March 2005 Archives

I've been hearing things about this band called Kaiser Chiefs. I have their album. It's OK, but they are strikingly English. As Limey as one can get, really.

They sing like Brits, they play like Brits and I'm sure if I got to know them, they would piss, eat and sleep like Brits. And I get the feeling these guys want to be Blur (and probably the Clash) in the worst way

That being said, their album, Employment isn't bad. It's kind of catchy; fitting in somewhere between this new post-punk revolution and the quiet resurgence of bands who sound like they want it to be 1996 again.

So, if Kaiser Chiefs sound like your thing, and by thing I mean 1996, Blur, post-punk or British, then go check 'em out.

Stuff To Sample: Kaiser Chief's "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" and "Oh My God"

I like bossa nova. Bossa bova makes me feel like there is nothing wrong in the world. It also lends itself very well to down tempo (my favorite kind of tempo) electronic music. Bossa nova is appropriate at any occasion. In fact, bossa nova will make that occasion much, much better. Don't believe me? Try it.

But not all bossa nova is created equal. There is João Gilberto and Stan Getz and then there is everything else. Getz and Gilberto's landmark album Getz/Gilberto pretty much created the movement known as bossa nova and should be in every music lovers' collection.

Recently, a friend of mine took a trip to Taipei. While soaking up the culture, food and people he was able to do a little shopping. One of the CDs he brought back was called Bossa Nova 2005 Dream Pop. There are a few gems on this CD, but unfortunately, the rest of it is shit. Horrible, bastardized bossa nova shit. It is sad, but it helped remind me how great real bossa nova can be.

Not surprisingly, the best tracks off Bossa Nova 2005 Dream Pop come from Bebel Gilberto, daughter of bossa nova legends João and Astrud. Following in a distant second are tracks from Cibel and Zola.

I'm not even sure all of the music that appears on Bossa Nova 2005 Dream Pop is really bossa nova. Take for instance, the track from indie popsters Camera Obscura. Sounds sorta of bossa nova-ish, but not really. I guess there is a reason the other half of the album title is "dream pop."

Stuff to Sample: Bebel Gilberto's "Samba Da Bencao" and Zola's "Atlantico" from Bossa Nova 2005 Dream Pop. Stan Getz and João Gilberto's "Corcovado" and "O Grande Amor" from Getz/Gilberto.

I get spooked when I can’t find information about something on the internet. It’s the Internet for christ’s sake!

I recently got a hold of The Dirtbombs vs. King Kahn and the Shrines' Billiards At Nine Thirty split LP. Six unreleased songs from each band, nothing big right? Wrong.

I can’t find any information about the album or why it was made. It’s only for sale in Europe, on obscure German web sites and on the French Amazon, but since I don’t speak French, let alone read it, I’m kinda screwed. And why is it that the French keep making an appearance on this blog? Do I have to make the obligatory disparaging remarks? Or can I move on?

Anyway, I’m familiar with the Dirtbombs (saw them last year, click here for my thoughts) but their web site doesn’t mention Billiards at Nine Thirty. King Kahn’s web site devotes one whole line to it. So officially, I guess this album doesn’t exist in United States.

Quick run down on King Kahn. 1. Started out playing bass for the Spaceshits in Montreal. 2. Went on tour with the Spaceshits. 3. Decided not to come back from the Spaceshits European tour. 4. Formed The Sensational Shrines, a big band/soul/pyschadelic outfit, later renamed King Kahn and The Shrines. Oh so interesting. Did I mention he has a horn section?

Stuff to Sample: King Kahn from Billiards at Nine Thirty - Killer Diller and more King Kahn from Mr. Supernatural - On The Street Where I Live and On a Brass Bed

The Dirtbomb's Show

I went with a couple of friends to see The Dirtbombs and the Greenhornes play at a local venue. Both bands put on an amazing show. It was a wonderful night of garage rock. The funny thing is, one of the guys I went with fell asleep during the Dirtbombs set. Seriously.

No, he wasn't drunk. He drank only one beer. And no, he is not a narcoleptic. He just sat down and fell asleep. I was astounded. The Dirtbombs were going full force through their set and he's snoozing. And it's not like it was a very big place either. Crazy.

The Go! Team are a band from another era, or at least they should be. The music these UK kids make is so upbeat, so expressive and so 1985 (in a good way). With tons of crazy samples and frenetic drums The Go! Team melds pop and rock riffs straight from any 1970s and 1980s action TV show theme into a really, really danceable good time.

