Poolside >> The starlight will guide us through the night

Poolside - "Slow Down"

(Day & Night Recordings, 2012)

I can't believe I never posted this.  I'll sheepishly admit I found out about this song thanks to a feature in Pitchfork that summer, and in my opinion it was the unquestioned slow jam of that year.  The more you listen to this song, the more you realize just how perfect every tiny detail of it is.  You will understand why Poolside calls their music "daytime disco."  They literally have a poolside studio, and in fact that's where their band name comes from.  Best line from the Pitchfork article: "They aspire to parlay their success into DJing high-end pool parties."

Note: This Poolside is a duo from Los Angeles consisting of Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise.  They are not to be confused with the indie pop group Poolside, whose boring CD Indyglow I bought a decade or so ago.
Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" is basically just a more disco'd up, cocaine'd up, and way less subtle, take on this song. Then again, this song is extremely similar to chillwave's defining song, Washed Out's "Feel It All Around."
Here's the video that started my obsession:

Incredibly, though they obviously made a video for it, this song was apparently not released as a physical single.  Record labels are fucking stupid, as I've said time and time again.  A few months ago, on Sirius radio's Chill station, I heard a Poolside remix of Black Sabbath's chillout classic "Planet Caravan."

Fri. Mar. 7: Went to new Central American / Mexican restaurant Mizado for my mom's birthday.  It was indescribably loud.  My dad, who is 61 and has been to probably thousands of restaurants around the country / world in his life, said it was the loudest restaurant he had ever been in.  I unfortunately missed Com Truise at the Hi-Ho Lounge that night because it sold out.

Sat. Mar. 8: Went to Euclid Records' sidewalk sale ahead of their move one block west later this month.  It turned out to be a stunning 5 CD's for a dollar bonanza.  And the stuff being sold was not garbage either.  Spent 3 hours loading up on tons of CDs, including ::reaches for big cardboard box:: John Coltrane, Sigur Rós, 2Pac, Steve Roach, the Pointer Sisters (x2), Diana Ross / Supremes, Opal, Ivy, Coldcut, Aphex Twin / AFX, Pole (x2), Vangelis, Dizzy GIllespie, Baaba Maal, Deee-Lite, Spearhead, Smashing Pumpkins, Tortoise, Goodie Mob, Royal Trux, Johnny Griffin, Steely Dan, the Crystal Method, Spiritualized, Foreigner, Aaliyah, the Pastels, Henry Mancini, the Telescopes, Adina Howard, Born Against, Beans, Plastikman (x2), Maude Maggart (Fiona Apple's jazz-croonin' sis), Carla Bley, Sponge, Iron & Wine, V/A - Lounge-A-Palooza, Edith Frost, Kings Of Leon, Dead Kennedys (x2), Nine Inch Nails, the Warlocks, Eisley, Sonny Rollins, Delerium, Sting, 702, the Seconds, Jaco Pastorius, the Crimson Curse, the Ocean Blue, Magik Markers, Gang Gang Dance, Amorphous Androgynous (a.k.a. the Future Sound Of London), Robyn, Mötley Crüe, Diana King, Rachelle Ferrell, Liz Story, Mary Lou Lord, Skinny Puppy (x2), David Toop, Foo Fighters, Gravity A, the Other Planets, Reception Is Suspected, Sade, Loop, Paul Simon, Rickie Lee Jones, Autechre, Black Dice, Chris Thomas King, Sam Phillips, Digable Planets, Nas, MGMT, Cex, Keith Jarrett, Primal Scream, Arcturus, the Donnas, Sage Francis, Fluke, Squarepusher, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michael Gira, Transvision Vamp, Brass Bed, Björk, Davell Crawford, Mercury Rev.  All for only $11.  Wow.  Thank you, Euclid!  I also talked with DJ Lefty Parker about Chapel Hill's early '90s indie rock scene.  He said he worked at Schoolkids Records with members of Superchunk and other bands, told me some stuff about Polvo that kind of blew my mind, and said a band called Metal Flake Mother was the best band in town. This sale, combined with this recent find, has swamped me with CDs.  So I've been busily burning them onto the ol' MacBook so that people on last.fm can see what I listen to.  Afterwards, I went to Harold's Nursery and bought an echeveria.

Sun, Mar. 9: Saw Future Islands + Wye Oak + Ed Schraeder's Music Beat at the Spanish Moon.  ESMB play a hokey, primitivist rock n' roll that wears thin very quickly, much like the music of Beat Happening or the White Stripes.  Wye Oak were good, doing mostly stuff from their upcoming album Shriek, according to singer Jenn Wasner.  Plus an intense "Holy Holy."  But the entire reason I made the trek to Baton Rouge was to see them do their masterpiece "Spiral", and they did not.  Oh well.  I asked Wasner if they still play it, and she said they hope to start playing it again soon.  She was beaming after I told her I thought it was the best song of the last five years.  I bought a 7" by her solo project Flock Of Dimes.  Future Islands, fresh off an appearance on Late Night With David Letterman, did their usual workmanlike synth-rock replete with odd dance moves from their singer.  I guess being on Letterman didn't provide a huge career boost, because I seem to remember just as many, if not more, people at their show at the Moon in Nov. 2012.  Weird.

Planets with similar climates: Washed Out - "Feel It All Around" (2009), Kool & The Gang - "Summer Madness" (1974), Ween - "Freedom Of '76" (1994), School Of Seven Bells - "Love Play" (2011), Janet Jackson - "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)" (1985), Dead Leaf Echo - "Act Of Truth (Extended Truth Mix)" (2009).

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).

