From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V4 #177 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 Tuesday, June 29 2004 Volume 04 : Number 177 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Bradley Skaught" ] [loud-fans] Bells and whistles..workblog [Gil Ray ] [loud-fans] Paula still on list? [GlenSarvad@aol.com] Re: [loud-fans] Paula still on list? [tonerbomb@warpmail.net] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Fortissimo" ] Fwd: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 [Michael Zwirn ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 [Aaron Mandel ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 [Stewart Mason ] Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 ["Fortissimo" ] Re: Fwd: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 ["Fortissimo" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:20:40 -0700 From: "Bradley Skaught" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > And for that matter, what arouses "no" and "uh uh" > about Richard Thompson I don't think it's much of a song beyond Squeeze's great performance and it sounds really silly coming from Thompson. > and Prince (covering Neil Young?)? Actually, it's an original Prince song with the same title. I just didn't like it. I forgot to include a Clinic song from my review of disc 2--it's called "Porno" and it's great. Clinic songs are all the same, but so far they're mostly good. I wouldn't buy an album of theirs, but I saw them live and had a blast. 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 21:28:24 -0500 From: Holly Kruse 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? No problem for Kate B.! The phrasing is, as you can imagine, quite idiosyncratic (think of the opening lines of "Cloudbusting" and "Hounds of Love," and countless other examples. Of course, I am hardly objective on matters Kate-Bushian. And actually, in her version, I think the opening and the closing (which features a fiddle) are the strongest parts. Her arrangement of "Rocket Man" features a reggae beat, which doesn't exactly work for me. Holly holly-kruse@utulsa.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 19:53:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Gil Ray Subject: [loud-fans] Bells and whistles..workblog Well, I'm at my favorite part of recording/writing: Puttin' on the cool stuff! This is where the personality of the song starts to emerge, and hopefully, the stuff that will turn a pretty ordinary rocker into something unique and cool. This is for the hard rocking song I'm calling "This Is The Space Age". Not too sure where I want to go with this. I spent quite alot of time trying out guitar riffs to go on top of this, and nothing was working out. I would come up with something neat, but then I'd realize it's taking the song into somewhere I don't really want to go..Cool part, but not appropriate. So I just kept going and going and I'm just not getting anywhere. Then, I start to worry about the tape breaking or something, because of all the repeat plays, and I decided to record a dummy track on a different tape, and use that one to figure out the parts with. Damn. I'm a genius.....A slow...genius. I have decided to not do vocal harmonies so I can have another free track. I will remedy that with a keyboard part that will hopefully fill it in a bit. I'm going with a pure B3 organ type sound. It's conventional as hell, and a little too obvious for this particular tune, but it sounds good. Somehow, I will need to figure out a way to put theme-related sounds in this (space/sci-fi/weird stuff). My intent is to not make a conventional sounding hard rock song. A million other people can do that way better than I can. I may just have one track to get weird on, though... Pet Peeve of home recording: Stepping on the damn headphone cord. Gil __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:17:24 EDT From: GlenSarvad@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] Paula still on list? I'm sure this has already been discussed during the period where I was digest-deleting to keep my inbox afloat, but.... I was perusing a toy store(!) in Asheville, NC this weekend when I saw prominent display of a trade paperback called Yoga To Go written by one Paula Carino. I wouldn't have recognized her from the photo, but her bio checks out as the (former?) listmember and Regular Einstein. Am I just two steps behind?.... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:04:21 -0500 From: tonerbomb@warpmail.net Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Paula still on list? On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:17:24 EDT, GlenSarvad@aol.com said: > I'm sure this has already been discussed during the period where I was > digest-deleting to keep my inbox afloat, but.... I was perusing a toy > store(!) in > Asheville, NC this weekend when I saw prominent display of a trade > paperback > called Yoga To Go written by one Paula Carino. I wouldn't have > recognized her > from the photo, but her bio checks out as the (former?) listmember and > Regular > Einstein. Am I just two steps behind?.... That is indeed our (formerly our) Paula, yes. - ------------------------------- ...