Archive for February, 2004

It's Easy To Think The End Is Coming Soon

The Fiery Furnaces "We Got Back The Plague (single version)" - This is the b-side to the new "Tropical Ice-Land" UK single, and like the a-side, it is a totally reworked version of a song from the Gallowsbird's Bark LP. The new arrangement is like a Scott Joplin/Sonic Youth mash-up gone awry, but it works in spite of itself. The song's inherant folkiness is foregrounded by the ragtime-y piano, while the noise firmly places the recording in the stylistic present and undercuts any potential modern folky preciousness.

As a change a pace, today I will be offering a full length comic book produced by my good friend John Cei Douglas in lieu of a second mp3. John is a new cartoonist from Leicester, England, and you can download his new comic Sleeping Beauty as a pdf file by clicking on the title.

John is a very promising talent at the young age of 22. Without ever seeing either of their work until after the completion of this comic, he manages to combine elements of Chester Brown's illustration style with the subtlety and grace of Seth. He has a knack for experimenting with page layout and formal structure without being ostentatious or taking the reader out of his story. He's capable of drawing some truly elegant and stunning images, most notably the bus departures on pages 13 and 23.

In terms of story, Sleeping Beauty is a bit slight. It's less of a traditional story than a dreamy, lyrical meditation about young love. The comic works in a way similar to a song or a poem, with John's words and images coming together as an expression of memories, ambiguous emotions and stray thoughts rather than a conventional narrative.

John Cei Douglas is not currently being published, so if you have an interest in publishing or distributing his work, or hiring him for freelance illustration jobs, please note that his contact information is available on the final page of the pdf.

The Monster Standing By Your Heart

Wiley "Problems" - More grime. This is taken from the forthcoming LP Treading On Thin Ice, as well as the single for "Wot Do U Call It?," though this really should've been the a-side. Aside from maybe "Fix Up, Look Sharp," this is the most pop (in the contempory chart sense of the word) of all of the grime music that I've heard. I'm hoping that this or something like this can make a dent in the US charts, though I'm certainly not holding my breath. It'd be fantastic if hip hop had its own British Invasion, though. It already has an Elvis now, so why not a Beatles?

Unwound "Demons Sing Love Songs (alternate mix)" - I was going through some old cds the other day, and came upon an old Matador Europe sampler titled Draw Me A Riot which came polybagged with an issue of (I think) The Wire a few years ago. It's a pretty good cd as far as promo compilations go, which is mostly to do with the quality of Matador Europe's roster, which includes artists from the American Matador stable, plus strong acts poached from other American indie labels.

There were some interesting alternate mixes included on the disc, most notably this spacey, menacing version of Unwound's "Demons Sing Love Songs." This was the first I heard of the song, so it led me to purchase a copy of the album with the regular version of the song, Leaves Turn Inside You. While by no means a bad album, that record was a big disappointment for me. Nothing else on it was quite like this, and though the proper version of "Demons Sing Love Songs" was still a fine song, it was missing the shoegazer-y daze of this alternate mix, which was a large part of why I liked the song to begin with. The album version's vocals are buried in the mix, the keyboards are less prominent, and it has percussion evenly distributed throughout the song. The effects are all but gone, there's more guitar, and the whole thing is far less dynamic. It's such a shame, because it's obvious that it didn't have to sound so typically indie.

I Do Work To A 108 Tempo

Teriyaki Boyz "Kamikaze 108" - This is a brand new production from DJ Shadow, and is taken from the new Japanese compilation Nigo Presents: (b)Ape Sounds. It's not exactly breaking new ground for DJ Shadow - stylistically, it's not that far off from the "Drums Of Death" song that he did with Mike D - but it's quality work, and quite a lot better than anything he did on the Private Press album. The Teriyaki Boyz are rappers from Japan who alternately rap in Japanese and English old school hip hop catchphrases.

Black Devil ""H" Friend" - This selection is from the "lost classic" Disco Club EP, which has recently been reissued on the Rephlex label. It's creepy, vaguely soundtracky disco created in 1978 by two French library music composers who decided to try their hand at making a disco record with engineer Jean-Pierre Gouache. I can't imagine anyone but goths dancing to this, but it's good stuff.

Also: NYC cool kids should get their tickets to see the Clinic and The Fiery Furnaces ASAP. If you're going, let me know.

Take Notice Of What's In Front Of You

Alicia Keys Vs. Gregory Isaacs "You Don't Know My Name (reggae version)" - This is the best mash-up of the year so far - a seamless mix of Alicia Keys' vocals and an easy going riddim. Despite my general distaste for Keys, I quite like both the official version and this reggae mix, but I think I may prefer this version if just for the lack of spoken bits. Apparently Keys has heard the track and loves it, so an official version of this mix may be forthcoming.

X-Wife "The Sound Of You" - Here's another track from the X-Wife album Feeding The Machine, for those of you who enjoyed "Eno" a few weeks ago. "The Sound Of You" is probably my favorite song from the record, along with "Eno" and "Fall." It's so huge; it sounds like it was made to be performed in stadiums and enormous outdoor festivals. It's a bit like what Clinic might sound like if they had the anthemic scope of U2.

