The White Rabbits' new album It's Frightening is going to surprise those that didn't take the time to listen to their debut album (the critically unappreciated Fort Nightly). It's percussive in all the right ways, the vocals are solid and i love albums that emphasize the piano w/out showing off--a Ben Folds album this is not. There's not much not to like about the White Rabbits--except their beady little pink eyes and their excessive fornication.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
More New White Rabbits: It's Not that Frightening!
The White Rabbits' new album It's Frightening is going to surprise those that didn't take the time to listen to their debut album (the critically unappreciated Fort Nightly). It's percussive in all the right ways, the vocals are solid and i love albums that emphasize the piano w/out showing off--a Ben Folds album this is not. There's not much not to like about the White Rabbits--except their beady little pink eyes and their excessive fornication.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Odds 'N Ends
Sorry for being lazy with this post. Those were a bunch of songs that came up on the shuffle. No connection between them other than that. Oh, and that last song by the Breeders is off their new E.P. Fate Fatal. It sounds sort of like Beach House.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Pixies -- Break My Body
Break My Body (off Surfer Rosa, the critically acclaimed, and slightly overrated, debut album)
MP3 File
MP3 File
90's Hip Hop Nostalgia
Recently, i decided to pay a little more attention to older Outkast albums. I'm pretty sure hip hop died last year btw--Lil Wayne just ain't doing it for me. Are they nearly as consistent as you remembered? Not really but there were some truly fine moments that don't make me cringe the way that listening to "Hey Ya" or "The Way You Move" does. Hip hop that's too pop with a few exceptions seems to go stale after a few month's time. "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik," whose hooks bears a strong resemblance to the P-Funk almost-classic "Dr. Funkenstein," holds up a whole lot better almost 15 years later. When the material was right, Big Boi and Dre were one of the finer hip hop duos of the past decade or so. Sorry for no new tunes. It's gonna be another tough week for new music as i'm struggling to find anything truly spectacular.Monday, April 27, 2009
Retro Monday: Party like it's 1995
Clouds Taste Metallic sounds older than 1995. It was arguably slighter weirder pop-rock than Transmissions from the Satellite Heart which had put them on the map through their appearance on Aaron Spelling's Beverly Hills 90210. Clouds Taste Metallic was a rejection of the fame and fortune promised by Transmissions--that if only they would stop getting weird and start making more conventional pop songs they would get more air-time on Mtv and maybe get another gold record. The Flaming Lips off-kilter approach to indie rock stardom is a model for more bands to follow. They knew they could write a killer tune or two and they knew how to be weird. Eventually, music chops ensued, which leads us to now--a period of the Flaming Lips that is more conventional and less interesting. Wayne Coyne may not stop putting fake blood on his face every chance he gets, but he's less weird and less interesting these days. Prove me wrong Flaming Lips, prove me wrong. Anyways, Clouds Taste Metallic was also the album to signal to future bloggeratis out there that the Flaming Lips weren't just a bunch of Oklahoma City acid casualties. The Flaming Lips on Clouds Taste Metallic proved they had more gas in the tank so to speak and would continue creating interesting pop-indie-rock albums that would pay dividends on The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi. Those albums might have been the Flaming Lips' critically acclaimed coming-out party but Clouds Taste Metallic was where it all the artistic soul-searching began. The Flaming Lips proved on Clouds that they were much much more than one hit wonders or just another Beverly Hills 90210 fueled MTV Buzz Clip to be digested and forgotten months later. Marcy Playground, they were not.
Friday, April 24, 2009
TGIF!!!
Probably the closest musical equivalent of the Mohawk Lodge is The Whigs. It's strong, muscular rock n roll but far from heavy--kind of a throw-back but not quite. It is the music that bars should play more often. "Wear 'Em Out" just might be what you're looking for if you are just looking for some conventional rock n roll as a release from these unsettling times. Wednesday, April 22, 2009
New El Michels Affair
I'm not a knowledgable Wu Tang fan but i'm a big El Michels Affair fan. They are sooo smooth and soulful and instrumental. Wu Tang's songs have never really what i'd characterize as conventionally soulful. Less of a cover and more of a reinterpretation of the Wu. People Under the Stairs -- Summer Jam of 2009??!
People Under the Stairs have perhaps the best album title of the year, Fun DMC. "Anotha BBQ" is pretty much all i will ask for in a summer bbq hip hop anthem. It's fun, it's festive, and it's all the encouragement i need to start cleaning out my grill and invite some fly honeys over. Just don't tell the wifey....keep that on the D.L.
