The Monument

Meat Puppets 6/16/11

2011-06-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

While I hate to be so repetitive and not delivered my promised article on The Stooges I just saw a show last night and it was a doozie.

Attending with my band mate Alex Adler, his room mate Hee-Jae, and his brother whose name escapes me we arrived as the first band, Trotsky Icepick was finishing up. That was my, and the promoter's first big mistake. These last few songs were mesmerizing. I knew nothing over them prior, but I am certainly now a fan. It's hard, in fact for me impossible not to compare them to Guided by Voices. They are certainly peers in every way though perhaps with greater musicianship. Though my exploration into their world is very fresh I recommend anyone reading to follow suit after this energizing performance.

So at this point I was so heated up I needed to find a swimming ground immediately. But we, for some reason had another act in between. Flamingo, one of the oddest looking bands I've ever seen. Adler thought they must have been in high school, but I thought they were older guys that just looked like babies. There was a nerdy drummer who looked like Jimmy Flemion, Elijah wood on bass, and a guy I was pretty sure the other guitarist (by far the best member) was either tripping or autistic. Then came the front man. He was the biggest embarrassment I have seen onstage. They were the kind of band that seems like they don't even listen to music, and judging by the front man's hair they've never even seen a picture of a real rock band before.

While they started off strong every song went on for an excruciatingly long time. The first few were instrumentals and had enough excitement to get you real amped for the vocals. After what seemed like 25 minutes the vocals came in and on top of the band's ungodly image and painful song lengths they pushed the set into unarguable suckage. However, it got even worse. This disgusting excuse for a front man also thought himself a comedian and tortured us with banter even more excessive than his songs. The material was almost entirely self-deprecating fat jokes, which we all know were never good enough for any of the great fat comedians. As a fat guy myself I am reluctant to criticize a front man for his weight, but in addition to being "annoying fat" (the range beyond acceptability and below sympathy) he attempted to use it to his advantage and this was far more embarrassing than his unfortunate build. The music continued for at least an hour, successfully killing my buzz from Trotsky Icepick.

Luckily the Meat Puppets were up next. What's left to say about the Puppets? Not much. They are probably the best live band, barring only Flash Gilmore & the Funbeatles and Guided by Voices, to appear on stage in the last 30 years. They've still got it, they play the hits, they jam, they blow your mind. Yeah, yeah, it would be better if Derrick Bostrom were still with them, but Shandon Sahm is just fine.

See the Meat Puppets, as many times as possible.

New Direction

2011-06-13T14:26:00.001-07:00

I've let this thing go to waste too much in the past, wow, year and a half.

Well, after spending a lot of time with magazines like Ugly Things and Shindig! I think I need to contribute my generations voice to that sort of thing. What a damaged bunch we are. We came from a different time where our introduction to rock music came from megahits of the early 90s about school shootings and torture and the next trend hit a climax with Woodstock 99. Popular music hit, perhaps it's all-time nadir in the dawn of the new millennium (in terms of popularity over quality) before the internet shattered it all to bits. In which case many of us were too willing to build an allegiance to Pitchfork Media. That much-maligned source is no more guilty of damaging popular taste than past troublemakers like Rolling Stone had almost forty years prior.

And they weren't done with their awful tricks either. Many of us ran away into the past when music was better. Better music, of course, as according to such authoritative resources as classic rock radio, old-fashioned VH-1 programming, and the history rewriting magazines of yore. Needless to say the effects were not much better.

The best thing we got were the Strokes, and they stand as a testament to the sad state of rock music as it was in much better shape ten whole years ago. "Last Nite," perhaps the most popular rock song of the last decade plus still only made it to 108 on the singles chart (14 in the hyped-up UK market), a position bested by many of the obscure artist I have read about in the aforementioned publications. Even worse, that took their famously well-connected parents, remarkable looks, and unparalleled talent. It sure is fun to listen to you, but just can't give you the same kind of hope a sixties hit like "Psychotic Reaction" could.

Worst of all many of us are still impressed by hip-hop. It's a sad state.

So, rather than continue to take the risk of giving away free music I'll just write about rock music. The real stuff, the way I see it just like the greats before me like Mike Stax, Lester Bangs, Laurent Bigot, etc. I come from a time where rock wasn't for dancing, it was for sulking, and being in a band would never, ever, ever, get you girls, it would get you arrested and not even with a fun story leading up to it. That's my life and times and it's the only thing I love.

Coming soon, I talk about how my generation actually understands the Stooges better than the older guys, if you can believe that.

My First DVD Review!

2011-05-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

And it's for my favorite band of the 80s!

A few weeks ago I was in the East Bay with my bandmate Alex Adler for what turned out to be the supposedly second to last Flash Gilmore & the Funbeatles Show. Before that historic night we took a trip out to Berkley where Adler picked up this fine DVD I have been unable to find since returning to Los Angeles.

We spent the two less eventful nights of that trip watching this DVD and it's bonus features and what a knockout. For a DVD it was not a bad competitor against Flash's jaw-dropping performance on "Earth Girl."

The general feature compiles live footage of the Pups at their commercial peak hot off their tour and the brothers' televised appearance with Nirvana and the subsequent album Too High to Die. Some are from big shows, other small, plus a lot of record store appearances, surprisingly. For every occasion the band lives up to its legendary status. In fact, these performances wiped any doubt I had that Derrick Bostrom was a worthy sideman to the Kirkwoods. His skill is clearly sufficient, though I hesitate to say equal to those virtuosos. These stellar live performances are interspersed with backstage tour videos that capture the trio's unique personalities and luckily slow down the relentless pace and unbelievable energy of the live shows.

The bonus features, though, are even better. We see an excited young girl interview Curt around the time of Huevos, memories from Derrick Bostrom, and a somber reflection on the band by Mike Watt, retelling his departed bandmate D. Boon's love of their music. However these are easily forgotten compared to an inspirational conversation between Cris, Mike Watt, and Flea essential for not just bassists but any musician with dreams. Almost as engaging is Thurston Moore's story of his first encounter with the Meat Puppets after fantasizing about the mysterious group from the desert. Every crazy thing you could imagine about the Pups is confirmed in Moore's account of what one must assume was their first trip to New York City.

The only clunker is the inclusion of the "We Don't Exist" video that reminds us just how bad some grungey 90s videos were. It's a shame as their other 90s videos are actually pretty good! The whole thing ends with a hyper performance of "Good Golly Miss Molly" that no fan should miss.

Best rock DVD ever.

If you looking for more here's a great recent interview with the Kirkwoods documenting their whole story.

John Maus/Geneva Jacuzzi/Holy Shit at the Echo 5/13

2011-05-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Probably nobody reading this has noticed I don't review shows often. They probably don't even realize it's been a very long time since I've updated. Either way, I felt this show needed to be reviewed immediately. Here's a little update too: I live in LA again and I am actually listening to new music and enjoying it! It's been a good year. So moving on...

Holy Shit was the performer I had heard the least prior to that evening. They were reduced to a trio due to a missing keyboard player. They had a cool style rooted, unsurprisingly in early postpunk/goth, particularly evoking the Cure. I am sure their records are pretty good but it was a pretty disappointing performance. While the three played well, particularly the drummer It really looked like they were not having any fun. Maybe the singer/guitarist a bit, but definitely not the bassist. He stood there as still as most of the goons in the typical LA audience with the presence (and disguise) of a man at least twice his age. He was so bland (and his instrument least audible) sometimes you forgot he was there. All that did was make you notice that the drummer didn't seem much happier. Good music, disappointing performance, but at least they were first.

In between sets a woman in shiny Arabasque disguise and black and white makeup lurked through the audience. I briefly feared it was a cougar (though perhaps not consciously) occultist who had taken a strong liking to me on Valentine's Day, but much to my relief and excitement it was Ms. Jacuzzi herself. She took the stage alone with only a small synthesizer to keep her company and immediately made me think that while I never got to see Kate Bush and Siouxsie Sioux at their prime I at least had this. Every aspect from her theatricality, to the lighting, to her voice and Moroder-esque atmospheres evoked my greatest dreams and fantasies. Several songs into the set she stripped over her excessive layers down to a more formfitting black ensemble and let down her majestic brown hair. Of course all the men in the audience who failed to observe carefully or do their homework before the show were now aware they were in the presence of perhaps the most beautiful woman in Los Angeles and moved up. I was stuck behind a goon of height comparable height who barely even moved to the beat. Typical Los Angeles, but nothing could ruin this. In fact it may have been a good thing as I probably would have been visibly aroused otherwise. If you like bizarre performances, great disco-goth, and agree that darkness should always be in the spirit of fun you cannot miss Geneva Jacuzzi.

Next we had the headliner himself John Maus. Where I had previously described the University of Hawaii professor as "post-outsider" I immediately dropped the "post" as soon as he took the stage. I have not seen any performances like this before, but when I think about it, that's surprising. He took the stage alone with just a microphone but with the presence of Ian Curtis and Arthur Russell. Basically it was like watching someone rock out to his own CD. Yet it was way more exciting than a lot of bands I've seen. In fact, most. The energetic Maus would often scream off the mic and beat his chest with said device just in case you forgot you were seeing something special. As awkwardly as the songs ended the set was relentless and the seemingly well-initiated audience was in full force for his classics like "Rights for Gays," and "Do Your Best." That being said I am sure I wasn't the only one a little disappointed with his format which naturally would have to exclude "Navy Seals." Of all artists I've seen John Maus was maybe the most excited I've seen and as a fan of his what more could you ask for?

Now, this could be part of the fact that the show was on Friday the 13th, but I know the initiated wonder about the absence of "Ariel Pink" from this review. Well all of us in the audience thought the same thing. Not only is he presumably that missing keyboard player from Holy Shit, but also the missing boyfriend of Geneva Jacuzzi. Not to mention his collaborations with Maus. While I am glad his assumed presence was not a selling point for this show it was still a sad blow to follow R. Stevie Moore having dropped out of the lineup. These men's attendance would have of course made the show much better, but anyone there has little to complain about.

2010: Good Enough to Acknowledge

2010-12-07T15:52:00.001-08:00

I think it has been since either 2005 or 2006 that I even considered a top albums of the year list. 2010 has actually given me enough to think about.

I think in the past I had hesitated because I knew there was a lot I probably would like that I didn't hear at all, as well as some things that I haven't heard enough (at this point that being the latest No Age) and fighting my own impatience. The latter meaning that it's only December seventh, and let's not forget that there could be more releases. Seems unlikely but let's consider 2001 in which Jim O'Rourke's Insignificance was released the final Tuesday of the year.

Of course this year looked pretty bad at first with the death of Jay Reatard. It was enough for me to expect this whole decade to be a weak as the last. However things changed pretty quickly for many reasons, not least of all the reformation of some of the 90s greatest acts - Guided by Voices and Pavement.

Firstly, we had the formation of today's greatest live band who happens to be from right here in the Bay Area. If you still aren't up on Flash Gilmore and the Funbeatles this should let you know of their importance:

Then there's the albums. Here's a few I liked in No particular order.

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

The subnormals weren't the only people with a good eye on Jersey this year and Glen Rock's young stars have made the new Born To Run. The album touches upon all the same themes you should expect from the garbage state such as rage, failure, constant fighting, destructiveness, pride, and of course, lots and lots of alcohol. Coupled with the Feelies' Crazy Rhythms this is how I could show anyone what it's like to be from that state. The energy and urgency is there and with an average song length of six and a half minutes it's nothing short of epic... just look at the cover!

Will Stratton - New Vanguard Blues

Hailing from a few miles south (though he can also claim the East Bay as home), Stratton's third is a bit further stylistically than Andronicus. The singer-songwriter continues growing not only in his musicianship, but also in his studio prowess. Stratton's minimal arrangements manage to sound full and powerful, well-complimenting his vocals and lyrics and proving that today's "folk" musicians don't need to resort to Sufjan Stevens' over the top arrangements to distinguish themselves.

Personal and the Pizzas - Raw Pie

Rounding out the Jersey section we have Personal and Pizzas who despite claims to be from Hoboken and survive and a diet of Benny Tudino's giant slices and Budweiser tall boys are actually from San Francisco. Regardless, they play the part well and it's a pizza party wherever they go. While it's very easy to dismiss them as a gimmicky novelty act the fact remains that Personal is just an outstanding songwriter who happens to work in the style of Ramones-style punk/pop. Unfortunately, though, this comes across better in live performance than record, not to say this isn't worth owning, though.

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

After years of meaning to get into this band I finally have, right at the time of their most solid album, one they really puts all their strengths to the front. Bradford Cox and company deliver a set of creative, well-written, and atmospheric songs with an exceptionally wide range of emotion. Halcyon Digest is one of those classic albums that sounds much like everything else that's been made to date but in its own way. This winner for best-titled album of the year proves that Deerhunter is perhaps the most important band today.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

Int he five or so years since Ariel Pink's name became known outside the freakiest of LA hipsters the post-outsider artist stayed pretty busy. He toured constantly, pushed his favorite artists, put a band together, got a record deal, and made many more people uncomfortable. However, he did not do much more recording until this year. With expcations as high as the curiousity about his jump into pro audio, Pink and his band delivered. His songwriting is as strong, and much more consistent than before and while his smooth 70s pop has lost a little of it's eeriness with the clean production, it hasn't lost any of its heart.

Beach House - Teen Dream

After thinking these guys were everything I hated about new music (still don't like their other albums) the inclusion of "Norway" on MOJO's dream pop compilation was enough to make me pick this one up. The rest of the album lived up with its slow, sensual, and yes, dreamlike, sound. With a massive budget, the Baltimore duo crafted a successfully big statement that will surely set the standard for the rest of their career.

Th Apples in Stereo - Travellers in Space and Time

The one that gave me hope. When I first heard this old favorite's more electronic turn I was not sure what to think at first. In many ways, it's Robert Schneider taking a cue from his own followers and, of course besting them. Unlike the Apples' career up to this point there is a bit more than sunny sounds beneath the surface and at closer look this is a heartbreaking divorce album. Luckily Schneider took a different route than Dylan on Blood on the Tracks and his pain manifests itself in an aspiration for pure ecstasy just like Brian Wilson would. Don't like the electronics and new members distract you, this will go down as one of the Apples' best.

A Necessary Evil, I Suppose

2010-10-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

Still getting the hang of this again, more regular serious updates again soon, but for now here's my Halloween playlist. Starting tomorrow that's all I'll be listening to until I start driving up North.

1. "Trip Thru Hell, Part One" - CA Quintet
2. "Party Time" - 45 Grave
3. "Dub Housing" - Pere Ubu
4. "Mansion" - The Fall
5. "Halloween" - The Dream Syndicate
6. "Jack the Ripper" - Screaming Lord Sutch
7. "No Tears" - Tuxedomoon
8. "Big Empty Field" - Swell Maps
9. "Night in the Asylum" - Bobb Trimble
10. "Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive" - Beat Happening
11. "They Walk Among You" - New Math
12. "Graveyard" - Public Image Ltd.
13. "I Will Wait" - Pere Ubu
14. "It's Halloween" - The Shaggs
15. "Showing Shadows" - R. Stevie Moore
16. "Chain Saw" - Ramones
17. "Black Magic" - T.S.O.L.
18. "The Sleepwalkers" - Van der Graaf Generator
19. "Ghost Story" - John Cale

Spooky.

Standing Before King Everything

2010-10-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

This was of course the kind of thing I would give my life for: Two nights in a row of Guided by Voices’ classic lineup in the two best places on Earth.

The first night at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater was a special occasion as I was joined not only by fellow GbV devotee Paul Igaz, but by two newcomer friends of ours (including a true Pollard). After a number of canned American macrobrews we were ready to head down the street for the show. Doors were at 7 that night and we arrived at almost 8:30. Missing Times New Viking was an unfortunate but doable sacrifice, but what was surprising was that had the schedule been followed to the T we would have missed some of Guided by Voices set. They started not much later, but as Uncle Bob and company entered the stage with “A Salty Salute,” we learned where out lateness was a mistake. Paul and my attempts to get closer were met with unpermissive security forced us into be the most enthusiastic fans in the middle sea of Hollywood poseurs.

However, as Mitch led us into “Shocker in Gloomtown,” the reassurance that we would have another chance the next night was enough to let it go. The band continued to lead us through all the classics from the obvious “I am A Scientist,” “Motor Away”) to the obscure (“My Impression Now”) with fantastic showmanship not only from the Fading Captain himself, but equally from cohorts Mitch Mitchell and the fantastically dressed Greg Demos. Staging hit its peak with the Tobin Sprout cuts – particularly the ones in which he was joined by Pollard and “Cut-Out Witch” (one of the few Under the Bushes Under the Sttars cuts played.) Bob hit us with all his classic moves – the windmills, the kicks, the hops, yet kept them in check to give his band the credit they deserve.

At San Francisco’s Warfield even more friends joined me after an invigorating drive across the Bay Bridge. This time Times New Viking confirmed their importance as one of today’s best bands leaving me, unlike the rest of my crowd speechless. They evoked not only their all-encompassing home state, but some of the cosmic power of Young Marble Giants with Beth Murphy reminding me of an awkward Chrissie Hynde and Adam Elliott as the greatest singer songwriter to sit behind a drum kit.

Then it really started. Was this show better than the one in LA? It is impossible to say, but what I can say is this: Being much closer to the stage surrounded by people who know every word to “Gleemer (the Deeds of Fertile Jim),” “Smothered in Hugs,” and the symphonic high of “Don’t Stop Now” one can only think of commercials for Christian rock compilations for comparison. You know, the ones where the massive audience throws their collective hands towards the sky in transcendent ecstasy. It was like that, but with a lot more motion in the body, a bit hard to stay on your feet, well, and beer, obviously. Likewise the new proximity to the stage allowed me to finally witness the legendary “crazy Kevin face” which was all its cracked up to be possibly due to, or perhaps despite the fact that Mr. Fennell had aged particularly well in spite of the worst substance abuse.

While the songs were the same, some things differed between the shows. Perhaps this was only due to the location of my party, but the SF show was much more male-dominated, yet despite all your outsider sneering had no apparent gay element to it. Obviously Guided by Voices, right? On a similar note, The Los Angeles show featured a long string of banter between Pollard and Mitchell on the topic of Los Angeles pussy, which I am sure was enjoyed by all single members of the group particularly Mitch. The Los Angeles show also featured a great rush to the stage on “Motor Away,” in which at least 30 people joined the band onstage to everyone’s delight. This was not repeated, but neither was Pollard’s improvisation on “Lethargy” which reminded us that no one in the band gives a fuck, so why should we?

With all the songs intact the band changed it up a little bit by switching from two encores into three, but both ended the same way. First a sing-along epic rendition of “Johnny Appleseed,” and the closer to end all closers “Weedking” in which Uncle Bob sends his fans home early with the right idea I am sure almost all of us followed.

