School Of Seven Bells >> Swing my weight around

School Of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"

(Ghostly International / Vagrant Records [U.S.]; Full Time Hobby Records [U.K.], 2010)

My town is about to get a direct hit from Hurricane Isaac, so this was the only song that kept coming to mind.  It's only gonna be a category 1, and we took a direct category 2 hit from Gustav in '08, so I'm not very worried.  The only annoying thing is moving my 100+ outdoor potted plants around.  Perhaps based on their extremely polished sound, I had always thought SVIIB were on a major label, but a check of my Disconnect From Desire CD, in beautiful paper gatefold packaging, proves otherwise.  This is truly one of the catchiest choruses I've ever heard, so beware, because it can really get stuck in your head for months at a time.  This song came out on a red vinyl 7" in the U.K., but only as a "digital single" in the U.S.  More proof that the Brits have always valued these kinds of bands more than we have over here, though ours did have an extra track, since we believe in super-sizing.

This song has that duelling-simultaneous-choruses style that reminds me of the old nursery rhyme "Frère Jacques," as well as the Psychedelic Furs' immortal "The Ghost In You."  The wussiness of the song's opening chant used to put me off, but Alejandra Deheza's main vocals have a deep, resonant, almost androgynous tone that is very awesome to my male ears, especially during the "When the fire's burning from sky to ground..." part.  The drums have a loose, jazzy feel that suits the music perfectly.  It was NPR's song of the day: "[Ben] Curtis says he began writing the chord progression based on a melody that Alejandra Deheza was singing while they were driving through the Alps; they constructed the song's transporting sound to remind listeners of the mountains."

The aforementioned extra track on the U.S. single is a predictably pounding remix by A Place To Bury Strangers.

"Bye Bye Bye" actually had more potential to be a hit than "Windstorm" did, in my opinion.

Fun Fact: The album title is from Brian Eno's storied Oblique Strategies card deck.  Yes, this band is pretentious and meticulous in all the best ways...

As I mentioned a few months ago (see here), I saw SVIIB in April '11 opening for Interpol at House Of Blues in New Orleans, and headlining at the Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge in April of this year.

Alejandra's twin sister Claudia had left the band in Sept. 2010, right after Disconnect From Desire came out, so I guess I'll never get to see the "real" / original SVIIB live.  Note: They were not at their merch table either time, so don't plan on saying hi to them at a gig.  And they did not have the "Windstorm" 7" for sale at either gig, since it had presumably sold out long ago.  They also didn't play "Dust Devil" either time, so don't go hoping to see it.  I did see Ben Curtis playing pool upstairs at the Spanish Moon right before opening act EXITMUSIC went on and unspooled their gloom-rock.  Ben's previous band, Secret Machines, kicked moderate ass at Voodoo Fest '05, doing a bombastic type of Led Zeppelin meets prog rock thing.

Former print mag CMJ's digital cover from July 26, 2010. Hilarious Fact: This was actually not SVIIB's debut album..

Go check out the album cover and then look for that strange symbol, on the band members' bodies and elsewhere, in the music video:

There was also a deluxe version of the CD that came in a box with tarot cards; these cards are reproduced in the booklet of the regular CD issue too, so don't break the bank on the deluxe CD.  I usually complain about bands that I like making super-catchy songs and then not receiving enough of a marketing push.  Well, this album got a truly impressive and diverse promotional blitz, but SVIIB's music proved to be not quite simplistic enough to compete in the current major-label or indie climates, in which lobotomized party music reigns supreme.

Cheesy '80s-style album announcement poster

You may wish to read this article, if only for the stylish photos: The evolution of Brooklyn's School Of Seven Bells

Map from two days ago

Map from today

I was gonna see the Jeff Buckley-channeling band Ours, of "Sometimes" fame, at the Parish in N.O. last night, but it was cancelled due to the storm.  I guess I'll go when it gets rescheduled.

My sister sez noted Lana Del Rey hater Brian Williams has been following around her crew at her hospital in N.O. today, so you can probably catch a glimpse of her on tonight's NBC News.

Hipster traps appear around New York City - "...which include sunglasses, a yellow bicycle chain, a Holga camera, a can of PBR and a pack of American Spirits as bait."

Planets with similar climates: My Bloody Valentine - "Drive It All Over Me" (1988), Curve - "Horror Head" (1992), The Psychedelic Furs - "The Ghost In You" (1984), Lush - "Take" (1992), Pearl Harbor / Puro Instinct - "Slivers Of You" (2010), Catherine Wheel - "Flower To Hide" (1992), Bleach - "Dipping" (1991).

Memoryhouse >> I'm not breathing without machines

Memoryhouse - "Lately (Deuxième)" (a.k.a. just "Lately")

(Beko DSL, 2009 [digital single] [France] / Arcade Sound Ltd., 2009 [digital-only EP] [Canada] / Inflated Records, 2010 [ltd. 7"], Sub Pop Records, 2011 [re-recorded CD-EP])

Memoryhouse barged into the crowded field of female-fronted dream-pop bands like a 4WD Ford F-550 dualie with Truck Nutz plowing into a herd of quail or endangered salamanders on an organic commune.  By using a low speaking voice instead of a shout at a loud party, it's often easier for one's voice to be heard, and Memoryhouse got noticed by doing essentially the same thing.  They're an example of the occasional good band that is propelled to star status by the indie music blogs and review sites, whilst getting basically zero notice from actual music magazines.  Chalk one up for new media over old media.  I really think this is one of the most important bands out there today, but unfortunately they often get dismissed as the poor man's Beach House, which is laughable.  Yes, both bands are on Sub Pop, both are boy-girl duos making depressive, dreamy music, and both have names ending in "House," but Beach House have a different, more "masculine," non-spacey, almost campy, "Euro-friendly" sound, in my opinion.  I think of their quiet stuff as just segues in between their singer's throaty bellowing, whereas for Memoryhouse the quiet stuff is the framework of everything.  I think everyone can agree that Beach House has no ties to the "chillwave" trend, whereas Memoryhouse does.  This is one of those songs that really re-established my love of music in the often dreary modern musical climate.

Original 2009/10 version:

2011 re-recording:

Mash 'em up!
Note: I will be taking down the Sub Pop version after a certain amount of time.

Yes, this song has been released by four different labels so far, though the first two are digital-only "labels," so I don't know if they count.  The Sub Pop re-recording has more prominent (DEVASTATING) piano, an ultra-powerful vocal performance, and, to top it all off, the addition of some amazingly nuanced violin.  It also has less of that thumping chillwave beat that's in the '09 version. Confusingly, the original version is subtitled "Deuxième," which is French for "Second."  So there must've been an earlier (still unreleased) version, which means the Sub Pop re-recording is actually a third version.  Got that?  Overall, it might be the best re-recording I've ever heard, and it almost singlehandedly rescues Sub Pop from the abyss of irrelevance.  (Easiest way to tell which one you have: The original version is 3:23 long and the Sub Pop one is 4:05.)

I don't know if this song is comparing having a broken heart to being on life support in a hospital, but one has to assume that it is.  When Denise distantly pleads "Shut me off," it has to be one of the most devastating lines ever uttered in any song.  Denise pretty much has a built-in Autotune in her throat, which makes her singing very unique, kind of like that of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval.  They each like to split individual syllables into different discrete parts.  Rob Dickinson of Catherine Wheel is my favorite at this technique, used to particularly stunning effect on their debut album Ferment (which is my #2 favorite album ever).  This way of singing gives the vocals a cool stop-motion effect, like you're listening to an old movie reel with a hitch in it.  Evan Abeele's guitar playing is cinematic and pastel-like, and I think both he and Denise play synths on the song.  The music video does not feature Denise or Evan:

With only one digital EP and one 7" to their name, the 'House hit the pavement hard in 2010 on an ambitious headlining tour of indie clubs:

In August of that very annum, my sister & I saw them at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans, with opening acts Twin Sister and a new local band called Kindest Lines.  Partly due to a thunderstorm and extreme heat, the turnout was quite low, maybe 40 or so people, but it was great to see the 'Mem rock a club with a large stage and a top-notch sound system.  They had a third member in tow on electric bass.  Denise seemed bored and distant, looking at the ceiling a lot, and she never once said anything to the crowd.
I bought the "Lately" 7" on limited colored vinyl at this show from members of Twin Sister who were manning the merch table; it's obviously one of the finest singles I've ever bought.  The b-side is a nicely trippy, deconstructed, chillwavey remix by Teengirl Fantasy.  I pretty much went to that show just to see them perform this song, and it was worth trekking into the heart of the French Quarter on this ridiculously hot / stormy / humid night.  I had my sister film "Lately," but she can't find the clip anywhere.  Sorry.  She also lost her clip of Twin Sister doing a tremendous rendition of "The Other Side Of Your Face."

iPhone pic by my sister, near the start of their set.

My 7" bought at the 2010 show; too bad it's not on black vinyl for better sound quality.  Yes, I like the "Dutch Angle" photo technique.
Notice the nearly-identical color scheme / photo treatment / clothing on the cover of their 2012 album.

Some of this song's vocals (pitch-shifted higher) were sampled in the downtempo / dream-rap (er, "cloud rap," as Generation Z calls it) song "Breaking" by a one-off supergroup called Seeing Suge.

Facebook users band together to exile Pitbull to Alaskan WalMart - “I’ve known Pitbull for a few years now, and he’s up for a party – whether it’s around the corner, or you have to get there by three planes and a boat in between, as I understand it takes to get to Kodiak.”

