The first (and so far, only) time I saw By the End of Tonight live was when they opened for the Blood Brothers the day after the 2004 Presidential election. For obvious reasons, the atmosphere at Club Fat Cat’s was VERY tense. Once the Houston quartet took the stage, though, the audience’s inhibitions were quickly cast away. The band injected their long and endlessly shifting math-metal jams with sorely needed doses of humor, energy and novelty. They swung their instruments around so recklessly that the people standing in front had to duck every 30 seconds or so. The musicians screamed lyrics at each other far away from the microphones and, in a hilarious parody of acoustic “unplugged” sets, turned their guitars all the way down until all we could hear was the sound of picks strumming strings. Last but not least, the drummer whacked his mind-boggling rhythms and fills out on a toddler’s drum kit that had to be miked heavily in order to match the volume of the rest of the band. These goofy details definitely placed them a cut above many of the other math-rock bands I’ve seen on stage.
By the End of Tonight are a slightly harder sell on record, though. Their last EP Fireworks on Ice was marred by heavy-handed production that tried to compensate for the tonal limitations of Jeff Wilson’s unorthodox kit by placing him intolerably high in the mix. The production backfired, though, as it only emphasized how trebly Wilson’s kit sounds when not recorded properly. Their latest “album” (five songs in 30 minutes would make the cut if this were the ‘70s) A Tribute to Tigers benefits from a much more sympathetic treatment. Chris Ryan’s and Eric Faucette’s production places Wilson’s playing on equal footing with the other three musicians, and make him sound as if he’s playing on a “real” adult-sized kit. Those who haven’t already seen the band live won’t be able to tell the difference. This, coupled with the fact that one can’t watch the band swing their instruments around while listening to the CD, strips the music of some of its novelty.
As far as songwriting is concerned, By the End of Tonight aren’t doing anything new. Guitarist Josh Smith’s and Stefan Mach’s squealing and finger-tapping on “Stop, Drop and Roll Does Not Work in Hell” can be traced directly back to Don Caballero’s “Slice Where You Live Like Pie.” Come to think of it, “Stop, Drop and Roll…” even READS like a lost DC song title! Every song (the surprisingly straightforward “Tigers” being the sole exception) spends its first half announcing a theme, only to spend its second half running through as many riffs and rhythmic shifts as possible until they spontaneously combust. As with their live show, this record’s true stock in trade is sheer energy. At times, the band struggles to stay in sync with each other during the many mid-song transitions. Even in these moments, they sound overzealous instead of sloppy --- these guys are simply too good on their instruments to outright suck. Besides, if they were playing these songs in front of me, I’d be too busy moshing and ducking to care about the occasional bum note or misplaced fill.
In short, A Tribute to Tigers is an above-average slice of (mostly) instrumental math-rock that comes surprisingly close to replicating the goofiness and intensity of the band’s live show. It’s not an essential record, but if this kind of music piques your interest, you could do a LOT worse. I look forward to hearing what By the End of Tonight will do next.
Sean Padilla
Artist Website: http://www.bytheendoftonight.com
Label Website: http://www.temporaryresidence.com
May 13, 2005
Manual "Azure Vista"
The artwork for Manual's latest album, Azure Vista, consists of blurry photos of parks in the San Diego area, shot at twilight during the summer. It's a cool yet warm image; seductive in its attractiveness, mellow in its appearance. You can see people walking about, having a good time on the beach and on the sidewalks, and you wish you were them. You can feel the cool yet warm sea breezes on your face while thin white clouds in the sky gracefully float by. If it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover, then Manual has quickly proven that truth to be false.
When you venture inside the record, you'll find grooves that quite aptly fit the cool exterior. Through eight long tracks, Manual (the one-man project of German composer Jonas Munk) creates soundscapes that are a far cry from electronica's cold, detatched nature. In an ironic twist, these warm tones are built on styles that are anything but. While listening, you'll find hints of Harold Budd and Brian Eno here, a smattering of Durutti Column there and the occasional Robin Guthrie guitar shimmer. Then there's "Neon Reverie," with an intro that sounds like an unholy mix of two great pop songs: "Be My Baby" and "Kokomo," thus creating an experience that's not unlike an artistic interpretation of driving down the 101 in a Mustang convertable on a clear Saturday afternoon.
Suffice to say, it's obvious that Munk is inspired by some really great musicians. More importantly, Munk is simply inspired. The upbeat "Summer of Freedom" and "Neon Reverie" blend nicely with the mellower moments of "Twilight" and "Tourmaline," but even though the songs are epic in length, Azure Vista never becomes dull or boring. If anything, Azure Vista does exactly what a good ambient record should do--it fades into the background but it inspires the emotions of the listener. The rainbow of sonic colors on Azure Vista inspires visions of sunny summer days and cool summer nights.
My first listen to Azure Vista came at night, and its warm, soothing tones and quiet heartbeat pulse felt like the loving embrace of a special someone, and the next morning I woke up feeling alive, perky and loved. Did Azure Vista have something to do with that? Mmmm, perhaps it did.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.darla.com
When you venture inside the record, you'll find grooves that quite aptly fit the cool exterior. Through eight long tracks, Manual (the one-man project of German composer Jonas Munk) creates soundscapes that are a far cry from electronica's cold, detatched nature. In an ironic twist, these warm tones are built on styles that are anything but. While listening, you'll find hints of Harold Budd and Brian Eno here, a smattering of Durutti Column there and the occasional Robin Guthrie guitar shimmer. Then there's "Neon Reverie," with an intro that sounds like an unholy mix of two great pop songs: "Be My Baby" and "Kokomo," thus creating an experience that's not unlike an artistic interpretation of driving down the 101 in a Mustang convertable on a clear Saturday afternoon.
Suffice to say, it's obvious that Munk is inspired by some really great musicians. More importantly, Munk is simply inspired. The upbeat "Summer of Freedom" and "Neon Reverie" blend nicely with the mellower moments of "Twilight" and "Tourmaline," but even though the songs are epic in length, Azure Vista never becomes dull or boring. If anything, Azure Vista does exactly what a good ambient record should do--it fades into the background but it inspires the emotions of the listener. The rainbow of sonic colors on Azure Vista inspires visions of sunny summer days and cool summer nights.
My first listen to Azure Vista came at night, and its warm, soothing tones and quiet heartbeat pulse felt like the loving embrace of a special someone, and the next morning I woke up feeling alive, perky and loved. Did Azure Vista have something to do with that? Mmmm, perhaps it did.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.darla.com
May 11, 2005
Oosterdok "Someday We Will Part Forever"
I know what the problem is here. Becky Naylor and Jay Line, the British duo of Oosterdok, have some good ideas--blending Naylor's most English folk singing with Line's modern-minded electronica backing. It's a good idea, but there's something off with their execution; the two factors seem out of sync. Is it because the backing music sounds too generic? Is it because her singing sounds rather affected in front of such melodies? It's hard to tell. Methinks, though, that it's because they rely too much on the music in the background; this sounds like a karaoke recording. I would have rather heard "High Upon a Hilltop" and the otherwise excellent "You Won't See Me In Heaven" with a more traditional instrumental backing. "Heaven" comes closest, with a piano, and this leads me to perhaps the best lesson for the young duo--perhaps if they blended their songs with more guitars and keyboards or any number of interesting traditional folk music instruments instead of relying on (what sounds like) a computer-generated backing track, they might have something.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.oosterdok.com
Label Website: http://www.browndockrecords.com
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.oosterdok.com
Label Website: http://www.browndockrecords.com
May 10, 2005
Various Artists: "Down In A Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek"
How do you pay tribute to an enigma? Is it possible to even begin to recreate that which is impossible to imitate? In the case of a musician like Jandek, it's tempting to say that any form of reproduction of his music is inherently going to be inferior to the original. But as this is Jandek and not The Three Tenors, determining what is inferior and what is superior is a rather relative concept. That's why Down In A Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek is somewhat fascinating. Here's a tribute record to an artist who's so obscure, many hardcore music fans haven't heard of him. His music is definitely an acquired taste; referring to it as "outsider art" is both apt and extremely generous. Even if you wanted to check out Jandek's music, you'd still have to do a lot of work to do so.
In its own way, Down In A Mirror serves a greater purpose. More people have dismissed Wilco than have ever heard of (or will ever hear) Jandek, and The Mountain Goats and Six Organs of Admittance have hipster name recognition, so getting those artists involved has probably helped give this release a bit more visability. It's almost a moot point--and terribly unfair--to attempt to describe these songs, because a. you've never heard the original versions and b. even the worst song on Down In A Mirror is more than likely better than the original version. You should still check this record out out, though, because Okkerval River's "Your Other Man," Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makoto's "Babe I Love You" and "With You Icon (An Homage)" by The Dirty Projectors are quite fascinating. Oh yeah, and Jeff Tweedy appears here, too, performing with his son, Spencer. I guess Jandek's fun for the whole hip family, then?
The world, it ain't ever gonna get Jandek. It probably ain't gonna hear him, either. So Down In A Mirror might be one of the few times you're exposed to the man, and it ain't a bad thing. Beats the hell out of another Beatles tribute, don't ya think?
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.summerstepsrecords.com
In its own way, Down In A Mirror serves a greater purpose. More people have dismissed Wilco than have ever heard of (or will ever hear) Jandek, and The Mountain Goats and Six Organs of Admittance have hipster name recognition, so getting those artists involved has probably helped give this release a bit more visability. It's almost a moot point--and terribly unfair--to attempt to describe these songs, because a. you've never heard the original versions and b. even the worst song on Down In A Mirror is more than likely better than the original version. You should still check this record out out, though, because Okkerval River's "Your Other Man," Acid Mothers Temple's Kawabata Makoto's "Babe I Love You" and "With You Icon (An Homage)" by The Dirty Projectors are quite fascinating. Oh yeah, and Jeff Tweedy appears here, too, performing with his son, Spencer. I guess Jandek's fun for the whole hip family, then?
The world, it ain't ever gonna get Jandek. It probably ain't gonna hear him, either. So Down In A Mirror might be one of the few times you're exposed to the man, and it ain't a bad thing. Beats the hell out of another Beatles tribute, don't ya think?
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.summerstepsrecords.com
Mike Doughty "Haughty Melodic"
It was a bit of a struggle, getting this record. I went to several record stores and music-related shops all over East Texas, and none of them had it in stock. I didn't want to special order it, because my luck always has me finding the record the day after I order it. I'd resigned myself to having to order it online, when lo and behold, I visited a record store and there it was: Haughty Melodic, the debut record from Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty, on sale for 9.99. I grabbed it up, happy to find it. I'd loved Soul Coughing, and I'd loved his solo collection Skittish/Rockity Roll When I went to check out, though, the clerk rang it up at full price. I mentioned to her that it was on the sale kiosk for 9.99. (I didn't have 15.99 plus tax to purchase it.) She gave me a look and said, "well, it's not in the computer, let me get a price check."
She called the manager, who informed her that it wasn't on sale. I insisted, and the junior manager shows up. I take the guy over to where I found it and showed him. He insisted that it was an error, that the sale was over, and that I'd have to pay full price. So I insisted to him that this was a mistake on their part, regardless of what he might say, I was led to believe that the record was on sale, and I wasn't going to pay full price--topping it off with an a. "ever heard of bait-and-switch?' and b. "what's your name, by the way?" The guy gave me a look, and refusing to budge, I said, "hey, you know what? I ain't buying it, then" and I walked back to the clerk to inform her that she should cancel the transaction. The guy, realizing that his status as junior manager had just been put at jeopardy (especially because he'd just disgruntled a paying customer with his shitty attitude,) shows up and grumbles, "give it to him at 9.99, the sign said it was on sale."
