Too busy to blog today

Did you hear Paris Hilton is out of jail? Yeah, I don't give a damn either.

So I'll just give ya this. The first one is my all-time favorite... (hat tip: kyle)

OWR: Hero

65: Vibrant

Unyielding Commissioning has Fatigue

Everything out on 7/10. Previously mentioned in this space is the fact that Interpol and Smashing Pumpkins are both releasing new albums on July 10. You can add Bad Religion to the list. They have two of the new tracks available for streaming on their myspace page. The first one, Honest Goodbye, is probably the lousiest BR song I've ever heard. I mean it's awful. Way worse than the previous leader, My Computer. It sounds like they're trying to make a 1996 pop song. Candlebox and Collective Soul would be proud. I imagine the band has listened to what they've created and should know better. But don't take my word for it, listen for yourself. The other song sounds like a pretty standard BR track - nothing special. I never picked up their 2004 release, The Empire Strikes First, but the two albums previous to that one had marked a surprising and welcome resurgence. The New America (2000) stands as one of their three best albums, but it's pretty clear that New Maps of Hell will not measure up to that standard. So, in the great July 10 shopping spree, NMoH is currently residing in third place, pending news of other more attractive releases...

Penguin Fatigue, too. I swear I saw a commercial for the new animated penguin movie, Surf's Up, that said a critic called it "Unique" or something to that effect. It's another new penguin movie for kids. I'm not condemning it at this point, but forgive me if I find that review specious. We just got over enduring Happy Feet after enduring all the hype over the vacant March of the Penguins and now this is supposed to be unique? Oh, he's a surfer. I get it. How unique. They're also calling it "the incredible true story of Cody Maverick." I don't think I need to elaborate on why that's unacceptable.

Here there be growling, notsafeforwork tygers!

Random Rules #1

Today we are ripping off the AV Club in the hopes that something interesting will come of it. I’m putting my entire music library on shuffle and seeing what turns up. The AV Club’s version is slightly different in that they do this with a celebrity and only use an I-pod, not an entire library. The other catch is that my writing time will be limited by the length of the song. So if One Minute of Silence comes on, expect only so much witty repartee. If this works out well, I’ll try it again sometime, but hopefully will have figured out a way to stream the songs so you can listen along. For now, we’re keeping it simple. So without further ado, let’s see what turns up:

Codeine – Gravel Bed Are these guys still around? There was a time when I played the bejesus out of this album (Frigid Stars LP). I think I was about 17 when I snagged a used copy at Dr. Wax records in Evanston. It’s a slow droner – much like everything Codeine’s ever released. I picked up some of their other works later in life and found them completely uncompelling. So either they’re not as good as this album, or I just outgrew this stuff. It sounds pretty darn good right now, though. I mean, you’d have to be in the right mood. Like after someone dumps you or you find out your dog died. I might have to revisit these guys. I always was more attracted to the downer shoegazer stuff than My Bloody Valentine (don’t try to tell me that’s depressing – not compared to this!).

Dinosaur Jr. – Back to Your Heart I was wondering if we’d get something current, and I saw these guys play this song two nights ago! I don’t really know why they gave Lou Barlow any songs. I mean, it’s the nice thing to do and all, but it doesn’t sound like Dinosaur Jr. This was pretty decent live, but not as moving as most of the others. However, J did get more aggressive with his guitar on it than on the album version. Plus, Fatso hadn’t gotten out of control yet. Well he had – this was right after he nearly clobbered the waitress, but it hadn’t started to affect everyone in attendance. This comes off as a blues jam which is not what Dino’s all about. A decent tune, but I don’t think it’ll end up on a greatest hits CD. If they didn’t want to throw Lou a bone, I don’t know that it would make it into the live show.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Special Secret Song Inside Um, er, this song is about partying. Partying on someone else. Partying on a specific place on someone else. A female someone else. I totally thought this song was just a joke when I first heard it, but as I got older, I realized that this request comes from the most earnest of feelings. They played it at Lollapalooza in 1992. But I don’t think they were singing directly to me... I wasn't exactly moved by it. This isn’t one of their best songs or anything, but when I was 16, I found it to be bold and somewhat important since a somewhat major artist decided to release it. I liked to party. I would have liked to party in the same place that Anthony Kiedis wanted to. But that would have to wait a loooong time…

Pond – Greyhound Speaking of waiting a long time. I eschewed my senior prom in order to catch a rawk show. Or rather my senior prom eschewed me. Either way, I went to check out Pond, Poster Children, and The Screaming Trees. That was the first I’d heard Pond's music, but they stole the show. I really wish this band was still around. Their last release (Rock Collection – where this track can be found) is an extremely unique album that I have convinced many others to cherish over the years. I highly recommend checking them out, but it’s not like they’re going to tour or anything. There was a night in college they played at the Blind Pig, but it was frigid and icy. Despite aggressive pleading, I couldn’t get anyone to traipse over there with me. I should have just gone alone. Had I known the band was soon to break up, nothing could have stopped me.

