Teaching The Indie Kids to Dance Again

We're moving!

2005-08-29T00:32:00.000-04:00

to www.indiekids.org  Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly.  New music should be up at that site by morning.

TTIKTDA IS MOVING!

2005-08-29T00:27:00.000-04:00

Movin' on up...

to www.indiekids.org

Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly.

New music should be up at that site by morning.

Hype-Tastic!

2005-08-10T02:01:00.000-04:00

Kano - Remember Me - There is no justice in this world if, by this time next year, this song is not a staple of frat parties everywhere. I mean, it's got everything. Latin-infused shuffling beats, Kanos sick, super-charismatic flow, and a chorus that extolls the joys of booze fueled hookups. What's not to love? Kano is blowing up all over right now, and I only expect that to increase a few dozenfold after his US Debut @ the Knitting Factory here in NYC on Saturday. He deserves it. All the production prowess of Dizzee or Skinner with none of the incomprehensibility or literary pretentiousness, and with a flow so utterly, disarmingly charismatic, I can't NOT see this at least making a run at the charts once a smart stateside label starts pushing it.

[Buy Home Sweet Home from Amazon.com!]

Cloud Cult - You've Got Your Bones To Make A Beat - Equally hyped at the moment are Cloud Cult, the environmentalist collective from Minneapolis operates as a non-profit activist band. When they tour, they go to admirably extreme lengths to minimize their environmental footprint, and spend their days working for The Cause. "You Got Your Bones To Make A Beat" immediately stands out from their new album Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus - the band "does this one simple - just basic riffs," as promised. The result is a song that feels almost tribal in it's insistence. Mutant organ and flute sounds, vocals that trail off into falsetto world, and that Bass and those Drums. They chug through the song like the engines of some mad war machine. It's songs like this that made me call my blog "Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again."

[Buy Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus from Amazon.com! - the rofits go to a great cause, so it deserves your support twice over.]

Passive Agressive.

2005-08-02T00:04:00.000-04:00

Calla - Swagger - Brooklyn's Calla have come a long way. They've signed to Beggars Group recently, and with their new album, Collisions, seem poised to finally outshine their oft mentioned siamese twin of a band, the Walkmen. It's "Swagger" that does it really. The bass stomps, high hats in all the right places, not there for the disco set, but for mood - it's dynamics eerily recall earlier Walkmen hit "The Rat", but in all the right ways, and none of the wrong ones. It lacks "The Rat"'s almost whining tone, and maintains the furious momentum and to make the obvious pun, swagger. The song rolls over, but then it pulls you down and proceeds to punch you in the face with drums and hums.

[Collisions drops on September 27th. Pre-order it today from Insound.com!]

The Mobius Band - Twilight - Xylophones ring out and shne over a kraftwerk computerscape as an extremely normal sounding man sings about very normal troubles like shitty jobs and smoking dope and banality and age. The song is gentle, like Casiotone, or the Mountain Goats, but prettier and with more string sounds. But there are drums. Thunderous drums. And electric guitars. Serious Kevin Shields style shit. This is too aggressive to be compared to the likes of Casiotone. The Mobius Band have, after 3 years of hotly tipped singles splitting the difference between heavy electronica, and raw garage rock, moved beyond the titular 'one-sided' pun to put together The Loving Sounds of Static, a debut LP on Ghostly International simply overloaded with songs like this. Songs both gentle and demanding. Songs worth a listen.

[The Loving Sounds of Static is due out in a week on August 9th. You can preorder now from Insound and have it on release day!]

The Animals will forgive us again.

2005-07-21T13:24:00.000-04:00

Tigers & Monkeys - I'll Ruin your Thoughts - Tigers & Monkeys is described as a solo project of Shonali Bhowmik, but she's frequently backed up by a rotating cast of NY Rock all stars. But it's definitely all her at the center. "I'll Ruin Your Thoughts" seductively lopes through droning blues chords with a raspy, scorched vocal style. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Kills, but it lacks the distinctly pissed off razor sharp vibe of that duo, instead sounding more relaxed, more confident, and more welcoming. Be sure to also check out "Vampire in a Dirty City" at the bands website.

[I can't seem to find a link to buy the 5 song demo/EP I bought at a show a year ago, but the band is playing a few NYC shows in August, so if you're local, check them out.]

The Invisible Cities - Birthday - The Invisible Cities take their name from the surrealist Italo Calvino, and this is entirely appropriate. Their debut album, Watertown, has an airy, floating quality, insubstantial, but huge. Birthday is a perfect example. The tiniest hints of a rhythm section creep through the quietly strummed guitar and the wishing, hopeful vocals. Is it supposed to mean something that the song is immediately followed by the drunken, loud, riotous, and short "Double Fisted"?

The Invisible Cities - Bumper Cars - I'll give you three today. "Bumper Cars" is a whole other side of Watertown. Where "Birthday" is all loss and regret and nostalgia, "Bumper Cars" is a wild night on the town, bright lights, impaired judgement, no though, all action, all fun. There's still a certain delicacy in the layering of the instrumental work, but it's all overwhelmed by the momentum of everything. Any element in the song that doesn't move forward is simply left in the dust, in favor of pushing ahead, and pulling the listener along.

[The Invisible Cities have a very nice website where you can buy

Watertown

, and even listen to the whole thing first.]

On the Music News front, Franz Ferdinand, TV On The Radio, and Cut Copy are touring together in the fall. On the one hand, this is the making of a very cool line up. On the other hand, they are playing arenas, which will likely blow. More importantly though, according to Pitchfork, the tour has been dubbed the "Teaching the Indie Kids to Dance Tour 2005." I haven't been able to get in touch with anybody to confirm this, it could very well just be some shit that the fork came up with. If someone who knows is reading, please do let us know. As it is, I want my royalty check. Or at least some tickets or something.

UPDATE: Well, that was fast. Pitchforks Rob Kleckner has informed me that is is in fact a classic little piece of Fork Wit and not an official name.