That’s right you will be home early to give your own neighborhood a taste of the Monument Club where you can watch your newly initiated friends transform from child to Official Iron (Wo)Men. That’s all you’re getting. Gotta leave some surprises for you suckers on the East Coast.

But here’s one they certainly won’t be swinging in Boston: Mitch has maintained the cigarette with unfathomable constancy and at many point, so does Pollard.

Love Is Trust

2010-04-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been, like, dead, lately. Recharging my batteries as they say. Got some cool stuff you'll all see soon.

"This guy should be in GWAR"

-Beavis or Butthead.

Also, I just finally saw hype! which you all must. Even if you don't think you like grunge - this movie will change that. Perhaps, favorite rock doc.

Just a Symptom of the Moral Decay That's Gnawing at the Heart of the Country

2010-02-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

Due to an M&M's TV spot, The The got perhaps their largest exposure in the US in 2007. The commercial utilized this album's "This is the Day" giving the audience a catchy piece of 80s indie rock. While cute, the commercial does not show the deep, dramatic and in fact life-affirming power of the song. After a long time of not listening all that much I put this on the turntable on a whim. Good call on my part.

The rest of the album is not far behind. I will be honest that I've listened to the first side much more than the second, but that is not to say it's only half-great, but that first side... fuggedaboudit. Anchored by "This is the Day," it starts off with the dark and intense yet insanely catchy "I've Been Waiting for Tomorrow All of My Life." At this point it is pretty clear that The The's pretty-much-only member Matt Johnson is a bit overly tragic in persona. However, either the conviction in his voice will make you believe it or his knack for songwriting will make you not care. Most likely it will be both. He's got a real skill for stretching out his songs too as only two songs are below 5 minutes in time. Not only do these secret epics remain interesting for up to over nine minutes (the appropriately-named "GIANT"), Johnson uses them as an opportunity to show off his diverse skills in his genre-bending solos. Likewise Side one closer "Uncertain Smile" featuring a piano solo from Jools Holland may even be the album's finest cut at nearly seven minutes that leave you still wanting more.

This is the album today's college kids are trying to make in their dorm rooms with their bootleg copies of ProTools and budget M-Boxes. Hence it serves as evidence that such technology is a bad influence on music.

The The - Soul Mining (1984)

Here's the original video for "This is the Day"

In other news, I think there was a problem with the original upload of the Chills/Van Dyke Parks collaboration "Water Wolves," so I fixed that by putting up the whole record on that very old article.

New Hope on Earth

2010-01-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I just got back from another show at 5011 in Mid-City. A week and a half I went to see my friend Benefit Friends, but had to leave before he played. However it was still a good time thanks to Tubby Boots and the San Francisco band that preceded them. That band sounded like Ratatat with the guitarist from Tortoise if that rings any bells.

Tonight was an even better show, though. The first band - Furcast was amazing. They were like an epic goth-inspired Black Moth Super Rainbow... but no, that would be playing them off as a little bit more derivative, but shit, they were really great. Corridor may have been even better. Merely a heavily-affected acoustic guitar and drummer they had a very full sound.

Both bands I genuinely liked and fully endorse. I am sure they all have myspaces, but I don't really keep up with that kind of thing. Either way I think despite Jay Reatard's death we have a lot to look forward to again.

The Vaccine to Hearing Loss

2010-01-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

Whether you love or hate Antone Newcombe this is going to make you feel stronger either way.

Now, despite what Newcombe says in the above video it is not as easy as you might hope to find all of his music on the internet. After struggling though, I did.

This release, I feel, is particularly important to share as the usual and understandable place to start with BJM is Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective. This album was recorded on TVT Records, which as we all know may function more like a major than any other indie. Though actually with even less patience as this was BJM's only record with them, and they were followed by an almost as brief period with GbV. Naturally, the label would not share these tracks for that wonderful compilation. It sure is a shame as the band was on a roll as much as ever and the record highlights many of the band's strong points.

Recorded during their time in Los Angeles, their sound is rooted as much in 60s psychedelia and the Velvets as ever. However, his album named after an 80s Bowie quote not only is the most typically 90s indie rock I've heard from them but also explored the subtle nuances of 90s psychedelia revivalists. There is no better example of this than the Elephant 6 (Specifically Gerbils-esque) pop of "Jennifer," besides maybe "Dawn" with Newcombe seeming emulating Wayne Coyne. Likewise the magnificent opener "Going to Hell" Newcombe gets in touch with his inner Dylan more than just musically to outstanding results. Tracks like "Nothing to Lose," "Dawn," and "Lantern," are typical BJM at their finest being the perfect medium between Spacemen 3 and Rain Parade. This album is a little more acoustic guitar and organ heavy than a lot of BJM's other work, but not of course with any less of Joel Gion's famous tambourine. Keep the revolution going!

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Strung Out in Heaven (1998)

Days in Aftermath

2010-01-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

Srsly Jay Reatard being dead. I can't believe it. I feel bad about not writing about it in the past few days, but I suppose this is where a positive attitude falls short. Great musician, great performer.

Believe Me!

2010-01-21T17:57:00.001-08:00

It seems that over the past year Dara Puspita has become a familiar sound in hip circles, perhaps a mostly as a name to drop, but to be honest, not even this cynic sees it that way. That being said, I am a little late on this, but I should throw in my two cents as well, and perhaps as in such "dire economic times" two cents has more value than we have thought. Either way, I just want everyone to know they heard it here too, plus it's been a while since I've posted one of those girl groups we love so much.

So, Dara Puspita or, in English "The Flower Girls" were an all-singing, all-playing girl group from Java who in my opinion represented everything great about sixties rock. This well-coiffed quartet had the sass and presentation of America's finest negro girl groups, the songwriting of the British invasion, the energy and low fidelity of garage/proto-punk, and all with a delightful psychedelic tinge. Obviously it's a ton of fun. This is as pure as it gets as the forward-thinking West had yet to see such a perfectly self-contained X-chromosome unit and this pre-dates even the Kim Fowley-dictated Runaways by nearly a decade. Like much of the music I have posted it is catchy and memorable even when largely in a foreign tongue, so don't let that bother you on pop gems like "Bhaktiku" and the fantastic title track which demonstrates the finest lo-fi production prior to GbV's Propeller, and maybe even beyond. For those intimadated by the language barrier you may want to start with their beautiful cover of the BeeGee's "To Love Somebody," or their own work in "Believe Me." Regardless this aptly-titled album is a real pleasure from beginning to end.

In some ways, I feel like Dara Puspita will be to 2009 what Os Mutantes was to 2004, so get hip to them before liking them too much makes you seem a bit behind the curve. On the other hand, David Byrne has yet to champion them and their cohorts, so you may be fine. Either way, if you love fun pure, rock 'n' roll, especially from girls this is essential.

Dara Puspita - A Go Go (1968)

Going Where No One Else Can Be

2010-01-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

"Sailor" had always been one of my favorite Brina Jonestown Massacre songs, so I am pretty ashamed to have not known it was a cover. Here is the original. More "complete" update later.

And HERE is a link to the album.

Choke on the Wonder of It All

2010-01-18T00:48:00.001-08:00

Of course, first off I apologize for disappearing like that. I'll try not to do it again. I am tired as I jsut got back from a show in Mid-City I will likely write about this week.

So here is the first solo album from the one man whose hair outdoes Robert Smith's - Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch where he proves the band may be different be he is not. After a substantial break since the masterpiece Ocean Rain he returned with a strong set that does not disappoint. It is another great piece of evidence in the Liverpool stands as one of Rock's greatest cities.

While I can assure any fan of Echo that they will be pleased this is not another album by that band. It's a little less moody and dramatic than them and the music is more akin to New Order even as the singer's voice remains as expressive and pleasant as ever. However, this is not to say that record is full of synth-dominated extended dance tracks. McCulloch is still about well-written poetic psych pop songs best fit for a lonely bedroom or romantic night than a crowded club. The opening track "The Flickering Wall" is sure to engage the most critical listener with it's dreamlike lyrics and production and sing-along chorus you will be glad to have stuck in your head for days. The lullaby-like title track is another standout as is the single "Proud to Fall," and the head-scratching "Horse's Head" with its Godfather imagery is delightful pretentious in that distinctly Ian McCulloch way.

Even if you are wary of solo records from leaders of legendary bands, this one really is a essential for any fan of 80s UK indie rock.

Ian McCulloch - Candleland (1989)

Obnoxious Actions, Obnoxious Results, They Teach Us to Refuse to Be Taught

2009-12-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to most likely the greatest creations of our time, Pandora, I have finally discovered the ultimate band I shouldhave heard 6 years ago... The Chameleons.

Hailing from outside Manchester, the psychedelic postpunk quartet led by bassist Mark Burgess is the perfect thing in between The Teardrop Explodes (to whom they own a massive debt) and the Smiths, as well as a missing link to post-rock. They released three albums in the mid 80s: Script of the Bridge (1983), What Does Anything Mean? Basically (1985), and Strange Times (1986) before breaking up and re-uniting in 2000. These three records are all fantastic and utterly life-changing, yet they all follow expected patterns: First a raw, energetic debut, then an somewhat excessive piece that relies on studio wizardry, and then an absolute masterpiece.

The debut begins with the near goth of "Don't Fall" which take away it's atmospheric psychedelia would not be out of place on an early Bauhaus release. However, it only gets better from there with "Up the Down Escalator," which's lyrics set the standard of symbolism, introspection, and transcendence. This continues in particular onto "As high as You Can Go." The sophomore release after an indulgent synth intro kicks into "Perfume Garden" which succeeds in melding rock guitars with airy synths and pure emotion so many artists these days fail to replicate. Pretty much every other track does this as well, particularly "On the Beach" and "Looking Inwardly." The final masterpiece Strange Times truly captures everything great about the band with the energetic "Mad Jack" opening and the real show-stoppers "In Answer" and "Tears" solidifying its title as one of the greatest records of the decade. The latter (which has a perhaps even better version on the second disc) and "Childhood" also contain a nostalgia that also sets it as a perfect swansong.

This is 100% essential for any fan of 80s UK indie rock, postpunk, and psychedelic rock... especially if you are a fan of Kilimanjaro.

The Chameleons 80s.

When I Saw You There I Saw The Best Part of Me Was Yourself

2009-12-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

As a true Official Iron Man, I would, of course consider Robert Pollard the greatest songwriter ever. Beyond that, I would say the other contributing member of GbV and father of their lo-fi sound Tobin Sprout is the second. Anyone who has fairly listened to their records Propeller through Under The Bushes Under The Stars need not question why. After all where would those albums be if not for classics like "Ester's Day," "A Good Flying Bird," "Little Whirl," "14 Cheerleader Coldfront," or "To Remake the Young Flyer" Slightly less deserving as the greatest records of all time, that's where. Well, here's an entire album of that kind of thing.

This album, release concurrently with Pollard's Not In My Air Force, the initial reaction to Sprout's now out-of-print album was more favorable than Pollard's unexpectedly experimental piece. This one fits in noticeably more with the prior three GbV releases than that album does. In fact, one of the most recent album's standout tracks, "It's Like Soul Man" is re-recorded here - actually with a more clean and professional recording. Luckily it's not even the best song as "My Beloved Martha" and "E's Navy Blue" manage to outdo that GbV masterpiece. that is not to say they are the only two. Really this album is as solid as most of GbV's LPs and to be frank, maybe even better than average. It is the perfect for anyone who ever wished for just a bit more of "You're Not An Airplane."

Tobin Sprout - Carnival Boy (1996)

It's the Story How I'm S'posed to Feel Because You Told Me So

2009-12-06T15:39:00.001-08:00

A true American tale of its era. Us in the United States should be able to recall Spring 2002. A time not long after the 9/11 disaster where any incident that could be called terrorism was, understandably, assumed the comlicated, calculated work of Islamic extremists.

One of the many times the media (yes, for any foreigners, it's more often the media than the government... even the Bush administration) was wrong was in the case of the Midwestern Pipe Bomber. The guilty party turned out to be a Kurt Cobain-worshiping Minnesota college kid named Luke Helder. Rather than hurt anybody, Helder wanted to just fight conformity by setting off minor explosions across middle America inthe shape of a smiley face.

9/11 aside, the media, especially in regards to teens/young adults was still reeling from Columbine and eager to point the finger at music. This is where I was first lucky enough to hear Apathy on a rare event of my dad driving my brother and I to school listening to Howard Stern. Copies of the bomber's band's album Sacks of People went for as much as $200 and Stern was lucky enough to get one on the air. As expected, it's a bunch of mindless teen angst played over an honestly well-done imitation of Nirvana that lives up to the perp's attire when busted.

A few years after the incident I managed to find the album's supposed masterpiece "Conformity," but lost it in computer transitions. After years of casual search, I finally got it again along with this site that seems to feature the whole thing. I'll get it later and probably put it up. If anyone has the full album with allthe proper titles and track order, please let me know. This is the Billy Beer of the aughts. Have a blast.

Apathy - "Conformity" and more...

Didn't Realize the Sign, 'Cause it Was the Sign of the Times

2009-12-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

As trendy and hip as the city became this decade, it's easy to forget that Portland that actually made it's greatest contribution to music actually came before most of the world actually knew that people actually lived in the Pacific Northwest. That, of course, would be the Wipers, led by the enigmatic Greg Sage.

I am not sure of the availability of their work these days, but when I first got into them at a middle school teacher's suggestion it was all pretty rare. His suggestion was, increasingly weak due to it's Nirvana connection, Is This Real?, with "Return of the Rat." So when I managed to find this compilation in Ann Arbor's Encore Recordings, I was a little disappointed to to find neither that track, nor anything from the classic debut on here. After acquire the all-classic first three albums though, my appreciation for this compilation grew exponentially. With only one track from Youth of America and two from Over the Edge, this set features the best of Sage's supposedly spottier later work.

Most of the tracks on here stand up to the classics' "Messenger," and "Taking Too Long," so this is the perfect source for more Wipers. The opening track "Nothing Left to Lose," is one of Sage's all-time best and his darkly dreamlike virtuosity over a simple rhythm is not only the perfect transition between postpunk and grunge and enough to make one instantly fall in love with the Wipers. However particularly strong, that track is only one of many so carefully selected (especially counting the CD-only last three tracks) that would suggest that the band's last three albums of the 80s were as strong as the first. Also included are a couple tracks from Sage's supposedly lackluster 1985 solo debut. These, "Soul's Tongue" and "Blue Cowboy" are some of the best on here. They certainly have a different sound, slower, cinematic, yet no less effective. Their desperado air seem to be as much of a window into this elusive soul as any of the Wipers' finest moments.

They sometimes call the Wipers a "wrong-coast Mission of Burma," but anyone who's been to Boston can tell you it's the other way around. While that band came to represent their city's pretense and pomposity, the Wipers came to establish the whole sound of their region. Bravo.

The Best of the Wipers and Greg Sage (1990)

Water, Keep On Falling...

2009-11-30T12:52:00.001-08:00

Well, back from another trip to the Bay which included a much needed trip to Amoeba after months of being to lazy to go to the one in H-Wood while it was still open...

While in their home town, I was looking for any Viva Saturn, but to no avail. While checking the Rain Parade section, though, I was pleasantly surprised. First, I saw that for the first time ever Crashing Dream was available on CD, but I also found this one for the first time on any format.

Here is a posthumous compilation of Rain Parade's finest odds and ends. Mostly demos, it's a great look into their later work for the Emergency Third Rail Power Trip purist, as the stylistically similar album art should imply. The first ten tracks show the band in preparation for Crashing Dream before Island records cleaned up their sound a bit. Personally, I think most of the album version are better, but these are worth hearing, even if you agree with me. Though, perhaps this could only be said about such standouts as "Mystic Green," as this collection's version of "Gone West," despite its invasive synthesizer is better than the proper album's. Additionally, this includes two tracks (including a title number) from that album which, at least in this context, stand up to the others.

The last nine tracks of this collection are the only available examples of Rain Parade's last days and the unsurprising change of pace. Here the band's final sound was one much darker and indeed for the most part heavier than any previous phase. While at times they remain slow and more comparable than ever to David Roback's post-Rain Parade project Opal, even more are rockier than one would have previously though possible, with the live "Got the Fear" sounding a bit like early Built to Spill. However, this should not be a surprise considering how much Rain Parade's Paisely peers had changed by this point (1987), and these rough demos are better than anything The Bangles or The Three O'Clock released that year.

Rain Parade - Demolition (1991)

Hey, You Wanna Buy Some Speed?

2009-11-17T23:12:00.001-08:00

In a sense created by a record executive, Speed, Glue & Shinki was more or less Japan's first successful super session, and a particularly visually alarming one full of 6-foot plus Eurasians. Journeyman guitarist Shinki Chen, often hailed as Japan's Jimi Hendrix was a mainstay of Japanese sessions, but had failed to make any great music on his own. Vice-heavy bassist Masayoshi "Glue" Kabe had been a founding member of the naturally most cracked-out Groups Sounds band the Golden Cups. The only exception was drummer/vocalist/songwriter Joey "Speed" Smith a virtually unknown half-American Filipino national who at the time was fronting an R&B band playing department stores. With a loud, messy blues concotion that would have sounded msot at home in Detroit only years earlier, the three recorded perhaps the most drugged-out music of all time.

This debut album ranked by Julian Cope as the greatest Japrock album (tied with the Flower Travellin' Band's Satori) is a thirty-five minute tribute to drugs and the futen lifestyle. Immediately in "Mr. Walking Drugstore Man," the band shows that while they are excellent musicians, their life truly does revolve around getting high. While the stringed section's command of English may not have been near that of Smith's, it is doubtful they, especially Kabe would object to their content. While the love of drugs is explicit, so is everything else. "Big Headed Woman" is the rock 'n' roll suicide suggestion the PMRC spent most of the eighties searching for, and a funny one at that. The group's assertion of the futen lifestyle runs rampant especially in the anthemic "Ode to the Bad People" to which we all should relate to.

Tempo changes, the instruments run wild, it's a loud mess, but probably the tightest, most deliberate one you will ever hear. This is punk rock.

Speed, Glue & Shinki - Eve (1971)

Indeed That Heavy, But This Futen Has No Right to Say...

2009-11-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been inactive for a long time now. Just wasn't feeling too inspired, but that's changed. Just dicked around in this hopeless post-graduate LA job-market clearing my palate with some old favorites and Rhino's Super Hits of the 70s: Have a Nice Day series thanks to my roommate Tommy. That and getting deeper into Julian Cope's Japrocksampler...

...which of course has been the return of my inspiration, and here is Les Raillezes Denudés. Formed in the late 60s this Japanese band formed out of the folk scene emerging with the radical (mostly communist) left, but eventually took their music in an even more radical direction. After the politics took an equally radical turn for the band's bassist hijacking a plane en route to South Korea with quite a few American passengers and escaping to North Korea, the band faded somewhat into obscurity. At this point the cult legend and the sound only sound worthy of it grew. At this point leaderand sole consistent member Mizutani Takashiheaded off into the mountains to live in isolation and set the standard for generations of futen artists like Ghost and perhaps his most dedicated followers Acid Mothers Temple and the Meltin Paraiso U.F.O. Here the sound was honed, taking the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray" as the blueprint and turning into a precise art of noise as only the Japanese could. Not to mention it's a whole lot more interesting musically, and I must hope with less-embarrassing lyrics. Likewise, Andy and the Velvets' Exploding Plastic Inevitable Show was the top influence on Mizutani's "total sensory assault," which unfortunately was put to rest in 1997.

