Fluxblog
August 31st, 2009 5:12am

Knock Down The Walls


Felix “Death To Everyone But Us”

Lucinda Chua’s vocal performance on “Death To Everyone But Us” brings to mind the anxious cadences of Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins, but she’s far less exuberant and much more taciturn, coming across rather like someone trying to spit out everything she needs to say as quickly as possible to keep herself from holding back or getting interrupted. I picture her eyes darting around the room, briefly fixing on every odd detail but never making eye contact. Even still, she’s trying to tell you something important — she’s mad at you, she loves you, she’s confused by you, she never wants to be without you. It can be so incredibly difficult to say these things, so nerve-wracking to upset the balance of a positive relationship by mentioning all the things you hate about that relationship. The vocals are all anxiety, but the arrangement is airy and graceful, hinting at self-assurance without necessarily signaling confidence and courage.

Buy it from Kranky.



August 28th, 2009 6:32am

Be In Be Out Be In


Taken By Trees “Greyest Love Of All”

If you know what you want — and most likely, what you want is to be loved — it can be so hard to settle your mind and feel comfortable with what you have in the moment. I do not know what your life is like, but I can think of very few moments in my own in which I’ve been fully satisfied. It’s a horrible pattern, things never seem to line up for me. It is so deeply aggravating, it feels so completely unfair, and it warps my perceptions. “Greyest Love Of All” is about this feeling in some way, this discomfort with circumstances and inability to be pleased with the way things are in the present tense, even if there’s plenty of good in exactly what you have. It’s sung from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in, but I like to think of it almost like a prayer to one’s self.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 27th, 2009 8:40am

Your Love Is Gone But You’re Not Alone


Golden Silvers “Please Venus”

Much like Spoon, the Golden Silvers pair classy, streamlined arrangements with raspy, handsome male vocals to great effect, resulting in elegantly tuneful songs best enjoyed in the wee hours of the night. “Please Venus” is not as danceable as previous singles “Arrows Of Eros” and “Magic Touch,” but it’s a lot smoother, particularly in the way its melody rises and falls with the steady gentleness of waves rolling in along the seashore. Yes, the song is a bit lovesick, but it’s mostly just sweet and groovy — I certainly find it difficult to listen to it without smiling and swooning.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 26th, 2009 8:34am

Best Friends Forever


The Da Vincis “Standing In Line”

“Standing In Line” is not a shockingly weird song, but there are enough unexpected bits in it for it certainly qualify as an unlikely oddity, particularly when you bear in mind that the band is a trio of high school seniors from Mississippi. The track begins with a guy crooning “I took a shower / I went to a movie last night / a woman approached me / and we became bff’s that night / best friends forever, that’s what we became that night” like a teenage Morrissey with a stuffy nose, and then it only gets more peculiar from there, with its farfisa lounge groove shifting into a series of darker tangents. The novelty does not entirely wear off, but as it becomes more familiar upon repeated listening, the internal logic of the band’s aesthetic decisions is more apparent, and it starts to seem more sensible than strange.

Buy it from Olympic Records.



August 25th, 2009 9:40am

Takes Me Everywhere


The Brunettes “Red Rollerskates”

I think this is meant to be a pleasant and perky song, but despite the happy subject matter and cheery synthpop flourishes, it comes out feeling rather antsy and melancholy. This isn’t a bad thing — if anything, it implies a perspective on the moment that adds a bit of depth to a lyric that would otherwise seem entirely cloying.

Visit the Brunettes MySpace page.

Blondes “Spanish Fly”

I’ll be very honest with you: It can be very difficult to write about this sort of ambient electronic music, even when it has melodies and rhythmic shifts. Part of the appeal is that it lets my mind rest, and it sounds best when my thoughts are thin and clear. I will say, though, that for whatever reason, this track makes me want to dine at a very nice restaurant. I’m not even sure why, but it makes me want to eat very clever food. Someone showed me a menu yesterday that included gazpacho served with a dijon mustard ice cream. That would be just lovely paired with these tones.

Visit the Blondes MySpace page.



