Archive for April, 2005

4/29/05

Special Guest Post By John Cei Douglas!Spoon "The...

Special Guest Post By John Cei Douglas!

Spoon "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine" - As we all know, pictures are at least 500 times better than words. John Cei Douglas, the felt tip hip kid of the Midlands, is here to boggle your mind.

(Click here to pre-order it from Merge Records. If you wish to contact John Cei Douglas, you can email him at johnceidouglas @ gmail.com)

13 Comments

4/28/05

That's Where Your Fantasy StartsVox Vermillion "...

That's Where Your Fantasy Starts

Vox Vermillion "Wanted" - I am not a teenage girl, and because of this fact, this song feels vaguely inappropriate for me, almost as though I am invading someone's personal space. It's like the musical equivalent of an illustrated diary in the quirkily decorated bedroom of some beautiful art girl who is just a little too intimidating even for small talk. It's exotic and mysterious but also sort of mundane in a very warm and comforting way. This isn't just any old girl-angst. This is epic fairytale stuff, like early Tori Amos pumped up to Evanescence-esque levels of melodrama, but sung with the small, thin voice of a waifish indie folker. (Click here to visit Vox Vermillion's MySpace page.)

Elsewhere: I highly recommend the Kathleen Edwards song on Pop Text. I briefly considered posting it myself, but there is just no way that I can compete with Abby's review. She totally nailed it, and I have nothing more to add.

4 Comments

4/27/05

Heaven Knows When I'll Get My Voice Back AgainMatson...

Heaven Knows When I'll Get My Voice Back Again

Matson Jones "Welcome Back, Mr. Audiotechnica" - Matson Jones write and perform like a post-punk/alt rock band who love everything about their genre except for the sound of guitars. All of the parts that would normally be played on guitar in a traditional rock arrangement is transposed to two cellos, but aside from the signature melancholy tone of the instrument, there is very little in the way of cello-ness to their recordings. (Read: This sounds nothing like Rasputina.) This reminds me of those Vitamin Records "string tribute" compilations in how the players seem to be going out of their way to be faithful to the rhythms and attack of rock guitar while still making a point of playing the music in a different arrangement. It's a little like translating Jerry Seinfeld jokes into Korean but insisting on delivering them with exactly the same inflections and timing. It's a little off, but the approach is interesting and appealing enough to push their above-average indie rock over into a higher level of quality. (Click here to visit the Matson Jones official site.)

Artanker Convoy "Crown Vic" - If I say that this sounds like Medeski, Martin, and Wood, I run the risk of scaring off the people who are (understandably) wary of college hippies. If I say that this is a little like Herbie Hancock, that might be too much of an overstatement. If I point out that this sounds a little like '70s blaxploitation/cop/porn soundtracks, then I am just a sad, sad man resorting to cliche. This song is all of the above and I just cannot win today. (Click here to buy it from the Social Registry.)

11 Comments

4/26/05

Driving Your Body AroundScout Niblett "Lullaby For...

Driving Your Body Around

Scout Niblett "Lullaby For Scout In Ten Years" - Since her voice bears an undeniable resemblence to Chan Marshall, Scout Niblett is doomed to a life of constant comparisons to Cat Power. Niblett lacks that soulful, ineffable quality in Marshall's voice that forces the listener into emotional submission, but makes up for that with a knack for minimal arrangements and a willingness to dramatically stomp on her distortion pedal like it's 1992. With its slow, stark verses and exaggerated heavy sections, this song mimics the fragile bipolar dynamics of Nirvana's In Utero more than anything in the Cat Power catalog. (Click here to buy it from Beggars Group.)

Isolée "Schrapnell" -There's an entire movie in the sound of this song, but I have no idea what it might be about. The guitar motif seems vaguely "cowboys and indians" to me, but everything else seems so crisp and modern, as though it's taking place in a world that looks like European design magazines. (Click here for the non-very-useful Isolée official site.)

9 Comments

4/25/05

I've Got A Heart With Your Name On ItStag Party "...

I've Got A Heart With Your Name On It

Stag Party "Rachel (My Dear)" - Creepy rock songs about obsessive love are nothing new, but Stag Party bring it off with a melodramatic flair, building up horror film tension over a menacing bassline and a wall of trebly guitar tone and releasing it on a slightly unnerving falsetto chorus. What really sells this song is the way the singer intonates the name "Rachel," investing it with a strange power, as though he has transformed the common name into a sort of sigil through the intensity of his lust. (Click here to visit the Stag Party site.)

Hassle Hound "Lucky Bugs Win Prizes" - This is a selection from Ekkehard Ehlers' Childish Music compilation, a collection of music written for children by various contemporary songwriters and composers from around the world. Like many of the songs on the record, "Lucky Bugs Win Prizes" only seems to be "children's music" in spirit, casting off the typical singalong trappings of the genre in favor of an all-ages sense of playfulness and whimsy. (Click here to buy it from Staubgold.)

5 Comments

4/22/05

I'm On A Massive HighDressy Bessy "The Things That...

