Moons >> Saw you in a dream screaming in the dark

Moons - "Waves At Night"

(No Recordings, 2012)

I got this song via Under The Radar magazine's free mp3 sampler #44.  I bought the mag to give to my sister, since it has Grimes on the cover and it named Wild Nothing's Nocturne as the best album of 2012.  (That's my pick for album of the year too, by a wide margin.)  It's such a good issue that I bought it despite the fact that the phrases "Passion Pit" and "Sleigh Bells" appear on the cover.  Moons is apparently a one-man project by a guy named Patrick Canaday from Atlanta.  The vocodered vocals at the beginning are presumably by Canaday, and I read that the female vocals are by some people named Lorely Rodriguez & Arielle Guitar.  Looks like chillwave ain't dead yet...

This effing tight song is the b-side on Moons' debut 7" called "Bloody Mouths," which is the first-ever release on a label called No Recordings.  The 7" is limited to 250 copies on cream-colored vinyl, and the covers are made via hand-stamping; see several pics of it here.  Unfortunately, it retails for $10, but I would presume it'll be repressed on black vinyl at a much cheaper price once the demand begins to rise.  i think demand will indeed rise, since this single seems to be getting lots of attention on various music sites / blogs.

Here's the video for "Bloody Mouths," subtitled "(Watchtower Version)" for some reason, though it appears to be the only available version:

A rather daring and probably illegal performance art piece by Chris Burden; apparent inspiration for Trumans Water's "Skyjacker" 7"

Thur. Feb. 21: Saw Caspian, Junius, Aiua at Siberia.  It was very loud, and the club played Hüsker Dü's New Day Rising in between bands to ensure that it would not get any quieter.  Even local instro-rockers Aiua, who I had remembered as being quite atmospheric and spacey from seeing them at Dragon's Den, were aggressive and almost metal.  Two of their four members were shirtless by the end of their set.  Junius played my two favorite songs of theirs, "A Word Could Kill Her" and (as their final song) "The Fires Of Antediluvia" (a.k.a. "The Antediluvian Fire").  Their drumer wore a Deftones shirt.  A guy from Caspian wrote out a setlist for us afterwards from memory.  The merch table was so immense (covered the entire pool table and then some) that I took a pic of it.  I would say it rivaled Boris' for the most impressive merch table I've ever encountered, though The XX's from a few weeks ago is also in the discussion.

Planets with similar climates: Chromatics - "Lady" (2011), Maria Minerva - "Luvcool" (~2010), Memoryhouse - "Sleep Patterns" (2009), Julee Cruise & Angelo Badalamenti - "Falling" (1989), School Of Seven Bells - "Reappear" (2012), Grimes - "Skin" (2011), Makeup And Vanity Set feat. Jasmin Kaset - "Homecoming" (2012).

Hark, it is a very handy index covering the first 2 years of Blowtorch Baby

Today marks 2 years since the site's first song post. I decided to make an alphabetical list of all of the songs, mainly because I want to peruse such a list, and because the Library Of Congress has been pestering me to do it.  In parentheses is the recording date of the track, and after that is the date it was posted on here, in case you want to go find the original article.  Since joining last.fm and Tumblr last fall, I've been neglecting this site.  I do have a ton of songs to post in the future that will blow some minds, including many by bands in my all-time top 10, so don't worry about this site going anywhere.  I'm already getting a little disillusioned with last.fm & Tumblr.  I'll be randomly disabling song downloads from now on, based on a very complex algorithm, due to the fact that the world has greeted Blowtorch Baby with a collective shrug and because I don't feel all songs should be free forever.  I've been seeing lots of mediocre "here's a free album download link" mp3 blogs getting shut down, so I think my choice to do a site devoted to just offering one great track at a time has been validated.

Aarktica - "Big Year" (2002) 1/6/12

Abecedarians - "Soil" (early version) (~1983-85) 9/19/11

Above The Law - "Freedom Of Speech" (1989) 10/17/11

A.C. Temple - "Chinese Burn" (1988) 3/2/11

American Music Club - "Sick Of Food" (1991) 10/12/11

Amoeba - "Ignoring Gravity" (1997) 11/30/11

Tiffany Anders - "Runnin' From No Place To Nowhere" (1998) 11/29/11

Michael Andrews w/ Miranda July - "When I Call A Name" (2005) 10/16/11

Angry Samoans - "You Stupid Jerk" (1982) 11/23/11

Antipop Consortium - "Your World Is Flat" (1999) 3/31/11

The Aqua Velvets - "Nomad" (1996) 10/8/11

Asylum Party - "Play Alone" (1989) 9/26/12

Autumnfair - "Black Spring" (~1988) 11/10/11

The Autumns - "Boy With The Aluminum Stilts" (1999) 11/25/11

Band Of Susans - "Ice Age" (1990) 7/16/11

Bare Minimum - "Night We Streak, Divine Failure" (1995) 2/27/12

Bare Minimum - "Swim In Anxious Moment" (1997) 3/4/12

Bark Psychosis - "The Loom" (1993) 6/22/11

William Basinski - "The River" (excerpt) (1983) 7/12/11

Bell Hollow - "Storm's End" (2007) 3/11/12

Bethany Curve - "Long Beach" (2001) 11/24/11

The Bevis Frond - "Desperate" (1993) 8/11/12

Biosphere - "The Things I Tell You" (1997) 3/15/12

Black Flag - "Rise Above" (1981) 11/30/11

The Black Watch - "Terrific" (1991) 9/5/11

Bleach - "Burn" (1991) 4/8/11

Bleach - "Hit On Me" (1992) 3/28/11

Bleach - "Shotgun (1991) 7/2/12

Blouse - "Into Black" (2011) 11/4/12

Bongwater - "Free Love Messes Up My Life" (1991) 7/1/11

Bright Channel - "Airborne" (2005) 12/25/11

Bright Channel - "Final Stretch" (2004) 12/22/11

Bright Channel - "Night Eyes" (Demo) (2003) 12/19/11

Brujeria - "Don Quixote Marijuana" (1999) 4/20/11

Catherine Wheel - "Wish" (demo) (~1990-91) 4/30/11

Cerulean - "Here Is Hoping" (2004) 10/24/11

!!! [Chk Chk Chk] - "Intensify" (2000) 4/25/12

Choir Invisible - "The Distance From..." (1981) 11/21/11

Christian Death - "Cavity (Version)" (1981) 10/3/11

Chrome - "Isolation" (1980) 9/9/11

Chug - "Water Torture" (1996) 3/16/11

The Cleaners From Venus - "Follow The Plough" (6/13/11)

Colfax Abbey - "Feel" (1996) 2/17/12

The Comsat Angels - "I Come From The Sun" (1992) 3/4/11

Curious (Yellow) - "Taken By Surprise" (1990) 3/28/11

Cush - "The Touch" (2000) 11/17/11

Das Racist - "Rainbow In The Dark" (2010) 10/3/12

Del The Funky Homosapien - "No Need For Alarm" (1993) 11/28/11

Constance Demby - "The Longing" (1982) 11/26/11

DJ Magic Mike & MC Madness - "Dynamic Duo" (1991) 12/28/11

Doldrums - "Weird Orbits" (1995) 6/17/12

Dome w/ Angela Conway - "Cruel When Complete" (1980) 5/19/12

Drop Nineteens - "Delaware" (1992) 12/31/11

Dub Sex - "Then And Now" (~1987/88) 7/3/12

Duster - "Topical Solution" (1997) 11/30/11

Earwig - "Everything's Just Fine" (1991) 8/26/11

Editors - "Lights" (2005) 12/7/11

The Emerald Down - "Heavier Than Ether, Lighter Than Air" (2001) 8/28/11

The Emerald Down - "Stars" (2002) 2/26/11

[EXITMUSIC: see LAKE]

Faith No More - "Why Do You Bother?" (1985) 10/1/11

FCS North - "1222" (2000) 4/6/11

Felt - "Fortune" (re-recorded version) (1984) 8/7/11

Feverdream - "Never Letting Go" (1995) 5/8/11

Film School - "Pitfalls" (2006) 9/14/11

Film School - "Time To Listen" (2010) 9/16/11

Film School - "Two Kinds" (2007) 9/18/11

Flying Saucer Attack - "Up In Her Eyes (1997) 7/22/11

For Against - "Paperwhites" (1988) 6/27/11

Francis 7 - "Red Roses" (~2003) 2/19/11

The Furious Colour - "Closer" (BBC Session) (1986) 3/6/12

Allen Ginsberg - "Poem Rocket (Be A Star-Screwer)" (1959) 11/28/12

Glide - "Water Falls" (1992) 6/8/11

Hex - "Mercury Towers" (1989) 6/14/11

Honeyburn - "Sister" (1995) 4/15/11

Adina Howard vs. Ride - "FreakRide" (1994 vs. 1992 in 2003) 6/1/11

William Hung - "I Believe I Can Fly" & "Inspirational Thoughts: Perseverance" (2004) 11/13/11

Idaho - "If You Dare" (1995) 9/25/11

Idaho - "You Are There" (1993) 5/13/11

ILYA - "Isola" (2002) 9/13/11

[Insides: see Earwig]

Isotope 217 - "Kryptonite Smokes The Red Line" (1997) 5/1/11

The Joy Circuit - "Run In Circles" (demo) (2004) 10/18/11

The Joy Circuit - "The New Sunrise" (demo) (2004) 7/7/11

The Joy Circuit - "X's" (2004) 11/8/11

[Miranda July: see Michael Andrews w/ Miranda July]

Juned - "Kyuss" (1995) 8/31/11

Junius - "A Word Could Kill Her" (2006) 1/19/12

Juno - "Leave A Clean Camp And A Dead Fire" (1998) 10/8/12

Kill Laura - "Unheeled (1994) 6/18/12

Knapsack - "Decorate The Spine" (1996) 10/29/11

Michael Krassner - "Telegraph Hill" (1996) 8/14/11

Kriedler - "She Woke Up And The World Had Changed" (1998) 7/23/11

Dayna Kurtz - "Beside You" (Live) (1997) 4/18/12

LAKE - "Don't Give Up" (2009) [+ EXITMUSIC - "The Sea" (2011)] 10/31/12

Liberty Horses - "King Of A Rainy Country" (1992) 5/20/11

Lid - "Up" (1992) 2/19/13

Lions & Ghosts - "Wild Garden" (1989) 11/5/11

Long Fin Killie - "Clinch" (1996) 7/13/12

Loquat - "Swingset Chain" (original version) (2001) 9/7/11

Lovers - "Figure 8" (2010) 9/14/12

Love Spirals Downwards - "Sideways Forest" (1996) 10/19/11

Lowercase - "Willing To Follow You Down" (1998) 9/10/11

Lubricated Goat - "New Kind Of Animal" (1990) 8/13/11

Lucid Nation - "Fun" (1999) 10/23/11

Lynnfield Pioneers - "Add It Up" (1997) 5/16/12

The Make-Up - "I Want Some" (1998) 4/16/12

Memoryhouse - "Lately" (2009 & 2011 versions) 8/16/12

Merchandise - "Time" (2012) 11/16/12

[Mercury Rev: see Shady Crady]

Margot Mifflin - "Backlash" (1992) 2/1/12

Maria Minerva - "Luvcool" [a.k.a. "Lovecool"] (2011) 10/16/12

Minutemen - "Anxious Mo-Fo" (1984) 11/27/11

The Moog Cookbook - "The One I Love" (1996) 10/31/11

Moonshake - "Girly Loop" (1993) 2/23/12

Moonshake - "The Taboo" (1996) 7/30/11

My Bloody Valentine - "You Made Me Realise" (1988) 3/17/12

National Skyline - "Ghosts" (2001) 7/5/11

Necropolis Of Love - "Talk" (re-recorded version) (1984) 11/1/11

Negativland - "Methods Of Torture" (1987) 9/6/11

New Math - Invocation (1982) 11/30/11

Nice Strong Arm - "Cloud Machine" (1989) 12/27/11

Will Oldham & Jim O'Rourke - "Ebb's Folly" (1996) 8/14/11

Opal - "Supernova" (1987) 8/1/11

The Orange Peels - "I Don't Mind The Rain" (1996) 9/21/11

[Jim O'Rourke: see Will Oldham & Jim O'Rourke]

Oval - "Shop In Store" (1994) 2/8/12

Mike Patton - "Pajama Party Horror" (1995) 11/7/11

Pharmacy Lounge - "Building A Compound" (1993) 10/11/12

A Place To Bury Strangers - "I Lived My Life To Stand In The Shadow Of Your Heart" (2006 & 2009 versions) 1/26/12

Plexi - "Forest Ranger" (1996) 9/3/11

Plexi - "Peel / He" (1995) 9/1/11

Plexi - "Simple Man" (1994) 9/2/11

Pocahaunted - "Ashes Is White" (2008) 10/21/11

Poem Rocket - "Appeal To The Imagination" (2000) 1/10/13

Poem Rocket - "Flaw" (1994) 12/6/12

Poem Rocket - "Small White Animal" (1994) 12/14/12

The Prime Movers - "Museum" (1984) 9/26/11

Primitive Painters - "Like You" (1991) 10/13/11

Psi Com - "City Of 9 Gates" (1985) 11/19/11

Psi Com - "Ho Ka Hey" (1985) 9/11/11

Psychic Ills - "January Rain" (2005) 1/13/12

Pteranodon - "Adrift" (2001) 12/14/11

Puro Instinct - "Slivers Of You" (2010) 11/9/11

Lee Ranaldo - "Deva, Spain (Fragments)" 2/3/12

Lee Ranaldo w/ Steve Shelley - "Live ∞ #1" (1987) 7/3/11

Billy Reid - "White Chicks And Gang Signs" (2006) 11/13/12

Replikants - "Patty's Trip" (1996) 3/23/11

[Ride: see Adina Howard vs. Ride]

Steve Roach - "Structures From Silence" (1984) 11/15/11

Steve Roach & Robert Rich - "Touch" (1992) 11/29/11

Savage Republic - "Next To Nothing" (1982) 10/14/11

Scala - "Hold Me Down" (1995) 4/23/11

Scenic - "All Fish Go To Heaven" (1996) 2/28/11

School Of Seven Bells - "Windstorm" (2010) 8/28/12

Christian Scott - "Litany Against Fear" (2007) 8/14/11

Screen Of Dreams - "I Can't Remember" (1983) 11/12/11

The Sea And Cake - "Choice Blanket" (1993) 6/22/12

Section 25 - "New Horizon" (1980) 9/16/12

Seefeel - "Come Alive" & "Come Alive (Climactic Phase #1)" (1993) 8/19/11

Shady Crady - "Clamor" (demo) (1988) 5/24/11

Shady Crady - "In Bloom" (demo) (1988) 5/27/11

Sleepers - "Let Me Free" (1980) 2/20/11

Sleepers - "Mirror" (1980) 10/6/11

[Sonic Youth: see Lee Ranaldo]

Soul Whirling Somewhere - "Every Female Werewolf Ever, Listed Alphabetically By Crime" (1997) 8/18/11

The Sound - "Burning Part Of Me" (1985) 4/12/11

Southpacific - "Analogue 9" (1999) 8/25/11

Sovetskoe Foto - "Cellophane Laughter" (1991) 4/12/12

Springhouse - "Enslave Me" (1992) 4/6/12

Starflyer 59 - "Blue Collar Love" (1993) 9/24/11

Starflyer 59 - "The Boulevard" (1996) 10/11/11

St. Johnny - "Go To Sleep (1992) 9/8/12

Karlheinz Stockhausen - "Struktur X" (1959-60) 4/27/11

Suburban Lawns - "Computer Date" (1981) 10/28/11

Swervedriver - "99th Dream" (1996) 3/26/12

Tagging Satellites - "Sun Damage" (2000) 1/30/12

Tamaryn - "Dawning" (2010) 9/29/11

Tape - "Fill In The Blank" (2002) 9/4/11

Telefon Tel Aviv - "My Week Beats Your Year" (2004) 5/13/11

This Heat - "Horizontal Hold" (~1978) 4/28/12

Tomorrowland - "Kepler Planet Harmonies" (1997) 5/16/11

To Rococo Rot - "Prado" (1999) 7/27/11

Tortoise - "Glass Museum" (1995) 2/16/12

Trans Am - "Futureworld" (1998) 5/6/12

Trespassers William - "Love You More" (2002) 11/30/11

Trial Of The Bow - "Inverloch" (1994) 4/2/12

Tristeza - "I Am A Cheetah" (2000) 9/23/11

Twin Sister - "The Other Side Of Your Face" (2010) 12/4/11

Ultracherry Violet - "Post-Wing-And-Prayer" (1994) 5/20/12

The Universal Chrome - "Helium" (2000) 10/23/12

[Unwound: see Replikants]

Venus Beads - "Heaven And Back" (1990) 4/2/11

Venus Beads - "One Way Mirror" (1990) 7/18/12

Volplane - "Lost In Blue" [a.k.a. "I Want This Dream"] (1997) 12/10/11

Warpaint - "Composure" (2010) 10/5/11

The Werefrogs - "Don't Slip Away" (1992) 5/22/11

White Cascade - "Fine As Usual" (2010) 11/22/12

Windy & Carl - "A Dream Of Blue" (1997) 3/11/11

[Wire: see Dome]

Zombi - "Challenger Deep" (2005) 8/25/11

Pic of the often-thought-provoking sign at Metairie Grammar School on Sept. 20, 2012. (See the other side here.)

Lid >> The atmosphere is somewhere very, very close to here

Lid - "Up"

(Brilliant Records, 1992)

In early 2010 I was at The Mushroom and picked up a compilation CD called Something Pretty Beautiful from the pile of free used CDs that they sometimes stack up at the top of the entry stairway.  (They give away CDs that have gone unsold for years, sometimes for over a decade.)  When listening to the track by a band called Lid, something sounded very familiar to me.  I was all "This is like a bluesier, more psychedelic version of Poem Rocket!"  Well, it turns out Lid was P.R. singer / guitarist Michael Peters' previous band, and as far as I know, this was the only song they ever released, though hopefully I'm wrong.  Doing an online search for "lid" + "up" does not exactly return many music-related results.

"The atmosphere is somewhere very, very close to here" is a pretty unique way of saying that one is at a high altitude.  All the elements of Poem Rocket's genius are present here.  This song really takes the major-label suits on a wild rollercoaster courtship ride in the confusing wake of Nirvana, and makes them get out their pens and start clicking them to test if the ink works before fishing around in their pockets for a piece of paper on which to scrawl a multi-album contract for Lid to sign.  That's how good of a song it is.  The production values are simply stunning, with some of the most "3-D" surround-sound I've ever heard.  The closing guitar onslaught (3:58 mark) all but leaps out of the speakers; I really can't emphasize the coolness of this last part enough.  You have to listen to this song on a good stereo or with headphones, but it does sound rather massive even on small speakers, without relying on simple loudness.  I made this a high-quality 224 kbps file for maximum shock and awe.

Poem Rocket's press kit .pdf (see two posts ago), says that Peters lived in both Ohio and Virginia before moving to NYC and forming Poem Rocket.  Brilliant Records was based in Richmond, so it makes sense that this compilation has a good amount of VA bands, especially since the northern VA / southern MD area was really fertile with great bands at the time... Not that I knew this when I went to the Univ. of Richmond for a year in the mid-'90s, sadly.  The Virginia bands on this comp. are: Fudge (Richmond), The Knievels (Chester), Lid (Richmond), Lorelei (Arlington), The Petals (Richmond), Schwa (Richmond), The Technical Jed (Richmond), The Tribbles (Richmond), Twitch Hazel (Richmond), Ultra Cindy (Chesapeake), The Waking Hours (Midlothian).  The booklet says Lid also put out some stuff on a label called Radioactive Rat, which I really need to hear.  Unfortunately, the liner notes don't list the members of the bands.  I found out that Something Pretty Beautiful was the name of a band on Creation Records, so this comp must've been named after them.

Speaking of the word "Lid" and the mid-'90s, I once went on a date with this girl Lydia in May '95, my last month of high school.  (That was also the month I got accepted into the Univ. of Richmond.)  We went to a women's beach volleyball match at Coconut Beach (R.I.P.) and then went to Blockbuster Music, where I bought Jeff Buckley's Grace on cassette.  I popped it in the tape deck, and it was kind of awkward listening to "Last Goodbye"'s line "Kiss me, pleeeease kiss meeee" during the car ride back to her place to drop her off.  And no, we didn't.  Strangely, the last time I ever saw her was on the morning of 9/11/11, walking across the campus of Loyola Univ. in New Orleans.

