This picture. This song.
Shonen Knife – “I Wanna Eat Choco Bars“
As you were.
Archive for the ‘music’ Category
This picture. This song
Posted in ...this is your father speaking, music, tagged Shonen Knife on February 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »
passionate revolt against the corporate ogre
Posted in music, tagged Beat Happening, Ben Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie, Indian Summer, Lou Barlow on February 6, 2012| 1 Comment »
Well ain’t that a pip… I was blogging about the greatness that is Dinosaur Jr yesterday and I sent a fan “tweet” to Lou Barlow. The dude tweeted back and followed. So pretty much I felt like a rock star yesterday.
***
I am on the last chapter of Our Band Could Be Your Life. I’ll be so sad when its done. What will I read next? Hunger Games? I dunno about that.
The final chapter is on Olympia’s Beat Happening. I am not done reading yet… but so far I really like the vibe of Beat Happening. Great lo-fi indie pop. I was checking out some BH music and the top hit was this song…
Wait a minute… I know that song!
Beat Happening fired up in the early 80s. College kids from the Evergreen State’s capital… errr capitol.
They weren’t much of musicians in the traditional sense… which makes them kind of inspiring. They just had some ideas and some music thoughts and recorded them. Put out records, practiced and got better.
Unlike most all the bands covered in Our Band Could Be You Life… so far at least… beat Happening seem to actually be friends and get along.
Such a neat song.
Go with yourself.
Gimme Indie Rock
Posted in history 101, music, tagged Dinosaur Jr, J Mascis, Lou Barlow, Mudhoney, Sebadoh, Sub pop, The Cure on February 5, 2012| 5 Comments »
I bought my first first Dinosaur Jr LP yesterday. Weird, I know. I have always had an MP3 for “Freak Scene” on my computer… and I *might* have one Alex’s old Sebadoh records kicking around in a CD bin somewhere… but it wasn’t till I finished the chapter on Dinosaur Jr in Our Band Could Be Your Life that it all came together.
I was reading this book in the summer… then lost it after the chapter on Big Black! Fuck nuts.
Maybe Nana found it because on Friday my bed was made (thank you!) and the book was just sitting by my bedside table. And the bookmark was still where I left it. Magical.
I tucked into the story of Dinosaur Jr on Friday and it was amazing. The band began as a couple hardcore skids, J Mascis and Lou Barlow, coming together in Amherst, Massachusetts in the early 80s. The hardcore band, Deep Wound, didn’t really work for them, but when J came out from behind the kit to sing and play guitar and Lou moved over to bass… they created a new and unique still for the time. The blue-print for what we’d call grunge or alternative rock in the 90s.
They also hated each other (or it seemed that way in the book) and by the their third album, Bug, J Mascis and drummer Murph kicked Barlow out of the band. According to wikipedia and twitter, they are friends again and releasing new music as the original Dinosaur Jr!
I love listening to old 80 alternative rock. Especially on my turntable. Its more distorted (because my amp sucks) and feels more true to the style of the time. Maybe if I could track down a cassette player, I could jam out those early Sebadoh songs too.
J Mascis says Bug is his least favourite Dinosaur Jr record. Which probably means it’ll be my favourite. I’ve never met the guy… only read the legend in the book… but he sounds like a challenging dude. I guess the true artists tend to be. Actually… most the band features in Our Band Could Be Your Life are dysfunctional.
Bug works for me because it is fuzzy, heavy, original lineup but the most accessible of the early records.
Check out a couple selections.
“Freak Scene”
Side one, track one from Bug is one of the more recognizable songs from Dinosaur Jr. It helped propel the record to number 1 on the UKs Indie chart. The Brits of the late 80s and early 90s were fascinated with the authentic American sound and Dinosaur had that going on.
The lyrics seem like they are directly about J and Lou’s relationship. After reading about their turmoil and drama, then hearing this song… it adds so much weight to the story.
The final cut on the LP is a song called “Don’t.” The only song on Bug sung by Lou Barlow. He wails over and over, “Why don’t you like me?” The songs is noise and fury and Barlow apparently coughed up blood after laying down the vocals. Mascis himself said it was a little fucked up to make Barlow sing this song considering at the time, the two hated each other.
