1.31.2014

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - January 2014

Nine Inch Nails
Some bittersweetness from/for Trent to start the new year...
Most of the bitterness was generated by the exclusive Beats Music remix EP with the stunningly original title Seed Eight (Remix 2014 EP).
Phew.
75% mung.
 100% shrug.
My review's here.

Then, there was the catastrophic "fuck you" to Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham perpetrated by the Grammys. In a nutshell, these artists shared a stage for the finale of the Grammys...only to be preempted for a word from our sponsors.
Ouch.
Honestly though, no one gives a shit about the Grammys.

Then there's the big one: Reznor and Ross are teaming up, once again, to create another score for another David Fincher film, this time it's Gone Girl, about which I know nothing.
It's a book.
The upside to another score is that we know exactly when the film is set to come out (October 3rd, 2014) so we KNOW the new music will have to be out by then (or thereabouts).
The downside is that it's not Nine Inch Nails.
I'd rather have a new HTDA album than a new score (no matter how many discs there are).
I'm also hoping that Reznor and Ross get out of their studio for this one. I've enjoyed the last two scores very much, but I'd like to see something completely different this time around, not just the two of them using the knobs and buttons across the room from the ones they used on Social Network and TGWTDT.

Beck
Well, I still don't quite believe it, but, next time you hear from me, I guess we'll talk more about that.
Until that moment...apparently the new Beck album, Morning Phase*, is coming out on the 25th of February, same day as the new St. Vincent. The first single, "Blue Moon" has been released and it's real good. I was concerned that it would sound like any of the random bits and pieces he's been releasing for the past six years, but it feels...weightier, more important. It's hard to explain. Take a listen and get really excited.

Eels
New album, song, tracklist and album art just announced!
Based on the cover, title and first single, this might just be a bit of a personal record for E.
And a bit stripped down, musically.
Although, I've been misled before by Eels, so I'm going to try and sit tight until there's more to, you know, actually listen to.
I don't love what I've heard thus far though.
I do love that there's going to be a deluxe version with a second disc consisting of 7 non-album tracks and 6 live tracks from the recent tour.
Here's the trailer and the first single, "Agatha Chang".


The second new St. Vincent track (and its slightly creepy, entertainment-industry-in-Orwell's-1984 music video), "Digital Witness", has been released and boy oh boy has David Byrne been influencing our little Annie, both in sound and in content.
This new track could be a follow up to their song from Love This Giant, "I Should Watch TV".
Something I am super okay with. Here's the video.
On pins and needles for this album to drop.
More on that in a month.

So, I've been trying out Beats Music, not because I'm a huge fan of all things streaming and need to be on the cutting edge of such things,  but because Trent told me to.
Got to say, I don't really care.
Sory Trent.
Sorry Dre.
If you love being lazy and indecisive about what music you listen to and want to have a different computer algorithm do this for you, head on over and give it a whirl.

Also, as there were a whole bunch of "Best Of" lists circulating at the start of the month, I decided to jump right in, eyes shut, mouth open and drink in some pop culture, specifically what the culture thought was popular.

I ended up listening to:

  •  the latest Bonobo, The North Borders, which I didn't care for 
  • the latest Childish Gambino, Because The Internet, which, while it had some interesting moments and sonics on it, I didn't really care for
  • Overgrown, by James Blake, which I liked very much. His voice reminds me a bit of a more polished Thom Yorke and the sparseness and coldness of the album created some great depth and mood. Plus, a love song with RZA? Not that that makes up for his crazy line about rape in "The Baddest Man Alive".
  • The Lorde album the song "Royals" is on, which was nothing special, although that song is veritable ear herpes.
  • the new Vampire Weekend, which was pretty damn worthy of all the best album fanfare. I haven't liked anything else of theirs ever (that I remember), but this is just so fresh and joyful and open. Really well crafted stuff. Cannot fight with this one.** Going to have to give these guys another listen.
  • The latest release from The National, Trouble Will Find Me. While I didn't really love their last one, this one is pretty solid, with a few amazing stand outs (namely "Demons", "This Is The Last Time","I Need My Girl" and "Humiliation"). Sad bastardry done right.

