picture streets of vienna

Weddin'

2010-07-27T11:05:00.004-04:00

I'm less stressed now, sucka.

All the preparations paid in full. All of the procrastination in doing so didn't cost me. I had what I needed, and when the time came, I delivered.

Last Saturday was the wedding of my friends Jessica and Chris. 'This guy' provided music entertainment. I'll admit, once I worked out the rookie jitters, assuming the role of DJ Mikey V was hella fun. I learned a lot from the whole experience; how to make old people dance, how to shoot down requests to hear Soulja Boy, how to hold my liquor on the job, etc.

Chris, the groom, paid for a one-hour extension on the bar... and we all thanked him for it. This party was not meant to end around ten o'clock.

Congrats to my friends who got themselves 'all married up'. All my best goes out to Chris and Jess.

One More Time - Daft Punk
Curs in the Weeds - Horse Feathers
January Wedding - The Avett Brothers
Sway (acoustic) - Bic Runga

The madness continues...

2010-07-17T19:04:00.004-04:00

Out tonight for more drinks, cigarettes, lovely company...

Have a great weekend, ya'll.

Dance Yrself Clean - LCD Soundsystem

It's been a couple of weeks...

2010-07-16T14:02:00.004-04:00

It's been a fan-fucking-tastic July thus far. I went ahead and got entirely distracted from everything and anything. But, I thoroughly enjoyed myself while doing so. It's time to pick up the pieces and merge back into life as I kind of once knew it. This will involve making good with certain people again and pumping out the motherfucking jams.

We'll start today. Everything will once start. Something new and very good has happened to me and I'm finally ready to share myself with the world outside my apartment again. This can most conveniently be done via The Internetz.

Throw some Glimr your way is what I'm gonna do. Have at it, hoss.

Sunburned at Midnight - Glimr

Happy 4th!! (Boomy ones!)

2010-07-04T17:50:00.003-04:00

Things are most certainly changing... and I'm excited!

I'll be off to 4th of July celebrations and fireworks at the local park on this, what will hopefully become, clear and starry evening.

No sour notes here. Refrained from giving you Soundgarden or Elliott Smith... nothing is fucked here. Good times ahead! Happy. Fun. Time. With an emphasis on 'fun'.

Light a Roman Candle with Me - fun.

Revisiting a mix from last year; Matt Pryor gets me

2010-07-02T11:20:00.005-04:00

Life is a convoluted mess, at times. Expectations are killers. Immense complications require swift resolution. I can understand these things.

I've found myself enjoying a mix I made for someone two Augusts ago. It's funny that the mixes that you make for other people can actually be the one mix that you needed to make for yourself. You know that nobody would have appreciated it as much as you do.

So, with that, the last few days I've been enjoying this almost year old collection of songs that I can really identify with currently. Many things in my life run in one-year cycles. The need for this specific case of music therapy keeps the trend. The late-night walks home, the mornings spent alone with acidic palate-cleansing of a cup of black coffee, trips to work on buses in absolute thought evaporation; these are times I've been listening to "You're A Wolf" by Sea Wolf and "Jump Start" by The Hang Ups and "Lover's Spit" by Broken Social Scene.

I would have shared the whole mix with you, but it's for me...

But, I'll offer you one song that will always resonate with me; applicable to all situations deemed fucked or sticky. So once given to a girl named Linda, a mix completed on August 12th of last year; here's track one...

A Totally New Year - Matt Pryor

P L A Y List: Summer Songs

2010-06-29T12:03:00.004-04:00

Summer is eight days old already. My last post was over a week ago. And, the last P L A Y List was quite some time before that. All of this means it's about time to give you something fitting for the new season.

Summer to me means a whole lot of nothing good. I dwell on the bugs and the allergies and the terrible Pennsylvanian humidity. I'm not a 'people person', so I enjoy a season when there are a whole let less of them out and about. I don't vacation often, and when I do, it's to some Northern city with a good music festival or bars that stay open past 2am. I'm not a beach guy. I don't dream of sand while listening to Jack Johnson or Jimmy Buffett.

While I could have given you something more subdued or depressing, you may have not appreciated it. So, I'm trying to keep a light, positive attitude; being that this summer, so far, has been unnaturally kind to me.

It's Summertime - The Flaming Lips
Go Jetsetter - The Postmarks
A Summer Wasting - Belle & Sebastian
Northern Lights - Bowerbirds
Bummer in the Summer - Love
Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith
Cocaine and Ashes - Son Volt
Pain Killer (Summer Rain) - Turin Brakes
Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway - Wilco

Interpol/Twin Tigers at Mr. Small's... 'This is why I hold you... '

2010-06-24T19:43:00.004-04:00

Interpol made Pittsburgh one of its few June tour stops with a performance last night at Mr. Small's Theater. With bassist Carlos Dengler recently out of the picture, former Slint player David Pajo joined Banks, Fogarino, and Kessler on stage for a celebratory set featuring plenty of choice cuts from the band's first two albums. No reason to believe otherwise, but let's hope Pajo is more than just a stopgap. Nice review of the show at spinner.com can be seen here.

Athens, Georgia's very own Twin Tigers lead things off with an impressive set before Interpol graced the converted church's stage. I've now found myself sifting through tracks off of the Twin Tigers' 2010 release, Gray Waves. Last night proved to be a thankful introduction to this band.

Lights - Interpol
Passive Idol - Twin Tigers

Horse or Cycle: who says Pittsburgh doesn't have good bands?!?

2010-06-17T01:57:00.003-04:00

Local act Horse or Cycle has a new record out called Flood Season. This post is for all of the labels out there. If you want to hear more, just let me know!!

Two Hearts - Horse or Cycle

Les Shelleys preview

2010-06-13T18:15:00.006-04:00

I wanted to follow up that last post with a little taster of what one might expect going down to the Les Shelleys show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville tomorrow night. I will be in attendance for the charming performance of one Tom Brosseau and one Angela Correa, playing together as the duo known as Les Shelleys.

I would describe them as an old-timey, harmonizing acoustic duet à la She & Him. Brosseau is a storyteller singer/songwriter from North Dakota. He's been known to write about his home state, having released an album titled Grand Forks--after the town he grew up in. Correa is from San Diego where she plays with her self-named band Correatown. Her music has been featured on television programs like Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother.

I've provided a quaint little number from their self-titled Fat Cat release... enjoy!!

Rum and Coca-Cola - Les Shelleys

Chipped/Chopped Ham

2010-06-13T14:29:00.007-04:00

I feel like I've done Pittsburgh justice in my lifetime. I've lived here my whole life and I've pretty much done all of the things that I've wanted to do--things exclusive to this great city. Pittsburgh certainly has its charm, which makes it easy to embrace. The arts, the music, the food, the people, most definitely the bars; I've been to most places and enjoyed them.

On a music note, I've been to all of the good venues and most of the bad ones. While I am obviously too young to have experienced a show at the Electric Banana or the Crawford Grill or the Syria Mosque, I've seen my fair share of events at Club Laga and Graffiti and Metropol and Rosebud. I've been to Diesel before it was Diesel when it was Nick's Fat City. It's important to live in a city and know all the stomps. At least, I think so.

I've always wanted to clean up my list, so to speak; a list that I've comprised of all of the places I've yet to go and all of the things I've yet to experience. I knocked one off this morning and had breakfast in one of Pittsburgh's infamous diners--Isaly's.

For those unknowing, Isaly's is renowned for chipped/chopped ham. One site claims this deli meat to be one of Pittsburgh's original four food groups. Sliced paper thin, layered on a bun with a slice of cheese (and maybe some hometown BBQ sauce); this type of sandwich holds a very special place in this city's illustrious history.

One of the only surviving locations nestles in Pittsburgh's neighborhood to the north, West View. I've been spending a lot of time in West View lately and decided to have me some breakfast at the little hotspot diner on Perry Highway. Kudos to the service (four coffee refills in 45 minutes!), the food (ham and eggs with white toast), the decor (loads of wall photos of historic Pittsburgh, West View, and the defunct West View Park), and the overall feel of the restaurant. It made me appreciate this city even more to be there.

* * * * *

I'm gearing up for tomorrow's Les Shelleys show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville. After a few errands run, I'll be back home to further enjoy the new record from this duo. More on this show at a later date, of course!

Diamond Ring - Joseph Arthur & the Lonely Astronauts

(Perhaps, your very own introduction to) Richard Youngs

2010-06-11T02:07:00.005-04:00

Before you do anything else, please check out this experimental British folktronica artist that I've been following for a few years now. I can't tell you how many times I've enjoyed playing his fitting autumnal track "Low Bay of Sky" and I am always looking forward to new records. The first one's off of Jagjaguwar's 2009 release Under Stellar Stream.

His name is Richard Youngs. And, we would all be happy if he toured more (although, it is noted that he finds playing live shows to be altogether stressful for himself).

My Mind Is In Garlands - Richard Youngs
Low Bay of Sky - Richard Youngs

Wasted Daylight

2010-06-11T01:58:00.002-04:00

New from Stars...

Enjoy!

Wasted Daylight - Stars

Gultskra Artikler - Galaktika

2010-06-09T15:51:00.005-04:00

Gultskra Artikler
Galaktika
(Other Electricities)
Rating: 3.3 of 5

Wordless music albums must rely on their sonic textures to achieve imagery. Moscow-based avant-garde artist Alexey Devyanin has the grasp on this. Under the name Gultskra Artikler, Devyanin has come out with Galaktika—an ambient voyage through the nihility of hope in space.

With looped noise obscenely interrupting each mix, each drone track on Galaktika is engraved with its own signature—developing the interpretive full-length as a whole. Disturbing echoed choir vocals groan unintelligible syllables during dissolutions before synthetic and tendriled percussion tracks make shapes until the glob of sound becomes distortedly congealed.

Galaktika gets about as close to terrestrial as earth’s orbit, but not nearly as constant or calculated. The record’s course drifts along in zero gravity; hurtling aimlessly and spinning dark-colored streaks of light across the dregs of visible space. Artikler’s long-player could even soundtrack the next Ridley Scott sci-fi production; such as the unwordly “Nanorobot” would prove upon one closed-eyed listen.

Artikler’s work is very cinematic in arrangement. Similar soundscape sequences to 2001: A Space Odyssey can be heard beginning “Sputnik”; evolving into the sine wave whirr that would dissipate into thin slishes at the end of the track. The mostly melodic and introspective synth progression of “Asteroid” follows, nearing the end of the album. What kind of angel the final track is named after, I can only fear to know.

Industrial burbles sounding like heavy metal doors heaving, cringing digital squeals clucking on like megacomputers thinking, multiple semitones wavering in and out; Gultskra Artikler’s Galaktika is an intrepid, riveting affair.

Galaktika - Gultskra Artikler

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Benadryl and the lull to come...

2010-06-08T02:19:00.002-04:00

It's early on a Tuesday morning, but I like to think of it as late on a Monday night. But Monday is gone. And, such a strange day it was.

I was so tripped out at work from taking a Benadryl on an empty stomach. Work proved difficult afterward. Finally made my way back home to pass out for an hour and a half. Since I've awakened, I've been to the bar and back. Three beers down, I still feel like I'm moving in slow motion.

I wanted to post something fitting, so here goes...

Dragonfly - Low

Joseph Arthur at Liquid Sundays; five tracks that are new and awesome...

2010-06-04T12:24:00.004-04:00

After a long workday yesterday, I decided to grab a coffee and a bite at the ol' donut shop and bullshit with my pal Bruce. I took with me the new City Paper, as I was going to catch up on the complete summer concert schedule here in Pittsburgh. Bruce and I chatted about sex, drugs, death, and country music; it was nice to kill two hours.

In the listings, a show this Sunday caught my eye. Joseph Arthur is playing (and painting) at J. Verno Studios on 3030 Jane Street in the South Side of Pittsburgh with Harlan Twins and Long Time Darlings as a part of the Liquid Sundays event. The show starts at 6pm. Five artists are featuring work in mosaics, photography, graphic art, and live graffiti. There is also a laser cutting display by Epilog Laser. Yuengling beer will be provided free of charge. 21 and over, and we're talking about $15. It's a must see.

www.liquidsundays.com

I was also delighted to see that The National are making a September stop to the 'Burgh (accompanied by Owen Pallett) and Broken Social Scene is coming to the Byham Theater in the Cultural District. A very exciting summer indeed.

I'll be glad to post more info upon request. Hope to see you and one or all of these events.

To go with the theme of 'new and exciting', here are five new tracks that may leave you wanting more...

Constellation Dirtbike Head - Tobacco
Volunteers - Megafaun
Congratulations - MGMT
Saturday Come Slow (feat. Damon Albarn) - Massive Attack
Thursday - Noisia

Pre-summer update and a song by Gary Higgins

2010-06-01T12:11:00.007-04:00

Summer in Pittsburgh is well on its way. A few new interviews are in the works... and the review list keeps getting longer and longer. Lots to do, lots to do, lots to do...

The upcoming summer concert list is very eye-catching; with the likes of Mates of State, Interpol, Tom Brosseau, the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and many cool local bands donning the bill. Just came off fresh from a wild and crazy Of Montreal/Noot D'Noot show. More on those two bands to come...

I'm going to make an honest effort to keep things pretty simple for June, and I'm looking forward to it. I hope everyone is enjoying these last trickles of the spring and ready to jump ahead into the summer months. Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and I'm in high spirits. Aside from the overly hot weather and annoying high pollen count in the air, this will be a very enjoyable and fruitful summer. Here's to all!

Looking For June - Gary Higgins

Blog Neglect

2010-05-31T18:10:00.002-04:00

Picture Streets has been suffering from a big of 'blog neglect'. Let's carry it into the next month with something fitting...

Wait Til June - The Go-Betweens

The Young Friends - Hella

2010-05-30T22:25:00.003-04:00

The Young Friends
Hella
(Moodgadget Records)
Rating: 2.9 of 5

A little different from their usual lineup of electronic artists, Moodgadget Records took a chance on a couple of adolescents making inviting beach pop with the release of Hella by The Young Friends. Three chords and three minutes mark the limit on seven summery songs.

The subject matter may not exceed any expectations from a couple of fresh-outta-high-schoolers, but a nice pop sensibility is ever present throughout. It’s true that the songs kind of bleed into each other; making it hard to remember one over another, but the naivety and charm in the delivery is somewhat endearing.

The vocals are mostly moaned out overtop of bright chinsy guitar lines that are a little too insistent—particularly on “North End”. The drumming is a bit lackluster and static in a ‘played via keyboard’ kind of way. But, the energy is still here.

The first track, “Be My Baby”, glides along some breezy guitar passages—making the most out of its repetitious choruses. The bass parts are undermixed and seem to exist out of necessity. The handclaps on “Riverside Kids” give the album a youthful merriment. Who knows, it sounds like it could have been a really fun album to record. Perhaps, The Young Friends could have utilized a tremolo box for the guitars on a track or two.

