Fluxblog
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.



August 3rd, 2009 9:51am

Is It The Music That Connects Me To You?


Scissor Sisters “Paul McCartney”

I think of “Paul McCartney” as being the theme song of this site, as it gets closer to the heart of why I do this than anything else I’ve encountered. In the tune, Jake Shears sings about meeting Paul McCartney in a dream, and listening to his advice and waking up with a renewed sense of purpose. In other words, it’s about the love and inspiration we get from people we do not know, and how what we take away from art is often just as crucial to our lives as our relationships with the people we do know.

Above all other things, art is communication. For the artist, it is a way of expressing thoughts and sentiments that are not always best suited to the context of conversation, and for the audience, it is a way of understanding other people’s lives. Sometimes we relate, but that’s not always the point. When art is great, it clarifies our thoughts while bringing us closer to something outside ourselves. It enriches our experiences, and opens us up. It challenges us, it provides catharsis, and it reassures us when we’re lost and confused. It’s only natural for us to love the people who make the art that means so much to us — in just the same way that Jake is grateful to the positive influence of Paul McCartney on his life, I am intensely grateful to Jake for writing this song, and for so perfectly evoking the feeling of awakening from a long period of doubt and malaise. Thank you so much, Jake. I’m in love with YOUR sound.

The song also makes me think about you. If you’re reading this, the odds are good that I do not actually know you, but somehow still we have some kind of relationship, and in some cases, it’s quite dear and meaningful. Doing this every day, sharing this music and writing with you, has brought so much good into my life. Virtually everything good that has come my way in the past six years is a direct result of my work here, and it blows my mind. All these people I love, and who love me. All these opportunities, all of this goodwill. It does not always make sense to me, but I could not be more grateful for my good fortune. All I want to do is to create things that mean as much to other people as the art I love means to me. This site is not the only thing I want to do, but I owe so much to it. It’s the music that connects me to you.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 30th, 2009 9:51am

You Are So Beautiful To Us


Múm “Sing Along”

I imagine a lot of the thrill of being a band and going on tour comes from the validation of seeing people respond to your music with a positive familiarity. These are the songs they love, and they’ve come to see you perform them in the hope of some kind of communion with the music, and with you. This isn’t always what happens, though. A lot of the time you’re just playing for people who have no particular interest in you, and you have to try to win them over, and try to get them to sing along to songs they don’t know. This song is specific to this experience, but I think there’s something universal in this as well, at least as much in that we’re all going through life with the hope that people will understand and appreciate us, and even if you go into every experience with the fullest, most hopeful heart, you’re constantly risking rejection and indifference. This is a song about putting everything on the line, and staying optimistic against all reason that one of these days people are going to start singing along with you.

Visit the Múm MySpace page.



July 29th, 2009 8:29am

All You See On The Flickering Screen


Bell “Magic Tape”

All songs are essentially sensory illusions, but there is something particularly chimerical about this composition. It curves and folds in on itself without seeming to break a single straight line like some kind of musical Möbius strip, but there’s also a hint at multiple layers of depth that are not immediately apparent. There’s a sense of physical space at every moment, but it’s difficult to suss out the shape of that space, or your position in it. Nevertheless, the piece does not evoke discomfort or vertigo — on the contrary, the confusion is a pleasurable thing, kinda like the way we go on amusement park rides to simulate sensations we rarely encounter in normal life.

Visit the official Bell website.



July 28th, 2009 8:29am

Black Handprints On The Wall


U-God and Mike Ladd “Lipton”

U-God is man with limited stylistic range and musical utility, but he’s very skilled, and when he finds a track that flatters his deep, rhythmic monotone, he can truly shine. He tends to work well with up-tempo numbers — think “Gravel Pit” and “Cher Chez La Ghost” — and this collaboration with Mike Ladd flatters the same strengths, i.e., the rubber ball bounciness in his voice that seems to spring up off the beat. Ladd’s track is bubbly but butch, contrasting a kooky keyboard vamp with macho shouts and howls to get a sound that evokes a fratboy funhouse without so much ickiness. It’s a little “Louie Louie,” but not nearly as inscrutable — it’s pretty obvious that these dudes are just talking about how much they love to fuck.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 27th, 2009 7:43am

Oooooooo


Like A Stuntman “On Repetition We Are”

Listening to this song on repeat — I know, how appropriate! — and trying to come up with some way to write about it, I realized that the best way to describe it was probably the cheapest, i.e., this sounds like Merry Post Pavvy era Animal Collective attempting to write their own Gary Glitter song. It’s got the simple repetitive hooks, but its stomp and momentum is muted and washed out with quasi-Beach Boys vocalizing and hazy synthesizer washes. The more I hear this song, the more I focus on the oscillating synth tone at the center of the piece, and its odd chilling effect on the arrangement. The composition is dynamic, but that hum makes everything seem frozen and out of time, much in the way a strobe light can make any movement seem slow and choppy.

