She Can Let You Down (Part 1)

There's something about old music that just does me right. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can come close by saying that I find it very comforting. But it's not just comforting--it's something more. It's like a favorite sweater and a good cup of coffee on a saturday morning: warm, well-worn, and cozy.

I wasn't lucky enough to be born to parents with good taste in music, so I missed out a little growing up and have had quite a bit of catching up to do. Every so often, I seem to reach back for something that I've missed. Sometimes I find something cool, sometimes I don't. Either way, I learn something new. One thing I learned recently is that new music is sometimes very good at sounding old. This is good news because, let's face it, some day we're gonna run out of real old music, aren't we?

Yes: Espers, a psych-folk band from Philadelphia, has recently released an EP of covers. The songs are old. The band is new. Blah blah blah. Weed Tree (Locust) is Espers turning it's dark, folky hymns to the past. The covers include songs from Nico, Blue Oyster Cult, Durutti Column, and a few traditionals like “Black Is the Color,” as well as one original song, “Dead King.” Espers do a good job at sounding kind of old already, so songs like the medieval-y traditional “Rosemary Lane,” which makes me feel like I'm at a Reniassance Fair (minus the cleavage and weird sticks of meat), tend to fortify the vibe they're kinda going for. Seriously, this song isn't just old--it's olde:

+ Espers: “Rosemary Lane” [MP3]

Speaking of dark and old, Tarnation was a great band who was a big part of that whole dark, spooky Southern gothic country explosion that happened in a dream I had recently. Seriously, I don't know who you could compare them to, but the mostly female vocals sound a little like the ghost of Patsy Cline's equally talented lovelorn younger sister, Petula. The music is slow, twangy and with lots of reverb and only brightens up occasionally for a few upbeat numbers here and there. This song, featured on both their debut, I'll Give You Something to Cry About (1993) and their second and best album (and first for 4AD), Gentle Creatures, is especially good at sounding old, if maybe at the risk of sounding slightly affected:

+ Tarnation: “Game of Broken Hearts” [MP3]

'Cause She Never Dreams

Whoa. I haven't posted in a while, huh? Don't worry, nothing much has really happened. I'm still looking for a job. It's real fun stuff. (Not really; it's utterly depressing, but I'll spare you.) Otherwise, there's not much more to report. Things could be better; things could be worse. Nothing new there. I've been trying to decide whether I should even bother with this site. It's embarrassingly out of date, for one thing. And well...I'm not sure my heart is in it anymore. Whatever. Who knows. I'll figure something out.

I did get to see the Dirty Three a few weeks back. They were excellent, and the show really gave me a new appreciation. It suited my mood so well it was almost kind of creepy. But it was good. Really good. Would've been even better had they played in my living room. There are quite a few shows coming up that I'd like to attend. Guess we'll have to see if my wallet cooperates.

Upcoming “Jeff” Shows:

10.25.05 - American Analog Set/Verevin @ Chop Suey
10.27.05 - The Decemberists/Cass McCombs @ Showbox
10.30.05 - Broadcast/Gravenhurst @ Neumo's
11.12.05 - Broken Social Scene/Feist @ Showbox
11.15.05 - The Clientele/Radar Bros @ Chop Suey
12.03.05 - Echo & The Bunnymen @ Showbox

I've been without extra money for a while now, but it hasn't stopped me from hearing new stuff (hooray for slsk). I'll post something soon about music stuff. For now, here's a little mix of a tracks I put together in some of my hopeless-est moments as of late. Enjoy.

Sad Bastard Anthology Vol 2: Modest Melancholia
[Deleted]

1. David Pajo: Oh No No
2. Tarnation: The Well
3. Do Make Say Think: The Apartment Song
4. Colin Newman: Alone
5. Malcom Middleton: Loneliness Shines
6. Vincent Gallo: A Wet Cleaner
7. The Places: Program Ten

Here I Am

I'm in Seattle now, living with Wally (my cat) in a 1 BR apartment in Capitol Hill (which is sort of like a less yuppie Dupont Circle, for all you folks back in DC). It's not too bad--I've been getting along just fine, though reality has set in and I am definitely not on vacation. The weather is weird. It feels like Fall already here.

