I think The Hold Steady said to themselves “How do we up the stakes from being a totally kickass band of kickassery to being rock gods?” What they did was cut a track about hooking up in Memphis venue bathrooms [Apparently they’ve never been in a Memphis venue bathroom, ewww. – JD] with Ben Nichols singing backing vocals on the chorus. No, REALLY. I didn't make that up in a haze of bourbon and weed late on Sunday night after ingesting vast amounts of fried chicken and corn pudding.
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Boys and Girls in America is on constant rotation in Casa la HCT. I've mentioned it before, but they are the band that gets the most curious queries of “who's this band?” by drive by weirdos who flutter through the living room (there are a lot of weirdos in the living room on a constant basis). The Hold Steady is pretty much the band I would invent for myself if I was in an actual band. They write songs about being drunk fuck ups whose girlfriends have serious drug problems and name drop Kerouac and William Blake. The fact they are real makes the world a better place.
This band is one of the few that are universally loved by all the HCT ladies. The endorsement is hardcore. GO BUY THEIR RECORDS. [No, really. Drop whatever the hell you’re doing, grab the keys and get thee to a record store. Repay us in drinks later. – JD]
So, a review. I love this record and will listen to it on repeat interspersed with Midtown for the foreseeable future. Sadly, you can't buy it until July 15th, because the world is a sucking void of suckitude, but let me tell you what you're missing!
I listen to my iPod on random, so I miss album construction. If you care about things like that, why are you even reading this? You're too old skool for me. [Back in the day, we had to listen to BOTH sides of a record. There was flipping and everything. – JD]
Let's start with “Slapped Actress” since my iPod just did. The song name drops Ybor City. This was where, on first listen, I just gave up and decided I wanted to blow this record. I'm a native Floridian and love random Florida references in things because that makes everything all about ME. [Ybor where? – JD] [Dude, I hyperlinked it, are you that lazy? CLICK. ~Mimi] Did you eyeball the name of the song? I mean, what about that title doesn't make you want to at least download it and give it a listen? The outro is also this strange a capella WHOA-OH WHOA-OH chorus. Delightful in all ways.
The album overall isn't as frenetic as Boys and Girls In America, but the title track is a beautiful, upbeat ode to living the life (the rock and roll one) and youth culture in the scene from the perspective of an aging hipster. Yeah, being a scene nanny can get old, so thank you for writing an anthem of encouragement for those of us who tend towards misanthropy and cynicism, The Hold Steady. It's like you wrote that just for us.
“Two Crosses” is sort of this band summed up in one song. There's random intellectual garbage “baby, let's transverberate.” Look it up and reflect on the fact this song is a long extended metaphor about Jesus and Peter and an examination of religion from a jaded sort of “blah, this is important, but whatever, I'm hung over” sort of cynical detachment. Yes, I told you this is the band I would make myself! I wasn't being hyperbolic.
I am surfing the internet so you don't have to, and it appears some over the top fans have made a The Hold Steady wiki . Hours of random fun. *clicks the tattoo entry*
“Sequestered in Memphis” not only is about drunken hook ups in venue bathrooms with Ben Nichols on backing vocals (still not over that!!!), but it also has hand-clapping. And a really great use of dual audio where a fuzzy guitar plays in the left speaker and a sharp little riff plays over it at .35. Way to rock the fuck out, dudes!
And if all this wasn't enough, there's a song called “One For the Cutters” [That doesn’t stop being funny. – JD] on this record. I can't tell if this is an intentional mocking of emos, but I will assume it's totally intentional. You know about the Mexican emo riots, right? I find the world endlessly surprising and baffling. Zoot suit riot, omg wtf idek! Since I sort of totally dress like that this is self-mockery, no worries.
So, should you buy this album? I think it's pretty clear I think you should. You should buy the record and join us at Avalon [Where you will buy us all those thankyou drinks. – JD] when they come through LA in July (no Nashville date, boohoo! What the hell? Maybe Cric should call them.) Also buy Boys and Girls In America if you don't have it and do yourself a favor, too cool to be cool hipster. I know all your friends love this band — something can still be cool if everyone knows about it.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Being from Jersey Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
You know how, being cynical, jaded music consumers you expect wanktasticness from pretty much anything sporting the label “cool.” Ok, granted, if you read Pitchfork and take them seriously, maybe you don't get that, but we're assuming you're not that person.
This is from Eyeball Record's website:
To be perfectly honest with you, we don't listen to "all" the demos. Sometimes a band name is too stupid or the band is just too awkward looking and we don't open it. Try not to look like a jerk or name your band something stupid[.]
I want to make out with whoever wrote that. Stop being jerks, dudes in bands—Tampon on Fire is NOT a super rockin' name for your blahcore band. Actually, **** On Fire is played out, just don't do it. None of these words should ever be in your band's name: massacre, rape, cock, anal, or moist (I put that one in for all the moist-haters, a much loathed word.) [Also, try doing your future marketing and PR people a favor by not using the work 'Fuck' in your name. (Do you hear me, Fuck Buttons?) - JD]
Why was I on the Eyeball Records site, you might be wondering. Basically, I'm currently having a very odd love affair with New Jersey. Generally speaking, Jersey is a punchline. It's the Alabama of post-industrialism--shorthand for a concrete and toxic sludge wasteland. Bleak urban/suburban landscapes breed existentialism and disaffection, so it's only natural that Jersey would produce wave after wave of struggling youth looking for meaning beyond the weeds growing through cracked asphalt. If you can't find meaning through bible-thumping old-time religion or surfing, you gotta make it yourself. Poof: instant music scene. Jersey's scene grew organically and with the kind of synergy that happens when a lot of people aggregate and focus on one endeavor. Break out your Misfits t-shirt and shredded jeans, man, we're gonna start a band!
I sound much more flip about this than I actually am. Sometimes when you get a bit too close to your own awkward earnestness, the easiest way to counter that is to be ironic (see: the music industry today, looking at you, Williamsburg.) Lots of screaming over a steady beat and iffy guitar work is my comfort music. I have actually had an earnest conversation over Green Day selling out, and I have seen more than one hardcore kid come near tears over their favorite band signing to a major-backed “indy” imprint.
When we started HCT, the idea was to promote bands people would otherwise probably not hear about because scenes are individual and (frankly) musicians are crap at self-promotion (for the most part.) That was done out of love of the music and an unadorned sentimentality. Stripped down, acoustic music is easier to be effusive over than loud rock music. Very little effort needs to be expended to be overwrought about a singer-songwriter because his heart's on his sleeve, so yours can be too. Somewhere along the way someone started promulgating the edict that anything that can have the “emo” label slapped all over it wasn't worthy of being taken seriously. Really? Why is that exactly, American Apparel-clad hipster? Is it because it hits home a little too hard and you're afraid your friends at the coffee shop might see inside that carefully constructed facade of vegan militantism and vague hauteur? Gimme a freakin' break! Anyone under the age of 50 has been influenced by some wave of punk music, and the names change but the shoes never do. Put on your Chucks and own up to the fact that you, like me, know the words to at least one Green Day song , and we all owe a debt of gratitude to the fine state of New Jersey for holding it down for guitar-string breaking and shredded vocals. [I find it very, shall we say, INTERESTING that Green Day is your example in a post about owning up to liking unhip bands. I'm just saying. - JD] [Everyone knows Green Day, so they are the obvious example of ubiquity. Hrmph.- Mimi]
Don't be ashamed of pop punk just because tastemakers tell you that it's kids' music. Just because a 14-year-old likes something, I shouldn't? I hate to reducio ad Beatlem here, but I seem to recall their demo also skewing young. Viva la Jersey, and check out that Eyeball Records site if you want to hear the next round of bands that are going to get gobbled up by the majors so you, too, can say “I knew them before they sold out!” We all love doing that, just own it.
