Thursday, August 31, 2006

Pixies: Sing for your supper

Play it: Black Francis - Sing For Your Supper (Pixies demos)
Cue up to play for pages 1-60 of Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies

I just started reading Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies, and have found a wealth of the back story available in Rhapsody, too much for one post, so we'll break it up in installments. This first playlist works with the first part of the book.

First is the recordings by producer Gary Smith of Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black,) intended as a sort of demo for a potential pro-bono recording at Smith's Ft. Apache Studios. Smith, who produced Throwing Muses, would often have artists come over and record into a walkman-like two-track, while he made them supper ('Sing For Your Supper.') Most of these recordings have disappeared after several moves, but Thompson's recordings live on. Smith, while with the Muses, caught a Pixies soundcheck at the legendary Rat in Boston one night, and knew he had to do something with the young band.

Smith invited Thompson over for a 'Sing For Your Supper' recording, which has since recently resurfaced on a compilation Frank Black put out. The first CD is the Gary Smith 'Sing for you Supper' recordings, and it's a fascinating inside look at the songs as Thompson heard them. While playing "Caribou," (one of the highlights of the recordings) Thompson has these illuminating asides, like "this is the one I want to sound like Husker Du" and 'supposed to be screaming" and finally, "then it's hardcore, I can't do it... you need drums." Then you hear a faint "nice" which could be Gary Smith or Thompson marveling at his own humming bird strum on the guitar. Throughout Thompson hums bass lines and Santiago leads, filling out the songs as they would sound upon recording.

Stripped down, you can better hear the Spanish influence on Thompson, who formed Pixies with Santiago after coming back from spending some time in Puerto Rico. Smith would use these recordings to convince the rest of his partners at Ft Apache to agree to the pro-bono recording, which would become first The Purple Tape, and later (and whittled down) Come on Pilgrim. (Next up: The Purple Tape)

Previously:
Frank Black Goes Nashville

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Summer's brief respite

Play it: M Ward - Post-War
Play it: Ray LaMontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black
AOL Free Listening Stream - Till the Sun Turns Black

A cloudy day in August in Seattle is rarity (believe it or not,) so when I woke up to to gray skies two days in a row, the latest releases from M Ward and Ray LaMontagne (already firmly in my heavy rotation) made their biggest impact on me. Well, today the sun is back, but I'm still find myself listening to M Ward's Post-War, like it's wrapped up in some sort of UV protective suit. Standout songs like the majestic "Poison Cup" and "Post-War" are quintessential rainy day songs, but then Ward goes and gets all sunny (with the help from some friends) on "To Go Home" (a Daniel Johston cover featuring Neko Case on background vocals) and "Chinese Translation" (featuring My Morning Jacket's Jim James on background vocals.) Full of the early Americana blues and folk we've come to expect from M Ward, Post-War is his most accessible album and his best to date.

If I were RCA, I might have held off the release of Until the Sun Turns Black until at least post-Labor day, not only to avoid the Bob Dylan shadow, but also to capitalize on some cloud cover. I can't help associating listening to The Voice while huddled up inside from the drizzling rain, drinking red wine, and contemplating... something or another. You know what I mean? The way I see it, LaMontagne's beautiful meloncholy just isn't a sangria or white wine kind of sound, and that's not to dog it... heavens no. I LOVE listening to The Voice, but as this week has proven to me, his soulful rasp and lyrical introspection cut much deeper under the benefit of cloud cover.

Anyway, minor quibbles, but I can't help feeling that this effort, while still an enjoyable listen, can't stand next to his tremendous debut. Whereas Trouble felt more intimate, TTSTB is a bit more detached, with extra instrumentation distancing The Voice from my ear. Still songs like "Empty," "Barfly" and "Gone Away From Me" are already LaMontagne classics, and "3 More Days" is a nice Otis Redding-like turn for The Voice. I may have to put it aside, though, until the gray skies come back again... and they always do.

More Lamontagne:
Lullabies left of the dial
Rescue Me Seasons 1-2

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Wednesday, August 30, 2006

For Pete's sake!

Play it: Pete Townshend - Scooped (Best of demo series)
Play it: Pete Townshend - Gold (chronologically reshuffled)

The greatest rock band of all-time will release their first album in nearly 25 years this coming Halloween (Endless Wire.) In anticipation of that event, yesterday saw the reissue of a significant amount of Pete Townshend's back catalogue of solo material (on Universal imprint Hip-O Records.