White Cascade >> How it can be so far

White Cascade - "Fine As Usual"

(self-released, 2010)

This mammoth multi-part suite encapsulates the quieter aspects of White Cascade's sound, which can vary from noisy pop to long ambient drones.  It's from their self-titled debut EP (actually 40 minutes long, hence album length), which they self-released in June 2010 as a digital download and on cassette.  (Their follow-up EP consists of short, relatively spiky pop songs.)  The monster ambient intro really throws the gauntlet down.  As for the lyrics, your best approximation is about as good as mine.  I made out the line "How it can be so far" at the 7:52 mark, for what it's worth, and it rhymes with "Every second star" from the previous verse.  What matters is that this song is pure instant Prozac for the soul, especially if your soul is a fan of (The) Verve's flawless debut album A Storm In Heaven.  A Storm In Raleigh doesn't have quite the same ring, but I could be convinced to catch a plane there just to see White Cascade live.

This .jpg is in honor of White Cascade being the first North Carolina band in space, living up to the state's "First In Flight" motto

I found out about this band last year, but I don't remember how.  In true shoegaze / dream pop fashion, they have released two EPs, but no official album, though as I mentioned, their first EP is 40 minutes long.  Hopefully they can be convinced to go on tour, though their sound is, defiantly, and with clenched fist, the opposite of every prevailing trend in both "indie" and non-indie music.  Perhaps this is why they give their music away for free at their Bandcamp page; or at least they did last year, but it appears they're charging $1 per track now.  Which is good, because it shows their music is now becoming in demand.  See them performing in their newer, more upbeat style here: Sessions at Studio B with The White Cascade.  It also includes an interview.

Sat. Nov. 17: Donned one of my Plexi shirts and went to the Record Raid at Tulane on a pretty cold day.  Stopped by the Mushroom (a block away) first, to give the dudes & dudettes 3 mix CDs and some of my fav. beers, and my VHS of Paris, Texas.  Why?  Because they always give me good deals, since I'm always recommending them obscure stuff from the used stacks.  I stupidly forgot to take a pic of all 3 CDs together, but here's the first one:

(The second one was part 2 of the "Intensity In Ten Cities" theme, and the third one was all ambient music, titled "Ambient Assault."  Request them by name!)  Sam was enthused and said she was going to bring the CDs home to listen to them, and said she loved the Unwound CDs I'd recommended to her in September.  She burned me the Dinosaur Jr. cover album by The Electronic Anthology Project, and is gonna also burn me one of those Italian horror soundtracks that Goblin did in the '70s.  Best music buddy ever.  I was sad to hear she missed the Dino Jr. concert last month due to illness, since they're probably her second favorite band after Sonic Youth.  Was relieved to hear her family in NJ didn't get any damage from hurricane Sandy.  The store has been remodeled after the hurricane and looks really good.  At the Raid, I bought less stuff than usual, so I was pretty proud of myself.  My best find was American Music Club's extremely rare debut LP for only $5, plus their fairly rare California CD (33 cents), Pageninetynine (pre-Ghastly City Sleep / pre-Pygmy Lush)'s Document #8 CD (33 cents), Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Experimental Remixes CD EP (33 cents), Roy Ayers Ubiquity's Vibrations LP ($5) (mainly for the heliocentric chillout classic "Everybody Loves The Sunshine").  Also got an amazing clear blue vinyl 7" by You Am I that I never thought I'd see in person (33 cents).  I had bought the Blues Explosion CD right when it came out in late '95, so it was quite sweet to nab it again after unwisely selling it ca. 2000.  Bought the sick Japanese edition of Trans Am's self-titled CD from Joey Buttons; it has a whopping 9 bonus tracks and cool neon orange cover art.  It turns out he was also at the Future Islands / Talk Normal show the previous week, and the vendor sitting right next to him was at it too, so we all discussed it.  Small world...  Joey also told me about his new project called Pressures.  Talked to Scott from Skully'z about a bunch of concerts too, incl. Cold Cave; he was wearing a Cold Cave hoodie.  Towards the end of the raid, I asked how they were doing, and he told me they had sold about $500 of stuff already.  Also bought a CD by punk "supergroup" OFF! for 33 cents and gave it to the Mushroom, since several of them had seen them live.  When I was walking up the stairs to the store, a guy who works there saw me and enthusiastically complimented me on the mix CDs.  I had him burn Bare Minimum's first CD so that I could give it to this guy who I always talk to at these Raids, whose name keeps escaping me (Jason or James?).  So yeah, I kept going back and forth between the Raid and the 'Room.  Took some free LPs that the Mushroom had put out in boxes at the foot of their stairs, incl. a mint copy of Yoko Ono's classic Season Of Glass and a Sesame Street album.  Drove around and tried to find the N.O. Book Fair, but failed, since it turns out it had moved to the Warehouse District.  So I went to this lame music festival on Magazine St. for about 15 minutes and endured Rockin' Dopsie & the Zydeco Twisters while looking at all the touristy art booths.  Apparently one can now buy a little glazed clay statuette or fridge magnet of every single noteworthy location in the city.  These "artists" are totally shameless in their pillaging of N.O.'s culture for quick dollars.  Dopsie (pronounced "Doopsie," for you non-locals) shouted his catchphrase "Somebody screeeeam!" at least five different times, and believe me, I wanted to after looking at all the aforementioned trinkets.  If you've ever walked on Royal Street and peered into the "art galleries" there, you'll know what I'm talking about, but the stuff at this fest was even lamer.  As I've mentioned before, I really refuse to call this stuff art, since it's really in the realm of just crafts.  Note: Was a bit saddened to see that the former home of Underground Sounds is going to become a Dat Dog location.

Planets with similar climates: Verve - "Already There" (1993), Slowdive - "Blue Skied An' Clear" (1995), SIANspheric - "Watch Me Fall" (1995), The Emerald Down - "Recondite Astral Traveler" (2001), Feverdream [Australia] - "No Stone Unturned" (1995), Catherine Wheel - "Girl Stand Still" (1993), Sonic Youth - "Karen Koltrane" (1998).

