Albums and Singles

12 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

After 'Farewell,' band turmoil took its toll, and the band saw somepersonnel changes as well as battles with their label. In the end, theShoal needed a change, and joined together with fellow Maine bandTarpigh, who created strange music with Middle Eastern instruments. Theband played a few shows together, at the same time that the Shoal wereinvited to write a soundtrack to two silent films by a friend, TimFolland. In a brave move, Folland asked the band to improvise whilewatching the films, and record their first takes only as thesoundtracks. Cerberus Shoal was up to the challenge, and even broughtTarpigh along for the ride. The resulting album is two pieces, namedafter the films they accompany, and the two bands liked the experienceso much they joined together as Cerberus Shoal. The release marks aserious style shift for the Shoal, one that would affect their soundforever. Some elements are still there from the 'Farewell' era, likeSutherland's low bass, the always skilled drumming of Tom Rogers, andthe droning guitars. But the addition of Tarpigh brought about a newexperimental side to the Shoal. The improvised nature of theproceedings seems like it became almost a blueprint for futureprojects, where the band would just "let go." Eric LaPerna's percussionis a central point here, and on every Shoal release since. Gone are thesung vocals, replaced with something far deeper and more disturbing.Tim Harbeson, multi-instrumentalist who wields trumpet, flute,recorder, and accordion here, is the real star, switching and addingflavors on a whim. "Elements of Structure" starts out fairly tempered,but then slows in the middle only to explode at the end in a sprawlingjam that resolves in a piano/guitar/percussion soother. This is thebest Cerberus Shoal, the evolution towards something better."Permanence," the longer of the two tracks, is also more of a jam thanthe first. Each member gets moments to spread wings and fly, making forsome interesting solos and expanses. Having never seen the film, Iimagine each solo as a new character like "Peter and the Wolf." Orperhaps each solo is a new lament or crisis point. Either way, theapproach is very effective, and the music is moving, indeed. And withtwo tracks at over 57 minutes of music, it's an egrossing listen. Bothof these reissues are defining releases for Cerberus Shoal, andavailable for the first time in years. Don't miss out this time.

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12 January 2003

Michael Patrick Brady

Albums and Singles

Too Pure

The majority of buzz surrounding this Welch rock trio has been fortheir latest release and its rough, dynamic energy cast as 'Surfer Rosa2002.' Engineered by Steve Albini, 'Do Dallas' certainly features allthe sonic hallmarks of that seminal influence, with fuzzed-out, franticguitars and a pummeling rhythm section. Rather than Black Francis'verge-of-a-mental-breakdown vocals, we're treated to a sneering AndyFalkous, who is all attitude, confidently convinced that his band isbetter than your band, and more than willing to go head to head toprove it. He delivers with conviction, occasionally dissolving intofits of yelps or slurred syllables in his effort to demonstrate hissupremacy. Mclusky is a tight, energetic group with a guitar that cutslike a serrated knife and their lyrics are almost as sharp as theirlicks, with highlights like "We take more drugs than a touring funkband" and "I'm fearful / I'm fearful / I'm fearful of flying / andflying is fearful of me!" It is a little disconcerting that some of thelyrics seem to crib from other sources, for example, the 'touring funkband' line is from the late comedian Bill Hicks, while a quote from TheSimpsons pops up near the end of the disc. Also, their swagger fails attimes, and Mclusky's bravado comes off as trite, like a confusedplayground taunt ("All your friends are cunts / your mother's aballpoint pen thief") or too cutely ironic and self-referential likethe quiet filler track "Fuck This Band." Straight ahead, surging rocktracks like "Dethink to Survive" show that they can make the familiarsound exciting, while "Clique Application Form," a noisy, shamblingtrack with shouts of "Never been kissed! Never been kissed!" mayforeshadow future attempts to broach new territory. Despite thederivative aspects, 'Mclusky Do Dallas' manages to be exhilarating andentertaining in its brief thirty-five minutes. When Falkous commandsyou to "sing it!" on the standout "To Hell With Good Intentions," youfeel compelled to do something, maybe yell or bark or pump your fist.His band may not be better than your band (In fact, they might haveripped your band off a little), but 'Do Dallas' is a fun, albeitbrainless record. Just don't expect it to stay in your CD player fortoo long.

