Man Man Tours Your Skin Off

I know we usually don’t post tour updates but for a band like Man Man, I make an exception. I’ve seen them three times now, which is enough for me to confidently say that they’re the best live band I’ve ever seen—and keep in mind I got to a hell of a lot of shows. To each of the three shows I brought someone new who had never heard of Man Man and, each time, they left with the same opinion. They’re headlining throughout October and then meeting up with Modest Mouse in November—I recommend seeing them before they join Modest Mouse, because it’s definitely better to see Man Man play longer in a more intimate venue than to see them open for a band that kind of sucks live. This is the one show this fall you can’t afford to miss. And if you’re lucky enough to live near New York, you can see them play with Grizzly Bear! Should be amazing. Check the dates:

Headlining Tour:
10-04 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
10-05 Northampton, MA - Pearl St.
10-06 Clinton, NY - Hamilton College Annex
10-08 Cleveland Heights, OH - Beachland Ballroom
10-09 Athens, OH - The Union
10-11 Newport, KY - Southgate House
10-12 Urbana, IL - Illini Union Courtyard Cafe
10-13 Lexington, KY - The Dame
10-14 Fulton County, GA - Bouckaert Farm
10-15 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone
10-16 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Cafe
10-17 New Orleans, LA - Republic
10-18 Houston, TX - Proletariat
10-19 Dallas, TX - The Loft at the Palladium
10-20 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-22 Phoenix, AZ - The Rhythm Room
10-23 Los Angeles, CA - Troubador
10-25 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
10-28 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
10-30 Seattle, WA - Neumos

With Modest Mouse:
10-31 Spokane, WA - Big Easy Concert House
11-01 Spokane, WA - Big Easy Concert House
11-02 Calgary, Alberta - MacEwan Ballroom
11-03 Edmonton, Alberta - Edmonton Events Centre
11-05 Regina, Saskatchewan - Conexus Arts Centre
11-06 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Oden Event Centre
11-07 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theater
11-09 Des Moines, IA - Val-Air Ballroom
11-10 Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
11-11 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
11-12 Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room
11-14 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant


Download:
Man Man - Engrish Bwudd [mp3]
Man Man - Black Mission Goggles [mp3]

RADIOHEAD LP7 MINDFUCK

With every other blog buzzing with news of the new Radiohead album and my own personal claim to be the biggest Radiohead fan ever, you don’t think I could leave this one untouched, did you? After all, I did spend almost two weeks this summer assembling a complete, four-disc collection of Radiohead b-sides, rare live tracks, and alternate versions.

Just when you think that musicians have finally settled into the whole our-album-will-inevitably-leak-so-let’s-just-accept-it-and-try-and-survive-regardless frame of mind, a band like Radiohead comes along, and, as usual, changes everything.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard (read: none of you, hopefully), Radiohead is indeed releasing LP7, entitled In Rainbows (kind of a lame name, but I can live with it), on October 10 and will be download-only (for which you only pay as much as you want!) for the time being. You can also pre-order the “discbox”, which will be shipped to you by December 3rd.



From the Radiohead website:
“The discbox consists of the new album, In Rainbows on CD and on 2 x 12 inch heavyweight vinyl records. A second, enhanced CD contains more new songs, along with digital photographs and artwork. It also includes artwork and lyric booklets. All are encased in a hardback book and slipcase. The album download automatically comes with this pack.”

Which is amazing, right? It may cost something like eighty dollars, but let’s be honest, it’s totally worth it. Here’s the tracklist:

In Rainbows:
1. 15 Step
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Nude
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
5. All I Need
6. Faust Arp
7. Reckoner
8. House of Cards
9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
10. Videotape

Bonus CD:
1. MK 1
2. Down is the New Up
3. Go Slowly
4. MK 2
5. Last Flowers
6. Up on the Ladder
7. Bangers and Mash
8. 4 Minute Warning

It’s got a lot of songs we’ve already heard from the live demos of their last tour, but one can only assume they’ll sound much cooler/better/different from the studio. If you can’t already tell, I’m out of my mind with excitement. And you should be too.

Self-releasing the album, allowing you to pay as little (or, in some cases, as much) as you want, springing the news a mere ten days before its release date… how mind-blowing is this?

Download:
Radiohead - 15 Step (Live) [mp3]
Radiohead - Arpeggi (Live) [mp3]

For more info and to pre-order the album, click here.

Digging Up Treasure: Deer Tick

”Digging Up Treasure” is the name of a new segment that will allow me to bubble over with the joy of finding a relatively unknown and very exciting new band. The title of the segment becomes even more clever when you realize that it’s underground music I’m talking about. Digging? Underground? Treasure? Get it? Okay, that’s enough.

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, Deer Tick is the brainchild of singer/songwriter John McCauley, rounded out by drummer Dennis Ryan and bassist Chris Ryan. Their debut album, War Elephant came out a couple weeks ago, released on FEOW Records. In the three weeks since then, I’ve scarcely been able to go a day without spinning at least a track or two; theirs is the kind of music that’s difficult to get out of your head—and not in the “I have this song stuck in my head” sort of way. It’s the kind of immediate, intelligent music that makes you wonder, when compared to McCauley, how terribly inadequate you are at expressing yourself, and how damn alive you feel in his presence.

McCauley’s expressiveness is, after all, Deer Tick’s defining characteristic. Dude’s got a voice like sandpaper and he doesn’t hesitate for a moment before rubbing it all over your face. And with a presence that’s so very… well, present, lines like “I’m caught in a whirlwind / I’m going to heaven / I’m standing on trial / and it’s painted on canvas / an eternal testament to how we are so animalistic” adopt an emotional weight that’s impossible to ignore. McCauley’s tortured performance on the epic “Christ Jesus” is the alt-country aspiration to Jeff Mangum’s impossibly high In the Aeroplane standard.