Certainly without the bookworm lyrical depth of Vampire Weekend, The Young Friends still put out singalong bouncers in a similar approach. Potential might be a dangerous word to use, but honestly, let’s wait until they grow up a bit.

Be My Baby - The Young Friends

Buy this album

Of Montreal, to a roller rink near me...

2010-05-28T16:09:00.003-04:00

Of Montreal is playing at the Ches-a-rena Roller Rink tonight in Cheswick, PA off of Route 28 for twenty bucks. They're playing with Noot D'Noot. Be there or be square...

It shall be a fun time...

Happy Friday, ya'll!

***L I N K***

Full Coverage (Vol. 2: Bob Dylan)

2010-05-22T11:45:00.005-04:00

It's a rainy Saturday morning... and about time to put up another issue for Full Coverage. This one's most surely a crowd pleaser--it might be early, but we're gonna do Bob Dylan.

* * * * *

There have been so many renditions of Dylan tunes over the years to include, and I didn't want to steal from too many selections from the well-put-together I'm Not There soundtrack. So, among classics are some fun ones... enjoy!

Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands - Phoenix
Lay Lady Lay - Magnet & Gemma Hayes
Buckets of Rain - Neko Case
It Ain't Me, Babe - Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash
Ballad of a Thin Man - Stephen Malkmus & the Million Dollar Bashers
Down Along the Cove - Johnny Jenkins
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - The Places
Fourth Time Around - Yo La Tengo
Blowin' In The Wind - Marianne Faithfull
Early Mornin' Rain (Gordon Lightfoot cover) - Bob Dylan

'So I best be on my way / in the early mornin' rain.'

True Womanhood - Basement Membranes EP

2010-05-21T15:46:00.004-04:00

True Womanhood
Basement Membranes EP
(Environmental Aesthetics)
Rating: 4.1 out of 5

Like a dirty mass of glacial ice, True Womanhood carves deep distinguishable grooves in the haunts of avant pop song confinement. Taking strange cues from bands like Slowdive, Sonic Youth, and No Age; the trio’s sound is sonically conglomeratic. The marriage of the ethereal with the guttural on their latest EP, Basement Membranes, will keep your head swimming like too many spoonfuls of Robitussin. You’ve got to love it when D.C. sounds this good.

The sour note dirge of the colossal second track “Dignitas” shifts from discordant guitar grunge into a gaze-y hypnotic bridge and back again—all to a steady timpani shuffle. Thomas Redmond’s vocals are a perfect match for this swatch of post-punk revivalism.

Cutting back in from the dreamy feedback spills are the whipping guitar chugs on the trembling “Rubber Buoys”. Perhaps the highpoint is appropriately right at the beginning of the record with the Radiohead-conjuring “The Monk”; featuring lines like ‘we tried and failed’ and ‘we eat our young’.

Aurally darker than some ears can tolerate, True Womanhood’s recent contribution to a UK compilation ("This is Wind Fucker") was eschewed on the grounds that it sounded like a ‘chant to the devil’. If curiosity doesn’t set in for you from there, I don’t know what it takes.

The Monk - True Womanhood
This is Wind Fucker (unreleased) - True Womanhood

Buy this album

Judson Claiborne - Time and Temperature

2010-05-14T12:46:00.002-04:00

Judson Claiborne
Time and Temperature
(La Société Expéditionnaire)
Rating: 3.3 of 5

When the transitions between seasons may leave you spiritless, sometimes there is solace in solitude. Chris Salveter aka Judson Claiborne understands this better than many. With his former slowcore band Low Skies on hiatus, Chris spent a lazy nine months spanning from summer of ’08 to early ‘09 writing and recording a second solo album—this time to be released on La Société Expéditionnaire.

Sauntering along in indie folk song format, Time and Temperature tosses in elements of bareboned neo-Baroque, alt-country, and Appalachian music. Through the vocal evocation of a weathered Jason Collett, Salveter spins yarns about waiting and wandering in pining romanticism.

In front of straggling guitar lines, Salveter sings ‘Baby, you can tell the songs so well to a stranger you don’t mind / where they’re from or what they’ve done or when there’s anger in their eyes’ on the simple and reflective “A Song for Dreaming”. The pronounced “Oh Cyril” comes next in sequence; following each sparse verse with a clement horn-sweeping chorus. “My How We Change!” and closer “Moonraker” are other ragged standouts.

What Judson Claiborne does with negative space is a marvelous achievement. Allowing the songs to promenade at their own intended speed lends the record a discreet maturity. ‘When the twilight spirit comes around, I’ll be somewhere nearing with my head to the ground’, he sings on the opening track. Salveter certainly understands the virtue that is patience.

As the cheerless inertia of the winter season slowly ferments into the halcyon swell of spring, Time and Temperature will accompany you in the gap.

Twilight Spirit - Judson Claiborne

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Revisiting another great record

2010-05-14T03:19:00.004-04:00

I enjoy this record so much that I rebought it. Which is to say that I first scooped it up off of iTunes as a digital download, but couldn't help but buy the CD itself as a used copy found in the bins at Half Price Books.

I'll continue to support Andrew Kenny, through either AmAnSet or The Wooden Birds (who I got to see perform at The Smiling Moose last year). Know By Heart is a classic to me, however. A consistent listen all the way through, including memorable tracks "Aaron & Maria", "The Kindness of Strangers", "Choir Vandals", "The Postman", and "Punk As Fuck".

My ex-roommate Dave and I used to rock this record during roadtrips, or even just spinning it at our old apartment. This post goes out to him...

Punk As Fuck - The American Analog Set
Choir Vandals (AmAnSet cover) - Ben Gibbard

Buy this album

Untying Loose Ends: An Interview with Untied States

2010-05-12T17:53:00.031-04:00

From the dissonance of the preliminary drones and ensuing dual-guitar aggregation on “Gorilla the Bull”, you might suspect you’re cashing in on a hefty slice of serrated experimental rock. You are, and it might be about time. Untied States, a blusterous four-piece from Atlanta, Georgia, has been banging away at their instruments for over seven years. Possibly breaking too many mirrors recording two full-length releases and still flying under the radar, their third record would be the one to finally end the curse.

With any expectations knocked into a cocked hat on their 2010 Distile release Instant Everything, Constant Nothing, Untied States alchemize visceral post-punk riffs and spurning No Wave irreverence into three-quarters of an hour of amnesic math-rock esprit.

Finding it absolutely necessary to hear for myself how these fractured tracks coalesce in a live set, I made my way out to Garfield Artworks in Pittsburgh to see how the proverbial land lies. The Untied States were third on the bill and that gave me the opportunity to chat with the band about the new record, their hometown in the South, playing shows together, and their recording processes past and present.

The Untied States are Colin Arnstein (vocals and guitar), Skip Engelbrecht (guitar, bass, and effects), Darren Tablan (synthesizers and bass), and Satchel Mallon (drums).

Is this your first time in Pittsburgh?

Colin: Yeah, it's our first time.

You guys are gonna spend some time in the city, maybe, and check out some things?

Colin: Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna check it out tomorrow 'cause we have, uh, I think we have a good break. We're only goin' to Columbus, so...

Skip: How far is Columbus? Do you know? Three hours?

Four hours maybe? Something like that. Definitely not as bad as what you guys had already pulled last night. You guys came in from Providence?

Colin: After what we pulled, exactly. Right.

How was the show in Providence?

Colin: It was, uh, interesting. It was at a really cool place.

Skip: We played RISD, the school of design.

Colin: It's called the Tap Room.

Skip: It was, like, the Talking Heads had played there before or something. That's what they said.

Tap Room? Do they have a good beer selection there or something?

Colin: Uh, no. It was a university deal. They had money so they paid us well.

Skip: We had to sign that W-9 or something to get the money, really…

Colin: Very professional.

Skip: But it was in their Memorial Hall and it was, like, pretty swank. You know, but it was kids—Monday night and it's finals week and supposedly that school has, like, the heaviest load in the country.

Now, the band hails from Atlanta. You guys grew up around there. Tell me about that scene.

Colin: That's interesting. There's a lot going on there. There are pretty much kind of two big groups out of there.

Skip: Deerhunter and Black Lips.

Colin: And Mastodon.

Skip: We know all these people, pretty well.

Colin: I think we fit in a different category between them. You've got, you know, Black Lips—really garage-y primal rock. Then, Deerhunter's ethereal. And then, obviously, we're nothing like Mastodon. We fit somewhere in between.

(motorcycle flies by)

Colin: That's our amp starting up! (laughing)

You guys are playing Garfield Artworks here in Pittsburgh. Do you guys prefer playing art galleries versus dirty rock clubs?

Colin: Yeah, because i think people are more enthusiastic. We played a couple shows. We just played in East Hampton, which is in Massachusetts, which is a big art space.

Skip: It's always less pretentious. and people feel free to be loose. And, they consider themselves artists too.

Colin: Yeah, there's more like a communal back-and-forth kinda thing… and, the kids are going nuts as well.

I actually took that from an Ian MacKaye interview, and he also said the same things. You know, because he's also trying to get out of the 'black boxes'…

Colin: Exactly, because clubs are just… it's a weird thing. You walk in the door, you pay money…

Skip: They're not friendly for people to go into.

Satchel: Well, i think they're kinda used to a bunch of assholes all the time, drinking…

Colin: They stink, cigarettes…

Satchel: Beer, and they're all fucking black. They’re depressing.

Let’s talk about the record. Untied States' material capsulizes a sense of alienation and paranoia.

Skip: (laughing)

Colin: Interesting.

Satchel: Great.

I was thinking kind of a jaggedy retelling of OK Computer. Now, I understand that you guys construct each of the tracks in such a way to get certain emotional responses out of the listeners. What “strings” do you like to tug at?

Colin: I think the best analysis of what we do is that we are kind of answering to a world that wants this instantaneous gratification; this “I gotta have everything.” We're kind of answering that tempo that is set.

Aptly titled on the album.

Colin: Yeah, right, exactly, it's like the promise of everything; the emptiness.

Skip: The alienation thing is something that we definitely don't want, though…

Colin: We're just products from our environment.

Does that spawn from the scene in Atlanta at all?

Colin: No, we're really personable guys.

The band is embraced very well there.

Colin: Yeah, yeah… it’s just different. We don’t try to do anything on purpose. We just say what we feel, you know. While we made that record, it was pretty crazy.

With all of the off-metered time signatures that you feature in your music, it's almost expedient to assume that everyone in the band enjoys listening to their share of progressive music and art-rock. Who do you guys like to study?

Colin: Well, the thing that we kind of get weird with is we don't like the word 'progressive'.

They kind of did away with that word.

Colin: Yeah, it just implies… we’re not musical nerds. I mean, Darren and I have a little bit of classical background. But, we all take from big ideas, you know, we like big things. And, I like a lot of older music just because the arrangements were wilder. We're not trying to do anything that's complicated. We just want to make a good song.

Skip: As far as groups, I mean it's endless. When you listen to some of our songs, you can pull a melody from an old Beatles song, you know, and then weird stuff from other others. We like all kinds of stuff. We like all music, so...

I was hearing a lot of different influences on the album.

Colin: I guess anytime you do anything as an artist that's obviously too “something”, you wanna go and not make it so...

Fuck it up a little bit or something.

Colin: Exactly.

Because of those winding progressions and the tempo shifts, do you guys ever have trouble playing older material because you forget all the parts?

Satchel: You have to relearn...

Colin: When we make our record, there're a couple of tracks that we made, you know, we kind of built them up from all these places. We had a sample from one night drunk at the house, and then a sample of where it stops. Sometimes, we have to learn it from the recording.

Skip: The prior record, if you asked me to play one of those songs, i'd be like 'fuck you'. (laughing)

Colin: We want to get to the point where we're doing the oldies, but we've always been doing fresh music. We're doing three new songs tonight that aren't on the record.

Yeah, I had heard something about an EP?

Colin: We're working on it. We just laid some basic stuff. When we get back, we're gonna finish it off.

That's great. You have that excitement—you put something down and you just want to release it.

Colin: Absolutely.

Do you guys have any idea how difficult it is to search the words “Untied States” on Google?

Colin: Yeah… (laughing)

Skip: You gotta hyphenate it, or something. You gotta put it in quotes in Google. (laughing)

Colin: It's weird, I don't know what it says about our group. We made that name thinking “okay, let's just take something and tweak it a little bit.” And, it's come back to mean a lot of different things. And, you can't search us. It says "Did you mean... ?"

There you go. You’d have to contact 'big brother' on that one. Going back to the album, a lot of the songs on Instant Everything, Constant Nothing are so thickly-textured and frenetic, yet all of the band members seem to contribute to the material and complement each other so well. Did any of these songs come together out of a jam or just letting the tape roll, that kind of thing?

Colin: Yeah

Skip: No, you tell me which one.

Colin: “Wrestling with Entropy…” is a total mash of five different worlds. We grabbed the samples...

Skip: Yeah, but it didn't come off from a jam.

Darren: Well, it kind of did. We took a lot of stuff from jams, recorded it, and then used the samples for that. So in a way...

Skip: I guess you're right.

Colin: Yeah. There's a lot of stuff like that, and it's not so much as the previous record. This was a little more cohesive. Let's go in, do more cohesive pop songs. Our last record was “off the wall”. While we didn't think so, but then when we played it for other people and they looked at us upside-down. Then we knew.

Satchel: The songs changed as well. When I entered the band, it was like “here's this other material, some of its done, some of its not”. So there's room to...

Colin: It's a very crazy thing. The thing that's interesting is that Darren was working at this high-end studio and we kind of came in with parts of this dirty world that we recorded and then we brought it into this kind of high felluten thing. So, there's this mash of really lo-fi and really hi-fi.

How long did it take to put each track together?

Skip: It's wild because we had this house where we started the recording in and we built it out to have studios and different booths and stuff and it was like real swank and we were really fortunate to be there, but then the shit hit the fan there and we had to leave in one day.

That wasn’t the empty warehouse?

Colin: No, that's where we've been recording recently.

Skip: And, then we met up with Darren and it was sort of like 'hey, bring those tracks here'. But, then the problem with going there was that we were recording for free after hours and we would, like, get kicked out of the studio for Bruce Springsteen to come in and record.

Where was this at?

Skip: Southern Tracks.

Colin: So, it added a little bit to the mystique.

Skip: So, it took a long fucking time.

Satchel: …looking at all the gold records on the wall, and (Bruce) is, like, hanging out.

Colin: But, it was fun because we were literally sneaking in between Bruce Springsteen and… uh... Sugarland? Is that a band that people know? (laughing)

I think so. I have you on tape saying 'Sugarland', by the way. (laughing)

Darren: That's off record (laughing)

I'll cut that one out. Alright, just to end things up here, what are you guys doing on April 3rd of next year? Do you guys know about this?

Satchel: No…

Colin: Oh God…

WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome?

Satchel: Oh my God.

Colin: Well, I guess you just told us.

Yeah, there you go. Consider yourselves informed. One of the fastest-growing cities, you’re hosting WrestleMania now.

