Neutral Milk Hotel

I have checked them out in the past and thought they were pretty cool, but it never moved me. I remember being surprised when I went to the Colbert Show and he was doing his Q&A with the crowd before getting in character and gave NMH as his favorite band when asked. I checked them out again recently and like In An Aeroplane Over the Sea a lot, though some tracks a lot more than others.

I'm really really blown away by the song "Two-Headed Boy" though. I'm prone to hyperbole when I'm obsessed with a song/album/artist, but I'm feeling like this is one of the best songs I've ever heard. The lyrics give me chills and the delivery--defiant and beautiful--perfectly matches those lyrics and both the urgent pace of the music. If you don't know this song, check it out. If you do, go listen again.

Scraping Foetus Off the Mix; plus, Transplanted NYC Psychedelica

Foetus, a.k.a. J.G. Thirwell, "reprocessed" the infamous Mars '77-'78 studio recordings.  It is the Thirwell versions that most have heard, including the 1996 Atavistic re-issue 78+.  There has been rumblings of dissatisfaction over the Thirwell treatments (much like the mutterings that Zappa somehow "ruined" Troutmaskreplica - he didn't, although he really could have done a better job - or the guy who "ruined" Strictly Personal by dumping the whole album into a phaser - he did, but that has been corrected on reissues - or even rumors of the legendary "guitar mix" of MX-80 Sound's Hard Attack).  In about 2003, Mark Cunningham reissued the complete studio recordings in their original state, but the reissues were incredibly obscure, especially compared to the Atavistic CD.  Finally, in 2008, No More Records got a clean unprocessed version out to a larger audience.

Were the original releases that were around for so many years from flood-damaged masters?  If so, does that really explain the obnoxious booming reverb that Thirwell soaked everything with?  Without the Thirwell treatment, the Mars LP is at the same time an easier and more radical listen.  Easier, because you don't have that "jangle at the end of a tunnel" sound going (admittedly, it probably bothers me more than most because of my tinnitus); and more radical, because you can better hear the clashing patterns in the music when they're not masked with a ton of reverb.  You can also hear much more of Sonic Youth, and even the Feelies, in the music when it is scraped of the Foetus treatment.

Not sure if there are any No Wave heads in the audience; but if there are, order this from your local music boutique post-haste.  If you already own the Atavistic re-issue, you've got the general idea, but you will want to hear the difference.

The YouTube video below has the unprocessed versions of two songs:

*          *          *          *          *

Some of the Louisville posse ended up in Brooklyn  . . . psychedelic/krautrock head Dominic Cipolla moved his project Phantom Family Halo to the big city because he needed a "jolt of energy".

He got a little boost from Will Oldham on his way out of town: for the anniversary party of (Slint bassist) Todd Brashear's Wild and Wooly Video, Phantom Family Halo did a smoking set, with Oldham and Brashear joining them for the encore (this was the set opening up for Roky Erickson!).  Oldham also recorded a 10" with PFH under his Bonnie Prince Billie moniker.

Here is that collab:

and here is Phantom Family Halo live:



I have three of their four albums, and I like them all very much.  It would be a good idea to start from the latest and move backwards.

Here is a cut from the latest:



So, New York peeps, if this sounds good to you, pick it up.  And if you get a chance to see them live, don't miss it.

I'm out -

Send me your party hits

throwing a house party next Saturday and having a good time putting together a playlist. I got a pretty eclectic list going with slightly more laid-back stuff for early on, to more body-moving material for mid-party, to increasingly oUt stuff as people become more inebriated. I'm not talking about blasting people with Black Dice at 2 AM, more like Beck's "Hollywood Freaks" (best first line ever: "hot milk/mmm, tweak my nipple"), maybe some old-school Nas, still working on it.

but I'd thought I'd throw it out there to the community. what are the songs you want to hear at a house party?

There's a new British Expeditionary Force on the way at the end of March

The British Expeditionary Force – Commotion (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.

Erased Tapes is like the Kranky of Europe.  In fact, Kranky distributes Erased Tapes' A Winged Victory for the Sullen Stateside. 

Long, long after they said it'd be out, B.E.F. Chapter 2, Constellation Neu (follow up to Chapter 1, A Long Way From Home) will be out at the end of March.  This is one of those bands that I measure everything else against, and now there's more.

Growing

I'm really feeling "Growing" lately. Color Wheel (2006) is a stand out, and their Black Dice-esque "Pumps" got lots of props when it came out (2 years ago? 1 year ago?)

