To Hell With Good Intentions

The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea

2006-04-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

I still have a few dance songs to post, but I'd rather talk about this album. I'm really surprised by the critical reaction to this album. I thought reviews come out overwhelming in support of the fabulously musically eccentric brother and sister duo of Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger, but I guess people can't get over how terrible Rehearsing My Choir was.

This is without a doubt their best album, and I was really surprised to find fans of Blueberry Boat giving Bitter Tea a lower score than what they gave Blueberry Boat. This album is infinitely more accessible than that album and has much more direction and focus. The only explanation I can think of is a nasty aftertaste is lingering with most critics and their confidence and interest in this band has waned.

Take 'Oh Sweet Woods' for example. What an outstanding acheivement. Upon first hearing it, it totally took me by surprise. I had no idea this band was capable of making such a powerful song. This song is a testament to their endless inventiveness and their ability to visit all different styles of music and mold any common style or beat into something that is uniquely their own.

'Waiting to Know You' is a classic pop song and one of the most accessible songs in their catalogue. Nothing on Blueberry Boat spoke to me so clearly as this song does, and I think it is s sign that they are going more conventional. But when is the last time you went to Fiery Furnaces to hear conventional pop songs? You listen to this band to hear something different, something interesting, and every song on Bitter Tea is exactly that. In a perfect world, every song would bring something new to the table, something that we haven't heard them do before, and I think it is safe to say that Matthew and Eleanor accomplished that with this album.

The only criticism I have for this album is that it can get tiring to listen to it repeatedly. My enthusiasm for this album upon first hearing it was enormous, but I have listened to it less and less since that initial week where I kept it on repeat in my car and on my mp3 player. It is difficult to tell if that is a fault in the music or if that is just simply me over exposing myself to the music. I've been known to get sick of Wilco and Spoon at times... two bands that can do no wrong in my opinion.

I still will be visiting the store today to buy this album. I think everyone should at least give this album a chance, even if you don't particularly like the Fiery Furnaces.

5 Dance songs to dance to (duh)

2006-04-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for some good dance songs, and I'll be the first to confess that I don't have a lot of good club music. Many of these songs wouldn't be considered "good club music," but I find they are fun as hell to dance to... especially after I've consumed a dozen beers or so.

These songs come from fairly well known bands (and/or artists), but I'll go ahead and give a little description for each of them.

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To

Franz Ferdinand, those England rockers that sorta look middle aged but get a lot of air play on the radio. They sorta went astray (in my opinion) on their second album, but I still find this song quite enjoyable. Their first album was one of the best of 2004. It was so great that the single 'Take Me Out' was included on that horrendous game Guitar Hero and I have since been unable to listen to it because I've heard it so much it makes me nauseated. Check out their discography here.

Bloc Party - Luno

Hailing from London, Bloc Party was, arguably, the hottest band of 2005. Every hipster was playing their debut album Silent Alarm at their hipster parties in 2005 and continue to do so in 2006. Apparently they kicked ass at this years SXSW so they have established an even larger fan base. What's not to like about this band? 12 out of 13 songs on the album are solid, but this one might pack the most punch of the bunch. The key word is might because that is a difficult judgement to make. For instance, some might argue that you can't even dance to this song, but my response to that would be "You aren't trying hard enough" or "You aren't drunk enough". Buy their music here.

The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers

The Rapture's sophomore album Echoes gave me mixed reactions. In it existed songs so perfect (House of Jealous Lovers) that it is hard to imagine they were ever written. (Warning: That could be my medication talking). Mixed amid these great songs were just as many songs that lead nowhere and were very frustrating to endure. This band has some real potential, but if past experience is any clue to the future, I'd expect a entirely different style from the Rapture whenever they decide to release their third album. Dance punk is dead, but I never grew sick of it. See their albums here.

M.I.A. - Baile Funk One

Try to sing this song! It's so fun! Go ahead try it, no one is listening so no one will make fun of you. This song is from her experimental unscripted cd Piracy Funds Terrorism. I realize that title is kinda ironic given that I'm posting this song for free on the internet so 5 people can download (of which probably 4 already have the cd), but if M.I.A. or Diplo (who she did the remixes with) gets angry they can shoot us an email. I think the name is just a joke though. I jam to this in my car at least once a week, and I have almost totally gotten the lyrics down despite my in ability to sing or rap. Piracy Funds Terrorism is much better than the cleaner (i.e. scripted and rehearsed) Arular, and if you haven't gotten into M.I.A. yet, I'd advise picking up Piracy before Arular. Piracy just never gets old, it seems fresh with each new listen. Check out M.I.A.'s catalogue here

P.S. I'm not sure if you can buy Piracy Funds Terrorism. I remember cokemachineglow.com had the entire album up for download when they first reviewed it, but I don't see it at amazon or insound.

