Words and Guitar

Moving!

2010-01-05T07:17:00.001-08:00

I've moved! I had too many blogs going at once.

Check out my new (any only) blog here:

Mediaphile

Took a look at myself and said "That's not me"

2008-06-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

I listened to a lot of The Beach Boys when I was a little kid.

Not so much listen, I guess, as soak it in. I was too young to actively listen to anything. But my parents gave me a copy of their greatest hits on cassette, and I played the shit out of it.

To be honest, I don't remember any other music from when I was little.

I've had Beach Boys harmonies wired into my brain since roughly 1984.

That said, the greatest hits tape didn't have a lot on it from Pet Sounds. The songs on there were mostly of the "Surfin' U.S.A." vein. Bouncy, happy summertime music.

Pet Sounds is more about the awkwardness and melancholy of being young than the days at the beach.

"I feel so broke up. I wanna go home." Remind anybody else of being 17?

There are some heartbreaking monents here. "Caroline, No" stops me in my tracks everytime I hear it. It's just so...sad.

But those harmonies! One of the best arguments for the spoonful of sugar theory I've ever heard.

I'd probably rank this in my top 15 albums ever.

And I hate making top anything lists.

Every Occasion

2008-06-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:Band of HorsesEverything All the Time

There is an island where musicians make irony-free music. They've been exiled there, but I imagine they quite like it.

"I like to think I'm a mess you'd wear with pride."

Make no mistake. This is not the "earnestness" of modern rock radio. The kind that sounds like it came straight from a box.

No, these musicians have hurt, and been hurt, and felt joy, and truly don't know how to express these feelings without music.

It often makes the buying public uncomfortable.

"If I'm lost it's only for a little while."

A few of us have contacts that smuggle their music into our lives.

The benefit of listening? To be able to feel that "Holy shit, that's exactly how I feel" exhilaration after the age of 17.

Band of Horses have seats on the island's parliament.

"Let's bury ourselves and go haunt someone tonight."

How many boys have you drowned?

2008-06-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:Atlas Sound,Let the Blind Lead Those Who See but Cannot Feel

I don't believe in ghosts.

That doesn't mean that the idea of a haunted house doesn't scare the shit out of me.

You may have noticed that I hadn't posted in a while. My speakers took a shit(again). Listening to this album on my iPod, I realized that I just couldn't write about it that way. Having it fed directly into my ears just didn't seem right.

Let the Blind Lead... is about distance. Isolation. Hearing someone singing in the other room and walking in to find nothing but a rocking chair, still rocking.

The music could easily soundtrack an indie haunting film. And the lyrics, well, they're more interesing than I orihinally thought:

"Quarantined/and kept/so far away/from my friends."

Far from eloquent. But after repeat listens, I wonder if that's the idea. They're like the mourning of a child taken before his time.

Is this album a ghost story? Not sure, but it's chilling to listen to it as one.

I can't decide if I like it, but I find it fascinating.

So What?

2008-05-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

You're Fucking Kidding Me:Miles Davis, Kind Of Blue

I don't even remember what she looked like. Just that she wore glasses that I found unbearably sexy.

When she told me she'd been listening to Kind Of Blue, I was even more intrigued. All I really knew about it was that it was a Miles Davis album, but still. She didn't say Godsmack.

I heard a few weeks later that she gave incredible blowjobs.

Then a couple of weeks later that she was a bitch.

Don't think I ever saw her again.

She's just that girl with the glasses that lisened to Miles Davis. I met her on the night I took hits from the bong with the ceramic dragons on it.

I don't think I ever got high with coworkers without some weird detail to make me laugh as the years have gone on.

Anyway, the girl.

Never got head from her.

Can't say, really, whether or not she's a bitch.

But I hope she still listens to Kind Of Blue. This is really good.

I'm so confused

2008-05-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:Archers of Loaf, Vee Vee

I have a mystery to solve. Has anybody seen Encyclopedia Brown? Or maybe Angela Landsbury?

Why am I unable to sit through his album?

It's not bad, exactly. Just your standard guitar rock from the mid-nineties.

But, apperently it makes all kinds of "90s" lists.

So there are people who think it's great.

I can't get past track three.

Talked to a friend of mine about it, she's got the same problem I do with it.

Here's my theory:

Remember in the mid-nineties when MTV played a lot of videos? And a lot were kinda slow, mumbledguitar rock? "Post-grunge," I think they called it.

Remember how you used to treat watching those videos like a full-time job? One with a cruel boss that made you miss time with your family for work?

Fast forward 13 years. How tolerant of listening to a Sponge album do you think you'd be right about now?

Every night my dream's the same,same old city with a different name.

2008-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:Arcade Fire, Neon Bible

Your fearless music blogger feels like shit tonight.

A small problem with no real emotional consequence has spiralled into my feeling like every problem in the world is my responsibility. And I'm coming out of my skin trying to figure out how to fix everything.

What does this have to do with Neon Bible?

In my late teens and early twenties, long before I'd gotten techniques(and pills) to make these times somewhat bearable, music was all I had.

Absurdly large headphones acting as a means of escape.

One of my most-spinned CDs during these times was OK Computer.

Yorke and Co. voiced my fears for myself, my family, etc. with a theatricality that felt like what I wanted to say but could never quite get it. It made me feel understood.

Had I been born five years or so later, I think Neon Bible would be in the running to be my OK Computer.

Stop. I am not talking about how "good" these albums are. Not putting them side by side and comparing.