The music on which this remarkable expression rests is strong, often embracing that unstoppable alt-county sense of movement that makes it perfect for long drives and deep thoughts while at the same time using that forward motion to keep it from overwhelming or stagnating. But, within these bounds, the music boasts quite a range, from the road-trip shuffle of “Art Isn’t Real (City of Sin)” to the Neil Young-infused “Standing at the Threshold” to the subtle reggae of “Baltimore Blues No. 1”.

The song’s closing track (“What Kind of Fool Am I?”) is the oddest of the bunch, a down-tempo fifties pop number that you could easily imagine reworked by Phil Spector. It witnesses McCauley’s apparent inability to fall in love, his desire to abandon all things cerebral and become the kind of fool that is capable of such an irrational sentiment. But it’s exactly that kind of thought and analysis that prevents him from becoming that fool and what, in the end, makes this album so interesting. What McCauley has painted is a picture of a world totally aware of its own foolishness and the conflict that arises when presented with the choice to remain blissfully ignorant or to face the truth, however harsh it may be.


Download:
Deer Tick - Standing at the Threshold [mp3]
Deer Tick - These Old Shoes [mp3]
Deer Tick - Christ Jesus [mp3]



War Elephant is available now from FEOW Records.

This is Japanese Pysch! Part II

Here it is, the second part of my intro to quality Japanese psych—the artists in this part are generally a little less eccentric than the previous, so if the first set was too much for you to handle, definitely give these a try. As always there are mp3s to download at the end of the post, so be sure to check those out. Also, if I missed an artist you think belongs on this list (which I’m sure I did, I’m no expert), shoot me an email or leave me a comment! There’s no reason there shouldn’t be a Part III. In fact, I want there to be! Anyway, enjoy the delicious psychedelic ear food from Japan.


Hisato Higuchi
Listening to Hisato Higuchi is like being young again, struggling to stay awake while you wait for your mom to tuck you in and kiss you goodnight. Higuchi was originally a puppeteer, and while the transition from puppeteer to musician doesn’t make total sense, the way his former profession appears in his music certainly does. He works his guitar strings with a delicacy normally reserved for marionettes and the result is a collection of songs almost entirely devoted to subtlety and the beautiful moments that can be born of a single note piercing the silence.

Best Starting Point: Dialogue (2006)

This is a short album—only 35 minutes long—comprised almost entirely of fragile guitar parts, all of them beautiful and quietly powerful. There are moments, however, when Higuchi’s crooning vocals or some alien feedback enter the mix and the resulting juxtaposition is phenomenal. Though this album certainly has a time and a place, when approached with the right mindset (mellow, pensive, observant, even spiritual) this is an enormously rewarding listen. Minimal and ethereal.


OOIOO
OOIOO is, of course, the all-female group founded by Yoshimi P-We, who is also a member of Boredoms. Over the past twelve years, the girls have released five full-length albums. Their sound is totally unique, characterized mainly by heavy percussion, shouting vocals (but not quite cheerleader-esque), and a foundation in repetition. They also incorporate elements of jazz, some experimental noises probably related to Boredoms, and at times world music beats. Due in large part to the percussion, the music of OOIOO has a lot of energy, always propelling itself forward and keeping the listener engaged.

Best Starting Point: Taiga (2006)

This is the group’s most recent album and arguably their best. Taiga witnesses OOIOO really hitting their stride, combining rich and interesting percussion with a multitude of creative ideas and dynamic styles. The album opens with “UMA”, a tour-de-force of shouts and heavy drum hits, and an hour later, has ventured into jazz, noise, Afrobeat, and dance rock territories. This album is like nothing you’ve ever heard, a collection of tracks from a group that has almost too many ideas for its own good.


Boris
Now, I realize that Boris isn’t a “psych” band and that they’ve spent much more of the last fifteen years in the noise rock and sludge rock arenas by comparison, but their ventures into psychedelic territory along with how damn good they are make them a band I can’t afford to overlook. Boris is a simple, three-piece band and, for a band with a static lineup, one of Japan’s most prolific groups. In the past they’ve worked with the likes of Keiji Haino, noise god Merzbow, and doom rockers Sunn O))). Their last two U.S. releases, Pink and Rainbow (with Ghost’s Michio Kurihara) have been their most accessible to date and the latter embraces that psych element I mentioned previously. Boris’ music is generally very well-crafted and beautifully layered; though prolific they may be, you can tell they put a lot of time and energy into their releases. Pink, which is more of a hardcore/shoegaze album, was the first of their albums to really catch the attention of the American indie crowd. Their earlier releases were a little more chaotic (and in some cases, borderline unlistenable) but Boris’ latest endeavors has the band constantly forging new and exciting paths.

Best Starting Point: Pink (2006)

I was sold on Pink by the end of the album’s title track, which is only the second on the album. It’s something like the aural equivalent of a city perishing in flame. The energy level is consistently high—even Wata’s guitar picking during quieter parts sound with the same joie-de-vivre as the album’s gnarliest riffs. The greater variety of songs and increased breathing room also allows Takeshi to deliver some of his finest and most soulful vocals to date. This is music like the sun is a lamp.


Rashinban
Rashinban is one of the many side-projects of ex-Boredoms member Yamamoto Seiichi, who is easily among the most prolific artists in Japan. According to Ghost’s Masaki Batoh, Rashinban is the only band in Japan other than Acid Mothers Temple he can really get behind. The group’s releases are extremely hard to find, however, as most (maybe none, I'm not sure) of their releases haven't made their way to the U.S. Rashinban’s music is slightly more conventional than many of the other bands I’ve been discussing, embracing a predominately sixties-pop style with sunny vocals and an emphasis on the organ. Their songs are seamless, the work of a group that knows the kind of music it wants to make and is damn good at making it.