Planets with similar climates: Swervedriver - "Deep Seat" (1991) & "Duress" (1993), Juno (with Jen Wood) - "A Listening Ear" (1998), Acetone - "Sundown" (1993), Temple Of The Dog - "Reach Down" (1990), Nudeswirl - "Three" (1993), Big Head Todd & The Monsters - "Circle" (1993), Screaming Trees - "Shadow Of The Season" (1992), Soundgarden - "Blind Dogs" (1995).

Currently eating or drinking: Vincotto orange velvety condiment (fermented grape & orange must), BelGioioso mascarpone, Rouses polder goat gouda, Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout, Naturally Delicious banana bread.

Poem Rocket >> At the point of impact, don't rule anything out

Poem Rocket - "Levy 9 R.S.V.P."

(Magic Eye Singles, 1998)

So by now you know what Poem Rocket was capable of in terms of harnessing atonality and melody into oddly memorable and gripping songs.  What would happen if they really let their hair down and drifted off into the outer realms, like a non-sucky version of Hawkwind?

You have to admit that "At the point of impact, don't rule anything out" would make a great tattoo or Nike slogan, as would "If it hits us, we'll say 'I told you so' with no regrets."  Stick around until the last minute for some eerie, softly spoken vocals concluding with the epitaph "Deep in the dense layers of hydrogen."  This song's lyrics are presumably based on the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, whose collision with Jupiter in July 1994 was a huge event amongst astronomers worldwide.  I don't personally remember it, but I vividly remember the Mars Pathfinder rover in '97 and Halley's Comet in '86.  I can't say whether Levy-9 was in the same general category of public excitement causation as those two, but I doubt it.

This song is from the Rocket's hard-to-find 1999 EP The Universe Explained In Six Songs.  According to the liner notes, it was recorded and mastered by the band itself, no small feat for such a sprawling, sonically-adventurous song.  The members of the band at this time are credited as: "Sandra Gardner (bass guitar, bowed bass, organ, violin, marimba, vocals), Peter Gordon (drums, piano, tape loops, harmonica, assorted mayhem) and Michael Peters (guitars, vocals, star shaker, drums)."  It comes in a cool mini clamshell (DVD-style) case with an interesting booklet.  I bought a copy ca. 2004, but the CD broke, so I bought another; I think I got both on eBay.  I have no use for the one containing the broken CD, so if someone wants it and is a somewhat-longtime reader of this site, drop me a line.

What you're looking at above is both of my booklets (front side; back side), the intact CD, the broken CD, and both cases (showing the white band / EP name stickers on the outside).

Inside the little Magic Eye Singles mailorder catalog (just one piece of paper folded in half) that came inside one of my Universe Explained CDs. (Pic added 2/23/13) Anything that contains the phrase "way better than Elliott Smith" gets a thumbs up in my book!

If you want to hear another Poem Rocket song in this spacey vein, check out "Contrail de l'avion" from their Into The Aether 10" (1994).  I actually was going to post that one instead, but opted for the longer, less hummable, more sui generis "Levy."

Illustration by Michael Peters from his book Vaast Bin; n Ephemerisi.  (The book has no page #s, but this pic is right in the middle.)

The happiest person on the planet right now has to be LL Cool J's manager.  His client just hosted the Grammys on Sunday, released (sorry, "dropped") a new single the next day, and is a dead ringer for the hopefully-late terrorist Christopher Dorner & is hence a lock to play him in the inevitable upcoming biopic.

Wed. 1/30/13: Saw Onuinu and Terrain at Siberia. I'm not sure if instrumental rockers Terrain are local, but the guitarist told the crowd it was their first-ever performance.  While Onuinu was performing (entirely solo) his catchy chillwave anthems-in-waiting, my sister and I kept telling each other "He's gonna be huge."  We bought a little too much merch after talking to him, just because of how nice and down-to-earth he is.

Thur. 1/31/13: Saw Chelsea Wolfe at the Spanish Moon.  Unfortunately, it was her "acoustic tour," and the crowd grew very antsy and belligerently talkative as it went on.  An actual quote I overheard: "It was amazing for the first 10 minutes, but after an hour I'm starting to hate it."  (It was an early show, with some sort of 80's Night beginning right afterwards at 10, so lots of obnoxious people were filling up the club.)  I was surprised C.W. didn't leave the stage due to all the talking and pool playing.  A local singer / songwriter named Erin Miley and her band opened with a set of post-Ani Difranco introspective pop.