So, some bands on Eyeball, a review (who knew we did that around here?):
When I opened this window to write this, I expected to like MAYBE one band currently signed to this label, mostly because I'm a jerk and hate everything, but also because I really am a jerk and hate everything. Much to my shock and excitement, I like MORE than one band on the label currently and don't have to pad this out. To be clear, this label isn't a home to a bunch of screamo and grindcore acts (I just included those terms for my friend Fiona who hates niche music terminology). There are a couple of screamy bands, and very little of anything I'd call punk, so don't let my ramblings about pop punk/emo/Green Day confuse you--also, Green Day is not even from New Jersey! My point about Green Day still stands.
E For Explosion: This is a tad bit emo for me, but that could be my mood since its gorgeous outside and I'm looking at huge puffy clouds and wide blue sky listening to lyrics like "I'm still dying anyway." I love that the guy comes right and calls his music shoegaze which cracks me up. He clearly has a sense of humor. I think this is the kind of music that a guy like Pete Wentz would probably write if he dropped all the too-clever puns and just got real with his feelings. There's nothing wrong with liking emo, give this one a shot.
Baumer: Ah, yes, this is more up my alley. (Oh, and they're playing at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville on the 6th, terrible venue for this kind of act...I wish there was a way for bands to know about he venues their bookers are picking for them...wouldn't that be great? See: here soon.) Their press kit compares them to Muse. I guess that's mostly music critic shorthand. I really don't like that whole "if you like X, you'll like Y" style of criticism because usually it's wrong. Music is more personal and unpredictable than that. Listening to this band in light of the Muse remark, I'm trying to ferret out what would make someone say that, and I suppose it must be some of the vocals...and the fact they're a rock band. Fine, they have a couple songs that are Muse-y. Oh, guys, hire me to write your press kit because it really doesn't do you justice. You're much better than comparisons to other bands. The vocals are pornographic in their rich tonality and toothsomeness. This is another band in the current (blissful) trend of layered rock music that is subtler than craptastic, packaged bands like Nickleback, and are face-blowing. This is how highly I recommend this record: I bought it. Yes, *I* paid MONEY for this record. Now, you, too, do the same. (Ok, fine, they sound enough like Muse that if you like Muse you should dl their record.)
Kiss Kiss: Electric violin, screaming, and rock-klezmer. How can you not at least give it a chance? A theatrical act that probably takes a sense of humor combined with a love of the outlandish to appreciate. [Panic at the Disco who? Personally, I think there are more than a few bands that could only be improved with a few classical instruments thrown in their mix. - JD]
Pompeii: There's a girl in this band. Orchestral pop-rock that I will give a few listens before I settle on how I feel about it. Most importantly, there's a girl in this band and now I will address something else they're getting right: their myspace. Their myspace doesn't make me hate them. The background isn't black and the writing isn't blue or purple. The graphic for their album is reflected by the graphic on the header of their myspace. This graphic is simple and eye-catching. There are no dumb flashing lights and seizure-inducing strobing swirlies. Please, for the love of everyone who has to look at your myspace, copy this model. [Ok, just emailed everyone I know in Austin about this band. - JD]
Sleep Station: This one is getting it's own review.
This label comes pretty close to reflecting what would happen if I was given free reign/rein (the usage here is debatable) as an A&R person.
This is from Eyeball Record's website:
To be perfectly honest with you, we don't listen to "all" the demos. Sometimes a band name is too stupid or the band is just too awkward looking and we don't open it. Try not to look like a jerk or name your band something stupid[.]
I want to make out with whoever wrote that. Stop being jerks, dudes in bands—Tampon on Fire is NOT a super rockin' name for your blahcore band. Actually, **** On Fire is played out, just don't do it. None of these words should ever be in your band's name: massacre, rape, cock, anal, or moist (I put that one in for all the moist-haters, a much loathed word.) [Also, try doing your future marketing and PR people a favor by not using the work 'Fuck' in your name. (Do you hear me, Fuck Buttons?) - JD]
Why was I on the Eyeball Records site, you might be wondering. Basically, I'm currently having a very odd love affair with New Jersey. Generally speaking, Jersey is a punchline. It's the Alabama of post-industrialism--shorthand for a concrete and toxic sludge wasteland. Bleak urban/suburban landscapes breed existentialism and disaffection, so it's only natural that Jersey would produce wave after wave of struggling youth looking for meaning beyond the weeds growing through cracked asphalt. If you can't find meaning through bible-thumping old-time religion or surfing, you gotta make it yourself. Poof: instant music scene. Jersey's scene grew organically and with the kind of synergy that happens when a lot of people aggregate and focus on one endeavor. Break out your Misfits t-shirt and shredded jeans, man, we're gonna start a band!
I sound much more flip about this than I actually am. Sometimes when you get a bit too close to your own awkward earnestness, the easiest way to counter that is to be ironic (see: the music industry today, looking at you, Williamsburg.) Lots of screaming over a steady beat and iffy guitar work is my comfort music. I have actually had an earnest conversation over Green Day selling out, and I have seen more than one hardcore kid come near tears over their favorite band signing to a major-backed “indy” imprint.
When we started HCT, the idea was to promote bands people would otherwise probably not hear about because scenes are individual and (frankly) musicians are crap at self-promotion (for the most part.) That was done out of love of the music and an unadorned sentimentality. Stripped down, acoustic music is easier to be effusive over than loud rock music. Very little effort needs to be expended to be overwrought about a singer-songwriter because his heart's on his sleeve, so yours can be too. Somewhere along the way someone started promulgating the edict that anything that can have the “emo” label slapped all over it wasn't worthy of being taken seriously. Really? Why is that exactly, American Apparel-clad hipster? Is it because it hits home a little too hard and you're afraid your friends at the coffee shop might see inside that carefully constructed facade of vegan militantism and vague hauteur? Gimme a freakin' break! Anyone under the age of 50 has been influenced by some wave of punk music, and the names change but the shoes never do. Put on your Chucks and own up to the fact that you, like me, know the words to at least one Green Day song , and we all owe a debt of gratitude to the fine state of New Jersey for holding it down for guitar-string breaking and shredded vocals. [I find it very, shall we say, INTERESTING that Green Day is your example in a post about owning up to liking unhip bands. I'm just saying. - JD] [Everyone knows Green Day, so they are the obvious example of ubiquity. Hrmph.- Mimi]
Don't be ashamed of pop punk just because tastemakers tell you that it's kids' music. Just because a 14-year-old likes something, I shouldn't? I hate to reducio ad Beatlem here, but I seem to recall their demo also skewing young. Viva la Jersey, and check out that Eyeball Records site if you want to hear the next round of bands that are going to get gobbled up by the majors so you, too, can say “I knew them before they sold out!” We all love doing that, just own it.
So, some bands on Eyeball, a review (who knew we did that around here?):
When I opened this window to write this, I expected to like MAYBE one band currently signed to this label, mostly because I'm a jerk and hate everything, but also because I really am a jerk and hate everything. Much to my shock and excitement, I like MORE than one band on the label currently and don't have to pad this out. To be clear, this label isn't a home to a bunch of screamo and grindcore acts (I just included those terms for my friend Fiona who hates niche music terminology). There are a couple of screamy bands, and very little of anything I'd call punk, so don't let my ramblings about pop punk/emo/Green Day confuse you--also, Green Day is not even from New Jersey! My point about Green Day still stands.
E For Explosion: This is a tad bit emo for me, but that could be my mood since its gorgeous outside and I'm looking at huge puffy clouds and wide blue sky listening to lyrics like "I'm still dying anyway." I love that the guy comes right and calls his music shoegaze which cracks me up. He clearly has a sense of humor. I think this is the kind of music that a guy like Pete Wentz would probably write if he dropped all the too-clever puns and just got real with his feelings. There's nothing wrong with liking emo, give this one a shot.
