Gene Pool Style

Tuesday night, Grand Rapids' (MI) very own Whirlwind Heat took the stage at the Magic Stick in Detroit. In the midst of a nationwide tour, mostly with Be Your Own Pet, the band made a stop in the town that helped propel them to where they are now.

It was only a few years ago that Jack White signed them as the first band on his Third Man Records. Considering their neo-new-wave-whatever sound, it seemed an odd choice. Back then, WH would say that they started out trying to sound like Devo. Now they claim no bands as influences. I'm not trying to call them out, I'm just stating the facts. Considering where their sound has gone, I get it. Now they say that feelings are their biggest influences.

For this show, they didn't play anything from the first album or from the Flamingo Honey EP, it was entirely from "Types of Wood." I think they played the whole album in it's entirety, but they didn't play it in order. There were about thirty kids up in front of the stage, and maybe just as many further out sitting at tables watching. A few of those kids up front knew all the words and were singing along. Some were even dancing! For some reason, Detroiters usually find it difficult to dance at a rock show. I'll never understand.

Early on in the set, David Swanson's Moog cut out. I don't know if it was the keyboard or the connection or what, but it was out for the night. A couple times he tried to figure it out while the drums and bass went on, but it didn't work out. So he sang the Moog parts! And he did it well, sounded just like a synth. But he couldn't sing all of it, so the parts where he would normally be singing and playing, he just sang. The band worked suprisingly well with just drums and bass. Much like Death From Above 1979 or Japanther or Tentacle Lizardo, Steve Damstra II plays the bass like he's playing the lead guitar. Okay, better example, it's like in Joy Division, where the bass was always up front. Sometimes in Joy Division's songs, Peter Hook's parts were taking the place of the lead guitar, and other times he was providing rhythm along with the drums. So in Whirlwind Heat, Steve plays the bass and alternates between lead parts and rhythm parts.

It seems like a newer trend lately. All of these bands who do it have a slight new wave bent, but are also quite rockin'. Whirlwind Heat, Death From Above 1979, Japanther, and Tentacle Lizardo are all bands that feature at the very least bass guitar and drums. And on some, or in some cases, many songs, they use keyboards and samples and drum machines. I know there are more examples, but I can't think right now. I could say Morphine or the Inbreds, but those had a sound more rooted in jazz.

The point is, watch out. The drums/bass/synth people are coming to take you away. Whirlwind Heat may not be at the head of the pack, but they're creepin' up fast.

Ummaguma

The new Secret Machines album "Ten Silver Drops." I got it a couple weeks ago, and I've given it some time to sink in. I'm not sure why I bought it other than appreciating the cover art. I acquired their previous album and wasn't all that into it. This one is good. It's like...Pink Floyd kind of. Like the early space-jam freakout Pink Floyd right after Syd left or was kicked out or whatever. But it's not all like that, all the songs are actually songs, not just lengthy jam things.

Also, listening to it, it would be very easy to assume these guys are from England, but they're actually from Texas. I never woulda guessed.

Tamaki or Maki?

I have a lot of friends in Ferndale (MI - Detroit suburb). My favorite local record store is in Ferndale. A couple years ago, I dated a girl who lived in Ferndale. In short, I spend a lot of time there.

One of the things I love about this town is lots of good restaurants. Its not quite like Royal Oak, there are less restaurants and higher quality.

A few weeks ago I started hearing about a new sushi place on Woodward. I drove by last week and saw that it was open. So last night some friends and I checked it out.

Its called Sakana Sushi Lounge and it's on Woodward just north of 9 Mile next to the Magic Bag. There's a public parking lot in back and it looked like they offered valet service.

The space is minimally decorated. There are windows in the front, so it's well lit, but the walls and furnishings are all dark. Towards the back end there are couches and tables like in a lounge section at a night club. There's a slight club atmosphere to it, and I just saw that they have DJs some nights. The music when we were there last night was all satellite radio, but it was a good selection of instrumental downtempo hip hop in the vein of DJ Shadow.

There were nine of us, so they had to seat us back in this lounge section because the rest of the seating is booths along one wall. Then there is a bar that's L-shaped, and the wing of it that faces the front windows is where you can watch the chefs prepare the sushi. There are also some couches and tables up there.

Within our group, we've had sushi all over the Detroit area and the country and it was agreed that the sushi at Sakana was the best we've ever had in Michigan. Rebecca said she thinks it may be better than any she's had in San Francisco, too.

The eda mame was salted - I've noticed that some places don't do this, but I prefer it. Bill had an avocado salad with ginger dressing that looked good and he confirmed it. The rest of us had drinks in place of salad. Lisa and Rebecca had pear sake-tinis that were pale green. Sweet, but not too sweet. Very good. Janna and Amy had green tea, which I wish I would've tried. Someone who did try it complained that it was too bland, but it's not supposed to be an intense flavor. Chris and I had the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale which I highly recommend. Amy had the Hitachino Nest White Owl Ale. When we asked about their Japanese beer selection, our server (of course) said they have Sapporo, which is expected. But then she asked if we liked Blue Moon. I don't know if she was trained that way or if its something she noticed on her own to relate Blue Moon to the White Owl Ale. It is kind of light like a Belgian blond. Some of you will be glad to know that they have the typical things you would find at a bar. Chris ordered a Jim Beam with three ice cubes and they delivered on it. Often when at a nice restaurant, if you order something like that, they just look at you weird and then fuck it up.

Next up was the sushi. I can't say anything special about the nigiri but it was good. I had the sake nigiri (smoked salmon), which was the typical size and shape. Aaron tried the tamago which I've never had before, but it looked good. It looks like nigiri, or like a black-belt Spongebob Squarepants. There's a rectangle of a sweet egg omelet sitting on top of a lump of rice with some wasabe, tied together with a black band of that seaweed paper they use to wrap hand rolls. Everyone who tried it liked it.

Then there's the rolls. There was everything typical as well as a couple of the usual Americanized items like the Philly Roll. But their specialties were the most interesting things. I admit, I haven't had sushi many other places besides the Detroit area, so I don't know what others do with it. Most of what I've had has been fairly traditional or included lots of cream cheese.

But Sakana takes it to some really interesting places. One roll included strawberries, another had slices of kiwi wrapped around each roll. They had several specialty rolls named after cities like Detroit, Boston, and Philly. Many of the specialty rolls included tempura flakes and theirs is so good - light and crispy.

That takes us to dessert: Japanese fried ice cream. I have no idea what it was called because I was too busy flossing in the bathroom. Yes, the bathrooms at Sakana have a choice of waxed or non-waxed floss in the bathrooms. It's in a dispenser on the wall. I have NEVER seen it before, but I think it's a great idea.

Basically, they take a scoop of vanilla ice cream, coat it in walnuts and then tempura, then they fry it. Then it's cut in half, and laid out on the plate with some stripes of chocolate syrup and caramel. Easily one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life.

The service at Sakana was exceptional...all servers we dealt with were knowledgeable about the menu and very friendly. We ordered two of the ice cream desserts and one of them had a weird small piece of metal in the ice cream. Our server immediately had the owner come over and talk to us. He was very understanding and apologetic. He was also good-natured and easy going. The cost of the ice cream was taken off our bill without a problem.

Altogether for nine of us, our bill came to $230 and that included many drinks, appetizers, lots of sushi, and dessert. Well worth the money.

Sakana is located at 22914 Woodward in Ferndale. Their phone number is 248 336 2555. The hours are 11:30am to 2am Monday through Saturday and 3pm to 12am Sunday.

The Cure For Evil

Coming up! Pocket reviews. Teeny tiny reviews of good stuff new and old.

Everyone Wins!

Here are the winners for all of the recent contests. Kelley won the Whirlwind Heat tickets, Stacey won the Bellrays tickets/posters, and Annette won the Streets prize pack!

Stay tuned for more contests. You too can be a winner.

Green Mind

Do you need more soul in your life? Yes, you do. Click this to stream the Bellrays album "Have a Little Faith." Then email me (address at right) and enter to win the posters and tickets noted in posts below!

It's Latin and It Says We Must All Die

Sometime in 2002, I was drifting in the 'electronic' section at Borders in Dearborn (Detroit area). In my experience, the electronic or dance or club music sections in corporate chain stores are a fucking mess. You can rarely find what you're looking for unless the hype machine is churning madly for it. Instead of looking for what you want, you end up treating it like used CD/record shopping i.e. you flip through all of it.

So, that afternoon, I was in the mood for something different. I came across a CD with an interesting night-time shot of a 'urban renewal' style apartment building that seemed British (full disclosure: I'm into architecture and the way it interacts with society). The CD has a little sticker on it with quotes from the British hype machine. I believe it was NME that said "The Streets are reinventing hip hop the way the Sex Pistols reinvented punk rock," or something like that. I'm paraphrasing, but that's basically what it said. I was hesitant, I'm quite familiar with the way the British elevate mediocre musical acts to saintly status. But, I needed something new, so I decided to check it out despite my hesitation.

Note that: the little label said 'hip hop', but the album was in the 'electronic' rack. Mike Skinner, who is The Streets started out making 2-step and garage music. Two-step is a variant on jungle and in the UK, garage is almost synonymous with two-step. For more on that, check out this Wikipedia article on the subject. Now that Skinner is on his third album, The Streets are referred to more commonly as hip hop, but that's difficult. British rap fans dismiss him as electronic and American rap fans dismiss him as indie rock, but none of that makes sense. Music critics will define it as hip hop, and that's mostly because of the vocal style. Even that is difficult because it's more like he's talking and rhyming, but not rapping.

So, back to 2002. The album was Original Pirate Material. I listened to it for weeks and weeks at a time. Without fail, I played several tracks every Saturday when DJing, but people weren't all that into it. I didn't get it. That album was very dense with lush strings and piano sounds. The rhymes were good, but nothing special. Lots of cockney patois and British slang.

In 2004 OPM was still in regular rotation for me while DJing. The shit's just too good. Not quite hip hop, not quite electronic, but done so well, and with this British guy doing a stream-of-consciousness thing over top of it. Then A Grand Don't Come For Free came out. Holy shit. Seriously. This one was a concept album, but he took a chance because the concept was that the songs were sequenced to tell us about a day in the life of an individual who's quite boring and unambitious. He's going through his day to day stuff, loses a thousand pounds, hangs at a bar where he meets a girl, gets addicted to sports gambling despite knowing nothing of the sport, starts dating the girl, has problems with her, starts knocking her down (verbally), loses her and gets depressed over it, gets mad at his friends for stealing the thousand pounds and then finds it again. That's it. That's the story being told. It would be boring if he wasn't such a goddamned good storyteller. And the beats! The music is stripped down and simple this time around, but still really good.

Finally, it's 2006, and people are starting to pay attention. Mike Skinner's shining star shone so bright last year that P. Diddy asked him to record a song to be used on the Notorious B.I.G. 'Duets' album. After realizing that the sounds clashed too much, Diddy decided not to use it, and maybe that's good for Skinner considering how much that 'Duets' album was hated. Instead he took that track, left out the vocals from Biggie and put it on his new album "The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living." The track is called "Two Nations," and it's an examination of the differences between hip hop in the UK and the US. "Understated is how we prefer to be, that's why I've sold three million and you've never heard of me," that's him 'talking' to Biggie. But the person being addressed ends up being American hip hop as a whole. But this track is later in the album. As a whole, the record is about the problems Skinner has encountered as a result of fame. It's bold, and it's harsh, he lets it all out.

Right from the start he's going on about being strung out (Pranging Out) after getting back from being on tour. And he ain't talkin' 'bout being tired. "I'm panicking a bit, frightened of fuck-all"

The title track "Hardest Way To Make an Easy Living" is more or less a rundown of the costs of being a musician. It's not so easy. A whistle in the chorus helps make it irresistible.

The first two albums each had at least one tearjerker ballad type song. On this album there are three. "All Goes Out the Window" is how not to fuck up a good relationship, i.e. don't lie to her, and you won't have to remember anything. "Never Went To Church" is a ballad about how Skinner misses his father who passed away and how they didn't get along. "Two Nations" (mentioned above) is the third ballad.

On "Memento Mori," he quotes a latin phrase meaning "remember that we all must die" to show us that if you have money, have a good time. When he says "I never think about money, in fact I have no idea how much money I have," it's hard to relate for most of us. But his point comes across, you can't take it with you. Also in this song he says "driving a Ferrari is fucking book." The first time I heard it I assumed it was more British slang and quickly forgot about it. Then I was texting my girlfriend awhile ago and I typed 'cool' and noticed that when using T9 predictive text input, 'book' is the first word that comes up. Finally, I figured out some British slang without having to look it up online!

The first single "When You Wasn't Famous" is all about being famous and dating famous women and how it makes you feel like you aren't famous. This one is something new for Skinner (as The Streets), it's a lot more upbeat like a club track. Of course, the lyrics are clever as all hell.

Last is a medium tempo groove with "Fake Streets Hats." He's out of his mind on tour, the drummer is leaving trailing gaps in songs, he's fighting with the audiences, he sees Streets merch that he thinks is bootlegged but it's real. There's a nice Japanese-sounding flute loop all throughout. Plus lots of samples of live audience cheering.

This is the thing, though: on the first albums, Skinner was humble. Very humble, and you felt like you could relate to him even though he was portraying a British street tough. We now know that it was a character he was portraying, but now that he's being himself, he's cocky as hell, and it's harder to feel something. Don't get me wrong, I love this record, and I've listened to it obsessively since I got it. I even bought it on Amazon UK to get it a week early. I'm definitely a fan and that hasn't changed. But, as Skinner has exposed himself for who he really is, he's opened up a new can of worms. Musically he's tighter than ever. Not as sparse as the second record, and more hip hop than the first. But despite the amazing music, the sound of The Streets has always been wholly dependant on Skinner's stories and his stream-of-consciousness. I'm not writing him off, but my view has changed.

Curious? Want your own copy of the CD? Looky over there to the right for my email address and send me your name to be entered in a contest to win a free copy of the CD as well as some other Streets stuff. Winner will be chosen at random. I love you. No I don't. Yeah, I do.

Types of Wood

First, read that post below about the new Whirlwind Heat album.

Second, look to the right over there for my email address and email me with your name to enter the contest. A winner will be chosen at random.

Third, there's still time left for you to enter the Bellrays poster and concert tickets contest, so email me and enter, dammit.

Hearts of Oak

A few years back, Jack White (White Stripes) signed Whirlwind Heat of Grand Rapids, MI as the first band on his Third Man record label. Of course, the local hype on the band was justifiably huge.

I remember the first time I saw them play Detroit. Drums, bass, keyboard, and three very spastic guys onstage. That was sometime in 1999. Keep in mind this was before spaz-tastic bands like the Blood Brothers were getting big.

Their first album, "Do Rabbits Wonder?" was a hyper yet glorious mess. The songs were all named after colors. Hearing the album, and seeing the band live, it quickly becomes obvious that they are trying to challenge us. Then in 2004, they put out an EP called "Flamingo Honey." Recorded with Brendan Benson at his Grand Studio, there are ten songs each one minute long. Does that sound like an annoying concept? It is. Especially because all of the songs have so much promise and you can hear how much the band evolved from "Rabbits."

I first heard "Flamingo Honey" just about a month ago. A friend mentioned one track in particular. I found it cheap, so I picked it up, not knowing all the tracks are only a minute long. It's a seriously good record for being so brief. That's why I got so excited when I realized there was a new one coming out.

As the band says in the bio on their site, if you can't take The Heat, get your ass out the kitchen. We on a mission.

It's true! The hyper spastic (yet glorious) mess that was their first album has been refined to something rather funky. On "Types of Wood" the basslines are slippery, the drums are tight, the Moog is funky. Okay, so maybe this is funk music. I didn't want to say that, but it fits. No, it really isn't funk, but the elements are there. Better yet, think of earlier Beck. Not the folk stuff, but the funky stuff. In fact, The Heat toured with Beck just before releasing this album. Quite appropriate. Click here to check out the first single, "Reagan."

And, they're on tour soon with Be Your Own Pet:

05/20-Neighborhood Festival w/ Moving Units-Long Beach, CA
06/01-Southgate House-Newport, KY
06/02-Subterranean-Chicago, IL
06/03-Beechland Ballroom-Cleveland, OH
06/04-Little Brother's-Columbus, OH
06/06-Magic Stick-Detroit, MI
06/09-Pioneer Arts Center-Easthampton, MA
06/10-Maxwell's-Hoboken, NJ
06/12-Knitting Factory-New York, NY
06/21-Walter's-Houston
06/22-Emo's-Austin
06/24-The Brick House-Phoenix, AZ
06/25-The Glass House-Pomona, CA
06/27-Troubadour-Los Angeles
06/28-Bottom Of The Hill-San Francisco
06/30-El Corazon-Seattle, WA

Maximum Rock & Soul

It's on! I have a pair of tickets to see the Bellrays at Small's in Detroit on June 21st, as well as some posters (see previous post) to give away. All you have to do is post a comment with your name and email address. Also let me know if you want your email address added to the addVice emai list. Thanks. If you're hesitant about posting your email address, then just email it to me (address to the right).

Detroit Breakdown

Okay, first, scroll down and read my review of the new Bellrays album. If you've already done that, read on.

If you're in the Detroit area, you can win tickets to see the Bellrays at Small's on May 21st as well as some nicely done posters. I guess you don't have to be in the Detroit area to win, but I can't imagine someone from Wyoming wanting to drive to Detroit to see a show. I guess. I don't know. Anyhoo, to enter the contest, leave a comment with your name and email address. Also note whether or not you want to be added to the addVice email list.

Here are some of the posters:

NOTE: there is some confusion over whether or not the Bellrays will be playing Detroit on this tour, so while we wait to see what's happening with that, the contest is just for the posters.

Universally Acknowledged

So...there's a new little music player application over there on the right. Note that you'll need to adjust your volume before you hit play or click on any of the songs, because it's kind of loud. The music will change from time to time.

All Sparks

I meant to review this album weeks ago, and for some reason I'm just now getting around to it. The Editors happen to be one of those bands I was referring to below.

When Interpol's first album came out everyone kept saying "you have to hear it, they sound just like Joy Division!" Being the Joy Division fanatic that I am, this made me not want to hear it. But then their second album came out, and I bought it without even hearing it and of course I love it and went and got the first one too, blah, blah, blah. They play minor chords and the singer sounds like he learned to sing by listening to Ian Curtis. In my mind, the comparisons end there. Curtis idolized David Bowie, and tried to sound like him. In turn, Interpol takes it in the logical direction and try to sound like Curtis. I get it. They do it well, too.

The Editors' first album "The Back Room" came out to a flurry of critical praise and a massive hype machine worthy of Bloc Party. Yes, it is that good. But you know what? The Editors are a British Interpol with different production values. Maybe you can throw a little Kitchens of Distinction in there just to make you feel better. Christ, sitting here listening to the record, I'm realizing that KofD are the real reference here...wow. It's like an epiphany. They're like a darker Kitchens of Distinction.

Recommended if you like the Interpol kinda thing.

Click here to check out some tracks from them. I particularly recommend the first single "Munich," the Stereolab cover "French Disko," and "Fingers In the Factories," but you'll have to get the album to hear that last one.

(Check out this album cover...have you ever seen the video for Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart?" The scene on this cover looks like it could be the same setting as that video...)

Fingers In the Factories

Is it just me, or does it seem like every new hype band recently can be traced back to Joy Division, Gang of Four, or Nation of Ulysses?

I Love Baby

About ten years ago, I was watching TV on a Saturday afternoon, and I came across the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It," the story of Ike and Tina Turner. I had heard about him abusing her and that they were married and all that. But I didn't really know the story. I also didn't know that Ike's "Rocket 88" is considered to be the first rock n' roll song ever. I guess I didn't realize because the song was credited to Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, but the band never existed. Jackie Brenston was the sax player in Ike Turner's (early band) The Kings of Rhythm and sang the vocal on the ode to the Oldsmobile 88. The song was recorded in a time when the singer was the most visible 'leader' of a band, so it would be easier to sell the record by naming the band after the singer.

Anyway, I didn't know how closely connected R&B and rock and roll were. I had heard Andre Williams and Gino Washington and all that (early Detroit soul/R&B acts), but I never heard the seriously rocking stuff until I saw this movie.

