February 2005
The Kills
No Wow
RCA/Rough Trade
I have seen them play live at least ten times. I read about them in some
local weekly three years ago. They sounded like a band I should check out. I even
paid for my friend. It was at some industrial park in Garden Grove. Apparently
The Kills were trying to play at any venue because all they had released was
an EP. I immediately bought it and went home and thought about this band. I
wrote the first review about them three years ago. The first review:
freewilliamsburg.com/august_2002/music.html.
At the same time the editor of Free Williamsburg is writing gems like this: "The latest buzz band, Interpol,
is neither groundbreaking or original but they are so entertaining I am
willing to cut them some slack. This newest Matador band sounds suspiciously similar
to Joy Division, only with a fresh coat of wax."
I had been trying to interview The Kills for three years. I even called them
up at the Chelsea Hotel. Rough Trade has an office there. I had met Allison
and Jaime many times. The interviews never happened. I ended up writing a long
story about my experiences with The Kills here
. The people at Dimmak Records liked this so much they used it on their
own site. Anyway it's three years later, and I'm a different person. I saw The
Kills play some of the new songs in November 2004. Pretty much everyone was
into it. They played some new songs like "The Good Ones" and "No Wow." These
songs were better than ever.
The song "No Wow" is like most of the songs on their first album. "Love Is A
Deserter" is their new techno sound. Jamie plays a cool surf guitar riff. The
slow dirge "Dead Road 7" is much better than the slow blues songs of their
first album. "The Good Ones" is a very cool single. It almost sounds like
Bachman Turner Overdrive if they were a punk band with two members. "I Hate The
Way You Love" is a noisy love song that is classic Kills. The Kills are always
limited by having two members, but on songs like this they are reinventing
themselves, and inventing new sounds and possibly.
"At The Back Of The Shell" includes handclaps and dual singing. "Sweet
Cloud" takes the poverty of sound and turns it into something really neat. "Rodeo
Town" is their Velvet Underground type song. "Murdermile" makes use of the
clicking drum sound that a few songs do on this record. "Ticket Man" is a short
song with piano and vocals. It is utter simplicity. The Kills have made a
really good album. It may not seem much better than their previous work, but it
is. Get it now.
M83
Before The Dawn Heals Us
Mute Records
M83 has been creating some quality buzz in America because they have released
some cool records and have toured extensively. I have begun to investigate
this band since I heard about them last year. The main guy in M83 is Anthony
Gonzalez and he is more like Colder and My Bloody Valentine than Air and other
techno bands from France. The music is cinematic and atmospheric. It also rocks
and evokes moods. It is perfect party music but it is also chill out music to
listen to after coming down on some bad trip. The sounds float and bubble in
the air. It's a genre that is post-rock and post-techno. There are the
occasional sounds of voices. It's like everyday life. It's a loose narrative. Quiet
moments end up being strong musical statements. This is a record to check out.
It has substance. John Ruskin said: "There is hardly anything in the world
that some men cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the
people who consider price only, are this man's lawful prey." Not that has anything
to do with M83.
The Stands
All Years Leaving
The Echo Label
The Stands would be a band that might seem very comfortable hanging out with
in Los Angeles with members of Brian Jonestown Massacre or The Tyde. They seem
hell-bent on creating the sounds reminiscent of The Byrds and Gram Parsons.
But this band is apparently from Liverpool. So it's maybe another Thrills type
band that we have seeing lately. I read an interview with Brian Wilson where
Conor Deasy of The Thrills interviewed him. The Stands seems open to
influences. Fred Neil and Charley Patton influence the leader, Howie Payne. Those are
names that I have been hearing lately. British musicians are always looking for
unknown and forgotten American musicians to emulate. It is a rocket science.
It's mainly people who have passed on. Sometimes these Brits know the music
better than we do. The Stands are part of the scene dominated by The Coral and
The Zutons that I have called "Pirate Rock." I saw them play last year and they
were decent even though I didn't know the tunes. The music is decent and this
is one of the best British records in a while. To reinvent is sometimes a
goal.
MU
Out Of Breach (Manchester's Revenge)
Output Recordings
This is one of the weirdest records to come out this year. It is refreshing.
