teh jams

WHEN I GET BACK

some autumnal revelations:



Just want to dance to something beautiful, yalls. Danish. All you need to know.



Swedish, brilliant. What is it with northern Europe getting it so hard?


...As well as Malian nomads. Tinariwen might as well have invented rock and roll.


Weirdly, these guys are American. Get me to a party// FOUR MORE YEARS


Immaculate dark electro pop from Canadian duo... perfect if you like a little punishment.


Nashville bros tear it up, new album We Are The Champions is like being thirteen again with ten extra years of experience.


Com Truise-- possible favorite discovery of the season. On Ghostly International records out of Ann Arbor. His album Galactic Melt is transportive from beginning to end, and this video is probably the best I've seen since the mid-nineties.


... Or 1982, from Rodway.


Bell crawled out from under some northern European iceberg and her album Diamonite is sparse and sprawling all at once, familiar and measured but full of surprises.


this existential breakdown will be danceable. <3



All these and more Thursdays 12-3pm EST on widr.org. I came to dance. No whiny dudes with guitars allowed.

july

where 'artists' = 'humans' and 'necessity' = 'freedom of will'

Artists may here have a more subtle scent: they know only too well that it is precisely when they cease to act ‘voluntarily’ and do everything of necessity that their feeling of freedom, subtlety, fullness of power, creative placing, disposing, shaping reaches its height – in short, that necessity and ‘freedom of will’ are then one in them.
-Nietzsche

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BIG BAND?

I had a philosophy professor who once told our class that when he was young (in the twenties or something) his parents hated that he listened to jazz because it was too "radical." Can you ever imagine such a time? I cannot.
Tonight, my dad and I went to see a jazz concert. He'd gotten tickets from a friend and asked if I wanted to go; I was like "yeah, whatevs." I wasn't doing much else (i.e. anything) and this seemed like something I could wear heels and lipstick to, which I like to do once a year and seemed appropriate since I haven't been showering regularly for the past five weeks or so. Plus, jazz is one of those things, like gardening, pilates and waking up before noon that I've been meaning to "get into" to prove to myself and the world that I am a legitimate human being worthy of consuming the planet's finite natural resources. (I did attempt, and fail at, an appreciation of jazz in college at a local cafe's jazz night every week, but that was purely for the purposes of touching enlightened butts. I weep for the Wednesday nights I will never get back).
We had just settled into our seats as the lights dimmed and the conductor, sporting the most hilarious haircut I've seen in person since 1984 (a very full straightened mullet), shouted "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BIG BAND?" I, for one, was not then, or ever "ready for some big band." The rest of the crowd, however, was nothing if not ready for some big band. I should note that the average age of the crowd was about one hundred and twenty. I had been planning on a night of reefer and beat poetry and here are 20 college kids in tuxes rocking the hell out to "I Got Rhythm" or whatever it is that has meant TOTALLY LAME since it came out at the beginning of time.
The jazz singing group came on stage and if there is one thing that makes me more uncomfortable than a bunch of adults singing the theme to "Barefoot in the Park" while strictly adhering to their direction of "SMILE-- WITH TEETH" and literally doing "jazz hands," I would have grounds to sue someone. Along with experiencing extreme discomfort, I am frankly embarrassed for them and wish for nothing more than the immediate end to their insane joviality that has no place this side of 1963.
Headlining the show was Kurt Something who is basically the Mick Jagger of jazz vocals. And he taught me the most important lesson of the night: along with farting, scat singing will always be funny. It's initially horrifying, as it seems like speaking in tongues but only more nefarious since it was actually once considered by some to be cool rather than just fucking crazy like its jesus-y cousin. However, watching a grown man in a satin suit and hair plugs sing "boodoobeebopbop" etc, ad nauseum, into a microphone in front of hundreds of adoring fans was worth the thirty-three dollar ticket that I didn't pay for, as I lolled my head off through the entire thing.
I also realized why I've never gotten into this whole jazz/big band/Sinatra thing. The lyrics. I know the primary focus is on the instruments, but good god. Most of the songs sound like they were written by a second grader just learning English. The lyrics rarely stray from wanting to maybe kiss this pretty lady and how it would be just divine, and how "you've gotten under my skin". This makes me not sad that no one will be playing this music in forty years.
One highlight: the jazz drumming professor just playing the shit out of that kit. Wow. All of his students on stage were just rocking out (politely) and when it was over I wanted to stand up and be all like "AWWWW YIHHH!"
But the real intrigue of the evening lay withing the jazz band themselves. This group of barely post-pubescent trumpeters and tromboners is actually the highest ranked college jazz band in the country. They've played in London, in New York, and all other things that are supposed to sound wildly impressive. But. They play instruments, they've risen to the top of their field, they've got bright futures in a non-boring field, and yet these guys (all the players were men aside from one trombone player) almost definitely get SO much less action than guys in the worst rock bands or even the third string forwards on the club hockey team. Why is this? Is the issue the inherent nerdiness of the clarinet or are girls unable to appreciate the nuanced world of big band jazz? I'm voting for a bit of both. But just seeing the singing ladies and their jazz hands made me feel a little better about the tromboners' prospects.

