Category Archives: Chuck Klosterman

If It Comes Save Some For Me

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After a brief “recession” of sorts in terms of new music that inspired me, I was so happy to find that Mookie grabbed me a copy of Small Sins’ Pot Calls Kettle Black (even if it is eight months old already). Small Sins is a Canadian band that mixes electro sounds with catchy hooks, and then surprises you by genre-bending at least once on an album.

Click to Enjoy Small Sins – Pot Calls Kettle Black
Click to Enjoy The Guess Who – These Eyes (Remastered)

So I immediately love Track One because I hear my favorite song from the 60’s/70’s, “These Eyes” by The Guess Who. Yeah. The more I think about it, my parents really were audiophiles to some degree. Probably their healthiest hobby. So track 1, which is also the title track, opens up with that groovy underlying beat that I would recognize anywhere. And I wonder if they know they’re using it. And I wonder if anyone else recognizes it. And I think of Chuck Klosterman.

As I’m writing this very essay, I’m listening to the song “Swim (To Reach the End) by Surfer Blood, and a key stretch of the chorus sounds like the 1985 single “Your Love” by the Outfield. The fact that I am making such a connection means I am not the intended audience for Surfer Blood, even thought I needed to be thirty-seven years old in order to recognize that such a connection exists. This is the underrated ecstasy- and the tragic paradox – of staying alive: I love getting older, because it allows me to remember things I once needed to learn. I feel like I understand music more today than I did yesterday, and yesterday I understood it more than I did two days ago. But yet, I wonder: Does this understanding only serve to signify that this part of my life is supposed to be over? Is “understanding” an emotional, unserious art missing the point entirely? Maybe. But I can’t stop, even if I should. I’ll always be interested in What The Kids Are Listening To, even as that interest becomes the sonic equivalent of looking at animals inside a zoo. I see a zebra, and I know what it is. But you know what I can’t see? How zebras look to a zebra. And that, I realize, is what matters most.

Well here’s what else Small Sins did that’s what ONLY the coolest kids are doing these days… They enlisted k-os for some vocals on their second track, “Deja-Vu.” The video is pretty cool, so I will share it with you.

Another catchy tune from the album is “Why Don’t You Believe Me?” I love it, and I see a lovable fuck-up in these lyrics, but I still don’t believe him.

Click to Enjoy Small Sins – Why Don’t You Believe Me?

Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind

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I was going to develop this post more. I ran out of time. I’ll make it up to you next time. The point is that Klosterman is a great author if you love music and pop culture. He even writes fiction! If you need something new to read, it’s inALLcaps recommended.

Found in the book IV By Chuck Klosterman:

Interviewing Britney Spears is like deposing Bill Clinton: Regardless of the evidence, she does not waver.
“Why do you dress so provocatively?” I ask. She says she doesn’t dress provocatively.
“But look what you’re wearing right now,” I say, while looking at three inches of her inner thigh, her entire abdomen, and enough cleavage to choke a musk ox.
“This is just a skirt and a top,” she responds.

It is not that Britney Spears denies that she is a sexual icon, or that she disputes that American men are fascinated with the concept of the wet-hot virgin, or that she feels her success says nothing about what our society fantasizes about. She doesn’t disagree with any of that stuff, because she swears she has never even thought about it. Not even once.

“That’s just a weird question,” she says. “I don’t even want to think about that. That’s strange, and I don’t think about things like that. Why should I? I don’t have to deal with those people. I’m concerned with the kids out there. I’m concerned with the next generation of people. I’m not worried about some guy who’s a perv and wants to meet a freaking virgin.”

And suddenly, something becomes painfully clear: Either Britney Spears is the least self-aware person I’ve ever met, or she’s way, way savvier than any of us realize.

Or maybe both.

This is a fantastic cover of a horrible song:

Download Or, The Whale – Toxic (Britney Spears Cover)

Get more free songs from the band Or, The Whale over at daytrotter where they did a set.

Excerpt from the book Downtown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman

Music that Mitch did not recognize distortedly blared from a thirty-five dollar JVC ghetto blaster. The first song was futuristic, churchlike, and boring. the second song celebrated the inherent pleasure of jumping. The third song promoted the nation of Panama.


Has anyone seen the show Glee? Is it worth watching? Let me know. Anyways, the soundtrack to the show had a Van Halen cover.