Volume 10 and Roni Size - Raised in the Hood

This song comes off the Blade II soundtrack. I was actually surprised at the number of good songs on the Blade II soundtrack. There is of course Eve & Fatboy Slim's 'Cowboy' with such great opening lyrics as "WHERE MY NIGGAS AT [WHAT]? / WHERE MY THUGS AT [WHAT]? / WHERE MY NIGGAS GETTING STACKS? [YOU KNOW WHERE WE AT]" There is also a collaboration between Cypress Hill and Roni Size called 'Child of the Wild West' that has a great beat. I was hesitant to post 'Raised in the Hood' over 'Child of the Wild West', but I think overall this is the better song. But anyway, I'd check out the rest of the tracks on the Blade II soundtrack here . I don't promise they are all this good, but it still worth picking up because as far as I know most of these songs don't appear on other albums.

OK, that's it for now. I had 5 more songs I wanted to post, but I didn't realize this would be so much writing. I'll post the rest tomorrow. George the Badger, I bet you know a lot of good dance songs. I'd like to hear some suggestions from you.

Loose Fur

2006-04-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally received Loose Fur's Born Again in the USA from amazon.com. I've only listened to it a couple of times, but I'm really liking what I hear so far. There has definitely been more effort put into this album than usually can be expected from most "side-projects". Loose Fur is of course the collaboration between Jeff Tweedy, Jim O'Rourke, and Glenn Kotche. A couple of months ago I posted an acoustic version of "The Ruling Class" that Jeff played at one of his solo shows. Most of these songs are quality songs, except they'd never fit on a Wilco album because of the humor ingrained throughout the album. It just wouldn't make sense to put a song about Jesus smoking crack on any of Wilco's albums, and despite the occasional obscene album cover (read Eureka), O'Rourke also tends to release more serious songs as well. So it can be inferred that Loose Fur was invented to not let these great songs go to waste and never get released.

Hey Chicken is the first song on the album and my favorite so far. Very catchy tune with a rambling guitar riff that reminds me of Led Zeppelin. Check it out if you haven't already and consider getting Born Again in the USA. But don't expect to find it in the usual locations; the Bestbuy, Circuit City, and Soundwaves near me didn't bother stocking it.

Loose Fur - Hey Chicken

Buy it here

Godspeed You! Black Emperor the Peel Session (11/22/98)

2006-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is a file that I picked up off of regnyouth a week or so ago. More than likely you guys missed it or over looked it. The Peel memorial website (if that's what it is now) says that this song was actually done in 2 parts, but this mp3 lasts 18 minutes with no breaks, so maybe the website is wrong or complicating things for no reason. This song is classic Godspeed, and it makes me really miss this band. Rumors have been spreading that they are making another album, but I haven't heard anything on it in a while. Sounds kinda similar to the Portishead saga... where the fuck is the new Portishead album already? 8 years is not long enough to wait?

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Hung Over as the Oven in Maida (Parts I and II)

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In other news, allmusic.com updated their layout. Check it out, I like it better than the old one: http://www.allmusic.com/

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I also wanted to focus on this new Destroyer album entitled Rubies. It has been hyped up quite a lot by every music publication in existance, but I think it deserves all the praise it can get. This is some really good stuff, and this particular song is irresistably infecting. Listen to it some more if you didn't pay much attention to it when it was first being passed around.

Destroyer - Painter in your Pocket

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Oh yeah, and that Tool song I was just talking about leaked, and yes I downloaded it. It's pretty damn good, so my hope for Tool's new album to be shit has definitely diminished somewhat. Oh well, I still say fuck them. This song will definitely get played out on the radio. I want to link it, but considering how sensitive that band is on their music, I better not. I wouldn't want jail time...

read

Tool's war with their fans

2006-04-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know how big of Tool fans any of you are. This topic brought rather heated discussions a year or two ago on the message board, and I think from those discussions we can all glean that Biznotch fucking loves Tool. In fact it's his favorite band. But I don't want to spend all my time talking about Biznotch's love for Tool, he can bore us with that at a later date.