Best Starting Point: Hajimari (2002)

I recommend this album because it’s the only one I could get my hands on, and thus the only one I can recommend with confidence. That said, it’s still great and I can only assume Rashinban's other releases are just as good. The first time I heard it I was driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco and I remember that the hour-long album went by in no time at all—not because it wasn’t memorable, but because its such a breeze of a listen. It’s light and fluffy, like pancakes of rock.


Yura Yura Teikoku
I actually discovered this band through Raven Sings the Blues, one of my new favorite blogs. Though they’ve been together since 1989, it wasn’t until 2005 that they played a show outside of Japan. This is a pretty good example of the limited exposure YYT has gotten in the U.S., and why so few have heard of them. Their sound is a combination of garage rock and psych rock, with a nice side of pop sensibilities and noise accents. Over the years they’ve eschewed their more chaotic tendencies and focused more on song craft, but the band’s past wildness is still present; the result is an extremely well-balanced and dynamic sound, as weird as it is fun.

Best Starting Point: Sweet Spot (2006)

This is YYT’s most recent release and, from what I’ve heard, one of its best. There’s a wide range of songs, from scatterbrained pop gems in the headspace of the Zutons to mellow psych that’s got a hint of Pink Floyd in its bones. Every track has a character of its own, each embracing a different style and tempo that keeps the whole album interesting. And while it may not be better than the sum of its parts, damn are its parts something.


Download:
Hisato Higuchi - Kizuato [mp3]
OOIOO - UMO [mp3]
Boris - Pink [mp3]
Rashinban - Fire Song [mp3]
Yura Yura Teikoku - ソフトに死んでいる [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

This is Japanese Pysch! Part I

As many of you probably know, at the moment I’m almost totally immersed in a Japanese psychedelic phase. In my experience, there are very few other scenes that have such a vitality and truth about their music; to be honest, the identity and creativity found in Japanese psych is a breath of fresh air when considering how many bands these days lack true originality. And, since the genre has so much to offer and so few people know about it, I thought I’d do a brief run-through of some of the more notable bands, along with recommended albums and free mp3s to download (which can be found at the bottom of the post). Part II should be coming within the next few days. I strongly encourage you to check all the following artists out; some of them have almost totally changed my perception of music—in a good way, of course.


Ghost
This band is awesome for so many reasons. So many, in fact, that I think I’m just going to have to put them in list form:
1. One of their members is a Buddhist monk.
2. Though they’ve only released seven proper albums, they’ve been around since 1984.
3. They’ve refused to play in the U.S. until the Bush Administration is out of office.
4. Masaki Batoh, the band’s de facto leader, is concerned almost exclusively with the moment organic, improvised music is formed rather than recording or touring.
5. The mind-blowing guitar work of Michio Kurihara, who appeared on the most recent Boris album and used to be in White Heaven. This man is one of maybe five people I would consider guitar gods, and this is coming from a guitar player.
6. The sheer number of instruments the band plays, which includes the hurdy gurdy, flute, tabla, ryu, sitar, vacuum pipes, banjo, timpani, and the list goes on.
7. They live a largely nomadic lifestyle.
8. Their choice of venues is impeccable. In their earlier days they would play at random in subways and parks. Many of their shows have taken place in temples, which is absolutely gorgeous and moving to watch.
9. Their recently released live DVD, Metamorphosis. If that doesn’t inspire you to play music, there’s something wrong with you.

Best Starting Point: Lama Rabi Rabi (1996)

This album is among Ghost’s more tribal and psychedelic (which I believe to be their greatest incarnation) rather than folk or rock-based. It opens with an incredible one-two punch, the slowly evolving atmosphere of “Masttillah” followed by the ferocious “Rabirabi”. This is music that transports you, that can provide an out-of-body experience when approached with the right attitude. Also highly recommended is the album Temple Stone (1997). But to be honest the best starting point is probably their live DVD.


Acid Mothers Temple
The Acid Mothers “Soul Collective” really has no definite lineup and has performed and released albums under dozens of different names since it’s origin in 1997, the most famous being Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. and Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno. The Acid Mothers collective puts out anywhere from two to five albums a year, due mainly to their shifting lineup and the spirit of improvisation present on most of their albums. The collective’s most consistent member is Kawabata Makoto, who is one of the other very few musicians I would consider to be a guitar god. Thanks to his presence, many of their tracks are essentially lengthy guitar jams, but free of all the nasty connotations of jam-heavy songs. Makoto and his bandmates essentially believe it’s possible to communicate with the cosmos via their music, a sentiment that is quite present when listening. Like the music of Ghost, the music of AMT is meant to bring a musician or listener beyond the accepted limits of his or her soul or being. Some AMT albums are simply one hour-long song with several movements, but despite their tendency toward longer songs, there is never a moment that the music becomes stale or dull. The music of AMT is alive in the very truest sense.

Best Starting Point: Univers Zen ou de Zero à Zero (2002)

My first full listen to this album was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve had with music in the last few years. This album has it all—the insane guitar-based jams of “Electric Love Machine” and “Blues Pour Bible Noire”, the absolutely gorgeous ballad “Ange Mecanique de Saturne” and the odd but charming vocal manipulation track “God Bless AMT”. The veins of this album run thick with energy and light. This year’s Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars is also very worth checking out.


Boredoms
Who can even approach Japanese psych or underground music without bringing up the Boredoms? The Boredoms, who first appeared in 1986, are a Japanese weird-rock institution and one well-worthy of its reputation. Yamantaka Eye is generally considered the band’s leader. Also frequently present is Yoshimi P-We, who plays drums, trumpet, and sings. The Boredoms’ style jumps distractedly from noise rock to electronica to minimalism to tribal psychedlia with barely an effort, and each incarnation is just as rewarding as the last. But these are all united by a single, cohesive Boredoms aesthetic; and while it’s difficult to put a finger on, it has a lot to do with a total disregard for the public’s expectations, a high level of invention and innovation, and a good deal of post-production. My friend Matt once said the most interesting thing about the Boredoms is that it seems like they don’t want you to listen to them, but that you do anyway, as if listening to the Boredoms is a sort of musical masochism. A beautiful, beautiful sort of musical masochism.