“Don’t”
So savage. Sounds better on my stereo than in my headphones. It needs the “room” to sound just right.
You know how much I love covers… Dinosaur recorded the Cure’s “Just like Heaven” for a compilation record, but dug it some much… they kept it for a single. I t was released in the UK in ’89 and was their first UK chart song. You’ll find the song now on the reissue of You’re Living All Over Me (the album before Bug).
“Just like Heaven”
That’s all I got for you right now. Just finishing the book, Our Band Could Be Your Life and loving the chapter on Mudhoney/SubPop.
Go with yourself.
Pack A.D. & Vince Vaccaro & Miami Nights 1984 &
Posted in music, radio, tagged Gotye, Interview, Live, Miami Nights 1984, radio, The Pack A.D., Vince Vaccaro on February 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
So many great interviews and performances this week on the Zone Afternoon Show.
Soundcloud: The Pack A.D. perform “Sirens” and “Haunt You”
Soundcloud: Vince Vaccaro performs “Coming Home”
Soundcloud: Miami Nights 1984 talking about his remix of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”
Happy Friday!
Go with yourself.
Looking for the words to say to you
Posted in music, tagged Eve 6, Fearless Records, Jared Followill, Kings of Leon, MONA on February 1, 2012| 2 Comments »
Coral follows Jared Followill of Kings of Leon on twitter. She noticed that he is always tweeting at his bro Nick Brown. Coral thinks, “isn’t that neat.”
Turns out Nick is in a band called Mona. And they play their song on Alt Nation.
Lots of buzz stareting to swell as they did the whole… debut in the UK first, then come back to America and release their record here… thing. Isn’t that similar to Kings of Leon? a little maybe. They sure do sound like KOL. Maybe you’ll like this song if you like KOL.
MONA – “Lean Into The Fall”
Download MP3 (low quality)>> Lean into the Fall
***
I love Eve 6. Back in the late 90s I was into their debut album. Simply titled, Eve 6. I then was all over Horrorscope. They used to be my walking jams. I particually remember listening to these CDs in my Discman while trolling Commercial Drive in the summer of 2002. They had a good pace.
I moved to Victoria in 2003 and that summer… Its All In Your Head came out and “Think Twice” lived on the Zone for awhile. Soon after… there just wasn’t a lot of mainstream interest and the band kind of fizzled out. I don’t really know the story… maybe I should interview them. They went away.
Briefly tried to re-form in 2007… still nothing. Then the classic power-trio reformed and here we are. New music, new record label and new album in April called Speak in Code.
New Eve 6 finds the band back in familiar territory. Power pop. Traditionally, I am not always a fan of reunion bands. They don’t always craft the best of songs. They tend to lack some punch. This new song… aside from Max’s voice sounding a bit different… reminds me (in a positive way) of the older Eve 6, but with more a sophisticated lyrical story.
I ripped a stream for you… but if you like it and want a higher quality, the single is available on iTunes for $1.29 or whatever.
Eve 6 – “Lost & Found”
Download MP3 (low quality) >> Lost and Found
Go with yourself.
We’ve Only Just Begun
Posted in history 101, music, neat-O gang, tagged Crocker National Bank, Motorola, The Carpenters on January 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I’ve often said that pretty much every endeavor undertaken by man is for the direct (or occasionally indirect) purpose of impressing a woman. Why women create? I am unsure, I am not a scientist, but I am a man… and men do strange, weird and wonderful shit to get laid.
In 1929, two bros named William Lear and Elmer Wavering took their young lovelies to the lookout in their car. What a magical night over looking the majestic Mississippi River. But it wasn’t exactly perfect. One of the women complained.
There was no music. Ergo, no vaginal entry.
And so William and Elmer invented the car radio… (and William would go on to invent the Lear Jet… and they’d help found Motorola with the Galvin Brothers)… but the point is… they invented the car radio (and I have my job in the year 2012) because they wanted to impress a girl.
***
Last night I watched the most excellent of documentaries. The film is called Art & Copy and is basically about advertising. If you have the Shaw or Telus on-demand its in the Movie Central.