This set - a bootleg like all their releases, is ranked as the third greatest of the Japrock movement by Cope is some of the most exciting music I've heard. Starting off with the hypnotic "Strong Out Deeper Than The Night," the band's mastery of noise and atmosphere as well as Mizutani's perfectly executed vocals prove that this unique music demands one's full attention. Luckily, it is well-held for the whole 15:33 with an exploratory experience of jazz with the unity of a classic rock song. "The Night Collectors" rocks out the hardest and catchiest, but not without the Tarkovskyesque approach of "sculpting in time." Moments, or long stretches of them of softness come through as well most notably in "Enter The Mirror," making this psychedelic experience particularly dreamlike. For those looking for the most hardcore psychedelia, here it is, one that evokes the full-body brain-piercing experience of an Acid Mothers show even though these busted laptop speakers - full-blast, full-attention, life-changing.

Les Rallizes Denudés - Heavier Than A Death In The Family (1995?)

*I have a few more suspicions than usual this file may not have uploaded properly, so please let me know if there's an issue!

Here's a great video - the true title of this gorgeous song is "Romance of the Black Grief"

Dancing in White Sheet Glory

2009-10-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from another wonderful visit to Alameda. Unfortunately, I have not bene feeling as active as I should with the blogs, but I have begun my tenure as a featured writer on SleepWalKing, where I wrote (surprise) a review of Sleep Convention. Well, as much as I love it here, listening to my favorite track from this record reminded me of how much I need to return to more of my own fair city.

Seems odd, but yes, Los Angeles is the home of American goth. I had always been curious about the domestic side of the style as I have long been a fan of Joy Division, Bauhaus and the Cure. Our contribution to the style is a bit more on the side of the common mall-goth stereotype. Yet unlike Los Angeles peers and arguable super-group 45 Grave, Christian Death (name actually a play on words for "Christian Doir" rather than mere anti-Christian angst) is only arguably intentionally funny. All the drama (see "theatre" in title) would have to be intentional if only frontman Rozz Williams had been past his teen years. However, it is hard to deny either the fun of this over-the-top band or the creative guitar playing of former Adolescent Rikk Agnew. While Marilyn Manson copped much of Williams' style, the original can speak to anyone with a good sense of humor more than the 90s shocker. By far the album's best track, "Romeo's Distress" exemplifies the album's best charms the punky minor-chord bass line is a catchy pull and Agnew breaks into some of the most enjoyable goth guitar - basically Bauhaus with some real SoCal-style chops. Then Williams comes in with one of the most beautifully tasteless shock lines of all time "a burning cross is on a nigger's lawn." Obviously not for the easily offended. Though at a lower level the rest of this album is not a far cry from that masterful track.

Like my last article attempted to wash off some stigma around pop-metal this one should encourage you to give goth a chance. This is true rock 'n' roll in perhaps the most fun way. It gets dark, offensive, and even disturbing but remember, it's only theatre... OF PAIN!!!

Christian Death - Only Theatre of Pain (1982)

You're Only Foolin' Yourself!

2009-09-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Those in the know will often give the credit (or even more often dishonor) of creating pop-metal to Montreal's Aldo Nova. While The Crüe was still a too vile to really get that title who else could it be? The rock criticism world still has not washed the stigma off that style, so why keep waiting for them to do it? I'll do it right now! I am very glad to have finally acquired it since hearing the classic "Foolin' Yourself" on Pandora this spring. Likewise, my current addiction to SCTV and The Kids in the Hall beg me to put up my first Canadian addition.

This is a great pop album. No way around it. It seems as though the Canadians are the unsung heroes of 80s metal with Nova founding the pop side and Anvil on the thrash side. Nova is a skilled guitar player songwriter, and producer whose skills have been lent to such superstars as fellow Quebecois Celine Dion and the Bon J (who clearly owe a lot to him). This is the perfect remedy for someone looking for pop metal that isn't too girly, virtuosity that isn't obnoxious, or mainstream rock that is pure. I have really enjoyed every single song on this album, particularly the aforementioned "Foolin' Yourself" and the album's hit "Fantasy." This is essential for anyone who enjoyed Be Bop Deluxe as in many ways it has the same sound, only updated for the 80s.

The themes on this album are classic pop metal: good guys gone bad after their hearts were broken, good girls one the street, and of course "Hot Love." The album is pure fun - best listened to in a red, talking, sports car if you know what I mean... So listen if you dare because this is good music. No shame in it. And if you see a vinyl copy on this around Los Angeles, be sure to let me know.

Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova (1981)

Now I'm So Happy I Have To Let My Song Outside

2009-09-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

so I have been wrapped up lately with attempts at professional stuff and personal struggles and I am forced to do what I try so hard to avoid... re-post what I have found from the internet's best music blog - ZAMBONI Soundtracks.

So, here is Todd. A high school nerd who put together a whole album of music that could only, and most definitively be called "heartfelt." It comes from 1979 like it could come from no time else, but where, I am not totally sure. I would think somewhere in the suburbs of New York: Jersey, Long Island, Staten Island... something like that. It is clear that Todd put is all into this. He had to hire or beg the services of other and record in in a rush as the talent of his backers is arguable and their best defense is that they are playing with no familiarity with Todd's vision and their best attempt to follow it on the spot. The bass player is clearly the most lost and it seems like the drummer may just lack talent. Todd's piano is strong, and his vocals are weak - it is evident that here was a kid with the vision and the passion and hey, he did what he could, so let's give it some credit!

Regardless, you can feel what Todd is going for even if it comes from the superficial standpoint of Me = Good, Jock = Bad. Bottom line, it's like emo of the late 70s... back when that kind of thing was unacceptable. Either way, it's interesting to hear that kind of thing without the influence of the likes of hardcore and the Replacements. Rather the influences are more along the lines of show tunes and Hermit of Mink Hollow-era Todd Rundgren. Yet, still there are the topics of suicide and a-bit-too-unrequited love. There is nothing else like this. Give it a chance, as I am sure anyone who actually reads this kind of thing can relate to it. "Alone" and the title track can resonate the most while "Miracle Whip" is pure Vince Guraldi fun, and "Christ's Love Song" eliminates all the nice Jewish boy context I would assume. "Before It's Too Late," though while not one of the best songs is significant for the "believe it or not" factor of this. So, here is...

Todd - With Love... From Me To You (1979)

Am I Awake? Am I Asleep?

2009-09-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a wonderful reader's comment on my article on Trees I was shown to a recent interview with the great Dane Conover which is available right here.

While I wish I could have heard more from Mr. Conover himself and not just music from Sleep Convention and his influences. However what he says is pretty great as are some of the rarer music in the program. In particlar, it was my first exposure to his first band The Puppies whose "Mechanical Beat" is featured, as well as his recent work with his wife under the name Popgems. The latter project's song "California" is just incredible and I really wish I had that to listen to on my cross-country drive here from new Jersey/Michigan. Once again it is part of Conover's uniquely SoCal contribution to the synth-pop world. The most significant, however is the original version of the Sleep Convention standout "11:00 AM" which could be described as nothing short of epic. Not only is it one of the best examples of Conover's genius, but also of Earle Mankey's - to whom Conover gives endless credit in the interview. If that masterpiece connected with you this is just as essential listening.

What's Going On and What Will Be

2009-09-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been away for a while - I have recently moved from Venice (sort of) back to Westchester and was, as a result, without home internet for a while.

Anyway, back to beeswax... Of all the great artists to bring 60s-influenced psychedelia back in the 80s none was as into the 60s Swinging London look and sound as Milwaukee's Plasticland.

I am not totally sure what that Great Lakes region city was like at the time, but it may have had a burgeoning scene along with the Violent Femmes, who I believe had some loose connections to the band. If anyone can enlighten me and out other readers on that topic, it would be appreciated. Regardless of how big it may have been it is not remembered as widely as Hoboken, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston or other indie rock hotbeds of the time. Plasticland was no better known in the national scene though and their first self-titled album was actually released initially only on a French label. It is too bad though as their hard acid sound would have found an audience with fans of Paisley Underground or, perhaps even more so those misfit early Flaming Lips.

This album is one so in touch with the sixties that it could have only come out of the eighties that and the punk rock influence that only is apparent in the group's energy and short song lengths. Likewise, it is a bit prescient of groups like Mudhoney's use of 60s-style feedback - especially when coupled with Glenn Rehse's voice which is not too different from that of Mark Arm's. The album is structured well and from the ass-kicking opener "Alexander" it would be hard to switch to something else afterward. "Her Decay" is another particular standout and was the first I heard of the band from listening to "Jet Fighter" Radio on Pandora. Needless to say this is perfect for fans of not only 60s psych, but any kind of 80s sixties revival style, be it acid rock, garage, or even jangle pop.

Plasticland - Plasticland (1985)

She Wants Me To Come, But I'm Never Going There

2009-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

Busy moving today, so no "full" update, however, this must be seen.

She's Like Fire, She's Like Ice, She'll Leave You High And Dry

2009-09-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

A lot of people give David Roback the most credit for Rain Parade because of Mazzy Star. Their later work does not falter enough for that argument, nor is Mazzy Star good enough. His in-between group though, is the place to highlight his individual talent though.

Originally as Clay Allison, he and the Dream Syndicate's Kendra Smith collaborated on the work here, which I feel, particularly on the shared track "She's a Diamond" is better than their Happy Nightmare Baby. While it may have been in discussion of Rain Parade, Roback's famous quote "we wanted to make very quiet music," is the best description of Opal's work, more of a departure from the old band's Byrds-y guitars and hard-hitting drums than expected. What distinguishes this from the follow-ups of sorts is stong songwriter, at least some that can really shine through. Its opener "Empty Box Blues" is instantly more captivating than a lot of Roback's other post-Rain Parade work, and Smith sounds better than ever, as well. At times she even has the sound of an Old West chanteuse with a quiet shoegaze milleu. There is not much else like this, just don't let it put you to sleep... no offense.

Opal - Early Recordings (1988)

They Weren't Kidding When They Called It "Obsession"

2009-09-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

...and that is because all the featured artists have gotten bigger and bigger over the past year and a half. While not all of them have gotten proper re-issues, their names are out there and their music is on the blogosphere. I will continue this with the Quarteto Nova Era EP. There is not much more I can add to it - Brazilian, stands up to their contemporaries, shame there wasn't more from them despite making it into the 70s. Every song is good. A friend of mine bought a copy of this extremely rare find on eBay. The rest of us can get it here.

The Quarteto Nova Era EP (1968)

I'm On a Cloud, I Must Be In A Dream

2009-09-07T13:40:00.001-07:00

These days, a lot of attention is paid to all the classic punk groups getting back together. Many forget that the Buzzcocks did that long before and released a few albums in the 90s. They weren't that bad even!

Years ago, before the group got their fair share of the reissue game it was actually the easiest to find these newer releases. That's why over eight years ago when getting more and more curious about the band my friend Tommy made this his first Buzzcocks acquisition. What a unique one it was. Starting off with krautrock synths on the album's best track "Soul on a Rock" Pete Shelley's pre-punk forays into synth music is heard in his punk work - something absent from the Buzzcocks' classic work. Both his and Steve Diggle's songwriting is intact, creating songs in most ways similar to their seventies and eighties work albeit with a cleaner 90s production and a little more experimentation in arrangement. That being said, you can't entirely expect the same music from the same kitchen, but if your mind is a little open I think you can handle it. The title is a little bit of an indicator, but it would be a little bit better suited a few years after the group's initial break-up rather than 1999. The album is a solid one with more poppy punk songs with plus the krautrock influence the members never got to show off like their other punk contemporaries got to. The band even ventures into more dance territory on "Why Compromise?," while it is admittedly a step down from the preceding 4 tracks it is a good curiosity. This is essential for anyone who enjoyed the High Water Marks' Songs About the Ocean as much as I did. It is clear that in middle age the Buzzzcocks had not lost their greatness.

Buzzcocks - Modern (1999)

Indestructable!

2009-09-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

While it cannot be ignored that this compilation was released within the year following Paul Simon's Graceland it is more along the lines of an underground classic. Here is the music that inspired Simon to make music in that vein and be unusually successful for a white person at it. Featuring music recorded between 1981 and 1984, these are the sounds that defined South African pop right as the time the rest of the world took notice. With its cover as memorable as the music, I had been meaning to pick it up since reading about it as a child and saw a cheap used copy at Sound Sations just yesterday. It is the perfect next stop both directly from Simon, or for those who have already ventured into the likes of the Bhundu Boys.

It is a pretty good look at South African heartland culture as well as the diverse styles heard here reflect the unique communities in which they come from complete with their own heritage and re-interpretation of Western pop. While all of it contains Western instrumentation with elecric guitar, bass guitar, and drum kits on almost every track the inclusion of tradition instruments varies for every artist and cheap synthesizers make their fair share of appearances. Structures are distinctly un-Western, but the true heart of pop is there and all of these songs are catchy. As drony and repetitive as some tracks can be they stick with the listener and are more enjoyable even to the least sophisticated ear as anything on the radio in the past 15 years. "Sobabamba" is probably the best example with its raga-esque repetition and use of microtones making it one of the most exotic, yet enjoyable tracks on this classic compilation. The rest are on the same level.

The Indestructable Beat of Soweto (1987)

Be Kind and Humour Me

2009-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

With their hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale" lifted from Bach, the music of Procol Harum lives in the subconscious of the Western mind. Unfortunately fewer and fewer people know the name and even less know of anything else the band did. It's a real shame since Robin Trower's guitar style was an key influence in classic Hendrix, and there's nothing like the majesty of the piano-organ duo.

So, here is some of their best work. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was originally intended as one-off studio project, but by this time they had become a true band still playing a unique blend of baroque sounds and classic blues-based rock. All with unusual, carefully written lyrics Procol Harum stands as one of the more distinct bands of their era, albeit an often forgotten one. While the other instruments usually get the most credit, this album's drums really excel. Fromthe first track "Quite Rightly So" they are the extra little kick that gives the album so much of its appeal. This is a dark and pretty album with the band channeling all of their diverse influences to create something totally new, as best heard in the wild "Skip Softly, My Moonbeams."

There are plenty of bonus tracks here and those are many of the best. "Homburg" - the band's second attempt at a hit and perhaps a little much like the first one is here, and as similar as it may be it's still an amazing song. However it is "In The Wee Small Hours of Sixpence" that may be the band's best all thanks to the organ of course.

Procol Harum - Shine on Brightly (1968)

Woke Up Screaming "God I Hope I'm Not Bleeding!"

2009-09-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

I went with a recent photo for the irony. I have not listened to that much Built to Spill in a while, but this weekend after "Ze" telling me about their performance at Outside Lands they have been on my mind. Like my friend was after their set I was just a little disappointed when I saw them about four years ago. Now, a lot of that had to do with weak openers, but also because my friends who had seen them two years prior seemed to have gotten an unusually remarkable set from them featuring VERY early work.

I am one of the few that think the band got slightly weaker with each album, thusly implying that the debut is the best. In addition to having the best album and best cover it in fact has the best music. But, it has been out of print (actually, I think just decent distribution) for who knows how long? It captures the band at their best offering both the pop of There's Nothing Wrong With Love and Ancient Melodies of the Future AND the jammy epics of Perfect From Now On and Keep It Like A Secret all with classic 90s lo-fi recording. One could argue that the band may not have the chemistry they would later have as a solid line-up'ed band, but with songs and energy like this who cares? It is particularly odd this did not catch on more as its heavy guitars and playfully angsty lyrics, in addition to the band's Boise home town could have given it a grunge audience at the time. Everything just comes together in such sloppy glory and Greg Martsch's affinity for stacks of guitar tracks shines through, particularly on the simple, yet wailing "Get A Life." "Lie for a Lie," the album's catchiest and shortest song with its goofy samples and white nose tracks stands with The Olivia Tremor Control's "Love Athena" as definitive 90s US indie pop. Its line "Once in a while there's a girl I don't know in my dreams/ she reminds me of a lot of people, but she's someone that I've never seen/ and she's perfect" was the star of numerous bonding moments during my teenage years. However, the star of the show is probably "Nowhere, Nothin', Fuckup" which showcases the band's remarkable talent for jamming on something familiar and turning it into their own masterpiece while making the title a fun little sing-along. This is essential American indie rock. A lost masterpiece.

Built to Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers (1993)

Party In The Pines - Big Sur

2009-08-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend (whose more-professional-than-mine review is available here) I was able to attend this great event.

We arrived as Wooden Ships were playing. They were pretty cool - heavy instrumental psych-rock with the years there to do it quite well. Next there was Vietnam and Farmer Dave. Neither of them did it for me, personally, but with some good, but expensive New Orleans barbecue and some good, and modestly priced local beer who cares? Then, at last there was Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. His set consisted mainly of new stuff and the obscure. Some of these highlights were "Bevery Kills (Freaks with the Golden Heirs)" and "Psychodrama City." The new stuff is fantastic and I really can't wait for the next LP, which if released on time could rank as one of the best of this decade. He also gave an obvious(ly great) rendition of "Among Dreams" and my wish from the last time I saw him of hearing "Higher and Higher" was granted.

Following Pink was Gang Gang dance. I had never heard them before, but they put on a really cool show, which even more than the other sets I wished had been in a different setting. I would not listen to their records, but when they play LA next I will attend that show, especially if it is at the Echo, where their sound would fit perfectly.

Dungen was the star of the show in my eyes, and while they played mostly cuts from he last two albums, it was everything I could have asked for. Gustav Ejstes' genius was in plain view as he demonstrated his skills on mainly piano, plus vocals, flute, guitar... and tambourine. Also on display was his amazing ability to find talented musicians who can play just like him. The band also matched the forest setting best and their sound on classics like "Festival" and "Panda" was more subdued, yet no less powerful than on Ta Det Lugnt. Never miss the chance to see Dungen.

Another star of the show was the DJ who gave us music during the painfully long transitions. Her set consisted heavily of Anatolian rock, even with a cut from Benimle Oynar Mısın - the awesome "Sen Varsin". Gustav Ejstes was enjoying it a whole lot and why not because many of those artists are a clear influence on him.

And of course, who could discuss Anatolian rock without Erkin Koray...

Starting as early as the late 50s, Erkin Koray was the definitive voice of the Anatolian Rock movement, which while less famous was as unique and strong as similar prog/psych rock movements of the time in West Germany and Japan.

