Author Archive

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.

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.

He Also Took His Drinks With Lime

Solex “Solex In A Slipshod Style” – I want to do this song justice and write something quite poetic about it; something about how it makes a simple memory of drunken flirtation sound intensely romantic, and how it’s one of the sexiest songs I’ve ever heard in spite of the recurring usage of the word “slaphappy” in the lyrics. I just can’t get it right. I suppose the music can speak for itself today. The song is taken from Solex‘s very underrated debut album, Solex Vs. The Hitmeister, which was released on Matador in 1998.

Denim And Diamonds “Street Medics Unite!” – This is the title track from their debut EP on the Bloodlink label. It’s great stuff; spazzy electro-punk with shouty vocals and lots of electronic squiggle sounds. I particularly like the contrast of the harsh overdriven keyboard riff with the subtle, mellow keyboard line which sounds a bit like a theramin.

BEST NEWS EVER!!!

The second Fiery Furnaces album is coming out very soon!

Eleanor: Yeah. Our next record is coming out in May.

Matthew: We just finished it a month ago. It’s called Blueberry Boat.

Come On Over And Get Down

The Rocks “I Won’t Need You When You’re Dead” – Video treatment: We’re at the Grunge Prom. The room is populated by assorted teens in extremely obvious early 90s grunge/indie/alt-rock/goth attire and teenage lookalikes of various early 90s rock icons. Our Kurt and Courtney are the king and queen of the prom, and we also see young Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell, Henry Rollins, Michael Stipe, Liz Phair, Trent Reznor, Beck, Billy Corgan, Scott Weilland, Layne Staley, Thom Yorke, Anthony Keidis, PJ Harvey, etc. An extremely miserable-looking (even in comparison to the rest of the room!) young man is walking around the prom. He’s obviously lonely and alienated, and is pining for some beautiful grunge girl who is dancing with our Eddie Vedder kid. Occasionally, he lip-synchs and makes histrionic faces to the camera. At some point, he steps outside and we see a group of Cool Kids. In that crowd would be our young versions of Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, Stephen Malkmus, Kim Deal, Laetitia Sadier, and J Mascis. It should be pretty clear that he doesn’t fit in with them either. At the end of the video, our bitter, sad protagonist is still alone. He watches as the beautiful grunge girl leaves with the apathetic-looking Vedder kid, and then walks off by himself, as the rain soaks his flannel.

(The Rocks are a band from London, and this song is the b-side to their debut single from last year, “Everybody In The Place.”)

Konk “Konk Party” – Konk were a Latin funk band from NYC in the early 80s, and this is taken from the 1982 album Yo!. It just sounds like a party, really. To my knowledge, this hasn’t ever been released on cd. I might be wrong, though. (Apparently, a Konk compilation is forthcoming on the Soul Jazz label. Thanks to Peter for the tip.)

Thought Is Made In The Mouth

Bob Holman “Rap It Up” – This is a recording of some spoken word proto-rap from 1972, predating hip hop as we know it. Holman may be somewhat grating at certain points in this poem, but it’s nevertheless quite interesting and just begging to be sampled.

The String Quartet “All Mixed Up” – This would also probably lend itself to sampling. As I’ve mentioned here before, I have an interest in collecting string quartet recordings of contemporary pop songs. I recently acquired this version of the 311 hit “All Mixed Up” in spite of not actually liking it or 311 at all. Surprisingly, the song sounds fantastic in this arrangement, especially the first 40 seconds. As it turns out, there were some great melodies trapped underneath the oppressive weight of 311’s lame crunchy guitar distortion, halfassed raggae, and obnoxious white fratboy toasting/rapping.

Here’s the Fluxblog challenge: I know that there are a fair few talented musicians reading this blog. If you can come up with a song integrating a significant chunk of either (or both) of the last two songs, please send it to me. If I like it, I will post it here.

Annie “The Greatest Hit” – I only recently found this song, which is widely considered to be a contemporary eurodisco classic. It’s a beautiful tune, with a wistful, melancholy vocal and a simple slinky groove. The song was produced by the Norwegian DJ Erot, who unfortunately passed away in 2001 at the age of 23, only two years after it was released.

Elsewhere: Please say hello to the new MP3 blog on the block, Teaching The Indie Kids How To Dance Again.

They Fake The Funk

Beats For Beginners “Kill All DJs” – “I’m just here to say / let’s kill DJs / for fun / because they’re scum.” It’s basically an anti-DJ polemic set to a catchy electro pop tune that many DJs will find irresistable. Irony ensues. This is the debut single from this Manchester band, who will be releasing their first album in the spring on Faith And Hope in the UK.

International Pony “My Mouth (Phony The Punk)” – This is a thrashy electro-punk tune from a German group better known for turning out low-key funk. I love this guy’s voice – he’s so convincingly frantic and restless, and more so as the song goes on.

