Well, stumbling at long last over the performer known as tonetta, i've been tapping my toes and clicking my heels together, doublesmacked with funk and amazement. i got hooked hanging with some friends who do the super hip vinyl thing, and listening to the same record over and over. after initially giving the album a merely courteous nod, it started to get inside my brain. and i listened. and listened. and i'm still listening.
nickas explored a lot of the artistic implications of tonetta's performance, but i want to go even further (that's what she said). i want to scribble about the implications that tonetta's badass freedom could have about modern gender roles. trans*/queer politics rage through my brain as of late, and tonetta's fluidity felt like an emotional high five. here's what i think about two specific music videos!
I am never in the loop for new music these days, so I was really surprised to hear that My Bloody Valentine had a new release. (Here's where everyone throws popcorn at me for being so unhip. Please proceed.) I hadn't discovered them in the first place until after they parted ways, so they were one of those bands that I bracketed as 'before my time.'
Thematically, I had grouped them in with Joy Division, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and other bands that gave me a deep sense of adolescent comfort-- certainly not uniform in terms of sound, but drenched with that thick dark feeling, inviting you to listen to a whole album straight, alone in a poorly lit room (oh so healthy). So, ten years later, I was curious to see the new directions MBV might have taken, while maintaining awareness of the ways in which my own tastes have changed over half of my lifetime.
While my mind certainly isn't blown, I really enjoyed listening through this, moving through the rainy landscape of Vancouver over the past week. On foot, on buses and trains, "m b v" provided an enjoyable buffer between a socially awkward person and the close quarters of city life; I could close my eyes and zone out, feel some peace. Through the beginning tracks, MBV bounces back and forth from the classic rhythmic drone of guitars to a soft electric vibe that reminded me of Air. I saw this most in my favourite track "Is This And Yes," with an eery Virgin Suicides vibe-- a pause from the more predictable beginning, and a step toward the surprising end.
Then, as we move forward from there, the sound begins to sharpen and intensify, and we get the new directions I was looking for. The album's construction follows this ebb and flow from the expected sound we all remember (with tracks that would fit right into "Loveless") to purposeful and powerful interruptions, epitomized by the track "In Another Way," which sounded (at first) as though it came from a totally different band.
Doing a little research, I saw that some of the material was recorded before they broke up; I'd love to see if those more adventurous sounds were made recently, in an album progression mimicking the band's own chronology. However, no matter where their composition may go, the vocal delivery pulls it all firmly into their canon. You hear them precisely as you may remember them, but stomping new ground that sometimes hits, sometimes misses.
Perhaps my disconnect with the second half is just a genre preference thing-- the more experimental efforts sounded like they were trying to be harder, and edgier, but they didn't go far enough for me. I can definitely see and respect their growth, I'm just not sure I'm on the same page as Shields et al. in this particular case. Still, I think they nail this frenetic energy down best on the very last track, "Wonder 2."
As a whole, the album builds a strong and cohesive atmosphere. Finding myself slightly nodding my head along with the percussive elements, and trying to commit some of the complex melodies to memory, was enough to convince me that this is a good album. I'll be rocking it around the city for awhile, certainly, but probably only on rainy days. It's got this feel that's untranslatable, that particularly complements grey clouds and heavy silences. I guess My Bloody Valentine has always been like that, and I look forward to seeing them flesh out more of this moody music, if we're lucky.
People who think of Connecticut solely as a state full of country clubs and gold-lined streets have never been to New London. And anybody who’s wondering where the spirit of punk-rock is these days can find it there.
While listening to "Rewinder," I smelled stale beer and sweat. I felt concrete under my sneakers. I saw dive bars and littered parking lots and empty strip malls. Suburbia after nightfall.
Stylistically, Straight to VHS makes use of early punk templates and can resemble pioneer groups like the Sex Pistols and the Wipers. Their production standards are relatively high for garagerock so I can understand the Jay Reatard comparisons. They’re working within the form, keeping the rough edges and apathetic attitude but it’s obvious they care how the sound comes across. They’re craftsmen.
At just over 20 minutes, the album is a sonic roller coaster ride with one song cascading into the next. The standout track that represents the whole experience is “patchwork city.” In the red vocals, sweet bass doodles, a chorus that turns the groove of the verses on its head and guitar with enough crunch to chip a tooth. The count-in alone is beautifully rock and roll.
