January 2005 Archives

The enitre DVD was filmed using old equipment much like Elephant was recorded using old analog equipment.

Jacky and Megster and not brother and sister. Jacky is really Megster father. Who's your daddy?

Jacky throws a mean right cross.<%popup(ouch.jpg|250|264|ouch)%>

Lemon Jelly is an electronic duo with a sample-happy frame of mind. I like to call them warm. Yes, they are warm. That is the feeling listening to their sometimes off beat electronic ramblings as they jump from genre to genre. But as they bounce around the one consistent quality to their music is warmth. I wouldn't go as far as to say Lemon Jelly makes bubbly music, no but it is very warm. And sometimes warm is so very very good.

The first song off the new album '64-'95 is a bit more rocking then I expected out of Lemon Jelly but I was pleasantly surprised. The rest of the album is a great example of Lemon Jelly's massive record collection and broad range of musics with in said record collection.

Danger! Danger! The Electric Six are back. And from what I hear, it is not a good thing. See, their last album Fire was this spastic blend of rock and disco and electro whipped together with twisted song writing and had great little gems like Gay Bar, Danger! High Voltage (featuring Jacky White) and Dance Commander.

Fire was so kitschy and had such a great beat that you couldn't help but envision gigantic tranny robots destroying the disco dance floor and molesting any and all unsuspecting patrons who were in reach of the robot's extend-o-matic French tickling arms.

The new album from the Detroit natives, Senor Smoke is lacking. And I'm trying to be nice. It has a couple high points. I caught a Backstreet Boys lyric tossed in the mix, made me smile and then wretch. Backstreet's back, alright. The Six just don't seem to be trying hard enough or they are trying to hard to be conventional. Either way, it's not working.

Here's a blast from the past.

Stuff to Steal: Danger! High Voltage, Dance Commander, Gay Bar

Menomena. I don't know, don't ask. What I do know, however, is that they have a fairly decent album. I am not sure I can properly categorize
I am the Fun Blame Monster, if that would even be prudent. A friend of mine told me that Menomena sounds like where Radiohead could have gone. I disagree. Home Video is where Radiohead could have gone. But I digress.

Menomena sounds a bit like Radiohead, especially Kid A with some chunky bass and crazy horns. And like Radiohead, Menomena can rock a bit, when needed. But I think that is where this comparison has to end.

The band created a computer program to change the collaborative process. Instead of the members bringing in riffs or written songs they would gather and improvise bits of sound that were then looped until a complete song was created and then they would learn how to play that song live. I find that type of collaboration to be amazing and I wish I had that program. Look, I'm gushing.

Website: www.menomena.com (their site gives me a headache. I get what they are trying to do with the low tech design, but seriously, it hurts my eyes)
Stuff to Steal: E. is Stable
More Stuff: Live and Other

My Beat is Correct.

Beck's new album Guero has been leaked and is floating around in cyber space. I'm not going to lie, I have it. For those who loved Beck because he is an ever-evolving always exploring type of artist, I have bad news - the new album sounds a lot like Odelay. For those who think Beck's best album was released in the mid 90s, I have some good news - the new album sounds a lot like Odelay.

This is because Beck has been working with The Dust Brothers, those two fine chaps that helped him produce Odelay. Beck has not made the mistake of trying to remake Odelay. He has made the mistake of borrowing some of the sounds and a bit of the feeling that helped prove he wasn't a one hit wonder after that wonderful single off of Mellow Gold. Lets all sings the chorus together. "I'm a Loser, Baby, So Why Don't You Kill Me?"

But I would have to say that Beck's decision is not a mistake, unless he's trying to prove he can be a commercial success again, but what is in Beck's head is anyone's guess. All I know is that his beat is correct.

Update: Check out the video for Hell Yes (8-Bit Remix)

Stuff to Steal: Hell Yes (Click Beck - Hell Yeah when you get there).

Fischerspooner returns! Quiet frankly I'm surprised, I guess. I never considered the possibility of them making another album after #1 but then, I never considered that they wouldn't make one either. But I'm glad they have.

The new album called Odyssey will be available April 5. The first single Just Let Go is already out and in the clubs and there are the obligatory remixes as well. And by obligitory I mean a great improvement on an already great track.

The Thin White Duke Remix is especially good but then so is the Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Retouch. Read on for more information about the band and the album if you are uninformed or just a little more interested.

Stuff to Steal: Just Let Go (It is in .ASF format not .MP3. I'll keep looking.)

Here's the quick run down. Fischerspooner is Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner. They comprise the art-electro-pop-dance-a-m-thon that is Fischerspooner. They appeared a couple of years ago in New York and blew some folks away with elaborate stage shows with lots of costumes and glitter and then they dropped #1 on the world, which is the combination of two earlier EPs.

Tracklisting for the new album:

FISCHERSPOONER, ODYSSEY

1. Just Let Go
2. Cloud
3. Never Win
4. A Kick in the Teeth
5. Everything to Gain
6. We Need a War
7. Wednesday
8. Happy
9. Ritz 107
10. All We Are
11. Circle (Vision Creation New Sun)

I keep reading weird things about Man Man, crazy weird things that both repulse and attract me. Things like "Man Man wants to pee inside your mouth" or "they want you to say their music sounds like Barenaked Ladies and their breath smells like the Doobie Brothers." And what's more, I keep hearing all about how they sound like Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, Captian Beefheart and Screamin J. Hawkins. Is that possible? You tell me.

Stuff to Steal: Man Man - 10 lb Mustache

The Heartless Bastards are an interesting trio out of the great State of Ohio. I've been listening to their album non stop because it is so rare that I find a female voice, and a great one at that, in the realm of rock and roll.

Here's a funny story. The band I happen to be in and The Heartless Bastards were on the opening bill for The Greenhornes at a recent show. And somehow The Heartless Bastards ended up staying at our band's drummer's place. I hope we didn't freak them out. Go check em out if you get the chance.

Website: www.theheartlessbastards.com
Stuff to Steal: Rough demos of songs off their new album Stairs and Elevators. Gray, New Resolution and Runnin.

I think I’m on the wrong side. I live in a PC world, quite aware of Macs, and their influence on everything around me. Shoot, I even work on a Mac ( A beauty of a G5) but I always come home to my faithful PC.

Now I just don’t know. Here is Apple's Mini Mac. The base model is cheaper then the top of the line iPod. I really want one all of the sudden.

What kind of wonderful possibilites could it add to my digitally drenched life?

Stuff to Steal: Somebody go steal me one, please.