I tell you the following story, because it will make you understand how hard this review is for me to write. There's no gentle way to put this: Haughty Melodic is an utter piece of shit, and it's a piece of shit from someone who is capable of better. Skittish/Rockity Roll was proof that Doughty's solo stuff would be/could be interesting, and it seemed as if his best days were yet to come. Yeah, Soul Coughing was great, but there was a restraint there; Doughty had yet to realize his full potential. With a solo career, it might be a good time to redeem himself, and for a moment, it felt as if he was standing on the edge of greatness--all he needed was a push in the right direction. That he was so willing to turn himself into a sub-par Dave Matthews in order to reach greater heights...well, that's just sad.
Haughty Melodic starts off promisingly enough with the upbeat "Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well," but it falls down from that point onward. The music is a blend of safe, harmless coffee shop folk and even safer pseudo Dave Matthews-style acousto-ballads that are about as interesting as...well, there's nothing that's possibly as interesting. In an oddly confounding twist, the one time that Doughty doesn't sound like Dave Matthews is on "Tremendous Brunettes," which is only notable because it features Dave Matthews! I've listened to this record several times already, and I just can't fathom listening to it again. It's simply not very interesting, none of the songs make any kind of lasting impression, and it's simply boring.
Even more annoying is that it seems as if almost all of these songs simply use Soul Coughing's "Circles" as the musical template. If you remember that song, it's a simple acoustic number with a little bit of electronic accompaniment that was kinda folky and kinda nice. If you don't know or don't remember that song, then you really should check it out. In an even more interesting twist, I seem to recall Doughty virtually disowning this song, because he claimed it represented artistic compromise. When did it change from compromise to the only valid formula for Doughty's songwriting? I don't know, and to be honest, I'm tired of talking about this record.
Doughty, you can do better than this. You have done better, and I hope you rectify this situation toute suite. You have so much promise, but promise me you'll never go in this bland, boring direction ever again? It's kind of embarassing for you, because, you know, how does it look to know people are reselling it immediately after buying it? Haughty Melodic is easily the biggest musical disappointment of 2005. It will be fun, though, returning to the store where I bought it and saying, "you know, I'd like to sell this piece of shit back to you." I hope the junior manager's there. It'll be fun to see the look on his face when he sees me flippantly selling this symbol of his authority being questioned less than a week after the battle.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.mikedoughty.com
Label Website: http://www.atorecords.com
She called the manager, who informed her that it wasn't on sale. I insisted, and the junior manager shows up. I take the guy over to where I found it and showed him. He insisted that it was an error, that the sale was over, and that I'd have to pay full price. So I insisted to him that this was a mistake on their part, regardless of what he might say, I was led to believe that the record was on sale, and I wasn't going to pay full price--topping it off with an a. "ever heard of bait-and-switch?' and b. "what's your name, by the way?" The guy gave me a look, and refusing to budge, I said, "hey, you know what? I ain't buying it, then" and I walked back to the clerk to inform her that she should cancel the transaction. The guy, realizing that his status as junior manager had just been put at jeopardy (especially because he'd just disgruntled a paying customer with his shitty attitude,) shows up and grumbles, "give it to him at 9.99, the sign said it was on sale."
I tell you the following story, because it will make you understand how hard this review is for me to write. There's no gentle way to put this: Haughty Melodic is an utter piece of shit, and it's a piece of shit from someone who is capable of better. Skittish/Rockity Roll was proof that Doughty's solo stuff would be/could be interesting, and it seemed as if his best days were yet to come. Yeah, Soul Coughing was great, but there was a restraint there; Doughty had yet to realize his full potential. With a solo career, it might be a good time to redeem himself, and for a moment, it felt as if he was standing on the edge of greatness--all he needed was a push in the right direction. That he was so willing to turn himself into a sub-par Dave Matthews in order to reach greater heights...well, that's just sad.
Haughty Melodic starts off promisingly enough with the upbeat "Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well," but it falls down from that point onward. The music is a blend of safe, harmless coffee shop folk and even safer pseudo Dave Matthews-style acousto-ballads that are about as interesting as...well, there's nothing that's possibly as interesting. In an oddly confounding twist, the one time that Doughty doesn't sound like Dave Matthews is on "Tremendous Brunettes," which is only notable because it features Dave Matthews! I've listened to this record several times already, and I just can't fathom listening to it again. It's simply not very interesting, none of the songs make any kind of lasting impression, and it's simply boring.
Even more annoying is that it seems as if almost all of these songs simply use Soul Coughing's "Circles" as the musical template. If you remember that song, it's a simple acoustic number with a little bit of electronic accompaniment that was kinda folky and kinda nice. If you don't know or don't remember that song, then you really should check it out. In an even more interesting twist, I seem to recall Doughty virtually disowning this song, because he claimed it represented artistic compromise. When did it change from compromise to the only valid formula for Doughty's songwriting? I don't know, and to be honest, I'm tired of talking about this record.
Doughty, you can do better than this. You have done better, and I hope you rectify this situation toute suite. You have so much promise, but promise me you'll never go in this bland, boring direction ever again? It's kind of embarassing for you, because, you know, how does it look to know people are reselling it immediately after buying it? Haughty Melodic is easily the biggest musical disappointment of 2005. It will be fun, though, returning to the store where I bought it and saying, "you know, I'd like to sell this piece of shit back to you." I hope the junior manager's there. It'll be fun to see the look on his face when he sees me flippantly selling this symbol of his authority being questioned less than a week after the battle.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.mikedoughty.com
Label Website: http://www.atorecords.com
Interview: Love As Laughter
Sam Jayne=reluctant rock star? Nah, not really. He's an unassuming fellow; he's just a guy who likes to strap on his guitar, call up a bunch of his buddies and play live. There's nothing much more rewarding than that, is there? No, there's not. But don't let that simplicity of purpose fool you, my friends. Since the late 1990s, Sam Jayne's released a handful of records, one of which, #1 USA, became one of my all-time favorite albums. It's driving rock that's simple and to the point; mainly, it's just...dare I say it...FUN.
Their previous album, 2001's Sea to Shining Sea, was a maturation towards more Stones-like rock, a sound which, for better or worse, would soon become popular in the mainstream. But then Love as Laughter...disappeared. You'd have thought that they'd have been ripe for the picking, especially considering that then-labelmates Vue and The Go would also reach for that Major Label Brass Ring, but it didn't happen. Instead, they quietly disappeared for a few years, returning this Spring with Laughter's Fifth. It's a bit of a departure from previous records; it's mellower, but it's also more mature. It's no surprise, then, that "Dirty Lives" was chosen to appear on the soundtrack of the hip TV drama The OC.
Could this be a new direction for Sam Jayne? Who knows. More importantly, who cares? He's having a good time now, and it's all about living--and rocking--in the moment. For the moment, though, things are looking great for Sam Jayne. I had the pleasure of speaking with him earlier this week, and I put these questions to him directly.
It's been a couple of years since the last Love as Laughter record. Was there any particular reason for the silence.
No. (Laughs) Well, we kinda got burned out on touring when we moved out East, just because it took us a long time to get settled.I guess that's the real reason, it wasn't like a big deal. We also had a bunch of songs that were kicking around for a long time. I dunno, I think it just took us a while to get it going together. I had been doing some of my own stuff and playing my own shows, too.
Had you really given any thought to retiring the Love as Laughter name and doing the solo thing?
Yeah, I guess, but I don't think it would be the same thing. Love as Laughter is a way for me to have fun playing live shows with a band, and the solo stuff has become more--it's separate, it is just me, so I'm not trying to do a bunch of instrumentals or making any certain type of music. It's just me acoustic.
Back in 2001, when you released Sea to Shining Sea, that whole "new rock" trend with the Strokes and White Stripes was just starting to form, but during that time, Love as Laughter was silent. Were you sitting it out intentionally, did you have any offers, or did you ever think about throwing your hat into that ring?
I don't think we have anything to do with that scene. Essentially, Love as Laughter is more like a punk band than a hipster band. It's not really like that. I think that with #1 USA I intentionally tried to make a rock record, but then after that I don't think there was any intention other than to make songs that we like and to play loud shows. The background we come from is a lot different, way more punk and has nothing to do with major label rock bands who wear Converse or whatever.
I did notice, though, that you were conspicuously absent during that time. Even though that's not really your scene, I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen you around during that time, out playing live, doing shows.
We just couldn't, really. Love as Laughter has just had really bad luck with tours and getting it together in the past, and a lot of it has to do with that. It's kind of been an unorganized entity at times. In the past, there just wasn't the hugest drive to do things right all the time or try to make it a big organized thing, because who really gives a shit about that? I guess you can be twenty-five and really give a shit about where your “career” is going, but if you’re like that, you’re fucking insane and there’s something wrong with you. I don’t think that we ever gave it any kind of thought. I don’t have a regular nine-to-five or anything just because I try to concentrate on playing music and right now I’ve been kind of lucky enough to hang on by a thread that way. So it’s probably beneficial for us now to go out and play more and go and do more TV shit, like getting on The OC,, because we’ll have more shows. I think we’ve been around long enough and kept it laid back that it’s not going to be much more effort for us to go and do more shit. Plus, some people in bands push too hard, they make one thing, and they’re like “Wow, this is really the greatest thing we’re ever gonna do.” Wow, big deal. That doesn’t really constitute anybody's who’s being an artist or who is trying to change art or do interesting stuff with music. Big deal.
It seems like you are better off letting the world come to you than going out to the world. I’m sure you were quite surprised as many people were about the success last year of Modest Mouse.
I don't think it's that surprising, really. They've toured for, what, ten years straight? How many bands do that? I don't think they even needed the fans that they got from MTV or anything like that. The thing is, they could have done it while still on an indie label and have been as successful, which is pretty awesome.
Have you been sitting in with them much? I know you were on Saturday Night Live with them.
I just subbed on a couple of things. I subbed on that show and then on another show, they were kind of big shows. I kind of lucked out because it was a lot of fun, but you know, being on TV with your friends is not too bad, it would be a lot more nerve-wracking without 'em.
They've worked their asses off over the last decade.
Yeah, they play constantly. If there are any whiners out there who wanna figure out why their band's not popular or something, maybe they should go as much as that fucking band and see how they like it! (Laughs)
One thing I've noticed about Laughter's Fifth is that it's a lot more mellow.
I dunno. I don't think so. I think it's just the time period of these songs aren't as aggressive as some of the other ones. But I don't know, I think the next one will probably be switched around completely the other way. I don't think I'm the kind of person who will let things get mellow, because I kind of have a lot of cynicism for life in general. I don't think it's anything sort of bad, but I think this record has some positive shit in it too, but maybe the next record will be more aggressive in a way.
Well, another thing I've noticed is that every Love as Laughter is always a bit different than the one before it, where you develop one style on a record, and then the next album, you change everything up for the next record. I guess, in that way, I'm really not that surprised about the less aggressive nature of this album to Sea to Shining Sea, yet at the same time, there are moments on #1 USA that are reminiscent of the new record, so I guess it's a natural progression...
Yeah, I dunno, it all kind of fits together in my head, but I don't think it's anything all that different. And you know what? I don't even think this record in particular, it's not even doing anything that drastic, and maybe that's why I think that's why people like it. We've gotten a lot of really nice responses from people who have been cool about it and stuff. I dunno. I dunno why that is, except for maybe I think that it is because it is a mellow record. It was really laid back to make and we weren't trying too hard to do anything in particular except to just play the songs.
And plus, after a few years, the spotlight moves on, and you don't have people clamoring for the next Sea to Shining Sea..
I don't think we have people clamoring for anything! (Laughter)
Right! (Laughter) Well, after two or three years and nobody's really paying attention, you can do your own thing.