Moving across country has proven to be a pain in the ass, but what did I expect? My Charlie Brown luck was not left behind. But, despite trouble getting back online and issues with my new bank and a few broken dishes, I am settling in pretty ok. I have a bed and a couch and new set of speakers for my stereo. No TV/DVD yet; that will have to wait until after I've secured employment. I made one trip too many to Ikea and dropped a hefty chunk of change at Target for household supplies. Feh.

I've begun to send out my resume, to temp agencies and to a few local companies. Wish me luck. I need to start working again very soon.

I'd planned to write a bit more, about the moving process and my adventures so far, but I'm not feeling up to it. But if you want to check out some photos of my new place, you can do so here.

Last, but surely not least, I just want to say thanks to everyone back in DC (especially my old housemates) for the going away party. It meant a lot. Thanks also to The Antiques for a playing a great little set in my (old) dining room. It was awesome. And many many thanks to Sara for all the help in transitioning to the next phase. You rock.

Here Goes Something...

Packing by Moonlight

Three boxes of books, four boxes of CDs, a few crates of vinyl, and about 30 lbs of DVDs. Approximately 80% of what I own is media. Personal entertainment. Shit to listen to, shit to read and watch. Music magazines. Damn—how many back issues of Tape Op does a guy really need? Or what about the ten yellowed issues of Arthur Magazine? Sure, there's my computer and some music equipment, and of course there are my clothes, but I have so much crap.

I have been selling stuff, too. (Which is a bit unsettling when some of it, like my dumb Ikea furniture, is being sold right from under my ass.) Where's my stuff? Yeah, it's crappy Ikea things and dusty synthesizers I've barely touched in months, but still. Very weird. I'm paring down now. It's more cost effective this way, I suppose.

Oh well, it'll be nice to start over. Maybe I'll get some real furniture this time.

Gimme Shelter

I'm writing this post from tens of thousands of feet in the air, old-fashioned style (on paper), on my return trip from Seattle, currently en route to DC via JFK in New York. I am extremely happy to report that my apartment-finding mission was a success.

After three long days of Craigslist checking, bus riding, walking up and down hills, calling, asking, and being disappointed by no-pet policies and rents just out of reach, I found a place for me and Wally to call home. The apartment is a spacious one-bedroom in a neat building a few blocks off of the main drag in the thriving, fashionable neighborhood of Capitol Hill.

While the location of the building isn't exactly where I wanted to be—I was shooting for closer to 15th Ave., in the more grown-up part of Capitol Hill, rather than Broadway—I can't really complain. Finding an apartment in a strange new city in less than a week's time is no easy feat, but I did it. I fucking did it! And thank god, because I was nearly losing it this week worrying and wondering about my oh so uncertain future and what might happen (or not happen). Now that I found a place of my own, I have one major goal off my back.

With all the running around this week, I didn't have much time for fun. I hardly took any photos. I ate quickly and cheaply. And I made no unnecessary purchases (i.e. records). I was however able to hang out with a few friends. Sara, an ex-girlfriend who has been in Seattle for a while, was kind enough to help me out by letting me use the store she works in as a sort of home base for my apartment search, offering free Internet access and a clean, private toilet. As thanks, I treated her to tasty dinner at Thai Tom over in the U District before heading to the Bus Stop back in Capitol Hill for a beer.

And then last night, after handing over the deposit for the apartment and breathing a huge sigh of relief, Kevin swung by and picked me up from my new neighborhood and we drove out to West Seattle and Alki Beach, both of which I had failed to see during my June trip. It was beautiful and awesome driving along the coast. The sun was setting with the Olympic mountains in the distance to one side and the downtown skyline and Queen Anne to the other. Keving and I chatted as we wound our way around West Seattle and took in the sights. That's when it hit me—I live here now. I'm looking at home. I felt a strange mixture of contentment and anticipation, and I knew I'd made the right choice.