Baumer: Ah, yes, this is more up my alley. (Oh, and they're playing at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville on the 6th, terrible venue for this kind of act...I wish there was a way for bands to know about he venues their bookers are picking for them...wouldn't that be great? See: here soon.) Their press kit compares them to Muse. I guess that's mostly music critic shorthand. I really don't like that whole "if you like X, you'll like Y" style of criticism because usually it's wrong. Music is more personal and unpredictable than that. Listening to this band in light of the Muse remark, I'm trying to ferret out what would make someone say that, and I suppose it must be some of the vocals...and the fact they're a rock band. Fine, they have a couple songs that are Muse-y. Oh, guys, hire me to write your press kit because it really doesn't do you justice. You're much better than comparisons to other bands. The vocals are pornographic in their rich tonality and toothsomeness. This is another band in the current (blissful) trend of layered rock music that is subtler than craptastic, packaged bands like Nickleback, and are face-blowing. This is how highly I recommend this record: I bought it. Yes, *I* paid MONEY for this record. Now, you, too, do the same. (Ok, fine, they sound enough like Muse that if you like Muse you should dl their record.)
Kiss Kiss: Electric violin, screaming, and rock-klezmer. How can you not at least give it a chance? A theatrical act that probably takes a sense of humor combined with a love of the outlandish to appreciate. [Panic at the Disco who? Personally, I think there are more than a few bands that could only be improved with a few classical instruments thrown in their mix. - JD]
Pompeii: There's a girl in this band. Orchestral pop-rock that I will give a few listens before I settle on how I feel about it. Most importantly, there's a girl in this band and now I will address something else they're getting right: their myspace. Their myspace doesn't make me hate them. The background isn't black and the writing isn't blue or purple. The graphic for their album is reflected by the graphic on the header of their myspace. This graphic is simple and eye-catching. There are no dumb flashing lights and seizure-inducing strobing swirlies. Please, for the love of everyone who has to look at your myspace, copy this model. [Ok, just emailed everyone I know in Austin about this band. - JD]
Sleep Station: This one is getting it's own review.
This label comes pretty close to reflecting what would happen if I was given free reign/rein (the usage here is debatable) as an A&R person.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Go and ask the milkman
Look! Real content fair readers, who'd a thunk it? There's a lot of new music for your ears this Spring so here's my take on a few of the offerings out recently.
Midnight Boom - The Kills
More accessible than 2005's No Wow, the third album from native Floridian Alison "VV" Mosshart and London-born Jamie "Hotel" Hince feels like a return to their early garage sound, with a slight detour through Ecclectic Pop Land that steers them away from comparisons of The White Stripes, who they're often pegged as akin to, and more towards early Garbage instead. [Your run on sentences are longer than mine.Impressive. What I have discovered about this chick--fueled by my interest as a fellow native Floridian--is that Discount, Mosshart's previous band, had an EP put out by a pre-Pete Wentz influenced Fueled By Ramen. ~Mimi] [Thank God she got outta that one then. - JD] Tracks like "Cheap and Cheerful" and "Black Balloon" are wildly reminiscent of young Shirley Manson and her band of melancholy men and as far as I'm concerned, that's not a bad thing. Pop eats itself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and it's nice to hear a better than usual blue plate special. [You and your Garbage thing lately. ~Mimi]
Attack and Release - The Black Keys
The one thing anyone calling themselves a Black Keys fan has often pondered is what they would sound like with a full musical compliment. Well, here's your album-shaped answer, with hit and miss results. Produced by Danger Mouse and haunted by the ghost of Ike Turner who was slated as co-collaborator before dying in December 07, Attack and Release has more sound, certainly, but I'm not sure it adds anything to the feel that Dan and Patrick have always been so easily able to convey in their less-is-more way. "I Got Mine" and "Psychotic Girl" are the best examples of this experiment, but tracks like "Remember When Side A" get lost in the samples that sound more like something off Demon Days. I appreciate this album as a fan, but for first-timers, I'd recommend starting with The Big Come Up and working your way through the catalog to this one.
Consolers of the Lonely - The Raconteurs
Welcome to the evolution of Album Rock, folks. Remember listening to Supertramp's Breakfast in America for the first time? [Um, no. ??? Don't make me weep. ~Mimi] Probably not, but Consolers of the Lonely is the evolution of that sound, picking up a little bit of everything that's happened in rock since then along the way. Say what you will about Jack White et al and their day jobs, this is a fun record. [Sorry, still hate him. ~Mimi] Redefining the term concept album, the sound moves from the rocking single "Salute Your Solution" to more dynamic tracks like "You Don't Understand Me" in loving homage to 70s Prog Rock without ever feeling retread-ish. The ballads "The Switch and the Spur" and "Carolina Drama" are two of the most lyrically entertaining songs I've heard in years. Freddie Mercury and Ronnie Van Zant would both be proud. [This is getting a lot of play in Nashville, much to my great annoyance. ~Mimi] [Denial, Egypt, etc... - JD]
Midnight Boom - The Kills
More accessible than 2005's No Wow, the third album from native Floridian Alison "VV" Mosshart and London-born Jamie "Hotel" Hince feels like a return to their early garage sound, with a slight detour through Ecclectic Pop Land that steers them away from comparisons of The White Stripes, who they're often pegged as akin to, and more towards early Garbage instead. [Your run on sentences are longer than mine.Impressive. What I have discovered about this chick--fueled by my interest as a fellow native Floridian--is that Discount, Mosshart's previous band, had an EP put out by a pre-Pete Wentz influenced Fueled By Ramen. ~Mimi] [Thank God she got outta that one then. - JD] Tracks like "Cheap and Cheerful" and "Black Balloon" are wildly reminiscent of young Shirley Manson and her band of melancholy men and as far as I'm concerned, that's not a bad thing. Pop eats itself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and it's nice to hear a better than usual blue plate special. [You and your Garbage thing lately. ~Mimi]
Attack and Release - The Black Keys
The one thing anyone calling themselves a Black Keys fan has often pondered is what they would sound like with a full musical compliment. Well, here's your album-shaped answer, with hit and miss results. Produced by Danger Mouse and haunted by the ghost of Ike Turner who was slated as co-collaborator before dying in December 07, Attack and Release has more sound, certainly, but I'm not sure it adds anything to the feel that Dan and Patrick have always been so easily able to convey in their less-is-more way. "I Got Mine" and "Psychotic Girl" are the best examples of this experiment, but tracks like "Remember When Side A" get lost in the samples that sound more like something off Demon Days. I appreciate this album as a fan, but for first-timers, I'd recommend starting with The Big Come Up and working your way through the catalog to this one.
Consolers of the Lonely - The Raconteurs
Welcome to the evolution of Album Rock, folks. Remember listening to Supertramp's Breakfast in America for the first time? [Um, no. ??? Don't make me weep. ~Mimi] Probably not, but Consolers of the Lonely is the evolution of that sound, picking up a little bit of everything that's happened in rock since then along the way. Say what you will about Jack White et al and their day jobs, this is a fun record. [Sorry, still hate him. ~Mimi] Redefining the term concept album, the sound moves from the rocking single "Salute Your Solution" to more dynamic tracks like "You Don't Understand Me" in loving homage to 70s Prog Rock without ever feeling retread-ish. The ballads "The Switch and the Spur" and "Carolina Drama" are two of the most lyrically entertaining songs I've heard in years. Freddie Mercury and Ronnie Van Zant would both be proud. [This is getting a lot of play in Nashville, much to my great annoyance. ~Mimi] [Denial, Egypt, etc... - JD]
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Six Car Garage
Mimi and I are sitting here in Austin at the Taco Cabana on Riverside looking out over Lake Austin, frosty margaritas in hand as we contemplate the SXSW lineup...okay, well we would be if we were there. But since we're not, here's who'd we be seeing if we were smart enough to actually plan a trip to Austin. It's not like JD has family there to crash with or anything...oh wait. Shit. We fail again.
