Ribbons

This post will only be meaningful to one other person on the planet but that's ok.

It's Bastille Day today. There was an uprising of emotions in a person on this day 4 years ago. Their emotions almost killed them. It was a coincidence that it happened on the French holiday. Though, in retrospect, seems fitting. I didn't know this little tidbit until a couple of days ago when it came through a text message. I didn't know about this song until just a bit ago. It all coalesces. Sometimes you owe people more than you'll ever be able to repay. Sometimes you have to let that go because the weight of that will do you in. The best is when you can let that go and find your way back to the beginning.

Ribbons are currently on tour across the U.S. right now. Check out their myspace page for dates.

Lord Cut Glass

On June 23 the debut album from former Delgado Alun Woodward (under the Lord Cut Glass moniker) will be released. I've been waiting for years for this date and can't believe that it is almost here! Look After Your Wife is the first single from the album. It may seem like an odd choice for the uninitiated but I think it's perfect. Enjoy!

In other news, this will quite possibly be my last post here for awhile. I've become overwhelmed by real life which you may have suspected due to the lack of regular posting. I've decided to do an easier blog - easier because I can write it while on the subway. I present to you i haiku, do you?

Yo La Tengo

I've been going to shows since I was 11 years old. My first show was the Beastie Boys/Run DMC "Together Forever" tour. I LOVED both groups and would spend hours spinning the vinyl on my record player in my room. The show was at Cal Expo in Sacramento - an outdoor ampitheater. Not a super loud concert experience. In fact, of all the shows I've ever seen the loudest show ever was this past New Year's Eve.

I had never seen Yo La Tengo before. My girlfriend had several times but didn't warn me of the sound levels they could achieve. When I think of Yo La Tengo I think of pretty, often sprawling, songs. I imagined a celebration with some pop songs, some love songs, and some stretched out numbers. What we got was the Ira guitar freak out set! It was awesome! By the end of the night I had my fingers jammed in my ears! Unbelievable! I usually wear earplugs but didn't think I'd need them for this show. Before I used to wear earplugs I was never forced to put my fingers in my ears because of noise. This was a first.

Now I will share a song with you that will make you think that I must be making the above up. Madeline is a great little mellow pop song. Quite enjoyable. No reason to think you'd be plugging your ears at a show by this band! However, have you heard the Condo Fucks record? Here's a sampling for you - What'cha Gonna Do About It? Yes, the members of Yo La Tengo covering some of their favorite garage rockers. You can see how I was deceived. You would be deceived as well, no? If only I had heard the Condo Fucks record before that show I would have had an inkling...

Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse are one of those bands that at one time meant a whole lot to me. I haven't heard their last 2 or 3 records. The last one I picked up was The Moon and Antarctica and I just kind of lost interest after that. To be fair, that record has such a strong association in my mind of a person, time, and place that it's maybe more due to that than anything that I moved on from the Mouse. After that record I actually stopped listening to them for many years and only recently did I rekindle my interest in them.

Many bands from that era were a joy to watch evolve from small club band to decent sized theater (and sometimes beyond) sized audiences. I was an avid show goer back then and have an enviable roster of bands I got to see. One of the only joys of being of a certain age! I first saw them at Bottom of the Hill and progressed with them to their multi-night stands at the Great American Music Hall. This was also the evolution of Sleater-Kinney, but i digress.

The appeal of the band is fairly clear in the same way that the Mountain Goats appeal is clear. Sad and angry songs for emotional misfits. People that have had rough lives, seen some shit, and use music as catharsis. In thinking back on Modest Mouse show going experiences I would say that it's similar to a Mountain Goats show going experience. The song Trailer Trash is a good example of the emotional side of Modest Mouse. This song always had a high level of crowd participation. A favorite of many, including me.

Horowitz

Rather embarrassingly I dropped the ball on a post I wanted to do. This post! Over a month ago I received an email from Darren who is behind
Filthy Little Angels. Very nice email exchange we had and he turned me onto some great stuff! So first up will be Horowitz who have put stuff out on various labels, including Filthy Little Angels.

Horowitz are an indie pop band from England. This song, Sweetness, I Could Die in Your Arms, has fuzzy guitar running throughout which really saves it from being too cute or twee. However, vocally and lyrically it is firmly in the twee camp. You like indie pop? You like twee? You will like this. Wonder if there's any chance of them playing with One Happy Island and the Smittens later this summer at the Indie Tracks festival in Derbyshire?

I encourage each of you to poke around the Filthy Little Angels site. There's some good stuff there.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Sorry for the lack of posts. I recently acquired not one but two computers to replace my incredibly slow older computer. It took me some time to get motivated to transfer music from my external hard drive to the new computers. Also, as you can probably tell, my motivation level varies and when I don't feel it, I don't feel it. I like to write about music when I feel super excited about it in hopes that my excitement is palpable and inspires those of you who read to give music you haven't heard or are curious about a shot.

I had a shocking realization recently. This song, Come Saturday, is my current favorite. Why the shock? Well, when I first heard The Pains of Being Pure at Heart around the time of their first release I thought that they were okay but nothing to write home about. When I learned that they got a drummer I decided to give them another chance. Then when I found out that Slumberland was making a comeback and releasing the record I became a bit excited. See, I was buying Slumberland releases when the label was in it's heyday. Definitely one of my favorite labels. Very happy they are on a roll!

Back to the song - this is one of those songs that I find to be perfect. Starting with a bit of feedback and going into a quick snare roll you know that the song is going somewhere quickly and with much exuberance! The chorus is pure pop perfection and refuses to leave my head. No complaints from me! The second verse does a fantastic job of capturing young love and the uncertainty of it all combined with the sheer joy of it. I anticipate that this song will make a lot of "Sprung in Spring" mixes this year... I'm not the only one who gets a little crazy in Spring, am I?

Lord Cut Glass update

From a Chemikal Underground Records e-mail update:

Lord Cut Glass - June 22nd!!!

For those of you waiting over four years for a new body of work from Delgado-extraordinaire Alun T. Woodward, then rub the sleep out of your eyes - the wait is over.

Twelve songs of theatrical, acerbic, poignant brilliance lie in wait with the release of the eponymously titled Lord Cut Glass on June 22nd. The track listing is as follows...

01. Even Jesus Couldn't Love You
02. Look After Your Wife
03. Holy Fuck!
04. I'm A Great Example To The Dogs
05. Monster Face
06. You Know
07. Be careful What You Wish For
08. Picasso
09. A Pulse
10. Big Time Teddy
11. Toot Toot

Previews, exclusives and interviews to follow once we get a minute to collect ourselves...

HELLO, CAN YOU TELL THAT I'M EXCITED?! I have indeed been waiting since the demise of The Delgados for this record!

R.I.P. Uriel Jones

Uriel Jones, one of the legendary Funk Brothers, has passed away. My love of Motown has been documented here before. My love of the Motown drummers and bassists is also pretty well known amongst my fellow music nerd friends. I think the Temptations song below will tell you everything you need to know about Uriel's drumming style. The perfect pick-up, not too busy, but putting every hit in the perfect place. He could hang back and let the song breathe which is more difficult than overplaying. Every time one of these guys dies we lose an important piece of American musical history. Thank the heavens we have the recordings.
Ain't Too Proud To Beg

reasons to be pretty

If you live in the NYC area or will be here visiting and would like some culture that isn't music related I would like to recommend Neil LaBute's reasons to be pretty which is now playing at the Lyceum Theatre. Went with a friend and saw it Friday night. Very funny and well written. I was surprised because I have not previously enjoyed his work. The cast was fantastic and really kept the audience engaged.

This marks the third play I've seen Marin Ireland in (the others being The Beebo Brinker Chronicles and more recently Blasted) and I must admit that I never thought I'd have a favorite stage actress but can now say solidly that I do. She is excellent and has been in all of the roles I've seen her in. The entire cast was wonderful but Marin is the one to keep your eyes on.

National Beekeepers Society

I was recently sent a few tracks by National Beekeepers Society and have to tell you that Look at Me grabbed me and shook me right out of whatever bad mood I was in. I was nodding my head and tapping my toes which is about as animated as I get. A fun, snotty, blink and you'll miss it sort of song. In other words, it says and does everything it needs to to get you hooked in less that 2 minutes. Sort of reminds me of The Buzzcocks, take that as you will.
Surprisingly, their other stuff did not sound like this so much. They seem to cover a lot of territory for one band. Admirable since a lot of bands these days just find one thing and do it to death. Why not check some of their other songs out as well?