Pssst

I'm revamping my blog. I have to learn a little about Wordpress first, but look for new stuff sometime before the end of the year.

It's Like I'm Sayin'

Damn, it's been a while. I've been way too busy to post, I guess. Lots of crap going on lately.

Anyway, if you hadn't already guessed, I'm not updating this blog anymore. I won't be posting here for the foreseeable future.

Though there's nothing there yet (first post: best of's 2006, I will be writing occasionally about music and other media stuff at http://glueslabs.vox.com.

Cheers...

Guitar Girls

It's true--my parents have terrible taste in music. It's something I suffered through as a child. I found myself listening to either the oldies stations (i.e. the same 20 songs over and over), my dad's classical stuff (boring!), or Mom's...*shudder*...Julio Iglesias. There were no classic gems in their record collection--just a bunch of watered-down crap. And if it hadn't been for the guidance my brother provide me, as I discussed in a previous post, who knows what might have become of me.

Even if they had been hip to good music, there's little chance my parents would have been into the Pacific Northwest's minor folkstress Linda Perhacs. Her only LP, Paralellograms (1970), was recently rediscovered after being buried in obscurity through a few reissues, starting with a bootleg CD of the original vinyl released in 2003. An expanded edition, with demos and such (five previously unreleased tracks), was more recently remastered and reissued by Brooklyn's The Wild Places label in 2005. Her gentle, flowers-in-her-hair folk is liberally enriched with psychedelia. There is a somewhat ominous/sinister tone to some of the songs, and except in cases of the few upbeat numbers like "Paper Mountain Man," calling her material "trippy" is neither an exaggeration nor a cop-out. It's beautiful, strange and manages not to verge too close on the hippy-dippy.

Relatively speaking, Bridget St. John is substantially less obscure. Her 1969 debut album, Ask Me No Questions, was the first to be released on the late John Peel's short-lived Dandelion Records label. It was reissued in recent years by Cherry Red, along with her other two albums for Dandelion. With a deep, sort of husky voice which reminds me of the VU's Nico (with less of an accent) and some nimble finger-picking reminiscent of Nick Drake (she was friends with him, apparently), this album is filled with mostly sad songs--the kind of Pink Moon melancholy I prefer in my folk music. There are a few brighter spots, one of which I'm including here, but on the whole the material is wistful and gray. It's perfect for watching those dead leaves blowing down the street in the late Fall.

And then there's the one practically nobody has heard of until just recently. Sibylle Baier recorded an album as a young woman in Germany in the early 70's. It was recorded at her home and never released. As her son states in the liner notes for the first official release of Colour Green (2006, Orange Twin), "Sibylle is a star who chose to shine for her friends and family instead of the whole world." It's a recovered gem of a record, for sure. Soft, lower register vocals (again, a bit similar to Nico) with some interesting phrasings are paired with sparse acoustic guitar. It was apparently written and recorded during a particularly difficult time in this woman's life. This is evident in songs like "The End," which tell stories of loss and the dissolution of friendships. Others like "William" and "Forget About" provide a little comfort and hope in the midst of young Sibylle's confusing discovery period. Most of these songs, intimate and lonely, are reflections on memories, passing time and entering adulthood. Best of all, they exhibit something not often found these days--beautiful honesty.

The Druggy One
Linda Perhacs: "Chimacum Rain" [MP3]

The Sad One
Bridget St. John: "Lizard-Long Tongue Boy" [MP3]

The Lost One
Sibylle Baier: "Forgett" [MP3]

And on it goes, someway somehow...

The only truly good thing about breaking up is the music. Whatever pain and heartbreak you may endure, at least there is an inordinate number of sad, down-on-yr-luck, fuckitall songs out there to comfort you in your misery. And if you're like me, you spend a substantial amount of time wallowing in it before moving on. What better way to wallow and embrace the pain than to throw on some lonely sad bastard shit and wile the night away?

Vancouver, BC's The Organ recently provide yours truly with a fitting soundtrack. The debut album from this female five-piece, Grab That Gun (Mint Records 2004, and Too Pure 2006), borrows heavily from early 80's post-punk and new wave. It's full of energy yet overwhelmingly dark and melancholy. With pronounced basslines, minor key melodies, melodramatic vocals which remind me most often of something like a cross between Morrissey and Debbie Harry, and--yes--a Hammond organ, their sound definitely isn't anything amazing or new. I don't really care, though; I guess it scratches an itch. Those of us who have not yet grown completely tired of this unending 80's revival will find something to like here. There are plenty of hooks, and the vocals add a little something to usually male-dominated post-punk stuff. But mostly it's the feeling.

