Last Christmas

Covering Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' seems to be a holiday favourite. There have been trance versions, a Disney-Pop one, even an acoustic rendition. How many different ways can that famous chorus be heard in? How about 118?! Amazingly, Last Christmas has a collection of 118 versions (and counting) of the 1984 single. I've gone through about half of them, and before I grow sick of the song, these are my favourites.

MP3: Wham! - Last Christmas

The original. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were onto something here, making one of the most covered songs in the history of popular music.

MP3: Le Sport, Montt Mardié & Mr. Suitcase - Last Christmas

A fun house rendition - a good modern interpretation, from the three Swedish collectives. Sadly Le Sport, the only of the three that I'm well-versed in, is now defunct.

MP3: Erlend Øye - Last Christmas

Erlend is an extremely talented and multifaceted artist from Norway. From his pop work in the Kings of Convenience, to electronic solo work, he's extremely versatile, all the while looking like a dapper Napoleon Dynamite. His version is acoustic and extremely sentimental, nicely complementing his soft vocals.

MP3: goto80 - Last Christmas

This sounds even more rudimentary than if I'd played the song on my Casio, probably because it was made with a Commodore 64 video game console! Bleep-blorpy goodness from that 1.02MHz speed demon. Click the artist link to listen to the rest of their album, The 8bits of Christmas.

MP3: Mon)tag - Last Christmas

There's quite a few covers by German bands, but I'd say Mon)tag provides the best output of the lot. Extremely heart-felt and moving, it sounds like Coldplay minus the sleep-inducing boredom of Chris Martin. Catchy synth use and a convincing vocal display rounds off this solid number.

MP3: Ezio - Last Christmas

Very impressive instrumentals and a great display of cynical vocals to perfectly match the lyrics and song content.

Shitdisco

I've had just about enough of the typical punk/post-punk/new-wave revival, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. How many more Clash-inspired bands must I trudge through? Joy Division were certainly great, so great that legions of kids are now mimicking Ian Curtis' chilling voice 26 years after his death. A few bands bring something unique to the table (Art Brut, for example), but a large majority just re-hash what I could've spun since 1980 (if I was alive in 1980, of course) and instill boredom.

Something I wouldn't mind hearing again is Devo. The post-punk Devo, before they decided to allow broom/mop-substitute corporations to chime their brand name to the 'Whip It' chorus. Devo's debut LP was fantastic - herky jerky paranoid tunes executed to perfection by Mark Mothersbaugh & co. The Talking Heads weren't too dissimilar in their debut either. Undoubtedly, that's what drew me to Shitdisco. I've no idea what the name means (nor do I care), what their story is, not even their favourite food. But I do know that they're from Glasgow, they like the Talking Heads, they make great jerky "stop-starty" dance-punk music, and they were recently featured on my Top 50 Singles of 2006 list.

MP3: Shitdisco - Bolsheviks
MP3: Shitdisco - Disco Blood
MP3: Shitdisco - I Know Kung Fu
MP3: Shitdisco - Reactor's Party
Buy: Shitdisco - Reactor Party

MP3: Devo - Jocko Homo
MP3: Devo - Uncontrollable Urge
Buy: Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
MP3: Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
MP3: Talking Heads - Pulled Up
Buy: Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77

Study Music

So today, as everyone undoubtedly knows, is the 461st anniversary of the Council of Trent! Yeah, I've got a mod-Europe history exam tonight... Therefore, in lieu of exam-time, and the different music-listening-while-studying habits we all have, I figured this would be a good excuse to share some music that helps me study.

Procrastinate:
• verb delay or postpone action.

Tried, tested, and truly excruciating. Knowing about the exam for 3 weeks means nothing, it's now the night before the test - cram cram cram. Spastic and erratic music fits the enchanting mood of hair-ripping-out-of-skull action, better than anything else. And best of all, it's actually productive. It suits the dire situation.

Calm:
• adjective 1 not showing or feeling nervousness, anger, or other emotions. 2 peaceful and undisturbed.

Sometimes that fragmented clatter progresses your studies so well that you're back on track. You've dug yourself out of that hole. There's no need to cram. Studying can now continue, but now at a comfortable pace. Sadly, the music no longer fits. You think of peaceful valleys and still lakes - panic is no longer possible. But, in an act of delicious irony, procrastination ensues once more, as soothing sounds enter the ears.

Repetition, repetition, repetition, until you're dreary-eyed and passed out. There is no other way. Well, that is unless you actually know what you're studying. Without an ounce of hubris, I'd consider myself a Peter the Great scholar. No cramming - I've got his foreign policies, domestic reforms, and cultural revolution down pat. And if those last few sentences come back to haunt me, well then, truly the gods are against me today...

NB - What I mean by procrastination music is, the music listened to as a result of procrastination, not the music causing procrastination. Calm music would be the latter.

Procrastination Music:

MP3: Big Black - Bad Penny
MP3: Brainiac - Pussyfootin'
MP3: Bong-Ra - Suicide Speed Machine Girl
MP3: Lightning Bolt - Assassins

Calm Music:

MP3: Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
MP3: Jens Lekman - Black Cab
MP3: Tortoise - The Suspension Bridge at Iguazú Falls
MP3: Windsor for the Derby - The Melody of a Fallen Tree

More Procrastination Music:

MP3: James Chance & the Contortions - Contort Yourself
MP3: Pere Ubu - Navvy
MP3: Squarepusher - Rustic Raver
MP3: Venetian Snares - Pwntendo

2006 - 50 Best Singles

2006 is nearly gone, and while I'm compiling my list of favourite albums from the year past, here's a small warm-up. The best singles of 2006 according to me. Please don't read into the ordering - it's merely alphabetical. Lookout for the corresponding list of albums on January 1, 2007. Big thanks to Eric Spano for the art-work.

