Friday, February 25, 2005
Tomorrow night I'm going to see Paul Westerberg. I can't say I'm too hyped about it. If I didn't already have the ticket I probably wouldn't go at all, but I shouldn't be so negative. Who knows, maybe I'll actually enjoy it.
In contrast, here are some shows I'm curious about or that I look forward to that have just come to my attention:
Antony and the Johnsons at Amoeba.
Cass McCombs March 8th at Spaceland.
Oneida and Black Mountain March 19th at Spaceland.
Midnight Movies March 30th at Spaceland.
Deerhoof April 8th and 9th at the Echo.
Dead Meadow April 15th and 16th.
Magnolia Electric Co. April 22nd at the Echo.
Two things that get a lot of press and I'm profoundly unimpressed by are the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes. Maybe I'm getting old, but I just don't see what all the hoopla is about. Maybe the reason I don't care is the fact that so many people seem to be forcing it down my throat that this is music of quality and importance. Count me out. Yawn. Someone that has also been getting a lot of press is Joanna Newsom. She sings and accompanies herself on harp and I have yet to hear her album. Last night I taped her appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show and I'm not sure how I feel about her. She definitely has a presence that, at least to me, is quite attractive. In her own way she is very pretty and she looks quite stunning playing that large harp which really sounded great. The problem for me is her voice. The only way I can describe it is as disturbing. It is not a bad voice, but it is definitely a unique voice and right now I just don't like it. I could see it growing on me, but I'm not sure if that is right. I often think that music should be immediately visceral. It should hit you right away and you should be able to say I like it or I don't. I guess things aren't always that simple, though and Joanna Newsom is someone I might have to work on for awhile. She might just one day define the phrase "an acquired taste" for me.
Tuesday I went to pick up the new Dead Meadow album and my nearest record store didn't even have it in stock. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because right now I think their recorded work pales in comparison to their live sound. The albums I've heard are good, but they don't quite cut the mustard for me and I wonder how this new record will stand up. Well tonight I went to another store and they had it, but they were selling it for $16.99. That just seemed too much for me and I passed it up again. I might just have to order this one from Amazon. I like supporting my local stores, but sometimes I just have to save some money as well.
There are also a couple of other things I'm interested in getting right now. There's some kind of special edition of Unrest's Imperial FFRR album out right now and this is a must have for me. It's one of my top ten albums of all time and I really can't explain why it holds so much importance to me. I've already railed against hyperbole in terms of the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes, but I could hypocritically heave a bunch of hyperbole on Imperial FFRR. It's just a beautiful album and I love it. The only other person I know who also liked it a lot is my friend Kirk. If you knew Kirk you probably would never imagine him liking this album, but he once told me that he and his girlfriend used to listen to it everyday for months when it first came out. I can totally relate to this because I probably did the same exact thing. The other thing I want to get is a collection of Scritti Politti's early work. I was never a huge fan of them, but I really do find them intriguing. I don't know if I so much like their sound as I do the ideas around them. The song "The Sweetest Girl" is probably the best way ( or 'perfect way," ha ha) to try to describe what I mean. The music is basically a pop reggae rhythm, but the lyrics are what really stand out. I've always loved the use of language and how meanings can be changed and simplified or even made more complex. When you read that song title I have to think that you immediately think of a love song and it is that, but it is so much more:
The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me
When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me
What I want I shall take what you think that you know
Oh such an awful mistake to never let go
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The weakest link in every chain
I always want to find it
the strongest words in each belief
Find out what's behind it
The politics is prior to
The vagaries of science
She left because she understood
The value of defiance
When the government falls I wish I could tell
When necessity calls I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that died before me
When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
You know that it can never be told
I just love the verse that begins with "the weakest link in every chain." It just totally changes the song as it literally exposes the "bigger picture." It is not just a boy and a girl, but the "political" world and their place in it and the way they convey and receive meaning in that world. All this in a little pop ditty. I love a good, dumb rock song as much as the next person, but it is nice to be challenged sometimes by "art" especially in a form so "insignificant" as a pop song.
