Asylum Party >> I can only hear the sound of my own shade

Asylum Party - "Play Alone"

(Lively Art [France], 1989)

Asylum Party formed in 1985 in Courbevoie, France, and lasted only about 5 years, which is about the maximum that any good post-punk band should last.  They were part of what is allegedly called the "Touching Pop" movement in France ca. '89-91.  I didn't find out about them until a few years ago, and by golly if I didn't have to wonder why they are not superstars of the post-punk scene.  In this song, and in many others, they knew how to use an athletic bassline to guide a song melodically, giving it a visceral feel in the midst of the prevailing gloom.  I'm always a sucker for songs that begin with the instruments entering one at a time.  I guess I never realized that practically every country in Europe had its own post-punk scene in the '80s.  I had thought the bands over there emitted mostly nuance-deficient stuff like neanderthalic industrial metal or cheesy synthtronic pop.

This song definitely goes on a bit too long, but that Krautrockin' beat makes it a joy to listen to all the way through.  As for the lyric "I can only hear the sound of my own shade," that's how it is written at SongMeanings, but it sounds to me as though they got that last word wrong.  Maybe it's "chase"?  I've been meaning (ha... ha...) to join that site for many years now.

Back cover of LP

Tue. Sep. 18: Did some yard work.  Took this pic in my car window with a tarp inside that reflected lots of weird gleams of light.  Another thing you can see reflected on me is bags of recycling that I was bringing in to New Orleans, since recycling is no longer done where I live.

The slight paunch is probably due to my recent beer enthusiasm, which I've decided to curtail.  The curve of the window makes my arm look a bit bigger than normal, not that I'm complaining... Watched some of the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance with Em and mom.  Gave Em a big black portfolio thing to keep concert posters in, and an extra copy of J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories.  Stopped at the Mushroom while on my way over to Tipitina's to see Beach House, hoping to see Sam, but failed yet again.  Recommended Curve's Cuckoo to Michael ("They're like Bleach with a drum machine""), who immediately put it on.  Bought Godspeed You Black Emperor's Slow Riot For New Zerø Kanada EP on used CD.  I had first heard a song from it in summer of '99 on WTUL, so it was nice to finally own it on CD.  (The CD's packaging makes no mention of the band's name.)  Michael was surprised when I told him GYBE were coming to Tip's and that MONO were coming to the Spanish Moon in B.R., and said he wanted to see Beach House, but couldn't.  The Beach House show was sold-out, with a huge line to get in, even though we had tickets.  I spontaneously confessed to the doorman that I had used a fake i.d. to get into my first-ever show at Tip's, which was Helmet, a few days before my 18th birthday in '95.  Opening act Dustin Wong studiously tormented his geetar as though he he felt he was reinventing the medium, but it came off as pretty tedious.  After a ridiculous 30-min. wait, the House kicked things off with their best song, "Wild," so I was pretty happy.  Also did "Norway," "Gila," "Silver Soul," "10 Mile Stereo," "Myth," "Lazuli," and many more crepuscular hits.

A full setlist will probably be added here at some point.  They were much better than when I saw them in '08 at the Spanish Moon.  This is mainly because they simply have better songs now, and a better drummer (their drummer last time was the singer of their opening act Papercuts), and a sweet light show.  Afterwards, Em & I hung around in the suspiciously cool air of a cold front for the Beachies to stumble out to their tour bus, but they never did.  We smoked a few cigs, since I allow myself one or two per month, then went to a bar down the street, and after a little while my sister realized that it used to be Shiloh, one of her old hangouts.  She told me about how she had said a few words to Carlos D. of Interpol after their show at TwiRoPa in Feb. '05, when he DJ'd a heavily-advertised afterparty at Shiloh.  I think some other members of the band were there too; not sure why I didn't go.

Wed. 19: Cleaned my parents' gutters & rooftop.  Hit up McKeown's Books and scored some good stuff: Donald Rawley - Slow Dance On The Fault Line (Stories); Ron Rash - Chemistry (Stories); Ekkehard Jost - Free Jazz.  Bought a ticket for Godspeed You Black Emperor at Tip's next month, after grudgingly deciding that they are "the kind of band that I'd go see on a reunion tour."