Mainly posting this to point out they have a bunch of live shows up on Spotify, first time I've seen that. I don't think these are "live" releases that a label put out and now Spotify is distributing, i think it is more like a bootleg of a live show that the band put up there (that they are getting paid for). Kind of huge if bands had that ability to post live shows easily and get paid for listens (although, as discussed, the band is getting peanuts from Spotify... but still...)

If you like Growing I might also suggest this guy/band that Rootless tipped me off to, Jason Urick and his LP "I Love You". It's pretty good, it has a similar sonic palette as Growing: dissonant/distorted but with melodic ambiance on top.

Regards,

the Chizzle

Classy...

Within an hour of news of Whitney Houston's death, Sony jacked up costs of her albums online.

I guess i can't fault them, if you're going under you have to try to make cash wherever you see an opportunity.

In related news, I've had "I want to dance (with someone who loves me)" stuck in my head for 48 hours.

dc

Nels Cline Geek Out

In case you want to geek out about Nels Cline's gear.

Keith Fullerton Whitman

This interview actually came out in 2006 but I just read it and thought it was awesome. I suspect some people on this blog haven't read it and would really like it too so thought I'd post it.

25 Songs: Blues Vol. 1

Paul's Boutique Record Release Party

Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - Record Release Party 1989 from sjx on Vimeo.

BLAM!

Sharon Van Etten "Tramp"

Just listened to it on NPR's first listen. I'd heard part of a song on the radio here in dirty jersey, shazam'ed it, and I'm now not being disappointed. Really really good songs with nice varied arrangements. I like her voice, it's not typically indie twee, or screamy, it's quite strong, almost cat power-strong. She's depressingly young--yes, I'm bitter and jealous. This sounds like what a "mature" record would sound like if calling something "mature" wasn't usually implying that it was boring and lame. The song "We Are Fine" is a highlight.

I missed you, 1999.

We Jam Econo

Being a bass player (and one who is a self taught and learned by playing in bands at that) it's kind of crazy that I never got into The Minutemen. I knew Mike Watt from fIREHOSE fame, and was pretty deep into them, but I think I just bought one Minutemen CD, kind of went "meh" and then never came back. I was a Fugazi/fIREHOSE kid growing up, not a Minor Threat/Minutemen kid.

I've already had my late bloomer moment with Minor Threat (having listened to Minor Threat Discography enough over the last few years to make up for lost time) but I never got into The Minutemen. I only really dug in after scoring a copy of Double Nickels on The Dime at a garage sale (for $1.00, selling on eBay for $100, DC!! DC!!!).

What a great, fascinating, intensely creative and original band. This is clearly displayed in the documentary about them "We Jam Econo". If you are a fan or want to be or are interested in them any way, I recommend checking it out, it's on Netflix streaming.

(I also checked out the Pearl Jam "20" documentary by Cameron Crowe, also defintiely worth checking on Netflix, also known as the Spotify of movies.)

d-nice

More Grist for the Mill

Apropos Spotify, a graphic breakdown for the artist's payday based on various different media formats.  Looks like I'm justified to stick with Rhapsody, if I'm interested in the artists income . . . although obviously all online sites pretty much suck as far as royalties are concerned.

TNT and Birth of the Cool

Been listening to two of my favorite albums lately, TNT and Birth of the Cool.

TNT is an album I consistently come back to when it comes to Tortoise. It sounds different than a lot of their stuff, at times colder, more robotic. At other times, in particular on the title track, some of their strongest melodies come through. It makes me contemplative; it's the best music in the world to fold laundry to.

Keeping on the Tortoise vibe, I kind of rediscovered It's All Around You. I've listened to this album a million times but for some reason it just clicked. In heavy rotation at the moment.

I've also been on the west coast jazz tip. Listened to Birth of the Cool last weekend a bunch of times, one of my all time favorite albums. Captures that beatnik '50s feeling so well, and the songs themselves are so strong. I love that it closes with "Darn the Dream", the vocals really round off the record well.

It had me exploring more of west coast jazz. I know the Dave Brubek and Paul Desmond stuff pretty well, really like some of those records. But I've been listening to a lot of Chet Baker lately, in particular his records with Gerry Mulligan.

Anyone have any other suggestions on good west coast jazz?

Sunn O))) and Nurse With Wound

ØØ VOID is Sunn O)))'s second album, or their first "all in" album (the first recordings they did up to their standards, which in this case, is a 24 track studio recording to 2" tape).  It's pretty much exactly what you think of when you think of Sunn O))), a band birthed from the second Earth album: big doomy guitar drones, and very little else.  If you've paid attention to any of their later releases, especially Monoliths & Dimensions, then here are the basics.  As every brain dead rocker everywhere says, TURN IT ALL THE WAY UP!