August 24th, 2009 9:13am

You Choose To Move Slow


Canadian Wildlife “Winter’s Moon”

It may be odd to be listening to this very autumnal/wintry song in late summer, or it could just be wishful thinking on my part as I’m pretty ready to move on to the next season, or fast forward straight to the dead of winter. That’s where this song is — you can nearly feel the bite of frigid January air on your skin in the negative space between Jennifer Mecija’s spectral piano chords, the bright notes evoking white and yellow lights illuminating the blue-black cast of the early evening. The melody is rather sad, but Mecija’s small, girlish voice sounds calm and hopeful, particularly as she harmonizes with herself on the chorus.

Buy it from Friends In Bellwoods.

Electric Six @ The Temptress 8/20/2009

Formula 409 / Feed My Fuckin’ Habit / Be My Dark Angel / Down At McDonnellzzz / She’s White / Randy’s Hot Tonight / Watching Evil Empires Fall Apart / Improper Dancing – Never Tear Us Apart / Danger! High Voltage / The Future Is In The Future / Your Heat Is Rising / Dance Epidemic / Gay Bar / I Buy The Drugs / We Were Witchy Witchy White Women // Gay Bar Part II / Germans In Mexico

This was the third summer in a row that the Electric Six have played aboard a small cruise ship in the Hudson River, and well…I don’t need to get into it too much. Just like the two previous years, it was a very wild and rowdy gig, the band rocked hard, and Dick Valentine was hilarious. If you’re into the band already and were not there, you should be jealous. If you don’t care about the band at all, I’m getting tired of trying to convert you. But if you’re curious, you can always check this out.



August 20th, 2009 8:32am

Equally Elegant And Ugly


Wild Beasts “Hooting & Howling”

As per usual, the most fascinating and alluring thing about this Wild Beasts song is the vocal tone and mannerisms of Hayden Thorpe. The man sings like a street tramp affecting the style and grace of an opera diva, resulting in songs that are at once disarmingly beautiful and disorienting in their outright weirdness. As the band have progressed, they’ve gravitated toward a spare, romantic guitar style that makes them sound like something an alternate universe version of ’80s U2 in which The Edge is forced to reckon with serving the aesthetics of a silly, foppish oddball rather than the world-beating earnestness of Bono.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 19th, 2009 9:05am

You’ll Know It’s Yours And No One Else


Washed Out “Feel It All Around”

I’m not sure whether or not the background hum in “Feel It All Around” is actually a sustained sample from 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love,” but either way, the sound effectively places this song in the same emotional spectrum while carving out its own niche of muted, shell-shocked melancholy. The genius in this music, however, is in the way this lovelorn state is presented with a cool, dispassionate front of someone who has either become deliberately numb, or is in very deep denial about their pain.

Visit the Washed Out MySpace page.

Grooms “Dreamsucker”

The guitars here trade off between mellow arpeggios and blasts of distortion, and so we’re in well-trod and comfortable territory, particularly if you’re into Sonic Youth and more guitar-centric post-rock bands like Gastr Del Sol and Dianogah. The thing that makes this track really pop, though, is in the way the percussion and vocals build up this fidgety, wired feeling, like you’re literally shaking from too much caffeine, but you’re still a bit sleepy and/or lost in some sort of mental fog.

Visit the Grooms’ MySpace page.



August 18th, 2009 9:04am

Death Is Not The End Of This Song


YACHT “The Afterlife”

I’m not sure what Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans know about life after death, but I’m reasonably certain it can’t be all that much more than what you and I understand or believe. Nevertheless, Evans delivers her pronouncements with a dry authority that is just pushy enough to make you at least consider her notion of existence beyond the flesh as being something akin to a spiritual encore or a celestial after-party. Other danceable songs with a similar theme may try to oversell the message with a more joyous and reassuring sound, but YACHT instead go with a comfortable, groovy emotional neutrality that just sorta says “Hey, take our word for it and cool out, okay?” Okay.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 17th, 2009 8:26am

