From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V13 #347 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Sunday, December 5 2004 Volume 13 : Number 347 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Top Ten Lists! Hurray! [Vendren ] Re: Random query [Vendren ] Re: Music for Chores (was Re: I like the Thrills and REM's latest) [Vendr] Re: wilco/radiohead [The Great Quail ] I can't believe this album exists! [Eb ] Re: In the locust wind... [The Great Quail ] reap [Dolph Chaney ] Re: In the locust wind... [The Great Quail ] Re: In the locust wind... [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: wilco/radiohead [The Great Quail ] Re: reap [Vendren ] Re: There goes imperialisin' Simon [Vendren ] Waffle Sticks [Jeff Dwarf ] gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog ["Natalie Jacobs" ] Re: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog ["Roberta Cowan" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 15:21:29 -0800 From: Vendren Subject: Re: Top Ten Lists! Hurray! > 2. "Medulla," Bjork > 3. "Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus," Nick Cave > 4. "Real Gone," Tom Waits > 7. "A Ghost is Born," Wilco >> 9. "Spooked," Robyn Hitchcock > 10. "Van Lear Rose," Loretta Lynn & Jack White > 11. "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," Modest Mouse Those albums all have a good chance of ending up on my list. Good stuff. I haven't made my list yet. Too early! Lots of albums to be released yet. Palle ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 15:35:56 -0800 From: Vendren Subject: Re: Random query > Is anyone here into a mid-'70s Gene Clark album called "No Other"? Your > thoughts? I was just reading some online material which made it sound like > some major forgotten masterpiece. My interest is piqued. > > (That's Gene Clark of Byrds fame, of course....) I don't know about forgotten masterpiece - it's not wholly forgotten or fully a masterpiece. But it's an odd, ornate, and very good album of well-written songs that may or may not be over-produced, depending on how you feel about epic Wisonesque over-the-top production. I like the album a lot. It's probably my favourite Clark album and I list it as one of my favourite albums of '74. One of the tracks," Strength Of Strings" is fascinating - I spent hours learning how to play it. This Mortal Coil did a great cover of the song, which is what led me to first buying "No Other." I also like "White Light" and "Roadmaster" and an early album he did called "With The Godson Brothers." I think Clark has made the best ex-Byrd solo albums. The songs on "No Other" don't really cry out for the epic production - they're confessional folk-country tunes at the core - but I find the incongruity pretty cool. As I'm wont to do. Palle Now Playing: Gene Clark - Roadmaster ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 15:41:26 -0800 From: Vendren Subject: Re: Music for Chores (was Re: I like the Thrills and REM's latest) in the least. > > It wouldn't work for me. Music for Chores in this house has to be: > > a) familiar > b) propulsive It takes me forever to clean anything, and I make a lot of noise while doing it. Therefor the best music for chores is long albums that sound good loud. These days: My Morning Jacket, early Tindersticks, Super Furry Animals and the Fats Domino Box Set. Palle Now Playing: Gene Clark - No Other ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 18:53:19 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: wilco/radiohead Shane writes, > Am I the only person on the list who > > a) Has always thought Wilco sucked? Actually, now that you mention it, you are. In fact, the rest of us got together recently and renamed the list Tweedmaniax. When we write "Spooked," it's a stand in for "A Ghost is Born," and the phrase "quirky" has been redefined to mean "arch." Gillian Welch is now code for "splitting migraine headache," and "jangly" means "what the fuck with the feedback?" You'll have to figure out what Morris Windsor means on your own, though. We were going to tell you, but it seemed a bit embarrassing, and we wanted to spare you any discomfort.... > b) Likes OK Computer but now thinks Radiohead already sucks? Their > ultra-super-bomb-diggity experimental albums are really flat. I own their > latest, but I have never gotten all the way through it. I can barely > listen to anything in the Radiohead discography these days. Then I recommend a three-weeks stay at U2 boot camp* for starters; then we'll call in Alan Parsons and Bjork for some re-education classes, all the while we are replacing everything in your house with a plastic duplicate crafted in an undisclosed and suitably generic Asian country. Finally, we force you to realize that Bush is in power for four more years. Oh, you'll start liking Radiohead then, yes you will! - --Q * this is mostly as a preventative measure and has little to do with the topic at hand ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2004 18:20:45 -0800 From: Eb Subject: I can't believe this album exists! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005K9XU/ Weird! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 18:53:14 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: In the locust wind... Now Jeff Dwarf raises his hands in the air and begs for some healin', > Surely you can't claim that _Pop_ doesn't suck. And > _October_ isn't much better.... I read these words and I don't know whether to cry tears of blood or gnash my teeth into grains of bitter sand. Drink a quart of whisky, break up with your sweetheart, fail your last math test, sit down on a cold autumn afternoon, and throw on October -- and tell me that it sucks. And Pop? One of the best albums spawned from the cesspool of the late 90s. >They would have been better off releasing two > separate albums -- one with ALL the live stuff (including > the songs in the movie not on the album) and another with > the new songs. I agree with you 100% on that call, Brother Dwarf; but even God couldn't keep contradictions from His Holy Book -- can we expect anything less from Brother Bono? What's your problem, people? Put down those Pavement CDs and open up your ears! - --Q ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 23:41:13 -0600 From: Dolph Chaney Subject: reap Kevin Coyne, 60. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 11:55:12 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: In the locust wind... Now Jeff Dwarf raises his hands in the air and begs for some healin', > Surely you can't claim that _Pop_ doesn't suck. And > _October_ isn't much better.... I read these words and I don't know whether to cry tears of blood or gnash my teeth into grains of bitter sand. Drink a quart of whisky, break up with your sweetheart, fail your last math test, sit down on a cold autumn afternoon, and throw on October -- and tell me that it sucks. And Pop? One of the best albums spawned from the cesspool of the late 90s. >They would have been better off releasing two > separate albums -- one with ALL the live stuff (including > the songs in the movie not on the album) and another with > the new songs. I agree with you 100% on that call, Brother Dwarf; but even God couldn't keep contradictions from His Holy Book -- can we expect anything less from Brother Bono? What's your problem, people? Put down those Pavement CDs and open up your ears! - --Q ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 00:32:55 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: In the locust wind... The Great Quail wrote: > Now Jeff Dwarf raises his hands in the air and begs for > some healin', > > > Surely you can't claim that _Pop_ doesn't suck. And > > _October_ isn't much better.... > > I read these words and I don't know whether to cry tears > of blood or gnash my teeth into grains of bitter sand. > Drink a quart of whisky, break up with your sweetheart, > fail your last math test, sit down on a cold autumn > afternoon, and throw on October -- and tell me that it > sucks. Any album that requires all of that to be enjoyed sucks. The problem with _October_ is that it's almost textbook sophomore slump. All the songs that weren't good enough for _Boy,_ without any real evolution. It isn't quite right to say it sucks, it's just nothing special. > And Pop? One of the best albums spawned from the > cesspool of the late 90s. It has a few good songs on it -- "If You Wear That Velvet Dress," "Last Night on Earth," "Please" -- but a lot of it is just flat. It's almost like Live (sorry, +LiVe+) tried to re-make _Achtung Baby,_ though not quite that terrible. Okay, "Staring at the Sun" is that terrible; "Miami" and "Playboy Mansion" are even worse. Bono just can't do whimsical sleazy. In it's defense, I will say this: at least when U2 fall on their ass, they do it ambitiously, which is more than a certain band from Athens can say. > What's your problem, people? Put down those Pavement CDs > and open up your ears! For the record (not that it matters much), I've always though Pavement were boring. ===== __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more. http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 12:03:28 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: wilco/radiohead Shane writes, > Am I the only person on the list who > > a) Has always thought Wilco sucked? Actually, now that you mention it, you are. In fact, the rest of us got together recently and renamed the list Tweedmaniax. When we write "Spooked," it's a stand in for "A Ghost is Born," and the phrase "quirky" has been redefined to mean "arch." Gillian Welch is now code for "splitting migraine headache," and "jangly" means "what the fuck with the feedback?" You'll have to figure out what Morris Windsor means on your own, though. We were going to tell you, but it seemed a bit embarrassing, and we wanted to spare you any discomfort.... > b) Likes OK Computer but now thinks Radiohead already sucks? Their > ultra-super-bomb-diggity experimental albums are really flat. I own their > latest, but I have never gotten all the way through it. I can barely > listen to anything in the Radiohead discography these days. Then I recommend a three-weeks stay at U2 boot camp* for starters; then we'll call in Alan Parsons and Bjork for some re-education classes, all the while we are replacing everything in your house with a plastic duplicate crafted in an undisclosed and suitably generic Asian country. Finally, we force you to realize that Bush is in power for four more years. Oh, you'll start liking Radiohead then, yes you will! - --Q * this is mostly as a preventative measure and has little to do with the topic at hand ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 Dec 2004 11:22:39 -0800 From: Vendren Subject: Re: reap Kevin Coyne, 60. Sad. I'm really only familair with his early 70s work, much of which I like a great deal, and too much of which is out print. Palle ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 Dec 2004 11:37:57 -0800 From: Vendren Subject: Re: There goes imperialisin' Simon >I might be the only person anywhere who thinks so, but I do think LOOKING >FOR JACK is the superior record, and I don't think it's been in print in 10 >years. >-- Dolph I think "Looking For Jack" is an under-rated album. But I wouldn't rank above "Graceland." "Looking For Jack," unfortunately, is bogged down in glossy eighties production which I think flattens it a bit and dates it a lot. Overproduced and under-performed, with a session-musician sound to it. But a very good record from an under-rated songwriter. It, and the first Men At Work disc are probably his best two works. He was here in Vancouver recently. I missed the show but caught an interview. Hay is a pretty bitter fellow over his fall from fame. Palle Now Playing: Devandra Banhart - Rejoicing In The Hands ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 13:20:56 