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That Gum You Like Is Back In Style

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Do you know who is in Austin right now? The answer is Not Me. The tickets are just outrageously expensive. And if I recall correctly, getting a media pass required a few gymnastic moves that I just can no longer muster. Where does the money go, anyway? According to the blog posts from a few favorite bands, they apparently don’t get compensated very well either.
In fact, the compensation issue compelled Camper Van Beethoven to come up with the idea of fan-sponsored songs just to make the travel and performance at SXSW doable this year.
Yeah… Camper Van Beethoven. Do you remember them? Or does the line blur between where CVB ended and Cracker began? Or do you think back and wonder whether that was a Wallflowers or Camper song that you loved so much that one summer?
“Influential” is one of the most commonly used words when discussing this 80’s/90’s alternative/punk/ska/pop/rock band. That’s why you hear them in just about everything you ever listened to growing up.

Download Camper Van Beethoven – I Hate This Part of Texas

I hate this part of the night when the music Mookie has put on creates some odd reality within my dreaming brain. Fear not lovelies: podcasts will return soon, and Mookie can’t wait to discuss this very topic.

But back to today’s post. Camper Van Beethoven released albums throughout the 80’s, disbanded in the 90’s, and began to tour again in 2002. New Roman Times was put out in 2004 and it’s actually a concept album. I don’t totally translate the character’s point of view in every song – supposedly it tells the tale of a disenchanted chap following his stint in the military – but at this point, it doesn’t matter anymore. Now this album is simply something you need to make sure you have heard as you enter our most futuristic decade ever: if you want your hovercraft, you better remember from whence you came.

Download Camper Van Beethoven – That Gum You Like Is Back in Style

Who could be calling waking me from my dreams
Of John Paul and Ringo, and Keenan Wynn
(No George)

Check your collection… Have you got them all?

Shake and Wham…..and Stardust

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So today’s St. Patrick’s Day. Whoop dee fucking doo. I will quote my mom on this one: “I don’t need one day to remind me I’m fucking Irish.” Seriously. She actually said that to me once about ten or so years ago. So I’m not posting any bullshit Dropkick Murphy’s garbage. Or the Pogues. Or U2. Or any of the other myriad of Irish bands. I want to just post some music I like, and make all of you guys happy folks.

So instead, I’m going to post more dance stuff. Why? To torture you. It’s a lot of fun. And besides, I need something to put me in a good mood. As an aside, I spent the better part of yesterday at a wake for a man that bartended at a joint I spent many Sunday nights at and even DJ’ed at a handful of times. And oddly enough, the man was Irish, to boot. So what did we all do afterwards? We collectively drank our faces off at the pub this man frequented. It was certainly what he would have wanted. If you all would like to read about him, this link here is a nice write-up on Mr. Kevin Armitage. The turnout for his wake was unbelievable and the positive spin was that I got to meet many new friends and hang with and do my best to support those that knew Mr. Armitage better than I did. A positive can indeed be found in the down times. You just have to look.

Anyhow, today I wanted to post a couple of tracks I’ve had on the backburner for a while. They’re both dance tunes. And basically are bootlegs. The first is one I heard a year or two back during a Derrick Carter set that was simply titled “Shake and Wham” and was a mash-up of sorts of Green Velvet’s “Shake and Pop” and Wham’s “Everything She Wants”. It took me a while to track this one down, but I found it up online and it looks like a cat by the name of Awoke, who seems to have a very intermittent number of releases. Considering he has a release on Classic Music, it’s no wonder that Derrick was playing this. And be honest folks – this shit is hotness. So enjoy.

Download Green Velvet VS Wham – Shake and Wham

Next is a really dirty electro version of Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You” that I have to be honest about – I dig this! There have been plenty of folks that have posted this, but let’s be honest here. I know my shit when it comes to dance music. It ain’t a fad for me. So trust me when I say that this is worth at least a listen. If you’re up for some more Stardust, check out the post I made with other Stardust stuff. This one is made by a guy that goes by The Living Graham Bond – TLGB for short. Not bad shit here. Short, sweet, and to the point. Gotta love that. So go on. Love it.

Download Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You (TLGB Remix)

Again, considering the circumstances, I have to devote this week’s column to the late Mr. Armitage and to his family and friends. There was one memory in particular I have where I played at the Phoenix Landing for Randy Deshaies, and his Marz Entertainment crew, and after this one set, Kevin approached me about a track early on that was a Police bootleg of “The World Is Running Down” and I regret to say I never got him a proper copy of that track. The brevity of things means I couldn’t get an MP3 of it right now, but it will be coming for you guys. Now? Go buy some stuff. I don’t want to have to send a midget in a leprechaun outfit after you.

