From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V5 #148 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 14 2005 Volume 05 : Number 148 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] =?UTF-8?Q?miksa=C4=B5o!?= [Jeff ] [loud-fans] new ascorbic acidy pop [A52boy@aol.com] [loud-fans] new ascorbic acidy pop [A52boy@aol.com] [loud-fans] Los Angeles & San Diego Record Stores ??? Any advise ?? ["Val] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 14:11:28 -0500 From: Jeff Subject: [loud-fans] =?UTF-8?Q?miksa=C4=B5o!?= George Mastalir sent me a nice swap mix entitled "Your Move." Here's the track listing, with some brief comments: 1. Sufjan Stevens "Decatur" - kinda cute - nearly every line rhymes with the title. 2. George Harrison "If Not for You" (acoustic) - interesting to hear this fine song in its acoustic form... 3. They Might Be Giants "Flying V" - about the titular guitar, in a salsa-like rhythm. 4. Michael Penn "Walter Reed" - from his forthcoming album - I'd downloaded this independently. It sounds like Michael Penn. (That's a good thing - although this is the same midtempo that his wife seems mired in...I hope the full CD mixes up the tempos some.) 5. The Heavenly States "Look and Listen" - vocals are kinda shouty, music reasonably catchy, nice strings on the lead-in to the chorus. The first and third things might be enough to make them distinctive, although the first one risks annoyance. 6. Regina Spektor "Carbon Monoxide" - slow, waltz-time, piano, oddly large drum sound. Her voice sounds like what Joanna Newsom might sound like when she grows up ;-) . Not bad...but I haven't quite latched on to this yet. 7. American Music Club "Home" - demo(?) version of the song from the fine reunion album which everyone here owns. Right? I'm not sure where this version comes from...I'm guessing one of those downloads from american-music-club.com (I haven't looked around much there). 8. Ida "Honeyslide" - begins with a hushed piano intro, some thrummy "Eleanor Rigby" -like strings come in along w/the patented Ida harmonies. There's always been something a little tart about those harmonies - a good thing, since otherwise their music might risk a dip in the saccharin. 9. Black Mountain "No Satisfaction" - not the Stones song, although they quote the lyrics a bit, and the four-on-the-floor beat seems a nod in its direction as well. The rest sounds nothing like it - one of those bands that decides not-everything-being-in-tune is just fine. Sometimes it is, but more if it's a particular effect than an all-over lackadaisicalness. Actually this track kinda reminds me of Elf Power... 10. Clem Snide "Made for TV Movie" - acoustic number, almost entirely Eef Barzelay (second-best name in rock; best is "Gurf Morlix"), which may or may not be about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. 11. Day at the Fair "Eastern Homes Western Hearts" - Pop-punk from a blueprint. That slightly flat vocal with a touch of snottiness (here indicated by the presence of the word "shit" in the lyrics) and a four-note range, vocal harmonies on the chorus, blah-blah-blah. I'm at work with no bass but it sounds like the guy's got a double kick-drum setup. Meh. 12. Oranger "Make it with You" - yes, the Bread song...after a trippy intro, it sounds like it's actually a cover of an early '70s soul song (cousin to "Grazing in the Grass" maybe). You'll be pleased to know they've retained the electric sitar lick. Pretty fun... 13. Petra Haden "I Can See for Miles" - As everyone probably knows by now, this is from a track-by-track a cappella remake of _The Who Sell Out_ on which Haden sings the parts originally played by Townshend, Entwistle, and (sometimes) Moon. Inevitably, a bit of a novelty item - but it does show up some interesting aspects of the songs - like the really cool discords, a couple more each time, on the build to the chorus. It's a very nice lyric-painting effect, as if the narrator's seeing further each time. The other curious thing is that Haden cools down the performance: there's little overt display of passion, which is either merely odd (considering the source) or positively off-putting. I'm not sure what I think, whether it's just an academic exercise of some interest in itself or a dumb decision. 14. Hugh Masekela "Fela" - tribute to the Afropop giant, based on a sort of reggae-ish slink, which oddly (perhaps) emphasizes his ability to make people dance rather than his political impact. Or maybe I separate things that aren't separate in context. I don't know. Anyway, the lyrical, jazzy trumpet solo halfway through is diverting, but I'm not sure it's enough for me. 15. The Mountain Goats "Song for Dennis Brown" - mostly just John Darnielle and an acoustic guitar, with some subtle colorations. The song suggests some comparison between Dennis Brown (the reggae guy) and the narrator...what that might be is open to interpretation. 