And, finally, on the 25th, I saw Mother Feather at the Bowery Ballroom, my second show of theirs. God damn can these women rock cocks. Aside from the awesome show, they had copies of their new, unreleased EP, Living Breathing available. After getting into them this last year, the anticipation of this EP might have trumped that of some of my favorite bands.
I think it's a combination of knowing the people creating this music and the fact that the music is fucking tight. This isn't some obligatory/courtesy thumbs up for some people I went to college with.  Ann and Lizzie are awesome at this shit, they've got it nailed down.
You can read my sincere outpouring and review of both the show and the new EP here.

And that's it.
Still working on my BITCHWISHLIST.
Next time I spit words at you, there's going to be a new Beck album AND a new St. Vincent album.
Wow.





* Or Sea Change 2 if all the articles and album cover are to be believed.

** And, in case you think I'm going to pout over NIN losing to Vampire Weekend, I'm not. I'm a pragmatist when it comes to these things. There's no way that the best Nine Inch Nails album in history will ever beat anything by Vampire Weekend. They have too much street cred and popular appeal. I'm comfortable with that, if a bit bummed.

1.30.2014

This Bar Is Our Bar

The first week of November 2013 marked my return to the "stage" at Our Bar, the monthly sketch thing of which I am now a part. Big thanks to my two real friends, Jen and Christina who managed to make it out.
For the rest of you, I totally understand how hard it is to get the Midtown Manhattan. I completely get that there probably weren't any buses, trains, cabs or you-have-fucking-legs-and-could-have-walked-there-if-needed-be.
I rully do.
Rully.
You guys.
Rully.

Anyway, I've come to terms with my disappointment and with the fact that no one does anything any more if it requires more than clicking "Like" or "Favorite" or "Smile".
Sort of.

Man. I am just a sack of bitter squenchface today, isn't I?
Next time I'll just list the media I've been interacting with and my thoughts on it.
Promise.

Than you can click "Like".

JESUS!

FOCUS!

Okay.
The original reason for this was to delve into how it feels to be stage acting and writing (one of the three sketches I wrote for the November show was chosen and performed at the show, same with the December show) again. At least, in this particular format. I'm always writing something.
Usually scathing.
Usually directed at my friends.
Sorry.
This is a totally different place. I'm now writing with people in mind. I'm writing stuff that actual people who don't know me and don't get my charmingly poisonous sense of humor or perspective on life will see. And sometimes there's collaboration.
I like to think that I haven't really given a shit about what people have thought about me since I was 16 or so, and, on the whole, it's been a very helpful tool. When you take other people out of the equation that is your life, things get a lot less complicated.
I'm not talking about disregarding the rules of society, but more along the lines of spending time hoping that people will like me and trying to get them to do so by...I don't know...doing things to impress them.
It's a waste of time and energy.
But.
With Our Bar, I'm finding that feeling resurfacing.
When I write something, I now have to think: are these people who, for the most part, I find funny and intelligent, going to like this? Just because it's funny for me is it going to be funny for them?
If they don't laugh, is it because it wasn't funny? Or because they "didn't get what I was going for"? Or because their heads are not in a funny place on that particular day?
Or because it was so funny and I'm so talented that they're all threatened by my talent and are trying to make me feel bad?
Am I paranoid or just fucking gorgeous?
Writing with a particular audience in mind is nuts.
Then, and this might be the worst part, when I do write something that I think is funny and they do laugh, the first thing my brain asks me, in that subtle, knifelike voice is: are they just trying to make you feel welcome? Are they just coddling you? What do they get out of it?
And so on.
This has been my last ten years as an actor in New York City.
Every victory is almost immediately tainted with questions like that.
And, even if everything is just 100% diamond aces, there's always that awful question that every professional actor has to ask themselves...when's my next paying gig?
How long do I consider myself a professional actor until I don't anymore?
A month?
Six months?
A year?
And, if I'm a professional actor who hasn't worked in a year, doesn't that, technically make me unemployed?
That.
That is the downside to making six months rent in one, two hour VO session.