Damaged Spoons

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Today has been a strange one. After waking up to a fever, I fell back asleep and had just ridiculous dreams. I couldn’t tell you exactly what they were about, but we all have the ones that make us feel uneasy for the day when you have them. So it’s almost fitting that I chose the songs and/or artists I chose today for the post. Thom Yorke – for almost obvious reasons – and Spoon‘s song “Nobody Gets Me”.

Well, Thom Yorke, for anyone that has been under a rock for the last 15 years, is Radiohead’s frontman. He’s a strangely unwilling iconic figure in music. He does what he likes, and that attitude helps create very refreshing sounds in a world of banal egomania in music. Mashups? Very rarely work. Remixes? A good percentage of them are crap. Original work? Always is.

So Yorke released the album The Eraser to some pretty big fanfare. It honestly probably helped create the mood of Radiohead‘s In Rainbows, also, as at points you can see how Yorke evolved from his solo project and its effect on the band. Simply take the electronic mood and replace with instruments. It was one that left Radiohead fans wondering what exactly was going on with Yorke, but there is an excellent interview with NPR’s Terry Gross on Fresh Air if you folks feel like taking a listen. Well, he has a new song out, and as much as I hate to say this, it is one featured on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack. I feel very dirty even saying that. This song, however, is rather brilliant. And the next song, by Spoon, could be just as much about Thom Yorke as it makes me feel about myself at times. This is “Hearing Damage” by Yorke. Enjoy!

Download Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage

Next is a track by Spoon that sort of jumped out at me. Partially because of the song title – “Nobody Gets Me But You” – but also because it made me initially think of Moodymann‘s “U Can Dance If U Want 2”, but only because that track heavily sampled Prince‘s “All The Critics Love U In New York”. Well, this Spoon track seems to sample one of the drum loops from this same Prince track, and we’ll have you guys decide. I’ve also asked a DJ friend of mine that happens to be a massive Prince nut about this one, too. I have yet to hear back from him, but he might be in agreement with me on this one. It doesn’t take away from how good this track is, however, so kick back and enjoy.

Download Spoon – Nobody Gets Me But You

And go buy some shit. Stop being selfish!

Does one want to get more used to the mall and misery?

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You never know how low an angry heart can go.

I am loving this album tremendously. Danger Mouse and James Mercer. It’s a match made in heaven. OK, let’s be honest: who could Brian Burton (the Mouse’s real name) team up with for anything but stellar results? The man is a genius. I don’t mean to take away from the success Mercer has had with The Shins. I’ve loved their albums as well. And Mercer has recently formed his own label (now counting The Shins among their talent.) Broken Bells is what happened when the two finally decided to act on their ideas of collaboration.

Walk out before you make it worse on yourself

It is so hard to explain what it is that makes this one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. It doesn’t make me cry, or dance, or yell, or stand up and fight. It’s just, GOOD. It’s just, MUSIC.

It’s every genre. It’s a sound that you know but can’t point out. I’m loving it.

Will someone measure this moment now?
I’m back again in this one-light town
I cut the tie and I don’t have to rely on nothin’ and no one.

MP3 Preview not available by request of the label… However……

The album drops on Tuesday. You need to own it.

Mass Appeal

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Well, in light of the recent news of Gang Starr‘s Guru (real name Keith Elam) suffering a major heart attack, I figured it was time to dust off an old house bootleg I’ve had kicking around for a few years now and really never got to play it out enough.

Well, thankfully? It appears as though Guru is doing well, as he issued a brief statement to his fans. So with that being said, this post will be more of an appreciation for the goodness that was Gang Starr. The first track here is that bootleg I spoke of. It was created by house music’s Sona and released on the short lived Hook-Up Tunes. It looks as though this was the next to last release from the label, but they did have a few quality bootlegs. Here’s Sona’s remix of Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal”.

Download Gang Starr – Mass Appeal (Sona’s ‘Assappeal’ Bootleg)

Next is just another old track off of the same album that “Mass Appeal” appeared on – Hard To Earn. This one is “DWYCK”, which featured Nice ‘N’ Smooth. How’s that for dating yourself. You’re pulling out a one-hit wonder like them? Wow. But this is still a great tune. So enjoy it.

Download Gang Starr ft. Nice ‘N’ Smooth – DWYCK

Now, if you don’t go buy this? I will cut your balls off. Unless you’re Lance Armstrong. Then I only need to cut one off.

I do it so good I don’t need nobody else

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I was about to write about another album I recently came across. With multiple windows open, including a workout blog from Zuzana over at BodyRock.tv, I just flipped over to iTunes and hit Play. I meant for the slower sounds from my intended album to come out of the speakers. Instead, I heard this:

Download Milkman – Put In Work

I had just finished a ball-busting workout from Czech guru Zuzana Light, and when I accidentally played this equally obnoxious song on accident, I was motivated to get up and do just a few minutes more of booty lifts. Put In Work!