Fri. 2/1/13: Termite treatment began.  Turns out one of the guys is a YouTube mogul who makes rap videos in New Orleans, but I forgot to ask for his YouTube name.

2/2/13: Went to the Mushroom for the first time since Nov. and learned my favorite employee and dear music buddy had quit.  Was crushed, speechless, etc.  I fittingly, and joylessly, bought Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing" (one of my favorite songs ever) CD single for a buck.  Managed to go to the NFL Experience at the Convention Center with a bunch of my sister's friends and her fiancée right afterwards, but was sort of walking around in a depressed funk.  It didn't help that My Bloody Valentine released a dud of an album that night.  Was in much better spirits the next day on my birthday, though my prediction of Super Bowl tickets as a gift did not materialize.  Local product Jacoby Jones should've won Super Bowl MVP after setting the S.B. single-game yardage record, but he did earn a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

2/8/13: Saw a sold-out show by the XX at House Of Blues with Em, Damion, Tace, and Alex, via free VIP lounge tickets.  I wore my School Of Seven Bells t-shirt, since their guitarist's cancer diagnosis was announced that day.  Opening act Austra went on at 9:30 instead of the heavily-advertised start time of 10:00, so we completely missed them.  I was looking forward to seeing them do their one good song, "The Beat And The Pulse," so I was pretty mad, especially since I missed a Toro Y Moi concert a few days earlier due to it being a sellout.  (In other words, I missed 3 bands on Wed. night, plus the opening band on this night, meaning I missed 4 of the 5 bands I ought to have seen in the week.)  After a long wait, the XX went on and delivered a very professional set with lots of cool lighting effects.  I'll admit I was skeptical about their ability to translate their hushed, "small" songs to the stage, but they really impressed me.  After hanging out in the posh upstairs lounge and listening to a DJ (forgot his DJ name, but it's 4 letters, maybe Flex?) spin such cutting-edge stuff as One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful," Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," and Lenny Kravitz' "American Woman" on CD "turntables," and talking to Jenn Howard for the first time since high school, we bailed.  Met Oliver XX and Romy XX outside afterwards (since most of the crowd had dispersed to the Quarter to check out Mardi Gras madness) and got our posters signed.  This is one of my sister's top 5 fav. bands, so it was pretty momentous for her.  A girl from Baton Rouge named Emilie and a guy in a wheelchair named Fuji were both elated after meeting the band, and Emilie honestly looked like she needed a cigarette afterwards.  Oliver XX even climbed over the barricade to talk to us (well, mainly to talk to Fuji), and was later blatantly propositioned by a leggy fan wearing an all-white denim outfit.  Also talked to their tour manager after I noticed his Beak shirt and told him we (Em & I) had seen Portishead at this very club in 1998.  Turns out he was Portishead's manager or tour manger up until 2007.  A very cool guy. We saw Jamie XX carrying a bag of records he had just bought at Louisiana Music Factory directly across the street, but never found out what exactly he bought.  We walked around amidst the thongs on Bourbon Street for a while and went in some mediocre bar, then I spent about 45 mins. trying to catch a cab.  Saw an obese African-American woman in a Misfits skull t-shirt walking in front of the Joy Theater while I was waiting.  The increasing ubiquity / market saturation of early punk bands ceased to surprise me long ago, but I have to admit this sighting made me do a double-take, mainly because she was walking with some decidedly non-punk friends.  As usual, sorry for the excessively detailed descriptions; just trying to capture some of the little moments that make up a night like this one.

Planets with similar climates: Bardo Pond - "Rumination" (1996), The Church - "Chaos" (1992), Juno feat. Jen Wood - "A Listening Ear" (1998), Verve - "Butterfly" (1993), Sonic Youth - "Expressway To Yr. Skull" (a.k.a. "Madonna, Sean And Me") (1986), CAN - "Father Cannot Yell" (1969), Polvo - "When Will You Die For The Last Time In My Dreams" (1996), Morphine - "Down Love's Tributaries" (1993).