But, back to Our Bar.
When it comes to creating content, I've always found myself best in a sound board capacity.
Someone has a seed but that's it.
I like imagining what that seed will grow into. Is it a tree? What if this? What if that?
I do create my own stuff, but I always love the bouncing back and forth of ideas, and that's something else I've gotten from Our Bar, to a point.
At the handful of writer's retreats I've been to, it's, usually, all about seeds, although sometimes, someone will have a full scene that needs a little something. The beginning doesn't work, the ending is a bit abrupt, something seems to be missing, whatever.
Sometimes I get something out of the retreat and run off to write my own thing, sometimes not.
I don't like to force creativity, as you can usually tell when it's been forced.
Then, there's the submission and the readthrough and the jury and a whole bunch of other stuff that makes me feel like a teenager, desperately yearning for that same approval I yearned for before I evolved into someone who just doesn't need that as a source of sustenance.

I'm still rambling.

Okay....on the whole, the experience has been great but nervewracking.
And that's all my fault as these are some of the most warm and wonderful and fucking whip-smart and funny people I've ever had the pleasure of working with.
My friends Becca and Jesi brought me into this place and, despite the problems with my fucking eyes and everything I might say or do to myself to try and convince me otherwise, I'm loving it here.

The next show is Wednesday the 5th of February.
Pretty sure you won't be there.

1.28.2014

A review of Mother Feather at Bowery Ballroom (1.25.14) and the new "Living Breathing" EP

I knew this was going to be good, but I didn't know how good until it happened to me.
Seeing pictures of a Mother Feather performance, one might think that they have an idea of how the show will play out, but, just as a picture of a sumptuous meal isn't the same as indulging in said meal...you get the idea.

Seeing Mother Feather live is like watching a bonfire; they smoulder and dance and explode and burn.
Along with heat, they emit a strange, aggressive, confrontational sexuality.
At times, lead singer, Ann Courtney, is a screaming, fist-pumping dynamo and, at other times, she appears as a chastened child...the kind who plays with matches, her voice is warm, impish, admonishing, dirty, flirty and often soaked in both sincerity and innuendo.
This might sound fractured, schizophrenic, but it all fits, it's all Mother Feather.

Ann and Lizzie (backing vocals and keyboards) work in perfect concert, like some ferocious, otherworldly clock, telling us to revolt and dance and live, rather than just what time it is. Their smirking, perfectly placed and executed interactions serve to expertly display their background in theater and how well they utilize it.

Highlights of the evening included the playful choreography of their opener, "Egyptology", the energetic sensuality of their infectiously catchy "Trampoline" and, as always, their massive, anthemic closer, "Mother Feather", which you really need to experience to understand. These ladies and their harem of talented instrumentalists are so much more than just what's on record, if you're just listening to the music, you're not getting all of Mother Feather.

And, speaking of the music...at their Bowery show on the 25th, Mother Feather debuted their new EP, Living Breathing.
This was a truly excellent birthday present.

Mother Feather's new Living Breathing EP

Like their first, self titled EP, Living Breathing contains four songs that range from fun to fiery and, also like their first EP, nothing here doesn't stand out. The drums aren't just keeping a beat, Gunnar Olsen uses every measure to do something to keep the listener present and engaged, and the interplay between Basile (bass) and Foley (guitar) is always riveting, never rote.  While it may not be as catchy or packed with instant hits as their debut, I was too caught up in reveling in new Mother Feather music to complain. One thing is does feature is a song called "Egyptology" (usually their set opener) and that's worth the price of admission alone. It's a blistering rocker centering around how funky the Egyptians were and containing the lyrics "I go where he go / follow my pharaoh / to the underworld disco / down in Old Cairo".
Yeah.
 Steve Martin and the Bangles wish they could write a song this awesome.
Someone find a song like this anywhere else, and I'll buy you a trampoline.
There's also "Mirror", which is as dark and intense as three plus minutes of uninterrupted eye contact with Ann herself, and the title track, another god damn awesome rock song with a fun, slinky, twisty climax that might be the sexiest suicide ever.

One aspect of Mother Feather I keep returning to is the fact that, after all the songs and all the music that have been, they have an originality and theatricality that doesn't seemed forced, we're hearing and seeing the real them; it's genuine and doesn't suffer from the pseudo-intellectual eye-rolling that plagues most of pop culture. They love and care about everything they create and that rings true in every facet of Mother Feather.