Pre-order it from Amazon.



July 24th, 2009 8:54am

There’s A Graveyard On Top Of This Town


Lake “Madagascar”

“Madagascar” is adapted from a song called “Batsi Boka” by Ny Antsali, but I have never heard it, nor can I find it online. Nevertheless, it sounds very familiar, and I fall into this groove so easily it seems as though I’ve known it for most of my life. I suppose that either way, that feeling is the point — you float and drift along with it. You let it in, it eases you up. You pay too close attention, though, and you notice the melancholy in the lyrics, and the relaxed vibe starts to feel more like resignation, or worse, a very pleasant sort of oblivion.

Visit the official Lake website.



July 23rd, 2009 7:49am

The Only Reason I’m Alive


Pulp “I Love Life”

I’ve been under a lot of stress recently, and very often these days it feels as though I am unhappy about virtually every aspect of my life. Last night I learned of some very bad news that makes everything much, much worse. After taking a brief call from someone who was worried about me, I lied down on my bed with my back flat to the mattress and stared at my ceiling while this song by Pulp played on repeat for at least a half hour. It was the only thing I could do. It helped.

“I Love Life” is a rare and special song, the sort that makes a case for living that is unsentimental and bluntly logical: What else are you going to do? It’s the only thing you’ve got, really. The lyrics deliberately avoid the simple and the saccharine, and that makes it even more affecting, as there are certain truths that just sound better coming from a cynic. Jarvis Cocker is gentle but forthright, and though he is speaking for himself, it comes out sounding like advice for everyone. It starts with a feeling of resignation — “mum and dad have sentenced you to life” — but as it builds, the tone becomes increasingly defiant, til at the end Cocker sounds as though he is literally fighting for his life. The point here isn’t to hold on, but to endure and survive. If there’s any triumph to be had, it’s simply to overcome anything that tries to knock you down and take you out.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 22nd, 2009 5:55am

The Difference Between Us


The Flaming Lips “Convinced of the Hex”

“Convinced of the Hex” bleeps and thuds uncomfortably like a malfunctioning Silver Apples tune, but as mechanical as it sounds, it makes me think of the brain as a wet, throbbing organ running on sparks and jolts. The song’s textures suggest a splitting headache in the bits of grey matter that make you feel lonely, isolated, and trapped, but it also evokes the image of zapped, squishy flesh stuck in the tight, claustrophobic space of a skull. It’s gross, but also sorta groovy.

I am starting to think that my problem lately may be that I have become convinced of the hex. When I hear Wayne Coyne utter that phrase in this context, it sounds damning and vague but entirely correct. I focus on the worst, and make myself believe it. My mind is fogged with bad logic, and I poison myself with misdirected anger. I may be cursed, but increasingly, it seems self-inflicted. How do you become un-convinced of the hex? Wayne isn’t offering any clues here.

Visit the official Flaming Lips site.



July 21st, 2009 8:15am

Tired And Lonely With No One To Blame


Javelin “Tell Me, What Will It Be? (Take Two)”

Javelin is doing at least ten different things in this track to signify “pleasant, lazy rainy day” in my mind, and conveniently enough, it’s raining this morning and thus it feels absolutely perfect in this moment. I have no idea whether this song would feel the same for you, though. It’s hard to say exactly why a lot of these sounds push particular buttons in my mind, or what exactly about, say, this particular organ sound triggers memories and associations that are both weirdly specific and maddeningly vague in terms of origin. So much of how we respond to music is probably tied up in sense memories from our early youth we can barely recall or fully process. Lately I often wonder why, for example, certain types of melodies and textures trigger these Pavlovian responses in me, and turn off others, and vice versa. There are so many artists right now who have these sort of melodies that I can’t deny are melodies, but they do almost nothing for me, the tune just doesn’t register at all. I often think that it’s just that those droney, overly simplistic melodies are not very good, and write it off as “oh, this is for background listening purposes only” but you know, maybe it’s just that I just don’t have the memories required to appreciate it.

Visit the Javelin MySpace page.

Jay Reatard “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”

If someone you knew told you the things Jay Reatard is singing in this song, you’d either do everything you could to talk them out of their depression and negativity, or want to just slap them in the face. Set to music, however, it’s a joy — the concentrated bitterness and aggravation in the lyrics are diluted by the song’s tunefulness, and the overall effect is to use everyday angst as fuel for a cathartic good time. Basically, this is why we have punk rock. Or, at least, the good punk rock. Hardcore generally gets the slap in the face.