MP3: The Antennas - Adapt!
MP3: Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down
MP3: Art Brut - Modern Art
MP3: Asobi Seksu - Thursday
MP3: Beirut - Postcards from Italy
MP3: Belle & Sebastian - Funny Little Frog
MP3: Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
MP3: Cansei de Ser Sexy - Alala
MP3: Cassius - Toop Toop
MP3: Danielson - Did I Step on Your Trumpet?
MP3: Editors - All Sparks
MP3: The Egg - Walking Away
MP3: El Perro Del Mar - God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)
MP3: Ellen Allien & Apparat - Turbo Dreams
MP3: Franz Ferdinand - Eleanor Put Your Boots On
MP3: Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries
MP3: Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
MP3: Gorillaz - El Mañana
MP3: Hot Chip - Over and Over
MP3: I'm From Barcelona - We’re From Barcelona
MP3: Islands - Rough Gem
MP3: Jim Noir - Eanie Meany
MP3: Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone
MP3: The Knife - Marble House
MP3: Le Sport - It's Not the End of the World
MP3: Lily Allen - Smile
MP3: Love Is All - Busy Doing Nothing
MP3: Lupe Fiasco (Ft. Jill Scott) - Daydreamin'
MP3: M. Ward - Chinese Translation
MP3: Malajube - Montreal -40 C
MP3: Mew - Why are you Looking Grave?
MP3: The New Pornographers - Use It
MP3: Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks
MP3: Phoenix - Long Distance Call
MP3: The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me
MP3: The Presets - Girl and the Sea (Cut Copy Remix)
MP3: The Radio Dept. - The Worst Taste in Music
MP3: The Rapture - W.A.Y.U.H.
MP3: Ratatat - Wildcat
MP3: Serena Maneesh - Drain Cosmetics
MP3: Spank Rock - Rick Rubin
MP3: Shitdisco - Reactor Party
MP3: The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
MP3: Tapes 'N Tapes - Insistor
MP3: Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill
MP3: T.I. - What You Know
MP3: TV on The Radio - Wolf Like Me
MP3: We Are Scientists - It's a Hit
MP3: Wolf Parade - I'll Believe in Anything
MP3: Yo La Tengo - Mr. Tough

In Memorandum

October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

MP3: John Lennon - Imagine
MP3: John Lennon - Instant Karma
MP3: John Lennon - Stand by Me
MP3: John Lennon - Give Peace A Chance
Buy: John Lennon - Imagine

Mahogany

I usually shuffle through many genres in my listening patterns, an eclectic experience. But over the past year I've found my niche, the twee-jangle-shoegaze tangent.

The latest "new-gaze" band to reach my ears are the Michigan-based Mahogany. Now signed to Darla Records (also home to The Radio Dept. and My Morning Jacket), they've recently released their second full-length, Connectivity, ending a lengthy hiatus since their debut, The Dream of a Modern Day. Filled with bright and celestial instrumentals as well as soaring vocals, Mahogany stray far away from the drone and fuzz that often encapsulates shoegaze, instead drenching themselves in poppier rhythms fueled by promising, upbeat endeavours. The pop elements seem to owe themselves to Stereolab and shoegaze to the Cocteau Twins. Interestingly, there's a more concrete relationship with the 'Twins than on a sonic level. Robin Guthrie, co-founder of the 'Twins, has produced 3 mixes for the album, while his daughter Lucy Belle (Liz Fraser, the other founder of the Cocteau Twins, is her mother) makes her vocal debut in the song 'My Bed is My Castle'. With genes like that she's destined for greatness....

Click on the artist link to buy an album.

Mahogany - Supervitesse [mp3]
Mahogany - Tesselation, Formerly Plateau One [mp3]
Mahogany - My Bed Is My Castle (ft. Lucy Belle Guthrie) [mp3]
Stereolab - Cybele's Reverie [mp3]
Cocteau Twins - Lorelei [mp3]

Twee-Pop Mix [DAN 002]

I've had a soft spot for twee for years, even when I didn't really know what it was. Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura - both have been long-time favourites, especially B&S. But a whole genre of sensitive, introspective, and beautiful guitar-pop? Yes, indeed!

So I liked (no, loved) Belle & Sebastian, what next? Following the somewhat eccentric path of musical exploration (allmusic, acclaimed music, pitchfork, and a bazillion other sites), I was eventually lead to find the Twee As Fuck: The Joy of Kittenhood compilation. Having listened to the tracks ad nauseum, I started taking to a few artists, the Field Mice (pictured above) in particular. Next, I hunted down as many entries in the Sarah Records catalogue as possible, a search which is still ongoing.

Here's a selection of my favourites from the compilation, Sarah, and other sources. Clicking on the artist link will re-direct you to Amazon and allow you to purchase an album by said artist.