Of particular interest is the collection of demos called Scoop (along w/ Another Scoop, and Scoop 3) which show Townshend's recordings of the songs prior to bringing to The Who. There's a collection called Scooped which compiles the best/more interesting cuts from the three Scoop releases, which serves as a good big toe dip for the series. Since it's not in Rhapsody, I've taken the liberty of reassembling it for you here. Some of the more revealing tracks are the ones that Daltry would end up singing ("Can You See the Real Me" and "Magic Bus,") with Townshend pulling off a pretty good impression of his singer (or is it the other way around?) Others still sound better in arrangment then The Who would do them later, specifically the song "Eminence Front" which is a beautiful moody piano-based piece in this earlier version. There's also plenty of material that never made it to proper release, which is where the gold is to most Townshend worshippers.

Speaking of gold, he best of the proper solo reissues are already well covered in the Hip-O records comp Gold, but that album has a maddening track order which has no rhyme or reason to it. So I've re-ordered in chronological order here. Although, I can't imagine not mentioning/recommending listening to Empty Glass all over again... it's still damn good.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Carving out a niche

Play it: Nip/Tuck - Season 3
Play it: Season 1 , Season 2

This week also sees the release of Nip/Tuck - The Complete Third Season on DVD. The FX drama turns up the heat with a 3-way, a serial killer, a 4-way, young Matt running with skinheads, a sex doll and the disentegration of partners Sean and Christian's interpersonal relationships.

Call it over-the-top drama if you want, but it's presentation is pretty tasty... like an expensive Miami plastic surgeon might do for you. The music from the series for season 3 had less popular music, due to a lack of funds according to music supervisor PJ Bloom. But they got creative using several key songs to back some dramatic scenes. Some favorites were from Telepopmusik, Feist ("In and Out",) Broken Social Scene, Gotan Project, and Sufjan Stevens, using his song "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." to back the work of cleaning up after a serial killer (in the 'Frankenlaura' episode, 3.07.)

Season 4 kicks off a week from tonight (Tuesday, Sept 5, 10PM EST FX,) so get ready to get your ass lipo'd.

Props:
These Nip/Tuck playlists would not be possible w/o the fine compiling of Avalon over at niptuckfans.com.

Previously:
Saving face (Ep. 3.09)
Through the miracle of plastic surgery (Ep. 3.08)
Completeness by reduction (Eps. 3.06 & 3.07)
Pretador not posing as prey (Ep. 3.05)
Recognizing restraint (Ep. 3.04)
When 3+1=2 (Ep. 3.03)
Ape humanized, human animalized (Ep. 3.02)
Bad cop, goooood cop (Ep. 3.01)

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A whompin' good time

Play it: Bob Dylan - Modern Times
Free full album stream (AOL)
Music Video for "When The Deal Goes Down" (AOL)
You think I'm over the hill / Think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got / We can have a whompin' good time

- "Spirit on the Water" Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Modern Times casts an awfully large shadow on the rest of today's releases (you'll find Ray Lamontagne's excellent Til the Sun Turns Black lurking there,) and with good reason. Modern Times finds Dylan dancin' and swingin' (and whompin') like he's got no use for getting old. Filled with pleny of suggestive lines like "I got the porkchop, she's got the pie," the whompin' is prevalent here.

Modern Times is ironic as a title given it's old-timey feel... as it's laced with ragtime and boogie blues. While he can bypass the style of modern music, Dylan, much to his chagrin, can't avoid the perils of the perils of recording in these modern times.
You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them. There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like -- static. Even these songs probably sounded ten times better in the studio when we recorded 'em. CDs are small. There's no stature to it. I remember when that Napster guy came up across, it was like, 'Everybody's gettin' music for free.' I was like, 'Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway.'
- Bob Dylan, Rolling Stone Magazine
This quote has been taken out of context recently, with folks lining up to prove him wrong with favorite albums in tow. But it's not the albums persay as it is the compression with which digital recording forces on the sound. Dylan has shown plenty of appreciation for artists of today, even name-dropping Alicia Keys on the opening track "Thunder on the Mountain": "I was thinking 'bout Alicia Keys, I couldn't keep from crying/While she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was livin' down the line."

Speaking of appreciation beyond the constricts of time, the song "The Levee's Gonna Break" sounds like it could be talking about either 1927 or 2005. It's fitting it sees release today, as it's on the anniversary of Katrina's landfall... especially remembering that his last album, Love and Theft, was released on September 11, 2001. Dylan's music is inextricably linked with this country and while the song's bouncing blues make the tragedy sound like fun, it's probably what we all need in these Modern Times - a whompin' good time.