Vicarious is due to hit the radio this coming Monday (April 17), and Tool has done such a good job at hiding their music from the public that no one has heard Vicarious except people who have been expressedly sent the song by Maynard (or Danny, or Adam, or Justin). While this could be looked at as a great achievement for the band (wow they managed to keep their music from leaking at a time when most albums leak months in advance!), I think it should be viewed in a more negative light.

Yesterday Chris on toolshed.down.net had this to say on the subject:

With "Vicarious" just days from airing on the radio, some folks would have expected it to leak by now. Why hasn't it? It turns out that most radio stations will be downloading a digital file from a secure webserver (no, we're not telling you which one) and may receive a physical CD at a later date. Other info indicates that, instead of mailing out promo copies of the album, Tool is flying journalists to LA to review it under their supervision.

Reading the forums on toolshed, I noticed that there is definitely a lack of fans responding negatively to this news. Most of the immature, douche bag fans that visit those forums are writing things like "OMG! Vicarious on the radio Monday! I WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT OMGOMGOMGOMG!" Only a few are writing that they are upset about the way they are being treated as longtime devoted fans.

Fans should be upset. Tool has been going way out of their way to hide their music from the their fans. While Tool has never been a band that embraced the media or their fans, they have now (in their old age) gone so extreme in their tactics used to prevent piracy that they look like a bunch of paranoid old codgers still living the life of a rock and roll star.

Why does this band refuse to upload the single to their website and provide a free public download? Why do they insist on keeping a strict release date of April 17th on the radio? Why in the hell would they want to subject their fans to having to sit and listen to top 40 radio for hours on end just to get to hear a Tool's new song (only to be rewarded by a shortened, poor quality version designed to fit in a 4 minute time slot)? Do they really want us to have to sift through Godsmack, Nickelback, Creed, etc. to hear their song?

And what does it really matter anyway? It is inevitable that this track will leak on the internet at some point, so what does it really matter if it leaks today or 3 weeks from now? Will that have any impact on the sales of the album as a whole? It can only hurt them, because less people will be exposed to the song on the radio than they would be if it were being offered up as a download on an mp3 blog. I can promise you that I will not be listening to the radio just to hear this single.

This leads me to the point I've been trying to make from the beginning. This band doesn't give a shit anymore what they do to their fans. They have us hooked, so they are going to treat us like big floppy penises and expect that we will maintain our loyalty. What is the incentive anymore to like this band? Yes the music is good (usually), but what more than that? It seems like all they do is just release things to drum up more money from their fanatic fan pool. For instance, the Schism and Parabola DVDs for $10 each. Wow, one music video and a few crappy repetitive remix songs. And for a bonus, they include some boring ass commentary. When is the last time Tool has released any music to benefit a charity or to benefit anyone other than themselves?

I really would hope you guys would consider not buying 10,000 Days when it finally comes out. Biznotch, I know that will be hard for you, but I hope you could download it for free instead. This band deserves that much. If they don't want to have anything to do with their conniving, thieving fans, then the fans shouldn't want to have to do anything with them. And if you, the fan, can't control yourself, then at least download it for free and don't give them or their worthless label any hard earned money out of your pocket. I really doubt Maynard has had a hard days work in the last 10 years. He seems to have forgotten where he came from. It wasn't long ago that he was a poor struggling artist, and he was dependent on fans to show up to his shows and provide him with money so he could get a meal at the end of the day. Now that he's loaded with money and Mr. Powerful he is repaying those fans by treating them like dicks. Karma Police anyone?

Tool would not have the fan base it has now if it wasn't for the internet. I would not be a Tool fan myself it I didn't downloaded Undertow 6 or 7 years ago. I started by listening to a couple of songs every now and then, and gradually I began to like them, and finally I downloaded the entire Undertow album and I loved them. I then proceeded to buy every album they have ever released (aside from those two shitty DVDs they just released). If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't give two shits about the band. They are fighting the very thing that gave them such a wide fanbase, and it is simply in the name of greed. The band has never denied this statement, but it should be vexing to fans to realize they are audacious enough to admit they work solely for money when rock and roll is supposed to be the antithesis of corporate greed.

fruity what?

2006-04-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves shitty electronica, right? Especially the homebrewed stuff, no doubt. Thats why I'm here to fufill that unholy desire with two fat slabs of shit I cooked up with fruity loops, because, well, I kill a lot of time on that program, so why not share it? Forgive, well, everything about them (shitty names, shitty sounds, shitty mix, shitty skillz, etc) and just listen, dammit, and then assuage my ego. Please? oh well.

Hoopla

Internal Organs

I swear to god I'll actually post real content someday.

