I'm notorious for my dislike of The Doors. It's not that I think they as a band are awful, it's just that Jim Morrison is. He is by far one of the most overrated singer/lyricists of all time, and his behavior both on stage and off was appalling. I usually don't condemn rockstarish behavior as it really doesn't have anything to do with the music, but it bothers me in the case of Morrison because I don't feel he was a strong enough artist to warrant his erratic behavior. However, I digress...
One of The Doors' most famous songs is the dirge "The End," which closes out their debut album. Long and surreal, i's a decent entry in the progression of experimental music on pop records. But while the original gets lost in its jammy excesses, the cover performed by Nico on the June 1, 1971 album fares much better. Accompanied by Brian Eno on synthesizer, Nico plays a droning harmonium throughout the nine minutes of the performance. While The Doors version is drugged out and hazy, Nico's is focused and haunting, feeling like inevitable, impending danger.
It should be no surprise that Trent Reznor is a Depeche Mode fan. His music has always evoked the gothic brooding that DM is most known for, not only in mood but in execution, using hard industrial synths and mechanical beats. While most industrial acts from the 80's like Nietzer Ebb and KMFDM appealed to a select audience, Depeche Mode had several industrial qualities while never getting burdened with the tag, (listen to "People Are People" to get what I mean).
While the closest Nine Inch Nails have ever come to being in the same fish tank as Depeche Mode is their debut, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), the song that bears most resemblance to the group is on the caustic "Heresy", found on Reznor's niche market solidification, The Downward Spiral (1994). On the CD issue of Depeche Mode's Music For The Masses (1987), there's a remix included as a bonus track - an "aggro" mix of the single, "Never Let Me Down Again". On it is a programmed synth pattern that more or less can be cited as the basis for the NIN song. Whether Reznor's borrowing was an intentional homage, or his collective unconscious at work, it makes for an interesting listen when examining the evolution of music trends.
Truly one of the most underrated rock epics of all time, The Move's "Feel Too Good" is a sledgehammer, soul/funk free for all. Coming in smoothly with confident drumwork, the bass thumps down with no regard for anything in sight. The guitars enter viciously while Roy Wood delivers one of his most enthusiastic lead vocals.
From the band's third full length album Looking On, released in the fall of 1970, "Feel Too Good" shows The Move changing at an alarming rate. Starting off as a psyche pop group with their self titled and a handful of singles, the band grew more muscular with Shazaam (1970). With the entrance of The Idle Race's Jeff Lynne, The Move began to take a backseat to Lynne and Wood's new project - Electric Light Orchestra. While contarctual obligations kept them linked to The Move for another two albums, they handled their disinterest incredibly well - cutting two solid records with Looking On and Message From The Country, as well as a few non album singles, like the amazing "Chinatown".
For "Feel Too Good", the band slams through a full nine minutes of hard hitting pyschedleic rock. Complete with bakup singers and swirling eastern tinged guiatr solos, the track is a non stop thrill ride with a curious, but always delightful barbershop quartet outro.
This past week I compiled a Halloween mixtape with commentary for Death and Taxes. It is quite a ghoulish romp and I know you will all love to death. Happy Halloween!
Sufjan Stevens has an interesting career. His first solo album A Sun Came was released in 2000. A mixed bag of lo-fi indie rock, folk, and world music, it was not an easily digestible record. Whatever small grouping of fans he might have gained with his debut must have ran for the hills when he released his second record, Enjoy Your Rabbit, an instrumental, electronic song cycle based on the Chinese Zodiac. It was then that he announced his ambition to release 50 albums, each one dedicated to a US state (a concept that has gotten Stevens a lot of notoriety even if he has no plans to continue it further than his landmark Illinoise record).
Getting back to A Sun Came - a reissue of said record hit stores in 2004, containing two newly recorded bonus tracks. One of them was a redo of the proper album's "Rake", a version that Stevens recorded presumably during the Seven Swans sessions given it's plucky sound and Meghan Smith's backing vocal. Both versions are great but the remake is the real winner. The original is purposely tinny, sounding like a transistor radio with a special broadcast just for you. While it's inspiring, it's also self contained and melancholic. "You Are The Rake" is the complete inverse. All of the sounds are clear with immaculate acoustics (a common trait for all the songs on Seven Swans). Rather than the somewhat destitute nature of the original, the remake is uplifting and a great way to end the lengthy sprawl of the album.
On the occasion of what would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday, the majority of the late Beatle's solo back catalogue was reissued (yet again), both as individual albums, and in one large boxset encompassing nearly everything. Two 'best of' collections were also released: Power To The People, a more traditional greatest hits package, and Gimme Some Truth, a four disc box set for lazy "Lennon fans", who don't have time to listen to everything, but would like to hear a few hours of his music sorted into lyrical categories. For whatever reason, Lennon's swan song collaboration with wife Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy, was reissued with a second disc containing all of the album's tracks, sans overdubs. Aside from the peculiar singling out of that album, the idea of releasing embryonic Lennon material is kind of odd. In the years following his death, the release of demos and outtakes from the Lennon vaults has become so frequent, that the general public image of him seems to be of a man playing acoustic guitar alone in a room. Those familiar with Lennon's living discography, know that the man was a big fan of production. Phil Spector, known for his lush recording techniques, worked on several records with Lennon, including a controversial set of orchestral overdubs and tweaking to The Beatles' Let It Be, an album that's original concept was for a bare bones, "warts and all" live performance record.