The Habits Of Your Mind


Animal Collective @ Prospect Park 8/14/2009

What Would I Want Sky / My Girls / Who Could Win A Rabbit / Summertime Clothes / Slippi / Chores / Daily Routine / Bleed / Fireworks / Brother Sport // Lion In A Coma / Guys Eyes / Leaf House

Animal Collective “Brother Sport”

I am not sure what I thought this show would be like, but I definitely did not expect it to be anywhere near as fun as it was. I believe that a lot of my enjoyment was a direct result of being up in the front, surrounded by people in their very early 20s who were so cute, silly, and guilelessly enthusiastic about the band and their music that it was impossible not to throw yourself into the experience with an equivalent level of joy and excitement. I had previously harbored the suspicion that AnCo fans were among the most obnoxious people in the world, but now I just want to see everything with these kids.

The Animal Collective come off badly when filmed. The songs seem sloppy, sometimes outright butchered, and it’s hard to get a feel for what the guys are doing, or what they are even shooting for in terms of aesthetics. It makes perfect sense in person, though. It’s part hippie singalong jamboree, part “experimental” happening, and occasionally something akin to straight-up electronic dance music. They mainly play electronic instruments, but they avoid and/or rebel against sterile programming, doing as much as they can to feel loose and unpredictable despite the nature of their instruments. They’re not the first band to attempt this sort of thing — their opening act Black Dice was essentially a dire worst-case scenario — but they may well be the best, and by far, the most melodic. This music connects because the band have a gift for writing tunes that shines even when they’re doing their best to obscure it. Unsurprisingly, the audience responds best to the songs with the boldest tunes — the straight-up synthpop of “Summertime Clothes,” the overwhelmingly lovely harmonies of “My Girls” and “Guys Eyes,” the playful dizziness of “Leaf House,” and the life-affirming euphoria of “Brother Sport.”

Even when the band are very inscrutable and perverse, the music conveys a very genuine love and empathy, and a total lack of cynicism. This may sound horribly corny to some of you, but just hearing some of these songs is like getting a big hug when you desperately need it, and in the context of a concert with a dancing, singing audience, that feeling is even more intense. Halfway through this show, I got some very bad news. I couldn’t have been in a better place for that moment. Yes, I was kinda lost through “Daily Routine” and a bit dazed for “Fireworks,” but “Brother Sport” was precisely what I needed, and in paying attention to the lyrics now, shockingly literal in its relationship with what I am actually experiencing.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 14th, 2009 8:52am

Fluxtees Update!


As of right now all of the t-shirts have been mailed out. Depending on where you are in the world, you should have yours by the end of next week. If you do not have yours by then, contact me asap. Most of you should have it by now. Sorry that it took so long to get this all together — I’m only one man, and I ran into a lot of problems along the way.

If you missed your chance to order a shirt the first time around, I have some extra stock available now — S, M, and L in the cartoon design, and S, M, L, and very few XL in blue. It would not be a bad idea to email me to check to see if your size is still available before making a purchase, to avoid problems if I’m all out. If you live in the US or Canada, you can order one here, and if you live anywhere else, PLEASE use this page. I lost about $100 in profit shipping to non-North America customers who didn’t pay for international shipping. It kinda sucked, I won’t lie to you. But yes, Fluxblog t-shirts are still available for a limited time. Please consider buying one.



August 13th, 2009 9:48am

My Blonde Curls Slice Through Your Heart


Bat For Lashes @ Webster Hall 8/12/2009

Glass / Sleep Alone / Horse & I / Tahiti / Siren Song / The Wizard / Two Planets / Sad Eyes / Traveling Woman / What’s A Girl To Do? / Pearl’s Dream / Prescilla // Good Love / Moon & Moon / Trophy / Daniel

Natasha Khan is so naturally gifted as a singer that her technical skill seems entirely effortless, leaving you to focus on how fully she commits to throwing herself into the emotion of her songs, and the visual aspects of her performance. Truly, this is the sort of artist who works up to a standard that makes a vast majority of her peers seem like unimaginative slackers, or just outright untalented. I can understand why this music is not for everyone, but when artists working on this level of craft exist, it’s hard to grasp why so many would prefer amateurism, as is so often the case in the indie world.

