From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V7 #78 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 Thursday, March 29 2007 Volume 07 : Number 078 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt'2 ["Larry Tucker" ] Re: [loud-fans] timewarping timewarp ["Larry Tucker" ] [loud-fans] RE: Ted Leo ["Douglas Stanley" ] Re: [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt.1 ["Larry Tucker" ] Re: [loud-fans] Ted Leo [2fs ] Re: [loud-fans] Ted Leo [zoom@muppetlabs.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:58:03 -0400 From: "Larry Tucker" Subject: [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt'2 And here's the second, "Timewarping". http://www.yousendit.com/download/M3BrN3RlZ2pEa1UwTVE9PQ Hope you enjoy them and the shows. Larry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:12:29 -0400 From: "outbound-only email address" Subject: [loud-fans] timewarping timewarp > Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:55:26 -0400 > From: Larry Tucker > Here's the first one, "Timewarping". > > Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:58:03 -0400 > From: Larry Tucker > And here's the second, "Timewarping". It's like a Star Trek episode! Seriously, Larry, thanks for sharing these. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:55:26 -0400 From: "Larry Tucker" Subject: [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt.1 Hopefully, as an enticement to get out to see one the west coast shows I've uploaded a couple of Mitch's new songs I recorded earlier this month at the DYNAMICO CD release show at the Cat's Cradle. Here's the first one, "Timewarping". http://www.yousendit.com/download/M3BrN3RlZ2pEa1UwTVE9PQ Larry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:25:41 -0400 From: "Larry Tucker" Subject: [loud-fans] Mitch downloads PT.2 Really. Mistakes were made, but I will not testify to that under oath. Here's "1 1/2 way Street" http://download.yousendit.com/30C8BC296170CE16 Larry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:27:24 -0400 From: "Larry Tucker" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] timewarping timewarp On 3/28/07, outbound-only email address wrote: > > > Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:55:26 -0400 > > From: Larry Tucker > > Here's the first one, "Timewarping". > > > > Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:58:03 -0400 > > From: Larry Tucker > > And here's the second, "Timewarping". > > > It's like a Star Trek episode! > > Seriously, Larry, thanks for sharing these. Uuuuhhhh. maybe I should learn to drink coffee. Amendments will follow. Larry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:22:22 -0700 From: "Douglas Stanley" Subject: [loud-fans] RE: Ted Leo I just bought the CD (with bonus EP) last night. I'll let you know what I think. It's been rather well reviewed. Doug S. - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:21:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Dan Sallitt Subject: [loud-fans] Ted Leo Any reports on the new Ted Leo? I like the first two songs on his MySpace page, especially "Old Souls Know" - interesting how the droney melody and the open chordings go so well together. - Dan - ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V7 #77 ****************************** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:46:27 -0400 From: "Larry Tucker" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt.1 On 3/28/07, Steve Holtebeck wrote: > > On 3/28/07, Larry Tucker wrote: > > Hopefully, as an enticement to get out to see one the west coast shows > I've > > uploaded a couple of Mitch's new songs I recorded earlier this month at > the > > DYNAMICO CD release show at the Cat's Cradle. > > The cover of the disc (coincidentally) > is from a picture that Larry Tucker took way back in 1984 (dithered > down to 24 colors). If Mitch looks young in that photo, the person > on the other side of the camera was even younger! If you mean me behind the camera, Mitch and I are in fact the same age, but I don't think I looked that young in high school. Enjoy the shows Steve. I think it's great Mitch is gettin' out there. Larry ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:04:15 -0700 From: "Steve Holtebeck" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Mitch west coast shows Pt.1 On 3/28/07, Larry Tucker wrote: > Hopefully, as an enticement to get out to see one the west coast shows I've > uploaded a couple of Mitch's new songs I recorded earlier this month at the > DYNAMICO CD release show at the Cat's Cradle. Thanks for sharing these songs, Larry! I'm hoping to make it to both tonight's in-store at Amoeba and tomorrow night's show at the Rickshaw stop, and may even have my own audio recordings to share if they turn out okay. Meanwhile, here are a few songs ME probably *won't* be playing at the California shows. These are five tracks from long deleted and forgotten early 90s tribute albums (except SING HOLLIES, everyone remembers that one!) ripped from a Mitch-mix called TWO DOZEN EASTER EGGS I made a few years ago. The cover of the disc (coincidentally) is from a picture that Larry Tucker took