Elsewhere: Clap Clap has come up with a handy semantic guide to explain the different “levels” of pop.

Elsewhere, part two: As part of a 90s nostalgia theme, Burned By The Sun has an mp3 of The Caulfields’ “Devil’s Diary,” which is an excellent bit of power pop that I posted here a loooong time ago. If you missed it the first time (and the odds are very much likely that you did, because I had about 1,000 fewer readers back then) then I strongly suggest that you go get it now.

Also: The Pazz & Jop results are in. Not a bad list this year, all told. I’m cool with everything in the top 10 albums list except for the Drive-By Truckers record which I wasn’t into, and the Shins record, which I’m not crazy about at all. The top 10 singles is very right-on if you pretend that the Johnny Cash sympathy vote wasn’t there and that it’s “The Laws Have Changed” instead.

The real fun of this Pazz & Jop thing for me is seeing the individual ballots, and here’s a list of friends and fellow bloggers who were invited to vote this year: Michael Barthel (Clap Clap), Paul Cox (The Rub), Geeta Dayal (The Original Soundtrack), Andrew Earles (Failed Pilot), Tom Ewing (NYLPM), Sasha Frere-Jones (SF/J), Keith Harris (Useful Noise), Jess Harvell (Technicolor), Thomas Inskeep (Oh Manchester), Maura Johnston (Maura.com), Badger Minor, Nate Patrin (Hipster Detritus), Jody Beth Rosen (Freezing To Death In The Nuclear Bunker), Philip Sherburne (Philip Sherburne), Dave Stelfox (World Of Stelfox), and Douglas Wolk (Lacunae).

Eppy gets a particularly great quote in the comments section:

Dear Ryan Schreiber: You said “Stacy’s Mom” was “too catchy.” I am still waiting for you to explain how this is a bad thing and/or to knee you swiftly in the groin. Just use the regular address. Best wishes, me.

Michael Barthel

Brooklyn, New York

Who’s Phantom One? Who’s Number Two?

Nimbus Coleman “Who Is The Governess?” – I’m not certain if I’ve ever heard a record quite like Nimbus Coleman’s. In terms of structure, it recalls Guided By Voices’ Alien Lanes – many short songs which mostly sound incomplete on their own, but flow together cohesively as an album. That’s where the GBV similarities end, though. Coleman favors very crisp production and clean sounds, and much of the album has a lazy, easy going island sound tweaked by strange song structures and unexpected stylistic tangents. Imagine the world’s strangest island cruise bossanova band, and you’re halfway there.

“Who Is The Governess?” opens the album with an opening twenty seconds which comes as close to sounding like Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine as anything I’ve ever heard, but then settles into a soothing bass-and-bongos groove with pleasantly oooooh-ing vocals.

Readers should note that Nimbus Coleman’s record is a self-released solo home recording, and it is not yet commercially available. If you are interested in hearing the rest of his album, please write him at nimbuscoleman @ yahoo.com

Headman “So Then” – This is a song I’ve been meaning to post for a little while now. Fans of the DFA should love this, since the live post-punk/disco aesthetic is about the same. It’s a pretty simple track, but it once you get into it, it is unstoppable.

Sorry, My Cat Was Playing With My Dreads

“The Angry Mr. Bungle Fan” – This skit is taken from the September 25, 2001 episode of the Best Show On WFMU. Andrew Earles plays an obnoxious Mr. Bungle fan who calls in to harangue Tom Scharpling after he puts down Frank Zappa on the air. Earles’ character is a pretty vicious and disturbingly accurate parody of a rather ubiquitous type of music fan that I’m sure all of you have come in contact with at some point in your lives, most likely in college. “You’ve got to respect what they’re doing!”

MIA “Galang” – This is for everyone who missed this song when Gabba / Pod posted it a while back. This 12″ has been pretty popular in the UK dance circles, but hasn’t yet been released in the United States. It’s a pretty interesting and catchy mix of hip hop, dancehall, and electro textures. It may sound a bit harsh at first, but it’s a lot of fun.

Pacing Through The Flickering Light

Squeeze “What The Butler Saw” – This is an obscure song by a band whose catalog is mostly out of print due to the world being a cruel and unfair place. “What The Butler Saw” was the b-side to one of Squeeze’s biggest hits, “Pulling Mussels (From The Shell),” and has since been released on the UK import-only Excess Moderation compilation. It’s unfortunate that this song is so rare, because it is easily one of Squeeze’s finest compositions, with its gracefully thumping rhythm and elegant refrains. According to the Squeezefan website, the song was omitted from the Argybargy album at the insistence of their manager Miles Copeland, who felt that the song was too Barry Manilow-ish.

I swear, someday I am going to post a full week of Squeeze songs just to fuck with all of you.