Apples and oranges.

But they bothv seem to sum up the fears of a generation.

And they both sound great doing it.

If you're my age, give Neon Bible a few listens straight through. It's quite good.

If you're just learning how to really like music, and to buy cigarettes without giggling, you listen, too.

And realize that you're very lucky an album like this came along at the time it did.

To Cure a Weakling Child

2008-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 13:Aphex Twin, Richard D. James Album

I know, I know. This isn't one of the "important" Aphex Twin albums.

To be honest, I don't remember why I have it.

Been listeningto it for a week, and I just can't think of much to say about it.

It's good. I like listening to it. But I don't feel like I'd ever say "Man, I really want to listen to that."

I've long had this problem with electronic music. I end up paying attention to how well it's crafted, not how good it is as a piece of music.

This album is cool. Both in the sense that it's interesting, and that I can't warm up to it.

Gold Star for Robot Boy

2008-04-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

You're Fucking Kidding Me Vol. 6:Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand

I've been tricked.

I had my blog all set.

"Really good guitar pop songs, mid-nineties style. They're just too damn short. The idea is barely started before it's finished."

That's what I thought I was going to say.

But then I found myself wanting to listen to the album. Not to get more ideas for the blog. I just really, really wanted to hear it.

This album tricked me into thinking it was one of my old favorites, even though I've been listening to it all of two weeks.

I picked this CD to write about because for years, I've been reading about it in music magazines, on the internet, etc. But I've never heard anyone I know talk about it. Ever.

It was an interesting paradox, I thought.

As for the songs being really short, well, they are.

I remember when I was a kid I saw this book of illustrations by the guy who drew the ones for Jumanji. Each one had one sentence that went with it. The idea was for these illustrations to be the seeds of stories in kids' minds.

Maybe that's what Guided By Voices was doing.

Random Notes

-Think I'm going to start a column reviewing CDs from local bands

-Really digging The Disintegration Loops by William Basinski. It's kinda creepy.

Everybody's looking at you like they want to

2008-04-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

I Leave the House Now Vol. 3:Lymbyc System with Miniature Tigers and Black Carl

Dear Black Carl,

I started listening to your music on MySpace a few months ago. I was immediately hooked. Y'all have some serious soul.

Since then, I've missed seeing you live many times for one reason or another.

Saturday, I saw your last song. It was fantastic! But dammit, I want to see a full set.

I want to propose something:

Since you're awesome, and I can't seem to get to a show, will you come play the basketball court in my apartment complex?

Sure, I can't pay you, and there's no place to set up your equipment, and my complex is a shithole...

Well, a guy can dream.

I've voiced my love of good pop songs a few times.

Miniature Tigers put on a set of well-crafted pop tunes. And they made it feel like a very intimate set.

I was pleased.

One of their songs, "The Wolf," is one of the best pop songs I've heard in some time.

They were the kind of songs you could dance to or be devastated by, depending on how your day was going.

Dynamics are the frontman of Lymbic System. Their crescendos and decrescendos had the crowd wrapped around their finger.

Years ago, there was this commercial on where some lady got into a car accident in slow motion.

That's what I was reminded by when I looked at the crowd. All of us, getting whiplash in slow motion.

To move a crowd like that with a drumkit and some synths, well, that makes for a fine evening.

I would gladly pay to see this same lineup again tomorrow.

We ARE all winners

2008-04-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

I Leave the House Now: Vol. 2:HEALTH with Treasure Mammal, Netzeah and Subvacuum Of Nothing

I'm not one that's usually very big on metal. Have to be in a certain mood. The testosterone has to be running at pretty high levels.

That said, Subvacuum Of Nothing put on a pretty good set. It was short, and pretty damn heavy, but I found myself getting into it. And after listening to a couple of the tracks they put up on MySpace, I've come to the conclusion that I want to keep an eye on them. I expect good things.

If I tried to say anything about Netzeah's set, I'd be talking out my ass. Some of the people I was with wanted to hit up the Bikini Lounge nextdoor to the venue, and it lasted well into Netzeah's set. There sure was a lot of fist-pounding, even for a bar on Friday night.

Next time, Netzeah. I promise.

Oh, yeah, the venue. I'd never been to Trunk Space before. It's a gallery that converts to a music venue at night. I really like the place. I think I'll get over there during the day so I can see some of the art. My only complaint(and it is a tiny one) is that there was an espresso bar, but no one seemed to be working it. I'm old, and I need my caffiene any chance I can get it.

To the asshat who shoved the Treasure Mammal guy to the ground: She didn't leave you because she needed to "find herself." She left you because your cock is tiny and she can't handle a guy that cries after sex. Fuck you.

Treasure Mammal was awesome. I heard a few people compare his set to Dan Deacon's.

That means I need to see a Dan Deacon set.

Anytime a guy in a multi-colored unitard is running around in the crowd and leading a chant about Big Baby Jesus, I want to be there.

I'm not a religious guy. I don't get that communal feeling people get at church. But I was feeling it Friday night. Group hugs, chanting, songs about crystals, it was all there.

All kinds of positive energy, and no feelings of needing to seem "too cool" for them. Sweet.

HEALTH. Not sure where to start.

You know those disaster movies where the people watch the tidal wave coming, and they watch it, paralyzed by its enormity?

It was kinda like that.

Fucking intense.

Guitar squalls, controlled feedback, and a drummer that brought his arms all the way above his head almost every time he struck his kit made for twenty minutes of the most blistering music I've ever heard.