Since I have been so unreliable lately, here are his first two solo albums, which despite the increasing availability of Anatolian Rock since the successful Obsession compilation are really not "widely" available. Both of them are very strong and solid and serve as a great introduction to the style which melded Western psych rock with traditional sounds from the crossroads of the Old World. The self-titled is the one that is most in tune with that side, while Elektronik Türküler, much cleaner, is a little but more on par with the West, despite the exotic language. Okay, enough words.

Erkin Koray - Erkin Koray (1973)

Erkin Koray - Elektronik Türküler (1974)

Have YOU Been to Stockholm?

2009-08-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this month will continue to sag in posts as this weekend I will be going up North. The main reason is that for a second week in a row I will be attending a California region's second best music festival: Party in the Pines in Big Sur. I am pretty amped to not only see Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti again, but also to see a band I have wanted to for over three and a half years - Dungen.

A few months back I posted their follow-up to this album, and indisputable masterpiece. This one, originally released in 2002 made its way to the US in 2005 and in my experience stands up more than any of the following albums do. Hopefully the group's set won't rely too much on that stuff. More seventies-style psych-rock here, and quite a bit more pop-oriented than the harder, trippier Ta Det Lugnt. The album, which's translated title is "City Walks" kicks off with catchy title track that keeps your ears glues as much as the follow-up's "Panda" does. Urban tribute "Har du vart' i Stockholm?" makes it a solid one-two punch that makes the album as great a tribute to the band's home city as classics like Midnite Vultures and Marquee Moon did for Beck and Television, respectively ...and all without understanding the language!

Whereas later efforts show Gustav Ejstes trying to recapture the mastery of Ta Det Lugnt, this album is the sound of him honing his craft in creating the best vintage-style psychedelia, nay music of this decade while displaying his multi-instrumental virtuosity. His way with folkier European arrangements is remarkable as well with "Sol och Regn" being a fiddle and flute instrumental on par with the bonus disc included in the reissue of the follow-up. It is one of the album's finest tracks. Like most other music of the present half of the decade, forget about Dungen's later work - this is the next stop for them. Either way, though I am expecting a life-changing performance from the crew this weekend, and this should give anyone else who will be joining me similar expectations.

Dungen - Stadsvandringar (2002)

Just Like Life, There's a Good Beginning, But There Is No Middle, So You Might as Well Skip to the End

2009-08-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it toook me so long to hear classic Television Personalities. I was pretty up on things when My Dark Places was released a few years ago and knew and loved "Part Time Punks", but I did not really hear this gem until a few months ago at the home of my friends in the Brooklyn band Pow Wow!

The Television Personalities were Joe Strummer's favorite band. He said that they represented, to him, what punk rock was all about. Though, in many ways they are more "indie-pop" than punk, but hey, what does all that mean anyway?

The guitars are jangly, the structure is pop, and the lyrics are playfully dark and perversely innocent... if that makes sense? Either way it's one hell of a record. It has a few less pop culture references than their earlier work, but a little more high culture to keep it full of allusions. However, what may be this album's greatest strength is how well it captures the mind of a teenage boy. Not in some dumbed-down kind of mook way, nor over-dramatic and emo. Jsut real, sincere, and deep, yet naïve. Opener "This Angry Silence" captures that voice amid a tempestuous home life while the discomfortingly simple lyrics of "La Grande Illusion" show the darker side to perhaps the same situation as "Silly Girl." "The Glittering Prizes" is one of the best songs and captures the feeling of malaise with nothing both the future to daydream about and "Geoffrey Ingram" is the "David Watts" of the punk era. Changing to a third person look at essentially the same thing is perhaps the album's best track "World of Pauline Lewis," with a refrain that cuts to the bone. This is essential pop as only an original UK punk band could do it.

Television Personalities - ...And Don't The Kids Just Love It (1981)

The Hidden Door: Found

2009-08-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Forming in Riverside, CA, in the mid 60s, the Misunderstood made one big mistake. Instead of remaining in their home and probably being a big hit on the Sunset Strip they followed the current British Invasion and relocated to England where they became one of the great lost bands of the sixties.

This album, recorded in 1966 was not even released until 1982, when even with the rise of neo-psychedelia this could never have hoped for an audience. The group's move is also significant in how it tells their sound. The Misunderstood is to the Yardbirds what the Olivia Tremor Control was to the Beatles. That is to say that their sound is what the blues rockers could have become had they gone further and further into their psychedelic territory. That London blues sound never leaves their sound even though the band goes as far into the psychedelic whirlwind as the 13th Floor Elevators - the band with whom they warrant the most significant comparison, particularly the first album. Lead vocalist Rick Brown's soulful voice on par with Eric Burdon's adds an element not often heard in American psych-rock, even outdoing Arthur Lee. The steel guitar provided by Glenn Ross Campbell wail in a way that set the standard of masterful use of alternative instrumentation is both the psychedelic and progressive rock that would follow in the footsteps. That is not to say the regular guitars don't kick ass as well. The songwriting is as strong, perfectly creating some of the heaviest rock of the sixties on par with the Creation. Some of the best tracks are opener "Children of the Sun," I Unseen," "I Can Take You To The Sun," and should-have-been hit "I Cried My Eyes Out." The Misunderstood's splicing of bluesy British Invasion, far-out acid rock, and proto-punk/metal heaviness makes it perhaps the quintessential underground rock album of the era.

The Misunderstood - Before The Dream Faded (1966/1982)

New York's Alright If You Like Tuberculosis

2009-08-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the final show of the Vans Warped Tour here in Los Angeles and I was lucky enough to be comped a ticket. Of course, I have little to no interest in most of the artists playing, I had not even heard of most of them, but there was the Old School stage... There I caught U.K. Subs, D.O.A., and an amazing set from Fishbone. Yet, after a very weak and ungrateful band from Kansas City with the misfortune of playing after Fishbone I got what I was really looking forward to... FEAR.

While it was in the fallout of the most severe commercialization of punk rock, it was the most punk experience of my life. Lee Ving is as charismatic and acerbic as ever and the crowd was true L.A. hardcore. The whole set was very strong and the highlights, apart from "More Beer" were many of the same highlights as from the below album. They started off with "I Love Living In The City," and had a performance of "Beef Baloney" on par with the classic SNL debacle. Of course, "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" resonated heavily for me at this point in my life, even as it lacked the saxophone part...

For those who may not be well versed in FEAR, here's a little background: They were one of the original LA hardcore bands formed in the late 70s and bridged the (slight) gap between the Germs, X, Screamers, and Weirdos and likes of Black Flag and T.S.O.L. They were also John Belushi's favorite band (one listen to this and that makes a whole lot of sense) and he would not agree to do the SNL Halloween special in 1981 unless they could be the band. They got to do that and made a mess of their much maligned New York City featuring slam dancers and thousands of dollars worth of damage to the studio. They played "Beef Baloney" and of course "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" but were cut off mid-song while performing "Let's Have A War." It was definitive punk rock, of course, and Lee Ving has not changed a bit since then... at least not publicly. So get ready to get offended and enjoy...

FEAR - The Record (1982)

Why You Wanna Go and Start This War?

2009-08-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

While almost definitely the most maligned form of underground rock, in retrospect emo, at least the good stuff, could be seen as rock's last breath, and yes, last breaths can be pretty sloppy attempts.

I was never an emo fan, not even when I was fifteen, but of course, there were some exceptions. The big one of course being one of the last great rock bands to achieve (or at least come close to achieving) major mainstream success: At The Drive-In. Another was the Anniversary, particularly this album.

I first heard of them, of course, in 2002 when all the "real" emo kids I knew were going to see the recently sold-out Dashboard Confessional for this opening act. Something was intriguing about that, I must say. Eventually, after grappling with all the stigma around the style I picked up this CD and was pretty amazed. Granted it has its emo clichés for sure and it could get old, but after all these years I find myself going back to it and appreciating it. Of course, what I liked about it was what got the group ousted from emo royalty for sounding too much like a sixties pop group. Fuck that.

The Lawrence, Kansas group gives its audience what it craves while showing off their expansive talent that goes beyond said parameters. The record starts off strong with the drum intro to "Sweet Marie" and delivers one of the albums best classic pop tunes, the other being "Never Die Young" (though I recall having a preferred more emo version during the Kazaa era). The more typically emo tracks are great too like "The Siren Sings" and "Devil on My Side". The epics are some of the weaker ones, though with "Husam Husam" the notable exception. The arrangements all sound good and tight - even with the occasional strong harmony, even when the vocals and lyrics can get eye-rolling. In effect, of all emo music I've heard this is probably the most listenable, coming from from a classic rock/pop background, that is.

This album is an AWESOME guilty pleasure and of course, the only thing I ever owned that Vagrant released. It is a real shame the band broke up in 2004 before releasing anything else, but I heard they were junkies so what do you expect...

The Anniversary - Your Majesty (2002)

Over, and Over, and Over I'm Really Not Ready At All

2009-08-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry It's been so long. Been feeling uninspired. However, I've been on a big post-punk kick. Specifically the branch of first-wave UK punk rock that really set the stage for "indie pop."

The Mekons have had one unique career and their legions of extremely dedicated fans and their highly unusual path from post-punk to more straightforward punk certainly prove this.

Often considered their masterpiece, this album is one of the first to be called "alt-country" - quite a feat for a British band. One member tells that prior to making this album he had been listening heavily to classic country and after a certain point the three chords of punk and the three chords of country became the same three chords. This album's sound is surely the result of that, and the addition to fiddle to the roster makes it even more prominent. This is not to say the punk has not been lost, particularly in the shambolic "Hard To Be Human Again." That song is the perfect gateway for the punk fan that will leaves them wanting more of this countrified mess.

Fear And Whiskey is also one of the great post-punk concept albums with the likes of Hüsker Dü's best works. The story here is one of a city in a somewhat post-apocalyptic world fighting a war (brought hauntingly to life in "Trouble Down South") and struggling to hold on to everything that makes life worth living: love, culture, community, and of course a good party. With that in mind, opening track "Chivalry," is the perfect intro as the ultimate anthem to a drunken, embarrassing night coupled with a hint of the depth that will follow on the rest of the record. "Country," perhaps the album's best sums up the album's whole concept as the lose souls of this city hold on.

People always make once-relevant political connections with this record about the Thatcher/Regan era. Honestly I don't hear it all that much, but that may just be because I neither really lived through that era, nor consider myself a liberal. So, if you see it that way,, great. You are probably all the more enlightened.

The Mekons - Fear and Whiskey (1985)

plus, for good measure, here's a classic early single.

The Mekons - "Where Were You?"

Classic Art has Had Its Day

2009-08-11T18:24:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been a while. Been busy for once and a little uninspired. Well, regardless, here's the Creation.

It wasn't just their heaviness (probably the heaviest until the MC5 came around, IMO) that made the Creation so ahead of their time. It was also their postmodern take on performance and their un-pretentious artiness of which today's artists' minds are not even capable of dreaming. Well, that and playing the guitar with a bow. Naturally, only the Germans got it.

Most informed people today know "Making Time" from the classic film Rushmore, but until then, "Painter Man" was their best-known song. These are two of their best and show the band at their peak with Kenny Pickett on vocals. The band was a staple of the original mod movement along with the Kinks, the Action, and the Who (Pete Townsend even offered guitarist Eddie Phillips a spot, which probably would have made the Who a better, yet less commercially successful band.) The band really re-wrote the rock format. With that in mind plus their loudness I would consider them beginning of "proto-punk." They do, however, keep in touch with the trends of the time with numbers like "If I Stay Too Long" and clovers like "Cool Jerk" plus the best cover I have heard of "Like A Rolling Stone." "Nightmares" and "For All That I Am" may be the quintessential mod tracks and forget proto-punk, "How Does It Feel To Feel?" is basically heavy metal in its most original form. A change of pace, "Ostrich Man"'s arrangement is a classic that shows the Creation had as much power to go in the baroque direction as their contemporaries. This is essential listening, plus one of the most bad-ass album titles which I was lucky enough to find at Barcelona's (where it is easily available) Révolver Records.

The Creation - Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes

Well, If I Get Drunk, Well That's Alright, If I Sleep On the Floor All Night

2009-08-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe those lyrics are the Verlaines, but it's a good reminder that even Graeme Downes is in fact one of us, if you know what I mean.

Here are their humble beginnings - before big arrangements and production, and even deep lyrics, but still the same great band. One of Flying Nun's first records, the Dunedin Double EPwas a lo-fi, creative format (2 45 RPM EPs) spotlighting the burgeoning talent of locals the CHiLLs, Sneaky Feelings, the Stones, and the Verlaines. Allof them were off to a great start. The CHiLLs tracks were wonderfully transferred onto the Kaleidoscope World LP, but unfortuantely the others were not put on similar compilations. The three songs Downes and company contribute are all great, and despite their many rough qiualities hint at the majesty of their later career. The similarities between "Crisis After Crisis" and their greatest all-time track "C.D.,Jimmy Jazz, and Me" are inmistakeable, proving this band always had it. I include only the Verlaines tracks because, I can't stand the way you need to file compilations to get them all up here together. The rest later?

The Verlaines - Dunedin Double EP (1982) (Side 4)

Hopefully I'll see you Angelinos this weekend!

What About The Problems of Our Society?

2009-08-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Ever since I first acquired this via New Jersey's Vintage Vinyl I had wanted to attend a dance party featuring the music of A Certain Ratio. Sunday I will finally have my way. So, if you are an Angelino and already a fan, or I am just about to make you one, be at the Echo Sunday night at 10 for Factory Night. I will no doubt be there (as well as Funky Sole the night before).

The initiated often have a poor idea of ACR based on their portrayal as Tony Wilson's boy band in 24 Hour Party People but they are actually contenders with the rest of the bunch. Appropriately named after a Brian Eno song ("The True Wheel"), ACR sounds like that artist making a Latin funk album and succeeding (although their LPs are admittedly not strong). This band put a dark ambiance around percussive dance music and pulled it off with impeccable musicianship - especially from drummer Donald Johnson. A Certain Ratio was in many ways the most definitive Factory band that ushered in the transition from atmospheric Joy Division and Durutti Column into New Order and eventually the burgeoning rave scene. This is most evident in their longer, loosely structured dance tracks like "Knife Slits Water" and "Sounds Like Something Dirty." Their more pop-like tracks are some of their best work such as the classic "Du the Du," "Shack Up," and my personal favorite "Faceless (Graveyard and Ballroom)." The explosive intsrumental, "Blown Away," is so great I am tempted to put a second pun in this sentence. White (well, 80%) funk does not get any better than this, and all for one reason: they never lost touch with the fact that they were teenage Bowie/Eno devotees from Manchester. That and an unbelievably creative sense of rhythm.

A Certain Ratio - Early (2002)

"B-Sides, Rarities, & Sessions" is not another album, but simply the second disc.

It is an enhanced CD that includes this video, which by request of poster I am not allowed to imbed, but is absolutely worth watching.

See you Sunday!

Love, Rock 'n' Roll Style

2009-07-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

These days more and more people are realizing that the MC5's "Miss X" is the ultimate rock 'n' roll love song. While listening to an original copy of High Time, my friend Paul first made that comment, and upon the slight amount of though needed I realized he was right. Just weeks ago while watching the first episode of Eastbound & Down I saw that show's brilliant producers agreed. ...Enough to make Wayne Kramer the show's composer, so if you still haven't watched that show, there's yet another reason. So, in effect this entry is dedicated to my friends Tommy and Mike who made my love of the show possible... at least at the time at which it happened.

Rob Tyner's voice is at its soulful best and the band channels all its energy into a more focused and elegant sound than previously heard. Like the rest of the album it is rawer than the previous album, but still cleaner and more accessible than Kick Out The Jams. "Miss X" stands out as one for the ages and its sincerity will pull at the heart strings of any true rock fan. Written entirely by Kramer it justifies why he is the man most synonomous with the group even more than the mere fact that he unlike Rob Tyner and Fred "Sonic" Smith are gone and he is still around. I have looked for video footage of them performing this song, curious as to how it would translate and what would be done about the piano and organ parts, but no luck. If you have any link to such footage please share!

This is an essential record for all curious about Detroit rock as it is often considered their best and other classic songs include the opener "Sister Anne," "Poison," and "Future/Now." After a live album and one that was jsut too clean and pithy the MC5's swansong at last captured their legacy. It is perhaps the greatest testament to everything great that the Detroit protopunkers achieved.

The MC5 - High Time (1971)

I'm Gonna Leave This Party Now

2009-07-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

The KLF really really knew their shit. If the sample of Arthur Russell (Dinosaur L)'s "Go Bang!" at the end of "Go To Sleep" doesn't prove that I don't know what will.

This group is what happened when two underground rock veterans out of the already unique scene in Liverpool decide to reinvent pop culture for the 90s and succeeded - this album's opener "Kylie Said to Jason" and Drummond's white rapping prove this. While few, at least in this country (where they were in fact pretty successful at the time) remember them, 90s mainstream culture (playing what was often called "stadium house") was in many ways created by this band whose political commentary and postmodern sound basically came from 20 years in the future. ...If only 20 years later could have music this good. If you don't believe that check out their successful mash-up from 1988 below. They made the music Kanye West would wish he could have if he had taste. There is so much to say about the KLF, I could go on forever, so I''ll just stop now and get to this album...

It is hard to imagine just what the film The White Room would have been like had it been made. Certainly like nothing else in history, judging not only by the KLF's bizarre videos but just how epic its unreleased soundtrack is. The power of songs like "No More Tears" and "Build A Fire" is undeniable and the imagine a film that could carry them will simply blow one's mind. Like in much of the KLF's work every style is sampled replicated and perfectly accompanied by standard electronic instruments of the time to create a truly postmodern sound. This could definitely be called the A Wizard, A True Star of the 1990s. This is an engaging trip through a psychedelic 90s disco from beginning to end and will surely change the way you think about music and, really all performing arts. It can stand cheesy at times, but consciously, knowing that in the short term it would be embarassing. The KLF guarenteed a legacy that would come, go, and then stay stronger than ever. One of the top artistic achievements of our time. I'll stop now.

Dedicated to

The KLF - The White Room: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1991)

The Timelords - "Doctorin' the Tardis" (1988)

Dedicated to the people of the Caucasian nations, where it is almost 3 A.M. (Eternal).

Gonna Break You Down, Gonna Pop You In The Mouth!

2009-07-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Just now, a friend of mine who was visiting New York City told me a bout a great concert experience he had there seeing a band called Personal & the Pizzas. It sounded like an amazing show featuring songs with titles like "You = Beat Up" and "Nobody Makes My Girl Cry But Me" and the singer whipping chains around while threatening the sound guy. The group is from San Francisco but their gimmick is being from Hoboken. They are quite similar in image, lyrics, and sound to the Ramones and The Dictators.

Here is a link to their myspace.

In a lot of ways, this is the best parody of the Northeast you could ever ask for and it's a whole lotta fun. The intro to "I Don't Wanna Be No Personal Pizza" says it all. Other great tracks to check out on there are "Brass Knuckles" and "I Don't Feel So Happy Now." "I Can Read," though is perhaps the rebuttal the Dictators would give their detractors after going Girls Crazy.