So here's some damn music, in any case. And if you're there in Austin this week, drink a Shiner for JD.
Mimi's Picks:
(I’m listening to Jeffery Foucault and wish there was an option to talk about him some, but I guess I should do that on the other blog, but still Jeffery motherfucking Foucault, people!)
Narrowing my list down to five was nearly impossible. My actual list is 24. JD told me “NO!” and I made a face but agreed to not be self-indulgent (Why? That’s what I do, isn’t it?). I left off, therefore, people I’ve seen before/am simply curious about and went with acts I know for a fact I like and want to see.
Ed Harcourt: This is one of the many, many artists that was foisted on me by a friend of mine in LA [Not me, the other one – JD] who is the biggest music snob I know and like. The second part is important. I trust her since when our tastes converge they are like conjoined twins of music obnoxiousness (ok, I feel that one got away from me.) He’s the sort of singer/songwriter dude that anyone who knows me would expect me to like. There’s a good little collection of songs on his myspace. I suppose he’s in the vein of Rufus Wainwright in that he plays the piano, but his songs make more sense and his voice isn’t as nasal.
Billy Bragg: I really don’t even know what to say if you don’t know who Billy Bragg is. I’ve never managed to see him live, so this show would be a treat for me. I’ve loved him since I was a kid — I mean actually a kid kid. [I thought you were brought forth from the sea foam riding on a wave? – JD] There isn’t much more to say about this (aside from woe is me for not knowing he was playing, I might have really gone).
I had to juggle the list a bit. I had Earlimart, I realized I would see them when I move to LA.
N.E.R.D.: It’s N.E.R.D., dude! I realize I don’t have much explanations for the acts I want to see besides DUH. That’s not very clever writing. How do I explain Pharell and Chad to someone who (at this juncture) has never heard of them? I feel like you’re already a lost cause anyway, so listen to your Abba CD.
Matthew Good: I’ve loved Matt Good for years. He’s self-involved and pretentious and overwrought and I love it! He used to have this tour blog (years ago) where he wrote all these fake stories about what the band was doing on tour, and it cracked me up so hard (example: carding yak fur.) I’ve never managed to see him live after all this time.
Talib Kweli: Ok, maybe I wouldn’t, just because the audience would be so wretch and I would have to brave all the tragic hipsters seeing N.E.R.D. !!! Ok, Talib OR N.E.R.D
Basia Bulat: For one, her website is kick ass (the myspace will take you there). I really like her sound and am curious how that translates live. I like promoting Canadians, as is well-established. Here's the CBC Radio 3 podcast all about SXSW that includes her (and tons of other acts).
JD's picks:
Decidely different offerings than Mimi's, I apparently need a girl in my band to want to see them live now. Considering the utter lack of girls in Rock-n-Roll proper these days, I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm fond of the saying "Rock out with your cock out." It's how I often like my music. So here's five make-your-dick-hard picks that prove you don't actually need one to do so.
Autolux: Autolux is my personal story of Los Angeles in band form. They formed just before I moved here in '01, and had catastrophic setbacks in '04 when drummer Carla Azar fell off the stage opening for Elvis Costello and broke her arm so epically, she was told she'd never play again. '04 wasn't quite that tragic for me, but it was a doozy. But like Carla and her titanium elbow, I came back and so did they, moving on to open for NIN on the With Teeth tour in 2005 and this year, they're playing their second Coachella in April. Look out for their second studio album later this Spring.
The Ettes: Hey look! Another LA band, go figure. You know, on this one, I'll just let the music speak for itself. Clicky clicky, fair readers. [Why are you picking bands you could just walk up the street and see? You are failboating on the idea of destination concerts. ~Mimi]
Girl in a Coma: So, okay. When I was a wee girl in a galaxy far far away, a galaxy named South Texas, this is the band I dreamed of creating. Three girls from the land of puffy tacos [Um....? This is a family blog! ~Mimi] (San Antonio, that is) that bring a sound that made Morrissey cry and folks in the UK say "yes, we will produce you right the fuck now." Listen and love.
Pink Nasty: [This was one of my picks. If you've never heard the cover of "Burn" by Usher, email me about piracy. ~Mimi] Pink Nasty, known as Sarah Beck (no relation to that other Beck) to her mother, is the culmination of a long history of singer/songwriter types in Austin. She's an incredible mix of pop irony and soulful melodies that tell stories of love and loss, with a touch of humor that reminds me of something my grandfather used to tell us kids as we sat at his knee - "If you can't laugh, you cry."
The Ugly Beats: This is where I use my powers of the Internet to shamelessly plug a band to all three of our readers. Is lead singer/guitarist Joe Emery the godfather to my nephew? Yes, yes he is. But nevermind that. Listen to Jeanine's mean mastery of the keys that'll make you wanna dig your go-go boots out of the closet, tease your hair just right, and shake your moneymaker. This is truly TX garage rock at it's finest. [I feel you are implying that we're nepotism-free at Casa HCT, which is hilarity on a stick. Please, plug all relatives, bedmates, and people you shared a beer with at Bonaroo. ~Mimi]
So here's some damn music, in any case. And if you're there in Austin this week, drink a Shiner for JD.
Mimi's Picks:
(I’m listening to Jeffery Foucault and wish there was an option to talk about him some, but I guess I should do that on the other blog, but still Jeffery motherfucking Foucault, people!)
Narrowing my list down to five was nearly impossible. My actual list is 24. JD told me “NO!” and I made a face but agreed to not be self-indulgent (Why? That’s what I do, isn’t it?). I left off, therefore, people I’ve seen before/am simply curious about and went with acts I know for a fact I like and want to see.
Ed Harcourt: This is one of the many, many artists that was foisted on me by a friend of mine in LA [Not me, the other one – JD] who is the biggest music snob I know and like. The second part is important. I trust her since when our tastes converge they are like conjoined twins of music obnoxiousness (ok, I feel that one got away from me.) He’s the sort of singer/songwriter dude that anyone who knows me would expect me to like. There’s a good little collection of songs on his myspace. I suppose he’s in the vein of Rufus Wainwright in that he plays the piano, but his songs make more sense and his voice isn’t as nasal.
Billy Bragg: I really don’t even know what to say if you don’t know who Billy Bragg is. I’ve never managed to see him live, so this show would be a treat for me. I’ve loved him since I was a kid — I mean actually a kid kid. [I thought you were brought forth from the sea foam riding on a wave? – JD] There isn’t much more to say about this (aside from woe is me for not knowing he was playing, I might have really gone).
I had to juggle the list a bit. I had Earlimart, I realized I would see them when I move to LA.
N.E.R.D.: It’s N.E.R.D., dude! I realize I don’t have much explanations for the acts I want to see besides DUH. That’s not very clever writing. How do I explain Pharell and Chad to someone who (at this juncture) has never heard of them? I feel like you’re already a lost cause anyway, so listen to your Abba CD.
Matthew Good: I’ve loved Matt Good for years. He’s self-involved and pretentious and overwrought and I love it! He used to have this tour blog (years ago) where he wrote all these fake stories about what the band was doing on tour, and it cracked me up so hard (example: carding yak fur.) I’ve never managed to see him live after all this time.
Talib Kweli: Ok, maybe I wouldn’t, just because the audience would be so wretch and I would have to brave all the tragic hipsters seeing N.E.R.D. !!! Ok, Talib OR N.E.R.D
Basia Bulat: For one, her website is kick ass (the myspace will take you there). I really like her sound and am curious how that translates live. I like promoting Canadians, as is well-established. Here's the CBC Radio 3 podcast all about SXSW that includes her (and tons of other acts).
JD's picks:
Decidely different offerings than Mimi's, I apparently need a girl in my band to want to see them live now. Considering the utter lack of girls in Rock-n-Roll proper these days, I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm fond of the saying "Rock out with your cock out." It's how I often like my music. So here's five make-your-dick-hard picks that prove you don't actually need one to do so.