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12 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

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This is the second solo release from the guitarist of Union CarbideProductions, Soundtrack of Our Lives and Spain, among others, following1999's apparently well-recieved 'Instrumentalmusik'. There are severalunusual aspects to UPA, all of which are worthwhile. First, upliftingcelebratory music like this is smile and happiness-inducing. LikeShooby Taylor or High Rise, it just works in that way.Next, it is mostly based on unlikely combinations of musical styles: aNotting Hill Festival-style steel band music with heavy progressiverock, Herb Alpert horns with blissed-out space-wah guitar, 80s MORpower ballad with Moricone western and 60s spy movie themes,traditional Scotish dance music with French girl-group harmy vocals,Sweedish folk and kraut rock. The success Olsson has with thesecombinations suggests a rare compositional talent as the tunes gel andjust work as though these styles always belonged together. Quite unlikeZorn's genre-hopping in the 80s, UPA works more as though a master likeQuincy Jones were doing genre set pieces. It's a dazzling, intoxicatingtour that would be surreal if it weren't so natural in appearance.Then, for nerds like me there's some excellent guitar work on severalcuts to be enjoyed, including a storming psychedelic work-out to closethe album. But there's more, the disk has utilitarian strengths too:1.) the post-modern aspect (not that there's anything tounge-in-cheekabout UPA) means that you can enjoy these highly unfashionable anduncool musical styles (that deep down you love and would listen to moreoften if you weren't so self-concious) without fear of losingcredibility among your most sophisticated friends, and 2.) it's so welldone, nice and easy going that straight and square friends are going todig it too.To top it all off, the whole album appears twice on the same CD! The first time around, it is with a polished studio sound while thesecond version is low-fi, apparently having been run through a cassetteplayer with what sounds like a fairly cheesy AGC. With an album likethis which deserves repeated plays, why not have it these two different ways?-

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12 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

555 Recordings

It might happen that the worthiness of an album becomes gauged onwhether it is able to marry the cacophony of firecrackers with thefrailest of human voices. When this happens (and surely it willhappen), then 'Dark Falcon' will be the first and perhaps only recordwhich will measure up to this standard of excellence. 'Dark Falcon,'the first full length from Lucky Dragons (after two lovely EP's on theEnglish Muffin label), does many other things remarkably well, but thispeculiar marriage is the most remarkable. Although there are clicks andclacks aplenty on this album, the electronics grace the songs ratherthan linger at the center of them.
The more frantic songs bookend the album while a bank of more reservedsongs populates the middle of it, where beats plod along with theexhalations of an accordion, or the pluckings of a banjo, or just thewhimsical humming of band members. Besides the frantic ends and themore placid middle, there are further dichotomies both between andwithin songs on 'Dark Falcon.' These contrasts are often exhilarating,and sometimes even exhausting (in the best possible way). "Cherchez leDragon" starts out stuttering wildly, trying to evince some statementbut only ejecting playful electronic spittle. It is not until theplacating guitar part comes in that the song is able to demonstrateclearly what it is trying to say. The guitar and the voice parts soothethe hyperactive beat better than a bottle of Ritalin; once they calmthe beat, the stutter decreases and the song is persuaded intoobedience. The opener, "Heartbreaker," features a field recording ofkids setting off Independence Day firecrackers with cars driving by insome neighborhood in Providence and the sound culled from thisrecording is undeniably urban. Later in the song, a gentle female voicecomes in and it sounds like it is being sung from the most remote logcabin in the backwoods of Montana, or maybe it was Kentucky. I canpicture the cabin, with one window illuminated by a gaslight in thedark, and the sound of a girl singing as it rises, just barelyperceptible, above the wind moving through trees. Somehow, thisunmistakably rural piece, which is clearly not part of the firecrackerrecording, is able to synchronize with the more urban sample, andtogether they create a perfected hybrid lullaby.

