This project between Calvin Johnson(Beat Happening) and Doug Martsch(Built to Spill) pops up every once in a while- I can’t help but revel in the energy here, Calvin’s deep baritone juxtaposed against Doug’s reedy voice. This video captures the Halo Bender’s Calvin Johnson busting out. Today is also Calvin Johnson’s 47th birthday(born November 1, 1962!) It’s been a long time since Beat Happening played out a show but K Records is still going strong.
Pitchfork shows some love for USF’s remix of “Jimmy Dove” by Blind Man’s Colour.
Big Spider’s Back lists his top records of 2009.
A man next to me on the bus, with his tiny white earbuds, managed to distract me long enough from my book to ask him what he was listening to; I was almost convinced it was Electric Soft Parade but I was wrong. It was actually Radiohead, so in my mind, I think that’s close enough. I decided later to go back and listen to some of those early Travis and Coldplay records, and I’ve realized that I’m not sure what I was really so excited over britrock; it’s not very thrilling music, more dour and sullen really. I’ll just have to chalk it up to being young and excitable. That being said, I do enjoy it when it’s a rainy day out, or maybe when I’ve just been broken up with; at least, it’s always rainy in Seattle.
The “One More Chance” Remixes, featuring tracks by Tiesto, Alex Metric to name a few, they all seem to focus on the edgy, guitar side of the song- but how can you overlook Kele Okereke’s alarm bell vocals on the chorus, and that classy piano riff? Really, the most overlooked option is to keep the bass kick and piano bit and re-imagine this song as a fresh take on some classic house:
Brendan Benson has never sounded so dour and so dramatic as heard on “Metarie”. “Metarie” evolved over the course of Lapalco and the Wellfed Boys EP; with at least 5 different recorded versions out there, it’s Benson’s most revisited song. It’s one of his most emotional songs, and the unhappiness comes through clearly in the tape hum(further refinements to the LP version are more polished but also obscure the outright shame of rejection.) The song combines Brendan Benson’s plantitive voice with a saccharine melody- he sings:
I had enough I couldn’t take it anymore(yeah)
So I turned and I ran straight for the door.
Bought some mags on my way home.
for later on, you know, when I’m all alone.
bottle of wine and some cigarettes,
a racing form, maybe, maybe i’ll make some bets
i know a guy who lives in los angeles
sometimes his life there makes me so jealous.
i’d like to move out of this place,
change my name, get a new face,
get a life, put it in my song.
Brendan Benson’s newest record My Old Familiar Friend covers a lot more of this territory with wonderful results. “Garbage Day” wraps up Benson’s cutesy chorus with a Byrds-ish melody and disco string arrangements on a summery California day:
And if she throws her heart away
i’ll be there on garbage day-
to sift of what’s left I guess
to sort through the loneliness
i don’t mind no i don’t mind if all the neighbors can see me
i’ll take whatever i can get when i can get it it’s not easy
believe me-
I’ve only just picked it up; ‘Metarie’ stayed on repeat for months on my playlists, and I hope I find something like that here.
I’m still waiting to get this interview with the Angry Orts up and online. It’s been almost two month since I first heard this record and found a breath of fresh air in pop rock. Check out their myspace and listen to “The Best Thing”.
Junk Culture, a.k.a. Deepak Mantena records sample based music in the vein of abstract IDM producer Machine Drum for his debut on Illegal Art. “West Coast” starts off with a handful of microsamples, cut up and looped over a herky-jerky rhythm, like a poolside party caught up in a whirlwind. All the sonic elements are condensed and merged down, saving themselves from identification- an 808 cowbell peeks out from a hodge podge of snippets, that much I can tell- with all of the samples crowding the midrange, coming off more gritty than cool and sleek. A voice sample goes off like a siren, mounting the offbeats, before dropping in pitch and joining in on the chorus. A female voice oscillates between starting and stopping, and complements with a drum kit and synth line and bringing gravity to the song. Mellow feelings ensue.
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