The Go! Team's album Thunder, Lightning, Strike has been available in Europe since September but there is no official word on a state side release. The band is currently on tour, playing a whole week of shows in New York and a couple in Miami. Depending on who you talk to, The Go! Team is either kicking serious ass or just being seriously lack luster. Either way, the album is far from disappointing. Check it out.

Stuff to Sample: The Go! Team – Huddle Formation

When I started listening to Moby's new album Hotel I was seized by this horrible feeling of de ja vu. Suddenly it was 1999 again, people were still scared about the Y2K bug, Britney Spears was in the middle of exploiting her jail bait look, tech stocks were all the rage and the best album on the planet was Moby's Play.

Play was everywhere, all over MTV, in all the car commercials, on movie soundtracks, played incessantly on the radio and stuck in my CD player. Six years and two albums later, Moby is still releasing albums that sound too much like Play. He might as well rename Hotel to Play III (Play II was his 2002 album 18).

I know a lot of artists strive for consistency, but what happened to the ever-evolving Moby? Somebody please kick him; the crazy, little, bald-headed vegan is stuck in a rut that is perpetually looping him through 1999.

On the flipside, limited editions of Hotel also come with a second disc called Hotel Ambient. Missing from Hotel Ambient is Moby trying to sing and most of the reused soundscapes that populate Play and Hotel, making Hotel Ambient a half-way decent record to listen to.

Stuff to Sample: Moby - Raining Again off of Hotel and Swear off of Hotel Ambient

I’m finally getting around to making an entry on M.I.A. and her new album Arular, which I should have done, like, three months ago . . . screw it, I’m a little behind.

M.I.A., not to be confused with R&B singer Mya, is an up and comer from the UK. After escaping the civil war in her parent’s homeland of Sri Lanka, she found solace from the memories of death and destruction she witnessed through her art and music.

Political statements are strewn through out the album (her father is leading the Tamil rebellion in Sri Lanka) but her militaristic views fade into her sing-song raps and baile funk beats. Lyrically, she isn’t off the map, but there is something fresh in her voice and her beats.

M.I.A., real name Mathangl Arulpragasam, broke out late last year with the release of her single Ganlang. The single was followed by the mix tape Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1 put together by Philly DJ and rumored love interest Diplo. Diplo’s obsession with the dirty beats and the gothic South is a perfect fit for M.I.A. More on the great work of Diplo later, or look at this early post. For now, listen to this.

Stuff to Sample: M.I.A - Bingo and Bingo (Diplo Mix)

I used to laugh whenever I saw Kidz Bop Kids commercials. For the uninformed, Kidz Bop Kids is an ongoing compilation on which children (and a few adults) cover popular songs of the day.

As I was saying . . . I used to laugh whenever I saw Kidz Bop because this company is misappropriating adult music, sometimes very explicit adult music, and repackaging it with kinder, gentler lyrics for children.

I’m not laughing anymore. In fact, at the moment, I scared. So very, very scared.

Stuff to Sample: Kidz Bop Kids – Float On

MC Chris ain’t tall but what he lacks in vertical height he totally makes up for in lyrical depth. MC Chris (aka Chris Ward) is also a voice actor on Cartoon Network’s Adult swim. On top of doing the voices for Hesh, MC Pee Pants and Young Carl he also contributes with writing and drawing skillz.

Presently, MC Chris is on tour supporting his new album Eating Is Not Cheating. I was with the nerds and ultra hip that came out to see MC Chris on his local tour stop. The man puts on an entertaining show spitting rhymes over crazy beats provided by DJ John Fewell and his Mac iBook (or maybe it was his fanny pack).

The real surprise of the evening, though, were the Pittsburg natives, Grand Buffet. I don’t think anything Grand Buffet said all night was grounded in reality and I don’t think that really matters. It took me a few minutes to figure out what they were doing. And let’s just say they weren’t rapping about being in da club.

Some French web site referred to them as “electro hip hop” (And I know some of you speak French, so go here and scroll down) but I’d like to categorize them as “avant hip hop," because I can do that.

Just listen to the whole song, wonder what the hell is wrong with me and then take my word that you have to see Grand Buffet perform live to completely understand.

Stuff to Sample: MC Chris - Tooth Pick Spliffs (off Eating is Not Cheating), MC Chris - The Tussin (off Life's a Bitch and I'm Her Pimp), MC Pee Pants - I Want Candy and Grand Buffet - Pink Deadly

Added Bonus: I found this interesting glimpse into somebody's life while looking for info on Grand Buffet. Go here

I just can’t help but smile when listening to Zolof and the Rock & Roll Destroyers. Hiding inside this inextricably cute band is an angry, hard-rocking indie band. But they are trying so hard not to let anyone know. Why? I couldn’t say and it doesn’t really matter.