Me Myself I

hellhole ratrace [girls]

Set yourself on fire: SxSW

Hey friends. I was in Austin Texas last week for the week of insanity and Lonestar that is possibly the biggest music festival in the US, SXSW. 6th Street, the Bourbon Street of Austin, was flooded twenty four hours a day for a week with musicians, tattoos, free beer, cops and drunks and I barely went to bed before 6 am all week. Molly and I biked our way through the masses and along with a bunch of other radasses from OKC and Philly definitely achieved our dual goals of experiencing something real and having a good time all the time.

I know this event is criminally underreported so I thought I'd write about it on my weblog. So to recap, here were some highlights of the madness:

Checked out Sleepy Sun's Thursday afternoon show and suddenly wasn't bummed anymore about not being in San Francisco in 1969 cause it was right in front of me. They do NOT half-ass their commitment to sixties psychedilia and anybody who is that into their trip gets snaps from me. They brought out the Austin Children's Choir who rocked the tent AND they did a cover of the Guess Who's "No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature," an epochal song of its era. The singer sounded EXACTLY like Burton Cummings too, for an added bonus. I was in heaven. Here's kind of what the show was like:



This is exactly what America should be in 2010. Love it. We also started a butt-touching contest in the middle of 6th street. The Sleepy Sun tent was full of olds who we later realized were parents of the children's choir. Some of the dads left pretty excited, as did a cop and multiple other passersby (I totally lost but did get some Abercrombie-with-girlfriend-next-to-him butt, which has gotta count for something.)

Whqles played at a friend's houseparty and although their name looks like a t9 typo, they were great. (hey Whqles, if you're reading this, Molly and I were the ones sitting in front of your set-up and snapping our necks). I haven't stopped listening to their EP even though it's only about 10 minutes long. Check out their space for more. Recommedations: "Sum of All Evils pt 2" and "JG," a cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." And this video is kind of what their live show was like-- full of glow in the dark paint, fast, loud and impossible not to like. I have no idea what's going on in LA and never cared but now I'm curious.


Another great was seeing Mariachi El Bronx at Mess With Texas. (LA hardcore band's The Bronx mariachi side project). They put on a tight set and showed some love to the crowd.




We (thirteen people piled into a five seater with a trunk) also tried to go to a party at the UT co-ops that Andrew WK was headlining and was sure to guarantee trancendence over space and time. But instead of understanding how "to create a dynamic so that we can appreciate beauty and joy and pleasure" (seriously, read that interview linked above. it will change your life), our only lesson learned was not to show up to a party that Andrew WK is playing at 2 am (40s and facepaint got in the way, as usual). The only time I've seen more humans in one place crawling up and down stairs and around railings is between at-bats at Fenway Park when the Yankees are in town (try using a sports metaphor today!). All I could think of was a bunch of people had sex in the 80s and this is what happened. Apparently AWK did show up to play a set at 5 am. Next time, bro.

DID get to see Woods at the Magic Hat party (woooot VT) on the Lawn of the French Legation. One of my faves since their 2006 album How to Survive in the Woods, they did not dissapoint. I only wish that their set was longer and that they played "Military Madness", but then I would have been crying all over myself and the lawn.

Lone Star was the unofficial sponsor of the experience and I'm pretty sure it's since replaced most of my blood. We spent a lot of time at Shangri La, the bar that Bill Murray ended up bartending at, but missed it. I think I can still die without regret.

We ALSO ended up at some party in "the hills" (I think every city not on the east coast has a super exclusive neighborhood full of Range Rovers called "the hills") completely full of tweens on spring break and two untapped kegs. Needless to say the kegs were emptied before we left and a few packages of fruit snacks were missing. Also, lower back tats [I hate the term "tramp stamp"] are still popular?

Speaking of tweens and unintentional hilarity, Molly and I also worked the Keep A Breast table at the Alternative Press show. It's an awesome organization that educates teens about prevention and early detection of breast cancer, and middle- and high-school kids across America are now wearing "I <3> boobies" bracelets and t-shirts. The org is endorsed and promoted by Circa Survive (I am happily older than 12 and have no idea who this band is), Angels and Airwaves and a bunch of other huge acts of a genre (post-dashboard screamo tweencore?) that no one born after 1992 could understand. We met about 600 people that looked like variations of this:

Like all things that make life worth showing up for, it was horrific and hilarious at the same time. And quite possibly the best form of birth control I've encountered yet.