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Waffle Sticks For some reason, I remember someone bemoaning something related to the cost of frozen wafflesticks a while back, and I saw this while putting together my Chrismas list: Or maybe it was somewhere else. Either way.... ===== __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 05 Dec 2004 14:14:28 -0800 From: "Natalie Jacobs" Subject: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog I think I've blown my concert budget for the rest of the year, so this will probably be my last gnatmaniax for a month or so. Wilco were great, although I agree with Miles (!!) that their setlist was too mellow. At one point, someone yelled, "PLAY SOME ROCK!" which I actually agreed with. They crowded all the more rockin' songs into the encores, which I thought was a bit dissatisfying. Still, they put on a terrific show and although Nels Cline does overplay a bit, I felt like it was an honor to witness a musician that good. He is one of the best guitarists I've ever seen live and he added a lot to the songs. At a few points, the band went into some amazing Sonic Youth-style noise freakouts which had me in ecstasy while the "bring back the banjos" crowd was probably running for the door. Featuring "Don't Fear the Reaper" as the last song (with one of the roadies playing cowbell) was icing on the cake. Prime stage banter: at the first encore, the band came out and Jeff Tweedy announced, "This is a historic occasion... one of the band members - not me - - has shit his pants." (Well, I thought it was funny, anyway...) Carla Bozulich was the opening act and did an entire set of new songs, accompanied by a bassist, drummer, and exceedingly stylish cellist. She was great and I hope she releases a new album soon. As for Smog... or (smog) if you prefer... I just got into them/him a couple of months ago when I picked up "Red Apple Falls" for my birthday. I've also gotten "Julius Caesar" and "Knock Knock" since then, and I've been listening to them non-stop for weeks. I really dig Bill Callahan's deep voice, dour but poetic lyrics, and occasional sly flashes of humor.... for some reason that's right up my alley at the moment. It's rare that a band plays here right after I get into them, so I was pretty excited about this show. Bill (who is extremely dapper and handsome, by the way) was accompanied by a somber female bassist, who remained seated throughout the show, and an excellent if somewhat over-enthusiastic drummer, who looked very familiar - older bearded guy, looks kinda like Mike Watt... ringing bells for anyone? Anyway, given my unfamiliarity with Smog's back catalogue, it wasn't surprising that I didn't recognize most of the songs, but they were all great and I vowed to buy more Smog records as soon as I have the money. Bill has some odd stage moves - he plays with his legs straddled like Elvis Presley, and sometimes squats down almost to the floor for no particular reason. I guess that's his way of rocking out. He mentioned at one point that he had a cold, and an audience member offered him a cough drop. "That's all right," he replied politely. Tinfoil sculptures were given out at both shows, as usual. The Wilco guys got spiders, which they seemed to appreciate. Bill Callahan laughed because his sculpture was so inappropriate (a bunny). It was cool. that is all, n. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 16:30:04 -0600 From: 2fs Subject: Re: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 14:14:28 -0800, Natalie Jacobs wrote: > Bozulich was the opening act and did an entire set of new songs, accompanied > by a bassist, drummer, and exceedingly stylish cellist. Since there can be only one rock'n'roll cellist during any given period, it must have been Fred Lonborg-Holm. He ascended to his post following the abdication of Jane Scarpantoni ('80s into early '90s), who in turn followed Paul Buckmaster (early '70s to early '80s). No, the guys from ELO didn't count. - -- ++Jeff++ The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 14:36:10 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog 2fs wrote: > Natalie Jacobs wrote: > > Bozulich was the opening act and did an entire set of > > new songs, accompanied by a bassist, drummer, and > > exceedingly stylish cellist. > > Since there can be only one rock'n'roll cellist during > any given period, it must have been Fred Lonborg-Holm. > He ascended to his post following the abdication of Jane > Scarpantoni ('80s into early '90s), who in turn followed > Paul Buckmaster (early '70s to early '80s). Except that Scarpantoni's heyday coincided with Martin McCarrick's and (to a less extent) Knox Chandler's. > No, the guys from ELO didn't count. ===== __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 14:40:06 -0800 (PST) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: 20/20 vs. Matthew Shepard The ex-police chief of Laramie calls shenanigans. ===== __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do? http://my.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 17:39:42 -0500 From: "Roberta Cowan" Subject: Re: gnatmaniax in brief - Wilco and Smog 2fs said: > following the abdication of Jane Scarpantoni ('80s into early '90s), Hey, Jane's still around I think. She was touring with Lou Reed not that long ago. The queen of rock cello! :) Roberta ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 12:48:55 +1300 From: James Dignan Subject: Blame Canada In case no-one has reported it here yet, you might (quickly, before someoe realises and removes it) like to point your cursors at James - -- James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- =-.-=-.-=-.- You talk to me as if from a distance .-=-.-=-.-=-. -=-. And I reply with impressions chosen from another time .-=- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- (Brian Eno - "By this River") -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V13 #347 ********************************