16. The Raveonettes "Uncertain Times" - completely different from what I expected somehow. In this case a bit quieter and more melodic - but I can see connections, perhaps, to similar moments in Outrageous Cherry. Why I'd do that, I'm not sure, except I like Outrageous Cherry. So I'll have to check these folks out. 17. Yo La Tengo "Tom Courtenay (Georgia version)" - no that doesn't mean Charlie Daniels plays on it - it means Georgia Hubley sings this version, which is quieter, more acoustic than the album version. 18. Eels "Her" (alternate version) - I don't know the non-alternate version, but this one is a slightly country-ish version (in its rhythm), with a Hammond organ as a bed and the usual gruffly melodic singing. Okay - somewhere near the end, I was just reminded - for no reason I can quite name from the music - of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man." Maybe I'm thinking of Crooked Fingers' cover (since Bachmann's voice occupies a similar sonic territory to the Eels guy's)? 19. Rilo Kiley "A Man / Me / Then Jim" - More country-tinged stuff - here in the form of pedal steel coloration, and a trumpet borrowed from the original version of "Ring of Fire," perhaps. I don't know...I feel as if I should like Rilo Kiley more than I do. I think there's something to the fact that Jenny whatshername seems always to sing with about the same tone. She's not as robotic in the sing-as-if-English-is-a-foreign-language sweepstakes as Natalie Merchant (for example) is - but...I don't know, it just doesn't work for me. (Rilo Kiley fans will now picket my house and denounce me as a clueless infidel. Oh well.) 20. The Chills "True Romance" - The Chills are another band I'm supposed to like more than I actually do (man, I'm Grumpy Boy today it seems). There's something a bit distant about this track - maybe it's that (if I remember correctly) "The Chills" is basically just Martin Phillipps these days - even though there are strings here, which I'm assuming aren't played by him, my guess is everything else is. Even if that's not the case, there's something insular about this track that - again - I can't quite isolate that prevents me from really digging into this song. Hmm. 21. Robert Downey Jr. "Your Move" - Yes, this is the Yes song, and yes, that is Jon Anderson on the second vocal. And yes, this is the actor. I'm not sure his rather gruff voice is suited for this song; I'm reminded of the way Mike Watt's voice, well-suited to his own material (rough, plainspoken, not terribly melodic) sounded so incredibly out of place in his cover of Wire's "The 15th" on that _Whore_ compilation from a few years back. And that's it. Band most likely to be checked out: The Raveonettes - and the Heavenly States, Regina Spektor, and Black Mountain might be worth listening to a few more tracks as well. And of course, many old (and newer) favorites appear hereon as well. Thanks again, George! - -- ...Jeff The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:36:35 EDT From: A52boy@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] new ascorbic acidy pop The new Orange Peels album, CIRCLING THE SUN (on Parasol) satisfies my pop tooth and I think it's terrific. The most complex and confident record they've done yet (though it's pretty much Allen Clapp's baby). It will definitely be in my top 10 for the year, along with The Rosebuds e.p., UNWIND (really Mark? Quelle surprise). I love the drums on "What's It Like Mary Jo?" It reminds me of the hyper drumming on "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works. Play this record on a clear summer morning with the top down in your Day-Glo '65 Plymouth Valiant convertible after drinking two cappuccinos. - --Mark ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 22:36:35 EDT From: A52boy@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] new ascorbic acidy pop The new Orange Peels album, CIRCLING THE SUN (on Parasol) satisfies my pop tooth and I think it's terrific. The most complex and confident record they've done yet (though it's pretty much Allen Clapp's baby). It will definitely be in my top 10 for the year, along with The Rosebuds e.p., UNWIND (really Mark? Quelle surprise). I love the drums on "What's It Like Mary Jo?" It reminds me of the hyper drumming on "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works. Play this record on a clear summer morning with the top down in your Day-Glo '65 Plymouth Valiant convertible after drinking two cappuccinos. - --Mark ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:28:06 -0700 From: "Vallor" Subject: [loud-fans] Los Angeles & San Diego Record Stores ??? Any advise ?? I know that is a tired question, but given that I fail to keep old lists around, please bear with me. Can anyone on the list recommed good record stores in the greater LA and San Diego area ? I promise not to clean them out, I'm on a budget. Also, any in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly area) ? Off list is best. Kind regards, Dan Vallor ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V5 #148 *******************************