From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V4 #176 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Monday, June 28 2004 Volume 04 : Number 176 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] Stamey CD release show ["Larry Tucker" ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Fortissimo" ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 [Stewart Mason ] RE: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Michael Zwirn" ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 [JRT456@aol.com] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Bradley Skaught" ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Bradley Skaught" Subject: [loud-fans] Stamey CD release show An impressive CD release show by the Chris Stamey Experience this past Saturday. It was a big band with horns, keyboards and a cool multimedia light show that was very 60's like. Helping out Chris was Caitlin Cary on "14 Shades of Green" and Tifft Merritt did backing vocals throughout the evening. She also lended some help on percussion and harmonica. Chris played mostly the new material with the exception of the ever present "Something Came Over Me" and one Mavericks song. He also did a pretty cool jazzy cover of Cream's "White Room" with a keyboard solo taking over for the guitar solo. And speaking of Mavericks, Chris and Peter have begun working on another album together. Larry ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:45:47 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: [loud-fans] Fw: ant dates avec > bradley... could you post these to the loud list and any other lists you > think might be interested? > > thanks muchly, > uncle > > ............................................................................ > > > ANTON BARBEAU UK TOUR, JULY 2004. > > > ...like Bob Dylan fronting some great lost British freak-beat band. - The > Sunday Times > > ...darkly intelligent anti-pop of the highest order. - Logo > > A stellar display of psychedelic power-pop.- Pennyblack Music > > ...this man is a brilliant storyteller with all the vivid efficacy of a > well-read, eccentric, solitary treehugger on acid. - Spin.com > > > > FOR GIG DATES, PLEASE VISIT: > http://www.antonbarbeau.com/gigbag.html > > FOR A GOOD TIME, PLEASE VISIT: > http://www.logo-magazine.com/albums/display.asp?AlbumID=2773 > > cheers, > > > ant > ............................................................................ > . > - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.706 / Virus Database: 462 - Release Date: 6/14/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:43:42 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 A typically great mix CD from Jeffrey Norman. This one's called Strange Battery, and has two discs. Here's a quick take on disc one... 1.Pram "The Owl Service" I forgot how much I love Pram! I used to have a couple albums that I really liked--I think they've put out a bunch since then, I should catch up. It seemed like people were comparing them to Stereolab for awhile, but Stereolab has never been this good! 2.Owls "Air" I like this. Jeff seems to like female vocals that are kind of plain, almost folky and a bit ethereal. I usually don't, but this works. One of the down sides of spending time in recording studios is that you start to get really picky about snare drum production and this snare drum needs work! 3.Handsome Family "Weightless Again" I really don't like them. I saw them live and they were really fun, but the recordings just sound like novelty music to me. They should record in a more old time-y fashion--the high-fidelity recording makes it sound silly to me. The lyrics draw too much attention to themselves--they don't sound "true", which songs in this genre need to do to sound resonant. This has that "all my friends think i'm really weird" vibe to it. 4.Momus "Jesus in Furs" I really like this. I'm never 100% with Momus, but there's a lot of his stuff I like. 5.Sugarplastic "Liar Over Winchester" I can't stand these guys. 6.Luminous Orange "Sugarplastic" Mostly doesn't work for me, but I really like the feedback/analog synth intro. 7.Hood "They Removed..." Nice moody electronica, and the vocals actually work (though the melody could be stronger.) Reminds me of an album I love by Third Eye Foundation called _I Poo Poo on Your JuJu_. I recommend that highly. 8.U2 "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" Fine high tech T-Rex-y kind of thing. Needs a stronger melody like most recent U2. Kitchen sink production is fun, but a bit hollow. 9.Shena Ringo "Stem (Daimyou Asobi Hen)" World Beat/Portishead sort of thing. Reminds me of moody Gran Turismo-era Cardigans. I like it. 10.Nick Mason's Ficticious Sports "I'm a Mineralist" Robert Wyatt is always great to hear, even with a load of crap lyrics to sing! In all the good and bad ways, it sounds like a Saucerful of Secrets outtake. I love the part where the wall of background vocals come in, but it just keeps going. And coming back. And going again. The 70's rock groove part stinks, but I like the trumpet solo. Cool stuff. 11.Soul Coughing "Murder of Lawyers" I really hate Soul Coughing. 12.David Essex "Rock On" Man, I love this song--I never get tired of it. Pure genius. Is there anything else in David Essex's catalog worth listening to, or is this an abberation? 13.Gary Numan "The Aircraft Bureau" I _Love_ Gary Numan. This is from the Mad Max era, right? He was into mixing in acoustic instruments at that point, and the acoustic piano mixed with the fake strings in this song is just stunning. Most of the stuff from this era hasn't aged well, but there are gems like this that really demonstrate what a brilliant musician he was. All the subtle arrangement shifts are fantastic--the groovy handclap part is really unexpected but perfect. Even the fretless bass doesn't bother me. Numan is wildly underrated. After I read the liner notes to Replicas, I suddenly felt like I had a better understanding of what he was doing and how. Those first four or five albums have really opened up for me as profoundly moving and interesting. 14.MK Ultra "Goodbye, Max!" I really like John Vanderslice, but somehow I can't get into his old band. Maybe the straight indie rock context doesn't work for me. 15.A.C. Newman "The Town Halo" I don't get this guy at all. I think his songwriting is really boring. 16.Noonday Underground "London" This has a cool Clinic-style groove and a vcoal that sounds like a good Grace Slick. Neat production details, great horns and strings. 17.Shirelles "I Met Him on a Sunday" Perfect. 18.Jonathan King "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" I love this song, but don't know this version. The strings are madness--a kind of crazy Lee Hazelwood thing going on. Who's this guy? 19.Michael Nesmith "Wax Minute" This is really, really great. I own one Nesmith album (either the red or the blue one), but i've heard more that I like. The songwriting is stunning. It goes off the deep in end in a great way with some Garth Hudson style circus organ stuff. Fantastic. Part two coming up... B "I can't keep the house clean enough" -Scott Peterson - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.706 / Virus Database: 462 - Release Date: 6/14/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:25:43 -0700 From: "Michael Zwirn" Subject: RE: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 3.Handsome Family "Weightless Again" I really don't like them. I saw them live and they were really fun, but the recordings just sound like novelty music to me. They should record in a more old time-y fashion--the high-fidelity recording makes it sound silly to me. The lyrics draw too much attention to themselves--they don't sound "true", which songs in this genre need to do to sound resonant. This has that "all my friends think i'm really weird" vibe to it. I tend to like these guys a lot. I was just listening to their 2002 record Twilight, checked out of the library. It's very much in the same vein, of course. You have to take the lyrics/stories as part of an elaborate kitsch production, but this is one of their very best songs. Their liner notes tend to be worth reading. I think Rennie is probably a trip to speak with, but I've never met them. (Parenthetically, this song was on one of my mix tapes by my friend who killed himself. We saw them together in SF at Bottom of the Hill, a few years back.) If you don't think these guys are funny, read this from their website: "The Handsome Family is a small family consisting of husband and wife, Brett and Rennie Sparks, who have been married for fifteen years. The first few years were a haze of drinking and mood swings much like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" minus all the witty repartee. Brett, who writes the music, is proud of his ability to sing Schubert with Texas drawl intact. Rennie, who writes the lyrics, has been recognized internationally for her ability to sob for hours on end. Live, on stage, the band usually consists of just the happy couple--Brett with guitar, washboard and Ibook (where their tiny drummer lives), and Rennie with Autoharp, bass, and melodica. " 8.U2 "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" Fine high tech T-Rex-y kind of thing. Needs a stronger melody like most recent U2. Kitchen sink production is fun, but a bit hollow. My only thought here: What a terrible, terrible, song. And I like most U2. 14.MK Ultra "Goodbye, Max!" I really like John Vanderslice, but somehow I can't get into his old band. Maybe the straight indie rock context doesn't work for me. That was John Vanderslice's old band, really? I only know him from his touring with Pedro the Lion, which never seems to end. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 14:07:16 -0500 From: "Fortissimo" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:43:42 -0700, "Bradley Skaught" said: > A typically great mix CD from Jeffrey Norman. This one's called Strange > Battery, and has two discs. Here's a quick take on disc one... > 2.Owls "Air" > I like this. Jeff seems to like female vocals that are kind of plain, > almost > folky and a bit ethereal. Hmm. Wasn't really conscious of it, but I guess maybe I do. > 3.Handsome Family "Weightless Again" > I really don't like them. I saw them live and they were really fun, but > the > recordings just sound like novelty music to me. They should record in a > more > old time-y fashion--the high-fidelity recording makes it sound silly to > me. > The lyrics draw too much attention to themselves--they don't sound > "true", > which songs in this genre need to do to sound resonant. This has that > "all my > friends think i'm really weird" vibe to it. Hmm. I'm not, like, selling my soul for these folks are anything - but I like what they do. To me, they're in that weird area that a lot of people have difficulty with - in that they're both sincere in their affection for their chosen style (countryish music, gothic - not "goth" - - short-story lyrics) but also aware of the way those styles can seem befuddled in the face of reality, and thereby easily poked fun at. And they're doing both - and that's the tough part. Please, we shouldn't start another Magnetic Fields argument...but in some ways I think Merritt has a similar aesthetic approach, although with totally different music and lyrical styles. Plus, I think I have a crush on Rennie Sparks. > 4.Momus "Jesus in Furs" > I really like this. I'm never 100% with Momus, but there's a lot of his > stuff I like. Often, he's more interesting in theory than in fact...but in this case, I like the results. This track is, of course, *very* recent, being a response to the Mel Gibson flick - I downloaded it from his website (and PayPal'd him, so there). I especially like the lugubrious sheep-horn (that's an instrument name I just made up). > 5.Sugarplastic "Liar Over Winchester" > I can't stand these guys. Oops. > 9.Shena Ringo "Stem (Daimyou Asobi Hen)" > World Beat/Portishead sort of thing. Reminds me of moody Gran Turismo-era > Cardigans. I like it. What I especially like, within a fairly conventionally attractive melody/chord structure, is the rather wild and bizarre shifts in orchestration. The intro misleads a bit in making you think the melody is going to be stranger than it is, but it's an apt intro to the mood and feel, and the odd string part especially sets the orchestration's tone. > > 10.Nick Mason's Ficticious Sports "I'm a Mineralist" > Robert Wyatt is always great to hear, even with a load of crap lyrics to > sing! > In all the good and bad ways, it sounds like a Saucerful of Secrets > outtake. I > love the part where the wall of background vocals come in, but it just > keeps > going. And coming back. And going again. The 70's rock groove part > stinks, but > I like the trumpet solo. Cool stuff. The lyrics are, of course, intentionally filled with absolutely horrific puns. Oh - and it's a trombone solo - introduced by the line "when my mercury goes up I play with my 'bone." If you thought that line was so bad it's funny, you'll probably enjoy the rest... > 11.Soul Coughing "Murder of Lawyers" > I really hate Soul Coughing. Oops. (Note to self: Bradley dislikes bands whose names begin with S, unless they're Statuesque?) > 12.David Essex "Rock On" > Man, I love this song--I never get tired of it. Pure genius. Is there > anything > else in David Essex's catalog worth listening to, or is this an > abberation? I've heard one or two other tracks - interesting, but not in this league. I just love the blatantly artificial production and arranging, which is completely over the top - low-tuned bass, congas, portamento superhigh strings, slapback echo, moments of complete silence...a brilliant single. > > 13.Gary Numan "The Aircraft Bureau" > I _Love_ Gary Numan. This is from the Mad Max era, right? He was into > mixing > in acoustic instruments at that point, and the acoustic piano mixed with > the > fake strings in this song is just stunning. There's also a real viola or two, btw. > 17.Shirelles "I Met Him on a Sunday" > Perfect. Or if they're the Shirelles? Dump the "S" theory... > 18.Jonathan King "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" > I love this song, but don't know this version. The strings are madness--a > kind > of crazy Lee Hazelwood thing going on. Who's this guy? I thought this was the best-known version of this song - anyone? Stewart? Anyway: Jonathan King produced a zillion hit records in Britain in the mid-sixties (many of which were really just him) and worked, if I recall, on the first couple 10cc albums as well. He was also one of the first musicians to come out. He also set some words from Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" to music (which he stole from...Haydn?) > 19.Michael Nesmith "Wax Minute" > This is really, really great. I own one Nesmith album (either the red or > the > blue one), but i've heard more that I like. The songwriting is stunning. > It > goes off the deep in end in a great way with some Garth Hudson style > circus > organ stuff. Fantastic. I think I might have said in the notes, but I think Nesmith's fame as an ex-Monkee actually worked against him. If he'd released this stuff & it'd been received on its own terms, I think he could've been huge. I really should check out more of his stuff - since every song of his I've heard I like a lot (and that includes the handful he wrote while still w/the Monkees). If Sharples is still here, he'll probably have a few nice things to say... - ------------------------------- ...Jeff J e f f r e y N o r m a n The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com/ :: Solipsism is its own reward :: :: --Crow T. Robot ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:23:29 -0400 From: Stewart Mason Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 At 10:43 AM 6/28/2004 -0700, Bradley Skaught wrote: >18.Jonathan King "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" >I love this song, but don't know this version. The strings are madness--a kind >of crazy Lee Hazelwood thing going on. Who's this guy? He wrote the song. I think this was the closest he ever got to a hit single, but he's been a fixture on the fringes of the UK music scene ever since it came out (while he was still a student, I think!): in the intervening years, he was Genesis' first mentor, signing and producing Genesis during their FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION period, then he owned a label called UK where he discovered 10CC, then he put up the money for the original West End stage production that eventually became THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. All through this time and ever since, he also worked as a television presenter, so he's also the original template for Factory Records' Tony Wilson. He also fancies himself a provocateur of sorts: he once tried to get Cat Stevens to sue the Pet Shop Boys because he said that "It's A Sin" was a ripoff of "Wild World," even going so far as releasing a single where he combined the two of them. S ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:07:50 -0700 From: "Michael Zwirn" Subject: RE: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 He also fancies himself a provocateur of sorts: he once tried to get Cat Stevens to sue the Pet Shop Boys because he said that "It's A Sin" was a ripoff of "Wild World," even going so far as releasing a single where he combined the two of them. Oh my God. I thought I was the only one who thought that. I used to sing them together when I was a kid. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:16:18 EDT From: JRT456@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 And where's Jonathan King now? Most likely still doing time as a pop pedophile. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:39:27 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > > 5.Sugarplastic "Liar Over Winchester" > > I can't stand these guys. > > Oops. No, no "oops" there. I like a challenge--I like hearing things I haven't liked in the past to see if something reveals itself to me. That's the best thing about mixes, I think--the challenge! > > > 9.Shena Ringo "Stem (Daimyou Asobi Hen)" > > World Beat/Portishead sort of thing. Reminds me of moody Gran Turismo-era > > Cardigans. I like it. > > What I especially like, within a fairly conventionally attractive > melody/chord structure, is the rather wild and bizarre >shifts in > orchestration. Yeah, it's beautifully organized--i'd like more...direction maybe, but it's a great sonic palette. > The lyrics are, of course, intentionally filled with > absolutely horrific > puns. Yeah, I got past that--again Wyatt's voice can do wonders with any set of lyrics. > I just love the blatantly artificial production and >arranging, > which is completely over the top - low-tuned bass, >congas, portamento > superhigh strings, slapback echo, moments of complete >silence...a > brilliant single. Yeah, absolutely perfect. I have a great clip of him lip synching this song (Beat Club or Musikladen or something). He's really selling it like a big glam rock song and he's standing in the middle of a seated crowd (ala Elvis '69) and it feels like Jimmy Scott on Twin Peaks or something--this weird bubbling mess of echo and deadened percussive sounds in a very "go-go girl" setting. Really bizarre. I love that REM borrowed it, too, and made an equally uncomfortable single out of it--I think they nailed the not-quite-rightness of it perfectly, and used it to sell the lyric very smartly. > > > > 13.Gary Numan "The Aircraft Bureau" > > I _Love_ Gary Numan. This is from the Mad Max era, right? He was into > > mixing > > in acoustic instruments at that point, and the acoustic piano mixed with > > the > > fake strings in this song is just stunning. > > There's also a real viola or two, btw. Yeah, but it doesn't sound like it! The paino is just really naked and very obvously acoustic--it's a great blend. > I thought this was the best-known version of this song - Maybe i've heard this and don't remember it well--I can't think of who I heard doing it, and I know I don't own it, so maybe this is it. Thanks Stewart for the info--I feel like i've probably burhsed up against his career many times without even knowing it! Any recommended collections or albums? B - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.712 / Virus Database: 468 - Release Date: 6/27/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 14:31:49 -0700 (PDT) From: zoom@muppetlabs.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > Hmm. I'm not, like, selling my soul for these folks are anything - but I > like what they do. To me, they're in that weird area that a lot of > people have difficulty with - in that they're both sincere in their > affection for their chosen style (countryish music, gothic - not "goth" > - short-story lyrics) but also aware of the way those styles can seem > befuddled in the face of reality, and thereby easily poked fun at. And > they're doing both - and that's the tough part. Please, we shouldn't > start another Magnetic Fields argument...but in some ways I think > Merritt has a similar aesthetic approach, although with totally > different music and lyrical styles. Oh I'd be perfectly happy with another Magnetic Fields argument! Whatever that involves. I think Mr. Sharples, whom I recall as the main Merritt-hater, is no longer with us, however. I did take a magic wand and turn him into a woman once...hope he didn't take that too personally... >> 10.Nick Mason's Ficticious Sports "I'm a Mineralist" > The lyrics are, of course, intentionally filled with absolutely horrific > puns. Oh - and it's a trombone solo - introduced by the line "when my > mercury goes up I play with my 'bone." If you thought that line was so > bad it's funny, you'll probably enjoy the rest... I don't care for everything I've heard of Wyatt's, but a man who can get significant depth out of, and I quote, "oh--wait a minute..." is worth listening to on principle. Isn't this album actually a Carla Bley project using Mason's name, presumably, to boost sales? >> 11.Soul Coughing "Murder of Lawyers" >> I really hate Soul Coughing. > > Oops. (Note to self: Bradley dislikes bands whose names begin with S, > unless they're Statuesque?) I've only known two people who really hated Soul Coughing, and I'm curious as to why Bradley is the other one. Is it worth it to get into William Hung? Andy This is absolutely awesome!!! The visual and the audio mix coupled with, and this is *very* important, the amazing correlation between the lyrical content of "2112" with the storyline from "Willy Wonka..." is profound. And I'm not just talking about the song "2112" proper; the mix remains in tact throughout the five (5) remaining songs on the album. All in all, thus far at least, 39 minutes that will leave you reeling. To get the sync perfect, follow these instructions carefully: 1.) Obviously, you need Rush's "2112" CD and "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" on video or DVD. 2.) Set the Rush CD up first by pushing play then pause so that the song is all cued up and ready to go. 3.) Make sure the volume on your television is turned down, *not* muted (unless you want closed-captioned dialogue). 4.) Then fast-forward the film from the beginning...on my tape, this is where the Warner Brothers logo fades completely to black just before the first frame of swirly chocolate comes to light...to the scene where Willy Wonka is exiting the factory in the morning to greet the guests (exact time coming soon). This is approximately 44 minutes and 50 seconds from the beginning. Willy is walking with a faux limp and cane...as he walks the cane gets stuck upright in the sidewalk, but he continues walking...you'll see that he *grasps* the air TWICE as if reaching for his cane...the *split* second he finishes his 2nd grasp of air, start "2112". [--from "The Rush/Wonka Project," http://home.i1.net/~bytor/WW2112.html ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:44:49 -0700 (PDT) From: zoom@muppetlabs.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > Hmm. I'm not, like, selling my soul for these folks are anything - but I > like what they do. To me, they're in that weird area that a lot of > people have difficulty with - in that they're both sincere in their > affection for their chosen style (countryish music, gothic - not "goth" > - short-story lyrics) but also aware of the way those styles can seem > befuddled in the face of reality, and thereby easily poked fun at. And > they're doing both - and that's the tough part. Please, we shouldn't > start another Magnetic Fields argument...but in some ways I think > Merritt has a similar aesthetic approach, although with totally > different music and lyrical styles. Oh I'd be perfectly happy with another Magnetic Fields argument! Whatever that involves. I think Mr. Sharples, whom I recall as the main Merritt-hater, is no longer with us, however. I did take a magic wand and turn him into a woman once...hope he didn't take that too personally... >> 10.Nick Mason's Ficticious Sports "I'm a Mineralist" > The lyrics are, of course, intentionally filled with absolutely horrific > puns. Oh - and it's a trombone solo - introduced by the line "when my > mercury goes up I play with my 'bone." If you thought that line was so > bad it's funny, you'll probably enjoy the rest... I don't care for everything I've heard of Wyatt's, but a man who can get significant depth out of, and I quote, "oh--wait a minute..." is worth listening to on principle. Isn't this album actually a Carla Bley project using Mason's name, presumably, to boost sales? >> 11.Soul Coughing "Murder of Lawyers" >> I really hate Soul Coughing. > > Oops. (Note to self: Bradley dislikes bands whose names begin with S, > unless they're Statuesque?) I've only known two people who really hated Soul Coughing, and I'm curious as to why Bradley is the other one. Is it worth it to get into William Hung? Andy This is absolutely awesome!!! The visual and the audio mix coupled with, and this is *very* important, the amazing correlation between the lyrical content of "2112" with the storyline from "Willy Wonka..." is profound. And I'm not just talking about the song "2112" proper; the mix remains in tact throughout the five (5) remaining songs on the album. All in all, thus far at least, 39 minutes that will leave you reeling. To get the sync perfect, follow these instructions carefully: 1.) Obviously, you need Rush's "2112" CD and "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" on video or DVD. 2.) Set the Rush CD up first by pushing play then pause so that the song is all cued up and ready to go. 3.) Make sure the volume on your television is turned down, *not* muted (unless you want closed-captioned dialogue). 4.) Then fast-forward the film from the beginning...on my tape, this is where the Warner Brothers logo fades completely to black just before the first frame of swirly chocolate comes to light...to the scene where Willy Wonka is exiting the factory in the morning to greet the guests (exact time coming soon). This is approximately 44 minutes and 50 seconds from the beginning. Willy is walking with a faux limp and cane...as he walks the cane gets stuck upright in the sidewalk, but he continues walking...you'll see that he *grasps* the air TWICE as if reaching for his cane...the *split* second he finishes his 2nd grasp of air, start "2112". [--from "The Rush/Wonka Project," http://home.i1.net/~bytor/WW2112.html ] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:56:06 -0600 From: "Roger Winston" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 zoom@muppetlabs.com on 6/28/2004 3:31:49 PM wrote: > I've only known two people who really hated Soul Coughing, and I'm curious > as to why Bradley is the other one. Count me in as a third, unless I'm already counted. I intensely dislike Soul Coughing, and yet I own an album of theirs (which I bought because of their song on the X-Files soundtrack). I think it was listening to that entire CD that did it for me. I just don't like the vocals and the musical structures. Don't know how else to explain it... not my thing. I would think they're an acquired taste for most (non-List) people, since they're pretty far from the mainstream. Latre. --Rog - -- Distance, Redefined: http://www.reignoffrogs.com/flasshe ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:22:58 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > I've only known two people who really hated Soul > Coughing, and I'm curious > as to why Bradley is the other one. I usually have really long winded explanations for these kinds of things, but not this time. I heard two albums and some scattered songs and there's just nothing about them I like--sonically, lyrically, vocally, etc. It's just a pure taste driven negative reaction! > Is it worth it to get into William Hung? Yes. The most amazing thing is that "YMCA" is actually the worst song on the CD. As bad as "Rocket Man" or "Hotel California" are, somehow the relatively easy "YMCA" is the most atrocious. And possibly becuase the Gonnabees background vocals have that bizarre, clinical sounding TLC-style harmony sound that, even with a lot of work, still isn't quite right. It's stunning. Which makes me think that the opening lines to "Rocket Man" are ridiculously difficult to sing--it's hard to phrase correctly and get the pitch right. It's the kind of melody that I would change if I was writing it because it wouldn't sound realized enough, but of course it works great if you sing it just right. The woman from the This American Life classifieds band fouls that up royally, and I don't think i've ever heard a cover where that line isn't a problem. - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.712 / Virus Database: 468 - Release Date: 6/27/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:56:29 -0700 (PDT) From: "Tim Walters" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 Bradley Skaught wrote (re Bley/Mason's "I'm a Mineralist"): > I > love the part where the wall of background vocals come in, but it just > keeps > going. And coming back. And going again. They're making fun of Philip Glass. I'll let you decide whether that makes it better or worse. I enjoy it, because of the way they do more than just the obvious repetition--they also nail Glass' microvariation/metric phase-change techniques. But I admit that that's a pretty austere pleasure. - -- THE DOUBTFUL PALACE Free exquisite music http://www.doubtfulpalace.