Download The Glee Cast – Jump (Van Halen Cover)

oil up those sticky keys

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Like most people, I was initially confused by EMI’s decision to release remastered versions of all 13 albums by the Liverpool pop group Beatles, a 1960s band so obscure that their music is not even available on iTunes. The entire proposition seems like a boondoggle. I mean, who is interested in old music? And who would want to listen to anything so inconveniently delivered on massive four-inch metal discs with sharp, dangerous edges? The answer: no one. When the box arrived in the mail, I briefly considered smashing the entire unopened collection with a ball-peen hammer and throwing it into the mouth of a lion. But then, against my better judgment, I arbitrarily decided to give this hippie shit an informal listen. And I gotta admit—I’m impressed. This band was mad prolific.


-Chuck Klosterman

Maybe Chuck is on to something? Maybe we should not look back into the rearview but into the future for a band that can re-ignite the fire in our hearts and minds?

Forget about the Beatles on Rock Band. Let’s get the British band Arctic Monkeys for Guitar Hero!

OK. Maybe this isn’t likely. But I will tell you, the new album, Humbug, makes me think of The Beatles’ music! Are Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar), Jamie Cook (guitar), Nick O’Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals) the next Paul, John, George, and Ringo?. OK. Maybe even more unlikely. Only the future will prove if this band can reach that kind of status.

Their first two albums, although good, just lacked any true soul or strength. Judging by the radio play they got, I am sure plenty of people disagree with this statement, but Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare are completely overrated. Let’s look back though: The Beatles lacked the same oomph with the early efforts on Please Please Me and With The Beatles, and I think their following records may have enjoyed some measure of success.

I think The Arctic Monkeys’ “My Propeller” and “Cornerstone” (provided at the end of this post) are both reminiscent of the Fab 4. I think these two songs even sound like they could have been written by McCartney.

“Dance Little Liar” has such strikingly sharp drum work. I say Ringo could definitely have been behind something like that.

[Download Arctic Monkeys – Dance Little Liar]

Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner revealed that the band had listened to Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing the new album. That explains a lot. Maybe they should pick up the Remastered Works of The Beatles to prepare for album 4?

Whatever influences and likeness is or isn’t there doesn’t dull the point that this latest release is more mature and darker than their previous work.
They seem less hokey and silly, and this transaltes into a serious effort on the part of the band.


Let’s get to brass tacks. There was nothing wrong with the first album per se, but after hearing Humbug there is just such a vast difference in content and quality. The lead singer seems to have something interesting to say now, and he sings it with a more developed voice. Literally and figuratively. This new “voice” can be picked up in the rest of the band as well. The rhythm section and much of the guitar playing seems vastly more complex and interesting than their previous efforts. There are interesting effects and instruments being used, likely from heavy touring and closer bonds between the band members bringing more confidence to experiment. Making choices regarding who to work with on this album contributes to this new sound.

Such as…Josh Homme.

Josh Homme was brought on to produce this album and has been involved in projects with some great bands. Homme put his signature on albums for Them Crooked Vultures, Foo Fighters, A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age. Good band plus a good producer equals magic.

It might just be all the moons aligning and making all the right turns in the GPS of life and art, but lets hope that the boys can catch that lightning another 10 times.

Then our kids can buy their Remastered Works one day.

[Download Arctic Monkeys – Cornerstone]

Check out the Arctic Monkeys on Zane Lowe’s BBC show!

We want to throw our support to a good cause. Extra Life is a gamer charity effort to help raise money for pediatric cancer. Seriously, who here doesn’t want to punch pediatric cancer right in the face?

Visit the site and donate to a team we are backing this year! You can send a couple bucks by clicking the DONATE NOW button here. Good luck guys and girls! Raise lots of money and be sure to stay hydrated!

What Would Wil Wheaton Do?

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WWWWD

Sounds like a new version of the interwebs?

Kinda.

I’ve been thinking about how I can help inALLcaps.com get some more eyeballs. I’ve been considering branding, marketing strategies, and bumper stickers. It all comes back to Wil Wheaton.

He is an internet phenom. He is an actor and an author. He is one of the most popular bloggers/twitterers of all time. Not that I have any stats or anything to prove that, although he does have 61,158 followers on twitter. It just seems like wherever I turn, there he is. Obama’s Secretary of Geek Culture. Wil Wheaton is best known for his role in the Star Trek:The Next Generation and the movie Stand By Me..

You do know who I am talking about right?

The point is that if I could get Wil Wheaton to mention this blog…we will be known across the internet as geek approved. Which would be great not only because of the marketing coup it would be for the blog, but it would be a badge of honor being that I think Wil is very cool for being such a geek. I am a geek too, and proud of it!

Wil often posts artists/songs that his iTunes Genius/Shuffle has selected for him. Well, he posts the conversations he has with his iTunes regarding the songs. I will post a few of the tracks he’s mentioned and hopefully get him to mention us.