Flowers Will Spring From Every Grave

2009-07-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

While Rain Parade's final album may not be another Emergency Third Rail Power Trip it is no embarrassment. I picked this up for a mere $2.99 (vinyl) just this weekend at Sound Sations in Westchester and was pleasantly surprised.

I hear it may have never been released on CD, which made it surprising that, even while released on Island it was so cheap (I had never seen a copy before). The most noticeable difference between this and the group's previous work is not the absence of David Roback, which in truth did not make that much difference even on Explosions in the Glass Palace, but the slicker production. It is a big change, but not one that ruins anything. In fact, I believe this album could ahve had some hits if released about seven to ten years later (rare thing to say about anything Paisley Underground). Matt Piucci and Stephen Roback's songwriting chops may have been even stronger than ever at this point, and their vocals are as great as ever. While radically different, "Don't Feel Bad" and "Fertile Crescent" - both sung by Roback, are as great as a lot of the group's stellar debut. The band plays tighter as well, which sounds great, even when compared to their previous loose sound, and it is much easier to know that they have a keyboad player than ever before. "Mystic Green" and "My Secret Country" are some great tracks as well, and this album is overall quite as enjoyable. It is ideal for anyone who thought that Rain Parade could get a little too drony on previous albums. For the others, it may be a challenge to get through the synthy intro of "Depending on You," but if you can you will be surprised at how far from grace the band fell (not far at all). Rain Parade started great and ended great, as far as I am concerned, that is not arguable.

Rain Parade - Crashing Dream (1986)

The Ultimate Rock 'N' Roll Legend

2009-07-22T17:02:00.001-07:00

On August 15, 1990, the U.S.S.R.'s top musician Viktor Tsoi died in an massive car wreck after fishing in Latvia. Miraculously, the one thing that survived intact was a tape of his vocal tracks for the next album. With those tracks his surviving band members recorded KINO's posthumous masterpiece known typically as "The Black Album."

This is often considered the band's greatest work despite the entire musical tracks being recorded after Tsoi's death. However, it sounds as good, if not better than all the other records and it is hard to beleive it was recorded under such conditions. Like in all KINO's other works, that power to transcend not only the language, but their language's poor aesthetics (sorry) is there. However, it is at its most powerful here and every song is a winner. The band's post-New Wave sound is tighter than ever and Yuriy Kasparyan's guitar excels. These catchy and hypnotic songs stick into one's subconscious forever and permanently capture the last days of Glasnost and Parastroika. It makes you really wonder whether Tsoi's death before the fall of the U.S.S.R. was tragic, lucky for him, or even how he could have altered the Russia's unfortunate future. The dark yet hopeful lyrics reflect this unique time in world history on two of the album's best songs, opener "Кончится Лето (Summer Will Soon Be Over)" and (Красно-желтые Дни )Red and Yellow Days)," as does the plaintive "Кукушка (Cuckoo)," one of their best songs. "Звезда (Star)" is one of their best songs and has a cool, simple beat that any fan of New Order or Duran Duran would have to love. "Когда твоя девушка больна (When Your Girlfriend is Sick)" is one of the band's sweetest pop songs yet somehow fits in this heavy set quite well showing how much of a range Tsoi had as a songwriter, hinting at what kind of music he may have made if he lived to see the overly optomistic years following his death. This is perhaps KINO's best work and in many ways the best place to start with this remarkable band and proves that had Tsoi survived they would most likely have caught on outside the Eastern Block.

Кино (KINO) - Кино (KINO) a.k.a. Чёрный альбом (The Black Album) (1990)

Now, on a totally unrelated note, I had the unusual privelige to see 90s pop favorites Sugar Ray at Best Buy on Pico here in Los Angeles last night. I was informed about this by my friend Tommy who is working for Rocket Science, who works for the band. It was a fun way to relive 1999, and the band knew it would hardly be more than that and htey seemd to be enjoying themselves. The set even began with Mark "Mr. Ray" McGrath asking "who wants to hear the number one song of 1999?!" before going straight into "Every Morning." The set consisted of only a few songs including just one from the new album, one cover, and on top of "Every Morning," "Fly" and "Someday." I am sure no one was disappointed... well maybe the band was hoping for a bigger turnout, but they sure didn't show it. As tiresome as it may have gotten ten years ago, you gotta give the band some credit for doing what they know they do well, enjoying themselves, and having a good attitude. After all, weren't all thsoe hits better than anything that's been on pop radio since?

You Better Shut Up and Listen!!

2009-07-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

If you talk to anyone who was actually on the Sunset Strip during the brief days of L.A. punk the names that will appear the most are always the Germs, X, the Weirdos, and the Screamers. Unfortunately, one of those bands didn't leave us behind with any classic records.

...And it's a shame, because the Screamers, known for their tall hair styles, may have been the best. They did have one of the most innovative sounds and performance styles of any punk band, regardless of location. Relying on synthesizer and Fender Rhodes rather than guitar and bass the band did not even broach on New Wave/Postpunk/Synth Pop and really had much more in common with the Germs than any artist of those styles. That coupled with Tomata du Plenty and Tommy Gear's drag past in SF and Seattle (where the roots of the band began as the Tupperwears) which heavily shows in the du Plenty's emphasis on performance and costume. The Screamers reflect just how all-inclusive the Los Angeles Punk scene was and, as a result, how it was one of the most important music scenes of the 1970s. To appreciate the Screamers, one must see them:

As you can see, it's pretty incredible - especially those dance moves! The big problem with the L.A. punk scene, was the despite it's proximity to the labels, it was completely ignored by the labels. The Screamers sound, in particular, was believed to not be able to translate well to recording. The music of the proceeding ten years, I believe, proved that entirely wrong. All that is left in that was are these very rough demos which are really not particularly listenable, but are the best we can do. I would just recommend watching them over and over again.

I believe both Gear and du Plenty died of AIDS, but the other two members went on to pretty significant careers. Paul Roessler played keys for the death-rock pseudo-supergroup 45 Grave (with the Germs Don Bolles and future Dream Syndicate guitarist Paul B. Cutler), while drummer K.K. Barrett works as a Production designer and has worked on all of Spike Jonze's films.

The Screamers - Demos 1977-78

Don't Search for Love, Make It

2009-07-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

There's definitely nothing like this.

Within the first few weeks of high school George Brady, a talented musician in his own right was bringing in extra large photos of his father proving that Jimi Hendrix had stolen his Caribbean look. It was pretty convincing. The saga continued two years ago as two friends of mine, while enrolled in an NYU documentary course, made a documentary (whcih I wish were online almost as much as Brady himself does) about the musician at the suggestion of one of his neighbors who was in the same group. That was when I first discovered this remarkable album art. It was about a year later, though, that I managed to hear the music, and I think it's pretty cool. My friend Sam Park strongly agrees.

Think CAN with a steel drum. That is probalby the best short description I cna give, but a strong one regardless. The steel drum is what makes this so unique and such a fascinating listen. The drum works in this psychedelic milieu much like the organ does, but with a more abrasive, organic, and exotic tone. The album kicks off really hard with "Glass House," maybe the best song on the album and the band jams out quite well, honestly, on par with a lot of the artists of the same time in West Germany. The energy on this track does not wane through the rest of the album especially on "Once Upon a Candle." The band functions well, letting Brady's unusual talents shine through while accompanying him perfectly. Brady's lyrics and vocals play a massive part into this album being so otherworldly, as his voice is not the greatest and his lyrics tilt rapidly between psychedellic psychobabble (see "Halucinodream") and stream-of-consciousness preaching. However it all works well and as hard as it would be to believe after seeing some of this documentary, Brady's "It's a Good World Outside" sounds sincere and is pretty effective.

Victor Brady - Brown Rain (197?)

AFFORDABLE FIREPOWER!

2009-07-19T17:19:00.001-07:00

The Ultimate Product!

By 1986 members of the original punk explosion had moved onto the broad category of "postpunk." Members of the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks had embraced their Krautrock and Dub influences, while others were experimenting with funky dance music. Billy Idol, for one brought punk the middle America by selling out a little while his former cohort Tony James sold out so much that Middle America could never hope to handle it. That is, except for one Chicago teen by the name of Ferris Beuller.

"Love Missle F1-11" was featured in that character's day off, but that is just a warm up for this masterpiece of Musique-Concrète and 1980s hedonistic debauchery that could only be produced by Giorgio Moroder. The videos Sigue Sigue Sputnik left behind show what this album plays - the ultimate 80s experience: Consumerism, glam, video games, cable TV, Transformers, Terminator, and Tokyo. The band's use of samples predates the DJs of the 90s all without moving into dance category, just high art for fun's sake. As I mentioned months ago on the topic of Hanoi Rocks, do not expect anything metal from this despite the band's image - this is something totally unique, hip, absolutely hilarious and often called the first (and probably only) truly "cyberpunk" album. By simply listening to this album you can almost say you lived through the 80s. The album is really one to play through as it flows together really well with long samples in intros (the kind that produce negative numbers on CD players making is hard to track on the PC.) However there are some tracks that do stand out on their own like the aforementioned one, along with "Atari Baby," "Rockit Miss U.S.A.," and "21st Century Boy." With the heavy presence of classical samples, Sigue Sigue Sputnik made an album for the future that was in tough with the past, and could only come from the present in 1986.

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Flaunt It (1986)

I beleive I was lucky enough to have found this CD at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ.

I'm The Man With the Cabbage Head

2009-07-16T18:14:00.001-07:00

With the deluxe American re-issue of his masterpiece Histoire de Melody Nelson, and subsequently arranger Jean-Claude Vannier's L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Serge Gainsbourg's name has become a household world not only of the knowledgeable hipsters, but all of them. Obviously, though, they don't know much else about him, and that's where we differ.

This album, like the aforementioned one, is conceptual. Rather than Serge's own obsession with an Englsih teenager, this one is about another man. One with a cabbage for a head, and like the Kids in the Hall woudl years later, he really pulls it off. While it may not reach the same level of transcendent perfection like Histoire... this record dives into more styles rather than just funky orchestral porno music. Serge, as he would continue to, dives into the world of reggae and straightforward pop in addition to the psychedelic prog the dominates, all with his cinematic bend. With the complexity of the character's story it is a bit harder to follow, at least without knowldege of French, than Histoire..., but the music picks it up even when it can be a little jammy at times. While the music is not as perfectly arranged and there are some throwaway tracks, there overall Serge-ness is prevailent as always, and the music has a way of really carrying you away into the sleazy, sleazy Seventies. Standout tracks include the epic opening title track, "Aéroplanes," which with a little punchier of a mix could be your ultimate action-sexploitation film theme. "Flash Foward," with it's repetitive acousitc guitars and analog synths is the blueprint for much of what AIR became famous for, particularly on The Virgin Suicides, so much that you hardly notice the presence of a track called "Premiers Symptômes"! However, it is "Marilou sous La Neige," which is the real star and was an early favorite of his for me. Definitely a good next step for those already infatuated with Histoire de Melody Nelson and Initials B.B. but wary of something too loungey or Afro-Cuban.

Serge Gainsbourg - L'Homme À Tête de Chou (1976)

Beautiful Babies and Runaway Daughters

2009-07-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

To continue on this tear for synth-pop (which I think will continue for quite a bit after this as well) I give you perhaps the United States' best, and definitely most under appreciated contribution.

Coming from San Diego, a city which is only now getting a musical voice, Dane Conover managed to not only get signed by MCA, but also produce a slew of low-budget videos such as the one above. Unfortunately, success did not find its way to this great album. Considering the sound of the record (produced by Earle Mankey), the major label, the rise of MTV, and the outstanding quality of the music, it is hard to believe this even happened. Perhaps the public was not ready for its own synthy weirdos... Regardless, we have it now, and this is a real masterpiece that may even outdo synth-pop classics like The Pleasure Principle, Dare!, and Rio. Trees has the same kind of cold and eerie depth of his British counterparts, but is delivered with something of Southern California carefree vibe rather than the bleak English roots. This, however does not mean the lyrics are any less foreboding and apocalyptic. The majestic "Red Car" and "Midnight In America" are prime examples of a U.S. response to Gary Numan's works like "M.E." and "Metal," while "Shock of the New" - which really kicks the album into gear, may be the greatest unsung anthem of the New Wave era. Yet, it may be "Wildwood" that is the true showstopper with Conover's vocals and haiku-esque lyrics somehow submerging bright California pop into the cold and dark world of synth-pop.

It seems to me that Conover has remained busy since, but this is the only Trees record. It's a shame, but at least he gave this style a unique masterpiece.

Trees - Sleep Convention (1982)

The Heavenly Touch of the Synthesizer

2009-07-14T17:19:00.001-07:00

After seeing their album and hearing their name so much I was assuming that Black Moth Super Rainbow was just like Animal Collective at their worst (at a time when I was "washing my hands" of them). I finally gave them a chance and was pleasantly proven wrong and they became a part of my every day life for a few weeks last summer. What is so amazing about them is that they are the first band since the synth-pop explosion to really show the beauty of the synthesizer. By the time of BMSR's breakthrough, their primary instrument had become much-maligned as a music machine with no depth and nothing but artificiality. We all know that the instrument of Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, and Dane Conover could never be such a thing! Where AIR had made the analog synth hip and pretty, this group from Pittsburgh reminded everyone just why Walter (at the time) Carlos' Switched On works were so popular. BMSR shows just why these great tools were invented- to eliminate all restrictions of live music creation, and through their dedication to vintage instruments proves just how much the likes of Robert Moog succeded. This is a brilliant and transcendent record that comes as much from the woods of Western Pennsylvania, as it does from the blissed-out mind of a modern music geek. Great for almost any occasion.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (2007)

We Got Road, We Got Time, So We're Outta Here...

2009-07-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, as much as I dislike posting two albums by the same artist close together, I promised something of a section on desert rock, so here's another one. Most likely the last one for a while.

This one went out of print later than the other two London releases from the Puppets, but that's not why it is so easy to find. This is available in any used CD section in the United States thanks to Nirvana. Released in early 1994 after the tour and famous MTV Unplugged set, this was unarguably the Puppets' most mainstream and most successful work. That is not to say it is not great as well. Cleaner and grungier (wtf?) than even the previous album, this one does in fact carry their tradition well and modern rock radio hit "Backwater" is awesome, no matter what some detractors may say. In many ways other tracks like "Never to Be Found" really pick up where Forbidden Places left off and "Evil Love" really wails. As hard rock as the band can get on the album, the Southwestern sound is never completely buried by 90s production and preciesely distorted guitars. "Flaming Heart," probably the strongest song on the set is the ultimate testament to the matured band that brought us all their masterpieces in the previous decade. The grunge era was in fact kind to the Meat Puppets, unlike some of their other comtemporaries, the only exception being the hidden track - a re-recording of "Lake of Fire" done in the style of the Nirvana cover, which of course, was maybe the album's biggest mainstream draw. If you ask me, Mr. Cobain certainly did not do those classics justice. This is just another worthy Meat Puppets album, and in many ways the perfect 1994 rock album.

The Meat Puppets - Too High to Die (1994)

Tomorrow You Could Start Anew

2009-07-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard "Confusion is Nothing New" - the first real song on this album I listened to it about 70 times in in a row. I am not even sure how I managed to procure it on my dying low-tech 2004 computer, but something in it really spoke to me.

This is some very Los Angeles music. The band's name comes from an intersection here (I've heard, though I used to think it was a play on the Zombies song), and there sound is full of good vibrations and the local tradition (check out the Forever Changes-esque album art), mainly that of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Additionally, their sound owes a debt to previous California cowboys Camper Van Beethoven. The band's silence and eventual and very recent official demise was jsut another reason for the shortage of good music in this decade. This album, though does leave them with a pretty strong legacy. This is perfect psychedelic country rock, and perhaps even more than Gilded Palace of Sin lives up to Parsons' title of "Cosmic American Music." The perfect laid-back Saturday afternoon in the sun sound complete with alternating Western lap steel and trippy organ. The indie kid vocals could be tedious to some, but they are delivered with an alarming amount of sincerity for the sound and at times even excel. Inaddition to the aforementioned track other standouts include the harmonica melody of "The Hustler," the blissed-out "The Sun Surrounds Me," and the successfully romanitc Sade (!?) cover "By Your Side." This is the ultimate soundtrack to a bike cruise along the Pacific Coast, or a day spent folicking in Griffith Park, or even just floating in a broken-into Beverly Hills pool blazed. Enjoy.

Beachwood Sparks - Once We Were Trees (2001)

All We Wanted to Do Was Eat Cucumber Sandwiches

2009-07-07T17:35:00.001-07:00

This is where Robyn Hitchcock's long an remarkable career begins. While it is not one of his best, especially when compared to the Soft Boys' masterpiece follow-up, it is still essential for any fan, and has an amazing cover.

This can be pretty hard to track down, unfortunately, and has been out of print in this country for god knows how long. The Boys really are beginning to get their sound together here, particularly in Hitchcock and Kiberly Rew's dynamic guitar interplay. Their place in the punk movement is much more evident here than on Underwater Moonlight, as is the diverese roster of influences far beyond the sixties psych-pop and postpunk most evident on the follow-up. Regardless of retrospective comparison, this is a pretty solid album, especially at the beginning. "Give it to the Soft Boys" is a great theme song for such a unique (especially in their time and place) group. "Pigworker" is like a real, though no less humorous version of Spinal Tap's "Sex Farm," and a whole five years earlier. "Human Music"'s slowed-down melody forshadows some of Kitchcock's prettier moments in later solo/Egyptians work, while "Sandra's Her Brain Out," may have the quintessential Hitchcock title and lyrics. In many ways this is the ultimate Hitchcock testament as it set the stage for the next thirty years (and probably the rest of his career) in every imaginable way.

Though there are few artists hailing from Cambridge, the Soft Boys are one of the best examples. Hitchcock's voice is enough to carry that city's own tradition and that in addition to his music continues the tradition of Syd Barret, the man who gave the place its original Rock 'n' Roll voice.

I understand there is a deluxe, bonus-tracks version of this album, but I have never seen it in any format... yet.

The Soft Boys - A Can of Bees (1979)

The Weight Was Wasted

2009-07-05T12:16:00.001-07:00

It may seem hard to believe now, but in the mid-90s the Archers of Loaf were considered about as vital to the landscape of American Indie rock as Pavement, Guided by Voices, and Built to Spill. The Chapel Hill group definitely brought their own sound to the table and really reflected the times.

Considering how much heavier than their peers the band should have probably fared better in the grunge 90s, but either way those who really know their music know this album is an essential part of the era. The ironic-aggressive lyrics and sound delivered with a generours dose of fun (see "Learo, You're a Hole") could only come out of a college town in the 90s and rather than being really timeless, the album serves as a perfect time capsule, and that should be remembered when listening to it. That being said, the songwriting is very tight especially on the classic opening track "Web In Front" and "Wrong." While their certain, hardcore-like (the connection is as strong on as macho-man group Give Up the Ghost even covered this album's "You and Me") energy makes them quite distinguishable, this is a place to hear some ultimate 90s indie guitar riffs, especially on "Might" and "Plumb Line."

