5.31.2012

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - May 2012

Just a note for anyone who, for whatever reason, is here for the first time. Each month I complain about my five favorite bands (Nine Inch Nails, They Might Be Giants, Eels, Beck and Cake) and anything else relating to music that's in my Cone of Perception. If I don't mention one of my favorite bands, it's because, literally, nothing is happening with them...or at least nothing they are sharing with us, the people who BUY THEIR FUCKING MUSIC AND PUT FUCKING CLOTHES ON THE BACK OF THEIR STUPIDLY NAMED CHILDREN. so that's what this is.

Nine Inch Nails
Posted on Twitter at around 5:45 on Thursday, May 31st:
"Getting the plan together for @. You will hear new music later this year. Stay tuned."
How 'bout you stay fucked?
Later this year? Reznor said this album was coming out quarter one of 2011.
That's the first four months of the year 2011, in case anyone doesn't get how time and calendar and shit work.
How about this: if this turns out to be a double album, all is forgiven. A double album could possibly have taken this fucking long, but if you assholes squirt out some 12 track, fifty-five minute thing in motherfucking December...I'm going to buy it and all the merchandise associated with it.
And see you in concert when you come around my way.
Seriously, who the fuck am I kidding?

Beck
I am utterly speechless.
So much so that I'm just going to post a link.
The Apocalypse MUST be coming.

They Might Be Giants
The band continues to release their amazing, free podcast weekly. While listening last week, I had a realization: TMBG is, essentially, bringing back the mix tape with this podcast. It's a guy with a HUGE collection of forgotten and rare tracks which he's releasing every week to those who are interested. Way to fight the future, Flans.
Aside from the podcast, Flans is keeping fans apprised of the recording of their new, as-yet-untitled album, expected early 2013.
What TMBG is doing, keeping people updated as things happen in the studio is so refreshing after the cryptic mindfucking of Nine Inch Nails, the smug silence of Cake and the utter absence of Eels.
You'll notice I've left Beck off that list as I am STILL floored by the above link.
Holy SHIT.


In other news, this month marked the release of the new Marilyn Manson, Garbage and Scissor Sisters albums.
I've talked at length about the first two (review of the shitty new Manson, review of the pretty good new Garbage) and, as for the new Scissor Sisters, Magic Hour, I'll have a proper review up soon, but, sadly, it isn't nearly as solid as I had hoped. There are a few rock solid tracks on it, but not nearly enough. Sad, sad, sad. Oh well, at least I'll always have "The Backwoods Discotheque".

 And, remember that super-rare-only-2500-in-the-world St. Vincent vinyl?
Well, they released it on iTunes.
Which, honestly, I couldn't care less about as I was going to have the record converted to mp3 anyway.
If we've learned anything from the Terminator films it's that you cannot resist the future.
*sigh*

Finally, the latest Ramona Falls album, Prophet, is astounding. The first album, Intuit, was amazing, a rock solid, stand out proof of concept, but this new one is the magnificent tree that's grown out of its incredible seed.
Ramona Falls has the same sad, beautiful complexity that can be found in a lot of Sufjan Stevens' music, but, while I find some of Stevens' stuff a bit inaccessible, most everything by Brent Knopf grabs you almost immediately and doesn't release you until the album is over. I don't think I've been more excited about a band's follow up album since finishing Intuit, and Prophet has delivered a thousandfold.
Ramona Falls is doing what indie artists should: being awesome, deep and unique.
Listen to Prophet if you like things that are good.

LINKS
Hear new Ramona Falls album
Ramona Falls - "I Say Fever" music video
Ramona Falls - "Russia" music video



* unless there is nothing to complain about...which is rare

5.22.2012

A review of Garbage's "Not Your Kind Of People"

Automatic Systematic Habit - First things first, you are Garbage. You blazed a trail in the 90's by, not so much creating the hot-female-fronted-dark-pop-rock-band-with-some-electronics-thrown-in-there, but certainly by perfecting it and carving a niche for yourselves in pop culture. 

You are not Britney Spears or Madonna or some other shitty/bland product that needs autotune and nastee hott tekno beatz to get people's attention...as you've done with "Automatic Systematic Habit".

You're better than that.

Now that we've agreed on that, we can focus on the fact that it is a very brave song. For this to be the first track on their first album in seven years is very courageous. It's shows evolution of sound and concept and that is always exciting to see.

Just wish the song was better.


Big Bright World - Ah, here we are. I'm beginning to understand why everyone who heard this album said it sounded like the first one: because it's great. This is the kind of track that made Garbage stand out, that grabbed the mainstream's attention. It's not dark and smoky and sexy like some of their other stuff, it's bright and open and hopeful, which is just as welcomed as the former. Love the sound of this. I want to see someone set footage of Doctor Who to this song.


