Like most of the entrancing minimalism I’ve been in contact with (art or music), Orthrelm’s newest record OV, puts me in that state of blissful Zen. Comprised only of guitar and drums for one 45-minute shot, OV features some of the most techinically astute, repetitious/never-repeating (you’ll know what I mean when you hear it) heavy music I’ve heard. This is not the noisy, over-bearing rock of today’s noisemongers, but rather academic virtuosos out to flatten your sense of linearity. The guitar played consists of the fastest, short repetitious bursts of shredding I’ve ever encountered, until a cue, guitar or drums (but weirdly mathematical and precise), instigates a switch into a different territory previously unseen and never revisited through the entire piece. Drums are tom heavy and rolling, perfectly punctuating the guitar cloudbursts and keep the only constant throughout the whole record: motion.
But words can’t possibly do this one justice, mostly because I don't know what to say. For anyone considering themselves a fan of modern human art (this is all live???), set aside 45 minutes and explore the fractured minimalism possible in heavy music. You will not be disappointed.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
So I wrote a song last night on the guitar about these guys that were stealing dead bodies and selling the parts to people that needed them. It really didn't turn out as morose as it sounds, its actually kind of happy and the words aren't nearly that bad. If I can figure it out, I will post the song so you all can hear. (Does anyone know how to do this?) Problem is, once I usually record I get terribly embarrassed and critical about the sound of my own voice and my playing. But I'm psyched -- it's the first I've been able to write in months!
In other news, if you haven't picked up Sunn O)))'s Black One, and you're a fan of metal or horror movies, do so. It's some of the most twisted and surreal dark art -- it made me get more than a little woozy when I turned it up loud. The last track is super scary: the vocalist was recorded in a closed casket so you hear every one of his tight-chested breaths and bloodcurdling screams along side their trademark bowel loosening guitar and bass rumbles.
In other news, if you haven't picked up Sunn O)))'s Black One, and you're a fan of metal or horror movies, do so. It's some of the most twisted and surreal dark art -- it made me get more than a little woozy when I turned it up loud. The last track is super scary: the vocalist was recorded in a closed casket so you hear every one of his tight-chested breaths and bloodcurdling screams along side their trademark bowel loosening guitar and bass rumbles.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Haven't posted in a bit -- sorry for neglecting you. Here's a mix I made for my girlfriend:
1. Nada Surf – “Blankest Year”
2. The Unicorns – “The Clap”
3. Crooked Fingers – “Call to Love”
4. Superchunk – “Florida’s On Fire”
5. The New Pornographers – “The Bleeding Heart Show”
6. Spoon – “Sister Jack”
7. Toms – “(I Wanna Be A) Teen Again”
8. The Dismemberment Plan – “Do the Standing Still”
9. LCD Soundsystem – “Tribulations”
10. Vitalic – “Poney, Pt. 1”
11. Julez Santana – “Mic Check”
12. The Game – “Hate It Or Love It”
13. Amerie – “1 Thing”
14. Madonna – “Hung Up”
15. Beck – “Hell Yes”
16. The Postal Service – “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
17. Pixies – “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
18. My Morning Jacket – “Off the Record”
19. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – “The Hardest Part”
20. Loose Fur – “Chinese Apple”
I went all smash hits, all the time on this one because I know she gets bored with artsy fartsy stuff and she like to excersize to it (read: squats and cleans). Don't mind if I toot my own horn though -- these are some great selections. And no, I didn't give her "The Clap". Yet.