For what seems like it can’t possibly be a year already, I have been working out to the brilliant mashups provided by Girl Talk. I never tire of those energetic songs, but maybe Mookie was getting tired of hearing them? He spent an entire day looking for new mashups for me, and came up with Milkman. Milkman is another skinny white kid, but this one is from San Diego, born Gregg Luskin. Circle of Fifths is his second album, both of his efforts having been put out in the year 2008.

The first thing that attracts me to a mashup is a fast, pounding beat that refuses to allow you to remain on your ass. And not all of them qualify. I am very picky when I want DJ/electronica/post-produced music for dancing or working out (which is often one in the same) and I don’t settle for something with just a nice beat. I need all the motivation I can get. The second thing is random drops, often provocative, that I probably haven’t heard before (I don’t listen to a lot of hip hop.) And the third, essential component for bringing it all together, is a subtle sample of a favorite song from my childhood or teen years.

Milkman does a pretty good job of this.

I do it so good I don’t need nobody else

Nah. That’s not true. I have steadily gained a good amount of weight in the last 12 months. Every fat molecule in my body called up all their old lost friends and decided their family reunion would occur just in time for Valentine’s Day, but the party is OVER baby. I am working my ass every day and I need music like Milkman to keep me motivated.

And it keeps me just barely in touch with popular hip hop songs and hooks, without having to sit through an entire album. And suddenly I understand what the hell Mookie is talking about when he says he leans like a Cholo.

My milkshake does bring all the boys to the yard. I could teach you, but I’d have to charge. So get up and move it with me right now. Come on. You know you’ve got an extra inch here and there too.

Download Milkman – Controversy

Right where you are now, no matter what you’re wearing, you can do it just for a few minutes… lift your knees, shake your butt, lunge a bit… Tupac, Kelis, Kilo, Eminem, Britney, Fatboy Slim, even the Fine Young Cannibals are all here to help you out. You want that body back just as much as I do.

Everybody just follow me. We need a little controversy.

Buy his stuff here.

If It Ain’t Broken…..

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So everyone and their grandmother seems to be posting the new Broken Social Scene track “World Sick” that was put up online. Well good for you. You got the jump on me. Still, I think this is a great track from their forthcoming album Forgiveness Rock Record.

Anyhow, for anyone not all that familiar with this band, they are an odd sort in that it revolves mostly around a core group of members. The rest? Well, that all depends on the mood of the band, I’d guess. They’ve played shows with as few as seven members to as many as fifteen. If I’m wrong on the numbers? Please feel free to correct that.

Anyhow, their songs are many times on the verge of jam band-ish, yet it keeps more of the indie feel. Which is good to me, because I just can’t seem to stand jam bands. Dave Matthews Band? Hate them. Grateful Dead? Ditto. Phish? Makes me want to punch myself. A lot. Personal preference, after all. So it seems odd that this group is one I’ve liked for a few years now. They’re entertaining live, to boot. Their sound isn’t really that close to the aformentioned groups, however, so it has a pretty refreshing feel to it all. Well, since you guys have probably stopped reading? Here’s that tune. Go get that!

Download Broken Social Scene – World Sick

As an aside for a track this week, I just recently remembered a tune I have meant to post for a while. The track is “Velvet” by the band The Big Pink. Their one of the many from overseas that have started making a little noise in the underground here. This track? Well, it’s for you if you like a lot of the electro tracks that groups like Depeche Mode were making in the ’80s. Now, I am not comparing them to DM. Just a reference point and want to make that clear and avoid the flaming that sometimes happens with this stuff. It’s a great tune, though, so just kick back and enjoy it.

Download The Big Pink – Velvet

Yes. Buy some stuff. It’s cold. It’s rainy. It’s dreary up here in Boston. So I have no desire to put energy into making a smartass remark this week. I know. You’re disappointed. Now you know how my family feels.

Electro-break goodies!

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So this week, the theme will switch from the indie-rock to the electro kitsch. Pretty funny word. Kitsch. Sounds like something you use one pinch of in a recipe. Well, it’s not. It means funky. Weird. Whatever you wanna call it. This stuff is pretty cool. So, instead of reading my droll ramblings? How about I bring you this music?

First off is something I’ve recently stumbled on. If anyone isn’t aware of who the Stanton Warriors are, then here’s a good cue to what they may be like. Basically, it’s breaks. Toss in a bit of electro feel? There you go. Well, this is their take on the classic Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations”. It’s not bad, but definitely something a bit different than what you may expect. Give this one a listen!

Download The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations (Stanton Warriors remix)

Next up is something from the boys of Soulwax. And of the robot helmet wearing duo of Daft Punk. Now, this is more a reworking than a legit remix. It still has a great feel to it, though. It’s been sped up, some rehashing of the samples throughout. More dance friendly. Which, for the Soulwax guys? Is what they wanted. If you’re a fan of either group, check out this stompin’ work. Dance your little butts off, children!