The point here is that Lennon would most likely not approve of this somewhat frivolous bonus disc, not to mention all of the previously released anthology recordings released since the mid 90's (The Beatles Anthology can be excused for majority rule). For starters, one of Lennon's trademarks was his doubletracked voice, which is the first noticeable difference heard on Double Fantasy Stripped Down. Lennon notoriously hated his own voice and looked for various ways to distort and experiment with it in order to achieve a sound he was comfortable with. Taking his vocal overdubs off is like tearing off the top of the casket. Secondly is the lack of gated reverb, a style that would come into full swing popularity wise in the 1980's. Gated reverb is a technique that has been greatly criticized since the aftermath of its heyday. Lennon, however, had been using it for years at this point with great effect ("I Don't Want To Be A Soldier Mama" comes to mind when thinking of 80's production in the 70's). Double Fantasy continued the progression of Lennon's use of heavily reverbed production, handled by Imagine engineer, Jack Douglas. The final product was an album both Lennon and Ono were very proud of and excited about. Ultimately, the bonus disc here is like a director's cut for a director who supervised every aspect of the film.
The appreciation of Lennon's work will always be skewed by his death. Double Fantasy was initially panned upon its November 1980 release, but soon after Lennon's shooting on December 8th, the public grew to appreciate the record, and it has gone on to be hailed as one of the best records of the 1980's. Personally, I like the album, and I feel like the initial distaste for it was more of a resentment towards Lennon for cutting another record with his wife, whose songs are no where near as bad as everyone wants to believe. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and "I'm Moving On" are particularly great early examples of avant-pop. The release of a 'stripped down' version though just seems pointless, and not in Lennon's legacy's best interest.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the saddest song ever. I've never sat down and read the lyrics but Nico's vocal is quite clear, and Jackson's Browne's words have a bittersweet reflection to them that is so clearly resigned, that you don't need to really find a narrative. The performance of this particular song that opens up Nico's debut solo album, Chelsea Girl, is what makes it so memorable in its mournfulness. The tone of the guitar, the drip of the strings, and of course, that voice. It's possible I'm being blind sighted by its use in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, where it's used as the backdrop for a montage that shows all the characters moving on with their lives. Even though they all had improved since the beginning of the film, it felt so morose to me because ultimately, the adventure was over. Everyone had to move on for better or for worse. What has been most bothersome though is that "The Fairest Of The Seasons" closes out the soundtrack which is a very arresting way to go close a set of songs - enough to make you not want to leave the house, or maybe even get out of bed. The movie itself at least had the upbeat "Everyone" by Van Morrison as its exit music. The best method for listening to this song though is in the context of the original record, as it's immediately followed by its mirror image, "These Days", which switches from minor to major with a briskness that seems hopefully in its maturity ("These Days" is also featured in Tenenbaums when Margo exits the bus with Richie waiting for her).
For someone who hasn't seen any of the Twilight movies, I sure am on a twisted kick of the films' soundtracks (must be the fall). Last week, I spoke of the haunting Lykke Li track, "Possibility" featured in New Moon. This week I find myself stricken from the Beck/Bat For Lashes collaboration from Eclipse. Natasha Khan enters the song with the line "Touch me I'm cold", her voice cascading across a humming synth and cool atmosphere. Khan's voice always sounds shivering as if from the depths of a cave - this performance might be her most affecting with that aesthetic. The second verse is taken by Beck, using plenty of reverb as has become his usual calling card for his 00's balladry. The instrumentation remains sparse throughout, yet powerful, focusing mainly on a mood that is unsure but hopeful. The song has a feel to it that would make it right at home in a climactic scene from an 80's teen drama, as the protagonist and the girl he loves finally work through their differences. The fact that it's connected to a saga about vampires is a little disappointing because the tone of the song feels a lot more real than that. Perhaps the movies are more human than I realize, and should maybe go see what I'm missing. Until then, this song shall suffice.
In connection to the last post, we listened to a lot of things at work yesterday, and they weren't all good. The first album of the day for us was Fatboy Slim's widely ignored fourth album, Palookaville.
In the 90's, Norman Cook rode the wave of Big Beat led by electronica powerhouses like The Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, finding mass success with the soul tinged, "Praise You", a great song in of itself, but one that's success was accelerated by the hilarious Spike Jonze video. Having had limited success with The Housemartins, Beats International, and Freak Power, Cook finally made a name for himself fifteen years into his career with You've Come A Long Way Baby (1998), a record filled with funky grooves and infectious beats.
While Paloolaville (2004) is a better outing than the disastrous Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars (2000), featuring some notable guest spots from Damon Albarn and Lateef The Truthspeaker, the record is a predictable retread of what Cook has been doing for years. The reason I feel the reason to share this little blurb about the record is the tremendous awfulness of the album's closing track, a cover of the already despicable Steve Miller Band song "The Joker". Featuring a lead vocal from Parliament-Funkadelic's notorious Bootsy Collins, the cover is one of the most embarrassing pieces of music ever to be released by a revered artist. Treading in Kid Rock territory, the song reeks of bad R&B and stale pop sensibilities. Collins previously had contributed vocals to Halfway's lead single, "Weapon Of Choice", a song that is only remembered for its Christopher Walken tap dancing video (also directed by Jonze). Like on their previous collaboration, he completely chews out the scenery with his buttery vocals, slathering up the song with misfired sexiness. While "The Joker" is a lame enough suburban stoner anthem in of itself, this over popped up version's nadir occurs in the new counter melody added to the song's post choruses towards the end of the song. As the album's closer, it's presence manages to completely erase any positivity one could have towards any of the other songs on the album. Check it out if you dare - as usual, there's a funny video to go with it, Cook's usual backup plan for lackluster, or in this case, horrible material.