White Zombie – Thunder Kiss ’65 I discussed moshing last week. White Zombie at the Vic was probably the last great mosh pit bestowed on me. I knew about half the songs on La Sexorcisto going into the show, but this was one that I had not heard. When they played it live, it was clear that it was an amazing song, my favorite of the night. This was way before Beavis and Butthead made it a smash hit. Yeah, this song is incredible. I can see why Rob Zombie switched to making movies. He’s not going to top this. On stage, Sean Yseult looked hot as hell. Granted, I was 17 and that was before I’d heard her speaking voice (extremely mannish). I thought I had a shot at her, though. Sadly, I wasn’t invited backstage for a “Special Secret Song Inside”.

Well that was kind of fun. If anyone knows how to add streaming audio, let me know and I’ll try to get these songs up there. Go buy Rock Collection! I’m sure it’s available at your local used CD store for like nine bucks.

OWR: 49 Up

82: Merited

Dinosaur Jr. w/ Awesome Color @ The Abbey Pub

J Mascis is inhuman. He is able to play his guitar at a level beyond anything I’ve heard from anyone else. The amazing thing about it how each one of those riffs and fits perfectly within the song. If you’re not paying attention to him, you wouldn’t notice that it’s a guitar solo. But he’s amazing. His hands are gigantic, which perhaps is why he’s able to effortlessly pump out these solos. Of course, J carries a mellow demeanor at all times, whether he’s wailing on his guitar, singing with eyes closed, or making fun of the audience. More on that in a minute. As expected, the show was absolutely loud as hell. A number of people who were standing close to the stage had to move back because they were not wearing earplugs. Even with plugs in for the entire time, my ears were ringing afterwards. Of all the bands I’ve seen, only Pinebender beats them in terms of volume. It’s pretty clear that even though this is the “reunion” of Dinosaur Jr., this is still J’s band. I spent a lot of time casually observing the roles and personalities within the group. Not only does J ignore the audience as he’s playing, he doesn’t acknowledge Murph or Lou, either. Murph seems to be in touch with what Lou is doing to a certain degree and will glance at the audience on occasion, but he generally keeps to himself as well. Lou, however, spends much of the show either watching J for subtle cues or checking out what’s going on in front of the stage. He gave a few smirks at times if he saw something amusing, and definitely seems to garner a feel for what the audience reaction is. For all the animosity that went down when the band originally kicked him out, he seems to have a really good time up there. Perhaps that’s part of getting older.Even though they have put out eight albums, I didn’t remember quite how robust their catalogue is. Nearly every release has superb tracks that could be played at any show. In fact, they could have played a 1.5 hour set with an entirely different set of songs, and I don’t think anyone would have come away disappointed. At Lollapalooza two summers ago, they didn’t play any songs from the sans Lou Barlow era. I figured that would be the case again, but we were treated to a couple. Out There was the night’s high point – it seemed the entire crowd lost control at least a little bit. Some bands go for verbal banter between songs, but generally J would play a little ditty as the rest of the band would ready themselves for the next track. Again, he’s very laid back and unassuming. But it was an incredibly impressive performance. If you get the chance to see J perform, go do it. Just remember the earplugs.There were some extremely bad elements in the audience. We were standing close to the stage, so perhaps farther back there were no issues, but near us, there were all kinds of problems. One man decided he was going to try to start hisself a mosh pit. Last week I defended moshing, but this was not appropriate. The dude was going around the crowd punching and hitting people. Some gave him dirty looks. Others punched back, but it was clear that no one was enjoying it. However, he only tried this for one song. Other people managed to disrupt the entire concert. Immediately before the band took the stage, a guy who had to be roughly 280 pounds and his also-not-lean girlfriend decided they would trudge up near the front of the audience. If you weigh 280 pounds and you want to be close to the stage, you should get your ass up there more than five minutes before the headlining act. The large couple proceeded to fight with one another for the entire first song. His next move was to get in an altercation with the waitress, taking her tray and looking every bit like he was going to smash it over her head. After the second song, he and another man who earlier identified himself to me as “Moose” unrelentingly chanted that they wanted to hear “Chunks”. Lou Barlow actually picked up his setlist and showed them that it would be the last song of the night. I have never seen a band do this before. But they really did everyone a favor. Then an overly patient gentleman took the time to explain to Fatso what had just happened and that they would indeed play Chunks and it would be the last song of the night. Then he explained it two more times and the guy finally understood. Fatso and Moose proceeded to shove people who were at the front of the stage back so they could have that position. I was shocked a fight did not break out. Had they tried that with me, I would have gladly gotten myself tossed punching each of them in the face. Then Fatso purchased a Miller Lite and insisted on giving it to the band. J said, “I don’t drink. Murph will drink it.” Murph and Lou both declined. So now this man had not only ruined the show for those around him, but bothered the band and wasted the time of everyone in attendance. At least Fatso got a reaction. At some point in the night, every member of the "reunited original lineup of Dinosaur Jr." shook their head at him with disdain and pity. He can tell his grandkids about it if his obese girlfriend hasn’t dumped him. Finally, when the band was playing their last song of the night, the aforementioned Chunks, Moose decided to climb up on stage and sing with the band. It looked like he was going to get a face full of Barlow’s bass, but a bouncer got up and dragged him offstage in a couple seconds. Fatso tried three times to climb up on the 2.5 foot stage, but failed to get his girth over the ledge every time.