Maria Minerva >> Northern star, what you are

Maria Minerva - "Luvcool" (a.k.a. "Lovecool")

(Not Not Fun Records, 2011)

This song is like a complex crystal built from deceptively simple molecules.  It's a perfect example of "less is more," and the importance of simply playing the right notes.  If that opening keyboard drone note was any lower or higher, it simply would not mesh with her voice the right way, and if Maria sang the opening word "Cool" differently, it would just not be as starkly beautiful.  Drea immediately remarked that this song has a real Twin Peaks feel to it, and I had to agree.

Maria Minerva was born Maria Juur in Estonia, and is now based in London.  She has written for the super-highbrow music magazine The Wire.  I had been hearing about her for the last year or so, as one of many artsy female electro-pop crooners.  After thinking about going to see her opening for Jesus & Mary Chain-esque retro fuzz-poppers Moon Duo, the evening arrived and still had not decided.  And there was a somewhat shockingly contentious Vice Presidential debate on TV.  The show was gonna start at 10 PM and I live an hour away.  I was quite sure I'd be able to see her when she returns as a headliner someday, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  9:00 rolled around; listening to some of her stuff on YouTube... "I'm a dude whose main love is shoegaze & post-punk type music; why do I even feel the need to see all these solo female electronic musicians?"  Striking me as a more less-girly, more "European" version of Grimes, or a less pretentious Laurie Anderson... 9:15... Listening to some more, still also listening to the debate in the other room... I forgot to shower tonight... 9:30... Welp, after listening to "Lovecool" (how it's spelled on YT) about 5 times and having my soul / mind just turn to warm lime jello, I realized this song would be haunting me for the rest of my life, and hence I had to go see her.  So at 9:45 I headed out.

Listened to MSNBC's post-debate analysis on the radio; WTUL's DJ played my request for George McCrae's "I Get Lifted" right as I pulled up to Siberia.  I had previously only been to two shows here, and one Record Raid.  In fitting with its name, the club now serves what is billed as New Orleans' only true Russian / Slavic food, so I ordered a $4 provolone blini (Russian crepe) and $2 grilled asparagus while watching a blonde-looking lady setting up some equipment onstage in the nearly-empty building.  It turned out to be Maria, who I guess dyes her hair darker in her videos.  She began by saying "Can you guys come in closer, away from the bar?" and some people obeyed.  There were film clips projected behind her the whole time.  She had some sound problems, due to getting to the club right before 10; "This is what happens when you don't have a sound check," she said apologetically at one point after having to restart a song, and I had flashbacks to Grimes' performance at Tulane's quad last March.  She only played for 30 minutes, and did not do "Luvcool," so I was disappointed, but was still glad I had gone, since I would have always been wondering if she played it or not.  I think most of the crowd was a bit dumbfounded by her music, especially the singing.  Like many great singers her voice can admittedly sound off-key until your ears adjust to her style.  I could sense some snickering going on just based on how people were turning to their neighbors and talking while smiling.  (For example, Bob Dylan has a terrible voice but is a great singer, if that makes any sense.)  I think her voice is more suited to icy, almost-whispered songs like "Luvcool," just as Grimes' voice is better-suited to songs like "Be A Body."  She could totally become the go-to female guest vocalist in all of indiedom, not just in synth-popdom or chillwavedom.  I'm not trying to turn this site into Hipster Runoff or anything, but hopefully Maria will supplant the rather boring and pretentious Zola Jesus.

It's kind of freaky how much she resembles my dad's sister Kathleen.  I also kept thinking to myself how much she resembles Lindsey Vonn, even down to the height (probably almost 6 feet) and the frankly startling Olympic swimmer build, which was only startling because most indie dudettes & dudes tend to be so rail-thin and lacking in musculature.  Those N. Europeans are generally the most unweak on earth, which you'd know if you've ever watched those World's Strongest Man or CrossFit competitions on ESPN2.  Maria Minerva is probably Lindsey Vonn.  Maria Minerva is Lindsey Vonn.  Maria Minerva is the world's foremost female downhill skiier.  Lindsey Vonn is the most meteorically-rising composer of electronic avant-pop.  Maria Minerva was on a Wheaties box.

Pic with no flash during middle of her set, showing projected video

Pic with flash during her last song; the flash obviously killed the video

I took one flash pic as I on my way out the door to get a few moments of refreshing air; this turned out to be at the end of her last song.  Camera battery died soon after, so the existence of the pic itself is sort of a miracle.  Saw her outside a little later and gave my standard "Good show."  Her accent is quite odd, since English is probably not her main language; she sounds kind of like Marlee Matlin.  I was wearing a black shirt with 4 gold dolphins and the word "MAUI."  "Mah-oo-ee?" (or something like that) she asked, while touching the word on the shirt.  I told her I came in just to see "Luvcool" and added "and you didn't play it, or at least I don't think you did."  She confirmed she didn't, and asked if I had seen the video.  I said yeah.  She said she can't play it live because she no longer has the computer on which she composed it about 3 years ago, which had all the synth presets; I forgot if she said it had been stolen or if she just lost it.  I told her she should re-record it and should definitely keep working on it / start playing it, but I stupidly forgot to ask her what the song is about.  Also forgot to ask if she tried the club's food to see if it passed the authenticity test.  She said she was surprised at the low turnout because "Moon Duo are big," so I explained the neighborhood's new no-concert-flyers rule.  I asked if opening act Sir Stephen (misspelled on the chalkboard outside as Sir Stephan) had gone on before I got there, and she said "No, he's on next.  He's my fwend; you should come back inside and watch him."  Then she indicated that the convo was over when she reached out and shook my hand and said that she had to go back inside.  So yeah, that was my little 5-minute brush with the next Laurie Anderson or Grimes or, if she gets more into multimedia stuff, Miranda July.  Her future stardom is all but a given.  She has boundless charisma, friendliness and energy, and zero ego whatsoever, so it's weird that people probably think of her as an "ice queen" based on her music / image.

