break from the looser, Grateful Dead moments in the show.

On the other hand, it also reminded us that founding member Ryan Vanderhoof left in 2007 to go live in a Buddhist Dharma center. This is not the same experimental folk act that we were introduced to in 2005. Thankfully, their latest album is their strongest in years despite the disparity between the anti-folk of the original self-titled album and the nomadic jam band found on this years’ S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT.

One of the best songs on the new album, “Another Sky,” was one of the biggest offenders in the communal mode, but mostly worked. Band members walked through the crowd, banged on drum heads and led the crowd in singing along.

Whatever momentum was lost in overlong segments was regained after rousing versions of “Everyone Is Guilty” and “Silly Bears.” Then, of course, it was lost again with an inexplicably bizarre song calling for the audience to repeat and mime a “Circle, Triangle, Square.” The silliness was verbally acknowledged by the band, well aware we expected “serious songs,” but they should have bailed much sooner. Finally, we were treated to “Light Emerges,” which worked hard to redeem an inconsistent set.

Woody's Roundup, or: New Music, Lou Reed, Daycare Crack.

2011-03-05T19:06:00.002-05:00

Planet Pluto News Roundup:

New album by Chad VanGaalen: Diaper Island out on May 17. So, I'm assuming that means the album cover might look like Rolling Stone's. As someone (or something - a satirical supercomputer sent to Youngstown to destroy us?) pointed out on their facebook, the "shit-for-brains is riding a Dr. Strangelove reference that every Jersey Shore fan can appreciate." Well done, Watson. Or maybe Snooki is trying to lasso in fans of the classic satirical film.

Plus, as Tom Waits' official twitter points out: "Tom is currently in the studio working on his next album." We can only speculate how much doom will go into this one. I'm banking on lots of it. Maybe he'll even toss an MF DOOM at us to sweeten the old overturned piss pot. Might not make for a good album, but that sure would be interesting. And since when did Tom release a bad album?

This isn't news, but recently, I decided it was about time to check out Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. Here's my take: Droning guitar, bird calls, the robotic brains of a derelict cyborg being sacrificially compacted for the pleasure of sex robots which have become increasingly bored and frustrated since the fall of mankind. Which is to say, uh, this album's OK. But upon completion, the album faced deletion. Don't think I'll need to experience that again.

Also, did you hear about this, did you see this? (Impersonates Leno, ad nauseum). They discovered the world's sleaziest daycare center in Pittsburgh.

During the bust, agents found $6,000 worth of crack cocaine, several bags of sex toys and $4,000 cash.

Investigators said they found sex toys and pornography sitting around in the children's playroom when they conducted their raid.

I'm sure those toys were quite the buzz during the kids' playtime.

"I just think it's crazy. I don't know where I'm going to send my kids now. It was convenient for me," said the mom.

Yeah, I mean, NOW where will she go for her crack?

...until next time, Plutians!

Get In: Calvin Johnson in Youngstown

2011-02-22T01:12:00.002-05:00

On February 18, 2011, Calvin Johnson (formerly from Beat Happening and the Halo Benders) stopped in Youngstown, Ohio for the first time. Special thanks to the Wild Kindness for organizing this show.

Might I add there's a fine compilation of covers titled Hot Chocolate Nation: A Tribute to Calvin Johnson, which I recommended before. At the very least, check out Third Class' terrific cover of "Look Around."

Along with Joe Shelby, Third Class opened the show at the Calvin Center. Their set was heavy on new material the band aims to release on a forthcoming EP, and to my surprise, they performed the CJ cover in his presence. Third Class owe much of their indie pop sound and childish subject matter to Beat Happening. And if this had been a bigger show, they surely would have added new fans to their devoted following.

While Calvin Johnson performed only one recognizable tune to my ears, The Halo Benders' "Love Travels Faster," it was still a show that would satisfy fans of his earlier work. I've captured some video, which you will find after the jump.

The next video features an a capella version of a song by the Hive Dwellers, "Get In."

This final video contains both an a capella cover of Cole Porter and one final song that I'm assuming is titled "You Will Be Mine." Another possibility is "Speak in Tongues," I would guess. Attempted to Google it, but only found the Detroit Lions wide receiver and articles asking, "did John Calvin speak in tongues?"