Another Sunny Day - Anorak City [mp3]
Another Sunny Day - You Should All Be Murdered [mp3]
Beat Happening - Our Secret [mp3]
Belle & Sebastian - Jonathan David [mp3]
Belle & Sebastian - This is Just a Modern Rock Song [mp3]
Black Tambourine - Throw Aggi Off the Bridge [mp3]
Even As We Speak - Drown [mp3]
The Field Mice - Emma's House [mp3]
The Field Mice - Sensitive [mp3]
The Hit Parade - Hitomi [mp3]
Honeybunch - My Contribution to the Greenhouse Effect [mp3]
The Magnetic Fields - 100,000 Fireflies [mp3]
The Orchids - Peahces [mp3]
The Pastels - Mandarin [mp3]
The Sugargliders - Ahprahran [mp3]
The Sweetest Ache - Tell Me How it Feels [mp3]
Talulah Gosh - My Boy Says [mp3]

Domino Records - Scottish Re-Issues

Good for Josef K (pictured above), they're the belle of the ball (the Scottish post-punk ball, that is). Domino Records just released Entomology, a collection of Josef K's work. I love them, have for a while, and they're suddenly getting praise and hype (justifiably) in the blogosphere. Well-read, introspective, and Scottish, what's not to like?

But Scotland played a major role in post-punk, so where's the love for the others? Thankfully Domino re-issued both Orange Juice and the Fire Engines last year.

Josef K had some great rhythm going, flirting with pop, but were never as dance-able and truly funky as Orange Juice. Josef K's label-mates, Orange Juice were plenty of fun. OJ proved that Post-Punk didn't have to be about the gloomy wasteland of life or unfulfilled desires. Just listen to that sax 'n synth combo in 'Rip it Up'. Also of note, Uncut Magazine declared The Glasgow School, as the top re-issue album in 2005.

Josef K were a sort of middle-ground in Scotland. They had rhythm, but also an edge. On the other end of the spectrum were The Fire Engines from Edinburgh. Their sound was brittle and cold. Sharp, piercing guitar and thin vocals. Forget funk and pop, this was edgy and angular. 'Get Up and Use Me' is all about twisted and shrieking vocals with alarmingly distorted strings to match. It's very similar to music found in the No-Wave movement (James Chance & the Contortions, Bush Tetras, etc.) in NYC. As a tribute to one of their greatest sonic influences, Franz Ferdinand have been doing some work with them lately, swapping covers.

Here are six (6!) tracks from the three Scottish collectives, highly recommended.

Orange Juice - Falling and Laughing [mp3] [buy]
Orange Juice - Rip it Up [mp3]
Josef K - Sorry for Laughing [mp3] [buy]
Josef K - Romance [mp3]
The Fire Engines - Get Up and Use Me [mp3] [buy]
The Fire Engines - Everything's Roses [mp3]

kid606

Venezuelan-born Miguel Trost Depedro is the DJ/producer known as kid606. Now based in San Francisco, he runs Tigerbeat6, his own record label, and is part of a burgeoning breakcore scene which employs the talent of Bong-Ra, Venetian Snares, Duran Duran Duran, and plenty of others.

The key to kid606, and what separates him from the crowd, is its accessibility. Particularly in his recently released, Pretty Girls Make Raves, he combines the traditional hard hard beats, rough rhythm, and pounding drum machine with danceable elements that borders on techno. He's opened breakcore open to a wider crowd. Genre-melding is his game, dance to it or make spastic head jerks - your choice.

kid606 - Chicken Fight [mp3] [buy]
kid606 - Meet Me At the Bottom [mp3]
kid606 - Who Wah Kill Sound? [mp3]

Wall of Sound

Scandinavian shoegaze (or "newgaze") has been fairly prominent lately - Serena Maneesh and The Radio Dept. spring to mind, as does the Icelandic collective Singapore Sling. 'Sling formed in Reykjavik in 2000, released their debut album, The Curse of the Singapore Sling, in 2002, which was met with some glowing reviews and high expectations for the future.

As expected, the band thrives on distortion, thick dense layers of feedback, shrieking guitars, and shrouded vocals. Pop-tones are prevalent, sometimes gritty (a la Velvet Underground) and sometimes sweeter (in the noisiest way possible) like The Jesus & Mary Chain. Not surprisingly, these guys are extremely similar to JAMC - Henrik Bjornsson's vocal stylings sound like a carbon copy of Jim Reid's with an added snarl at times. However, they do bring a lot more power to the table than most shoegaze bands, raucous sounds bouncing off walls in every direction.

Their second album, Life is Killing My Rock 'N' Roll, is a lot heavier and noiser. It falls further from JAMC and closer to Sonic Youth in their Daydream Nation days. Not full-on noise to the point of spazz, but adequately imbued with thrashing and drowning sounds. It's also darker with a guitar and buzzed out voice that's drawn up comparisons to BRMC.

Singapore Sling - Summer Garden [mp3] [buy]
Singapore Sling - Dirty Water [mp3]
Singapore Sling - Sunday Club [mp3]

Bark Bark bark

I really dislike Malcolm McLaren. He's despicable, vile, and most importantly a manipulative greedy bastard. He was fake. He manufactured images for monetary profit. He valued integrity less than the money from last week's paycheque (I didn't get one). He was a businessman and capitalist, not an independent artistic producer. He destroyed punk's primary values in the way he ran the Sex Pistols.