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12 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Temporary Residence

It's very seldom that fans of instrumental rock and electronic wizardryget to hear artists from both genres collaborate, maybe because theresults are often disastrous (anyone hear the Scanner remixes ofHovercraft?). Therefore, it's a rare treat when such a collaborationfares as well as this one. Sonna need no introduction, as their variousCD singles provided that before their critically lauded debut in 2001(stay tuned for it's successor next week). Sybarite, either, whoseoutput has seemed to dim in quality a bit on 4AD, but there's extremehope for the future. Lilienthal may be new to some out there, with onlya few remixes and one CD under his name, but he's already building areputation for amalgamation and an impressive palette. The originalcollaboration, first released as a seven inch on ZEAL, makes up theintroductory two tracks here, where Sonna sent some unfinishednoodlings to both artists for recreation. The results are varied andhair-raising. Sybarite accentuates the melodic side of Sonna on "MakeShift," with beautiful acoustic guitar-picking taking center stage. Asthe steady beat builds and the infectious whistles and backwards soundsswell, you can't take your ears off of it. This is easily the bestthing Sybarite's done lately. Sonna's drone side takes over Lilienthal,as he stutters up "Carousel" towards a complicated and layered climax.He drops out the middle, teasing and taunting with more guitarinterplay, only to return to the same shaky ground on the closing threeminutes, all of which induce toe-tapping and air-drumming in even thetamest lab rats. This is well enough alone, but then we are treated totwo new tracks, credited to all three bands. Here is where the jawsdrop. "Four Way Street" is a slightly remixed reprise of the closingminutes of "The Opener" from Sonna's debut full-length. At just under aminute, it can't really captivate. The final track, "From a Person WeSeam" is astonishing - a real electronic masterwork. The song startsslowly and calmly, with gentle guitar and squelch effects, beforeexercising a labored trip-hop beat and keyboard flourishes with greatsuccess. An open letter to all three particpants: please make a wholerecord in this configuration. The world demands it.

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12 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Sub Pop

I bought this album after being captivated by the band name and albumtitle, having no prior knowledge about them. Both had a sonorousquality which made me intensely curious to hear what such a band wouldsound like. To my delight, in doing so, I discovered what was to becomeone of my favorite albums of 2002. Sam Beam, who is almost solelyresponsible for the writing, performance, production and recording of'The Creek Drank the Cradle', creates pleasantly unpolished songs usinglittle more than an acoustic guitar, banjo and his own delicate vocalsthat belie their no-frills approach with a rich, seductive sound. Beamclearly takes influence from Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, but trulycarves his own niche in terms of his folk stylings. This album,however, definitely is not a "folk record," but reaches far beyond,ranging from lullabies to ballads to narrative fragments of memories.The American Deep South features prominently in the lyrical imagery,accented by an eerie romanticism. Beam, who hails from the Miami area,seems to be yearning for a South removed from beaches and nightclubs,on tracks like the twangy "The Rooster Moans" and the haunting "Upwardover the Mountain." There is a purity in the simplicity of Iron &Wine that is so refreshing that 'The Creek Drank the Cradle'unsurprisingly appeals to true music lovers of diverse tastes. As SamBeam's moniker suggests, his music is both weighty and intoxicating.

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09 January 2003

Diane Wei Lewis

Albums and Singles

If Thousands is Christian McShane and Aaron Molina from Duluth, Minnesota, who having decided to depart from their respective backgrounds in classical performance and punk have collaborated to attempt something quite different. The result is a sound grounded less on performance and based much more on assembly, repetition, and duration. With the help of Alan Sparhawk, who produced and mixed the album, McShane and Molina have built resonant instrumental pieces that sound oceanic in their tendency to roll together different recurring samples with the musicians' work, producing a reverberating blend of fluid sound.Chair Kickers Union

A few songs have vocals, but their inevitable shift of focus onto lyrics and melody is not as absorbing as those tracks that draw your concentration to qualities of intensity and variation. The cover of Joy Division's "Isolation," while beautiful, seems a little out of place and distracting because of its prominent placement as the second track of the album. It's too much of a sidetrack or nod to something else, whereas one of the overall strengths of 'Yellowstone' is its introspectiveness. Songs are composed through persistent use of particular tones (generally repeating phrases on bass, guitar, and keyboards with a few other interesting sounds thrown in) that are drawn out and cycled with careful fluctuations and variety, a process then repeated with different approaches as the album progresses. This technique, along with the sheer length of 'Yellowstone' (over an hour), creates the feeling of being drawn ever deeper into something to emerge at the other end of the album. It's important to emphasize that despite the careful attention If Thousands has given to the detail in each song, their work seems neither technical nor calculating. Instead, it's possible to be enveloped by the music and engaged by the similarity and difference of the patterns at work within the songs and from one song to the next‚Äîlike looking into a fire for a long time as it seems to dance and change.¬†