Previous:
If you're going to sell out... (Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews)
Bob, Neil and Bruce (Paste Magazine's 100 Best Living Songwriters)

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Monday, August 28, 2006

Stranglehold

Play it: Entourage - Ep. 312

First of all, congrats to J-Piv for bringing home the hardware last night for his portrayal of superagent Ari on Entourage. Fitting, then, that we see his character getting canned in last night's (sort of*) season finale, all to the tune of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold."

Now before the boo-hoos and ballyhoos, let it be said that it's pretty obvious that Ari's not gone from the show. The upcoming 8-pack of eps (coming January) is sure to have Ari scrambling to get his meal-ticket back, and if anything, seeing J-Piv grovel as Ari will be worth the HBO sub alone. Add to that the fact that Rex Lee (as Lloyd) was a revelation this season, and it's pretty obvious that Entourage would crumble under it's own 'insiderness' without the Ari/Lloyd act.

Most of last night's action came w/o the aid (or need) of a soundtrack, so the musical moments were sparse, but besides the aforementioned Motor City Madman classic during the firing (and closing credits) there was also a nice moment when the gang all walks into Ari's office, w/ synchronized walk (ala Reservoir Dogs?) to the tune of Kings of Leon's great song "Taper Jean Girl." It marked a return, of sorts, to the camarederie of season 2, where more then a few Kings of Leon tracks backed the action.

*There's actually 8 episodes left in the season, coming in January (courtesy of the Gay Assistants Corps.)

More:
Full tracklistings with scene descriptions
Entertainment Weekly analyzes this episode
TMZ's Entourage Decoder for this episode
Final Scene (Video via AOL)

Previously:
TV on the Radio on the TV (Episode 33 / 311)
Shoot'em in the back now (Episode 32 / 310)
My entourage can beat up your entourage (Episode 31 / 309)
Willy Wonka Queens (Episode 30 / 308)
Suspended in limbo (Episode 29/307)
A bird in the hand... (Episode 28 / 306)
Fair to Medellin (Episodes 25-27/ 303-305)
I am an orange god (Episode 24 / 302)
The top-tall turn-off (Episode 23 / 301)
Let's hug it out again, b*tch (Season 2 soundtrack and dvd)
Heartbreak Vince (Episode 22)
Show me the money (Episode 21)
Sympathy for the Ari (Episode 20)
Headed for a Gigli (Episode 19)
That's Hebrew for 'When do you get off?' (Episode 18)
Comic-consies (Episode 17)
Mandy Moore is Aquaman's kryptonite (Episode 16)
Cross-sword traffic (Episode 15)
Crouching Turtle, hidden Drama (Episode 14)
More Bob Saget on drugs (Episode 13)
Bring out the suit (Episode 11 & 12)
My Maserati Does 185 (Episode 10)
Let's Hug It Out, Bitch (Episode 9 - Season 2 Premiere)

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Friday, August 25, 2006

Einstein's theory of American Culture

Play it: Moses Asch's Hands (Smithsonian Folkways Records)

There's been a recent wave of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings finding their way into the Rhapsody library this week. One thing they have in common is Moses "Moe" Asch, founder of Folkway Records and one of the most important non-musicians in American popular music.

Asch was the son of leftist intellectual and Yiddish novelist Sholem Asch, who was also an acquaintance of Albert Einstein. Both the elder Asch and Einstein worked together trying to rescue European Jews from the Third Reich. A young Moe owned an early portable recording machine and spent time recording Einstin's messages for later radio broadcast in Europe. According to Moe, Einstein helped steer him into recording folk music. When Moe told Einstein he intended to study mathmatics, Einstein steered him into recording the sound of America, thinking 'who better to do it then a Polish jew':
[Einstein said] it's very important for the 20th Century to have someone like [Moe] who understood the intellect and who understood the changes of the 20th Century and who understood folk and dissemination.
- Moe Asch
Moe first started out recording Jewish artists, most notably the Bagelman Sisters (later known as Barry Sisters.) He started his branching out fo the Jewish market by seeking one Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, helping him remake himself after his failed recordings where the previous label forced him to play blues instead of folk. Lead Belly had also locked heads with John Lomax on their tour around the country which had him in his prison clothes. Asch found him in New York playing folk music (which he liked playing more then the blues) and recorded him, letting him play what he liked.

Because Asch approached these recordings as more cultural and educational then entertainment, he took the approach of releasing nearly anything and everything, w/o regard to whether it was marketable or not. As a result, he avoided working with royalties in deals with artists, and instead paying upfront for the songs. which some look at as exploitive, but Asch was operating the label, essentially, as a non-profit. Any money that came in went right back into more recording.