Spoon - Love Ways EP

2006-04-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment to spotlight this often neglected and definitely underrated piece of Spoon's discography. This 2002 five song EP highlight is Chips and Dip, which until quite recently I thought was found on Kill the Moonlight (recently as in I looked today and figured out it wasn't on there). Any of these songs could easily have appeared on that album without diminishing the value of that recording. This particular track, I Didn't Come Here to Die, is a groovy jazz number that completely suits Britt Daniel's vocal style. Sadly Spoon has really avoided writing dance pieces like this during their decade long career. This would be an awesome song to experience live.

Get the EP at amazon

Spoon - I Didn't Come Here to Die

Joni Mitchell

2006-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

I think a few weeks ago I mentioned Joni Mitchell on the message board, and no one seemed to have much by her. That lead me to believe that maybe you guys don't listen to her stuff, so I decided to link a couple of mp3s to give you a feel for how great she is.

These are the first 2 songs off of Blue, one of her 3 (maybe 4 or 5) masterpieces. The album's overall tone is very somber and sad, these 2 songs being two of the more spirited songs on the album, but the album nevertheless remains a easy listen.

Joni Mitchell - All I Want
Joni Mitchell - My Old Man

I encourage everyone to search out this album, For the Roses, and Court and Spark.

Liars - Drum's Not Dead

2006-04-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

You know, when I read the new Liars' album review at Pitchfork (they gave it a 9.0), I really expected something different. I expected a return to roots of dance punk with maybe a little extra experimental noise for added coolness effects, but what I got was the same sort of crap from the last album. To put it bluntly, if you thought They Were Wrong, So We Drowned sucked, you are going to think Drum's Not Dead sucks. The album title itself is deceiving, because you expect some really kick ass drumming to be laced throughout the album, but alas that is not the case either.

Drum's Not Dead is a concept album with two imaginary characters taking center stage. The first character is Drum who represents the band's fiery, energetic side while the other character is Mr. Heart Attack who represents self-doubt and stress. 11 of 12 songs are named after one of the two characters, and while in writing that might sound like a really interesting idea for a concept album, the music itself is stale. Original fans of the band will again be disappointed and left pondering what happened to this band.

The first eleven songs on the album feature a total disregard for song structure and instead explore endless realms of psychedelia and noise experimentation. Vocal melodies are a mere afterthought as Angus throughout the album mumbles incoherent phrases and patterns that contribute to the cloudy atmosphere of the album as a whole. The guitars and drums too are sporadic and subdued for most of the album. In the rare occasion where this is not the case (such as on Hold You, Drum), the songs simply go no where. In Hold You, Drum, the drums/guitar/vocals are all clearly defined foreshadowing something dramatic in the future, but the song drags on pointlessly, speciously delivering a build up with rabid, even tribal drumming that results in nothing but a continuation of the same patented Liars' electronic drone.

The single It Fit When I Was a Kid could make it as some sort of strange club beat with the pulsating bass rhythm that opens the song, except they completely change direction midway through the song and return to their uninspired meaningless dribble. It is just one of perhaps eleven examples where they could take the next step and intensify their sound but instead choose to remain dreary and dark. Mr. Heart Attack seems to seep into every song and ruining any chance of the Liars breaking this decrepit structure in which they have trapped themselves.

One song that is sort of the exception to this rule is Drum and the Uncomfortable Can, a song that I had an easy time getting into upon first listen. This song features a solid crescendo of distorted feedback and pounding drums that results in a satisfying climax with Albertson really letting loose on the drums in a wild onslaught. This is Drum at his most passionate and energetic, and it is most welcome after the restrain that dominated the first 8 songs on the album.

Only one other song stands out as potentially being enjoyed by more than just the most devote of Liars' fans. The closer The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack sports the most conventional song structure of the entire album and coincidentally happens to be the most enjoyable song on the entire album (imagine that!). Angus sings "I won't run far / I won't run far / I won't run far / I can always be found / I can always be found." The lyrics and his choice delivery make for a touching final song that I had no problems relating to my own life (a first for this album). The irony of course is that the song is sung from the first person view of Mr. Heart Attack (Mr. Self Doubt and Stress), so the song becomes more troubling than touching when you realize who "can always be found." It is mind journeys like the above that I think the Liars hoped listeners could partake in with every song on this album, but sadly the music just gets too much in the way for that to be possible.