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01 January 2003

Administrator

Albums and Singles

album of the year

Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
Sigur Ros - ( )
Low - Trust
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Notwist - Neon Golden
Sonic Youth - Murray Street
M? - Finally We Are No One
Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Do Make Say Think - &yet &yet
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs
Tom Waits - Alice
Out Hud - Street Dad
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
Books - Thought for Food
Cornelius - Point
RJD2 - Deadringer
Nurse with Wound - Man with the Woman Face
Deerhoof - Revilie
Beck - Sea Change
Antipop Consortium - Arrhythmia
Black Dice - Beaches & Canyons
Fennesz / O'Rourke / Rehberg - Return of Fenn O'Berg
Legendary Pink Dots - All the King's Horses
Tom Waits - Blood Money
Liars - They threw us all in a trench and stuck a monument on top
Clinic - Walking With Thee
DJ Shadow - The Private Press
Hrvatski - Swarm & Dither
Isis - Oceanic
Max Tundra - Mastered By The Guy At Exchange
Ms. John Soda - No P or D
Shalabi Effect- The Trial of St-Orange
Biosphere - Shenzhou
D?ek - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots
DJ /Rupture - Minesweeper Suite
Legendary Pink Dots - All the King's Men
Pan?American- The River Made No Sound

single or ep

Wire - Read & Burn 01
Wire - Read & Burn 02
Autechre - Gantz Graf
Coil - The Remote Viewer
Yo La Tengo - Nuclear War
Limp - Orion
M? - green grass of tunnel
Missy Elliot - Work it
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Dntel - (This is the dream of) Evan and Chan
Kid 606 - Why I Love Life
Savath and Savalas - Rolls and Waves
Gold Chains - Straight From Your Radio
I Am Spoonbender - Shown Actual Size
Coil - Winter Solstoce Bonus CDR

best song

M? - Green Grass of Tunnel
Low - That's how you sing amazing grace
Messy Elliot - Work It
Sigur Ros - Nj?nav?in aka The Nothing Song
Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher?
Boards of Canada - 1969
Interpol - NYC
Legendary Pink Dots - The Unlikely Event
Ms John Soda - Solid Ground
Wire - 99.9

best various artist compilation

Blue Skied an' Clear
Brain in the Wire
Urban Renewal Program
Wire Tapper 09
Seasonal Greetings
20 years of dischord
Masonic
24 Hour Party People Soundtrack
Disco Noveau
In The Beginning There Was Rhythm
Lost for Words
Machinenfest 2002
Rough Trade Shops: Electronic 01
The Fire This Time
2 Many DJs - As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt 2
Acid Mothers Temple Family Compilation: Do Whatever You Want, Don't Do Whatever You Don't Want!!
All Tomorrow's Parties v. 1.1
Badorb.Com Bless You
Bip Hop Generation volume 5
Chamber A Cold Springs Records Sampler

best single artist compilation

Fennesz - Field Recordings 1995 - 2002
Windy & Carl - Introspection
Microphones - Song Islands
Bj?k - Greatest hits
Farben - Texstar
ISAN - Clockwark Menagerie
Smog - Accumulation None
Bj?k - Family Tree
Cabaret Voltaire - The Original Sound of Sheffield '78/82. Best Of
Coil - Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)
The Fall - Totally Wired
Hrvatski - Swarm and Dither
Rocket From The Tombs - The Day The Earth Met...
Lesser - lsrmp3cd
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays

best double or multi-lp/cd release

Windy & Carl - Introspection
Blue Skied An' Clear
Brain In The Wire
Legendary Pink Dots - Chemical Playschool 11,12,13
Acid Mothers Temple Family Compilation 'Do Whatever You Want...'
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - Luxe and Redux
Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher?
Paul Westerberg - Stereo/Mono
Throbbing Gristle - 24 Hours
Bj?k - Family Tree

coolest unusual packaging

Brain in the Wire
Venetian Snares - a giant alien force more violent and sick...
Bj?k - Family Tree box
Sigur Ros - ( ) (what the hell's so unusual about this one?)
Boards of Canada - Geodaddi (book style) (or this one?)