If you're interested, I interviewed the ladies of Mother Feather for my podcast a while back.
Check it out if you'd like to know about what makes these vixens tick.

digressive_obscenity - ep. 12 - mother_feather

1.22.2014

A review of Nine Inch Nails' "Seed Eight (Remix 2014 EP)"




























Before he'd announced Hesitation Marks but after he'd announced Beats Music*, I was 100% sure that Reznor was going to debut new Nine Inch Nails music on this streaming service as a way to get at least a few hundred thousand people (NIN fans who would gladly remove a small portion of their skin for new NIN music) to join on Day One.
I was kind of 100% right.
Yesterday was the debut of Beats Music and Seed Eight (Remix 2014 EP), a Beats Music exclusive** consisting of three new remixes of tracks from Hesitation Marks and one remix from the Japanese release of the album.
Seventy five percent of this free, promotional EP is not worth the money I didn't pay for it.

We start with the Hot Chip remix of "Satellite". On the album, it's a dark, dancy track that, as I've said before, might feel at home as the "edgy" track on a Justin Timberlake album; here, it's a boring, "thump aimlessly until we die" drag featuring some garbled whispers in the background that don't do anything at all for me or my dance bone. Keen example of some truly lazy remixing.
Next, we get the Cold Cave remix of "Running", the first twenty seconds of which tricked me into thinking it might be interesting. Then they start then they start then they started doing that obnoxious, shiity remix thing where they play the first half of a lyrical phase a few times before completing it. Genuinely innovative technique, gents. Grateful I'm never going to see these guys open for Nine Inch Nails, because I just might I just might I just might fucking kill myself.
Then, we have the Simian Mobile Disco remix of "Copy Of A". This! Here! Yes! SMD vs. NIN! WOO!
More like "WOE".***
I will say that I'm impressed they managed to find something less interesting than the Hot Shit**** remix. How can such a fun and talented bunch do something this pointless?!
Finally, we have the previously released Autolux mix of "Everything". Here's something interesting...when I first heard this, it was my least favorite remix from Hesitation Marks (the deluxe edition of which came with three additional remixes). The vocal manipulation done by Autolux made it sound like Trent Reznor was going through puberty right before our very ears. But now? After these other three poops? Although it brings stark relief to some of the silliness in the original ("SHAKE! SHAKE!"), I now have a deeper appreciation for it, especially the ending. At least Autolux tried something different.   

In general, remixes that only sample a tiny fraction of the lyrics from the original bore me, and those that just thump-a-thump-a  tend to annoy me. Going by those guidelines, I may never listen to the first three tracks of this EP ever again.
Here's a test: if you skip two minutes into a remix and the only thing that's changed is the addition of a hi-hat, you've got a bad remix on your hands. However, I see this release as an exercise in perspective: yes, I could just trash it and say it's a bunch of leftover remixes Reznor had lying around that he didn't have a place for...or, I could say that it's the perfect example of how juxtaposition can help one shift their point of view.
And, seriously, none of these are as bad as Olaf Fuckhead's abortion of "Me, I'm Not".

Oh, and the cover art might be the worst, most try-hard, high-school-teenaged-goth, angsty thing that's ever been associated with Nine Inch Nails...and I'm including these:








* Better than Pandora, Spotify, Deezer, Napster, Blinkbox and Rdio.
Apparently.
I guess.
I don't use streaming music things.

** Unless you know what a torrent is and, as all NIN fans know what a torrent is...yeah. "Exclusive" is such an exclusionary word...

*** ZING!

**** Typo?

1.14.2014

2013 BITCHWISHLIST REVISITED: How Did We Do?

Let's see how well everyone did with last year's BITCHWISHLIST.

Nine Inch Nails


New HTDA LP  

Delivered, and how. Plus a truly groundbreaking live show to go with it.
Great job, guys.

The Goddamn Motherfucking Fragile Ultra Super Deluxe Edition

Nope. 
Although, regarding a 2014 release, Reznor said in a recent Reddit AMA: "It's possible."
Yeah, so is cock cancer, let's hope we get the former before the latter.

The Year Zero mini-series

Nope.
Probably going to have to let that one go. Which, I'm maybe okay with. I mean, what if Reznor had his writing and/or directorial debut and it was fucking awful?
Better to not know, right?

...sorry?
"Negging"?
Am I "negging" Trent Reznor?
...I'm sorry, I don't know what that means... 

