This week it’s dubstep from Bug/Techno Animal mastermind Kevin Martin, Adam Smith being read to you in the new language of capitalism: Chinese. Italian psych-funk from 1970, lovely string-drenched pop from Field Music and the most catchy a capella song I’ve ever heard in a long time.
Somewhat miraculously, we got into this sold-out show at The Echo with Jay Reatard and Thee Oh Sees…two of the most rockin-est bands on the planet right now.
I’m sorry the Reatard pics kinda suck. The Echo doesn’t allow my fancy camera in the club anymore (I don’t know what they think I’m gonna do with them). The idiots don’t realize free promotion even when it hits them in the face!  Also…there are no Thee Oh Sees photos. Yeah Yeah I suck.
Click the cartoon to see more.
JAY REATARD see/saw
THEE OH SEES ruby go home
This single changed my life
(or at least…substantially changed my taste in music).
THE RAMONES Rockaway Beach
It was recommended to me by a guy at a local record store in 1978 and at that time I was pretty much only interested in The Beatles and when I heard this it just opened up a whole world of things.
Now this stuff is considered almost “classic rock”…but not then!
Time flies, to consider 3 of the 4 guys in this photo are dead already!
It seems all of a sudden there is a slew of great hip-hop droppin’.
I am loving the new Mr. Lif record. I wish more rap was this socially conscious. It seems like in the past rap was all about materialism, sex and status. How reactionary and conservative is that? Emulating the powered elite is just another form of slave mentality. Lif ain’t no slave though. He’s only unpopular.
I include two songs below for you to sample.
MR. LIF I Heard It Today
MR. LIF What About Us?
I think that people should have democratic control over the profits that they produce. It is not real democracy until you have that. And the plain and simple definition of communism is people having democratic control over the profits that they create.
Boots Riley (The Coup)
The Coup have long been one of my fave rap groups. They are infamous for largely two reasons. Firstly, because the singer has been a self-defined Communist since the age of 14 (and that is working in a genre which is all about wealth-acquisition)!
And secondly, the are famous (or perhaps infamous) for having created one of the most ill-timed album covers in music history. It was a cover that metaphorically was showing the power of music to destroy the foundations of capitalism. The cd was set to be released in September of 2001…and this is what it looked like:
Ok…do you see a problem with this particular image?
(They decided to ultimately change the cover).
Sure as concept it’s perhaps naive, but then again more than a few people said in the late 80′s that it was the power of music (and in that particular case) it was “rock n roll” that ultimately brought down Communism in Eastern Europe. In other words, the youth wanted a change! So perhaps it’s not naive at all…
Nonetheless, The Coup have always been at the margins of popular culture so I think it’s funny that he should team up with Tom Morello (from Rage Against The Machine) to form a rap/rock band called Street Sweeper Social Club to perform an almost hackneyed form of neo-classic rock.
As much as I want to say that this sound is old news…most the songs on their self-titled disc are pretty catchy and who knew that Riley was so charismatic as a rock n roll frontman?
I once saw Chuck D try do rock n roll and it didn’t really work…because even though his heart is certainly in the right place…he just looks like a schlub.
Boots has got style though. And style and commitment can get you far in this business.
And besides it gives him a new forum to indoctrinate suburban white kids’ minds.
Rock on!
My neighbors (behind us) are having a big party with their big soundsystem and woefully frozen musical tastes (why do so many people stop searching out music beyond their high school days)? That’s the case with these hosts.
I suppose it could be worse. At least it’s Cabaret Voltaire and not Lynyrd Skynyrd!
That got me thinking about videos of that era…
Here is one shot in Super 8 (from the German band Malaria) which would be so easy to recreate in a computer now but think about what went into making it in the early 1980′s. It’s pretty amazing that it works.
It’s been awhile since I offered up some music. It’s been a busy time for me (lots of drama) and I have a backlog of about 10 photo albums to put up soon, which should catch you up with some of it. Anyway, here’s a big playlist (to make up for not posting anything last month). A mix of old and new stuff and as usual, it’s all over the place
Of the new music, I love the new Sunn 0))), Jay Reatard, Thee Oh Sees as well as the Blank Dogs and James Blackshaw tracks. I know he’s hard for many of you to take but the Busdriver song is pretty stunning too–at least in terms of WPM (words per minute)…actually the whole thing, the words, even the video.