Only twenty minutes, you say?

During that twenty minutes, they never stopped putting every ounce of their energy into their instruments.

When one of the members thanked us for coming out, he sounded like an Auschwitz victim thanking his liberators. I was a little concerned for his health(no pun intended).

Overall, a good show. Treasure Mammal and HEALTH are now on my "must-see" list when they come back to town.

So many memories there's n.othing left to gain from remembering

2008-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol 12:Antony and the Johnsons, I Am a Bird Now

I almost wrote this post last night. But then I watched the copy of Mi Vie en Rose I'd been lent, and I decided I'd had enough gender-bending for one evening.

Great film, by the way. Look for it.

When I first heard Antony and the Johnsons, I found their songs depressing.

I think it's Antony's voice. Like a ghost with only a few moments to get a message to a living loved one before he is taken from Earth forever.

On more extensive listening, I was way off the mark.

These songs are uplifting. The theme of the album seems to be metamorphosis, or even rebirth.

I Am A Bird Now is a collection of ten chamber-pop songs that are delivered with urgency and a sense of hope that make them well worth listening to.

Antony and the Johnsons on MySpace

Random Notes:

-The new Man Man album is badass.

-I,too, am badass.

-I could take Man Man in a fight.

Just how it was is just how it will be

2008-04-06T18:46:00.001-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole And Listen to Some Music Vol. 11:Angels of Light, We Are Him

How do I feel about God?

I'm staunchly agnostic. Too in need of proof to say that there is or isn't a higher power.

Despite(or maybe because of) this agnosticism, I've made it a point to learn some stuff about the Bible.

There is a distinct difference between the God of the Old Testament and that of the New Testament.

The New Testament God sent his son to help out the sinners.

The Old Testament God? "Oh, so that's how you wanna play? I am gonna FUCK YOU UP."

We Are Him is a piece that seems to be dedicated to exploring the different facets of the Old Testament God.

Someimes angry, sometimes pleading, sometimes joyful, We Are Him carries a theme of sinners at the hands of an angry God(to steal from literature).

Even on songs that veer from this theme, the tone is dealy serious. I'm not sure Michael Gira's voice has any other setting.

It's a good album. Give it a listen.

Angels of Light on MySpace

Powerful Music?

2008-04-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music:Vol. 10:Antipop Vs. Matthew Shipp

Well, the cover art's kinda cool.

Mathhew Shipp plays piano. The Antipop Consortium were a hip hop act.

You know, my equlibrium was off for a few days, and listening to this album didn't help.

Hip hop and jazz thrown together poorly, well, it sucks.

I kept wondering, "What are they going for?"

A little rap here, some jazz there, but no cohesion.

I'll give them this: The final track, "Free Hop," is pretty good. Shipp goes crazy with his piano and trades lines with the vibraphone.

Where was this the rest of the album?

Ack. I'm disgusted. I think I'd rather listen to Us3.

Get The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest instead.

Just your favorite DJ savior

2008-03-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

You're Fucking Kidding Me Vol. 5:DJ Shadow, Endtroducing

Apparently, people beam music into space. The hope is that some extraterrestrial life will hear what we've cooked up.

Endtroducing is what would happen if said alien collected the music and started fucking with it.

It really does have an otherworldly feel. Sure the elements are familiar:drums, piano, sax, the odd bit of singing here and there. But they've been recontextualized into something...else.

This album is in the Guiness Book of World records as the first album comprised wholly of samples. These days, that doesn't seem like a big deal, right? But it was made in 1996. Shadow didn't piece it together on his iBook. He used a drum machine.

Don't be fooled by the "DJ" name. This is not a scrichy-scritch-scratch" album. There's a little bit of that, but only to add some spice here and there.

And it's smooth. About 80% of this album makes me want to make out.

Be warned: It's a behemoth of an album. Long, with a lot of ideas to digest. It will take a few listens to get into. I heard it many times before, but I never would have enjoyed it if I hadn't forced myself to sit down with it for this blog.

Pink Reason: The Interview

2008-03-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

Pink Reason makes droning, noisy rock that sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well.

I've become quite obsessed with the newest EP, Cleaning the Mirror.

Kevin Failure, the brains behind Pink Reason, was nice enough to give me an interview:

Why music?

-It's slightly safer than my former jobs working in sawmills, steel mills, pot farms and meth labs. Pay is worse of course, but the women are better looking.

Let's talk about Hell for a moment. It is Easter, after all. You've been sent to Hell, and the devil has told you that you can have all of your CDs but one. Which one does Satan take out of your collection to make Hell particularly bad?

-Last time I was in hell I listened to a whole lot of Alex Chilton's Like Flies On Sherbert.

Inversely, Satan says you can only have one album. What album would make Hell as bad as it could possibly be?

-The Black Lips new album. Not the worst album ever made or anything, just bland enough to really piss me off.

What songs make you cry and say "Goddammit, stop crying, be a man!"

-For some reason that escapes me now I used to get teary eyed to "Mother of Pearl" by Roxy Music. I've also been known to cry to Gary Numan's "M.E." and while listening to Saccharine Trust. Recently spent several hours alone, drunk and crying while listening to Grazhdanskaya Oborona after their frontman Egor Letov passed away. I guess I cry a lot while listening to music. I'm kind of a fag like that.

Your songs seem far away to me. Was that a conscious thing, or more "Hey, that sounds cool?"