Other show tidbits: DJ Perpetual Care played Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" and "Numbers," among dozens of other songs.  In fact, the vast majority of the music came from his decks, since there was only 75 mins. of live music in the 3.5 hours I spent there.  Sir Stephen, with trumpeter in tow, got bumped.  DJ PC pointed me to him, so we chit-chatted and he apologized and seemed really bummed out.  He's a local dude on 100% Silk Records, a disco-ish offshoot of Not Not Fun, hence he and Maria are basically labelmates.  He told me he and Maria had just met tonight, so I thought it was cute that Maria already thought of him as a friend.  But that's just her personality: super-friendly as fuck.

I put 2011 as the date at the top of this page, even though I mentioned that she said she recorded the song about 3 years ago, which would be around 2009 or early 2010.  If you stole her computer, please return it to me.

Staking Chinese Pistachio trees with Parkway Partners peeps, incl. Nell Howard, Tim Hurley, and two guys whose names I have temporarily forgotten.  This was the biggest and most annoying tree, so we had to rock the roots back and forth to sever some of them.  Pic by my sis, who provided moral encouragement and called this pic the "Iwo Jima moment."  I'm in the red Drew Brees jersey, as I mentioned before:

Mon. Oct. 15: Saw MONO at the Spanish Moon for the fourth time; Chris Brokaw (ex-Codeine guy) opened.  More on that show next time maybe.

Today: Tamaryn's new album drops, but they are not coming here on their tour with the equally dream-poppy Young Prisms.  Still mad at myself for skipping the Prisms last year.  Tamaryn's new single is sorta forgettable, not nearly as amazing as "Dawning" (then again, what is?), but the new album is allegedly more radio-friendly as a whole.
Probably going to eat at GW Fins tonight for my parents' anniversary, even though it's a seafood restaurant and I don't eat seafood.

Oops: Without permission, Paul Ryan and family show up washing clean dishes at Ohio soup kitchen - "The Post reports that Ryan made the unscheduled stop after an event at Youngstown State University, and was there for about 15 minutes.  But though the pictures taken show Ryan apparently doing dishes, the food had already been served and everything had already been cleaned before he got there."

Planets with similar climates: Julee Cruise & Angelo Badalamenti - "Falling" (1989), Memoryhouse - "Lately" (2009), Laurie Anderson - "Walking & Falling" (1982), Chairlift - "Cool As A Fire" (2011), Slowdive - "Losing Today" (1990), Insides - "Darling Effect" (1993).

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).

Dome w/ Angela Conway >> The whispers grow into a solid shout

Dome w/ Angela Conway - "Cruel When Complete"

(Dome Records, 1980 / The Grey Area / Mute / Elektra Records, 1991 / The Grey Area / Mute, 1992)

I'm not much of a Wire fan at all, but this minimalistic side project of theirs was pretty intriguing, based on the few songs I've heard by it.  For a song that's barely even there, it makes a pretty big impression.  Too bad Wire couldn't capture this chilly, cinematic vibe in more of their own stuff.

I got this song 2 years ago on an interesting Mute Records compilation from 1991 called Tyranny Of The Beat.  The CD booklet aptly describes this song as "elegant blocks of sweet noise free-floating through space."  I have to wonder if this album was a big influence on A.R. Kane, Hugo Largo, Bark Psychosis, and other quiet, abstract groups that came along later in the decade.

Side A of Dome's 1980 self-titled debut LP. Note: The stripey block design is a grayscale version of the album cover itself.

Angela Conway also recorded under the alias A.C. Marias, and released an album under that name on Mute in 1989 titled One Of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing).  She is now "a successful music video director."

In 1991, Mute released a VHS home video concurrently with the Tyranny Of The Beat CD.  It featured this Dome video, which could be described as the most hilariously botched soundcheck in recorded history, or as brilliant deconstructionist pop art:

Yikes... Hopefully Conway didn't "direct" that one...

Sunday, May 6: Made a last-minute decision to go to Jazz Fest, with Em & Damion.  Had my dad watch the video for "Best Of You" right before he dropped us off.  Delivered some cigars from him to Jeff in his patrol car outside the front gate of the fest right before going in.  Saw the Foo Fighters' whole 2-hour set, which started off great, then sucked for a while, then ruled at the end with "Best Of You" & "Everlong."  Moshing like crazy to the latter in the mud at End Fest '97 was one of the top highlights of my concertgoing life, so this time couldn't really hold a candle to that, but it was still good.  I spent about an hour staring at this girl in the crowd who looked exactly like this sex blogger named Pocket, trying to determine if it was her.  Speaking of candles, the Foos presented their guitarist with a birthday cake near the end, which marks the second time I've seen that happen in the last two weeks.  Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings then stole the show in the Blues Tent.  Also saw a bit of Maze, the Preservation Hall 50th anniv. celebration (with vox on a song called "Freight Train" by Ani Difranco), and the Neville Brothers (with a guest appearance by Trombone Shorty).

Went to the Mushroom that night on a hunch that Sam might be there, and she was.  I had only seen her once in the prev. 6 months, and was worried that she no longer worked there.  I brought some satsumas that I swiped from my parents' kitchen.  She immediately strode up grilled me on why I was not at the free Roky Erickson / Thurston Moore show the previous night at One Eyed Jacks, and excitedly told me all about it.  She got one of Thurston's lyrics sheets from the stage.  I saw The Orb's first album (the abridged 1-CD version, unfortunately) in the used CD racks and recommended it, so she put it on, and all of its weird samples sounded amazing on their incredible surround-sound stereo system, with speakers in all the various nooks and crannies of the store.  Got Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade (double LP), a stunning Joy Division poster, and Pet Shop Boys' "It's A Sin" (7").  I rec'd Drive Like Jehu's Yank Crime to her, so hopefully she dug it.  I think she and I must've been brother and sister in a past life.