Yeah, I don't ever think there's been any attention paid to Love as Laughter, though. We're always going to be sort of an underground/underdog band, no matter how you look at it. There's not ever gonna be a set formula for us. I don't really care about how it fits in with anything else. I just want to make stuff that is relevant to myself and maybe to most of my friends and fans, and I just wanna keep playing. And I think that probably changes how things go most of the time. Just how many times you play certain things and how much you enjoy the way certain things are played and getting more into live stuff. I guess I used to get way more caught up in the whole recording process and would want to have my fingers on every fucking piece of it, just to have some sort of control or make it some sort of weird thing, or just over-experiment with sounds and shit. I didn't do shit on this record and it sounds better than all the other ones, though! (Laughs) So I'm pretty psyched with that.
Excited to be on The OC? (Laughs)
Uh, sure! I dunno, really. It's uh, I'm excited to be on television I guess, I think that's pretty cool, but I don't really follow the show, mainly I'm probably too old (laughs nervously), it's probably beyond my age group. (Laughs). I dunno, I guess in some sort of age group, it's for some like, uh, other people. But I don't even watch TV. I can't even get any channels. I think it's cool, you know. I know the show though, because it's a popular show and I'll watch it
every now and then and I'll get into it, but it's, uh, when I'm at a friends house or something. (laughs)
Their previous album, 2001's Sea to Shining Sea, was a maturation towards more Stones-like rock, a sound which, for better or worse, would soon become popular in the mainstream. But then Love as Laughter...disappeared. You'd have thought that they'd have been ripe for the picking, especially considering that then-labelmates Vue and The Go would also reach for that Major Label Brass Ring, but it didn't happen. Instead, they quietly disappeared for a few years, returning this Spring with Laughter's Fifth. It's a bit of a departure from previous records; it's mellower, but it's also more mature. It's no surprise, then, that "Dirty Lives" was chosen to appear on the soundtrack of the hip TV drama The OC.
Could this be a new direction for Sam Jayne? Who knows. More importantly, who cares? He's having a good time now, and it's all about living--and rocking--in the moment. For the moment, though, things are looking great for Sam Jayne. I had the pleasure of speaking with him earlier this week, and I put these questions to him directly.
It's been a couple of years since the last Love as Laughter record. Was there any particular reason for the silence.
No. (Laughs) Well, we kinda got burned out on touring when we moved out East, just because it took us a long time to get settled.I guess that's the real reason, it wasn't like a big deal. We also had a bunch of songs that were kicking around for a long time. I dunno, I think it just took us a while to get it going together. I had been doing some of my own stuff and playing my own shows, too.
Had you really given any thought to retiring the Love as Laughter name and doing the solo thing?
Yeah, I guess, but I don't think it would be the same thing. Love as Laughter is a way for me to have fun playing live shows with a band, and the solo stuff has become more--it's separate, it is just me, so I'm not trying to do a bunch of instrumentals or making any certain type of music. It's just me acoustic.
Back in 2001, when you released Sea to Shining Sea, that whole "new rock" trend with the Strokes and White Stripes was just starting to form, but during that time, Love as Laughter was silent. Were you sitting it out intentionally, did you have any offers, or did you ever think about throwing your hat into that ring?
I don't think we have anything to do with that scene. Essentially, Love as Laughter is more like a punk band than a hipster band. It's not really like that. I think that with #1 USA I intentionally tried to make a rock record, but then after that I don't think there was any intention other than to make songs that we like and to play loud shows. The background we come from is a lot different, way more punk and has nothing to do with major label rock bands who wear Converse or whatever.
I did notice, though, that you were conspicuously absent during that time. Even though that's not really your scene, I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen you around during that time, out playing live, doing shows.
We just couldn't, really. Love as Laughter has just had really bad luck with tours and getting it together in the past, and a lot of it has to do with that. It's kind of been an unorganized entity at times. In the past, there just wasn't the hugest drive to do things right all the time or try to make it a big organized thing, because who really gives a shit about that? I guess you can be twenty-five and really give a shit about where your “career” is going, but if you’re like that, you’re fucking insane and there’s something wrong with you. I don’t think that we ever gave it any kind of thought. I don’t have a regular nine-to-five or anything just because I try to concentrate on playing music and right now I’ve been kind of lucky enough to hang on by a thread that way. So it’s probably beneficial for us now to go out and play more and go and do more TV shit, like getting on The OC,, because we’ll have more shows. I think we’ve been around long enough and kept it laid back that it’s not going to be much more effort for us to go and do more shit. Plus, some people in bands push too hard, they make one thing, and they’re like “Wow, this is really the greatest thing we’re ever gonna do.” Wow, big deal. That doesn’t really constitute anybody's who’s being an artist or who is trying to change art or do interesting stuff with music. Big deal.
It seems like you are better off letting the world come to you than going out to the world. I’m sure you were quite surprised as many people were about the success last year of Modest Mouse.
I don't think it's that surprising, really. They've toured for, what, ten years straight? How many bands do that? I don't think they even needed the fans that they got from MTV or anything like that. The thing is, they could have done it while still on an indie label and have been as successful, which is pretty awesome.
Have you been sitting in with them much? I know you were on Saturday Night Live with them.
I just subbed on a couple of things. I subbed on that show and then on another show, they were kind of big shows. I kind of lucked out because it was a lot of fun, but you know, being on TV with your friends is not too bad, it would be a lot more nerve-wracking without 'em.
They've worked their asses off over the last decade.
Yeah, they play constantly. If there are any whiners out there who wanna figure out why their band's not popular or something, maybe they should go as much as that fucking band and see how they like it! (Laughs)
One thing I've noticed about Laughter's Fifth is that it's a lot more mellow.
I dunno. I don't think so. I think it's just the time period of these songs aren't as aggressive as some of the other ones. But I don't know, I think the next one will probably be switched around completely the other way. I don't think I'm the kind of person who will let things get mellow, because I kind of have a lot of cynicism for life in general. I don't think it's anything sort of bad, but I think this record has some positive shit in it too, but maybe the next record will be more aggressive in a way.
Well, another thing I've noticed is that every Love as Laughter is always a bit different than the one before it, where you develop one style on a record, and then the next album, you change everything up for the next record. I guess, in that way, I'm really not that surprised about the less aggressive nature of this album to Sea to Shining Sea, yet at the same time, there are moments on #1 USA that are reminiscent of the new record, so I guess it's a natural progression...
Yeah, I dunno, it all kind of fits together in my head, but I don't think it's anything all that different. And you know what? I don't even think this record in particular, it's not even doing anything that drastic, and maybe that's why I think that's why people like it. We've gotten a lot of really nice responses from people who have been cool about it and stuff. I dunno. I dunno why that is, except for maybe I think that it is because it is a mellow record. It was really laid back to make and we weren't trying too hard to do anything in particular except to just play the songs.
And plus, after a few years, the spotlight moves on, and you don't have people clamoring for the next Sea to Shining Sea..
I don't think we have people clamoring for anything! (Laughter)
Right! (Laughter) Well, after two or three years and nobody's really paying attention, you can do your own thing.
Yeah, I don't ever think there's been any attention paid to Love as Laughter, though. We're always going to be sort of an underground/underdog band, no matter how you look at it. There's not ever gonna be a set formula for us. I don't really care about how it fits in with anything else. I just want to make stuff that is relevant to myself and maybe to most of my friends and fans, and I just wanna keep playing. And I think that probably changes how things go most of the time. Just how many times you play certain things and how much you enjoy the way certain things are played and getting more into live stuff. I guess I used to get way more caught up in the whole recording process and would want to have my fingers on every fucking piece of it, just to have some sort of control or make it some sort of weird thing, or just over-experiment with sounds and shit. I didn't do shit on this record and it sounds better than all the other ones, though! (Laughs) So I'm pretty psyched with that.
Excited to be on The OC? (Laughs)
Uh, sure! I dunno, really. It's uh, I'm excited to be on television I guess, I think that's pretty cool, but I don't really follow the show, mainly I'm probably too old (laughs nervously), it's probably beyond my age group. (Laughs). I dunno, I guess in some sort of age group, it's for some like, uh, other people. But I don't even watch TV. I can't even get any channels. I think it's cool, you know. I know the show though, because it's a popular show and I'll watch it
every now and then and I'll get into it, but it's, uh, when I'm at a friends house or something. (laughs)
May 09, 2005
Terrestrial Tones "Obored/Circus Lives"
Terrestrial Tones is the project of roomates Eric Copeland (Black Dice) and Dave Portner (aka Avery Tare of the Animal Collective). In the last year, both bands received a great deal of critical acclaim, all of which was quite justified. Oboroed/Circus Lives is a follow-up to their debut record Blasted, which was released a few months ago. The album consists of two long pieces titled--yup, you guessed it--"Oboroed" and "Circus Lives." Both are very, very long compositions--"Oboroed" is a half-hour, and "Circus Lives" is twenty minutes long. In an interesting twist, both songs don't particularly sound like the work of either's main band, yet at the same time, they both have characteristics that make the two pieces sound like the extention of both bands.
"Oboroed" floats through moments of guitarless-folk, quiet knob twiddling and samples of people making noises. Moments here and there have a bit of a sensual in-out rhythm, but the mechanical feel makes it sound like two robots having sex. The composition also contains a recurrent loop of birds chirping and a faint, nondescript recording of people talking, tempered with the equally muffled recording of music playing. The music is muffled and nondescript; imagine walking down a dorm hallway, where music is playing in the distance, but only the lower registers are distinguishable. "Circus Lives" starts off with numerous electronic bleeps and blips, then moves into a robotic-sounding marching beat tempered with mechanical screeches and screams and the sounds of people meowing like cats. Overall, "Circus Lives" sounds similar to a stripped-down Black Dice.
Oboroed/Circus Lives is an interesting listen; it might be a bit frustrating for those who aren't appreciative of experimental music in general and the styles of Black Dice and Animal Collective. Still, for these two talented fellows to get together and play around in is quite promising; Black Dice works well when collaborating (as witnessed by their project with Wolf Eyes), and Terrestrial Tones is an interesting diversion for two talented young men, as well as a fascinating hint of that inevitable Black Dice/Animal Collective collaboration.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.uuar.com
"Oboroed" floats through moments of guitarless-folk, quiet knob twiddling and samples of people making noises. Moments here and there have a bit of a sensual in-out rhythm, but the mechanical feel makes it sound like two robots having sex. The composition also contains a recurrent loop of birds chirping and a faint, nondescript recording of people talking, tempered with the equally muffled recording of music playing. The music is muffled and nondescript; imagine walking down a dorm hallway, where music is playing in the distance, but only the lower registers are distinguishable. "Circus Lives" starts off with numerous electronic bleeps and blips, then moves into a robotic-sounding marching beat tempered with mechanical screeches and screams and the sounds of people meowing like cats. Overall, "Circus Lives" sounds similar to a stripped-down Black Dice.
Oboroed/Circus Lives is an interesting listen; it might be a bit frustrating for those who aren't appreciative of experimental music in general and the styles of Black Dice and Animal Collective. Still, for these two talented fellows to get together and play around in is quite promising; Black Dice works well when collaborating (as witnessed by their project with Wolf Eyes), and Terrestrial Tones is an interesting diversion for two talented young men, as well as a fascinating hint of that inevitable Black Dice/Animal Collective collaboration.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.uuar.com
Why? "Sanddollars"
Yoni Wolf is Why?, a long-standing member of the experimental hip-hop collective Anticon. As a member of cLOUDDEAD, he's been responsible for some really interesting electronic music, but with Why? he eschews the colder aspects of his other collaborations, going for a more organic, natural approach. (By "organic" we mean traditional music, not granola hippie crap.) On the surface, his blend of lo-fi indie-rock and hip-hop sensibilities might seem a bit worrisome, but with The Early Whitney and Oaklandazulasylum, he proved to be quite capable of blending the two. With Sanddollars, Why? takes his sound one step further by introducing a full live band, and this simple step has given his music an added depth that his previous records simply couldn't achieve.