U.S.MAPLE my lil’ shocker (from Purple On Time, 2003)
THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282 you in a movie (from Bob Dinners & Larry Noodles, 2001)
SWANS you’re not real, girl (from Children Of God, 1987)
SUNNÂ O))) alice (from Monoliths & Dimensions, 2009)
SIBYLLEÂ BAIER the end (from Colour Green, 1971)
JAMESÂ BLACKSHAW the key (from The Glass Bead Game, 2009)
JESU don’t dream it (from Pale Sketches, 2007)
MELVINS and LUSTMORD pink bat (from Pigs Of The Roman Empire, 2004)
HIGH ON FIRE waste of tiamat (from Death Is This Communion, 2007)
BUSDRIVER me-time (with the pulmonary palimpsest) (from Jhelli Beam, 2009)
STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB promenade (from s/t, 2009)
FUTURE OF THE LEFT lapsed catholics (from Travels with Myself and Another, 2009)
BIG BUSINESS i got it online (from Mind The Drift, 2009)
PELICAN embedding the moss (from Ephemeral ep, 2009)
DJ/RUPTURE and ANDY MOOR chisanga (from Patches, 2008)
KILLING JOKE judas goat (from Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell, 2006)
TORTOISE prepare your coffin (from Beacons of Ancestorship, 2009)
BLANKÂ DOGS tin birds (from Under And Under, 2009)
BRIAN BRAIN i got the hots for you (from Unexpected Noises, 1980)
ROBERT GORL darling don’t leave me (single, 1984)
POLYROCK #7 (from Polyrock, 1980)
DEERHUNTER circulation (from Rainwater Cassette Exchange, 2009)
BILL CALLAHAN too many birds (from Sometimes I Wish We Were A Eagle, 2009)
DENNIS WILSON time (from Pacific Ocean Blue, 1977)
EXPOÂ ’70 seismic nuances (from Night Flights, 2009)
POLVO beggar’s bowl (from In Prism, 2009)
GOBLIN COCK tom’s song (from Come With Us If You Want To Live, 2009)
ZU & MIKE PATTON soulympics (from Carboniferous, 2009)
THE THING hidegen fújnak a szelek [Ex/Muzsikás cover] (from Bag It!, 2009)
RUDIMENTARYÂ PENI eyes of the dead (from No More Pain, 2008)
DUST DEVILS grassback (from Rorschach Blot Test comp, 1988)
NO TREND teen love (single, 1983)
MEMBRANES everybodys goin’ triple bad acid yeah! (from SOLAF, 1986)
JAY REATARD it ain’t gonna save me (from Watch Me Fall, 2009)
THAT PETROL EMOTION static (from Babble, 1987)
THEE OH SEES tidal wave (single, 2009)
EAT SKULL heaven’s stranger (from Wild and Inside, 2009)
SWANS the other side of the world (from Love Of Life, 1992)
I’ve been quiet on the blogging front lately. This is due largely to all the stuff going on off-blog (in other words, my private realm). I have felt the need to kick-start things in motion lately.
I’m not at all sure of the ramification to come from doing this. That said, one thing I am sure of is the consequences of inaction.
This is a playlist for May.
Lots of riffage. Two J.K. Broadrick projects. Music about Eritrea and from Ethiopia.
Much More.
MURS l.a. (from Murray’s Revenge, 2006)
TUXEDOMOON what use? (from Half Mute, 1980)
CLOUDLAND CANYON krautwerk (from Lie In Light, 2009)
JESU dummy (from Pale Sketches, 2007)
WHITE HILLS oceans of sound (from Heads On Fire, 2008)
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE stargate of the hell (from Glorify Astrological Martyrdom, 2008)
CIRCLE stimulance (from Prospekt, 2007)
GREY MACHINE vultures descend (from Disconnected, 2009)
THE SOFT PACK on my time [formerly The Muslims] (from The Soft Pack, 2008)
FUTURE OF THE LEFT arming eritrea (from Travels With Myself And Another, 2009)
MULATU ASTATKE and the HELIOCENTRICS masengo (from Inspiration Information, 2009)
SHANNON WRIGHT with closed eyes (from Over The Sun, 2004)
It’s April and time for a fresh playlist of songs I have been listening to this week. This month’s list is more pop and garage rock-y than the previous one. Since I consider this a point of weakness, Spring must truly be here. As for the songs…the PJ Harvey is pretty great, as are the Thee Oh Sees and Death, Akron/Family, Bill Callahan and most everything else. I actually like the new Arcade Fire and Decemberists tunes (which is frankly, very surprising) but you really can’t go wrong with my monthly mixes, I mean, do I ever steer you wrong musically? Sure, you may think it kinda sucks at first listen, but that is just because you aren’t familiar with it yet..within 18 months later you’ll be telling your friends how you were into them “months ago”.