-I was probably pretty far away when I recorded them. Most of the recordings that people have heard were recorded during a pretty strange period of my life. Or rather, I guess right now is the strange period since I'm not a walking suicide lashing out on everyone and everything completely spun out.

There's a lot of pain in Cleaning the Mirror. Are you comfortable talking about what situations in your life went into its songs?

-There is not a whole lot I can say about the making of that album that I haven't said already. I talk about that period of my life less and less as time goes on because it becomes less and less something I use to define myself. At one point I really identified with who I was at that point, but I no longer really do. I'm generally a pretty happy person these days and have little desire to stay up for days on end hanging out with prostitutes, gun toting criminals and junkies waiting for the cops to bust down the door and take us all to prison or one of my friends to fall out. I genuinely have a difficult time relating to the person I was at that time now. It's not easy for me to put myself in the type of mindset that would help me to understand what I was going through at that time. I'm not the most empathetic person you'll ever meet, and at this time I don't have a whole lot of empathy for who I was at that point in my life. I was a pretty miserable human being. The sounds on those recordings are the sounds of someone who had given up and had accepted death, but was too much of a pussy to pull a trigger, opting instead for a protracted suicide. Many of my friends are surprised I lived through it.

Any songs you're tempted to cover but haven't quite convinced yourself yet?

-I've been wanting to cover Ache For You by The Sleds. The Sleds are a band from Wisconsin that started in the late 70's and were an inspiration at the start of Pink Reason. I was probably one of the first people to hear some of those recordings, even though the songs were older than me, because I was close friends with one of the members daughters. It's really bleak home recorded pop/rock music. Probably even more depressing than Cleaning the Mirror. I want to cover the song, but I worry about doing the song right. I know who the song was written for, and the songwriter himself and even though I'm sure he'd probably never hear the cover, that's still a whole lot of pressure.

I think everybody has at least one question they wish people would ask them because they like the answer they have. What's that question for you? What's the answer?

-I know I have plenty of these that I think of when I'm bored and alone, but I can't think of any at the moment. I guess if there is a message in what Pink Reason does it's that when your life sucks, you have to take advantage of the situation and exploit it to your benefit. Pink Reason began as a way for me to document the lifestyle of my friends and I. I watched at the sidelines as friends of mine reaped the benefits of lip service they recieved for being crazy acid-headed rock 'n rollers, and I thought to myself "shit, I'm the one selling them the acid, these people need to hear what shit's really like when you're down in the trenches. It sure ain't as pretty as they make it out to be." So I wanted to immortalize the junkies, prostitutes, dope growers, meth cooks, drunken parents forced to work jobs they hate to avoid jail for non-support, and other assorted failures that populated my life.

A lot of my friends were people that were considered "assholes" by virtually everyone else - a hazard of living through the suffering that we all experienced. I remember thinking "if I could just give this kid a microphone, everything that everyone hates about him would be transformed into the things they love about him." So, Pink Reason has become a vehicle for transfiguration. It's a way for me to turn our shit into gold and use the gold to buy my friends and I a better life, because we've deserved it. I think a lot of people deserve better, and I want to encourage those people to do something about it. The only way to change your life is to take charge of it. It's not an easy path, and I nearly died several times getting myself to the place I am today, but despite the dangers, it's been worth it, and even if I never made it as far as I have, at least my path would have been more interesting than the alternatives.

Thanks again. I really appreciate it. If you're ever in the Phoenix area, and you find yourself thinking, "Wow, I'm bored. This touring isn't enough work," let me know. If nothing else, you can play in my apartment. Fuck the neighbors.

Daytrippin'

2008-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Stop Being An Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 9:Animal Collective, Sung Tongs

You know, if I ever wondered about this blog's validity as a way of building my writing chops, this album calmed those fears.

How does one write about Animal Collective?

I could go the easy route. These guys are critical darlings, and there's no shortage of praise for their work on the internet. I could just find some and regurgitate it.

Instead, I'll take some advice that got pounded into my head in writing classes: Show, don't tell.

You are going on a road trip with a few friends. Said trip will take you through a variety of locales. City, countryside, etc.

John, sprawled across the back seat, is strumming his acoustic guitar and making up almost-lyrics off the top of his head. Billy's in the passenger seat. Billy's one of those people that's obsessed with finding the right radio station, and he can't find anything. The car is old, he twists the dial back and forth, back and forth.

Somehow, inexplicably, the sounds coming from the rapidly changed radio stations complement John's strumming perfectly. As do the city, then country sounds coming through the windows.

You think about commenting on the coincidences, but really, why interrupt?

"And I was a cartographer of the tangles in your hair."

2008-03-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Stop Being An Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 8: Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha

Ahh, the nagging reminder.

"Things won't always be this good."

Andrew Bird has made an album-long reminder of this type.

With his trusty violin, his voice, and few guitars, and some percussion, he's captured not the aftermath, or the perfect moment, but the part where you sigh because you know it can't last.

Unlike the last CD I listened to, which was worth a few singles and not much more, this is an album.

A sneaky one, at that. You may not realize how good it is until it's over and you're scrambling to start it over.

This is the perfect soundtrack to pleasant melancholy. That's all I can think of to say.

In Bird's own words: "You've got to envision the fiery crash before you get on the plane."

"I'm gonna lose my baby, so I always keep a bottle near."

2008-03-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Stop Being An Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 7:Amy Winehouse:Back To Black

Let's get this out of the way first: "Rehab" is one of the best pop songs I've heard in years. Funny, sad, defiant, it's all there. And it manages to make even this corner-dwelling white boy want to dance.

