East Coast Supersound Punk of Today

An update of sorts...

I smoke way too much. Cigarettes taste funny right now, too. So does Jameson Irish Whiskey. Last month, the whiskey was so sweet. It was like there was a batch straight outta Dublin meant just for downtown Detroit in December '04. It's good that it isn't so sweet anymore. I don't need that shit. It's probably just the sinus infection. God, I feel for you people who get sick all the time and/or are allergic to everything. This blows. It's probably meant to be. I need something to make me stop drinking so much. I'm not an alcoholic or anything, but I'm drinking out of boredom and a need to be around people. If I go out and I drink coffee, then I can't sleep and I get up too late for work. But I'm always late for work, so what's the point?

Today, a friend reminded me of the Urban Audio Response CDs I was making for awhile. I started making compilations of music with no track listing, just a sticker that said "rocknrollscientist," then elsewhere, the URL for this site was listed, and I had instructions on here for what to do if you wanted to find the track listing. The point was that I would leave these in random places in hopes of completely random people finding them. Instead, I just gave them out to a couple of friends. Now I have a decent color printer, so I think I might start doing it again, but with some liner notes with random absurdities.

I thoroughly enjoy absurdity. It grounds me. That's rather opposite from the norm, isn't it? Whatever. I just wanted to spread around some good and different music to completely unsuspecting people.

I've spent some time lately 're-discovering' some music that I always wanted to, but never really explored in the past. For an example, Ben Folds Five. Damn, that guy could write a good pop song. So could Matthew Sweet. "Do I listen to pop music because I'm miserable or am I miserable because listen to pop music?" It's probably the latter, but it's all I've ever done, I don't know any better. Ever since I got the Beatles "White Album" when I was 11. All downhill since then. Watching the end of "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" with the Beck song made me want to look into his more recent stuff. So I got "Sea Change." It's so obviously a breakup album, but it could also be about death. So country, so folk, so depressingly earnest. It hits hard, but in a good way. Some of the music I'm getting my greasy fingers on is with purpose. Not just because I never looked into it, and always wanted to, but because I had a very good reference, and I did listen to him when he told me about this stuff, but I never went ahead and got any of it. Okay, Tim, I'm listening. Bob Mould is a genius. Whether it's Husker Du, or his solo albums, or Sugar, he is a fucking genius. One of the most unique voices in music. I can't even describe it. Devo's "Duty Now for the Future" was recorded in 1979, but it could be the next big thing. I listen to stuff like Soft Pink Truth and I hear something that Devo could be doing right now. Then again, if you watch "Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," and you pay attention to the goofy little electro songs, then you ARE hearing what Devo does right now. Those songs, as well as most of the classical orchestration in the film are from Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh.

By the way, check out that link to Soft Pink Truth. The first album is minimalist electro, but the latest one, "Do You Want New Wave, or Do You Want the Soft Pink Truth?" is all covers of punk music. The covers are very specific choices due to their social values and cause and affect. For an example, they do "Out of Step" from Minor Threat and "Do They Owe Us a Living" from Crass. Now, I know, it sounds like sacrilege, but I'm open-minded towards these things, and honestly, it sounds good, and the songs sound appropriate in this state. Not better, but definitely different.

I've also acquired some more David Bowie. I've always liked Bowie, but I've been very slow to get any more from him. So, now I have "Hunky Dory," "Diamond Dogs," and "Pinups," and the "Peel Sessions," and "Aladdin Sane." All worth it. The influence there was two-fold. "The Life Aquatic" soundtrack has not only "Life On Mars," and "Queen Bitch," but it also has a Portuguese pop star (Seu Jorge) covering several of Bowie's songs in Portuguese. That made me want to go out and get more, as well as knowing how much Tim liked Bowie. Those Seu Jorge covers are great, by the way. Being a fan of Brazilian jazz, pop, and tropicalisme, which is all in Portuguese probably has something to do with it.

Oh, another Tim influence, Hubble Bubble. You know that song "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" from The Damned? Okay, that's a cover of a pop song from a Frenchman named Bertrand Bertrand. The original song was called "Ca Plane Pour Moi." The Damned changed the lyrics. Anyhoo, Bertrand Bertrand's previous thing before going solo was a punk band called Hubble Bubble. This shit is NOT easy to find. But if you're into late '70s British-style punk, then you'd love this. At times it sounds like the Rezillos, at other times it's like the Buzzcocks or even like the Misfits.

Okay, this has gone on long enough. The time is now, people! Tomorrow we blow up the moon.