officially been chopped and screwed screwed

hahaha, I heard this on the radio while driving around in my Mom's Ford Focus while visiting my sister in Belleville, Illinois this week (birthplace of Jeff Tweedy, FYI).

This is everything terrible about top 40 Rap/R&B (the ubiquitous drum sounds, the obligatory auto-tuned out vocals) but the chorus is so bugged out I thought it was noteworthy. It's almost like Squarepusher it is so bugged out. Also it's catchy as hell... I've been singing it (faux auto tune effect and all) for three days, much to the wife's chagrin. At least stick around to the 1:00 minute mark for that chorus.

Also, it fun to change the lyrics for your everyday life like "You know my name is D-C Looch, Looch", or "I'm about to drink a fucking brew, brew, dude, dude", or "I have to make a call to Senior Goob, Goob" or "I need to go put on my shoes, shoes, what, what"...

hahaha, that shit cracks me up, I hope at least one of you feels me on this...

Freddie Hubbard-Open Sesame

Here's one that I'm listening to. I knew But Beautiful from it, but not much else from him besides the Red Clay LP.

DC hit me with it a while back. I listened to it a few times back then and then removed it. I've just dug it out and added it back in when I read about his passing.

Now here's something I'd like hear feedback on. Does it make me lame to be interested in the music of someone who'd just kicked the bucket? 

I feel a bit dirty, but this trumpet is nice.

Fuck Buttons

I don't know what it is, but I'm checking out all these bands that DC is going to freak out over. All of this is coming from the the many end of the year lists put out by critics, which has led me on a massive downloading spree.

I'm checking out the album "Street Horrrsing" by the Fuck Buttons, a duo out of England. This stuff sounds a little like Black Dice, simmering noise slashed through with laser-beam guitar or keyboards, occasional screaming, but often melodic, and always huge. Actually, it's kind of perfect music for sitting in a nearly empty office in midtown Manhattan, the machines humming quietly in the background, darkness falling.

Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill

That's the name of the new album by Grouper-Liz Harris's band from Portland-and the soon to be favorite album of DC's, taking the place of Valet's "Naked Acid". This sounds like a cross between Bon Iver and Brightblack Morning Light with PJ Harvey singing through an avalanche of reverb--etherial and strangely beautiful.

Christmas Time in The Roadhouse

I've been checking this out the last few years...

On the last Wednesday before Christmas, Greg Vandy at kexp.org has a Christmas-themed show on his 6-9pm (Pacific) time slot (a.k.a. "The Roadhouse"). I haven't heard confirmation that he's doing it this year, but tonight would be the night.

Blues, jazz, soul, funk, etc. Good shit. Always a nice change of pace from the standard holiday fare.

No worries if you can't catch it when it airs - it's up on their site for a couple weeks for your listening convenience.

His show is also a great one to check out any other week.

Happy holidays ya'll.

El Guincho

Another album I just got hip to is Alegranza, by the Spanish musician Pablo Diaz-Reixa. Anyone who likes Panda Bear and the album Person Pitch will dig this, it's a bit dancier and more Spanish, but that same kind of psychedelic, Beach Boys vibe. I'd be surprised if Noah Lennox isn't a fan of this, rocking out in Portugal or whever that dude does his thing.

The Future Sound of Cambridge 3

I've been playing these tracks non stop since I downloaded them from beatport. The disc has 11 tracks by 3 producers on U.K drum and bass label Hospital Records. Commix, Nu: Tone and Logistics, all three collaborate on 3 tracks. Check out Trademark and Intervention, two of the best tracks on the release. A couple of tracks are in the sub genre of dnb called liquid. What is it with all the genres and sub genres any way! If the bass is dope then I dig it! Check out KJ Sawka, he's a jungle drummer from Seattle. He has some bad ass drum skills on display on Youtube.

There's Nothing About Mary

One more post from me, this one is kind of a rant, but I figure if someone can post video of their own band here than I can rant about something music related.

So I checked out Tomas Fujiwara and the Hook Up last night in Brooklyn. Cool show, mainly because all the songs were great, really strong compositions, lyrical and edgy but not too atonal. 

Tomas had the ubiquitous Mary Halvorson on guitar in his group. Not sure how many of you have heard of her, but she is kind blowing up here in NY, playing in a bunch of different groups and putting out a jazz record this year that not one but two NY Times critics put on their Best of 2008 list. 

I've seen Mary play probably 6 or 7 times and each time I've tried to keep an open mind. A lot of musicians I really respect like her, and I'm really not the type to get all opinionated and hate on a local musician trying to make a career of it. 

But I honestly can't believe that everyone is so crazy over her. She plays guitar like someone doing a math equation--totally passionless. She manages to make a beautiful Guild hollow-body played through a tube amp sound brittle and cold. She plays like she is just running through scales, all brain and no emotion. And last night, more than any other, I thought she was just plain sloppy at times. I think people want to like her because she is a mousy, artsy-frail chick playing a guitar that's as big as her. But I give up, I'll go check out People because I like Kevin Shea's drumming so much, and I'd check out Tomas Fujiwara again because he writes great songs, but for now my mind's made up about Mary. 

(sorry about the post title, but I couldn't resist...)

Department of Eagles

Department of Eagles is one of the guys from Grizzly Bear and his old roommate from NYU.  I've been checking out their album "In Ear Park", which I think I like more than any of the Grizzly Bear albums. If you had told me this was the latest Grizzly Bear record I wouldn't have blinked, but if you listen closely you can hear a difference. One thing notable is the nylon-string guitar that sounds like most of the songs were written on, adds a different element. But it has the same kind of huge vocal harmonies as Grizzly Bear, and I guess the same rhythm section.