That said, I was disappointed with Back to Black. I'd heard "Rehab" and loved it, and had high hopes for the album. Winehouse has a good voice, and she pulls of the soul singer thing pretty well.

But that's the thing. No song on here is bad, but listened to as an album, it's like meeting someone, finding them interesting, then looking up and realizing that they're still talking 45 minutes later. They haven't left you a moment to say anything.

Amy done wrong. Amy been done wrong. Do yourself a favor, take it three minutes at a time.

Bottom line? Download "Rehab." The rest of the album is a downhill slide.

Random Notes:

-Enjoying noise and metal more lately. Recommendations?

-Saw great sets from Chadwick Sound Machine and The Smell of the Summer again last night. Also had the pleasure of seeing Let's Pipes' debut. Held his own on the stage pretty well, especially for a first show. Went between ambient guitar/violin noise and guitar pop. And an acoustic set from Dagnabbit Stubbs(hope I have that name right). Find them. Go see them. They rocked the place, despite it being their first acoustic set. I was impressed.

-Still working on my own stuff. May play a set in the next month or two. If you want to be kept up on that, let me know. I don't want to use this blog for self-promotion.

It's safe to say, Candle, Tonight's the day, Candle.

2008-03-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

You're Fucking Kidding Me Vol. 3:Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation

Don't get me wrong. I've heard this album hundreds of times. It laid the foundation for a lot of music I enjoy. As such, I've heard it at parties, on the "edgy" T.V. shows I used to watch, etc. I even bought a copy once.

But I never really listened to it.

If you need an explanation of the difference between hearing and listening, go find some Paris Hilton gossip or something. This blog isn't for you.

I guess when I was younger and drunker, I didn't have the patience for much music that demanded real listening.

I'm generally not one to rock the boat of public opinion, but I have to say it: This is a really good album.

Even now, twenty years later, the band's use of guitar noise sounds new.

It's a long album, but well worth the time.

Sadly, my speakers broke, so I had to listen on my iPod. I feel guilty about it. This album deserves to wake the neighbors.

How sad is that? Your rebel cowboy hat, all it says is that you're tonight's casualty.

2008-03-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

Stop Being An Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol 6:American Music Club, The Golden Age

I'm a fan of the devastating pop song. Those silly little pop songs that break your heart. Mowtown had this perfected in the late 60s.

Told you I'm a wuss.

So many songs on this album get so close. It pisses me off. It's as if Mark Eitzel, the lead songwriter, said, "Ok, that's far enough. We don't wanna hurt anybody's feelings."

If they were nowhere near the mark, I'd just laugh. But dammit, so close.

A couple of songs get it right:

"The Sleeping Beauty," and
"The Decibels and the Little Pills."

Download them. Especially the second one.

Other than that, eh. These guys have been around a long time. They probably have a better album. I'll have to do some research.

Tales of the sea

2008-02-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 5: Amalgamated Sons of Rest,Amalgamated Sons of Rest

I have trouble imagining this EP being recorded in a studio. To me it sounds like Will Oldham and Jason Molina had a few pints of ale in a bar on Cape Cod, and decided to sing for the good people.

Oh, yeah, and it happened in 1885.

These are folk songs about sailors, their wives, and the sea. I just can't seem to put a mixing board into that.

At seven songs, it doesn't wear out its welcome. I think I'd get bored with a full album of sea chanties.

This CD is kinda cool. It's nothing to get eye-popping excited about, but it's a nice little glimpse of a time past.

Words and Guitar Special Report!

This is my new baby:

Like any new parent, I'm wracked with fears. "Why did it make that noise?" "Am I treating it with enough care?" "Nobody better fucking touch the inputs."

I have my fears, but for now, I will practice my scales like a Victorian girl-child with no hopes for an academic education.

Who has the recorder?

2008-02-24T10:10:00.000-08:00

Time for a new column. Those of you who know me will know why the title is funny:

I Leave the House Now Vol. I: Three Roots Benefit Show at The Bike Saviour

I'm new to the Tempe music scene. I lived in Scottsdale most of my life, and, despite it's only being a few minutes away, it's a different world. In Tempe, creativity is held in high regard(at least until everything of creative worth is torn down and replaced with overpriced condos). In Scottsdale, appearance is king.

Anyway, I heard about this benefit show, and it seemed like a good way to hear a lot of the bands I'd been checking out on MySpace. Also, Three Roots is a great coffee shop, and I'd like to see them get the music license they're raising money for.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was a girl singing and playing her acoustic guitar in a converted living room. Sadly, I didn't catch her name. They were good songs, and it was a nice way to warm myself up for a day of music. 3-Midnight, continuous bands.

I went out for a smoke, and came back in partway through Small Group's set. Drum-heavy, danceable guitar pop with boy/girl harmonies. Good stuff. Got the crowd all bouncy-like.

Speaking of the crowd:what a turnout. I was worried no one would be there, since there hadn't been that much promotion. But it was a packed house. Quite literally. I almost knocked a key holder off the wall bouncing.

The Bike Saviour is a bike co-op run out of a house. Directly outside the back door are sofas and chairs for show crowds, and all around these seats are every bike part imaginable. For some reason I found it comforting to have to watch out for rims on the ground. We were surrounded by" things that could actually be used, not just looked at.

Yellow Minute played next. More pop, but this time, piano-driven, emotive, and tinged with melancholy. Great songs, made even more impressive by how young the lead singer seemed. One of those "I'm 27, what am I doing with my life?" moments.

After this set, I saw a bottle of MD 20/20 sitting next to an alto saxaphone on the back porch. I really need to get a camera.

"We're fucking Plants and Animals. Go to hell."

These were the only words from Plants and Animals. The shirtless guitarist said this, then he and his drummer launched into a noise rock set that had everyone in the place nodding and stomping to the beat. I was half expecting to see cement crumblings falling from the ceiling. Was kinda hoping for it. This was easily one of my favorite sets of the night.

One of the more amusing moments of the night came when a curly-haired kid with a plastic recorder and sunglasses on upside down dropped his glasses and said he couldn't see without them. I had to give him direction by playing said recorder.

Soft Shoulder was next. I'd been looking forward to their set. Liked what I heard online.

I wasn't disappointed. Making noise danceable isn't easy, but they did it.

Their lead singer and saxaphonist looked like a stereotypical band nerd(not an isult, I was one, too). But boy, could she yell. The disparity between appearance and voice was compelling.

Yourchestra started their set with what appeared to be a breathing excercise, all the members sitting back to back.

Then came the jug band tunes. Banjo, washboard, accordion, and a whole lot of dancing. The crowd went nuts, and rightly so. This was my other favorite of the night.

There was some heavily jazz-influenced rock from Big Down next. I don't know how they managed all the time changes, but they did, and they did it well. I'd ike to hear them again when they're playing earlier in the night. I was worn out by the time they came on.

My night ended with French Quarter. Guitar pop that was very well made. A good way to end the night.

More bands played after French Quarter. I'd like to apologize to them for not sticking around. I'm old and sleepy.

The moment that summed up the evening for me came during Solft Shoulder's set. Amidst a wall of beats and noise, with people jumping all around them, one couple slow danced.

Even if our city is being shaken to its foundations by "progress," at least we can still dance.

You were always crazy

2008-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

Did you ever have a chemistry set when you were a kid?

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 5:Albert Hammond, Jr.:Yours To Keep

When I was maybe 10, I had a chemistry set. I'd envisioned explosions, bubbling cauldrons, and the like. But generally, I'd mix some chemicals together and get...some chemicals in a test tube.

This album's first half reminds me of that chemistry set. In my head, I see Hammond walking into a studio and his eyes bugging out.

"Look at all this stuff! Holy shit! Is that a vibraphone?"

I almost feel like the album is a chronicle of Hammond and his band getting used to having so many toys to play with.

It starts out weak. Not bad. Just not good. "Cartoon Music for Superheroes" evokes no strong feeling from me. What a horrible fate for a song.

It's as if the band couldn't resist recording the first idea they had.

Luckily, things get better as the album progresses. After about ten minutes of "What was I thinking with this stupid blog project," I started thinking "Hmmm, this is pretty cool," and then, with the obvious standout "Call an Ambulance," I was too busy doing the white boy head bob to think much.

There's some good guitar pop here. And some that's really kinda boring.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Chances are, aside from two or three songs, I'll never listen to this album again. But I will keep an eye out for Hammond's future work. There's enough promise here to pique my interest.

Weekly Music Tidbits;

Feeling a little down? Listen to "You! Me! Dancing!" by Los Campesinos. Pretty much impossible not to smile. And look at all those exclamation points!

Trying to get lunch into a hatchback that's already crammed with instruments is a bitch. But you'll see the world differently after narrowly averting a chile relleno disaster. Colors are more vibrant, everyone's got something good to say, etc.

You got your hair all tangled and you ain't talkin' right

2008-02-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

First of all, I aplogize for my absence. Had a busy week, and seeing as that never happens, I have no idea how to juggle all my responsibilities.

Really, having something to do after work totally throws off my equilibrium.

I'd meant to write about The Smells of the Sound Machine, a show I saw a couple of weeks ago, but I got sidetracked. The Chadwick Sound Machine and The Smell of the Summer put on a great show at The Auburn House. Keep your ear to the ground for word of either of these bands playing near you.

On with the show...

You're Fucking Kidding Me Vol. 2:Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers

Who?

Robert Johnson played the blues. There were rumors that he sold his soul to the devil to get his guitar chops. Like, people thought he was in cahoots with Satan. He died at 27. The details of his death are shady, but consensus is that someone poisoned his whiskey over a woman.

That's rock and roll.

You already want to listen to it now, but I'll keep going.

I'm not a huge blues fan. Not that I don't like it, it's just not a genre I ever focused on. These songs make me want to change that.

At first, I wasn't all that impressed. Blues. Neat. But then I realized that all of these songs are perfectly realized, musically and lyrically. They all accomplish exactly what they're going for. Whether it be "My baby left me and I'm sad," or "Fuck you, I'm getting my gun."

Johnson recorded 27 songs. There are 17 on this CD, and every one is a must-listen.

Just in case you haven't realized yet, I highly recommend this CD.

...but you are not a horsey

2008-01-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 4:Alaska in Winter, Dance Party in the Balkans

So, this little "listen to all my music A-Z" project is paying off. I downloaded this album, listened to it once, and promptly forgot about it.

In my defense, it has some elements that threw me off at first. Like annoying song titles. "The Beautiful Burial Flowers We Will Never See." Christ. That is depressing on so many levels. Made me roll my eyes.

The other thing that got to me was the excessive use of vocoder shenanigans. Took me a while to warm up to the vocals. Can't tell what's being said a lot of the time. The line in the subject is one of the few I could make out. Normally, I'd think I'd made a mistake. But the song is called "Horsey Horse."

As it turns out, this is a pretty good album. Traditional instruments with a few electronic elements. And some guy singing like a sad robot. Eventually, I learned to hear his voice as an instrument instead of trying to pick out the words. And I realized thst the songs are very well written. Piano, horns, violin, vocals, all work together beautifully.

Oh, yea. The guy from Beirut sings on the last track. It's a good wy to end the album.

If I had to pick one word to describe Dance Party in the Balkans, it would be "melancholy." You decide if that's something you want to check out. The correct answer is "yes."

Wishin' it all was easy like The Commodores

2008-01-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

Song of the WeekBlue Scholars-"Butter and Guns(Loyalty)"

Last week, I talked about the days when hip hop was fun. This song isn't fun, but it's great hip hop.

There aren't enough songs these days that are a call to arms. "Butter and Guns" is an invitation to get angry. Not violent, but pissed. About poverty, shady politics, and police brutality, for starters. "Stand up or fall down" is repeated throughout the song.

"I've got your back/even if the don't believe in us/Just leave it up to us/to keep the love they try to steal from us."

It's not often I hear a hip hop track that carries that much emotional weight.

You make it easy to let the past be done

2008-01-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

I push "Shuffle" too much.

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 3:Air, Moon Safari

I wish my therapist played this album in her office.

She's always got some shitty New Age stuff playing. John Tesh or some such silliness. It's meant to be soothing.

I might throw her stereo through a window at my next appointment.

Moon Safari is actually soothing. It has a very warm feeling throughout.

This almost backfired on me. I gave it its first listen before work, at about six in the morning. Almost passed out on my loveseat.

Much of the album would be really good waiting room music.

This is by no means an insult. The songs are beautiful. And even hipsters have to get cavities filled.

Synths, strings, vocals: all are used to promote sleepy smiles.

I highly recommend this album, unless you're one of those people that won't buy an album unless the reviews use the word "pummeling."

Weekly music tidbits:

Been listening to a lot of R.E.M. Writing about Murmur made me nostalgic. "Half A World Away?" Undeniable.

Like music blogs, do you? Check this one out: Be Hear Now. You'll be glad you did.

I love Tempe. Tonight, a woman outside AM/PM asked me for a cigarette, then tried to sell me Shania Twain and Cher on VHS. I'll wait for the Blu-Ray release, thank you.

Standing too soon, shoulders high in the room

2008-01-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

There's just too much music out there. Too much to get to it all. We all have those albums that we know we should listen to. Our favorite media sources beat us over the head with their importance. We've heard them, liked them, and just never had a chance to give them a good listen. Our friends are apalled that we don't know every chord progression. In hopes of giving some of these albums a fair shake, I bring you

You're Fucking Kidding Me Vol. 1:R.E.M., Murmur

I'm no stranger to R.E.M.'s music.Monster was one of the first albums I ever bought. Got that and Green Day's Dookie on the same day. Sure, Monster wasn't their best album, but I was 14, and I dug it. And I wouldn't be ashamed to sing along with "Strange Currencies" even today.

I grew up on the "big" R.E.M. Major label, major drama. MTV was where it started. "Thst guy's singing about being sad, and he's standing on a car!"

I never really listened to the material from before their MTV boom. Why would I? There were no videos to go along with those songs.

Also, their lyrics got at least a little bit more straightforward over the years. Tonight, I looked up the lyrics to Murmur. Sorry, Mr. Stipe, but I still don't know what the hell you're talking about.

Thr difference between my adolescent ear and my slightly-less-immature 27-year-old ear is that now I realize lyrics aren't everything.

It isn't what Michael Stipe says, it's how he says it. In a couple of these songs, he sounds like he's giving the listeners life lessons that he knows he's told them before. He sounds impatient with us. It adds tension, and makes us want to understand.

So, is it a good album? Yes. I know this because I never listen to an album twice in a row, and I listened to Murmur four times straight yesterday.

Then there's its influence. Remember the term "alternative rock," and how, once upon a time, it kinda sorta meant something. Might not have happened if Murmur hadn't been released to critical acclaim.

Now, ai know R.E.M. has made a few shitty albums recently. But you don't forget about the home run king's penant-winning at-bat because he struck out a few times years later.

Give it a listen. If nothing else, I wager you can play Six Degrees of Whatever Band You'd Like with it.

All I ever wanted was to pick apart the day, put the pieces back together my way.

2008-01-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

Don't worry. I haven't started using other people's lyrics to reflect my mood in my blog. It's just one of my favorite lines from the album I'll be writing about today.

I have a lot of music. And albums don't get the attention they deserve. I end up skipping songs and jumping from artist to artist.

So, I bring you:

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to some Music Vol.2: Labor Days, Aesop Rock

I still remember the first time I heard this album. I was at a friend's apartment, in the storied Foxtree apartment complex.

Among myself and many of my friends, Foxtree was a rite of passage. Can you really call yourself a man if you can't say you spent at least one summer thinking "Fuck. It's 112 outside and my air conditioning doesn't work.")?

Anyway, this friend of mine has a very eclectic musical taste. He's turned me on to some good stuff, and some that's not so good. Have you heard Crispin Glover's take on "These Boots Were Made For Walkin?" I have.

We were listening to music, and he told me he had a song I should listen to. It was "No Regrets," from Labor Days. It's a song about a loner with artistic leanings that dies happy. Being a loner with artistic leanings that hopes to die happy, I loved it. To this day I listen to it occasionally for encouragement.