nicest cover design

Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Low - Trust
Sigur Ros - ( )
Shalabi Effect - Trial of St Orange
Boom Bip - Seed to the Sun
Nurse With Wound - Man With The Woman Face
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
M? - Finally We Are No One
Return of Fenn O' Berg

best rerelease/repackage/reissue

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - Luxe and Redux
Boards of Canada - Twoism
Stars of the Lid - Avec Laudenum
Flaming Lips - Finally the Punk Rockers are Taking Acid and The Day They Shot a Hole in the Jesus Egg
23 Skidoo - The Gospel Comes to New Guinea
Fridge - Eph
HNAS - Melchior
Don Cherry - Orient
Gary Wilson - You Think You Really Know Me
Nurse With Wound - Automating Volume 2

worst album you bought

Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi
Current 93 & Nurse with Wound - Music for the Horse Hospital
Squarepusher - Do You Know Squarepusher
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
DJ Shadow - The Private Press
Future Sound of London - The Isness
Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man - Out of Season
Cex - Tall, Dark, and Handcuffed
David Bowie - Heathen
Download - Inception

most anticipated disappointment

Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O. (you only waited two years? that's not much anticipation, come on)
Sigur Ros - ( | )
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Future Sound of London - The Isness
Audioslave
Autechre - Gantz Graf
Cex - Tall, Dark, and Handcuffed
Destroyer - This Night
Trans Am - TA
Low - Trust

guiltiest pleasure

Eminem - The Eminem Show
Kylie Minogue - Fever
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Justin Timberlake - Justified (you wouldn't admit this if the poll wasn't anonymous)
Andrew WK - I Get Wet
Doves - The Last Broadcast
Queen of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Belle and Sebestian - Storytelling
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out of Season
Missy Elliott - Under Construction

band of the year

Sigur R?
Low
Interpol
Acid Mothers Temple
Coil
Flaming Lips
Legendary Pink Dots
M?
Wilco
Wire

best solo musical artist

Keith Fullerton Whitman
Jim O' Rourke
Tom Waits
Jessica Bailiff
Venetian Snares
Beck
DJ Shadow
Fennesz
El-P
Cex

new act of the year (band or solo artist)

Interpol
Liars
The Books
Xiu Xiu
DJ /Rupture
Limp
Christmas Decorations
RJD2
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Devandra Bahnhart
Ms. John Soda
Out Hud
Parlour
Polmo Polpo
Radio 4

best live show/concert experience

Sigur R?
Coil
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Stars of the Lid
Legendary Pink Dots
Sonic Youth
Low
M?
Cex
Do Make Say Think
Wire
Jackie-o Motherfucker
Explosions in the Sky
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Acid Mothers Temple

most overrated band/artist

Interpol
Sigur Ros
Strokes
Wilco
Kid 606
Radiohead
White Stripes
Vines
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
The Streets
Boards of Canada
Eminem
Sonic Youth
Cex
Godspeed You Black Emperor!

most irritating band/artist

Eminem
The Strokes
Interpol
The Vines
Radiohead
Avril Lavigne
Kid 606
Nickelback
Ryan Adams
Sigur Ros

lifetime achievement

Sonic Youth

(only one band can win it per year)

Band/artist with most detestable audience/fans

Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Eminem
Radiohead
Interpol
Phish (who could smell worse than godspeed fans but are agreeably far less pestering)

Most obligatory

Low
David Bowie
Skinny Puppy / Kevin Key
Autechre
Boards Of Canada
Coil
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Sonic Youth
Squarepusher
Current 93

Most annoying reissue

Peaches - The Teaches of Peaches (stay tuned for next year's three-CD edition)
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
Boards Of Canada - Twoism
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Incredible String Band reissues on Collector's Choice