way back in 1984 (dithered down to 24 colors). If Mitch looks young in that photo, the person on the other side of the camera was even younger! http://sholtrox.blogspot.com/2007/03/fomm-mitch-madness.html Dan Sallitt wrote: > Any reports on the new Ted Leo? I like the first two songs on his MySpace > page, especially "Old Souls Know" - interesting how the droney melody and > the open chordings go so well together "Old Souls" know isn't from the album proper, just the bonus EP. I think LIVING WITH THE LIVING is great, if a little bit front-loaded. The first ten songs are great, but the last few drag the album down a bit. For anyone downloading from emusic or iTunes, I think song-by-song is a better choice than the entire album. - -Steve ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:23:55 -0400 From: "outbound-only email address" Subject: [loud-fans] Ted Leo Steve H. The first ten songs are great, but the last few drag the album down a > bit. For anyone downloading from emusic or iTunes, I think > song-by-song is a better choice than the entire album. I'll respectfully disagree -- I think the 2nd half of "The Lost Patrol" (track 11) and "C.I.A." (track 15) are 2 of the most out-and-out gorgeous things he's ever done. I'm working on a real review for which the precis is roughly: 1. While TL plays to his core strengths on several tracks, he's adventurous enough to abandon them almost completely on a few songs, which I think is admirably gutsy. The early critical groupthink, which I take to roughly be "another superbly-crafted album that breaks little new ground for TL, ho hum" annoys me; I'm inclined to think it's more about the inability of critics to explore the ways in which this album is _not_ just more-of-the-same in a soundbite-friendly format than it's about TL's alleged failure to take artistic chances. 2. Judgment must rest in the ear of the beholder, but while listening to " Bomb.Repeat.Bomb" and "C.I.A" I'm continually amazed that I don't find the lyrics intolerably preachy. They push the boundary for me but don't quite cross it, which I attribute mostly to the care and passion with which the songs are arranged and played, and TL's instinct for compelling, if sometimes unlikely, vocal hooks. In an unrelated note, those of you who couldn't get "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" out of your heads last year might want to check out The Eames Era's new _Heroes and Sheroes_. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:28:10 -0700 From: "Douglas Stanley" Subject: [loud-fans] RE: Ted Leo OK - So I spent most of the day listening to the CD. If you're a Ted Leo fan, you'll like it. It seems a lot more diverse than his previous discs. There's some county-ish influences and even a ballad to go along with the much-maligned reggae tune. To me, there's nothing that immediately strikes my like a "Me and Mia" or "Walking to Do" or "Ballad of a Sin Eater", but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Doug S. - -----Original Message----- From: Douglas Stanley Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 9:22 AM To: 'loud-fans@smoe.org' Subject: RE: Ted Leo I just bought the CD (with bonus EP) last night. I'll let you know what I think. It's been rather well reviewed. Doug S. - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:21:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Dan Sallitt Subject: [loud-fans] Ted Leo Any reports on the new Ted Leo? I like the first two songs on his MySpace page, especially "Old Souls Know" - interesting how the droney melody and the open chordings go so well together. - Dan - ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V7 #77 ****************************** ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:56:13 -0500 From: 2fs Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Ted Leo On 3/28/07, outbound-only email address wrote: > I'm working on a real review for which the precis is roughly: > > 1. While TL plays to his core strengths on several tracks, he's > adventurous > enough to abandon them almost completely on a few songs, which I think is > admirably gutsy. The early critical groupthink, which I take to roughly be > "another superbly-crafted album that breaks little new ground for TL, ho > hum" annoys me; I'm inclined to think it's more about the inability of > critics to explore the ways in which this album is _not_ just > more-of-the-same in a soundbite-friendly format than it's about TL's > alleged > failure to take artistic chances. The head of that nail must be hurtin' - because you just hit it square on. I'm not a huge reggae fan (read: I kinda hate it) but damned if he somehow didn't make that track sound good and smooth like v. early reggae and proto-reggae (the genre name for which escapes my mind). Even though I like a lot of the songs on STS, somehow I never really warmed to it as much as to either of its two predecessors: this one seems likelier to be up there with _Hearts of Oak_. For one thing, there was sometimes a sort of screechy sound to Ted's vocals on the last one - less of that here. NB: this is based on only one listen, My opinion may be modified... 