Colin: Absolutely. (laughing) Skip did the monster truck rally.

Skip: I did the monster truck rally, like, three months ago and it was wild. I would definitely go again.

Colin: Maybe we can play it? (laughing)

See if you can get that gig. That'd be a really sweet gig!

Satchel: They would love us wouldn't they? (laughing)

* * *

Check out Untied States on MySpace

www.untiedstates.us

www.distilerecords.com

Javelin - No Más

2010-05-08T17:53:00.003-04:00

Javelin
No Más
(Luaka Bop)
Rating: 4.1 of 5

Ears of the indie megacosm, welcome Javelin. This sonic collage duo migrated down the coast from the ‘Creative Capital’ Providence, Rhode Island to the funky streets of Brooklyn where their hunky electro-jams can be embraced with open arms. After last year’s cheeky demo, Jamz N Jemz, it was time for cousins Tom Van Buskirk and George Langford to rework their material into an accessible and concise full-length. That’s just what they did. Thanks to Luaka Bop, we have at our disposal No Más.

At our disposal; I suppose that was an interesting way to put it, seeing as this can be deemed ‘disposable’ music. These kinds of records need the charm to pull an instantaneous response from the audience the way that Beck’s Odelay or Avalanches’ Since I Left You have done in the past. Nowadays usually met with success through a catchy single or blog-hyped track, No Más has these kinds of options.

“Vibrationz” has been all over the feed since last year. It’s true; many selections come to us re-noodled from Jamz N Jemz. Yet, doing away with the corrosive etchings and tape hiss now on this Luaka Bop outing, evidence shows that Javelin cleans up well. Swapping out the boxy acoustic guitar melody in “Mossy Woodland” for a vocal one, the beginning of the album sounds well-rehearsed. Followed by the infectious “Oh! Centra”, listeners are in for a hell of a tune wedgy. Abounding with silly lines sung by dwarfed vocals, shaking this song from your head might prove painful.

“Intervales Theme” shows up here, as well; still highly effective as an intermission piece. New inclusion “Tell Me, What Will It Be?” feasts on 70s-soundtrack funk; grooving a staccato bass line with car horn organ screeches. Javelin ricochets between genres track-by-track, from Hot Chip-style indie electronic (“Off My Mind”) to block-party hip hop (“Susie Cues”). Muted hand claps get lost in the hurtling shuffle of the Farfisa-laden “Shadow Heart”—the first of three strong that close out the record.

Full tilt on the sampling, this Javelin debut is a boffo success in the cut-and-paste medium. If only it was still considered cool to walk the streets with your ghettoblaster blaring. Saccharine-sweet and party-approved, No Más deserves spin-time at your next vintage-themed hipster shindy. When you walk up to the DJ table, throw this LP at him. If nothing else, the psychedelic cover will look damn good on his stack.

Vibrationz - Javelin

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Woodpigeon - Die Stadt Muzikanten / Spirehouse

2010-05-05T16:36:00.004-04:00

Woodpigeon
Die Stadt Muzikanten / Spirehouse
(End of the Road)
Rating: 3.7 of 5 / 2.8 of 5

First digging into the newer five-song EP, Spirehouse, we find Mark Hamilton of Woodpigeon bearing heart with more diffident acoustic workings in the vain of one Sufjan Stevens. Yet, surprising and rushing is the string overtaking deeper into the title track and I want to realize this to be a submissive but fostering confection before the LP. But, three uneventful musings later, we meet with an extraneous remix of said first song and not much that sticks. Allowing the full album to set the bar, missing here are the lavish arrangements and gorgeous harmonies that I would later be in for.

Beginning to track Die Stadt Muzikanten, Woodpigeon’s third record proper, I am flitted away to yesteryear by the vinyl crackle and seesawing arrangements of the eponymous opener. Cueing into “Woodpigeon vs. Eagleowl (Strength In Numbers)”, the window into this young release begins to prop open. Soft and plush are the harmonizing vocals on kindling “Morningside”; a highlight from the album’s first half sandwiched between two pert numbers.

There is plenty to leaf through here; Hamilton contributing 16 tracks on the record. He knows how to pen beautifully intricate compositions and spruce them up with the trappings of ambrosial orchestration. The listener will be taken aback by the powerful dynamic shifts that some of these songs feature. Many other groups in the twee pop category will utilize thin vocals and modest acoustic guitar arrangements, but when Hamilton goes full-voice on the hearty “Duck Duck Goose”, he separates Woodpigeon from the pack.

Not as emotionally arresting as William Fitzsimmons, or even Sam Beam, Hamilton’s afflicted delivery on the abbreviated “Unmissable Grey, Mixed Paint” aches with every imagerial line; similar in construction to Paul McCartney’s “Junk”. Affecting is the dark nostalgia of the highly personal “Such A Lucky Girl”; a track that burns slowly in seven minutes length.

“Spirehouse” from the EP is slotted in the ten spot here; sounding more reserved than before amid this resonating collection. Sometimes, the sheer volume of the instrumentation supersedes over Hamilton’s non-rock voice as he is heard trying to sing above the come-in of electric guitar and turned-up bass track on the final chorus of “Redbeard”.

Frequently, Hamilton sings with his tail between his legs and it compromises the focus of the record a bit. But, listen closely because Hamilton’s lyricism on the full-length is as refined as it’s ever been; rescuing songs that are not as immediate or obviously memorable.

My Denial in Argyle - Woodpigeon

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No skin! No skin! No skin! No skin, no!

2010-05-03T20:13:00.004-04:00

David Dondero from Sunbrain

* * * * *

I intended to record a new song I wrote this afternoon, but the iPod is quite the scummy whore again. I'm in the middle of an umteenth restore. Then, I'll try to get it down clean slate--if I still remember how the song goes, that is.

I'm headed to the bar for free pool/karaoke. I leave you with this tasty nugget from '94.

Enjoy!!

No Skin - Sunbrain

Against Me! in Pittsburgh; 'protest songs to try and stop the soldier's gun'

2010-05-02T07:02:00.003-04:00

Against Me! tonight, May 2nd at Diesel with Dead To Me and Moneybrother...

Doors at 6pm; show at 7pm...

This night is gonna end when we're damn well ready for it to be over.
Worked all week long, now the music is playing on our time!

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

2010-05-01T11:23:00.004-04:00

Extra, extra, read all about it!

For all of you hungry back-issue collectors out there, make your way to the local comic book shop today for Free Comic Book Day!

I certainly would if I could free up my day.

I used to be an avid collector for a teenager. I've got a few gems hiding in those egg crates of mine, as long as they were rightfully returned to me by mother. I haven't checked for it yet, but I hope she didn't horde my copy of Daredevil #168 (Elektra's first appearance/writing debut of Frank Miller on Daredevil).

Have fun at the 'stands!

Superman - R.E.M.
Iron Man - Black Sabbath
Spiderman '79 - Veruca Salt
In The Garage - Weezer
Jimmy Olsen's Blues - Spin Doctors
That's Really Super, Supergirl - XTC
Ode To A Superhero - "Weird Al" Yankovic

matt pond PA - The Dark Leaves

2010-04-29T19:40:00.003-04:00

matt pond PA
The Dark Leaves
(Altitude Records!)
Rating: 2.8 of 5

Despite recording and touring as guitarist in The Wooden Birds for 2009’s Magnolia, Matt Pond will never forsake studio time to work on what will be the next Matt Pond PA release. He has continued to serve up singles to his fans that are in anticipation for The Dark Leaves, the seventh installment from the band in a decade of existence. And, out with it he comes. Perhaps now suffering from album-by-album dittoing just as The Wooden Birds’ songwriter Andrew Kenny has been pronounced guilty of with his predecessive outfit American Analog Set, Matt Pond PA can’t seem to get over the lag.

It’s true that both artists have fingers in the same pie; the contraposition of brooding lyrics with crisp and sometimes lush chamber pop. While Kenny has done something to rejuvenate his songwriting by unplugging the guitar and enlisting harmonic female vocal support for his new project’s debut record, Pond hasn’t so much as changed a pair of socks since he left Mel’s Rock Pile to release Measure under the PA moniker in 2000.

The shades of green in Pond’s music are a little richer and a little bluer on The Dark Leaves. Sure, the plainly-titled “The Dark Leaves Theme” is stirring with its ‘love kills me’ chorus. Lovely still are the soft melodies, cello lines, and acoustic guitars of “Brooklyn Fawn” and “Winter Fawn”. The first two tracks “Starting” and “Running Wild” have Pond in vibrant display of his dexterous pop and melodic savvy. The cliffhanger “First Song” finishes out the record; its tempos akin to John Vanderslice-esque undulation.

The Dark Leaves is a pretty-sounding and rapt deliberation of love and longing twined in the dewed foliate textures of Pond’s nimble indie pop—not unlike all of the others he’s offered before. ‘You already know/what you don’t even know/read the cover, the flap/you just put it back’, he confesses on his appeal for support “Remains”. You can heed his warning if you want.

Starting - matt pond PA

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The Disco Biscuits - Planet Anthem

2010-04-28T11:43:00.004-04:00

The Disco Biscuits

Planet Anthem

(Diamond Riggs)

Rating: 3.3 of 5

Here in their fifteenth year of activity, The Disco Biscuits continue to load up ubiquitous genres in the trunk with their fifth studio album Planet Anthem. Once holding deep roots in the soils of jammy incongruity, this collection flutters high in the sky with breezes of melody and intelligent song craft. Featuring plenty of East Coast hip hop vibe, Planet Anthem is a rambunctious busybody; the fruits of which spawned from collaborations in the recently purchased Philadelphia studio space once owned by DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Appointing big name producers and other outside hands, such as Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry and Roc-A-Fella’s co-founder Damon Dash, maintains the fatty sheen of gaudy production. How appropriate, however.

Electro hop “On Time” is on deck for the pop charts with the lead vocal track sheathed in dripping Auto-Tune and one of the most toothsome breakdowns you will hear. “You and I” sounds 3OH!3-approved with pandemic hooks and teasing drum breaks. Arabian nuances add refreshing mystique to the otherworldly trance of “Über Glue”. Tracks “The City” and opener “Loose Change” can be heard influenced by countless white-boy underground hip hop records of the past decade and a half.

Verse for verse, “Fish Out of Water” is as close to indie rock as they get; however, the chorus falls back upon something that could of come from the Fun Lovin’ Criminals canon—minus the politics, of course.

The Disco Biscuits run the gamut from synth-rock to electronica to alternative hip hop. So wildly all over the place, it’s amazing how everything gels together. While lyrically nothing to write home about, Planet Anthem is still replete with convivial, radio-friendly pop songs.

On Time - The Disco Biscuits

Buy this album

Full Coverage (Vol. 1: MGMT)

2010-04-26T19:39:00.007-04:00

Sunny Pittsburgh, PA has succumb to cloudy skies and thunderstorms in the past couple of days. No complaints here. It might impede my walk down to the Hop House for Monday karaoke and free pool night. But, dammit, it's been long overdue for some good ol' spring showers and cloud cover.

Let us rejoice in the rain and pay homage to the cloud cover with a new feature here on PSoV.

* * * * *

We'll start off with MGMT. Just about two weeks ago, they finally released their second record, Congratulations, on Columbia Records. MGMT is currently three dates deep in their summer tour of North America--check them out in a city near you.

We can never get enough of Oracular Spectacular, however. I present to you three covers of singles from their eclectic debut.

Time To Pretend - Jónsi
Kids - The Ooks of Hazzard
Electric Feel - Katy Perry
Closer (Nine Inch Nails cover) - MGMT

"I wanna fuck you like a dinosaur!!"

So fucking pretty... (Vol. 1: Bon Iver/Justin Vernon)

2010-04-25T22:29:00.005-04:00

I posted an entry on Peter Gabriel's covers album, in which he featured Bon Iver's "Flume".

Here is Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), in response, paying homage to Gabriel's "Come Talk To Me" from his 1992 release Us.

In addition, I'm offering you a wonderfully pretty version of "For Emma" recorded with the Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Band...

Come Talk To Me (Peter Gabriel cover) - Bon Iver
For Emma - Justin Vernon with the Eau Claire Memorial Jazz Band

Stupidity tries; songs for your Saturday

2010-04-24T12:24:00.006-04:00

I've been away for a bit, but it proves that I've been busy.

Coming soon to PSoV is a feature interview with the guys in Untied States. Many more album write-ups to come, as well.

* * * * *

It's a Saturday off for me! I woke up bright and early (your call if you think 8:45am is early) meaning to head out to my old high school to help judge the local annual art show. But, with setbacks being what they were, I was unable to make it out there. Good luck to all of the young contestants, I would've loved to have seen the work!

I've spent the free morning tying up a few loose ends and getting ready for another big day. Because of the promise of the art show and the want to end the procrastination and complete some of my assignments, I unfortunately had to postpone the KFC Double Down Challenge.

What am I talking about, you might ask? Welly welly well... I've convinced a couple of friends to partake in a rather disgusting eating contest. Hell, I've even got twenty bucks riding on it. It will take place sometime soon, and I'll provide you with the indigestive details when it all goes down.

A little background; the Double Down is the new repulsive bunless sandwich from Kentucky Fried Chicken--two slices of cheese, two strips of bacon, and Colonel's Sauce slabbed between two hunks of fried chicken. Read more about the gastronomic onslaught here!!

I dared them to eat three of them... in one hour! For all you YouTube opportunity-seekers out there, this might make for some disgusting entertainment. The two contestants, Jake and Dave, (I'm not subjecting myself to this) are only to drink carbonated, sugared, and caffeinated soft drinks during the eating session. No bathroom breaks, of course, and that includes an additional half-hour after time is up.

We're talking about 96 grams of fat and some 4,000 mg of sodium consumed in sixty minutes. As it is, my money is against Dave. Hence, the bet. Stupidity tries, right?

Enjoy your Saturday any way that you can!!

Hello Saturday Morning - Lee Hazlewood
Saturday - The Essex Green
Saturday Waits - Loney, Dear
Stupidity Tries - Elliott Smith

Plants and Animals - La La Land

2010-04-24T12:10:00.003-04:00

Plants and Animals
La La Land
(Secret City Records)
Rating: 2.9 of 5

Albums recorded using all analog tape equipment serve up as tasty nuggets in the indie rock phylum. Sometimes, it adds to the efficacy when the artist(s) ‘date’ the sound of the record with the sonances of decades past. Montreal-based Plants and Animals’ sophomore effort, La La Land, further explores these leanings. Throw in a bluesy sax solo in front of tolling horns, and the jangling beat of third track “American Idol” pumps with the Memphis sound of a particular well-respected Alex Chilton-fronted band. Sure, Big Star still has its signature on many releases from sprouting indie bands; but the influence is contagious and the songwriters pull upon each other. Only two years removed from the last record, Plants and Animals may have been listening to their share of Grizzly Bear since then.