Ah well, the righteous fury was fun for a few hours.

No No, This Can't Be Right

2005-07-18T18:28:00.000-04:00

Hard-Fi - Cash Machine - Hard-Fi are yet another hotly tipped Brit band with all the right namedrops from the Clash and the Happy Mondays to the Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. But "Cash Machine's" dub bassline, glammed out guitar, and tales of woe and debt have more hook in them their contemporaries, more modern and vital, less forcefully retro, and perhaps most relevantly for me, a heck of a lot more of the great second wave ska sound of the Specials or The English Beat. The band's debut, Stars of CCTV is a big glorious, hornless ska record, with that trademark upward guitar stroke rearing it's head everywhere. They'll be playing the Mercury and Rothko this week for those readers of mine who are NYC dwellers. Go - you won't be dissapointed.

[Buy the "Cash Machine" single from Insound!]

The Solution - Get On Back - Scott Morgan is one of those unknown legends desperately in need of a second chance that the musicblog world so seems to love. In the 60's, Morgan fronted The Rationals, and worked with people like Bob Seger, and Jim Osterberg (AKA Iggy Pop before he became Iggy Pop). Somehow, Morgan has hooked up with an army of soul crazed Swedes from bands like the Hellacopters to form The Solution. Communicate! is an homage to the greats of Chicago, Memphis and Detroit, a hard boiled soul album that boogies through time and captivates with an absolutely irresistible level of catchiness. "Get On Back" is a wild unrestrained frenzy of pianos and horns tinny drums and Morgans frenzied white boy soul howl. Put it on, turn it up loud, and rock out. Be sure also to check out ScottMorganMusic.com where you can listen to an MP3 of the PHENOMENAL "I Have To Quit You Babe" (which was going to be posted here as well before I saw it on his page)

[Criminally, Communicate! has not yet been released in the states. You can pick up an Import from Amazon though, and Morgan's website has some other goodies.]

Thanks for all the well wishes and welcome backs folks. It feels good to be bloggin' again. And I'll reiterate my requests from last week - Hey Music Industry/Music Journo Industry/Other Folks - You Hirin? If so, Hit Me - and I'll throw a Resume your way.

Oh, and finally, those of you who have bookmarked anything other than http://teachingtheindiekidstodanceagain.blogspot.com should probably change your bookmarks since all the other domains are going to be expiring soon.

Why don't you laugh at my jokes?

2005-07-13T10:49:00.000-04:00

The Amazing Pilots - I've Got Wings Irene - The Amazing Pilots are a pair of brothers from Ireland and their many friends that, were it not for some bad label luck (theirs folded a week before their first single), may have stolen all of the Arcade Fires thunder last year. The two bands are certainly of a piece, creating heartbreaking, orchestrated, but most of all big music. "I've Got Wings Irene" is a song about a breakup, about leaving home and loss, about growth and Making It. There's echoes of countrymen the Frames in the musics swell and crescendo, in the rustic orchestra quality that the Pilots seem to be aiming for. It's a song about a relationship thats gone on too long and the messy disentanglement afterwards. The Pilots debut album, Hello My Captor is on Undertow records, and you can check out another standout track, "The Price of Winter" - complete with accordion solo and what sounds like a banjo on the leads - at the label site.

[Buy Hello My Captor from Amazon.com!]

The Church - Chromium - I'd like to think I don't need to tell you anything about the Church. I hope I don't need to tell you anything about The Church. Still, you may never have heard "Chromium". It's a newer Church song, originally found on 2002's more or less forgettable After Everything, Now This. 3 Years later, the band has put out El Momento Descuidado, a collection of acoustic tunes, some old, some new, and "Chromium" is revealed as the song it always should have been. While the album will likely garner more attention for it's acoustic reworking of songs like "Metropolis", and "Under the Milky Way," it's the discovery and reinvention of those more forgotten cuts that make the album worthwhile. "Chromium" is a jangly, nervous ballad, overloaded with internal rhymes, and a swooping falsetto chorus, and a delicate shuffling beat. "Broken records, faded labels" - if they keep this up, it's a fate the Church likely won't be destined for anytime soon, still pushing the boundaries after nearly 25 years.

[El Momento Descuidado will be availiable on July 26th. Preorder it from Amazon now.]

And I said this yesterday, and I'll say it again today. If Y'all're interested in a willing slave employee and are willing to pay decent, just holler over with an email and you can have my resume and such.

Technorati Tags: MP3s

Give Me Unconsciousness

2005-07-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

So, yes I've received many of your emails and instant messages and comments and other harangues to come back to this blog.

I've been working on it. Hopefully I'm back for real this time. No big promises though. Not this time. The world has been falling apart somewhat of late the past few months, and I'm just trying to tread water. (that said, anyone hiring, or just looking for a freelance writer, or whatever, send an email this way, and you'll have my resume promptly. If it's an incentive, a steady paycheck that I can live on makes the return of this blog to full daily status that much more likely.)

But I have some choice tunes to share with you, and many more where these two come from.

The Hypertonics - The Moments We Don't Allow - The Hypertonics are from New York. Some time ago, they decided to say "fuck it" to the whole capitalist record industry. They now give away all of their music for free on their website. They also do a very nice job of explaining why, over on their website. They just today released their newest studio recording, an album entitled Vigilante Ballast that careens between the retro and the thouroughly modern. "The Moments We Don't Allow" is a steady pump of spacey surf rock that wouldn't have been out of place on Bossanova. It pulls at the simple infectious energy of older Hypertonics songs like "Beer get me a Woman, Woman Get Me a Beer," but where those older tracks often sounded laid back, if not downright lazy, the new album is a forceful in it's determination. It makes demands not casually, but powerfully.

[Download Vigilante Ballast from TheHypertonics.com - Be sure to check "America is a Miracle" and "You Get So Uncomfortable When You're Uncomfortable" - they made choosing a track today very tough.]