This, I believe, is in print, but for a long time - like when I got it for a whole lot of money on eBay six years ago, was out, or at least not being well-distributed. For uninitiated Eric Bachmann fans, it must be noted that this sounds nothing like his solo work or Crooked Fingers.

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle (1993)

I'm Not Easy, I Know...

2009-07-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

In continuation of my section on desert rock and my arrival in the Paradise City, I today give you Green on Red.

I originally heard of the band in 2003 when I was becoming a massive Pavement fan. I found a page that listed each member of the group's top 10 records. I do not know what year it was from. This one held a very high position on Bob Nostanovich's and was one of the year I had not even heard of at that point.

Despite hailing entirely from Tuscon Green on Red were an essential and arguable part of the Paisley Underground. In fact, both Matt Piucci (Rain Parade) and Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate) get specific shout outs on the sleeve. They did, of course have their very own sound, though, in having a very prevalent country sound, while retaining more psychedelia than a group like the Long Ryders. If one is to compare all of the Paisley Underground artists to an earlier group, Green On Red's would be to the Doors all thank to the dominant organ. Lyrically, though, things get heavier with them than most of the others, but their often bouncy rhythms make up for it. Two of such examples are the title track and "That What You're Here For." Other highlights include the 70s cinema (coincidence?) one-two punch of "5 Easy Pieces" and "Deliverence," and the Southwestern downer "Old Chief." With that said, one needs to also give credit to the anthemic "Brave Generation," which is a supportive voice at this age in this time, but that's nothing...

Like many other great re-issues, this version has bonus tracks placed in between the two sides.

Green On Red - Gravity Talks (1983)

Maybe I Had A Different Opinion That Nobdy Ever Considered Important

2009-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a hectic past few days, hence the pause in updates. Just been very busy with my arrival in Los Angeles living the "J" Fantasy, moving, and ultimately having all the difficulties with wireless and other equipment affected by such things.

Along the cross-country drive, which has been a noticeable theme as of late I spent a lot of time in the desert, which as a Northeast kid is really something new. It certainly made an impact, especially the brief turn in I-15 through Arizona. I had plenty of desert rock in tow for this portion. Tonight I begin what will be a noticeable, but not exclusive feature on that style.

I have always been a Meat Puppets fan, but seeing the group's home turf really added even more to that. This album, one that has been out of print for many years, and as a major label debut - stemming from a deal that caused the then-defunct band to reunite, is not uncommonly maligned. However, it is one of my favorites - perhaps the most after the legendary II and Up On The Sun. Many people are not familiar with it, unfortunately, but the Kirkwoods lived out my ultimate dream (for the context) and opned their mind-blowing perfomance at the Middle East downstars September 2007 with this album's opener "Sam." The fast-paced blast of cowpunk energy was the perfect way to start a legendary show.

The album does not wane from there one bit. "This Day" is reminiscent of the feel-good psychedelia of Up On The Sun even as the next track shows the band outdoing their own straightforward hard rock style heard in their later 80s work. The pattern continues through the whimsical psychobabble of "Whirlpool," and rockers like "Popskull," but what is a Meat Puppets record without the cowboy campfire sound of "That's How It Goes" or frenetic insturmental "Six Gallon Pie"?

Essential for even casual listners of the group.

Meat Puppuets - Forbidden Places (1991)

We're Leaving at Five In The Morning - We Could Get Better Mileage

2009-06-26T19:18:00.001-07:00

I write this in my second hotel room of the trip in Western Colorado. Today's drive was made even more transcendent through repeated listening of Popol Vuh's Coeur de Verre, which could not leave my CD player as ventured through the Rockies. One listen, even without seeing the movie would explain why. Download it!

Yesterday's drive, though, was through Iowa. Probably my least favorite state thus far, but I would never have dared say that to Arthur Russell!

Russell, who died of AIDS in 1992 was a genius, and if you don't beleive me beleive the likes of Jens Lekman, the Talking Heads, and even the K.L.F. who sampled his "Go Bang!" while he was still alive! He is the unifiying force of all the great music that was happening in Manhattan in the late seventies with punk/new wave, the avant-garde, disco, and minimalism. All of their influences are heard on this record, like most of his available releases is a posthumous compilation. This one may not be the best, but its general sound unifies his vast skills better than others while still remaining cohesive. That, and it contains what I would consider one of the greatest pieces of music of all time, "That's Us/Wild Combination." That piece, like many of his songs is made up of two very distinct parts that gradually unify and then disassemble, also heard in his disco classic "Is It All Over My Face?" The record also includes some great dronier tunes that still have his kind of pop and disco sensibility like the title tracks and "The Platform on the Ocean." Others are a New Wave dance party for the eccentricly genius, most notably, "Calling All Kids."

Russell was a legendary perfectionist who spent nearly all his time working on and recording his music, especially in his last days. That being said, anything you think could be better in these songs probably has been done and recorded. Hoprefully it will be released one day as well.

Arthur Russell - Calling Out Of Context (2004)

The cover photo may have been perfect for the release's time, but Russell's trucker hat is not the result of a prescient sense of fasion, but rather a relic of his Iowa roots which he always held dear.

Just Need A Future That's Possibly Bright

2009-06-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, first things first: A few words for MJ. As we all know by now Michael Jackson died today. Regardless what you may think of him he gave the world some great music and there never has been, and even less likely, will be a performer like him. His relatively young death, I suppose, an end as tragic as his last decade and a half. Let us remember him for all the joy he brought us. ...and don't forget that Farrah Fawcett died as well.

One of Jackon's most devoted followers...

...is tonight's topic once again as his music and words motivates me along this tedious journey to L.A. on which I have embarked (this being written in a motel in Iowa near Omaha).

As many know, Ariel Pink has more music than has been re-released and widely distributed, originally making CD-Rs which were eventually composited into his "proper" albums. This is one of the best examples as its title was re-used with maybe about half of the tracks with ones from its original companion FF>> and others added. Unfortuantely, many of the best tracks were omitted, including Pink's theme song "Beverly Kills (Freaks with the Golden Heirs)," the epic "Express, Confess, Cover-Up," and our namesake "I Wanna Be Young," whcih was eventually included on Oddities Sodomies, vol. 1. Some of the more familiar numbers from the widely avalable version are absent, but still this is the better version, as FF>> is essential as well. One of the greatest tragedies of the widely-avalable version is the absence of some covers including a rendition of ideol R. Stevie Moore's "Shedon'tknowwhattodowithherself" (no spaces in Pink's version) and Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Birds in My Tree." This album is ever more proof that Ariel Pink is a more consisten artist than the more pompous critics would admit, and this oroginal version is essential for any fan of Pink's, particularly one who can absorb his more eccentric work.

I did, however, include "Politely Declined," which takes it's place as the other track 5 - it is not on FF>>.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Scared Famous (Original CD-R Version)

Will You Play With Me?

2009-06-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

To call Bülent Ortaçgil (pronounced Boo-lent Or-tach-geel) the Turkish Cat Stevens would be an oversimplification, but it is a good indicator of what to expect from this album.

About two and a half years ago my friend Will gave me the track "Suna Abla," which within about a week was played over a hundred times (that being from whenever I finally got around to listening to it.) Naturally, I had some trouble acquiring any more of the artists work until I was lucky enough to find an actual CD copy of this at Amoeba in Berkley (notably, I also found a vinyl copy at Amoeba in Hollywood which I somewhat regret not buying.) After that purchase the same kind of obsessive rotation occured because this album is a masterpiece. Every tracks is a hypnotic winner which more than just language to distinguish it from English language folk of the same era. Unlike some of his later work made years later after his return to chemistry the arrangements are very simple usually just with acousitc guitar, and some piano and bass. Some *heavier* tracks like the wonderful "Olmalı Mı Olmamalı Mı" and "Şık Latife" do add a bit of a change of pace. Despite the exotic language Ortaçgil conveys not only remarkably powerful emotion but a rare kind of childlike innocence in both vocals and instruments. Simply put this is an album of transcendant beauty, even if you are for some reason put off by music in other languages. Along with the others previously mentioned, the title track and "Dört Kisili Düs" are just otherworldly gorgeousity. The album is brilliantly structured with bookend tracks that pull you in and in most cases leave you ready for yet another spin.

Bülent Ortaçgil - Benimle Oynar Mısın (1974)

In other news, Jeff Hanson, one of the few recent artists that I like died recently. It was some kind of freak accident - I don't know what, that occurred in his apartment. He was only 31. I recommend his self-titled second album from 2005. Maybe I will put it up later.

Please Make Me Feel The Beat, You're the One That Drives Me Wild

2009-06-20T07:07:00.001-07:00

While I did not take this picture, I could have.

The story with Gary Wilson is that he is from Endicott, NY and released the album You Think You Really Know Me, recorded in his parents' basement in 1977. It was a bizarre, smooth set of outsider music all about unrequited love. Unrequited love to the degree of almost stalking. It is cool though, Wilson comes from a tradition of sleazy lounge music as seen in such titles as "Groovy Girls Make Love At The Beach" and "6.4 = Makeout." After 1980, though he kind of disappeared whilst the album made huge impacts on the likes of the PNW underground and Beck, whose "Where It's At" not only name drops Wilson but shows a clear influence from him. In the early part of this decade Wilson resurfaced as there was a desire to re-issue his first album. He was working in an adult cinema and performing in a lounge band in San Diego. Then he started recording again.

This album picks off where he left off 27 years earlier, which is particularly depending on which album you hear first. Really, the only change here is the addition of his sped-up voice as the alter-ego. Here are more songs from the stalker's point of view even including some of the same characters as in the first album. In this regard some of the best tracks are "Linda Wants To Be Alone," "Gary's In The Park," and "Gary Saw Linda Last Night" - both of which are some of the most exciting parts of his show. Both tracks also come from Wilson's uniquely Endicott voice, namedropping the local geography also heard in "Newark Valley" and the instrumental tribute "She Makes Me Think of Endicott." As creepy as it can get at times, this is a fun set of loungey outsider pop.

Wislon still performs lounge music on the side and it seems like his live band may be the same. When I saw them last summer many members looked very old, as in older then Wislon himself (he is in his mid 50s) - a telltale sign of a lounge band. Still, those guys were a lot more fun, original, and rock 'n' roll than any under-30 band I have seen.

Gary Wilson - Mary Had Brown Hair (2004)

Blasting Off To Jimmy's House!

2009-06-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

All great things start somewhere. The greatest thing in Rock 'n' Roll started right here in 1987.

Well, maybe not since Guided by Voices did release an EP, Forever Since Breakfast prior, but this is the first whole album. Pollard started off his prolific career with a series of scarcely available (essential you had to know the band personally) albums, most of which are quite good - though obviously not up to the transcendent beauty of the later work. This really is a noble debut despite that Pollard and cohorts had not yet found their exact voice and at times the songs are noticeably (to the untrained ear) a little derivative. R.E.M. in particular is an undeniable influence, especially on the albums two best cuts "Hey, Hey, Spaceman," in which Pollard's vocals are unusually Stipe-esque and the DIY anthem of "Hank's Little Fingers." The whole album really does forshadow the band's whole career with exellence in songwriting and eccentricities such as the remarkably short lengths and stylistic splicing. Unlike some other early albums, this one even got some presence on the career-spanning best of with closer "Captain's Dead." Pollard's exploration into a more diverse oeuvre is even evident in the epic "Portrait Destroyed by Fire" and instrumental "Crux." The Lo-Fi art was only in its nascent stages here perhaps due to Tobin Sprout's temporary absence (he was living in Florida, but had already passed through the ranks), but considering the commonality of cheap recording by the time this was made widely available, that is negligible.

Do not be put off by the band's obscurity at the time of its release - this is just as worthy as any other GbV album and has enough classics to keep it in rotation. It is available only as part of Box. The question "What keeps Big Daddy happy?" is in reference to Jimmy Pollard's pet rooster on the cover (great story about the photo). It is the same line from "Don't Stop Now."

Guided By Voices - Devil Between My Toes (1987)

God In Heaven, Won't You Help Us, Please

2009-06-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

The most surprising thing that I ever heard about Emitt Rhodes was that this very album was EVERYWHERE at one point in time. Of course, the guy telling me this may have just been being a jerk as he charged me something like $15-20 for a not-quite-spectacular condition at Cheapo Records in Cambridge. However, considering the four years I had spent absorbing this rare masterpiece I hold no regrets on that purchase.

This album is often described as what Paul McCartney's solo records should have sounded like - I would agree, despite no negative feelings about many of his solo albums. There is a definite specifically McCartney Beatles vibe here and if you have a problem with McCartney even within the Beatles you really have to leave... obviously. This is the perfect pop album of its time, as it should be considering Rhodes' pedigree with L.A. pop group Merry-Go-Round (whose influence is heard directly on The Bangles) he splices the major influences of UK and Los Angeles guitar pop of the era here. What is extra cool is that Rhodes played and "produced" everything on here on a four-track, placing him among the likes of early one-man bands as Todd Trundgren, R. Stevie Moore, and yes, McCartney himself.

It is a true shame that these days the only people that know Rhodes are the geekiest of music lovers and die-hard Wes Anderson fans (myself both), whose The Royal Tenenbaums featured the short "Lullabye" (as per recomendation of Jason Schwartzman!?). The rest of the songs are of that quality, in particular "Promises I've Made" and the one-two punh of "With My Face On The Floor" and "Somebody Made For Me," so be sure to pick this up becasue it's either here or a long, expensive search... or another blog, I'm sure. Essential for fans of Big Star, The Beatles, and the Yelllow Pills series.

Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (1970)

Come Hither To Me Under The Canopy

2009-06-14T13:26:00.001-07:00

They say that Jonathan Fire*Eater's lack of success was due to their over-hyping from new label Dreamworks. Despite a track on the Dead Man On Campus soundtrack, it is quite hard to believe that today as the only people that remember them are hipsters aged 28-35. Not long after discovering the offshoot Walkmen and wanting roughly the same thing, only better, I discovered them and have never manged to succede in finding any material copies of their work.

I suppose the world would not yet ready for a quintet of good-looking, privileged, and very hip New Yorkers for another four years. Regardless, they were a remarkably talented band that really set the stage for what would be going on a few years later. After meeting at St. Alban's School in the D.C. area the members all dropped out of college and moved to New York to form this band. The group developed a unique sound with a vintage tone lead by Farfisa organ and a heavy beat that reflected a contemporary attitude and modern influences as well. They released two even rarer independent (I have not heard them) albums before being signed to Dreamworks. With Calvin Klein using them as models and opening for the likes of blur and Pulp the deal was remarkably generous worth over a million and including complete creative control and a dental plan. The complete creative control really paid off... for us, the listener.

Keeping with the title, opening track "When the Curtain Calls For You," sets the stage (pun) for the rest of the album balancing eerie tones with high energy vintage underground rock 'n' roll much like "These Little Monkeys" does. The band goes into full-on eerieness on the classic "A Night In The Nursery" and has given the theme song to ever subsequent summer in "Bipolar Summer." This album is a masteripiece that deserves a quality re-issue and surpasses everything the band would do without Stuart Lupton in the Walkmen.

Jonathan Fire*Eater - Wolf Songs For Lambs (1997)

You Just Wanna Know

2009-06-13T16:05:00.001-07:00

KINO is known as the greatest Russian band of all time. I don't know enough to argue otherwise, but they are one of my favorites of any geography, regardless.

Here is their first and probably my favorite of their albums. It is a raw set of underground (as in hiding from the authorities) St. Petersburg Postpunk/New Wave. It is not as apparent here, as on their later work, but band leader Viktor Tsoi's top influence was a black market copy of Duran Duran's first album. Here, though the arrangements focus more on (mostly acoustic) guitars than on elecctronics (or anything else on that matter.) Though, unfortunately the proficiency is not strong as lead guitarist Yuri Kasparyan had yet to join. However, I think the songwriting is perhaps the strongest and this was the first album of theirs I really fell in love with. The eerie "Devero" is one that really seaps into you - I woke up one morning into my dark closet of a room in Boston with that sirculating in my brain not long after hearing it the first time. It is the second track, though, "Proso Khochesh Ty Znat" that I see as the stongest track of the set. Thelament over the common Russian affliction of alcoholism "Moi Druzya" and children's song "Aluyminiyeviye Ogurtsy" also stand out as some of the best. Granted though, what detracts from this album is the presence of some filler tracks, so don't feel disappointed if you have to skip some - other albums, such as the posthumous masterpiece Chyorniy Album (The Black Album), don't have any of those. Either way, this is a great place to start and I, of course, would reccomend this to anyone curious about music on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

Western listeners should know that Viktor Tsoi holds the kind of regard in the former USSR that John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis, and Bob Marley hold in the West. ...Only combined. He died tragically in a car accident outside of Riga (now Latvia) in 1990. He is also one of the most accomplished Eurasians (half Korean) in history.

KINO - 45 (1982)

The titles here are in Russian, so here is a link that has translierations and translations along with their respective lyrics to not just this, but all of thier records.

In music news, though, something sad. Chris Knox of Tall Dwarfs, Toy Love, and his own solo career has suffered a stroke. He survived, but there are very few details about it. He is only 56 years old.

Tell Me, Where Does Your Mind Grow?

2009-06-12T15:50:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is just the Three O'Clock in 1983

Before the Three O'Clock there was the Salvation Army. Essentially they were the same band, though. The group, which featured Michael Quercio(at times going by "Ricky Start") and Gregg (later known as Louis) Gutierrez formed in Carson and was forced to change their name by the actual religious/charity organization... but not before being signed to the Minutemen's New Allience label and releasing the "Happen Happened/Mind Gardens" single and a self-titled album (which had, excempting the titles, the same album art). The releases made some waves as the liner notes quote eventual Three O'Clock drummer Danny Benair recounting hearing "Mind Gardens" on Rodney on the ROQ while still a member of the Weirdos. It should be noted that the band was signed by New Allience in November 1981, when Quercio was a mere 18 years old.

The sound is wuite different from the band they originially formed into being more in tune with a garage/punk sound than the jangly new-wave psych at which The Three O'Clock would excel. The songwriting is all Quercio's despite Gutierrez' presence in the group - however those already familiar with the last two Three O'Clock records should make no assumptions as this has nothing in common with their clean, 80s sound. Though I am a fan of both Quercio eras, he had yet to come into himself at this point lyrically. The lyrics resemple more psychedelic rambling than the darly whimsical ambiguity of his later work. Despite this, the most exemplary tracks "She Turns to Flowers" and "Happen Happened" stand out as some of the finest. This collection which contains all of the band's work under the Salvation Army moniker is prime example of the early Paisley Underground sound. And why shouldn't it? This was around the time that Quercio coined that term in the first place.