Bat For Lashes “Siren Song” (Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 2009)

There are two ways to be emotionally devastated by this song: You can either relate to the character singing the song, and identify with the self-loathing that comes out of the conflict of wanting true love and affection despite a restlessness that makes it impossible to commit for long, or you could see yourself as this woman’s victim, and imagine this horrible bait-and-switch scenario as a bleak romantic inevitability for yourself. For me, it is the latter, and the thing that guts me most is that this isn’t some manipulative, creepy, sociopath thing — she feels sincere, sweet, genuine love for this man, but cannot stop herself from being selfish or self-destructive. To a certain extent, this is self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps on both sides — one person convinced that they can’t control their impulses no matter how unhappy it makes them, and the other no doubt feeling as though they’re just not good enough and unwilling to fully buy into this whole “it’s not you, it’s me” line, no matter how many times she swears that she is evil.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 12th, 2009 8:25am

There’s No Glitter In The Gutter


Metric “Twilight Galaxy”

Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you’re indulging in self-defeating behavior, and that you could have it so much better if you just…stopped. That’s about where the sentiment of the song ends — you realize that you’ve been doing the wrong thing, think about doing the right thing, and well, who knows what happens next? It’s all in the moment, this extended present tense, and despite the potential to be quite anthemic, it stays small and intimate, and Emily Haines plays it dry and matter-of-fact. That may be the only way to sell the line that totally slays me, though: “Did I ask you for attention when affection is what I need?”

Buy it from Amazon.



August 11th, 2009 8:15am

If A Man Is Considered Guilty For What Goes On In His Mind…


Prince “Electric Chair”

In the past few days there have been at least three occasions in which I have experienced a moment of paranoia that people in my immediate vicinity were capable of reading my mind. It only lasts for a few seconds, but in that time the existence of telepathy seems entirely plausible, and the fear that anyone could have this psychic gift is quite valid, especially if you happen to be thinking horrible, hateful thoughts or something that could hurt another person’s feelings.

Even if this is a little weird, I’m not too concerned about it, and I’m reasonably certain I’m not on the path to, say, full-blown schizophrenia. This is most likely the result of a) reading X-Men comics since I was five and b) an overactive sense of guilt. In the case of the hateful thoughts, the possibility of transparency is mortifying — it’s bad enough to know that I can be so angry and bitter about specific people, I don’t think I could handle strangers being privy to that sort of thing. The paranoia seems more like taking a rational outside perspective on my own train of thought, and thinking “Oh, you’re really going to be so petty, even in the privacy of your own skull? For shame.”

In “Electric Chair,” an absolutely brilliant song made woefully obscure by its inclusion on the Batman soundtrack, Prince imagines a hypothetical scenario in which his private thoughts are held up to both public scrutiny and the law of the land. In this case, it’s a matter of revealing his methods and intentions — he’s been using a girl’s friend to get closer to her, hoping to make his move. In terms of 80s Prince songs, this is not all that scandalous, but the chorus hits this sweet spot of nagging guilt for using people and utter shamelessness about his desire. He’s playful and coy, but he’s not messing around here. This is a by-any-means-necessary situation for him, and he’s not about to apologize for his intensity.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 10th, 2009 1:51pm

Looking For Cartoonists


There is a fiction project that I have been working on for a while now, and after some time trying to work out the best way to tell the story, I have settled on the notion that I want it to be a comic book, ideally an episodic series that can be collected in either a set of paperbacks, or a single large volume. There is a problem, though — though I actually can draw, my skills are not up to level demanded by my own story, which requires an ability to draw a variety of vivid scenery. I would love to find a cartoonist/illustrator to collaborate with on this, but I do not actually know anyone who is capable, available, and interested in working on a pretty huge project with me.