The Queen of Limbs, and Deciding to Deerhoof It in Pittsburgh

2011-02-18T03:11:00.003-05:00

Before I delve into Deerhoof, I'd like to dip into the Radiohead pit for a few passing words. Like many, in the past, I've parted plenty of words on the band seemingly loved by all (full list - In Rainbows review).

With Monday's announcement of a new Radiohead album in less than a week, we all resounded, "Hail to The King of Limbs!" Then, it was a matter of deciding whether or not to spend 48 American dollars on a "newspaper album" when many of us won't spend $1.50 on The New York Times. Well, moments ago, I caved and spent the big bucks despite a limited weekly income.

Until Saturday, we may speculate or post an early satirical review, but we don't know what The King of Limbs will sound like. We do, however, know what The Queen of Limbs looks like.

But I'm not really here about that. No, no. I wanted to share video of Deerhoof's show on February 12 at Pittsburgh's Altar Bar. It was difficult to tell whether Deerhoof were outstanding mostly in contrast to the two lame-duck openers. Some discarded better judgment and embraced Ben Butler and Mouse Pad, best understood as a more annoying, slumdog Dan Deacon. As for Deerhoof's performance, I'll let you decide based on these videos. And if you are extra curious and would prefer a balcony view, someone recorded the ENTIRE show. Yikes.

Will Hart Talks to Me, Tries Not to Be a Dick

2011-02-15T14:40:00.004-05:00

Just spoke with Will Cullen Hart for 43 minutes about new Olivia Tremor Control, why Roxy Music is awesome, Arrested Development, Robert Schneider's "cool math," the possibility of Jeff Mangum coming to your town, why thousands of people should have ripped the walls of the White House down and screamed to President Bush: "you didn't fucking win!", his MS, being excited "over me" (himself), "over us" (the Olivias, the "Elephant 6 Orchestra," etc.), about TV shows we haven't seen, and how a girl signed his Junior High yearbook: "Good luck with the girls and don't get any girls "purgnent."

In summation, great guy. Can't wait for the tour, and to meet him. He said he'd bring the yearbook to show me. So, there's that to look forward to, also. Heh.

I'll be doing a full feature on the Holiday Surprise tour for Cleveland Scene in March. Stay tuned. Those bits were too enjoyable not to share, especially since most of that won't make the feature.

Here's a video I took of Circulatory System in 2009. Trust me, their shows will be much better than the dimly lit video with muddled audio suggests.

In Response to CMG's Review of the Radio Dept.

2011-02-12T13:47:00.006-05:00

It isn't often that I take to criticizing other critics. Least of all those that write for cokemachineglow (is this how they prefer it: unspaced and lowercase?), potentially the best website around for honest and inventive musical criticism. Today, I have a minor squabble with the review of The Radio Dept.'s Passive Aggressive. It's nothing, really. Wait until I write my response to B.J. Lisko's "State of Rock 'n' Roll Address 2011." When you know nothing of the current musical climate or Youngstown's scene, then begin an essay with this clunky, incomprehensible sentence: "we're all fucked with collapsed everything all the time," – you've earned a new asshole. I'll rip that open Monday, maybe.

Alan Baban wrote that The Radio Dept.'s singles "nullkrieg[s] the existence of Jens Lekman." However nifty and German this word may appear, a Google search for it highlights CMG as the top result. Which, I suppose, is a great thing if you're hoping to bank on the market of people that concoct new words, then Google them. But you lost me there. I have two theories on its usage and intent:

Presumably, this was a handy way to supplant "nullifies" for someone that plays Call of Duty on the reg.
If any music could eradicate the necessity for Jens, why of all things would it be this band? Purely based on both sharing Sweden? Location, location, change the station from Jens to The Radio Dept. without question?

I am boldly for both camps.

On the other hand, more likely, Alan meant that The Radio Dept. predate and kindled Jens' musical career. In this instance, I'd say Jens is still OK. Beyond Sweden, he has heartbreak and Jonathan Richman for inspiration.

The good from this is that it made me muse over neologisms and their place in critical essays. And I may trade in my pirated copy of Passive Aggressive for the EPs. Can't get enough of those Swedes and their breezy, nostalgic melodies.