Befour Three O'Clock - Happen Happened (1992)

Little I Need to Know and Little I Need to Find

2009-06-11T16:31:00.001-07:00

The Bats are one of my absolute favorite bands and this record is, likewise, one of my all-time favorites.

It is pop perfection in every way by a band just as perfect. The songwriting is tight, the playing is tight, and the way every member works together is unparalleled. This is best seen in the vocals harmonies of guitarists Robert Scott and Kaye Woodward, who on their own are not remarkable vocalists but work together so well it is transcendent. Additionally, Paul Kean is one of my favorite bassists and his lyrical style really fits with the Bats' freewheeling sound, perhaps even more so than it did in his Toy Love days. However, instrumentally the album' secret weapon is Alastair Gilbraith (of the Rip) whose often-multi-tracked violin parts have a way of seeping into your brain and allowing the pure pop to shine though. This diverse geling is no more evident than on the opening track "Treason," which I would argue as the greatest pop song of all time - though it is surely up for debate.

Like anyone else from the Flying Nun roster, the Bats' influence on 90s US indie rock is unmissable - just check out the melancholy "Tragedy" for a large portion of Yo La Tengo's work. The record may not move beyond the realm of jangly pop, but why should it? It runs the gamut in terms of mood which the Bats really have a talent of expressing. It spans all the way from the happy-go-lucky tone of "Round and Down" to the dark and forboding "North By North" (the theme to Australian TV series The Hollow Men).

Also included are some early tracks (the magnificent "Trouble in This Town" through the classic "Made Up In Blue" which are as strong as the subsequent album. Also, it should be noted the Bats are still around putting out quality music, so all the more reason to check them out at their peak!

The Bats - Daddy's Highway (1987)

The Sound Track Of My Dreams

2009-06-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

I first heard this group about three years ago when this album's "Sound Track" was included on a MOJO compilation called The Roots of Punk which also included CAN, the Stooges, The Groundhogs, and Mott the Hoople. When this track came on, though, my first thought was "Is this arena rock?" My second was "I don't care if it is - it rules!" The third: "This is the most Vincent Gallo thing I've ever heard."

Later my friends and I found this video:

which is constantly taken off and then put back on youtube.

Not much later I managed to find this album at the local Borders... and SHIT was it amazing!!

Bill Nelson is a guitar virtuoso. Unlike everyone else who fits that description, though, he writes good songs. This is an amazing pop album with wonderful instrumentation that for prog-rock is somehow very un-pretentious. This is over-the-top 70s rock at its finest - big, fun, and showy. The two aforementioned songs are both fantastic - "Sound Track" for its epic qualities and "Maid in Heaven" for its catchy pop accessibility. Both emit all the energy you could want from the style. The big production deserves as much credit as the songwriting, instrumentation, and energetic band, and why not as it was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (of "Bohemian Rhapsody" fame)? Naturally, there are a lot of similarities in the big sound, so this should not be missed by any fan of that style.

Also, be sure to COMPLETELY disregard the AMG review.

Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama (1975)

It may never be known if Matt Greoning is a fan.

I'm From Brisbane and I'm Quite Plain

2009-06-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Late Grant McLellan and Robert Forster, looking unusually foppish.

Perhaps the one good thing about music in this decade has been the return of a lot of classic artists of the 70s and 80s. The Go-Betweens were one such band and their final album is one of the best. Released in 2005 this was an unexpected final masterpiece due to McLellan's unexpected death by heart attack three years ago at the age of 48.

There is a noticeable maturity to the already precocious band, which at that point only featured the original duo of McLellan and Forster from the classic lineup. That said, it's clearly the same artists and the classic sound is intact - at least that of the later, and often considered best, period. Both songwriters are in top form, but despite highlights like the opner "Here Comes A City," McLellan really dominates. His composition "Finding You" stands amongst "Cattle & Cane" and "Streets of Your Town," as one of his absolute finest and "Boundary Rider" was in fact the song that turned me into a Go-Betweens fan. His death was a true tragedy, but at least McLellan left on a very high note.

The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart (2005)

Also, here is the first single the band about the original The Omen starlet. It is very rare, very good, and a great way to bookend this amazing band's career. Also, it is from where this article's title comes.

The Go-Betweens - "Lee Remick" (1978)

Stop For A While

2009-06-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

As I wrote over a year ago, the Feelies are the greatest gift New Jersey has given to music. Since that article I even got the privilege of seeing them with Yo La Tengo in Montclair, so I thought I should give credit to a large part of what made that show one of the best I have ever seen.

Coming out a whole eight years after the group's fantastic debut Crazy Rhythms this album shows the band catching up with their many followers like R.E.M. (whose Peter Buck lended a hand in production), Rain Parade, and many more. The opening two tracks, "On the Roof" and "The High Road" were the same that opened their set, and while I was hoping for "The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness" to commence a more contemplative set, this choice was perfection. The band set the stage for a truly "groovy" show. These songs, like this whole album gives the effect of the Grateful Dead to the indie rock/jangle popper. It is a bit of a change of pace, being more straightforward than the debut, but is no less interesting and the beat that kicks it off keeps in their brilliant percussive tradition. This is a great album to chill-out to, the perfect persciption for someone looking for hippie vibes without all those damned hippies!

Glenn Mercer and Bill Million's chemistry is as alway spot-on and their songwriting is as tight as their guitar dynamics that still resonate with the same passion as their nerd-clad holiday shows at Maxwell's. Luckily the new cast of supporting players is as strong (I would argue even stronger) than their Crazy Rhythms cohorts. Some people may overlook the Feelies' 80s and 90s works, but if you as me, all their records are essential and I can assure you their skills have not waned. When I saw them they debut some all new songs that stood up to the rest of the career-spanning set. Expect even more greatness for this band in the future.

The Feelies - The Good Earth (1986)

Pushed To A Wall The First "Punk" Record.

2009-06-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

That is mostly because, perhaps only since I am from New Jersey, that the word "punk" evokes the image of a fat, middle-aged New York area man yelling at a bunch of overgrown teenagers something like "get off my car punk!" The Dictators, straight out of the outer Burroughs (including some of the last whites to live in the Bronx!) certainly were who this man would be yelling at.

Some of the best elements of punk rock are found here including an unbeatable and racy sense of humor in tracks with in-your face titles like "Back to Africa" (catch the Clash's inspiration at the end) and "Master Race Rock." The lyrics end up not carrying the white supremacist message one may assume from the titles. The band carried on some Nazi imagery later in their career with a flair that their UK counterparts could only dream of since many of the members were Jews. Other song topics cover the punk way of life stemming back to the Beach Boys with the classic closer "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" being the prime example along with any street punk theme song "Teengenerate." The band covers much of the same topics of New York artists not typically associate with punk rock like doo-wop, but with a hilarious way of not sugar-coating it best seen in the Friday-night anthem "Weekend." Pop covers are another wonderful element here with "I Got You Babe" being done by two men with enough sense of humor to highlight a true love for the song. Basically, they were coming from the same exact place as the Ramones, but with less image construction, and in my opinion, a bit more sincerity. This record is pure fun.

However, the Dictators cannot be mentioned without "Handsome" Dick Manitoba. The band's mascot and "secret weapon" serves mainly as a background vocalist on this record, but his energy is what propels the band into greatness, as the cover should show you. Think Rob Tyner with the flair of a pro-wrestler. The Dictators can also be connected to metal to a certian degree, not only in the fact that in 1975, this album was surely placed in that catergory. During one of the band's many long hiatuses lead guitarist Ross "The Boss" formed humor-metal band Man-O-War.

Perhaps needless to say the other "Boss" Bruce Springsteen is a huge fan.

The Dictators - The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975)

A Truly Royal Scam...

2009-05-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

I was told by a friend tonight that the legend R. Stevie Moore had recently passed away, and while his myspace has been re-named "R. STEVIE MOORE R.I.P.," I believe this has to do with his plan to not play live again and death rumors seem false. I know he may not matter as much to everyone has he does to me and my friends, but I think there would be some easily accessible obituary on the man, who if in fact alive is only 57.

Regardless of whether or not it would be in memoriam, I needed to put up some more of his work.

Here is his second "proper" LP, which some people, including the friend who gave it to me, even prefer to Phonography, but to be honest I have yet to absorb it enough to say. Regardless it is a solid set that continues to prove his immense talent. His signiture sound and songwriting skill is on display as much as ever and there is indeed some growth, and some very bold moves including the title "Don't Blame The Niggers." His humor comes out even more on the songs, although the wonderful skits are absent here. This album also marks his move to New Jersey and the WFMU clip that he samples shows the warm welcome we gave him up here despite his perpexling move. The album begins with a bang in "Cool Daddio," which like "Funny Child" may hint at domestic issues that caused the artist's move out of Nashville. Like it or not (as easy on both sides) his love songs are not quite as sincere, but what is lost is replaced with an acerbic whit in the sub-legal "Schoolgirl" and pre-SNL ambiguity of "Oh Pat." It is all delightful, and hopefully so is R. Stevie's future.

R. Stevie Moore - Delicate Tension (1978)

Take It Easy, Jon and Miriam

2009-05-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was away in Nashville (the greatest!!!) for a wedding for a friend of mine. His taste, to an extent, was reflected in what I listened to in the car, and this is one of the best examples.

It had been a few years since I had really spun this one, but at first it was a massive part of not only my life, but that of the people around me. It is one of the best psychedelic records of this decade, far and away and should not be missed by any fans of rock 'n' roll (granted I would think many of the readers here have it already, but I should take no chances here).

Dungen is a Swedish "group," though their records are made almost entirely by Gustav Ejstes who clearly excels in every instrument, composition, and in the art of sound recording. It is a pretty great album for any occasion as it can get loud and fast and also have moments of transcendently beautiful psychedelia. Some of the best exaples of Dungen's sound here are the rockin' opener "Panda," the catchy folk-rocker "Festival," and the gorgeous "Det Du Tänker Idag Är Du Imorn." What really sets the band apart is the use of Swedish lyrics, as almost every other group to acheive crossover success from that nation has used mostly English. One flaw of the Ejstes', however, is that the sound is not the most original, but at least it serves as a good anchor and I can firmly state that fans of other exotic psychedelia like Ghost, Amon Düül II, and Erkin Koray should not miss out.

Also included is a mostly instrumental bonus disc which really fits in with the rest of the album, most notably on "Jämna Plågor."

Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt (2004)

In other news, though, Jay Bennett, formerly of Wilco died on the 24th. The cause has not been announced, he brought a lot to the band and his influence is best heard on 1999's Summer Teeth.

Jay at his peak during the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

More to Seattle Than You Think

2009-05-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'd been wanting to put up the Fastbacks for a while. They came to mind again last night as I was consulting an old book of mine last night and noticed a top 10 records from the group's leader/songwriter Kurt Bloch that included The Three O'Clock's Sixteen Tambourines - one of the few mentions of that group in the book. Another interesting fact about the Fastbacks, perhaps the one that finally got me to hear them, is that Duff McKagan of Guns 'N' Roses was one of the many to pass through the group's revolving door of drummers.

It is some fast-paced punky pop, perhaps "pop-punk," as maligned as that style has become. Bloch as a great songwriter and really allows the female vocals to shine through, watching his own creation succeed. He rocks out as well and has just as many connections to the world of metal (well beyond the McKagan association) as to indie pop (including producing Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 in his home studio). Most tracks are quite short and very infectious, particularly opener "Under The Old Lightbulb" and "Bill Challenger," but longer tracks like the opener "Believe Me Never" do not get boring either.

This is a prime example of the pre-grunge Seattle music scene, despite it's post-explosion release date, this was one of the bands that really got that city ready for the prolific (though only arguably great) scene that grew in Washington's fertile ground.

The Fastbacks - Zücker (1993)

Selling Out Never Sounded So Good!

2009-05-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

...but that is to admit that this album actually is a sell-out. Robert Pollards collaboration with Ric Ocasek actually works. Yeah, it's a more over-the-top sound than ever before - but GbV was always sort of over-the-top, right?

It's cleaner and there's a little more multi-tracking than usual, and a lot more keyboards, but it succeeds. Some may complain about how the band did not really do anything new, but who cares? It's Guided by Voices, arguably at their peak. I can see how it may have been off-putting in 1999, but knowing their improved-quality records of the present decade it does not seem out of place. Additionally, this album is the first of the true new loose incarnation of the lineup after the "Guided by Verde" era. In every way, really the band is not waning, despite some filler tracks. The big sound of "Teenage FBI," "Things I Will Keep," and "Wrecking Now" are some of their best songs. With 16 tracks there is no shortage of classics - even the much maligned "Hold On Hope," which was featured on Scrubs (not just any episode, but one featuring Brendan Fraser) is a great one despite what may be said in Hunting Accidents. The album also includes many songs on die-hard Official Iron Man Stephen Soderbergh's top tracks. Ocasek's production really lends to what could be added to GbV's sound and a lot of it reccurs in subsequent albums and Pollard's better solo work.

Bottom line: Despite what you may have heard about this record, it is great, and I think, perhaps a decent starting point for Guided By Voices.

Guided by Voices - Do The Collapse (1999)

You Sure Know How To Make Things Hard

2009-05-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I should put this up as it in quite hard to find (I've never seen it on CD, even at the absurd price at which I have seen Kaleidoscope World and Submarine Bells), but I somehow did. While it's not the CHiLLs' best, it is their debut and like all their records has its own sound that no fan of kiwi-pop should miss. Produced by Mayo Thomas, it has an atmospheric psychedelic sound in a way that is quite different from the follow-up album. The keys are mixed low in a very effective way and the most lovable things on this album are the same things to love about other CHiLLs releases. Plus, only a kiwi-pop album could have a record cover like this one (I hear the members are spelling out "COLD" (Flying Nun's code) in nautical language.)

I don't have the pride of my record collection (this LP) in hand right now so I won't distinguish original tracks from bonus tracks which are mixed in on the side, tastefully distinguishing the two original sides. The opening track "Push" is beautiful and really sets the tone for the rest of the album. "Rain," the next track keeps the energy up and is one of the catchiest songs and perhaps the best use of falsetto I have heard in rock music. The last three tracks are some of the best as well leaving you to want to jsut hear more and more CHiLLs and luckily their other stuff gets better from there. There are plenty of great tracks int he middle though, most notably "Party in My Heart," which you may think of when partying until you realize it is definitely not that much fun... lyrically.

The CHiLLs - Brave Words (1986)

You Don't Need a Lover, You Need An Interpreter

2009-05-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Typically, when people talk about Camper Van Beethoven, they talk about the first and last records. I, however will mostly talk about the first two.

This album, originally intended to be two separate ones, as the title would suggest, really stands up to Telephone Free Landslide Victory and surpasses everything else the band made. It is a shame that this one is not spun around as much, and I owe it all too the short-lived Bernardsville, New Jersey record store Spin City which was open only during the summer of 2003. There, the owner had just acquired a first pressing of this, played it for me, and a week or so later decided to sell it. For a long time it was the top pride of my LP collection, and really deserves that honor. This, however is from the CD, which is a shame because one of the best tracks (arguably first as the LP lists the sides as "B" and "II") "(We're A) Bad Trip" is an inferior, yet more up-tempo version than on the vinyl. It should also be noted that this version is from the boxed set, so the track listing is different from the separate CD, but other than the previously mentioned track, is identical to the LP.

The record really picks up where the last one left off, which cannot really be said about the rest of the band's discography. Even more than on the previous album, though the instrumentals stand out the most and verge on psychedelia and further integration of disparate genre/styles as country, gypsy music, ska, raga, and southern rock. Some of the best examples of this are "Circles," "Abundance," the gorgeous "Dustpan," and the brilliantly-titled "ZZ Top Goes to Egypt." Like the previous album's re-envisioning of Black Flag, Camper pulls out another amazing cover, like Mudhoney, they outdo Sonic Youth in their own game on "I Love Her All The Time," transforming it into a delightful East-meets-West romp. David Lowery's unique sense of humor remains intact and the lyrics do not disappoint, though I admit are not quite up to par with the likes of "The Day Lassie Went To The Moon" and "Where The Hell Is Bill?" with the possible exception of "Goleta," an ode disparaging the Southern coastal Universities of California - perhaps an attempt for a local anthem for Santa Cruz.

Either way, there is nothing like this and if you like Telephone Free Landslide Victory this is incredibly essential and will not disappoint.

Camper Van Beethoven - II & III (1986)

Right Now, Right Now, Right Now, Right Now it's time to...

2009-05-15T10:38:00.001-07:00

KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!

Continuing off their notable followers from last night, here's the MC5. They are the greatest.

This debut album of theirs recorded after years together working as a house band, recording singles, and only a year after their long and legendary performance at the 1968 DNC in Chicago captures their unparalleled live energy. Recorded around the peak of their association with the White Panther Party there is a whole lot whole lot of political rambling which luckily just adds to the energy of the performance. It should be noted how loose these affiliations were in reality with members going on to say "We weren't really into the whole political thing but chicks seemed to dig it," and "Being the young hustlers we were, we knew this whole hippie thing was gonna be huge." And they sure were young. Fred "Sonic" Smith was only 19 at the time this was recorded, and he wasn't too far below the average age at all. Despite this, all musicians excel and Rob Tyner's vocal perforamce and stage presence is legendary.

The record, while recorded at two separate performaces in Michigan has the vibe of the best concert you've ever been to with a performance structure that puts any "theatre rock" to shame. This is highlighted by Tyner's delayed arrival after the poplitical rant/hype and Brother Wayne Kramer's bizarre vocal lead on "Ramblin' Rose." After the blues standard Tyner procedes to kick out the jams. The energy never wanes, especially on the first side with closer "Rocket Reducer #62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)." The album oozes with sexual energy and simply put is rock at it's rockinest.

While at the time this was considered heavy metal (a topic I could outline for ages), and now classified as proto-punk, the group really shows all their sides. There is a whole lot experimentation, not only in the heavily cited use of feedback and heavy distortion, but their moves in free jazz and psychedelic territory.

The MC5 - Kick Out The Jams (1969)

Best listened to in a muscle car. (RIP Pontiac)

If you ask me, THIS is the high society!

It's Like Nearly I Puked In My Face!

2009-05-14T18:51:00.001-07:00

grunge.

Mundhoney has been a big part of my life since 8th grade. Maybe even earlier as their appearance in the Chris Farley-David Spade vehicle Black Sheep made a pretty big impact on me as far back as 1997. Regardless, they are the best "grunge" band I know of. This album is a whole lot of fun for lovers of any rock 'n' roll. Like Paisley Underground, it needs to be remembered that most music scenes are likened by geography and attitude than sound really, and grunge was no exception. Mudhoney, unlike many of their peers like nirvana or Soundgarden come from the MC5/Stooges side of rock. Their sound relies most on distortion (as seen in the title) and energy than anything else.