Today at work, we listened to the soundtrack to New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight series. While the soundtrack to the first film focused more on emo and post grunge, both New Moon and Eclipse turned their focus to more indie oriented artists. While Muse unleashes their usual brand of terrible post prog sludge to all three, the majority of the second and third soundtracks showcase some very good tunes. Most particularly is the haunting Lykke Li ballad, "Possibility". While its presence on the album feels a bit too early, creaking along at track four, the song is a beautiful walk through gothic imagery and smokey vibes. Most fitting is its accompanying video, shot in black and white with dramatic lighting, it is the perfect compliment to the soul searching song. Here is a link to the video.
It's been a long argued over debate whether Bob Dylan, one of the most widely covered artists of all time, did his songs better than the legions that cover him. While of course this can only be truly determined artist by artist, I think it's widely accepted that the man is outdone quite often (Dylan purists would argue, but can they really maintain that The Jimi Hendrix Experience version of "All Along The Watchtower" isn't definitive?)
In 2007, The Weinstein Company released the film I'm Not There, the highly experimental bio film that featured six personas of the Bob Dylan psyche, portrayed by six actors of varying age, race, and sex. The film's soundtrack was a Dylan cover free for all - two discs filled to capacity with brand new recordings by a wide range of artists. Between the two, there is an album's worth of great music, and another of filler. The whole album in one shot can be a bit of a grueling listen about three quarters in, but one of the record's sweetest plums is saved for the very end.
The penultimate track on the I'm Not There soundtrack is a haunting version "Knocking On Heaven's Door", performed by Antony & The Johnsons. A sparse recording, featuring only piano, acoustic guitar, and Antony's quivering croon, it is by far the best rendition of the often covered track. While Guns N' Roses' version reigned supreme (and probably always will in the general public's eye) for the last two decades, this take features a breadth and grace that stays true to the original's sentiment but reveals more pain and anguish than Billy The Kid could have ever hoped to express.
I was listening to Beck's single for his breakthrough hit "Loser" in the record store today. Among the b-sides were two songs made with indie producer Tom Grimely. Most particularly of note is the song "Totally Confused" which features nearly all members of forgotten alt. rock quartet That Dog, a band that has remained almost entirely unlistened to by the general public (most remember them as that band they never heard of on the DGC Rarities compilation). It makes sense for Beck, being labelmates with the group, but also because That Dog's frontwoman Anna Waronker is sister to Beck's longtime drummer Joey (the latter Waronker has been a frequently sought after session drummer since the early nineties, having played with The Smashing Pumpkins, Elliott Smith, and R.E.M.). The band's violin player, Petra Haden would go on to join The Rentals, The Decemberists, and put out her own a capella version of The Who Sell Out).
Here's live version with That Dog performed circa 1994.
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon has been hosting a competition for young scrapping guitar players to send in videos of themselves in an effort to be picked to play alongside everyone's favorite indie rockers, Pavement, for one evening. Out of what I can assume were thousands of submissions, my friend Kristina was chosen as a finalist (along with four others).
Kristina writes her own songs, and her cover here of "Shady Lane" carries the same delicate sweetness of her own work. The competition is kind of a mixed bag, and it makes me wish I had sent in a video of myself playing "Perfume-V" with a cat in my lap or while jogging. There's a guy also playing "Shady Lane" who used a four panel screen to show himself playing all the parts of the song. It's not bad but he actually plays the song incorrectly which I guess would probably matter given the context. There's a rather out of tune bedroom performance of "You Are A Light" by one guy, someone playing a sloppy guitar solo over "Fin", and a father playing "Grave Architecture" in a bath tub while his son dances around in a monkey costume. Needless to say, I voted for Kristina but would have even if I didn't know her. Tune in September 23rd to see if she pops up.
Last night I watched the MTV Video Music Awards, as I had fallen out of the habit over the last few years. While host Chelsea Handler bombed in one of the worst hostings of an award show I've ever seen, the night was not without its merits, if only a few. First and foremost was the night's closing performance. The publicly shamed Kanye West, who fell from grace last year after interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech - something that I really can't believe we're all still talking about, closed the show out with an outstanding performance of a new song called "Runaway". Decked out in bright red and gold chains, West opened the song manually mixing samples and clips before taking the mic. Later joined by Clipse's Pusha T, the song was a welcomed resurgence after the dismal autotuned mess of 808s And Heatbreaks.
Lady Gaga won a bunch of awards, all of which she seemed to get a bit too emotional over (I guess the VMAs mean more now than they did when I was a kid), each acceptance wearing a different dress. It was most fitting that Cher would present the award for Video Of The Year to Gaga, as it seems like a gimme that she will one day be performing "Pokerface" in front of a middle aged Las Vegas nightclub audience (this of course is not a knock to Ms. Germanotta, as I am a fan of both her records, but her gaudy stage show seems to be aimed at being Madonna, but coming off more like late period Cher).
The performance I was most excited for, I was completely robbed of by MTV. Swedish pop star Robyn was set to perform her amazing dance/torch song, "Dancing On My Own", but was only allotted time to perform one chorus. For the few seconds she was on, we did get to hear the backing track in remixed form, it's four on the floor pulse beat replaced with a sticky electronic dub stomp. For the time it was on, it was pretty cool, but my excitement about seeing Robyn exposed to a larger audience was squashed. Perhaps it's for the best.