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:33:10 -0700 (PDT) From: "Joseph M. Mallon" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 zoom@muppetlabs.com wrote: > Is it worth it to get into William Hung? No. > This is absolutely awesome!!! The visual and the audio mix coupled with, > and this is *very* important, the amazing correlation between the lyrical > content of "2112" with the storyline from "Willy Wonka..." is profound. > And I'm not just talking about the song "2112" proper; the mix remains in > tact throughout the five (5) remaining songs on the album. All in all, > thus far at least, 39 minutes that will leave you reeling. I can't iamgine what revelation would make this worth doing. Oompa Loompas = Syrinx Temple priests? Charlie Bucket = naked guy cowering before Red Star? Dahl = Rand? Joe Mallon jmmallon@joescafe.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:33:45 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > They're making fun of Philip Glass. Oh I see, so "mineralist" is kind of like "minimalist" then? > I'll let you decide whether that makes > it better or worse. It makes it worse, in a way, because then I don't see the point beyond the following: > they also nail Glass' microvariation/metric > phase-change techniques. I guess I can appreciate it, but the knowledge of the accomplishment doesn't bring me any emotional or intellectual pleasure. And it doesn't make the lyrics listenable or the lame groovy rock part less lame! > But I admit that that's a pretty austere > pleasure. Yeah, you're in a small club then, which I guess i'm glad exists even though i'm not interested! The only thing I can think of is that I don't like Glass' score to Mishima. It runs counter to the general mood of the film, and not in a way that creates valuable tension, just in a distracting way. I usually love the sound of breaking glass, B - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.712 / Virus Database: 468 - Release Date: 6/27/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:54:44 -0700 From: Matthew Weber Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 At 04:33 PM 6/28/2004 -0700, Bradley Skaught wrote: >I usually love the sound of breaking glass, >B I remember long ago reading a review of an early Glass recording in CREEM (of all places) where the lead sentence was, "I loathe the sound of Philip Glass." Matthew Weber Curatorial Assistant Music Library University of California, Berkeley One event happeneth to them all. The Holy Bible (The Old Testament): _Ecclesiastes; or, The Preacher_ 2:14 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:35:19 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 Part two of Jeffrey's fantastic swap is reviewed like this: 1.Popsicle Thieves "Touch You Natalie Jean" This reminds me a lot of Flying Color, Three O'Clock style pop--very nice. 2.The Chap "(I Am) Oozing Emotion" I like this--kind of Kraut-ish, Clinic-y cool rockin' blippy noise stuff. 3.Mountain Goats "Palmcorder Yajua" Borderline annoying, but I like it. I'm real hit or miss on these guys, usually miss with some kind of appreciation anyhow. The lyrics remind me of that Kids in the Hall parody college rock band (I forget the name--two of the band member's names were featured to indicate which one drove and which one's garage was used, I think.) One of the lyrics went something like "who's filming the photographer"--beautifully pretensious, Peter Murphy-level lyric writing. This is better, but I can imagine the Mountain Goats guy writing stuff like that in high school. 4.Pink Floyd "Cymbaline" I always liked this one. 5.The Sems "What Was Said" This doesn't really make any impression on me--kind of Feelies-esque. Did make me think, though, that a lot of people probably didn't get into Yuji Oniki because of a similar lack of initial impact. I think Yuji is extraordinarily talented and interesting, but I think a lot of people heard strummy major 7th chords and zoned out. So maybe The Sems are great? 6.Asteroid No.4 "Thank You R.F.A." I've tried these guys before--bits and pieces I like. They remind me of early Beulah, before they got their act together. 7.Richard Thompson "Tempted" no 8.Prince "Cinnamon Girl" uh uh 9.Rekindle "Ice Skating Girl" I love this! This is the third mix i've been given in the past few months to feature this song. I think because I love Scritti Politti, folks are anxious for me to hear this. It certainly doesn't have Green Gartside's incredible lyrics, but it's got that same electro/dance/soul/pop thing. Reminds me a lot of good Top 40 R&B production, actually--the crazy stuff like "Milkshake" or Justin Timberlake. I'll be curious to hear more by Rekindle. Scritti Politti lyrics really are brilliant, by the way--Cupid & Psyche is full of fantastic lyric writing that people should pay more attention to. 10.Boyskout "Back to Bed" I didn't like this one. I don't remember why. 11.Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out (Morgan Geist Reversion) Is Geist the Rekindle guy? I can't remember. Anyhow, a cool remix. I adore FF and would like the next album to have a more modern production approach--maybe this remix will learn 'em something. 12.Doug Mayo Wells "I-III-Security" This has a great mid period Wire meets Chris Knox thing going on--really cool and paranoid sounding. 13.Nova Scocial "Fingerprints" I really like the band name. 14.Scarce "All Sideways" Is this the old Western Mass. alternative band? I think I saw them live and liked them. This is very Bleach-era Nirvana, and though I like the Dave Thomas-style falsetto bit, I can't really take stuff like this anymore. 15.Carolee "I Heard You..." It's a great swirl of rhythms and guitars and I love the "boombox in the corner" production. The song didn't really sink in, though. 16.Slovak Republic "French Kiss Theory" demo What's the final version sound like? The drum machine is too distracting for me! 17.Cowsills "The Rain, the Park..." I love the Cowsills. 18.Terry & The Lovemakers "The Good Things" This is XTC in disguise, right? Should have been an XTC song, I think--reminds me that it's been a long time since we've had a really, really great Colin Moulding song 19.Johnny Paycheck "Pardon me, I've Got Someone to Kill" I love Paycheck's Little Darlin' era. All the Little Darlin' stuff is being reissued by KOCH right now, and I highly recommend it. He really took the George Jones voice and ran with it. The later hit stuff has it's own charm, but the Little Darlin' records are fantastic hard 60's country. Thanks Jeff--great and diverse listening! B "I can't keep the house clean enough" -Scott Peterson - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.712 / Virus Database: 468 - Release Date: 6/27/2004 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:04:05 -0700 From: Matthew Weber Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 At 5:35 PM -0700 6/28/04, Bradley Skaught wrote: > >10.Boyskout "Back to Bed" >I didn't like this one. I don't remember why. I kinda like Boyskout, even though they remind me of a Tatu (or whatever their name is) for the Gilman St. set. That's actually one of their more catchy songs, and their CD has a video of them rolling around in bed with each other in various combinations--an attempt to woo watchers of late-night Cinemax presentations, obviously. :) - -- Matt An annuity is a very serious business. Jane Austen (1775-1817), Sense and Sensibility ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:09:06 -0700 (PDT) From: zoom@muppetlabs.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > Which makes me think that the opening lines to "Rocket Man" are > ridiculously > difficult to sing--it's hard to phrase correctly and get the pitch right. Hmm...I've heard that Shatner does it, but never had the pleasure of hearing his version. He doesn't exactly sing in the first place, if you know what I mean. How did Kate Bush handle it? Any other covers we should know about? And for that matter, what arouses "no" and "uh uh" about Richard Thompson and Prince (covering Neil Young?)? Andy Bush shrugs off Cheney obscenity ANKARA (AFP) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites), who won the White House in 2000 promising to change the bitter tone of US politics, will not scold Vice President (news - web sites) Dick Cheney (news - web sites) for using an obscenity against a Democratic senator, a spokesman said. "It was a private exchange. These things happen from time to time. I think the vice president addressed it," Scott McClellan said as Bush traveled here. "It's something that's behind us now, in the view of the president." The White House has not denied that Cheney, in a harsh Senate floor exchange early last week with Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, told the lawmaker "f..k you" or "f..k yourself." Cheney has said the exchange made him feel better and was "long overdue." Asked whether Bush was unhappy at his number two's lack of contrition, McClellan replied: "It's not an issue with the president." "The president is someone who has always worked to elevate the discourse in Washington, DC. And it is difficult to change the tone in Washington, given the history" of political discourse there, said McClellan. Bush himself has used obscenities when he thought no-one could hear, famously calling a New York Times reporter a "major-league asshole" at a campaign rally with Cheney during the 2000 race when he believed the microphones were off. ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V4 #176 *******************************