Image was also a big part of grunge, whether they liked it or not and Mudhoney, via Sub Pop heads Jonaythan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt was the prototype. The band, consisting of college-euducated middle-class suburban kids was marketed to the famously frantic UK press as rural lumberjacks along with the rest of the label's roster. This, best chronicled in Our Band Could Be Your Life, presented the PNW groups as an oddity to the "sophisticated" European indie scene. When you pick up a legit copy of this the pictures inside will make this even more clear with the sometime shirtless band chugging cheap beer and dogpiling. This strategy in fact worked quite well and had much to do with the rise of grunge in the home country.

Perhaps in assumption that the proto-punk influence was apparent fromt he very beginning (or perhaps the MC5-like image ont he front cover), Mudhoney pays tribute to their more contemporary influences by covering Sonic Youth and Texas hardcore group the Dicks. These songs are pretty great, and as in most cases, Mudhoney outdoes Sonic Youth at their own game. Some of the best original cuts include "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More," "Need," the epic masterpiece "In 'n' Out of Grace," and closer "Mudride." The band is pretty talented, especially drummer Danny Peters, who briefly was a member of Nirvan during a Mudhoney hiatus, and the guitar dynamic of Mark Arm and Steve Turner is one of the best of the 1980s. This is one to rock out to like you were still fourteen, which is exactly what my friends (particularly former bandmates) I do every time we hear this - especially with some watery domestic in the system. It jsut doesn't get much better than this.

Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff plus Early Singles (1988)

*It should be noted the early singles are the first half and the EP is second.

Every Time I Hear Your Music You're Still Thousands of Miles Away

2009-05-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

John Cale really had a way with covers. This is in both senses of the word as his most classic records present him on the sleeve with impeccable style and humor, and this record is clearly no exception. Also, it has got an amazing, perhaps proto-goth cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" on it.

Slow Dazzle presents all of Cale's skills, from pop to heavy rock, to the avant-garde. Keeping up with style, mood changes as frequently, from the bright oping tribute to Brian Wilson, which keeps up with much of that fellow's style to the bitter "Guts," about the backstage disaster the night of the legendary June 1, 1974 concert. Then, of course, he takes it to weepy ballad "I'm not the Loving Kind." Other highlights include the Springsteen-esque "Ski Patrol" and the punk attitude of "Dirty-Ass Rock 'n' Roll." Admittedly not everything is as perfect as on albums like Paris 1919 and Vintage Violence, but it highlights the full expanse of Cale's brilliance and creativity. At times, this is exactly what someone may expect from Cale knowing him only as the number two guy on the first two Velvet Underground records. At others, it can only be appreciated that understand Cale as the artist he is - a true enigma not as easy to peg as former collaborator Lou Reed.

Like many of Cale's 70s work, the UK über-elite play on this album, though in this case (considering Phil Collins and Robert Fripp's absences) it could be described as simply Roxy Music. This means he is joined by Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (sax), and Brian Eno (synths), so it would be recommended to anyone curious about their work outside of Eno and Roxy.

John Cale - Slow Dazzle (1975)

Asked Me Why I Never Wrote You a Song When You Thought You'd Given Me Enough to Work On

2009-05-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the long-awaited conclusion of my academic career I will write on the Verlaines...

This is, of course because leader Graeme Downes, if anyone, has academicized Rock 'n' Roll. Now, I am not sure if I can agree with that, and while I have not taken his program at the University of Otago (him being one of the few to remain in Dunedin today), I can only assume this kind of thing ends up harming the art much in the way of film school, which I have attended.

However, the Verlaines to rock, and while at times it can be a bit pretensious, it's still clever and sincere, and even better that other successful academia-rockers like Mission of Burma. MoB is a good comparison for the sound as well, and then of course the Wipers would be as well, along with the overall kiwi-pop sound. However, the Verlaines really do rock harder than most of the others, and not in a punky way like the Clean and Toy Love. These energetic songs are catchy, clever, and powerful, and Downes' arrangements often touch on brilliance. In fact, "C.D., Jimmy Jazz, & Me," re-definined perfection in the musical sense with it's flawless integration of strings and horns into epic rock. This along with their definitive "Death and the Maiden" and the acoustic punk of "Pyromaniac" are not only some of the group's best, but some of the movement's. While this is a compilation, it truly is the best place to start, and is the best source for their music even when you have their complete LPs. Notably, part of this is for including "Heavy 33," originially found exclusively on budget used section classic comp No Alternative (also featuring Soul Asylum and the Goo Goo Dolls when they were all about ripping off Soul Asylum). Unfortunately, though, it does not contain anything from the Dunedin Double EP, which was one of Flying Nun's first releases and also contained sides from The CHiLLs, The Stones, and Sneaky Feelings.

The Verlaines - You're Just Too Obscure For Me...

I Knew Somebody, But Now I'm All Alone

2009-05-06T17:35:00.001-07:00

Well this is obviously some true Rock 'n' Roll.

Hanoi Rocks hailed from Finland, and despite that disadvantage (which with the likes of HIM tailing is only getting worse and worse) they are legends. Despite their decadently glam image in the 80s and the facts that Guns 'n' Roses cite them as a top influence and Vince Neil was convicted for vehicular manslaughter of their drummer Razzle , Hanoi Rocks is in fact NOT metal. Bands of that style did take a lot of them, though in their attitude and look, but Hanoi Rocks' music harkens back more to the first era of glam and of course, punk rock. Keep in mind that 80s metal borrowed a huge part from punk as well, they just took it differently from these Finns. Metal, punk, whatever - this is music for lovers of Rock 'n' Roll and know that it knows no boundaries, reaching those as far as the Arctic Circle.

Hanoi Rocks knew no limits either as their singer also excelled as a harmonicist and (red and white) sax player which plays a big part in their music. The British national Razzle, as well changed rock as he played with a bass drum bearing his name rather than the band's. Bottom line this is an awesome album that I've been wanting to get into for years and I just now acquired it in its entirety. "Lost In The City," which I heard first is a great rock tune that lives up to its name. Other favorites are "Tragedy" and "11th Street Kidzz." The album extracts everything fun about punk and glam which of course Southern California metalheads admired as much as I do. Therefore, I recommend this (more than usual) to fans of Guns 'n' Roses, The Clash, Mötley Crüe, David Bowie, etc...

Hanoi Rocks - Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks (1981)

He's So Fine, He's Like Me...

2009-05-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

The power of Chris Knox!

Toy Love was it in the way of kiwi pop. We all know the Clean, but Toy Love was first. The band marked, even more so the transition from imitating UK punk and featured both members of Tall Dwarfs as well as one of my favorite bassists Paul Kean, later of the Bats. They formed out of NZ's original punk band the enemy and were quite a show. After forming in Dunedin they relocated to Australia expecting it as a route for more success. Unfortunately they were wrong. They recorded one poorly mixed self-titled record which has been re-mastered and sounds pretty great on the first disc. However it is some of the earliest singles like "Rebel," "Squeeze" and "Sheep" that stand out the most. These songs can really speak to anyone, anywhere in the world who knows what being a hipster or a true rock 'n' roller is all about. If you are reading this I am sure they should connect with you. Frontman Chris Knox is an incredible performer and the whole band is really switched on as well. It's a whole lot of fun and if you are interested in the history of New Zealand rock this as just as, if not as important as "Tally Ho!," "Pink Frost," and The Dunedin Double EP.

Toy Love - Cuts (Disc 1)

Be Thankful Every Day

2009-05-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

We all know that Robert Pollard is the god of Rock 'n' Roll. No person has understood what it's all about and is the second most prolific songwriter in the genre after R. Stevie Moore. Admittedly, he has not lived up to the work he has done with GbV as a solo artist, but this record is the closest he has come to it. That's a lot to say considering this is a double LP (one CD, but whatever, dead format.). Also, this is the first thing he put out after the demise of the greatest band of all time.

Synths are more prevalent than on any GbV release making his New Wave/postpunk and prog influences more apparent than ever. The lyrics never falter and stand up to the stuff he was writing even on Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes. The biggest difference is the song lengths. There is nothing like "Cigarette Tricks" on here with no song clocking in at under one minute. More epics. It is clear that Pollard's songwriter has gotten to the transcendent level here. He is re-inventing song structure rather than simply mastering it. He produces swirling arrangements that slowly build and build while going through complex changes, ultimately building to an orgasmic peak. This kind of structure is possible only with the unworldly understand of rock music that Pollard has. What comes to mind is Built to Spill's Keep It Like A Secret which showed that you could be epic in a mere four minutes. Pollard can get a bona fide epic into a mere 2 1/2 minutes. Any GbV fan would know he is capable of that and here it is. The best tracks are "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men." "U.S. Mustard Company," and "Light Show," but let's be serious here, this is Bob Pollard.

I think comedic genius and former member of Superchunk Jon Wurster plays on this, but I am not sure.

For strong lions only.

Robert Pollard - From a Compound Eye (2006)

Here's some pics I took when I saw Bob with Boston Spaceships here (in Boston) at the Paradise Rock Club this fall with my buds Alex Halatsis and Brock Ginther. Needless to say that was a great show. I still have the empty bottle of Miller Lite that Pollard handed me during the all-GbV encore. I also got a swig or two of his tequila.:

Bob in top form

The Keene Brothers as they are known.

I have more, but why overload? That night Pollard put it all best when he said, "This is how you have a great rock band - you gotta be drunk and tight! It's really hard. Drunk and tight. Now I'm not advocating the abuse of alcohol...

...but yes I am!"

If This Were In "17 Again" Not Only Would I See It, I Would Swear By It

2009-05-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Just this afternoon my friend Sheldon linked me to this.

I highly recommend that everyone check out this blog and download the Toms. It is very reminiscent of Todd Rundgren and Emitt Rhodes and like them is a one-man band as well.

I am pretty sure he is from New Jersey as he as collaborated and recorded with Richie Sambora and the Smithereens recorded at his studeio, and we all know that matters a lot to me here at The Monument. It's is pre-digital home recording, and that's really all that matters, right?

This title, is in reference to the song "(I Wanna Be A) Teen Again," just one of the amazing cuts.

We strike! we strike! the heart of your nation!

2009-04-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a band called New Math. It was recommended by a friend who found out about them in an old book from the late 80s put out by Trouser Press. Thank god he had that! Here is a rare piece of US postpunk/new wave with another classic song. One of the best things about this band is that they hail from Rochester, NY - a first even for me! I suppose a city so bleak is worthy of a band like this. What is most noticeable is their frontman who comes off, to me as obnoxious Ian Curtis. It took a while for me to get used to his style, but I now really like it. As a less hip friend of mine remarked "I think the singer is a total creep," but that really is his charm. He is clearly very aware of his style and that comes across in the brilliantly directed video. The lyrics coupled with the visual style is quite reminiscent of horror movies of the time - specifically They Live and Videodrome, respectively. On the topic of horror movies New Math changed their name to the eerily prescient "Jet Black Berries" and recorded a song for the death rock-heavy (featuring 45 Grave and T.S.O.L.) soundtrack for Return of the Living Dead.

***UPDATE 8 and 20 May 2009***
Thanks to a loyal reader I have just acquired their album for your sampling. Other tracks I have gotten into include "Invocation" and "Flesh Element." The latter comes from their proper LP Gardens which I found sealed for a mere three dollars at In Your Ear in Cambridge, but with moving and all I have not had the opportunity to spin it yet. However, the tracks I've heard on the comp from it are strong.

New Math - Wake The Dead (1976-1984)

Also, I recommend that you look up the source of their band name, quite an interesting story...

In other news I think I will finally begin creating the Rock 'n' Roll Encyclopedia I've been considering writing since 8th grade soon, any encouragement would help.

Also, If it's playing anywhere near you you MUST see Anvil! The Story of Anvil. It's essential viewing for any lover of rock music or beautiful stories, regardless of what you think of heavy metal.

Back Again...

2009-04-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but didn't wanna go too overboard with LA and girl groups, but now I give you the Bangles. This is a great pop record. According to Tom Scharpling, the Bangles were the only Paisley Underground group to really make pop records. I disagree with the man this time, though they definitely are way more on the pop side than The Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade, though I would argue not quite as much as The Three O'Clock. What distinguishes the Bangles so much amongst their contemporaries isn't just that they are all female, but they are definitely the best vocalists. The group's harmonies, which I beleive often, if not always involved all members are the tightest and best realized, especially compared to the constant solo vocals of The Dream Syndicate, and Rain Parade's loose amateurism.

This debut was made before people (*cough* Prince aka "Christopher") designated Susanna Hoffs as the focal point, so the other members' vocals, especially those of Vicki Peterson are more prevailant than on later records. However, I would argue Hoffs steals the show every time she opens her mouth even when merely harmonizing. The songwriting is tight, but it's undeniable that a lot of the best songs are not originals... However the whole thing is really solid and the band really shows off their talents in a unique way even if the songs are not their own. Standout tracks: "Hero Takes a Fall," "Dover Beach," "Going Down To Liverpool."

The Bangles - All Over The Place (1984)

If you wish, feel free to include a Bangles 1-4 in the style of Scharpling and Wurster's "Kid eBay", therefor including a then and now. Mine is: (then) Susanna, Michael, Vicki, Debbi (now) Susanna, Vicki, Michael, Debbi

Cor, Baby, This is Really Free!

2009-04-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here is an artist I'd been meaning to check out for a while and this video totally sold me on him just last night. I guess to compare him to anything (if you haven't watched the video yet) I would say a crazier Billy Bragg, though the same could not be said for frequent collaborator Wild Willy Barratt. He looks more like a Southern rocker, IMO. Perhaps needlessly to say, what I like most about John Otway is his theatricality, fearlessness, and just-plain-weirdness. I have not had the time to absorb the below compilation yet, but of course I love the song fromt he video, which is quite different from the version seen. "Beware of the Flowers" was also a hit in the UK, and so far I am feeling the rest of this comp. "Headbutts," more of a comedy act, was also pretty well known-and earned the duo a sponsorshit from Shure microphones, which of course, was well-deserved.

John Otway - Greatest Hits (2002)

This House That You Have Spied

2009-04-22T21:24:00.001-07:00

If you do not already have this album you need it immediately. This album is, in my opinion the best of the sixties. I love sixties music.

Following the almost as incredible Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, which arguably is the first psychedelic album, this 1967 release begins to show just how far that style can go. The combined genius (yes, genius) of the remarkably young (~20) Roky Erickson, guitarist Stacey Sutherland, and electric jug-player and essentially bandleader Tommy Hall becomes even more apparent. The music spares nothing is going all-out with the psychedelia always delivered with energy and urgency that set the bar impossibly high for contenders and giving fellow Texans Janis Joplin and ZZ Top their ultimate aspirations. In fact, the groups eventual visit to San Francisco at the height of Haight-Ashbury proved their drug-influenced music squarely in another league even when in the world's LSD capitol.

The epic opening track "Slip Inside This House" is an unparalleled psychedelic journey and Erickson's lyrical flow can put any rapper to shame immediately. Followed by frequent song contributor Powell St. John's chilling (but why?) "Slide Machine," the album's power hardly could be accused of cooling down. Giving Erickson a break, Sutherland's "Nobody to Love" is a perfect 60s US rocker and the much debated Dylan cover "Baby Blue" is a perfect side-closer.

Luckily, the other side is just as strong, most notably with "I Had To Tell You," which outdoes the debut's "Splash 1" in proving how well the band could write pretty songs. While there are no hits like the previous album's "You're Gonna Miss Me" who cares? Trip out, rock out, and spaz out to this masterpiece immediately. Essential for all fans of music, especially Janis Joplin, ZZ Top, The Butthole Surfers, and/or other Texas rock.

The 13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere (1967)

Excuse Me, Is This The Age of Reason?

2009-04-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

All the great American rock artists of the 80s can agree that the most powerful thing about that time and place was the number of amazing bands that dotted the whole country, even in the most remote areas. The Embarrassment was one of these bands, and one of the few I've been listening to lately outside of NZ and LA). The quartet hailed from Wichita, Kansas and played what they called "blister pop." Apparently, other people called it "punk" - most likely mainly people from Kansas. While their unashamedly nerdy look may bring to mind the Feelies, the Embos had one of the most unique voices in rock at the time with lyrics that ranged from snide and sarcastic to innocent and sincere all delivered with a playful, Midwestern sense of humor.

As nerdy as they looked, the boys were pretty hip as anyone who has been to a hipster gathering could tell immediately in a song like "Celebrity Art Party." The raunchy "Sex Drive" and sweet-natured "Wellsville" (which I would bet gave the setting of The Adventures of Pete & Pete its name) demonstrate the band's great plains roots. The almost cruel ode to Bewitched star "Elizabeth Montgomery's Face" and epic "Lewis and Clark" evoke the kind of boyhood fantasies/fascinations hardly visible in underground rock music done to perfection. The first disc really is the star of the show, covering the groups original singles and EPs. The second disc, while strong yet very outtake-y has it's gems such as the song that really get me into the band "Sexy Singer Girl."

After teh band's original breakup half of the band relocated to Boston, which beleive it or not at one time had a few redemptive qualities (i.e. music scene) with guitarist Bill Goffier froming Big Dipper and drummer Brent Giessman joining the Del Fuegos. The other two, I presume sttayed in Wichita until the band reunited. I do not know if they did anything significant there.

The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83

Here are some sweet videos as well:

thre's more where the second one came from...

Better than Daniel Johnston, I Assure You

2009-04-16T19:34:00.001-07:00

So, basically, this is me forcing myself to post something not from L.A. or New Zealand, but truthfully I listen to this album about as much if not more than everything else I have posted lately.

R. Stevie Moore is an outsider musician. In my opinion, he is the best outsider musician. He hails from Nashville originally and comes from as musical background as his father was Elvis Presley's favorite bassist and a member of the Nashville A-Team, making R. Stevie one of the first second-generation rock musicians. After this record, which was originally released via his uncle on only only 100 copies he relocated to Bloomfield, New Jersey where he has lived ever since. He is the father of home recorded rock and is idolized by the likes of Ariel Pink (who has covered two tracks off this album - "Hobbies Galore" and "She Don't Know What To Do With Herself"), The Elephant 6 collective, and many more. The sound on this album is almost like a lo-fi take on Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything? and is no less American. From the epic instrumental "Melbourne" to the tacked on bonus tracks coming from the extensive work he had already accomplished before this record everything is flawless. The songwriting is brilliant and it's all done with a great sense of humor that extends to some hilariously offbeat skits between songs. Bottom line: this album is a masterpiece. This is outsider music at it's best, if you hear this and still prefer Daniel Johnston you need to give up on music because you will never get it. In addition to every track I've already mentioned so far, "You and Me," "Goodbye Piano," "California Rhythm," "I Want You In My Life," and "Why Should I Love You" are some of the best.

R. Stevie Moore - Phonography (1976)

Additionally, here's a great video of Mr. Moore on Floyd Vivino's WNJN faux-children's show (proto-Pee-Wee's Playhouse) The Uncle Floyd Show on which he would regularly appear: