You know that feeling you get when you are watching a non-English speaking person completely emulate the voice and mannerisms of a famous American? You don’t know what to do with your response. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t know the difference. But you already know that when speaking, this person has a thick, thick accent. That means you pick up subtle hints of Engrish between some of his words.
Now you know what I am experiencing at this very moment as I listen to the Portuguese band, Uni_Form. I am utterly confused. You see, Mookie and I have been discussing buying tickets to an upcoming Interpol show. Since there is music playing 24/7 at Mookie’s house, even when we sleep, I assumed what I had been hearing was the new Interpol album. If they have a new album. I just assumed. Sometimes I just go with it. I rarely go check his computer to see what we’re listening to.
But today, I decided to sit myself down at Mook’s workstation and try to eat the scraps of some leftover Thai food while I check out what he has that’s new, and write my post for this week. Based on a quick click of a random track, I thought this Mirrors album sounded like a winner. It took me until Track 2 to drop my mouth and say… What??!! I swear, I checked from screen to screen to verify this band I was researching was the same as the band playing in iTunes and NOT Interpol. Wow. THAT’S what I thought was Interpol? They are from PORTUGAL! They are singing in English! They sound EXACTLY like Interpol!
I had to take another moment. I don’t like bands that sound exactly like other bands. I do like discovering new, international bands. I don’t know what to do.
But Interpol… I couldn’t even name you a band member. I like Interpol because they have that dark, dramatic sound that you can play while doing… well, anything dark and dramatic. So… Does it matter who is playing it? Am I offending Interpol? Shit. Look, what do I know? I found some of their videos and I am telling you, if you watch them perform you will totally hear and see that accent.
I’m left once again having no idea what to do with myself. I hope Mookie gets home soon. In the meantime I can’t believe we thought this was Interpol. Now do with it what you will.
As a warning, this post is going to contain language that many readers will find obscene.
That being said, it seems my rant last week on those that harbor ill will towards words – be they on the right or left – touched a nerve with some. Others felt strongly on the opposite end, also. It’s a funny thing, language. It brings out the best and worst in people, but only if they allow it to hold control over them. It’s why I’ve always felt strongly about the notion of free speech. The idea of “free speech” is a novelty. It’s a warm fuzzy directed towards the masses to make them feel as though they actually have the right to say what they like. Funny, though, that many seem to find out there are consequences to what they say. Many times, it is the racists out there that sling words around that are in the context of an insult, then scream that their first amendment rights are being infringed upon. That’s if those morons can spell a word like infringement.
You see, I am a grown man. I have the ability to think clearly and understand what others mean when they use the words they have chosen. When I wrote the term “paddywagon”, it is used in the context of pointing out the moral ignorance of another. And this is why I am posting what I am posting this week. What you guys are going to hear just simply takes such a complex subject, and boils it down to about a minute and a half of sheer brilliance. So here is Lenny Bruce’s bit, “Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight?”
Now, you’ll notice I didn’t use that lame euphemism we all know as “the N-word”. Why? Because it’s leading us down just an awful road. Let’s say that you (the reader) and your mate have a young child. Every so often, you speak of giving the child candy. Eventually, the child will associate the word with what you will give him – candy. You figure out that the child is wise to this, so you change up the approach. You spell out the word. Unfortunately, the child will soon also figure this out. It’s no different than the lazy avoidance of a word that draws strong feelings. To paraphrase the comedian and ’60’s civil rights activist Dick Gregory? What’s to stop the Jewish community from telling all people that instead of, say, “concentration camp”, any and all non-Jews must say “the C-word”? We’re already seeing this, as the popular movement is to use the simplified “R-word” instead of “retard”.
Now, let’s look at the following sentence:
Mary’s growth was retarded by her mother’s smoking habit while she was in the womb.
Is that offensive to you all? No? Do you know why? Because you understand the context in which it is used. When I tell stories of my time down south, I certainly will curb my language at points. It’s self-censoring, which we all do. However, I will openly talk about how I would hear just openly blatant racism and how openly so many would toss the word “nigger” around with such vitriol. It’s disgusting. So let’s use two sentences now to understand, again, the power of the word. Let’s say I overhear someone say the following, and I am telling you about it later:
“That is one lazy nigger.”
Inappropriate, correct? I agree! Say now that we ban the word and use the fluffed up politically correct euphemism, instead.
“That is one lazy n-word.”