C Ya

Now that the cat's out of the bag at work (and has been for a while—Friday was my last day!), it can now be told: I am moving to Seattle at the end of the month. For those of you who didn't already know, I've been planning this for a quite a while. My trip to the Emerald City back in June was in fact part vacation and part reconnaissance mission. And having checked it out as thoroughly as possible, through my visit, personal recommendations, and reading through several books (namely, this and this), I have decided to give a whirl.

As for my reasons for moving, I won't get into the details. It's just not that interesting. DC isn't doing it for me anymore. That's basically it.
And I picked Seattle because, in all my years as a so-called “army brat,” I never spent any time in the Pacific Northwest. So why not?

I'm flying out tomorrow to find an apartment. I've got three solid days of looking and hopefully securing a place to live and then it's back to the east coast to pack my stuff, sell whatever else I can, and then get the hell out of here on the 1st. Oh, and I guess I've got some hanging out to do before I go. I'm heading to the beach to spend some time with my brother and his family for a few days next week, for one. And then there's the going away party that's supposed to happen here at the house. More on that later, though.

I'm pretty fucking excited—I've never lived in my own place before. And I wanna do it right. It's supposedly a renter's market out there, but they go quick. I have only a few neighborhoods in mind and what I want is pretty specific (old building, 1BR, hw floors, cats allowed, in hip-but-not-too-hip neighborhood). Still, I am cautiously optimistic.

Wish me luck.

With or Without Darwin

Seven Words You Can't Say in Kindergarten [maybe NSFW]

RE: Creationism, intelligent design, etc. Save it for church why don't you? Remember that place? It's God's house. Why, in Sunday school, you can teach kids all sorts of cute fairy tales! Here in reality, on the other hand, evolution—a scientific theory which has about a shit ton of evidence to support it—is what we subscribe to.

Evidence...? I see you're a little confused, my little faith-based friend. Evidence is what people who care about the truth use to support what they believe in and usually consists of things that can be observed and that follow logic and stuff. Shhhh. It's OK. I know it's a lot to take in. You just go on back to pretend land now. (Eat some body of Christ. You look famished!)

I'd much rather discuss a different sort of evolution, anyway. Broadcast, a rock band from England, is set to release their third album, Tender Buttons, on Warp Records September 19th (the 20th in the US). And in the spirit of Karl Rove, the CIA, and matters of national security, the album has been leaked recently. So I've taken a few listens and would like to offer my first impressions to you. Quickly, before there's a cover-up.

For a band who, according to at least few short-sighted individuals, started out as a mere imitation of Stereolab, Broadcast's sound has progressed rather nicely. From the spacey 60's sound of The Book Lovers EP back in '97 to the more electronic, even spacier (dare I say otherworldly) debut album, The Noise Made By People, to their great follow-up album (and best record yet), 2003's Haha Sound, they've been honing their sound ever closer to that wonderful line between synthetic and organic.

It's this balance between warmth and coldness that's kept me interested in the band over the last eight years. Unfortunately for me, with Tender Buttons Broadcast has tipped the scales heavily in favor of an electronic sound. Turns out they are down to two members and the amazing drummer featured on Haha Sound is not one of them. And so goes the aforementioned warmth that was provided by a terrific acoustic rhythm section. What the new album is lacking is what previously gave the buzzing and the bleeps a place to live. Sure there are still some guitars in there. One or two tracks even feature live drums, or maybe what I'm guessing are leftover drum tracks from the sessions of the last record. And one track, the sad and serene “Tears In the Typing Pool,” is mostly guitar strumming and Trish Keenan's lovely vocal melodies. Still, the majority of these tracks feature simple drum machines and square wave synth sounds, a combination which reminds me at times of early Lali Puna or, more accurately, a little group called Tree Wave. Trish's vocals do help a little, of course, but her voice can be pretty cold—almost icy at times. To make matters worse, the band has thrown in a lot more of the digital distortion they're so fond of (see roughly any Autechre record from the 2nd half of their discography).