Rachid Taha - Rock El Casbah - It's a cover. It's a novelty. It's also the best damn thing I've heard on my hiatus from this blog. Announcing an entrance with a fanfare of flutes and drums before those distinctive guitar chords declare to the world that this is not just another Clash cover. This is an ironic Clash cover. See, Rachid Taha is Algerian. The Casbah is in Casablanca. Get it? But enough of that. The point is that Taha has infused the old staple with that soaring Rai trained voice of his and enough raucous energy to make it seem vital again, rather than the last desperate grab for relevance it feels like when I listen to the Clash original these days. The multilayered drums, both the traditionally african rhythyms and the pounding, almost reggae layers under the chorus. The tense stabs of violin. but mostly just Tahas vocals. There's a venom there, and a swing that makes this something special, even translated, and when that English chorus comes in, with the gang vox and the spit in the sharifs eye... Oh, it's something perfect, oh yes.
[Buy Tékitoi from Amazon.com - the album also includes a great collaboration with Brian Eno.]

Pick Your Foot Up Off the Brakes.

2005-04-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

The Mountain Goats - Dialudid (Marrtronix Version) - So, The Sunset Tree has finally dropped, and now I need to say something about it, because it's probably the best album of the year so far. It's wierdly off-putting at first, in much the same way I think, that people expected Tallahassee and We Shall All Be Healed to be. The thing is, Darnielles been working with a full band for 3 albums now, but for the first 2 of those, he was still telling the same stories as always - it gave things a continuity that easily haded off the cries of "sellout!" But now, the stories John is telling are his own. And Dilaudid is the final buildup in an opening quintet that explodes into the riotous, raucous "Dance Music" as the albums first climax. On album, Dilaudid is tense tense tense, eschewing Johns guitar and bass in favor of a syrupy background of cellos while John D's proclamatory vocals lay down an ultimatum to a lover. The Marrtronix remix though, is something else. A B-side to the internet only Dilaudid Single (Availiable from 4AD records for just a few GB pounds - you can also get it from iTunes for 4 bucks.) The cello is replaced by a distinctly Smith's esque jangly guitar loop, which seems terribly out of place given Johns vocals. It desperately needs drums. But it's also compelling. The guitar has a hypnotic swirl after about 30 seconds or so, and I find it dangerous to listen to the song when driving - I end up doing what Darnielle tells me. And somebody, please, add drums to this. My own experiments with Garageband are distinctly lacking.

[Buy The Sunset Tree from Insound.com!]

The Moaners - Too Many People - In setting up my music collection on my computer again, I got to go through a lot of albums I hadn't listened to in some time. Among those was The Moaners Dark Snack, and I had to check 2 or 3 times that I really, actually, NEVER got around to posting this gem. It's dirty southern bluespunk - think The Kills with less sex and more paranoia, or the Drive By Truckers with a bit of the rawness of X. Too Many People is almost claustrophobic - there's no space here, and the effect is to send shivers through a listener. Where most songs about urban sprawl take an outraged tack, going after the traditional punk rock tack of pluggin feelings of alienation and hostility to conformity, the Moaners instead create a song that makes it downright creepy. the idea of crowds, traffic, parking lots, it all becomes something to be terrified of rather than to hate.

[You can Stream 2 more tracks at Yep Roc Records website, and buy the album too!

Come on and Live.

2005-04-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

The Computer is Repaired. The Music is Restored. It's time to boot this motherfucker back up and Push PLAY.

Spread the word: The Indie Kids, they are a Dancin' Again. And this time, there ain't no stoppin the music.

Sufjan Stevens - Come On, Feel the Illinoise - So, Sufjan Stevens has finished another state, moving south from Michigan and on to Illinois. And the tracklist should have been an indication that he's continued his long steady fall right off the deep end. And thank god. Because if he hadn't, we wouldn't have "Come On Feel The Illinoise," with it's surprisingly dancable horns and choirgirls and xylophones - Sufjan's gone vaudeville, like a whitebread David Byrne without the nervous stutter. Every time I try to listen to another track on Illinois, I end up struggling to suppress the urgge to skip back to this moment of magic. When the guitars and the string section take over and the song transitions into "Part II" we have something transcendant. I don't remember who it was that said Morrissey is trying to become the weird, gay, british indie Frank Sinatra, but it seems like Sufjan might be trying for crazy, christian, indie Sinatra title himself. And he's not falling too far from the mark on "Come On Feel the Illinois" - that whispering croon lacks the force of old Blue Eyes, but the backup singers are downright transformative - the MP3's genre tags may say folk, but thats hardly an appropriate label for this album. It's more vital, more kinetic, and perhaps most appropriately, more urban. Where Greetings from Michigan found it's urban moments in the joblessness of Flint and the desolation of Detroit, Illinois captures the hopeful vibrancy of the windy city on the lake, the constant transformation and rebuilding of a city thats probably been destroyed more times than any other city in America. There's a wierd optimism in that really.

[Illinois isn't availiable for Pre-order yet, but you can buy Michigan from Insound now to show Sufjan some love, and buy the new one when it drops in July.]

The Cloud Room - Devoured In Peace - Once upon a time, a Band sent me an Email. It had Two Songs in it. I posted one, and people seemed to love it very much. That band was The Cloud Room, and the song was entitled "Hey Now Now". Now, about 8 months later, suddenly The Cloud Room are Hot Shit™, and everyone seems to want a piece of them. So I'm going to post the other song they sent me. The recording is serious demo-quality here (it's why I posted "Hey Now Now" in October - this is a better song), but thats okay, because "Devoured in Peace" fucking rules. It's a schizophrenic song, at one point an empty, vocals and drums ballad, and at others a serious Bowie/Bolan rave up full of wordless singalong hooks and a keyboard part that, if thrown behind a debate about the relative merits of llamas and alpacas, would actually make said debate interesting. Thrown into this already incendiary song, and you have something magic. Ignore the tape hiss, ignore the hum, and hum along instead. Unlike other bands that have played the glam card recently, The Cloud Room aren't going for the straight up sleaze card, instead preferring to play on that slightly shady version of class evoked in their name - an old speakeasy in the Chrysler building - and in doing so, have hit on a serious winner.