Thu. 20: Went into a nearly empty little coffee shop called Sound Café, next to the Bywater NOCCA, and was impressed to find out they have a built-in bookstore called Beth's Books.  The girl working there was really sweet and thoughtful, and mentioned she was a jazz singer.  She told me her name and said I should come see her sing at her next few gigs (Tommy's Wine Bar and The Spotted Cat).  The shy African-American guy sitting in the café turned out to be her trumpeter; they do only jazz standards.  Here's the video for a song she did with someone else: "Emergency Baby".  So yeah, the old cliché about the person serving you your coffee being a musician sometimes turns out to be true, and you sometimes wonder why the person isn't a big star yet.  This particular lady could win American Idol with half her vocal cords tied behind her back.  I began debating in my mind if she was better than Sasha Masakowski, but decided their voices are too different to make for a fair comparison, even though they both sing the jazz.
I bought a very strong and flavorful iced coffee, which is what I usually buy after panicking upon realizing I don't know all the cool terminology that is needed to order complex coffee drinks.  As for books, I scored:

Yes, I don't have much of an attention span for novels, so I tend to go with collections of short stories / poems.  I got the one called Body Betrayer gratis, sitting on the freebie rack outside.  It's a collection of very edgy, sexually blunt poems that Anais Nin or Erica Jong would be proud of.  Not sure why they were giving it away.  My interest was piqued in the James Purdy book because The Dream Palace was a local music club; since about 2003 it's been under new ownership as The Blue Nile.  Saw a building that was possibly destroyed by Hurricane Isaac:

Good question

Then I went to Harold's Nursery and bought a little tillandsia (air plant), then to Euclid Records, where I got three good 7"s (Psychedelic Furs - "The Ghost In You"; Windy & Carl / Hopewell split; Bush Tetras - "Things That Go Boom In The Night").  Listened to an A.R. Kane 12" and an early Sad Lovers & Giants LP but didn't like them enough to buy them.  Recommended a Dif Juz EP to one of the dudes there who likes to play New Age-y, 4AD-ish stuff over the store's stereo.  Sorry for all the specificity, but music and books are not things that can just be mentioned vaguely.

Fri. 21: At night I talked to Drea on AOL for a few hours, during which we apologized for a little spat we had a few weeks ago.  Have known her online for 7 years, and didn't want to lose her friendship, so I was relieved.  I think her site is one of the few female-run Tumblrs in existence that are Ryan Gosling-free.

Sat. 22: Okay, this really strange thing happened this morning... I had put out my nasty old sofa for the trash guys to take away.  I'm playing basketball shirtless, and a girl and a boy, about age 7-10 or so, drive past on a golf cart, as kids (and adults) are often wont to do out in the country.  This sofa, well loveseat actually, probably dates back to when the house was built & furnished 35 years ago, and is hideous, saggy, brown with fucking tan and navy zig-zag stripes.  Seriously, you couldn't even dream up a lamer and more pathetic couch as a joke.  The girl asks "Can I have your sofa?"  It's a valid question, but I don't turn around to talk to her, because I don't want to be seen by neighbors talking shirtless and sweaty to some kids, and because it might take a while to explain why this sofa sucks and why their parents wouldn't even allow this thing anywhere near their house, much less inside it.  Don is painting some iron porch furniture black across the street and the smell of paint fumes is wafting over.  I kinda turn my head a few degrees in the kids' direction to show I had heard and processed the question, but I walk further away.  "Hey! Can we take your sofa?"  I still don't turn around, so they ride off.  The garbage guy crams the monstrosity into the back of the garbage truck several minutes later, rejecting my offer for help but taking the sports drinks I had laid out as thanks.  On the kids' next pass (they passed by about 10 times), I see the girl picking up and examining a shoe or something, which had apparently dropped out of the garbage truck.  ("Wow, and I thought I was an obsessive scavenger," I think to myself...)  I go inside now, having just thrown my sweaty clothes into the washing machine, wearing only boxers, about to go hop in the shower, and I hear the doorbell ring.  "Oh great, it's some candidate for a November election seat," I think, and I hope he/she hadn't peered in and seen me.  Instead I see the girl running from my door back to the street, whereupon the kids motor away nonchalantly.  Okay, a simple doorbell-ringing prank... So I take a shower and come down, and the doorbell rings again, and I see the girl running back to the golf cart again, but this time she (AND the boy) both have some sort of wedding veil on.  This is turning into something right out of Gummo now... (That's what I always say to myself whenever I see some bizarre incident going on out in the sticks: "This is like something out of Gummo.")  Believe me, you never see any kind of cross-dressing out here.  Maybe they were annoyed at me for ignoring them, or just wanted to ask why I was getting rid of something that is functional.  I guess this story is not very interesting without visuals, but it's of course a felony to film someone without permission, so you'll just have to take my word that it was a head-scratching situation.  A little while later, I saw them pull into a special golf cart garage door at a house a block away.  I started chuckling uncontrollably at the concept of a mini garage door sized specifically for a golf cart, especially since it was situated right next to the "big boy" garage door for a car, just like a doggy door next to a people door.  I think I'll put out something at the curb next week for the kids to scavenge up, so that they won't exact some violent revenge on me years from now for rudely depriving them of a sofa.  So I'm at that awkward moment when I feel pressured to put some stuff out at my curb to appease some Mad Max-esque kids, but I have to make sure it's not too cool, otherwise they'll expect more.
Later on XM radio I heard the Sonic Youth song that Drea had used as her AOL name years ago, and smiled.

Sun. 23: The Saints dropped to a stunning 0-3 with a home loss to the Chiefs, blowing a 24-8 lead.  At home.  Panic grips the state, since everyone here hoped they would go to the Super Bowl in NOLA this season.  The main problem is that the defensive scheme used by new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is giving up the most yards in the NFL.  And Darren "Sproles Royce" Sproles, who set the NFL's single-season yards record last year (yes, he amassed more total yards last year than any player in history had ever amassed in one year, and even got his own exhibit at the Hall Of Fame in Canton to commemorate it), has been MIA.
Repotted a cactus and planted a Butia palm I had plucked up as a tiny seedling 4 years ago at the north border of Esplanade Mall in Kenner.

Music video of the year so far: Strip Steve feat. Puro Instinct - "Astral Projection"

Latest obsession: The band 2:54, particularly their song "You're Early"

Planets with similar climates: Bleach - "Seeing" (1991), The Chameleons - "Second Skin" (1983), For Against - "Autocrat" (1985), Bailter Space - "Now I Will Live" (1987), Kitchens Of Distinction - "Hypnagogic" (1990), U2 - "The Unforgettable Fire" (1984).

Section 25 >> New day, clear day

Section 25 - "New Horizon"

(Factory Records, 1981; LTM Recordings, 1991/2000; Drastic Plastic Records, 2010)

Following a long, stunningly tense, hypnotic ambient intro, one of the most astonishing and sexy basslines ever cruises in from the æther and just dominates dat ass.  Hyperbole?  Decide for yourself.  The bassline and the snappy drumming give a cold, rubbery funkiness to this song, and the bass has that round, fat tone that I love.  The lyrics consist of mundane motivational-type phrases being repeated in a catatonic way atop random squalls of guitar.  Anyone reading the lyric sheet would think this was a corny children's ditty, but the musical presentation makes it menacing and quite heartbreaking.  It actually reminds me a bit of the last line of American Music Club's "Sick Of Food": "Another bright... nothing. Another... day."  Getting out of bed in the morning sure is an underrated component of success in life; as Woody Allen once said, "90% of life is just showing up."  An ambiguous line near the end: "It's a clear blue, a new clear blue" or "It's a clear blue, a nuclear blue."  If only we could goad George W. Bush into belting it out at a karaoke bar, the world would finally know what the actual lyric was.  This song could be said to have invented the musical genre called slowcore a good decade before most U.S.-based critics decided that it arose in America.  This mp3 is taken from my 2000 LTM Recordings CD reissue, which has a ton of bonus tracks and an extensive essay on the band.  You can read the essay here.

It's a great demonstration of the power of repetition, and proof that the sum can be much greater than the parts.  Any overly-wordy songwriting would've defeated the purpose.  Reggae and dub were hugely influential on lots of U.K. post-punk bands, which is of course why they tended to have such killer basslines, since stupid-ass American punk bands were too busy trying to sound like the Ramones.  Keep in mind that this is from Section 25's bleak early years, before they added a female singer and went synth-pop and scored a club hit with the undeniably catchy and Knight Rider-esque "Looking From A Hilltop".  I'm sure this only fanned the flames of those who liked to make "First they pulled a Joy Division, then they pulled a New Order" jokes, but in the end, in a perfect world at least, a band shalt be judged by the sum total of good songs that it recorded, even if they have to reinvent themselves at various times.  I also have their From The Hip album, but like I mentioned earlier, it was from their unabashedly synth-pop-ular era, so be forewarned.

From the Always Now CD booklet

Just because Section 25 is not exactly a very sexy band, here is inevitable future star Corina Calderón, protagonist of that movie All She Can (a.k.a. Benavides Born) that I mentioned in the last post:

Yes, this individual plays a powerlifter in the movie All She Can

I don't like to objectify women, but come on, we've all laid out at the beach, and we've all stretched on the floor by our fireplace, right?  These are everyday activities.  I've known many a great Latina lady in real life, and they are taking over Hollywood, so I don't want Cor-Cal to get lost in the shuffle.  She reminds me a bit of the (part Chilean) blogger / provocateur Natasha Vargas-Cooper.  Snookie is Chilean, but I don't count her as part of the "taking over" group.

Ron Swanson's Pyramid Of Greatness might help you to solve that thing that you need to solve.

Revenge is a dish best served pink

Planets with similar climates: For Against - "Echelons" (1986), Poem Rocket - "Contrail de l'avion" (1994),  Sonic Youth - "Society Is A Hole" (1984), Joy Division - "I Remember Nothing" (1979), Interpol - "Untitled" (2002), Idaho - "Year After Year" (1993), The Comsat Angels - "Gone" (1981), The Sound - "Possession" (1981), Stone Roses - "I Wanna Be Adored" [full 5-minute album version] (1985/89).

Lovers >> I know I don't want to live without it

Lovers - "Figure 8"

(Badman Recording Co., 2010)

Not much to say here other than the band totally nailed the vocal harmonizing to stunning effect.  The harmonizing brings to mind Alice In Chains' eerier, acoustic-based stuff, and you know I'm always drawn to songs with this kind of "prowling" beat / tempo.  There's one somewhat startlingly sexual lyric that actually goes with the mellow flow of the song quite well, though it might make you spit your soda out the first time you hear it.  "They don't pray as hard as I ache" is a sublimely beautiful and subtle way of exposing the folly / cruelty of religious conservatives as it relates to the simple human emotions of two people (in this case, women) who love each other.  It's always nice to have a simple, catchy, solid song like this pop up on the ol' shuffle play, and I always have to play this one 5 to 10 times in a row.  The beat is extremely similar to the one in a song called "Digital Versicolor" by fellow Portland synthers Glass Candy.

Note: If I ever decide to take this mp3 down, you can hopefully still download it from the Oregon Music News site by clicking here, and while you're at it, read their nice article on the band.  At the bottom it also lists the exact gear they used on the album.

The typical shrieky grrrl band like Sleater-Kinney or Bikini Kill couldn't write a song with this kind of subtlety and atmosphere if their lives depended on it.  It's just baffling that this was not a huge indie radio hit, though the band's unremarkable name is probably partly to blame for them getting lost in the avalanche of new bands popping up every week.  And of course their label couldn't even bother to release it as a single.  This is why one of my dreams if I ever win the lottery is to start my own singles label dedicated only to releasing songs that should've been singles years or decades ago.  I would do this right after buying up a ton of rainforest in South America.

The bio on the group's website says: "Loud and proud, Portland, OR based Lovers is a band of emotional intensity and complexity. Their new album Dark Light begins with singer Carolyn Berk’s confession, 'Every time the music starts, I can feel my aching, shaking heart,' and from there, Lovers embark on a spiritual journey of inspired three-part harmonies, deep introspection, and next-wave humor. Since 2001 songwriter Carolyn Berk has established her unique voice as Lovers with four acclaimed, haunted and heart-broken previous albums. Lovers (celebrated lyricist Berk, synth-programmer and performance artist Kerby Ferris, and sequencer and percussionist Emily Kingan) craft an intimate portrait of female friendship, sexuality, and evolution as an infinite process."

I like most infinite processes, such as the "rising" and "falling" of the sun, that perpetually-swinging pendulum I used to see at some museum, breathing, learning how to juggle knives, cleaning your car's windshield, etc.  I also like intimate portraits of female friendship, such as The Simple Life, Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" video, and Desperately Seeking Susan.

Dark Light was the album on which Lovers "went synth-pop."  I headed over to Siberia last year to see Lovers, even though most of their new album, Dark Light, was a bit too synthy and '80s for me.  My sister and her boyfriend bailed on me at the last minute, so I had to go solo.  Seeing a flawless rendition of "Figure 8" was obviously the main highlight, but the rest of the set was no slouch either.  The keyboard player and harmony vocalist, Kerby, made some funny quips throughout the night and was quite entertaining overall.  Local homo-disco party rappers Skate Night! played last, and got a great reception as well.  I felt out of place being one of the few str8 dudes there, but hey, this is New Orleans and people are people so why should it be?

It was kinda weird though, since Siberia is mainly a punk / metal / stoner rock type of club.  I believe it used to be a meat storage facility, based on its thick brick walls and super-cold A/C.  It now allegedly boasts the only true Russian food in the whole city.  It's right on the same St. Claude intersection with the Hi-Ho Lounge and the AllWays Lounge & Theatre, making for one of the coolest 50 square yard areas in the country.  I rarely go there, though.

I forgot to mention I saw this new local band Glish on Aug. 12th at one of the new Sunday matinee shows at The Big Top.  Excellent shoegazey noise pop stuff, especially the heavy, drifty, Hum-meets-Slowdive song "Collider," which you can stream [http://glish.bandcamp.com/album/collider-demo,here].  It was hot and raining so I didn't bring a camera, but the photo-holic guy who runs barryfest.com (I had gotten a business card from him outside a show here or at the Zeitgeist early in the year) was taking lots of pics, so I assume he'll post them soon.  They began with "Collider" and then did every song on their Blast Off EP except "Don't Be So Fucking Nonchalant."  I bought Blast Off on cassette afterwards, since that's the only physical format it's available on.  I made sure to wear one of my best shoegaze shirts, namely my red Band Of Susans one.  Afterwards, I asked the singer if anyone in the band was into the Swirlies, since they had a very Swirlies-ish sound, and she goes "Oh my god, I was just listening to them today!"  So I asked her favorite songs but she didn't know any because that was the first time she'd ever heard them.  She was rocking a pixie cut and possibly the shortest shorts ever manufactured in any sweatshop.  One of their members was wearing a Flaming Lips shirt.  Another local act, an emo-ish, looper-fortified duo/solo project called The Self-Help Tapes, played after Glish, but Glish was the acknowledged headliner.  It was a benefit with all proceeds supposedly going to a local company called the Community Printshop, though I saw some Glishers dividing up cash outside the club afterwards, so I'm not so sure about that.  The turnout was about 20 people, and unfortunately Desiree was not among them.  I almost bought a $5 print that just had the phrase "When Doves Cry" on it in a cool peach-colored font.  (Scheduled opening act No Clouds, supposedly a trip-hop / shoegaze type band, cancelled.)

Went to the new Fresh Market on St. Charles afterwards and got some obscure beers.  Their beer dude, Madison, is like an encyclopedia of beer knowledge.  He told me that a local deli called Stein's actually has the best beer selection in town by far (not counting brewpubs like d.b.a. and the Avenue Pub), so I'll have to hit it up soon.

I took this at the Zoo recently, and found out it's a quote by an author named Mark Doty:

There were some other cool quotes mounted around the Zoo, including this one by Robinson Jeffers, done stencil style on a gray wall:
"As for us:
We must uncenter our minds from ourselves.
We must unhumanize our views a little, and become confident
As the rock and ocean that we were made from."

Deciding on a bunch of shows to go to in the next two months, including Saul Williams (spoken word), Glish (EP release party), M83, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Dinosaur Jr. (original lineup), Voodoo Fest, and the Psychedelic Furs (with the only two original members being the Butler brothers, but Mars Williams has returned on sax).  Definitely going to see Beach House, Merchandise, and Aussie sensations The Jezabels.

My cousin Shane came in, so we watched the Saints' humiliating season-opening loss to the Redkins in RG3's debut.  His friends, Redskins fans from Virginia, went to the game and probably had the time of their lives.  On Sat. they all saw Galactic (w/ Corey Glover of Living Colour on vocals) at Tipitina's.  On Sunday night I went to the Mushroom, but found out that the person I wanted to see doesn't even work there on that day anymore.  But one out-of-the-blue "I'm Nicole, by the way" introduction was enough to make it a worthwhile night.  Snagged Curve's Döppelgänger on used used CD and Less Than Zero on DVD.  I had sold my Döppelgänger CD many years ago, and, after listening to it again, realized I was right to have done so, since it pales in comparison to both Cuckoo and the EP compilation Pubic Fruit, but any Curve fan knows that.

ATTN: Employees - Do not buy these used CDs - As a bargain bin aficionado, this makes me nod my head in agreement grimly

Documentary claims that the music industry deliberately lowered the quality of vinyl records during rhe '80s - "The records were thinner and more flimsy. Everything was designed for us to switch our music collection over to CD."

Ervin McKinness, aspiring rapper, tweets 'YOLO' about driving drunk and dies minutes later

Currently eating or drinking: Campari tomatoes; Outer Darkness Stout (best stout ever, probably; comes in a wine bottle; almost as thick as motor oil); Winn-Dixie sourdough bread; Kraft Mayo With Olive Oil (olive oil is the #1 non-water ingredient in it, so it's quite healthy, and tastes just like actual mayo); Eel River Porter (beer); Quaker Stila blueberry crisp bars.

Good to great movies recently seen: Live!; Another Earth; The Doom Generation; Vivre sa vie (a.k.a. My Life To Live); Not Easily Broken; All She Can (a.k.a. Benavides Born).

Currently reading: Paul Theroux - Sinning With Annie and Other Stories (1969-72); Christian Lander - Stuff White People Like.  Tried to skim Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius but got annoyed by it.

Planets with similar climates: Lush - "Light From A Dead Star" (1994), Glass Candy - "Digital Versicolor" (2007), Grimes - "Be A Body" (2011), Pet Shop Boys - "Love Comes Quickly" (1985), Let's Active - "Horizon" (1988), Cat Power - "Cross Bones Style" (1998), Pearl Harbor (a.k.a. Puro Instinct) - "California Shakedown" (2009), School Of Seven Bells - "I L U" (2010) & "Lafaye" (2011), Alice In Chains - "No Excuses" (1993), Blair (Blair Gimma) - "Hearts" (2009), Curve - "Clipped" (1991), Yo La Tengo - "Autumn Sweater" (1997).  

St*Johnny >> I wanna burn like a martyr in my Chevrolet

St*Johnny - "Go To Sleep"

(Ajax Records, 1992 / Caroline Records [U.S.], 1993; Rough Trade Records [U.K.], 1993)

This song was released as a 7" by cool indie Ajax in '92, and then appeared on the band's High As A Kite singles compilation the next year.  (The U.S. version on Caroline, which I own, has 11 tracks, while the U.K. version on Rough Trade has only 8.)  This type of song is a perfect example of why I started this site: An obscure indie band releases a universe-destroyingly great anthem; no one hears it back in the day; the band breaks up; the song languishes in cool ppl's mix tapes / closets / iTunes for years or decades until the song decides to break free and assert itself much like when the robots rose in T2: Judgment Day.  The only unfortunate thing about this song is its name, which does not exactly generate much excitement, especially when the mundane band name is factored in.  Note: They sometimes spelled their name St. Johnny (in the early days), st. johnny, or St Johnny, and the asterisked (DGC-era) version of their name is technically spelled st✮johnny.