The Love Language
My buddy, Dr. Robert at My Old Kentucky Blog, recommended the Love Language recently. I instantly liked the sound--catchy, fuzzy, psych-blues-rock influenced indie rock. "Sparxxxx" sort of reminds me of a more conventional beach boys-motown-influenced TV on the Radio. Arguably, The Love Language is like a male version of Camera Obscura with a penchant for Zombies-style songwriting + blues-rock + Jesus & Mary Chain's fuzzy production asthetic. or something like that. Tuesday, April 21, 2009
New Super Furry Animals!
New Super Furries coming at ya--"Inaugeral Trams." Not sure if it's about Obama or what trams are exactly. Not that's necessary--articulate lyrics certainly are welcomed heartily but not required. The rock n roll press is touting Dark Days/Light Years as a return to form. I couldn't say; i haven't heard the whole album. But the Super Furry Animals have always been hit and miss--that's not a dismissal. Some bands never really hit or at least don't do so consistently over the course of a half dozen albums. I don't have a final opinion on "Inaugeral Trams" but it's catchy. Monday, April 20, 2009
Telekinesis!!
Give "Foreign Room" about 50 seconds or so, and it kicks into 4th gear and rocks out w/ authority. that's all i got for now.
New White Rabbits -- This is the Shimm
If Spoon were combined with Maximo Park, you'd have a band that sounded sort of like White Rabbits. "Percussion Gun" begins w/ laughter and then some tribal-sounding drums followed by some enticing vocals before finally being joined by guitar and piano--an impressive progression. I really enjoyed their previous effort Fort Nightly, which sounds similar to "Percussion Gun." I hear a band confident w/ its distinctive sound that emphasizes rhythm over everything else. Look out for the new album It's Frightening.Rocking the House like it was 2001
Back in 2001, along with Talib Kweli, Del the Funky Homosapien was amongst the finest in alt-hip hop. "Rock the House" is dominated by a lively performance by Del, but Gorillaz was the first indication that Damon Albarn (lead singer and songwriter of Blur) was bereft w/ interesting ideas in his head. Let Oasis get all the glory, Albarn was in it for the long haul--in it for artistic freedom. Albarn's versatility and wide-ranging pop sensibilities are under-rated in the U.S. anyways. That all said, this is my least favorite Gorillaz album to date. But there are a few fine moments--"Rock the House" is one of them.
Gizmodo Article: How Tech Changed The Way We Listen to Music
Technology always helped bring the listener closer to the music. Progressing from wax tubes, to records, to cassettes, to CDs, each jump has benefited the music fan. But maybe it's gone a bit too far.
The History
Admittedly, new music formats have always changed the way we listen to music. However, I don't think any have had such an effect over the last 60 years as the move to MP3 and other digital file formats. The advent of the 45 RPM single in the 50s is arguably the first big shift in the way popular music was consumed. Records went from longer-playing 78s and 33s, to the cheaper 45 format, which carried two or three songs on a disc, and became much more accessible for mass consumption. Soon, every big pop artist was releasing their big hits on 45s, and this became the main mode of consumption.
Then came cassettes, which shrank down the record onto magnetic film and brought the long-playing album back into vogue. Cassingles also remained popular among consumers, but the idea of the album as the main purchase was gaining steam again because tapes were more durable and easier to store. It also made it possible for people to record their own mixes very easily.
But the problem with all these analog formats is that they wore down and degraded over time. Vinyl lost it's sound quality the more you played it, scratched easily, and storing it in the wrong place climate would warp it's shape. Tapes would sound muffled over time, and the actual tape could easily be spooled out from the cassette.
Enter the Compact Disc. Created as a way to prevent the degradation of sound over time, the compact disc ushered in the digital era of music, but it wasn't without complaints. Audiophiles said the sound was cold and sterile, and purists worried about the idea you could skip around the album order so easily, that albums were meant to be listened to sequentially, and not on one-track repeat for hits. It also wasn't impervious, still liable to scratching and subsequent choppy playback. Still, it was the best available option to get music to consumers, until the MP3.
Too Much Music
Sometimes, I feel the rise of MP3s made music too easy to obtain. Instead of taking time to appreciate good work, we now devour as much music as we possibly can. My music collection feels increasingly impersonal, to the point that I have albums I've forgot I downloaded. Sometimes I'll listen to an album I like just once, and never touch it again. Why?