MU is based in Sheffield. All similarities to Pulp and Spaudau Ballet end
there. It's like Throbbing Gristle collaborated with Yoko Ono. They have some
songs called "Stop Bothering Michael Jackson" and the more famous "Paris
Hilton." Actually this band is comprised of performance artist, Mutsumi Kanamori, and
Producer Maurice Fulton. It's a mix between electro, experimental music, and
comedy. Their first album was regarded highly by Pitchfork Media. The first
lyrics are "Welcome to the Mu World Bitch! I'm talking to the person who took
$1800 from me on Ebay plus bitches who tried to release my vocals without my
permission, plus another shout out to bitches who hid my tampon in backstage, and
especially all the haters. I'm about to King Fu you!" This is Sheffield's
answer to Les Georges Leningrad. It may be a little more fun too. Arthur
Schopenhauer said: "Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it
trains people as to how they shall think." MU is the new religion that breaks
all form of thinking.
Angels of Light
The Angels of Light sing "Other People"
Young God Records
Michael Gira has done a large amount of work. Some of is sounds nice and much
of it is dark. Much more is very nasty. I guess that is why he has such a
large Goth following that pays attention to his every move. Recently Gira has
created a lot of folk music and good tunes. He has embraced narratives and told
stories. Much of this album is vocals and acoustic guitar. Not much of the dark
vibe can overpower these songs. "The Kid Is Already Breaking" is a song
about Devendra Banhart. There are plenty of songs about children and time passing.
Gira uses mostly the Akron/Family as his backing musicians on this record. Of
course there are some frequent collaborator like Siobhan Duffy on here too.
There are plenty of new sounds on this record. It is a good place to start
listening to his music. Michael Gira will always be an American musical genius.
Maybe more people can find this out in the future?
Marianne Faithfull
Before the Poison
Anti Records
Marianne Faithfull's last CD was collaboration between her and load of
American and British musicians of recent memory and glory. It was mostly the doing
of Beck and some Britpop stars, and most successful was the song she did
written by Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley. This time out it sounds like a whole
different sound. That was because PJ Harvey and Nick Cave mostly wrote the
record, with appearance by Damon Albarn and Jon Brion. "The Mystery Of Love" and
"My Friends Have" just sound like PJ Harvey cover tunes. "Crazy Love" is the
best Nick Cave song here. The Bad Seeds actually play on this record. Hal
Wilner is involved. It is starting to sound like one of those Edgar Allen Poe
records. Another stand out track is "Last Song" written by Damon Albarn. Most of
this record is somber and mellow. The previous one had disco tracks that
sounded like Beck's Midnight Vulture. The only thing upbeat here is "Desperanto"
which sounds like The Rolling Stones around the time of Emotional Rescue. Odd
because it was written by Nick Cave. Marianne Faithfull doesn't really do bad
records. This is another good one.
Styrofoam
Nothing's Lost
Morr Music
Stryofoam is Arne Van Petegem, a Belgian. He is associated with the Brussels
club called Club Ancienne Belgique. Petegem was able to select a bunch of
artists to work with. He chose Markus (of The Notwist), Andrew Kenny (of American
Analogue Set), and Bent van Looy (of Das Pop). This record became like a This
Mortal Coil for now. Other artists joined in: mostly notably Ben Gibbard
(Death Cab For Cutie) and Alias (Anticon) and Valerie Trebeljahr (Lali Puna). This
record encompasses electronic music, hiphop and indie rock. Due to some of
the people involved, it sounds like a new record by Lali Puna and/or The Postal
Service. It is a very satisfactory record. Some of these collaboration albums
don't work, but this one does. It's like a merger between Fischerspooner and
Wire. It's a relaxing album. There are psychedelic and acid sounds. This is
one of the best electronic albums of the past year.
Parchman Farm
EP
Jackpine Social Club
Parchman Farm are a new band from San Francisco. They are named after a Paul
Butterfield Blues Band song. They remind me of a lot of bands who were in
father's record collection like Blue Cheer and Steppenwolf. Many of the Parchman
Farm songs seem like they could co-exist somewhere on the Easy Rider
soundtrack. The song "Mirror Spirit" alternates between soft nice sounds and heavy
rock. "Too Many People" sounds like Deep Purple at their best, not that there are
keyboards on this record. Songs like "Say Yeah" are appealing because of the
heavy riffs and the cool vocals. This is a pretty interesting record. I could
believe that it was recorded in 1968, and not last year. This is a recording
that makes you think you can time trip back in time.
