Sometimes you can’t help but just go with the band’s own description…and/or the wiki description… when you want to share some tunes you just discovered. The Go! Team is described as combining “indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of blaxploitation and Bollywood soundtracks, double dutch chants, Charlie Brown piano, car chase horns, old school hip hop and distorted guitars…” Seriously! They don’t even know how to describe their own music to their mums. My iTunes describes them as Electronic, and even though a lot of my favorite bands are also described as Electronic, normally it won’t be the genre I will be clicking first when it hits my library.
But this is the shit. The album Rolling Blackouts starts off sounding like a group of serious-ass female Beastie Boys, moves into that double-dutch sound I mentioned earlier, then morphs into some “Jackie Brown” or “Shaft” -esque movie soundtrack serious hardassedness.
Track 5, “Bust-Out Brigade”, combines all of this plus makes me wish I was watching my alma mater march down main street for our 4th of July parade. I LOVE this!
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?
Okay. Modest Mouse show review, here. If you only heard of these guys when “Float On” came out? Leave. Now. I mean it. To help you out, here is an appropriate website for people of your intelligence to go to.
Okay, now for the disturbing facts. Modest Mouse was decent. Pretty good. They didn’t “kill it” as the Twitter feed by HOBBoston I read said. No. They were good in spots. Here’s the thing. Isaac Brock? He’s not built for this. The mainstream success. Hell, look at their new shirt. A zombie-esque cat. The antithesis of the mouse. Essentially, I saw that and went, “Sweet! They’re mocking their idiot fans!” and bought it instantly. As did many of the fans being mocked. Last laugh? Modest Mouse. Well played, Isaac. Well played.
George knows how long I’ve been a fan of these guys. Hell, I’m even a “new” fan to some. I mean, I “only” got into them about ten years ago. Still, as ravenous as I am with music, it wasn’t long before discovering their earlier works. Albums like This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and Lonesome Crowded West became favorites. I mean, who can hate a song titled “Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset”? Hell, my first time seeing them was in September of 2001. I did a review of that show for the now defunct site I helped George with then. I got to meet Brock after the show. To say he is an odd man? Well, I’m considered pretty fucking nuts. My mind is not a place for the timid. This guy makes me look borderline sane. Which is probably why I liked the band.
Anyhow, back to this particular show. No recent album out. Which right away screamed, “The label is fucking them, so they are trying to make a buck.” And that’s fine. The House of Blues in Boston, despite the whole mantra of “Love One, Love All” doesn’t really show love to the fans with tickets in the Mezzanine. Craptacular view. And hot. In a terrible way. I wanted to find a midget to punch. They are here for our entertainment, after all, right?
So they did “Float On” early, and I even overheard some of the dipshit bandwagon fans say, “Wow. I’m surprised they did that one so early!” Do you know why? BECAUSE THEY ARE SICK OF THAT FUCKING SONG! See, the thing is, that whole album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News is good. However, take a look at their album titles the further they’ve gone. It’s like watching Jack Kerouac get darker and darker in his novels. He knew there wasn’t a good ending, and I have a feeling Brock knows this, as well. He has essentially become part of something we know he probably hates. But with his twisted sense of humor, he’s certainly going to milk it for what it’s worth until then. In a weird way? I’m alright with that. Again, well played Isaac. Anyhow, other tracks I can remember include “Paper Thin Walls” – which I love – and “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”, “Dramamine”, and “Blame It On the Tetons”. My favorite that got love from the band was “Here It Comes”. God do I fucking love that song. Not one person around me was singing along. Not one. Let me repeat that. NOT ONE. A song with lyrics like “walking around with shit on my shoes…oh here it comes” is something you idiots can’t remember? And see, the kicker here is that they repeat the line “here it comes” a myriad of times. It’s called repetition. Stop lamenting why Johnny Marr isn’t with the band, any more, and get with it, you small minded bandwagon douches. By the way, the fourth shirt you’re wearing needs its collar popped.
Well, after all of that business, I was just going to leave. The thing with the mezzanine was I couldn’t go back to the floor level. Understood due to the fact that it was sold out. Here was one of the few bright spots of the night. The girl working that knew I couldn’t see squat? Well, I was about to leave before the encore, and she actually grabbed me and told me if I wanted, I could stay below, now. Essentially, enough folks were leaving to deal with the crowding issue. I don’t want to potentially get this young lady in any trouble, so I will omit her name. Gotta look out for those that looked out for me, after all.