Brandon Stosuy ends his Pitchfork review with the following line: "Drum's Not Dead is a majestic victory lap, and on all levels, a total fucking triumph." What is he talking about? I am really not sure. To me, this is just the same old shit from the Liars that we saw in 2004. I miss the days when they used to write fun, interesting music. Buy this album for background music at work, or to piss off your friends who only listen to music like Kelly Clarkson or the Foo Fighters, but don't buy it expecting "a total fucking triumph." If you do, you will be soon wishing you had your $15 back.

By the way, the album comes with a DVD that has 3 different videos for every song on the album. I have not seen this DVD nor do I plan to anytime in the near future.

Score: 6/10

Voxtrot - Mothers Daughters Sisters & Wives EP

2006-03-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Voxtrot continue their quest toward indie popularity on a good note with this 5 song EP. While this EP doesn't make leaps and bounds improvement over their debut (it would be impossible to do that), it is still a welcome step in the right direction (toward perfection). In reality the songs from the 5 song self-titled Voxtrot EP had been making set lists for 2 or 3 years prior to its release, so with this new EP, Voxtrot was faced with a new challenge of writing new songs in a short amount of time. This thought was especially troubling to me considering Voxtrot only a year earlier had been nothing more than a summer band, taking long breaks in the fall and spring to reunite every summer in Austin for a couple of shows. Only when Ramesh finally decided to put his education on hold and commit himself full time to the band did Voxtrot take off, but in all truth it was only a matter of time given the strength of their arsenal.

Joining Voxtrot this time are a few extra musicians that Ramesh writes "contributed violin, cello, trumpet, and french horn to the new songs." This adds a new complexity to their songs not seen on the debut, and they do an impressive job of keeping everything sounding very natural and unforced. They still have their classic sound which is apparent from the opening title track, but the difference is that it sounds fuller and richer. It's obvious that they spent a little bit more time and money on recording these 5 songs.

As for the quality of the songs, all five are above average with the opener and closer sitting as the standouts of the bunch. The middle tracks take a little listening time before they can properly be understood and appreciated. Rise Up in the Dirt features some Ramesh's most daring vocal work to date, with him almost (yes, almost) yelling such gloomy lyrics as "When you wake from the shell of this body" which leads into something unintelligible or "When you wake up tomorrow my son, you will be the father of something terrible." Yet the song itself is not gloomy. The lyrics tell the story of a man dealing with old age and a feeling of worthlessness and ending on a happy note: "Somewhere in the darkness you will find love, baby you will find love."

Four Long Days, the 4th song on the EP, sounds like it could have come straight off a Belle and Sebastian album, but that's not really a stab at them or criticism. The closer Soft and Warm is my favorite song on the album. This song has been kicking around in set lists for the past 6 months or more, and the first time I heard it in Austin I was instantly addicted. This is pure masterful pop genius, in vain of Raised by Wolves and Start of Something from their debut. I really love the added violin, something that they did not play on stage. The string arrangements add a new depth to Voxtrot's music, and I hope that they continue to experiment with string instruments in the future. So, in short, I love this EP and I can't wait to see what they do on their upcoming full length.

Scorsies: 8/10

buy for only $6.99 + shipping and handling (what a deal!) Voxtrot

Thom Yorke live at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California 10/26/2002

2006-03-15T07:57:00.000-08:00

Not sure if any of you guys have this or not, but I think it's a pretty good concert. I especially like it for Yorke's acoustic There There (that had yet to be released in 2002). I wish I could play that on guitar and have it sound like that.

Thom Yorke - Intro
Thom Yorke - Everything in it's Right Place
Thom Yorke - I Might be Wrong
Thom Yorke - Sail to the Moon
Thom Yorke - Like Spinning Plates
Thom Yorke - There There
Thom Yorke - Pyramid Song
Thom Yorke - Lucky
Thom Yorke - After the Gold Rush

I also have him playing another solo show at the same place the very next day. I'll put it up if anyone wants it.

Tapes N' Tapes

2006-03-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hello hello, just got back from seeing the Tapes N' Tapes at the Super Happy Fun Land in Houston. I was quite surprised to find that not very many people showed up to the show despite Pitchfork recently giving them a 8.4 for The Loon and announcing their tour in the news section. I guess very few people in Houston give a shit about what Pitchfork thinks.

Anyhoo, this gig, I'm guessing, was just a tune up for their multiple show extravaganza at SXSW. Needless to say, they rocked the house, and when I say that I literally mean it. The Super Happy Fun Land venue is nothing more than a house that has been gutted in the middle of a residential neighborhood off the 610 loop. They put a stage inside of it, complete with theater seating and about 10 cozy couches. The seating was nice, but it kind of made the crowd want to sit down rather than stand up. My friend and I had to take a stand against all the sitting and actively lead the crowd into getting closer to the band once the Tapes N' Tapes took stage.