[If you missed "Hey Now Now" in October, Insound has your back with an MP3, along with the bands fresh pressed full length record full of wondrous songs, and serious studio value. Grabitup!]

Also, The Residents are auctioning off an eyeball.

See ya tomorrow. F'realz.

Keith got the red card.

2005-04-01T00:17:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, Chris from Uncritical here. Keith's having problems, as stated earlier. Thus, I arrive to fill in.

Midnight Movies - Blue Babies - Potentially my favorite track from Midnight Movies' self-titled debut album. People have remarked that its devoid of substance, but style rules the day in the 00s. Personally, I'm quite happy with a band who can so effectively echo the bands of the 80s who entranced me - and not in a sound-of-the-week, "We love Gang Of Four" dance rock reprise. Its the love for the artifacts and echoes of what Midnight Movies purvey that draw people to them, something I don't think Midnight Movies are necessarily against. This is the good side of the post-punk revival, style over substance without such drab style.

You can buy it from Insound.

We Are Wolves - La Nature - Bizarre floods and washes of sound emerge from We Are Wolves, striking down the non-believers and crushes naysayers. Jerky spasms that pass for vocals screech over a cunningly conceived mess of synthesizer and bass guitar, metronomic pace keeps the groove friendly, and the effects are never sparing. There's method to the mayhem and I expect some friendly attention to be paid to this trio as a carryover from the hype over fellow Montrealeans Les Georges Leningrad. They're already rocking Canadian radio charts and I'd love to see more people get on board with them. Can we have something this good as the Next Big Thing for once?

You can find more information at the Mintaka Conspiracy website, home to a whole pile of great acts.

Well wishes out to Keith's computer. Have it drink some ginger ale and go to bed early. That always works for me.

Substitute Teacher.

2005-03-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

My computer is still out of commission, but here is a guest post from the wonderful Hamish of Verbose Coma, the first of a number of Guest Posts from a variety fo individuals.

When I was 14 in the north of England, I would stay up late on Wednesday and Sunday nights to watch Toby Amies and Paul King, respectively, present Alternative Nation and 120 Minutes on MTV Europe. My friend Chods would do the same, and the next day we'd discuss all the new videos we'd seen, and new bands we discovered. One Sunday night at Chods' house, we had a little indie-rock epiphany. A new band from Brighton on the south coast of England, and a track called "You're Not My Babylon". This is a band I have adored since that very first time I heard them, and here is mini-essay as to why.

These Animal Men - You're Not My Babylon - To be struck by a great song is one thing, but when the bands looks so cool at the same time, it's hard not to fall hard. Roughly translated, they looked like my friends and I. Adidas tracksuit tops, Samba trainers, mod haircuts. In fact, with the exception of the amount of amphetamines they were doing, we were all pretty alike.

This song, taken from their debut mini-album entitled Too Sussed? which featured cover art of said skinny English boy in nouveaux-mod attire, crucified–a sign of the times in an England bored of grunge, and striving for its own sound.

[Buy Too Sussed? from Amazon.com.]

Following the mini-album, they released their first full album, (Come on, Join) The High Society, contributing to a new sound of England’s indie scene. A scene the NME and Melody Maker wanted to call “The New Wave of New Wave,” and they even ran a special cover feature on it. The cover featured bands such as Elastica, Menswear, These Animal Men, S*M*A*S*H, Shed 7, and a new Manchester band called Oasis. They were big in Britain, bigger in Japan, and the NME wanted them to make it in the US too. So they sent Oasis and These Animal Men to New York City. Oasis played Wetlands, in what is still heralded as a highlight of their career, and These Animal Men went to a diner with Quentin Crisp. One band made it, one didn’t. You do the math.

[Buy (Come on, Join) The High Society from Amazon.com.]

These Animal Men – False Identification - This track, taken from their third album Taxi for These Animal Men, is where it all fell apart, and at the same time, they made their best work in my opinion. Maybe they couldn’t take the pressure, or maybe they took too much of something else, but they were given a good spot at the Phoenix Festival the summer of 1994, and they were greeted with boos and jeers from a hostile crowd. Not ones to show their disappointment, TAM just stood there. Silent and still for their entire set. The crowd began a football terrace chant of “Taxi… taxi…” and the album title was born. This album was the two-finger salute to their critics, and it remains one of my favorite records of all time.

[Buy Taxi for These Animal Men from Amazon.com.]

These Animal Men – April 7th - After a long hiatus, TAM returned in 1997 with a final album, entitled Accident & Emergency. Gone were the t-shirts and Adidas, they’d gone black pants and leather. The media hated them more, but I embraced it still. The guitar hooks were there, but now they drenched their tracks in Hammond organ and marching drums. This is their live set closing track, a cutting romp through their media history from day one to the present (their first single, Speeed King made headlines after being banned for featuring a place setting of speed and rolled up money). If you need more convincing about TAM, image if the Libertines were ten times better, ten times more raucous, ten times more talented, and ten times less distracted.

[Buy Accident & Emergency from Amazon.com.]

Extra Credit: Check out what is likely the only site dedicated to These Animal Men, Supercharged Soul.

To conclude, I would like to thank Keith for kindly letting me post here, we at VerboseComa are huge fans of this site.

I'm not dead...

2005-03-28T18:43:00.000-05:00

But my hard drive is close.

Regular updates will resume shortly. The music is backed up. If you'd like to guest post, holler @ the address on the right.

Let's go to where it's fun.