Zolof is out of Philly. They mix pop perfection and indie sensibilities together and then quietly shred them while no one is looking.

I have to thank my brother for showing me these guys. And that’s all the proof I need to know that Zolof is really a heavy metal band in disguise, just biding their time to break out. See, my brother, he likes the harder stuff, all that crazy metal, etc., and if he hands me something like this, I either have to start wondering about him or take a closer look. I urge you to take a closer look.

On a related note, Zolof totally reminds of this other crazy “pop” band from Japan called the Pillows. It’s probably just the fuzzy licks that I associate with Japan-a-Pop and all of Zolof’s anime imagery.

Either way, the Pillows are worth looking into as well. Along with several albums the Pillows did the soundtrack to this mind-blowing anime show called FLCL or Fooly Cooly or FuriKuri (roughly translated meaning “funny sexy”). The show's production is outstanding and the Pillows high-energy “pop” is the perfect compliment.

Ok, quick checklist: Listen to Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer and the Pillows, then go rent some FLCL.

Stuff to Sample: Zolof and the Rock & Roll Destroyers - Moment and Mean Old Coot. The Pillows - Crazy Sunshine and Beautiful Morning With You.

So I’ve been listenin’ the hell outta the Kings of Leon’s new album Aha Shake Heartbreak. But I have one question, what the hell did he just say? I mean, I know they are from the South and I know they do things differently down there, but don’t they speak English? Or at least a dialect close to what we Northerners use to communicate amongst ourselves?

And while they don’t talk English so well, they sure do play guitars good. (Am I the only one laughing at the poor joke I just made at the expense of my grammar? Or is it only funny because I should be in bed?)

These fresh-faced sons of a preacher man (and one cousin) are kicking ass across the USA, causing a stir with all their antics in England and are slated to open for U2’s upcoming tour. Way to go boys, thanks for learnin me sumptin about rock ‘n’ roll.

Stuff to Sample: Kings of Leon - King of the Rodeo

Ok, close your eyes. Are they closed? Good, imagine this. You are sitting in a dimly lit bar on the fringes of Prague. The air is filled with the exotic smell of foreign smoke and foreign music. Not so hot on Prague? Pick another dimly lit bar in a far way location and chances are, The Brazilian Girls’ music would fit in there as well.

The Brazilian Girls are not Brazilian nor all girls and their new self-titled album is a hodge-podge of exotic sounds and beats as they criss-cross genres. And all of those are good things. This band moves seamlessly between genres and continents, tying it altogether with thick bass and lead singer Sabina Sciubba’s sultry lead vocals.

See you in Prague.

Web site: www.braziliangirls.info
Stuff to Sample: Brazilian Girls - Lazy Lover

I get scared when Newsweek (yes, I have a subscription, does that make me unhip?) dabbles in bringing new bands, like Bloc Party, to the unsuspecting masses of ‘Merica (AKA my parents, who also subscribe).

So now I’m weirded out thinking about my parents listening to the new Bloc Party album Silent Alarm. Because if they were listening to Bloc Party, they might also wear hip clothes and debate which new club to go to tonight. And if they were like that, would I have turned out uber-cool by their influences, because right now I’m kinda hip (sometimes) or would I have turned into the complete opposite, growing into a stuck up, preppy republican who loves NASCAR?

So here’s to Newsweek for trying.

But this brings up an interesting dilemma for the hipsters. Is Bloc Party unhip because Newsweek says they are hip? I mean, Bloc Party is hip. But am I unhip for agreeing with Newsweek? Is it now hip to like Newsweek? Or is it hip to dislike Newsweek, but like Bloc Party and find it ironic that Bloc Party was featured in Newsweek?

Huh.

Web site: www.blocparty.com
Stuff to Sample: The Bloc Party - Luno, The Answer, Banquet (Disco Phones Edit), Tulips

Wow. I’m not even though the whole album yet and wow. Just wow. The Mars Volta’s new album Frances the Mute is amazing. Wow. I don’t know where I’ve been the last three years to miss a band like this. Seriously, wow. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala were in At The Drive In until they stopped doing that and followed the inner prog-rocker that resides in all of us all the way to The Mars Volta. Wow.

And it’s not just prog-rock, it is everything (and I mean everything) else too, all mixed together. Plus John Frusciante and Flea guest on the album (that's Flea on the trumpet). Wow.

Web site: www.themarsvolta.com
Stuff to Sample: The Mars Volta - The Widow