It's back in rotation primarily due to a vinyl reissue on Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ label.  It's a good one to have on vinyl, since the whole point of droning (besides the hypnotic effect) is the nuance and play of textures, including overtones and undertones, which are best realized with analog playback.  The 2 x LP gives a full side to each of the four compositions (playback at 45 rpm for even better depth and fidelity), and the package consists of VERY HEAVY cardboard with beautiful artwork.  The only bitch I have is that the heavy cardboard sleeves almost require lubrication to slide in and out, and when you pull the platter out of its sleeve, you need to grasp the edge with your thumb and index finger and really tug, which means you are marking up the edge of the platter.  Oh well, such is the nature of sacrifice for aesthetics.

The real gem here is The Iron Soul of Nothing, a collaboration between Sunn O))) and 80's industrial/noise/avant legends Nurse With Wound, in which NWW's Steven Stapleton remixes ØØ VOID.  Stapleton gets to the core of the album, picking up various elements of the drone and recutting them for his own version of the same idea.  The result sounds more electro and less doom metal, and more dynamic, as Stapleton is as aggressive in his collaging as possible while still remaining true to the drone.

And, as an added bonus, the packaging is much less annoying here than on the Sunn O))) reissue.

With Sunn O))), you know what you are getting, and ØØ VOID is the base level of what you get.  The Iron Soul of Nothing is Nurse With Wound's revelatory re-imagining of Sunn O)))'s core project.  If either one of these things sounds good to you, you will not be disappointed.

Mega Upload Song???

I'm so confused. So, wait, these guys LIKE Mega Upload?

I'm such a weak-minded simpleton... all it took was this youtube clip and i'm like "Fuck yeah! I love Mega Upload! What the hell, man?!!"

dc

hahaha, is this real?

LoLooks like the days of the freebie are coming to an end

I guess with all the MegaUpload madness other file sharing sites are laying low. Many logs I frequent are closing up because their hosts have deleted the goods.

Some blurbs:

http://www.hqhiphop.net/

As of today, Filesonic.com deleted all my files, as well as Ben's and King Skullie's. I had about 800GB of data stored there. It seems that all the filehosts are running scared because of Megaupload's trial and that there is nothing left to do and no other option but to quit. I made this decision as the creator of the blog along with Ben and King Skullie, that the blog must cease to be. There was too much work and time put into the creation of this place to have it all taken away by some greedy corporate fucks.

It was fun while it lasted, please remember this place as the first that started a wave of good material in outstanding quality. These three years spent with this blog have been a wonderful experience that none of its authors will ever forget. Stay strong, and whatever happens, keep your love for the music. You can leave any messages you have for us here.

Farewell,

http://churchofzer.blogspot.com/

Probably as a consequence of the MegaUpload hysteria, it looks like my Mediafire account was wiped out. If this is true and permanent, this entire blog just dried. It may go on and start over... Stay tuned.

25 Songs: White Boy Angst

Enjoy!

Megaupload taken down

Just saw this story about the key people behind Megaupload being arrested in New Zealand. I had no idea about the whole story behind Megaupload, and I haven't used much of these sites lately since I got on Spotify, but it's an interesting development in the web piracy debate that we've posted a lot about on the blog.

rare footage surfaces...

More rare than a Sasquatch sighting... videographer Paul Stevenson has recently captured actual footage of the Scoobie Brothers, apparently working on new material in the English countryside.

2012... is it a possible sign of the apocalypse?

Stay tuned, true believers.

dc

I Never Meta Guitar

Get it? It's a pun.

I found this comp, "I Never Meta Guitar" on Spotify... cool collection of solo guitar tracks in the style of those solo Marc Ribot albums (who is conspicuously absent from this line up).

Features Jeff Parker, Nels Cline, Scott Fields, Mick Barr, Elliott Sharp, plus a bunch of guys I never heard of that Bill Zink is probably up on. Also features Rootless' favorite guitarist of all times... Mary Halvorson. Rootless responds: "I find her cold, devoid of emotion and robot-like."

It's worth adding as a Spotify playlist. I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that Spotify is dope, absolute game changer, but it totally does not "have everything", there are lots of holes in the net, and it is not replacing my iTunes library or my vinyl, for that matter. And its search functionality kind of sucks.

dc

Best of the Best ofs

Everyone probably has list fatigue at this point, but I thought I'd post one more. I love the end of the year because all of the end-of the-year lists get me hip to so much cool music I might have over-looked. Here are my top scores from all the lists, including off the blog here:

Sandro Perri, "Impossible Spaces": The review I read said he was along the lines of the Sea & Cake, which was pretty accurate, great songs, really cool album.