Immediately after getting down there, another view of what a bunch of pricks this new generation of Modest Mouse fans are. An encore. We all know about this. Why? Because we go to enough concerts to know about them. Well, I had the pleasure of standing next to three couples. The girls? Basically foul mouthed trophies for the frat boy guys they were with. That’s the first bad sign. When one of the girls yells, “Come on assholes!” to, I guess, coax the band out? I cringed. It wasn’t until one of the guys screams, “Fucking come out or I’m leaving!” that I had it and bitched out these little shits. As I told them, it’s a concert. This is what an encore is.
The finish of the show included one of my other favorites by the band – “Gravity Rides Everything”. Now, I have a personal attachment to this song, so I was quite pleased to head out on a high note. The crowd and venue was just terrible. In both instances, there were redeeming qualities, for sure. The band did seem to feed off of the crowd, so at times they looked a bit bored. They were still good. Just nothing like the previous three times I had seen them. How much more of this can Brock take? Well, he seems to have a sense of humor about it, so I’d say we may still see a few more albums before they call it quits. Here’s to hoping I can see them without these dopey fans, though. I can do without them.
This is one where I basically tell y’all to not sleep on a couple of artists. One you know. One you may not. Who knows. You all seem to be pretty bright and all Johnny on the spot and stuff. Good for you.
Anyhow, there’s this band by the name of Sleigh Bells. They’re noisy. I mean really noisy. Just not in that way where you want to stab out your own eardrums. It’s good stuff. Most of the music is programmed in, with only the guitar being the live instrument. Well they made somewhat of an impact in that they got the attention of Pitchfork, who I personally can’t stand. But hey, they get throngs of hipsters to read, so I guess they aren’t all bad, right? So when “Crown to the Ground” came out last year, it piqued my attention, and ended up being listed in Pitchfork’s top 100 of 2009. Well played. Well played, indeed. So here we have “Tell ‘Em”, which is just as noisy and raucous. So enjoy it.
Next is one you really don’t need an introduction or explanation for. The Gorillaz. Seriously. Do I need to describe these guys to you? Really? You know. Damon Albarn? The guy from Blur? Yeah, the people that did that song “Clint Eastwood”. Correct. Well, this is “Glitter Freeze”. And it’s pretty badass. That is all.
Yes, I said it. They suck. Have you heard this poor excuse for a new single? I mean, it’s like their record label held them at gunpoint and said, “Listen, we need a hit, not for you all to do your best Bruce Springsteen impression and fail miserably.” This new song “Ready To Start” off of their upcoming The Suburbs is pretty accurately titled. They’re ready to start pissing me off and force me to kick a puppy or a homeless guy. It’s seriously godawful and lacking of any real creativity. The beginning riff is a ripoff of something that I just can’t think of right away. And that makes me even more pissed off.
So how about this? I write a faux letter of sorts to the Arcade Fire.
Dear Arcade Fire,
Please stop making this music. As I write this, my ears are bleeding and I’m taking four different prescriptions to keep the seizures your music causes at bay. You are not a gay clone of Bruce Springsteen. Enclosed, please find the picture of a dead bird. This bird did not die by being hit by a car. No, I happened to have my windows open playing your atrocious new single, “Ready To Start”, and it simply fell from the sky. If I believed in a God, I would take this as a sign to stop playing your music. Please go back to the days of Funeral and make me feel as though you care about what you make. Thank you.
Regards, Walt Zink
Now, unfortunately I will be posting this poor excuse for a song.
So here in Boston, the weather just won’t stay the same. I spent all of last week sick as a dog, and eventually even lost my voice. Imagine trying to work tending bar without much of a voice. It didn’t really bother me much, to be honest. But this weather? Needs to get a bit stable. Seriously. Anyhow, this post has a bit of summer in it. The rest? Is a newer track that’s been getting a bit of play as of late.