With a live band, Why? shows that he's much more than a bedroom badass. The inability to perform live is a drawback of being a one-man band, and that inability informs the writing process. When you have a live band, though, thought is given to live performance and the ability to entertain a live audience. Sanddollars is a most entertaining record, thanks in part to Why?'s lyrical prowess, which is both quite witty and seemingly autobiographical, and thankfully he's too clever to waste his talents rhyming about his ego. Instead, he'd rather sing about riding the Citibus, ("Sick 2 Think") sending emails to his friends ("Mutant John") or about how his personality hasn't changed since childhood ("500 Fingernails").
But what makes Why's hip-hop skill even more impressive is that on Sanddollars, he's not really rapping--he's singing. Applying rhyme techniques to what's essentially a basic guitar/bass/drum setup (with the addition of a keyboard), Why? has deftly subverted both hip-hop AND indie-rock. He's not making quirky folk-rock like Beck or Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty. He's not making muso-minded bedroom hip-hop a la Cex or Gold Chains, either. Even though comparisons will be made to both worlds, with Sanddollars and his use of a real-live backing band, he's created an interesting, unique style that's instantly familiar, definitely catchy and surprisingly original. This isn't some one-trick pony, either; on "Mutant John," he shows that his band can play straight-up rock; the song sounds like something a host of Spoon-loving Weezer fans might come up with, but, once again, in the hands of Why? and friends, this sound is uniquely their own.
"So the kids on the internet say that you're a big star, you make the messageboard top ten," he sings on "Miss Ohio's Nameless," a brief, rueful warning to those who seek out fame; he warns, "you'll only be famous in the underground." Sanddollars is being touted as a sneak peak for the next Why? album, Elephant Eyelash. If this little record is any indication, then that album's gonna be a monster, and Why?'s prediction will prove false.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.anticon.com
With a live band, Why? shows that he's much more than a bedroom badass. The inability to perform live is a drawback of being a one-man band, and that inability informs the writing process. When you have a live band, though, thought is given to live performance and the ability to entertain a live audience. Sanddollars is a most entertaining record, thanks in part to Why?'s lyrical prowess, which is both quite witty and seemingly autobiographical, and thankfully he's too clever to waste his talents rhyming about his ego. Instead, he'd rather sing about riding the Citibus, ("Sick 2 Think") sending emails to his friends ("Mutant John") or about how his personality hasn't changed since childhood ("500 Fingernails").
But what makes Why's hip-hop skill even more impressive is that on Sanddollars, he's not really rapping--he's singing. Applying rhyme techniques to what's essentially a basic guitar/bass/drum setup (with the addition of a keyboard), Why? has deftly subverted both hip-hop AND indie-rock. He's not making quirky folk-rock like Beck or Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty. He's not making muso-minded bedroom hip-hop a la Cex or Gold Chains, either. Even though comparisons will be made to both worlds, with Sanddollars and his use of a real-live backing band, he's created an interesting, unique style that's instantly familiar, definitely catchy and surprisingly original. This isn't some one-trick pony, either; on "Mutant John," he shows that his band can play straight-up rock; the song sounds like something a host of Spoon-loving Weezer fans might come up with, but, once again, in the hands of Why? and friends, this sound is uniquely their own.
"So the kids on the internet say that you're a big star, you make the messageboard top ten," he sings on "Miss Ohio's Nameless," a brief, rueful warning to those who seek out fame; he warns, "you'll only be famous in the underground." Sanddollars is being touted as a sneak peak for the next Why? album, Elephant Eyelash. If this little record is any indication, then that album's gonna be a monster, and Why?'s prediction will prove false.
--Joseph Kyle
Label Website: http://www.anticon.com
Starflyer 59 "Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice"
They’ve been around for years, but Starflyer 59 keeps getting better and better. Though the band’s almost always been Jason Martin working with whoever happens to be around, it’s never affected Starflyer 59’s prolific output. For the past ten years, Martin and company have experimented with shoegaze, dream pop and straight up indie rock, and they’ve released a handful of really excellent records. Comparisons to bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Swervedriver haven’t been without merit, and their albums Old, Gold and The Fashion Focus are all classics. Like fans of other prolific bands like Guided by Voices and The Fall, those who love Starflyer 59 love the band's songwriting formula as much as the songs themselves.
Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice finds Martin ditching the grittier sounds of their most recent releases for a sound that’s as at times moody and upbeat and compellingly lush. Though frustratingly brief, the album’s nine songs are dreamy but never narcotic; they are lush, but never sappy; upbeat, but never overwhelmingly positive. Occasionally, on songs "Good Sons" and "A Good Living," the band sounds a lot like New Order, but fortunately, they never sound too much like New Order. Other songs like the excellent "Easy Street" and "Softness, Goodness" are typical of the rest of Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice: mellow and pretty, somewhat dark, but never threatening or negative. That these already blissed-out songs are accentuated with some excellent string arrangements--check out the gorgeous "Night Life"-- makes the album even nicer.
Starflyer 59 has quietly become one of the best independent bands today, period. Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice certainly carries on the band’s tradition of excellence. For those who already love Starflyer 59, the record's a return to form after a brief stylistic shift; for those who haven't experienced this excellent band, Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice is a lush aural treat.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.sf59.com
Label Website: http://www.toothandnail.com
Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice finds Martin ditching the grittier sounds of their most recent releases for a sound that’s as at times moody and upbeat and compellingly lush. Though frustratingly brief, the album’s nine songs are dreamy but never narcotic; they are lush, but never sappy; upbeat, but never overwhelmingly positive. Occasionally, on songs "Good Sons" and "A Good Living," the band sounds a lot like New Order, but fortunately, they never sound too much like New Order. Other songs like the excellent "Easy Street" and "Softness, Goodness" are typical of the rest of Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice: mellow and pretty, somewhat dark, but never threatening or negative. That these already blissed-out songs are accentuated with some excellent string arrangements--check out the gorgeous "Night Life"-- makes the album even nicer.
Starflyer 59 has quietly become one of the best independent bands today, period. Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice certainly carries on the band’s tradition of excellence. For those who already love Starflyer 59, the record's a return to form after a brief stylistic shift; for those who haven't experienced this excellent band, Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice is a lush aural treat.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.sf59.com
Label Website: http://www.toothandnail.com
May 06, 2005
Live Report: KRS-ONE, Mirage and DJ Tats, Antone's, Austin, Texas, Sunday, April 24, 2005
Fifteen years ago, I was a fifth grader living in Brooklyn, New York. I had grown up listening to hip-hop, but I was just starting to discover classic rock. I may have been the only black kid in my class who wore Africa medallions around his neck and listened to the Beatles, and didn’t think this juxtaposition was the least bit weird. During my daily after-school walk, I would stop at a record store on the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Cortelyou Road that, depending on how sharp my memory is, might have been called “J & J’s.” Every once in a while I’d have enough allowance money saved up to buy a record, but most of the time I’d just spend a half-hour there doing nothing but staring at album covers and watching DJs do their thing. They had a copy of Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation there, but I was so clueless about them that I thought they were a reggae band. I just thought the cover was pretty.
One day I was at J & J’s when I saw none other than KRS-ONE walk in. I couldn’t believe my eyes! At the time, his group Boogie Down Productions had just released their Edutainment album (which is still my hands-down favorite of theirs). At the time, BDP was second only to Public Enemy in my hierarchy of favorite hip-hop groups. When I wanted to listen to socially conscious music that didn’t sound like it was being recorded in the middle of an air raid, I put on BDP and got lost in the Teacher’s rhymes. To me, he looked like he was about 10 feet tall, but he had a smile on his face so big and wide that he didn’t seem imposing or intimidating at all. When he walked up to the cash register to greet one of the DJs, I tugged at his jacket and asked for an autograph. I told him that “Ya Strugglin’” was my favorite song from Edutainment, and he seemed shocked that this little guy would cite a deep album cut as his favorite. He gave me an autograph and a pound, thanked me for saying hello and told me to keep listening. I ran home with my autograph in hand, excited about telling my mother what had just happened.
Unfortunately, I didn’t follow KRS’ command to keep listening. I started losing track of his solo work after 1997’s I Got Next (which boasted a couple of great songs, like “Friend” and “The MC”). None of his work after that album seemed to register with me, let alone reach the heights of his BDP material. Not only that, but his subsequent embrace of Christianity on albums like Spiritual Minded struck me as corny and contradictory. Although I was glad that he accepted Christ into his life, his attempts to sanitize his lyrics only ended up diluting them, and his insistence on starting feuds with artists like Nelly seemed to directly conflict the faith he espoused. Nonetheless, when a KVRX DJ announced one fateful Tuesday morning that she was giving a free ticket to KRS’ upcoming concert at Antone’s to the first caller, I knew to grab my cell phone and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
When I got to Antone’s that Sunday night, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t much of a line for the show. Even after the doors opened, the venue was less than a third full. The first act on the bill was an Asian dude named DJ Tats. He did a good job making medleys of various old-school and newer hip-hop songs, and his scratching was absolutely ridiculous. During his set, a quintet of local break-dancers called B-Boy City did routines to the music. I found it unfortunate that the two cute Hispanic girls were the weakest breakers, but I still envied their abilities. I found it even worse, though, that B-Boy City started letting audience members get on stage, most of whom were drunk and rhythm-less. I’m sorry, but almost every time I see a random white girl dancing at a non-rock concert, she’s always doing the same dance. You know what dance I’m talking about: the one in which it looks like she’s grinding around an invisible stripper pole. I have to give props to the one white girl who actually demonstrated some breaking ability, because she represented well. One really drunk guy jumped on stage and just started flailing around, as if he were making fun of the professional breakers. He tried to stage-dive on top of me; I got out of the way and let him fall to the floor with a giant thud. I got many high-fives from the audience for that, because he’d been annoying people left and right all evening. One girl punched him in the jaw because he kept bumping into her and pinching her butt. These things tend to happen when hip-hop shows take place in a city that’s only nine percent black.
The next act to grace the stage was a trio of local MCs called Mirage, who were above average. Two things stopped me from really getting into them. One is that they didn’t seem to have a grasp on what they really wanted to sound like. Some songs imitated grimy East Coast backpacker rap, whereas others imitated Southern bounce. They did each individual style well, but didn’t fully inhabit any of them. Another drawback is that while all three MCs could spit, one of them was clearly more skilled than the other two, and it quickly showed. They all got outclassed, though, when they invited another Austin MC named Tee Double on stage. He was recently inducted as a member of the infamous LA collective Project Blowed, and during the couple of songs he performed, he demonstrated a flow that could rival almost any nationally known MC you could name. I’ve definitely stored Tee Double’s name in my mental Rolodex, as I expect to hear great things from him in the future.
After another long set from DJ Tats, KRS-ONE finally ran on stage with nothing by a microphone and DJ. He was his own hype man, filling every nook and cranny of the music with chants of “Somebody say HOOOOO!!!” and “The real hip-hop is OVER HERE!!!” Unlike the audience at the Dizzee Rascal show I attended a couple of weeks ago, this crowd received an instant boost of energy as soon as they saw KRS’ face. KRS’ set consisted of highlights from both his classic Boogie Down Productions material and his subsequent solo work, and I was surprised by the consistency of it all. Everyone knew the newer stuff just as well as they did the older stuff, shutting down the myth that KRS is anywhere past his prime. Granted, his newer stuff still sounds like it could’ve been made in the early ‘90s “boom-bap” era, but the messages in his lyrics are just as potent and relevant as ever.
Between songs, KRS would often shout “I feel the spirit in this building,” as if Antone’s, just for that one night, really was his own Temple of Hip-Hop. Behind him on stage was a flag displaying “The Hip-Hop Declaration of Peace,” which was approved by the United Nations in 2001 as official recognition of hip-hop as an international culture. On the borders of said flag were images of figureheads from the entire history of hip-hop, from Kool Herc and Crazy Legs to Biggie and Tupac. KRS did a lengthy freestyle in which he enumerated each person’s contribution to the culture. Come to think of it, a large portion of his set was freestyled. At one point, he defied the club security (who normally don’t allow the usage of cameras or camera phones) by demanding that everyone take out their cameras and cell phones. He told everyone to take pictures of him, and to call somebody so that they could listen to him freestyle. He then spent the next 10 minutes grabbing people’s cell phones and spitting lyrics directly into the receivers. He allowed B-Boy City to return to the stage, and dropped a freestyle about each
member as they did their various routines.