The song here is included on the album but is a slightly different (and slightly superior) version. I dunno--I've listened to it so many times it no longer makes any sense. How appropriate.

The Organ: "A Sudden Death" [MP3]

Cerulean

In 1991, I was fourteen years-old and living in California with my family. My older brother was back home living with us after completing basic training for the Army Reserves. We shared a room for about a year, and I was given access to his massive tape collection, a blessing which helped foster my ever-growing obsession with music.

It was at this time that I began graduating from my 80's roots. I'd been listening to a healthy dose of some of the more well-known "modern rock" bands of that period for a few years. Bands like The Cure, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, and REM were my musical universe, ever since the same older brother introduced me to a path at least slightly removed from the dark side of mainstream radio with a mixtape of assorted Cure songs (with everything from Boys Don't Cry up to Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me) which he layed on me in the fifth grade. While those bands were certainly a decent foundation, I was naturally starting to want more variety.

So I dove into my brother's tape collection and began listening to some newer bands like Ride, Chapterhouse, and Lush--basically bands in the poppier end of the shoegaze pool and what is sometimes referred to as "dreampop." [It would be several years before I heard MBV and Slowdive, unfortunately.] There was something very fresh sounding about those bands. Effects heavy and with plenty of swirling distortion, it was like nothing I'd heard. I remember walking around my neighborhood listening to Whirlpool on my walkman and being filled with this crazy energy. I was inspired to make a music video for Ride's "Vapour Trail" with my parent's camcorder which consisted of me basically riding around on my bike and shooting the scenery and people in highspeed shutter mode. What can I say? I've always been really into bike safety.

LA's Cerulean reminds me a bit of that time in my musical life. The music of their 3rd album, No Sense In Waiting (2005, self-released) certainly mines some of the same territory of those early 90's bands. And though they tend toward the more compact, song-oriented rock side of things, they do convey a similar vibe. There's not much drifting feedback or jam-y parts going on here. All but one track is up-tempo. On the other hand, the album is laden with overdriven melodies and cascading guitars, with plenty of delay effects. A few even approximate something like the rush I feel when I hear those opening reverbed toms of "Decay," one of my favorite tracks from Ride's Nowhere. My one real gripe is what I can only describe as the somewhat heroic quality of the music and of the male vocals, which I find mildly annoying. That, and the album has a sound that is maybe a little too consistent. Otherwise, this a pretty solid record and well worth checking out. And hey--with all these bands still mining the 80's post-punk/new wave sound, these guys actually sort of sound ahead of their time. What irony?

Cerulean: "In Pictures"

Stop-Gap/Premonition

Hey folks. Just a quick update in lieu of a real post (coming soon!!1)...

First off, did I call it or what? Pitchfork gave the Band of Horses record a glowing review yesterday (along with an eight-point-eight and a "best new music" tag). The significance? Well, lets just say that when I was logged into my favorite P2P app yesterday afternoon, practically everyone downloading from me had Band of Horses queued. I counted at least fifteen or so. I was wondering what the hell was going on, but when I checked Pitchfork it all made sense. I'd had a hunch, and sure enough there it was. Hype machine or not, it can't be denied that those people are tastemakers.

Also, the new Stereolab record, Fab Four Suture, is actually pretty damn good! Listen to "Get a Shot Of The Refrigerator" and tell me it's not bad ass. More of the same is not a bad thing when it's quality stuff.

The French film, Cache, is excellent but very frustrating. A good review can be found here. [Warning: kinda spoiler-y]

New updates coming soon:

Hey, Remember the 90's? - a new band sounds like bands did when I was new to new bands.

Girls With Guitars - a trio of intriguing folky females from the past.

A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock y Roll

Band of Horses is a local Seattle band about to make it big. They recently signed to Sub Pop to release their debut album, Everything All the Time, which comes out on March 21st. While I try never to play favorites when it comes to music (because, lets face it, there's just way too much good shit out there at any given time), I have to admit they are indeed my current favorite band. I just can't stop listening to them.

