7.31.2015

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - July 2015

They Might Be Giants

Dial-A-Song Round Up! pt. 7

First and foremost, congratulations to "The Velvet Ape" for snatching the award for Strangest Dial-A-Song from "Sold My Mind To The Kremlin". Flansburgh is bringing the weird. Special bonus points for reminding me of Coil's "The Anal Staircase". I don't think there's an award for that, even a fake one.

Going from the oddity of "Ape" to the (somewhat uninspired) fun and pleasant mischief of "I Am Invisible" scores huge juxtaposition points. I hate the video for this, specifically the lead guy in it. Something about him makes me very uncomfortable.

"Rock Club" brings us another decades-old Dial-A-Song sketch made real. Originally titled "We Love All The People", this was an odd choice to resurrect, but Flans manages to maintain the overgentle wheedling from the demo. The video takes place in the same universe as that of "Summer Breeze". Which is awesome.

Rounding things off this month, we have another cover; Norma Tanega's adorable and 60's-tastic "Walking My Cat Named Dog". It's so sixties that it's almost featureless, you know? No? Ugh. Whatever. The video is super literal and super cute, as well.

Regarding TMBG's Lincoln show from the 26th (REVIEW HERE! WITH PHOTOS!!!!!!!!! FUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!); I was worried this would happen...aside from Glean, they have about a dozen brand new songs, none of which made an appearance at the show. I only hope this month was a fluke because they're tired from their trip to Britain. I guess we'll see next month...wait, no, TMBG aren't having an August show.
I seethe.

And, lastly in the world of TMBG, the upcoming children's album, the follow up to 2002's No!, has a title: Why?
I love these fucking guys.

Nine Inch Nails
"Apple Music is still a thing, you guys!" screams Trent Reznor, as he desperately throws two (really solid, actually) leftovers from the Gone Girl score up on the service. He then mumbled something about putting the entirety of said leftovers (five-ish) on a vinyl at some point.
Trent.
Shut up and put out the goddamn Fragile reissue.

Beck
Beck shows up on the new Chemical Brothers album. It's not great.

St. Vincent
Annie Clark shows up on the new Chemical Brothers album. It's not great.


I used the word "passe" earlier this month, which reminded me of the lyric "heroin is so passe", which reminded me of the song "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" by the Dandy Warhols. I then watched the video for "Junkie" (Zia McCabe is adorable), then for a song called "Scientist", then decided to listen to some of their music, as I'd only ever heard "Junkie".
After a few weeks to take in almost all of their twenty year, eight album discography, I've decided that I like their first album (Dandys Rule Ok) and I love their 2003 album, Welcome To The Monkey House*. It reminds me of Midnite Vultures with its electro-scuzz vibe.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Alessandro Cortini goes and releases a follow up to last year's Sonno called Risveglio. I'm sure you remember that, right? Well, I FUCKING DO. And I reviewed it.

Finally, I had a chance to review the brand new Telepathe album (and it's about goddamn time). I am so happy it was worth the wait. Review coming in a few days.

* And its awesome, weird, Bizarro twin, The Dandy Warhols Are Sound.

7.30.2015

A review of Alessandro Cortini's "Risveglio"
















After almost half a dozen albums that could kinda sorta be described (by a less discerning listener) as all sounding the same... Well, I think the magic is beginning to wear off.
Almost exactly a year ago, synth godking, Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails, How to destroy angels, SONOIO, skarn*) released Sonno, created almost solely with a Roland MC-202 and a delay pedal; just this week, he has unveiled Risveglio, which throws a Roland TB-303 and TR-606 into the mix. The results... aren't startling.
The first thing you'll notice, as the album opens with 'Stambecco', is the energy: it's staggering when compared to his other instrumental works, merely for its presence. The opener has a palpable sense of pursuit, a hunt through a misty forest. This trend of palpable BPMs carries on through most of the album, an aspect that serves to keep things interesting for the most part. "Lotta" is sinister as fuck; ancient, massive, and hovering like a cloud of toxic gas, "La guardia" has a nice, subterranean vibe to it, with a glorious crescendo and payoff, and "Ricadere" is cool, future disco, replete with lasers, and the periodic muting of the delay here provides excellent texture.  
I think, at this point, I'd love to hear something new. I don't need nu-metal or anything so shitty, but maybe some vocals or organic instrumentation or even something as simple as a bit of percussion. As an argument for further instrumentation to be added to the mix, "La sveglia (Drum version)" is made downright enjoyable through the addition of a simple, rusty hi-hat. Perhaps something to consider for future releases... 
Is Cortini doing anything markedly different? No, not really; upping the tempo on your click track doesn't really constitute "different" in my mind, plus, to the uninitiated, the Roland 202 versus the Roland 202 paired with the 303 and the 606 might not actually sound that distinct but, if you've enjoyed Cortini's meandering sonic musings over the past few years, chances are you'll enjoy Risveglio as well. Here's hoping that, next time, whatever form his music takes and whatever moniker under which he releases it, we'll get something a bit more substantive and nuanced.
Oh! Or maybe a film score! Isn't it about time someone let this poor guy score something? Maybe a nice, little, indie horror film that involves people chasing people through woods.
I'd see that.
Probably.
Risveglio is available on limited edition white vinyl through Hospital Productions here.
* His latest pseudonym, who seems driven to create stuff that sounds like excerpts from mid-90's era NIN b-side sessions.

7.29.2015

A review of They Might Be Giants at the Williamsburg Hall of Music on 7/26/15 - "Lincoln Show"

"Should you worry when the skullhead is in front of you, or is it worse because it's waiting where your eyes don't go?" 
Jesus, that is still creepy.
July 26th was They Might Be Giants' Lincoln show at the Williamsburg Hall of Music. They performed all but one track from their stellar 1988 album, as well as a blend of tracks from their catalog, with a slight focus on their newest effort, Glean. Although they were, self-admittedly, under-rehearsed, I love watching They Might Be Giants fuck up more than any other band, as it always leads to something delightful.
Standout moments included 'Where Your Eyes Don't Go' (which might be the most unsettling song from their thirty plus year career), the stripped down version of "Kiss Me, Son Of God", "The World's Address", "Cowtown" (which Flansburgh stated was "his favorite"), "Lie Still, Little Bottle" (despite the lack of Stick), "You'll Miss Me" (for its glimpse into the long forgotten days of the bands' inaccessible, East Village, art fuck period), and "Twistin'" (which served as a fantastic closer). Other moments included Linnell's confession that all They Might Be Giants songs are inspired by/stolen from Erasure, Flansburgh's strange fixation on Donald Trump saying 'huge" on a loop in his head, and the Avatars of They addressing the recent Ashley Madison/hacker threat fiasco.
  
I've still yet to see a bad show by these guys, although two things bugged me about last night's otherwise great performance; namely, the lack of horns on certain tracks (most notably "Underwater Woman") or, I suppose, the choice to play these horn-driven songs without horns. This wasn't a deal breaker, there were just a few times throughout the evening when things felt a bit sparse. The other issue is something I've been worrying about, off and on, throughout the year: the lack of the dozen or so brand new Dial-A-Song tracks from the bands' Dial-A-Song Direct service*. Of course I understand they just returned from a week in the UK and they've been busy finishing up those new tracks for their upcoming kids album** as well as the last twenty or so tracks for the aforementioned DAS service, so, hopefully, as 2015 grinds to a close, we'll see some of this brand new (and, for the most part, really interesting) material played live, if not though...well...just because they're confident they could play "Birdhouse In Your Soul" without their heads, that doesn't mean they can't keep things interesting for fans.
They Might Be Giants is taking the next month off from performing, but will return on the last Sunday of September with yet another live show at the Williamsburg Hall of Music. 

* Which promises fifty two brand new songs, every Tuesday, for the entire year.

** The follow-up to their groundbreaking 2002 children's album, No!, which will be titled Why?

7.02.2015

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - June 2015

They Might Be Giants

Dial-A-Song Round Up! pt. 6

A delightfully wobbly, fuzzy synth-driven Flans track about...things. Patti Hearst, Skeletor, Charles Manson and Ronald Reagan all make an appearance on "Sold My Mind To The Kremlin". What a perfect They Might Be Giants song that should never be on an album, ever. Something about the bass reminds me of Discovery's cover of "I Want You Back".

"Hello Mrs. Wheelyke" is yet another excellent kids track from the band's upcoming kids album. Although a lot less...fraught than "Thinking Machine", it's still a fun little exercise in storytelling and funny voices. Plus, it's accompanied by a delightfully simple video starring the Johns making silly faces.

YES. Over twenty years later, "Summer Breeze" (an original Dial-A-Song sketch) is finally fleshed out and fully realized! THIS is what I had been expecting from the resurrected DAS service; the Johns digging back into their weird closet and finishing jobs they started decades ago. When questioned about more stuff like this happening, Flans responded in the "maybe", so I can now start holding my breath for "No Answer", "Tumbleweed", "Cupid", and "Mrs. Cinderella"; or something really weird like "Bread Hair" or "King of Wingo". The only fear is that of disappointment!

After its debut on their recent U.S. tour, "Bills, Bills, Bills", performed live for the Onion's A.V. Club, gets its official release. While a proper studio version would have certainly been more polished and nuanced, Flansburgh's scathing intensity comes through nicely on this version. Also, Miller's guitar sounds faintly reminiscent of "Hotel California".

And, with the release of "And Mom And Kid" (in celebration of the Supreme Court's momentous decision a few days ago), we are halfway through They Might Be Giants' ridiculous musical experiment. So far, so good. I'm already dreading the inevitable drought coming in 2016.

Finally, wrapping up TMBG stuff, a review from their kids show on Sunday the 28th will be up soon.
Spoilers: there was a lot of confetti.

Beck

I sometimes hate myself as a person. The negativity flowing through my veins in place of blood causes me to take such great events, like the release of a brand new Beck track from a brand new follow up to Morning Phase only a year and a half after its release, and spoil it. My first god damn thought after listening to "Dreams" for the first time was: "well, this probably won't be out before 2016".
Asshole.
But.
Here's the upside to my downside: if you expect the worst, and I don't just mean, "looks like rain", I mean The Worst...as long as things don't turn out that way, you'll end up being pleasantly surprised. This. This is why most of my life has me stumbling through the streets either looking like the Apocalypse is about to hit and it's going to start in my colon, or smiling like a fashion model drowning in pussy laced with money and candy.
Hope for the best, expect the worst.
"Dreams" is real good and can be heard here.
(I) Expect the album (to be) out in Summer of 2016.

Nine Inch Nails

Much like he did with Beats Music, Trent Reznor is luring fans into his new Apple streaming music thing by posting instrumentals versions of With Teeth and The Fragile, the latter including alternate mixes and three unreleased tracks, two of which will sound familiar to fans of his work with Saul Williams on Niggy Tardust and the Fragile b-side "10 Miles High". Notable standout moments include "Somewhat Damaged", which now has some distortion and a very Silent Hill radio squall in the back, "Pilgrimage", which sounds less organic and more metallic (and, because of that, more interesting), "The Mark Has Been Made", which traded dynamism and volume for something far more sinister, and, most notably, there is a sleazy, little drum machine underscoring "Ripe (With Decay)". It's fantastic to hear all the intricacies of this album laid bare; the guitars in "We're In This Together" are so clear and crunchy, it's like listening to broken glass.
I'd say this would stoke the long dead embers of hope in my heart for that Fragile re-release Reznor's been teasing us with for a decade or so, but that would be a lie: I am an empty vessel, filled only with the hate and despair Reznor has put inside of me.
In other news, my Nine Inch Nails cover album, i am an empty vessel (filled only with the hate and despair Reznor has put inside of me) is set for release two weeks after that of the Fragile deluxe edition.
Ha!

IN OTHER NEWS!

I stumbled across Adam Green's Jacket Full Of Danger this month and, man, is that a solid faux-country record. I feel like the whole thing was recorded in that fashion as a joke and it resulted in a method of singing that suits Green more so than his off-key, stoner wheedling we'd been getting since his days* with the Moldy Peaches.

Spent a little time with the new Troyka album, Ornithophobia. It's weird and tallowy and jazz-like in a dreamy/nightmarish sort of way. At times, I found myself reminded of moments from Phish's Rift, specifically on the opener, "Arcades".

Lastly, in honor of They Might Be Giants performing their only kids shows this year in June, I sat down with Danny Weinkauf's kids album, No School Today. "Our Love Fits" (featuring Laurie Berkner) is less a kids song and more a song so totes adorbs that it stings, "The Ballad of Ben" is a great way to get kids (or anyone, for that matter) into Ben Folds, the title track feels a bit like Weezer, and "Whipped Cream" feels a bit like that creepy Olsen twins song about pizza. While No School Today doesn't feel as unique as TMBG's kids music, it shares their vibe of not talking down or simplifying things, which is the key both to raising smart kids and not annoying the piss out of the adults who happen to listen to this stuff as well.





* Go here for that.

** OR SHOULD I SAY..."DAZE"????????***

*** No, I shouldn't. And shall not.