Weezer have been a critical punching bag since the arrival of their lackluster comback Weezer (better known as 'The Green Album') in 2000. The album was lazy, lacked inspiration, and just wasn't as fun as the summertime zeitgeist of 'The Blue Album' (1994), or the soul searching rockfest, Pinkerton (1996). A big part of the record's failure is in part to departure of original bassist Matt Sharp, who seemed to take the fun with him over to his own band The Rentals (even on his own personal Pinkerton, the reflective lost weekend Seven More Minutes).
Not to say 'The Green Album' was all bad - the album's first two singles, "Hash Pipe" and "Island In The Sun", were enjoyable enough. The problem was Weezer seemed to lose their direction as they got older. While most bands evolve and grow into a new version of themselves, Weezer progressively just started to sound like other unexciting party bands (their latest single's chorus sounds like an Andrew W.K. reject). Every once in a while they could pull off a decent single like "Perfect Situation" or "Pork & Beans", but the majority of their album tracks were weak sauce. As they moved forward through Raditude (2009) and now their latest release Hurley, the band seem only concerned with making funny videos and having hokey songs with gang vocals on the chorus, a practice that hit full swing on much panned Make Believe (2005) single "Beverly Hills", a song I never thought was that bad, but was a depressingly far cry from the similarly loose love anthem, "El Schorcho". The band seem to be having the time of their lives though. With their ridiculous album covers and spectacle of a live show, they're clearly still that gang of jokers we first came across in 94, even if those jokes have been stale for a decade.
I just noticed the other day when listening to "It's All About The Benjamins" the other day that it samples "It's Great To Be Here" by the Jackson 5 on Biggie's verse. It's a great example of how the act of sampling can create a whole new sound when used in its new context. On the original song, the guitar hook used in its intro heralds a joyous outburst by the group. The song as whole celebrates the wholesome party down theme that the Jacksons made a career out of delivering. In the context of "Benjamins" though, the loop is transformed (tuned down slightly) into a paranoid gangsta rap creep. Notorious B.I.G.'s words pound through while the riff skitters over the beat with confidence, yet also with a dreadful cloud hanging over. It's fitting the sample would only be used for the late rapper's verse. The song would be released as the last single off Puff Daddy's debut album No Way Out, just a little over a year after Biggie's death.
After his landmark 1976 record, Desire, Bob Dylan's output fell into some sketchy territory. After his odd turn into Gospel rock on Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot Of Love, Dylan carried on into the 80's, surrendering to the trappings most financially privileged musicians fell into that decade. After a hand injury and a stint with the supergroup, The Travelling Wilburys, Dylan finally hit pay dirt in his solo career with 1989's Oh Mercy. Produced by Daniel Lanois, best known for his collaborative efforts with Brian Eno, both on his ambient work and producing successful U2 records, the record contains a productive kick where his previous efforts dragged their feet.
The album's most layered and best track is the tender ballad "Most Of The Time". Remembered by many for its appearance ten years later in the film High Fidelity, it's sometimes easy to forget that its by Dylan, given it's warm layers of production, and pop/rock balladry (Dylan's gravel pit voice notwithstanding). Lanois's tones both soothe and burn, creating a melancholic atmosphere that aches with regret, while Dylan's lyrics recall a former love that's not quite fully gone from his thoughts. While the singer assures the listener, "I don't compromise and I don't pretend/I don't even care if I see her again, most of the time", it's clear that this time is not one of them.
I am currently a bit in awe of William Basinski's four CD set, The Disintegration Loops. Created during a process of salvaging old bits of music the ambient musician had created in 1982, the result is the sound of the recordings deteriorating into nothing. I'm not 100% sure of how the sounds I'm hearing are being created, but the smokey glow of the tracks are more breathtaking than the majority of the ambient music I have ever heard. All four volumes have a picture of the New York skyline in the wake of 9/11 as their cover art, as this was apparently Basinski's rooftop view upon the completion of the mix of the album. The eerie and peaceful vibe of the music conjures up so many feelings and questions as one can imagine in the events of that horrible day. It's hard to choose a favorite piece out of the bunch so I will include a link here to a youtube page that has several excerpts from the massive project.
On Arcade Fire's latest album The Suburbs, the group seem to hit the nail completely on the head in terms of capturing the sounds of the working class neighborhood. This should be no surprise when observing their previous work where suburban and working class lifestyles make up the bulk of their lyrical content. Even the cover of the record perfectly surmises the look and feel of the atmosphere. When it seemed like the band's grasp of childhood nostalgia couldn't get more vivid, they do this....
This is an interactive video for their song "We Used To Wait". Combining footage and effects created by Chris Milk alongsideGoogle Earth footage activated by typing in your own childhood address, the result is a powerfully moving trip into your past, complete with a virtual postcard to your past self. Assuming you use Google Chrome, and that your neighborhood is well documented on Google Maps, the end result will be phenomenal. Here is the link again.
Sorry for the impromptu vacation I took from the blog...busy week.
Last Monday I interviewed the synth pop duo Chromeo for Big Shot Magazine. The three of us met on a very rain day, at the Atlas Cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While keyboardist Patrick Gemayel (aka P-Thug) seemed a bit annoyed at my tardiness (I was ten minutes late due to the awful, traffic inducing weather), as soon as singer/guitarist David Macklovitch (aka Dave 1) showed up, all was calm and relaxed, resulting in a very comfortable and animated interview. Dave did most of the talking, but P provided some very interesting insight on the instrument setup, as well as the songwriting process. We talked about their shows, the cons and pros of being a duo, their dislike of Ital Disco, and most importantly, their new album Business Casual, due out September 14. The feature I am currently writing on the interview is expected to be the cover story of Big Shot's next issue, due out sometime in October. Until then, here are a few highlights to whet your appetite.