The War on Drugs, "Slave Ambient": At fist I listened to this album, and past ones, with curiosity. I'm a big Kurt Vile fan and I was fascinated by how alike these guys sound (I'm aware that KV played in this band for a while), and the Americana (Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, etc.) vibe they have going. Then I was driving the other day and it just clicked and I started just digging these albums for what they are--great music. They're playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 6th, just bought tickets.

Shabazz Palaces, "Black Up": One of the dudes from Digable Planets, intergalactic hip hop, one of the few albums in that genre I've been feeling in a while.

Julianna Barwick, "The Magic Place": Sounds like Grouper, which is a good thing.

Zomby, "Dedication": Kind of Burial meets Boards of Canada. Been listening to this a lot.

Julian Lynch, "Terra": The same mellow feel as Sandro Perri, maybe more melancholic, with tasteful horns and bugged-out synth.

Bibio, "Mind Bokeh": Finally checked this out, surprising and interesting.

The Minimal Wave Tapes

This came out like 2 years ago. It was on my radar, I saw it on the wall at record shops, and it definitely caught my eye (how could it not with that cover?! that typeface?!!) but the blurb of weirdo 80's synth music didn't really get me excited.

The short version, I gather, is a label "Minimal Wave" started putting our these reissues in 2005 of obscure, private label 80's synth gems from around the globe. Stones Throw made a comp and released it a few years ago.

When I saw that Stones Throw announced that Vol 2 is on the way I thought I'd see if I could finally check Vol 1 via Spotify. It's there, and it's dope!

I see it kind of like Numero Group is to funk/soul or Iron Leg blog is to psych/garage... extracting gems from the deep deep underground and sharing to the masses. Except here, instead of funk or psych, it's early Depeche Mode-esque "Sprockets" synths and drum machines. And similar to Iron Leg, a lot of it is so bad that it comes full circle and it's awesome. Also reminds me of the "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" comp on Soul Jazz, if you feel that.

Check it out (if you haven't already) if anything here sets off your Spidey Sense. I've been doing the robot for three days.

dc

The Kronos Quartet

I found an old Kronos Quartet mixtape in the basement.  It was pretty good, so I thought I would share it.  This is fairly light on their minimalist pieces (I wasn't into that at the time), but I think it's an interesting representation.  Listen and enjoy!

2011

Bibio - Mind Bokeh
Monastics - Topography
Clams Casino - Clams Casino
Shlomo - Bad Vibes
Boduf Songs - This Alone Above All Else In Spite Of Everything
Atlas Sound - Parallax
The Scoobie Brothers - The Funkiest Brothers In The Universe
Rothko - Eleven Stages Of Intervention
tune yards - W H O K I L L
Buke & Gass - Riposte
BMSR - Extra Flavor (Dandelion Gum outtakes)
Slugabed - Ultra Heat Treated
Andy Stott - Passed Me By
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Junip - Fields
Jürgen Müller - Science Of The Sea

check em out!

-ej

2011 Picks

This year I got more into older music than any new stuff that was coming out.  That said, here are my picks for the best stuff that I heard that came out this year.

-When Saints go Machine, Konkylie
These guys do some really interesting voice-as-instrument stuff, paired with really rich synthetic tones that walk a nice line between the abstract and Depeche Mode pop.

-Obits, Moody, Standard, and Poor
Rick Froberg uses blues-rock to tell you how it is.  Yes, it is shitty.

-A Winged Victory for the Sullen, S/T
What would happen if two guys tried to make Millions Now Living Will Never Die after listening to Gorecki's 3rd about a million times.

-Bibio, Mind Bokeh
I imagine that if you replaced the music in all the movie adaptations of Clive Barker novels with something pretty and soothing, this is what it would sound like.

-Junior Boys, It's All True
If we allow ourselves to pretend that George Michael's output dropped off in the '90s not because he was fighting with his label, but because he was hard at work on an only whispered-about masterpiece whose working title was "I Want Your Sex Pt. 3", we can also allow ourselves to pretend that this is the long-awaited fruition of that long endeavor.

-Destroyer, Kaputt
stream of consciousness musing, call a woman's name, drop an f-bomb, repeat.

-Cut Copy, Zonoscope
Men at Work, Paul Simon, others, big bright Australian production.

-Atlas Sound, Parallax
 Yes, of course.

-True Widow, As High As the Highest Heavens and From the Center to the Circumference of the Earth


-College, The Northern Council