Even a singer of the working man, Pete Seeger, understood this. "Good heavens, he's losing money by any normal standards. You find any other company willing to record these things, your welcome to go there." Seeger did and moved on to Columbia Records for a spell in the 60s, but when that well went dry, he was back with Asch. By the end, Seeger had recorded on and off with Asch for 40 years.

The pairing of Woody Guthrie with Moe Asch was one that worked very well, and Moe was often considered a full collaborater on Guthries 'projects.' Not only were their political leanings in line with each other, but Guthrie's mother-in-law (Aliza Greenblatt) was a Yiddish poet. Between Guthrie's lyrical music and Asch's prodding (and microphone,) their recordings represent an important part of America's culture.

Another interesting Moe Asch story is that of record collector Harry Smith, who initially had offered his prize 78rpm vinyl to Asch for release on Folkways. Asch, as the story goes, instead encouraged Smith that he should compile tracks together for a history of folk, which he did - becoming The Anthology of American Folk Music, which was released on Asch's Folkways label. this has been a beacon of light for many musicians, inluding, most notably, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Another unique thing that Asch did with his label was to never let an album go out of print - to Moe recordings of music were culture that anyone should be able to access. I have to think that Moe would appreciate the state of the internet and oppose the RIAA's attempts to throttle music's accessibility. When he died in 1986, Asch left the entire catalogue to the Smithsonian, with orders to keep everything in print and available. As testament to that, you can still buy Sounds of North American Frogs to this day.

Ribbit.

More:
Moe Asch: Collector of Culture (pdf from The National Yiddish Book Center)

Previously:
Righteous implements for troubled times (Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions)
If you're going to sell out (Bob Dylan: The Essential Interviews)

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Thursday, August 24, 2006

Broken beats but break-beat kind of broken drum & bass

Play it: "Reggae Merengue" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics

Hey kiddies... there's a brand new Lily Allen video for "LDN" (second version):


The opening sequence takes place in Rough Trade Records (which I visited whilst I was in London earlier this summer.) Notice the change to 'Tough Grade' to avoid any MTV censorship on brands. Some folks are already griping that they like the old lo-fi video (riding on her bike through London.)

Anyway, here's a transcript of her funny-stumbling inquiry to the record clerk (you know you want it:)
I was wondering if you have any sort of punk-y, electronica... kind of grime... kind of like new wave grime... kind of maybe like more broken beats... like kind of dub-y broken beats, but a little bit kind of soulful? Like kind of drum & bass-y but kind of more broken drum & bass... kind of broken beats but break-beat kind of broken drum & bass kind of.. .you know what I mean?
"LDN" expertly samples the calypso reggae classic "Reggae Merengue" by Tommy McCook & The Supersonics. McCook, born in Cuba, was a founding member of The Skatalites, which you might remember from a previous Lily Allen post, also featured Jackie Mitoo whom Lily sampled on her #1 UK smash "Smile" (The Soul Brothers "Free Soul".)

Girl loves her ska!

Previously:
Smile, you're number 1
All Hunky Dory with the Kooks

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Extreme metal, hip-hop and acapella classical

Play it: The Mountain Goats' eMusic Dozen (whittled to 9)
Play it: Kaki King - Until We Felt Red

John Darnielle is an Emusic member and contributer to the site. His playlist contribution of Extreme Metal Dozen turned a lot of heads, given the contrast to the type of music he writes. His follow-up to that was The Dirty Dozen, a collection of Booty Jams.

Well now he's contributed another, under the guise of his band The Mountain Goats, and much of it is equally eye-opening. Normally, I wouldn't bother to take an eMusic playlist and rework it as a Rhapsody one, but this one was so interesting I had to - and it's a good way to show eMusic some love. Darnielle's always had this rap/hip-hop fixation (his lyricism and timing are reflective of the best in genre,) but inclusion of Digital Underground's obscure Future Rhythm album still makes for a surprising pick. Even more so, the acapella classical of Anonymous 4 (An English Ladymass)

One album that makes sense (and gives me another reason to post on it) is Kaki King's latest Until We Felt Red. Produced by Tortoise's John McEntire, King's latest moves beyond mere guitar mastery, and into a more complete artist. Not only does she sing (don't know why she hasn't used that incredible instrument before) but she expands her style of playing, moving out of the shadow of her influences (Preston Reed, Michael Hedges, John Fahey, et al) and developing a style of her own.