When you allow the shroud of controversy to clear though, he's quite an impressive man. Following the Sex Pistols bust-up, he put his guile to use and took on a new project. Bow Wow Wow was formed out of a defunct Adam & The Ants (defunct because of McLaren's doing, which isn't surprising I suppose). He carefully created one of the most original and fun groups in post-punk. Not to mention an extremely unlikely cast pairing.

BWW's debut was the amusingly titled See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy!, released in October 1981. Its bass and percussion runs wild. The album is raw, seemingly untouched and unstained by impurities. Looking beyond the surface reveals the bizzareness of the lyrics, song content, and Annabella Lwin's vocal stylings. The backbone of their sound (in the beggining) is tribal, yet the vocals (apart from the chanting) and guitar don't fit with it. Songs about televisions and such, it really was a fascinatining experiment - transplanting African sounds and rhythms to the West and mixing it with new-wave. I almost feel like I'm listening to Dexy's Midnight Runners when 'Jungle Boy' comes on. Certainly they did turn to simple synth-pop in time, but for a short while they were unique and progressively brilliant amongst their contemporaries.

However sarcastic it was meant to be, one line that struck me as odd, in 'Chihuahua', is "I'm a Rock 'N Roll puppet, in a band called Bow Wow Wow." Given McLaren's reputation, and having Lwin pose (at only 15) for See Jungle!, I'd be willing to bet there's more truth to it than originally believed.

Bow Wow Wow - Jungle Boy [mp3] [buy]
Bow Wow Wow - Chihuahua [mp3]
Bow Wow Wow - (I'm A) TV Savage [mp3]
Bow Wow Wow - Golly! Golly! Go Buddy! [mp3]

Mash-Up Roundup

I've spent a good part of the past two and a half years hunting for interesting mash-ups, regardless of the artists involved. Sometimes two artists mix well together, regardless of how shitty one (or both) is on their own. Case in point, Mark Vidler's mash of the Beastie Boys and Las Ketchup. Mark Vidler (pictured above) is the man behind Go Home Productions, the first (and still the best) masher I've listened to. His back catalogue features mixes of The Stone Roses, Public Enemy, Television, My Bloody Valentine, Elvis Costello, and hundreds of other notables. Besides GHP, there are several other DJs that provide mp3 links on their websites, as well as forums that offer them, including GYBO (get your bootleg on). Below are a selection of some recent favourites.

Beastie Boys vs. Las Ketchup - Beastie Ketchup (GHP) [mp3]
Daft Punk vs. Dead or Alive - Spin Me Harder (DJ Tripp) [mp3]
DP vs. U2 - Around the World on New Year's Day (Martinn) [mp3]
Elvis Costello vs. The Police, etc. - Wrapped Detective (GHP) [mp3]
Gorillaz vs. White Stripes - Dirty Doorbell (Jimmi James) [mp3]
Klaxons vs. Todd Terry - Can You Feel Magik? (Dunproofin') [mp3]
Radiohead vs. The Beatles - Karma in the Life (GHP) [mp3]

Post-Punk Mix [DAN 001]

1. The Durutti Column - Sketch For Summer [mp3]
2. Cabaret Voltaire - Nag Nag Nag [mp3]
3. A Certain Ratio - Do The Du [mp3]
4. Orange Juice - Rip It Up [mp3]
5. Josef K - Romance [mp3]
6. Aztec Camera - Oblivious [mp3]
7. Subway Sect - Ambition [mp3]
8. Swell Maps - Let's Build A Car [mp3]
9. Pere Ubu - Nonalignment Pact [mp3]
10. Public Image Ltd. - Careering [mp3]
11. James Chance & The Contortions - Contort Yourself [mp3]
12. Minutemen - The Big Foist [mp3]
13. Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach For My Revolver [mp3]
14. This Heat - S.P.Q.R. [mp3]
15. Gang of Four - I Found That Essence Rare [mp3]
16. The Specials - A Message To You Rudy [mp3]
17. Au Pairs - You [mp3]
18. The normal - T.V.O.D. [mp3]
19. The Fall - Barmy [mp3]
20. Suicide - Cheree [mp3]
21. Killing Joke - Follow The Leaders [mp3]
22. Throbbing Gristle - Hot On The Heels Of Love [mp3]
23. Devo - Mongoloid [mp3]
24. Joy Division - She's Lost Control [mp3]
Length - 82:00

I've switched mp3 hosts to a private one provided by myDataBus, which provides 5GB of webstorage free of cost - highly reccomended. I've decided to start things off with the next host by posting a mix of mine. I posted this mix up a few months ago on my last.fm, but the download link has long since expired. These are essentially a roundup of some of my favourites of the post-punk era. There are a plentitude of artists that are missing and I'd like to add them on a future mix I create. Joy Division's 'She's Lost Control' was not in the original listing, but decided it was worthy of inclusion. Ian Curtis, Joy Division's frontman, is pictured above. If you're interested in buying this material, click the artist link which will lead to their last.fm page, which can be followed to Amazon.

Au Revoir

A few days ago Mazarin, a great indie-pop collective from Philly, were legally bullied into retiring their band name. Apparently an obscure (and stubborn) Long Island group shared the same name and released music before the Philly boys did.