I'm On A Massive High

Dressy Bessy "The Things That You Say That You Do" - Dressy Bessy's self-titled album from 2003 is the record that I'm sure Warner Brothers wished that Belly had turned in instead of King, and most definitely the album that I wanted it to be after I heard its first single "Now They'll Sleep" on 120 Minutes back when I was 14. (That said, I still love the song "Puberty" with a fiery passion.) If only Dressy Bessy had made this record back then; they really would've had a shot at a minor alt-rock hit. But I'm not sure if that's ever what they wanted, especially since they spent most of the 90s stuck in a regional twee indie ghetto that I don't think they ever disliked. The songs on their older records are fine and occasionally sublime (see: "I Saw Cinnamon"), but this record is so strong and confident, distilling the very best of glossy 90s rock while keeping their identity intact. I wonder if this confidence is a result of not many people being around to care one way or another - the pressure's off, just like how I never seem to sing as well as when I'm totally alone. (Click here to buy it from Dressy Bessy's official site.)

9 Comments

4/21/05

Janet Reno's Dance PartyThe Similou "Wild Beasts...

Janet Reno's Dance Party

The Similou "Wild Beasts" - With its moody beats and bombastic fanfare, "Wild Beasts" sounds as though it is skulking about in the same mystical forest as Bjork's "Human Behaviour" and "Isobel." The storyline in the lyrics is a bit lacking in narrative depth, but it makes up for that by including a lot of ass kicking. (Click here to buy it from Ginza.)

Anquette "Janet Reno" - This is a booty bass song about a pre-Attorney General Janet Reno and her tough stance on deadbeat dads while she was the State Attorney of Florida. I think that if I said anything more about this, it might spoil it for you. (Thanks to Evelyn McDonnell.) (Click here to buy it and from Buy.com)

17 Comments

4/20/05

Ain't No Party Once We Crash The PartyLady Sovereign...

Ain't No Party Once We Crash The Party

Lady Sovereign "Blah Blah Blah (Cadence Weapon remix)" - This is a very inspired team-up, and not just because they are both ridiculously talented up-and-comers under the age of 20 - there's some real chemistry going on here. Lady Sovereign's bratty rhymes sound as though they've been shot like a pinball through Cadence Weapon's track, accelerating around the curves of the 007-gone-grime guitar breaks and zooming through the lyrics til it hits the jackpot. (Click here for the Lady Sovereign site and here for the Cadence Weapon site.)

Dopplebanger "Got It Twisted Sister" - Some mash-ups are so seamless and ideally matched that the originals start to sound more awkward than the remix after a while. Going back to the DFA version of The Rapture's "Sister Savior" after hearing this mix, the vocals sound so stilted and forced, as though he's the one singing along to wrong music. Mobb Deep's "Got It Twisted" is so perfect for the backing track that neither recording requires noticeable editing, as though the two were always meant to go together. (Click here for the Dopplebanger site.)

12 Comments

4/19/05

Stuck Between My Shadow And MeJamie Lidell "Multiply...

Stuck Between My Shadow And Me

Jamie Lidell "Multiply" - One does not reasonably expect great modern soul music to come out of Warp Records (home of Autechre, Aphex Twin, and Prefuse73) , but here it is, possibly the best soul record of the year and it's by a white guy from England. Jamie Lidell's songs are clearly reverential of 60s/70s soul music, but are arranged and recorded under the influence of hip hop and electronic dance music. The modern touches are not heavy handed or glossy, and are mainly textures and flourishes that add an unexpected bit of color to a familiar genre. This track is particularly inspired and catchy, enough so that it seems as though it could be a long lost Otis Redding single. (Click here to pre-order it from Warp Records.)

Ricky Wilde "I Am An Astronaut" - This is the 12 year old brother of Kim Wilde singing a glam rock song about the power of imagination that essentially fuses the aesthetics of Mott The Hoople and The Muppet Babies. It's kind of astonishing, actually. God bless England and their insatiable appetite for bizarre novelty singles. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

20 Comments

4/18/05

My Future Is StaticSonic Youth @ Maxwell's 4/16/...

My Future Is Static

Sonic Youth @ Maxwell's 4/16/2005 (Early Show)
I Love You Golden Blue / The Empty Page / Pattern Recognition / Unmade Bed / Eric's Trip / Stones / Paper Cup Exit / New Hampshire / Pacific Coast Highway // Catholic Block / Schizophrenia

Sonic Youth "Schizophrenia (Live In Bremen, 8/27/1991)" - Though I am a little disappointed that Sonic Youth have barely changed their set rotation from the regular Sonic Nurse tour for this mini-tour of small clubs in the northeast, I certainly have no complaints about a show that ends with three consecutive songs from my favorite SY album, Sister. It's been five years since I've seen them perform "Schizophrenia" (which is not only one of my top ten SY songs, but one of my favorite songs in general), so that was the obvious highlight for me. The band seemed to be in a good mood, and the sound quality was surprisingly crisp considering that every other show that I've seen at Maxwell's has been muddy and poorly mixed. This was my 15th Sonic Youth show since 1995, and as usual, I am amazed by their craft and precision. The most remarkable thing is that I think that they've only become tighter and more creative as a live ensemble over the years, which is common for, say, jazz groups, but very rare for rock bands. Though they may have already peaked as songwriters, it's very possible that they are only just now coming into full maturity, and that's a very thrilling thing. (Click here to buy the original album version from Insound.)

Captain Comatose "To My Song" - Captain Comatose should not be too surprised that anyone would be singing this song on the street. This is a clear high water mark for Captain Comatose aka Can "Khan" Oral, an immediately lovable pop tune that sounds like a German electronic cabaret version of Motown. The vocals recall Jake Shears and George Michael (the singer-songwriter), but the wild synth solo is like Stephen Malkmus or Matt Friedberger doing an acid house track.
(Click here to pre-order the album from Soul Seduction.)

12 Comments