Sorry to go on and on about this, but these dudes were a real problem. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought so. I’m just glad they didn’t touch me because I’m sure I would have gotten physically aggressive. Perhaps they were picking their battles. I was working on a posting about “the ten most annoying people to be near you at a show”, but Fatso blew away anything I had experienced before. Based on all the things he did, he could fill spots 1-5, 7, 9, and 10.

Opener Awesome Color started off pretty well, with pounding drums and some impressive guitar thumping. However, each of their songs was about four minutes too long. They played nearly an hour, but only six songs. There was a ton of onstage banter which, after a point, didn’t go over very well. I likened their performance to a Monster Truck Rally. Big and aggressive and bulky – fun for about ten or fifteen minutes, but then all the cars have already been crushed and there’s not much else to do. Maybe they should change their name to Bigfoot. But look! Bassist Derek Stanton wore a shirt that (thanks to a perfectly positioned strap) says OWR. He’s my new OWR mascot, folks. Please revere him appropriately…
Finally, a gigantic thanks to my friends EZ and Sergio Da Ho for hooking me up with tickets.

Setlist:
Almost Ready
Budge
Back to Your Heart
In a Jar
Been There All the Time (not totally sure about this one)
Pick Me Up
Out There
This is All I Came to Do
Feel the Pain
Little Furry Things
Lung
Gargoyle
Bulbs of Passion
Freak Scene
Chunks

More photos:

OWR: Children of Men

88: Captivating

Full Immersion: First Blush Roundup, Vol I

Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City

I pretty much thought... that there were a lot of elements put into this one, but I wanted to rawk more. In general, I came away hopeful that the album would grow on me like Silent Alarm did.

First Blush is cool because... Landon Donovan scored a sick goal! I don't even remember that I was watching soccer, but I'm glad I was able to remind myself now. Soccer is often better when you provide your own soundtrack.

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "It seemed like the energy of Silent Alarm is kind of missing from this one, and that's a shame."

I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... regarding 'The Prayer,' "This song has potential. It's going to take a few more listens."
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... Well, it seemed promising at the time. I was really excited for their second release, hoping that they would make the album more intense and more intricate. After having the album for over three months now, it's clear that it's not very good. Uniform is a pretty good track, but beyond that, the songs don't stick in my head, and I never have an urge to spin the album. In fact, when I hear other people playing Bloc Party, they're still almost exclusively playing Silent Alarm. And they're right to do so. All the qualities that made this band unique and interesting are at best toned down and at worst avoided here - to the point where I wonder if someone helped them write those fantastic songs on the first one. Their next album will surely be make-or-break. But they can take their time in getting to it. I'm no longer eager to hear what they do next. All I can say is that they had better turn it up a notch or three.

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I pretty much thought... that this album was a leap forward for the band, and some of their most brilliant work. I was awfully excited.

First Blush is cool because... I found myself not simply describing the album artwork to you, but actually managed to create a story based on it. Rolling Stone ain't giving you no story!