Wanting to follow up big to their brilliantly-subdued, under-the-radar debut, Parc Avenue, Plants and Animals decidedly go more-electric and find fascination with the city of Los Angeles. These constructs are built for big hooks and West Coast-derivative classic rock reworkings. But, the smoked-up laze, obtuse lyrics, and lack of chunky humbug choruses leaves La La Land flatulent.

Comparatively to Parc Avenue, the album is lank in instrumentation. It lends to more of that ‘out on the canyon’ vibe, but the appeal is gluttonously lost somewhere in the bustle of Sunset Boulevard. Ample filler throughout the record substantiates that fat needs a-trimming.

“The Mama Papa” is a fun, bouncy affair and “Jeans Jeans Jeans” measures out the record quite well in the final slot. The few coveted musings here tend to be the shorter ones with the sun-bleached “Undone Melody” being a patient and delivering exception.

With a name like Plants and Animals, the trio personifies the kind of harmony and in-unison work of that this band is capable. But, lustrous production and up-tempo rock selections for the tracklisting don’t treat them as kindly as they might have hoped. La La Land evinces them way ahead of themselves already—a lesson learned one too many times in the past by bands with acclaimed debuts.

Tom Cruz - Plants and Animals

Buy this album

Untied States - Instant Everything, Constant Nothing

2010-04-20T18:29:00.005-04:00

Untied States
Instant Everything, Constant Nothing
(Distile)
Rating: 3.5 of 5

The dank, sweltering, seedy city streets of Fulton County, Georgia; a byzantine conduit delineating parking garages, subway stations, and vacant warehouses, this is Atlanta—a hub mostly credited to a burgeoning hip-hop scene. But, with some of those empty buildings serving as practice spaces, indie rock has spread its wings and flown 70 miles west from Athens to the big city. First Deerhunter, now we have the difform sounds of the Untied States.

The first big-time studio recording from this quintet, released by the French label Distile, is a jagged salmagundi of post-punk, alternative, post-hardcore, nugaze, prog, and experimental art-rock genres. It’s a mindfucker of an album with Hail to the Thief-era Radiohead nuances, contorted vocal stranglings, loads of Fender guitar chinks, and an extreme lack of song choruses.

Sometimes misanthropic, seldom too frightening, and many times bizarre; Instant Everything, Constant Nothing flashes like hot light refracting. Taking sharp turns in trajectory; songs flip and fold back upon themselves in acute angles.

“Not Fences, Mere Masks” is a neverending tunnel ride through the dark trenches of the underground; making use of descending chords and trodded heavily upon by the bass track. “Unsilvered Mirrors” squirms about in sudden and extreme changeableness. A small stolen melody line from Cream’s “I Feel Free” twice surfaces, briefly.

“These Dead Birds” is very Thurston Moore; a foot-stumbling and staggering waltz that comes back to bitingly sneer. Industrial shapes backdrop “Delusions Are Grander” and “Wrestling With Entropy in the Rehabbed Factory”. It’s all so busy and frenetic, at times, that skipping about on the record will satisfy you none.

It’s important to let Instant Everything, Constant Nothing get its chance with a full spin on your player, and probably several more. The fascination in hearing these tracks deconstruct before your ears will compel you to do so. As if dully mesmerized, you just will.

Unsilvered Mirrors - Untied States

Buy this album

***see them play tonight... Tuesday, April 20th at Garfield Artworks in Pittsburgh
9pm start w/ Grasso Electtrica

Brasstronaut - Mt. Chimaera

2010-04-17T17:08:00.003-04:00

Brasstronaut
Mt. Chimaera
(Unlimited Sounds)
Rating: 3.6 of 5

When one says jazz-pop, a few artists might come to mind. Herb Alpert. Steely Dan. Surely, those are some throwback names. What might the future hold for the genre? We may have the answer to that question in Vancouver band Brasstronaut. Between the breezy rhythmus, the synthesizers, and the colorful horns—all in song format; I’d say that their latest release classifies.
Mt. Chimaera postdates two EPs from Edo Van Breeman’s unclassifiable four-piece outfit. And, comparatively, encounters on something more brisk and poppier.

This record picks up steam early as the first song “Slow Knots” culminates around gated piano and shouted whoops. Drummer Brennan Saul utilizes the brushes behind “Hand Behind” as singular trumpet laments from Bryan Davies complement the electric guitar swells nearly to perfection. John Walsh’s wooly electric bass line on “Lo Hi Hopes” propels from the intro to the 6/4-metered chorus. However, the lot of these recordings tends to define Walsh as primarily a stand-up player.

The final track “Insects” is an engaging eight-minute medley teeming with dynamite transitions before reverting back to the opening motif in chilling Dixieland threnody.

Many of the vocals resound cavernously; looming just barely above the turbulent frenzy of the multi-instrumented backing band during pinnacle moments. The crescendos are majestic and anticipated, yet the guitar solos are nonexistent. Instead, Brasstronaut relies on Van Breeman’s chiming piano parts and Davies’ linear horn lines—all to great effect.

Pleasingly unconventional in its approach as a pop record, Mt. Chimaera is crisp, yet soothing—an ideal nighttime listening enjoyment

Slow Knots - Brasstronaut

Buy this album

The Hold Steady at Diesel (Wed. Apr. 14th, 2010); live review

2010-04-15T19:04:00.008-04:00

photo by Brian Osberg

City of Pittsburgh, Hold Steady!

Craig Finn and Co. rolled into town Wednesday night brandishing their triple guitar-fueled drunk rock. The band's set was legion with fist-pumping rockers from all four of their previous records and showcased new material from the highly-anticipated Heaven Is Whenever.

Hearing live for the first time "Hurricane J" and "Rock Problems" from the new record, a packed house got behind The Hold Steady with more crushing singalongs despite Finn's earlier bit about Heaven Is Whenever being 'less anthemic'. Sandwich these tracks between the likes of "You Can Make Him Like You" and "Navy Sheets" and you get quite the positive result.

No Franz Nicolay, of course, as he amicably left the band earlier this January to pursue a solo career as a 'vaudeville troubadour', so absent or subdued were fill-in Dan Neustadt's keyboard parts that interlace the leads on "Navy Sheets" or the piano breakdown in the encore "Stuck Between Stations". Nonetheless, the guitar trio of Finn, Tad Kubler, and tour addition Lucero's Steve Selvidge powered through "Massive Nights" and "Same Kooks" from 2006's Boys and Girls in America. I can't even believe it was that long ago; sounded so good to me hearing six picks from this record.

The capstone of the hour-plus may have been the reckless spit of "Cattle and the Creeping Things". Other inclusions from the first two records included "The Swish" and "Your Little Hoodrat Friend". No "Positive Jam", nor "Citrus", which they did first encore with the previous night at the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern in Cleveland. Looking at that setlist, it's proof that they've really been mixing things up city to city on this tour.

It was an unfortunate miss on our part not to find the crew out at the bars in South Side post-performance (a misleading tip from the owner took us to an almost-empty Bar 11). But, we can still imagine that hypothetical conversation with a half-fuddled Finn about how the singer, guitarist, and bassist of openers The Oranges Band looked like Ben Folds, Steve Carell, and Elliott Smith, respectively.

Hurricane J - The Hold Steady

Songs about breakfast

2010-04-13T09:52:00.005-04:00

Waking up early to grab some breakfast at the Original Pancake House. The bacon pancakes and house coffee are to die for...

I need to find me a Tuesday paper. That New York Times crossword is going down.

Good morning, everyone!

Good Morning, Good Morning - The Beatles
Mouth Wooed Her - Animal Collective
Pancakes For One - Of Montreal
Breakfast Time - Orange Juice
Coffee Girl - The Tragically Hip
Orange Juice Blues (Blues for Breakfast) - Bob Dylan & The Band
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast - Pink Floyd

One More Dance Before I Lose You

2010-04-12T01:31:00.004-04:00

Finally finished the instrumental from a couple of days back.

One More Dance Before I Lose You - Vestry of M il

Sin Ropas - Holy Broken

2010-04-11T23:34:00.003-04:00

Sin Ropas
Holy Broken
(Shrug Records)
Rating: 3 of 5

Holy Broken? Holy reminder! From the get-go, I’m instantly hearing the resemblances to that Number Seven Uptown record from Swearing at Motorists. From the use of distorted guitars and slag tempos to the Hayden-tinged sound of the vocals (Swearing at Motorists covered Hayden’s “Bullet” on the aforementioned LP); the album from this duo, known as Sin Ropas, is a spitting image of the Midwestern lo-fi ramble rock I knew so well.

Well, it pays that Tim Hurley and his wife Danni Iosello (Hurley of Califone and Red Red Meat fame) make the city of Chicago their hub for production. However, Holy Broken was actually recorded in a cabin located in the mountains of North Carolina.

If you’re hankering for a bluesy swank, “Nailed In Air” features the slow sway of a bar band whose lead singer is drugged up on Valium. And, we also get a taste of Joseph Arthur-style cooing two-thirds the way through.

‘What good is stealing light from another star?’ Hurley slurs overtop pedestrian acoustic guitar strums on the dusky “Stolen Stars and Light”. The smooth husk of his singing is so reminiscent of Paul Hayden Desser that this could’ve been plucked from 1998’s The Closer I Get. “The Fever You Fake”, at the head of the record, achieves an energy that is never surpassed from the rest that plays out. But, it sweetly owes to 90s alternative rock, sounding like a product of Lou Barlow and Mark Everett from Eels.

You’ll continue to hear strange clattering and electronic drones throughout Holy Broken, as Hurley used instruments that he tailored himself out of who-knows-what; certainly retaining a bit of uniqueness on the album. Yet still, the bumbling chord changes and nightmarish lyrics are all but exact copies from other lesser-known songbooks. Hurley does steal light after all, but only from the dimmest of the stars in the indie rock universe.

Stolen Stars and Light - Sin Ropas

Buy this album

And then that song comes on...

2010-04-10T19:58:00.004-04:00

There's so much busywork/fun stuff to do in the next few weeks. Some good shows coming up include The Hold Steady, Untied States, Against Me!, Aloha, the list goes on...

I need to post as a reminder to myself to complete the following mundane activities.

To Do List:
-State & Local Taxes
-Put away all of the comic books my parents brought over from the house
-Laundry
-Tidy up the living quarters
-Make the necessary phone calls--come Monday and next Monday
-Fix the damn iPod so I can record the new stuff
-Go guitar shopping

I'm currently recovering from an annoying ailment. The medication that I've been prescribed is giving me terrible chest pains as a side effect; work has been unbearable because of it. Yet, the pennies I come across all face heads up. It appears that I've already pretty much made a full comeback, yet I have to finish out this 'scrip. Celebrations will begin Monday night where I believe I'll be heading down to the Hop House for healthy doses of karaoke and booze.

Trying to make do on a Saturday night. Headed down to Tramp's later on. The bartender has been kind enough to put on a pot of coffee for me whilst I return to full health.

On the bus this afternoon, I was mulling over the events of the past few days. A few sparing leaves are beginning to turn over--it always seems like I get to feeling a certain way, and then that certain song comes on...

While I had the iPod on shuffle, a couple of really good songs came on however...

Outside the City - Young Galaxy
I Don't Think So - Dinosaur Jr
Power of Your Tenderness - Teenage Fanclub & Jad Fair

Camel Lights, neck pains, and Johnny Hodges

2010-04-09T00:53:00.004-04:00

Due to technical difficulties, my recording sessions did not go well today. My concentration is failing, as well. I've been drinking entirely too much coffee and smoking entirely too many cigarettes--not enough sleep, too much work to do.

All I want to do is sit down and listen to these songs...

Isfahan - Duke Ellington
In A Sentimental Mood - John Coltrane
Tears For Dolphy - Ted Curson Quartet
Myself When I Am Real - Charles Mingus

Black Francis - Nonstoperotik

2010-04-07T17:08:00.004-04:00

Black Francis
Nonstoperotik
(Cooking Vinyl)
Rating: 3.2 out of 5

Only the second album of his solo career to carry the name of his old Pixies tag, Black Francis; Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV picked up a new band, an old guitar, and reemployed producer of several Frank Black and the Catholics’ albums, Eric Drew Feldman, to put to tape ten thematic new originals and one rousing cover. The package deal is called Nonstoperotik; a rousing astrological interpretation of love and sex. Yes, sex. Black Francis is back to brass tacks.

The record takes bends a little less sharply, and that is what distinguishes it from Pixies’ work. This is not at all different from other irons Thompson has pulled out of the fire during his solo songsmith-ing. It is gratifying, however, to hear him write about the sensual side of love again, now with twenty years of age added.

“Lake of Sin” kicks things off with a stomach-churning chord structure and guitar-chugging buildups. Almost too soon, Nonstop slips in energy with a couple of soft crooners. “O My Tidy Sum” does reap the benefit from some seesawing keyboard string synths. The comeback is in the form of the mildly rocking rendition of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Wheels”.

The next few sound a bit flimsy in production for being so intendedly rock-driven. Thompson yowls on “Dead Man’s Curve” with that same quality throatiness. “Six Legged Man” sets forth from the introductory dedication and has Black Francis spitting short lines on the mic in a wild party of double-time hi-hat, kick, and bass line thump.

The lines of “Wild Son” pay homage to typical Pixies-like marriage of sexuality and creed. And, then we have Thompson’s ode to oral sex, “When I Go Down On You”. There is a strange McCartney moment late in the second verse when one can hear a sung melody that could be resolved by the chorus of “Band on the Run”.
The title track, the acme of Nonstop’s power, courses with desperation—an intensely passionate plea for carnal knowledge. With its ‘verse, then a solo’ arrangement, the piano ballad segues into the descending flat-fifth arpeggios of the excellent tribute to the underground, “Cinema Star”.

These songs are more mature and reflective. Lacking the same kinky explicitness of Pixies’ classics like “Is She Weird” or “I’ve Been Tired”, the new material on Nonstoperotik breathes somewhat languidly on the fleshy topics. Not to knock—after all, Thompson did just turn 45.

Cinema Star - Black Francis

Buy this album

...and in support of Black Francis' 45th birthday yesterday, Happy Belated Birthday!!

Levitate Me - Pixies

Midlake at Diesel (Mon. Apr. 5th, 2010); live review

2010-04-05T23:52:00.008-04:00

It was an outstanding eventful day. After watching the Pirates put the Dodgers away at gorgeous PNC Park on 2010 Opening Day (and grabbing a quick bite at Pizza Sola), I made my way down to Diesel in the South Side for the Midlake show.

The upstairs sections were roped off due to construction, so the intimacy of the sets to follow was ever present. Unfortunately, for the bands, only a handful of us came out to see Midlake and opening act John Grant (from his former band, The Czars).

Grant came out, hushing the whispers, on the keys with a song he announced as named "Firefly". The band came down the stairs behind him from the second selection onward; a feverous and seasoned five-piece in all, including Midlake's newly-acquired keyboardist/flautist Jesse Chandler. Grant's voice is charismatic and affecting and his humor is slightly unnerving --see "Jesus Hates Faggots".

