January 2007 Archives

Two years ago today I made a post about a little band called Menomena and their debut album I Am The Fun Blame Monster. The review was a piece of crap. I probably rushed it and it’s evident that the writing suffered from my lack of dedication. These things happen. The album, however, was great and went on to become one of my favorites of 2005 (even though it was released in 2004).

Menomena’s next album Under An Hour came out in late 2005 but failed to capture my attention. Unlike Fun Blame Monster, Under An Hour was an instrumental dance experiment record and completely devoid of the unconventional pop aesthetic that that really set them apart from the rest of the indie rock art house crowd.

Menomena returned yesterday with their third album Friend And Foe and with it returned to the unconventional pop aesthetic that many of us at eLarceny had grown to love.

For the uninitiated, Menomena is not your typical indie rock group. These Portland, Oregon rockers deal in thick, driving beats while layering melody, noise and vocal harmony on top, deconstructing and then reconstructing musical convention. Do you get it? Want me to draw you a picture? Here:

Actually, I should make a chart that looks more like this: I give you the Pop Index. I’d tell you what kind of chart it is but I purged everything I learned in Economics 101 a long time ago.

Web Site: Here

Stuff to Sample: From Menomena’s Friend And Foe “Wet And Rusting” and “Muscle N Flo”

New the New Lou Reeds, y’all. Some of you may be familiar with the NLR, some of you may not. For those of you who have no idea what I’m running on about, the New Lou Reeds are a three-piece blues-rock(ish) band claiming some affiliation with Cleveland, OH (if it were up to me, I’d classify them as hillbilly hair metal with the just the slightest touch of esoteric wit). They sound nothing like Lou Reed. But then again Lou Reed doesn’t even sound like Lou Reed anymore. Before I completely digress, the NLR’s new album Top Billin’ is technically only slightly better then their debut Screwed. That is to say it’s slightly better then great. It sounds so rough and tumble – like it was recorded in a porta john that had been thrown over the side of a cliff. So dirty, y’all. So dirty.

Web Site: Here

Stuff to Sample: From the New Lou Reeds' Top Billin' "Lookin' for Boogaloo" and "You Don't Have To Die"

The Slip has been getting a lot of positive press lately. Everybody from Rolling Stone to NPR have gotten on this former jam band’s nuts. eLarceny will not be climbing on board. The reason to follow; first some facts about the Slip: They used to be a jam band. They have been around for more then 10 years. Two of the three members are brothers. Jim James of My Morning Jacket likes them. Alot. And that’s how I came to know the Slip. I like Jim James. Jim James likes the Slip. Therefore I should like the Slip. (Syllogisms rule). Right? Wrong.

The Slip’s new album Eisenhower, as a whole, isn’t very good. But, if you pick it apart, you can find some mind bending, psychedelic indie rock jam outs. The rest of the disc (close to 75%) is a horrible attempt at mid-1990s guitar pop. But that’s what you get for hiring Sheryl Crow’s old producer.

Web Site: Here

Stuff to Sample: The only two good songs off of the Slip’s Eisenhower “Children of December” and “The Original Blue Air”

I love hip-hop, because in hip-hop it’s totally acceptable to bite someone else’s style and pass it off as your own (in the real world that’s called plagiarism). But on the streets, if you admire someone else’s flow, go ahead and take it, no biggie. And that’s the problem, no Biggie. I miss you Big Poppa.

Anyway, I was listening to Masta Ace’s newest disc A Long Hot Summer, and that got me thinking about how I don’t listen to enough hip hop anymore. It also got me thinking about how a certain Detroit rapper who named himself after a candy coated chocolate treat totally ripped off Masta Ace’s style. But then, I’m guessing if you played Masta Ace for anybody not in the know, they’d probably think he was ripping off Marshall Mathers. Which would be stupid because only prepubescent teens with angst issues and no real musical taste emulate Marshall Mathers.

Back to Ace, though. He released Long Hot Summer in 2004 and keeps saying that this is his last album and he plans to retire, which is sad because he’s damn good. Don’t do that retirement thing, Ace. It didn’t work for Michael Jordan, Jigga’s latest is so-so at best and while you are a great rapper, no body cares, because you’re not a white boy from the trailer park or a blinged-out pimp or a muscle bound street thug with a speech impediment. You’re just a great rapper who hasn’t gotten the recognition you deserve. Biggie didn’t title his album Ready to Retire, did he? Didn’t think so.

Web Site: Here

Stuff to Sample: From Master Ace’s Long Hot Summer “Oh My God” and “F.A.Y.”

Have you seen Apple’s latest attempt to control you? It’s called the iPhone and I want one. Buying one is stupid. I’ll have it for six months and then they’ll put out a newer, better one with more tricked out shiznit that I won’t use but totally have to have. Either way, come this June these things will explode into everyone’s consciousness with a glitzy ad campaign that will send the endorphins rushing and send us running to Cingular. Yeah, Cingular has an exclusive contract with Apple to carry the hottest thing since sliced bread. So . . . to all my Verizon friends; I’ll see you soon.

It’s hard to determine the worth of an album based on the first single but it looks like Modest Mouse will strick gold. Or platinum. The new single “Dashboard,” from their forthcoming album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, is good. So very, very good. Will the rest of the album be just as good? Shake the Magic Eight Ball. Signs point to yes. Shake it again. Pop sensibilities with indie rock mentality will garner you acclaim. I guess I should have given them better odds.

Web Site: Here

Stuff to Sample: From Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank "Dashboard"