They also had an amazing "Love Will Tear Us Apart" poster, which I was going to buy until I found the "Atmosphere' one.

Yesterday, May 8: My neighbor helped me take out this ugly 8x10 foot concrete slab in the backyard with just a 10-lb. sledgehammer, with a trick he taught me a trick in which you slightly raise part of the slab with a pry bar and then jam a rock under the slab.  This forms an air layer underneath the slab, so it makes spiderweb cracks very readily when struck.  So in a few minutes I singlehandedly turned that bitch into rubble with a few dozen hits, after procrastinating over it for a multitude of years.  Sure wish I had video of that.  A few hours prior to that yesterday, I took this snapshot in my car door's window before heading to a dollar store:

Today: He, my neighbor, gave(!) me a ~300-400 gallon pond liner that he had laying around.  He had been using it as a satellite pond next to one of his other ones for about a year before removing it for some reason.  I think May 2012 has probably been the best month of my life so far in terms of people doing considerate things for me and having illuminating conversations with me.  I should mention this neighbor is often referred to as "the bird man" due to his extensive collection of birds in aviaries in his backyard.  He's as big of a plant nut as I am, if not bigger, so we always talk about plants and landscaping philosophies, e.g. tree trimming, shade creation, propagation.  Some of his big Live Oaks, which he planted 30 years ago, can be seen in the pic above.  I'm not sure if I could ever move back to New Orleans after being spoiled by living out in the country since Katrina.  But if I did, I would need a big fucking yard.  The ones out here are about 5-20 times bigger than ones of houses of equivalent value in NOLA, which can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on one's enthusiasm for yard work and tree upkeep.

Jermaine Paul just won season 2 of a show called The Voice, which I don't watch.  I had seen him singing backup vocals (& occasional lead vox during the numerous time when she was offstage changing outfits) at an Alicia Keys concert on St. Patrick's Day '04.  You could practically hear the panties dropping around the New Orleans Arena every time the dude took the mic.  (The crowd was probably 80%+ female.) My only qualm is that I'm not sure why a seasoned pro was allowed to be on an amateur singing competition.  Check him out stealing the show in AK's song "Diary".

Millions Against Monsanto: The food fight of our lives - "Finally, public opinion around the biotech industry's contamination of our food supply and destruction of our environment has reached the tipping point. We're fighting back."

Love him or hate him, Bryce is here - "And let’s face it, his name is Bryce. BRYCE. That could only be more irritating if his parents had gone with EdHardyNickelbackCrocs." ... "Harper is self-aware enough to know he’s antagonizing you. He’s baseball’s version of the guy who sits at a stoplight blasting 'Sexy & I Know It' at unholy decibel levels, staring directly at you through the window of your involuntarily rattling Subaru."

Meet the former right-wing blogger who realized conservatives are crazy

Related:

Planets with similar climates: A.R. Kane - "The Madonna Is With Child" (1988), The Comsat Angels - "Restless" (1981), Mazzy Star - "Mary Of Silence" (1993), Low - "Shame" (1995), Slowdive - "Albatross" (1991), Sonic Youth - "Satan Is Boring" (~1984), Plexi - "Ordinary Things" (1996), Insides - "Yes" (1993), Chairlift - "Cool As A Fire" (2011), Bark Psychosis - "All Different Things" (1989).

Aarktica >> I can really feel it now

Aarktica - "Big Year"

(Silber Records, 2002)

It is a new year, a year in which you can do a lot of things!  Rather than sitting here and reading this, you could be doing any one of several productive things at this very moment.

I got this CD, Pure Tone Audiometry, in 2003 or '04.  Read a lot of reviews of it on Aarktica's website here.  Despite the wonky Stereolab-esque title, it sounds nothing like those boring pinkos.  I'd recommend this album to fans of laid-back dreamy drone confections like Stars Of The Lid, Low, and Windy And Carl.  Aarktica is pretty much a one-man instant party headed by Jon DeRosa, with guests on instruments like cello (Andrew Prinz of Mahogany), trumpet, upright bass, etc.

Opuszine said: If "Ocean" is the album's most affecting piece, "Big Year" is the most haunting. DeRosa's guitar takes on an endless sound, creating ghostly, bell-like tones that seem to hang suspended in the dark ocean depths. DeRosa's tired vocals have a sinking quality, as if lyrics like "Today I learned to tie my shoes / I can feed myself again / It's gonna be a big year / I think I'll even start to talk" are a weight dragging him down into the depths plumbed by his guitar. Far above, Prinz' cello can be glimpsed, filtering through the murky surface like dim rays of sunlight, forever out of reach.

Be fucking amazed by this huge, whitish-blue agave (likely a rare Agave franzosinii, or else just a really whitish and floppy Agave americana) that I found a week ago.  I won't reveal where it is, other than to say that it's in a well-landscaped parking lot.  I helped myself to a pup, and as a souvenir I got a big cut on my left tricep from the mama's imposing leaf spines.  Finding this plant was a great way to cap my year on a high note, since I never thought I'd see one in real life.  Compare its leaf color to that of the "normal" dark-green leaves on the Sabal palmetto (Cabbage palmetto) and Cycas revoluta (Sago) in the background.  Mind-boggling.

On New Year's Eve, I stayed home and decided to do a quickie painting, after realizing that I pretty much slacked off from making art in 2011.  The background was done ca. Feb. 2010, and it sat around for almost two years.  I had planned on painting a reclining nude lady, but I'm not good enough at that yet, so I waved the white flag and threw on a palm:

On 10x20" canvas board; as usual, it's acrylic paint.  The palm is not done in black paint, but rather in Payne's Gray with a type of silver paint called Iridescent Stainless Steel mixed in.  Not my most impressive work ever, but its uncluttered-ness gives it a nice Zen-like quality.