Pre-order it from Amazon.



July 16th, 2009 8:25am

If Cupid’s Got A Gun, Then He’s Shooting


Kleerup featuring Lykke Li “Until We Bleed”

Lykke Li sounds tired and numb, maybe sick. She’s singing about love as if it were a poison, and in this case, it may very well be true. Andreas Kleerup’s arrangement is similarly drowsy, but his tones convey more potent emotions, adding layers of gut-wrenching anxiety, restlessness, and melancholy to the bleak lucidity of Li’s performance. It’s a heavy song, and it has the sort of intense gravity that can pull on your mood even if you’re feeling just fine and cannot relate to the situation at all. You’ve been warned.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 15th, 2009 7:43am

That’s Excellent Stuff There


The Chap “Well Done You”

The lyrics sound like something your boss might tell you, or any other authority in a position to give you a compliment without any emotional value. The voice and the sentiment is neutral, but the music is tense and uneasy, and as the song plays out, the words seem increasing condescending and insincere. Perhaps it is not a good idea to listen to music that deliberately instills paranoia, and makes you question the banal kindness of most anyone at all. Surely, it can’t be healthy. Either way, this is quite good. Sinister and slick.

Visit the official website of the Chap.



July 14th, 2009 9:13am

A Gift Given Accidentally


Wilco @ Keyspan Park 7/13/2009

Wilco, The Song / I Am Trying To Break Your Heart / A Shot In The Arm / At Least That’s What You Said / Bull Black Nova / You Are My Face / One Wing / Handshake Drugs / Deeper Down / Impossible Germany / Jesus, etc. / Sunny Feeling / I’m Always In Love / Can’t Stand It / Hate It Here / Walken / I’m The Man Who Loves You / Hummingbird // Heavy Metal Drummer / You & I (with Leslie Feist) / California Stars / You Never Know / Misunderstood / Spiders (Kidsmoke) (with Yo La Tengo) /// The Late Greats / Hoodoo Voodoo

In case you missed it, I already wrote about the new Wilco album here. I’m not going to be talking about any of that today. I did make a point of mentioning the band’s chops and professionalism in that review, and that’s kinda crucial to discussing their live show as well. The difference is, while their precision can seem a bit dry and sterile on record, it’s maximized for beauty and drama in concert, and without any of the band members possessing an over-the-top charisma, they have a very high level of showmanship. You may think “Oh man, two and a half hours of Wilco, that could be kinda punishing,” but the entire duration demands your attention, whether they’re jamming out with Yo La Tengo on “Spiders,” going soft and delicate on “Impossible Germany.”

Wilco “You Are My Face” (Live from Ashes of American Flags)

I adore the lovely drift of these verses, but it would not mean nearly as much as when the tension builds up, tangling into knots, and snapping loose when Tweedy sings “I have no idea how this happens!” You need not understand or relate to any other word he sings in the song as long you connect with that feeling, like being in a daze and suddenly bolting up straight in your seat with what feels like an epiphany, but is much closer to the realization that you’re totally clueless. Then you drift off again…

Buy it from Amazon.

Yo La Tengo @ Keyspan Park 7/13/2009

? / Mr. Tough / ? / Little Eyes / Autumn Sweater / Periodically Double Or Triple / From A Motel 6 / ? / Tom Courtenay / The Story Of Yo La Tango

Yo La Tengo “Periodically Double Or Triple”

I’m going to assume that the songs I didn’t recognize were new ones from the forthcoming record, which sounds like it should be a pretty groovy record for them. I’m rather fond of “Periodically Double Or Triple,” mainly because I like when Yo La Tengo swings a bit, and the songs that allow Ira Kaplan to indulge in this sardonic tone of voice. I’m reserving judgment on this music until I hear the finished product, but I will say this: I will never ever ever ever be bored watching this band perform “Tom Courtenay.” It’s just never going to happen.

Here’s the Matador records website for Yo La Tengo.



July 13th, 2009 8:48am

The Pains Of Daily Life


Julian Plenti “Only If You Run”

1. “Julian Plenti” is Paul Banks, the main dude from Interpol, which is the quickest explanation as to why this sounds so much like Interpol.

2. At the same time, it doesn’t sound quite like Interpol. There is a wider range of sounds on this song, and even more so on the album, and it lacks the sterile formality of that band’s incredibly disappointing third LP.

3. It is difficult to listen to these Julian Plenti songs without getting the impression that the democratic collaboration of Banks’ regular band was holding him back. He might still enjoy working with those guys, but obviously he had some ideas that didn’t mesh with those players for whatever reason.