Also at the show were Hudson Bell, Dr. Dog, and The New Flesh. I didn't get to stay to see Dr. Dog or The New Flesh because I'm a big pussy and I have to get a lot of rest before work, or I'll just want to die in the morning.

After the Tapes' set, I was suddenly tempted to buy a Tapes N' Tapes shirt, so I went to the lady at the counter and grabbed a random shirt from a pile of shirts I assumed were all Tapes N' Tapes shirts and asked "So, is this a guys shirt?" She frowned and said "I don't know anything about those shirts." I then noticed I had a Hudson Bell shirt in my hand, and it just so happened that the Hudson Bell's lead singer was right at the table spying me, and he got all excited that I was going to buy a shirt. He eagerly explained to me the prices and the sizes, but I really didn't want a shirt so I was trying to find a way to tell him that I didn't actually want his shirt and that it was a mistake. Ultimately though, I couldn't totally break his heart, so I bought his band's cd for $10. They were pretty good live, he's a definitely a skillful guitarist, but they had a little bit of a miking problem that I felt hindered the overall performance. He would be jamming away at a solo that I could barely make out due to the noise coming from the other guitarist and bassist. Anyway, I'll let you know if the cd is any good. I left the show without a Tapes N' Tapes shirt cause I couldn't see spending another $10 on a shirt.

So end of story = Tapes N' Tapes are great live. GO SEE THEM! If you haven't checked them out yet, do so:

Here's some songs from their website:

Tapes N' Tapes - Insistor
Tapes N' Tapes - Cowbell
Tapes N' Tapes - Omaha

And in honor them playing this song in Houston:
Tapes N' Tapes - In Houston

Website: Tapes N' Tapes

Two Gallants - What The Toll Tells

2006-03-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

I know, this is not the newest album out there, but it hit 2006 with a resounding quiet thud, making hardly a dent anywhere on the internet. Frankly, it deserves much, much more attention.

Two Gallants, as one might gather from the title, are composed entirely of two young men, drummer and guitarist, and they purvey a rare an exotic blend of literate alt-country, southwestern stylings, and raging noise. When they aren't serenading you with gentle, vaguely southwestern picking and melodic singing, they are bombarding with chaos, all screaming guitarwork and fiery drums, but What The Toll Tells never really grates or loses its grace.

The album is certainly abraisive--both singers posess gritty, dangerous, pissed off yelps, but the singing will potentially draw just as many as it turns away. The backing can be unusually boisterous for the southern brand of rock the band presents, but it is always listeneble and engaging.

This is the modern state of what the Meat Puppets strove for on II, the very definition and pinnacle of country punk.

Highlights: Las Cruces Jail, Long Summer Day, Waves of Grain

Score: 7.8/10

sorry bout the brevity, just go find this album was all I really had to say...

Band Site

Buy

YEAH YEAH... yeahs?

2006-03-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

So, I tracked down those Gold Lion songs from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs new album. It took some hard work, but I finally I pulled through, and I am very proud of myself. Luckily the songs are good, or I'd be pretty pissed that I spent a lot of time for some crappy songs. Check 'em out! The first one is remixed by Diplo and is some groovy party music. The other is the original... for comparison purposes.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion (Diplo Mix)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

2006-02-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

We said we were going to review stuff............... so here's my first attempt:

When is this genre going to tire out? Apparently not anytime soon, if sales are any gauge of general public demand. The Arctic Monkey's debut cd, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not, has been out for about 3 or 4 weeks in the UK and a little less than a week in the US. In this time span it has sales approaching 400,000 copies, which is entirely amazing given the state of the music industry in modern times. These kinds of early sales are in the league of the great (cough) fiddy and (vomit) Mariah Carey.

Not being from England, I have no idea how this album was promoted in that country. I know, for instance, that in the US I've never once heard an Arctic Monkeys song on the radio. But, from what I've read, this band got famous mostly on internet buzz, free downloading, and demo tapes passed out at live shows. And still the music industry insists that downloading hurts the musicians.

The Arctic Monkeys, upon first listen, sound similar to bands such as the Strokes and the Libertines. Yes they have a different singer, and yes the guitars are little more fierce, but is this really a new sound? The answer, of course, is no. But it doesn't matter, because the album is filled with hooks and catchy lyrics that are very friendly upon first listen. In many respects this band is very similar to the Killers and Franz Ferdinand, and it only seems to be a matter of time before they catch on as strongly in the US as they have in the UK.