A new Nine Inch Nails album

Perhaps the biggest and best surprise of 2013. The time between the announcement and the delivery was a scant three months.
THREE FUCKING MONTHS.
That...doesn't happen.
Except that one time with The Slip.
And Ghosts I-IV.
But Hesitation Marks is better than those.

An original Reznor / Ross score for a new Silent Hill game 
I'm going to have to be more realistic when it comes to this list, it appears. As in, a new NIN album is probably not the craziest thing to hope for, from, you know, Nine Inch Nails, whereas Reznor suddenly up and scoring a video game? He hasn't done that since Quake.
Then again, it is a wish list...
Anyway, for all we know he did score the new Silent Hill game but hasn't told anyone about it.
After this tricksy business with Hesitation Marks, I'm not putting anything past him...

Some Fucking Transparency
Uh...not really?

Some Fucking Impenetrability
Not really. Although there was some stuff on Hesitation Marks that didn't sound like typical Nine Inch Nails, I'd hardly say anything was overly experimental or boundary-pushing. Very good album, but nothing impenetrable.

A release of the NIN cover of "Sex Dwarf"
Sigh.
No.

Collabos
Bowie - Nope.

Tori - Nope.

tweaker - After a period of silence between Reznor and Vrenna, they had sort of talked to one another about remixing something; Vrenna remixing HTDA and Reznor remixing tweaker, but communications broke down and it never happened. Would have been cool though...

Dave Sitek - Sort of. Sitek did a spaced out remix of "Keep it together" for How to destroy angels which was...interesting.


They Might be Giants

That the new album is rich and good
100%


New and interesting tracks during the 2013 tour
Most everything from Nanobots sounded great live and the smattering of new and dusted off songs worked very well indeed. That Celebrate Brooklyn show remains one of the best I've seen in a while.

Still playing fucking "Damn Good Times" though...

2013 IFC
As the last bits of the 2012 IFC were delayed and dragged into April, having a 2013 IFC probably would have been a bit weird and I can see why it didn't happen.


New Monopuff and State Songs albums
Nope.

The return of the amazing TMBG podcast
Nope, sadly.



Beck

You, Beck, Recording Song Reader
Beck has kind of done everything but. He's performed songs from it live and even went as far as to get a whole slew of folks, including his dad, the string god, David Campbell, to perform the entire thing live...but he has not (and, I suppose) will not hop in the studio and jut fucking record the whole thing.

Whatevs.
I don't love Americana that much.

Midnite Vulture Deluxe Edition
So, while there's not going to be an official deluxe release in honor of the 15 year anniversary of Midnite Vultures, if you take the album and the handful of b-sides that popped up on singles from that era, you have seventeen songs clocking in at just under ninety minutes.

Anyone with an iPod can construct their very own Midnite Vultures double album from those.
Some would rather curse the darkness than light a candle, and I am not that guy.
Totally not.

A music video collection
Zilch.

Although I guess something like a music video collection seems a bit quotidien when you're designing sunglasses and releases albums of sheet music.
Tool.*

Stop Producing, Start Collaborating

Nope.

Get Back To Writing and Recording and Releasing Your Own Music

Do the three songs, the full versions of which total over fifty three minutes that he released on three 12" vinyls count?
Yes?
Well, then, okay.
I did only wish for him to write and record and release his own music, I didn't stipulate exactly how much.
You loophole-exploiting bastard.
You monkey's paw.
But, fool me once, etc.
Next time I'll be more specific.


Eels
I feel that Wonderful, Glorious was a true return to form for Eels and that the world tour supporting it was utterly fantastic.
No complaints here.


Cake
Complaints here.

Release A Double Live Album Comprised Of The Greatest Moments From The Last Few Years
*fart noise*

Shut Up And Make Some Fucking Music
*fart noise*

Retire

*fart noise that becomes shit noise*


A new Gorillaz album produced by TV On The Radio
Nope, although Albarn has gone from saying that Gorillaz is done to saying they're not done and, as soon as Hewlett gets bored of not doing Gorillaz, that there could be a new Gorillaz album tomorrow.
It doesn't have t be tomorrow, it just has to happen. There is too much love and amazing shit that's put into Gorillaz for it to just fizzle.

Another St. Vincent/David Byrne album

No, but we are getting a new St. Vincent album in February.

The redemption of tweaker

I don't know if one could consider a really great remix album a redemption of the band whose music is being remixed.
Whatever the case, And Then There's Nothing is a really great remix album.
Hopefully the rumors of Vrenna's retirement are being blown out of proportion. 

For the new Maximum Balloon album to be half as good as the first one
Dave Sitek told me that there would be a new Maximum Balloon album in early 2013, but there has been nary a sound from him on that front. Maybe he meant 2014?

A Phone Call From Prince

Oh...did I not tell you about this?
Totally cool guy. We talked for, like, three hours.

For the Atoms For Peace album to be amazing
Yup.

Not that I put a lot of stock in these sorts of things, but Amok is on a lot of "best of" lists this year.
And it's completely warranted..

I Want One Of My Five Favorite Bands To Release An Album I Love From Top To Bottom, The First Time Through

YES! And the award goes to They Might Be Giants for their stunning new album, Nanobots!!! Even after almost a year with it in my ears, I hardly have anything even remotely negative to say about it.
Way to go, gentlemen!
now comes the hard part of living up to and exceeding expectations for the next one...
Sorry.


NEXT UP:: MY 2014 BITCHWISHLIST!!





* I'm referring to Beck as a tool, not randomly typing the name of the industrial band fronted by Maynard James Keenan.

1.13.2014

The Making of the "Grey World" Music Video

Adam Rivera, rocking out
Back in August, Adam Rivera contacted me about creating a music video for "Grey World", a track from his latest album, Rorschach Radiowaves, the lyrics to which are cobbled together from various They Might Be Giants songs and song titles. He knew I was a huge fan and had seen my "Can't Keep Johnny Down" video and wanted "an early TMBG-esque video. A kind of a tribute. Maybe borrow some the elements from their work." 


Gigantic John Heads created by Christina Bryant
I sat with that for a few days and came up with the idea of Adam as Adam, a huge TMBG fan who is making this video as sort of a loving tribute to one of his favorite bands, seeking out and going to the locations of their early music videos and then recreating moments from them. What could be a more perfect expression of artistic adulation?

Linnell goes in the cage. Linnell...always goes in the cage

 But, as with most They Might Be Giants songs, the uptempo beat and jaunty instrumentation often belies a darker reality. We've all heard "Don't Let's Start", with John Linnell happily singing "no one in the world ever gets what they want, and that is beautiful / everybody dies, frustrated and sad, and that is beautiful".  So, I decided that Adam, in the true spirit of TMBG, should also, not ever get what he wants.


The idea was to go to the locations of four early They Might Be Giants videos, specifically  "Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head", "Don't Let's Start", "Ana Ng" and "They'll Need A Crane", and have Adam try and recreate these ideal, perfect moments from the past, but have each one ruined or interrupted, either by something mundane like a throng of uncaring tourists or a locked gate, or by something a bit more...dramatic. Also, the moments from the past were to be saturated with bright, vibrant colors while everything in the present would appear muted and washed out. 
I wanted this to reflect the feel of the band itself and their early work, but I also wanted to address how people are always striving for that idyllic, golden past, bemoaning the fact that "their new stuff isn't as good as their old stuff" and refusing to let go of how things were and focus on how things are and how to make things better. We're never going to get those moments back because we're no longer those people.
No one in the world ever gets what they want, and that is beautiful.


(from left to right) myself, Phil, and Adam at the Williamsburg Waterfront 
So, as I am just about as technically proficient as a dead cat missing a leg, I turned to Phil Maniaci, friend, collaborator, co-creator of the web series, Unker & Physia, and founder of Tofu Bandit Media, in order to make this dream a reality, and, as has always been the case when working with Phil, it turned out beautifully.
The three of us got together and shot for two days in October, the first in Central Park at the Bethesda Fountain and then at the site of the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing, New York, and, the second day, at the Williamsburg Waterfront.


"Death & The Johns"
I am very proud and happy with what we've all created and I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labors.




"Grey World" written and performed by Adam Rivera
Directed by Paul Guyet & Phil Maniaci
Prop Construction by Christina Bryant
Illustrations by Ethan Harper
Kraken Master - Bryan Rusch

1.01.2014

Music I Didn't Hate In 2013

Every once in a while...I don't have anything shitty to say.
Every once in a while...an angel sheds a happy tear and farts powdered sugar.
Every once in a while...

John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
After relistening to this album, it's not as great, overall, as I remember, but, those tracks that stood out still stand out, more than before.

"GMF"



So, so catchy. Listen to it once and it will become your anthem.

"Ernest Borgnine"



Grant's staccato delivery combined with the dark waves and sax are just infectious.
Plus, it's a techno song about Ernest Borgnine.
What does it take to impress you?

"Glacier"



This seems to be Grant's "it gets better" track, but without all the sap. Or, rather, there's sap, but it's offset by his palpable anger and snark. If I were having a tough time coming out of the closet or getting bullied or both, while no song is going to solve the problem, this seems like the most realistic and helful one I've heard.

I go into much more detail in my review of Pale Green Ghosts here.
If you're interested.
Tool.

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
Didn't want to lead with it for fear you saw the words "nine inch nails" and tuned right out, but also wanted to get it out of the way early on because you knew it was coming.
Honestly, I've been too close to Nine Inch Nails since 1994, so I don't really know if they're actually any good or if Trent Reznor just has a small portion of the Earth's population completely hypnotized*.
Whatever the case, here are some of my favorites off the new NIN album.

"Find My Way"



This track is the most like something from The Fragile, my favorite NIN album. It's the softest song on Hesitation Marks and I like the layers and little sonic gems hiding in it.
Despite my closeness and bias with the music of NIN, I can admit the lyrics aren't super original or inspiring, but, form over content sometimes wins with me.

"Everything"



This straight up shocked people, diehard fans and casual fans alike. It's just so...positive.
At least on the surface.
On the surface, it kind of sounds like hard U2.
I'm not going to get into my dissertation on it, I'll just let you (not) listen to it and move on.

"I Would For You"



My favorite song on a solid, damn album.
The descants in the chorus and chords and just everything on this work perfectly for me.
Again: for me.

I like the rest of it too, but I'm not going to put the whole thing here.
You've already stopped reading...which seems like a perfect time to encourage to read my review of Hesitation Marks. Less of a proper review, actually, more like my first impressions after my first few listens.

Atoms For Peace - AMOK
Oh, man did this deliver. I really liked The Eraser and this is a bold evolution of the formula that created it.

"Default"



This was the lead single and remains my favorite track from the album. Everything about it is just as it should be. I don't know what to say, some things just work.

"Dropped"



Much like "Default", I can't really say what I love about this track. The way it evolves and blossoms is amazing and...other things.

"Judge Jury and Executioner"



Same as the others. If you like Thom Yorke's solo stuff, you'll understand the trouble I'm having.
Maybe.
Maybe I'm just tired.

I did a better, more perspicacious job of talking about AMOK in my review, look!

They Might Be Giants - Nanobots
This...is going to be tough.
25 songs, 45 minutes.
The best They Might Be Giants album in a very long time.

"Nanobots"



This song is so fucking They Might Be Giants.
It's got Flans, Linnell, horns, a bouncy, upbeat melody which belies some dark subject matter and microscopic semi-sentient robots bent on taking over the world.
Plus Marty Beller (TMBG drum god) finally getting a chance to shine on an album.

"Call You Mom"



The first song debuted from Nanobots. While I don't like to judge albums based on one song, I do.
And I'm usually hurt because of it.
Based on how much I dug this song, I was ready to be very, very hurt.
In the butt.
Those horns, those drums, that Flans yelling part...

"The Darlings of Lumberland"



I still have trouble hearing this without gaping at how much it doesn't sound like They Might Be Giants.
Anyone who's been reading these Bitchfests will understand how much I appreciate evolution of sound, especially in bands that have been around for a while.
These guys have been doing this for three decades and have never produced anything like this.
While the wiggly Flans vocals might not be the most amazing thing ever, the horn arrangements on this are. I would sell a fair portion of my blood to hear this live with a full horn section.

"Stone Cold Coup D'Etat"



Yet another They Might Be Giants ass They Might Be Giants song.
A straightforward rocker about role reversal, sure, whatever, but this features the lyrics:
"Around the dinner table a family says grace / and the son sees the secret signal on his sister's face / dad smiles at his wife / daughter reaches for the knife"
God, I love these guys...

"Replicant"



CHECK OUT THE VIBES.
THE VIBES.

I'm done here.
If you're a fan of TMBG, I'd be surprised that you haven't checked this out yet.
Here's my utterly glowing review.

How to destroy angels - Welcome oblivion

Once all the news of the new Nine Inch Nails album came out, I forgot about HTDA and their debut album. Recently, I put it back on, to see if it still mattered to me after Hesitation Marks. Turns out it not only still matters, but some stuff has gotten even better.
I'm very happy that this doesn't sound anything like the new NIN, that it has its own identity.
And, as awful as those awful lyrics still are, when you focus on the sound behind them, they become forgivable.
Kinda.

"Too late, all gone"



Yeah, ignore the lyrics and just drown in the sea of sonics offered up here. The interplay and juxtaposition of Reznor and Mariqueen's vocal are just stunning, and the editing is fantastic. I'm still hearing stuff in this I haven't heard before.
Like him or not, Trent Reznor knows how to craft a multi-faceted song.

"And the sky began to scream"



Again, ignore the lyrics. Instead, soak in the menace and fear this track is dripping with.
The depth, the feel.

Never before has the look and sound of an album come together more perfectly than with Welcome oblivion. I'm very excited to see what 2015 holds for How to destroy angels.
And, here's my full review.

Eels - Wonderful, Glorious

The year started off with the tremendous, triumphant return of Eels.
I will fully admit that I was worried after those three albums (which, when combined, featured about thirteen good songs) and this follow up, but E managed to come up with gold once again.

"The Turnaround"



Sometimes, the Eels songs intended to illicit an emotional response don't work on me.
And sometimes they do.
This is one of the latter.
The rising, defiant ending gets me every single time and seeing it performed live was...just so fucking cathartic.
Even though E has admitted this isn't an autobiographical song (he's never battled with heroin), it still works.
From about 2:40 on, he has me by the heart.

"Peach Blossom"



The debut single from Wonderful, Glorious, and, while I did get my hopes up, I had been hurt by Eels before, more so than by any other of my favorite bands, so I was able to manage my excitement and prepare for disappointment.
I still dug the song though.
Any time E puts a celeste into a song, I'm in.

"You're My Friend"



Yeah, I know, it kind of sounds like a Randy Newman song and the lyrics aren't sparkling with wit, but I like the simplicity of the message and the instrumentation a lot (musical evolution and all that).
And this is my blog that no one's reading so fucking FUCK OFF, MOM!!!!!


"On The Ropes"



For me, no artist has more weight behind his words than Mark Oliver Everett. When he talks about having been through everything, it's real. And if he can live through what he's lived through and still speak of having hope, so can I. He makes some of the darkest, brightest and most bittersweet music I've ever heard. This might not be the darkest, brightest or most bittersweet of those songs, but it falls among those that are.

I was so happy with this and can't wait to hear their new one, which should be out in May or June.
My review.
Which got quite a bit of hate for being too long when I posted it on Amazon.
Hah.

Mackelmore and Dude Who Isn't Mackelmore - "Thrift Shop"

Yes. I know this came out in 2012. In October. But I have this strange ability to, unintentionally, avoid a lot of mainstream and pop culture music. I'd never heard of "Wrecking Ball", "Blurred Lines" or Robin Thicke until that stupid MTV VMAs video. I hadn't heard "Call Me Maybe" until July of this year.
And I didn't hear "Thrift Shop" until a few months ago.
And I have yet to stop listening to it.
I checked out The Heist, and, while there's some cool stuff on there, nothing even comes close to the catchiness of "Thrift Shop".
In fact, just writing about it makes me want to hear it.
Excuse me.
I'm not posting it here because you haven't heard it, I'm posting it here so you can hear it again.
You're welcome.



And that is all the music I liked this year.
Nope.
Nothing else.
That is the kind of monster I am.

NEXT UP: Remember the 2013 BITCHWISHLIST?
...
Wow. That was meant to be rhetorical.
You fucking dicks.





* A portion of the Earth's population that contains members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, a bunch of renown and well respected musicians and a bunch of really amazing filmmakers.
Whatevs.