2005-03-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

The Ravonettes Feat. Ronnie Spector - Ode to LA - It had to happen eventually. The Ravonettes have dropped all the silly self imposed rules about waves upon waves of distortion, staying in one key, and only writing 3 minute songs. They've finally given up on being the next Jesus & Mary Chain, and given up on being the next White Stripes (Though Sune Wagner hasn't quite given up on imitating Jack White - more on that in a moment). Instead, the Ravonettes have dropped all the pretense, and given in to what they were always meant to be. An absolutely killer guitar pop band, full of 50's revival energy and capitalizing on Wagners intricaat guitar work under Sharin Foo's great vocal range. And then, there's Ronnie Spector, a woman who has been around the music industry longer than most music fans today have been alive. I had the privelige of seeing Ronnie live at a memorial for Joey Ramone a few years back. She still had it then, soing the Ronettes hit "Be My Baby" (With which Wagner has a strange obsession - it's covered on the newest Raveonettes album and he's done so with prior bands as well). And so, Sune Rose Wagner has set out to be the Jack White to Ronnie Spector's Loretta Lynn. (Joey Ramone attempted to coax her into a similar career revival 20 years back. The best he could get was a stunning duet, and a lifelong friend.) Word is, he's working on a whole album with her now. And if "Ode to LA" is any sign of whats coming, I can't wait. The song is absolutely gorgeous, as Sharin and Ronnie harmonize for about a minute and a half before Ms. Spector just starts belting out those rich notes like no one else before or since has ever been able to. She absolutely commands this song, and transforms it from a mere 50's aping bit of guitar pop into a flat out bit of time travel.

Only one track today because I didn't realize that I'm a half hour late for work! I'll give you an extra special bonus tomorrow instead!

Extra Credit: Go download the cover of My Boyfriends Back from The Mystical Beast.

[Preorder Pretty in Black, due out April 26, from Amazon.com!]

You Like Me!

2005-03-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who voted for me for the Best Kept Secret Bloggie award! It's an honor to win and I'd like to thank lots of people, but mostly those people over on the sidebar, and down there in the comments section, and over in my email inbox, because they're the reason I keep doing this whole thang yo. And to those whom I owe replies - you're not forgotten, I'm just crazy busy. Look for some big announcements on the horizon. Shit be moving in the background...

On to todays music:

New Model Army - White Coats - Last Thursday Night, I had the privelige of seeing one of the greatest bands that never got their due play Southpaw, as part of their first American tour in 12 years. New Model Army are back folks, and they have a new album due out this summmer. But a lot of folks out there probably don't know these guys, so I figured it might be wise to do a little retrospective and post 2 of the hilights from Thursday's show, and the bands landmark, 1988 album, Thunder and Consolation. Well, thats not totally accurate. "White Coats" was a single released just before the album, and is included on the album nowadays as a bonus track, to close it out. Fiercly political punk rock, rooted in british folk, New Model Army's brand of post-punk sounds a bit like a stripped down, vicious answer to the bombast of the late 80's hair metal, and the splintered aftermath of punks explosion. NMA's brought it in close, with a 3 piece, filling out the sound with keyboards and the occasional hired string, but really, behind it all is an absolutely punishing rythym section. Original drummer Robert Heaton passed on about a year ago, but he lives on through his work on albums such as Thunder. As the song closes out with a repeated cry of "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH," you can't help but stand up and cry out in chorus.

New Model Army - Inheritance - Inheritance is even more proof of Heaton as the bands soul. The song has a jazzy feel almost, stripped almost entirely to just drums - only an occasional bass note intrudes for the whole of the songs first minute. Meanwhile the vocals are delivered in a vaguely menacing cadence, with harmonies offset just enough to add to the sense of danger in the song, while a pair of archetypal parents are addressed with a variety of nasty remarks, and musings on a future that seems prewritten. The song is a mess of pure tension, seemingly waiting for a release, but that isn't New Model Army's style. This isn't a band about catharsis. This is about that wants to make you squirm. They want to make the world uncomfortable with their presence before they spit in it's face and walk away. If they had done anything else, they'd just be another U2 clone. On album, the track leads in to one of NMA's signature songs (and one written by Heaton), the incomparable "Green & Grey," which is worth the price of the album in it's own right - which is why I'm not posting it here.

[Sadly, Thunder & Consolation is out of print, but most of the vital tracks are availiable from NMA's online store @ Ideal Copy on the many compilations that have been put out.]

Has she got a full deck?

2005-03-09T07:57:00.000-05:00

Fiona Apple - Oh Sailor - So, for those that have been following the drama fest surrounding the release of Fiona Apple's forthcoming album, the full album is circulating online and can now be heard. The leak isn't terribly high quality, but it's good enough to show that the album is. And it's a phenomenal album. Simply amazing really. I've never been huge on Fiona, as in the past, she's tended towards either not having enough control over her own work (the schmaltzily overproduced and overmarketed "Criminal"), or too much (The title of When the Pawn... is proof enough of the problem with overindulgence). And yet in the end, I've always come down on the side of defending her, much to the befuddlement of some of my more rockist friends. The reason's pretty simple really. Fiona Apple is like Nick Cave's fucked up little sister, spinning out murder ballads as wordy as they are gorgeous, dressing up sparse melodies with huge arrangements. "Oh Sailor" is a classic example. The song is simple - almost too simple, a basic 12 bar blues piano, and a ballad from a confused lover. But Jon Brions production comes in and just injects the song full to the brim with syrupy strings, making it sound like something out of a bizarre broadway production, and Fiona's voice just sounds utterly and completely broken. It suggests Sony's reasons for not releasing the album have very little to do with the album, and very much to do with Fionas reluctance to engage in the practice that gave the Wilco story such a happy ending. Fiona's always been known for being a bit tempremental on the road (I remember her walking out on a gig at Roseland in NY some years ago because the sound quality at Roseland was not up to her standards - though at Roseland, the sound does, admittedly, suck), and I could easily see her refusing to tour. Especially in her supposed present state. Supposedly Brion had to beg her to record this one. Thank god he did.