The final solution, from the band's site:

In short, MAZARIN A and their attorney decided: either cease and desist, or we go to court. Considering MAZARIN B had no disposable income to fight the case, plus information had come to light revealing that one of the members of MAZARIN A was in poor physical health, yet still paying his attorney some four hundred dollars an hour, all the while desperately soliciting donations for their legal and medical funds via their website, MAZARIN B and their management concluded the whole predicament was so sad and despairing that instead of dragging out a lengthy litigation, which they had neither the time nor money to commit to; fuck it. Clearly, the name is cursed.

Shame, I always liked the name. I discovered them while I was studying French history and the ancien régime (Mazarin was an influential French minister for Louis XIV) so I felt an interesting connection with it. Oh well, apparently the band's members will release new material, in time. Good to hear, a really promising band.

I've posted up 'Another One Goes By', an absolutely brilliant pop number. Shades of Orange Juice's fantastic guitar pop (the Glasgow band) and the Shins' blooming vocals and precious structure. Their finest song from a great album.

Mazarin - Another One Goes By [mp3] [buy]

Klaxons

Love or hate the English press, they're a powerful instrument. Whether it be oversensationalist claims (#5), or... well actually that's about all they're good for. The NME has been pushing for this "new rave" genre as of late. A proposed renaissaince of sorts for rave, which was huge in the UK by the early 90s. Groups like 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, the Prodigy, etc. thrived under the drug-crazed genre, packing clubs like Manchester's Haçienda. For several reasons it eventually died off and split into a bunch of sub-genres which retain remnants of the dead genre.

This all leads up to yet another group the media are warming to, the Klaxons. They've been getting a lot of press lately, largely in part of the blogosphere. And they're interesting to say the least. Whereas the Arctic Monkeys seemed a tad simple-minded, the Klaxons appear to be fairly well read and intelligent. They're avid fans of avant-garde novelist William S. Burroughs, a writer I've recently taken an interest in. As for their sound, it's not quite like the rave of old, but more modern and edgy (what I'd expect). They've got an indie-rock pedigree (bass and guitar that sound very garagey), but the hard electronic backings are evidence of the rave influence.

Their first EP, Xan Valleys, was released a month ago, a good listen. Their full-length debut is apparently set for January, which I'm looking forward to.

Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow [mp3] [buy]
Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone [mp3]
Klaxons - 4 Horsemen of 2012 [mp3]

Jim Noir

Bowler hat, blazer, matching slacks, striped shirt and tie. He's a proper English bloke, a fine gentleman. Noir is from Manchester, the borough so many richly talented artists have called home. His music is a nice blend of charming pop and multi-instrumental psych-folk.

To date he has released one album, Tower of Love (Barsuk, 2005). This past summer he rose from obscurity to minor fame when 'Eanie Meaney' was used in that wonderful Adidas World Cup ad campaign (Jose+10) in which he sings "If you don't give my football back, I'm going to get my dad on you". Surely an allusion to his childhood days in Manchester, supporting the city blues. 'My Patch' is another great nugget, his single from this past May. Fightin' words with some nice strings. It's also the funniest vid I've seen in a while, featuring a fight with a giant chicken. His sound has been continuously compared to that of the Beach Boys, and while I don't completely buy it, certain songs ('Turn that Frown Into a Smile', 'A Quiet Man') have sonic similarities to older pop groups fused with eclectic instrumentals and dreamy soundscapes.

Jim Noir - My Patch [mp3] [MV] [yt]
Jim Noir - Eanie Meany [mp3]
Jim Noir - Turn that Frown Into a Smile [mp3]

Post-Punk Artist Du Jour - Thomas Leer

Leer was a DIY pioneer, literally making his music single-handedly in his flat. Amazingly, in his early days he didn't use a synth to create the seemingly electrostatic feel. Instead he created several methods to improvise for this absence - heavily processed instruments and extremely primitive electronic gizmos.

Private Plane was his first single, released on his own label, Oblique. It was successful, especially for a DIY, becoming the NME's single of the week. 'Private Plane' is very celestial. It starts off with a bassline combo'd with a scrambled transmission from a "plane". Leer whispers meekly throughout - so that his girlfriend, who shared his flat, wouldn't be woken at night, but hey, it perfectly fit the song. As the song closes, further bleeps and blorps are heard. Again, amazingly without use of advanced electronics. " International" is similar, in that it's a quiet exposé of Leer's vocals, but it also includes a great guitar 'n bass combo. While other Leer tracks are more experimental ('Letter from America' is a kind of mutant funk) and unfocused (possibly in a good way), these two are his most accessible.

Thomas Leer - Private Plane [mp3]
Thomas Leer - International [mp3] [buy]

La Dauphine Marie

Film begins. I'm hearing a familiar angular and spiky guitar. Oh wow, it's Gang of Four! And look, the lettering for the film title is all new-wavey. So this is definitely going to be an interesting watch - a postmodern exhibition of Coppola's take on a the French queen. Oh, I'm a liar. Sorry. This film stinks. Like food scraps left to rot, perhaps? Maybe a croissant. It's a monotonous journey of boredom. Attempts at making it quirky and cute are countered by mundane banter to the point where I was nodding off for an early nap. I realize that it's historically inaccurate. I don't care, that should make for some more artistic freedom. I realize that Antoinette lived in her own confined world. Fine by me. Poor plot, acting gone awry, disastrous dialogue. Not cool.