So that got me on an Ike & Tina kick, but sometimes, you heard the acidic Jimi Hendrix influenced guitar and her voice, and you WANT it to bust out, but it doesn't. The problem isn't a lack of power, because they sure as hell had it. And the problem wasn't a conscious downplaying of their sound. They weren't holding back. I think the issue I have with it is the sound could've been so much bigger. Maybe it was the times they were living in, I don't know.

I found what I couldn't get out of Ike & Tina. One night at the Magic Stick in Detroit in 1998, this band from Southern California was playing. My trusted music professor Tim Lampinen (aka Tim Vulgar) was freaking out that the Bellrays were playing and his band The Clone Defects were opening. I knew nothing of the Bellrays, but trusting Tim, I checked them out.

HO-LY CRAP! They describe their sound as 'maximum rock and soul', and I think that's quite perfect. Seriously, imagine if Ike & Tina had supported the Stooges on tour of America instead of the Rolling Stones in 1969. That's no joke. You read that right. The fucking Stooges in a mashup with Ike & Tina.

And that's just me being simple for the sake of brevity. I really should bring in all the things I hear like Stax/Volt soul, the MC5, the Ramones, Motown, Fortune Records, and the Detroit punk of the early '70s.

It's easy to look at the band and assume that it's exactly the sum of it's parts: three white guys and a leggy black woman up front singing. Does that mean that she sings soul while they play punk rock? No, not quite, these three white guys have some serious, serious soul. They know what they're doing.

Their new album "Have A Little Faith" just came out recently on Cheap Lullaby Records. Click here to check out their site. Right from the first track "Tell the Lie," they have me hooked. I'm in and I won't let go til it's all done. If you go to their site, there's a music player down on the bottom right. You can listen to the whole album right there. Or, you can click the pick below and that'll take you to their site as well.

Garage D'Or

I have acquired a ridiculous amount of music lately. As usual, I go through phases where I may get something new and listen to it and obsess over it for a week straight. Or I might come back to something older that I had forgotten about.

Two weekends ago, Beth and I were talking and I said something about ice cream, doo-doo-duh-doo doo-doo. The song "Ice Cream Everyday" from Camper Van Beethoven was in my head. All I ever owned from them was a rarities comp called 'Camper Vantiquities'. And she knew the song!

So I went to work the next day, got on Amazon and ordered up a new copy of the CD because I had no idea where mine was and I really wanted to hear it and didn't expect to find it in any local stores considering it was (originally) released in the late '90s. The version I found was a more recent reissue that had some demos tacked onto it.

Everyone knows "Take the Skinheads Bowling." Yeah, it's a fun song, and maybe it's novelty to some, but altogether since 1985, the band has released eight full length albums, three compilations, two live albums, a five disc box set, and numerous EPs and singles. Not to mention the post-Camper acts like Monks of Doom, Magnetic Fireworks, and the most successful and well known spinoff Cracker.

The rarities disc "Camper Vantiquities" is actually a really good deal. You don't get "Take the Skinheads Bowling," but I'm so fucking sick of that song, I think I'll get over it. Instead, you get a good twenty track overview of their career. You get the faux Balkan folk music with string instruments, the cheesy keyboard pop songs, the alt-country roots music, and some cover songs.

Right from the start, "Heart" is a fun pop song reminiscent of ska, "Never Go Back" follows in a similar vein. Then "Seven Languages" gives us ska guitar, cheesy keyboards, AND goofy pop all in one song! "Axe Murderer Song," "SP37597," "Guardian Angels," "A.C. Cover," "Silent Monster," "(We Workers Do Not Undertand) Modern Art," "We Eat Your Children," and "Processional" are all instrumentals that run the the gambit with the many sounds of Camper Van Beethoven. "I'm Not Like Everyone Else" is a cover of The Chocolate Watchband's cover of The Kinks' original. "A.C. Cover" is titled that because an audience member once harassed the band about the faux ethnic instrumental claiming that it was actually an Alex Chilton song, which it is not. But, my favorite cover on the CD is "Photograph," the only good song I've ever heard from Ringo Starr. Then there's "Ice Cream Everyday" which is my favorite song period on this CD. Some of the best cheesy keyboards I've ever heard!

Completely recommended. The liner notes for each song are also an excellent view into the band. SpinArt's re-release has some demo tracks added, and those have no notes in the same format as the original track listing.

Since I'm such a big fan of Dave Lowery's voice, I figured it would be a good idea to pick up something from Cracker as well. Back in 2000, Virgin put out a 16 track best-of from the band that came with a bonus live disc. Then just a week ago, seemingly for no obvious reason, they decided to release ANOTHER best-of from the band. This is the thing, the band is no longer on that label. So, Cracker's fuck you to the man was to go back and re-record their greatest hits, and release it themselves on the same day as this latest comp from Virgin. I opted for the 2000 release which is titled "Garage D'Or" (Garage Gold for the non-francophone inclined).

I'm quite happy with it. I got exactly what I wanted and then some. The only songs I ever heard from Cracker (when I actually paid attention) were from the first two albums: "Cracker" and "Kerosene Hat." This comp spans their whole career. The latter half isn't so good, but I can deal with that. Maybe it'll grow on me, I don't know.