1. Nada Surf – “Blankest Year”
2. The Unicorns – “The Clap”
3. Crooked Fingers – “Call to Love”
4. Superchunk – “Florida’s On Fire”
5. The New Pornographers – “The Bleeding Heart Show”
6. Spoon – “Sister Jack”
7. Toms – “(I Wanna Be A) Teen Again”
8. The Dismemberment Plan – “Do the Standing Still”
9. LCD Soundsystem – “Tribulations”
10. Vitalic – “Poney, Pt. 1”
11. Julez Santana – “Mic Check”
12. The Game – “Hate It Or Love It”
13. Amerie – “1 Thing”
14. Madonna – “Hung Up”
15. Beck – “Hell Yes”
16. The Postal Service – “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
17. Pixies – “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
18. My Morning Jacket – “Off the Record”
19. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – “The Hardest Part”
20. Loose Fur – “Chinese Apple”
I went all smash hits, all the time on this one because I know she gets bored with artsy fartsy stuff and she like to excersize to it (read: squats and cleans). Don't mind if I toot my own horn though -- these are some great selections. And no, I didn't give her "The Clap". Yet.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Intermission
I will be gone from Wednesday until Sunday on vacation in Vermont and might not have internet -- see you all soon!
In the meantime:
In the meantime:
- Chad VanGaalen - Infiniheart: Great bedroom indie, with one of the weirdest and most captivating voices I've heard in a while. Like Joanna Newsom, but a dude and not initially abrasive.
- Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me: I'll be listening to this as I drive through Western Mass. Really amazing guitar work from a guy who's totally zonked. Anyone else ever see The Year Punk Broke and J. Mascis' hat? Whatta burnout.
- Don Caballero - American Don: For anyone who liked Bonham but didn't think he took it far enough over the top. Not to downplay any of the guitar playing, but Damon Che (drummer) is not following anyone's lead. Super intricate polyrhythms, ricochet guitar, and bass fatter than Large Marge. Don't listen to this drunk, you'll get the spins. I'm serious.
- Minor Threat - "Stepping Stone": Rock!
- Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters: Nostalgia's at play here for a lot of this, but I still love this record to death. From "Alone and Easy Target" on is nearly perfect. "Exhausted", "For All the Cows" and "Weenie Beenie" all got play in the band I was in throughout high school. Sexy as hell, I know. You should have seen the syncronized jumps...
Sunday, February 12, 2006
I Give the Pitchfork Review a 4.1
A while back I wrote about a review of the new Pearls & Brass album on Pitchfork. In said interview, the writer acknowledges not actually caring about classic rock and bands that assimilate that classic rock sound. And the reason? Because, “I want music to interact with the moment we inhabit now, and the most frustrating thing to me about modern classic rock is how closed and final it seems, how unavailable to the living, breathing moment.” Closed and final? If there was one thing that classic rock, and this record in particular, is not, is final. Rather, it’s a launching off point for explorations on a live date. But I digress…
What really is the point of having a writer who acknowledges that they don’t care about a type of music write about it? I understand that there have to be some quality-control issues over at Pitchfork – meaning, they basically have to pan some albums (Travis Morrison’s 0.0? Yeah, not that bad still…) and boost others so they seem to know what they’re talking about and aren’t just handing out gold stars to everyone. But the assigning of a writer that automatically will not care about a record? Come on. At least give it to someone who cares about the genre and has the knowledge to say something. Speaking in generalities about the genre is doing nothing and avoids the task at hand of reviewing the record.
One of the most ironic things about the review is that he says classic rock writers tend to reveal more about themselves than the music at hand. And what were you doing, Mr. Howe?
As for The Indian Tower: It’s good. No, it’s not the future of music (whatever that is), but as far as the blues go, and heavy music goes, you could do a lot worse. These dudes (and I mean that) never let their fingers rest on the fretboard, churning out rolling rock boogie much like Blue Cheer’s pyschedelia, but without the rough edges. This is bro rock, but not in a bad chest-thumping way, more of a long-hair, Budweiser, stand-in-one-spot-softly-headbanging kind of way. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
What really is the point of having a writer who acknowledges that they don’t care about a type of music write about it? I understand that there have to be some quality-control issues over at Pitchfork – meaning, they basically have to pan some albums (Travis Morrison’s 0.0? Yeah, not that bad still…) and boost others so they seem to know what they’re talking about and aren’t just handing out gold stars to everyone. But the assigning of a writer that automatically will not care about a record? Come on. At least give it to someone who cares about the genre and has the knowledge to say something. Speaking in generalities about the genre is doing nothing and avoids the task at hand of reviewing the record.