Planets with similar climates: Slowdive - "Losing Today" (1991), Julee Cruise - "Falling" (1989), Low - "I Remember" (original 7" version) (1998), Velour 100 - "Stare Into Light" (1996), Chairlift - "Cool As A Fire" (2011), Ella Fitzgerald - "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" (1961), Yo La Tengo - "Damage" (1997), Red House Painters - "Drop" (1995), Portishead - "Roads" (1994).

The Bevis Frond >> I drown, I get resuscitated

The Bevis Frond - "Desperate"

(Woronzow Records, 1993)

This is just a dope as hell song that fuses classic rock stylings (Stones, Hendrix, Clapton) with enough Stooges / Dinosaur Jr. bite to keep the Pitchfork kids from feeling like their own dads.  Trust me, Pitchfork kids are way lamer than their own dads.  I think I once read Nick Saloman say in an interview that he saw Hendrix live, or maybe it's just that he was really into him as a kid growing up in England in the '60s.  In any case, his congested voice and badass way of brandishing a guitar would please even the most discerning Jimi fan.  The way the guitar line doubles / rises imperceptibly right as Nick sings "love me" in the chorus is so spine-tinglingly cool, and dare I say sexy.  The line "I get insufficient adulation" needs to be made into a t-shirt.  The song is from their album It Just Is, which was directly responsible for kicking off the annoying "It is what it is" craze.

I first heard the Frond via their amazing Pink Floyd-esque epic "Requiem" on a Darla Records sampler CD in '97 or '98.  It's more psychedelic and vast than the compact rocker "Desperate," so I would say those two songs perfectly encapsulate each extreme of the band's sound.  (Well, much like Guided By Voices, it's really a solo project of Nick Saloman + a rotating cast of backing members.)  Their discography is large, and I only own a few CDs, so I can't preach about which ones you should buy; sorry.  But a third song I can highly recommend is the evocative "Coming Round" from the album London Stone.  The Frondies rarely performed live, mainly preferring to rock out at the annual Terrastock festivals.

Back of CD booklet; note the fact that Nick Saloman did literally everything on this album except the "engineering."

Fun Fact: After seeing psychedelic warriors White Hills last year, I asked their singer / guitarist if he was into the Bevis Frond.  His eyes got wide and he told me he was a big fan.  (IIRC, we both gave props to "Reqiuem.")  Bevis Frond fandom is sort of like a secret society.

Let's see, in the last three weeks....
I did the Nielsen ratings again, after doing them in Feb.
I decided to do "Meatless Mondays" from now on, after hearing Rush Limbaugh relentlessly mock it on his show one day in late July.  "Eat nothing but beef from now on!," he implored his Dittoheads.  Having been a vegetarian for two years, it shouldn't be too hard.
I caught the end of a Saints practice on Fri. morning, Aug. 3.  Drew Brees signed autographs right next to me afterwards, but I didn't have a pen or anything to sign.  Man.
I went to the New Orleans Botanical Garden the next day and took a bunch of photos.  Also notified them of a mislabeled palm (A Chamaerops humilis labeled as a Washingtonia robusta!  I know, I almost laughed too.)
I have been watching the XXXth Olympiad obsessively, like most other true Americans.
I read a horrifying article on the rise of dubstep in SPIN.

Surprisingly addictive TV shows:
The Newsroom (HBO)
The Girls' Guide To Depravity (Cinemax)
Bar Rescue (Spike)
Victorious (Nickelodeon)
Women's fencing; anything with Alex Morgan or Allyson Felix (Olympics on NBC)
Restaurant: Impossible (Food)
Dan LeBatard Is Highly Questionable (ESPN2)
Showbiz Tonight (HLN) (mainly because of former FOX 8 Saints reporter Nischelle Turner)
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (reruns on Comedy Central)

I watched upwards of an hour of rhythmic gymnastics just to espy this particular athlete but came up empty-handed:

Canadian rhythmic gymnast Kelsey Titmarsh, doing the "geeky glasses with no lenses in them" thing, concurrently popularized by Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, etc.

Not to be confused with:

Noted non-Olympian Sally Jesse Raphael

Video showing every Space Shuttle launch at the same time::

Related: 30 years, 135 launches in 135 seconds

Unfun Fact: My elementary school class in San Francisco watched the Challenger explosion occur live on a TV set that our teacher had wheeled into the classroom.

Planets with similar climates: Pink Floyd - "Young Lust" (1979), Acetone - "Sundown" & "Pinch" (1993), Meat Puppets - "Scum" (1995), Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Gimme Back My Bullets" (1975), Jimi Hendrix - "Crosstown Traffic" (1967), The Rolling Stones - "Brown Sugar" (1969), Screaming Trees - "Shadow Of The Season" & "Nearly Lost You" (1992).