Autolux: Autolux is my personal story of Los Angeles in band form. They formed just before I moved here in '01, and had catastrophic setbacks in '04 when drummer Carla Azar fell off the stage opening for Elvis Costello and broke her arm so epically, she was told she'd never play again. '04 wasn't quite that tragic for me, but it was a doozy. But like Carla and her titanium elbow, I came back and so did they, moving on to open for NIN on the With Teeth tour in 2005 and this year, they're playing their second Coachella in April. Look out for their second studio album later this Spring.
The Ettes: Hey look! Another LA band, go figure. You know, on this one, I'll just let the music speak for itself. Clicky clicky, fair readers. [Why are you picking bands you could just walk up the street and see? You are failboating on the idea of destination concerts. ~Mimi]
Girl in a Coma: So, okay. When I was a wee girl in a galaxy far far away, a galaxy named South Texas, this is the band I dreamed of creating. Three girls from the land of puffy tacos [Um....? This is a family blog! ~Mimi] (San Antonio, that is) that bring a sound that made Morrissey cry and folks in the UK say "yes, we will produce you right the fuck now." Listen and love.
Pink Nasty: [This was one of my picks. If you've never heard the cover of "Burn" by Usher, email me about piracy. ~Mimi] Pink Nasty, known as Sarah Beck (no relation to that other Beck) to her mother, is the culmination of a long history of singer/songwriter types in Austin. She's an incredible mix of pop irony and soulful melodies that tell stories of love and loss, with a touch of humor that reminds me of something my grandfather used to tell us kids as we sat at his knee - "If you can't laugh, you cry."
The Ugly Beats: This is where I use my powers of the Internet to shamelessly plug a band to all three of our readers. Is lead singer/guitarist Joe Emery the godfather to my nephew? Yes, yes he is. But nevermind that. Listen to Jeanine's mean mastery of the keys that'll make you wanna dig your go-go boots out of the closet, tease your hair just right, and shake your moneymaker. This is truly TX garage rock at it's finest. [I feel you are implying that we're nepotism-free at Casa HCT, which is hilarity on a stick. Please, plug all relatives, bedmates, and people you shared a beer with at Bonaroo. ~Mimi]
BUST, BUST, BUST
Back in the wilds of Texas a few years ago, my pal Brian and I were sitting around the Casbah imbibing in the hookah of wisdom and listening to tunes when he played me a little record called Chain Gang of Love. I asked Brian who resurrected the Everly Brothers and he laughed and said, “JD, these cats are from Denmark.”
No shit! Well I loved the sound - twangy guitars never shy of a reverb pedal, classic dual harmonies, and haunting, sexy songs full of irony and longing. I happily followed The Raveonettes (named for the Buddy Holly song "Rave On") through their first few albums. So with an excited heart and hipspinster by my side I bought, yes BOUGHT, a couple of tix to catch their show last Tuesday night at the El Rey. Mind you I hadn't heard the new album, LUST, LUST, LUST, released in November, but was sure that the set was gonna be kicking, regardless.
After a sometimes painful, never more than mediocre set by opening act, Nashville's Be Your Own Pet, Sune and Sharin finally took the stage and, well, proceeded to kind of bore me to death. I found myself scene-watching 20 minutes in as I waited in vain for tunes like "Little Animal" and "Somewhere in Texas." These guys have at least three songs about LA, and I didn't hear one of them.
One of the problems I've been having with live acts lately is a lack of showmanship on stage. More often than not in this town I've been disappointed by talented bands stepping on stage and being about as interesting as a tea cozy between songs while LA hipsters golf clap in approval. Also, the last two acts I caught (Cobra Starship and The Hives) had showmanship in SPADES and I may have been coming in with the notion that the times were a changing. The Raveonettes, with maybe 10 words uttered between songs the entire set, blew that hope right out of the water. Chalk it up to English as a second language or maybe just a band intimidated by headlining in Los Angeles, if you will. But at times I wondered if I missed a break between songs as one tune droned on into the next.
I hate being disappointed by bands I love, who doesn't? I'll continue to dance at home with the hookah and rave on to that great love sound, but the next time they come around, I don't know if I'll bother checking out the live show. Le sigh.
Friday, March 7, 2008
what came first, the music or the misery?
Climate change is sort of getting me down in a direct way rather than a hypothetical “what if Florida falls into the sea and I can’t go to my high school reunion?” kind of way. Not that I would go, but these are the thoughts that strike me when I’m dying my hair or standing in the electronics section of Target buying yet another iPod usb cord (how do I fuck those up so often?).
So, I’m in a crap mood, therefore I’m going to express my deep thoughts on American Idol (may Allah curse you with bloody urine!). As you can see, I’m clearly disgruntled. I will explain. You’re frickin’ dying to know, I know.
I was sort of mentally raped by American Idol as I didn’t choose to watch it, but I was in the room as it was broadcast and slowly it crept up on me until I would actually glance at the screen when the contestant I favored appeared. I assume a lot of people have similar experiences. It’s mental floss, cotton candy for the brain. I think if some criminal mastermind wanted to take over America, all he’d have to do is seed AI w/ subliminal messages and stand back to watch his master plan come to its inevitable fruition (if he wasn’t thwarted by some performance art heroes dressed in rubber shark suits and mime make up hurling Propaghandi vinyl at people’s heads).
I have to admit that I find Simon extremely amusing. I enjoy schadenfreude, so his comments often crack me the hell up. I also tend to agree with him about the talent. I don’t know if that means he’s right so much as we have the same taste in general. The problem I have with the format, though, is that I have a serious problem with other people being shamed or doing embarrassing things. It makes me sort of shrivel up inside, so seeing other people humiliate themselves on national television is the worst sort of torture for me—and I’m not even just talking about the auditions, often the performances during the main body of the show are horrid.
I have some pretty longwinded commentary about AI being the embodiment of the dying mainstream music industry, about artists as commodities, and about The Machine churning out slicked up, prelubed, emotionless product, but you already know all that.
I’d rather talk about my emotional devastation over Danny Noriega being voted off the island. This was my first reality tv experience. I don’t watch Project Runway or America’s Next Top Model or Survivor, so I was completely unsuspecting when it came to becoming super invested in some random other human being I don’t, and will never, know. It was like all those other life experiences that are rather ineffable and when explained by others who have experienced them, rather baffling. I’ve never been stabbed, so if you explain to me the mechanics of it, I will nod and make hmmming noises, but until I (inevitably) get stabbed myself, I won’t get it. AI is like that. Stabbing. In my face. The torturous music, horrible clothes, saccharine sentimentality, and gawd awful “dancing” aside, I wasn’t expecting to be really *excited* about some kid on the show and then have America (you’re on notice again, country) sit on my chest and smother me.
I *loved* this kid. I still do, if he manages to segue his career into a Vegas lounge act or something, we’ll take a road trip to Vegas so I can scream and act like a moron w/ a room full of drag queens and scene kids. (Yes, WE, JD, suck it up. I’ll trade you karaoke or something else soul sucking for it.) He was the distillation of everything fabulous about out teens (by out I mean GAY). He gave Simon the head wag. I have nothing. He flounced and cocked his eyebrow and was BITCH, PLEASE all over the place. I was charmed to the bottom of my Chucks, I tell ya. I want to take him out for drinks and listen to his catty commentary about some random dude he hooked up with who turned out to be straight. (Oh, iTunes takes pity on my and just tossed me Jeffery Foucault.) He *cried* unashamedly when his buddy got booted of the show. He’s the new world of gay youth who aren’t embarrassed to be who they are right in the face of crappy, conservative America. Bless. He also has emo hair and wears hoodies, so I guess he’s sort of my bitterly inappropriate crush. And now he’s GONE.