Take for instance the track "Fake Tales of San Francisco." The bass groove/ drum beat in the background could have come straight out of a Killers album. While it's not as lyrically infectious as something like Mr. Brightside or Somebody Told Me, it still is a great song that demands repeat listens. Artistically it trumps the work of the Killers, but still it is too safe to compare to the level of intensity found on songs from (as an example) The Libertines' Self-titled. But again, this is a debut, so you must remember to be more lenient with regard to matters such as these.

As for the rest of the songs, they have varying degrees of success. I love the opener, The View from the Afternoon. Again, it feels like I've heard this song a dozen different times, but the Arctic Monkeys pull it off well. Pounding drums in the beginning transform into a searing dance punk guitar rhythm backed by Helder pounding the high-hat at a Rapturisk tempo.

Where my view probably differs from a lot of other people is in the second song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor." I honestly think this song is a totally failure. It really pisses me off when you make a song about a dancefloor and it is totally undanceable. It starts off with some guitar wankery, James Cook showing some skill as he fiddles with his whammy bar. Eventually the song settles down into a quick tempo beat that is catchy. Alex Turner sings "Oh you're an explosion" with a crazed "You're dynomite!" sung in the background. Then suddenly the song changes tempo to an even quicker beat with Turner yelling "Oh I bet that you look good on the dancefloor/I don't know if you looking for romance or/ I don't know what you are lookin' for." This part is fucking impossible to dance to. Go ahead and try it, you won't be able to successfully do it without looking foolish. I can't understand what their goal is here. Do they want a dance song or a mosh pit number? Eventually they resort to that intro guitar solo with Helder's wailing on the drums and finish the song on what most would call (but not me) a rockin note. This song just doesn't fit with the rest of the songs on the album.

Many of the other songs succeed where this song failed. "Dancing Shoes" is a great song as is "You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights But You Were Standing Straight at Me." These songs have true vision and don't go off into an unnecessary guitar/ drum explosion. One of the best songs is number 6, "Still Take You Home," where band keeps the intensity level raised with the best guitar jam yet, drawing you more deeply into the album.

Overall the album is pretty even with maybe only the closer looking like another possible weak point. This song comes off as a little too much of a Libertines impression in my opinion, but it is likely to be pleasing even after repeat listens. Still it isn't the strong closer you'd hope for in a album such as this one. In one respect they win by going out following the winning formula they established with the first 12 songs (minus song 2), but in another respect they fail in that they don't offer anything new and uplifting for the end. More often than not I find myself skipping this final song to put the player back to the beginning of the album.

So, an impressive debut definitely. This band is sure to continue to draw in a legion of fans because they make music to suite the masses. Understandably they live in the shadow of the bands they imitate, but I look forward to seeing if they can clearly break the mold with their next album.

Score: 7/10

Here's a track that isn't on the album, cause I'm sure most of you already have the album.

Arctic Monkeys - Cigarette Smoke

Apples O!

2006-02-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Appleseed Cast have a new album coming out, Perigrine, which is fucking ace, and you should buy it when it comes out on March 21, or preorder it from their website now. It's big, it's loud, it swaggers all over your face dripping melody and making you just a little bit better of a person for it. It demands to be heard, and really, it has the right to be. Here's a track to sate that hideously unstopable curiosity of yours:

The Appleseed Cast - ....well, fuck. ezarchive is gay sometimes. so here's a link to their myspace instead, and I'll try again later...

In other news, and to continue recent fanboyism, Voxtrot is playing at the Beat Kitchen on friday, so you should go if you live in or near Chicago.

Old skool voxtrot

2006-02-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some old old Voxtrot tunes that were recorded before anyone even knew such a band existed. I've been going to shows for 2 or 3 years now, and I have yet to hear these two songs played. Ramesh (the lead singer) told me in an email a few months back that it is unlikely that they'll ever bring these songs back to the live shows. That news is very sad considering how good these two songs are.

Voxtrot - Whiskey and Water

Voxtrot - Angry Mulch

The Doctor will see you now

2006-02-17T04:25:00.000-08:00

Dr Dog are from Philadelphia in the good ol' US of A. They released an album called 'Easy Beat' in August of 2005. They come across like the bastard love child of Pavement, Wilco and My Morning Jacket, with The Beatles and Talking Heads as godparents, but really sounding nothing like any of them. I suppose you could call it jangley guitar pop, but I just call it good music. Whilst the album is far from perfect, it certainly better than the 4.4 those dorks at Pitchfork gave it.
Give them a try and if you like, BUY IT!