Worst comeback

Suicide
Soft Cell
Guns 'n Roses
Future Sound of London
Sex Pistols
The Rolling Stones
Boards Of Canada
Beck
Julee Cruise
Al Gore

most prolific artist who really shouldn't be so prolific

Merzbow
Acid Mothers Temple
Venetian Snares
Legendary Pink Dots & every single one of those side projects
Jim o'Rourke
John Zorn
Kid 606
Mick Jaggar
Robert Pollard
Ryan Adams

biggest scam act

Interpol
DJ Shadow
The Vines
Fischerspooner
Kid 606
Acid Mother's Temple
Current 93's limited editions
Merzbow
The Strokes
Andrew WK

miss congeniality

M?
Cex
Peaches
Antony of the Johnsons
Beth Orton
Kylie
Landing
Low
Matmos (who else asks you for a picture when you mail order a CD?)
Missy Elliott (when has she been nice to you? when has she stuck around after a show to sign CDs??)

most overpriced release

Bj?k - Family Tree
TG24 Box Set
Nurse With Wound / Current 93 - Horse Hospital
Sigur Ros - ( )
Coil Live set

most fetishable

Peaches
Avril Lavigne
Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Bj?k
Kylie Minogue
Aphex Twin
Cex
Christina Aguilera
Justin Timberlake
Adam Forkner (Yume Bitsu)

most confessedly ignored by you

23 Skidoo (results may have been skewed by the description of this question, all apologies)
Nurse With Wound
Coil
Acid Mothers Temple
Flaming Lips
Legendary Pink Dots
Nirvana
Pere Ubu
Talk Talk
The Fall

worst sellout

Sigur Ros
Ryan Adams
Godspeed You Black Emperor
Trans Am
Moby

fave producer

Steve ""I'm not a producer, I'm an engineer"" Albini
El-P
Jim O'Rourke
Nigel Goodrich
The Neptunes
Timbaland
Dr Dre
John McEntire
Phil Elvrum
Colin Potter

who will break big next year?

Cex
Kinski
Venetian Snares
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Black Dice

record label

Kranky
Morr Music
Constellation
Mego
Def Jux
Fat Cat
Tigerbeat 6
Temporary Residence
Matador
Ipecac

music video
(as seen on various web sites and CD-Rs in addition to non-music video channels, for those who think they're only seen on MTV)

Autechre - Gantz Graf
White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl
Missy Eliot - Work it
M? - Green Grass of Tunnel
Clinic - Walking with Thee
Interpol - PDA
Notwist - Pick up the Phone
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Another Morning Stoner
El-P - Deep Space 9mm
Lightning Bolt - Power of Salad and Milkshakes

OTHER STUFF

movie of the year

Bowling for Colombine
Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers
Spirited Away
Punch Drunk Love
24 Hour Party People
Adaptation
Mulholland Drive
Crossroads
Donnie Darko
Secretary
Heaven
Lost in la Mancha
Star Wars Episode II - Attack Of The Clones
Talk to Her
The Ring

tv show

Simpsons
24
Sopranos
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
South Park
Futurama
The Daily Show
Alias
Oz
That '70s Show

magazine/newspaper

The Wire
The Onion
Magnet
Grooves
Careless Talk Costs Lives
Entertainment Weekly
Found
Giant Robot
Guardian
New Yorker

book of the year

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram
After the Quake: Stories by Haruki Murakami
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Love and Loud Colors by Edward Ka-Spel

fave actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman
Johnny Depp
Adrien Brody
Kevin Spacey
Edward Norton

fave actress

Julianne Moore
Christina Ricci
Nicole Kidman
Winona Ryder
Jodie Foster

fave director

David ""I didn't direct anything this year, you clowns"" Lynch
Hayao Miyazaki
Micheal Moore
Aki Kaourismaki
Darren Aaronofsky
David Fincher
Martin Scorsese
Peter Jackson
Steven Soderbergh
Todd Haynes

fave writer (book/tv/film/play,...)

Chuck Palahniak
Paul Auster
Haruki Murakami
Thomas Ligotti
charlie kaufmann

best website

Brainwashed / the Brain
pitchforkmedia.com
theonion.com
homestarrunner.com
allmusic.com
Fakejazz.com
Absorb.org
aquariusrecords.org
espn.com
explodingdog.com
four09.org
kompaktkiste.de/
news.bbc.co.uk
projectbloodteam.com
RecycleYourEars.com

most annoying trends
Gosh there's so many...