American Idol, I curse you to the very boundaries of hell and wish you laid waste until not even the memory of your memory survives. May everything you do rebound on you to cause you heartbreak and endless torment. *spits* *cries into Cobra Starship hoody*
So, I’m in a crap mood, therefore I’m going to express my deep thoughts on American Idol (may Allah curse you with bloody urine!). As you can see, I’m clearly disgruntled. I will explain. You’re frickin’ dying to know, I know.
I was sort of mentally raped by American Idol as I didn’t choose to watch it, but I was in the room as it was broadcast and slowly it crept up on me until I would actually glance at the screen when the contestant I favored appeared. I assume a lot of people have similar experiences. It’s mental floss, cotton candy for the brain. I think if some criminal mastermind wanted to take over America, all he’d have to do is seed AI w/ subliminal messages and stand back to watch his master plan come to its inevitable fruition (if he wasn’t thwarted by some performance art heroes dressed in rubber shark suits and mime make up hurling Propaghandi vinyl at people’s heads).
I have to admit that I find Simon extremely amusing. I enjoy schadenfreude, so his comments often crack me the hell up. I also tend to agree with him about the talent. I don’t know if that means he’s right so much as we have the same taste in general. The problem I have with the format, though, is that I have a serious problem with other people being shamed or doing embarrassing things. It makes me sort of shrivel up inside, so seeing other people humiliate themselves on national television is the worst sort of torture for me—and I’m not even just talking about the auditions, often the performances during the main body of the show are horrid.
I have some pretty longwinded commentary about AI being the embodiment of the dying mainstream music industry, about artists as commodities, and about The Machine churning out slicked up, prelubed, emotionless product, but you already know all that.
I’d rather talk about my emotional devastation over Danny Noriega being voted off the island. This was my first reality tv experience. I don’t watch Project Runway or America’s Next Top Model or Survivor, so I was completely unsuspecting when it came to becoming super invested in some random other human being I don’t, and will never, know. It was like all those other life experiences that are rather ineffable and when explained by others who have experienced them, rather baffling. I’ve never been stabbed, so if you explain to me the mechanics of it, I will nod and make hmmming noises, but until I (inevitably) get stabbed myself, I won’t get it. AI is like that. Stabbing. In my face. The torturous music, horrible clothes, saccharine sentimentality, and gawd awful “dancing” aside, I wasn’t expecting to be really *excited* about some kid on the show and then have America (you’re on notice again, country) sit on my chest and smother me.
I *loved* this kid. I still do, if he manages to segue his career into a Vegas lounge act or something, we’ll take a road trip to Vegas so I can scream and act like a moron w/ a room full of drag queens and scene kids. (Yes, WE, JD, suck it up. I’ll trade you karaoke or something else soul sucking for it.) He was the distillation of everything fabulous about out teens (by out I mean GAY). He gave Simon the head wag. I have nothing. He flounced and cocked his eyebrow and was BITCH, PLEASE all over the place. I was charmed to the bottom of my Chucks, I tell ya. I want to take him out for drinks and listen to his catty commentary about some random dude he hooked up with who turned out to be straight. (Oh, iTunes takes pity on my and just tossed me Jeffery Foucault.) He *cried* unashamedly when his buddy got booted of the show. He’s the new world of gay youth who aren’t embarrassed to be who they are right in the face of crappy, conservative America. Bless. He also has emo hair and wears hoodies, so I guess he’s sort of my bitterly inappropriate crush. And now he’s GONE.
American Idol, I curse you to the very boundaries of hell and wish you laid waste until not even the memory of your memory survives. May everything you do rebound on you to cause you heartbreak and endless torment. *spits* *cries into Cobra Starship hoody*
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Swing 'round the moon (or hit shuffle on your ipod)
Mimi: So JD told me to pick five songs I like and she would try to guess why I like them. She actually said five favorite songs with some theme, but I am way too brain dead to do that [Oh, is THAT what they're calling lazy these days? - JD] —for one thing I have issues with favorite lists due to the fact I’m far too fickle and change my mind so often. There are some songs that stick better than others (like Jeff Buckley who is a perennial favorite and my nemesis Ryan Adams who I still can’t quite break up with—oh, I guess I could have picked my top five randomly favorite songs by either of them, but I talk about them all the time, so it’s sort of useless.) [This might have made me cry. Thank God for small mercies. - JD] I made this easy really. These are random songs on my ipod that I wouldn't skip on shuffle.
JD: So then of course I had to play along too, and sent Mimi five songs of mine to consider. After a discourse on why Tom Petty is Satan (her opinion not mine) our lists were adjusted and the following is the result. Welcome to the wonderful world of music criticism, JD. Buckle that belt, it's a bumpy ride.
Mimi's Picks:
1. Americans Abroad – Ben Lee
JD: Your bleeding heart is peeking out from behind your little red cookbook, Socialist. This song says everything anyone needs to know about your personal political beliefs. I think Ben may have wrote it for you. It’s hard for you to be an American sometimes. But I really think you’re better at it then a lot of people I know. Ben agrees.
Mimi: This is actually a cover of an Against Me! song, which doesn’t negate what you said, but the irony factor here is the selling point for me as Ben Lee is Australian. Everything else you say is true, however, and I hope Ben takes notice enough of me to see my bleeding heart
2. Apocalypse Please - Muse
JD: The drama, the splendor! This is Mimi on a cliff waiting for her Gerard Way-shaped Heathcliff to come find her so they can take over the planet and save everyone, like you do. [If Gerard Way came to save me, wouldn't he probably fall off the cliff himself in a bought of self-righteous zealotry and caffeine-fuelled madness? Gerard Way, for the rest of the class, is the life-saving lead singer of goth pop band My Chemical Romance ~Mimi] [True. - JD] Muse does that to people. [Makes them want to jump off cliffs or save lives, I will clarify since this comment is now obscured by discussion of gothemo god Gway. ~Mimi] I’ve had my own cliff-inspired daydreams while listening to them.
Mimi: I assume you mean they make you want to jump off a cliff, since I know how you feel about this band. You know, I’m sort of ready to kill you for painting me as a tragic heroine waiting for Gerard Way to sweep in and save me, but what can I say? The actual reason I love this song is that it’s a call for epic change--a call to action through face-blowing, wall-of-sound rock that holds no prisoners. I adore Muse’s vocals, all the breathy sounds and near-the-edge delivery. Also, it has apocalypse in the title, how did you miss that?
3. Nancy Boy - Placebo
JD: It’s entirely possible that you have a fetish for nasal-toned frontmen. [I mostly have a fetish for period military uniforms to be honest. ~Mimi] Not that there’s actually anything wrong with that. I’m just pointing it out. You’ve liked this song for a long time but I think the reasons you like it now are different than when you first liked it. It was revolutionary ten years ago, and you like that in a band. Now the revolution’s been televised and blogged and this song makes you think less about that and more about your addiction to waif-like near jailbait emo boys. Which is still a very excellent reason to like it.
Mimi: Ok, you got me here, this song was really subversive when it came out, and I’ve been a massive Placebo fangirl for, uh, ever. It sort of amuses me that a lot of acts that are "cutting edge" today are actually rip offs of what Placebo was doing a decade ago. All the theatrical homoerotic flamboyance hasn't been new since Bowie, but Placebo added the black nail polish and dyed black hair and tight t-shirts and ran with it. Nothing is original, but this song was something new at the time. It's also sexy fun times.
4. Tim, I Wish You Were Born A Girl – Of Montreal
JD: What an awesome song. I can see you in the grocery store with your ipod on and laughing your ass off while eyeing the broccoli and wishing it were something yummier. [Broccoli is repulsive and does often haunt my trips to the grocery store. ~Mimi] The reason you like it is because it's your favorite kind of humor - absurd notions fed to you by the straight man on the stage so well that he nearly convinces you. Of Montreal only recently came on my radar and I have you to thank for that.
