Because nothing makes me more excited than seeing a bunch of squirrelly white dudes trying to sound Africana and get famous for that reason.
Then again, good music is good music. My homeboy Christian clowned me today asking if I bought their album, but then said,"Or are you gonna protest because you don't want to do that kind of thing?" Which is true, I usually protest a Vampire Weekend-esque band. But hey, I can't protest before I give the cats a listen, right? And shockingly, I wasn't anti- it. I tried to be, but then my roommate Eric made a good point by saying, "I like their direction. I could definitely see 'em live. This is like the Graceland for hipsters."
And after listening to some more tracks, I agree. Shit's not bad.
Ahhhh, now we have a video of her new greatness. E. Badu is E. Badu, so I don't want to have all these expectations of her new LP to be like Baduizm or Mama's Gun, or even Worldwide Underground. I want her to keep doing what she does, because I'm gonna love her anyway.
Also, a special treat (hint: listen to the first 20 seconds to hear who produced it):
Remember this chick? No? OK, let's refresh yer memory:
Ain't that some shit? She showed a lil gully-ness with that side slick haircut and shaking her hips a little bit in videos, but now she's all "Fuck you, I'm the baddest bitch" mentality. Like so:
Look at that picture. I wish I was old enough to be hanging out with these cats circa 1996.
I feel like I'm a Bob Dylan fan whenever I tell some folks about my strong love for S-K. They'll say, "Ugh, I hate her whiney voice. And ugh, their guitar riffs are so simplistic, it sounds like a kindergartener playing." And I'm like, "Hey, whatever, dude, they're fantastic." Not that I'm comparing them to the apparent god that Dylan is, but still.
Anyway, sometimes you just need to rock out and dance along their groovy beats. I love Corin Tucker's vocals--because, what have I said in the last few posts? The horrible the vocals are, the more I love 'em. And what I even love about Sleater-Kinney's sound is Carrie Brownstein backs Tucker up with sweet, innocent and melodic vocals, meanwhile shredding the guitar in cock-rock fashion. It was hard for me to listen to their studio albums for the longest after seeing them in live action. And Janet Weiss completes the band with her fast-paced drumming. They complete each other--awww.
As you can see, it's hard to actually describe the true essence of the Olympia via Portland trio. I still cannot put a finger on why I feel that S-K are an essential collection to my favorite bands, but they are. Is it their energy? Possibly. Do I like their lyrics? Of course. Is it the music as a whole? Could be. If anything, I'd say I loved them simply for the fact that I could tell just by listening to their music that they were having a wonderful time in the studio. It just didn't seem as if they half-assed anything. And once again, who knew they would be so Sabbath-esque when they came out with The Woods in 2005?
Whatever the case may be, I sure as hell miss it. It's been a while since I've loved a band just because.
Stumbled across it while looking for mp3s off Xiu Xiu's new album, and my jaws dropped immediately. This song, literally, is one of the greatest songs ever (ish). What the world needs now is not love, Jackie DeShannon, a.k.a. Miss Know-It-All, but more songs to sound this delicious.
Otherwise, I'd be a suicide case, a disgruntled war veteran at 18, a Lolita who threatens to tell of her affair with an older married man with kids, a drag queenl who falls for a straight guy and wants him to "cum on my lips, honey boy"--OK, you got it. On top of that, I do a killer Jamie Stewart impersonation by just sounding like I'm on a brink of tears while making noises similar to "singing." I love it. What did I say earlier today? I love unconventional vocalists.
But damn, the shit's real. Happens everywhere, all the time. For those of you who are musical extremists who hate to see their favorite indie rock band lend a song to a Chrysler commercial and would rather them be poor and hungry for the rest of their lives in order for them to have "indie cred," then you needn't to worry. Xiu Xiu doesn't seem to have it in 'em to go that route. They are straight gangsta and I cannot even imagine them polishing their sound.
Shit, even if they did, I'd be behind them 200 percent. Remember when Ethan Hawke's character in Great Expectations (which probably happened in the actual Dickens classic, but not gonna lie--never read the shit) got rich alluvasudden because Robert De Niro's character bought all of his paintings in the gallery? I'd be Xiu Xiu's De Niro.
Their new album, Women As Lovers, drops tomorrow, and after listening to only four tracks, I'm convinced that it's another brilliant album to add to the collection. Xiu Xiu is the type of band that I'd consider a gradual choice to be considered "one of my favorite bands of all time." You know the deal: you discover a band that you think is so amazing that you can only listen to them in snippets, otherwise it'll be too overwhelming. Then you forget about them, never buy a single album and let two, three new albums slip by until one day you're reunited with your initial, gut instinctual feelings: these babies are fucking incredible, and now that they're in my grasp again, I ain't lettin' go.
At least, that's what they want you to perceive 'em as. Hey, go for the gold, I always say.
I didn't know who the hell The Kills were until 2005 when my dear friend Leigh gave me a mix of their songs from Keep On Your Mean Side and No Wow. I want to give her a big ole kiss for introducing me to them because I would've missed out on something fantastic.
I love Alison Mosshart's gritty vocals, which are reminiscent of Pylon's Vanessa Briscoe Hay's vocal style. I could seriously listen to both of them all night long without ever getting bored. It's like listening to an audio version of Magic Eye because there are so many emotions embedded in their singing. Don't worry, it'll make sense eventually.
Midnight Boom will be released inMarch 10 in the UK and March 18 in the U.S. on Domino Records. They also will play at The Earl May 28. This is gonna be a great year.
This is the 50th installment of my posts about upcoming releases I'm ecstatic about, and Destroyer's Trouble In Dreams, due March 18 on Merge and Rough Trade Records. The album will look like this:
And I will look like this when he comes to The Earl April 28:
Because I will feel like I'm 3 years-old all over again and my only reactions would be me giggling uncontrollably and drooling occasionally.
I'm one of those music nerds who actually love a musician more when they have bad vocals. I could give you a laundry list of artists I love who have unconventional vocal styles, and Dan Bejar's included. I gravitate towards them because they know they aren't the best singers, but they still sing their asses off, to the point of sometimes straining their vocals, because they want to express themselves until they pop their veins. And I've learned that where they lack in supreme vocal capabilities, they make up for it with beautiful music and lyrics. I'll take the latter, please and thanks.
My gah, this album cover is horrific. What the hell is happening to Chan Marshall? Ever since Karl Lagerfield spotted her smoking a cigarette outside a NYC hotel, she went from talented musician to muse. Is she Nico now?
Don't get me wrong--I'm all about cultural versatility, but goddam, let's not bore me. I tried very hard to get into The Greatest, but I must say, I'm a hardcore You Are Free gal, so whenever I mention how much I adore Marshall's music, it'll only be in reference to that album. Well, I will say I enjoyed "Hate" off The Greatest, but that's really all I got. Don't get me wrong--the album's solid, but in order for me to consider adding an album to my collection, it has to be more than "solid."
Nevertheless, Cat Power will forever be remembered as the brilliant musician who brought us You Are Free. That album is--and I barely say this--flawless. Yes, flawless, as in, not a single mistake in the album. But it's kind of unfortunate because she was apparently battling alcoholism during this time period and beyond. But hey, great art is great art.
Buddy just gets drunk and full off of international cuisines for a living! How can you not love his show, No Reservations? Especially with the double-meaning title (no reservations for dinner, no reservations of his thoughts). But he's had his fair share, man. After working in the restaurant industry for three years, I see what line cooks go through, especially when you already have a specialty to be a chef. So kudos, brother. And you're kinda hot, in that older Jeff Goldblum/Chris Noth way.
Album of the Week: The Renaissance (2008, Universal Motown)
You can never go wrong with Q-Tip. He never grows stale. He's got some great featured artists such as Raphael Saadiq (who also never grows stale), Norah Jones (man, she has expanded her resumé as great hip-hop hook singer, too) and D'Angelo. Yessss. From Track 1 to the ending Track 12, it's deliciously listenable.
One of the greatest songs ever written was by Phil Elvrum of now defunct band The Microphones. Listeners take a journey through Phil's life as he struggles to cope with the harsh, grotesque realities it presents him. Feeling disappointed and defeated, a sullen Phil accepts the fact he's still living; then, as if on cue, a grand epiphany comes aboard this self-discovering adventure, and BAM!--blood rushes through his veins, through his heart, and his chest is full of positive air! Phil loves everything tangible and intangible! He loves life! He hopes this feeling never ends! "I'm glowing!" he exclaims.