One of the most ironic things about the review is that he says classic rock writers tend to reveal more about themselves than the music at hand. And what were you doing, Mr. Howe?
As for The Indian Tower: It’s good. No, it’s not the future of music (whatever that is), but as far as the blues go, and heavy music goes, you could do a lot worse. These dudes (and I mean that) never let their fingers rest on the fretboard, churning out rolling rock boogie much like Blue Cheer’s pyschedelia, but without the rough edges. This is bro rock, but not in a bad chest-thumping way, more of a long-hair, Budweiser, stand-in-one-spot-softly-headbanging kind of way. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Who does Ariel Pink think he is? This guy, a lo-fi pop songsmith who’s indulged in a very unhealthy amount of psychotropic substances, is going on tour soon and says he’s inviting any local band in town to back him up, sans practice save an hour or so before the actual gig. It’s been reported that before this experiment Pink’s shows were already tenuous and ramshackle. How is this going to help present the rough sketches of songs on his records?
Pink’s songs, appearing on any and every one of his records, are dirty and mixed weird, stop and start at any given minute like prog that doesn’t know how to transition, but still show the strange genius of 70’s and 80’s radio pop. He’s not interested in showing off a mastery he’s worked out behind the scenes. Doing something like channeling these songs through a batch of unpracticed musicians will again test his experiment of examining art in an embryonic state. It should be interesting to see how different musicians with different ideas try to funnel the same ideas out.
Pink’s songs, appearing on any and every one of his records, are dirty and mixed weird, stop and start at any given minute like prog that doesn’t know how to transition, but still show the strange genius of 70’s and 80’s radio pop. He’s not interested in showing off a mastery he’s worked out behind the scenes. Doing something like channeling these songs through a batch of unpracticed musicians will again test his experiment of examining art in an embryonic state. It should be interesting to see how different musicians with different ideas try to funnel the same ideas out.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Is there a more perfect song than "Florida's On Fire" by Superchunk? This song came on when I was walking out of my apartment onto the Philly streets and made got me all worked up. (Does anyone else have a problem holding back from doing rock moves like me? Seriously, I'm a mess when I'm listening to music on headphones, especially when I workout. I want to jump off the treadmill and do David Lee Roth kicks and guitar face.) Not to mention the rest of Here's To Shutting Up is pretty unbelievable. Does anyone make indie like this these days -- that happy, punky, jangly stuff? How much longer until this stuff becomes chic again -- a Chapel Hill renaissance?
This isn't to dismiss modern music because the Secret Machines' "Nowhere Again" is really great. I didn't really like this album (Now Here is Nowhere) the first 10 tries and honestly gave up, but just heard it through a new pair of ears today. Really nice -- good space rock that could find a home on alternative radio. Dudes seriously sound like the Flaming Lips playing Zep covers.
But back to NC stuff. I went to CD Alley in Chapel Hill (best record store ever) about a week ago and picked up the new Cat Power. Talk about a great record to have while driving in the south -- all warm guitars, horns tooting away and wispy voice perfect for a southern night. It was work, but The Greatest puts me on a different tip, adult-contempo style, but great for cruising the long curling roads of North Carolina. It's changed flavor now that I'm home: it's kind of got me think of making babies to a Pottery Barn soundtrack. But in a good sunflower and vanilla Yankee Candles way, not a Harry Connick Jr. way. That dude's Brokeback!
This isn't to dismiss modern music because the Secret Machines' "Nowhere Again" is really great. I didn't really like this album (Now Here is Nowhere) the first 10 tries and honestly gave up, but just heard it through a new pair of ears today. Really nice -- good space rock that could find a home on alternative radio. Dudes seriously sound like the Flaming Lips playing Zep covers.
