April Picks [II]: andrew [or Music For Train Passengers]

When I first moved out to NYC I listened to a lot of Sonic Youth. Somehow the music just meshed well with the drones and squeals of the subway, and they've become the quintessential New York band.

then i became directionless for a while, listening to whichever album was alphabetically next. But becuase I read on the train, and for a general lack of focus, I've been preferring to not have someone serenade me whist I read and ride. Or worse, I end up singing along in my head and find i've "read" five pages without actually following what i'e read. Ipso facto, I've been listening to a lot of instrumental (and the occasional instru-metal) records, which I'm sure my emusic account is beginning to reflect.

So, I find myself gravitating to the droning sounds of Rhys Chatham, two albums you'll find on eMusic. Two Gongs, which is just one 60 minute track of two gongs being rung at undulating force. The record is a test of tolerance and i find myself listening to it more often than is healthy (twice monthly is more than necessary.)

I also picked up Chatham's 3 CD set of Guitar Trio Is My Life! which is essentially one song performed live with different musicians and lasting anywhere from 10-20 minutes. I highly recommend it if you liked A Crimson Grail. However, I tired to listen to the Guitar Trio set straight through (approx 200 minutes in total duration) but only made it through the first half. Which was essentially four one-way trips to and from work. A great song, and it's remarkable the variations and permutations that occur with different lineups of musicians, but after the fifth or sixth time through even the most tolerant mind needs a dose of Rihanna.

So it should come as no surprise that i spent 18 of my 40 monthly tracks on the low, droning sounds of Stars of the Lid. I'll admit that picking up both records of ...and Their Refinement of the Decline (it's a 2 record set) is a bit much, but i'm a completest, so i couldn't just get the first. (I can't quite tell if there is much of a distinction between the albums. So i question why they bother splitting up the record when it's a digital download.)

while the record is very mellow, it sounds great played loud as hell with swirling strings, organs and synths. plus you get a better sense of the rich tapestry of sounds they are creating*. i hate to use the term "ambient" when defining this type of music as that tends to relegate it to background music, and undercuts the dense layers at work.

highly recommended.

oh, and emusic got a bit more dope with the addition of being able to preview tracks right in the browser, rather than having to open temp files in your preferred music player.

*while i agree with this, i just wanted to type "rich tapestry of sounds"

April Picks [I] - andrew.

alright, so i gotta get these posts up before my account resets in 3 days and i get backlogged with posts. so my downloading methodology is to have a large swath of musical styles in the event that i tire of one genre.

so this month found me passing from the low, ambient drones of Stars of the Lid (more on them later) to the stoner excitement of the early Black Mountain EP/single for Druganaut to the rauctous rockabilly guitar + drums pairing of Flat Duo Jets.

Black Mountain, who i discovered a year and a half back in the round-about way of fellow Vancouverites Blood Meridian and via Stephen McBean's lesser harolded, and more overtly sexual The Pink Mountaintops. I can't say that this EP offers much in the way of variation from their eponymous first record, but it still rocks the shit outta your eardrums and the 9 minute "Buffalo Swan" features the honey-voiced Amber Webber, who took on a greater roll in the band's second record. She's integral to the group, making "Swan" one of the best tracks the band has released.

Second up on the ole platter of sound we have a live set from veteran rockabillian group Flat Duo Jets. Two-Headed Cow is the "soundtrack" to a concert documentary that probably nobody saw, but is probably served best to be heard. The music is fast and furious and the two play like a pair of high-octane vin diesels. a few covers and the majority of tracks clocking in around 2:30, the album moves at a brisk pace with 17 tracks filling up 52 minutes.

but even at the relatively abbreviated length the album/concert wears thin. i've listened to the record at home and twice just walking around the city, and after less than 40 minutes i'm compelled to put something else on. I can't claim to be a huge rockabilly fan, although i do own a few select records. so i thought it'd be a welcome change of pace. but in the end, there's just not enough variation to put it on heavy rotation.

it's like an entrée from a Chinese restaurant, the noodles are good, the veggies are good, together they're good, but without the occasional egg roll, i get bored of the dish half way through.

Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

It's funny how certain fads--either national*, or something that's liked within your immediate circle of friends-- can completely pass you by. Personally, up until a month ago, I had never seen a Stanley Kubrick movie. I can't begin to describe how many film-related conversations I've had to zone-out to for fear of making a complete ass of myself. The number of HBO drama series of which I've never seen a single episode (Sopranos, Deadwood, etc. . .I've seen one episode of The Wire) is embarrassing considering how much I love TV. Yo La Tengo was one of those bands that a majority of my friends really enjoy; but for one reason or another, I had never come gotten around to checking them out myself. With that being said, ATNTII-O is my very first foray into the group that possesses perhaps more Indie Cred than any other export in the history of New Jersey.

My assessment? Yeah, my friends' years of Yo La Tengo love are justified...as much as one album can justify. I was drawn to download this record over other YLT efforts due to my mood at the time. I read somewhere--possibly on emusic--that ATNTII-O was one of the group's more mellow records. And the album delivered. I was looking for some music to get mad-contemplative to, and this totally hit the spot.

My only beef with this record is how I feel it wanders more than necessary at both the beginning and the end. It's as if half the songs on the record were all done in one take. I like these "wandering" songs, but if they were a bit more concise, I feel like this album would have made me completely lose my shit. Maybe Yo La Tengo always has a tendency to excessively jam? Am I missing the point with this observation? Again, this is my first record of theirs. Either way, the middle of the record is just about perfect. From "Let's save Tony Orlando's House" to "Cherry Chapstick" is absolutely stunning...and "Madeline" too. It's precisely what I look for in a mid-to-low-tempo indie rock record.

If you're like me, and have waited to give yo La Tengo a try, I suggest you get. up. on 'em.And if you've been a Yo La Tengo fan for a long time, big up Homes!

*- I have never seen Titanic, and will refuse to view that shitstorm until the day I die. Kiss my ass, James Cameron! Go ahead and admit your infinite inferiority to Jerry Bruckheimer. Do it! It will ease the pain.

My Teenage Stride: Ears Like Golden Bats

This record is such a fucking fun listen. Ears Like Golden Bats makes me wish I was of the time when credible musicians wore t-shirts tucked in to khaki pants. Big, plastic, thin-rimmed glasses...flay-away, homemade haircuts...all without the slightest bit of irony.

Nerd Pop, ladies and gents.

When I listen to this record, all I can visualize is a stage full of 4 or 5 of rocking Bill Gates. They move really awkwardly to their own music, while the audience dances the night away with moves borrowed from the prom-goers in Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

The Feelies, The Mekons, and Edwyn Collins/Orange Juice. Throw them in a blender and you get this album. My Teenage Stride has done nothing really to advance this little rock and roll sub-genre. But they have taken some of the best moves from the originators and made songs that are so very easy to enjoy. If you own a car, this would be great driving music.

Tell me Bill Gates, does My Teenage Stride make you swoon?



I thought so.

Band Most Likely

So on tuesday i had the good fortune to see the band most likely to be used on the Fall 2008 season premiere of Gossip Girl. I'm talking about She & Him of course. Pairing up indie film stalwart Zooey Deschanel and trubador M. Ward was a match made in indie fanboy heaven, and plenty haas already been written about them and their debut album Volume One so i'm not gonna rehash any of that. I will say I'm a huge M. Ward fan and have been since I saw him play the Turf Club in 2004.

So to crib a page from "So How Was The Show?" i will tell you how the show was. The tour was supposed to kick off monday night but was canceled due to an 'illness' and both shows were combined. This meant moving from the intimate Hiro Ballroom to the mid-level Webster Hall. Could somebody say "cheap ploy to sell more tickets yet play only one show?" that's what CPG and discussed over happy hour drinks. Arguably there'd be a better sound system, but who's to say what would be lost given the size and the potential for annoying patrons hanging out near the bar talking like this was the library. Or one of those assholes who go to Barnes and Noble to lay on the floor of the Science Fiction section and yak on their cell phones. Although I can't say i'm much better as B&N is the best place to relieve yourself when you've drank a carafe of coffee and have a twenty block walk before you. But that's not nearly as rude, right?

digressions.

when the band came out Zooey held up a hand-written sign saying "Hello New York", then grinned widely and in a meek voice apologized for losing her voice. A collective swoon passed through the audience. For forty minutes M, Z and Ward's standard 3 piece backing band played the jams off Vol. 1, with only one new track in the mix. Slight pauses between songs and Matt was a man of few words, with Zooey merely glowing at the audience's response, offering new signs and winning over the hearts and minds of iraqi's everywhere.

Any conspiratorial thoughts of the group to double the fun with extra sugar-free gum was merely a theory. CPG asked how it was possible that she couldn't speak yet sounded pitch-perfect through the show (there were a few minor stumbles which can be written off as endearing.) But Stevie Nicks used to be the same way on tour, refusing to speak in order to preserve her voice.

After less than an hour including an encore featuring Ward's "Magic Trick" (the S&H version can be found below, courtesy of the Music for ReadyMakers comp, with altered lyrics, natch) and a cover, it was over. Short and sweet. It was a good duration as the audience got swept up in the moment, but never bored to the point of chatty. One of the most respectful audiences i've been a part of in a club that size.

the highlight of the show was "You really got a hold on me." A lesser track on Vol. 1, Ward this time around sang the verses with Zooey, filling in the duet and warranting his back-up vocals on the chorus. CPG closed the night with the apropos statement "I didn't know M. Ward was such a badass." Yup.

Music for ReadyMakers Vol. 3 You Really Got A Hold On Me
Music for ReadyMakers Vol. 3 Magic Trick

Free Download: The Rosebuds

In our ongoing series of free downloads, Merge Records is currently offering Sweet Beats, Troubled Sleep A remix of the entire Night of the Furies record from the ever delightful Rosebuds (the band not the sled.)

i haven't had time to check it out yet, but with remixes from Bon Iver, Portastic and a bunch of other company i can't claim to have heard of, i'm sure it's worth the few minutes it takes to download. and god bless m. ward and the Merge crew for high quality 320 mbps MP3s and even higher quality lossy FLAC files. eat a dick iTunes!

i'll post an update once i leave work and can actually check the record out and offer a snarky review, but thought i should send out the APB.

andrewsaidthomas.

Download Numero Deuce

Mighty Sparrow: First Flight: Early Calypsos from the Emory Cook Collection

This past Chicago winter was the worst I've experienced during my seven years living in the city. We recently had our first 70+ degree day in over seven months. Seven! I don't want to jinx myself too hard; but I'm going out on a limb and saying Old Man Winter has packed his salt-stained bags for the season.

And what music goes better with dancing on Winter's shallow grave than Calypso? Enter Mighty Sparrow. Typically backed by a guitar, bongos, and a horn section, the Sparrow's sweet-swaying melodies will transport you a nondescript Caribbean island, where you sling back endless ginger beers while watching cliff divers plunge into the sea. Yes, this album has the relaxing groo....

...wait...what did Sparrow just say? Seriously?? Jesus!

While it may be easy to disregard Sparrow's words in favor of his islands grooves, his smart, witty, and oftentimes R-rated subject matter will give the astute listener a new level of appreciation. Whether dealing with social issues like underground arms dealers ("Gun Slingers", or making light of coming very close to date raping a girl ("Stella"), Sparrow will make you think while you move back and forth sitting in front of your computer...as I am right now.

This record is a quality way to welcome warm weather to your neck of the woods.

...did I mention date rape?!?!?!

First April Download

The Teenagers: Reality Check

Listening to this record is like vacationing in a copy of the world's foremost scenester-pretentious publication.

Allow me to paint the picture:

Let's say I'm a modern-day, urban professional Macaulay Culkin starring in The Pagemaster '08.

One eerie night in Wicker Park, my moped breaks down and I get caught in an unrelenting torrential downpour...without an umbrella! Drenched, I seek out the closest storefront do duck into while the storm lets up; but to my dismay, every store seems be closed. My new $200 jeans! Fuck!

Just as I'm about to give up, I see a dim light emanating from an otherwise abandoned-looking building. A bare-bones, handwritten sign that says "Records" is the only item in the window.

I enter and speak with the elderly off-his-rocker owner. Let's call him Christopher Lloyd. As he goes on and on about his days of opening for Peter Cetera, I begin to sift through his magazine offerings. I pick up a copy of Reality Check and the latest Vice magazine when, ZAP! CRASH! A colossal lightning bolt strikes the store and sends me flying through the air. I hit my head on stack of poorly drawn zines and go put cold.

As I come to, I wake up INSIDE the pages of Vice! I go skiing on Cocaine Mountain with Werner Herzog, then buy American Apparel models Rockstar and vodkas all night long at Sonotechque.

Just as I'm about to get punched in the face by some lame graphic designer--whom I offended by calling him Colin Meloy's muse-- KABOOM! WA-ZAM!

I wake up in my bedroom tucked under the covers. It was all a dream! Or WAS it (I roll over to see Werner Herzog, shirtless and sleeping with his moth open. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)?

Dun dun duuuuuuuuun...

Depending on your opinions of Vice, my little story may or may not have turned you off of The Teenagers. Looking at what I just wrote, I know I would be all "Ewww. No. I hate that type of crap."

But for one reason or another, I really, really like Reality Check. As much as the band members give off the typical "Gross, you read pitchfork?" attitude, their lyrics are just as funny as they are explicit (kudos on working Shannon Doerty and Jared Leto references into your tunes). This London band has a penchant for suburban teenage culture. Talking about anything from fucking a slutty american teen on vacation, to their love for Scarlett Johannson (whom they also want to fuck). The Serge Gainsbourg influence is ridiculously strong. Future dirty old men in the making.

The result is a a group of witty, self-aware yet self-important songs. I doubt I'd ever be friends with The Teenagers in real life. They're probably huge assholes. But I dig their stuff nonetheless.

Next time on Pagemaster Reference Theatre: Pat gets hit by lightning while listening to Boz Scaggs and reading Riding Lawnmower Maintenance For Dummies.

Free Download: Fog

Fog fans, Daytrotter just posted a four song live session. Link. All the tracks are from Ditherer.

Daytrotter continues to be the greatest source of free, new music. At least someone out there understands the way the music wind blows.

andrewsaidthomas.