Don't get me wrong—it's not as if I dislike electronic music. And I don't think this is necessarily a bad album (in fact, it's been growing on me), but I suppose I'm just slightly disappointed by this new direction. It almost feels like a step back in a way. Maybe this is a progression and I'm being too close-minded. At any rate, if this is the sound of progress, I'm not sure I'm ready to move on.

MP3 - Broadcast: “Corporeal”

Closer to home, in a town to my north called Baltimore, there is a band called Wilderness. They released their self-titled debut album, which incidently happens to have been recorded in my backyard (no—not my actual backyard), on JagJaguwar back in July to some critical acclaim. They're being described as sounding like Johnny Lydon fronting Explosions In the Sky or Savage Republic; even the label says so. I can hear the Explosions connection, in those soaring guitars and in the rhythm. But instead of all the snare drumming of EITS, you get lots of tom. The Lydon thing, with vocals that are more bellowed than sung, is there too, and it almost turned me off to this band. On my first listen, I found myself thinking um...you gonna keep doing that? I got over that, though. This record is awesome.

MP3 - Wilderness: “End of Freedom”

Getting even closer to home, there is my new favorite DC band. They're called The Antiques and I'm predicting that they're gonna be huge. OK, maybe not huge, no one can predict that, but they certainly have what it takes to make some noise.

I first heard of them back in January, when I met Gregg (guitar, vocals) and Theresa (keyboards) at a show at 611 Florida. Months passed. I then learned that a friend of mine (John Rickman - Eggs, EBSK) joined the band on drums. This piqued my interest a bit, and I always try to do my best to support my friends' projects, so I made it a point to catch one of their shows. Unfortunately, it wasn't until a few weeks ago when they played a show on the back stage of the Black Cat that I finally really heard them.

And whoa. I've slept on this band way too long. How many shows had I missed? Why did it take me so long to come out and see them? This is what was going through my mind. The show they put on was just great. I was hooked from the first few songs. I'm not sure how to describe their sound, but comparisons have been made to bands like the Smiths and Felt. The guitar is jangly and tremelo-y and the vocals low and almost monotone. The rhythm section is adept—very active basslines and some incredible drumming. [When everything else dropped away during one of their songs at the show and left the bass and drums to do a sort of solo, I almost freaked out and ended up giving a yelp of approval.] The organ sounds of the keyboards compliment everything else nicely, filling out the sound a bit. Man, it's so exciting to hear a band at this stage. They only have a few singles and demos out and have just been playing shows here and there, right around town. Word is they're finishing up work on a new EP which features the updated line-up. Best thing to do is try to catch them live. The recordings I've heard so far don't quite do them justice. Still, check out one of my favorites so far, from their split single with Unlucky Atlas, and take a look at their website and MySpace page for more.

MP3 - The Antiques: “There's Nothing To Explain”

Roberts Schmoberts

Hey Karl, didn't you get The Memo? You did, didn't you, you big fat lying piece of shit...

From today's headlines at Democracy Now!:

Memo Identified Plame as Undercover
Now to the Karl Rove/CIA scandal. The Washington Post is reporting that a classified State Department memo central to the federal investigation into who leaked Valerie Plame's name as an undercover CIA operative contained information about her in a paragraph marked "(S)" for secret. The Post calls it a clear indication that any Bush administration official who read it should have been aware the information was classified. In the memo, Plame is referred to by her married name, Valerie Wilson. Almost the entire memo is devoted to describing why State Department intelligence experts did not believe claims that Saddam Hussein had in the recent past sought to purchase uranium from Niger, as Plame's husband Ambassador Joe Wilson asserted after his fact-finding mission to the African nation. The memo was delivered to Secretary of State Colin Powell on July 7, 2003, as he headed to Africa for a trip with President Bush aboard Air Force One. Plame was unmasked in a syndicated column by Robert Novak seven days later. Prosecutors are reviewing the phone records from that trip and have questioned several of Bush's staffers who were on that trip.

Oh, and here's that Post article. [Login with BugMeNot]

Work Makes Me Do It