Best Starting Point: Super Ae (1998)

This album is a microcosm of the greater Boredoms aesthetic, and the release on which this aesthetic is most fully realized. Sludgy guitar interludes interrupt chant breakdowns, the whole tempo speeds and slows at random, voices growl from all directions, and synths chirp like songbirds at sunrise. The album remains accessible, however, and they avoid weirdness for the sake of being weird. It’s a painstaking effort disguised as a beautiful mess, and a hell of an aural journey.


Fushitsusha/Keiji Haino
Keiji Haino is an absolute monster of the Japanese psychedelic and avant-garde scene. Fushitusha was essentially Haino and whatever other musicians happened to be around. The band formed in 1978, though it wasn’t until 1989 that they released a full album. Most of their music characterized by Haino’s brilliant and tormented guitar playing, which is sometimes violent and impulsive, sometimes beautiful and submissive. His vocals share many of the same characteristics as his guitar playing, unafraid to embrace bare emotion and record it with the utmost honesty. Fushitsusha has been on hiatus since 2001, but Haino continues to be prolific in his own right, recently releasing several highly experiment albums like Kono Kehai Fujirareteru Hajimarini (2005), which consists of nine tracks of minimalist drumming, and Uchu Ni Karamitsuiteiru Waga Itami (2005), which consists of four tracks of Haino playing manipulated oscillator signals. Haino has also collaborated with artists such as Boris, Jim O’Rourke, and Peter Brotzmann.

Best Starting Point: A Death Never To Be Complete (1997)

This album is all about movement, from the quiet to the loud and aggressive and back again. Haino’s vocals on “Though It Went So Well?” are extremely raw and, as a result, extremely powerful. His guitar work on “That Which Is Becoming Me” is the reason he’s considered by many to be a virtuoso. A difficut listen at times, but this album is more than just music, it’s a series of moments that are at the same time discordant and cohesive. A strange and haunting listen, and an experience well worth having.


Polysics
All you really have to know about this band is that they describe their music as “technicolor pogo punk” influenced primarily by Devo. Their songs are infused with an absolutely insatiable energy, driven by equally insatiable guitar and synth tracks. Think something along the lines of Parts & Labor in the eighties with cheerleaders. For a band that’s only ten years old, Polysics have a rather large catalogue of releases, including numerous compilation appearances and a handful of mini-albums.

Best Starting Point: National P (2003)

Listening to this is like being punched in the face with by an angry chipmunk painted all the colors of the rainbow. Many of the songs are punk in spirit, layered with nonsensical vocals, a plethora of weird noises, and given frequently to bubbly synth riffs. With fourteen songs clocking in at only 36 minutes, this album is short but sweet. Anyway, if it were any longer you may have a heart attack.


Download:
Ghost - Moungod Asleep [mp3]
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - You’re Still Now Near Me Every Time [mp3]
Boredoms - Super Are [mp3]
Fushitsusha - Though It Went So Well? [mp3]
Polysics - Peach Pie On The Beach [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Rethinking the New Feist

Someone once told me that an album being criticized for some reason or another doesn’t need to be defended. Rather, it needs to be praised independent of what existing conceptions of the album are. I’m not totally sure I agree with that. And since I’m the only one I know that really loves The Reminder, I thought I’d put that disagreement into play.

Why the new Feist album is better than you think:

1. The overall coherence of the album. My main problem with Let It Die was that it felt disjointed, probably due to the number of cover songs and the amount of genre-hopping involved. The Reminder, however, is anything but disjointed; it sounds exactly like it should, a set of songs written by the same person with a vision. It just so happens that her vision leans toward adult-contemporary. Even the punchier songs like “I Feel It All” and “My Moon My Man” share the same aesthetic as the rest of the album, embracing the same simple production and instrumentation. The same structuring is at work in both the rocking “Sea Lion Woman” and the subdued “Honey Honey”. This coherence actually makes this album feel like a Feist album. This look at Feist may not yield what some expected, but it’s a picture more complete than any we’ve seen yet.

2. The choir on “Intuition”. The first time you hear it, it sounds a bit awkward and out of time. But then you see the point: the choir is a multitude of voices expressing the same thing Feist is throughout the song. It’s the idea that regret and doubt is everywhere, that everyone struggles with those nagging what ifs. This is a prime example of a song extending beyond itself, a moment where the fact that you’re listening to music is almost forgotten in lieu of feeling at one with this choir, this microcosm of an imperfect and regretful population. It’s far from upbeat, but a sentiment that universal (and so beautifully expressed) doesn’t need to be.

3. “One Two Three Four”. So one of the best songs on the album isn’t actually written by Feist, but by the girl behind New Buffalo; I can understand why people have a problem with that. But then I heard the most recent New Buffalo album and, after a couple listens, realized how totally unmemorable it is. So either New Buffalo gave Feist her very best song, or Feist took something kind of boring and made it totally awesome. I doubt that it’s the former. She made “One Two Three Four” her own… in my mind, it doesn’t matter who wrote it, it’s Feist who made it the monster track that it is.

4. Feist’s acoustic tone. Does anyone else think the way her acoustic guitar sounds is totally awesome? It’s something I always notice when listening to the album.

5. Vocal improvisation.In a world where melodies seem to stagnate left and right, it seems like Feist has too many for her own good. It seems as if she’s not content to sing the same thing twice, almost always adding to or changing her parts. And it doesn’t sound like those carefully calculated key changes in pop music today—it sounds like she actually improvised the parts while recording them, and her tendency to do that same thing live affirms that. Some wonderful moments arise because of that; check out 1:56 through “So Sorry”, 3:00 through “I Feel It All”, or 1:04 through “Honey Honey”.

6. A sense of honesty. It’s clear from the lyrics of this album (as well as in the decision to make music the way she does) that Feist isn’t trying to hide anything. The songs are filled with regret, self-deprecation, and sad ruminations. Just look at the last few lines of “The Park” or the bittersweet breakdown of “One Two Three Four”. This is Feist more brutally honest than we’ve ever seen her and the nakedness of her soul on this album is pretty powerful.

Download:
Feist - Honey Honey [mp3]
Feist - Intuition [mp3]
Feist - One Two Three Four [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Podcast: An Intro to Will Oldham

For those of you who didn’t already know, Will Oldham is one of my all-time favorite artists, coming in second only to the boys from Radiohead. Over the last fourteen years, he’s released ten proper full-lengths, two cover albums, three albums of b-sides and rarities, a live album, and countless EPs under the monikers of Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, Palace, Palace Music, Will Oldham, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Bonny Billy. He’s collaborated with Matt Sweeney, Johnny Cash, Dave Pajo, Dawn McCarthy, Tortoise, Alasdair Roberts, and Sage Francis and has also scored several independent films. “I See A Darkness”, his 1999 full-length under the name Bonnie “Prince” Billy, has sat comfortably as my third favorite album of all time and will likely remain there for some time to come.

Oldham is also an accomplished actor; he’s had leading roles in both Matewan (1987) and Old Joy (2006), both of which witness his quirky but phenomenal acting ability. The latter is one of my favorite films of the last few years. He also acts in some of his own music videos—below I posted the music video for Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I Gave You”, a somber one-shot piece that was easily one of the best music videos of 2005. The point of all this, of course, I have yet to see Oldham involved in anything I didn’t like (his collaboration with Tortoise was pretty sub-par, but that was mostly Tortoise’s fault).

Will Oldham’s work is best described as dark folk-rock with a detectable country influence. Above all things, Oldham’s vocals and lyrics are described as utterly human, capturing despair, the human condition, and little moments of joy magnificently. Look no further than “You Will Miss Me When I Burn” for proof of that. His work is not for those who look to music for escape, but rather for those who see and struggle with that same darkness. It is not music without joy, however; there is joy to be found in identification, as well as in the fleeting moments in which love or friendship can lift a soul above what Oldham considers to be the harsh reality of things.

This podcast is a sort of introduction to the works of Will Oldham, taking some of the best tracks off each of his proper full-lengths as well as his b-sides and rarities compilations. “Ohio River Boat Song” and “Madeleine-Mary” are two of my favorite songs ever and are absolutely necessary listening. What makes the latter even more amazing is that it’s comprised of only one chord, A minor. A faster and better-produced version of “Riding” appears later on “Lost Blues and Other Songs” and is probably better known, but the earlier version captures an unforgettable sense of brooding and incredible emotional strain. “Just To See My Holly Home” is one of his more upbeat songs and, along with “Barcelona”, is one of the Oldham tracks most suited to sing-alongs. “I Gave You” is the haunting closing track from Oldham’s 2005 collaboration with Matt Sweeney. The gorgeous backup vocals on “Strange Form of Life” are courtesy of Faun Fables’ Dawn McCarthy, who appears on the majority of Oldham’s most recent album, “The Letting Go” (for which I wrote a lengthy review).

Contents of the Podcast:
[0:00-4:26] “Riding” from There is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993)
[4:26-7:44] “You Will Miss Me When I Burn” from Days in the Wake (1994)
[7:44-10:26] “The Brute Choir” from Viva Last Blues (1995)
[10:26-14:02] “Stablemate” from Arise, Therefore (1996)
[14:02-18:28] “Ohio River Boat Song” from Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)
[18:28-22:12] “O Let It Be” from Joya (1997)
[22:12-24:44] “Madeleine-Mary” from I See A Darkness (1999)
[24:44-29:05] “Stable Will” from Guarapero/Lost Blues 2 (2000)
[29:05-32:48] “Just To See My Holly Home” from Ease Down the Road (2001)
[32:48-36:36] “Wolf Among Wolves” from Master and Everyone (2003)
[36:36-39:18] “I Gave You” from Superwolf (2005)
[39:18-44:50] “Barcelona” from Little Lost Blues (2006)
[44:50-48:44] “Strange Form of Life” from The Letting Go (2006)

Download Podcast: An Into to Will Oldham [mp3]


Music Video: “I Gave You”, directed by Mike Piscitelli


Note: If you want to download the podcast and the link has expired, shoot me an email and I’ll put it back up as soon as I can.

- Dominick Duhamel -

"Are you free for dinner tonight?"

Yes. Yes! YES!

I’m pretty much overflowing with joy right now. It’s not very often that a television show can get me to care so genuinely about its characters, but Jim and Pam truly do represent the great romance of our generation. Plus, how awesome was it that Jim left Karen in New York? And that split-second look from Ryan that closed out the episode? Absolutely priceless.

I usually listen to sad-bastard music, but this calls for some love songs.

Download:
The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody [mp3]
Sibylle Baier - Tonight [mp3]
Neil Young - Harvest Moon [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Little John's Picks, Rips, and Quips

As I write this I am listening to Ozma’s latest album, “Pasadena”, on their myspace. It’s being released this week, and I had been excited for it for the longest time. Sadly, I caught hold of a few tracks and was sadly disappointed, but still left with some hope. If you don’t know, Ozma is an LA-based powerpop band along the same vein as Weezer. In fact, they opened for them years ago during the “Maldroit” tour. It was good times.

And since then, they have made a couple albums, broke up, and got back together again. The only change since they’re previous outings is the acquisition of drummer Kenn Shane, but it’s starting to sound like a completely different band. The divide between principal songwriters Ryan Slegr and Daniel Brummel is growing, and it’s almost painfully obvious here. And I’m only a quarter of the way through the album.

I’ll bet that every song Slegr touches is lame, and anything Brummel writes will be somewhere decent and awesome. I’m not saying I don’t like Slegr’s songwriting, as I’ve enjoyed his work in the past. It’s just…what is up with these new songs? Take a peek at “Fight the Darkness,” and you’ll be laughing within the first 10 seconds guaranteed. Listen to it for yourself.

* * * * *
Also, over the weekend, I had the pleasure of running into a few sites that had Queens of the Stone Age’s newest single off their upcoming release, “Era Vulgaris”. The single is “Sick Sick Sick” and it is one interesting track. No real hooks, no catchy melodies, but it’s just a memorable song. There’s something about it, with all the clashing noises in the background, that sick guitar riff after the first chorus, and those pulsing drums that make me want to listen to it over and over again. And if you can find it off of hype machine or something of the sort, look for “3s and 7s”, it’s pretty awesome as well. Listen to it along with a funny little lightbulb guy on their myspace.

* * * * *
And last but certainly not least, the Mystery Jets released their debut U.S. album, “Zootime”, last week. It caught me a little off guard, as I wasn’t expecting it until June. But check it out, please, you won’t regret it. The majority of the songs were already recorded a year or so ago from their U.K. album, but this versions seems a little more polished/cleaner. The title track, for example, has been sped up and been giving a huge energy boost (something I previously thought was impossible as the song was already hugely impressive before). There are a couple of new additions as well, like the very cool “indie-reggae” (Danny’s words, not mine) track “Crosswords.” I like saying Ted Leo has one of the tightest rhythm sections in rock music today working with him, but this song makes me think twice about that statement (only think twice though, I don’t change my mind). Check out the Mystery Jets’ Myspace, with a few tracks off their latest album here.

Download:
Mystery Jets - You Can’t Fool Me Dennis [mp3]

- John Higgins -

Music is a Cruel Lover II

Iron & Wine - Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car (Live) [mp3]
As if I wasn’t already excited about the new Iron & Wine album. I’d have trouble falling to sleep at night, thinking of the breathy and gorgeous melodies, the simple but flawless guitar plucking, and the moving lyrical stories. But then—damn you “Live at Pabst Theater” recordings, damn you—everything changed. There was no bathing, no attending classes, no responding to the people around me. There was only Sam Beam’s voice, rich and authoritative. I urge you: don’t listen to this track. It’s too incredible. Your shower will go unused, your bed unslept in, your mind unable to focus on anything than the fact that folk is the only kind of music that matters and that Iron & Wine is the only kind of folk that matters. I'm serious. Consider yourself warned.

Panda Bear - Bros (Terrestrial Tones Remix) [mp3]
The fact that bros are my least favorite type of annoying-jock-asshole only affirms my love for Panda Bear, because I love “Bros” despite its ugly connotations. Right now Panda Bear is fairly uncontested for my Album of the Year (only Feist [marry me!] comes close) and, “Bros” being my favorite song on the album (and thus my current Song of the Year), I thought I’d invest in the 12” single. I normally hate remixes, but this one was a rare success. High five! This track's kind of all over the place, but in the way that air is all over the place—that is, the best way. Sounds like there are some new samples in there, and even more reverb! Just when you thought Noah Lennox couldn’t sound more like he was in a giant, echo-y hall, you were proven wrong. Not that it sounds bad or anything.

Dodo Bird - Men [mp3]
My friend just came in and saw me writing this post and commented (semi-jokingly) that Dodo Bird should open for Panda Bear. To which I replied the environmental implications of that were terrible, and that Dodo Bird playing with someone like T. Rex would be much more appropriate, though obviously not from a business standpoint. We’re gonna save those giant pandas, mark my word. Dodo Bird sounds like Beirut with less Balkan and more DIY. Good, though. I think his whole rhythm section is one drum (plus that clickey thing, but that doesn’t count), which I respect because I always try and record tracks with one drum and usually they end up sounding like shit, mostly because I’m awful at tuning drums and the drum I use hasn’t been tuned since the late seventies. His real name is Meric Long, and he’s someone you should watch out for in coming years. Buy his album—you’ll thank me later. Later being when you’ve finished giving it a full listen. “Horny Hippies” is also a good song, although my reason for thinking so is a bit too personal to write on a blog, y’know? So I picked this one.

- Dominick Duhamel -

Album Review: The OhSees

Here’s another one I wrote awhile ago that I never got around to posting. If you like the OhSees they have a new album, “Sucks Blood”, out now, and it’s worth checking out.


“The Cool Death of Island Raiders”
Narnack; 2006
5/10

John Dwyer is the king of the underground. He is the king because he has always been and will always be the same rare, unappreciated visionary. He will never be famous, he will never be successful, and he will never be accessible. But, rest assured, he will always be behind the scenes, prolific, relentless, and dedicated. Dwyer’s been in more bands than you can count on two hands, contributing guitars, vocals, drums, and a variety of strange sounds to his project of the week before he runs across the country to work on another. He is the patriarch of a strange family; his offspring are the bastard children of the music world.

His latest album with the OhSees is no exception. “The Cool Death of Island Raiders”, released last year on Narnack Records, isn’t going to get much attention from anyone, save the small circles of Dwyer-worshippers across the country. Though the OhSees’ slow shift from Dwyer’s solo outlet to a full, four-member band would seem to make the album more listenable, there still exists a great chasm between the music and the average listener that, in most cases, is impossible to bridge.

This chasm exists largely due to Dave Sitek’s opaque, smothered production. The instruments sound as if they were immersed in swamp water while being recorded: guitar chords disintegrate as soon as they’re hit, obscuring whatever melody they’re meant to establish; the drums sound flat and hollow, robbing the tracks of rhythm and energy; the vocals are one-dimensional and mixed too low; even the experimental textures and musical saws residing in the background aren’t given enough room to breathe.

Somewhere beneath the muddy exterior, however, resides actual music. The album’s questionably titled opening track, “The Guilded Cunt”, is home to some terrific interplay between Dwyer’s cartoonish falsetto and bandmate Brigid Dawson’s simple harmonies. The verses of “The Dumb Drums” feature a tight guitar and drum groove that occasionally gives way to a bright, delayed guitar riff. “Cool Deaths” is a reworking of a classic folk chord progression, with a feedback-infused bridge that provides an interesting contrast to the song’s mellow verses.

But moments like these are rare, and around halfway through the thirty-six minute album the band seems to run out of ideas. The wails of the musical saw grow more and more contrived, the consistently sleepy tempo gets tiresome, and noise breakdowns become little more than uninspired placeholders for unborn melodies. And, as if we needed more proof that the OhSees were having trouble putting the “L” in LP, we’re given “Drone Number One” and “Drone Number Two”, the album’s two longest tracks that together make up almost a third of its play time and feature little more than a tone generator slowly alternating output frequencies.

It’s unclear if the production is meant to veil these shortcomings or simply satisfy Dwyer’s taste for the unconventional, but in either case the result is worse for it, making even the album’s best moments a chore to uncover. And, in the end, the payoff isn’t worth the work it takes to uncover.

“The Cool Death of Island Raiders” is nothing more than a few drops of water to satiate the inhabitants of Dwyer’s thirsty underground kingdom. For the faithful, it’s an assurance that Dwyer isn’t going anywhere, and that he’ll continue to rein in near-obscurity, adding dull and flawed gems to his crown for some time to come. For the rest of us, it’s an album that’s easy to hate and even easier to ignore.

Download:
The OhSees - The Guilded Cunt [mp3]
The OhSees - The Dumb Drums [mp3]
The OhSees - Cool Deaths [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Live: Dr. Dog 3/14/07

Dr. Dog is an incredible live band and anyone who was at their show last Wednesday at the Troubadour will tell you the same thing. I had a great spot relative to the stage and managed to take a bunch of great pictures, so I’ll let them speak for themselves:


Scott McMicken


Toby Leaman




Frank McElroy, who is nineteen feet tall.




Yes, Toby is completely in the air in this shot.


Scott’s multi-dimensional nature emerging for a brief moment.

Download:
Dr. Dog - My Old Ways [mp3]
Dr. Dog - Say Something [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Live: Menomena 3/10/07

Menomena’s Saturday night show at the Echo was met with a crowd that did anything but hide its adoration. The three handled their often-tricky material expertly (at one point Justin Harris was playing a bass keyboard with his feet, playing guitar, and singing at the same time) and, with an army of new and excellent songs from “Friend and Foe”, the audience left the show with their love for Menomena growing exponentially.


Damn you redeye, damn you. But check out Justin’s sweet baritone sax.


Brent Knopf looks like he’s nineteen years old. Oh yeah, and he’s a computer programming genius. His vocals on “The Monkey’s Back” during the encore were haunting and incredible—easily the highlight of the night.


Danny Seim is eight feet tall. And treats the drums accordingly.



Download:
Menomena - The Pelican [mp3]
Menomena - The Monkey’s Back [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Live: The Parson Red Heads 3/10/07

Last Saturday at the Echo, Menomena couldn’t have asked for a better opening act. Drawing most their songs from their debut full-length, the excellent “King Giraffe” (which came out a couple weeks ago), the Parson Red Heads’ eight-song set was one of the more joyful concert experiences I’ve had in a long time. The band, whose members performed clothed in white (tinged with red), knows that there’s power in numbers: with a total of ten musicians onstage, their sunny sixties psych rock was not only being played to but shared with the audience, whose members willingly gave themselves over to the Parson Red Heads’ sense of family, community, and wonderful musicianship. It was a show that felt full of love in more ways than one, an aesthetic that, in retrospect, makes a lot of other live bands feel distant and cold. This band is something special and, along with Bodies of Water, they deserve the attention of the Los Angeles music scene more than any other group right now.


The Parson Red Heads’ frontman and chief songwriter, Evan Way. He can’t be taller than five foot nine, but you’d never know it from the quiet confidence he exudes.


Jason Wrightman, Erin Way, and Aaron Ballard. I swear that, between Jason and Erin, there has never been such whole-hearted tambourine-slapping in a live performance. Ever.


Dane Garrard and Evan Way. GUITAR SOLO.


Aaron Ballard playing harmonica (which goes nicely with his vest-bandana ensemble).



Download:
The Parson Red Heads - Punctual As Usual [mp3]
The Parson Red Heads - Full Moon [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Live: Sebadoh 3/9/07

It’s the last week of school before finals for me (and the other UCLA writers) so, barring the (slim) possibility of another writer turning something in, we’re going to be posting nothing but concert photos through next Monday. To kick it off, here are some photos from SEBADOH! JASON, LOU, AND ERIC! THREE GUYS WHO THINK IT’S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IF THE MUSIC IS HEARTFELT RATHER THAN IF THE MUSIC SOUNDS LIKE SHIT OR NOT!


Ajay Saggar, the Liam Gallagher-imitating singer and bassist of The Bent Moustache, an endlessly entertaining live band from the Netherlands (they sound sorta like Art Brut with more energy but less direction) that opened for Sebadoh.


Lou Barlow’s such a badass. And he totally knows it. His best line of the night: “I like the key of D sharp. It’s low enough to be scary but high enough to be happy. Kinda like Sebadoh.”


Eric Gaffney, back with Sebadoh for the first time in fourteen years.


Jason Loewenstein (after finishing the coolest version of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” I’ve ever heard, complete with Lou screaming mindlessly): “No more covers!”


Lou (to Eric): “Jason says no more covers!”



Download:
Sebadoh - The Freed Pig [mp3]
Sebadoh - As the World Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Track Review: Deerhoof

“Believe E.S.P.”
from “Friend Opportunity”
8/10

The word “groove” is thrown around pretty carelessly these days. I’m not sure when every crackerjack asshole with a pair of drumsticks in his hand and a passable internal metronome became a commander of grooves, but it has to stop. The word “beat” is much more appropriate—a beat is something you can write down on paper, something you can program into a drum machine, can keep time to. A groove is a whole different animal—it’s got soul, it communicates, it harnesses and releases energy like no other beat can.