On Monday I brought my busted greenhouse to this scrap metal yard by the Superdome.  After about half an hour I received a whopping $3.60, wrapped in a piece of white paper, for about 40 lbs. of iron.  "Stairway To Heaven" played on a little raggedy boombox, barely audible over the cacophony of clanking metallic noises.  Some guy was wearing a Notorious B.I.G. sweatshirt.  I'm into recycling and all, but this was one of the most depressing experiences of my life.  Luckily I didn't get a flat tire from all of the nails and screws littering the lot.  I then picked up a book of John Ashbery poems and a Morcheeba CD, then shot some hoops at the Annunciation St. basketball court.  Later I got a chicken carbonara at a Quiznos in Marrero, and was subjected to a Ke$ha song on the satellite radio station.

Yesterday I made an impromptu stop at NOMA's Sculpture Garden, and it was much better than I had remembered being a few years ago.  Pics forthcoming.

I'm going to the Saints-Lions playoff game tomorrow (my dad scored us free tickets), but not to the LSU-Bama BCS title game on Monday.

Planets with similar climates: Unwound - "Below The Salt" (2000), Low - "Lullaby" (1993), Windy &Carl - "A Dream Of Blue" (1997), Bark Psychosis - "All Different Things" (1989), Mazzy Star - "Umbilical" (1996), Talk Talk - "After The Flood" (1991).

Volplane >> It burns through me

Volplane - "Lost In Blue" (a.k.a. "I Want This Dream")

(Flight Approved Records, 1997)

I found out about Volplane when someone in AOL's Indie Rock chatroom told me about them in early 2003 and said I might like them.  I checked them out, loved the few songs I heard (including this one), and then almost immediately interviewed them for my online zine.  I was informed that they had changed their drummer and adopted the new name Bright Channel, so it technically was a Bright Channel interview.  The word volplane is a verb meaning "To glide toward the earth in an airplane with the engine cut off."

This song hypnotized my brain from the first few seconds, and still blows me away with its darkly creeping, trancelike menace.  For only a 3-minute song, it sure is a harrowing journey.  Singer / guitarist Jeff Suthers' androgynous, soothing vocals, crying out like an ant trapped in amber, are the perfect foil for the forlorn, hypothermia-inducing music.  The production values are pretty incredible for a self-recorded song, with a womblike warmth borne out of tons of reverb.  I like how the phrase "I want this dream to be" has no ending, so one is left to decide what exactly he is trying to say.  "Wash Away," "Two Worlds" and "Tear In Two" are my other favorite Volplane tunes, with "Wash Away" being particularly mind-blowing, easily one of the best pure shoegaze songs ever made.  According to their website, "From 1997-1999, Volplane forged ahead and spent the larger part of two years in their home studio recording what should have been two records that were never officially released: Volplane and Merlot.  In 2006, Flight Approved Records released a limited edition CD-R retrospective with some of the band’s favorite tracks from [those two albums]."  The retrospective is simply titled 1997-1999, is quite stunning, and can be bought on iTunes.  "Lost In Blue" (I seem to remember it was titled "I Want This Dream" when I downloaded it in 2003) and "Wash Away" were on Volplane.  The (proposed?) cover art for Volplane is identical to the cover of 1997-1999, but solarized (a reverse negative image), and with no writing at the bottom:

As a an obsessive fan of shoegaze / dream pop guitar styles, I can say without hesitation that Jeff Suthers is a master of this art, coaxing out some of the most spacey, psychedelic and eerie tones ever, all in the relative obscurity of Denver, Colorado.

Excellent photo with San Francisco as a backdrop; presumably taken at Kirby Cove in Marin County, ca. 1984. Compare to the top photo here.

Planets with similar climates: Bethany Curve - "Long Beach" (2001), Colfax Abbey - "Once In A While" (1996), Sonic Youth - "Shadow Of A Doubt" (1986), Juned - "Titanic" (1995), The Comsat Angels - "I Come From The Sun" (1992), Catherine Wheel - "Tongue Twisted" (1993).


Eating or drinking over the last week: Rouses eggplant parmesan; Synergy Mystic Mango kombucha tea; Alo Coco Exposed coconut water; Winn-Dixie cornbread; Rouses garlic rosemary red onion focaccia; Samuel Adams Black Lager; Flavors Of Greece roasted eggplant spread; Clowson Cotswold gloucester cheese w/ onions & chives.  And of course the Guinness Draught vs. Murphy's Stout comparison I mentioned last time.

Amoeba >> Might look like we're drowning

I can't believe it's still California Month, tremor #64:

Amoeba - "Ignoring Gravity"

(Lektronic Soundscapes, 1997 / Release Entertainment, 1999; recorded in 1994 or '95)

Here is a beautifully creepy ditty by the Robert Rich-led duo Amoeba, from their sophomore album Watchful.  It's obviously ultra-indebted to Brian Eno in more ways than one.

How is this not one of the most-discussed/adored songs of the last few decades?  The guitar is just impeccably recorded, like the sun is playing it up in the sky in a dream or something.  The overall production values are just spectacular, as you'd expect from an audio perfectionist like R. Rich.  I got this CD in the early '00s, but seem to have misplaced it.  I'm almost positive I didn't sell it or anything, but I'm also not sure if I have the original version on Lektronic Soundscapes or the reissue on Release.  For now I can't regale you with much more info on the band / album, but this song should pique you enough to go do some research and want to dwell in their biodome of sound.  Their second and final album, Pivot, is worth hearing, but I have not heard their debut EP, Eye Catching.