All those hits that are too familiar to everyone who came of age in the late '80s are included. You know, "Teen Angst," "Low," "Get Off This," "Sweet Potato," etc. Then there's something I've never heard...a cover of "Shake Some Action" from the Flamin' Groovies. This took me by surprise. The liner notes don't really say who is singing, but it's not Dave Lowery. It's a good cover, but the vocals sound strained like whoever's singing it wasn't having a good day. I still haven't checked out the live disc yet, but from the reviews I've already seen, it sounds like it's nothing special.

I recommend it if you're looking for a good overview of Cracker's career, but if you're a hardcore fan, you may appreciate the greatest hits re-recorded, "Greatest Hits Redux."

Listening to this stuff is weird for me. I thought it would sound dated, like a throwback to me. Maybe it doesn't because I don't have any important memories to it beyond sitting behind the counter at the record store I worked at in high school. The really big hits from Cracker do sound a little dated, but that's only because radio played the shit out of those tracks. So those sounds come to define a time period, but only slightly. The Camper stuff is different. I've always liked it and it highlights something for me.

In 1989, I was lucky enough to be living in a college town where the college had a really good radio station. College rock was always as vague a term as alternative rock, both don't define a genre. Using the terms to define a genre is something of a paradox. Both words merely meant music that was rock in some way that wasn't being noticed or played by mainstream radio. An alternative. That's all.

Yeah, I know this debate/discussion has been going on since 1990. I'm aware. I've lived it. My point is that when I was still young and impressionable, I had the opportunity to get into all these acts that were still fresh and reaching their peaks, releasing genre-definining, generation-defining, and revolutionary music. Example: between 1987 and 1991, New Order, Ministry, Stone Roses, Meat Beat Manifesto, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Primus, Depeche Mode, U2, Dinosaur Jr., The Smiths, REM, the Replacements, The Cure, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, Jane's Addiction, the Sugarcubes, Peter Murphy, the Pet Shop Boys, Lou Reed, Nine Inch Nails, XTC, Public Enemy, Cocteau Twins, The La's, Happy Mondays, Ride, Social Distortion, They Might Be Giants, The Breeders, Iggy Pop, The Fall, Dee-lite, Slint, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, A Tribe Called Quest, The Orb, Throwing Muses, Overkill, Bad Religion, Mudhoney, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Sepultura, Ice Cube, Smashing Pumpkins, Fugazi, and Corrosion of Conformity.

Now, read over that list a few times. Think about how much of that music was truly different. A whole lot of it was. The Orb defined modern ambient music, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry reinvigorated industrial into dance-metal, A Tribe Called Quest showed us that hip hop could be positive and make you think at the same time while Ice Cube helped define gangsta rap. The Smiths, REM, and the Cure were almost single-handedly responsible for bringing sad bastard music out of the downbeat tone of Nick Drake to something danceable. Sepultura and COC changed metal forever. Cypress Hill made hip hop safe for stoner white kids. Fugazi brought the skeery politics of hardcore punk to a less confrontational audience. Mudhoney's trashy grunge was infinitely more interesting than Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. The Replacements made Big Star palatable for the punk kids.

I could go on and on and on, I guess I don't really have a point, I'm just happy that I was there to experience it firsthand. Like Cracker and more importantly Camper Van Beethoven, there will always be 14-year olds freaking out over this stuff the first time they heard it. It's not like I feel like I 'win' because my generation was the first hearing it...it was a really exciting time and without knowing the history of music, I could still tell that there were a lot of important things going on in music at that point.

Hairless

Click here to stream the ENTIRE new Stills album 'Without Feathers'. Then go here to check out their MySpace page.

This is them...

Organ Donor

This just in from Universal Motown Records...

(New York, NY) Universal Records has signed acclaimed hip hop stylist DJ Shadow, who is currently putting the finishing touches on a new album scheduled to be released later this summer. “I’m thrilled to join the team at Universal. Finally, after years of feeling like an orphan I feel like I finally have a home,” says DJ Shadow (Josh Davis.)
“As someone who has been a fan of DJ Shadow for the past 10 years, it’s an honor to have him join the Universal Motown family. We are delighted that Josh feels comfortable enough with us to allow us to be his partner, and we are incredibly excited for the launch of his new album this summer,” countered Universal Motown Records General Manager, Andrew Kronfeld. Known for his experimental blend of styles and hip hop-tinged production innovation, the new solo disc will be Shadow’s third full length album, but the first to be produced under his own name featuring guest vocalists.

Born in San Jose CA, DJ Shadow first rose to prominence developing the California based hip hop style forged on Solesides Records, melding a variety of genres into mix-culture masterpieces that would eventually garner the attention of London’s trend setting Mo’ Wax Label. The enigmatic producer became an underground legend in the early-to-mid 1990’s with his contributions as writer/remixer and production stalwart to a host of indie classics, including groundbreaking stints with DJ Krush, Dr. Octagon, and the hi-profile collaborative effort, U.N.K.L.E, featuring cryptic guest appearances by Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and Mike D (Beastie Boys), among others. Shadow’s first album, Endtroducing, was released in 1996 to rave reviews which was followed with numerous acclaimed projects (including noted releases with Cut Chemist) released across the globe before his second album hit the streets, 2002’s Private Press. In 2004 Shadow’s feature length DVD, In Tune And Out Of Time also drew praise, capturing the provocative artist/producer’s mesmerizing live show.

DJ Shadow’s upcoming third album, which the artist described in a recent interview as ‘one of the most fun things I’ve ever worked on’ features underground stars Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, as well as iconic artists Q-Tip and David Banner among other guests.

Between The Buttons

If you take a look over to the right, I've updated the links list. Some were added, some were taken away, and some broken links were fixed. Check it out.

Un Chien Andalou

Okay, so the first time I saw this, I thought it was funny. That was probably last summer. My friend Dave K has one in a Hitler-style. But I still don't know if it was an actual tattoo or just drawn on. Then, last week, my friend Chris told me that I should come out with him and his friends to get tattoos together. There was one stipulation: everyone was getting the same tattoo. I'm not exactly a bandwagon jumper, and I'm sure as hell not going to jump when it concerns something as permanent as a tattoo. You know what they were getting? Handlebar mustaches tattooed on the side of their index finger. That way you can hold your finger up to your upper lip and have a fake mustache whenever you want. To me, it's something that seems so obvious and funny that it has to have been done before. I had no idea it was a new trend. Check out this video:

I Fell In Love With A Girl

I'm not really sure how I feel about this. There was a time when I used to get a serious bug up my ass whenever a musician I liked/respected would 'sell out'. But you know what? Like Nike and Volkswagen, Coca-Cola has had some truly inspired advertising in the past. Check out Detroit's own Jack White in his new Australian Coke ad:

Good Good Things

file under re-discoveries

A few years ago, some friends of mine who never fail me (then members of Clone Defects, now Valentinos) told me about this new band from Chicago called The Ponys. So the next time they played the Magic Stick, I checked it out. I'd heard comparisons, but none of them fit quite right.

Their 2004 album Laced With Romance was a car-wreck of Roxy Music meets Television meets Joy Division with just a little bit of Suede. Some reviewers would say Tom Verlaine (Television vocalist) meets Johnny Marr (Smiths songwriter/guitarist). I loved it. This was something totally different than what I had been hearing. Yes, there have been plenty of Television wannabes in the past few years, I know, but this was a little different.

Then in 2005, I picked up their most recent full-length Celebration Castle. Don't ask me why, cuz I have no idea, but I didn't let myself get into it. Quickly, I forgot about it.

A few days ago, my friend Chris asked me if I had whatever record has the Ponys covering Good Good Things from the Descendents. I realized that I don't, and decided that I should. So I searched for it on Amazon, and found the Wounded Again EP from The Ponys.

This is good. Seriously good. There are six tracks on it, and one of them is in fact the cover of Good Good Things. One track is from Laced With Romance (I think), but another one really stands out for me. That would be I Wanna Fuck You. Such a simple thing lyrically, but it's powerful and unexpected considering the rest of their lyrics. Rarely does a singer just come out and say it like that. I like it.

So, after I got ahold of Wounded Again, I went ahead and checked out Celebration Castle for the second time. What was I thinking? This shit is so good...any regular readers may remember that I am a serious Joy Division fan. So much so that I refused to give Interpol a chance at first due to all the JD comparisons. But this album is probably the most Joy Division-sounding record I've heard in a long, long time. You can be as dark and 'goth' as you want, but it won't make you sound like JD. There's something much deeper and I can't really explain it. I guess it's more of a feeling than an actual sound. Celebration Castle has that sound, but not completely. The Roxy Music and Television references are still there. It's just so good...go here to check out The Ponys website.

Lopes

Awhile back I announced a contest to win stuff from the Swedish-ish (not entirely from Sverige) band The Envelopes. They have a new album out here in the US called 'Demon' that came out on April 4th.

There were several people who followed the simple rules and wrote in to win. I chose a winner at random, and that winner is...John Gross from Austin, TX!

Click the pic to check out the Envelopes site!

This contest comes to you via Vice Records.

Extrapolate the Meaning

Something to do on a Friday night...

Greatest Hits '84-'87

Coming soon! An updated links section! I know you're excited. Seriously.

Hymn for The Translators

I wanna be a polyglot. Just because I like saying the word. Polyglot.

Ol' Timey Feelin'

A band out of the SF/Bay Area has recently been brought to my attention. When I think of modern music and that part of the country, I think of Gilman Street punk (i.e. Green Day, Operation Ivy, Lookout! Records) and a thriving and diverse electronic scene (Dielectric Records, Gold Chains, Anticon Records, Antimatter). But this is different.

Trainwreck Riders play what they refer to as a very loud and exuberant blend of old-time country music and old-school Bay Area punk rock. What they do with country music (country like Mississippi John Hurt...old old school) isn't quite like what the Dropkick Murphys do with traditional Irish music. It isn't quite so aggressive. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's similar to The Minutemen with a distinctively different voice. Or maybe you could say their sound is closer to Joe Strummer's pre-Clash band The 101ers, which was more of a street-busker folky thing with a punk edge. Its tempting to compare them to an amped-up Billy Bragg possibly.

Either way, check it out. Click the name of the band up there to get to their site. Ignore the cheap PhotoShopped images and web design circa 1992. Just concentrate on the music. Go here to check out some videos and MP3s.

Beginning From the End

Okay, finally, I have the new Streets single for you. That only took forever. Click the pic to download "When You Wasn't Famous."

(no, I swear that isn't Ian Curtis, it's Mike Skinner. seriously.)

Animal Planet Is For Pussies

Another reason why sometimes nature just freaks me right the fuck out: go here to see a short video of an anaconda regurgitating an ENTIRE hippo. Seriously.

When the Angels Play Their Drum Machines

File under 'discoveries'

Sometimes, I get to a point where I'm bored with music. Roughly 60,000 individual songs reside within my household. At least. Honestly, we lost count years ago. And I still get bored, I feel like there's nothing new under the sun to pique my interest.

So much of what I listen to comes from references. These referrals so often come in the form of music that people I respect and/or trust will play whilst DJing. There are hundreds of bands/artists I've been turned on to in this way. For an example: The Saints, The Troggs, Chrome, Dead Boys, and many, many other 'the' bands as well as others.

A few months ago, a DJ I know who's more or less an acquaintance mentioned the British band Hefner. 534n Melee makes some of his own music (which I highly recommend) and you can check that out here. It's a music of the electro variety, and it's well done. He's also pretty good at skewering the hipster scene that he caters to while DJing.

Anyway, in the past, the music I've discovered through fellow DJs has been mostly older. It's the things that I should have noticed along the way, but had yet to discover. In the case of Mr. Melee, it's often more recent or even very new music.

I remember Hefner's first album, it was called "Breaking God's Heart." I remember it because the cover art was colorful and I kept seeing it in used bins at various local record stores. But I never picked it up.

To tell you the truth, if I had picked it up back then, I can't say whether or not I would've been into it. Chances are, I would've been bored by the record. My mind was steadfast on power pop and punk rock at the time. At this point, I've only heard about half of the album but I love it. I'm still sinking my teeth into these guys. The songs I've heard from this first record are folk on a par with earlier Elvis Costello. Or at least, that's the sound. The wit is closer to Billy Bragg and Jarvis Cocker (Pulp).

I'm just now (today, in fact) settling into their second album, "The Fidelity Wars" from 1999. I've listened to it in it's entirety one and a half times. So far, it's turning out to be a classic breakup record. As I'm sure you know, that's a topic that makes for some of the best songs/records of all time. This time around, their sound picks up a bit more. No matter what, the focus is always singer Darren Hayman's vocals and lyrics. That's a constant that I've noticed all throughout the band's career. But the songs are faster-paced, and there's more instrumentation. The Elvis Costello meets Billy Bragg sound is still there, and I think that's what pulled me in being a big fan of the two Brits.



I should give you a disclaimer right about now that if you can't handle somewhat nasal vocals with a British accent (no Cockney patois), then Hefner may not be right for you. I should also tell you that "The Fidelity Wars" is probably the best place for you to start if you're interested in the band.

In 2000, they released "We Love the City," where their distaste (and disgust) for London was laid bare. I don't know how much modern British music you've heard, but I've definitely noticed this as a recurring theme. Yet they stay there...



Their passion for hating Margaret Thatcher, their country's Parliament's constant tyrannical missteps, the royal family, and everything ugly about London is the theme here. But it's always done with cocky humor. That's the Jarvis Cocker coming out.

The last studio album from Hefner was "Dead Media," which came out in 2001. At this stage in their evolution, the band suddenly took a lo-fi analog electronic approach. By 'lo-fi' I don't mean gritty, just analog. There are samples and and drum machines and keyboards, oh my! For the ADD-afflicted mind, this is probably the easiest Hefner album to get into. Most of the songs are much more upbeat than in the past. But that wry humor and sarcasm is still there in the lyrics. The urban-folk poet sound is still very much alive in "Dead Media."

That's it, that's my brief bio on the English band Hefner. It's somehow comforting to come across bands like this...to know that there always is something new.

If you're interested in the band, I recommend checking out their site, which you can get to by clicking on any of the album covers above.

Paper Lickers

Some people refer to themselves as Anglophiles...they are fascinated by all things British. I get it. Following that logic, I'm a Scandophile - I'm fascinated by all things Scandinavian. Mainly it's the music that gets to me, although they do have some badass tendencies toward modern furniture design and social politics.

So, I was recently turned on to a Swedish band that I've never heard of before. As usual, they're good. It's kind of like all the crazy ballz out rockin' stuff (and avant-weirdo) that was coming out of Japan in the '90s. They've taken a distinctly American music style (in this case it's Indie Pop, whatever that is), and synthesized it into something wonderful.

The band is called Envelopes, and you can click on their name back there to check out their site. Their new album titled "Demon" just came out this week in these here Les Etats-Unis. You can go to Big Stereo to download their new singles "Sister In Love" and "Isabel & Leonard." Then, after that, you can go to Music Is Not Dead to download a remix made by Clor of "Sister In Love." If you go to the band site (previously noted), you can watch some videos and check out tour dates and all that.

If you're interested in obtaining a copy of the album, a 7", and buttons, you can win them here! All you have to do is email me and I'll randomly choose who to give it to. Note that by entering this contest, I'll be submitting your email to ADDvice marketing (aka Vice Magazine). If you still want to enter, but don't want your email submitted, that's cool, just let me know. Enter the contest either by leaving a comment or by emailing the email address you see over there on the upper right.

Solid.