I'm obviously a genius because I said... "I can't wait to listen to this thing again."
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Davey Jones would be happy."
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... This was an awfully challenging First Blush. We're talking about an album with no vocals and no liner notes. However, I think I nailed the assessment pretty well. It is not their best album, but it's close. They picked the correct songs to play live (tracks 1 and 5) which are two amazing ones. I was really playing the hell out of this CD for the first couple months I owned it. That hasn't continued, but it is still getting occasional spins, along with their other releases. The band was absolutely brilliant live, but unfortunately had to cut their tour short due to a family illness. I have only recently started listening to the additional remix CD. Some of the songs have a lot of promise. I like it far better than the Silent Alarm remix so far.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

I pretty much thought... that I didn't know what to think. I was generally positive on a lot of specific points, but I think I was afraid to like it too much off the bat. Perhaps the negative reviews scared me a bit.

First Blush is cool because... "It breaks down to half-time with the song swaying back and forth, almost in a 1960's Fats Domino kind of way. The song is taking me with it. I just don't know where we're going."

I'm obviously a genius because I said... of 'My Body is a Cage,' "I'm calling this track a masterpiece right now. I will clearly listen to it over and over again."
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... "Feeling very snappy!"
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... that it's a damn fine release by one of my favorite bands. I alluded to the fact that there were several reviewers out there who panned the album. They're crazy. I can see someone saying that it's not amazing, and certainly someone saying that it's not on par with Funeral, but it's totally unfair to place any band's bar that high, even if they're the ones that once met it. There are four songs that are absolutely superb, and another five that are very good. The only way someone could take such umbrage with this release is if they focused solely on the lyrics (and even then, I find them to be solid enough). I was right on with No Cars Go. It is definitely not as good as the EP version, and I still can't see why they bothered to include it here. People went nuts for it live, so I perhaps they all disagree with me. More likely, they haven't heard the EP. Now, these songs were not as good as the old ones in concert, even if the live show still enhanced the new tracks. But I believe once the band has time to work on their performance version of them, they will come closer to equaling those from Funeral. If you don't have this yet, what's wrong with you? Arcade Fire is the band of the decade, and you should have all of their releases. This is an album worth owning. Of course, if you don't have Funeral, then you're even further behind.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I pretty much thought... that it was a bit experimental for Mr. Bird, but very much in his style and a "superb" release.

First Blush is cool because... we give you all the definitions of Apocrypha. Incidentally, I've received a ton of Google hits from people who are looking for the definition of Imitosis. Andrew made it up, people!

I'm obviously a genius because I said... a mere four seconds into the song, "I love it. The track is called Imitosis and he pulled the lead riff from his track 'I' on Weather Systems." That's a damn fine get. I'm going to have to Barry Horowitz myself on this one.
I'm obviously an an idiot because I said... of 'Armchairs,' "The album kind of came to a halt with this one. We'll see how he pulls out of it." Armchairs is now one of my two favorites on the disc. Just took a while (and a live performance) to fully appreciate it.
With the benefit of greater experience with the album, I now say... I was right. It is superb. I was loving the album, playing it almost nightly up until his show. After seeing him perform the songs live, it's even better. As stated above Armchairs is a stunning song that needed a few listens to fully appreciate. Secret Production of Eggs may still be better simply because there are about four songs on it that beat out all the tracks here. But the album is easily Bird's most complete, and it balances his virtuosity better than his previous works. Once labeled a gimmick performer by some, no one can listen to this album and make that judgment. This is a release that simply does not get old, no matter how many times I listen to it.

Unyielding Commissioning Loves L.A. like Randy Newman

Couldn't find a Magic Johnson Article: Fishbone is touring, and you should check them out. Chances are if you live in another country, you're more interested in them, but they're only one of the greatest live bands in history. I haven't seen the new lineup sober (and when I say sober, I'm referring to them, not me), but based on the album, I have to think they're pretty solid. I'm still bitter about the fact that I was out of the country when they played Illinois (that's right - Illinois, not Chicago). My dad sent me this article discussing the current state of the band and their tour. It sounds like Angelo is getting a bit burned out. So go see 'em. And bring your Nuttmeg...

Also interviewed this week, Perry Farrell in the Onion A.V. Club. He also touches on the late 80's LA scene, how these band got their start, and how they changed the music industry. They mainly talk about his new outfit, Satellite Party, but it's worth a read.

No mo'! Lollapalooza has added a bunch of kids' bands as well as moe. I saw moe. open for The Who last fall. Let's just say I was not impressed. The lineup is getting bigger, but not looking at all better. I'm more pumped up for Pitchfork right now. The bands they add are a helluva lot more compelling.

How's the rawk up there? Full time baller and avid music fan Paul Shirley's new book is getting good reviews. He's a quality writer, but I've yet to read his book. You can purchase it here.

OWR: Super Size Me

71: Blithe