Blood For Poppies - A bit radio-y for my taste; not bad, just a bit...soft, I suppose. There is some new ground tread on here which is always nice.


Control - Harmonica is a bit weird...  Something about it reminds me of the feel of Use Your Illusion II. Interesting, but not really great. Oh and that singing-into-a-fan vocal effect towards the end...yikes.


Not Your Kind Of People - Starts off kind of weak. Remains weak. On the whole a pretty forgettable song. I thought this would be a lot more aggressive and confrontational based on its title. But it's more sad and proud; a low energy anthem for outsiders. A lot of this album seems dedicated to said outsiders.


Felt - This feels like a b-side. A really good b-side. Not bad at all, just a bit incomplete maybe. Love the guitar and chords. Shirley's...yodeling at the end is an odd choice...


I Hate Love - Excellent, rock-solid 90's Garbage. Total call back to what made them great. I hope this is the next single.  At times it has the feel of (another) Bond theme. And the ending?  "And then your love dies"? Dark.


Sugar - Really dig this one. Don't know if anything Shirley Manson does could ever be as sensual as "Supervixen", but this comes in a close second (or third if you count "#1 Crush"). Her sultry little husk is still intact after seven years of disuse. Or, to put all this into one word: rowr. Although, much like with Lykke Li, I have trouble believing that either of these talented, gorgeous, artistic women really has problems finding men to love them.


Battle In Me - Very strong, very forceful track. I really enjoy the guitar/drum breakdown at the chorus. Not sure why this was the first UK single and America got the far less interesting "Blood For Poppies". Then again, all these record companies are reaching senility and making less sense, so...I guess that explains it? Either way: great song.


Man On A Wire - Kind of sounds like Peaches. This brings up an interesting aspect of Garbage's music. More often than not, it isn't good Garbage songs versus bad Garbage songs, it's super catchy and well written radio playable Garbage songs versus skippable Garbage songs. I can't really think of an out and out bad Garbage song, just a bunch that I'd rather not listen to in favor of a different, better Garbage song. The delineation is clearest, I feel, on their second album Version 2.0. There are two types of songs on that album: the radio singles and those that are not radio singles. The former just have that perfect mix of hooks and melody and everything else that makes a song great and super replayable, and the latter just feels a bit...wrong. It isn't really something I can point out, just this abstract feeling of "these are better than those". All this to say: "Man On A Wire" is skippable. For me at least.


Beloved Freak - A disclaimer: I'm a huge Eels fan, and, as the title reminds me of "Beautiful Freak", the two songs will always be compared in my mind and the Garbage song will always be found lacking. Sorry guys. Also, I don't really like the song a whole lot. It's too smaltzy and saccharine. "You're not alone, you're great, you're special, let your light shine...". It all just sounds like a grade school teacher consoling a kid that all the other kids are calling a weirdo because he like Magic cards instead of baseball cards or plays D&D or wears a cape or something. Honestly, I blame my own cynicism. It's a sweet, warm, encouraging song and my sensibilities just don't lie that way...even though a own a cape.


Overall, this album shows that Garbage is still capable of evolution. Maybe not lyrically so much, but sonically. Most of the music on this album has so much going on under the drums, bass, guitar and vocals that it makes listening with headphones and listening on speakers two very different experiences, both rich and highly enjoyable.

I'm very interested in hearing the other eleven or so songs the band wrote and recorded for the album, as they're known for having some really excellent b-sides out there, many of them better than some album cuts, in my opinion. I don't think I'll consider Not Your Kind Of People truly complete until the other half has been released and can be fit in and around this first half. In any case, Garbage is certainly back and, hopefully, able to step right back into where they were almost ten years ago.

Oh, and also, Butch Vig is fucking awesome.

5.01.2012

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - April 2012

BITCH-CUITS AND GRAVY.

Beck
I think Beck might be mocking me...
Over the past month, he has released two covers: the kind of creepy oldie, "I Only Have Eyes For You" and "Corinna, Corinna".
He's managed to make the former even creepier and the latter features him and his acoustic guitar, nothing else.
While neither is a new album, I do enjoy hearing his voice.
He's playing a bunch of festivals this summer and maybe he'll tell his fans about a new album...or that he's retiring.

Nine Inch Nails
"Mulholland test drive of the finished new HTDA record".
Fuck you, Twitter, allowing artists to be even more vague than they used to be.
What the fuck does this mean?
That he played the album in his car while driving up and down Mulholland Drive?
That he went door to door playing the album for those who were interested?
Fuck!
Q1 of 2011 is lasting a HELL of a long time.

They Might Be Giants
Although they are no longer touring, the band is anything but silent.
Each week since their tour ended, they've been releasing their free podcast, stuffed with rare, live, weird and very weird tracks.
They're hard at work on the 2012 Instant Fan Club ringtones and their new album and EPs.
Plus, the IFC tumblr account, manned by Flans, is working with about 24 of turnaround time.
I'm running out of things to ask him.
The first of the 2012 IFC swag should be arriving soon...