In contrast, here are some shows I'm curious about or that I look forward to that have just come to my attention:
Antony and the Johnsons at Amoeba.
Cass McCombs March 8th at Spaceland.
Oneida and Black Mountain March 19th at Spaceland.
Midnight Movies March 30th at Spaceland.
Deerhoof April 8th and 9th at the Echo.
Dead Meadow April 15th and 16th.
Magnolia Electric Co. April 22nd at the Echo.
Two things that get a lot of press and I'm profoundly unimpressed by are the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes. Maybe I'm getting old, but I just don't see what all the hoopla is about. Maybe the reason I don't care is the fact that so many people seem to be forcing it down my throat that this is music of quality and importance. Count me out. Yawn. Someone that has also been getting a lot of press is Joanna Newsom. She sings and accompanies herself on harp and I have yet to hear her album. Last night I taped her appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show and I'm not sure how I feel about her. She definitely has a presence that, at least to me, is quite attractive. In her own way she is very pretty and she looks quite stunning playing that large harp which really sounded great. The problem for me is her voice. The only way I can describe it is as disturbing. It is not a bad voice, but it is definitely a unique voice and right now I just don't like it. I could see it growing on me, but I'm not sure if that is right. I often think that music should be immediately visceral. It should hit you right away and you should be able to say I like it or I don't. I guess things aren't always that simple, though and Joanna Newsom is someone I might have to work on for awhile. She might just one day define the phrase "an acquired taste" for me.
Tuesday I went to pick up the new Dead Meadow album and my nearest record store didn't even have it in stock. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise because right now I think their recorded work pales in comparison to their live sound. The albums I've heard are good, but they don't quite cut the mustard for me and I wonder how this new record will stand up. Well tonight I went to another store and they had it, but they were selling it for $16.99. That just seemed too much for me and I passed it up again. I might just have to order this one from Amazon. I like supporting my local stores, but sometimes I just have to save some money as well.
There are also a couple of other things I'm interested in getting right now. There's some kind of special edition of Unrest's Imperial FFRR album out right now and this is a must have for me. It's one of my top ten albums of all time and I really can't explain why it holds so much importance to me. I've already railed against hyperbole in terms of the Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes, but I could hypocritically heave a bunch of hyperbole on Imperial FFRR. It's just a beautiful album and I love it. The only other person I know who also liked it a lot is my friend Kirk. If you knew Kirk you probably would never imagine him liking this album, but he once told me that he and his girlfriend used to listen to it everyday for months when it first came out. I can totally relate to this because I probably did the same exact thing. The other thing I want to get is a collection of Scritti Politti's early work. I was never a huge fan of them, but I really do find them intriguing. I don't know if I so much like their sound as I do the ideas around them. The song "The Sweetest Girl" is probably the best way ( or 'perfect way," ha ha) to try to describe what I mean. The music is basically a pop reggae rhythm, but the lyrics are what really stand out. I've always loved the use of language and how meanings can be changed and simplified or even made more complex. When you read that song title I have to think that you immediately think of a love song and it is that, but it is so much more:
The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These eyes are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that die before me
When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sweetest boy in all the world
His life has got so lonely
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me
The sickest group in all the world
How could they do this to me
What I want I shall take what you think that you know
Oh such an awful mistake to never let go
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The weakest link in every chain
I always want to find it
the strongest words in each belief
Find out what's behind it
The politics is prior to
The vagaries of science
She left because she understood
The value of defiance
When the government falls I wish I could tell
When necessity calls I never can tell
It's just loving it
Ooh loving it
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words are for you only
The sweetest girl in all the world
These words that died before me
When we walk in the park
I never can tell
When when we walk in the dark
You know that it can never be told
I just love the verse that begins with "the weakest link in every chain." It just totally changes the song as it literally exposes the "bigger picture." It is not just a boy and a girl, but the "political" world and their place in it and the way they convey and receive meaning in that world. All this in a little pop ditty. I love a good, dumb rock song as much as the next person, but it is nice to be challenged sometimes by "art" especially in a form so "insignificant" as a pop song.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Friday night I went to the Knitting Factory to see Sweet and Tender Hooligans perform the Smiths' Meat is Murder upon the 20th anniversary of its release. I'm sure my 16 year old self was there to buy it on that long ago day either at Best Records or at Middle Earth Records. It's kind of sad, but that's how I used to spend most of my later high school years. While other kids were out partying or whatever I was spending my weekend evenings hanging out at record stores. Needless to say I wasn't a big hit with the ladies either so I'm sure that is partly the reason why I came to love the Smiths and why Meat is Murder is still my favorite album by them. The lyrics really spoke to me and it reminds me of the person I once was. I was basically a popular nerd who was always getting crushes on girls who were out of my league and being that they had no interest in me I could make myself feel better listening to a lyric like, "On the day that your mentality decides to catch up with your biology. Come 'round." Such a good lyric and so true during those teenage years. To a boy who was rarely wanted the song "Well I Wonder" was gold. "Well I wonder. Do you see me when we pass? I half-die. Please keep me in mind. Please keep me in mind." It sounded so good to hear these lyrics and the equally beautiful music Friday night even if it was only a cover band and I amazed myself that I could still remember most of the lyrics 20 years later. I had a good time and I just wish they would have played a little less Morrissey solo stuff afterwards.
Last night I went to the Echo to see a few bands. First up were a band whose name I have no idea what it was, but their sound often reminded me of Looney Tunes cartoon music as played by John Zorn's Naked City. The next band were called Earthless and I wondered if that was a bit of a joke in reference to the band Earth which many of these really heavy bands get compared to nowadays. Basically they were a jam band which I usually hate, but I did like these guys. I think they only played one "song" because they came out and started playing and they didn't stop until they walked off the stage. Think of the breaks and guitar solos in a Stooges or MC5 song and that is sort of what these guys sounded like except the whole song was only those parts. I was impressed that the drummer went at least 40 minutes playing non-stop. If those were my arms they would have fallen off. The next band was Om and they also played two really long songs. They consist of a bass player/vocalist and a drummer and you can imagine they were really heavy. You would think that a duo like this could be boring, but that wasn't the case. I'm really interested in seeing another band that is only bass and drums called Lightning Bolt, although they don't necessarilly share the same sound. I really liked hearing the low end throb of Om. I forgot to mention that I started to get sick yesterday evening and by the time Comets on Fire came on I was a bit of a mess. I liked them more the last time they played, but I stuck around for most of their set until I just felt too crappy. At least I got to see some interesting bands I had never heard before.
I got home and went to sleep or I should say that I tried to go to sleep. I kept coughing and my body was aching and I just kept twisting around in my bed. When I would fall asleep I was having really weird dreams where everything that could go wrong would go wrong. By the time I woke up this morning all I felt was depression. Not a good night's sleep.
Last night I went to the Echo to see a few bands. First up were a band whose name I have no idea what it was, but their sound often reminded me of Looney Tunes cartoon music as played by John Zorn's Naked City. The next band were called Earthless and I wondered if that was a bit of a joke in reference to the band Earth which many of these really heavy bands get compared to nowadays. Basically they were a jam band which I usually hate, but I did like these guys. I think they only played one "song" because they came out and started playing and they didn't stop until they walked off the stage. Think of the breaks and guitar solos in a Stooges or MC5 song and that is sort of what these guys sounded like except the whole song was only those parts. I was impressed that the drummer went at least 40 minutes playing non-stop. If those were my arms they would have fallen off. The next band was Om and they also played two really long songs. They consist of a bass player/vocalist and a drummer and you can imagine they were really heavy. You would think that a duo like this could be boring, but that wasn't the case. I'm really interested in seeing another band that is only bass and drums called Lightning Bolt, although they don't necessarilly share the same sound. I really liked hearing the low end throb of Om. I forgot to mention that I started to get sick yesterday evening and by the time Comets on Fire came on I was a bit of a mess. I liked them more the last time they played, but I stuck around for most of their set until I just felt too crappy. At least I got to see some interesting bands I had never heard before.