I'm rushing through these posts tonight, trying to get in under the 11 PM ET deadline for the end of November, so the quality is not as amazing as you've come to expect.  Sorry?  Nah.  I'm mad that I ran out of time to post a bunch of pics of myself as a kid in San Fran, though.

Planets with similar climates: Bark Psychosis - "The Loom" (1993), Brian Eno - "By This River" (1977), Sting - "Fragile" (1987), Peter Gabriel - "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" (1985).

Love Spirals Downward >> This changes everything

California Month continued, tremor #34:

Love Spirals Downwards - "Sideways Forest"

(Projekt Records, 1996)

My introduction to Love Spirals Downwards was on a sampler CD from Alternative Press magazine called Indie Gestion 12, right after I'd started subscribing to it in 1996.  The song was this one.  The lyrics are here.  This band's music was done by a guy named Ryan Lum, while the vocals and lyrics were done by his then-sweetiepie, Suzanne Perry.

I gradually acquired LSD's first three albums in the '00s, mainly in the cheapo used CD racks at The Mushroom.  "Sideways Forest" was released as the band's only single, so it's probably their best-known song overall.

CD single cover

1996 promo poster

CMJ said "Ever is an achingly beautiful, enchanting maelstrom of emotion that fuses honey-dripped vocals, delicate guitars and electronic backdrops of sedate, swirling synthesizers, effectively capturing what Halstead and Goswell missed in their transition.  Slow, somber, and beautiful beyond reason, this LSD just might be the burgeoning leader of another full-on ethereal rock revival."  I think all that hyperbole does the band a disservice.  They were a band with a few good songs per album, not some revolutionary force of nature (maelstrom) that could redefine music.  I would have preferred at least a little bit of aggression or atonality from them, to show that they have a pulse and were not just content to rehash the 4AD catalog.  (The band Velour 100 in fact did this on their stunning debut LP.)  But for what they did, they were one of the best, though it's really hard for me to sit through more than one or two of their songs in a row, due to how sugary and melodramatic they are.  One other thing that ticks me off about this band is the "s" at the end of its name.  Maybe it's grammatically correct that way, but I always thought of it as "Downward," so I've had to unlearn it.  I still think it'd look much better that way.  For a band that's so focused on little details, I think they missed the boat on that.

Some other good LSD songs to check out are "Subsequently," "Promises," "Madras," "Depression Glass," "El Pedregal," and "Tear Love From My Mind."  Lum later recruited a different waif on vocals and renamed the project Lovespirals, but I've never heard anything by that lineup.  I guess when he exchanges her at the goth store at the mall for another singer, he can rename the band Spiraldown, and then Love Downwards, and so forth.  Hopefully he won't pick out a Taylor Momsen from the used rack based on her appearance alone.  Plus, you have to check to make sure she's gotten all her shots.

Planets with similar climates: Film School - "Sick Of The Shame" (2005), Velour 100 - "Stare Into Light" (1996), Slowdive - "Spanish Air" (1991), Cocteau Twins - "Road, River And Rail" (1990), Low - "I Remember" (7" version w/ Mimi on vox) (1998), Hugo Largo - "Never Mind" (1989).

Soul Whirling Somewhere >> When will you make up your mind?

Soul Whirling Somewhere - "Every Female Werewolf Ever, Listed Alphabetically By Crime"

(Projekt Records, 1997)

Soul Whirling Somewhere was the musical vehicle of a guy from Arizona named Michael Plaster.  He released four albums on goofy goth label Projekt Records.  This song is from the EP Pyewackit.  The name refers to his pet mouse that died, and the EP is dedicated to this mouse; that's also presumably it on the cover.  Not the most gothy thing ever done, to be sure, but it took some amount of balls, I guess.  As for the name of this song, its origin is anyone's guess.  The defeatist lyrics and Red House Painters worship are pretty overt on SWS's somewhat unintentionally humorous debut (double CD) album, Eating The Sea, which I bought in '08 and listened to only once.  I bought this EP a few years before that.

If you like the little synth drone that comes in at the 2:38 mark of this song, you must hear the truly stunning ambient piece called "God In Heaven" that closes this EP, since it's built off of that same synth sound.  It's 11 minutes of perfection, and probably the best pure ambient song I've ever heard, truly an out of body experience for the inner mind.  I wish he had done many albums of ambient music rather than just one track.

No, not Trent Reznor... It's Michael Plaster, still shoegazing in 2006

Best headline of the week: Juggalos Boo, Pelt Charlie Sheen

Second-best: Abercrombie to pay 'Jersey Shore' cast to stop wearing its clothes

I guess America is finally getting fed up with douchebags?  If so, this is a good development.

Best abysmal YouTube video found this week:

"The Rock electrifies Lilian with the People's Strudel"

Planets with similar climates: Red House Painters - "Drop" (1994), Slowdive - "So Tired" (1992), Glide - "Worlds Away" (1992), Verve - "On Your Own" (1995), Long Fin Killie - "Valentino" (1996).

National Skyline >> You could disappear into thin air

National Skyline - "Ghosts" •/•/•/•

(File 13 Records, 2001) º/º/º/º

National Skyline began as a "supergroup" of Champaign / Urbana indie rock dudes in the mid-'90s, whose alleged goal was to write one 45-minute masterpiece song.  Apparently they actually recorded it in '97, but it was never released.  The group's core members were Jeff Garber (ex-Castor) on vocals, guitar and other stuff, and Jeff Dimpsey (ex-Hum) on bass and other stuff.  I think they've always used drum machines rather than real drumming.  Much like the band Idaho (see post on them from a few weeks ago), Nat Sky later was winnowed down to be essentially a one-man project, helmed by Garber.  He later joined Year Of The Rabbit as a guitarist, and fronted the short-lived but amazing band The Joy Circuit.  After years of silence on the Nat Sky front, he has revived the moniker and released a slew of music in the last four or so years.  Garber is pretty much a musical genius in my mind, or at least a master of amazing melodies.  "I love you in the shape of swirling gas" is one of the most strangely romantic lyrics ever written.