By the way, The Radio Dept.'s Clinging to a Scheme landed at #7 on my list of 2010's best albums, a high honor for a splendid, overlooked band. Listen up to an EP track found on Passive Aggressive:

Robyn Hood: Swedes in Tights

2011-02-10T18:22:00.001-05:00

And I'm back again with another concert review that can also be found over at Cleveland Scene. But! This one comes complete with a live video. Also, as you can hear her claim in the video, she wasn't feeling very well, and did trim down her set. Bummer, really. What she gave us was a great show. Here's the setlist, too.

Robyn at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH on February 7, 2011:

If you were expecting Robyn to revisit her early-career foray with '90s pop last night at House of Blues, you may have left slightly disappointed. But I doubt it. The Swedish singer-songwriter has been known to drop “Show Me Love” as an encore, but last night's set was heavy on the Body Talk, and all the better for it.

This was the perfect time to catch Robyn live. She’s coming off a tremendous 2010 that saw her dropping two EPs and a full-length like she was rearranging her closet and couldn’t wait to let you see all the cool shit she found. And Cleveland had a chance to get our hands on her before Katy Perry snatches her for a summer tour that will surely net a wider fanbase.

There were plenty of fans present last night to ensure you weren't dancing on your own. Contrary to the surplus of indie cred she’s collected lately, last night's audience was an older, gayer-than-thou club crowd. She has secured a distinct following of people who adore smart dance pop. And for a year now, Robyn has been the queen.

Beyond Body Talk, Robyn dipped into Röyksopp’s “The Girl and the Robot,” a cover of Teddybears’ “Cobrastyle,” and “With Every Heartbeat” as an encore. Her band, dressed in laboratory outfits, occasionally played songs as a medley and/or seamlessly morph into the next song, like Daft Punk does so well onstage.

Opener Diamond Rings, an androgynous Canadian who dabbles in synth-pop, served as a male approximation of Robyn. He hasn’t won me over yet, but if he’s really like Robyn, maybe I need to give him another 10 years.

Yo La Tengo's Spinning Wheel

2011-02-10T18:02:00.002-05:00

I've already discussed at length about the incredible nature of the freewheelin' Yo La Tengo machine. You can go ahead and browse the numerous occasions they've been mentioned here. Yes, this marks my fifth time around, which doesn't work as well as "Fourth Time Around" (a Bob Dylan song they've covered).

Recently, you might have caught word that Yo La Tengo's Spinning Wheel, which determines how the first 45 minutes of the night would transpire, led them to do an entire Seinfeld episode in Chicago. Yeah, that's laughter you hear, but according to a lot of feedback to the band's twitter account, many fans weren't happy to hear them read from a script rather than rip through originals and covers galore.

On February 5, 2011 at Mr Smalls in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Yo La Tengo's Spinning Wheel determined that the first half of the night would consist of a Dump set. Dump is James McNew's, the bassist from YLT, side-project. This is a Prince cover from the album That Skinny Motherfucker With the High Voice?

More videos after the jump:
This next clip is their song "Saturday" from And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (also my 14th favorite album of the aughts).

I've plugged The Wild Kindness' Calvin Johnson tribute before, and was shocked to hear YLT dig back into their Genius + Love compilation for this cover of "Cast a Shadow" by Beat Happening. So stunned that I missed recording the beginning.

Finally, to close the night, we have a cover of "Tried So Hard" by Gene Clark (of the Byrds fame). It can also be found on Fakebook. Joining them on stage is William Tyler, who supported them during this tour. Check out his album, too - it's a wonder of instrumental guitar-work.

Tapes 'n Tapes at the Grog Shop

2011-02-03T15:02:00.002-05:00

To complete my coverage of Tapes 'n Tapes after the recent feature, here's my show review, also found on Cleveland Scene's website. This was written at 3am after a two hour drive home and a few attempts to climb the ice fortress that became of my driveway, so don't expect pure gold.

Tapes 'n Tapes at the Grog Shop / Cleveland, OH / January 31, 2011

Despite the looming snow and ice catastrophe, the Grog Shop was packed with eager Tapes ‘n Tapes fans last night.

Local band Filmstrip began the evening with a series of psychedelic rock songs, complete with simple, repetitive lyrics. They were energetic enough, with the bassist as the focal point, but they struggled to engage the audience beyond a small, select following of die-hard friends.

The next band, Oberhofer, provided youthful exuberance that could channel the zest of Vampire Weekend and any number of indie-rock acts specializing in power pop. They could be poised for their minor break, so long as the band name doesn’t prove to be a non-starter.