If you work to ban the first, what is eventually going to happen will happen in two parts. First? The original word will eventually be wiped from the books, thus robbing us from letting people understand the hate that went on. An unfortunate part of our culture. One we should teach others to not embrace, but work to finish off through tolerance. Second? Once that word is all but gone? You will simply see the power shift towards the euphemism that we created to make nice, and it will elicit the same nastiness. You people that simply want to run from the problem? Are the problem. I say these things to elicit the emotion of anger. Not of the word, but of the blatant stupidity of how the words are used with such hate and stupidity. Instead, most now can’t tell the difference.
Another great bit from Bruce is called “Tits and Ass”. It sort of follows the same lazy, half-assed approach. Take a listen.
Now, how is this any different than our half-assed “solution” to curing the ills of racism? I will tell you. It’s NOT. If you simply change the language? Well, it sounds quite nice, but guess what? You’ve now offended a different crowd, altogether. It doesn’t matter if it’s a “profanity” or a “slur”. As an aside, the word “paddywagon” has two different backgrounds. One being that the cops in England were always tossing the Irish in the back of their buggies, hence the term. It certainly isn’t something to be proud of. However, with so many Irish immigrants in the Boston and New York areas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, you saw many get work as officers. Many drove the same wagons. It was a term to describe those wagons, which many times were driven by? The Irish. It offends me that those that feign offense are many times too lazy to do an adequate amount of research, and instead find a pet cause to believe in.
So what do I find offensive? Look no further than our capitol. Representative Kevin Brady, from the wonderful state of Texas, when justifying his vote against a bill that would have appropriated extended healthcare benefits to the 9/11 first responders, said the following:
“They went there to save survivors, not to raise taxes.”
Here’s the video:
Now, which one do you find more offensive? The description of a story about the lunacy of politically correctness gone out of control? Or a man on our dime refusing to help people that gave of themselves selflessly on 9/11 because of his need to protect off shore interests? I think the smart choice is the latter. I was absolutely fuming when I heard that remark. As should most anyone with any semblance of a soul. And to bring yet another Lenny Bruce moment up, check his idea of what words he found offensive. Now remember, this is the late 1950’s. The political climate in terms of civil rights was much different and much more heated. Sheer brilliance.
That being said, I offer zero apologies for the language I use unless I directly used it to target a person. In this case? I didn’t. I simply refuse to bow to the powers that think they be and dumb down our language the way Orwell warned us we would, all because a handful of people are just too stupid to think for themselves and think of the bigger picture.
And here’s one last piece of stand-up. It’s off of David Cross’ latest album Bigger and Blackerer, and I have to include that I attended this show, and knew something this awful was coming, but I laughed my ass off. This is so horribly wrong, but so very funny how he satirizes the whole debate on race.
A good mashup can be a window into a new world. It can expose you to new music and new genres of music. For example, I’m no big Jay-Z fan, but hearing DJ Danger Mouse’s The Grey Album made me feel like one. Lately I’ve been enamored with Max Tannone and his brilliant mixes. I want you to be enamored too. note: an interview with Mr. Tannone was posted on a really excellent blog not too long ago. I’m just compelled to add some more specific reviews here. Because you really need to listen to these cuts. My first experience with Tannone’s work was his Jaydiohead project. This combines Jay-Z’s The Black Album with Radiohead’s music. It gives the lyrics a nice creepy feel and a ton of atmosphere. Sure, Danger Mouse kinda beat him to the punch (with the aforementioned Grey Album) but this takes it in a whole new direction.
After hearing this I needed to know if there was more. There is. So much more. Doublecheck Your Head is a mashup of the Beastie Boys’ lyrical stylings over the music of…wait for it…the Beastie Boys. As it turns out, their sweet instrumental album, The In Sounds From Way Out, is the perfect backdrop for their raps. It seems so simple, but I never would have thought of it. I’m glad someone did.
By the way, if you don’t own The In Sounds… already, go get it now. It has some of the most delicious grooves since the chocolate record was invented. Wait, do they really make chocolate records? Holy crap, they do! I may have just found material for my next review. Finally, and at the top of my current list, is Mos Dub. Mos Def’s smooth raps work perfectly over Dub Reggae cuts; perfectly enough that I can overcome my mild dislike for reggae and enjoy the hell out of this album. Please don’t write to reprimand me for that reggae comment. I already know it makes me a bad person. Just listen to this track and enjoy it instead.
These albums are all available for free download online. Click the links below to get them. While you’re at it, buy some of the original source material. It’s good stuff.
Well, people. My external hard drive? It looks like it shit the bed. Not good. I had a lot of my music there. A very sad state of affairs, indeed. So it makes the song I’m posting even more poignant. I think everyone and their mother has heard the Cee Lo track “Fuck You”. It’s how I feel towards this fucking piece of shit hard drive. Ah, well. My own damned fault, I guess.
Anyhow, Cee-Lo is already catching heat for the song. Just check this Washington Post article on it. You know what? Fuck you, FCC. And fuck you to anyone that finds it offensive. You’re what’s wrong with America. You’re no less oppressive when it comes to language than the Islamic jihadists and their treatment of women.
If anyone that’s uber-PC wants to give me shit about that comparison? Fuck you, too. You’re also what’s wrong with America. You meekly say that groups like the Klan have the right to speak publicly, and run at the slightest bit of confrontation, yet I can’t say the word “paddywagon” without some dipshit Asian kid getting mad at me. True fucking story. So there you have it. There was a certain eventuality with this song that said this would happen. Groups would get pissy about language. Read that again. Pissed about language. Are you fucking stupid? A word makes you upset? A word??? Well, fuck you, too.
And by the way, I’m personally already fucking sick of this song.
Most of us find it hard to hear new music without comparing it to something we’re already familiar with. “This really reminds me of [insert awesome band whose obscurity makes you ultra-hip here].” I’d like to avoid this syndrome but I can’t seem to, so why don’t I just list some artists that came to mind while listening through If a Band Plays in the Woods… by Philistines Jr.: They Might Be Giants, The Flaming Lips, Eels, The Cure, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Failure, Sigur Ros, Polyphonic Spree, New Order, Dntel, and more that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. In case it didn’t come across clearly, I’m saying this album has a ton of moods and shifts. The trick is putting it all together into something coherent and listenable. For the most part, that’s what Philistines Jr. accomplish here. One of the driving forces behind this band is Peter Katis, who has been building a solid reputation as a producer for acts like The National, Interpol, and Tokyo Police Club. Katis’ ear for production is really what pulls this album’s complex, multilayered tracks together. That’s quite a feat when you’re moving from a creepy string arrangement to a dramatic waltz (“Set List Title Cableguy”) or an island groove to a driving dark rock anthem (“If I Did Nothing But Train for Two Years…”). These songs have more moods than Sybil but it all makes sense somehow. Take track 8, “Twenty Miles to NH,” for example.
I have to draw one more comparison that I couldn’t shake: somehow I was constantly reminded of Mull Historical Society. Remember them? Did anyone else actually listen to them? Here’s a reminder or, perhaps more likely, an introduction:
This week’s album review is on a fully Canadian band. I mean, comes from Canada, sings about Canada, tours in Canada, no American media can be found for them in the least.
And in a reversal of trends, I am picking up on Said The Whale almost a year after second full-length album was released. (Get it, cuz Canada is always behind us? Ha ha. Yes I know, Canadian Hockey Team. Gold. 2010. Whatever. They invented the sport.)
I am an uncool Canadian kid Awed and inspired by all the popular guys Most of them are truly irresponsible They do irresponsible things
But I’m just a heartbroken gentleman And gentlemen never seem to get gentle women I need a small town girl To follow me home and teach me how to be a real man
Islands Disappear was released last October, after an EP in July and another full-length the summer previous. The band formed officially in 2007 after a few years of basement recordings by high school pals. And they haven’t always sung about Canada. Their 2008 album Taking Albalonia and subsequent re-release Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia are both much more upbeat, while at the same time, so very indie.
This makes me appreciate Islands Disappear all the more. Knowing what the band is capable of makes it enjoyable to listen to a dedication of sorts to the vast, expansive Canadian homeland and all the pioneers who have shaped its history.
…Recent history is not ignored on this album. Lest you think the very popular (well, in Canada…) track “Camilo (The Magician)” is just a fun song about an imaginary character, oh no dear. Mago Camilo is a young Colombian man whose life has been made of magic, and who has chosen the True North as his second home.
They released a new EP earlier this year, and they’re submitting new songs to Canadian radio all of the time. What say you, America? Are you going to catch up to the Syrup Lickers?