They told lots of great stories behind the iconic brands and advertising campaigns of our capitalist world. One story that was new to me and interesting was the story of Crocker National Bank.
Crocker was a fairly big bank based out of San Francisco. By many accounts (err wikipedia) it was a good bank, people liked it, they did good… for a bank. Spooky logo though? whoa.
In 1970 they felt that the average age of the customers was too high that in order to continue success, they needed to recruit new younger customers. They went to some San Fran advertising firm and asked what they could do to change the perception of their bank to make it appeal to young families.
The Art Director thought… how about a jingle, not just a silly jingle, but more of a song. And instead of talking about the boring wah wah wah of banking, we’ll just play the song with a video of a young couple getting married.
Tag line: “You’ve got a long way to go. We’d like to help you get there. Crocker National Bank.”
Boom. Looked like this.
Wait a minute… I know that song! That is the iconic 1970 Carpenters hit! And you’re right, because its both. The song was comissioned for the advertising campaign. Richard Carpenter heard the song and knew the song writer. He asked if there was more to the song than just the minute jingle. Turns out there was!
The Carpenters recorded the song and it showed up on their album Close to You. As the third single off the record it would shoot to number 2 in Canada and on Billboard’s Hot 100. It would show up on Rolling Stones’ top 500 songs of all time and became an immensely popular wedding song. They’d win two Grammys for this record.
The popularity of both the commercial and the hit single would prove to be distressing for Crocker National Bank and they had to cancel the campaign. Too many new young customers! People weren’t aware Crocker did mortgages and this being the 70s and not the 00s… Crocker didn’t want to hand out mortgages to young couples that maybe couldn’t afford them.
Crocker would franchise the campaign to other regional banks across the United States.
neat.
Go with yourself.
Mixtape >> North Sea // Coral Sea
Posted in music, playlist, tagged Angus and Julia Stone, Angus Stone, Atlas Genius, Australia, Biffy Clyro, Frightened Rabbit, Gotye, Mixtape, Scotland, Twin Atlantic on January 26, 2012| 2 Comments »
Yesterday it was Robbie Burns Day. A day to celebrate the life of the great Scottish 18th century poet. Today is Australia Day… like Canada Day but backwards and upside down… less snow, more Vegemite. (is there anywhere to buy Vegemite in Victoria? huh.)
I have been listening to a few bands form both Australia and Scotland lately and thought… if ever there was time to merge a playlist of these two geographically opposite Nations… its today.
Mixcloud: Mixtape >> North Sea // Coral Sea
01) Frightened Rabbit – “Scottish Winds” Selkirk, Scotland
02) Altas Genius – “Trojans” Adelaide, Australia
03) Biffy Clyro – “Many of Horror (live)” Kilmarnock, Scotland
04) Gotye – “Eyes Wide Open” Melbourne, Australia
05) Twin Atlantic – “Free” Glasgow, Scotland
06) Twin Atlantic – “Crash Land” Glasgow, Scotland
07) Angus Stone – “Broken Brights” Sydney, Australia
08) Angus & Julia Stone – “Big Jet Plane” Sydney, Australia
I hope you enjoy!
Thank you for listening and go with yourself.
I’m a beggar in the morning, I’m a king at night
Posted in music, tagged Black Tie Social, Hart of Dixie, The Barr Brothers, Washington Nationals on January 24, 2012| 5 Comments »
I bought a new hat today. As you can see. Washington Nationals. I used to love baseball as a kid, but for years now, I haven’t really followed it. Growing up I loved the Expos and Cardinals and Mariners. And if the Mariners are winning, I’ll pay a bit more attention.
I wanted to get a Cardinals hat, but the hat store is chronically out of my size… so today I went, “meh, I’ll get the new Expos’ team hat.” So Nationals it is. I looked up their stats on Wikipedia and they are terrible. Like really dysfunctional. Maybe this year will be their year?
***
I heard a really amazing song today on the TV show Hart of Dixie (don’t judge me, Coral watches it… sometimes I watch with her). At the end of today’s episode they played a song from Montreal’s Barr Brothers. For some reason the song resonated with me and I had to look it up after the show. The song is called “Beggar in the Morning” from their self-titled debut record. A very perfect folky indie rock song.