Ffa Coffi Pawb
Am Byth
Placid Casual
This sounded like a cool record. I sought it out the dark night. It was like
a primer in the history of Welsh indie music. This band recorded music from
1986 to 1992. Welsh is a country of three million people where only 15% speak
the vernacular. In Welsh "Ffa Coffi Pawb" means "everyone's coffee beans" but
sounds like "Fuck Off Everybody." So they were never played on the radio and
never went anywhere, except the occasional local pub gig. The members of the
band went on to success in the later part of the 1990s. Gruff Rhys and Dafydd
Ieuan went on to form Super Furry Animals. Rhodhi Puw went on to join Gorky's
Zygotic Mynci in 2000. On some of their early songs like "Sega Segur" you can
hear the influence of Jesus and Mary Chain. Later there are some Welsh
influences, which I take to mean the local folk music and psychedelic scene. There
was some "Shroomadelic" times back then I guess? This is an ugly sounding
language. But this band is necessary. Without them, you have no Catatonia or
Gorky's. The song "Dw In Troin Ffrwyth" sounds like today's band Singapore Sling.
This is a pretty wild album.
Stereo Total
Do The Bambi
Kill Rock Stars
I saw this band a few times in New York City in 1997 and 1998. They seemed to
be playing every other month for a while. I used to go to the club Vampyros
Lesbos all the time. They played there. I had a few of their albums at this
time. I even saw them play a show at Brownies. It was a memorable show. The 1990s
were all about kitsch, post-modernism and revivalism. This exploration into
Serge Gainsbourg seemed very fresh. This album seems like their most accessible
in a while. "My Melody" was sort of sad. This album is obsessed with films.
"Cinemania" recalls the recent film "The Dreamers." There is homage to
Clockwork Orange. Most of the songs are in French and German, and a few in English.
Brezel Goring and Francoise Cactus are good at what they do. There are a few
more electronic sounds, on songs like "Cannibale." Many people have been in
this band. They seem to break up every few years after exhausting tours. In ten
years, they have done six albums and a load of singles. They are ambitious.
It's not as serious as Radiohead, but it's very entertaining. Kids seem to like
this music too.
The Golden Republic
The Golden Republic
Astralwerks
The Golden Republic are a rock band from Kansas City. They are representing
the new "KC Sound" and bringing it to the people. The Beatles and David Bowie
influence them. The songs are truly great. They have a big fanbase in the
Midwest. "She's So Cold," sounds like glam rock, as "I'll Do Anything" sounds a
little like Brian Jonestown Massacre. Peter Katis has produced this. Katis
has worked with Interpol and Mercury Rev. There are a bunch of rock and new wave
influences on this record. The phrasing of "Robots" reminds me of a song by
Ambulance ltd. The Golden Republic are a cool band, like The Killers, who have
grown up with a lot of good records, but they are not from New York City.
They probably had more time to work on their songs. For me, half of the deal
depends on the live show. A bad record could be overlooked if the band can still
shine onstage. Sometimes cool records in the studio can't be worked out
properly onstage. There is no dynamic, no talent, and no performance. Hopefully we
can all see The Golden Republic and judge for ourselves.
The Slits
Cut
Koch Records
I was definitely into the first wave of English Punk as it happened. I was
into The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Siouxsie, and The Damned. But
the time I heard about the Slits, I had already moved on to the post-punk music
of bands like Gang of Four and Magazine. The local LA hardcore scene was going
on too. I was this close (hand gesture) to buying this album in 1979. Later I
would see Ari Up play at a CMJ festival in 2001 or so. Now I hear this
record, I feel that I might have missed out on something. Like a lot of kids at the
time, I was into reggae and ska music. The Slits took that background and
turned it into something really original. This record is like the missing link
between Siouxsie and Metal Box. As you see, many of the records of the time were
trying to do something new and push the form forward. Punk rock was the
smallest box imaginable to peep out from. At the time we thought that it was a good
thing that the Sex Pistols broke up. It was good that The Clash and PIL did a
bunch of albums that sounded differently. We did not think that bands like The
Ramones and The Damned would be doing the same thing for twenty years. So
this is a brilliant record. The record company did get them to do "I Heard It
Through The Grapevine" as a commercial ploy. They released "Typical Girls"
instead. The album "Cut" did make it into the UK Top 40. That was all the success
they had. Their second album bombed and they broke up a few years later.
