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).