We also checked out some metal at Primo's, a bar in a formerly Mexican neighborhood (weird, an American city is having problems with gentrification?), which I don't really "get." Don't know if it's because I'm a girl or because I wasn't super alienated in high school. Either way, it's kind of a bummer. I wish I could get into metal. It's one of my resolutions for 2010.

Also, does your city have a magazine that is primarily concerned with squids, jorts, beards and beers? I didn't think so, which is why you need to check out Misprint Magazine. On its agenda is ending live music in Austin. Zany fun for the whole family. If they're all jaded drunks. (And whose family isn't?)

The moral of SXSW story is: forget standing in line for 4 hours to see She and Him. Get on a bike, grab some free beers and jump into a bar, venue or house party just to see what's going on. They might not suck.

ALSO every town in America should have taco trucks.

Hype in the time of Internets

(actually don't miss them at all)

Hey guys,

Welcome to Buzzband Awareness Week.

I was at a Passion Pit show not long ago with a bunch of other 17-year-olds out on a school night and the COMPLETELY sold out crowd was dancing their (its?) head(s) off the entire time, and it seemed like a very communal experience, with everyone "grooving to the same vibe" and having a generally positive experience. I thought, "this is what it must have been like to see the Rolling Stones in 1968-- a large group coming together to enjoy a shared entity in earnest." So then I thought, will the Passion Pits still be touring in 2047? Will these tweens grinding next to me remember what the Passion Pits sounded like when they're forty, and will they still enjoy this music?


I thought back to the beginning of buzz bands in the modern era, and I traced this ancient tradition back to the dawning of Rock and Roll: 2001. This is the year that The Strokes invented guitars. And then I thought, Where Are They Now? They're still playing music occasionally while not being dads or in rehab, but they probably wouldn't sell out clubs anymore, and many of their fans probably wouldn't admit to liking them anymore. (for the record, I will cop to liking the Strokes until the day I hear "is this it" at the gates of heaven, and even after that.)


So then I was thinking, did the "machine" of the modern music industry eat up the Strokes? Does the hype just inflate every band until their bubble of desireability just pops and the bros in the band are left standing in a gooey wet mess of embarrassment? When the Strokes were born in the early twentieth century, the internet didn't even exist. These days, bands have a shelf life of about 3 months in realtime before they are retired.


During the Passion Pit show, I thought of all the Buzzbands of yesteryear:


2001: The Strokes


2002: The Vines


2003: Jet/The Rapture/Kings of Leon/Hot Hot Heat (lol remember them?!)

--this era marks an important shift in buzzband culture as Pitchfork gained prominence amongst young music consumers and alternative music producers and fans were sick of feeling sad about their own generation being a reheated version of history. Buzzbands evolved from "dumb and bro-y" (Jet) to "thoughtful and evocative" (BSS, Arcade Fire) and "frantic and meloncholy" (Wolf Parade, Clap Hands)

2004/5/6: Bloc Party/Broken Social Scene/Arcade Fire/ Wolf Parade/Arctic Monkeys/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah


2007: MGMT

2008: Animal Collective/Fleet Foxes

2009: Grizzly Bear

2009 1/2: Passion Pit/ Phoenix??

2010: ??? xx or something? girls? animal collective again?

(the dates might be a bit off since I don't care about buzzbands-- and generally don't consume their music until they survive the first run of hype.)

In the span of those eight years, the bands got smaller and smaller, and their reign lasted less and less time. The Strokes were the Everyband, inventing the modern "indie" genre, and were made famous by Rolling Stone magazine, while Passion Pit was very popular for a week with college students who own neon clothing, and were made famous by the internet.

Looking at that list, we can see that Australian bands are not good but can maintain popularity for a while via ipod commercials (the Vines, Jet), British bands are not that good either but last for only about a week (Libertines, Arctic Monkeys), Canadian bands are "very good" and oftentimes "serious musicians" (BSS, Arcade Fire) and I suppose I can't sum up American buzzbands because these colors don't run.

Also, it's important to note that the above list doesn't include other buzz entities like solo acts (Sufjan Stevens, Devendra, Bon Iver), female artists (Joanna Newsom, Cat Power), or "genre- defying electro-terrorists from the third world" (M.I.A.). It's important to remember that a buzz band is made up mostly of white males from the English speaking world (although Phoenix is the exception to that rule, but doesn't really count since the lead singer is boyfriends with Sofia Coppola). (I also wouldn't count bands like Bright Eyes, the Decemberists or TV on the Radio as "buzzbands" although they experienced large volumes of internet exposure, because they're institutions that seem to get by more on their "hard work" and devoted fan bases rather than blog mentions/pitchfork reviews. Animal Collective sort of fits in here but they have come to define success for the buzzband, so they're on the list.)