Louis XIV
Illegal Tender
Pineapple Recording Group
I saw these guys play when they toured with The Killers last summer. They had
released a few EPs but were not even signed to a label. At the same time they
were getting known in the UK. Six months later they are being played on the
radio all the time, and are this season's hot new band from nowhere. Louis XIV
is named after the sun king who liked a bit of luxury. They are from San Diego
and started about two years ago in 2003. They sound a little like The Fall
and some early British New Wave groups but they carry it off like their own.
Their song "Finding Out True Love Is Blind" is a massive single. It has great
interplay between male and female vocals. All the songs on this EP are
brilliant. The 1950s pinups shots are fun too. As Albert Einstein has said: "Great
spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." This is a
band to check out.
Bettie Serveert
Attagirl
Minty Fresh
I remember this band from the 1990s. There was a lot of office buzz about
them at some magazines I worked with. At the time many Dutch bands were doing pop
music and Britpop. Bettie Serveert was always a band that was doing
interesting things. Now it's a decade later and this is their seventh album. The song
"Attagirl" sounds a little like The Sounds and Portishead. "Greyhound Song"
is a sign of their new development. It is a very modern sound. "Versace" is
another important tune. There are some more guitar ballads. "Hands Off" is a
straight-ahead rocker. This album closes with "Lover I Don't Have To Love"
which combines emotion with power. Singer Carol van Dyk isn't the best, but she
has a unique sound. This American release also includes two acoustic versions of
some of the best songs. This may be a record to rediscover or check out for
the first time.
A Gun Called Tension
A Gun Called Tension
Gold Crush Records
I wasn't too sure what to think of this record at first. I thought it was
going to be another emo punk records from the Pacific Northwest. It is actually a
record by Sean Reveron and Dean Gallucci (of Modest Mouse). It's a little
like the Sytrofoam album, in that they're a lot of guest appearances. Those
appearances are by people from Pretty Girls Make Graves, Blood Brothers and Murder
City Devils. It's like an old school punk record made by a hiphop group. Some
of these records seem like good ideas in theory. By track five, "Treason"
this records starts to find its footing. There is an effort to have each track to
inhabit a different world. The space between "Electric Chair" and
"Foundation" is infinite. Is this their Sandinista! On their first time out? It's a
pretty much an experimental record. I am not sure that this band will ever make
it to the stage.
The Merediths
A Closed Universe
Debauchery Records
This album caught my attention by accident. I was impressed by the
songwriting and the sound. They are a band from Louisville, Kentucky. "Marmalade
Maggie" has that Beatlesque sound that is becoming popular again. I was just
flipping through the Beatles songbook today and playing some of those chord changes
maybe I would come up with something like this. The harmonies are pretty
impressive. "Right There" reminds me of The Divine Comedy's ability with melody.
It's a pretty good slice of something larger. Let's see what this band is like
live. I would like to hear the full album too.
Doris Henson
Give Me All Your Money
Desoto Records
Nietzsche once said, "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to
hold in higher regard those who think alike than those who think
differently." Doris Henson is one of those bands would are going to stand out because they
come from such a different place. They are rock band from Kansas. The "KC
sound" is starting carry weight these days. Whereas some new wave bands seem
ironic, this is the land without irony. Doris Henson recalls bands like The Church
and School of Fish. "Let You Down" is straight ahead rock. It comes from a
collection of pretty good tunes. Doris Henson combines emotion with folk and
rock and creates something that you can listen to all the way through and be
surprised at what comes around the corner. They are good.
Jim White Presents
Searching For The Wrong Eyed Jesus
V2 Records
Jim White is a legend in the alt-country circles. A British director started
filming footage about the deep south and the life of Jim White. This album is
the soundtrack of that experience. Of course we have some great songs by Jim
White. There are also appearances by like-minded individuals such as The
Handsome Family, Cat Power, Sixteen Horsepower, Johnny Dowd, David Johansen and
others. This film sounds very promising. We have seen depictions of the lives of
Robert Crumb, Harvey Pekar, and Henry Darger. Now we have a film about Jim
White. This looks like a film to see.