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 23:05:38 -0500 From: "Fortissimo" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:44:49 -0700 (PDT), zoom@muppetlabs.com said: > >> 10.Nick Mason's Ficticious Sports "I'm a Mineralist" > > 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? Pretty much. I think on the package I billed it as "Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports featuring Carla Bley and Robert Wyatt"... - ------------------------------- ...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 20:32:58 -0700 From: Michael Zwirn Subject: Fwd: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 From Bradley earlier today Begin forwarded message: > From: "Bradley Skaught" > Date: June 28, 2004 1:28:31 PM PDT > To: > Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > > >> If you don't think these guys are >> funny, read this from their website... > > This makes me like them even less, actually, but I guess I have a > better > grasp on what they're trying to do--which is something I wouldn't like > so > it's okay! > > The difference between these guys and Merritt, perhaps, is that > Merritt's > pastiche is usually of some genre that is already a bit of a novelty--a > tool, usually, for fluff. Turning that into into something resonant is > an > old school mode of writing--a pre-rock way to be smart and insightful > and > still pack them in on Broadway. Even seeing the Handsome Family live, > and > enjoying the set, I don't find making novelty goofs of old time-y music > (with an overbearing "gloomy" theme) a particularily good means of > expressing something interesting. Partly because I think that music is > only > funny in some kind of Deliverance, duelling banjos sense, which to me > isn't > really funny--it's just humor as a kind of cynical dismissal of > something > one might call hillbilly. It's a kind of humor with a long history, > but I > don't think that makes it effective humor in the sense of revealing > some > fundamental irony or ridiculousness. It only reveals the humorists' > bias, > maybe because it's a tradition not born out of love for the genre. > Maybe > they're just reaching for something too esoteric to be as effective > as, say, > Spinal Tap or something. > Also, the gothic lyric thing is annoying to me. It's why I don't > really like > Nick Cave for the most part--the imagery is so clichid at this point > that it > doesn't generate a real feeling or exploration of darkness. > > 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: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:08:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Aaron Mandel Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004, Bradley Skaught wrote: > 11.Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out (Morgan Geist Reversion) > Is Geist the Rekindle guy? I can't remember. No, Geist is just some guy -- I first heard of him because he did one of the better tracks on Erlend Oye's album of collaborations with electronica-ists (Unrest). Actually, now that I say that I'm paranoid that they're two aliases for the same person, but I don't think so... if memory serves, Rekindle is Australian and Morgan Geist is from NYC. a ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:48:09 -0400 From: Stewart Mason Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 At 03:56 PM 6/28/2004 -0600, Roger Winston wrote: >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. Fourth. Dude's voice drives me up the wall, and they've never struck me as being nearly as adventurous and experimental as they think they are. S ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:22:00 -0500 From: "Fortissimo" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 2 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:35:19 -0700, "Bradley Skaught" said: > 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. I mentioned it in the notes I sent Bradley - but the lyric is written by another Loudfan, our own Miles Goosens - more or less on a whim... > 16.Slovak Republic "French Kiss Theory" demo > What's the final version sound like? The drum machine is too distracting > for me! I do have a more recent version (I don't think it's been officially released yet) but I liked this one better because of the slightly buzzy synth that blended better with the preceding track. I was going to point you to their website, where there are a bunch more mp3s...but it seems to have disappeared from the web. They used to be called Slovak Girl - I first heard of them on a mix by Jon Gabriel (is he still here?). > 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 It is that band, yes. I would agree re Moulding...but apparently, he's been tending to a very ill family member (I think it might even be his wife, perhaps?) over the last several years - so I rather understand that writing spiffy pop songs wouldn't exactly be flowing forth there. - ------------------------------- ...