It took me about six years to come to like Radiohead. Yep, I listened to OK Computer, The Bends, and Kid A. They're alright, I suppose. But they're not what I like about Radiohead. What I like about Radiohead are the bootlegs. Why, then, have they only released one live record? I don't understand . . . Via The Devil Has The Best Tuna.

I walked by a coffee shop last night and some kids were strumming guitars to a packed house. Just your typical coffee shop cover band with a cute/charismatic lead. As I started trying to evaluating their cover of Cohen's Hallelujah, though, I realized I've never heard any of his songs covered - only copied. I once listened to fifteen different renditions of Famous Blue Raincoat and never heard anything new. Are his songs immutable?

Such a nice, subdued cover of Losing My Religion by The Cardigan's lead singer, Nina Persson.

It's funny that I find such a perfect Northwest song so soon after leaving there myself. Still, this gives me a place to hang my memories. Via Hard To Find A Friend.

Released simultaneously with the Beatles' "Hey Jude," Mary Hopkin's "Those Were the Days," and the Black Dyke Mills Band's "Thingumybob," Jackie Lomax's "Sour Milk Sea" was one of the "First Four" set of Apple Records' inaugural 45s issued in 1968. I'd always known of its existence but just recently found out that the backing band is George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Nicky Hopkin, and Eric Clapton! (George wrote the song.) So, if you've ever wondered what the Beatles might have sounded like if someone had replaced John,.....

Last summer, Cheap Trick covered the entirety of Sgt. Pepper's live at the Hollywood Bowl. The show is too much of a slavish recreation to spark much of my interest, but Aimee Mann on Lovely Rita is still worth hearing.

Stockholm's hot music scene continues to produce some strong pop songs. Today's offering comes from The Sweet Serenades. A full-length is expected later this year, but they have put out an EP to tide fans over. Finally, it's fun to note that one of the band's members also plays with Club 8, which ruled my 2002 with their Spring Came, Rain Fell. Via Licorice Pizza.

Speaking of George, what a band where a song like "All Things Must Pass" could have been rejected for inclusion in what eventually became the "Let It Be" album...

I know it's been said many times before, but just imagine what some of the solo Beatles' output from 1969, 1970, and 1971 might have sounded like if performed by the full band. I think the Beatle harmonies alone would have really made some of those tracks transcendent.

I've found YouTube to be a surprisingly great source of audio rarities. Been grooving on the Beatles lately, especially "It's All Too Much," an all-too-overlooked George Harrison song from the "Yellow Submarine" soundtrack. I knew a slightly extended version featured in the movie, but had only vaguely heard of this full version. Found it on YouTube and ripped the audio and now I have what I would have gladly paid EMI and Apple for if they'd only made it available!

On another note, what a band where a song like this could be recorded in 1967 and not make it onto either "Sgt. Pepper" or "Magical Mystery Tour" or come out as a single.

Rench’s Gangstagrass

Keith, bluegrass, hip-hop Comments (0)

Gangstagrass - Pain
Gangstagrass - Pistol Packin

Brooklyn-based musician, Rench, flirts with magic. I purchased his first album from Aime St. more than a year ago. After recently hearing one of those tracks on the TV, I checked up on his website. And so I found Gangstagrass.

Gangstagrass has been my bubblegum for the last month. On first taste, the disc gave me a giddy rush of wonder. Hip-hop rhymes and flow immersed with old-timey country sounds I love. I was pushing the disc on everyone I knew and everyone I saw. I loved throwing this in my stereo and pounding my typewriter in time with the easy beats and twang-y strings. The puppy love was perfect.

In an effort to have something interesting to say, however, I began to pay close attention to the tracks while spinning them again and again. Sadly, the close attention broke the magic. Rather than being integrated part of the music, the bluegrass samples sound more and more like post-production flair. So, just sit back and enjoy the ride for as long as the flavor stays fresh.

For the extra curious, check out this interview of Rench by a Swedish roots music site.

Keith @ April 15, 2008

The First CD I Ever Heard

Keith, pop, rock Comments (0)

R.E.M. - Pop Song 89

Editor’s Note: This started out as a post for Star Maker Machine but I misread the prompt and wrote about my first CD listening experience instead of a first music purchase. Instead of tossing the post, I’m throwing it here. A more traditional post is in the works.