Just at the start of the month, both Marilyn Manson and Garbage released music videos for their new singles.
And I WATCHED THEM.
First, "Blood For Poppies" by Garbage.
Somehow this radio friendly "hi everyone, we're back!" song feels incongruous with the flickering, black and white film grain of the video.
Oh, maybe because it is.
The video itself is an homage to a  whole bunch of old films which I can't remember from my college film classes.
On the whole, it isn't anything spectacular, although everyone looks great.


As for Marilyn Manson's "No Reflection" video?
Well, there are some vaguely Mormon overtones, some chicks sexy dancing while Manson holds (not plays, but holds) a guitar, and then all the girls at this dinner party smash up the place and then die.
Perhaps because they heard the whole of Manson's brand new album, Born Villain, which just came out on Cooking Vinyl Records!!!!
Honestly, this looks like it could have been made in the early 2000's.
There is NO new ground broken here.
Although I do like Manson's make up.


Switching gears to an artist with talent: for Record Store Day I bought a copy of St. Vincent's exclusive 7" vinyl release.
It features two songs, "KROKODIL" and "GROT".
They are loud and harsh and explosive and screaming and I love them...although I'm probably going to get them converted to mp3s because A.) I don't break out my record player that often and B.) I can barely understand what the fuck she is saying.
Did I mention the screaming?


Also, coming at the tail end of May, there is a new Scissor Sisters album titled Magic Hour.
Which, I think, has something to do with handjobs at sunset...I think.
After I found out this was happening (the upcoming release not the handjobs...although I did just say 'upcoming release'...), I relistened to the three albums the Sisters have put out thus far.
While Ta-Dah and Night Work both have some really good stuff on there, neither comes close to their debut, self-titled album.
I've heard a couple tracks off Magic Hour, namely, "Shady Love" and "Only The Horses" and, based on those, I'm sort of predicting the same thing; a solid album with some strong stuff and some forgettable stuff, none of which holds a candle to their first release.
And, honestly, I'm fine with that, as their first album is AMAZING.
Here's hoping.


Around the end of April, the music video for "Only The Horses" appeared on scissorsisters.com.
It features horses and paint.


Stuff I've Been Overlistening To

Marilyn Manson - Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day
Not that the song is so amazing, I just want it to make the rest of the songs around it better.
Music doesn't have an associative property, does it?

Nine Inch Nails - Get Down, Make Love
Originally a cover recorded for their "Sin" single, NIN started playing this live on their first tour in 1988, and, aside from their Lights In The Sky tour in 2008, have played it on every tour since.
The studio version was produced by and features Al Jourgensen of Ministry on guitar and, sorry Freddie, it's better than the original.
Or at least a lot angrier.
I took myself on a tour of the song's live performance evolution over the years and have determined that my favorite version is from the Self Destruct tour from the mid-90's.
The song remains whimsical and a bit silly, but with the fury that permeated that entire tour, a fury that's further enhanced by bassist Danny Lohner and guitarist Robin Finck screaming "Get down!" and "Make love!" at the top of their lungs in the background.
I also enjoy Reznor changing the line, "You say 'it's enough', looks like it's too much" to "You say 'it's enough', looks like it's too big".
Heh heh...dick joke.

David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans
Not really.
I just listened to the EP that has every interpretation of this song that Trent Reznor (and Ice Cube?) could come up with.
Plus a shitty drum 'n' bass remix than none of them had ANYTHING to d with.
But three looks better than two, so yeah.

A review of Marilyn Manson's "Born Villain"






















For the last 8 years, being a fan of Marilyn Manson has been like being in an abusive relationship.

I remember the good old days of Portrait Of An American Family and Antichrist Superstar and his next few albums...but then came Lest We Forget...a best of. That was a slap in the face, but, hey, some record labels require a "Best Of" in their contracts and, I could reason away a slap. I mean, it isn't like he really hit me...he slapped me...and he was tired and I was nagging him about taking out the trash...I sort of deserved it... But then, in 2007, Marilyn Manson released Eat Me, Drink Me which was, for the purpose of this allegory, the shove down the stairs that caused a miscarriage; which is what that album happened to be...a miscarriage. But a miscarriage that could squall off-key and spout bad puns all while sounding exactly the same throughout. Which is impressive for a dead fetus, but not for an established musician. In 2009, he released The High End Of Low*, which was about as pleasant as a broken wrist and bruises that last a month; not as bad as a miscarriage, but certainly not enjoyable.
When I heard there was a new album stumbling down Manson's absinthe-and-hyperbole-soaked pipeline...damn it...I couldn't help myself.
I thought, "Well, if Twiggy is involved, maybe it could be good..." and "I love Chris Vrenna's stuff, maybe that'll find a place on the album" and "Manson's dad sure seems to think this is going to be a great album...why would he lie?"
Will I never learn?