But back to NC stuff. I went to CD Alley in Chapel Hill (best record store ever) about a week ago and picked up the new Cat Power. Talk about a great record to have while driving in the south -- all warm guitars, horns tooting away and wispy voice perfect for a southern night. It was work, but The Greatest puts me on a different tip, adult-contempo style, but great for cruising the long curling roads of North Carolina. It's changed flavor now that I'm home: it's kind of got me think of making babies to a Pottery Barn soundtrack. But in a good sunflower and vanilla Yankee Candles way, not a Harry Connick Jr. way. That dude's Brokeback!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
January International Mixtape Project
I think this is one of my best yet. I still haven't sent it out though cause I'm too lazy to get to the post office.
See:
1. Circulatory System – “Yesterday’s World” – Circulatory System
2. Spoon – “No You’re Not” – A Series of Sneaks
3. Enon – “Window Display” – High Society
4. Hot Snakes – “Unlisted” – Suicide Invoice
5. Pedro the Lion – “Foregone Conclusions” – Achilles Heel
6. The Beta Band – “Broken Up Adingdong” – The Beta Band
7. Stevie Wonder – “Maybe Your Baby” – Talking Book
8. TV On the Radio – “Bomb Yourself” – Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
9. PJ Harvey – “A Place Called Home” – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
10. The Microphones – “The Moon” – The Glow, Pt. 2
11. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “The Hardest Part” – Jacksonville City Nights
12. Crooked Fingers – “Call to Love” – Dignity and Shame
13. My Morning Jacket – “Old September Blues” – The Tennessee Fire
14. The Wilderness – “End of Freedom” – The Wilderness
15. Akron/Family – “Italy” – Akron/Family
16. Ween – “Captain” – Quebec
17. Dead Meadow – “Sleepy Silver Door” – Feathers
I've been thinking about this mixtape thing too. Most of my knowledge on how to create a playlist has (embarrassingly) come from High Fidelity. You know, hit 'em hard first, up the ante second, bring it down third, etc. I've begun to think that most important thing to do with a mix is segue. You can knock the listener's socks off by putting the perfect songs on there, but if there's no organization or common thread to bring it together, it becomes a greatest hits comp that the listener is going to flip through. The challenge is to engage by choosing both songs that are great and having an understandable follow-up to each one. My suggestion: listen to the last 30 seconds of the previous song and see how it translates into the upcoming tune -- that should give you a nice transition and create a new context for the songs into your own personal album.
But honestly, who knows? Everybody's ears hear things different...
See:
1. Circulatory System – “Yesterday’s World” – Circulatory System
2. Spoon – “No You’re Not” – A Series of Sneaks
3. Enon – “Window Display” – High Society
4. Hot Snakes – “Unlisted” – Suicide Invoice
5. Pedro the Lion – “Foregone Conclusions” – Achilles Heel
6. The Beta Band – “Broken Up Adingdong” – The Beta Band
7. Stevie Wonder – “Maybe Your Baby” – Talking Book
8. TV On the Radio – “Bomb Yourself” – Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
9. PJ Harvey – “A Place Called Home” – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
10. The Microphones – “The Moon” – The Glow, Pt. 2
11. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “The Hardest Part” – Jacksonville City Nights
12. Crooked Fingers – “Call to Love” – Dignity and Shame
13. My Morning Jacket – “Old September Blues” – The Tennessee Fire
14. The Wilderness – “End of Freedom” – The Wilderness
15. Akron/Family – “Italy” – Akron/Family
16. Ween – “Captain” – Quebec
17. Dead Meadow – “Sleepy Silver Door” – Feathers
I've been thinking about this mixtape thing too. Most of my knowledge on how to create a playlist has (embarrassingly) come from High Fidelity. You know, hit 'em hard first, up the ante second, bring it down third, etc. I've begun to think that most important thing to do with a mix is segue. You can knock the listener's socks off by putting the perfect songs on there, but if there's no organization or common thread to bring it together, it becomes a greatest hits comp that the listener is going to flip through. The challenge is to engage by choosing both songs that are great and having an understandable follow-up to each one. My suggestion: listen to the last 30 seconds of the previous song and see how it translates into the upcoming tune -- that should give you a nice transition and create a new context for the songs into your own personal album.
But honestly, who knows? Everybody's ears hear things different...
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