Mimi: This band baffles me. Sometimes I really like them and sometimes I think they suck. But this song is GENIUS. I think it sums up all platonic same sex relationships where you wish your beffie was the opposite sex so you could have a comfortable heteronormative life full of wedding presents and security. I think it also sums up the way you feel about your close friends where there’s no space to really discuss how your relationship is IMPORTANT and not subordinate to a sexual relationship. [So it's a song about us then? - JD] [I do that to people, I know. I'm pretty amazing. ~Mimi]
5. Hollaback Boy – Cobra Starship
JD: I knew you couldn’t do this without bringing in a Decaydence band. [Sigh. Why you gotta play me like that? Decaydance is Pete Wentz's (of Fall Out Boy fame) semi-vanity label. ~Mimi] You like it for the irony. Which CS has in spades. Gabe Saporta is your favorite kind of asshole and he portrays it well in this tune.
Mimi: If I had shame, I wouldn't be me. The real reason I love this song is that it mocks Gwen Stefani, who I detest. But there's also all the things you mention. Fine. I love Cobra Starship and Gabe Saporta, is my cred under the couch? I think this band is best when they're over the top to the nth degree, like on this track. They spell out supercalifra...whatever that word is.
JD's picks:
1. Aidan Quinn – Thrushes
Mimi: First off, never heard of this band before. Good job. This has a really creepy vibe to it from the drum work, like the bastard child of Joy Division. You like it because it’s creepy and named after an actor you like? This really sounds to me like an updated Manchester scene band with a chick singer, for reals. You have stumped me so hard on your list I feel like redoing my list and making it all “Disco Duck” and classical cuts. This is me being disaffected. [Must be Tuesday - JD] Ok, I’m going with the name of the song.
JD: I keep a pad on my desk at work that is strictly for writing down the names of bands I hear on WOXY or littleradio, which is how I found these guys. [You're kind of neurotic ~Mimi] I like this song because it’s morose without being indulgent, and also because the name doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the song, and spacey chick fronters rule, *clings to Portishead cds*
2. Goodbye – Steve Earle
Mimi: You’re from Texas, as is the god known to mortal kind as Steve Earle, so there’s that. There’s also the wistful romantic regret that seems very much like your three in the morning drunk musings. Why you particularly like this song gets lost in the twist of how this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm the most cynical, unromantic person on the planet, but this song makes me edge on a cry every time I listen to it. It sums up the universal longing to repair the unrepairable. It’s the absolute distillation of “thinking of you, know I can’t call you.” As an aside, the album it's from is in my top five of all time. So, I’m going with the longing, you being from Texas, it reminding you of your marriage, and Steve rocking the face off the world.
JD: I had no idea you liked this song as much as I do. Score! You should hear the live version I have with Emmylou singing harmony. That one WILL make you cry. I heard this song for the first time live when he played it at a Knitting Factory show a few years ago. I’ve been unable to forget it since then. [The name of the original blog is Hardcore Troubadours, dimwit, my love of Steve Earle is about as subtle as the Hollywood sign. ~Mimi]
3. Ready, Willing & Able – The Swindles
Mimi: Ok, so I can see you dancing around your apartment in your undies and a wife beater to this one. You’re doing a semi-twist number bopping your head and flinging you hair around. I think this one was a pick because it’s got an old fashioned, Jerry Lee Lewis feel to it (even though it’s a guitar song instead of a piano number). It’s a throw-back tune and you’re nostalgic.
JD: You know me well. The Swindles are the greatest bar band you’ve never heard of, just ask Uncle Mitchy (frontman Mitch Webb.) They continue the long tradition of Texas bands who’ll never play past the state line, and are okay with that. This is our music, and theirs. This song says everything you need to know about what it feels like to be in a jumping Texas juke joint on a Saturday night with a long neck in one hand and a cowboy in the other. Songs in the Key of T will forever be on my list of desert island albums.
4. Mountains – Prince
Mimi: I honestly have NO IDEA what’s going on here. I am one of those lamers who really only have a glancing knowledge of Prince’s deeper catalogue. *listens to the lyrics* It’s about overcoming the crap of reality to grasp your dreams? You could like the whole jazz breakdown bit because you’re high a lot. This one really stumped me.
JD: Prince’s lyrics don’t always make sense, but the feeling the music evokes is always clear. I’ve been listening to this song for over twenty years now and it never fails to make me bop like I’m fourteen again. From the soundtrack of his second movie, the critically panned Under the Cherry Moon, the album only had one hit, possibly one of his biggest, in “Kiss.” But the rest of the songs tell the story of a con-man in love for the first time (the songs tell it far better than the movie did) and this is the redemption song. Also, it’s the last album he recorded with many of the original Revolution, including Lisa and Wendy who are now the resident composers for the TV show Heroes. Weird.
5. Action/Adventure – Andrew Bird
Mimi: Oh, god, because he’s a genius? Also, you are totally invited to my action adventure dream. [I'm producing it. - JD] So, all the metaphors about television juxtaposed with the super witty lyrics like “I’m the I in your team?” Sigh, who cares, this song is amazing. Can he come live on my couch? I really love the fiddle part on this song. Jesus, this guy slays. The lyric “see and be seen” that is clearly a way of turning CNBC on its head is so fucking great I have nothing.
JD: Oh Mr. Bird, I love you in so many ways. At your farm, on my arm, during a locust swarm...I’m a little worried where the sound is going lately, but this song was on repeat at my place for a very long time. And you’ve nailed all my favorite parts except for one, Mimi, “I wonder what you got your persona for, cos there’s a two-for-one down at the corner store” you’ve been in Nashville and you get this. [Who told you that? I thought me living in Nashville was a State Secret? ~Mimi] But wait until you’ve been in LA LA land awhile. We’ll point and laugh together. Also, yes, the violin. How he plays it so evocatively without sounding like a wandering gypsy cliché is a mystery, but man he plays the shit out of it.
Next up: actual album reviews and other CONTENT not just link dumps and bitter complaining. As always, if you have something SUPER GREAT you think we should be listening to, drop us a line. [Or baked goods - JD] Yes, we accept gifts of emo boys and cupcakes, thanks.
JD: So then of course I had to play along too, and sent Mimi five songs of mine to consider. After a discourse on why Tom Petty is Satan (her opinion not mine) our lists were adjusted and the following is the result. Welcome to the wonderful world of music criticism, JD. Buckle that belt, it's a bumpy ride.
Mimi's Picks:
1. Americans Abroad – Ben Lee
JD: Your bleeding heart is peeking out from behind your little red cookbook, Socialist. This song says everything anyone needs to know about your personal political beliefs. I think Ben may have wrote it for you. It’s hard for you to be an American sometimes. But I really think you’re better at it then a lot of people I know. Ben agrees.
Mimi: This is actually a cover of an Against Me! song, which doesn’t negate what you said, but the irony factor here is the selling point for me as Ben Lee is Australian. Everything else you say is true, however, and I hope Ben takes notice enough of me to see my bleeding heart
2. Apocalypse Please - Muse
JD: The drama, the splendor! This is Mimi on a cliff waiting for her Gerard Way-shaped Heathcliff to come find her so they can take over the planet and save everyone, like you do. [If Gerard Way came to save me, wouldn't he probably fall off the cliff himself in a bought of self-righteous zealotry and caffeine-fuelled madness? Gerard Way, for the rest of the class, is the life-saving lead singer of goth pop band My Chemical Romance ~Mimi] [True. - JD] Muse does that to people. [Makes them want to jump off cliffs or save lives, I will clarify since this comment is now obscured by discussion of gothemo god Gway. ~Mimi] I’ve had my own cliff-inspired daydreams while listening to them.