He stopped his set for a brief rant about the difference between one’s “job” (what you do to make money) and one’s “work” (what your higher purpose in life is). It was just the thing I needed to hear at this point in my life. People still accuse KRS of being preachy, and while moments like this certainly his accusers more than enough ammunition, they also reminded me of the simultaneously imposing yet accessible man I met when I was in fifth grade. Hands down, it was the best hip-hop show I’d ever seen…and what made it even sweeter was that after KRS closed his set with a snippet of BDP’s “My Philosophy,” none other than BUSHWICK BILL OF THE GETO BOYS himself walked on stage to do a surprise set!!! The set was little more than Bill dropping classic Geto Boys verses on top of whatever beats DJ Tats played, but the audience hung on to every word, and Bill himself looked like he was having an amazing time.
I was so hyped up from the concert that when I finally got home at 1 a.m., I couldn’t go to sleep! When I got to work the next morning, I felt like an utter zombie. The only other black guy in the building looked just as worn-out as I did. He nodded at me and said, “Hey, I saw you last night at KRS…”
--Sean Padilla
One day I was at J & J’s when I saw none other than KRS-ONE walk in. I couldn’t believe my eyes! At the time, his group Boogie Down Productions had just released their Edutainment album (which is still my hands-down favorite of theirs). At the time, BDP was second only to Public Enemy in my hierarchy of favorite hip-hop groups. When I wanted to listen to socially conscious music that didn’t sound like it was being recorded in the middle of an air raid, I put on BDP and got lost in the Teacher’s rhymes. To me, he looked like he was about 10 feet tall, but he had a smile on his face so big and wide that he didn’t seem imposing or intimidating at all. When he walked up to the cash register to greet one of the DJs, I tugged at his jacket and asked for an autograph. I told him that “Ya Strugglin’” was my favorite song from Edutainment, and he seemed shocked that this little guy would cite a deep album cut as his favorite. He gave me an autograph and a pound, thanked me for saying hello and told me to keep listening. I ran home with my autograph in hand, excited about telling my mother what had just happened.
Unfortunately, I didn’t follow KRS’ command to keep listening. I started losing track of his solo work after 1997’s I Got Next (which boasted a couple of great songs, like “Friend” and “The MC”). None of his work after that album seemed to register with me, let alone reach the heights of his BDP material. Not only that, but his subsequent embrace of Christianity on albums like Spiritual Minded struck me as corny and contradictory. Although I was glad that he accepted Christ into his life, his attempts to sanitize his lyrics only ended up diluting them, and his insistence on starting feuds with artists like Nelly seemed to directly conflict the faith he espoused. Nonetheless, when a KVRX DJ announced one fateful Tuesday morning that she was giving a free ticket to KRS’ upcoming concert at Antone’s to the first caller, I knew to grab my cell phone and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
When I got to Antone’s that Sunday night, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t much of a line for the show. Even after the doors opened, the venue was less than a third full. The first act on the bill was an Asian dude named DJ Tats. He did a good job making medleys of various old-school and newer hip-hop songs, and his scratching was absolutely ridiculous. During his set, a quintet of local break-dancers called B-Boy City did routines to the music. I found it unfortunate that the two cute Hispanic girls were the weakest breakers, but I still envied their abilities. I found it even worse, though, that B-Boy City started letting audience members get on stage, most of whom were drunk and rhythm-less. I’m sorry, but almost every time I see a random white girl dancing at a non-rock concert, she’s always doing the same dance. You know what dance I’m talking about: the one in which it looks like she’s grinding around an invisible stripper pole. I have to give props to the one white girl who actually demonstrated some breaking ability, because she represented well. One really drunk guy jumped on stage and just started flailing around, as if he were making fun of the professional breakers. He tried to stage-dive on top of me; I got out of the way and let him fall to the floor with a giant thud. I got many high-fives from the audience for that, because he’d been annoying people left and right all evening. One girl punched him in the jaw because he kept bumping into her and pinching her butt. These things tend to happen when hip-hop shows take place in a city that’s only nine percent black.
The next act to grace the stage was a trio of local MCs called Mirage, who were above average. Two things stopped me from really getting into them. One is that they didn’t seem to have a grasp on what they really wanted to sound like. Some songs imitated grimy East Coast backpacker rap, whereas others imitated Southern bounce. They did each individual style well, but didn’t fully inhabit any of them. Another drawback is that while all three MCs could spit, one of them was clearly more skilled than the other two, and it quickly showed. They all got outclassed, though, when they invited another Austin MC named Tee Double on stage. He was recently inducted as a member of the infamous LA collective Project Blowed, and during the couple of songs he performed, he demonstrated a flow that could rival almost any nationally known MC you could name. I’ve definitely stored Tee Double’s name in my mental Rolodex, as I expect to hear great things from him in the future.
After another long set from DJ Tats, KRS-ONE finally ran on stage with nothing by a microphone and DJ. He was his own hype man, filling every nook and cranny of the music with chants of “Somebody say HOOOOO!!!” and “The real hip-hop is OVER HERE!!!” Unlike the audience at the Dizzee Rascal show I attended a couple of weeks ago, this crowd received an instant boost of energy as soon as they saw KRS’ face. KRS’ set consisted of highlights from both his classic Boogie Down Productions material and his subsequent solo work, and I was surprised by the consistency of it all. Everyone knew the newer stuff just as well as they did the older stuff, shutting down the myth that KRS is anywhere past his prime. Granted, his newer stuff still sounds like it could’ve been made in the early ‘90s “boom-bap” era, but the messages in his lyrics are just as potent and relevant as ever.
Between songs, KRS would often shout “I feel the spirit in this building,” as if Antone’s, just for that one night, really was his own Temple of Hip-Hop. Behind him on stage was a flag displaying “The Hip-Hop Declaration of Peace,” which was approved by the United Nations in 2001 as official recognition of hip-hop as an international culture. On the borders of said flag were images of figureheads from the entire history of hip-hop, from Kool Herc and Crazy Legs to Biggie and Tupac. KRS did a lengthy freestyle in which he enumerated each person’s contribution to the culture. Come to think of it, a large portion of his set was freestyled. At one point, he defied the club security (who normally don’t allow the usage of cameras or camera phones) by demanding that everyone take out their cameras and cell phones. He told everyone to take pictures of him, and to call somebody so that they could listen to him freestyle. He then spent the next 10 minutes grabbing people’s cell phones and spitting lyrics directly into the receivers. He allowed B-Boy City to return to the stage, and dropped a freestyle about each
member as they did their various routines.
He stopped his set for a brief rant about the difference between one’s “job” (what you do to make money) and one’s “work” (what your higher purpose in life is). It was just the thing I needed to hear at this point in my life. People still accuse KRS of being preachy, and while moments like this certainly his accusers more than enough ammunition, they also reminded me of the simultaneously imposing yet accessible man I met when I was in fifth grade. Hands down, it was the best hip-hop show I’d ever seen…and what made it even sweeter was that after KRS closed his set with a snippet of BDP’s “My Philosophy,” none other than BUSHWICK BILL OF THE GETO BOYS himself walked on stage to do a surprise set!!! The set was little more than Bill dropping classic Geto Boys verses on top of whatever beats DJ Tats played, but the audience hung on to every word, and Bill himself looked like he was having an amazing time.
I was so hyped up from the concert that when I finally got home at 1 a.m., I couldn’t go to sleep! When I got to work the next morning, I felt like an utter zombie. The only other black guy in the building looked just as worn-out as I did. He nodded at me and said, “Hey, I saw you last night at KRS…”
--Sean Padilla
Various Artists "Homemade Hits, Volume 2"
A couple of years ago, tiny little Kittridge Records released a rather excellet collection of lo-fi bands called Homemade Hits. The only requirement for the artists involved was that their selection had to be recorded at home. Suffice to say, it was jam-packed with all kinds of artists making everything from noise to twee pop to hip-hop to electronica to new wave to stuff that just has no proper name. For a record containing two dozen artists you've never heard of, it was a very strong collection.
It's no surprise, then, that Kittridge decided to release a sequel, and it's no surprise that the sequel is equally as good as volume 2. Overall, the theme is the same, and the genre-switching is the same, though there's not quite as much hip-hop this time around, and once again, there are a lot of side projects going on here, too. (We won't mention who, because discovering who these bands are...well, that's part of the joy of this collection.) With twenty-eight tracks, there's simply no way to possibly cover the entire record, but there are a few high points. Okay, I take that back, there are twenty-eight high points, but I'll just give you the top five, so that you'll have the incentive to actually check this record out.
1. A Boy Named Thor's "Paper Thin Girl." A Boy Named Jason Corace has always made music that's fascinating and enjoyable, and this cute li'l casio new-wave number will make you smile.
2. Scrabbel's cute, heartfelt ukelele and bass-clarinet driven "Melody for Melanie" makes us wish we were Melanie or that we knew a single girl named Melanie, because this song is just so adorable and sweet.
3. Boyracer's "Wholly Generic" is clearly one of Stewart Anderson's best songs, period.
4. The ever-elusive Rocketship's "Rocketship's Got Something" is a great blend of shoegaze and electronica and dance beats and it will make you wish they would do something more substantial.
5. "Let's Just Not Be Friends" by The Hit Machine is a great little song that's about things not working out, and I'm a believer in negative songs like that, especially negative songs that sound so positive and sunny and upbeat.
But I gotta be honest about something...I feel like I've just neglected the twenty-three other artists, and that says a lot about the qualtiy of Homemade Hits Volume 2. Just go get it and enjoy two baker's dozen plus two of some of today's best lo-fi bands, okay?
--Joseph Kyle
Project Website: http://homemadehits.kittnet.com
Label Website: http://www.kittnet.com
It's no surprise, then, that Kittridge decided to release a sequel, and it's no surprise that the sequel is equally as good as volume 2. Overall, the theme is the same, and the genre-switching is the same, though there's not quite as much hip-hop this time around, and once again, there are a lot of side projects going on here, too. (We won't mention who, because discovering who these bands are...well, that's part of the joy of this collection.) With twenty-eight tracks, there's simply no way to possibly cover the entire record, but there are a few high points. Okay, I take that back, there are twenty-eight high points, but I'll just give you the top five, so that you'll have the incentive to actually check this record out.
1. A Boy Named Thor's "Paper Thin Girl." A Boy Named Jason Corace has always made music that's fascinating and enjoyable, and this cute li'l casio new-wave number will make you smile.
2. Scrabbel's cute, heartfelt ukelele and bass-clarinet driven "Melody for Melanie" makes us wish we were Melanie or that we knew a single girl named Melanie, because this song is just so adorable and sweet.
3. Boyracer's "Wholly Generic" is clearly one of Stewart Anderson's best songs, period.
4. The ever-elusive Rocketship's "Rocketship's Got Something" is a great blend of shoegaze and electronica and dance beats and it will make you wish they would do something more substantial.
5. "Let's Just Not Be Friends" by The Hit Machine is a great little song that's about things not working out, and I'm a believer in negative songs like that, especially negative songs that sound so positive and sunny and upbeat.
But I gotta be honest about something...I feel like I've just neglected the twenty-three other artists, and that says a lot about the qualtiy of Homemade Hits Volume 2. Just go get it and enjoy two baker's dozen plus two of some of today's best lo-fi bands, okay?