Seattle Dragon: Evil on the Rise

Yo! Is it self indulgent to post a video of your own band? Heck yeah, but I'm doin it anyway. Fortson where you at? This was recorded in North Hollywood in 2006 on a little handycam. Ator on bass, the Shadow on guitar, Gibby the First on vocal, Afrikaner on drums. I'm down to see a 2uo video on here. I got some really good dnb I'll post later.The Shza.

What are you listening to?

7 Days and not one of your motherf*ckers posted about what you are listening to?! Everyday I check in and read that same Rapeman post and think "Am I a pretentious douche bag?" But, I mean, Wilco?!?!

Anywho, I'll hold this thing down myself, screw it. I actually went outside for lunch today for the first time in 2 weeks and went and bought records.

I wanted to get this new Numero group joint for a while. Numero Group is a record label that puts out high quality shit. Their "Eccentric Soul" series is bomb. They pick a label or scene and collect everything that ever came out (sometimes only a hand full of 45's) dig up the history and package the whole thing in deluxe beautiful packaging, extensive liner notes, and amazing music. At some point I started getting them all on vinyl and now I'm hooked. Each one is a fat 2 LP gatefold, they look great on a shelf with each other.



The new one, Twinight Label retrospective, is a 4 LP blow out. Beautiful packaging, check this shit out... like almost an inch thick. This thing is like 5 pounds:



Then there are four covers inside with extensive liner notes... EXTENSIVE!




Good stuff. Then, I found this "Dome" LP. I've been on the look out for this for a while. It's pretty rare. Dome is the side project of 2 guys in the band "Wire". It sounds like Wire, but way way more bugged out. It's pretty cool, I'll definitely rip this so if you want it holla at me.



Lastly, even though I'm sitting on 4.3 DAYS of top shelf rare reggae, plus 4 inches of reggae on the record shelf, I spent $10 dollars of my hard earned money on this record for no good reason:



I need an intervention.

How about you, friends? What are you listening to right now?

dc

Normal People

Have you ever tried talking to normal people about music? It makes me feel like I'm an alien.

Here's a conversation I had with a co-worker yesterday:

Them: "What are you listening to?"
Me: "This band called 'Rapeman' from Chicago."
Them: (blank stare)
Me: "It's a band with members of Big Black and the Jesus Lizard."
Them: (blank stare)
Me: “Big Black was Steve Albini's first band"
Them: (blank stare)
Me: "Steve Albini? Super producer? He produced a ton of seminal albums, like the Pixies 'Surfer Rosa'. "
Them: (faint twinkle of recognition)
Me: "I think he produced a Nirvana album, the one after 'Nevermind'."
Them: (ding!). "Oh! Nirvana! "

Granted, Rapeman is a pretty esoteric CD but here’s another example. I was going to see Nels Cline doing a duo free jazz gig, and someone asked me where I was going. I told them, adding as a reference "Nels Cline is the guitarist for Wilco now"

(blank stare)

I mean, you don't know who Wilco is? Aren't Wilco top forty?!

There is no common ground, no frame of reference. And I work with a bunch of 24 year olds. They were 10 years old when Kurt Cobain killed himself. Nirvana is like classic rock to them. Try telling them that the bassist for the Melvins Is in High on Fire.

Melvins: A Senile Animal

Have you ever thought that the Melvins needed more drums? Me neither, but like a bacon double cheese burger, sometimes you gotta say sure what the hell! For this release in 2006 and the new one in 2008 they merged with Big Business a metal duo from L.A. New drummer Coady Willis can rock. The last 3 tracks have that familiar slow, drone, sludge rock that they are famous for. There are more drum fills than you can imagine, but the two drummer things works better than you'd think. 6 of the 10 tracks are under three minutes so there's no time to get bored. The last 90 seconds of the video is a drum freakout.

The Muslims/The Soft Pack

I got hip to The Muslims a few months ago. Some website shouted them out, either Vice Magazine or www.streetboners.com, some site that does not typically shout out random bands.

These guys were local band out of San Diego, no label. They have since blown up a bit. I listened to their myspace page tracks over and over for a day and forgot them, but the name stuck in my mind. The Muslims? So bad, but fuck it, no worse that "The Police", right?

Then, a few days ago I saw on othermusic.com website there is a rare Muslims 12" and I dropped everything to find it, but have come to realize it is long gone. They have a 10 song LP dropping in February, though.

So back to the myspace page. I highly recommend you go check it out... the 5 jams on there are all gold. These guys are like Strokes-y rock. That's it, pretty much. Just really good, really catchy rock jams, lots of "hey! ho!" choruses. Great bass tone. The singer has a slacker too-cool-to-try-too-hard voice but it is endearing and totally works. I copied the tracks off myspace and listened to it 5 times back to back to back to back to back in my Jeep.

The twist is I guess they just changed their name from "The Muslims" to "The Soft Pack". Meh, on the one hand, to name your band The Muslims and then get cold feet and change it is kind of pussy. But, now that they are starting to blow up and get some recognition, it would just be a matter of time until some cleric put a fatwah on them so you can't really hate on them for changing up the name.

Go check it out now, these songs will be stuck in your head all week. Fortson, this is your all American rock band.


http://www.myspace.com/thesoftpack

dc

Planet Gear

Squarepusher - Planet Gear from Warp Records on Vimeo.