Mimi: I assume you mean they make you want to jump off a cliff, since I know how you feel about this band. You know, I’m sort of ready to kill you for painting me as a tragic heroine waiting for Gerard Way to sweep in and save me, but what can I say? The actual reason I love this song is that it’s a call for epic change--a call to action through face-blowing, wall-of-sound rock that holds no prisoners. I adore Muse’s vocals, all the breathy sounds and near-the-edge delivery. Also, it has apocalypse in the title, how did you miss that?
3. Nancy Boy - Placebo
JD: It’s entirely possible that you have a fetish for nasal-toned frontmen. [I mostly have a fetish for period military uniforms to be honest. ~Mimi] Not that there’s actually anything wrong with that. I’m just pointing it out. You’ve liked this song for a long time but I think the reasons you like it now are different than when you first liked it. It was revolutionary ten years ago, and you like that in a band. Now the revolution’s been televised and blogged and this song makes you think less about that and more about your addiction to waif-like near jailbait emo boys. Which is still a very excellent reason to like it.
Mimi: Ok, you got me here, this song was really subversive when it came out, and I’ve been a massive Placebo fangirl for, uh, ever. It sort of amuses me that a lot of acts that are "cutting edge" today are actually rip offs of what Placebo was doing a decade ago. All the theatrical homoerotic flamboyance hasn't been new since Bowie, but Placebo added the black nail polish and dyed black hair and tight t-shirts and ran with it. Nothing is original, but this song was something new at the time. It's also sexy fun times.
4. Tim, I Wish You Were Born A Girl – Of Montreal
JD: What an awesome song. I can see you in the grocery store with your ipod on and laughing your ass off while eyeing the broccoli and wishing it were something yummier. [Broccoli is repulsive and does often haunt my trips to the grocery store. ~Mimi] The reason you like it is because it's your favorite kind of humor - absurd notions fed to you by the straight man on the stage so well that he nearly convinces you. Of Montreal only recently came on my radar and I have you to thank for that.
Mimi: This band baffles me. Sometimes I really like them and sometimes I think they suck. But this song is GENIUS. I think it sums up all platonic same sex relationships where you wish your beffie was the opposite sex so you could have a comfortable heteronormative life full of wedding presents and security. I think it also sums up the way you feel about your close friends where there’s no space to really discuss how your relationship is IMPORTANT and not subordinate to a sexual relationship. [So it's a song about us then? - JD] [I do that to people, I know. I'm pretty amazing. ~Mimi]
5. Hollaback Boy – Cobra Starship
JD: I knew you couldn’t do this without bringing in a Decaydence band. [Sigh. Why you gotta play me like that? Decaydance is Pete Wentz's (of Fall Out Boy fame) semi-vanity label. ~Mimi] You like it for the irony. Which CS has in spades. Gabe Saporta is your favorite kind of asshole and he portrays it well in this tune.
Mimi: If I had shame, I wouldn't be me. The real reason I love this song is that it mocks Gwen Stefani, who I detest. But there's also all the things you mention. Fine. I love Cobra Starship and Gabe Saporta, is my cred under the couch? I think this band is best when they're over the top to the nth degree, like on this track. They spell out supercalifra...whatever that word is.
JD's picks:
1. Aidan Quinn – Thrushes
Mimi: First off, never heard of this band before. Good job. This has a really creepy vibe to it from the drum work, like the bastard child of Joy Division. You like it because it’s creepy and named after an actor you like? This really sounds to me like an updated Manchester scene band with a chick singer, for reals. You have stumped me so hard on your list I feel like redoing my list and making it all “Disco Duck” and classical cuts. This is me being disaffected. [Must be Tuesday - JD] Ok, I’m going with the name of the song.
JD: I keep a pad on my desk at work that is strictly for writing down the names of bands I hear on WOXY or littleradio, which is how I found these guys. [You're kind of neurotic ~Mimi] I like this song because it’s morose without being indulgent, and also because the name doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the song, and spacey chick fronters rule, *clings to Portishead cds*
2. Goodbye – Steve Earle
Mimi: You’re from Texas, as is the god known to mortal kind as Steve Earle, so there’s that. There’s also the wistful romantic regret that seems very much like your three in the morning drunk musings. Why you particularly like this song gets lost in the twist of how this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I'm the most cynical, unromantic person on the planet, but this song makes me edge on a cry every time I listen to it. It sums up the universal longing to repair the unrepairable. It’s the absolute distillation of “thinking of you, know I can’t call you.” As an aside, the album it's from is in my top five of all time. So, I’m going with the longing, you being from Texas, it reminding you of your marriage, and Steve rocking the face off the world.
JD: I had no idea you liked this song as much as I do. Score! You should hear the live version I have with Emmylou singing harmony. That one WILL make you cry. I heard this song for the first time live when he played it at a Knitting Factory show a few years ago. I’ve been unable to forget it since then. [The name of the original blog is Hardcore Troubadours, dimwit, my love of Steve Earle is about as subtle as the Hollywood sign. ~Mimi]
3. Ready, Willing & Able – The Swindles
Mimi: Ok, so I can see you dancing around your apartment in your undies and a wife beater to this one. You’re doing a semi-twist number bopping your head and flinging you hair around. I think this one was a pick because it’s got an old fashioned, Jerry Lee Lewis feel to it (even though it’s a guitar song instead of a piano number). It’s a throw-back tune and you’re nostalgic.
JD: You know me well. The Swindles are the greatest bar band you’ve never heard of, just ask Uncle Mitchy (frontman Mitch Webb.) They continue the long tradition of Texas bands who’ll never play past the state line, and are okay with that. This is our music, and theirs. This song says everything you need to know about what it feels like to be in a jumping Texas juke joint on a Saturday night with a long neck in one hand and a cowboy in the other. Songs in the Key of T will forever be on my list of desert island albums.
4. Mountains – Prince
Mimi: I honestly have NO IDEA what’s going on here. I am one of those lamers who really only have a glancing knowledge of Prince’s deeper catalogue. *listens to the lyrics* It’s about overcoming the crap of reality to grasp your dreams? You could like the whole jazz breakdown bit because you’re high a lot. This one really stumped me.
JD: Prince’s lyrics don’t always make sense, but the feeling the music evokes is always clear. I’ve been listening to this song for over twenty years now and it never fails to make me bop like I’m fourteen again. From the soundtrack of his second movie, the critically panned Under the Cherry Moon, the album only had one hit, possibly one of his biggest, in “Kiss.” But the rest of the songs tell the story of a con-man in love for the first time (the songs tell it far better than the movie did) and this is the redemption song. Also, it’s the last album he recorded with many of the original Revolution, including Lisa and Wendy who are now the resident composers for the TV show Heroes. Weird.
5. Action/Adventure – Andrew Bird
Mimi: Oh, god, because he’s a genius? Also, you are totally invited to my action adventure dream. [I'm producing it. - JD] So, all the metaphors about television juxtaposed with the super witty lyrics like “I’m the I in your team?” Sigh, who cares, this song is amazing. Can he come live on my couch? I really love the fiddle part on this song. Jesus, this guy slays. The lyric “see and be seen” that is clearly a way of turning CNBC on its head is so fucking great I have nothing.
JD: Oh Mr. Bird, I love you in so many ways. At your farm, on my arm, during a locust swarm...I’m a little worried where the sound is going lately, but this song was on repeat at my place for a very long time. And you’ve nailed all my favorite parts except for one, Mimi, “I wonder what you got your persona for, cos there’s a two-for-one down at the corner store” you’ve been in Nashville and you get this. [Who told you that? I thought me living in Nashville was a State Secret? ~Mimi] But wait until you’ve been in LA LA land awhile. We’ll point and laugh together. Also, yes, the violin. How he plays it so evocatively without sounding like a wandering gypsy cliché is a mystery, but man he plays the shit out of it.
Next up: actual album reviews and other CONTENT not just link dumps and bitter complaining. As always, if you have something SUPER GREAT you think we should be listening to, drop us a line. [Or baked goods - JD] Yes, we accept gifts of emo boys and cupcakes, thanks.
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