john parish & pj harvey black hearted love (from A Woman, A Man, Walked By)
telekinesis coast of carolina (from Telekinesis!)
the arcade fire lenin (from Dark Was The Night)
obits widow of my dreams (from I Blame You)
tijuana panthers crew cut (from Tijuana Panthers)
dalek blessed are those who bash your children’s heads against a rock (from Gutter Tactics)
black engine the humiliation of an impotent god (from Ku Klux Klowns)
tweak bird whorses (single)
akron/family everyone is guilty (from Set Em Wild, Set Em Free )
the decemberists the rake’s song (from The Hazards Of Love)
youth group all this will pass (from The Night Is Ours)
bill callahan jim cain (from Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle)
lotus plaza a threaded needle (from The Floodlight Collective)
thee oh sees enemy destruct (from Help)
the strange boys this girls taught me a dance (from And Girls Club)
art brut alcoholics unanimous (from Art Brut vs. Satan)
death politicians in my eyes (from …For The Whole World To See, 1974)
wavves no hope kids (from Wavvves)
pocahaunted time fist (from Island Diamonds)
Well, now that Henry Rollins is on KCRW doing a show called “Harmonies In My Head” I am henceforth, changing the name of my own mp3 sampler series to the “Rebellious Jukebox” (after The Fall song, of course) featuring a mix of new and old songs (free from the constraints of genre boundries) reflecting a portion of what I have been listening to this month.
john cale/terry riley ides of march (from Church of Anthrax, 1971)
pan american how much progress one makes (from White Bird Release)
anne james chaton/andy moor le journaliste (from Le Journaliste)
maserati monoliths (split single w/Zombi)
pierre henri machine danse (from Machine Danse, 1972)
black dice nite cream (from Repo)
naked on the vague all aboard (Blood Pressure Sessions, 2008)
blank dogs calling over (from Seconds 12″ )
the cakekitchen prophet of the underground (from Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, 1996)
fucked up baiting the public (from Hidden World, 2006)
the strange boys this girls taught me a dance (from And Girls Club)
the randoms abcd (single, 1977)
prisonshake favorite hospital (from Dirty Moons, 2008)
the coffins under the stench (from Buried Death, 2008)
pelican drought (from Australasia ep, 2003 )
france has the bomb invisible angle (single)
the swirlies san cristalbal de las casas (from They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons, 1996)
There are tons of shows in town over the next two weeks and I plan on seeing a bunch of them.
Last week, we went to see Manuel Göttsching (of Ash Ra Temple fame) do a live score for Murnau’s SCHLOSS VOGELÖD (The Haunted Castle, 1921).
As much as I liked the music…I have to admit that this early film of his is pretty boring. This was a year before Nosferatu, and well…the rest is history (or at least film history).
Upcoming shows I have interest in the next week are Eat Skull (Echo Curio), Wavves (Echo), Charlemagne Palestine (First Congregational Church of Los Angeles), Four Tet (Echo), Marnie Stern (Echoplex), Thee Oh Sees (Silverlake Lounge), Tera Melos (Echoplex), Blank Dogs/Naked On The Vague (Pehrspace), Pelican/Tombs (Troubadour) and of course The Homosexuals/Silver Apples show at the (Echoplex)…and this is just in the next week!
I took a sabbatical from seeing shows over the wintertime but…springtime is fast approaching and the hiatus appears to be over.
I guess the big show is Leonard Cohen on April 10-11 in LA. But as much as I love the guy, I just can’t pay those prices.