Boy, I'm really mailing it in again today, aren't I? Not even going to bother to 'tag' this puppy.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Mars exploration

Play it: Veronica Mars - Season 2

Today sees the release of the second season of Veronica Mars on DVD. I'm at the edge of my seat having made it almost through the first season of the smartly-written teen sleuth drama, but I've heard there's some let down with the second one. Any truth to that?

Just looking at the music, I can't imagine it'd be too bad. Some amazing cameos as well... both Britt Daniel (Spoon,) and Courtney Taylor-Taylor (Dandy Warhols,) make appearances at the singing karaoke. And director/writer/fans-of-the-show Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon also make appearances.

But, if that isn't enough... for those of us who are Buffy/Angel fans, there's quite the treat seeing Cordelia Chase.. er, I mean Charisma Carpenter playing the evil Kendall Casablancas.

Ayeyayaye... not much mystery there!

More:
The Music Of Veronica Mars blog

Previously:
The music license struggle

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The healing process... or albums for the morning after

Play it: Lambchop - Damaged
Play it: The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
I still hold my hip each time I sneeze
- "The Decline of Country and Western Civilization" Lambchop (Wagner)
Today sees the welcome release of several fine albums - a nice refreshing rain after a summer long drought. Two of these see artists moving on from the pain of the past.

Recently Lambchop songwriter/singer Kurt Wagner had to deal with a bone-eating cyst in his mouth that had eaten away his jaw - doctors ended up replacing his jaw with part of his hip. On top of that, Wagner also endured a major cancer scare, so it's no wonder Damaged feels so much like a man dealing with mortality.

The opening track ("Paperback Bible") is the result of an NPR challenge (invitation) to write a song about a Northwest Tennessee public radio called "Swap Shop." Like Sufjan Stevens before him (with the song "The Lord God Bird") Wagner final result was beyond expectations, and ends up being a highlight on the album. Wagner takes dialogue pretty much verbatim and makes it work somehow, making the mundane quite beautiful.

Other songs that rub the earstrings right are "I Would Have Waited All Day" (which was written, oddly enough, for Candi Staton,) and the gritty closer, "The Decline Of Country And Western Civilization."

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle seems to have recovered from his own emotional jaw-replacement, as in his previous album (The Sunset Tree) Darnielle went toe-to-toe with the conflicted feelings of his deceased step-father. If ST was grief therapy, Get Lonely feels like a further step to recovery.

Taken as a whole, it's perhaps Darnielle's most complete effort, with so much effort given to track order and continuity. Initial listens won't illicit the highs of the past three albums on 4AD (Talahassee, We Shall All Be Healed, Sunset Tree,) but with repeated listens, the songs begin to reveal themselves. The song that pops it's head up first "Half Dead," which seems to channel Yo La Tengo, and "Woke Up New" (see video,) which finds Darnielle very optimistic. After a couple more times through, "In The Hidden Places" finds my goose-bump switch, and the lyrics of "In Corolla" begin to hit me hard.

Both albums make for a fine backtrack to your weekend morning, a sort-of morning after tonic, and I find myself needing albums like this more then aspirin.

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Monday, August 21, 2006

TV on the Radio on the TV

Play it: Entourage - Ep 311 (33)

The episode before the season finale always plays setup, and in the case of last night's Entourage, it's no different. The Ramones project (I Wanna Be Sedated) is getting pitched by Ari, Bob and E, so that means more Ramones ("Rockaway Beach") in the soundtrack. Ari ditches Bob (sending him to the wrong studio,) and it comes back to bite him (and thusly Vince and E.)

Meanwhile, Drama's working on his pilot and his anxiety problem. Ed Burns keeps deepening his role in "The Five Cities," and Drama's mantra isn't working ("I'm not a pussy. I'm not a pussy. I'm not a pussy.") Drama decides to take Turtle's advice and 'yank some lil' drama' before the scene... but when Drama forgets to turn his mic off, the whole crew is treated to some party-of-one auditory fireworks. Across town, Vince tries to pep up Turtle by getting him some hard-to-find sneaks. Feeling like he's got a project in his pocket, he throws down some serious clams for a one-of-a-kind Nike Airforce One inspired 'Turtle' sneaks. Turtle's feet now have a rosier financial immediate future then Vince does.