Because at any given time, I have about 10-20 other new albums I'm wanting to check out. There's just not enough time to give every album the same attention, and when you try to really get into a handful of albums, you miss out on 100 other new releases.
The MP3 era is enabling the music junkie's futile quest to stay up on all music, at all times.
But that's not to say it's all bad. Albums that used to take me months to track down in the past can be found with a few minutes of google ingenuity. I've been able to listen to artists I might have only known by name in the past, and not have to wait for corporate America to make their music accessible to the masses.
Narrowing Tastes
Despite the greatly enhanced variety of music available to the average music listener, I feel like people's tastes are actually narrowing, more than they're branching out. Sure, the hardcore music fan will go out and dig out obscure artists in 20 different genres. But for the casual indie rock fan, it's just as easy to go out and find 20 other bands who sound just like Sigur Ros.
As a result, you find people digging deeper into genres that they really like, while ignoring the access they have to so many other great genres. The rise of internet forums and communities based around certain kinds of music have only helped listeners to identify with other like-minded individuals and firmly entrench themselves.
However, the rise of unclassifiable, genre-free music this decade would seem to go against my notion of narrowing tastes. Fans have embraced musicians who pull from a variety of seemingly unrelated influences, and reassemble the parts into a whole new beast.
Artists as big as Timbaland, as small as the Avalanches, as weird as Flying Lotus, or as colorful as M.I.A have all made a name for themselves by consciously ignoring the boundaries of genre. And as a result, I've seen myself and many of my friends digging into genres, past and present, they previously had ignored. We're better music fans because of this.
The Death of the Album, The Rise of Musical A.D.D.
I blame the iPod. Before MP3s, when you wanted to listen to something, you at least had to insert a complete album, or at least take the time to piece together a mixtape. Tracklists meant more back then, because it was more difficult to rearrange the order (save for the skip/shuffle functions).
These days, you can crap out whatever you want into an unfocused playlist and take it on the go. Add or subtract songs in a matter of seconds, it's a thought-free process. There's no need to give a whole album the time of day anymore when you can just add your favorite. We all have Musical A.D.D.
But the truth is, I'm just being a paranoid purist. When CDs first came out, vinyl purists lamented how too many tracks were packed into the 74-minute capacity discs, and how easily people could just switch from track to track. Before that, the entire pop music culture was formed around 45 RPM singles in the 50s and 60s.
So while the crotchety old man in me wants to say that we need to preserve the complete album, the truth is that it's significance among music fans has always changed and evolved.
As much I want to say MP3s have ruined all our listening habits, the truth is, they've just pushed us into the next wave of music culture. Maybe it means the album tracklist really is dead. Maybe I'll only listen to a complete album once or twice from here on out. Or maybe it just means people need to start making more interesting albums worthy of such attention.
http://i.gizmodo.com/5217090/how-tech-changed-the-way-we-listen-to-music?skyline=true&s=xMy brief comment:
--I agree on feeling occasionally overloaded and underwhelmed by the music that is so readily available for download on the interweb. But if you're music collector (of the non-vinyl sort) like me, this is a golden age for us--even if it is a little more impersonal than hanging out at the record store (ah i'm feeling a wave of 90's nostalgia).
--I feel the loss of the album or the affinity for the album format. Truth is, there is only about maybe 15 bands out there that make real albums. Downloading In Rainbows wasn't nearly as exciting as getting the same album in Box Set form--now it sits on a shelf in my parent's house 1200 miles away. Getting back to my point, it's a singles world--most good-not-great bands make a 2-5 songs worth owning. All the rest of that filler should get deleted. For those non-essential bands, ditch the filler--life is too short for songs you'd rather not hear. Don't skip them, delete them from your computer (save em for future ref on a hard drive or something.) In this digital age in which we are inundated w/ music (some of it acquired legitimately and sometimes not), you've got to prune your iTunes library. Make it an iPod worth listening to (for you).
--This article cries out for a business model to satisfy music fan's in this digital age. The diffusion of taste makers (it used to reside in radio DJs and rock critics) is clearly leaving potential music fans out in the cold. That middle space between American Idol and Pitchfork seems strangely unoccupied by any major influential voice.