The set featured twisting metaphoric romps "Sigourney Weaver" and "Chicken Bones", the sweetly idle "Marz", and the stripping fuck-off token "Queen of Denmark" (aka title track)--all songs off of Grant's new Bella Union release. The record was produced and instrumentally backed by Midlake.

I chit-chatted a bit with Grant's drummer outside during a smoke. He told me this was only their fifth show. But the rehearsals paid off, nothing sounded 'just put together'.

Marz - John Grant

* * * * *

After John Grant filed off the stage and bounced from corner to corner in the club, Midlake set up.

All for a love of flannel, beards, archtops, and Jethro Tull; this expanded Denton, TX septet graced the audience with their re-formatted 70s folk-rock. Sometimes one, sometimes two flutes, sometimes two, sometimes four guitars; only Midlake sounds like this--at least, these days.

Picking from a cornucopia of fruit on The Courage of Others, Tim Smith tenderly carried tunes like "Small Mountain", "Bring Down", and "Winter Dies" accompanied by the woody tones of fingerpicked Martin acoustics and melancholic flute solos. The achieving harmonies of Eric Nichelson and Eric Pulido assent to Smith's tenor live, as they do so wonderfully on record.

Pulido did all the talking as Smith assigned himself unspoken balladeer through the evening. A few false lead-ins drew curiosity out of the crowd until they were resolved to be introductory notes to works from The Trials of Van Occupanther, such as "Roscoe" or "Head Home". Many of these rehashed offerings bled into frenzied jams with jazz-rock leads from the ever-many electric guitarists and clamoring drum fills from McKenzie Smith. In total, the first six entries from Van Occupanther were performed, with the plaintive "Branches" serving as the savory encore.

Once you wade through the campfire smoke, the silver lining is still burningly evident in their music. Midlake may not have played "We Gathered In Spring", but the other favorites were represented well. "Bandits" and Courage's single "Head Home" make for radiant examples of superb live exposition.

To think, here I was prepping up for some wondrous harmonizing, but these guys can really play.

Rulers, Ruling All Things - Midlake

It's a week of cover songs, courtesy of Vestry of Mil

2010-04-03T21:47:00.004-04:00

I've always been really infatuated with this ditty from a little-known emo band called The Hang Ups. It was featured in the Kevin Smith classic, Chasing Amy. It was really fun tying this all together for you... I hope you enjoy.

Jump Start (The Hang Ups cover) - Vestry of Mil

I wish it had been just 'April Fools'

2010-04-03T09:16:00.003-04:00

Bad news knocked on my door. Hopefully, I'll be back on my feet again soon. I'm feeling like I'm missing out on the festivities; it will be a weekend spent at home. I'm going to try to stay excited for Monday's Pirates' Opening Day and Midlake concert, but an errand I will most definitely have to run...

The only good news to share with you all is that I've begun the launch for a new music project, myself. So far, they are just 'bedroom' recordings. It has a name. Vestry of Mil. Many new songs have and will be written. More on that at a later date...

I probably should've just slept in, but there is so much pertinent information to acquire. And, there are so much therapeutic music to listen to.

I hope this Easter weekend treats you better than it will treat me...

Everytime I'm With You (feat. Jason Lytle) - Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse
The Owl of Love - Clogs
Strangers (Kinks cover) - Vestry of Mil

Revisiting an album that I love

2010-04-01T20:35:00.004-04:00

I've gone back to it... as can be counted on me to do. I've been tracking For Emma, Forever Ago now for the past hour or so.

It's a record that seems to have nestled itself somewhere in between where I was then and where I am now. "Skinny Love" has found its way on several mixes I have made for people over the last couple of years. "Re: Stacks" and "Blindsided" still resonate with the same forlorn intimacy and aching emotion as they did the first time heard. All, personally for me, recalling those moments of love and love lost.

One more time through, here we go...

Re: Stacks - Bon Iver

Buy this album

Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

2010-03-31T15:45:00.002-04:00

Tunng
…And Then We Saw Land
(Thrill Jockey)
Rating: 4 of 5

The subtle art of reinvention is one that Tunng dabbles in so well. Countless other audile flavors have bled through on their three previous releases; all of which, featuring lead vocals from founding member Sam Genders. This time around, on …And Then We Saw Land, Genders’ remains dormant. Decidedly, the other bandmates collaborated in majestic display; working earnestly with what available resources they had to fruit this ambitious and panoramic record.

After the first piano and acoustic guitar strands of “Hustle”, the stated single here, Mike Lindsay and Becky Jacobs chant over a trotting drum track in charmful carefreeness. The quaint tale “It Breaks” follows; ambling along to a churning rhythm and accented by a trickling piano line played with soft attack.

‘A trick of the light, a turn of the tide’, Jacobs and Lindsay sing mellifluously on “October”—a beautifully simple pondering bookmarked for perfect addition into anyone’s autumn mixtape this year. “Sashimi” is another standout; equipped with a burbling synth part and constantly back-falling progression. The instrumentation is rich throughout—marked with banjos, melodica, exotic percussion, and electronic fiddlings. Not to mention how rewarded we are in hearing Jacobs joining the forefront on vocal duties here and there; notably on the short “These Winds” and on the ‘goodbye wave’ refrain of closer “Weekend Away”.

Each and every selection complements the next. Even the instrumental “By Dusk They Were In The City” is well-crafted; a glitchy two-chord study heightening to a guitar-solo crescendo.

Tunng succeeds in holding true to their chief ingredients of rustic folkiness and fragilely-sung storytelling, and at such a leisurely pace. This result, however, is more calculated and easy-to-digest; less characteristic of the hushed inwardness of their earlier recordings. Recalling imagery of berry pastures and lush landscapes viewed from the window seat, …And Then We Saw Land is a slideshow cyclorama of sonic multicolor—a frontrunner as this year’s Cannibal Sea.

Don't Look Down or Back - Tunng

Buy this album

Nice Nice - Extra Wow

2010-03-28T17:50:00.003-04:00

Nice Nice
Extra Wow
(Warp)
Rating: 3.5 of 5

You want a big record? Prop the door wide open to acid post-rock band, Nice Nice. Their latest off of Warp Records is uncurbed, gutty, and loud. Donning aggregate amounts of garage-y guitars, piquant chimes, swirling synths, and agitating rhythms; Extra Wow jumps right in your face from its genesis.

The Portland duo is high on compression. The first two table-setters establish the bar for the prerequesite tolerance needed to combat the turgid bombast to ensue. “One Hit” is one hell of a throbbing migraine from which to recover, and you might not get the chance with the sweltering clutter the next two clips to follow.

From the wilding whorl of “Everything Falling Apart” to the feel-good hobble of “Big Bounce” to the nu-gaze bumper “A Vibration”, there is so much ground to cover. The disturbing beginning of “A Little Love” recalls the contorted terror of the costume ball scenes in Eyes Wide Shut before reinventing into a churchy disco. “See Waves” makes good of a quirky melody, fitting neatly like a peg in a hole for an Animal Collective tribute. As if to the pulse of a sonic strobe light show, you have to dizzily feel your way through the maze that is this record.

Possibly the most pop-accessible song on Extra Wow, “Make It Gold” is a blinding stare into the sun, with hot-white glints pinching at each strained nerve. When they’re not clamoring about in flailing fits, the drums hold steadfast. You’ve got the tribal boil of “Double Head” for getting in your rain dance. It’s almost time to uncap that bottle of acetaminophen—all the way up until the last two tracks. “New Cascade” shimmers like a groggy ‘morning song’; a slow reawakening from the bender of the previous forty minutes. Lastly, “It’s Here” builds to a crescendo for the first 2:15 and then lazily trickles away.

Extra Wow will surely sit in the pit of your stomach after a once-over. Maybe a little too freak-out busy for you MGMT fans out there, but Nice Nice can keep it cheeky and muster out some heady grooves.

See Waves - Nice Nice

Review posted on ZapTown
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Ken Camden - Lethargy & Repercussion

2010-03-28T13:50:00.006-04:00

Ken Camden
Lethargy & Repercussion
(Kranky)
Rating: 3.7 of 5

Chicago experimentalist Ken Camden has been assigned roles with the Implodes Sound Quartet and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tamburo; the latter, acting as guitar contributor to the supertemporal Universal Orchestra of Pituitary Knowledge album Ghosts of Marumbey. Now acting as bellwether to his own flagship for modern classical and experimental ambient music, he recorded and re-recorded several one-take pieces and carefully selected the top qualifiers for the new Kranky release Lethargy & Repercussion.

This is not music for study. This is an engaging exploration, yet you will want to remain recumbent to digest it. The six tracks unfurl as follows.

In naïve jubilation, the fluttering arpeggios spray about on the opening tessellation “Birthday”. Every trill permeating deep within the eardrums, Lethargy is a headphone enjoyment through and through. The second exercise, “Raagani Robot”, begins down a passageway to the otherworldly featuring swells in modulation from left to right in static delay. As the track culminates, the hypnotic dance shifts the playfulness of the intro to something more convoluted before petering out. Think DOPO without vocals. The trend goes: everything is to play out before seven or eight minutes expire.

The metallic cicada-song of “In Your Ears” bounces channels with just enough basal communication to resonate an uncannily warm feeling of microcosmic isolation before invoking the Eastern spirits of “Raga”. The adaptive bourdon of the tanpura (used in several of these compositions) bolsters the midrange of the equalization in these mixes. More pedal-work through guitar mutterings persist as “New Space” opens up and ultimately sublimates.

Final vision “Jupiter” (the only inclusion to benefit from overdubbing) drones and wavers in illuminating epiphany. The sound of blinding light, God, paranoia, space travel, the afterlife; whatever the intent—Camden’s expressions are limitless. The melodic modes are still seventy-five hundred miles east, but the intended destination is extraterrestrial.

In Your Ears - Ken Camden

The review posted on ZapTown
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Ten Years

2010-03-26T16:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday marked ten years since I first fell in love...

I felt a little inspired by it.

Wrote a song.

Enjoy.

Kingdom of One

New from The National...

2010-03-24T22:17:00.003-04:00

From their forthcoming release High Violet.

enjoy...

Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National

I feel like a million bucks (or, so I keep telling myself...)

2010-03-24T18:33:00.004-04:00

Oh man, I was getting into some good ol' ranting at work today. I don't think anyone really enjoyed hearing my thoughts on tanning, body hair, and relationships to that extent, but it was fun getting a load off.

The day has gone by rather quickly; left work early, not much happened, typical day.

It's cooled down to 55 degrees as the sun goes down in Pittsburgh. I was enjoying several favorites from 2009 on my iPod on the bus ride home. A few I will share with you...

Turpentine - Vandaveer
Flirted With You All My Life - Vic Chesnutt
The Atlantic Ocean - Richard Swift
Know Better Learn Faster - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Chatting with the Radar Bros.

2010-03-22T20:01:00.002-04:00

Exclusive interview with Merge Records' band, Radar Bros. found here at ZapTown.

Their latest album, The Illustrated Garden, is a fascinating comeback release due out tomorrow. We'd like to chalk it up as one of 2010's more promising albums thus far. Have a go at it...

The interview on ZapTown
www.radarbros.com
www.mergerecords.com

A nugget off of the upcoming MGMT record

2010-03-21T17:31:00.002-04:00

MGMT is releasing their second album Congratulations on April 13th. The record was supposedly written in a "small cabin in the woods" early last year. Here's a little sneak peek for you.

Flash Delirium - MGMT

Strand of Oaks - Leave Ruin

2010-03-19T17:53:00.005-04:00

Strand of Oaks
Leave Ruin
(La Société Expéditionnaire)
Rating: 4.4 of 5

La Société Expéditionnaire just continues to take great chances, and as a result, we’ve all been rewarded with some beautiful, contemplative avant folk records. The label, established in 2006 by Lewis & Clarke’s Lou Rogai, offers a few more titles each and every year—including this bonny debut from Timothy Showalter aka Strand of Oaks.

Salvaging what he could from a fire that took his house and all his possessions; Showalter borrowed a guitar and traipsed the city streets of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, writing plaintive songs of self-vindication and mourning from hotel rooms and park benches. A failed relationship behind him, along with everything else, Showalter composed himself and released the Pyrrhic victory Leave Ruin. What we have here are the doleful expressions and candid retellings of a man who enduringly suffered; having lost so many things in his world, both tangible and intangible.

Heart-stricken and carnal confessions, such as “New Paris” or “Sister Evangeline”, capture the sense of torment Showalter has undergone, punctuated by vulnerable guitars and subtle piano touches. “Two Kids” is a short revealing tale of humble petition—performed on a lone guitar apposed by banjo. A gentle Hammond organ keeps “Mourning Worker” nice and calm amid twangy electric guitar phrasings. “End In Flames” and the record-titled last selection, two of the tenderer ballads volunteered for the album, stand tall as bookends on both sides.

Intimately effusive at times, but all the while serving to convey the palpable emotion, Leave Ruin remains irrefutably genuine—a stirring exorcism from the deepest chambers of the heart.

End In Flames - Strand of Oaks

The review posted on ZapTown
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'I never travel far, without a little Big Star...'

2010-03-18T19:06:00.006-04:00

Another sad day for music... Alex Chilton died Wednesday in New Orleans of an apparent heart attack. Chilton has inspired some of the greatest artists of our time--Tom Petty, The Replacements, R.E.M. and Wilco, just to name a few. One of the first authors of power pop music, he (alongside another talented songwriter, Chris Bell) lead Memphis rock band Big Star from 1971 to 1974, releasing two critically-acclaimed albums. He cut his teeth with blue-eyed soulsters, The Box Tops and met with success on the chart-topping single "The Letter" in 1967 when Alex was only sixteen years old.

The powerfully influential #1 Record came out in 1972, featuring "The Ballad of El Goodo", "Feel", and "Thirteen". Their exuberant follow-up, Radio City, was released in 1974 and included memorable entries "September Gurls", "O My Soul", and "Back of a Car". The band broke up shortly after, stemming from tension among members of the band caused from lack of commercial success due to poor promotion and distribution from Stax Records.

In 1978, the nihilistic Third/Sister Lovers was released. Despite attracting the attention from fans upon its release, the record did little, as far as sales. On December 27th of that year (one day before Chilton's 28th birthday), former founding member Chris Bell died in a tragic car accident. This came shortly after Third/Sister Lovers hit shelves.

Chilton and original drummer Jody Stephens reunited Big Star in 1993 with guitarist Jon Auer and bassist Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. This incarnation put out the record In Space in September of 2005 on Rykodisc. Several well-received performances followed, as well as the issuing of a compilation disc, a box set, and the remastered version of a double album consisting of the first two records in the Big Star catalog.

Alex Chilton was readying himself for an upcoming performance at this year's SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. But, it seems that Alex has already played his last show...

* * * * *

I put #1 Record on as soon as I got home and have let it track straight through. There's an incredible energy to each track, whether it be the intimate reflection of the acoustic performances or the rumbling affair of the guitar-driven rock songs. I can't get over how incredible the instruments sound. I'm amazed every time I cue up "Feel" or "Don't Lie To Me".
It is no secret that Alex has thrown down the gauntlet with his incredible contribution to pop/rock music. He was fiercely overlooked. But his legacy will live on in the music he has composed and the artists that he has influenced.

Alex Chilton, we miss you very much.

The Ballad of El Goodo - Big Star
September Gurls - Big Star
I'm In Love With A Girl - Big Star
Thank You Friends (demo) - Big Star
Thirteen (Big Star cover) - Elliott Smith
Alex Chilton - The Replacements

Latest from Arts&Crafts

2010-03-17T13:03:00.025-04:00

From the land that brought us the 2010 Winter Olympics, label Arts&Crafts is celebrating a big day in Austin at SXSW this week. Performances include Broken Social Scene, Jason Collett, Zeus, New Buffalo, Timber Timbre, and Still Life Still. Other roster artists' tour dates begin with April for Los Campesinos! and in May for The Most Serene Republic.

Related A&C news include an upcoming solo release from Australia's Sally Seltmann of New Buffalo fame on April 6th, Broken Social Scene's Forgiveness Rock Record slated for May 4th release, and not to mention, A&C roster alumni Stars are hitting with a long awaited follow-up album.

The Five Ghosts will be released on new imprint Soft Revolution Records on June 22nd.

Young Offenders - Co nstantin es

Luther Russell - Motorbike EP

2010-03-16T21:16:00.008-04:00

Luther Russell
Motorbike
(Wool Recordings/Ungawa)
Rating: 2.4 of 5

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Luther Russell has been running it up the flagpole for over a decade; coughing up convincing renditions of funk-rock, Americana, and acoustic folk-blues on an array of sporadic releases. You may have heard him shifting between the vocal stylings of Elvis Costello on last year’s single “Good Music” and Chris Bell, at times, heard on 2007’s Repair. Russell’s genre-twitching woolgathering continues on this precursor to the forthcoming LP, released by Wool Recordings.

You can’t help but notice the overwhelming kinship in sound to Either/Or-era Elliott Smith on the title track, “Motorbike”. Owing thanks to the wonderful quality of analog tape, it is from the hook-laden affect of this opener that the record is layed out.

The collage continues to unfold with an endearing ode to John Fahey (even in name) on the excerpt, “Dead Sun Blues”. “Et Al”, the other ditty here, is a tad more intriguing. It starts off with a haunting piano line, but then strums sweetly with some added on-melody murmuring.

The secondmost-realized composition on Motorbike is the poppy “Tomorrow’s Papers” with its chiming Teenage Fanclub drive. The shakedown blues of “A World Unknown” features a simple marriage of drums and slide guitar. While it is a fun little get-up, the song slouches and drags in its continuance. Actually, many of the tracks here reach a plateau in design. Album closer “Somehow or Another”, for example, has Russell exercising a completely different vocalization. His ruminations, however, pan out annoyingly—suffering from the usual lack of anything going on, lyrically.

In short, Russell could have done more to fortify the eponymic first selection on this EP. He has surely hoisted another colorful banner, but the salutes may not come his way.

Motorbike - Luther Russell

The review posted on ZapTown
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The 'Love Room'

2010-03-15T16:58:00.006-04:00

For the fourth straight time, a third-room roommate of mine has met with the epiphany of love.

Let me explain...

I've lived in this particular three-bedroom apartment for almost three years now. Originally, it was my friend Dave and I. We had lived in another house a few streets away and had to relocate, due to arguably shady dealings from the previous landlady (she sold the house out from underneath us to a new owner who wanted to live on the same floor that Dave and I shared; we were only given a month's notice).

The third room was designated as a storage room, but for whatever notion (or prenotion), Dave decided to move all of his stuff down the hallway from his spacious first room to the small half-bedroom. Yeah, so the room at the beginning of the hall made a pretty awesome computer room and workstation. But, what had driven Dave to do this?? It wasn't for the roomy closet space, if I remember correctly...

He had just recently met a girl. Now infatuated, she would stay over all of the time--the two of them staying up late watching John Cusack movies on digital cable in Dave's new, smaller bedroom by the bathroom. I'm trying not to digress here. Anyways, Dave and his girl (Amy) got engaged. Dave and Amy would then spend the next few months scouting out houses to buy, all the while I was nervous of a change to come. And it came...

So, Dave and Amy bought a house nearby, all set up for the July 'move-out' and the pending October wedding. I scrambled to find some friends to fill the gap, specifically financially.

A debaucherous month went by (for me, and that's another story entirely), and good friends Tom and Jesse were set to move in. On account of Jesse's dog, he had to bow out and my co-worker Matt entered the lease instead. With the apartment full of three, money was no worry any longer. Nothing but good times ahead, I thought. But after only something like a little over two and a half months, I lost Tom to Stacy.

Stacy, Tom's girlfriend at the time, filled up all of his waking hours and won him over. Sure, things didn't fare too well with me being cranky all of the time about her constant presence at the house and his not coming out to the bars with us anymore. And, I blame myself for the distance. But, when he decided to move out of the place and in with a couple of my other friends to save money, I think he could've given me a little bit more than just three days notice! Egad!

Matt, who has been living in the first room, and I made our rounds looking for a possible candidate to have room with us. It was back to splitting rent and utilities down-the-middle again. In the meantime (sometime in January), my friend Sarah told us her younger sister Lauren was looking for a place in Pittsburgh--out from the 'rents' house.

This golden opportunity proved to be a blast, at first. Lauren moved in, got a job, bought a hookah, and we all sat around listening to CDs and shooting the shit. Everyone got along, all was well; and the third room at the end of the hallway was occupied again. But... then... along... came... Kori.

I could devote three or four good paragraphs to this motherfucker, but let's just keep it brief. Kori (terrible spelling) is a degenerate and a mooch and completely devoid of personality and unworthy of conversation... ahem. But, Lauren just had to be head-over-heels with this swell fella, and decided to start looking for a place for them to live together. Oh, the insanity of a young girl's mind. Yeah, I hated Kori. So did Matt. Who didn't? Lauren. And, my disdain toward him and his existence probably saddened her. This must've made it easy for her to ditch out on us and move to the South Side with him after giving us two days notice. Seriously, who makes this shit up??

Fuck if I can explain any of this! That room is haunted. I started to imagine the idea of putting an ad up on Craig's List.

Temporary Roommate Wanted (Crafton)
small room with spacious closet; month-to-month living situation; to live with two grumpy twentysomethings; w/washer (no dryer); tolerant of smoking; the person who shall move in will find true love in two months, guaranteed; apparently, no requirement for giving substantial notice when you finally plan to move out and live happily ever after with your significant other

Much later on in the year (2009), Matt and I finally found a co-tenant in our work buddy Sara. Sara, who is already in a good relationship, didn't seem to pose any threat to us of bailing--which was bonus. She moved in in November.

Sara brings her boyfriend Gregg over quite a bit, and Gregg is sweet as hell. Gregg and Sara get along great together, and we all sit around the living room watching Pens games and going over our taxes.

Well, the call of love sounded again this past week.

Early Friday morning, Matt and I received a text message from Sara announcing her recent engagement. What could I say to that? Figures! No, really, I'm very happy for her and she hasn't moved out yet. But, in all honesty, this is becoming a freak recurrence. It appears that Sara and Gregg haven't made any plans just yet, and all is calm before the storm. But, anyone out there who has been looking for that 'special someone' for quite some time, I'll let you know when the opportunity arises for you to move in with us and get your number called!

Sidenote: I guess it's a wonder Matt and I don't give it a try ourselves.

Call To Love - Crooked Fingers
Borrow Love and Go - Jackson C. Frank
Uh-oh, Love Comes To Town - Talking Heads
Love Street - The Doors

The Ides of March: News of What's to Come

2010-03-15T01:12:00.005-04:00

photo of Jon Ragel of Boy Eats Drum Machine (above)

Oh my, we've been keeping really busy here!

Working with Andrew at ZapTown, yours truly here at PSoV chatted a bit with Ollie Knights of Turin Brakes on Friday afternoon. More on the interview to come. Also, Merge Records' Radar Bros. have been in correspondence lately. Lots of chit-chat to put up on print. We've also heard from Distile Records, specifically in regards to a really interesting new band, Untied States.

Check out Untied States on YouTube here!

...and a track off their debut album, Ineffable, By Design

I'll Prove You Wrong (Again) - Untied States

We here at PSoV thank Finn Riggins for answering a few questions and wish them all the best with their current tour! They'll be stopping as close as Harrisburg, if you have the opportunity to check them out--do so. They've been playing multiple dates with another fascinating band I've had the privilege of enjoying, Portland, Oregon's Boy Eats Drum Machine.

Here's the first track off of their latest album of the same name:

Hoop + Wire - Boy Eats Drum Machine

* * * * *

Many more good things to come; including reviews and commentary on new releases--the likes of Joanna Newsom, Black Francis, Strand of Oaks, A Weather, Luther Russell, and much more!

Stay tuned, ya'll.

Hangovers: Sat. March 14th, St. Patrick's Day Weekend

2010-03-13T23:50:00.004-05:00

Another morning/afternoon Pittsburgh St. Patty's Day shit-show...

I continue to refill my glass with distilled jug water; just woke up from what was supposed to be a short nap. Apparently, my phone's text message inbox is full. I slept in way past my bar invite and I'm not trying to catch that last bus into town. So, I'm missing out on Irish song karaoke and more swill draft beer. I'm pretty fully-functioning at the moment, I just can't smoke cigarettes very fast right now. You know it's been a rough day when you save files to the desktop as 'whatever'.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, all.

Irish Wake - Lullaby For The Working Class

Class Actress - Journal of Ardency

2010-03-11T01:04:00.005-05:00

Class Actress
Journal of Ardency
(Terrible Records)
Rating: 3.9 of 5

Elizabeth Harper ditched the classic singer-songwriter approach and teamed up with producers Mark Richardson and Scott Rosenthal; branding their ‘Totally 80s’ electro-pop vehicle, Class Actress. This five-song disc, coming to us exclusively from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor at Terrible Records, is a taste of what’s in store for the full-length promised later this year—and what a lingering and intoxicating nip it is.

Attuning her enchantingly cool delivery all throughout her debut, Journal of Ardency, Harper evokes a metropolitan vibe underlined by slinky synth modulations and threshed disco beats. “Careful What You Say” throbs like a club banger, but Harper’s distressed lines warn with innocent savvy. She plays the part of the bruised peach so well, in fact, that it intimates that these engineered dance tracks spawned from the unfeigned penmanship of her earlier solo work.

The eponymous selection, second in the play order, is the clincher. The aching humility bleeding out from her as she is imagined strutting along the city street, outside the hotspots and after-hours parties. Harper strikes me as the girl who looks better when she’s not smiling, but instead gazing out from a cold blank stare. The glassed-over look that begs ‘come-hither’ is made hearable on the ricocheting finale “Someone Real”.

Whilst still under the radar, this trio still benefits from the appeal of their captivating mystery. Tossing around somewhere between the sounds of Reverie Sound Revue (see “Let Me Take You Out”) and The Bird and the Bee (“Adolescent Heart”), Class Actress still manages to assert themselves as fresh and unique. If I had my druthers, this short-but-sweet sampler would reflect the direction of pop music to come.

Journal of Ardency - Class Actress

The review posted on ZapTown
ZapTown home page

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Shellshag at Kopec's (Sun. Mar. 7, 2010); live review

2010-03-10T12:08:00.005-05:00

My friend Sarah and I killed time at the Sharp Edge Emporium in Friendship; enjoying some feta, black olives, and sun-dried tomato pizza. We had driven up to the original venue, a house located on Kincaid Street in Garfield, only to be told that the show got moved to a bar on Penn Avenue called Kopec's. With the later start time of 9pm, a friendly passerby told us, we were in good shape to grab a beer and a bite before heading down to see Shellshag.

Shellshag was added to an already existing lineup, seemingly unaware to show-goers out for the other bands that evening. After three blistering local sets (spanning in length from eight minutes to 40 minutes apiece), Johnny Shell and Jen Shag graced the stage. 'Shellhead', donning his Wonder Woman tee, was celebrating a birthday and reaped the benefits of gifted whiskey shots in between commotive punk selections. Featuring "Resilient Bastard" and "1984" from their hot new LP Rumors In Disguise, the six-to-seven song set met new dumbfounded happen-to-be-there's and seeking followers with bombastic joy as the crowd lipped out words and gazed bewilderingly up at the duo.

Drummer Jen pounded away behind the distortion like a cannonade. Whether it was Shag sometimes knocking over toms or Shell's amp jumps, the beer-fueled band kept the audience totaled and amused. Despite the lacking quality of good vocal-to-guitar mixing, everyone was still at Shell's sleeve with each word. He knocked off Recess Records' band, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, toward the end of their set accompanied by the onlookers' droning singalong. Shell closed things down, slinging his axe above the drop ceiling and stacking up Jen's three-piece drum kit. Everything fell before Shell cut the amplifier switch. I still had a little bit of that feedback ringing in my ears.

The Pacific Northwest--from Boise to Portland: An Interview with Finn Riggins' Eric Gilbert

2010-03-08T18:50:00.016-05:00

Last Wednesday, psov posted a review of Vs. Wilderness--the delightful new LP from Idaho's very own Finn Riggins (featuring keyboardist/vocalist Eric Gilbert, drummer Cameron Bouiss, and guitarist/vocalist Lisa Simpson). They are currently promoting the record on an extensive tour of the States (including a stop in Austin for the SXSW Festival).

Amid their journey down the Californian coast to play a show at the Soda Bar in San Diego tonight, Eric took a moment to answer a few questions for us regarding the new album, the music scene in Boise, and life on the road.

Vs. Wilderness is such an invigorating and gratifying listen. Unfortunately, I had to stumble upon it rather than it being delivered to my doorstep. How can we get the word out on the streets about Finn Riggins?

Thanks! Certainly can use all the help we can get. I'd say this is a good start. Appreciate you taking the time. Glad you stumbled upon us. I see [ZapTown is] in Indianapolis. We're playing at Vollrath Tavern on May 5th toward the end of this tour. Hopefully, by then Indy will know we're coming.

It’s evident in the sound of the album that the band was having a blast during the recording sessions. Describe the process of translating the written material to studio tracks?

It's true, we had a blast. We really enjoy the music we play and I'm glad it shows. Most of this record was written and refined during a very busy touring schedule in 2008 and in the spring of 2009, and really is a pretty honest snapshot of our live sound and where the band was at that time. We tracked Vs Wilderness, mostly, live over a three day stretch in between shows last May at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, ID. It's a big open room and we were able to get good isolation for the drums and really play these songs like we were used to ripping them at shows. We honed some of the arrangements down for the recordings, but made most of those adjustments on the fly. We did do a decent amount of layering some parts over the top in the mixing process at AudioLab to help capture the energy of our live show. We had our hands in all aspects of the recording process, and although it was a whirlwind three weeks, we most definitely had a blast recording this album.

There is a lovely stop-animation video that was shot for the infectious track, “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)”. What does this song mean to you?

This song was the first song we wrote upon moving to Boise in January [of] 2009 and [it] was during the bottom of this current recession. There were all these questions hovering about how much harder things were gonna get. This song, to me, is about doing what you love regardless of how poor you may be in the midst of it all. It's about being rewarded with the joys of community and the common causes that bind us together through hard times. It's about valuing the little things in life. It's about local underground music and art and the spiritual backbone it provides to small and big towns all over. It's about dancing with your friends.

Built To Spill is the only other band that I can think of from Idaho. What was it like growing up and playing music in what is, historically, such a musically-devoid scene?

Idaho has never really felt musically-devoid to me. We all met going to school in Moscow, ID, up in the panhandle (northern Idaho), and it was and still is a very vibrant college town with free-form college radio and all kinds of touring and local musicians playing in town several days a week. Granted, a lot of our friends from the scene, when we were there, have moved to Portland, OR and elsewhere to further pursue music careers. But, there definitely wasn't a lack of creative music being made around us. Idaho does lack much representation in the music industry though, and that can be problematic trying to work in to the national scene. A lot of musicians tend to move to bigger markets because of it, but we've been able to cover some ground in the industry thanks to our relentless touring schedule and playing those larger markets on a regular basis. We're also thankful to have stumbled upon an amazing relationship with Tender Loving Empire--our Portland, OR based label--as they've helped us be fairly well-tied into the vibrant Portland scene and we often get mistaken for a Portland band. Rightfully so, though, as we definitely feel like we're part of that scene as well, despite not storing our household goods there.

With so many performances under your belt, you’ve played with a plethora of up-and-coming bands. Tell us about some of those bands and the experiences you’ve had while sharing the stage with them.

Wow. Where to start? Definitely one of the biggest rewards with playing so many shows all over the country the last several years has been playing with and seeing so many other great bands in different scenes and following them as they develop as well. We get asked about our influences all the time, and although there might not be any direct aural similarities, we all certainly feel that we're mostly influenced by our peers at this point in our history--on many levels. We love touring with other bands when we get that chance, seeing them night after night and comparing notes along the way. More the merrier tends to hold true in most cases. Some of our favorites: Tartufi, Low Red Land, Jared Mees & The Grown Children, Orem The Sink, The Globes, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Woven, Hosannas, Sister Suvi, Tune-Yards, Nat Baldwin, We Vs The Shark, Man/Miracle, The Dont's, World's Greatest Ghosts, Le Fleur, Built To Spill, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Disco Doom, Wildlife Refugees, Ponchos, Appomattox, Yeah Great Fine, Talkdemonic, And And And, The Mutineers, Hello Shark, Love That Dress, Council of Lions, Rooftops, Test Audiences, Asher In The Rye, America Owns The Moon, and many many many more.

You have this small cabin up in the mountains. I’m sure it’s beautiful up there—a pleasant escape from the weariness on the road. What does the band do when they’re not playing or recording music? Any avid hobbies or pasttimes?

We've technically moved out of the small cabin in the mountains and down in to the "big city" of Boise. It was nice coming home to the solitude of the small mountain town, but it's been nice coming home to a more vibrant music and art scene now. I like to play basketball when I get the chance. When we were up in the mountains, I enjoyed hiking and fishing when I got some free time. Cam's an avid skier and definitely does that as much as he can. On the road, we travel with a bocce ball set and try [to] play whenever possible. Frisbee too. Lisa's the crafty one of the bunch and does a lot of sewing.

Finn Riggins seems like fun-loving people. I’m sure you get around to making conversation with some of the fans that attend the performances. What was the most supportive thing someone said to you after a show? Any good tour stories?

Definitely get a lot of time to hang with friends and [make] new friends at shows--certainly one of the joys of this endeavor. Really fun to meet like-minded folks all over this country and hear their take on their community and music, and always interesting to watch and hear how they react to what we're doing. People say a lot of kind things to us... most supportive thing though? A lot of them are too embarrassing to say. Someone that saw us recently emailed us afterward and said that we'd renewed his faith in modern music and that he was going to start DJing at his community radio station again because of it. Little nuggets like that never fail to inspire us forward. Lots of good tour stories, unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to share the juicy ones. We played in a yurt once. Coziest dance party ever. It was amazing. We're playing a party on a boat next Tuesday in Austin, we're really excited about that one.

Indie rock concert-goers will always have their stereotypes and presumptions. What was the most indeliberately insulting thing said to you after a show?

"Idaho's that state right above Kentucky, right?" Nah, not easily insulted in general. Even if someone makes an association with a band that I don't like that much, I'm usually excited they found a way to connect to our music. And, I just think it's hilarious that so many people don't know that Idaho is in the [northwest]; that it has lots of mountains, and that it's a beautiful place to live.

You’re currently on a massive U.S. tour this spring; almost seventy dates, if I counted correctly. What are your plans after things finish up in late-May? Might you be ready to head to the studio to lay down some new material?

The plan is to spend the summer and fall writing and working on a new album, while remaining open to regional opportunities and any support tours that might be offered to us. We're really excited to get to work on new material--lots of ideas being thrown around. We'll have a new practice space in Boise when we get back and all kinds of inspiration built up over the course of this three month tour. There's been talk of trying to whip up something new while on this tour with the acoustic instruments we brought with us... maybe have it ready to play by our May 5th Indianapolis show? We'll see...

* * *

Check out Finn Riggins on MySpace

www.finnriggins.com

www.tenderlovingempire.com

www.riotactmedia.com

Clogs - The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton / Veil Waltz EP

2010-03-07T15:22:00.007-05:00

Clogs

The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton / Veil Waltz EP

(Brassland)

Rating: 4.4 of 5 / 3.5 of 5

The mosaic cache of January’s EP, Veil Waltz, serves as a foretoken to the hinterland of their renaissance. As a precursor to their forthcoming full-length, Clogs revealed their latest embodiment with this meandering batch of mostly instrumentally-concerted pieces, but not without the highlight of “On The Edge”. The two “Turn The River” themes are here to awaken the beauty of the aforementioned focal point. The Catalan phrasing of the title track and the tranquility of the xylophone-scored “Turn 13” are unique elements, yet derivative of the Clogs’ earlier work. Closing track “Parallel Man” finds bandleader and violist Padma Newsome, steeped in a well of reverb, revisiting his fascination with Indian folk music.

The inspiration behind Newsome’s compositions on the highly-awaited fifth release by these chamber-folk artists is something pure, and somewhat privy. The title of the LP references the widow of British composer and conductor Sir William Walton. Constructing from seemingly archaic progressions, Newsome has exchanged lurking orchestral post-rock build-ups for the dregs of delicate chamber music. Almost serving to spotlight the vocals rather than the vocalists (which include Padma) themselves, these waltzes and descants are spun and woven for My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden to adapt to, and with most astonishing results.

From the rendered-Italian palaver of the a capella “Cocodrillo” to the witching hour obsequies of “We Were Here” (featuring banjo and vocal contributions from Sufjan Stevens), The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton senses the demure revelations of a band of virtuosic performers. Complex structures betwixt and between the wistful verses of “Adages of Cleansing” stand to exhibit the prodigious talents of the group, entangling bloodcurdling string pocks and flourishes and Bryce Dessner’s substratal guitar excerpts with frantic hand drum rhythming tension from Thomast Kozumplik. Still leaning to his Baroque tastes with a post-rock bent in the ilk of classical instrumentalists Rachel’s, Padma can still step to the plate and shine a melody like no other, as can be heard on “Red Seas”.

Utilizing Worden’s feature tessitura on the simply beautiful “On The Edge” or the emotive gesturing of “The Owl of Love”; for Padma, the breadth of this record is indebted to her. But, Matt Berninger’s baritone, loaned to the plaintive “Last Song”, resonates with baring contingency. The forlorn pantomime of “To Hugo” follows; touched by staccato marimba lines, swelling strings, reedy bassoon lines from Rachael Elliot, and even audible breathing leaking into the mix.

Meeting more than satisfactory, if not numinous, upon first impression; The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton hearkens to be replayed. Recognizing it to be their most earnest work to date, Clogs have found their respective Aoede in Shara Worden, and affirmed their genius.

The review posted on ZapTown
ZapTown home page

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R.I.P. Mark Linkous

2010-03-07T01:03:00.004-05:00

Word has just gotten out about the death of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous. This is, of course, very sad news. Four powerfully-stated and under-appreciated albums as Sparklehorse, work with Danger Mouse and Fennesz and Nina Persson, curating and producing the tribute album to Daniel Johnston, and having toured with The Flaming Lips and Radiohead; Mark leaves a musical legacy behind him.

I've had the privilege to see Sparklehorse open up for The Flaming Lips at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh years ago. It's A Wonderful Life is still an amazing album to me--I celebrate Sparklehorse's discography. Mark brought a touch of the surreal to all of us with his distinct voice and tone. He was and will remain a remarkable, yet understated, presence in music.

He will be missed.

It's A Wonderful Life - Sparklehorse

The Touques - The Touques EP

2010-03-06T11:41:00.007-05:00

Reno’s next-gen act, The Touques, has been kicking up some sand in the West. It was time to pay a visit to their EP from last year.

The Touques

(self-released)

Rating: 3 of 5

The grinding sustain of the guitar suddenly waning to handclaps and an octave-jumping keyboard bass part, my first impression was that this was another Bloc Party-style art punk band. But continuing to listen to "4", the first of five on this self-titled EP from Reno's The Touques, I could begin to partake in the raucous lilt and admire the kookiness of this band.

The second track, “Roy Stampler”, is a jagged runner laden with give-and-take guitar lines, competing vocals, apropos drum fills, and a derailed middle-leg jam. The Touques voracious approach to post-punk revival is coupled with their own wanton folly. The ‘smoke-break’ of “White Elephant (Settling)”, with its written-in-one-morning feel, would act as fitting filler to play to the crowd waiting for the band to emerge onto the stage during a live show. It even comes equipped with a sub-track of background party banter.

With more than greets the ear initially, The EP sheds light on a flair for the fancy. The saturated reverb of the mix combined with the moodier nebulous tones of the final two selections on this short-player lend to gothic decay, not completely unowing to seminal acts like The Cure. “Goodbye Monsieur” closes with the same chattering guitar that “4” opens with, looping the record like a Mobius strip.

Like looking through a magic lantern, the phantasmagoria of the lyrical imagery and off-tune caterwauling will hypnotize, yet unsettle. The flow of the material is a little misleading, but the spellbind of its beacon keeps you trudging forward—as if, blindly following the direction of a compass even though you know it not to work properly. Wide-eyed and somewhat wilted, you can still hazily make out shapes on the horizon of the promise of what may come. Or, is it just a mirage?

Check them out on MySpace

Their blogspot site (free EP download provided)

Anticipation and how I don't really need a spring or a summer...

2010-03-05T09:39:00.004-05:00

Less than eight months until Halloween...
Less than seven months until my birthday...
Less than six months until the weather starts to cool down...
Less than four months of hockey season left...
Less than a month until Pittsburgh Pirates opening day...

September Gurls (Big Star cover) - Superdrag

'You are all a lost generation.'

2010-03-04T18:45:00.004-05:00

It's a quarter to seven, and I've already went to the Asbach. I've got an inch and a half in my Sharp Edge sampler glass that I received, complimentary, last year at the annual Beer Fest. I've spent the last hour watching Greatest Drunks of All-Time clips on YouTube. That just reminds me, I have to finish my Bukowski so that I can borrow 'The Sun Also Rises' off of my roommate.

I'm settled in for the night, ready to enjoy the two new Clogs records I've received in the latest promo distribution. Reviews of their new LP and EP will be up on psov in the coming week.

Preparations have already begun for a new P L A Y List, as well.

Somebody left a copy of 'Ruanaidh: The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan' at work. It went unclaimed, so my other roommate took it. I'm excited to give it a go. I was reading a few passages on my lunch break of old Pittsburgh pool hall lore, descriptions of the poor Irish communities in what is now Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, and recounts of Pittsburgh Kid Billy Conn's bout with heavyweight champion Joe Louis at the Polo Grounds in '41.

There's obviously quite the bit on my must-read list, at the moment. Read more about 'Ruanaidh' here.

Finn Riggins - Vs. Wilderness

2010-03-03T20:54:00.003-05:00

Finn Riggins

Vs. Wilderness

(Tender Loving Empire)

Rating: 4 of 5

The joyous celebration of playing together, the good vibrations between members of the band during the recording process, the appetites for catchy melodies; sonic evidence of all of these are present on Vs. Wilderness. Idaho noisemakers Finn Riggins jump in and splash around wildly on their fourth album, and third with Portland label Tender Loving Empire—Cameron Bouiss, Lisa Simpson, and Eric Gilbert currently touring with this late-2009 release in their arsenal.

The kind of record that invades your psyche like a cannonade and leaves you tumbling forward; it’s not an off-putting feeling. But, it’s certainly one you don’t want to put on if you’ve already got a splitting headache. Between cacophonous jams like “Vs. Birds”, skittering trips like “Furs”, or the exuberant anthem “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)”, there is no unfastening your seat belt. That swallowing lo-fidelity envelope around the tracks makes these built-from-scratch compositions all the more endearing—such as the over-compressed “Battle”, or how the retaining wall of slightly unbalanced equalization prevents Lisa’s spanking guitar lines in “Antoinette Pt. 1” from bucking out from your stereo speakers. Wait. Did I mention catchy melodies? Visit the frolicsome third track, “Dali”.

Barely-surfacing vocals, metallic guitars, and ever-crashing cymbals riffle along, and sometimes in complex time signatures. So enthralling are the grittiness of “Mahoney” and the banshee-wail majesty of the last track, “Rush Of Animals”. These are the indie rock records that redefine the genre with each and every push of the play button. I can only strive to have as much fun listening as they had performing.

Dali - Finn Riggins

Buy this album

The Go Find - Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight

2010-03-03T13:33:00.008-05:00

The Go Find

Everybody Knows It’s Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight

(Morr Music)

Rating: 3.7 out of 5

With keen estimation, The Go Find keeps the tonality lush and warm on Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight. The Belgian electronic pop quintet proves fit in form and not meeting Waterloo to their magical 2007 album, Stars On The Wall.

“Ooh, let me take you back to the nineties, when we were teens,” Dieter Sermeus lulls over a pulsing groove on the title track. The nostalgia and contemplation sets the postulate for the ten songs to follow. With its minimalist up-strum duty, played-on-the-offbeat bass line, and slinky guitar curlicues, one might recall Andrew Kenny’s work with American Analog Set.

The infectious “It’s Automatic” comes after next, celebrating gleeful ennui in pop-perfect ceremony. The interweave of tasteful synth washes and the trappings of acoustic media humbly accompany Dieter’s casual wistful balladeering. Exchanging sentiments throughout the verses of “Stay”, a genuine Dieter manages to resolve his fumbling pleadings in a touching manner—and with all of three minutes to convince you. Songbird female harmonies pepper a track or two with Karolien Van Ransbeeck waxing lethargic on traded verses on the labyrinthine “One Hundred Percent”.