ME: Can you tell me about the "Don't Turn The Lights On" video? First off, who directed it?
DAVE: Keith Scofield. We picked the director first which is kind of unusual because most people usually do the treatment first. But I knew I wanted to work with him from the jump. We went back and forth with ideas for a while, and he had the idea of making the video something of a literal interpretation of the song, which is the lights go on and off etc, and then we kinda added - when the lights come back on, things can shift around, and he added the idea of the eyes being cut out. We knew it would be a lot weirder.
ME: Dave, you once taught at Columbia. This might be an aobvious question you get a lot, but did you teach any of the Vampire Weekend guys?
DAVE: No, but I knew Ezra [Koenig] from the first year I actually enrolled at Columbia. It's an interesting story with him, He was at the first ever Chromeo show we did here in NY back in 2002 or 03. It was our 2nd show EVER. We barely had 5 songs. We opened for The Streets at Bowery Ballroom...He was at the show to go see The Streets, and he discovered us and came up to me at school the next week, that’s how far back it goes.
ME: If there was a movie that you feel your music would fit well into, what would it be?
Holy Shit! After years of making multimedia symphonic projects, tours, Christmas songs, guesting on other people's albums, and a lot of disheartening statements, Sufjan Stevens finally has a new...well, it's an EP, not an album, but it's something! (I've just read on Pitchfork that it's 60 minutes long. I don't care if it is under 10 tracks, that's an album).
All Delighted People has been released today, featuring eight new songs by everyone's favorite Christian. Stream and download it here via Stereogum.
Call them what you will - secret songs, bonus tracks, needless annoyances - hidden tracks have become a fabric of the CD age. Their origin is debatable based on what you constitute as a hidden track, however, no matter which way you look at it, we can blame The Beatles back in the vinyl era, setting the framework from over long final tracks on CDs that make them impossible to include on MP3 based playlists.
In both Beatles cases, the amount of silence featured was at least reasonable. Many consider the song "Her Majesty", to be the first hidden track. Buried at the end of Abbey Road, it plays 14 seconds after "The End" finishes. In addition to the long (for 1969 at least) break, the song is not listed on the back cover. Its presence was a mixing error that was ultimately left unfixed for the sake of experimentation. Thus, the secret song was born.
The only other earlier case was featured at the end of the fab four's psychedelic song cycle, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band where the listener can hear a high pitched whistle followed by a loop a inane chatter from the four Beatles at the very end of "A Day In The Life". On the initial pressing of the album, the loop was placed on the run out groove, locking it in an endless repeat (Sonic Youth used a similar technique with the noise at the end of EVOL's closer, "Expressway To Yr Skull"). This track is not considered a "secret song" by some because there is no song structure, but as several artists have proven since, a secret song doesn't have to be anything remotely resembling a tune (ex: the typing at the end of Pearl Jam's Binaural; the siren and foreign chatter at the end of Sonic Youth's Experimental Jet Set. Trash & No Star; the conclusion of most Beck albums from the 90's).
While hidden tracks are more times than not, a complete let down, there are a few that are worth the wait. Here are some of them:
Train In Vain" - The Clash
Follows immmediatley after "Revolution Rock" on London Calling (1979) but is unlisted on sleeve.
Secret song purely by accident, "Train In Vain" was a last minute addition to The Clash's third album - recorded after the record jackets had already been printed.
"Endless Nameless" - Nirvana
Starts at approximatley 13:50 on the last track on Nevermind (1991).
Noteworthy secret song among collectors, the song was intended for the initital pressing of the album but was accidentaly left off the master. This was corrected on the followup pressing. For reasons unkown, the song was left off all editions of the album after 1994.
"The Second Album" - Stone Temple Pilots
Featured at 4:55 of the last track on Purple (1994).
A joke track, the song is a hokey Johnny Mathis spoof thanking the listner for buying the record.
(could not be found on youtube).
"Diamond Bollocks" - Beck
Starts at 5:18 on the last track on Mutations (1998).
While all of Beck's previous hidden tracks seemed dead set on irking the listener with loud, incessant, and most of all, jarring noise, Mutations actually sends you off with a song - a fucking great one.
"Running The World" - Jarvis Cocker
found a whopping 30 minutes after "Quantum Theory" ends on Jarvis (2006)
Most likely due to the MP3 era, not to mention the novelty running thin, secret songs have been on the downslope in the 00's. Jarvis Cocker is keeping it alive though, ridiculously plopping his solo debut's best song at the uncoveted secret spot (not to mention with a gap that may be the longest I've ever been witness to, aside from possibly the one on Heathen Chemistry by Oasis).
Back in 2004, John Frusciante was quite the busy bee. He released seven titles in the span of twelve months, all featuring variations of his craft. While the Warner Bros. released Shadows Collide With People was more pop oriented, the other six were released through indie label Record Collection, all of which showcased a lo-fi production style.
Ataxia was a one off group consisting of Frusciante, frequent collaborator Josh Klinghoffer, and Fugazi's Joe Lally. The trio quickly formed, recording ten songs, played two gigs, and just as quickly disbanded. Their debut album, Automatic Writing, was the second installment in Frusciante's Record Collection series (the remaining songs were released in 2007 as AW II). The songs are all free form post-rock style jams, slowly burning into climaxes that then work their way back into a calm. Check out the trippy "The Sides" from the first record to get the idea.
Australia's Sally Seltmann seems to be Arts & Craft's best kept secret. Having released two EPs, and three albums (all but her most recent under the moniker New Buffalo), she has garnered much praise among the indie world but continues to keep a low profile in the music press. Her songs are dreamy and lilting with a tendency towards bouncy tin pan alley inspired melodies (evident on Feist's hit single, "1234", which Seltmann cowrote).
The song "Emotional Champ", from her second New Buffalo album Somewhere, Anywhere (2007),is a shimmering march that manages to pack all the uplifting power of a Sigur Rós song in just a fraction of the time. Her backing vocals drum along like a children's choir while her lead whisks the listener away to somewhere bright and lovely. The instrumentation is sparse yet plentiful in power. Those who felt jipped out of the drempop they were expecting from Feist's The Reminder, might want to dig deeper into Seltmann's catalogue for more gems like this one.
I am very pleased that The Suburbs by Arcade Fire has hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Because I work at a record store that gets in their new releases early, I picked it up last Monday. I'm sure all readers of this blog have heard it by now, so you don't need to hear from me how great it is. If you're still skeptical of it's length, grand concept, or of just Arcade Fire in general, here's a deeper cut from the record to get a better assessment.
Although my favorite song on the album is the single and title track, "The Suburbs", here is the lovely Régine Chassagne sung "Sprawl II (Mountains Over Mountains)", the penultimate track the finds the band exploring the whimsy side of childhood into adulthood. Musically, it's arguably the most synthy the band has gotten, but it still retains their anthemic qualities while eskewing their folkier side. Enjoy.
Today, the latest issue of Big Shot magazine has hit newsstands. This issue is a very special one, as it features two pieces written by ME! That's right. My first two published articles are now unleashed.
The first is a small interview feature with British Dubstep DJ, Surgeon (pg. 13). The second is an extensive interview I conducted with Kele Okereke from Bloc Party, on his debut solo album, The Boxer (pgs. 30-35). This feature is also the cover of the magazine. Narly stuff.
Here's a link to a blurb on the main article. Read them both in Big Shot.
Last night I saw The Dead Weather perform at Prospect Park Bandshell. Rather than droll on about how great the set was, I will bestow on you a clip of them tearing Bob Dylan's "New Pony" a new asshole at said show.
As evidenced by their cover of "Pink Moon", Sebadoh are Nick Drake fans. Aside from the obvious influence on Lou Barlow's songwriting style (a ballad like "Kath" comes directly from Drake's canon), there are other instances of the late songwriter creeping up in their work. Check out the similarities in the progressions in the prechoruses of "Parasite" by Nick Drake (from Pink Moon) and "Violet Execution" (from Sebadoh III). It's very indirect, but it's there.
The Under Cover series featured on The AV Club has a new installment today. Featured are indie rock vets Superchunk, covering one of my favorite Cure songs, "In Between Days", from their landmark release, The Head On The Door (1985). The performance got me so pepped up that I figured I would include a couple other rad covers of the tune. One is by The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer on her magical ukulele. The other is by Ben Folds, giving it is his usual piano/bass/drums treatment. All are great and offer something different.
I ran into an old classmate of mine from high school on the train today. I felt bad, because he seemed to have more of a recollection me then I had of him, as when I mentioned that I work at a record store, he said, "that makes sense", meanwhile I couldn't even remember his name. It was nice though sitting and talking with him for ten minutes as I feel like I regained a friend I never actually had in the first place. It was also interesting because when we were recalling the last time we had seen each other, at a wake for a mutual friend, he mentioned that it was on this occasion that I got him into The Avalanches.
Odd subject matter for a service I know; I personally couldn't remember talking about the Australian samplers at all, but apparently I must have done my usual gush routine I do whenever anyone mentions Since I Left You. He said he is now a huge fan of that record because of whatever I had told him about it. It's not something to completely fall all over yourself over, but it's pleasant to know you helped spread good music to someone who otherwise would not have looked for it. Maybe I should have told him about this blog.
On Friday, I saw indie rock gods Modest Mouse...for about twenty minutes. I arrived at the newly opened WIlliamsburg Waterfront a little late, catching the tail end of opener Morning Transportation. Although it was grey and muggy all day, by the time the show started it was sunny and beautiful, and with a view off the New York skyline coasting the water, it seemed like we were in for a magical evening.
WRONG! As Isaac Brock and Co. took the stage, a wild breeze came with them as the sky resumed its earlier demeanor. At first the change was nice given the intense heat, but as opening number, "Satelite Skin" skittered over its false start (Brock's amp kicked out after a few strums), it became apparent that this might not be the only interruption this show would see. After a rousing rendition of "Bury Me With It", Brock commented on the incoming dark clouds, expressing hope that this would not affect the show. Right as the band were getting warmed up, playing a deep cut from Everywhere And His Nasty Parlor Tricks, "Here It Comes", the band was called off the stage for what was supposed to be twenty minutes. As it turned out, the show ended up being cancelled due to the inclement weather, despite it being a rain or shine ticket.
This is actually the second time I've missed on seeing them play due to rain. In 2008, when they were opening for R.E.M., their show at Jones Beach was cut short due to serious downpour. This was double dissapointing considering this was during the period when Johnny Marr was playing with them (although he's technically still considered a member of the group, he hasn't been touring with them recently due to his time being taken up playing with the far undeserving indie rock outfit, The Cribs).
While the show was at first believed to be cancelled completely with no reschedule, according to Brooklyn Vegan, the show will go on September 14th at the same venue. Modest Mouse are known for their short tours and it seemed unlikely that they would come back to New York to redo the show, so it is quite a treat to hear they will be playing here again. Maybe I can finally see what their encore is like.
When it comes to late night summer records, The Boy With The Arab Strap fits the bill surprisingly well. While both Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister seem to revel in the indoor comfort of Winter, with its soft textures and warm introverted sound, Arab Strap extends outward into the night sky. The orchestrations on "Dirty Dream Number Two" give off the excitement and energy of a fireworks show, while the title track has the fun and loose nature of a picnic with it's shuffled beat and handclaps. What really evokes the nightime nature of the songs though is in its serenity like on the Isobel Campbell sung "Is It Wicked Not To Care", a song that's tremolo guitar picking captures the twinkle of starlight reflecting on rippling water. Both songs sung by Stevie Jackson ("Chickfactor", "Seymour Stein") have a slow, drifting quality to them, while "A Summer Wasting" and "The Roller Coaster" gently review some of the guilty pleasures of the lazy, directionless, summetime lovers. While future releases would progressively drop the fokier influences of their first two albums, Arab Strap still maintains them while expanding into more electric territories and some experimentalism. If You're Feeling Sinister remains their finest work, but The Boy With The Arab Strap is the best record for sitting on the dunes at night with a bottle of wine.
The Late Show seems to host all my favorite musical guests. Performing my favorite song released this summer, here is Swedish pop singer Robyn with "Dancing On My Own".
Sorry for the infrequency in posts. I've been working on an interview with the co-founder of Kitsuné, a French clothing/music label. They have a new compilation entitled Kitsuné x Ponystep, which is mixed by DJ Jerry Bouthier. It's a hot club mix with plenty of ear tantalizing artists. Here is a clip showing the making of the album art. When the interview gets printed I will post it here along with my other interview features with Kele Okereke and Surgeon.
I am still out of breath from this one. Here is a performance that just took place on The Late Show with David Letterman, of M.I.A. performing the noisefest "Born Free" from her latest record /\/\/\Y/\, released today. Aside from the visual assault of Maya herself, there is a lot to enjoy in this clip. The stage is draped in darkness while a small gang of Maya clones mimic the singer's movements and vocals (each one is given their own microphone). A manic drummer with a glowing neon hat can be seen pounding away in the background but most exiting of all is the presence of Suicide keyboardist Martin Rev, producing the most freaked out discordance I have ever seen on national television (the song "Born Free" utilizes a sample from Suicide's "Ghost Rider"). In the aftermath, a clearly dazed audience politely applauds while Letterman stumbles on the stage dumbfounded. Between his laughter he jokes, "Happy Halloween", to which the audience lets out a huge howl. It needs to be seen to be believed.
BONUS: You can hear someone yell, "What the fuck was that?!" at 4:16.
I've always been told that the song you're listening to when something traumatic happens will be forever burned in your brain along with the incident. I recall a friend of mine in high school saying he could never listen to "Paint It, Black" without getting an uneasy feeling as it was what he was playing when he wrecked his car. The sudden, unexpected impact would play in his head and strike at random moments during the dark jangles of Brian Jones's sitar.
It seems fitting, and almost convenient that I was listening to Suicide's first record when my car was struck by a sleeping driver's Toyota Saturday night. I was a few minutes into the disturbing monolith, "Frankie Teardrop", when the loud thud pushed me forward and cut through the humming keyboard dirge. I guess I was lucky in retrospect. Firstly, that I wasn't seriously hurt in the accident, but secondly that I was listening to a song that seems designed for trauma. Nothing could be worse than having a great pop song like say, "Just Like Heaven", or "Tenderness", forever scorched by the screeching tires. Because it was "Frankie Teardrop", the idea is already there to give the listener nightmares. Having the actual memory of the unpleasant sensation of being hit into by a vehicle seems almost like a bonus when you think about what the band was trying to evoke with it's unsettling drone and shaky vocals. The only thing that could have made it better is if it was during one of Alan Vega's horrifying screams.
Being in a car accident is terrible, and something I would not recommend for anyone. However, if it has to happen, Suicide would be a good soundtrack for it.
I don't like to boss around my readers, so let me take this opportunity to ask politely that you listen to the track, "Boyfriend", by Best Coast. The song will be featured on her (Bethany Casentino's) first full length album, Crazy For You out July 27th. Continuing this year's trend of the lo-fi girls gone garage (Dum Dum Girls; Coasting), the song has a sweet summer sun burn to it mixed with a resigned sigh over unrequited love. It's a tact that's hardly new, but can still present itself in highly enjoyable ways - press play and see.
Last night I saw She & Him at Terminal 5 in NYC. I arrived a little bit late, missing the majority of comedian Eugene Mirman's standup act. Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward graced the stage at 9 pm sharp with their backing band already in place. Aside from Ward's prominent lead guitar, they were also backed by a second guiatrist (who stayed mostly acoustic), a bassist, drummer, and two young ladies adding keyboard, percussion and harmonizing vocals. Deschanel herself banged a tambourine on many of the songs, but also played a rather disobedient organ throughout the show. The keyboard had a few sounds on it, one of which was a Wurlitzer that apparently had gone completely out of tune in transit. Because of this, she had to use the organ function, which had a deep jazz sound, which led to a few false starts to songs that featured her on keys, as she struggled to find the right octave to play. She fared quite well though, playing gracefully along with the band on poppy girl group bouncers like "Don't Look Back", "Over It And Over It Again", and the excellent single "In The Sun", all from their latest record Volume Two. Volume One was well represented as well. The majority of that record was played over the course of the night (they opened with four songs from their first album - "Change Is Hard", "I Thought I Saw Your Face Today", "I Was Made For You", and "Black Hole" before going into thei latest single, the dreamy "Thieves").
While the stripped down middle section that featured just Ward on acoustic guitar accompanying Deschanel's vocal was a highlight, the most exciting parts of the show were when Ward took the mic himself - first on the band's powerful remake of the NRBQ classic, "Riding In My Car" where he shares a verse both on the record and in live performance, then again later on two songs from Ward's solo catologue. M.Ward's latest record, Hold Time, features a blissful cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On", reorganizing it into a midtempo sway, to which the She & Him band nailed. Both that song and the Ward original, "One Magic Trick", were further enhanced by Zooey's June Carter belting, backing up Ward's rough growl.
Probably the biggest delight of the night was delivered in their closing number, a chilled out cover of the Screaming Jay Hawkins standby, "I Put A Spell On You". The lights dimmed as Ward played an icy guitar thump over Deschanel's mile long wails. While she was showboating a little, you couldn't help but crack a smile as she stomped the ground like a pouting child, drawing out each note in a long, pronounced yell. At the song's conclusion, Ward then looped a twangy guitar loop that sounded straight out of Kill Bill, which was then repeated infinitely as the audience exited.
On a blistering hot day as July 6, 2010 was, it was nice to hear a set of fun, laid back, good old fashioned pop tunes. Never delving too far into their country tendencies, She & Him, along with their backing band, kept it light and fun, with a great sound and tight inner dynamics. One criticism could be said about some of their tempos, which while in many cases were faster than the record, on a couple of occasions they started running a little too fast which sounded borderline frantic. Still, the band's energy kept the crowd's way up and gave us all a swell show.
Laid is an odd album. Not in that it exercises any breakthrough methods of production. The album was the first of several collaborations James made with producer Brian Eno, and the end result isn't much different from the work he had previously done with U2. Each track has his usual glowing style - a light use of reverb on just about every instrument, atmospheric backgrounds, nontraditional song structures, etc . He was definitely the ideal producer for the group, as their sound seemed to pick up where U2 ran away from in the early 90's. What makes the album odd though is how misleading its title track is. Everyone knows "Laid". A short and sweet anthem about gettin's some, the track tore up the pop charts in the latter part of 1993 (it peaked at #61 on the US Billboard 100, but reached #24 in the UK, as well as #3 on the Modern Rock charts). Given the blissful state of the track, one would think it would be the leading track (or at least rack two or three) on an album full of uplifting pop ditties. Not exactly.
Laid starts with the surprisingly somber "Out To Get You". A soul searching song about loneliness, it gets the album off somewhat awkwardly. "Sometimes (Lester Piggott)" is more of what one would expect given the title track. An uptempo propulsive track, "Sometimes" rides rather consistently on the refrain, "sometimes when I look in your eyes, I can see your soul". "Say Something" has a similar sentiment and feel to both "Sometimes", but the rest of the album is very restrained and has a somewhat wounded feel. "Laid" finally plops down at a bewildering track 11 on the album. By this point, the jolliness of the song can barely be appreciated considering the amount of seriousness the listener has had to deal with listening to songs like "P.S.", "Knuckle Too Far", and "Five-O". It's helped somewhat by its predecessor, "Low", which is jaunty enough to get the listener ready for some fourth quarter poppers, but the album then immediately returns back to its reflective state with the elegant ballad, "Lullabye" before ending with the rather ambiguously sneaky "Skindiving".
One thing that should be made clear here though is that Laid is a good album. It may not live up to what many college radio fans would expect it to be, but it is still quite worthy of being in Eno's production resume. The problem with the album, and the reason why most people have forgotten it, is that it doesn't quite go far enough. The album is clearly trying to be a statement of great emotion, but the end result isn't really anything that U2 hadn't already done with The Joshua Tree. Had the album been made in 1986, it would have been a revelation. Despite the fact that nearly all the songs are very good ("One Of The Three" doesn't quite cut it; apparently Eno didn't like himself and wasn't present during its recording), it just doesn't break down enough barriers to be memorable beyond it's catchy as hell single.
Jeff Tweedy has made some of my all time favorite songs/albums of all time. However, since the monolithic and quite excellent A Ghost Is Born, Tweedy and whoever he decides to call Wilco have become increasingly disappointing with their output. One of the main problems I have with their material and demeanor is that they really began to show their age. Tweedy is someone who has always had a good sense of humor, but he desperately tries to make like he's cool despite the fact he's kind of a jerk. Also, with every year that passes, he just seems like a dorky uncle, living up to the dad-rock stigma his band has been getting for quite some time. In this clip, Tweedy is asked by an audience member to either play, "Ashes Of American Flags", or Beyoncé's "Single Ladies". It at first seems like he's going to be perform a nice folked out version of the pop banger. He quickly abandons this though, and then reads the lyrics to the audience blankly. He procedes to mock the song in his delivery, going through each line in a straightforward manner, as if to showcase the stupidity of the song (although I agree that the "to infinite and beyond lyric was a bad choice), when in actuality, Tweedy is the one who looks stupid...oh and old. This runthrough of the song only shows how he doesn't understand pop music at all, and is just like your average middle aged loser, unwilling to accept music that's youthful and fun. The fact that "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is better than any song Tweedy has written since 2004 is not even the point, but it's a valid sidenote.
Grinderman is Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds members' twisted garage side project (as if the group wasn't twisted enough in their own right). I am more than a little freaked out by the trailer for their upcoming sophomore release. Simply titled Grinderman2, the album will feature the same cast of characters from the Bad Seeds (Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos). Here is the creepy as hell trailer, as well as a refresher of how awesome they are, from their self titled debut.
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