Musically, the episode is a hip-hop sandwich with some indie rock as the bread. Classic tracks from Murs, Cam'Ron and Kanye West (feat. Paul Wall) make for probably the tastiest hip-hop feast that any tv show has ever served up. The hip-hop track that had me rollin', though, was the "At the Helm" from the Oak-town collective Heiroglyphics' which I hadn't heard in years. That voice, of course, is one Del the Funky Homosapien, who's more famous now for his turns in Gorillaz.

You'd think that would be enough for an episode, you'd think, but not only do we have the aforementioned Ramones track, but also the credits run to the great "Staring at the Sun" by the about-to-break TV On The Radio. I'd heard TVOTR was going to have a track on the ep, but was secretly hoping for the latest single ("Wolf Like Me") which just popped into Rhapsody this past week.

They'll much more posting here about TV On the Radio in the near future (that much is for sure.)

More:
Full tracklistings with scene descriptions
TMZ Decoder Ring on sheds light on this episode (Play TMZ's Video Clips highlights)
Entertainment Weekly analzyes this episode

Previously:
Shoot'em in the back now (Episode 32 / 310)
My entourage can beat up your entourage (Episode 31 / 309)
Willy Wonka Queens (Episode 30 / 308)
Suspended in limbo (Episode 29/307)
A bird in the hand... (Episode 28 / 306)
Fair to Medellin (Episodes 25-27/ 303-305)
I am an orange god (Episode 24 / 302)
The top-tall turn-off (Episode 23 / 301)
Let's hug it out again, b*tch (Season 2 soundtrack and dvd)
Heartbreak Vince (Episode 22)
Show me the money (Episode 21)
Sympathy for the Ari (Episode 20)
Headed for a Gigli (Episode 19)
That's Hebrew for 'When do you get off?' (Episode 18)
Comic-consies (Episode 17)
Mandy Moore is Aquaman's kryptonite (Episode 16)
Cross-sword traffic (Episode 15)
Crouching Turtle, hidden Drama (Episode 14)
More Bob Saget on drugs (Episode 13)
Bring out the suit (Episode 11 & 12)
My Maserati Does 185 (Episode 10)
Let's Hug It Out, Bitch (Episode 9 - Season 2 Premiere)

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Friday, August 18, 2006

Novel Sndtrck: King Dork

Play it: Novel Sndtrck - King Dork
Play it: Dr. Frank & the Mr T. Experience

When I first started reading Frank Portman's (Dr. Frank of Mr. T & the Experience) King Dork, I was reluctant to get into it. It felt like many coming of age novels I'd read before and really was close to moving on to another book. But then something happened.... it was like I slipped and started sliding down a hillside and next thing you know, the Drake was fully absorbed - literally. unable. to. put. it. down.

It happened once the mystery started to set in. Then all the jocular music and high school geek comedy became even funnier, and the 'will the geek get the girl in the end?' plotline doesn't nearly as trite as it might be. Essentially at it's heart, it's both a love story and a mystery... with Freaks & Geeks and Dazed & Confused as a setting. King Dork is the perfect book to be Novel Sndtrck'd, as it's chock full of musical references, with 70s vinyl spinning nearly throughout the book. Got some thinking to do? Turn on the TV to some b-movie, turn down the volume, and put on some Blue Oyster Cult, or Brian Eno, or even The Stranglers. Forget playing Dark Side of the Moon to The Wizard of Oz, I want to see Evil Dead II with Rattus Norvegicus as the soundtrack.

Throughout the book, our hero Tom Henderson and his next-in-the-alphabet-buddy Sam Hellerman create new bands complete with names, first album titles and monikers. When it's time to kill off an old band, Sam whistles "Sweet Home Alabama," to which they have their own words ("We all died in a plane crash,") and it's time to form a new band. The Underpants Machine then might become Sentient Beard (Mot Nosredneh on Guitar/Vox, Samerica The Beautiful on Bass and Upholstery, first album Off the Charts-Way Off.) Other favorite band names include The Elephants of Style and their final one, We Have Eaten All the Cake. Album titles that I'd be tempted to pillage include Pentagrampa and, my favorite, Margaret? It's God. Please Shut Up.

There's plenty of music references throughout the book, including a couple fine digs on Led Zeppelin. From the hilarious glossary:
hey, gang! Let's all get stoned and head down to the Mississippi Delta and watch four goofy-ass English guys in wizards' hats and girls' blouses play "the blues" and teach us everything there is to know about elfin princesses; gossamer wings; the tooth fairy; the land of Winken, Blinken, and Nod; the wise dark and mystic pilgrim brooding in the mist; and Puff the Magic Dragon.
Come on, it'll be magical.
While there is also criticism of The Catcher in the Rye cult, don't be fooled into thinking that's what the book is about. There's a lot more (and a lot less) going on then that... reminds me a bit of a funnier The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. While no one will confuse it with a a critical masterpiece, it seemingly does what it set out to do - both entertain and rock you.