Finally, Minneapolis' Tapes ‘n Tapes had returned to the Grog Shop stage after years of absence. Alternating cuts from each of their three albums, the band confidently whipped through every song a fan could have hoped for, by my estimation.

To their credit, every song was delivered and received with equal clamor. “Jakov’s Suite” was a nice touch on the heels of “Freak Out,” which punctuated the night with crowd enthusiasm usually reserved for old favorites.

It wasn’t much more than your standard, entertaining indie-rock show, but for everyone involved, it was a nice break from the otherwise dull winter months.

Tapes 'n Tours

2011-01-26T16:25:00.007-05:00

Posted today on Cleveland Scene's website and in the magazine, you'll find my feature on Tapes 'n Tapes. Below, you'll find the original work, unedited, and nearly a few hundred words longer. Enjoy. Or don't.

Tapes ‘n Tours

Former indie darlings strike back with another DIY album

Ever complain about the snow in Cleveland? This past December, Josh Grier, guitarist/vocalist for Tapes ‘n Tapes and budding weatherman, reported two feet of snow in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The heavy load prompted the city to purchase a snow dragon, a biodiesel-powered mobile snow hunter that can melt 30 tons of snow per hour. Meanwhile, the band is just warming up, fresh off a new album, Outside, and prepping for a winter tour at the end of the month.

Heralded as indie rock heroes, Tapes ‘n Tapes first emerged from the blog-buzz dust around the dawn of an era that saw bands appear as readily as disappear. The eager quartet self-recorded and self-released their debut, The Loon, collecting plenty of praise, plus comparisons to Pavement and Pixies.

“When we released The Loon in 2005, it was like, okay, we’ll put this album out locally and see what happens, and then things just kind of snowballed and caught all of us by surprise,” Grier recalls.

By July 2006, XL Records had scooped up Tapes ‘n Tapes for a two record deal, including re-releasing The Loon, and everybody from David Bowie to David Letterman took notice. On the Late Show, the band made their American television debut with “Insistor,” which simmered with striking urgency and possessed one great hook among many on the album.

For the sophomore effort, XL Records hooked them up with Dave Fridmann, the producer that has worked with The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and on MGMT’s debut. Walk It Off was released in 2008, and came as a letdown to many fans and critics. The album isn’t without its moments (“Hang Them All” and “George Michael”), but they largely failed to unearth a solid sound to retain relevancy.

After a few years of touring, Tapes ‘n Tapes needed a break. In an effort to return to their roots, they re-launched Ibid Records, their own label which initially released The Loon. “It just seemed like the natural thing to do,” Grier says. “We had been saving our money for the last couple years in order to do that, so we could have our freedom to do what we want when we were done with XL [Records] … when you deal with a label, there are more people you have to clear things with, and everybody has more opinions, and we really liked our opinions,” he chuckles.

Amassing “tapes ‘n tapes” worth of demos, according to a jovial Grier, Tapes ‘n Tapes were ready to self-record their next album for two weeks in Minneapolis. Grier then turned to Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) on the mix in Bridgeport, CT.

“Granted, it is scary sometimes because we are on our own — we’re making all these decisions for ourselves — so if we screw up, we only have ourselves to blame,” Grier says.

Fortunately for the band, the resulting album, Outside, finds the band reenergized, playfully parading through a fresh set of tunes with newfound confidence. Every member steps up their game on the album. Matt Kretzmann provides his most commanding use of horns yet on “One in the World,” a lilting pop number. Erik Appelwick’s brooding bassline underscores Kretzmann’s organ-like keys and Grier’s frenzied guitar on “The Saddest of All Keys,” an album highlight. “Nightfall” embraces similar horn flourishes as The Walkmen have lately while Jeremy Hanson speckles the track with spastic drums.

“I’ve never fancied myself to have some golden voice,” says Grier. However, most notably, Outside features his strongest vocal work to date. “On previous records, I wanted my voice to be low in the mix … I think this time around, I did feel more comfortable in singing it. In some of these songs, the vocal melodies are more driving the song.”

Once again, Tapes ‘n Tapes have taken to the internet to promote their new album, joining twitter to respond to fans and even other bands, namely Surfer Blood. Grier comments, “when they twittered us, I was like sweet, these guys are great … they put together a really great record.” Beyond that, he comments on listening to “70’s Nigerian rock, Turkish Psych, Tropicália, a lot of world music along with whatever else is out there.”