Electroclash
Republicanism / Right Wing Politics / Bush Support / New McCarthyism
War Mongering
Mall Rock masked as Commercial Alt. Rock
80s Retro / Revival (see: haircuts/nostalgia/cocaine)
Garage Rock/Crock/House/Pop/Revival
Emo
Concert Crowd Conformity Code (see functionless thick-rimmed glasses, unshowered NYC indie film hair look, girls who look exactly alike)
Reality TV (especially discount celebrities like Anna and Ozzy)
Cell Phones (at least turn them off at the movies, assholes)
Major Labels/RIAA bitching/DMCA Reaction/Copy-proof CDs
Bands that start with ""The"" and end with a plural noun
Designer Dirt (see: bleach stains on jeans)
Economic Instability (the kind caused by rich, white corporate assholes bringing everything down)
Glitch (isn't that 1999?)
IDM
Polls
Recycled goth
Blind Patriotism / Nationalism
Blogs
White Hip Hop (that sounds white)
Leg Warmers
MTV (note to future voters: this is a channel, not a trend)
Really low jeans on chubby chicks / butt cleavage
Talking loud at concerts

dumbest category on this poll

Best band you lied to your friends about seeing live
this one
most fetishable (put a ball-gag in it)
Miss Congeniality (obviously you don't care when a band writes you back)
Band/artist with most detestable audience/fans(stop bitching you obnoxious twit)

29 December 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

This band is from Texas, and they want you to know it.

Bella Union

So many things bother me about this three song single, that it's hard to imagine having this many conflicted feelings about so little recorded music. For starters, Lift To Experience wear the fact that they are from Texas on their sleeve the way some Texans sport "Don't Mess With Texas" bumper stickers on their Chevy trucks. Look, I'm from Texas too, but you don't see me out eveyday with my Texas Ranger badge on, and I don't start every record review with "even though I'm from Texas, I found this record quite interesting." The constant Texas posturing seems awfully condescending to all the folks from Texas who, like LTE, were more turned on by shoegazy indie rock than square dancing, knee slapping hootenany, and it's equally condescending to people who like squaredancing, because there's nothing wrong with that either! There are plenty of folks in Texas who can rock a good Cocteau Twins record anyday, we don't need LTE to remind us. A line about the band's Texas heritage even surfaces in the single's title track, and whether its supposed to be tongue in cheek or not, it just drags the credibility of the rest of the song down for me. The vocals alternate between painfully earnest choruses and half-spoken, disaffected verses reminiscent of Arto Lindsay or Lou Reed. The music in the background is sincere enough, kind of like what you might expect from people thrown into a culdron of indie rock, Country twang, and the Bible Belt. It was genuinely securing a grip on me when I opened the CD liner notes to read "Ladies and gentlemen we are playing with one guitar." Look again, it's really not necessary to point out something like that in such a way unless you are trying to make a point about how important or strong or incredibly unique your music is DESPITE the use of only one guitar. Maybe it's all part of a humor too dry for me to get into, but it sounds a lot like when popus jackasses like Rage Against The Machine say things like "we didn't use any keyboards or computers on this record." Frankly, I've heard a band with only a drummer and a bass player make more dense music than Lift To Experience, so the "one guitar" thing isn't doing much for me. Tracks two and three were recorded live for SBN, and have a live band sound, but as much as I like the songs, I can't keep the image of amped up Texas machismo out of my head. "These Are The Days" is a genuinely enjoyable single with a bonus video that gives you an up-nostirl view of the band performing that is at least worth a glance. If you can look past all the "Beers, Steers, and Queers" style Texas 'humor,' and take the band less seriously than they take themselves, you might find that it's a pretty damn good single.

samples:

29 December 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Mute
If 2002 has been a generally mediocre year for releases, it sure ashell is not going out without kicking and screaming. '24 Hours' arrivedon Monday, December 22nd, and, while I haven't had the time to pickthrough every last second of music on this 25-CD set (yes, it turns outto be 25 CDs for those who mail-ordered it!), everything so far hasbeen incredible. While the Sex Pistols and The Clash were "dressing"themselves as punks, their music was easily digestible pop/rock tuneswith enough of an attitude edge for the kids to dig. ThrobbingGristle's approach was almost the entire opposite, as the band dressedrespectfully on album covers and played various art halls (in additionto boys schools and rock clubs), but made music with far lesscommercial potential. Every concert lasted exactly 60 minutes,controlled by a timer which would cut the power on the stage at exactly60 minutes no matter what point the band were at. Every show wasrecorded and committed to cassette tape, and for this box, it seems aseverything is here from the very first to the very last second of eachshow.