This track will come down tonite, or as soon as somebody from either Sony, or Fiona's camp emails me and says "TAKE IT DOWN". I have no desire to fight with anyone or get sued here.

Thanks to David for the nice work on the new logo, seen above. I welcome any and all unsolicited gifts of art. If they're good, as you can see, I'l use 'em. Also, Uncritical has relaunched as a daily, and has an awesome new look as well. Go tell Chris I said hi.

A Fake Jamaican Took Every Last Dime....

2005-03-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

The Kidz Bop Kidz - Float On - the Kidz Bop Series has been a reliable moneymaker of a compilation for some years now featuring romper room friendly renditions of big pop hits, sung by an arsenal of young children, and occasionally some celebrity soundalike handlers helping with the choruses. The latest entry in the series, Kidz Bop 7, has entered the charts in the top 10 this past week, and features, among other tracks, a rendition of Modest Mouses Float On, one of the tracks upon which I blame this whole MusicBlogging Phenomenon of which I am a part, ever since Sean posted it on Said the Gramophone (speaking of which, Sean is back! Welcome Back Sean! Hooray!) about a year ago. The Kidz Bop version though, this is something else. The instrumentals are just a half notch off, stripped down, lightweight coverband material. But vocally... You've got an army of kids chanting most of the lyrics, and riding herd is what sounds like Isaac Brocks second grade teacher evil twin. Except, if anyone even resembling Isaac Brock started teaching in a school, I suspect there would be a few hundred parental complaints by day two. Which makes me wonder how these kids managed to make it through these sessions. Especially singing about wrecking cop cars, and fake Jamaican scams. But then, I guess, just like with Usher And Lil' Jon, all the kids will hear is YEAH!.

[Buy Kidz Bop 7 From Amazon.com]

Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll - If we're going to be posting Novelty Tracks today (and we are, as you can tell), than theres none better lately than the title track of Mylo's debut, Destroy Rock & Roll - in the midst of an album of 80's pop inflected electronica (think Madonnas instrumental tracks, put front and center, with sampled vocals), is a song that celebrates all of it, while preaching it's destruction. The songs centerpiece is a vocal sample of some evangelist calling for the elimination of such stars as David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, the entire cast of Purple Rain, and more artists than I really could get into. He's right about half of 'em, I have to say. But underneath this is a killer, if repetitive little beat that just funks it's way into your brain, as our christian buddy rattles off his Enemies List incessantly. I am rapidly finding the idea of assassinating the likes of Bananarama, REO Speedwagon, and Rick Springfield more and more appealing. It's a little frightening actually. Keep me away from the guns please?

[Buy Destroy Rock & Roll from Amazon.co.uk]

Running out of scary nightmares

2005-02-28T11:57:00.000-05:00

Soldout - I Don't Want to Have Sex With You - This is some groundbreakin shit right here, courtesy of my favorite on-hiatus blogger. Not the song so much, though it's a servicable, if not outright good piece of trashy, funky electro. No, whats groundbreaking is the website associated with the song. Go there. Click on the banner on the top that reads "Make Your Own Sex." Be amazed. Make Your Own Remix. The band offers up multiple drum tracks, alternate leads, 7 possible vocal tracks, and then - once you've got a version you like... just click the button in the corner to BUY YOUR OWN COPY OF THE SONG ON CD.

If thats not awesome, I'll eat my fuckin' hat. And unlike many who say that, I have a hat. I wear it often. It is wool. I can assure you it is probably not tasty.

Something for Rockets - Tragic City - Before starting on Something for Rockets, the bands musical DNA must be addressed. Particularly, frontman/muli-instrumentalist Rami Perlman.His father is Itzhak Perlman, the legendary concert violinist, and yes, Rami is classically trained. Now that thats out of the way, let's look at Tragic City. The so opens okay, but around 2 minutes all the instrumental tracks that seem to have been isolated earlier colide, and the falsettos come in, and the song just becomes a riot of handclaps and skittering beats, and a wierdly motwownish vocal howl that is totally out of place with the somewhat forced sounding baritone of most of the vocals on the album.

[Buy Something For Rockets self titled debut from their website!]

Burnin' Up in Heaven...

2005-02-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

Billy Harvey - Dope Wings - This ones for Hunter. "Dope Wings" is a reggaefied little blast of pop from Austin, TX's Billy Harvey. It's reminiscent of some early Beck stuff in some ways, particularly the reverb heavy vocals and killer little one liners such as "I'll be like Flash Gordon in the atmosphere, givin all the planets just a little tug, wearin a Space Helmet like a Beer Mug." It's a druggy stomp of a number, and Billy Harvey also has a really phenomenal website, where you can listen to songs like "Belly Up" and "Like a Boy" and "Stupid Daniel" which show that he's not ALWAYS trying to be Beck - Sometimes he does Wilco, or the Get Up Kids, or They Might Be Giants impressions - and good ones too.

[This is a link to Billy Harveys website. Where you can like, Buy his Album or something. It's called Pie, okay?]

The London Apartments - Streetlights Are Soldiers - something quiet for a Morning staring at the suns reflection in the snow. The London Apartments are from Ontario, Canada, and make beautiful dreamy music that might get classed as IDeMo, ala the Postal Service, except they lack that groups kineticism and hooks, favoring instead wider, more lush soundscapes, reminiscent at times, of a distortion free My Bloody Valentine, or of the quiet moments in the gaps of an M83 album. The Crescendoes of those artists removed, we are left instead with "Streetlights Are Soldiers," guitars plucked quietly, as the downtempo drum machine shuffles around in back. And high pitched vocals that, by all acounts, are coming from the male half of this boy-girl duo (or so the release notes say), though you wouldn't know it, except that there's a hint of strain on the vocals - at first blush, it sounds like distortion, but in reality, it's probably just flat out difficulty reaching those long, high, whispered notes, echoing out into the void - much in the way of a lamp on an empty street.