Solid indie rock (a la its 90's heyday) and lonesome country-ish tunes combine to deliver one of the strongest debuts I've heard in a long time. The midtempo rockers remind me a bit of Built To Spill, especially when it comes to the vocals. Some of the slower, twangy tracks like “I Go To the Barn Because I Like the,” “Monsters” and “St. Augustine” wouldn't sound out place on an Iron & Wine record.

There was a substantial article published in this week's Stranger to coincide with their show last night at Neumo's. I definitely recommend checking that out for a more in-depth look at the band. And you can bet that yours truly was in attendence at the show, but guess what? I was sick with the flu and had to leave after only three songs from Band of Horses because I couldn't stop shivering. Oh, what luck! Anyway, last night was the first stop on tour which will take them through most of the Western half of the country, including a spot at SXSW on March 17th. If I remember correctly, the band mentioned they'd be hitting the East Coast sometime after that. I urge you to see them without a fever.

Since the band's MySpace profile currently features my absolute favorite song from the album, “The Funeral,” here's another song to enjoy, the appropriately-titled album opener.

Band of Horses: “The First Song” [MP3]

A Musical Favor

The release of the new John Fahey tribute album, I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey, has reminded me how little I know about his music. I've only heard a few of his records (namely America and this anthology). So far I am most taken with this track I first heard recently while watching the movie Following Sean. I prefer this to his more bluesy songs. Can anyone recommend other stuff from him in a similar vein?

John Fahey: “Sligo River Blues” [MP3]

Site note: I recently figured out that my site's RSS feed wasn't working. Sorry about that. I switched hosts a short while back and I guess I missed something. Should be good to go now...

Shala-lala-la-la

Yes, I'm still here. I guess writing this crap has taken a backseat to things like work and being social. It's not such a bad thing really. After what seems like one of the rainiest Januaries in Seattle history, we're finally getting some sunny days again. I can't wait for the Spring.

I've been in a real pop phase recently. I'm not completely sure why; I think it has something to do with going through all this change in the past six months or so. After moving to the West coast back in the Fall, I went through a few minor hardships, and I think I needed comforting. That's what I like about good pop music, I guess--it's so damn right. It's like well-made home cooking or a good friend: nice and cozy...inviting. There's still something to be said for that, especially in light of all the awful news these days. It makes things a little better.

Case in point: The Brunettes, a New Zealand band who recently signed to Sub Pop to release their 3rd album, finally calling themselves to my attention. They are a male/female duo clearly (and pretty wonderfully) inspired by 60's girl group. Their music has a weird bent to it, though. At times it's definitely silly and happy, but there's a darkness there too. And they're not so innocent. I like their first album, Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002), a bit better than the 2004 follow-up, Mars Loves Venus. Both records are kinda bubble gum and nearly every song is about love, but the debut has something about it. It's a little weirder, a little more daring. I prefer those moments, rather than the super peppy, hey-everybody-let's-dance stuff.

"Talk to Jesus" [MP3]
"End of the Runway" [MP3]

[Speaking of 60's girl group, I recently picked up Rhino's awesome boxed set, Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found: One Kiss Can Lead to Another. Highly recommended if you like that sort of thing. One minor gripe: it gets my vote for most embarassing packaging ever. Where the hell am I supposed to keep this thing???]

Wonder Katzen

Fans of twisted, subversive comedy take note: The first season of MTV2's often brilliant "kids" show, Wonder Showzen (which I first gushed about here), is set to be released on DVD March 28th according to this and this. I'm psyched, are you? (You sicko creep.)

And if that weren't already enough, there's even better news. According to an interview with (H.) Jon Benjamin on the January 7th episode of the Sound of Young America, Dr. Katz is finally coming to DVD! Benjamin discusses doing the commentary for the Season 1 DVD in the interview, as well as his thoughts on Squigglevision (the style of animation used on Dr. Katz and on the 1st season of Home Movies, another show which features his voice), hosting the ongoing comedy thing Tinkle with David Cross and Todd Barry, and why he doesn't do traditional stand-up. You can hear the unedited Jon Benjamin interview here.

Anyway, this is awesome news for fans of Dr. Katz who have been petitioning for a DVD release for quite a while. My "temporary" copies of the series (previously discussed here), while good for quick fix, obviously can't compete with high quality editions with commentary and all that. I can't wait. [No release date has been set so far, and sites like Amazon aren't yet listing it.]