The Barr Brothers – “Beggar in the Morning”
So pretty. I like the long intro the best…
***
Went to see Steph Macpherson on Saturday night. Great show… Steph has just been signed by Cordova Bay Records and the party Saturday night was very jovial. I saw my man Jason Cook drumming for Steph and it got me thinking about Jason’s old band Black Tie Social. BTS were active in Victoria years and years ago. I can’t really remember exactly but it was early-mid-ish 2000s. Jason with Katie and Aidan Knight and…. hmmmm Chris? They wrote and performed this great song call “Silver Screens” that I still fire up to this day. I really love this song.
Black Tie Social – “Silver Screens”
Download MP3 >> 01 Silver Screens
I find the song very soothing and almost hypnotic. I can always remember being at Lucky Bar, drunk, but a real happy drunk, and they played this song and it sounded so good. I felt really good that night and hearing this song still makes me feel good.
Go with yourself.
its the best thing that you ever ever had
Posted in music, tagged Chillwave, Download, Expensive Looks, High and Dry, MP3, Radiohead, Remixes, The Bends on January 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Its been awhile since I’ve heard a chillwave song to get hot and bothered by. Apparently the scene has moved on… but I can’t exactly fire up Skrillex in the Veneto Lounge on a Friday night.
So I wave the chillwave flag hazily and at half mast proudly!
Pitchfork talked about Expensive Looks yesterday. Had a meh review.. but mostly because I think Pitchfork is meh on the genre right now… not on ONE Expensive Looks song features Azealia Banks soooo…
Trolling the internets and I found a bunch of EL remixes including a remix of one of my favourite Radiohead songs… “High and Dry.”
Radiohead – “High and Dry (Expensive Looks’ Blizzard Fantasy)”
Download MP3 >> Radiohead-High and Dry (Expensive Looks’ Blizzard Fantasy)
Radiohead’s The Bends was #09 on my list of 20 Special Records. Coral and I have the LP hanging on the wall. Back when Coral listened to more rock music… or I guess we listened to music together, this was an album she’d put on.
Radiohead generally remixes pretty good, but it tends to be the later career stuff. Its nice to hear one from my days as a Radiohead fan.
Not sure if I’ll download the whole Expensive Looks album Dark Matters, but I will for sure be seeking select tracks for the playlist at Veneto.
Go with yourself.
Roll the tank, echo the tape
Posted in music, tagged Cookie Monster, Echotape, Roll The Tanks on January 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I first started music “blogging” many moons ago for a website called Indulged. back then, there was no word called “blog.” I think we called it a Zine… an e-Zine? Or Music Website. How retro.
Good times. Being early in the game, I used to get lots of email and free music. Which was always fun.
Now everyone has a music blog and so no one reads music blogs. Being in a band… you try to get the hype out there, but where do you even start? Bands still send me emails, but I get 10,000 more a day than I used to so I don’t always listen to what’s sent. Any form letter or generic press release…unless I; A) subscribed to B) I already know the band and am excited to hear new music… just gets deleted.
Today I got an email from a PR firm out of London. I was about to pull the flamethrower trigger on the email from Dawbell when I noticed that email was actually addressed to me!
OK, that happens lots, they get my name right…. but then it “seemed” like the dude actually took four secords to read one post. You win Dawbell, I’ll take 4 seconds to read your email.
Echotape – “Came into my Blood”
***
Now… you want to get into my heart (generally)… actually send me some music.
The band is called Roll The Tanks. A few weeks (months?) back a Gleek emailed me as they sometimes do when they discover my treasure trove of Cory Monteith interviews and song.
We chat and it seems she is maybe a music promoter? or street teamer for this Hollywood band. I notice they pressed their single “Goodnight Jimmy Lee” on 7 inch vinyl. I ask her to send one, she does! But then I put the record in a random drawer and forgot about it till today.
Here we go.
Roll The Tanks – “Goodnight Jimmy Lee”
Download MP3 >> 01 Goodnight Jimmy Lee
Its fun. Not changing my life…but its punchy.
***
This is silly.
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 