--Joseph Kyle
Project Website: http://homemadehits.kittnet.com
Label Website: http://www.kittnet.com
The Lucksmiths "Warmer Corners"
Warmer Corners, The Lucksmiths' first new record in nearly two years (and umpteenth--okay, seventh overall) was certainly worth the wait, because this album...this album is different. Is it because the band's older now, and with age comes a certain refinement of taste? Or maybe it's the stately baroque arrangements, courtesy of ace producer Craig Pilkington? It's probably safe to say that all of those factors combined produced the magic of Warmer Corners.
For those endeared to The Lucksmiths' poppy style, Warmer Corners might be a bit of a pleasant shock. On first listen, the album seems overly depressing and downbeat; stylewise, it seems to owe a lot to singer Tali White's side project, The Guild League, and . But sometimes first listens can be deceiving, and that's certainly the case here. Yes, the music on Warmer Corners is darker and yes, compared to previous Lucksmiths records, Warmer Corners is downbeat in a way that's somewhat uncharacteristic of these normally sunny-yet-sad song singers. (At times, the style seems to be related to the most recent album by White's side project, The Guild League.)
Don't let those first impressions fool you, though. Starting with "A Hiccup In Your Happiness," it obvious that something seems different in Lucksmiths land, and that horn and string section has a lot to do with it. Arrangements are bigger, bolder; White's singing is warm and inviting, even when he's singing some mighty sad songs. You'll hear horns here, strings there and the occasional pedal steel, and while these things might be a new development for the band, they feel quite natural. It must be said, though, that "The Fog of Trujillo" sounds like a lost Blood, Sweat and Tears classic--never thought the day would come when the two bands would be compared!
Even though they've refined their sound, they're still capable of writing some extremely catchy songs. "The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco," an ode to the loneliness of long distance love is easily one of the best songs you'll hear this year. "Sunlight In A Jar," with its sweet Byrds-style guitar and Smiths-style melody and White's frantic, caffeinated singing will bring you back for more. For those who prefer their earlier indie-pop style, you'll enjoy "The Music Next Door" and "Young And Dumb," two songs that are more traditionally Lucksmiths in style. It would be wrong to fail to mention "Fiction," an ode to "the girl from Kansas City with my favorite tattoo," which closes the record with a nice wash of accordian, violin, pedal steel and melancholy. It sounds like a slice of old New Orleans, and if this is the direction that future Lucksmiths records will go, then all that's left to say is: YES!
After a decade, the Lucksmiths' craft has yet to lose its wonder. Though the album might seem a bit different from past Lucksmiths efforts, it's actually business as usual for this fine Australian band; they're still making warm, sunny and sad songs for the intelligent music listener, and Warmer Corners is indeed a warmer, mellower record that will grow on you with each successive listen.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.thelucksmiths.com.au
Label Website: http://www.indiepages.com/matinee
For those endeared to The Lucksmiths' poppy style, Warmer Corners might be a bit of a pleasant shock. On first listen, the album seems overly depressing and downbeat; stylewise, it seems to owe a lot to singer Tali White's side project, The Guild League, and . But sometimes first listens can be deceiving, and that's certainly the case here. Yes, the music on Warmer Corners is darker and yes, compared to previous Lucksmiths records, Warmer Corners is downbeat in a way that's somewhat uncharacteristic of these normally sunny-yet-sad song singers. (At times, the style seems to be related to the most recent album by White's side project, The Guild League.)
Don't let those first impressions fool you, though. Starting with "A Hiccup In Your Happiness," it obvious that something seems different in Lucksmiths land, and that horn and string section has a lot to do with it. Arrangements are bigger, bolder; White's singing is warm and inviting, even when he's singing some mighty sad songs. You'll hear horns here, strings there and the occasional pedal steel, and while these things might be a new development for the band, they feel quite natural. It must be said, though, that "The Fog of Trujillo" sounds like a lost Blood, Sweat and Tears classic--never thought the day would come when the two bands would be compared!
Even though they've refined their sound, they're still capable of writing some extremely catchy songs. "The Chapter In Your Life Entitled San Francisco," an ode to the loneliness of long distance love is easily one of the best songs you'll hear this year. "Sunlight In A Jar," with its sweet Byrds-style guitar and Smiths-style melody and White's frantic, caffeinated singing will bring you back for more. For those who prefer their earlier indie-pop style, you'll enjoy "The Music Next Door" and "Young And Dumb," two songs that are more traditionally Lucksmiths in style. It would be wrong to fail to mention "Fiction," an ode to "the girl from Kansas City with my favorite tattoo," which closes the record with a nice wash of accordian, violin, pedal steel and melancholy. It sounds like a slice of old New Orleans, and if this is the direction that future Lucksmiths records will go, then all that's left to say is: YES!
After a decade, the Lucksmiths' craft has yet to lose its wonder. Though the album might seem a bit different from past Lucksmiths efforts, it's actually business as usual for this fine Australian band; they're still making warm, sunny and sad songs for the intelligent music listener, and Warmer Corners is indeed a warmer, mellower record that will grow on you with each successive listen.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.thelucksmiths.com.au
Label Website: http://www.indiepages.com/matinee
May 03, 2005
Lovethugs "Babylon Fading"
Another entry in the Swedish Invasion is The Lovethugs. By looking at the cover, you'll see the band sitting in a dark room (it might be an opium den, or a love grotto), wearing vintage clothing--and the requisite long hair, too--and one member is holding a sitar. The cover pretty much sums up Babylon Fading's style--slightly psychedelic Sixites garage rock, with an ever-so-slight pop sensibility. While their formula isn't that bad, it's not that distinctive, either--they sound like any number of garage bands, both American or European. (In fact, their style reminds of a less-polished Caesars.)
But like many garage bands, their charm makes up for their greater weaknesses. It's hard not to smile when you hear them imitate the bands that they love. Plus, it's not really hard to fall in love with a band that has a gratuitious use of a rockin' organ and lots and lots of Fender guitars and hand-clapping. It doesn't hurt that their style--already heavily indebted to mid-period Beatles--is accentuated by singers who sound just like John Lennon. (What is it about these non-English speakers who sound like a Beatle when they sing?) The best song on Babylon Fading is the rockin' "Up For Love," which sounds like it should have been on the Help! soundtrack.
Don't get me wrong, they've got some great ideas--intros to "Make It Slow," "Wonder" and "I've Heard A Rumor" break from the garage-rock style and seem to point the band into a direction that's more interesting, but unfortunately these songs don't deliver on these tantalizing intros, often immediately switching over to the garage-rock formula. Maybe that's a young-band thing, or maybe they simply haven't matured enough to deliver on such promises. Whatever the case, The Lovethugs have a bit of growing to do, and though Babylon Fading is charming in its innocence, but such charm fades fast. "Up For Love" is catchy, though!
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.thelovethugs.com
Label Website: http://www.rainbowquartz.com
But like many garage bands, their charm makes up for their greater weaknesses. It's hard not to smile when you hear them imitate the bands that they love. Plus, it's not really hard to fall in love with a band that has a gratuitious use of a rockin' organ and lots and lots of Fender guitars and hand-clapping. It doesn't hurt that their style--already heavily indebted to mid-period Beatles--is accentuated by singers who sound just like John Lennon. (What is it about these non-English speakers who sound like a Beatle when they sing?) The best song on Babylon Fading is the rockin' "Up For Love," which sounds like it should have been on the Help! soundtrack.
Don't get me wrong, they've got some great ideas--intros to "Make It Slow," "Wonder" and "I've Heard A Rumor" break from the garage-rock style and seem to point the band into a direction that's more interesting, but unfortunately these songs don't deliver on these tantalizing intros, often immediately switching over to the garage-rock formula. Maybe that's a young-band thing, or maybe they simply haven't matured enough to deliver on such promises. Whatever the case, The Lovethugs have a bit of growing to do, and though Babylon Fading is charming in its innocence, but such charm fades fast. "Up For Love" is catchy, though!
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.thelovethugs.com
Label Website: http://www.rainbowquartz.com
Caesers "Paper Tigers"
I've gotta hand it to Sweden's music scene. Over the past few years, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of quality bands (Thirdimension, TSOOL, Perishers, Concretes--to name a few). This isn't a bad thing! If anything, it should be humbling, because this tiny little nation (along with the rest of the Scandinavia region, to be honest) has shown that, in terms of making quality Rock Music, we have clearly lost our way. It started back in the late 1990s with the Hives and (International) Noise Conspiracy, but at the time, those bands' nationality seemed to be a bit of a novelty, a promotional gimmick for punk bands entering into an oversaturated American scene. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives appeared, and for those in the know, Behind The Music was the de facto Nevermind for the Swedish invasion.
You've more than likely heard their song "Jerk It Out" on a commercial for iPods. It's a happy, hyper Farfisa-driven sugar-coated song that's instantly catchy--the type of song that deserves to be ubiquitous. That their first foray into America's music scene comes via TV commercials for a product that allows you to shuffle very randomly between all kinds of music is very telling, because their sound is so indebted to the past forty years of rock music. From the poppy sensibilites of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to the bigger rock stylings of Bowie, U2 and Oasis, Caesars are a happy shuffle between all the sounds and the songs and the styles that constitute both "classic" and "modern" rock. That they do so without ever sounding derivative only makes Paper Tigers even more enjoyable. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that lead singer César Vidal more than occasionally sounds like a dead ringer for John Lennon and Noel Gallagher!)
The rest of Paper Tigers is equally enjoyable, even if the songs don't quite have the hyper-enthusiasm of"Jerk It Out." They've got a knack for writing tunes that are undeniably catchy; from the hand-clapping excellence of "We Got To Leave" to the one-two punch of "It's Not The Fall" and "Out There," they show that they're more than this year's commercial one-hit wonder (Trio, anyone?). They temper their faster moments with some really good mellow numbers like "My Heart Is Breaking" and "Winter Song," and this mixture of styles makes Paper Tigers an excellently excecuted and undeniably rewarding album. And, truth be told, "Jerk It Out"--while a really fun song--ultimately seems out of place, and it shouldn't be considered the album's focal point.
Sadly, it's all too apparent that Caesars have been caught in that one-hit wonder trap, and expecting the world to listen to what they're capable of--I don't think that's going to happen. That's a shame, because Paper Tigers is a really great record. They're certainly a band to be reckoned with, and if you're a lover of great sounding rock, then the Caesars are your band.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.caesarsweb.com
Label Website: http://www.astralwerks.com
You've more than likely heard their song "Jerk It Out" on a commercial for iPods. It's a happy, hyper Farfisa-driven sugar-coated song that's instantly catchy--the type of song that deserves to be ubiquitous. That their first foray into America's music scene comes via TV commercials for a product that allows you to shuffle very randomly between all kinds of music is very telling, because their sound is so indebted to the past forty years of rock music. From the poppy sensibilites of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to the bigger rock stylings of Bowie, U2 and Oasis, Caesars are a happy shuffle between all the sounds and the songs and the styles that constitute both "classic" and "modern" rock. That they do so without ever sounding derivative only makes Paper Tigers even more enjoyable. (Of course, it doesn't hurt that lead singer César Vidal more than occasionally sounds like a dead ringer for John Lennon and Noel Gallagher!)
The rest of Paper Tigers is equally enjoyable, even if the songs don't quite have the hyper-enthusiasm of"Jerk It Out." They've got a knack for writing tunes that are undeniably catchy; from the hand-clapping excellence of "We Got To Leave" to the one-two punch of "It's Not The Fall" and "Out There," they show that they're more than this year's commercial one-hit wonder (Trio, anyone?). They temper their faster moments with some really good mellow numbers like "My Heart Is Breaking" and "Winter Song," and this mixture of styles makes Paper Tigers an excellently excecuted and undeniably rewarding album. And, truth be told, "Jerk It Out"--while a really fun song--ultimately seems out of place, and it shouldn't be considered the album's focal point.