I can't fault the soundtrack though. Like Lost In Translation before this, Sofia Coppola has a proven knack for putting together quality soundtracks. It's a nice mix of ambience, post-punk, indie, and electronic. And I'm quite glad to see the Radio Dept. having a prominent role in this - very deserving. The inclusion of 'I Want Candy' is a clear jab at Marie's childlike demeanor (and subsequently her scorned presence at Versailles), but Shields' remix is nothing of importance. I prefer his work done on 'Fools Rush In' - very surreal.

Soundtrack listing courtesy Wikipedia:

Disc One:

1. "Hong Kong Garden" – Siouxsie & The Banshees [mp3]
2. "Aphrodisiac" – Bow Wow Wow
3. "What Ever Happened" – The Strokes
4. "Pulling Our Weight" – The Radio Dept.
   
5. "Ceremony" – New Order
6. "Natural's Not in It" - Gang of Four [mp3]
   
7. "I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
   
8. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" – Adam & The Ants
9. "Concerto in G" – Antonio Vivaldi / Reitzell
10. "The Melody of a Fallen Tree" – Windsor for the Derby
11. "I Don’t Like It Like This" – The Radio Dept.
12. "Plainsong" – The Cure

Disc Two:

1. "Intro Versailles" – Reitzell / Beggs
2. "Jynweythek Ylow" – Aphex Twin
3. "Opus 17" – Dustin O’Halloran
4. "Il Secondo Giorno (Instrumental)" – Air
5. "Keen On Boys" - The Radio Dept. [mp3]
6. "Opus 23" – Dustin O’Halloran
7. "Les Baricades Misterieuses" – Francois Couperin / Reitzell
8. "Fools Rush In (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow [mp3]
9. "Avril 14th" – Aphex Twin
10. "K. 213" – Domenico Scarlatti / Reitzell
11. "Tommib Help Buss" – Squarepusher
12. "Tristes Apprets.." – Jean Philippe Rameau / W. Christie
13. "Opus 36" – Dustin O’Halloran
14. "All Cats Are Grey" – The Cure

Buy it here. Enjoy it. It's one of the better OSTs I've seen in recent years.

Nag Nag Nag (+Nag)

Not only three nags (Cabaret Voltaire), but four, for Art Brut's new single, released today (November 13, 2006) entitled Nag Nag Nag Nag.

"It's about, and it can't just be me, when I was younger and my parents had a go at me, or I was in a bad mood I'd put my Walkman on and go for a big long walk to sort myself out. And I was thinking about how much I did that - ignored my parents nagging me - and realising that people who do that grow up funny - you miss something you should have been told because you weren't listening. I don't feel any different now to when i was 17 - I'm 26 now - I don't think you change really between those periods and maybe it's because you're not listening to people. I dunno it sounds very pretentious when I say it but it's just about putting your walkman on, stonking out of the house and coming back again" - Eddie Argos (Artrocker, Sep 2006)

AB is definitely the vanguard of ironic rock. Without their Velvet Underground mocking, their excessive ambitions, and their distant relations with popular culture, they'd just be another UK garage flash in the pan. I listened to Bang Bang Rock & Roll over and over (and over and over and over) to the point where when I finally saw them live, I was one of the very few fans chanting along, for every song.

The first time I heard this track was at the Opera House in Toronto on October 14th, part of their latest tour, which features We Are Scientists as the support act. It's a good single with catchy guitar hooks and their trademark execution of sarcasm+irony+cockney accent. Admittedly it's better onstage than on record, though the band is spectacular live so I can't complain. My favourite line - "Wet trousers in the washing machine, but I'd rather be damp than seen in jeans." For some reason, which Eddie explained but I can't seem to remember, the band don't like jeans. Hah! Can't win them all I suppose.

"Art Bruts, NAG! NAG! NAG! NAG!" as Eddie said.

Art Brut - Nag Nag Nag Nag [mp3] [buy]

Le Sport

Ugh, what a cheesy picture....

These guys have New Order written all over them. Layered with '80s house beats and comical lyrics, this is the latest Swedish group to catch my attention. The synth-laden songs leave behind very catchy breaks at times ('I Do Renounce Them', 'Your Brother Is My Only Hope'). Judging by the artists they've mentioned on their Myspace (Human League, Heaven 17, Yazoo, etc.) the ends result isn't surprising. Sexual ambiguity is present, but later homosexuality seems to be a big theme - playing with the '80s house trend perhaps, first with the album art (pictured above) and a few of the song titles ('Show Me Your Penis, 'If Niall Tennant Was My Love').

Sadly, the new-wave revival has been cut short - the group disbanded a few weeks ago.

Le Sport - I Do Renounce Them [mp3] [buy]
Le Sport - Your Brother Is My Only Hope [mp3]

The Embassy

The Embassy are yet another pop band from Sweden, and the latest to pique my interest. Heavy synth use at times remind me of New Order, while their rhythmic styling is very reminiscent of "Pills 'n Thrills"-era Happy Mondays. It's a wonder that they're from Gothenburg rather than Manchester...

The name seems to be more suitable to a club or concert venue than a band name. My best guess leads me to believe that indie bands are now going through the dictionary, word by word, to use up every possible name of the "The + noun" variety.