4. However, the thing is, nothing on this album would surprise you if it was actually credited to Interpol. It’s just more relaxed, and the arrangements are often more colorful and varied in texture. Banks can’t help but to sound exactly like himself — his melodic and lyrical style has become too recognizable, and his voice is too particular to pass for anything else.

5. Banks is very good at conveying a sort of blank sympathy with his voice, and that really comes through in “Only If You Run.” There’s a lot of goodwill in this song, but it is oddly muted. Nevertheless, the feeling rings very true.

6. I smile a bit every time I hear Banks sing that he has “tasted degradation.” This is mostly because I find it very easy to imagine this guy indulging in BDSM, but it’s also because I think of this song by Nine Inch Nails, and picture him with a fancy goblet of degradation at Trent Reznor’s Fountain of Decay.

Pre-order it from Amazon.



July 10th, 2009 8:21am

Any Way You Choose


Julianna Barwick “Choose”

Looping and layering vocal tracks is nothing new, but Julianna Barwick’s compositions are so effective in subtly shifting familiar sounds that the soothing waves of her voice are at once comforting and vaguely alien. There is a strong minimalist influence in her work, and this track in particular sounds like it could be Steve Reich conducting a women’s choir, but the music is not stiff and academic. Quite to the contrary, it is difficult to escape the emotional pull in these songs, even when it is nearly impossible to accurately identify what feelings are being expressed. She’s tapping into something nebulous but potent, primal and mysterious, and you’ll understand it right away.

Buy it from Julianna Barwick.



July 9th, 2009 9:07am

I Don’t Know But I’ve Been Told


Handsome Furs @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 7/8/2009

Legal Tender / Talking Hotel Arbat Blues / All We Want, Baby, Is Everything / Evangeline / I’m Confused / ? / White City / Nyet Spasiba / The Handsome Furs Hate This City / Radio Kaliningrad // Dead + Rural / ?

Handsome Furs “Talking Hotel Arbat Blues”

It’s probably difficult to watch a Handsome Furs show without feeling a bit of envy for Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry: They are clearly doing their favorite thing with their favorite person, throwing themselves fully into the moment and enjoying every second of it. Boeckner’s body language is loose and relaxed, contrasting with the nervous energy in his voice. Perry is restless and spazzy, kicking and falling dramatically through the set, and being about 400% more physical than her task as a keyboard player and drum machine operator requires. The songs and the performances are intense, but in watching the show, your mind doesn’t go to a dark and desperate place. Instead, you just marvel at this couple’s wonderful chemistry, laugh at their banter, and smile when they display a deep gratitude for the very fact that you showed up to see them play in a city with a myriad entertainment options. Not everyone gets to live the dream like these two, but it’s pretty obvious that they deserve it.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 8th, 2009 8:53am

A Hive Of Super-Fit Killer Insects


Chicks On Speed “Girlmonster”

I think that most everything that I love about Chicks On Speed would be the top reasons why most people would find them to be incredibly off-putting: Hooks so aggressively catchy that they may as well be jingles, over-the-top campiness, relentless sloganeering, an unapologetic obsession with modern art and feminism. I’m also rather fond of their voices and the way their accents contrast, particularly in a song like “Girlmonster” that shifts between them at a dizzying pace. You can dismiss this as pretentious fluff, but it’s your loss — if people are going to be so ostentatiously arty, why not also be silly and fun? I love these women.

Buy it from Amazon.



July 7th, 2009 8:45am

Every Day A Different Hustle


Cam’ron featuring Byrd Lady and 40 Cal. “Woo Hoo!”

Cam’ron is on this track, but he’s on a lot of songs, so nevermind him for now — I’m a lot more interested in his guests. Byrd Lady is a young MC from Harlem who is making her recorded debut on this song and the single “Cookies-N-Apple Juice,” and I’m very impressed by her performance on both cuts. Her voice and delivery reminds me a bit of Lil Kim, but she’s clearly her own person, and her verses ring out with a lot style, charm, and humor. She comes on authoritative and strong, but also quite playful, ending on a spoken bit punctuated with stifled laughs that kinda melts my heart. Apparently she’s working on a mixtape right now — I’m definitely interested.

Byrd Lady is followed by 40 Cal., a Diplomats rapper who turns in a vaguely odd verse that bounces between ostentatiously speedy rhyming and moments when he pauses for a few beats before finishing a thought. This is most amusing when he asks “What’s your favorite number?,” and in the few split seconds before giving an answer, your mind just stops cold, thinking “Wait, what is my favorite number? Should I know this? Is this slang? Am I old? Too square? What’s going on?” And then the answer: “40!” Oh, right! Of course. His name is 40 Cal.

Buy it from Amazon.




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