I got home and went to sleep or I should say that I tried to go to sleep. I kept coughing and my body was aching and I just kept twisting around in my bed. When I would fall asleep I was having really weird dreams where everything that could go wrong would go wrong. By the time I woke up this morning all I felt was depression. Not a good night's sleep.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Why did I even start this blog? I suppose one reason was just to practice my writing skills. I like to write and what better way to practice than writing about two things I love, music and movies. Some may say that if it was my intent to practice writing so as to improve upon it then I have failed. My writing is just ok, but I chug along nonetheless. It certainly has not attracted many visitors and that was my other wish when beginning this blog. I hoped that I would meet some new people who might like some of the same things I do, but once again I suppose I have failed. Still all is not lost because Ashley from Capitol Records stumbled upon this site and she offered to send me the new LCD Soundsystem record weeks before it is released. Freebies? Sure, sign me up! My knowledge of this band is limited to references to the DFA production team and a couple of Rapture songs. I would never have picked up this record, but I have to admit that it is growing on me. How can I describe it? Minimalist dance music informed by punk rock, indie rock, and DJ culture. Actually this record would probably best be heard really loud in a club. I imagine these beats would best be served by a great sound system pounding them into your body and into your ears. Lyrics are of secondary concern, though I did enjoy the sense of humor apparent in some of the tracks like "Losing My Edge." I also noticed an unexpected nod to Haircut 100's song "Favourite Shirts(Boy Meets Girl)" in the song "On Repeat." In a way it reminds me of stuff on the Mute or Some Bizarre labels in the early eighties. It's not something I see myself tossing on very often, but it will probably make an appearance at some future party I may have.
I've already mentioned that I just began to delve into the world of bit torrents and I've already downloaded some nice shows. The Smiths show I have just re-confirmed for me what a great guitar player Johnny Marr is. He truly is one of my favorites. I've been listening to quite a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen lately and I'm really digging Will Sergeant's guitar work as well. I just love that stacatto strumming thing he does especially on a song like "No Dark Things." Another guitar player who also works in that stacatto rhythm is Andy Gill of Gang of Four. This band is one reason I'm actually considering going to Coachella even though I said I would never go again. Someone once stated that Eric Clapton is God, well consider me an athiest. Back to bit torrents, I just downloaded a Flying Burrito Brothers show and it is just incredible. It's taken from a San Francisco show that was broadcast over the radio in 1969 and it sounds great. Back to guitars for a moment, I just love the sound of pedal steel and the playing on this show is just exceptional. I look forward to finding more audio treats.
Now for my severe left turn in terms of subject matter. You know what's really sexy? When women wear a closed toe pump there are usually a few lines created by the toes that appear right where the shoe ends and the skin appears. I find that profoundly beautiful for some reason and no I am not a foot fetishist.
I've already mentioned that I just began to delve into the world of bit torrents and I've already downloaded some nice shows. The Smiths show I have just re-confirmed for me what a great guitar player Johnny Marr is. He truly is one of my favorites. I've been listening to quite a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen lately and I'm really digging Will Sergeant's guitar work as well. I just love that stacatto strumming thing he does especially on a song like "No Dark Things." Another guitar player who also works in that stacatto rhythm is Andy Gill of Gang of Four. This band is one reason I'm actually considering going to Coachella even though I said I would never go again. Someone once stated that Eric Clapton is God, well consider me an athiest. Back to bit torrents, I just downloaded a Flying Burrito Brothers show and it is just incredible. It's taken from a San Francisco show that was broadcast over the radio in 1969 and it sounds great. Back to guitars for a moment, I just love the sound of pedal steel and the playing on this show is just exceptional. I look forward to finding more audio treats.
Now for my severe left turn in terms of subject matter. You know what's really sexy? When women wear a closed toe pump there are usually a few lines created by the toes that appear right where the shoe ends and the skin appears. I find that profoundly beautiful for some reason and no I am not a foot fetishist.