I just thought I'd bring up this topic because it's important to remember that buzzbands are people too, and we need to look out for them so they don't end up back in Minneapolis or Melbourne on their mom's couches, or on some alt version of "dancing with the stars." If you enter into a relationship with a buzzband, remember not to hurt their feelings, and see them the next time they're in town. It's not their fault that the internet hype just chews them up and then makes them seem "uncool" when it finds someone else, or that pitchfork gives their second album a 5.4 (except for the Vines, because they were actually awful).

Music Journalism That Sucks and People Get Paid to Execute

Slate.com's team of "music reviewers" dig as deep and as recent as Kurt Cobain for a musical hero.

This is what a middle aged, well-fed gross miscalculation of trying to remain current sounds like:

"...To say that Scott Stapp, a bellowing repackager of grunge as a bludgeoning, Christian-motivational medium, wasn't a miserable blight on the culture, is to suggest that Kurt Cobain didn't matter as much as we wanted him to[.]"

You can almost see the Columbia School Of Journalism diploma hanging in his wood-paneled office as he types away on his new Macbook Pro, the nanny chasing the two young kids around their Connecticut home as he sneaks another Amstel light before the wife gets home.

American Woman Gonna Mess Your Mind

According to recent* studies**, British and Canadian scientists*** have determined that women are

1) Evil

2) Sweet Talkin

3) American

4) Gold Dust



* 30-40 year old

** soundtracks to coke binges

*** drunks



Any other results of this study you can think of? What about the menz?

Hot New Tunes!!!!!!1 (tm) Vol 3

6 easy steps to your very own modest mouse


And now, the thrilling conclusion of August's BUZZ BANDS YOU HAVE TO HEAR NOW!

Modest Mouse
In 2004 I was really into "modern rock radio" specifically a radio station called Y100 in Philadelphia. I used to drive around in my Mom's Jetta mourning the suburban wasteland of my current hometown/ go to JoAnn Fabrics, listening to "90s at noon": Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam. The next year these guys, Weezer et al were dumped for a more "urban" format, but 2004 was the year that Modest Mouse "broke," ie made it to the radio. I heard their single "Float On" on Y100 and it sounded much “edgier” than anything else on that station, so I, like every other 17-29 y.o. who "gave a fuck" bought the album. I really liked it at the time, because this was at a point in my own life when I was becoming committed to "liking quality shit"/being cooler than all of my current friends, so it was better than most of the music I owned. I listened to it nonstop, and assigned valid emotions to the album and the experiences I had while listening to it. My experiences and the album served to legitimize each other.
Modest Mouse appeared in Rolling Stone around the time the album came out and were quoted as saying something quotable like "we beat Britney Spears on the Billboard chart! Holy Shit!"

Anyway, since I'm not 18 anymore, I can't listen to this album, and I've grown to lazily dislike this band and everything they stand for, ie forcing their (Issac Brock's) depression on their entire audience (which is rather large, as in some circles of awkward/boring barristas, Modest Mouse has become one of those bands that you "have to have liked for a long time" in order to be legitimate). Like Sparklehorse, I think they're kind of behind the curve as far as music trends go, probably because they were around before the internet, and they don't know how to read blogs and cater to their target demographic. No one wants to sit alone and listen to sad music anymore. Believe me, I'm doing it right now, and I'd much rather be "getting drunk" and dancing to shit. But it's nine in morning.
I think this band was coming up right when everything was really sucking in the world and only a few people knew about it. Issac Brock was clearly one of the people who "got it." In 2009, everybody knows how bad everything is, and no one wants to think about it/ Obama is president so everything’s fine, so people "get drunk and dance to Passion Pit."
Verdict: I wish Issac Brock would get a journal to write his sad feelings in and maybe make some music that's a little more melodic and accessible. Cat Power got it and look at her now! She's friends with Karl Lagerfield and stuff.

On an unrelated note, during the Good News For People Who Love Bad News era, I also purchased the Raveonette's first full-length album, Chain Gang Of Love. The cover looked the "edgiest" out of all the albums on the rack at my local K-mart (seriously), and I had money to burn (being a kind of still a tween who had a job but could not legally purchase alcohol). Anyway, when I bought it, I was like, huh, that's pretty cool. Then Little Steven (of Bruce's E-Street Band) really hyped them on his Sunday night radio show, "Little Steven's Underground Garage." Probably the only remaining syndicated radio show that's still anywhere near cool, and it's DJed by a 60+ guy wearing a head scarf (quite well). I don't know if it's still on; probably not. (Apparently multiple industry types with some street cred/taste took a liking to the Raveonettes: they were unofficially discovered by David Fricke, editor and columnist of Rolling Stone's "Out There with David Fricke," where he writes the 1/4 page of each issue that that covers music made by people whose publicist has not blown Jann Wenner).

So five years later, I just rediscovered this album and it is fucking awesome. Most of the songs are under two minutes long but they have enough energy and reverb to power a train. I think another reason it took me so long to appreciate Chain Gang is because it's about sex, a topic I was clueless about when I first bought this album. They've come out with three other albums since then, and I haven't heard more than a minimum, mostly because I prefer artists that I think are good to exist as that one perfect album in my mind (like My Morning Jacket's It Still Moves and Cat Power's You Are Free (I know, that sucks)) and also because now I'm poor, and I don't like stealing music from friends and putting it on my itunes to look cool to people who will potentially judge me on my digital music collection. However, I highly recommend checking out this band consistent of two hot people from Denmark who like American music from the 1950's, the Velvet Underground, drugs and sex. Fun fact: Chain Gang was produced by Richard Gottehrer, who also produced albums by Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Blondie! You can't get a much better pedigree than that.


Well, that's it for the August edition of HOT NEW TUNES!!!!!1 (tm)
Feel free to add your own uniformed opinions about any of these bands to those uniformed opinions above and suggest some other bands you'd like covered.

with love, kisses, and sincere expression of the human experience through indpendent music.

More Hot New Tunes!!!!!!!!!!!11 Vol 2

cheer up, sparkly horse!


The second installment of Remix Mountain's up-to-the-minute summer music coverage. (for the first, go here.)


Sparklehorse:
I don't know anything about this band, but at thirty seconds of first listen, they sound like one of those acts who use a heavy rhythm section and some sensitive lyrics/vocals for a "nuanced balance" that tricks the listener into experiencing emotion while hearing their songs, the listener thus forced to attached a meaningful connection to this band, which means they will purchase albums the week they're "dropped" and attending shows when said meaningful band comes into town. I don't know about you, but that's why I listen to Broken Social Scene.
Ok so I just googled them, and apparently it's like one guy who's been around since 1996? Oh well. Sorry, man.
I should've known; he sounds kind of depressed. Everyone knows that now you have to back your feelings to a rad beat for kids (target demographic of urban/suburban youths with disposable income) to like it, because being sad by yourself hasn't been cool since before the internet was invented. Young people want to connect with their peers in a meaningful way, specifically in a combination of danceable beats and meaningful lyrics (see LCD Soundsystem). ok I need to turn this off, its dissonance is making me vaguely think about things/ acknowledge my emotions and I'm getting depressed.
HOLY SHIT that was depressing. I have a tummy ache.
Verdict: Do not listen to alone.


Kanye West:
I seriously could not care less about this music. The most boring thing I've heard since Passion Pit. I think his intense relationship with the press/ the internet/ himself has led to Kanye-oversaturation and I associate him with the mainstream/ everything that really sucks, so I refuse to put in the time it would take to experience Kanye as an artist.
Verdict: I'm going to spend my very limited mainstream time on Beyonce.

Bon Iver:
Like everyone else*, I love to sit around and cry to Bon Iver. I think he is brilliant, and represents a real turning of the tide in "indie music", so much so that music with loud guitars seems incredibly dated and from 2005. Try listening to Wolf Parade after you hear this, and you'll know what I mean. Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes are leading this movement of quiet sincerity, which over-30s will call something stupid like "post-college hippy music" or something. But seriously, this guy is like a silent steamroller. I'll leave it at that.

*with grossly impossible idealistic expectations of life/love and an affinity for bearded men. i.e., everyone.

Beirut:
There are a lot of "Cool New Bands" that the Indie Industrial Complex tries to shove down your throat every week. Said complex likes to take advantage of young people who feel they need to commit to the "large-scale consumer of music" lifestyle to appeal to people "cooler than them" and also attractive to members of the opposite sex. An important part of this production/consumption loop is exposure of new artists by important "music blogs" and word of mouth. This means that you can get burned out on a band before you even hear them. I prefer to weather the first round of hype and see what sticks. Beirut was one of those names that was "on the radar" and I figured it was something stupid and "twee" that probably had some gimmick like a "cute girl and her boyfriend." I am very happy to say that I've been proven completely wrong. Beirut take some major risks in their sound and the results are breathtaking and heartbreaking. More of that return to sincerity, like Bon Iver et al (although Beirut came first). Gulag Orkestar is heavy and dense, where The Flying Club Cup is baroque and melancholy. Both are nearly perfect albums that possess a mature sense of texture; the songs almost have a sculptural quality, built from multiple layers that beg the listener to revisit.
After doing some research, I found that Zach Condon is only 23. Wow. Really makes you think (i.e. drink heavily). Most of the famous people who were younger than me used to be Lindsay Lohan, and that was ok, but this is a little disconcerting.
Verdict: The coveted "Remix Mountain Hats Off" to Beirut.