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 23:42:35 -0500 From: "Fortissimo" Subject: Re: Fwd: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 20:32:58 -0700, "Michael Zwirn" said: > From Bradley earlier today I can't quite tell who says what here, but... > > The difference between these guys and Merritt, perhaps, is that > > Merritt's > > pastiche is usually of some genre that is already a bit of a novelty--a > > tool, usually, for fluff. Turning that into into something resonant is > > an > > old school mode of writing--a pre-rock way to be smart and insightful > > and > > still pack them in on Broadway. Even seeing the Handsome Family live, > > and > > enjoying the set, I don't find making novelty goofs of old time-y music > > (with an overbearing "gloomy" theme) a particularily good means of > > expressing something interesting. Partly because I think that music is > > only > > funny in some kind of Deliverance, duelling banjos sense, which to me > > isn't > > really funny--it's just humor as a kind of cynical dismissal of > > something > > one might call hillbilly. It's a kind of humor with a long history, > > but I > > don't think that makes it effective humor in the sense of revealing > > some > > fundamental irony or ridiculousness. It only reveals the humorists' > > bias, > > maybe because it's a tradition not born out of love for the genre. See, this seems totally wrong to me. I do not see them as making "novelty goofs" - certainly not in the parody-of-Deliverance vein you mention here. I don't see them as dismissive of "hillbilly" traditions. > > Maybe > > they're just reaching for something too esoteric to be as effective > > as, say, > > Spinal Tap or something. > > Also, the gothic lyric thing is annoying to me. It's why I don't > > really like > > Nick Cave for the most part--the imagery is so clichid at this point > > that it > > doesn't generate a real feeling or exploration of darkness. That's why I said "gothic" - Flannery O'Connor, say - not "goth." I think Rennie Sparks' lyrics are best at their most evocative and least specific, but retaining a real sense of place and situation. I'll admit that for me, the band is one that's better on paper than in the ears - but I absolutely do *not* see them as "hey, here's that funny hillbilly sound - and dig this, we're oh so mournful in our yokelish gloom." Ah, what the hell: here's the complete lyric to "The Snow White Diner." Rennie Sparks prints her lyrics in prose form, which I think doesn't really serve them well (they're song lyrics - not short stories, not poems). But anyway: I am eating hashbrowns in the Snow White Diner. Outside cars are honking. Flashing lights on the bridge. They're pulling a car up from the bottom of the frozen lake. A woman drove her Saturn into the black water. Killed herself and her two kids strapped in the back seat. She'd lost her job and didn't want her kids to be poor. The diner is noisy. Black coffee and sugar. Baskets of dinner rolls. Outside the crowd is growing, waiting by the drawbridge hoping to see the dead woman's face. In the booth next to me there are two old women eating liver and onions. They're laughing too loud and banging the tabletop, but then I see that they're deaf. I don't know why they're laughing. Maybe the world's much nicer if you can't hear the cars. They make me feel better like I'm drunk on a plane and have forgotten I'm afraid to fly. - ------------------------------- ...Jeff J e f f r e y N o r m a n The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com/ :: Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb :: --Batman ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 22:55:25 -0700 From: Michael Zwirn Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Swap Review Part 1 > See, this seems totally wrong to me. I do not see them as making > "novelty goofs" - certainly not in the parody-of-Deliverance vein you > mention here. I don't see them as dismissive of "hillbilly" traditions. > That's why I said "gothic" - Flannery O'Connor, say - not "goth." I > think Rennie Sparks' lyrics are best at their most evocative and least > specific, but retaining a real sense of place and situation. > I do indeed think that Handsome Family is in the Southern Gothic tradition, and I think the lyric quoted earlier is an excellent example of where Rennie is coming from. Not everything is wholly dismal; they do tend to turn their (bleak) outward observation toward some interesting internal revelation mid-lyric, which adds to what would otherwise be a genre exercise. Michael ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V4 #177 *******************************