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Dawn Landes : Fireproof by Lee Henderson
"Bodyguard," the first song on Dawn Landes' latest album, was written as a reaction to her Brooklyn apartment being burglarized. The ensuing theft saw a hard drive, containing the only copy of her ready- to- go second album, vanish. "I never looked back or tried to recreate those songs, never played them, nothing. I just started over from scratch," she says. The album "Fireproof" is the fruit of that labor. The title, obviously, suggests both vulnerability and indestructibility: I'm sure Ms. Landes is much more protective of all the things in her life following her home invasion. "Now you know what you want/ You want what you had/ But you can't have that/ You can't go back," she sings in "Private Little Hell." A sad lesson learned, indeed.The songs that comprise "Fireproof" are reminiscent to me both of Athens, GA band Azure Ray, and of Sub Pop recording artist and Seattle native Rosie Thomas (that's to say only that they all seem to synthesize the same influences). Lyrically, I'm not always with her-- "La la la la Life's a gag/ La la la la You're a fag" doesn't exactly have the air of high- mindedness, though it's probably simply an inside joke-- but musically, color me impressed. Ms. Landes isn't reinventing the wheel here, yet she seems right in her wheelhouse when it comes to some of the more offbeat Waits-ian instrumentation offered here (optigan, banjo, toy piano).And at the end of the day, who can argue with the lines, "When it's hard to breathe in the city/ It's easier to drink"? Not I, said the fly (drunkenly). All in all, I'm glad this album came across my desk. Not just for me, but for my wife-- who I only think agreed to marry me as a thanks for introducing her to Azure Ray and to Ms. Chan (Cat Power) Marshall. This is a good one to have on while cooking dinner, with a bottle of Biodynamic Oregon Pinot open next to the stove. Be sure to look out for the hidden Tom Petty cover ("I Won't Back Down," at the end of album closer "You Alone"), and, finally, be sure to heed "Fireproof"'s cautionary tale-- that while, of course, you should look out for and guard steadfastly what's most important to you, everything ultimately is just like what Bob Dylan once said: "It's not the experience that matters, it's the attitude towards the experience." Available on Cooking Vinyl USADawn Landes on Myspace
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Strangers Die Every Day : Aperture For Departure by Lee Henderson
When I read, in the accompanying press release for Portland's Strangers Die Every Day's debut album, that they had previously opened up for Thurston Moore, I was immediately seized by an intuition telling me that I was not going to like this album at all. I saw Thurston (one of my absolute all- time musical heroes) at the Great American Music Hall back in October and the group (not SDED) that opened for him... well, suffice it to say they just weren't my thing* and I was afraid it was going to be more of the same here.I was so heartened to be wrong. "Aperture For Departure" is a cool record, something I'd much sooner classify as left- field chamber music than I would Indie Rock. It's entirely instrumental, and some of the tracks don't even incorporate a drummer-- and for a guy who spends just as much time these days listening to Gershwin and Glenn Gould as he does Gogol Bordello and Grizzly Bear, that's a welcome thing.Fans of Tortoise and Godspeed You! Black Emperor will really enjoy "Aperture." In fact, I'd just about recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bit of both "Rite Of Spring" and "Real Emotional Trash" in their same- day repertoire. 2 out of 3 stars.Available on the This Generation Tapes label. ~lee.*Think Yoko Ono meets "Metal Music Machine." Even though I had recently (and quite begrudgingly) quit smoking cigarettes after almost twenty years-- and the cravings were still killing me-- I boycotted their set and stood outside with the smokers until it was over.