2. Judgment must rest in the ear of the beholder, but while listening to " > Bomb.Repeat.Bomb" and "C.I.A" I'm continually amazed that I don't find the > lyrics intolerably preachy. They push the boundary for me but don't quite > cross it, which I attribute mostly to the care and passion with which the > songs are arranged and played, and TL's instinct for compelling, if > sometimes unlikely, vocal hooks. Haven't really listened to the lyrics yet - but generally, Leo gets away with that sort of thing because of his passion, intelligence, and ability to observe and relate details rather than just broadsiding. The other widely distributed release I bought yesterday* was the new Low CD. I think I will have to break my puzzling habit of somehow holding back until several months later to buy new Low releases (obviously, I did that yesterday - but only because it was sitting there on sale at the counter: I hadn't picked it out in advance), because this one, and the last one, are both tremendously impressive in the way that Low manages to do an extremely rare thing, especially for a band that's been around as long as it has: evolve musically, while remaining recognizably no one but itself. A lot more electronic textures on this one, and a continuation of their experimentation with tempos faster than a crawl (in fact, I'm not sure you'd even say this one's particularly full of slow tempos at all...), and their usual intensity and beauty. (Again: this on a single listen.) * Obscure releases: Knit Delicate _Pressed_ (Milwaukee dude Charles Jordan and ex-pats Maki (two ex- Blow Pops plus a couple guys from Richmond's Sound of Music studio, Alan Weatherhead and Miguel Urbiztondo): somewhat Replacements-y; the sort of music seemingly every band in Milwaukee was making ten-fifteen years ago, but still, a very high-quality version of same. Not sure how much staying power it'll have, though. And: Silmaril _The Voyage of Icarus_: compilation of early '70s Milwaukee Christian psych-folk act. Very sparse; the female singer has one of those very pure but nearly operatic-type voices that sometimes is beautiful and other times is too precious; some interesting moments, but I'm not sure this one won't cloy after a while. Or I'll really love it. Not sure. The male singer and songwriter had an interesting and somewhat tragic life: heavily into an odd Catholic offshoot called Catholic Pentecostalism, he was also at the time a deeply closeted gay man (at one point going so far as to tell a female bandmate that God had declared they should marry: she accepted, knowing that he was almost certainly gay but figured their friendship would see them through. O the '70s...). Ultimately he came out...to form a Houston-based "gay cowboy band" called Blue Wave...and, sadly, to die of AIDS at 41.) - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:48:28 -0700 (PDT) From: zoom@muppetlabs.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Ted Leo > The head of that nail must be hurtin' - because you just hit it square on. > I'm not a huge reggae fan (read: I kinda hate it) but damned if he somehow > didn't make that track sound good and smooth like v. early reggae and > proto-reggae (the genre name for which escapes my mind). I'm assuming you mean ska, though you could mean rocksteady: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae > The other widely distributed release I bought yesterday* was the new Low > CD. I found this one of the strongest releases so far this year, along with, but probably superior to, the new Fountains of Wayne. Here's my review of the Low disc (appeared in somewhat different form in Seattle Sound magazine): Low *Drums and Guns Sub Pop Low's eighth studio album, and second Sub Pop release, finds longtime bassist Zak Sally out. With him went the slow-fused and brilliantly bursting long jams; the new songs arrive short, adroitly arranged in electronica, and mortality-obsessed. "Pretty People" and "Your Poison," with bold condemning rhetoric, suggest the aural broadsides of Roberta Flack or Nina Simone circa 1969. But Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk mostly, admirably, eschew preaching aside for some first-person culpability ("*My* hand just kills and kills/There's got to be an end to that.") They question personal responsibility for violence, addictive transcendence and its flipside cynicism ("Dragonfly") the conundrum of where to apply force ("Sandinista") and other easily-encapsulated but thorny moral debates. "Murderer" painfully, resignedly offers bloodletting for hire to the Lord. And finds the Lord one more middle manager with an overflowing "In" box. > And: Silmaril > _The > Voyage of Icarus_: compilation of early '70s Milwaukee Christian > psych-folk > act. Intriguing, at the very least, to find a band getting their name the same place Marillion got theirs. 12 days to the next Marillion album, Andy "If I have anything attractive in my home people will come and visit me, and I'll just have to kill'em! And I'm almost out of visqueen and lime." - --overheard at work recently ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V7 #78 ******************************