Influentially, much is owed to the successes of other European bands like Kings of Convenience and Phoenix. The downbeat tone of EKIGHONT gives it a platform to spring free from the bouncier vein of American dead ringers, French Kicks. But, Dieter covers the bases, not-so-covertly employing his wide spectrum of sound-alike voices. The distinct Pavement effect of the intro to “Cherry Pie” or his deeper-pitched Erlend Øye accents on “Neighbourhood”, are two prime examples. Am I crazy for even hearing a similarity to Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” in the melody of “Just A Common Love”?

Regardless, we still hear another well-stated record with a very promising single and not much to knock. Harder and harder it has become not to fall prosaic in a world of so many gleaming indie electronic frontrunners; The Go Find, in full recognition, does the trick in being yet another fascinating contribution to the genre.

Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight - The Go Find

The review posted on ZapTown

ZapTown home page

Buy this album

I like a president who smokes

2010-03-02T10:32:00.005-05:00

I was flipping through pages on Google News yesterday and I saw an article on Barack Obama's latest physical report. It stated that the president was in good health, but that he still needs to lower his cholesterol count and work harder to finally kick his smoking habit. The President of the United States is a smoker? Why am always the last to know about these things??

I was bullshitting with an associate where I work (one who is known as a habitual liar) about my discovery. He said 'yeah, you didn't know that. He smokes Marlboro Reds'. The guy knows Obama's preferred brand? Really? Barack smokes 'cowboys'? This was all just too funny. I began my Google Images search and found photo after photo (some Photoshop-ed, of course) of our Chief Executive with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

I thought about this for a little bit, and I came to the conclusion that... I like a President who smokes. Quoting one of my favorite lines from Noah Baumbach's 1995 comedy Kicking And Screaming, I, also, 'like a bartender who drinks, otherwise I feel like I'm being poisoned'. Knowing these things kind of make me feel better, more justified. This is precisely the reason why the public eye scrutinizes President Obama in this instance; him being a role model and all, dealing with his addiction to nicotine.

Later on in the evening, at the bar, I was relaying the events of my afternoon lunch break on Google Search. Someone posed the question, 'do you think he's allowed to smoke in the White House?' They continued, 'probably not, with the smoking ban in government buildings.' What? But, he's the motherfucking president. Not allowed to smoke in the Oval Office? Why? Do you know how many times Nixon and colleagues lit up cigars after dinner in the Green Room? Do you think people were shaking their finger at FDR or LBJ when they were seen sorting through a barrage of legislation at their desk while puffing away on a fag? Warren G. Harding was a smoker. Kennedy, too.

They must have done a pretty good job keeping it under wraps. I mean, I only now just found out about it. So, Obama enjoys watching The Godfather with a nice serving of huckleberry cobbler with caramel ice cream, and a full-flavored cigarette.

More Cigarettes - The Replacements

Quasi - American Gong

2010-03-01T21:29:00.027-05:00

Quasi

American Gong

(Kill Rock Stars)

Rating: 3.3 of 5

Exit distorted organs. Enter distorted guitars. As if raising a toast to post-Bush America, Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss have constructed a new album with less political bile and more druggy mooniness. Employing the multi-talents of Jicks bassist Joanna Bolme, a now permanent fixture, Quasi flipped-switch and piled American Gong high with somewhat off-kilter, rock trio song craft to marry the archetypal hallucinatory fuzz and throbbing electrification.

Having been around for seventeen years, Quasi won’t be sending anyone by the wayside with this assortment of drudged-up jams. Sam Coomes, as if playing Neil Young’s legendary Old Black, can be imagined positioning his guitar in front of the amp cab for bonus incendiary feedback. Joanna solidifies the melodies with tasteful fretwork, herself. Janet behind it all—pounding away with precise Bonham-owing meter.

Certainly featuring a blowout start to the recording, American Gong’s “Repulsion” and “Little White Horse” relent to the world-weary “Everything & Nothing At All” and the poppier chorus of “Bye Bye Blackbird”. But just when everything is all fine and dandy, a flop like “Now What” or “Death Is Not The End” stinks of overcompensation. Or, maybe, it stems from a lack of focus. Even the promising bombast of “Black Dogs & Bubbles” is a bit too lengthy to stomach.

Asinine lyrics accompanying the acoustic inclusions on Gong, “Rockabilly Party” brings a resurging spark toward the end of the tracking; only to be quelled by the decent upshot—the ironically-subdued “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” (Cajun French for ‘Let the Good Times Roll’). Trace influences of contemporaries Built To Spill, and even a little Earlimart this time around, are of note.

While fans of these madcaps might prefer to turn to their more lo-fi successes than to the refurbished razzle-dazzle captured here, Quasi makes believers of them with two or three winners—even when they seem most unlikely to do so.

Sault Ste Marie

2010-02-28T16:25:00.003-05:00

'cool, the same me
pocket fallen through the floor
cool, the same me
flashing on the muddy water...'

Sault Ste Marie

Deadweight, by now

2010-02-27T21:35:00.004-05:00

10+ hour day at work, feeling burned out. But, the night is mine--and all of tomorrow. Who's down for some draft beer and tasteless karaoke? Or else, maybe it's time to pop in that 'Net-flick'.

I always feel a wretch having Sundays off. Everything closing early, usually no good shows or happenings. A good day to sit in and get into some personal productivity, I must say. Perhaps, a day to check into the studio (bedroom) to demo off some new tracks for your listening pleasure (agony).

Growing family values?? Pshhhyeah right.

Alan Charing - Stitch

2010-02-27T19:56:00.009-05:00

Alan Charing

Stitch

(LazyBone Records)

Rating: 3.6 of 5

Years after the deadlock of his last songwriting vehicle (A.C. Cotton), Portland troubadour Alan Charing has finally balanced himself on top of the dirt heap, with the shovel in his hand. The solo outing Stitch, his first release of any kind in six years, is the proof that he has let bygones be bygones with his inner demons. However, he did not completely go stag. Joining him on the project are members of Richmond Fontaine and of Laura Gibson’s band, with mixing duties assigned to Mike Coykendall.

Unveiled here, overtop of some plain ol’ rock and roll, are all of the loose ends tied together. Not having given a damn what anyone thought, Charing crafted the record that he wanted to listen to and no one else. His delivery is to-the-point, but not harsh. Charing can show that he knows how to shake it off with a little Dylanesque breeziness.

The first two cuts are choice--big meaty choruses and all. Charging in with the vinegary “Leftover Life To Kill”, Alan runs through his lines with a sneer. Segueing into the woozy, alley cat romp, “Cold Milk, Big Bombs”, Charing has got the whole dive bar swinging. He does not fall short too often here; just when you think he loses pace, the tempo recovers and the lag is gone.

Stitch tends to be a little too undeviating in instrumentation. There are a few strings or horns thrown in, but Charing keeps the format on lockdown with the ever-present accompaniment of rootsy acoustic guitar chops, bluesy lead, upright piano, and drums. It still makes for a hell of a good time on the second-to-last selection, “Whiskey Sours”. Other standouts include the meandering “Disasterpiece”, the darkly revealing quirk of “I Can Feel The Wheel” and the sticking point, “Long Goodbye”.

Stitch’s power is less showing than growing. Opening statements like ‘Something’s missing, makes no difference to me’ may leave you unimpressed at the onset, still the reward comes with patience. Clean your slate and go back to track one; this record’s captivation is only fully realized with repeated listens.

Long Goodbye - Alan Charing

The review posted at ZapTown

ZapTown home page

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P L A Y List - (one)

2010-02-26T18:42:00.007-05:00

The snow dumping continues here in the 'Burgh. No worries. I will be off to see Horse or Cycle opening up for dream-popsters, Action Camp, at Howler's tonight (we may have a little more up on that show in posts to come). I was considering staying in, seeing that my co-worker Joe let me borrow his Netflix arrival, The Brown Bunny. I had the pleasure? Yeah, I had the pleasure of seeing that one in a small theater downtown during its limited 2004 US release. I've been fondly recalling the silence of the room during a particularly gripping scene, ahem! Anyway, my viewing companion and good friend, Sarah, strode out of there feeling slightly changed. I remember us both not wanting to admit that we actually liked Vincent Gallo's newest offering. Ah, awkwardness. Ah, memories.

Still lots of big things to come, here at psov. We've got the facebook fan page up and running, and our first 'Follower' (every blog must have its first post, hence, every blog must announce its follower). Thanks, Karen!!

And, finally, thanks to Andrew Duncan over at ZapTown for worlds of support!!

* * *

There's a ton of new music in the banks. I figured it was time to serve up some of the goodies, new and old, that's been splashing the walls.

A little P L A Y List for you...

01' Speed (Rush Ah) - ArpLine
02' Doubt/Hope - Wildbirds & Peacedrums
03' Please Don't Put Me on a Slow Boat to Trowbridge - Hugh Cornwell
04' January Wedding - The Avett Brothers
05' Silver Trembling Hands - The Flaming Lips
06' Last Flowers - Radiohead
07' Kingfisher - Joanna Newsom
08' Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Radar Bros.
09' Cold Milk, Big Bombs - Alan Charing
10' Quiet Little Voices - We Were Promised Jetpacks
11' I've Smoked Too Much - Lawrence Arabia
12' Everyday - Vetiver

Check out Horse or Cycle at MySpace!

Wakey! Wakey! - Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You...

2010-02-24T15:22:00.013-05:00

Wakey! Wakey!
Everything I Wish I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You...
(Family Records)
Rating: 2.3 of 5

The halls of ivy are chock-full of college dudes and chicks, walking around campus with their Apple In-Ear Headphones on, listening to fresh brand-names of pop/rock. They watch their reality shows and coming-of-age television dramas. It's the accessibility provided through these mediums to allow talented young songsters, like Michael Grubbs of Wakey! Wakey!, to bleed onto the scene--one familiar soundtrack tune at a time.

The barely twenty-somethings who recognize him as 'Grubbs' (the bartender) on the young adult targeted, popular CW network program, One Tree Hill, will be the ones to seek out Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You....

From the upstart indie music scene of Brooklyn, Grubbs puts another foot forward into the limelight having polished off a healthy batch of piano-driven pop for Family Records. The anticipated debut from Grubbs' outfit, Wakey! Wakey!, is teeming with the charm and intellect that attracts the heed of the some of the youngest of Generation Y.

The brooding, brown study of songs like "War Sweater" (featured in a season finale episode of One Tree Hill) and the uplifting buoy of the title track represent the prominent parts of AEIWISTLTISY. Catchy, repetitive monosyllabic refrains on "The Oh Song" and "22" make for easy singalongs. But, to note, Grubbs' vocally-fit laments on hope and dignity lack the profundity needed to weightily impact the listener's affection. More so, it presents itself like affectation.

Channeling his best Adam Levine, hooky jams like "Feral Love" recall Maroon 5 in flavor and spunk. Tasting of a little Regina Spektor influence, "Take It Like A Man" throbs with Balkan-inflected anti-folk before reconciling to its chorus of Snow Patrol-sounding climax. Faint traces of James Blunt and David Gray can also be heard, at times, during the long-play of the record.

Grubbs, with his fingers on the ivories, plays to the gallery with his own shimmering variety of compassionate melodies. Occasionally, he prevails. The rest, however, is a cereal bowl full of theater pop.

War Sweater - Wakey! Wakey!

The review posted on ZapTown
ZapTown home page

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Up and coming...

2010-02-24T14:15:00.004-05:00

Coming soon: possible feature interview with Radar Bros.

Also: album reviews on Wakey! Wakey! and Alan Charing, just to name a few!!

Keep your fingers crossed...

picture streets of vienna

Weddin'

The madness continues...

It's been a couple of weeks...

Happy 4th!! (Boomy ones!)

Revisiting a mix from last year; Matt Pryor gets me

P L A Y List: Summer Songs

Interpol/Twin Tigers at Mr. Small's... 'This is why I hold you... '

Horse or Cycle: who says Pittsburgh doesn't have good bands?!?

Les Shelleys preview

Chipped/Chopped Ham

(Perhaps, your very own introduction to) Richard Youngs

Wasted Daylight

Gultskra Artikler - Galaktika

Benadryl and the lull to come...

Joseph Arthur at Liquid Sundays; five tracks that are new and awesome...

Pre-summer update and a song by Gary Higgins

**Blog Neglect**

The Young Friends - Hella

Of Montreal, to a roller rink near me...

Full Coverage (Vol. 2: Bob Dylan)

True Womanhood - Basement Membranes EP

Judson Claiborne - Time and Temperature

Revisiting another great record

Untying Loose Ends: An Interview with Untied States

Javelin - No Más

Woodpigeon - Die Stadt Muzikanten / Spirehouse

No skin! No skin! No skin! No skin, no!

Against Me! in Pittsburgh; 'protest songs to try and stop the soldier's gun'

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

matt pond PA - The Dark Leaves

The Disco Biscuits - Planet Anthem

Full Coverage (Vol. 1: MGMT)

So fucking pretty... (Vol. 1: Bon Iver/Justin Vernon)

Stupidity tries; songs for your Saturday

Plants and Animals - La La Land

Untied States - Instant Everything, Constant Nothing

Brasstronaut - Mt. Chimaera

The Hold Steady at Diesel (Wed. Apr. 14th, 2010); live review

Songs about breakfast

One More Dance Before I Lose You

Sin Ropas - Holy Broken

And then that song comes on...

Camel Lights, neck pains, and Johnny Hodges

Black Francis - Nonstoperotik

Midlake at Diesel (Mon. Apr. 5th, 2010); live review

It's a week of cover songs, courtesy of Vestry of Mil

I wish it had been just 'April Fools'

Revisiting an album that I love

Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

Nice Nice - Extra Wow

Ken Camden - Lethargy & Repercussion

Ten Years

New from The National...

I feel like a million bucks (or, so I keep telling myself...)

Chatting with the Radar Bros.

A nugget off of the upcoming MGMT record

Strand of Oaks - Leave Ruin

'I never travel far, without a little Big Star...'

Latest from Arts&Crafts

Luther Russell - Motorbike EP

The 'Love Room'

The Ides of March: News of What's to Come

Hangovers: Sat. March 14th, St. Patrick's Day Weekend

Class Actress - Journal of Ardency

Shellshag at Kopec's (Sun. Mar. 7, 2010); live review

The Pacific Northwest--from Boise to Portland: An Interview with Finn Riggins' Eric Gilbert

Clogs - The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton / Veil Waltz EP

R.I.P. Mark Linkous

The Touques - The Touques EP

Anticipation and how I don't really need a spring or a summer...

'You are all a lost generation.'

Finn Riggins - Vs. Wilderness

The Go Find - Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight

I like a president who smokes

Quasi - American Gong

Sault Ste Marie

Deadweight, by now

Alan Charing - Stitch

P L A Y List - (one)

Blog Neglect