Reviews and zines from the early to mid '90s always pointed out how St*Johnny were protegés of Sonic Youth, though I think they were more aligned with fellow New Yorkers Mercury Rev.  (The Rev's Grasshopper guested on at least three of their songs: "Velocity," "My Father's Father," "Matador.")  Either way, this kind of thing is always a double-edged sword.  The band was allegedly scoffed at relentlessly, at least by the hipsters and tastemakers of the era, which seems really sad to me.  This song obviously has a ton of S.Y.-esque characteristics and charisma, down to the Thurston-y vocals, but it is definitely its own beast.  To describe how awesome this song is would take me a while, but I don't think most people need a roadmap to its bounty.  That one killer guitar riff immediately grabs the attention, and melds perfectly with the vocals, which are delivered in a desperate way, and with interesting post-Lou Reed / Tom Verlaine enunciation.  It's a really amazing vocal performance overall.  He says "I know that we're in trouble now, and I know that we're in deep" and "You're cursed and I'm a liar" without explaining the conflict in question.  More cool lyrics: "If we live long enough we'll see the other side of everything," "The stars are out and they're comin' down on my head," and of course "I wanna burn like a martyr in my Chevrolet."  (Note: I had thought for the last decade that it was "I wanna burn like the motor in my Chevrolet.")  The somewhat detuned, violin-esque guitar anti-solo at the 2:29 mark is the perfect bridge between arena dino-rock and the noisy indie rock of the '90s.  And I love when any instrumental break is preceded by a frenzied volley of drumming.  Another cool touch is that the song's title is only uttered right before the guitar solo and as the final words of the song.  I mean, check this out, they should build a whole museum dedicated to this song, if only so that lame, putzy, non-rocking rock bands like Wilco, Arcade Fire, Spoon, etc. can make pilgrimages to it in order to learn how to rock like motherfuckers.
The band's proper debut album in '94 had the great title Speed Is Dreaming.  But, aside from the killer "A Car Or A Boy?" (featuring some backing vocals from Mercury Rev's head weirdo David Baker), sucked.  I owned that CD but actually threw it away years ago; wish I had it back to check it out again, though.  Being signed to DGC (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Beck, Posies, Sundays) apparently didn't land them in the Buzz Bin, and they faded into obscurity in the mid-'90s.  Singer Bill Whitten reemerged with the band Grand Mal (named after a St*Johnny song, which was named after a type of seizure) soon afterwards, but I don't think I've ever heard them.

7" insert sheet

Well, I was very wrong about Hurricane Isaac last week.  It turned out to be one of the worst disasters in the state's history, and was much more of a rainmaker than I had anticipated.  Luckily I had trimmed most of my trees a week or two earlier, so they didn't blow around too much in the wind and suffer torsional stress injuries to their trunks.  Since the eye of the hurricane passed directly over us, I went out and trimmed them a little more during that calm period.  That day (Wednesday) was probably the most harrowing day of my life, due to all the wind and rain noise, and not being able to see the origin of it since most of the windows were shuttered closed.  We never lost power, though over a million people statewide did.  And it's fun to be able to walk around the house butt-ass naked, thanks to the boarded window thing.  I drove through Gonzales, Prairieville, & Baton Rouge a few days later and ended up scoring this t-shirt at FYE:

...as well as the Stooges' Fun House 2xCD reissue and a rather tame CD by a band called The Mysteries Of Life. The store was playing Portishead's first album, so I recommended Slowdive to the Asian employee who had put it on after he told me he was a big Cocteau Twins fan.

Mon. 3rd: Went to Cocodrie (old Cajun slang term for "crocidile"), right on one of the southernmost tips of Louisiana.  Listened to Verve's A Storm In Heaven, perhaps the ultimate roadtrip album.  The area pretty much got no damage.
Tue. 4th: Watched Batman Begins at my sister's, since my parents in N.O. still hadn't gotten power back.
Wed. 5th: Went used book shopping for a few hours at The Book Rack in Mandeville, then drove over through Lacombe & Slidell.

Planets with similar climates: Sonic Youth - "Hey Joni" (1988), Verve - "All In The Mind" (1992), Swervedriver - "Blowin' Cool" (1993), Ride - "Here And Now" (1990), Catherine Wheel - "Texture" (1992), Silversun Pickups - "Well Thought Out Twinkles" (2006), Glide [Australia] - "Taste Of You" (1992), Nice Strong Arm - "Cloud Machine" (1989), You Am I - "Berlin Chair" (1993).