More:
The trailer for King Dork (YouTube - features The Stooges' "TV Eye")
King Dork's reading list
King Dork's discography

Previously:
Novel Sndtrck - On Beauty
Novel Sndtrck: Anansi Boys
Novel Sndtrck: Lunar Park
Novel Sndtrck: The Hot Kid
Novel Sndtrck: Glass Soup
Novel Sndtrck: White Apples
Novel Sndtrck: Kafka On The Shore (Ribaldry and Schmaltz's J Shifty)
Novel Sndtrck: Killing Yourself To Live (Drive Like Hell's Dallas Hudgens)
Novel Sndtrck: Drive Like Hell
Novel Sndtrck: Fortress of Solitude
James Frey's My Friend Leonard
Jonathon Lethem's The Disappointment Artist

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You gotta drip it like it's marble cake

Play it: Ghostface’s Top Ten Spoken Word Performances

This week's 'Stylus Staff Top 10' examines the various jewels that fall out of the mouth of one Tony Starks, aka Ghostface. My fave is the intro to Raekwon's "Glaciers Of Ice," where Ghostface explains how to 'soup up' your Clark sneakers with dye:
Check it out, boom, this how you freak em, boom
You go get you go get the cream joints right? boom
Now now, all you all you dye, is this shit right here
Boom, and this, yaknowhatimsayin? any color you want...
....but you gotta drip it like it's marble cake
#3 on the list is the series of 'The World According to Pretty Toney' ads he did on MTV2 a couple years ago. Obvs not Rhapsavailable, but YouTube comes through again:



How'd they get P Tone's throne in that tiny grocery?

Full list (Stylus)

Previously:
Non-corporeal manifestation of a face (Ghostface's Fishscale)

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Thursday, August 17, 2006

Adventures of jesus the mexican astronaut

Play it: The New Adventures of Jesus

This week, The Onion AV Club put together a fabulous mixtape of songs that use the second coming as a starting point (sort of.) ZZ Top's (13-bar blues) "Jesus Just Left Chicago" is the obvious launching point in this endeaver ("took a jog through Missippi, muddy water turned to wine," but it bobs and weaves through modern interpretations and ireverent "what if's." It ends with a plea from a heroin addict (Velvet Underground's "Jesus") which made me wonder why leave out The Flaming Lips' "Jesus Shootin' Heroin" and have him join in? Perhaps that's taking the thought too far... but this is The Onion we're talking about here.

Other inclusions I took the liberty of including are "Jesus the Mexican Boy" (by Iron & Wine) because coming back south of the border seems appropriate, and Supergrass' "Jesus Came From Outer Space" because... well... the second coming doesn't appear to be too soon, and if Christianity's gonna survive in the space age, a messiah-naut might just do the trick.

The Onion's AV Club New Adventures of Jesus

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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Snakes (hot and not on a plane)

Play it: Hot Snakes - Thunder Down Under
Play it: John Reis/Rick Froberg Sampler

Last year it was announced that Hot Snakes was calling it quits, and this post-humous release, Thunder Down Under (which, my wife informs me, is an Aussie male stripper ensemble that performs often in Vegas,) does well to document their powerful live sound. Recorded live in Australia for ABC (the Aussie one,) it's tough to distinguish vs. a studio recording without being familiar with the originals (that's how good their live shows were.)

John Reis and Rick Froberg have been playing together in various bands now for nearly 20 years. In 1987, the San Diego teens formed the post-hardcore Pitchfork which in 1990 evolved into shortlived and much loved Drive Like Jehu. That cult band only lasted two albums, with Reis dedicating more time to his other band Rocket From The Crypt. Both Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu served as the West coast blueprint to the (now much confused) genre Emo, although they receive very little credit (and probably wouldn't want to ask for it now that bands like Fall Out Boy and Yellowcard are considered emo.)

In 1999, with Rocket From The Crypt mostly having run it's schtick-laden course, Reis approached Froberg again for an unnamed project with songs (that would become the basis of the album Automatic Midnight,) and Hot Snakes was born. The discordant guitars and Frobergs singi/scream make it unmistakably a Froberg/Reis affair, but this time out they were a bit more primal and succint. Hot Snakes released three proper albums, the best of which was 2004's Audit in Progress, and they also happened to be John Peel's last recorded session before his passing that year (recording, Peel Sessions, released last year.)