Sadly, it's all too apparent that Caesars have been caught in that one-hit wonder trap, and expecting the world to listen to what they're capable of--I don't think that's going to happen. That's a shame, because Paper Tigers is a really great record. They're certainly a band to be reckoned with, and if you're a lover of great sounding rock, then the Caesars are your band.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.caesarsweb.com
Label Website: http://www.astralwerks.com
Caribou "The Milk of Human Kindness"
Caribou is the new pseudonym of Canadian sonic architect Dan Snaith. His last album, Up in Flames, which was released in 2003 under the name Manitoba, accomplished what the Chemical Brothers’ Surrender failed to do: update 1960s psychedelic rock for the 21st century through intricate DSP and absurdly booming beats. The album was critically acclaimed across the board, and sold so well that it actually had to be reissued with bonus tracks. When he and his band stopped through Austin on his supporting tour, their set ranked with one of the best I’ve ever seen. Snaith, presumably riding a wave of artistic momentum, started work on his next album immediately after the tour, only to be interrupted midway through by a lawsuit. Handsome Dick Manitoba, front man for punk has-beens the Dictators, sued him for copyright infringement. Snaith couldn’t afford to fight the case and lose, so he simply changed his name.
It’s not as if Snaith hasn’t changed his identity before: although recorded under the Manitoba name, the garden-variety IDM his first album Start Breaking My Heart bore few traces of what was to come on Up in Flames. Likewise, only one song on his latest album The Milk of Human Kindness comes close to replicating his previous work. Opening song “Yeti” is built off of an insistent rhythm comprised of a kick drum and sleigh bells. Underneath it, a morass of fuzzy synthesizers, prickly dulcimers, grinding violins and whirring synthesizers slowly rises up in the mix. Meanwhile, Snaith’s limited but endearing voice repeatedly sings a circular verse. Around the two-minute mark, a series of splashy drum rolls usher the song into a percussive frenzy that might as well be one of Snaith’s trademarks. However, anyone who hears “Yeti” and thinks that he’s going to give them Still Up in Flames: The Sequel will end up sorely disappointed.
Some listeners may be disappointed by Snaith’s abandonment of Day-Glo Big Beat for a darker, less melodic sound. At its best, though, The Milk of Human Kindness pursues his new influences with the same energy and attention to detail that he expended on his old ones. “A Final Warning” is a total Krautrock exercise, during which Snaith adorns a simple, repetitive rhythm with munchkin voices, cascades of backward strings and overwhelming phase shifts. It would have fit either of the last two Boredoms albums like a glove. “Pelican Narrows,” another album highlight, is built off the kind of break beats and minor-key piano loops that one would normally expect from a DJ Shadow song.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t as successful, mainly because of Snaith’s inability to flesh his compositions out. There’s a thin line between sounding minimal and sounding demo-ish, and The Milk of Human Kindness spends too much time on the wrong side of the divide. “Subotnick” and “Drumheller” are little more than brief, disjointed collisions of loops that don’t end as much as they simply fade into the ether. “Bees” spends the majority of its time running a barely audible garage-rock loop into the ground; by the time Snaith finally kicks the song into high gear around the four-minute mark, it becomes too little, too late. Songs like “Brahminy Kite” and “Drumheller” are filled with so much open space that they end up unintentionally underscoring the weaknesses in Snaith’s voice. He sounds as if he simply can’t hear himself over all of the drums. Of course, I can’t expect Snaith to run every song on this album through the same instrumental overload that characterized Up in Flames…but just a little more embellishment would have done these songs a lot of good. In short, The Milk of Human Kindness comes across as a series of promising but ultimately unfulfilling sketches for what SHOULD’VE been the next Manitoba album.
Handsome Dick, I blame you for distracting Snaith from making another great album. You’d better not let your band set foot in Austin ever again.
--Sean Padilla
Artist Website: http://www.caribou.fm
Label Website: http://www.dominorecords.com/usa
It’s not as if Snaith hasn’t changed his identity before: although recorded under the Manitoba name, the garden-variety IDM his first album Start Breaking My Heart bore few traces of what was to come on Up in Flames. Likewise, only one song on his latest album The Milk of Human Kindness comes close to replicating his previous work. Opening song “Yeti” is built off of an insistent rhythm comprised of a kick drum and sleigh bells. Underneath it, a morass of fuzzy synthesizers, prickly dulcimers, grinding violins and whirring synthesizers slowly rises up in the mix. Meanwhile, Snaith’s limited but endearing voice repeatedly sings a circular verse. Around the two-minute mark, a series of splashy drum rolls usher the song into a percussive frenzy that might as well be one of Snaith’s trademarks. However, anyone who hears “Yeti” and thinks that he’s going to give them Still Up in Flames: The Sequel will end up sorely disappointed.
Some listeners may be disappointed by Snaith’s abandonment of Day-Glo Big Beat for a darker, less melodic sound. At its best, though, The Milk of Human Kindness pursues his new influences with the same energy and attention to detail that he expended on his old ones. “A Final Warning” is a total Krautrock exercise, during which Snaith adorns a simple, repetitive rhythm with munchkin voices, cascades of backward strings and overwhelming phase shifts. It would have fit either of the last two Boredoms albums like a glove. “Pelican Narrows,” another album highlight, is built off the kind of break beats and minor-key piano loops that one would normally expect from a DJ Shadow song.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album isn’t as successful, mainly because of Snaith’s inability to flesh his compositions out. There’s a thin line between sounding minimal and sounding demo-ish, and The Milk of Human Kindness spends too much time on the wrong side of the divide. “Subotnick” and “Drumheller” are little more than brief, disjointed collisions of loops that don’t end as much as they simply fade into the ether. “Bees” spends the majority of its time running a barely audible garage-rock loop into the ground; by the time Snaith finally kicks the song into high gear around the four-minute mark, it becomes too little, too late. Songs like “Brahminy Kite” and “Drumheller” are filled with so much open space that they end up unintentionally underscoring the weaknesses in Snaith’s voice. He sounds as if he simply can’t hear himself over all of the drums. Of course, I can’t expect Snaith to run every song on this album through the same instrumental overload that characterized Up in Flames…but just a little more embellishment would have done these songs a lot of good. In short, The Milk of Human Kindness comes across as a series of promising but ultimately unfulfilling sketches for what SHOULD’VE been the next Manitoba album.
Handsome Dick, I blame you for distracting Snaith from making another great album. You’d better not let your band set foot in Austin ever again.
--Sean Padilla
Artist Website: http://www.caribou.fm
Label Website: http://www.dominorecords.com/usa
May 02, 2005
Verve Remixed 3
Depending on what side of the jazz fence you sit, you'll think the third volume of jazz label Verve's remix series Verve Remixed is either an ingenious reinterpretation of some of the jazz world's greatest hits or an unforgiveable desecration of timeless works of art. After all, who should be allowed to damage the classics by Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone or Dinah Washington? No one, that's who, especially a bunch of young, hip masterminds of that "electronica" genre. What do they know about jazz, and who allowed them to destroy these musical jewels?
Actually, the Verve Remixed series is not that bad. It's not as if the temple has been raided by unappreciative vandals (or P. Diddy). The artists are generally expert remixers, all of whom make music that's as cool and as downbeat as the songs they're revisiting, and such is the case with volume three. Sure, some of the remixers (or the songs they are remixing) might not be familiar, but that doesn't decrease the quality. The Postal Service's remix of Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue," which sets the song to a new-wave version of"Good King Wenceslas," makes an extremely sad Gershwin song into a theme song for the SAD-minded hipster. The Album Leaf's remix of Nina Simone's "Lilac Wine" sounds less like a remix than it does a collaboration from Jimmy LaValle's unfinished collaborative series. Carl Craig's take on the lesser-known Hugh Masekela's "The Boy's Doin' It"and RSL's rethink of Anita O'Day's classic "Sing, Sing, Sing" turn some great jazz melodies into lost club hits, and you really shouldn't miss Max Sedgley's remix of Sarah Vaughan's "Peter Gunn," either.
A series like Verve Remixed has the potential for disaster, but so far it hasn't happened yet. Volume three is a fun, interesting and enjoyable little collection that shouldn't upset your jazz sensibilities. (And, as usual, Verve's also released a companion Unmixed collection, containing all of the original versions of the songs on Remixed 3.
--Joseph Kyle
Project Website: http://www.ververemixed.com
Actually, the Verve Remixed series is not that bad. It's not as if the temple has been raided by unappreciative vandals (or P. Diddy). The artists are generally expert remixers, all of whom make music that's as cool and as downbeat as the songs they're revisiting, and such is the case with volume three. Sure, some of the remixers (or the songs they are remixing) might not be familiar, but that doesn't decrease the quality. The Postal Service's remix of Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue," which sets the song to a new-wave version of"Good King Wenceslas," makes an extremely sad Gershwin song into a theme song for the SAD-minded hipster. The Album Leaf's remix of Nina Simone's "Lilac Wine" sounds less like a remix than it does a collaboration from Jimmy LaValle's unfinished collaborative series. Carl Craig's take on the lesser-known Hugh Masekela's "The Boy's Doin' It"and RSL's rethink of Anita O'Day's classic "Sing, Sing, Sing" turn some great jazz melodies into lost club hits, and you really shouldn't miss Max Sedgley's remix of Sarah Vaughan's "Peter Gunn," either.
A series like Verve Remixed has the potential for disaster, but so far it hasn't happened yet. Volume three is a fun, interesting and enjoyable little collection that shouldn't upset your jazz sensibilities. (And, as usual, Verve's also released a companion Unmixed collection, containing all of the original versions of the songs on Remixed 3.
--Joseph Kyle
Project Website: http://www.ververemixed.com
Bearsuit "Cat Spectacular"
British sextet Bearsuit’s debut album Cat Spectacular! was released in America this past March, nine months after it was issued in their home country. Such a time lag reminds me of the mid-‘90s, when closet Anglophiles like myself who didn’t have the money to shell out $30 for imports had to wait for brave domestic labels to license albums that a couple thousand Yanks AT MOST would buy. Who here remembers the Boo Radleys? Case closed. Anyway, nowadays it usually doesn’t take as long for British music to permeate our shores, especially if the Brits in question are aligned with the dance-rock/art-punk movement that’s been sweeping the underground over the last couple of years (Bloc Party, Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand, et cetera). Bearsuit has nothing to do with that scene, though. If anything, they are what Belle and Sebastian would sound like if you hopped them up on yellow-jackets, handed them some distortion pedals and locked them in a recording studio for 24 hours.
This album begins in a deceptively grandiose manner with “Welcome Bearsuit Spacehotel,” a booming two-chord jam saturated with flutes and bells that could’ve easily come off of a Spiritualized album. From that point onward, the band gets down to the business of making short, speedy and densely layered pop songs that sound as if they’re held together by sheer centrifugal force. Second track “Cookie Oh Jesus” begins with what is probably the album’s most prescient lyric: “What the hell do those flashing red lights mean?” The music that follows if nothing if not bright and bewildered. Guys and gals take turns delivering lyrics and layering harmonies on top of each other, barely raising their voices above a timid croon. Trumpets, flutes, keyboards, sleigh bells and drum machines and guitars collide with each other, until it all sounds like a middle school band rehearsal in which the sheet music is turned upside down. Last but not least, the drummer plays way faster than necessary, as if the kit will fall apart if he doesn’t hit every piece of it at once. The song is a mess, but it’s so catchy that listeners who are already well-versed in shambling indie-pop won’t mind at all.