I love how the song starts off with just a primitive, muffled drum sample and minimalist, almost womblike keyboards, and then come in the vocals, then louder, more complex drum machine beats, then piano.  The combination of slow vocals and relatively fast beats messes up the brain's ability to keep time.  Lots of Nat Sky songs have incredible guitar parts (especially "Reinkiller"), but this one is so rock-solid and perfect that it doesn't even need any axe.  My only complaint about it is that Garber doesn't unleash his celestially gorgeous falsetto voice in it, as he does on, say, "A Night At The Drugstore" or "Air."  This song is from the 2001 EP Exit Now, which also features the absolutely staggering 12-minute shoegaze-tronic space-drone-noize opus "Karolina II."

Exit Now

National Skyline were famous for the elaborate light show at their concerts and for their obsession with sonic detail.  They once arrived at a club which had booked them for a show, checked out its sound system, decided it wasn't up to snuff, and then simply left.  If I had gone to that show I would've been pretty furious, but, eh... rock stars.
I obtained this EP, and the band's incredible debut album This = Everything, from download service eMusic in 2003, back when you had unlimited downloads, so I just downloaded untold hundreds of albums, ending up with only a few diamonds in the rough.  After becoming completely obsessed with Nat Sky that summer, I later bought both of those releases on actual CD, for a dollar each on eBay.  I vividly remember blasting this song as loud as my truck's stereo would go while surveying the damage in New Orleans' City Park a few weeks after Katrina, as though it would somehow make the trees grow back and make people feel more optimistic.  To be more specific, I was standing on the empty golf course (I've never played golf in my life) by Tad Gormley stadium while my Suburban was parked on the street next to it, playing this song.  No one else was there, in this normally-crowded park.  I had lost my sweet little '94 Integra in the flood, so my dad passed on his big lumbering '95 Suburban to me.  It had a significantly more powerful stereo, as well as a CD player.  The Integra only had a tape deck, which is part of the reason why I have amassed so many cassettes.

Jeff Garber

This song's piano solo, beginning at about 3:30, is the most stunning one I have ever heard.  I could live in it.  It is surely the most heart-stoppingly beautiful thing ever created, and my entire body still gets covered in goosebumps whenever I hear it.  You should see me play every note of it with absolute precision while driving.  (Yes, using both hands.)  The piano in this song slightly edges out the piano in:
"Lloyd's Register" by Rachel's
"When The Winter's Gone (Song For A Stranger)" by David Benoit & Jennifer Warnes
"Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires" by Cocteau Twins
"1/1" by Brian Eno & Robert Wyatt
"Chloe Dancer" by Mother Love Bone
"The Cutting Edge" by The Comsat Angels
"Litany Against Fear" by Christian Scott
"Telegraph Hill" by Michael Krassner (Boxhead Ensemble)
"Swingset Chain" by Loquat
"October" by U2
"February Sea" by George Winston
"We Float" by PJ Harvey (piano by PJH & Rob Ellis)
"Speechless" by Liz Story

On the topic of ghosts, I've always been an atheist, and always will be, but I believe in ghosts / spirits / souls and the like, including the concept of "guardian angels," since I believe I was saved from a car crash in Nov. '07 by one.  Blah blah, just listen to the song again.  But after that near-crash, I drove over to, guess where... City Park... and sat in my car under the oaks and thought about a lot of things for a few hours.

Exit Now

Note: "Ghosts" (as well as "Karolina II") was included as a bonus track on the Japanese CD edition of This = Everything, on a label called Stiff Slack.

I've recently really gotten into the song "Regret" by New Order, to the point where I sing it to myself constantly, and a week ago found & bought the CD single for $2, and today even heard it in a Lowe's, so in order to get it to quit stalking me, here it is:

I'd say it's their second-best song, after "Shell Shock":

Obviously, National Skyline, at least in their early-'00s incarnation, were quite influenced by New Order.  I never really took New Order seriously, but like I said, I've recently been giving them more of a chance and am starting to understand why they were so mega-influential.

As for Casey Anthony being found not guilty today, someone on TV right afterwards (I think Jane Velez-Mitchell) pointed out something very interesting, which is that America hates to execute celebrities, or even to send them to prison.  I then thought about the fact that we (by which I mean the overwhelming majority of Americans who wanted to see her get the death penalty) all unwittingly made this anonymous skeezer into a star by the simple fact that we followed her case for three years and put her on countless magazine covers.  So we unwittingly saved her life, even though we all wanted the opposite.  If we hadn't paid so much attention to the case, she would've been more likely to have been found guilty.  D'oh.

Casey throwin' up what is presumably a failed Wesside.  The only way this
photo could be any more white trash would be if that were an Ed Hardy shirt.

This photo brings to mind only one song... No, not ELO's "Evil Woman," silly... I am referring to Billy Reid's "White Chicks And Gang Signs":

Planets with similar climates: The Comsat Angels - "The Cutting Edge" (1986), Radiohead - "Fake Plastic Trees" (1995), Over The Rhine - "Jacksie" (~1990), Verve - "On Your Own" (1995), Bark Psychosis - "Absent Friend" (1993), Mogwai w/ Aidan Moffat - "R U Still In 2 It?" (1997), Ova Looven - "Invisible Triangle" (2003), Placebo - "Without You I'm Nothing" (1998).


Currently enjoying the concept of: Motorcyclist Dies On Ride Protesting Helmet Law In New York
This reminded me of the time Flavor Flav, who at the time was fresh off the success of the single "911 Is A Joke" with Public Enemy, one of the few songs of theirs on which he sang lead, got in a car wreck and had to call 911 to come save his ass.