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Monday, August 14, 2006

And it gives you the munchies

Play it: Weeds Season 1
Stream: Elvis Costello "Little Boxes" (Weeds theme song)
Podcast: Weeds Music 101

The second season of the Showtime original series Weeds premieres tonight, and as an interesting 'gimmick,' they're having the theme song (Malvina Reynolds "Little Boxes") done by different performers for every episode. Tonight's premiere features Elvis Costello doing it (hear stream) and next week is Death Cab For Cutie. More performers tackling the ticky tacky include Regina Spektor, Jenny Lewis, Tim DeLaughter (Polyphonic Spree,) Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher (Squirrel Nut Zippers,) and Ozomatli.

Don't know if it will draw more fans to the show about da sticky icky, but combined with their scratch-n-sniff campaign launched last week, they could be on to something. Weeds is their series to pin HBO-like dreams upon, and they're going for it full-on.

If the opening theme artists draw interest, consider that nickel bag a gateway to the music of the first season, which I'm very high on (at the moment.) Besides the Folk classic great opening theme, the incidental music was composed and performed by one Joey Santiago (The Pixies.) Beyond that there's songs from Sufjan Stevens, The Mountain Goats, The New Pornographers, Nellie McKay, The Be Good Tanyas, Michael Franti and more. The song that hit the spot for me, though, was during Episode 4 ("Fashion of the Christ") when they played Sons & Daughters' "Blood." Whoah, dude... that was intense.

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Shoot'em in the back now

Play it: Entourage - Ep 310 (32)

Last night's Entourage ("I Wanna Be Sedated") was my favorite of the season (so far.) The combination of insider scenes and music moments played right to my weaknesses (and I have a few, I'm afraid.) Lily Allen, Gnarls Barkley and to top it off, The Ramones.

First, Turtle's client Saigon goes missing on his major label signing day. So he and Drama make like the Hardy Boys and track him down (to the Hollywood Standard hotel.) There Saigon confesses that his old agent blew back into town and is taking him back as a client. When Drama reminds the new agent (Hassan Johnson, from HBO's The Wire) that Turtle has a signed contract from Siagon, he makes like Suge Night and has Drama dangling from the hotel balcony like Vanilla Ice. When Turtle capilates his contract for $40K, Drama is spared (Drama - "You shoulda held out, bro... I think I could've made it into the pool.")

Other storyline had E trapped at the estate of an old producer (played by the great Martin Landau,) after a malevolent set-up by Ari. The producer Bob Ryan (a funny send-up of has-been Robert Evans,) hasn't had a project in a long time, and is desparate to be 'back in the game.' When E and Ryan discover a mutual appreciation for The Ramones, a movie project is born, and Vince is on board for a biopic as the recently deceased Joey (a great movie idea that someone should greenlight immediately.) Cue credits to the tune of "Blitzkrieg Bop."

The surprising music moment was hearing Lily Allen's "Knock 'em Out" , while Vince is chasing a bride-to-be through a hotel room. Allen just signed with Capitol here in the states, and while her US release date is early next year, and she's playing three dates in the states in October (LA, SF and NYC... no Seattle!) And, just to add to it, for the second week in the row, there was some Gnarls Barkley ("The Last Time") to enjoy.

More:
Full tracklistings with scene descriptions
TMZ Decoder Ring on last night's episode
Entertainment Weekly analzyes this episode

Previously:
My entourage can beat up your entourage (Episode 31 / 309)
Willy Wonka Queens (Episode 30 / 308)
Suspended in limbo (Episode 29/307)
A bird in the hand... (Episode 28 / 306)
Fair to Medellin (Episodes 25-27/ 303-305)
I am an orange god (Episode 24 / 302)
The top-tall turn-off (Episode 23 / 301)
Let's hug it out again, b*tch (Season 2 soundtrack and dvd)
Heartbreak Vince (Episode 22)
Show me the money (Episode 21)
Sympathy for the Ari (Episode 20)
Headed for a Gigli (Episode 19)
That's Hebrew for 'When do you get off?' (Episode 18)
Comic-consies (Episode 17)
Mandy Moore is Aquaman's kryptonite (Episode 16)
Cross-sword traffic (Episode 15)
Crouching Turtle, hidden Drama (Episode 14)
More Bob Saget on drugs (Episode 13)
Bring out the suit (Episode 11 & 12)
My Maserati Does 185 (Episode 10)
Let's Hug It Out, Bitch (Episode 9 - Season 2 Premiere)

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