Well, the new album, Born Villain, is now out and I have listened to it and I'm here to tell you...it isn't as bad as getting beaten up by your significant other. Please don't think this is a compliment, most of this album is just the seemingly random croaking, hysterical screaming and de-lib-er-ate-o-ver-e-nun-ci-a-tion of bad word play that might seem original and inspired to a fourth grader that we've come to expect from Marilyn Manson over the past eight years. And, I'll solve a mystery for you: know why the songs on this album are longer than average? Two reasons, first, because a bunch of them have inordinately long intros consisting of uninteresting noise or, in one sad, silly case, a quote from none other than William Shakespeare, and second, because Manson sings stuff over and over and over, repeating himself as if he were playing for the elderly or children with ADHD. "Yes, Marilyn, we heard you the first time and we weren't impressed then, repeating the same lyrics six more times isn't going to grant us some amazing insight, it's just going to make us skip to the next track." Some examples of this "style choice" can be found in "Children of Cain" (which almost has some cool stuff going on) and "Disengaged", which both have sections where Manson is, literally, just rambling like a (very disturbed) three year old until he runs out of steam before repeating what he just said...again and again and again...*sigh*...I pity anyone buying this album on vinyl...
Oh, and keep first time listeners away from the pair of shit Twinkies that is "Pistol Whipped" and "The Flowers of Evil" unless you never want them to take anything Marilyn Manson has ever done seriously...ever. The former, because it is loaded with his awful pun babbling and silly turns of phrase spoken slowly and frequently as if they are the most mindblowingly poignant sentiments ever expressed by man ("I want to have your ache/and beat you too")**, and the latter because, aside from the horrible, repetitive lyrics, Manson's voice just sounds like garbage on it. Look, Marilyn Manson will never be compared, vocally, to Celine Dion, but he used to have some semblance of vocal control over the tone, pitch and timbre of his screeching, yowling, husking and wailing; those days are long gone. Just search for "Marilyn Manson live 2012" on Youtube and enjoy the train wreck.
"But I thought you said this album wasn't as bad as getting beaten up by your significant other."
True, and here is why.
There are four, count them, four good tracks on this album.
Namely, "Hey Cruel World", the regrettably-titled "Slo-Mo-Tion", "The Gardener" and "Murderers Are Getting Prettier Every Day".
"Cruel World", the opener, while repetitive, increases the energy behind each repetition until exploding in a genuinely catchy chorus with some of the best Manson screaming we've heard in a while, a great track to re-announce his presence. "Slo-Mo-Tion" equates itself in my mind to Peter Gabriel's "The Barry Williams Show" and it works. This isn't Manson screaming and crying about how the whole world is this and he is the destroyer of that, it's him as a greasy talk show host...which is believable. No matter how much hot air he blows up fans' asses, he'll always be more Howard Stern than Hitler in his philosophies, manifestos and proclamations. "The Gardener", the lyrics of which stand out from the rest of the album as they are less silly, repetitive and "clever", are spoken over a simple beat and, rather than addressing bullshit effluvia from Manson's assbrain, focus instead on a woman and a simple metaphor involving flowers. Always good to know your limitations. "Murderers" has a great beat (thank you, Chris Vrenna) and a jagged, hard sound reminiscent of Antichrist Superstar (thank you, Jesus). Add that to a chorus that's shrieked at the world in general ("Fall on your knees and hear the horrid voices of someone else's angels") and, folks, you've got a pretty solid Manson song.
And, although there is some of Manson's lyrical diarrhea in this happy handful, I have figured out that when it's being tossed off like an errant thought like in "Gardener" or screamed at the top of Manson's tattered lungs like in "Murderers", it's not only forgivable, but sometimes...it actually works.
Another up side: overall, the music on this album is better than anything Manson has put out in years. Songs don't blur together in my mind as much as with previous releases and some have some pretty cool aspects to them...a fact I am attributing pretty much solely to the use of Chris Vrenna (of Nine Inch Nails and tweaker) for programming, percussion, synthesizers and keyboards; but, a nice, well-designed car full of severed dog penises is still a car full of severed dog penises.
And I'm not cleaning them up.
In the end, does Born Villain harken back to the glory days of the well-written, fully-realized, relevant music from Manson's early career?
No, of course not, but it's better than a handful of broken fingers and a jawful of loose teeth.
Maybe next time, Marilyn...maybe next time...

* Or, as I came to call it, "The High End Of Low Expectations". ZING!

**The first time I heard this line I actually said, out loud, "Oh, go and utterly fuck yourself, you grade school poet laureate."