[The London Apartments have a great website with Blogs and stuff, and Dialogue of One the EP from which this track is taken, is availiable as a DRM free Mp3 from the Internet Archive under a Creative Commons Liscense, which is very awesome.]

Sorry about my recent disappearance. Things've been busy. Life needs to stop getting in the way of blogging.

That or someone needs to pay me to do something that is at least tangentially related to musicblogging so I can make it look like work. This whole salesgig just isn't cutting it in that department.

Held back by the place I come from.

2005-02-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

Little Barrie - Burned Out - Little Barries press material spends a great deal of time puffing the bands frontman up as a guitar virtuoso, a sort of "British Jack White," called upon by the likes of Moz, Weller, gallagher and Marr for guitar expertise. It's hype. Barrie Cadogan is a talented guitarist, sure, but first off, the real work here is being done by bassist Lewis Wharton and Drummer Wayne Fulwood. Barrie happens to be the lucky little guy standing on stage with an absolutely gigantic rhythym section, turning out some absolutely blistering stripped down funk-rock. "Burned Out" is the leadoff track from the bands debut EP which drops stateside in 2 weeks.

[Tour dates and more band info at LittleBarrie.com]

Other Passengers - Bank - I slept on Other Passengers for a long time, having gotten the EP back in October when it came out, on the strength of some big buzz, and at the time, I wasn't blown away. It's been a serious grower though - especially Bank, with it's laid back, computerized opening beat (I'm convinced that high pitched bleeep tone is the digital equivalent of cowbell when used properly), and vaguely industrial, foundsound rhythyms, "Bank" hypnotizes you before the vocals come in and simply take control. It's a commanding performance, the sort of thing that, when placed at the center of the psychedelic swirl of guitars that defines most of Other Passengers first EP, seeks to control visions and induce hallucinations. It sounds like nothing so much as a harrowing flashback to the joyful trip of the Flaming Lips, out of tune, oppressive, and as the song concludes, cathartic and explosive. Where Wayne Coyne trails off in bliss, Other Passengers take their punches until freaked out beyond capacity, they lash out with a sonic storm that demands attention.

[Buy Is It Nothing To You, All Those Who Pass By? From Insound.com!]

Also, Blogger announced this morning that they changed the comment system. For one thing, you no longer need to register to have a post signed with an email address/URL. Obviously this is great news. I hope to see some more comments here now.

Oh, and Yes, I know about the Moz/Firefox download problem. I assure you., the songs are there, the links work. Stream it and File->Save As. I have no problem if you stream the files rather than downloading immediately, though I know some blogs do.

The sun is shinin' but it's rainin now.

2005-02-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

The House of Love - Love You Too Much - Yesterday, I promised to explain my house of Love post. But someone in the comments beat me to it. They're back together. Not only that, but in a few weeks, they'll be releasing their first album in 11 years. Their first album with the original lineup in 15 years. Needless to say, for the microscopic group of demented cultists who understand the gravity of this news, it's huge. For the rest of you... well, when "Love You Too Much," the lead single of Days Run Away hits streets on Valentines day... well, hate to say we told you so. This track is infectious, with cowbell bubbling up from out of nowhere, and a singalong chorus that might be what it finally takes for the House to get some long overdue respect.

The House of Love - Gotta Be That Way - The album isn't entirely a departure into Beatlesesque pop though. Gotta Be That Way is a bit more classic HoL. Terry Bickers almost humed vocals communicate a perfect mix of acceptance and despair. It's an optimistic song about the end of optimism. Faith in the loss of faith. We'll even contemplate prayer at this point. And the guitars ring out in hallelujah.

So I Memorized, The Diamonds in Your Eyes...

2005-02-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

The House of Love - Shine On - The House of Love are one of those rare historical oddities that really needs revisiting and a reputation boost. Signed on the strength of this single in 1988, The House of Love were simultaneously the last breath of british post-punk ala the Smiths, and themissing link between that music and the manchester scene that was to come. Combining a distinctly moz-esque baritone with riging guitars, thrilling rhythyms, and raw, lyrical feeling. "Shine On" is a thrilling debut statement from a band in need of revisiting. The opening hook hits like a brick, and the guitar solo about 2 minutes in absolutely flors. When the song fades away, giving in to loops of feedback and congas coming in from the distance, it's clear whats coming next.

The House of Love - Loneliness is a Gun - An old early B-Side, "Loneliness is a Gun" may be the bands finest moment. A quiet, acoustically driven ballad, it absolutely nails the bands core emotion. The resignation throughout this song, as it swells into a duet, lovers eternally seperated, the pathetic, desperate loneliness, is just cut-to-the-core resonant. Dying to meet you never sounded quite so morbid as in this song. It's almost enough to bring tears.

Tomorrow, we'll learn why I chose to revisit the House of Love today.

[Buy 1986-1988: The Creation Recordings, home to The House of Loves debut and early singles, From Insound.com]

It's Easily Done, My Friend...

2005-02-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

The Kills - Run Home Slow - So, on Saturday, this little Blog that Could turns one. All we're asking for for our birthday this year is a Bloggie award (Best Kept Secret, down near the bottom), which you can vote for. And it's funny how things come full circle. A bit less than a year ago, I posted some tracks by Discount, a pop-punk band of high school ids from Florida fronted by one Allison Mossheart, who made some great Billy Bragg covers. And now, the Kills have a new album coming out in a few weeks entitled "No Wow". It's a phenomenal album, full of the sexual tension and classic blues wanderlust, a formula that simmers in a pot full of distorted guitar fuzz and drum loops and explodes all in a burst. The lead single, "No Wow" is a potent firebomb that plays up the melodic side that many thought Allison (now V.V. Kills) had forgotten in the duos debut record, Keep on Your Mean Side. And then, "Run Home Slow" crosses my inbox. It's an unreleased track (That, I'm told will eventually show up as a Japanese B-Side or some such), but it makes the perfect bridge between both Kills records. It has the same repetitive, droney, almost Jesus & Mary Chainesque quality that made the first record such a strange Blues record, but the mix is a bit more friendly, and lyrically, it's a huge step forward. What it loses in energy from other tracks, it makes up for in it's swinging, narrative style. Now if only they would stop pawing at each other on stage. It's so gimmicky.