Yup, the spirit of punk is alive. I’m not sure if it’s well but when has it ever been? One thing’s for sure: it takes equal amounts pain and love to play this kind of music.
In response to the Newtown, Conn shooting, a number of Connecticut artists have donated songs for a compilation organized, curated, and published by Terry Carr and Peter Kelly. All proceeds will go towards Mental Health America. Check out the comp; it not only has some really great tracks, but certainly is for an awesome cause.
The cover photo was taken by Newtown Native Chris Trigaux
zZz is a band from Japan; its kind of ambiguous whether they moved to Brooklyn or are on an extended tour... Not sure... but they are great regardless. ZZZ is an all girl noise-rock band. The album is full of amazing rhythms, basslines, and guitars tones that will blow both your knee caps off and melt your face.
I was lucky enough to play (as Ghost of Chance) with these fine ladies at Death by Audio, Williamsberg BK, in Nov, which is how I found out about them. Live,they are great; on record, they are great. I don't think I can really give any complaints about the album. Their image is weird though... they are attempting to give a 'gothic' look to themselves. Something along the lines of Switchblade symphony (bleh) meets Bauhaus. But nevertheless, their songs are contrary to their image and are quite amazing. They are reminiscent of The Liars and the Magic Marker.
"Prescription" Begins with a Liars-esque, catchy noise verse which feels like it comes straight out of Beetle juice. Quickly, they turn the entire song over, flipping it on to it's head. Half-timing their tempo and creating a droney soundscape that seeps itself into your bones. This is the case with the other songs as well. Though, each song has a distinct feel to it. But that grinding, droney, soundscape is a continuous thread that holds the album together. At times they even sound like Killing Joke (check out "Cut it Out"). "Cut it Out" switches from killing joke to something reminding one of some sort of degenerate surf-song.
For the most part their vocals, yeah I know this is a classic comparison, remind one of Kim Gordon or Lydia Lunch. Abrasive screams, distorted, and quirky with creepy whispering interwoven throughout. Lyrically... well, I'm not going to get into that. To me, they are more ornamental than exceptional.
I have to say that their time shifts and odd, almost random chord changes make the album quite unique; you have to listen to carefully.
If you see them around in your town, go see these girls; or buy their album. Either way, I think these gals are going to be big. Real big.
The melancholy vocals. Catchy chord progressions. Sing-songy lyrics. The Human Fly's Debute album directs your mind towards thoughts of Mark Mulcahy or Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters). At times even Magnetic Fields. But with that said, the sad songs cultivate a sound of hope... almost derisively. Mocking the listener with it's extremely sentimental lyrics; the listener feels hope sneaking up around the corner, but to no avail.
The concept of derisively singing the sad song is not a new one, but an interesting one which hasn't really been done in awhile. The songs almost sound like they could be slowed down- and I say this cringing- Nirvana songs.
I could be totally wrong... Maybe the guy was just laying down when he sang the songs! But either way, the vocals are great and the lyrics are also. And after that ramble--I will leave you with a taste of the music. It's grungy, and acoustic. Recorded on a laptop, The Human Fly tries to drudge up images of red house painters, while doing this well. He still has his own style. If you haven't listened to this album, listen to it all the way through. It will probably depress you- but, just think of unicorns. The human fly - everything feels bad all at once - 03 moth by mexicanrobots
Another part of the Ty parade. This one, another re-release, "Reverse Shark Attack," was recorded back in 2009 on Kill Shaman. Ty and Mikal drown the noise in your head with with their sick spacey filthy garage rock; spewing through speakers that sound as though they were cut with a shard of glass. The group, though it can be classified as 'lo-fi,' has a distinct sound that is reminiscent of Wired or the Fall, but only in vocals. Guitar and drum sound wise... I'd have to say possibly Mudhoney or Gumball?
Though, wiht their ninties tones, they stick to a 60s song structure. Which is certainly interesting, and, at most, can be considered a timeless album. That is, one could not place a time period on the recordings because they are all over the place. They transcend time and space to give you music that is metamodern; bit of nostalgic feel for the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Indie rock, aside from some of the intros, can be totally thrown out the window when listening to this Ty Segall album.
Personally, this is my favorite Ty album. And you should check it. It is scheduled to be released this Jan (specifically 22nd, along with Ty's older, less addicting project Traditional Fools). Listen!