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John Peel is better than god and chocolate by Farhad J Parsa
My life is pretty good. I have a long way to go to get to where I want and I'm sure even when I get there, I won't be satisfied--probably because I'm never content with anything. My point being, as each year slips by, there are a few people in my life, both private and public persons, who I never got a chance to meet because they died. Some I wanted to head-butt with a steel spike, others, dine with over some wine and Moroccan food. But when I was in a band my DREAM, my GOAL IN LIFE, was to be invited to perform on BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions.What John Peel did was and continues to be my structure for integrity, vision, contemporary actualization (keeping up to date and exposing it). Mr. Peel (died of a heart attack while traveling in Peru) was an English disc jockey, radio, and print journalist who worked at the BBC from 1967 to 2004. The man had great musical taste and never stopped keeping his ear to the pavement to showcase unknown bands to the rest of the world. Peel, in a boiled down version of his life, introduced BBC listeners to punk, reggae, hip-hop, and electronic dance music.For those of you who want to probe deeper into the Peel Session bands and the songs they played go here and on the BBC here. (They have tracks you can stream and listen to for only 30 seconds...like, what's the fucking point there?) Anyway if you know what's up with Bit Torrent, then I suggest you search for Peel Sessions through that since the only Peel I've found is on vinyl (I know there's more but vinyl is the best way to find Peel's recordings besides online Torrent).My favorite aspect about the Peel Sessions is how well recorded they are. In addition to getting great performances he could be one caustic son of a bitch, which I love, when he felt that a performance was lacking or the artist was shit.Here are a few examples:Smog : I Break HorsesMudhoney : The Straight LifePretty Girls Make Graves : More Sweet SoulThe Damned : Neat Neat Neat Yeah Yeah Yeahs : Tick Yeah Yeah Yeahs : MapsInterpol : The New Interpol : Hands Away And one of Peel's favorite bands, The Undertones, have lyrics from their song Teenage Kicks, on Peel's headstone. Life is too short to live. Ya know? So, here's to John Peel. (I'm drinking a Guiness with a shot of Jameson's in my mind)Words by FJP
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Applied Communications : Heavenly Gospel by Lee Henderson
It is raining outside, and I am in kind of a bad mood. I've been trying to work on music all day and—what can I say, there's just no blood going there at all like hanging upside- down in a meat locker.I want to get something done today, though, and thankfully I have a couple of reviews due. So I reach for Heavenly Gospel, the second album from Applied Communications, and am immediately struck by the album’s layout--hand-bound with string, the CD cover is nothing more than a folded, color-copied piece of high gloss paper. Inside it is another folded, color-copied piece of high gloss paper, this time with lyrics (or something). I like it. It's econo. It's punk rock.It's absolutely the only thing about this album that I like.Weird for the sake of being weird (or for no reason at all) has never sat very well with me. I can spot these guys' influences, if you can call them that, within the first thirty seconds, though I do sit through the whole album: Beck (when he was selling tapes out of the trunk of his car), "Revolution #9," Lard, the Descendants, video games, and lysergic acid diethylamide (or maybe just Robitussin). And masturbation--—lots and lots of masturbation. Brutal, uncompromising, I'm- going-wind-up-with-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome masturbation.I really hope that these guys are thirteen, but they have a website better than I could pull off so I'm kind-of doubting it.Suffice it to say, yes this album is just that bad, and yes it has made my bad mood that much worse. It should have been called something like "Thirty-Five Migraine-Inducing Minutes, and Other Assorted Love Songs." Except that nothing on this CD can be actually classified as a song*. So I'd go with "Worse Than The Holocaust," and call it a day.~lee.*Just in case you were wondering, Heavenly Gospel is made up entirely of sound snippets like truncated (or otherwise irregular) drumbeats, keyboard, um, melodies, and, finally, what can only be charitably described as somebody using a dictaphone to record a television (or something). There is nothing avant-garde at work here. The ACLU wouldn't defend this CD.
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Free Beer and Noise Pop
I met Janet Weiss yesterday. I think her husband was there too, you know, the other half of the amazing Quasi. I didn't say hi to him, but almost embarrassed myself gloating over Weiss. She's awesome. I think Quasi's in town for Noise Pop, but I couldn't find them listed anywhere. Anyway, Noise pop promises to be great this year. If you are lucky enough to have a ticket for tonight's sold out Magnetic Fields show, I envy you.I hear there's free beer available thanks to Diesel. Check the details below:
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Say Hi : The Wishes and the Glitch by Lee Henderson
One of my favorite images of all time is a Shel Silverstein sketch of a man playing a guitar that is also his own face and torso. A guitarotaur, if you will. The cover of Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom) 's fifth album, The Wishes and the Glitch, reminds me in a fleeting way of the Silverstein sketch, for it is an illustration of a boxy robot (three boxy robots, actually) opening up its own quadrilateral chest outward, like a refrigerator door, exposing what's inside.Say Hi is, according to both the website and "Wishes'" liner notes, "a boy named Eric" Elbogen. Eric lives and records in Seattle, and is, ostensibly, the whole band (there are some ancillary background singers), playing all the "guitar, bass, synthesizer, and drum machines. . . encapsulated on this compact disc, vinyl long player or digital collection."* Right away I'm somewhat skeptical, as my personal tastes tend to gravitate less toward the laptop and more toward . . . well, not new country music, and not the laptop--though I don't mean to conflate the two. But the opening strains of "Northwestern Girls," the first track on "Wishes," does much to assuage my worry--there's an immediacy in those two-and-a-half minutes that grabbed me and pulled me in. The following tracks "Shakes Her Shoulders" and "Toil and Trouble" continue piquing my interest, especially "Toil," which I can really see delivering live, given of course that it's performed loud enough. There's a nice balance of what I'll call, for lack of a better term, organic tension in the song, and the lyric "sometimes the slow simmers to a boil" contained within -- well, syllogistic isn't exactly the right word, but let's just say that the line delivers on its promise. Unfortunately, the wheels more or less come off the wagon for me after that. "Back Before We Were Brittle," "Oboes Bleat and Triangles Trink," and "Magic Beans and Truth Machines" are tracks that, for me, don't really go anywhere but sideways and in circles. And at this point it should be noted that, while I'm sure he hates the comparison, "Wishes" is more than just a little (Postal Service) "Give Up"- esque and Elbogen's singing voice is, again, more than a little similar to the nerdy romanticism of Ben Gibbard's**. But Say Hi is no Postal Service, and these three songs prove it. "Bluetime" and "Spiders" get us back on track somewhat, but the damage has been done (though "Spiders" does contain the best line of the album: "there’s the thing with her father, the thing with me broken, her new jealous ex and the press"). And while there is good imagery like this throughout the album, such lyricism ultimately doesn't make up for the lack of dynamism or cogency -- for the overall lukewarm songwriting -- that I feel typifies it. This is cemented with the last three songs, "Zero to Love," "Apples For the Innocent," and "We Lost the Albatross," songs which all deal with themes of either obtaining or "need(ing) something new." On the whole I would recommend to Mr. Elbogen to capitalize on what works on this album -- the first three songs, specifically -- and jettison the rest. In other words, a third of what he's got works. The other two-thirds need something. Additionally, I would simply warn him of the risk he takes when opening up, in general, and exposing the elements inside, their inner-working. . . I would warn him to think twice next time about the robot on the cover of his record. For when the robot opens up, it reveals itself to be hollow, its contents nothing but cold air. I don’t think Mr. Elbogen wants his art suffering the same criticism. *That Elbogen is Say Hi's only decision-maker has lent him the space and freedom to employ some personal touches (like this one) in the album's layout that I didn't like, and some that I did: specifically that, though only symbolically, it is broken up into a side A and a side B, a la a throwback vinyl record. I wish more artists, when tracking their albums, would factor in this variable. **And Conor Oberst's, for that matter. And mine. But, Senator, I am no Jack Kennedy, and I digress. Words by Lee
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Ringo Starr : Liverpool 8 by Jory John
I'll admit this here & now: Every time a former Beatle releases a new album, I'm hopeful, ready to give every benefit of every doubt. And this is true: I got teary eyed, once, when I was reading a review of a then-new Paul McCartney CD that received high praise. I couldn't believe it, especially when the reviewer wrote that the new songs stood up to Paul's output on "Revolver." Yes! "Revolver"! Dang! Then I went and bought a copy and the first lines of the first song were "One, two, three, four, five/Let's go for a drive." Not exactly a revolutionary debut and the album -- "Driving Rain" -- remained lackluster and uninspired, throughout. And I know that this isn't meant to be a McCartney review, but I think it's generally an apt comparison, because Paul and Ringo have had a tendency to share the same problem: They both try too hard in that overproduced, electric-guitar-and-synth, forced-rhyme sort of way. Quit rhyming so damn much, Paul and Ringo! All those songs you keep pumping out would stand up better. Over the last few years, I've sincerely wanted to sit these post-Beatles down and say, "Listen up, you two ... I want both of you to focus on your strengths. OK? Paul, for you, it's your melodies, acoustic ballads and knack at storytelling. For you, Ringo, it's your drumming and dry sense of humor. And while we're at it, why don't you give George's final album, 'Brainwashed' another couple of listens. George went back to writing beautiful, stripped down songs with harmonies that people rightfully compared to 'Abbey Road.' Think about it." With all that said, I'm actually pleased to report that there are some good things about "Liverpool 8": 1.) For a Ringo album, it's not bad at all. 2.) That is, it grows on you with a few listens, even if the music has an occasional tendency to blend into one long ramble. 3.) And the song "Give It a Try" sneaks up and approaches Ringo's best work and it's definitely one that I'd add to a playlist if I created a mix entitled "Songs Written By Former Beatles That Are Actually Good and Worth a Listen." Granted, this is all relative and you know what you're getting into when you see the name Ringo Starr on the cover. Because let's be honest: Nobody ever really looked to the Fourth Beatle for his song-writing prowess and the fact that he just released a generally pleasant, nostalgic, fairly well-sung album may be the closest we come to a celebrated post-Beatles offering this year. Ring Starr : Liverpool 8Check out Jory's Bigstonehead
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SMILE with Neil on Valentines
As you probably already know, Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. In North America, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. Named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in /Parlement of Foules /(1382) by Chaucer: /For this was on seynt Volantynys day/ /Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese/ [choose] /his make/ [mate].Wow! He's supposed to be such a great poet, and yet he can't even spell. Shocking ...Well, anyway, you are probably aware that in some North American elementary schools,students are encouraged to give a Valentine card or small gift to everyone in the class. The greeting cards of these students often mention what they appreciate about each other. Now, this is no elementary school, and I don't expect everyone of you to bring me a Valentine, but it would be appreciated if certain select people would consider doing so, and you know who you are... Married and unavailable ladies need not fear that I will take it the wrong way!In any case, I hope you will not let this daunting prospect hold you back from attending another fantastic night of fun and frivolity at Ye Olde Knockoute. Just see what I have lined up for your listening pleasure:11pm - The Moore Brothers - Thomas and Gregory by name, they are no strangers to SMiLE! attendees. Truly, sweeter songbirds are rare to come by in any era, and local appearances by this pair are equally rare ever since they've relocated up North. So be sure to catch them while you can!http://www.myspace.com/themoorebros10:15pm - Dreamdate - What a delightful surprise when I discovered there was such a band as Dreamdate! Yea-ming, Anna, and Elbert produce a delightfully tuneful clatter that'll have you dreaming up some wonders.http://www.myspace.com/dreamdater9:30pm - Them Hills - The Moores are bringing up some friends of theirs from Nevada City. Never having met, seen, nor heard them in person, I can't speak from experience. But they seem just delightful and wear funny glasses. What more could you ask for?http://www.myspace.com/themhillsThe place is at 3223 Mission near 29th and the cost is a mere $5.I look forward to seeing you!Best wishes,Neil Martinson
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Valentines Day Bummer by Avery Monsen & Jory John
It's February in San Francisco and it seems like everybody has somebody. The sun came out yesterday for the first time in weeks and love-struck assholes from every walk of life flooded the streets. There was kissing in the on the sidewalks. There was hand-holding in the corner store. There was what looked coitus in the park. Yuck. Public coitus is the absolute worst. "Public coitus is the absolute worst," I said to no one in particular, although "no one" included everyone in the 10-items-or-less line at Safeway. "Hallmark must be responsible for this."I kept walking. Things were turning ugly. Heavy petting, heavier petting, heaviest petting. Everywhere I looked, cheese-balls were asking other cheese-balls for their cheesy hand in marriage. "You complete me," some jerk said, to some she-jerk. "You had me at 'hello,'" some tool said, to some she-tool. But I don't think I'm alone, here. I can't be. There must be other people out there who are sick of this Valentine's fever. People who have a hunch -- like I do -- that those little "Be Mine" candy hearts are actually just chalk. People that know that flowers die and chocolate will just make you fat. We're the Lonely Majority (coined!), and we're not going to take it anymore.
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The Whigs : Mission Control by Lee Henderson
Full disclosure: I am a former, and slightly fanatical, Athens, GA resident. As such, January was a great month for me in terms of new music. Athens' finest the Drive- By Truckers' latest opus "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" does not disappoint, and neither does Chan Marshall's (Cat Power) latest, "Jukebox" (that Chan is technically a native of Atlanta, really got her start in New York City, and now lives in Miami does not phase me). Athens' residents The Whigs' second release, "Mission Control," (also issued in January) is yet another such record. While the album may play it a little safe at times, what I like about it is that it doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is: straightforward rock n' roll. And who, at the end of the day, doesn't enjoy straightforward rock n' roll*? People I don't like, that's who. You know who you are**. The album announces itself confidently with the opening track "Like A Vibration." Immediately one notices the unmistakable similarity between singer Parker Gispert's voice and that of Dave Grohl's--a similarity that helps personify both what is great about the album and what is not so great about it. On the one hand, both Grohl and Gispert have cool rock n' roll voices—strong, spiky, and distinguished. On the other, that both singers sound so alike—and, ergo, the Whigs sound similar to the Foo Fighters—that overall the album is nothing new. Which, as I've said before, doesn't mean it's not a good album. I may teasingly refer to Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses as "Jim James Mercer," but that doesn't mean I've been able to stop listening to "Cease to Begin" for the last couple of months. The second track "Production City" starts off with a staccato "Orange Crush" kind of thing before settling in to a groove that makes me think: this is what Minutemen might sound like had they made it to the 21st century. Of course, "Production City" is longer than a minute and a half and has a melodic chorus. But the scratchy guitar work is reminiscent of the late D. Boon, and the bass playing of Mike Watt. Listen for it. Similarly, "Sleep Sunshine" begins with a riff and a theme that vaguely reminds me of Radiohead's "Wolf At The Door" before channeling the Athens instrumental combo Japancakes' warm pedal steel sound. Neither influence seems too overt or gratuitous--in fact "Sleep Sunshine" is one of the most mature and best songs on the album. It, more than any other song on the record, shows off drummer Julian Dorio's talents, and I’m sure the song is a highlight live. Another highlight live, I'm sure, is "Already Young." Probably the most commercial song on "Mission Control," I can totally hear it on the radio or see it on a Starbucks sampler. The chorus is melodic and infectious, and, and there’s no better way to say this—it feels good. So does "I Got Ideas," the best and most mature song on the album. It's promising to see them add extra instrumentation (horns in the chorus) and I hope they continue down this path with future recordings. No matter what path they're on, I hope it leads to the Independent or the Rickshaw Stop soon--I am really looking forward to checking these guys out live. I am really looking forward to hearing them play "I Never Want To Go Home." I can't wait to soak up the irony of singing along to the "I don’t want to go home again" chorus, knowing I would go home again, if only to have dinner at Farm 255, a drink at the Mercury Lounge, and then to have my hand stamped at the Caledonia or the 40 Watt for a Whigs' show. Words by Lee *(Besides my parents.) **It suddenly occurs to me that I feel compelled to steer this review towards a histrionic rant about hipsters who eschew anything mainstream in the interest of fashion. I don't want to marginalize the Whigs by doing that. So this passive- aggressive parenthetical is going to have to do. The Whigs : Right Hand On My Heart
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