Next: the epic finale of this month's music coverage. It will change your life.

Hot New Tunes!!!!!!1 (tm) Vol 1

miss u the rapture! photo from christiannation.com

Hey Friends,
You've come to rely on Remix Mountain for cutting-edge, up-to the minute music reporting, so I thought I'd let you know about some cool new bands. I'm just gonna shuffle up some tracks and tastemake away.



The Rapture:
I hate to have to ask this, but what ever happened to these guys? I remember back in 2003, the British press was all over them (At the time, I was in the UK on a prestigious Sub Pop internship to study the effect of American buzz bands in the British market/psyche). Think they rolled right off the tail end of the first "The" bands, like The Strokes, and then they didn't do anything else? Sounds like Brooklyn and maybe that doesn't translate elsewhere, besides the UK. They also came up before the internet became peoples' main source for air, food and music news/videos/album leaks, so they probably missed some important hype and couldn't really establish a strong blog presence, and now they're "old." Wonder what they're doing now? Probably interning at Moma. Whatever, "House of Jealous Lovers" still sounds awesome and will make you long for the days when New York seemed "cool" rather than where all your friends from high school moved after college to get crappy jobs, have their parents pay their rent, and do coke in the bathroom of tacky,overpriced bars with tacky, overpaid dudes and broads.
Verdict: Sorry, bros.

Plants And Animals/Parc Avenue
This came out about 16 months ago and should be called "Riding the Canadian indie-world domination wave." Their With/Avec EP is better. Just Sayin. But seriously, Plants and Animals are very good.
Verdict: Canada is awesome!

Patsy Cline:
I think she is some post-ironic singer songwriter trying to appeal to our appreciation of authenticity. It works.


Ruby Suns:
Yes. Seriously. Just check them out. They're American but moved to New Zealand. I don't want to say anything else and ruin it. You will not regret this.

Passion Pit:
New Genre Alert: Mediocore.
Just listened to this "band" for the first time and couldn't help but get really angry. First of all, they're from Boston, which is one rung lower than Philadelphia on the list of East Coast Cities That Aren't New York. I know 19 year olds who think that they "get it" because they "shop at American Apparel" and aren't actually that self-aware but they have just completed their first year of college/done drugs/know to how appeal to the opposite sex have elected this group of bearded young white men as the flavor du season, but they sound like a pretty blatantly watered-down American version of Justice, that you can dance to and also experience valid emotion to while hanging with your friends and maybe making out with your crush before breaking up over txt msg. I like that about this kind of music, but I get sad when I think about what they'll be doing in five years. Probably in worse shape than The Rapture.
There are about 20 other bands who are doing this exact thing, have also appeared in Nylon Magazine for 14-year-old aspiring vapid "fashion photographers"/drug trade supporters, and they're all pouring Amstel Light for their high school classmates in their hometown's "most legit" bar now.
Verdict: Catchy as hell (before it gets grating), disposable as fuck.

John Fahey:
Perfect antidote to Passion Pit. Sigh. (Sorry to use those two in the same sentence.) But solo guitar is awesome. Highly recommended.



stay tuned for Part Deux for more opinions you should have.

West Coast Punks

happy West Coast Punks.


kinda feel bad for them. Saw Sex Pistols-era British punks the Vibrators in Portland, OR, and the crowd was barely more lively/violent than the audience at an Iron and Wine show. Didn't even see any blood, let alone vital organs on the floor.

I was thinking that it has to do with proximity. New York is a lot closer to London than the west coast is. Kinda think that anything authentically "punk" got lost somewhere in the middle of the country, and "west coast punks" are sort of just a simulacrum of "punk" and don't really have much more to go on than what someone from London or New York told them re: being angry about having been born. Kind of think (white) west coasters just believe that "it's all good" and "chill, man." I'm skeptical of anyone west of the Hudson River who thinks they're "authentically punk." Kind of think the West Coast is the most American place in America since it's literally the end of the country, and all of the good ideas ended up out here (like better weather, the "major motion picture industry," "progressive politics," meth, plastic surgery, and "enjoying life."). This is the land of plenty and oranges and Jerry Garcia. Don't really think anyone has anything to complain/mosh about.

(Beach Boys + the Eagles + "flowers in yr hair" + "Green Day" vs. Lou Reed + Debbie Harry + heroin)

Everyone in the crowd tonight was really good-looking and well accessorized. What's the deal with those girls who wear "cat-eye glasses" and bandanas in their hair and look all "ironically 1950's"? Are they being progressive females by reminding us of the oppression of women of yesteryear and "I Love Lucy"? Or were they just "not popular" in high school and now find meaning in their lives by accessorizing?
Just don't really think real punks use hair products they buy at Walgreens. Kinda think that real punks have acne and knives, and a warrant out for their arrest back in NYC. And a record deal with Malcolm McLaren.

Re: Very Important Business Things

More on-the-clock correspondence from my co-worker. The topic: shows not quite seen.

Hello Emily,

This is Noah, from [where we work].

I just remembered a few close calls.

Blonde Redhead (caught boozin in the the HOB parking lot, escorted off disneyland property and missed the show. side note, that was not the first time ive been escorted off their stupid property)

Cat Power (bought the ticket way too far in advance and my worlds religions exam fell on the same day. gave the ticket to a good friend. he said the show was amazing. gutted.)

The Melvins (motherfucker got sick and cancelled the show. i wasnt reimbursed)

Earthless (I was wasted by the time I even got the bar. Within five minutes of being there I had made out with a girl, spilled a drink on some dude and been kicked out. i passed out on the sidewalk that night)


I didn't miss this show but it was my first live concert. Let me give you the back story. i went on a SWAT trip in high school. It was a week long snowboarding trip in Utah. there were various activities arranged for us that we were obligated to go to. One of them was seeing MXPX. That christian punk band. As horrible as it was, I'm glad I went because there was this genuine punk who was forced to be there as well. he made the best of it though by standing front row, holding his arm up an giving the bird to the singer the entire set. yes, the entire set. he was like a statue. it was quite impressive.

Some great shows I've recently seen since moving here in mid decemeber.

TalkDemonic (its like condensed Godspeed and the violinist chick is hot)
Inside Voices (i dont know what to say about them but the show was good)
The Nurses (go see them tomorrow night at Hollocene. I promise you will not be disappointed)
Pegasus (house shows are awesome)

Sincerely,

the guy who should be fired.

MEGAPUSS/ Surfing

Ok Devendra and preternaturally hot Friend, I fell for your little long haired, bearded naked tattooed trap and bought the album.



So the first couple of songs are about buying hummus at Trader Joes and blowing coke with Lindsay Lohan, and my first thought is goddamn these geniuses for figuring out that all they have to do to make a buck is get naked and make some sounds and record the whole thing for the pierced and plaided pawns in this whole culturally starved joke to slurp up with money they don't have just to touch something that hasn't been polluted by American Idol and this whole unnerving simulacrum of anything real (ie separate from the dehumanizing mechanization of our consumer society) in which we barely exist.

THEN, track seven, "Lavender Blimp," is a 73-second heady little fairy dance in a forest that legitimizes the careers of these guys as more than a couple of hot dudes who like drugs and look good naked. "Lavender Blimp" is reminiscent of Nino Rojo in its celebration of something good and true sans apologetic irony.
And if their forest happens to be in the middle of LA, at least they found a little patch of grass somewhere and found time to dance in it after rolling off of some sticky club floor.

Irony found dead, smothered by flannel

Fleet Foxes


"...the post-collegiate hippie thing really peaked this year.... a return to pastoralism and self-reliance and a sound so free of shiny urban gimmicks that you can almost hear the chickens clucking in the background."

--Slate's Ann Powers on the popularity of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes in 2008

As the music goes, so goes the culture? A comment from a fan on Fleet Foxes myspace page:

"The Show at The Price of Wales was quite Simply one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen. I was in tears the whole time...haha.. i couldnt even sing along to blue ridge moutain cause my lip wouldnt stop quivering. Thank you.. thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving the gift [of] a truly inspired and beautiful music. PEACE and LOVE."

Here would be an appropriate time time go into issues of Our Generation and how We might be Changing Things for the Better by identifying with sensitive indie rock and bagging the ideals that this country's backbone is currently collapsing under, but I'll spare everyone that (redundant) rant.

I'll just leave it at: who knew beards and flannel (and artful sincerity) would force irony six feet under by 2009? Hats off to you, sensitive men from the woods.

Ratatat, Will You Civil Union Me?: MFNW Breakdown

Fuck Buttons play yr demons




Ratatat melts face.

Sept. 3-6 in Portland saw a slew of good looking youths pouring in and out of venues and their pants. Here, the transcendence and regret that ensued.

Fuck Buttons:

Yes.
These two British geniuses at the end of the world didn't look up from their raging laptops for the entirety of their amazing set. My neck still hurts.
Related: Portland, why don't you dance?

Mogwai:

This whole lyrics thing should be re-evaluated.

Bodies of Water:

If an unknown band should only be remembered for two things, they might as well be a female keyboardist in a unitard and the greatest bowlcut since Heaven's Gate drank the kool-aid, and sounding like the New Pornographers while not being Canadian.

Starfucker:

Conventionally attractive people should not front bands. Especially party bands. Especially called party bands called Starfucker that are not good.