As for what audiences can expect during the upcoming tour, including a return trip to the Grog Shop, Grier hints at the possibility of doing some acoustic songs. The band is also working out a couple covers, but he is quick to assure: “I don’t think we’ll go off the deep end and do any tripped out psychedelic jazz sessions or anything like that. We’ll keep it real, but you got to explore your possibilities.”

Tapes ‘n Tapes continue to use the internet as a medium to create buzz, including contests to win “lovingly handmade” cassette tapes, which will also be sold in stores and on tour. “As much as they are limited edition [250], I don’t know how much of a hot commodity cassette tapes are these days. I know they are coming back, but I’m sure we’ll still have some by the time we get to Cleveland. Yeah, you got to have a little fun with our name every now and then, you know?”

The State of the Union of Music Is Strong

2011-01-26T15:29:00.002-05:00

Earlier this month, I posted a video of Third Class covering Beat Happening. This is one of nine tracks featured on Wild Kindness' tribute to Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, The Halo Benders, K Records), which I will plug because it's awesome. It's available to download now, so check it out.

Today, Wild Kindness' David Pokrivnak talked to me about his struggle to write a great statement for the record label, and presented Marriage Records' as the perfect model:

Mission: As artists, to publish works of art that we love in the best way possible for artists, ourselves, and the world.

So, I picked at his ideas, and contributed my own. None of which represent the opinions of the label, but I found it fun for a few.

Wild Kindness: Pretending to give a fuck what you think since 2008.
Wild Kindness: We're in the money; you're in the music. It's for you. We're all about your dumb ass.
Wild Kindness: The State of the Union of Music is strong. And so are our erections for Calvin Johnson.
Wild Kindness: We totally give more of a fuck than we'd like to openly admit.
Wild Kindness: Our potential investors might be old and out of touch, but we aren't. Not yet. Here - buy this cassette.

Needless to say, none of these can be found on their website. No one likes my ideas.

Thinking About Music in 2011, and Jurassic Park (Still)!

2011-01-19T20:33:00.003-05:00

Note: The "Thinking About Music in 2011" part was already posted to tumblr, but I've added a video (not unlike my Joanna Newsom parody)!

Before I begin telling you what I think, and what you should think about the albums I've heard from 2011, well, let's start with this:
Think the Jurassic Park Theme, But 1000% Slower by birdfeeder

Or, you could always watch my lyrical interpretation of the Jurassic Park theme. These "jokes" are eight years to a decade old by now.

"If you come to our island, / we will eat you in two / 'cause we're dinosaurs."
"The Tyrannosaurus Rex / is a beast I must confess / but the raptors are smarter."

Akron/Family- S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT

(Think "best album since the split album with Angels of Light and S/T, hence S/T II")

Braids- Native Speaker

(Think "AnCo's Feels, but without the baffling and super-bad "Daffy Duck," and with a woman at the vocal helm -- natives of Canada, that is")

Cut Copy- Zonoscope

(Think I must listen again before passing judgment, but "Sun God" kills as a closer.)

The Decemberists- The King Is Dead

(Think I stopped caring about this band after 2006. Oh well.)

Deerhoof- Deerhoof vs. Evil

(Think indie rock is suffering from the potential loss of Wolf Parade and WOMEN? Deerhoof.to.the.rescue!)

Destroyer- Kaputt

(Think AOTY: Steely Dan Bejar opens the first space-disco. Jazzes it up, and raises his game by astronomical proportions.)

Ducktails- III: Arcade Dynamics

(Think Real Estate will always outshine their other projects. And for damn good reason; they're great.)

Fujiya & Miyagi- Ventriloquizzing

(Think we should rethink why we liked this band in the first place. More krautrocking and Japanese posturing. More shoulder shrugging. Eh.)

The Go! Team- Rolling Blackouts

(Think it might be too much cheer for me currently. I think I'm rooting for the other team. Hm, does that sound gay? Oh well.)

Iron & Wine- Kiss Each Other Clean

(Think "Iron & Wine, but wait, this is Iron & Wine? Hm. Okay then.")