So for those that don’t know about Broken Social Scene yet, you’re missing out. They’re a strange group in that they never keep a steady set of band members. When I saw them live a few years back, I think they had about 15 people on stage at any one time. It’s crazy but awesome at the same time. I believe I’ve said it before, but they do remind me of a jam band, but in much better a way. These guys have this strange cohesiveness to their music. Which made me a bit surprised when I heard this song. It’s off of their latest album, Forgiveness Rock Record. The track is “All To All” and is a departure of sorts from their typical indie-rock sound, as they steer more towards a light electronic route. It’s a refreshing change, and smacks of what you would hear during summer. Enjoy!
Next is the latest release from LCD Soundsystem. Now, “Drunk Girls” I found rather unimpressive, and so far, this new track “Pow Pow” – off of their just released album This is Happening – doesn’t really hit me as all too wonderful. Although, some of the lyrics are subtly hinting at people just shutting the fuck up (I’m looking at you, Obama-haters), which I enjoy. This is the typical LCD Soundsystem sound we’ve grown accustomed to, however, so I am sure this is one that will grow on me.
If you also live up here in New England, you know we’ve been getting shafted royally by Mother Nature. Seriously, is that bitch on a perma-period? We here in Massachusetts set a record for the month of March with 14 inches of rain. To put that in perspective, the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico gets 14 inches all year long. Not the best example, maybe, since that’s in a pretty dry climate, but who cares. I tried. I’m nerdy.
Anyhow, I am like so many others up here that are truly sick of rainy, cold weather. I want the summer to come! So I figured I would give you all a little bit of summer in my music post! These are all songs that have to do with summer in some way, shape, or form. A couple are newer. And probably are songs you know pretty well. The other? Is a favorite of mine that I actually have on wax. Actually, now that I think of it? I have another nice little mint piece on wax that will get the posting happiness today, also.
The first two are the newer releases. The first is by Texas band Neon Indian. They started to make a bit of noise late last year, and it turned into an album by the name up Psychic Chasms on the Lefse label. The tour he has going even starts off with a bang! Two tour dates with Massive Attack? Yes, please! Well, this track is summer related, and honestly my favorite from this 21 year old wunderkind. It’s “Deadbeat Summer”.
Next up is from a band I’ve posted about before. YACHT is now on the DFA label (no surprise there) and they’ve made a full length album entitled See Mystery Lights. I’m still pretty iffy on these guys, but I admit I dig this song, so I think considering the theme of this post today? We can let it all slide. This one’s “Summer Song”.
Now come the real treats. Well, they are to me. So whatever. And such. Donna Summer? Anyone? And no, not that person calling themselves DJ Donna Summer. This is the legend from the days of disco and excess. Well, this song has been sampled and remixed to death, but nothing really beats the original. It’s her classic track “I Feel Love”. It’s one I picked up dirt cheap and played fairly often. How can you really diss Giorgio Moroder? Well, I’ve got the album version here, as well as the now underground legend of a remix by Glenn Underground. Well, because of some probably obvious issues with releasing a remix and getting rights to samples? This became a white label. It heavily relies on Moroder’s track “The Chase” from the film Midnight Express. This is a brilliant piece of work – remix or not!
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!
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.
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.
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!
Yes. Bringing you epic shit here. Most anyone that hasn’t lived under a rock the last few years could tell you who the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are. Hell, I wrote about their track “Zero” a few months back. Loved it. But there’s nothing like their first album Fever To Tell. Beginning to end, the thing is awesome encapsulated onto a CD. If you disagree, you’re a terrorist. And have kittens. Fact. Now shut your mouth hole.
Anyhow, I ran across this remix of their song “Maps”, and I think I had a seizure. It was that good to me. There will be naysayers that hate on dance music, and that’s fine. I don’t like your hairdo, either. Really? You paid someone to distort your physical appearance under the impression it was cool to have your hair with 8 inch long bangs? C’mon. If you do that, who can see you sulk at an indie-rock show! Wait. That’s actually a good thing. Never mind.
Anyhow, this remix of “Maps” is epic. And again. If you dislike? Well, I guess we have different definitions of the term. By the way, I heart sarcasm. It’s pretty awesome. Anyhow, this dude Elite Force did this remix, and you all really need to listen to this remix. I love this. It takes just enough from the original to work as an excellent remix. Which is the point of what a remix should be. Seriously, go take a listen.