A good amount of songs on Cat Spectacular! abruptly interrupt themselves as soon as they begin to build momentum. Rock anthem “Rodent Disco” has a false ending, which is then followed by a brief reprise played completely on dinky synthesizers. “Cherryade” is a breezy, jangling piece of tropicalia until the last 30 seconds, during which the band launches into a series of room-clearing blast beats. Other songs simply stop when their main ideas have exhausted themselves. “I Feel the Heat of the Light from Heaven” and “Diagonal Girl” only need one or two verses to get stuck in your head before simply ending, a concision that very few bands since Guided by Voices have perfected. Some songs adhere to strict verse/chorus demarcations, but in those cases, the conventional song structures end up underscoring the quirkiness of Bearsuit’s lyrics. The words to “Itsuko Got Married” are strings of gossip involving people who may or may not be close to the band (“So did you see that new band that she's in?/I swear to God, like nothing that you've heard”), and album closer “On Your Special Day” seems to be about…um, hiding from robots that want to kill you.
In short, Cat Spectacular is an invigorating half-hour of buzzing baroque pop from a group of cute Brits who are much better songwriters than they are musicians. This album seems to pose the question “Who needs rehearsals when you’ve got tunes and ideas?,” and like the music of bands from the Raincoats to Boyracer to the Swirlies, it forces me to do little more than shrug my shoulders and say, “Yep, you’re right.”
--Sean Padilla
Artist Website: http://www.bearsuit.co.uk
Label Website: http://www.microindie.com
This album begins in a deceptively grandiose manner with “Welcome Bearsuit Spacehotel,” a booming two-chord jam saturated with flutes and bells that could’ve easily come off of a Spiritualized album. From that point onward, the band gets down to the business of making short, speedy and densely layered pop songs that sound as if they’re held together by sheer centrifugal force. Second track “Cookie Oh Jesus” begins with what is probably the album’s most prescient lyric: “What the hell do those flashing red lights mean?” The music that follows if nothing if not bright and bewildered. Guys and gals take turns delivering lyrics and layering harmonies on top of each other, barely raising their voices above a timid croon. Trumpets, flutes, keyboards, sleigh bells and drum machines and guitars collide with each other, until it all sounds like a middle school band rehearsal in which the sheet music is turned upside down. Last but not least, the drummer plays way faster than necessary, as if the kit will fall apart if he doesn’t hit every piece of it at once. The song is a mess, but it’s so catchy that listeners who are already well-versed in shambling indie-pop won’t mind at all.
A good amount of songs on Cat Spectacular! abruptly interrupt themselves as soon as they begin to build momentum. Rock anthem “Rodent Disco” has a false ending, which is then followed by a brief reprise played completely on dinky synthesizers. “Cherryade” is a breezy, jangling piece of tropicalia until the last 30 seconds, during which the band launches into a series of room-clearing blast beats. Other songs simply stop when their main ideas have exhausted themselves. “I Feel the Heat of the Light from Heaven” and “Diagonal Girl” only need one or two verses to get stuck in your head before simply ending, a concision that very few bands since Guided by Voices have perfected. Some songs adhere to strict verse/chorus demarcations, but in those cases, the conventional song structures end up underscoring the quirkiness of Bearsuit’s lyrics. The words to “Itsuko Got Married” are strings of gossip involving people who may or may not be close to the band (“So did you see that new band that she's in?/I swear to God, like nothing that you've heard”), and album closer “On Your Special Day” seems to be about…um, hiding from robots that want to kill you.
In short, Cat Spectacular is an invigorating half-hour of buzzing baroque pop from a group of cute Brits who are much better songwriters than they are musicians. This album seems to pose the question “Who needs rehearsals when you’ve got tunes and ideas?,” and like the music of bands from the Raincoats to Boyracer to the Swirlies, it forces me to do little more than shrug my shoulders and say, “Yep, you’re right.”
--Sean Padilla
Artist Website: http://www.bearsuit.co.uk
Label Website: http://www.microindie.com
April 25, 2005
Various Artists "Little Darla Has A Treat For You, Volume 23"
Darla Records' long-running label and distribution sampler, Little Darla Has a Treat For You is in its twenty-third volume, and it has yet to show a slip in quality. If the selection for volume twenty-three is any indication--and it should be--Darla Records continues to improve with each successive quarter. You'll find a whole bunch of great songs on here, covering all kinds of musical generes. There's the stoned-out country-rock from The Channel, Maquiladora and Lowlights, followed by the cute indie-pop of The Baskervilles, Momus and Darren Hanlon, followed by the electronica blips of Superaquello, Lullatone and Manual (who do an excellent--and exclusive--cover of Miami Vice star Don Johnson's theme song), all hand-in-hand with the dark, melancholy sounds of Aarktica, The Field Mice (whose song, "Missing the Moon," alone makes the 5.99 sticker price one helluva steal) , Piano Magic and Dead Cowboys. Over these nineteen tracks--and over the past twenty-three volumes--Little Darla Has A Treat For You highlights why Darla Records has become the trusted source for independent music lovers.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.darla.com
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.darla.com
Various Artists "Bonnaroo Music Fest 2004"
Every year, tens of thousands of hippie progeny descend upon Manchester, Tennessee, for the annual Bonnaroo Festival. Sure, there's plenty of reasons to compare it to those festivals of yore, but that would be a bit of an insult to both the past and the present generation. Still, that whole "jam band" trend is built on nostalgia, and while this is neither the time nor place to launch into a rant about that particular musical genre, it's still something that's glaringly obvious when you consider the Bonnaroo experience. But ya wanna know something? When you look at the actual lineup of each year's festival, you'll realize something: the organizers have to be credited with being extremely diverse. Sure, you've got your Dead and Phish-insipred (and related) bands, but you'll also get a whole bunch of other styles, ranging from pop to electronica to world-beat to folk and beyond. Once you get past the jam-band image, you'll discover that Bonnaroo is actually a damn good festival, run by experts who know the value of mixing up musical styles for discriminating, intelligent music lovers.
After the festival's over, though, the organizers continue to give the gift of music: a solid two-CD set of highlights. Much like the festival itself, the CD collection is often well-organized, with a blend of well-known artists mixed in with younger, lesser known artists. Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004 is no exception. Heavy hitters include Bob Dylan, performing an excellent rendition of "Down Along The Cove," weirdos Ween and their song "Zoloft," Steve Winwood and "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and an excellent David Byrne offering, "Dialog Box." There are excellent offerings from younger bands, such as "Big Eater" by The Bad Plus, "One Big Holiday" by My Morning Jacket, Los Lonely Boys' "Crazy Dream" and Damien Rice's "Volcano." Guster's contribution, a cover of the Talking Heads' "(Nothing But) Flowers," is a can't miss track as well. Then again, even songs by Dave Matthews Band and Trey Anastasio are tolerable for a non-fan like me--which is truly a sign that Bonnaroo's doing something right.
The one criticism worth noting is that this set is a bit too jam-band heavy, shutting out other great artists who appeared on the bill, including Mike Doughty, Grandaddy, Calexico, Wilco, Fema Kuti and the Hackensaw Boys. Where are they? They're excellent artists who deserve representation, as the set would benefit from them rather than Moe, Umphrey's McGee and Kings of Leon. But, again, such is the case with the limited space and time alloted; someone's gonna be left out--and besides, the point is to tempt people to come to the festival. In that case--mission accomplished! Bonnaroo Music Fest 2004 is a fun collection of what's easily this country's best music festival that will make you want to go to this year's fest. (I know I do--anyone up for it?)
--Joseph Kyle
Festival Website: http://www.bonnaroo.com
Label Website: http://www.sanctuaryrecords.com
After the festival's over, though, the organizers continue to give the gift of music: a solid two-CD set of highlights. Much like the festival itself, the CD collection is often well-organized, with a blend of well-known artists mixed in with younger, lesser known artists. Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004 is no exception. Heavy hitters include Bob Dylan, performing an excellent rendition of "Down Along The Cove," weirdos Ween and their song "Zoloft," Steve Winwood and "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and an excellent David Byrne offering, "Dialog Box." There are excellent offerings from younger bands, such as "Big Eater" by The Bad Plus, "One Big Holiday" by My Morning Jacket, Los Lonely Boys' "Crazy Dream" and Damien Rice's "Volcano." Guster's contribution, a cover of the Talking Heads' "(Nothing But) Flowers," is a can't miss track as well. Then again, even songs by Dave Matthews Band and Trey Anastasio are tolerable for a non-fan like me--which is truly a sign that Bonnaroo's doing something right.
The one criticism worth noting is that this set is a bit too jam-band heavy, shutting out other great artists who appeared on the bill, including Mike Doughty, Grandaddy, Calexico, Wilco, Fema Kuti and the Hackensaw Boys. Where are they? They're excellent artists who deserve representation, as the set would benefit from them rather than Moe, Umphrey's McGee and Kings of Leon. But, again, such is the case with the limited space and time alloted; someone's gonna be left out--and besides, the point is to tempt people to come to the festival. In that case--mission accomplished! Bonnaroo Music Fest 2004 is a fun collection of what's easily this country's best music festival that will make you want to go to this year's fest. (I know I do--anyone up for it?)
--Joseph Kyle
Festival Website: http://www.bonnaroo.com
Label Website: http://www.sanctuaryrecords.com
The Supersuckers "Devil's Food: A Collection of Rare Treats & Evil Sweets!"
Long-runnin' country punks The Supersuckers are still alive and kicking. Hard to believe that they've been around for fifteen years. Led by Eddie Spaghetti--one of today's most underrated singers, period--The Supersuckers have, quite simply, morphed into one of the best damn live bands today. That their most recent releases have been live albums is no surprise; those live records capture the band's intensity and they whet the appetite for a chance to see them live. Though they now spend more time on the road than they do in the studio, every now and then they find the time to record some killer tunes, some of which don't always find a proper home.
Devil's Food is an odds-n-sods collection, gathering tunes from compilations, studio outtakes and fan club releases. As far as other information about the songs, forget it; these songs are all placed together with no sense of context. After fifteen years, they've managed to accumulate an album's worth of obscure material, and this record's a lot better than your average rarities collection. Originals such as "Kid's Got It Comin'," "Shake it Off" and "Then I'm Gone" are fine originals, highlighting the rock and roll style that The Supersuckers have made their own. They've got a few "country" versions of some of their earlier songs, "Doublewide" and their classic hit "Born With A Tail." A couple of covers are noteworthy, too; their cover of the classic Jerry Reed theme song to Smokey & The Bandit "Eastbound & Down" isn't much of a surprise, nor is their cover of Electric Frankenstein's "Teenage Shutdown," but the same can't be said about their surprisingly faithful version of Outkast's "Hey Ya!" (Visit their website for a hilarious video of it!)
Devil's Food is a great little record; it's fun, it's frantic and it's a sign that The Supersuckers have yet to peak. When your outtakes and set-asides are this good, that's saying something. They could have packages Devil's Food as a record of all-new material, and only the hardcore would have been wise to it. A great little dessert from a meat-and-potatoes band.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.supersuckers.com
Devil's Food is an odds-n-sods collection, gathering tunes from compilations, studio outtakes and fan club releases. As far as other information about the songs, forget it; these songs are all placed together with no sense of context. After fifteen years, they've managed to accumulate an album's worth of obscure material, and this record's a lot better than your average rarities collection. Originals such as "Kid's Got It Comin'," "Shake it Off" and "Then I'm Gone" are fine originals, highlighting the rock and roll style that The Supersuckers have made their own. They've got a few "country" versions of some of their earlier songs, "Doublewide" and their classic hit "Born With A Tail." A couple of covers are noteworthy, too; their cover of the classic Jerry Reed theme song to Smokey & The Bandit "Eastbound & Down" isn't much of a surprise, nor is their cover of Electric Frankenstein's "Teenage Shutdown," but the same can't be said about their surprisingly faithful version of Outkast's "Hey Ya!" (Visit their website for a hilarious video of it!)
Devil's Food is a great little record; it's fun, it's frantic and it's a sign that The Supersuckers have yet to peak. When your outtakes and set-asides are this good, that's saying something. They could have packages Devil's Food as a record of all-new material, and only the hardcore would have been wise to it. A great little dessert from a meat-and-potatoes band.
--Joseph Kyle
Artist Website: http://www.supersuckers.com
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