James Blake- James Blake

(Think of how awesome the future will sound if we shut Bon Iver in that stupid cabin with only a copy of FutureSex/LoveSounds and a dubstep compilation)

John Vanderslice- White Wilderness

(Think about an extra Vander-slice of nice, wintry tunes.)

Minks- By the Hedge

(Think "The Cure and other '80s pop fuzz sounds revived from the graveyard where these Bostonians seem to spend a lot of their time")

Mogwai- Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

(Think that's the best damn album title this year, and the album's okay, I guess.)

Peter Bjorn and John- Gimme Some

(Think they should revisit whistling, or something. Anything!)

Smith Westerns- Dye It Blonde

(Think I'm already blonde. No need to bother with dye.)

Tapes 'n Tapes- Outside

(Think outside the Pavement and Pixies comparisons, add more horns, make amends from that lame sophomore album, but still fail to nail a really great album.)

Tennis- Cape Dory

(Think they should revise that cover art and stop retreading the same sounds, but "Marathon" is still pretty good.)

Wire- Red Barked Tree

(Think they are barking up the wrong tree. Kidding. Just wanted to say that. Pretty good stuff, old boys.)

Wye Oak- Civilian

(Think this is more than your average pedestrian music. Saw them twice last year, once with Shearwater where they did this Kinks cover. Look out for them in 2011.)

Think I have also heard Anna Calvi and G-Side now, but not interested in further indulging this format.
Think the Avalanches need to drop album #2 already. And...
Think I've had enough. Bye!

Clinging to 2010's Best Albums

2010-12-29T21:06:00.005-05:00

I've already mentioned the best TV, film and given awards to other significant 2010 happenings. Before that were the 50 best tracks of the year, which also commended close-calls on this album list. Way further back, there was the best albums of the aughts list. Now as the new year threatens more of the same, let's reflect once more. Lastly, it should be noted that since my estimation of listening to 250 albums and EPs from 2010, I have added Ghostface Killah, Gorillaz' The Fall, John Zorn's Interzone and a few others of lesser importance to the total. Even still, more important than mathematics, these are the best albums the year had to offer by my estimation. And sans extensive, superfluous talking crap that I tend to do. If you're seeking that, click the links. Oh, wait, one thing...

Kanye, you lovable egomaniac you, if you're reading this, you're not a jerk. In fact, you're a genius. So, why are you number TWO, you ask? Don't fret about that. Look at Joanna; she's beautiful and fashionable. We know you love women and expensive swag. Still jealous? Okay, look, she's dating Andy Samberg, and you love dick jokes, right? Dude's all about 'em, too. While we're on that subject, I've seen the photo of yours circulating the net. Need to borrow my hair trimmer? Better yet, you keep it. Notice the abundance of second person pronouns being passed about like pot at your concerts? That's because 2010 is your show. This is your year. Early in the year, before your axis-shifting album dropped, and even before Joanna's did, I fell for her work like never before. Then, when all two hours of Have One on Me emerged, it took awhile to snap out of the Joanna coma. Her concert was my favorite of the year, too. How can you compete? Tell you what, get me an all-expense-paid trip to one of your concerts, and I'll reconsider. Until then...

The Fearsome 50 Best Albums -- 2010 Edition:


Photo by Seth Basista

1.       Joanna Newsom- Have One on Me (concert review and parody video)
2.       Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Planet Yeezy)
3.       Beach House- Teen Dream (concert review)
4.       Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma
5.       WOMEN- Public Strain (get well soon!)
6.       Frog Eyes- Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph
7.       The Radio Dept.- Clinging to a Scheme
8.       Surfer Blood- Astro Coast (concert review and the first time)
9.       Gorillaz- Plastic Beach
10.   Menomena- Mines (concert review)

11.   Das Racist- Sit Down, Man
12.   Big Boi- Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
13.   The Walkmen- Lisbon
14.   Owen Pallett- Heartland (concert review)
15.   Emeralds- Does It Look Like I’m Here?
16.   Robyn- Body Talk
17.   Janelle Monáe- The ArchAndroid
18.   The National- High Violet
19.   Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti- Before Today
20.   Warpaint- The Fool
21.   Sleigh Bells- Treats (show review)
22.   Dark Dark Dark- Bright Bright Bright (show review)
23.   Eluvium- Similes
24.   Sharon Van Etten- epic
25.   Twin Sister- Color Your Life