Easy Beat
Wake Up

Supertroopers of the Soul

2006-02-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

The Ladies - Black Ceasar/Red Sonja

The Ladies are a collaboration between Rob Crowe (the guitarist from Pinback, also of Goblin Cock IIRC) and Zack Hill (Hella's balls-insane drummer). Rob Crowe contributes the melodic and complex one would expect from Pinback, and Hill, well, Hill does his thing, and by thing you know what I'm talking about if you've listened to any Hella. One might figure that with just the two of them, niether really varying from their regular band's style much, this outing might be somewhat boring if not completely terrible, but the fact is that the sounds manage to mesh and interplay amazingly off of eachother to the extent that the listener never gets bored with just guitar and drums. In all, their new record, They Mean Us is a real entertainer, and should be heard by fans of both bands as well as anyone into challenging rock.

Fat Sack of Treats

2006-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00

I won't... I shouldn't... I really can't... c'mon, man, get a grip, this pun bloCHRISTMAS SEEMS TO HAVE COME EARLY THIS YEARws... fuck! Goddammit.

Anyways, my buddy Stan McConnel and his cuz Mack are in a band called Santa, and boy do I dig it. You know, dear reader(s), that I, gheejh, wouldn't subject you to just any local rock, but these guys are definetly not just anybody. They're somebody, for sure. Hell, they have a purevolume! Not just anybody can get...ohh, wait. Nevermind. Anyways, take my word for it, these songs are worth it. Trust me. I swear. Oh, god, please, listen:

Santa's Purevolume

(damn straight I didn't bother to host these myself...)

Mailman Rock

2006-02-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome my minions to my twisted world...enough of that.
Anyhoo, post-rock maestros Mogwai release their latest opus 'Mr Beast' on March 6th. Since coming out in 1997 with their faultless 'Young Team' album, they have released a few solid, if patchy, albums and a few amazing EPs (My Father My Son especially). Last year's 'Government Commissions' live session album grouped together all their best songs and showed what an amazing and Mogwai can be. While their latest release is pretty much more of the same, it's still a worthwhile listen.

Mogwai - We're No Here
Mogwai - Glosgow Mega-Snake
Mogwai - Friend of the Night

Eyeballs!!! Attack!!

2006-02-13T04:52:00.000-08:00

The Residents are a band that have been around forever. Some people go as far as to call the one of the greatest band ever. While I don't hold them in such high esteem they do have some very memorable songs.

I just found some songs by them using the handy intitle index of trick :D

The Residents - The Shoe Salesman
The Residents - Harry the Head
The Residents - Weatherman
The Residents - Beekeeper's Daughter

-Chiron

New Belle and Sebastian

2006-02-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Man these guys are good. They haven't been perfect, but 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress and now 2006's The Life Pursuit show a real return to form. This song is one of the best on the album and in my opinion the best one to sing along to. The Life Pursuit was released this past Tuesday (February 7th).

Belle and Sebastian - Funny Little Frog

Madonna & The Gorillaz

2006-02-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well I don't know about you, but I am a big fan of Madonna. I think she makes the best entrance out of any performer, and last nights Grammys were no exception. As for the Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc. was one of my favorite songs last year. I'll try to find a download of this video, but until then you can see it on Yahoo Music.

Yahoo Video - Madonna & The Gorillaz at the Grammys

Neeeeeeeeeeeeko

2006-02-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

Is it Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeko or Neko like Gecko? I haven't figured it out, but incase you didn't know, Neko Case is the beautiful woman lead vocal (and also background vocal) of the super smash hits the New Pornographers. Before the New Pornographers, she was an aspiring alternative country artist moving up in the rankings and creating quite a following. Her breakthrough was 2002's Blacklisted which brought her much deserved critical acclaim, but it has taken about 4 years for her to release a true followup. Star Witness is a song from her forthcoming "Fox Confessor Bring the Flood" due out on March 7th. The most noticable feature of this song is how beautiful she sounds, something we've come to expect from anything she releases. The second not so notable feature is how hot she is. In fact, you can't notice it at all, and you'd have to download pictures of her to figure that out. But even if you had no pictures, you'd could just assume that this gorgeous voice could not possibly belong to a hideous, fat girl... and yes I know about Aretha Franklin... she's the exception. My answer to her is Star Jones; have you ever heard her sing? Take it from me, she's terrible!

Neko Case - Star Witness