Here we go.

Wil says:

just realized that I *always* listen to Pink Floyd when I’m on the final edit of a writing project, but never on purpose. It just happens. 1:24 PM Feb 6th from twitterrific

@Phillyberg iTunes put Echos between Obscured by Clouds and Dark Side of the Moon. I think I saw a monolith spinning qoutside, too. 1:16 PM Feb 6th from twitterrific

[Pink Floyd – Obscured By Clouds]

[Pink Floyd – Echoes]

I love Pink Floyd. It’s not something I listen to often these days, but it was definitely the soundtrack to parts of my life that I look back fondly on today. One thing that drives me crazy though is hearing a Pink Floyd song in an iTunes shuffle. Why? well. There’s something to hearing a Pink Floyd song among its siblings on the album. I like to listen to Dark Side from beginning to end. The Wall is just better when you listen to it in order. When I hear a Pink Floyd song alone, it just seems to be missing something, namely the next song in the album.


Wil Says:

The Bends follows Obscured by Clouds very nicely, if you were wondering about that sort of thing.
2:10 PM Feb 2nd from twitterrific

Radiohead. What can I say. Bends is a great album, but let me talk about Kid A. I just read Killing Yourself to Live by Klosterman. If you have never read this book, it comes recommended from inALLcaps.com. A great book about love, death, and rock and roll. Klosterman mentions in the book how Kid A seems like the soundtrack to 9/11. That chapter itself is worth the purchase price of the book all on its own. I want to share a little line from the book that explains the point I am trying to make:

This is followed by track three, “The National Anthem.” This is when the first plane slams into the north tower at 470 mph. “The National Anthem” sounds a bit like a Morphine song. It’s a completely different direction from the first two songs on Kid A, and it’s confusing; it’s chaotic. “What’s going on?” the lyrics ask. “What’s going on?” It gets crazier and crazier, until the second plane hits the second tower (at 9:03 A.M. in reality and at 3:42 in the song).

[Radiohead – The National Anthem]

Relisten to the album after reading this chapter, and that album will haunt you every time you hear it.

Alright. How ’bout one more!

Wil says:

iTunes: Psst…Maneater Me: [:whispers:] I know, right? iTunes: Are you going to dance around and sing it? Me: Maybe a little. Both: Squee!
12:09 PM Jan 16th from twitterrific

I am not gonna say anything disparaging about Hall and Oates. I’m into a lot of the same things Wil is into. I like Hall and Oates just fine. Dancing and singing…to Maneater… PASS.

I did find it coincidental that a certain hot blonde I know experienced her first crush on Wil Wheaton. Of all the TigerBeat pinups, she chose Wil Wheaton. I always identified with Wil, but let me reiterate that I would never squee if Hall & Oates came on my iTunes. Maybe that’s why she likes me more than Wil.

Do Wil and me a solid, and buy the albums from the bands we mentioned above.

I still dream of runnin’ careless through the snow

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The band is Blitzen Trapper. They’ve been around for awhile, so it’s alright with me if you pretend you’ve known of them all along. Their fourth album is called Furr, and it was released this past September. Rolling Stone said it was one of the best albums of 2008.

SPIN described the band’s music as suitable for “cubicle-penned office drones in desperate need of a vacation.” I may not be cubicle-penned, but desperate doesn’t even begin to describe my need for a vacation. I digress. Speaking of SPIN, I’ve been reading Chuck Klosterman’s Killing Yourself To Live and as I finished chapter 6, something he said about the Allman Brothers gave me the resolution to write this blog. He’d been bashing them on nearly every page thus far, but he made the point that it’s difficult to carry on a conversation during “Ramblin’ Man.”
This is true, isn’t it! And what does that say about a piece of music? Perhaps it’s not a testimony to a work of genius, but if you’re forced to stop and sing along… Wait, what does that mean about the Britney Spears music that I hear at the mall? Do I have to digress again?I bet my boyfriend wishes I was unable to carry on a conversation during any song… I have been known to talk a lot.

I am not the only one making an Allman Brothers connection. Check out what their hometown paper, The Oregonian, had to say about the music:

…showcases an impressive array of alt-country and psych-rock songs that sound a little as though Wilco ate the mushrooms growing in the Allman Brothers cow pasture.

Look, it’s good stuff. It makes me feel like I’m finally old enough to really appreciate Bob Dylan or Tom Petty. In the form of Blitzen Trapper. And that’s cool with me. Check out the title track, Furr.

[Blitzen Trapper – Furr]

I’m shaky at the knees. Would you take me by the arm and settle down upon a farm?