I have slept on quite a bit of hip-hop over the last 12-15 years. Why? It turned to utter shit. That’s why. Don’t tell me otherwise. I mean, there’s been a smattering of decent stuff over the years. I get that. J5, for example. Stellar shit. Then there’s the music that the recently deceased Jay Dee – aka J Dilla – helped create for so many others. He happens to be one of the guys I’m talking about today in my post. Ever heard a lot of what he did? This next one, for some reason, just blew me away with its simplicity and really did describe the title of the album Ruff Draft.
The track “Nothing Like This” is just a phenomenal piece of work and was released also released by the Adult Swim people on Stones Throw Records on a compilation entitled Chrome Children. The video for this track is nothing short of incredible, also. Check it out.
If you guys haven’t somehow heard of Jay Dee, I suggest reading an article that The Detroit Free Press did on him just a few weeks after he passed away. You will get an idea of the kind of dedication to music he had. Click here to read that story. And now, here’s that track “Nothing Like This”.
The other artist is one that’s gotten a ton of pub the last couple of years. It’s Kid Cudi. Yeah, I will take some shit from the uber-indie crowd. Well, fuck you. I say that with a smile, so don’t worry. I am the type that will give credit where it’s due. If a band or artist I can’t stand makes a good track, I’ll openly say it. Not that I dislike Kid Cudi, but considering how mainstream he’s gotten, I pretty much never paid much mind to him. My bad, I guess.
Well, the opening track to his album Man on the Moon – The End of Day is a hypnotic piece. It’s called “Here In My Dreams” and I would have to say that this is a pretty solid piece of work, and a great way to start off an album. Mind you, I haven’t really heard the rest of it. The only other track I had heard was “Day ‘n’ Nite”, which I actually have here, but not the original. I’ve added along The Crookers Remix of that track. This is the sort of remix that the Canadian DJ Duo Jokers of the Scene would add into a set. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they had.
Buy something. If you don’t, god will kill a dumb person. Actually, that’s a good thing. Well, just buy something. Because I said so. And yes, I didn’t capitalize “god”. Big deal.
Let me introduce myself as a new contributor around here. I’ll do my best not to be the new neighbor who moves in and leaves the house in disrepair just long enough to go into foreclosure, bringing down everyone’s property values. I promise I’ll mow the lawn every week. Just keep those damn kids off it in the meantime or there will be some serious fist shaking going on. You’ve been warned. This new beginning has got me thinking about other great beginnings. In particular, great album openers. So I’ve put together a little list of what I consider some of the Best. Opening tracks. Ever. Here are my criteria:
1. The album itself has to be solid. None of these lopsided records that start strong but peter out by the time you’re through. 2. The first track should effectively set the tone for the rest of the album.
That’s it. That still leaves things wide open, and I could make a list that never ends, so I’ve narrowed it down to 3 selections that have special significance due to their impact at the time I first heard them.
The Afghan Whigs
The Afghan Whigs. “If I Were Going”. From the album Gentlemen:
This is a moody album, and the opening track embodies that aesthetic fully. It sets the stage for a record that lies somewhere between concept album and musical theater in its repetition and reworking of themes. The album had been in my car stereo for weeks and I never really took the time to give it a close listen until one night on a lonely drive through the Virgin River Gorge. The moon was out and I was lost in thought, then I heard the opening distant train noise, the Saddest Tambourine Ever(tm), and the sparse guitar riff. From there I was hooked. Turn off the lights and let this one sink in. You’re in for a hell of a ride.
I realize I could justify naming the opener from any Radiohead album since The Bends, but this has remained my overall favorite of their works so far. As far as establishing tone, this track does it in spades. Expertly matched guitars, paranoid sci-fi vocals, frenetic looped drums, and a stuttering bass line, all interspersed with computer sounds. It captured my feelings about the adult world I was just starting to play in, and made me feel like I had some crazy talented friends overseas who understood it all. I remember wondering if this was a new direction in Radiohead’s music. It was. And maybe a change in music all around.
Matthew Good Band. “Giant”. From the album Beautiful Midnight:
Combining cheerleaders with rock music has been done since, and probably before, but never with as much aplomb (yeah, you heard me, Marilyn Manson). The cheer and drum beat put you back in the bleachers at your high school pep rally, then things shift and Matthew Good takes over with his fabulous brand of Canadian rock. Writing about it, I’m not sure it works. Listening to it, I have no doubt it does. This album came at a time when I was delving into math rock and complex polyrhythmic music, and it reminded me that sometimes you just need to shut up, stop counting, and rock.