Strewn across the bottom of my brain pan are a whole slew of musical firsts. The first album that was “mine”, the first mixtape I ever made, the first mixtape I received, the first time I *really* listened to Sgt. Pepper’s, the first time I pitched woo through song. From all of these precious memories, it’s hard to the choose the most important one. So I chose on song.

In 1988, I was seven and living in Yakima, a medium sized city in central Washington. One weekend, the parents threw my brother and me into the back of our crackerbox VW van and drove out to Seattle to visit their old school friends. One family we visited had a teenage son who was directed to entertain us while our parents talked. Not only did he have the inherent coolness of nearly-infallible teenage power, he also had all the newest toys. He was the first one to show us an 8-bit Nintendo, the first to show us a tree house, and the first to show us CDs.

The first CD he played that rainy day in his attic loft was R.E.M.’s Green. For a kid raised on Peter, Paul, and Mary; the early Beatles; the Beach Boys; and other safe fodder, R.E.M. was a revelation. Loud and awkward, the melodies were safe enough to embrace while being different enough to ensure the rest of the family would never like them as much. I became minorly obsessed with R.E.M. as a result. I hunted out bargain copies of old albums at every discount store my parents frequented. I pestered adults with questions about the biology of sleep. I even tried (unsuccessfully) to like the B-52s because they were from the same city.

To be honest, the magic of CDs was not particularly clear to me then and it was another seven years before I owned one myself. The first I ever purchased was a collection of John Williams tracks from Steven Spielberg films, but that is a different story.

Keith @ April 14, 2008

Jane Vain - Love Is Where The Smoke Is

Canadian, Keith, indie, synth Comments (1)

Jane Vain - C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang
Jane Vain - We Must Destroy

Jane Vain and the Dark Matter live within the lines. The songs (or at least the ones I’ve counted off) are built in four-measure phrases of four-four time.[1] The down beats are so heavily emphasized that they almost count twice. Jamie Fooks even sings about the time signature in “Moving Notes”:

Now I can only hope
This broken heart of mine
Will mend in moving notes
And four-four time

The comforting simplicity of the structure allows each of the instruments to take turns very naturally. The use of minor keys and limited vocal range remind me very much of a Into The Pink era Verbena,[2] with both the up and downsides thereof. Taken individually, these minimalistic qualities and varied instrumentation create very compelling songs. In sequence, however, the limited palette makes the album essentially unlistenable.[3]

April 14th Update: Time has corrected my opinion. I have been spinning the whole album on a regular basis lately; it grows on me.

[1] I only counted out three of the tracks.
[2] Into the Pink’s fourth track from the end is Bang Bang; Jane Vain’s is C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang. Verbena’s most similar track, though, is the opener – Verbena - Lovely Isn’t Love.
[3] For a different take, I recommend the review over at Hero Hill.

Keith @ April 2, 2008

Kat Flint - Dirty Birds

Keith, folk Comments (0)

Kat Flint - Anticlimax
Kat Flint - Fearsome Crowd

She unrolls with tight discordance on the left channel for a full a half minute before the guitars are killed. Her voice has arrived. “Shall we kiss on the lips or shall I say that I’m sorry? That on any other day of the week I would have asked you back.” Such a simple opening and so assertive. Within forty-five seconds, Kat announces she is not tied to her guitar, not tied to boys, and not particularly concerned about either.

Scottish, she lives in London now. Kat’s not just one of those London Ladies, though. She’s not following Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Lady Sovereign, Beth Orton, Dido, etc. Goodness knows that a lot of Londoners. Nope, MFR says “The best thing about Flint is that she doesn’t fall into the trappings of lonesome female performer.” I’m not going to go that far - I think her songs are better than her musical taxonomy. The Run Out Groove compares her to Judee Sill and that’s not right either - Ms. Flint is no Laurel Canyon introvert.

As she says:

I could appease the fearsome crowd
But then I didn’t need to
I was a child and I had better things to do

And there, in short, is the what makes Ms. Flint special, she doesn’t need the attention, approval, and recognition of nameless strangers. Still, she does appreciate the support. Her first album was partially financed by fans. Can’t wait until I can get a copy stateside; can’t wait to see her on tour.

I found her, as I often do, at Aurgasm.

Keith @ March 15, 2008