Andrew Vincent - Paul Revere - And while we're on a revisiting tip, a few months back, I posted some tracks by Andrew Vincent & The Pirates, a Canadian band that loves Jonathan Richman and the Ramones. Andrew saw the post, and was kind enough to send me his old records. And one of those records, was After School Special, a concept album about the trials of tribulations of High School Life. After School Special is a phenomenal record. It's mostly Andrew solo and shows a more adventurous side of the singer-songwriter, but the most daring track on there easily, is this cover, of the Beastie Boys epic "Paul Revere" - the king of late night rock radio staples for some reason. Growing up, I would always hear this song as the night drew on and DJ's sensed fewer people listening for some reason. There's something very right about that context, the song isn't particularly long, but it can be exhausting due to it's sheer narrative density, and the lack of repetition. But Andrews cover is something else. There's not a hint of irony in my love for this cover, full of lo-fi keyboards and a nifty little drumloop, and Andrew crooning out those rhymes. For once I can understand why the Sherriffs daughter might let somebody "do it like this," and "do it like that", and "do it with a wiffle ball bat." There's magic here. Andrew told me that Kelp Records doesn't really have the money to do another pressing of the old albums, so to all you industry types out there reading this, I'm going to beg you: pony up the cash to reissue "After School Special" with some wider distribution. The tunes are there. If you put them in record stores and get a little marketing done, the sales will follow. Especially with this cover making the rounds on the airwaves.

Also, apologies for no post yesterday. The Arcade Fire have been in town. I won't post more Arcade Fire because everything I have is in wide circulation. But you shuold all do yourselves a favor and track down their KCRW "Sounds Eclectic" session performance of "Intervention." It's a new song and it rules.

I have had enough.

2005-02-01T01:49:00.000-05:00

The Talk - Imaginary Lines - This song opens too quietly and delicately for it's own good. Kicking off the Talks sophomore effort "It's Like Magic in Reverse", Imaginary Lines is about the most frenetic song I've heard in ages. Take a healthy dose of Cars worship, and then, feed it an entire crate of pixie stix, and maybe a bit of coke, and you just might be able to keep up with Imaginary Lines. This song is over almost before it begins, storming through your brain and tearing down sense and reason like a cliche in a bestseller. It's powerful, exhilarating stuff, an atom bomb in the center of a stagnant night musically. The Talk are leading the charge for fledgling North Carolina label MoRisen Records, and for an up and coming, regional label they couldn't have chosen a better standard bearer.

[Buy It's Like Magic In Reverse from Insound.com!]

The Never - Bigger than Jared - I'm not sure if the Jared in question here is the Jared of Subway fame, or some other Jared, but the intent is pretty clear regardless. This is a band that wants to play stadiums. This is a band that wants it fucking all. Perhaps they took the phrase "Emo Drama Queen" a bit literally, because there's some of that operatic dynamic going, as pianos interplay with crunchy metal guitars on the verses, but the chorus is straight up nasal pop punk, and somehow still isn't quite as catchy as that opening piano and vocal hook. Killer stuff, and if this is a labels second string, than they have some serious talent going.

[Buy the Nevers album, Enjoying the Outdoors From MoRisen Records]

DISCO BURN.

2005-01-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Electric Six - Dance Epidemic - Dick Valentine is a Hyper-Sexual Dance Cyborg on a mission to forcibly shake the ass of every man woman and child on this planet. He may or may not succeed, but there is no denying the sheer power of the sonic arsenal that his crack squadron, codenamed: The Electric Six can bring to bear. Dance Epidemic comes from the bands second assault, an album entitled Señor Smoke, full of songs about Dancing (Dance Epidimic, Dance-A-Thon 2005), Burgers, Gender, Sex, Presidents, and of course, Sex Toys. Electric Six have always been insistently aware of their own Kitsch factor, and have responded by taking it over the top, and deciding that, where living in one kitschy annoying genre hole may get you a hit, living in EVERY SINGLE ONE might get you a career. And so we have Dance Epidemic, combining the insistent, pervasive discohooks of the Scissor Sisters with the Darknesses heavy metal crunch - this Epidemic, I think it might be spreading.

Electric Six - Jimmy Carter - And yet, clearly, the boys from E6 show signs on Señor Smoke of growing bored with that sound. Case in point: Jimmy Carter. You can't really dance to this one. Minor key basslines, swirled around by AM -radio fuzz, as Dick sings of Ex-presidents, boy-bands (Yes, that was "Backstreets Back, all right" that you heard deadpanned to kick off the chorus), and paranoia. There's something wierdly sober about it all, even as the lyrics are complete nonsense. And towards the end, theirs a riff ripped straight from the Killers, but I don't know how many people will notice that and/or care. It strikes me as just being in there to add to the absurdity of it all.

Electric Six - Future is in the Future - This could be the song that takes the restlessness of "Jimmy Carter" and cashes it in to a quality song. The same crunchy metal riffs and disco beats are their, but theres also flashes of Hall & Oates in here, and Valentines lyrical delivery seems more human, more pained than in the past. Gone is the ass kicking missionary of disco, replaced by a washed up musicman, remembering the good times, Karaoke and Macarena, and yet, seeing exactly why he wanted out. It's sober, and yet, the horns and synths lift it out and make it something else entirely. The song is good to begin with, and killer brass solo around the 3 minute mark kicks it into a whole new stratosphere.

[Señor Smoke isn't due out for a while yet, so until then, go to Insound and buy Fire if you haven't already. But you already own Fire. Don't you? You should you know.]