Michel Gondry makes me happy. When I found out he was the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I almost immediately went to see it in the theater. Same goes for The Science of Sleep. The latter is almost becoming prophetic in the sense that we’re watching the combination of the real world with the imagined through the internet and gaming. Soon, who’s to say we’ll be able to tell the difference? Is it a good thing that realism is brought to such a high level? At what cost? That’s a separate discussion, however. One that I could have at length over a beer or two.
Anyhow, this week’s post is more about some of the songs and videos that Mr. Gondry has done over the years. I thought about Gondry because he loves the use of stop-motion, which sounds easy, but definitely isn’t. Not all of these use that method, but the creativity he possesses can’t be denied. First off, we go with the easy one. Daft Punk‘s “Around the World”. The entire album Homework is brilliant. Hard to say about an electronica album. This video, like the one later by the Chemical Brothers, uses the elements seen as representation of the different elements used in the song.
Next is one most of us probably forgot about. Lucas. Anyone? No? Okay, well just take a listen to this song and/or watch the video and you’ll remember it pretty quickly. And yes, Gondry did direct this!
How about that? Most folks probably forgot about that guy. Well, next is the one that relates to the Daft Punk video. The Chemical Brothers‘ video for “Star Guitar” at first doesn’t really dazzle anyone. Pay attention to the scenery through the train window, however, and how it enters the video. The first time I realized what Gondry did, I was simply amazed and re-watched this video another half-dozen times. It’s simply brilliant. I’m watching it again right now, and just giddy. Seriously.
Last up is the stop-motion I spoke of. He used a lot of this in The Science of Sleep, and used it with some of his videos. For The White Stripes‘ “The Hardest Button to Button”, we see it done, and one can only imagine how much work went into filming and editing this. It’s crazy the ambition this man has to create what is essentially art through motion. It’s now time for us to appreciate it.
This band is getting a lot of press as “The next big thing from Vegas.” I don’t mean to be a balloon-popper, but you’ve got a lead singer who is a Vegas native, his cronies from BYU, and their cronies from the east coast who all moved to Vegas a year ago. So I don’t know if I am supposed to point out their similarities with The Killers or why they are dissimilar or whether just having mixed musical elements makes you sound like The Killers… But it’s effing hot outside and inside, I’m afraid to kick my thermostat over 80 lest my power bill surpass the $423 it was for the last month, I want to work out but where would I do it, and it’s making me kind of oh… Wait.
Now that you’ve had your serving of piss with corn flakes, let me say that Imagine Dragons truly have an amazing stage presence, put on a great show, and have an impressive sound.
Imagine Dragons is Dan Reynolds on vocals and keys, Wayne Sermon on guitar, Brittany Tolman on keys, Ben McKee on bass, and Andrew Tolman on drums (yes, married. Recently.) They recorded their first EP upon moving to Las Vegas from Utah. It was good. Then they released a second, and it’s ten times better. So… Maybe the heat didn’t get to them yet. Maybe they knew they needed to be in Reynolds’ hometown to really get the energy flowing. Maybe the fact that his brother is also the Killers’ manager doesn’t hurt with the momentum either.
It’s working. They have knocked out competition in multiple Battles of the Bands, traveling extensively to provide the beat-down with their energetic on-stage presence. I saw them open for Paper Tongues, Civil Twilight, and Neon Trees. They were unequivocally better than the other two openers.
Not everyone agrees. Molly Bergen from West Coast Sound said, “It was exactly the kind of neutered, harmless pop rock that made Maroon 5 and Train stars. With their lead singer’s good looks and passionate thrashing on stage they should go far.” OUCH! Well, what are you going to do. They’re the rockin’est Mormons since the Osmonds. You gotta start somewhere. They’ve got endorsements from Vegas’ local “mix” station as well as from their “alternative” station, so maybe Bergen isn’t too far off.
After an amazing week in Los Angeles and performance in Las Vegas, the band is headed back to Provo for a week, seemingly to relax since the next gig is on Friday at Club Velour. Then it’s on to Park City for a festie, back to Vegas in September for a show at the Pub at Monte Carlo – that sounds like a good time! – and then back to return to the scene of their recent domination at the Viper Room.