"No Regrets" easily takes the prize for Most Straightforward Lyrics on this album. The rest of the album is full of high-speed rapping that jumps from idea to idea like Mario on turtle shells. If you're one of those people that hears a Coolio track and thinks, "What is he saying?" Aesop Rock will make you shoot yourself. A friend of mine described listening to his music as being like meeting a schizophrenic person on the street and saying, "Hey, you're neat. Live with me."

I'm a word guy. Some of you may be scratching your heads. You've seen me sit amidst a rousing conversation and never move my lips. But, really, I dig words. Every once in a while on this album, Aesop Rock comes up for air and drops a hook like the one in the subject line. Gets the word nuts salivating. Then, you'll find yourself trying to figure out one more line. Then one more. Then you'll forget to pay your mortgage.

The production makes the music seem mournful. It gives something for Rock to fight with his rhymes. In my opinion, the running theme is, "I'm still here."

Borrow a friend's copy. The only reason I don't give this a full-on recommendation is because I can see someone hating it, and I couldn't blame them. I enjoy it. It's tiring to listen to, but I find it rewarding.

Standout Tracks:

"Daylight"
"No Regrets"
"Boombox"
"9-5ers Anthem"

Actually listening to music and song of the week, January 18th, 2007

2008-01-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

So, I've started my quest to listen to the music on my iPod, rather than just accumulate more and more music. I'm starting with "A." I'll listen to each album for a few days, then post my thoughts here. Let's call this "Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music." My, that's wordy.

Stop Being an Asshole and Listen to Some Music Vol. 1- A. C. Newman, The Slow Wonder

This album not only holds up to repeat listens, for me it required them. I think it's because homeboy("homeboy being A.C. Newman, also a member of The New Pornographers) isn't up to any tricks. Nothing crazy is going on here. Guitar, piano, drums, and that's about it.

This lack of sonic trickery caught me off guard.

I imagine Mr. Newman sifting through the rubble of an earthquake savaged city, finding the Solid Pop Song, and yelling to his cohorts "This one's still breathing!"

Then again, I always was one for bad metaphors.

This album creeped up on me. It wasn't until track six, "Secretarial," that I realized I was listening to really good pop. It tells the listener, "Look, fucker, see how you've been bobbing your head? Yeah, that's right."

Rivers Cuomo listens to this song and weeps. "Oh God, if only I hadn't given up my artistic aspirations and written 'Beverly Hills,' I might be making music like this."

Fuck you, Rivers. You got paid. By the way, your name makes you sound like a stripper in Eugene, Oregon.

After "Secretarial," we get "Come Crash." Because I'm pretty much a wuss, almost every album has one song that gets to me. This is that one. "She plants one kiss/for the road/on my chest."

Told you I'm a wuss.

The other standout track is "The Town Halo." I fucking love this song. For some reason it makes me think of Jerry Lee Lewis. Just download it.

There isn't a bad song on this album. The standouts stand out by a lot, but the whole album is worth a listen. Go pick it up somewhere that doesn't have its own credit card.

Song of the Week

So, I'm subscribed to a couple of "Song of the Day" Podcasts. Figure I'll recommend a song a week.

This week, "Wait a Minute!" by Cancer Rising. Sometimes I hear people say, "Remember When Hip Hop was fun?" Well, not really. I was like seven. But I've heard some stuff from that era, and the members of Cancer Rising obviously have, too. "Get down/Get into it/Everybody in the house get intimate." You know you're smiling.

Intro

2008-01-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

What the fuck is this?

Yes, it's another music blog.

Why a music blog?

A)I like blogging. Been doing it since I was about 19. But I'm tired of writing about myself. I'm out of stories. How depressing is that?

B) I like music. Really, music and books are the only things I know anything about. And these days, knowing about books is like knowing how to build a Model-T Ford. People might say, "Hey, that's really cool," but all but four of them don't give a shit.

The other day, I was thinking about how much stuff I have on my iPod that I've never really listened to. You see, I'm one of those guys. Pretty much any time a website or a friend recommends something, I download it. Makes for a big collection, but also a lot of music I never get to. To combat this phenomenon, and to feel like less of a douche, I'll be starting with A and going through the alphabet on my iPod, and posting my thoughts in here. I'm hesitant to say "reviews,"just because I'm probably going to like most of it. Not sure exactly what it'll be like. Entertaining, I hope.

I live in Tempe, Arizona. Smack dab in the middle of the Phoenix metro area. I'm going to try to get to a show at least once every week or two, and I'll write about it here. I'm pretty much only free on the weekend, but if you know of any shows around town, drop me a line. If things go well, I might even try to interview some bands.

Think I'm going to start a segment called "You're Fucking Kidding Me..." in which I take a listen to those albums I'm supposed to know. You know, those albums that people have been telling you to listen to for years, but you just haven't? Either you were enamored with stuff you'd already found, or the constant pestering from your friends made you want to buy a copy solely to burn it("fire" burn, not "burner" burn)?

I'm sure I'll come up with more ideas along the way. And have some other people do some writing. This is going to be a lot more fun than the "this is what I had for lunch" blogs I've been doing for so many years.

For now, I'm going to commit myself to post at least once a week. I was doing more with my old blogs, and I think the writing quality suffered. Nothing but the best for my fellow music-obsessives.

I'm off to listen to an A.C. Newman album. Look for my thoughts. in the next few days.