26.   Wolf Parade- Expo 86
27.   Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest
28.   The New Pornographers- Together
29.   Future Islands- In Evening Air
30.   Gil Scott-Heron- I’m New Here
31.   Shearwater- The Golden Archipelago (concert review)
32.   Four Tet- There Is Love in You
33.   The Books- The Way Out (concert review and secrets revealed)
34.   Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz
35.   Spoon- Transference
36.   Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
37.   Titus Andronicus- The Monitor
38.   Tokyo Police Club- Champ (concert review)
39.   Swans- My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
40.   Gonjasufi- A Sufi and a Killer
41.   Drake- Thank Me Later
42.   Toro y Moi- Causers of This
43.   Nina Nastasia- Outlaster
44.   Lindstrøm & Christabelle- Real Life Is No Cool
45.   Shugo Tokumaru- Port Entropy
46.   Yellow Swans- Going Places
47.   Field Music- Measure
48.   Blue Hawaii- Blooming Summer
49.   Baths- Cerulean
50. Salem- King Night

Best Compilation Album: Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from Africa

Best Live Album: Bill Callahan- Rough Travel for a Rare Thing

Best Comedy Album: Aziz Ansari- Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening (more on Parks & Rec)

Worst Album That I Heard in Its Entirety: Lil Wayne- The Rebirth

Most Overrated Album That Immediately Negates Credibility from Any List That I Find It On:

LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening

Whatever. Be it at the bottom or the top of your pile, there are advantages to both. ADVANTAGES TO BOTH!

Best Live Shows of 2010 (in chronological order -- full list here):

The Clientele at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ - February 21

Joanna Newsom at Southern Theatre in Columbus, OH - March 29

Shearwater and Wye Oak at Beachland Tavern in Cleveland, OH - April 3

Dark Dark Dark in somebody's Akron backyard - April 4

Surfer Blood and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH - June 6

Beach House at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH - June 17

Yo La Tengo at Hartwood Acres in Pittsburgh, PA - August 1

The Books at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA - August 26

Lou Barlow & the Missingmen at Grog Shop in Cleveland, OH - August 27

Shellac at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH - September 1

Pavement at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in Columbus, OH - September 16

Menomena at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH - September 27

WOMEN at Skully's Music Diner in Columbus, OH - October 12

Deerhunter and Real Estate at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH - October 21

The Walkmen and Japandroids at Mr. Small's in Pittsburgh, PA - October 22

Os Mutantes and Ariel Pink at Clazel Theater in Bowling Green, OH - November 18

Worst Live Show of 2010:

Girls at Mr. Small's in Pittsburgh, PA - April 5

Best Comedy Show:

Patton Oswalt and Kyle Kinane at House of Blues in Cleveland, OH - July 9

Best Festival by Default Because I Didn't Attend Any Others:

Pitchfork Festival at Union Park in Chicago, IL

Best Album of 2011 Thus Far: Destroyer- Kaputt

Most Anticipated Album of 2011: The Avalanches (Since I Left You was #7 of the decade)

Top Artists That Didn't Release an Album in 2010

Christmas on Pluto II + 2010's Best TV, Film and More

2010-12-22T04:28:00.015-05:00

Hello everybody! In anticipation of the upcoming best albums of 2010 blog, this will serve as a reminder that, "oh, right, other stuff happened in 2010 beyond music consumption and concert-going." Namely, these are awards for what I saw on television and in theaters this year, plus other crap. A mishap last night meant spending time retyping half of my tumblr blog on atheist essays and why I'm thankful for Christmas, anyway, so I am going to focus on brevity if possible.

But before I do that, check out the second Christmas on Pluto mix, errrbody! If Low's Christmas (EP), Sufjan Steven's Songs for Christmas series and my 2008 Christmas mix aren't enough, then I have you covered! I've collected new songs by the likes of Dark Dark Dark, Beach House, Kanye West, Pictora and The Boy Least Likely To and put them alongside some others. I promise this isn't a compilation of hits you hear every December that I've spoken out against before. Plus, if the last three tracks seem out of wack in the mix, that's because "The Ice of Boston" is meant to play on New Year's Eve (check out more New Year's tracks), followed by a Patton Oswalt comedy bit and Dylan Thomas reading his prose work: "A Child's Christmas in Wales." Thomas was believed to be drunk during the 1952 recording, and it is reason enough to warm up to this mix on a cold white Christmas. There's plenty more to like here, even if I didn't include anything from Tom Waits' Blue Valentine, which I listen to for numerous brief lyrical mentions of Christmas in a few songs. Edit: Check out Xmas Xtras (info here).

I'm not going to fluff you any longer, let's move straight to the dirty top of twenty-ten television:

The cast of Community, drawn as The Avengers, by Chris Schweizer.

Best Sitcom: Community
That was easy. Season 2 has been a non-stop smashing success this fall. In the spring, the hands-on best came from Parks and Recreation's Season 2, only to have Season 3 relegated to this coming January so NBC could push Outsourced in the fall. While I may have only truly discovered Arrested Development at the start of the year, Community is the closest heir apparent to the irreverent comedy crown. That is, hopefully it sticks around for four seasons: one longer than AD, and long enough for us to see them graduate. Eh, make it five years. Save for Annie, these students won't be graduating "on time." (more on TV here)

"Last night, only saw the partial eclipse of the moon / couched myself for Community / and fell asleep too soon."

The Award for Attempting to Recreate Arrested Development, But Not Trying Very Hard: Running Wilde
It should be noted, however, that David Cross' project, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, provided six entertaining episodes that overcame some of my initial skepticism. I'll be curious to check out another season.

Best F#@king Satirical News Programs: The Daily Show and The Colbert Report
How the hell are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert consistently funny, four times a week? This ain't your usual late night talk show. With all the hoopla about Conan, there's only one station I had on at eleven. (observations on The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and analysis of political significance)

Best Show I Should Have Been Watching: Louie
Only saw one or two episodes of Louis C.K.'s comedy series, and really should have seen more.

Most Overrated Sitcom: Modern Family
Really, guys? It isn't that funny.

The Show That Needs to Stop: Two and a Half Men
We get it. Charlie Sheen's a drunken hedonist, male chauvinist pig that lives with a bumbling brother and his stupid son. Considering that I still live with my parents, they watch this program, so I'm sometimes subjected to it in the background. How many more jokes are there for these stereotypes? At least two more season's worth, says CBS.

The Show That Won't Ever Stop, Although Most of Us Stopped Watching It: The Simpsons
See also: Saturday Night Live
Side note: on the other hand, can you imagine a world without them? Don't leave us to fend for ourselves!

The Show That Shouldn't Have Been: Sarah Palin's Alaska
Sing it with me, friends: "Cuz we be fishin' an huntin' an' raftin' an' choppin' dem trees. Hardy hardy hardy, tidy doodily dee!"

Best Film: Toy Story 3
While I may not have seen a plethora of 2010 movies, and likely nothing that most movie-goers haven't already, I caught this little wonder in IMAX 3D twice and once on DVD. (video of me with a Woody)

The Film of My Dreams: Inception
Dig deeper with links at the bottom of this post.

Best Comedy Film: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
See: same video as before. XXXXXXX

Best New David Fincher Film to Negatively Portray Women: The Social Network
But yeah, besides that, it was surprisingly good. (more on that)

Best Video Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Whoa. Galaxy was good, but this is light-years better. Maybe even Buzz Lightyears better. Ignore me, I'm sleepy. (more on Mario)

Award for the Most Addicting Online Game for Someone That Never Plays Online: Worms: Reloaded
(Buy for $20 or read more)

Best Amusement Park: Cedar Point
(more on that)

Best Sport: FIFA World Cup
(more on that)

Best Real Last Name Discovery: Sexstella
It's the porn version of Cinderella. Hey, if the glass condom fits...
And I eagerly await the film adaption of How Sexstella Got Her Groove Back.
(less on that)

Worst License Plate: BRD PUTT and DR GAY (tie)
Does Brad Putt still have that sand trap of a facial hair complex? Dr. Gay to the rescue!

Lastly, until I discover later that there's something missing, allow me to reference music once more:

Best Limited-Release Beer to Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of a Legendary Album: Dogfish Head's Bitches Brew
Okay, so its one of the best beers of the year, period. Other notable mentions go to Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale, the discovery of Unibroue's La Fin du Monde and La Terrible, and everything from Great Lakes Brewery. (more on the brew inspired by Miles Davis)

--More Movie Reviews, and one of 2010's greatest short film discoveries, "Hedgehog in the Fog:"