Gina X Performance “X-Hibitionism” – This is taken from the German singer’s 1978 LP Nice Mover, which has become a cult classic for fans of icy, decadent electronic pop. “X-Hibitionism” has a nice, slow minimal groove with strange, distinctive vocals celebrating narcissism, voyeurism, and yes, exhibitionism.

What’s The Fifth Movie?

Let’s play a game.

From the new issue of Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve:

Ben (the manager of the movie theatre): Gene, this is Autumn. She’s just starting today.

Ben: Gene! Let’s try not to scare her off on her first day, okay?

What do you think the fifth movie on Gene’s list was going to be?

Give Me A Contract, Give Me A Sign

Lio “Banana Split” – This is the 1979 debut single by Portugeuse-born Belgian singer Lio, who was only 17 years old at the time of its release. The song is bubbly and infectious, and became a huge hit in France and Belgium. Fans of vintage synths are going to love this – it has that late 70s/early 80s sound that has aged a lot better than the more cheesy sounding synths that were more ubiquitous in the mid and late 80s. File under: New Wave Bubblegum Joycore.

The Chap “I Am Oozing Emotion” – This frantic, jumpy bit of electronic rock is taken from The Chap’s recent EP (Hats Off To) Dror Frangi. There’s an incredible physical quality to this song; it makes me move faster whenever I hear it, and I can’t sit still while it’s on.

It Was A Heavy Atmosphere

Mellow “It Was Raining” – I feel some need to apologize for the number of obscure import-only releases that I’ve been posting lately. It’s unintentional, I promise. I’m not trying to make finding the records overly difficult for you. Mellow’s new album Perfect Colors is currently only available on French import, which I suspect may change in the near future since there are Radiohead and Air fans all over the world who would love this record. “It Was Raining” is a moody, sleepy number with layers of gorgeous overdriven keyboard textures and a main chord progression that I recognize from somewhere else, but cannot place.

Shrag “Punk Grammar” – This is taken from a compilation called Under The Beach, A Heart Attack, which was put together by the men behind the Brighton club night It Came From The Sea. It Came From The Sea’s aesthetic is not far off from that of this blog, and so if you’re in England, it is a must to check out these parties. Shrag is part of the local Brighton scene, and as far as I know, this is their first official release. It’s a fun bit of electropop/punk with cute, shouty vocals about verbs, adjectives, and infinitives. RIYL: Chicks On Speed, Bis.

Also: Paul over on The Rub has the brand new Janet Jackson single “Love Me For A Little While,” which is absolutely poptastic and is not to be missed. It sounds a bit like Janet was trying to make her own “Hey Ya” kind of song, and it works. It’ll be stuck in your head all day long.

We Had No Conception, Coming Out Of Nowhere

J.O.Y. “Sun Plus” (DFA mix) – This song is just…wow! The DFA strikes again; this time lending their signature sound to a track featuring Yoshimi of the Boredoms. It sounds almost like a Slits song turned inside-out, if that makes any sense. Mp3 removed at the request of DFA.

People who missed out on the mp3, but still want to hear the J.O.Y. song can listen to it in the archive of this week’s episode of Brian Turner’s show on WFMU.

X-Wife “Eno” – This is a selection from the Portuguese band’s debut album Feeding The Machine, which is only available in Portugal at the moment. Though the band is signed to an EMI label in Europe, some smart label should find a way to put out the album in North America, because I imagine that this could go over very well right now. They are sort of like a stadium rock Clinic, or a more keyboard-heavy version of The Clean. They definitely have a bit of that New Zealand sound to them, which makes me wonder if that’s their own quirk, or if a lot of other Portuguese bands are like this.

Make Me A Killer Addict

The Bumblebeez “Fluffy White Rabbit” – This is taken from the Australian group’s new EP Red Printz, which is an odd mix of lo-fi indie hip hop, electro pop, and punk. They’re sort of like the Australian Beastie Boys, but with a distinctly contemporary sound. “Fluffy White Rabbit” is the highlight of the EP, but “Pink Fairy Floss” is definitely worth tracking down.

Love Is The Blood Of Destruction “I Kissed A Ghost” – This is a selection from the recent Electroclash Vol. 2 compilation. Don’t let the name of the compilation fool you, though – this song isn’t quite “electroclash” so much as it is electro goth. I feel like I should be dressed up like Azrael Abyss when I listen to this.

Also: Sean over at Said The Gramophone has the new Modest Mouse single “Float On,” which I strongly recommend trying out. Modest Mouse can be a very frustrating band, since their material is often either mediocre or stunning, with almost no middle ground. “Float On” certainly falls into the latter category, and could be their best song to date.

Please note that despite a false start last week, Freaky Trigger’s new MP3 blog Pop Nose is up and running.

Too Much Of Anything Makes You Nutty

Northstar “Duckie” – These are the RZA’s new L.A.-based protégés, and officially the first West Coast Wu Affiliates. The record isn’t bad, but only offers a few highlights. The four RZA-produced tracks are fine, but somewhat less interesting than the tracks by Armand Van Helden (!) and RZA understudy Mathematics, who produced “Duckie.” “Duckie” is a good representative of Northstar’s strengths – light-hearted, melodic, vaguely old-school rhyming pitched halfway between West Coast and New York traditions.

TV On The Radio “The Wrong Way” – Since I was not impressed by their debut EP from last year, I was a bit resistant to giving TV On The Radio’s forthcoming LP Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes a chance. Overall, I’m still not sold on the album, but “The Wrong Way” has won me over after several listens. It reminds me quite a bit of Suicide, and not just because of the chugging bassline and the singer’s vague similarities to Alan Vega. Like the best Suicide tunes, “The Wrong Way” evokes a seedy after-hours urban atmosphere that is as romantic as it is anxious and discomforting.

You Were Dressed Like A Punk But You Were Too Young To Remember

Belle & Sebastian “I’m A Cuckoo” (Avalanches remix) – This doesn’t sound much like how you might expect it to – rather than being a dance remix, this is a reworked version of the song with Stuart Murdoch’s voice paired with a Sudanese band from Melbourne. Essentially, it’s Belle & Sebastian gone world music. It works for me; I prefer the song with this rather joyous arrangement to the Thin Lizzy-aping album version.

Fox and Wolf “Youth Alcoholic” – This infectiously cheerful retro-80s dance pop tune is from the Swedish/Norwegian duo’s debut EP, which is apparently only available in Norway.

Sorry for that half-assed write-up, by the way. I’m a bit preoccupied today.

Caught Up In Your Winter World

Lou Reed and John Cale “Waiting For My Man” (live at the Bataclan, 1972) – This stripped-down acoustic guitar and piano arrangement of the Velvet Underground classic is taken from the newly released Bataclan 72 live album, which is notable for being a one-off reunion of John Cale, Lou Reed, and Nico. The three play several VU songs along with selections from their solo albums, all with similarly low-key arrangements, making the record come off sort of like the Velvet Underground Unplugged.

Rekindle “Ice Skating Girl” – This reminds me quite a bit of Max Tundra’s last record, but more twee and pop, like a halfway point between Kindercore and the Neptunes. This is taken from the compilation Channel 2: A Compilation Of Output Recordings, which also includes songs by other Fluxblog favorites such as LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Playgroup, and Colder.

Also: How Fluxblog, Said The Gramophone and ILM‘s Rough Guide threads can help you to “fake music insider status in a hurry.”

Kisses For The Lasses

Clouddead “The Teen Keen Skip” – Simply put, this was not at all what I expected from a new Clouddead record. On their new record Ten, Clouddead wisely plays up its strengths (odd structures, unlikely samples, pleasantly awkward arrangements) while keeping their flaws (godawful attempts at rapping, annoying voices) in check. Indie rock sing-song suits their voices far better, and the psychedelic touches are inspired. It’s a peculiar record, combining undie hip hop with a mix of Warp Records and Elephant Six aesthetics.

“Change Clothes” (Grey Album version) – This is part of DJ Dangermouse’s The Grey Album project, which is one of the most ambitious and cringe-inducingly obvious bootleg/mash-up projects to date. DJ Dangermouse combines a cappella’s from every song on Jay-Z’s The Black Album with tracks derived from the music of The Beatles’ The White Album, with mixed results. On the worst tracks, the backing music fails to match Jay-Z’s vocal flow, and sounds overly glitchy and amateurish like a second rate Def Jux production. When the music does come together, as on the mixes of “December 4,” “What More Can I Say,” and “Change Clothes,” it’s nothing more than an interesting remix that doesn’t come close to the original arrangement.

Also: Scissor Sisters fans should check out the new PopJustice interview with Jake Shears.

My Head Goes Clear

Tussle “Don’t Stop” – This is from the new 12″/CD EP of the same name on Troubleman United. If you’re into the sort of stuff that DFA and !!! have been putting out, or their antecedents like ESG and Liquid Liquid, then this should be right up your alley. In spite of what the Troubleman and Other Music sites may have you believe, it’s not exactly the most original or wildly creative thing in the world, but it definitely works.

Helium “What Institution Are You From?” – Inspired by this ILM thread, I’ve been revisiting Mary Timony’s back catalog throughout this past week. I was a big fan of Helium in high school, and unlike a lot of the music that I was heavily into back then, my love for that band has only increased over time. “What Institution Are You From?” is taken from the Superball + EP, and is a fine example of the band at its mid-90s peak. If you’re new to Helium and want to hear more, you should certainly buy the album The Dirt Of Luck, which I believe is one of the best indie rock records of the 90s.