Download Daft Punk – Robot Rock (Soulwax remix)

Now, get your ass in gear. Help the economy. Stimulus shit. That crap. You’re not a real American unless you buy fifteen flags in various sizes and an album by the above. Big Brother is watching you! Don’t be a dick!

You ask if I might like to write your name in the sky

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It’s been a long time since we’ve found a great new CD on a Target endcap. I mean, we all have to admit it’s pretty rare. A few years ago, though, Mookie discovered Stars of Track and Field in just this way. Not on the interwebs, not at the indie record store, not on the radio (that’s for sure), not by browsing iTunes. But it was on display on an endcap at Target.
And that first album we discovered, Centuries Before Love and War, was excellent. I still love it. They actually released two albums prior to that (well, an EP and a self-titled LP.) Hold onto your seats, because that draft you’re feeling is Mookie racing to gather those prior albums for yours truly’s enjoyment. I like him.

There are few things you can take from someone whom you’ve never met, without pissing them off. I think naming your band after another band’s song is one of those things. Stars of Track and Field is our name, but the original concept isn’t our idea, so there’s not much more to say about it. In case you hadn’t recognized it already, the band name is derived from the Belle and Sebastian song. “You only did it so you could wear terry underwear…”

You can hear a B&S influence in the Stars’ music, however, they take it further and let it rock. The crystal-clear vocals, the urgent building of the music… It’s good stuff. They open strong with Track 1 – “Racing Lights”:

Download The Stars of Track and Field – Racing Lights

If you’re a stupid and horny woman who likes cake, you may have heard their song “End of All Time” on a November episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” They do make that epic, dramatic sort of music that should be played on the soundtracks of great movies and shitty but highly-acclaimed prime time dramas. What, what’d I say? I would love to share that track here – I really can see it being played for just about any scene on the screen – but I just don’t believe in playing Track 1 and Track 2 from the same album on the same post. Sorry. You will have to buy the album – but you will not regret it.

How about if I share the video from one of my favorite tracks off the previous album, “Centuries.”

Stars of Track and Field – Centuries (Official Music Video) – Watch more top selected videos about: Stars_of_Track_and_Field

Put your coat on and don’t ask why

The new album is called A Time for Lions and it’s been out for several months. Released in September 2009, the Portland trio wrote and recorded the album in Manhattan. Lead singer Kevin Calabra has the most amazing but underrated voice, which he uses as quite the instrument as it meets the ebb and flow of the building and subsiding music, leading and following, commanding and complying.

One more track for you. The slow, but no less compelling “The Stranger”:

Download The Stars of Track and Field – The Stranger

If I was airtight and my conscience was light
Would it matter?
Could I just lie down?

Stars of Track and Field has really given a lot to me personally. When I see the album cover from Centuries, strong emotions are conjured. I hope you listen and love, and I hope you can by extension help me give back just a little to them by buying their albums. I’m serious.

A time for lions
A time to be quiet
Are you writing all this down?

Handsome Indeed!

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So this will be another short but sweet post. Remember. Not everything in life is about quantity, but about quality. Some of my favorite writings in the year and a half helping George here have been the shorter posts. My personal favorite? When I wrote about the track “Bicycle Boy” by Rubicks.

Well, this one is along the same lines. Dan Boeckner, of Wolf Parade fame, started his own side project a few years ago with his wife Alexei Perry by the name of the Handsome Furs. At first, I must be honest that I wasn’t into them. When you fall under the spell of Wolf Parade’s other wunderkind singer, Spencer Krug, it’s easy to lose sight that Boeckner is just as full of surprises.

One recent surprise? When perusing the CNN website, I came across this little article featuring the Handsome Furs entitled Indie Asia. I mean, can you believe it? This is great for the indie world, in a way. It helps give exposure to it – much to the chagrin of many a hipster – but also exposes the world to us! Definitely check out those videos.

Well, last night I had one of those moments where a song sticks with me and will eternally make me think of a certain situation every time I hear it, and that’s the beauty of music. I’ve given you three tracks here, but the one song I speak of is the first one – “All We Want, Baby, Is Everything”. The only other song to elicit these sorts of thoughts is Modest Mouse’s “Gravity Rides Everything” – which is a wonderful song in its own right.

The other two tracks – “I’m Confused” and “Radio Kaliningrad” – are excellent, to boot. All three are off of last year’s Face Control, which I highly recommend getting. As you were!

Download Handsome Furs – All We Want, Baby, Is Everything

Download Handsome Furs – I’m Confused

Download Handsome Furs – Radio Kaliningrad

Now, go buy this stuff! NOW!