Curtain Society
Boston-based Curtain Society have been around for 19 years. In addition to many other music endeavors and side projects, Curtain Society moonlight as Van Morrison's daughter's east-coast band. The band started out playing mope-rock, shoe-gazer indie rock, and while the band's sound has evolved--that early-90's dedication to sludgey bass and guitar remains. My wifey actually works with the drummer/graphic designer/renaissance man. Sunday, April 19, 2009
Cass McCombs--Maybe New to You
I posted this on Friday. Sorry i've been slacking on the pics lately (it's finals, time). Dropping the Writ came out in 2007. This song just kind of grabbed as of late even though it's been kicking around the iPod for a while. Not a monumental song or artist but worthy of downloading w/out paying for it.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Donkey Punch: The Government
Fox News Channel isn't the only one who has a penchant for double entendre.
Pangea is spearheading the Donkey Punch Campaign. Fed up with government spending and feel like knocking out a Democrat/Donkey when they're not looking. Who's coming with me??
Grizzly Bear: I LOVE U
I've been living with Veckatimest for about a month now. It's an exquisite album--however one not likely to attract millions of new converts. that's ok by me. At this point, GB has their dedicated audience. "Foreground" is the final track on the new album. It's a quiet beauty and a fitting end to a wonderful album--for those that can appreciate it anyways. For those who can't, that's ok--it doesn't make me love it any less. All the hyperbole thrown Grizzly Bear's way won't convince you at this point, but for me I feel pretty fortunate just to have Veckatimest. I'm seeing them at Berkelee music school in Boston in early June. That just might be my most anticipated show of the year.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More Doves
The past two Doves albums have gone #1 in the U.K., while Kingdom of Rust in the U.S. seems to have made little impact here. (sigh) "Compulsion" just might be my new favorite song. It's hard to deny a song propelled by highly syncopated bass drum/high hat and eventually combined a sinewy bass line and later guitar and finally vocals--an inventive song. Reminds a little of Peter, Bjorn and John and LCD Soundsystem combined with Doves of course.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Early-70's SoCal Pop-Rock Interlude....
Future Soundtrack King (Left) and Folk-Rock-Producer Has Been (Right)Way back in the day when i was buying cd's left and right and i was a sucker for any CSN/Buffalo Springfield/Poco related project--Messina was the producer and band member of Poco (which was originally lead by Richard Furay of Buffalo Springfield.) Anyways, i bought the L&M greatest hits album, which is honestly a lot better than it has any right to be. This duo sang beautifully together as well; the album can be played at any dentist's office without upsetting anyone. I should be embarrassed to be posting this, but i'm not. i stand behind Loggins & Messina, and I just learned that L&M are going back on tour. kenny f@#king loggins!!!
Aretha is famous for than a silly looking hat and for being the Heavyweight Diva of the World
As soul albums go, you can't do much better than I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You--iif put on the spot, i'd argue that Al Green's early albums are even better but i'm splitting some serious hairs to make that judgment. As Aretha albums go, you can pretty much get just this one album to get an understanding what made her so famous in the first place. You got to first get the image of fat Aretha sweating profusely as she out-sings so-called divas literally half her age. That kind of singing does nothing for me. On this album, she has phenomenal material that does not require her to show-off (not that this isn't extremely impressive soul singing). I think i might have posted "Don't Let Me Lose this Dream" before, but it's worth revisiting again and again. Monday, April 13, 2009
Introducing Dilly wearing the Obama Inaugeral Silk Ninja Headband
My good friends at www.silkninja.com/newsite/ have been in the headband business for what seems like decades. They have a wide array of ninja-style headbands that can be customized to meet almost any need or to fit any function. Why give out a pen or a mug or even a business card when you can sell your company or yourself properly with a Silk Ninja head band? That question is rhetorical--it implies the obvious. Get yourself a customized head band and get hip or be square.Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Reminiscing
Andy Summers, Sting, and Steward CopelandI had a major Police faze in college around the millennium, unsually after having fully digested Sting's underrated solo work. Sting's early solo work is to smooth jazz what the Police is to punk rock--sort of an anglo-saxon equivalent but nevertheless enjoyable. You got the spiky hair, the attitude, the stripped down minimalism, but in the end the Police were never perceived as subversive--"Roxanne" was a song that maybe a mother of 1st gen punk rock children could get into. Of course, there was plenty of hostility within the band; they pretty much all wanted to kill each other if only the $$ weren't so damn good. And the hostility bred inventive songwriting most of the time. "Hole in My Life" is one of my early favs.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Pangea Announces First Foray into Book Publishing...
This dog is apparently not good enuf for the Obamas
Because you guys and gals are my biggest fans and adore my evocative writing. I wanted to let you know about my newest project PuppyGate: the Betrayal of Sasha and Malia. It's the result of many months of reading thousands articles about Obama promising to get a rescue Portuguese Water Dog or a labradoodle, and yet weeks go by and no pooch. Like he's got better shimm to do! My book will demonstrate how scores of animal shelters had expressed their interest in providing the preferred pooches to the President, only to be rebuffed by Obama, who said and I paraphrase, "I ain't got time for no puppy bull-sh$t. That's one more motherf#*king thing that Michelle can nag me about." To which Michelle responded and i paraphrase, "That is motherf%@king low, that Africa Bambaata bastard...." Meanwhile, Sasha and Malia are like totally bumming....no dog in sight.
Mellow Rock Thursday: It's Safe to Swim in the Shimm Today
With nuclear bombs proliferating everywhere we look (except Iraq), the economy crumbling before our eyes and far too many incidents of cat juggling in recent months, isn't it nice to sometimes to just listen to a lush, melodic song every now and then? I feel your pain. The Great Lake Swimmers have delivered an easy-listening, rarely boring and always melodic album on Lost Channels. Btw, as you might have guessed, palmistry refers to the art and science of palm reading. Matt Pond PA is hyper-prolific to their detriment and to their credit. The Freep came out around Xmas-time, and as the name implies this extended play album was released for free on their website. And amazingly, it still is: http://www.mattpondpa.com/?page_id=41. What's weird is that this is my favorite Matt Pond PA release in quite a while. Check it out, it's sticks with you.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
New Gomez -- Other Plans
Oh, Gomez, you occupy that no-man's-land of major label band that gets only fringe loving. Not a major and not-quite-indie. To your credit, you haven't stopped making albums, god bless you. And Gomez has never made a totally bad album, but they've never made a great album either. And for that, they suffer purgatory in the States. And since they skew American in their musical tastes, they're not likely to get a lot of loving on their native soil (prove me wrong Great Britain). Anyways, my initial reaction to A New Tide is meh, not that exciting. But "Other Plans," i thought, was an honorable mention. But the album just might grow on me...time will only tell. Hyping the Morning Benders (not for the first time)
the Morning Benders have been hyped by TheShimm a couple of times previously. Pangea had the opportunity to see them before the Ra Ra Riot show at the Middle East in Cambridge, Taxachusetts last fall and was impressed. Their shim was way too loud, but singer-guitarrist (top left) has real skills--he sings well, he plays guitar well and he commands an audience. My hope is this Berkley, CA-based band will take it to the next level (and by next level, i mean, follow up Talking Through Tin Cans with another good album). Congratulations...
Your g-ddamned right that's Princess Leah nuzzling up to her now ex-husband Paul Simon in happier times.
Long time readers of theShimm know i love Paul Simon's eponymously named 2nd album. It's so subtle and yet so poignant. The songs on Paul Simon are some of his best. Simon gets a lot of props for his songwriting ability, and gets less attention for his fingerpicking guitar playing skills and his vocal phrasing. He makes relatively banal lyrics (see below) seem incredibly poignant. His downcast attitude totally reflects the defeated attitude of Americans in the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era. Maybe defeated is the wrong word. There's a sense of loss that is palpable on this album, but it never gets in the way of great (yet oh so subtle) songcraft. This might be his least popular early album for that reason. That's that generation's loss, i guess."Congratulations
Oh, seems like you've done it again
And I ain't had such misery
Since I don't know when
Oh, and I don't know when, oh, and I don't know when
I notice so many people
Slipping away
And many more waiting in the lines
In the courtrooms today
Oh, in the courtrooms today
Love is not a game
Love is not a toy
Love's no romance
Love will do you in
And love will wash you out
And needless to say
You won't stand a chance, you won't stand a chance
I'm hungry for learning
Won't you answer me please
Can a man and a woman
Live together in peace,
Oh, live together in peace?"
Oh, seems like you've done it again
And I ain't had such misery
Since I don't know when
Oh, and I don't know when, oh, and I don't know when
I notice so many people
Slipping away
And many more waiting in the lines
In the courtrooms today
Oh, in the courtrooms today
Love is not a game
Love is not a toy
Love's no romance
Love will do you in
And love will wash you out
And needless to say
You won't stand a chance, you won't stand a chance
I'm hungry for learning
Won't you answer me please
Can a man and a woman
Live together in peace,
Oh, live together in peace?"
New Doves!!! Kingdom of Rust
Yesterday, Kingdom of Rust was released. It's been 4 long years since Some Cities came out and nearly that long since i saw Doves perform at Austin City Limits Festival. It was a mid-day performance, and that hot Austin sun seemed to sap this band of something--the atmospherics and the grandeur of their finest material seemed forced. But Kingdom of Rust is a return to form; the band continues to refine its style. If it works, why change it? For those fans of their previous efforts, Kingdom of Rust will not disappoint.Monday, April 6, 2009
Hey Everybody!!!!
Hey, Dr. Nick!!!
Luna are defunct, but this a cool band that always deserved a little bit more attention than they ever got. This came up on the shuffle, and reminded me that a Luna post was necessary. These dudes were so east-coast--very indebted the Velvet Underground--and a smidge of the Grateful Dead--this band knew how to jam. A great combo in my opinion.Bodies of Water will kill us all...
Cross Mates of State with Arcade Fire with an angrier version of New Pornographers and the keyboardist from Wolf Parade or the Decemberists (circa The Crane Wife) and you have approximately the sound of Bodies of Water. It's a little proggy; it's a little indie; it's a dude and chick singing. And it's also not really all that new. Bodies of Water caught my ear last summer, but this song i failed to appreciate until recently. worth a listen to--not everyone's cup of tea i'm quite sure.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
This post is leveled at you, dear reader (yes you)...Is anybody listening?...no reply at all
Yo people who I'm writing all this shimm for, you want to leave a comment occasionally and let me know whether i'm connecting at all with you peoples? this some would say crappy (not me i like it) early 80's song is leveled at you., dear reader. i have some friends/fans that let me know in personal emails occasionally, but i'd prefer you unleash your feelings in the comments. if you feel one way or another about anything--the music, the writing, etc.--let me know. thx, it really is appreciated. i may not always agree, but it is nice to know someone is paying attention.Friday Comparo: Stevie Wonder vs. Royksopp
Bangs like that are really hot in Norway or so i hear
To be perfectly honest, neither Royksopp's "Vision One" nor Stevie Wonder's "Too High" (off his classic 1973 album Innervisions--i got a lot of mileage out of those 9 songs) are great songs. In both songs, the female vocalists irritate me. Over the past week, i've been digesting the new Royksopp album Junior. Maybe some would label this album euro-trash. Obviously, i disagree. Their knob-twisting and keyboard riffs combined with up-tempo beats keep me interested. It's club-music for people unlikely to ever make it to Ibiza. And almost instantly, people were remixing songs off Junior like it was going out of style--all of them thus far are at least interesting. If a club culture still exists, they better be playing "Happy Up Here."Anyways, enough about the club culture that i take no part in. The decade or so has seen Stevie Wonder's extensive song book pilfered, i think for the worse, by Will Smith and others--if my memory serves me, "Sir Duke" was used as the theme song to Wild Wild West, and it has never sounded as cool since. (In my opinion, Stevie Wonder is to R&B/Soul what the Beatles are to rock 'n roll--the very apex of the form--never to be bettered. And similarly, Wonder continued to make interesting and evolving progressions in his music throughout the Sixties and Seventies--each album, for the most part (let's not forget this guy was pretty much doing everything--playing nearly every instrument and writing the lyrics and the music--so a stylistic misstep was inevitable) was significant artistic statement.
For the most part, the Wonder samples employed bordered on outright borrowing--not plagiarism, mind you, just uninspired and cheapening Stevie in the process. And so i commend Royksopp's choice in taking the coolest part of "Too High," modifying it slightly and not wearing it out on "Vision One" (it appears at around the 1 minute mark for those exceedingly impatient). It's a honest-to-goodness sample/crib that serves only as launching off point for other non-Stevie Wonder based musical explorations (my only problem i don't exactly love where they go with that Wonder-based keyboard riff).
Both songs are flawed in my opinion. But in this case, the parts are greater than the sum. And those parts at least are the shimm.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Let's Get a Little Global--G-20 style, boyeee
(Note: Not 100% sure that's not Fela's son, Femi)As a means of introducing Fela to blissfully unaware Americans and reducing Femi Kuti's influence and importance in the 1970's to three words: Nigerian Bob Marley. And that's not really hyperbole: the dude put Afro-Beat on the map--a style that continues have relevance around the world, even here. Obviously, reggae is the world's "world music" (a term that basically refers all foreign music that's not Anglo/Franco/American). But in Africa, Fela Kuti was a huge star--even Paul McCartney got on the bandwagon (who maintained that Fela and his band were "the best band [he'd] ever seen live...When [his band] eventually began to play... I just couldn't stop weeping for joy." Macca knows talent when he sees it (crybaby)--let's not forget he booked the Meters aboard the Queen Mary to promote one of his (crappy, long forgotten) albums in 1974. But Fela was also a wee bit militant too. After expressing an interest in using African musicians for the album he was working on, the Walrus (coo coo coo ka-choo) was denounced by Fela as "stealing Black Man's music." Obviously, Fela was also not a huge Paul Simon fan either.)
The parallels between Marley and Kuti aren't just based on skin color or time period either. Both were harassed by their governments, who feared the popularity of these artists' and their message. Both have off-spring that continue to popularize/bastardize their father's style. Fela has Femi. Bob has a half-dozen wannabees (and the Wailers continue to tour too). But while Marley combined pop and rock with his native reggae, Kuti never sought the middle of the road (as Neil Young, once said, after making Harvest that he was ready to head back to the ditches), Fela's music was never that easy. Like Marley, he wanted a revolution and he was angry, and moreover he didn't seek a white audience. His music is difficult; it's long and occasionally short on melody. But, oh lord, what a fucking groove, at least when he wanted to.
I'm making it appear that i know Fela's catalogue inside and out and that's bogus. I got a greatest hits 2 cd comp that came out during college (98-02, go Blue!!) and one terrible collaboration w/ Roy Ayers--after that, i determined that like Donny, i was out of my element and that i had no frame of reference.
One of my favorites is "Water Get No Enemy," which is for me the finest Fela moment money can buy. Unfortunately, i couldn't find a good live youtube video of that song, so i settled for what u see below. But you can definitely tell this guy was a serious talent in total control of his band and major egomaniac (put a shirt on dude).
The parallels between Marley and Kuti aren't just based on skin color or time period either. Both were harassed by their governments, who feared the popularity of these artists' and their message. Both have off-spring that continue to popularize/bastardize their father's style. Fela has Femi. Bob has a half-dozen wannabees (and the Wailers continue to tour too). But while Marley combined pop and rock with his native reggae, Kuti never sought the middle of the road (as Neil Young, once said, after making Harvest that he was ready to head back to the ditches), Fela's music was never that easy. Like Marley, he wanted a revolution and he was angry, and moreover he didn't seek a white audience. His music is difficult; it's long and occasionally short on melody. But, oh lord, what a fucking groove, at least when he wanted to.
I'm making it appear that i know Fela's catalogue inside and out and that's bogus. I got a greatest hits 2 cd comp that came out during college (98-02, go Blue!!) and one terrible collaboration w/ Roy Ayers--after that, i determined that like Donny, i was out of my element and that i had no frame of reference.
One of my favorites is "Water Get No Enemy," which is for me the finest Fela moment money can buy. Unfortunately, i couldn't find a good live youtube video of that song, so i settled for what u see below. But you can definitely tell this guy was a serious talent in total control of his band and major egomaniac (put a shirt on dude).
Canuck Alert!!! New Great Lake Swimmers
Yes, it's true. The Great Lake Swimmers are in fact from Ottawa (or is it Ontario?--i'm no geography major but i'm pretty sure that's the same place.) But I kid...Calm down Canada.Anyways, the Great Lake Swimmers should probably be lumped into the same rootsy-bluegrassy-folk-rock subgenre occupied by the Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses--minus the reverb. This is pretty, relaxing Sunday afternoon music. I dig those harmonies and that banjo.
Quite Possibly the Boringest Album Cover of the YearWednesday, April 1, 2009
The Onion tackling the tough issues
In The Know: Should Americans Return To A Simpler, Stone Age Lifestyle?
electricity is expensive shimm. i think this author shills for Sonic (the fast food-drive thru restaurants). Member when he got his tater tot swatted. take that Mr. Intelligentsia!!
The Onion Wins a Peabody Unironically
Child Bankrupts Make-A-Wish Foundation With Wish For Unlimited Wishes
i may be an evil bastard but this shimm cracks me up. well done Peabody and the Onion for spotting serious journalism wherever it appears.
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