It's All About Stush

Lady Stush "Dollar Sign" - I'm a bit late to the grime party, but I'm very glad that I've showed up. If you're still unconvinced, this may be the song for you. Lady Stush's performance is extremely inspired - her particular style of catchy high-speed rhyming/toasting punctuated by high pitched squeeks and squeals is unlike any other MC I've ever heard on either side of the Atlantic. She exudes equal measures of sexuality and menace, all the while being nearly incomprehensible to me. She's accompanied by a manic, frenzied beat courtesy of Sticky, who is sort of like the Timbaland of the UK grime scene.

Ce'Cile "Rude Bwoy Thug Life" - This irresistable bit of dancehall-pop is built on a riddim based on The Cure's "Close To Me" (conveniently enough, my favorite Cure song by far!), which has spawned several excellent versions, many of which have been released on the Germaican label. It breaks my heart that this song probably won't ever get a chance to properly crossover in the US, because it would sound great on pop radio right now. If you're into this, I recommend tracking down Tanya Stephen's "Need You Tonight," Sizzla's "Show The Interest," and TOK's "Shining Star," which are all derived from the same Cure riddim and are almost as great as this Ce'Cile tune.

Elsewhere: Could 2004 be the year of the MP3 blog? It seems like there's a new one popping up every week. The Tofu Hut is the newest MP3 blog on the block, with an emphasis on intriguing out-of-print rarities.

We're Not Caving In

Red Astaire "Follow Me" - This bossanova-style remix of D'Angelo's "Left & Right" (with Method Man and Redman!) is all over late night UK radio, and with good reason. Snap this up and love it now before it ends up in a million tv ads.

Grand National "Playing In The Distance" - I can't get over how much the backing vocals on this song sounds like Police-era Sting. Please don't let that dissuade you from checking this out, though - it's a solid groove-rock number with some nice sax noodling over the last few minutes. This is taken from the London band's debut 12" EP1, which just came out this past December in the UK.

Elsewhere: Badger Minor has started to blog mp3s. I recommend the Brett Smiley tune in particular.

My Life Is Keeping Time With Your Heartbeat

Jobriath "Heartbeat" - I found out about Jobriath just the other day while reading an interview with Morrissey conducted by Tim and James from DFA in the new issue of Index. It's very impressive and beautiful music, but I'm feeling sick and lazy, so I'm just going to let Morrissey do the talking on this one, alright?

Morrissey: Right now, I'm obsessed with Jobriath. He was a singer who released two glam-rock albums in '73 and '74, recorded in New York. At the time, the press either ridiculed him or didn't bother to write about him at all. He died in obscurity in the '80s. I've been through all of his archives, and I've just compiled a best-of, which is being released by Rhino Handmade.

James Murphy: You're almost evangelical about his music.

Morrissey: Well, yes, I am. Fantastic pop music. One of those voices that's just being thrown at you.

Also: See a clip of the brand new video for The Fiery Furnaces' "Tropical Ice-Land" here. I want a copy of the single version soooo bad right now. I'm still waiting for it to a) pop up in my mailbox, because I ordered it last week or b) to turn up on slsk. If you have it, please let me know!

The Hottest Thing From The North To Come Out Of The South

Mia "Heroes" - This is not to be confused with MIA, whose "Galang" was posted here less than two weeks ago. This Mia is a German electro pop band, and this is their German-language cover of David Bowie's "Heroes." In a way, it seems more like an adaptation than a straight cover version. There are so many liberties taken with the arrangement and vocal melody that it seems more like their own song with interpolations of "Heroes"' melodic themes.

Ssion "I Think I Got Something To Prove" - Bratty punk-pop, basically. Memorable lyrics: "If I was hot, this would sound like...THE STROKES!/ If I was smart, this would sound like...PAVEMENT!"

My Heart Begins To Flux

Stazi "Put Your Loving Arms" - This is one of the most joyous love songs that I've heard in a long time. It just builds and builds up til that point when the sample from "Sweet Child O Mine" comes in and the guy starts singing in falsetto, at which point the joyometer blows up from euphoria overload. This is amazing stuff, and I can't wait for them to put out their first album later in the year. I recommend seeking out another Stazi song called "Love Is Lethal," which is just as good.

Freeform Five "Electromagnetic" - In a better world, this song would be all over the radio and MTV, if just because it would fit in so well with all of the Neptunes tracks and sleazey post-teen pop. It's definitely part of the current lapdance-pop vogue, and it's a shame that stuff like this falls through the cracks, because it's such a brilliant tune and I'm sure that lots of people would love it if they just got to hear it. That one hook where the girl sings "but I don't know what you mean" is particularly great (though strangely familiar...), as is the refrain "where do you want me to lick you right now?"

My Mommy Made Me Boots

"Timmy Von Trimble" - Happy birthday to Tom Scharpling! "Timmy Von Trimble" is the best of the recent skits from The Best Show On WFMU, and quite possibly the most surreal bit to ever air on the program. I don't want to spoil anything, but the bizarre, unbelievable premise is eventually trumped by the disturbing turn the bit takes once we get to know Timmy.

Also: I highly recommend visiting former Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison's website and downloading his newest song "Born In 72." It would be an obvious thing to post here, but since he's got it on his site, you may as well just get it there. There are some other mp3s there as well, but that song is the best and most interesting to me. The new music isn't all that different from what Morrison was doing before, but he sounds much more pop now that he doesn't have to have guitars on every song.

Elsewhere: Comic book writer Warren Ellis is posting nothing but links to unknown bands this week on his Die Puny Humans blog. So far it's been a nonstop parade of bland, amateurish cut-out bin fodder, but you never know, something good may come up later on.