Deerhunter:

Anyone under 30 who currently has a pulse could write their masters thesis on this performance and how it sums up "youth culture" in early twenty first century America.
Artists chose one of two paths: misunderstood genius who keeps his integrity by holding his head high while playing to his adoring audience (Bob Dylan), or aggressively antagonistic toward the audience he holds in contempt (Lou Reed). Deerhunter's lead singer, who hasn't eaten since America's biggest woe was it's president's illicit sex life, has decided to go down the dark path of Lou Reed, or what I only hope that Lou Reed was pulling mid-heroin, pre-tai chi. In the twenty minutes before he started playing, this disturbingly gecko-like human ran his mouth off to an increasingly drunk and restless crowd. He (while wearing a faded ghost-busters T and face full of narcotics) called his audience "fucking hipsters," who probably just moved to Portland two weeks ago, told us all he was a Republican, and sneered that he was just giving us all something to write about in our independently published reviews of the festival. Thanks!
The music itself was pretty good if you have to give a band credit for sounding like My Bloody Valentine, but being held in contempt by anyone who's not Lou Reed loses its appeal quickly. But this guy did give me a lot to write about. Gratuitous and mind exploding volume of cultural analysis: 2001-2008 coming soon.

Britt Daniel:

Britt sans Spoon is kind of like being served a bowl of vanilla ice cream. You're not going to say no, but you can't help but wish there was some chocolate sauce or nuts or bass to go along with it. But, Britt has the advantage of his relative boringness being still consistently better than most acts who unsuccessfully rely on an annoying gimic. Plus, Britt is sort of an elder statesman in this crowd and it's kind of nice that he shows up in all black, alone with his guitar, and can fill a room with appreciative fans. Janet Weiss joined Britt on drums and the pairing was pretty epic-- if we have legends, they are. While they were playing, I remembered why live music is necessary: sometimes it's a lightning flash that illuminates just how worthwhile life as a human can be.

Built to Spill:

I have no authority to comment on this band other than using the phrase "socially acceptable jam rock" paired with a thumbs up. Also, Built to Ill would be a cool cover band name.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson:

Despite their unfortunate name, these guys were impressive. Anything vaguely reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac gets a few points: two girls, three guys and the lead singer sounded British.

Jaguar Love:

I could say that this was the worst band I've ever seen live, that I would have been embarrassed for them if they possessed any sense of self-awareness, that the lead singer was a cross between Truman Capote and Vince Neil with a really grating voice. But instead, I'll keep it to: the only thing that should be salvaged from this band is the bassist's mouth.

TV on the Radio:

I didn't think it was possible to like any band less after seeing them live, especially a band that routinely blows my mind with lyrics about postmodern anxiety. I guess a writhing mass of moshing seventeen years olds will have that affect. I don't have insurance, don't step on my face.
(Redemption: “I like pop music,” Mr. Malone said in a telephone interview. “I also like the sound of a dying refrigerator. I can listen to that for an hour and a half if I’m in the mood.” Thanks Merez!)

Ratatat:

Ripping guitars in a cloud of pink and orange transcendence. A digital Exploding Plastic Inevitable; Warhol would be proud. Ratatat should be our generation's Rolling Stones: no one wants to listen to words anymore, and life at its best for all of us is one big undulating, sweating dance party.

Medicine For the People

(not part of MFNW): If Jeff Magnum had Joanna Newsom's babies: killer vocals and trumpet set to poems make beautiful guitar music about nature. And they served cookies and CDs!

The Shaky Hands/ Thao with Get Down Stay Down:

The Hands were impressive and did a cover of Bad Moon Rising and Thao was a much needed change from bored dudes listlessly wading through their own genius; she was having a great time and everyone else was too.

Need a long vaca from guitars and bearded dudes playing them. Time for Stevie Wonder.

Recommendation for August

Watch The Last Waltz, devote life to embodying the spirit of The Band.
Seriously. In the 1960s and 70s, this 80% Canadian band constructed the tale of late nineteenth century America that we cling to today. They toured with Dylan on his infamous 1966 Britain tour, wrote "The Weight" and were all multi-talented babes who were also friends with Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton, and recorded their debaucherous brilliance in a drugged-out binge of face-melting guitars and sweat with Martin Scorcese!
They'll make you rue the day "The Weight" became the poster song for yuppie nostalgia thanks to The Big Chill, and they'll make you believe in the integrity of the Confederacy, or at least question that convenient little narrative you were fed in eighth grade about the good guys in blue and bad guys in gray.
For being Canadian, for being the more awesome and under-appreciated cousin of the Grateful Dead and not even caring, for being the hosts to perhaps the greatest rager in recent American music history and dressing up for it, for having a good time all the time and for having the foresight to film it, Blogtrack salutes The Band.