Okay
Low Road/High Road
Absolutely Kosher
I was listening to a lot of new CDs from all different sources. I had an open
mind. This is one that stood out after hearing a few songs. That was before I
started to read about whom actually did this record. Okay is the band name
for Marty Anderson. Like Xiu Xiu and Bright Eyes he likes the band moniker. He
lives in Fremont, which is, as most people in the Bay Area know, one of the
Bart Stations in the East Bay. I was there this past summer. It is a suburban
Northern Californian town, not unlike San Jose or Petaluma. Fremont is very close
to Silicon Valley. Anderson's voice sounds a little like Marc Bolan, if he
Bolan was a sad crooner. Anderson has Crohn's Disease and is bed-ridden. This
release is a double disc. Many of the songs have one-word titles. On the first
disc, Low Road, we have "Holy War," "Bloody," and "Devil." This first part
spirals down into the dark. On the second disc songs like "Have" and "Hungry"
are more upbeat. Anderson is unable to tour. But later in the year he may be
playing some shows with members of Deerhoof and Pinback as his backing group.
This might be interesting.
Regina Spektor
Soviet Kitsch
Sire Records
Regina Spektor is known as a remarkable musician. She opened up for the
Strokes and Kings of Leon many years ago. She has little to do with those bands.
Her first song "Ode To Divorce" shows that. Lately she has been playing smaller
clubs that are more intimate. Recently she was featured in NME standing next
to Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart, and Joanna Newsom. They were all
supposed to represent some new form of quirky folk, whatever that means. I saw her
play at Tonic during the CMJ Festival. It was brilliant. On "Poor Little Rich
Boy" she plays piano and drumstick hitting the chair at the same time. Songs
like "The Flowers" shows off some of her classical training. It's mostly voice
and piano on most of these songs. Other musicians show up on a few tracks like
Oren Bloedow (Elysian Fields), Graham Maby (Joe Jackson), and Jane
Scarpantoni (Lou Reed). The song "Your Honor" has a whole punk band called Kill Kenada.
This songs doesn't really sound like much of the rest of the record.
Spektor's songs are like little stories. The best one is "The Ghost of Corporate
Future." Very funny indeed. Listening to the whole album you know that Regina
Spektor is very worthy and has a lot of connections. She is like one of those
Hollywood kids who want be an actor. It's okay if you have something to say.
Obviously Spektor does.
Patrick Wolf
Wind In The Wires
Tomlab
I have seen this guy's records for a while. I thought he was kind of like
John Vanderslice. This is a young English guy, who is 21 years old, and has
released two records. He seems to have a lot of classical training. Everyone was to
be a pop star nowadays. The music is really excellent. It sounds really
distinguished. It's somewhere between The Divine Comedy and Momus. Yes it sounds
decadent. It sounds arty. The first single "The Libertine" sounds literary and
gives me that impression. Patrick Wolf combines folk music, rock, electronic
and classical. Apparently Meredith Monk inspired him too. He's played with
Hidden Cameras. This guy is the real thing. It's something to check out. It has
real feeling to it. I want to see him play live soon. I love this song called
"Railway Song." Patrick Wolf is worthy.
Eisley
Room Noises
Reprise
I have never seen this band play. They are a bunch of talented siblings who
have played with Coldplay and Snow Patrol. They just blew through town with the
guy from Rilo Kiley. They released a few EPs last year. I compared them to
the Cardigans before. The sound is starting to grow on me. Even some of the same
songs I heard before, sound richer and deeper. They seem really connected.
They have already worked with Rob Schnapf and Rob Cavallo. "I Wasn't Prepared"
and "Memories" were some of their best songs from before. I guess that Eisely
is taking lessons from Wire and releasing a few EPs before the album comes
out. It's been road tested. "Golly Sandra" explores their country roots. They
are from Texas (that hated state). I am not sure why they don't have more songs
like "My Lovely." It's one of the only songs that seems like it has a chorus
and a purpose. I am not sure why this record this record has two hundred
producers. The Beatles recorded most of their albums in one place with George
Martin. Eisley are probably more promising than Smoosh and The Ditty Bops, but I
am not sure why I should care. Since there is Smoosh, you can't really call
this band precocious. Eisely doesn't really tell stories. I never know what they
are singing about. It sounds beautiful, but there is no reason.
Alexander Laurence