I’m open to a lot of different styles as long as it can service the story. Maybe you are that person, or you know them, and can pass this along. I don’t know what to expect, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by my audience in the past, so I may as well bring it up here, right? Not a lot to lose. I don’t want to publicly divulge too much information about the concept and plot, but I think it’s unlike anything else that’s been done in the medium. It’s a romance/comedy/adventure with themes about class, self-perception, and the ridiculousness of abstract disdain. Some good reference points for the project include: Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim books, Whit Stillman’s three films, 30 Rock, New York Magazine, New York City in general, Gossip Girl, Jonathan Fire Eater’s album Wolf Songs For Lambs, and “AT&T” by Pavement.

I have total faith in this material, and there is absolutely nothing I’d rather do than execute this project with someone eager to make something truly wonderful. If you’re interested, let’s talk. I want to be very clear: If we did this, it would be a co-ownership thing. I’m not looking to fuck anyone over.



August 10th, 2009 8:57am

Two In The Jukebox


Cornershop “Who Fingered Rock ‘N’ Roll?”

Tjinder Singh writes rock and roll music from an outsider’s perspective and with an insider’s knowledge, resulting in these delightfully meta songs that somehow fuse a wry cynicism with the wide-eyed joy of fandom. “Who Fingered Rock ‘N’ Roll?” is a bit vulgar, but it’s also gleefully reverential, and whole-heartedly embraces the notion of getting the band back together and hitting the road to rediscover all the old thrills. Of course, that’s just what Cornershop are doing right now, and it just wouldn’t be them to not foreground that narrative with a bit of a smirk.

Buy it for way too much money from Amazon.



August 7th, 2009 9:28am

All My Dreams Reminisce


Neon Indian “Deadbeat Summer”

I am so bored with fake lo-fi. There is no good reason for anyone to deliberately make their music sound cheap and weak these days, and it mostly just seems like a tactic to distract the listener from sub-amateur songwriting and poor musicianship. “Deadbeat Summer” is a rare exception — not only is it a very strong song, but the tune is actually improved by the hazy, woozy production style. It’s like tenth-generation romance – nostalgia faded out from endless dubbing, far removed from the source, but still vaguely magical.

Visit the Neon Indian MySpace page.



August 6th, 2009 10:08am

Codes and Clues


St. Vincent “Just The Same But Brand New”

…and then, suddenly, you snap out of it. You’re still the same person, but everything in your head has shifted. You’re either new, or normal again. Same difference, maybe. You’re exactly like yourself, but as seen through someone else’s eyes. They forgive your flaws in ways that you cannot, and are far more generous in their estimation of your strengths. You’re skeptical, just a little bit, but willing to believe that they are right about you. It takes this enormous weight off of your shoulders, and with feet firmly on the ground, you nevertheless feel as though you’re light enough to just float away. You’re still the same, and the problems haven’t gone away, but you’re calm and assured. It’ll be okay.

Buy it from Amazon.



August 5th, 2009 9:15am

You’ve Really Got To See What You’re Doing To Me


French Horn Rebellion vs. Database “Beaches and Friends” (The Twelves remix)

Clearly there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen for this song, but it came out quite delicious, so good for them, and better for us. I enjoy the irony in the fact that the first bit of vocals you hear in the song is a guy talking about being nervous because he’s never danced before — there’s virtually no anxiety in this music, and the sleekness of the grooves suggest an entirely effortless grace. Cutting to the chase, I’d just love to have my life feel like this song. Breezy, funky, classy, calm, and ridiculously fun. This is aspirational music!

Visit the French Horn Rebellion MySpace page.



August 4th, 2009 9:14am

I Will Find My Own Fire


Hercules & Love Affair “I Can’t Wait”

I had an epiphany the other day about how feeling impatient and dissatisfied in the present tense only seems to make the things you’re waiting for come to you later than you’d like because it keeps you from focusing on what you need to do to get whatever it is that you want. This song is not about that, though. The lyrics are specific to relationships, and the woman singing is at the point where she just can’t handle waiting around for things to work out with someone that she loves. You don’t get a lot of concrete details here, but even though she seems exhausted and frustrated, I don’t really believe her when implies that she is giving up on this person. If anything, she’s just trying to give herself a break. There’s a lot more love in this song than resignation.

Also, this not a Nu Shooz cover. Sorry!

Buy it from Amazon.




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