The original 24 Hours box consisted of 24 cassettes (IRC 2through IRC 24 and IRC 26—see the web sitefor more specific details) plus two additional tapes of radiointerviews. (Look for it at online auctions for over a thousand dollarson average!) For the CD box release, 25 cassettes were remastered byChris Carter (the original master of IRC26 was lost but later recoveredafter the project was underway with IRC29 in its place). It'sfascinating to actually hear Genesis in his role as entertainer,front-man and stand-up comic, going from a jaded youngter in theearlier recordings, poking fun at the same-ness of Johnny Rotten songsto a more clever prankster by the end, leading crowds on, completelybullshitting them with an honest composure. The music also evolved overthe few years captured here, from the earlier years of making tons ofnoise to cold-calculated compositions, where band members Chris, Coseyand Sleazy would pay closer attention to each other, opting to remainsilent to let other parts shine through. The mastereing job by ChrisCarter is far better than I have even dreamed of, with many recordingsin stereo, either with different instrument assignment on either sideor a true stereo recording, most likely depending on what type ofmixing desk was available at the show. The included tidbits are alsonice to have too, but since this box cost so much, frankly I'm afraidto lose any of the stickers, pins, pictures, or patches. At theapproximate $220 price, however, this is something almost exclusivelyfor the fans. If I were to have any complaints at this point, it wouldbe for the lack of inclusion of the radio interviews, but there's stillmore live recordings yet to get the Chris Carter remastering attentionand resurface, so I'll be patient. This is enough music to hold me fora long time.

samples:

Introduction/Very Friendly (from IRC04)
Five Knuckle Shuffle (from IRC15)
Weapons Training/See You Are (from IRC20)
The World is a War Film (from IR26)

29 December 2002

Administrator

Albums and Singles

The plan was to record an EP of cover songs. The coolest singer in rock music wanted to pay tribute to some of her influences, including Nina Simone, Patti Smith's epochal Radio Ethiopia album and Neutral Milk Hotel's "Comely." Then she changed her mind and instead recorded three new songs, an old Uzi number that never made it onto the classic Sleep Asylum and a couple of covers. The fans lucked out, as her songs are drastically superior to the ones she did eventually cover.

Kimchee

¬†

Lou Reed and Bob Dylan should shit blood to be songwriters even half as gifted as Thalia Zedek. Are you reading this Reed? You wasted an hour of my life with that turgid wankfest you call Ecstasy, and I'm not happy about it. Yeah, yeah, the pope in a silver castle my ass and don't you ever make the colored girls go do de do like that again, motherfucker! But enough of that ol' hasbeen, he was still pretty gritty when he knew what "Candy Says" with the Velvet Underground and later resurrected it in Berlin, but nevertheless it's the weakest cut here.

Thalia Zedek packs an emotional punch into every song as if the weight of the world is crushing her and singing is the only way to lift it off her back. There's this lone drum beat in the relatively upbeat opener "Everything Unkind" that reels like total emotional desolation. The opening lyric, "I got tired of waiting," is something any Lou Reed fan hoping for another album even half as rockin' as 'New York' can surely relate to. But enough of that ol' hasbeen, there's another one just round the corner and he has a nasal voice and a legion of rabid bootleggers under his thumb. The Dylan cover that gives the six song CD its title bears some similarities to "Temporary Guest" off Thalia's last album, except nowhere near as finely captivating. More equal to that stupendous album no doubt overlooked by idiots racing for the next big little thing are the two No songs. "No Fire" gets right under the skin of a slowly souring relationship then tears it right off. Meanwhile "No Substitutions" is the one that'll make old Come fans happy, with Mel Lederman's piano taking the place of bass. It seems Thalia has also stepped up the contribution of viola player David Michael Curry, and the only other old Come hand on board is drummer Daniel Coughlin.

Perhaps the most magical moment happens when Thalia covers her younger self. "JJ85" paints a dream portrait of youthful longing and unravelling, with a simple uplifting strummed riff that seems like the dark reflection after Blondie's "Dreaming" took a tumle through the tunnels underground in search of the doctor that the hopes were pinned on before a change of heart.

samples: