Others may have live tapes to share, and I may digitize some obscure vinyl this weekend. But for now, I can certainly share one undignified photo from early 1993 when Unrest crashed in my dorm room after playing a show at Princeton.
Part of what's happened was a cross-country move (NYC to SF) and a new job. That was enough to throw anyone off his or her game... assuming the game was there in the first place.
But more relevantly, I've shifted my "posting" gears to a parallel Tumblr site. I'm probably going to put this Movable Type site into permanent archive mode soon (though leaving it accessible to the Googlebots) and redirect the primary URL to Tumblr. It's just more convenient to use, whether on laptop or my mobile phone of choice, and far more conducive to a sense of "community" than this stand-alone presence ever could be.
The easiest way to see what's going on in my life (real world and online) remains my Twitter feed, where most Tumblr posts (and a fair number of Last.fm auto-posts) also appear. I also finally have a couple Spotify playlists that may be expanded (unless I relocate all of them somewhere like Mixcloud).
In the meantime, let's celebrate one of those rare occasions when it's OK that multiple songs essentially share the same title.
]]>We're in the process of preparing a memorial edition of "Nocturnal Transmissions" for this coming Friday, April 8, beginning at 22:00 (UTC -4). In the meantime, trip back with me by enjoying the long-time entrance theme to the program...
From the album "In-A-Gadda-Da-Oswald and Other Audio Tales" (1997, self-released).
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Sadly, Mr. Robinette came to my attention only in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. But his interview with then-Mayor Ray Nagin remains one of the most searing moments of that tragic time. As I've done in the past, I think it's worth sharing that interview again. It's about 14 minutes long, and it still stings... but now in the realization of what hasn't changed despite the city's efforts to recover.
I really do need to make another trip to Louisiana -- I've only been there twice, and never down into the bayous. Between the destruction of the wetlands and the city's constant battle against the environment, I'm convinced that chances to experience this unique place are quickly slipping away.
]]>RedCountry.Com: "California Uber Alles and the Dead Kennedys' Coming Revival"
]]>I'm not here to quibble with the list -- it's worth your time to plow through and enjoy some slamming soul beats and a few back-stories along the way. Instead, I was struck by hearing #10, a Kool and the Gang jam from 1969 that immediately had me scrambling for the single biggest punch-line used against me in college radio. My question: which band used this core riff first?
Kool & The Gang - Chocolate Buttermilk
Chicago Transit Authority - Beginnings
Seriously, spend a few hours poking through the originals and the sampled uses... a fantastic-ly old school way to start a weekend.
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From the thoroughly geek-tastic XKCD.
]]>Happy holidays. Please do what you can to enjoy this reflective season even when things are still falling apart around us.
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I was fortunate enough to share in the festivities, mostly in a logistical capacity but also behind the controls for an otherwise unloved slot beginning at 2am local time. I don't know that I pulled off anything special, but I certainly enjoyed myself and got a few guffaws and woots from the folks working the phones. Time to start challenging myself in some new ways for the next broadcast...
]]> Deadly Tango Radio| Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor City 5 | I Want You Right Now | Kick Out The Jams | Elektra | Finally figured out that this is the original of Halo of Flies' "Drunk In Detroit" |
| Godwin Ironbar and His High-Life Rock | Okpenobodi | Godwin Ironbar | HT: WFMU's Doug Schulkind | |
| Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden | Bonkers | 12" | (NP) | |
| The Dø | Playground Hustle | A Mouthful | Get Down! | (N) Norwegian pop, pronounced "Doe" |
| Champagne Socialists | Teardrop Tattoo | demo | self-released | (NP) |
| McCarthy | Celestial City | NME C86 | Rough Trade | (C) Featuring future members of Stereolab |
| The xx | Infinity | XX | XL | (N) |
| Let's Wrestle | My Arms Don't Bend That Way, Damn It! Insects |
In The Court Of The Wrestling Let's | Stolen Recordings | (NP) Probably my favorite album released year-to-date. |
| Egyptian Hip Hop | Rad Pitt | Egyptian Hip Hop | self-released | (NP) |
| Serengeti and Polyphonic | Playing In Subway Stations | Terradactyl | Anticon | (N) |
| Augustus Pablo | Islington Rock | East Of The River Nile | Shanachie | |
| Little Boots | Remedy | Hands | 679 | (NP) Disappointing at album-length, but pop hooks are definitely there |
| Brown Recluse | Contour and Context | The Soft Skin | Slumberland | (N) |
| David McWilliams | The Days of Pearly Spencer | The Original Psychedelic Album | EMI Gold (UK) | (C) Not exactly an accurate title... |
| The Moles | Lonely Hearts Get What They Deserve | Untune The Sky | Seaside | One of the finest baroque pop albums ever. |
| Attila The Stockbroker | Russians In McDonalds | Poems Ancient and Modern | Roundhead | Nearly unhinged. Definitely hysterical. |
| Miaow | Break The Code | When It All Comes Down | LTM | (OP) Reissue of complete discography |
| The Gaslamp Killer | Baiafro | My Troubled Mind | self-released | (N) |
| BLK JKS | Taxidermy | After Robots | Secretly Canadian | (N) |
| Teenage Panzerkorps | Unfavorable Meanings | Games For Slaves | Siltbreeze | (NP) |
| The Seeds | I Can't Seem To Make You Mine | The Seeds | GNP Crescendo | |
| The Renderers | Dream Of The Sea | A Dream Of The Sea | Siltbreeze | This is how one borrows and builds on a classic riff. |
| The Terminals | Deadly Tango | Touch | Last Visible Dog | Remaster/reissue of one of my continuing inspirations |
| Speech Debelle | The Key | Speech Therapy | Big Dada | (NP) 2009 Mercury Prize Winner |
| Young Marble Giants | Eating Noddemix | Colossal Youth | Domino | (OE) re-issue |
| Au Revoir Simone | Knight Of Wands | Still Night, Still Light | Our Secret Record Co. | (N) |
| Tim McCarver | One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) | Tim McCarver Sings Selections From The Great American Songbook | Archer | (NP) Method singing at its finest. |
(R) = request
(C) = compilation
(NE) = station new emphasis
(OE) = recent but older acquisition (e.g. reissue)
(NP) = new from personal collection
(OP) = recent but older acquisition from personal collection
First, it's good to see that people are still remembering and sharing their thoughts on New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Over the past few years, I've offered my own commentary and recollection on the city and storm, along with the now-infamous Nagin/Robinette interview during the disaster. Love or hate him, Ray Nagin did hit the nail on the head in these ten minutes.
Listen (and read) again, experience the shock and devastation again, and make this year the year that you don't just brush aside the tragedy.
======================
Second, it's now been 12 years since a car chase of uncertain origin ended in a tunnel in Paris, resulting in the deaths of Dodi Al-Fayed (heir to the Harrod's fortune) and Diana, Princess of Wales. I recall sitting in a bar in Madison, WI, just before the start of my second year of law school, somewhat shocked that the crash was really the only story on TV that evening even in a bar that should have had the Brewers game (or Packers pre-season hysteria).
The good boys of Let's Wrestle, likely 6-7 years old at the time, have offered their own tribute in the form of "Diana's Hair." The song was written a year ago, so that opening line is slightly off, but "ell-leh-ven" just sets up the song so beautifully ... I've had this song running through my head for most of the day -- melancholy descending chorus, brooding disillusionment, and thoroughly random tale of youthful peeping tommery.
From the album "In The Court Of The Wrestling Let's" (2009, Stolen Recordings).
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This was my first trip to The Bell House, another venue from the team that runs Union Hall (a few blocks away in Park Slope). This converted Gowanus warehouse feels more like an old barn/banquet hall, with exposed rafters and concrete floor, rusticized paint job on plaster walls, and wood latticework behind bar. Wider than it is deep, with lots of standing room in the wings behind band. (Bonus points for the great beers out front; the performance space sacrifices taps but adds some surprising choices in cans.)
]]> Knight School opened with its own trip down the well-beaten path of shambling fuzz-pop a few generations removed from, but clearly related to, common influences like Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. The entertaining but weightless songs were not helped by a PA mix that couldn't differentiate the high end. There's some quality here, but also room for growth.Let's Wrestle suggests what Pavement would have become without the detour into "AM Gold" territory. Dominant bass melodies hook up with wacky and sometimes ironic lyrics, culminating in frayed, flannel-wrapped pop songs with metal hearts. "I Won't Lie To You" and "Man with Pica Syndrome" killed (and even had a few people singing along), not enough people recognized the brilliance of "Diana's Hair," and the remainder of the set featured songs from the recently released, highly recommended album on Stolen Recordings. I was at this show specifically to see Let's Wrestle and got everything I could have asked for. Put simply, a performance like this is how one recharges the noise-pop batteries.
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have received plenty of hype and this was their big home show before heading to SXSW and points west. POBPAH seem to be the leaders in "Slumberland 2.0" (as a label and a sound), firmly anchored in the happy, upbeat side of 80s-style brit fuzz pop. The live show includes a side order of Cheap Trick-ish anthemry, minus the hammy showmanship and the gifts tossed on stage. The combination left me a little befuddled -- we all need our Cocoa Pebbles sometimes, but now I understand how the "elders" must have felt about my reaction to Slumberland 1.0. It's not like Mike and Archie were hiding their influences, but they brought a sense of individuality I didn't see on this night. The crowd was an odd mix of obsessive and ridiculously polite, to the point of being disconnected while present and carrying on like this band could save their lives. I'll certainly give POBPAH another chance, but this show just didn't do it for me.
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Nearly three years ago, I noted my support for this display of a then-commonly-held sentiment.
Given what continues to be uncovered, and even with the change in administrations, I think the message holds true for the former administration with one small change... the "I" should now stand for "INDICT," since "IMPEACH" is no longer necessary.
I suppose the noun should also be plural. There are more than enough offenses, allegations, and currently unemployed/under-employed attorneys to handle the whole shooting match...
]]>The xx evokes an odd early 80s melange, drifting between Eyeless In Gaza, early Depeche Mode and Cure, hints of Human League, and even Young Marble Giants. Live rhythm box/drum machine, bass, guitar, and then gtr or synth, with switches of male and female vox that evoke gothic moonlit walks through the woods without being "goth." The sonic sparseness and fragility allows imaginations to run wild until crashing into an unfamiliar riff or break. I want them to work up a cover of Joe Crow's "Compulsion" -- and that's a compliment to both the original song and the future cover.
Sadly, the music making the blog rounds doesn't always capture what the live set featured. Some of those recordings and rips and demos work, but others feel compressed. The music isn't exactly "remix ready" but that hasn't stopped the hype-mongers from pursuing that route, either. I hope that the album captures the sparseness and spaciousness -- they would honestly benefit from a Steve Albini recording session. The sound needs to be clean, unprocessed, straight-forward -- minimizing the studio trickery and overproduction that would deflect attention from the spacious performances.
Pianos captured the sonic quality requirements perfectly, while I fear that Friday's show at South Street Seaport will obscure the music with too many distractions. It's not like the band has a dynamic, active stage presence -- but the songs have talons that don't let go until the next one is ready. The set was barely 30 minutes and could have been 130 minutes for all I cared. Definitely worth hunting down, and I'll see what I can do about reviewing the album whenever I can scare up a copy.
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