A Thousand Disguises

Favorite Album Covers # 2

2011-08-28T01:51:00.005-05:00

*I have not listened to this album but my uncle has and he has this picture up on his wall in his basement filled with vinyl that you can only dream about.

Now for something appropriate

2011-08-10T22:02:00.001-05:00

Compare & Contrast

2011-08-03T19:12:00.008-05:00

The Jayhawks, Grand Funk Railroad

Bad Time - Grand Funk Railroad (original)

Bad Time - The Jayhawks (cover version)

Nice Tee # 2

2011-08-01T17:32:00.008-05:00

Someone please get this for me (via: Threadless)

Nice Tee

2011-07-31T20:44:00.010-05:00

Via: theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com

Favorite Album Covers # 1

2011-06-29T17:36:00.005-05:00

Roger D, The Ox, Mooney, Pete (L-R)

Who Are You (1978)

* They don't make 'em like this anymore, man.

Sunday Afternoon Summer Mixtape

2011-06-26T16:11:00.010-05:00

Basically what I've been listening to this summer:

1. Ramsey Lewis Trio - Wade In The Water
2. Steely Dan - My Old School
3. Ponytail - Beg Waves
4. Orchestra Baobab - Aline
5. Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill
6. John Prine - Lake Marie
7. Curren$y - The Hangover
8. Miles Davis - Someday My Prince Will Come
9. The Ramones - Baby I Love You
10. William Bell - I Forgot To Be Your Lover
11. Shoukichi Kina - Jing Jing
12. Paul Simon - Kodachrome
13. Girls - Substance
14. Lesley Gore - No Matter What You Do
15. Nick Lowe - Soulful Wind
16. The Magic Kids - Cry With Me Baby
17. Neu! - Hallogallo
18. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset

Lolla 2k11 Must Sees # 1

2011-06-21T22:22:00.014-05:00

Titus Andronicus

Why?

1) Literate songs whose lyrics you have to look up online because of loud guitars and 2) because Patrick Stickles sounds like he looks
3) Catharsis

Yes.

2011-06-20T22:25:00.004-05:00

Trappist Beers

This makes me happy

2011-06-19T18:07:00.002-05:00

New Music (for me): Debussy

2011-01-18T19:39:00.014-06:00

(L-R) Wayne Coyne, Debussy

Lately I've been listening to a lot of non-rock/pop music.

I'm a novice in this regard (i.e. - everything is either Classical or Jazz) but I'm taking it steadily. The plan is to master Impressionist Music by Spring (by master, I mean read that entire wikipedia article).

Venturing into unknown musical territory is exciting. Like the first time I listened to Mambo Sun (those ahh-ahh-ahh background vocals haunt my soul).

That being said, Claude Debussy really caught my ear.

Just today, I was listening to Debussy's Claire De Lune on youtube, while creating a Debussy station on Pandora at the same time. And in a little coincidence, attributed to the randomness of the internet, Pandora started playing the same song about 30 seconds later. This was the result. It really is about the small things in life.

Twenty Eleven

2011-01-15T13:00:00.007-06:00

www.harpers.org/archive/2011/01/hbc-90007892

Speaking of consistency, I'm back after a close-to-two-year hiatus. I had a bad case of writer's block, among other things. Happy new year. This is going to be a daily effort.

Lo-Fi

2009-03-26T18:33:00.004-05:00

Remember how in February (2 posts ago, yeah, consistency...) I said that 2009 would be the year of Power Pop, well I was only kidding! Turns out Lo-fi, fuzzy, dream-pop is the way things are going (at least for now?!) Led by groups like Wavves (and championed by Pitchfork and Vice), noise-y basement types seem to cropping up all over the place...Power pop, where art thou?

Internet findings that I'll probably listen to a few times:

wavves
pens
blank dogs
crystal stilts (not that new)
christmas island

et al.

I'm not going to lie, I just read the wavves interview on pitchfork and that's where the list's from. But still! I anticipate an unending wavve (I did not resist) of obscurity and cassette hiss for the time being.

80s Spanish Mod: Los Flechazos

2009-02-23T17:51:00.006-06:00

I think they're singing about riding their scooters at full speed.

Los Flechazos Overview

More Power, More Pop?

2009-02-02T17:34:00.016-06:00

Powerpop supergroup, if there ever was one

We saw all kinds of genre-revivals in 2008 ranging from C86 revisionism (Vivian Girls) to 80s pomp (Rumble Strips). Okay, so once again the 80s were a common reference point for contemporary bands.

As genres like post-punk, synth-driven new wave, noise-pop, etc. have already been milked dry by most bands the past few years, (indie) rock in 2009 might just increasingly set its sights on the tighter, more guitar-driven, verse-bridge-chorus genre of Powerpop (or Pre-punk / Pub Rock, just think Dr. Feelgood).

Other than the standard argument that musical styles go in cycles, I’m mostly going to base this claim on one band : Gentleman Jesse and His Men. The band was featured in Mojo Magazine’s anticipated acts of 2009 and I feel that the band is representative of a potential (re)interest in the genre.

Basically, in the Mojo article, the band’s frontman claims to be sick of the bloated state of indie rock at the moment and is influenced instead by groups like Rockpile, the Raspberries, and Nick Lowe. Just like how these bands proved to be catchier, more energetic and straightforward alternatives to prog/arena/gassy rock back in the day, I'm sure there are bands today that have similar intentions (and song structures).