The Embassy - Some Indulgence [mp3] [buy]
The Embassy - Time's Tight [mp3]
The Embassy - It Pays To Belong [mp3]

Peter Bjorn & John

Sweden's been a fairly rich font of pop music in recent times. I'm From Barcelona, Jens Lekman, and The Radio Dept. to name a few. One of the nicest pop albums I've heard this year comes from Stockholm trio Peter Bjorn & John.

Writer's Block is their third album, released a few weeks ago. Not nearly as ecstatically joyous as 'Barcelona, nor as melancholy as Jens, it's somewhere in between, showing great instrumental skill that rides through. They've been treated with a bit of fame lately - a favourable Pitchfork review and a spot on last week's Grey's Anatomy. Looks like I'm somewhat late! 'Young Folks" has a sort of boyish charm to it with a genuine whistle that brings a grin to my face. "Amsterdam" is a delicious pop nugget telling tales of the Dutch capital. The flute 'n synth combo makes it a gem. It's infectious. "Start To Melt" is very reminiscent of the Shins, a poptone that sets the album alight. Further displays of musical prowess and diversity are found in "Paris 2004", a wonderful exposé of strings.

A very enjoyable listen, definitely will feature as one of my favourite '06 releases.

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks [mp3] [buy] [MV]
Peter Bjorn & John - Amsterdam [mp3]
Peter Bjorn & John - Start To Melt [mp3]

Art

Certain albums resonate very personal affinities and ties with us. Familiar sounds; clattering cymbals; wry remarks; incorrigible attitudes, whatever. Album art gives these aural qualities a face. Political undertones, philosophical connotations, or perhaps something as simple as an aesthetic pleasantry are reasons for this allure. I'm no anthropologist, nor do I particularly care for the study of human nature, so suffice to say that we like this art. Interpretations are imperative. Artistic freedom allows for the simple pleasure of having no single correct view, but multiple possibilities. Unless of course the artist has blatantly stated what their art is representative of - tough luck.

Here are a select few of my own favourites:

Killing Joke - What's THIS For...!

Desolate, dystopian, and gloomy. This looks like a ghastly isolated town recently hit by a nuclear bomb. The emptiness suits the hollow feel of the album. And that woman's also got some strong calves, she must work out. Unfortunately her gym is a pile of rubble.

Primal Scream - Screamadelica

This here is the delightful blob of paint that I've come to know as Mr. Screamadelica. Many a time have I received compliments regarding him (he has been my IM display picture on several occasions) and I greedily accepted them without mentioning that I never painted him. I wish I did paint him.

The Human League - The Dignity of Labour Pts. 1-4

Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, is depicted on his way to receiving an honourary medal from Nikita Khrushchev, to the delight of the ecstatic crowd. Small in stature, he became a Soviet celebrity and a critical piece of propaganda to gain sufferance towards his nation's cause. Is there much dignity in labour? Perhaps, but he's clearly put on a pedestal, looking down on the mere peasants that constructed his ship. Isolation. That's a big theme in this EP. It's extremely isolated and atmospheric; vast meandering sounds reflecting the space-world. Proto-Industrial from Sheffield.

Gang of Four - Entertainment!

It's fair to say that Gang of Four were a bunch of politicos, both in word and voice. Chants of injustice and hypocrisy abound, they took the extra step to ensure their views were noticed - as is seen in short phrases depicting the "white man" robbing the indigenous.























Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords

A battle on a chessboard - Chessboxin'. This album carries on with the Wu-Tang fascination with samurai culture and the animation shows. Gza's rhymes and wit are lyrical swords, knocking down his prey. Checkmate.

Killing Joke - The Fall of Because [mp3] [buy]
Primal Scream - Don't Fight It, Feel It [mp3] [buy]
The Human League - The Dignity of Labour Pt. 1 [mp3] [buy]
Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It [mp3] [buy]
Gza/Genius - Liquid Swords [mp3] [buy]

Hip-Hop 2520 Test #1

Now for some more genre-hopping! Tomorrow will be the first test in my Hip-Hop class. It's a listening test. Basically the prof., a former hip-hop head turned radio host in the late '80s, plays 10 songs (for 3 minutes each) and I've got to write down the artist, track title, record label of association, and the year released, for each of the 10.

For example, this would constitute a perfect mark: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 - The Message [Sugarhill (1982)]

The full list of songs we've listened to in class is compiled here. Tonight I've been going through the lot and memorizing the necessary info. Since this is the first test, the roots and influences of the genre are the theme at hand. James Brown, Isley Brothers, Booker T & The MGs, Average White Band, Fatback, Chic, Fatback, Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, etc. Certainly not my usual genre (soul/funk) and I'd first listen to James Chance before the other James, but I'm not complaining!

The following are a few of my select favourites from the list. And of course they're listed in a way to help me study!

James Brown - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag Pt. 1 [King (1965)] [mp3] [buy]
Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul [King/S12 (1971)] [mp3] [buy]
Fatback - King Tim III (Personality Jock) [Perception (1979) [mp3] [buy]
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 - The Message [Sugarhill (1982)] [mp3] [buy]

Let's Take the Subway

Admittedly, much of my post-punk discoveries derive from Simon Reynolds' fabulous Rip It Up And Start Again - a nice overview of the p-p/new-wave years (1978-1984 according to Mr. Reynolds). I've posted a link of it on the right hand side-bar of this page, which will direct you to the Amazon UK store - definitely worthy of a read.