But in a time that society as a whole can rarely distinguish the soul from the soulless and the passionate from the carefully crafted, the notion of groove is being abused. It is this bleak, dying image of the hip-shaking world that Deerhoof (and its drummer, Greg Saunier) has come to save with little more than a song three minutes seven seconds in length and the most infectious cowbell this side of “Don’t Fear the Reaper”.

But while the Blue Oyster Cult classic tune required an obnoxious Will Ferrel to get itself in the heads of its viewers, Deerhoof lets it speak for itself. Let me talk about this groove a little bit more. If you were somehow transported to a strange and distant world where the barely-humanoid creatures were ruthless and man-eating but also somewhat rhythmically challenged, your only chance of escape would be to whip out your copy of “Friend Opportunity” (which, of course, you have on your body at all times for a situation just like this, even though your friends tell you you’re a dumbass and draw obscene things on your face at night simply because you’re such a heavy sleeper), find a giant stereo (which may or may not exist on a planet of rhythmically-challenged aggressive alien beings), blast “Believe E.S.P. at full volume, and smell the horrible stench their sulfur-based bodies exude as they melt in the glorious but debilitating groove to end all grooves. It would be kind of like that scene in the Mario Brothers movie where Mario and Luigi are in the elevator about to get captured by the goombas but neutralize them with a song that makes them bob their heads uselessly. Which is also probably the only scene of that movie that’s worth any of your time.

Greg Saunier and Deerhoof: using incredible grooves to save wayward interdimensional travelers from death since 2007.

(Also, the rest of this song is pretty awesome, especially Satomi’s verse melody and the fragmented instrument breakdown toward the end. Just so you know.)

Download:
Deerhoof - Believe E.S.P. [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Track Review: Boris & Michio Kurihara

A quick sidenote: If you haven't noticed already, I added a couple new features to the sidebar. The first is an archive of all the concert photos we've posted thus far, and the second (below "Links") is a list of notable upcoming concerts in Los Angeles, which will be updated every week, if all goes according to plan.


“Rainbow”
from “Rainbow”
9/10

The last year’s been good to Boris. Not only did they release “Pink”, their most accessible and critically well-received album to date, in America but they also had the opportunity to cut an album of gloriously dark sludge metal with Sunn0))). They’ve been working at a breakneck pace and, judging by their new album with Michio Kurihara, they’re not going to let up.

For those of you who’ve gotten a bit sick of Boris’ often high-intensity listens, this album is just what the doctor ordered. Kurihara’s brand of mellow psychedelia not only complements Boris’ style, but builds a whole new world for it: a hazy, dream of a world loaded with nearly as much atmosphere as quiet charm. Even the louder, more aggressive Boris-style tracks benefit from this approach: the songs feel less like you’re being punched in the face and more like you’re trying to do karate underwater.

“Rainbow” is among the slower songs on the album, but easily one of the best. The verses are simple, relying on a static beat, sparing plucks of an electric guitar, and a slinking bass line—I would say, coupled with Wata’s quiet, slithering vocals, that the verses are borderline lounge rock (though it goes without saying that it’d probably be the best lounge rock ever). But then 2:10 happens.

The juxtaposition that occurs over the next minute and a half is incredible. Kurihara takes a guitar solo that is, quite literally, perfect. His guitar tone is incredible: treble-boosted, trembling, and dirty as hell—it would almost sound fragile, if not for the confidence with which every note is attacked. Every note sounds as if it’s barely in Kurihara’s control, making the whole solo a series of suspenseful moments, waiting for the guitar to implode in on itself, to self-destruct.

In placing this bête sauvage of a solo beside Wata’s introspective vocal delivery, its effect is stunning. The first two minutes of the song is equivalent to standing on chaos’ edge, looking inward and reflecting, before plunging into a sea of turmoil and doubt, only to come out the other side a minute and a half later. Its as vibrant as an inward journey can be when communicated through music in another language. That a song in Japanese can hold its own emotionally, even next to songs in English with intimate and understandable lyrics, is incredible, and a perfect example of the astounding affect that can spring when a group like Boris works relentlessly to expand its musical palette.

Download:
Boris & Michio Kurihara - Rainbow [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -

Live: Bodies of Water 3/2/07

I’ve posted about Bodies of Water once before, when I took fancy to a song they posted on their website, but Friday night at the Echo, my fancy blossomed into obsession. There weren’t a ton of people there—I counted sixty, maybe seventy tops—but they still performed like they were in a sold out arena, bellowing every note at the top of their lungs with a passion too omnipresent to be anything but totally sincere. As fantastic as their music is on album, it is not until you hear it live that it really starts to take shape, that its dynamic, four-part vocal arrangements transcend the traditional performer-audience bounds and become a part of the mass consciousness, not only by their visible fervor but by the loving, beating heart that resides behind it. Check out their website for more info, as well as some cool pictures and designs. You can also can buy their three-song EP from Insound. No doubt you’ll hear about these guys from me again but, for now, live photos:


The Spires were, a pretty decent, if not a little boring, opening band. They sound like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah would if they were a garage-rock duo.


Bodies of Water’s Meredith Metcalf, probably the most devastatingly charming stage presence I’ve ever seen. And a hell of a good singer on top of that.


David and Meredith, husband and wife as well as Bodies of Water’s lead singers.


Awesome moment, shitty picture. David pounds the shit out of a xylophone.


Kyle Gladden: rocking both the tambourine and early signs of a mullet.





Download:
Bodies of Water - These Are The Eyes [mp3]
Bodies of Water - Doves Circle The Sky [mp3]

- Dominick Duhamel -