Well, let’s just see how it turns out. Yeah, with the economy, political climate, etc., etc. the way they are, 2009 is going to be quite the year. And it'll be interesting to see whether bands and artists follow the mostly dreamy, effects-laden, feedback-drenched sound of 2008 or whether they trim the fat (present times do demand frugality after all), a la Dr. Feelgood et al.

Music From Memory 2: Weezer's Pinkerton

2009-01-28T17:27:00.022-06:00

Weezer's best album. They should have stopped after this, etc., etc. Personal history behind Pinkerton? At one point I thought this was the edgiest thing I'd ever heard (along with Kill 'Em All by Metallica). I was after all raised on America rather than The United States of America.

Remember the Green Day reference in "El Scorcho"? (I asked you to go to the Green Day concert / You said you never heard of them). Back then, my friends and I assumed Weezer and Green Day were bitter rivals. Those were days before the internet.

Pinkerton is solid. I like the album's detuned, dark, echo-ey sound (and is perhaps the reason why it stands out more than the "slicker" Blue Album).

Mixtape, circa 1999

1. Sugar Ray - Every Morning
2. RATM - Guerilla Radio
3. Sublime - Santeria
4. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Scobby Snacks
5. Live - I Alone
6. Offspring - The Kids Aren't Alright
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue
8. Green Day - When I Come Around
9. Smash Mouth - Walking On The Sun
10. The Fugees - Ready Or Not

Slumdog Millionaire, Ah The Hype

2009-01-23T00:50:00.018-06:00

"Been there, seen that"

Don't get me wrong, Slumdog Millionaire was well made. It's just that I left the theater feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

~~This excellent~~ BBC article by Soutik Biswas ~~articulates my exact sentiments about the film~~.

All I have to say is if you did watch Slumdog Millionaire and you don't understand the hype surrounding the film, read the article. ~~It basically says all I wanted to say about the film~~.

Biswas mentions a bunch of other (more fulfilling but overlooked) films in this "gritty realist" genre and I'll add to this: Salaam Bombay!.

If you do happen to watch (or have watched) Slumdog Millionaire, be sure to watch Salaam Bombay! as well and you'll probably come round with a different opinion.

Still, not to sound patronizing, I guess on the plus side there's this.

Addendum: Okay, Slumdog took home the Oscar for best picture...Everyone seems to have an opinion about the film. While people hate it for all kinds of reasons (portrayal of Indian culture and/or slum life; Western filmmaker interpreting a culture he has no idea about; the actors' British accents; the implausibilty of a bathtub in a Bombay highrise, etc., etc., etc., etc.), I've realized that this film has become overanalyzed (while in reality, it doesn't really warrant or merit too much attention).

I've come to the conclusion that I really don't care too much about the social/cultural/economic/political/ethical (gasp) assumptions/tags that come with the film.

Basically, I still think the film was okay (not a great film or a masterpiece) and I'm going to end it here.

French Rock & Roll: Don Cavalli

2009-01-18T13:42:00.011-06:00

Primal, blues-garage-Americana from...France. First read about him in MOJO (He's listed in their top 20 albums of 2008). It's raw, straightforward rock & roll and Cavalli is definitely notches above those numerous retro-leaning rock acts out there.

Check him out: Don Cavalli Myspace

Swedish Pop Stars: Joel Alme

2009-01-15T13:05:00.014-06:00

(The video looks like it was put together by emogirl, but the music is good, note: this song wins the award for Best Use of Cowbell)

I heard about Joel Alme through some article in pitchfork last year. If you like Jens Lekman and other Swedish/Danish artists, I think Joel Alme might just do it for you.

His debut album A Master of Ceremonies is full of tight (and sometimes grand) pop songs, complete with orchestra and a straightforward, retroish-sounding production. Joel himself is a solid singer (and lyricist) and his voice has that classic Dylan-Van Morrison-Cohen quality to it.

Anyway, give his other songs on youtube a go and see what you think.

Music From Memory: Santana's Shango

2009-01-10T00:26:00.025-06:00

Santana's Shango was released in 1982 and unlike earlier, “classic” Santana albums (i.e. from 1969 to 1972), this one features typical 80s production (synths, electronic drums, etc.). Conspicuous, nevertheless, are Santana’s trademark guitar and Latin-tinged rhythms.

My favorite song on the album is “The Nile” – Sample Lyric: “Her skin was dark / Her voice was liquid fire / She said I am your mate / And soul's desire.”

I fist listened to Shango sometime in 2002 or 2003 (11th grade) on cassette (forcing me to listen to the whole album from start to end nonstop).

This brings in another (perhaps obvious) point: Repetition will determine your musical preferences. I grew up listening to music based on the blues scale. I know some people can instantly appreciate certain genres or bands (e.g. - Sonic Youth / Post-Rock???) but it takes a lot of listens for me to get into such music.

I’m sure someone’s already done a full on study on musical listening processes and methods.

Going back to Shango, the music itself is cheesy. Sometimes a good and bad kind of cheesy at the same time, but straightforward good cheesy for the most part. Consequently, this is an endearing and uplifting album (note: this is purely subjective).

Still, I can tell you what’s not subjective : Shango is the musical equivalent of Romancing The Stone. I'm going to go ahead and say I like this album.

The Land Of A Thousand Disguises

2008-12-01T13:36:00.006-06:00

A line from the song by Gil Scott-Heron.