One such discovery that he pointed out was the Brit-punk group Subway Sect, headed by Vic Godard. Teaming up with very notable company including The Banshees, Clash, and Sex Pistols, Subway Sect were in a very true sense, an original punk band that would precede the upcoming wave. And not only original in the chronological sense, but more-so due to their uniqueness. Without stealing too much of Reynolds' findings, suffice to say that they had a rebellious punk spirit, but never overtly expressed it like their contemporaries. While the Pistols would vehemently make snarling lyrical quips, Godard intelligently crafted his music to defy what "rock music" was. Cutting ties with the past, starting anew, and certainly ignoring the norm, Godard purposely made music that deviated from the pack. Not to mention their style, strange antiquated getups, not quite meshing with the punks.

This all sounds fantastic - fresh and vigorous ideas from a band solely concerned with creating new unique music; new styles; new ideologies; new everything. This begs the obvious question - why are they unknown while the other contemporaries I've mentioned all rose to fame? Their single "Ambition" was extremely well regarded and sold quite well following a rise in the charts and being featured in several prominent musical publications. Godard was even hailed alongside other forward thinking punk champions such as Mark Perry (Alternative TV), John Lydon (Sex Pistols to P.I.L.) and Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks to Magazine and later Luxuria). Despite this, the band manager, Bernie Rhodes, also happened to be the manager of the Clash, and made no secret of the fact that Subway Sect were his second fiddle. As a testament to that fact, the band's debut album never saw the light of day. That'll surely sully any chance of success. Having said that, it truly mystifies me as to why another label wouldn't have picked them up and subsequently released the album, especially considering the eagerness of many label heads to jump on the punk bandwagon and sign anyone that showed a remote inkling of prowess.

The interesting thing to me is that Subway Sect were thinking ahead to post-punk just as punk had started. Godard's quiet rebellion which brought about his forward-thinking demeanor is an extremely notable attribute and was mirrored soon after by the likes John Lydon of P.I.L, following his breakup of the Pistols. Sadly, my collection of Subway Sect is very limited, though recently I've found a small source for more of their singles. I've included Ambition, easily their most successful work. It's quite catchy and enjoyable mainly due to its pop-twinged synth-line and light nature.

Subway Sect - Ambition [mp3]
Buy it from the Rough Trade Shops 25 Years Collection

Star-Struck

Amidst my recent forays into electronica, shoegaze and dream pop have forever held a significant grip of my musical fibre. Lush soundscapes painted onto my eardrums, goop by goop. Dreamy (dreamy to describe dream pop, how creative of me..) vocals of majestic proportions. Lazy beauty carved into my ears.

Last night I had the notion to listen to Mazzy Star and, true to the title of this entry, I was star struck. Hope Sandoval's gentle introspective chants heard throughout So Tonight That I Might See washes my uneasiness away, just as it did the first time I heard it. And while I certainly don't discount David Roback's contributions, namely the wonderful drones from his guitar, it certainly is Hope's vocals that catapult them into the top echelon of dream pop. Her voice has a timeless beauty to it, similar to that of Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins). Hopefully I'll always be allowed the pleasure of returning to that assuring voice, despite the sonic abuse I've given my ears over the past few years.

Enough chatter, I'm off to the dreamland, nearly there...
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Mazzy Star - Bells Ring
Like it? Buy it!

Talking To Myself

OK, so now I'm going to ask myself some questions and answer them. Nay, I'm not schizophrenic, this is just my way of answering questions for you, assuming of course that someone out there is reading this. Though I'm also partially questioning myself as to be clear on whatever I'm doing here.

So I will begin - Why start a blog in the first place? I like music and I need a place to house my musical thoughts, rather than have them run around in my mind, and subsequently driving me mad. Sure, I could write them out on paper, but what kind of security is that, what if my house happens to burn down? Catastrophe - my notes turned to ash! Blogger, as I understand it, is part of the almighty Google Empire. Ergo (that means therefore) their legions of slave workers will assure me of invulnerability, right? (Note to self - back up my musical ramblings in .doc format) Order? I don't think there will be one, at least not chronologically. Whatever comes to mind will go up, be it modern or not-so-modern. Themes? I'm liking the artist/band-centred posts, as opposed to genre-wide ones. But maybe one given length of time (say, a week) could be focused on a particular genre or idea, while another could be dabbling in other notions. Frequency? Hopefully I can update this 3-5 times a week. It depends on how creative I feel, whether I have the time/will to do it, and quite simply how late I'm staying up at night. Ulterior motives? Who, me, what do you take me for? OK fine, I guess I wasn't telling the whole truth before. I do listen to quite a bit of obscure music, and I wouldn't mind giving those artists some more exposure. Yeah, I know, that's an extremely conceited (and pretentious!) ambition - me vaulting these obscurities into a slightly lower degree of obscurity? Well, one can dream. But maybe these artists don't want exposure and make more and more music just so that they're the most indie of the indie bands. Well then, I apologize for any disservice I may have caused and congratulate you on being a living piece of irony (I reallllly like irony!). Favourite Food? Pizza.

Cheerio.

Defined

Pretentious - • adjective attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.

Prattle - • verb talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way.

• noun foolish or inconsequential talk.

— ORIGIN Low German pratelen, related to PRATE.

Source - Oxford English Dictionary