*Rough Trade Records named this the top album of 2009. But is it? In my never ending quest to find great music, I am reviewing this LP! But wait…I already named my top 5 albums of 2009. That’s tentative, though. So let’s see about this.
Comments: This is the first band to actually cause my sub-woofer to make crazy ass noises. There are some pretty cool beats and stuff like that, but this record isn’t that special. Vocals are kind of shabby and not really unique at all. The “chill-wave” that this record embodies is limited in the sense that you can only stare at your shoes for so long before you fall asleep. In essence, the only things that save this from mainstream success are the male vocals and the consistent darkness and ambiance. Pop music usually doesn’t regard the latter as positive or particularly marketable. And to some degree, I can see a lot of independent-minded people shunning this kind of music or writing it off as done before, or what have you. The album begins to crumble after the third song, but there are some cool spots after that.
Okay, so this survey does have some degree of error. Like…people might be multi-racial or maybe I was flat-out wrong in my observation. Anyway, here are the results for a twenty minute observational session of students at Bunker Hill Community College who walked passed me on the lower level.
BHCC Statement: Students of color comprise over 50% of student population.
My Observations Total: 89 students Black: 24 students (27%) White: 36 students (40%) Asian/Indian: 23 students (26%) Hispanic: 6 students (7%)
My Conclusion: Students of color comprise 60% of student population.
Chris will probably follow-up soon with an extensive review of his own. This is just for my record keeping purposes.
Band: Those Darlins Release: 2009
1. “Red Light Love” – 8.8 2. “Wild One” – 8.3 3. “Mama’s Heart” – 8.4 4. “Hung up on Me” – 8.5 5. “The whole damn Thing” – 8.5 6. “Who’s That knockin’ at my Window” – 7.9 7. “Snaggle Tooth Mama” – 7.7 8. “Cannonball Blues” – 8.2
9. “222” – 9.0 10. “DUI or DIE” – 8.6 11. “Keep my Skillet Good and Greasy” – 7.2
Comment: Country has never been my thing, per se, though at least a few of my favorite bands draw at least some significant influence from the genre. Those Darlins are probably best described as a throwback to early country/rockabilly. I guess it’s not really my thing, but I do appreciate it.
Read this very fun and informative blurb from our boy Mark Sultan that tells us many things.
Oh the humanity! I’m back in Montreal from another tour! It was a lot of fun, aside from overstated shit. Great to play with Those Darlins and Dum Dum Girls. Sometimes prefab hype caught up with us and people who don’t care about music judged us for not being ‘crazy’ enough – glad you don’t like it. Sometimes we were just bummed and tired, though. I wanna thank everyone for supporting us and having fun. The shit that went down in KY really put us through the ringer financially, as friends and as a band and happened not as you think, no matter what you read from whomever’s lips or fingers. Really. I’m mostly sad not everyone saw us play with entertainer, ‘Leo Chips’. That was fun and just starting to work. The ‘show’ was finally starting to come together (hence the name, ‘The King Khan & BBQ SHOW’). Oh well. But there is good news – a lot of people enjoy the new KKBBQ album, ‘Invisible Girl’. Thanks so much! We’ll try to tour again or make up lost dates sometime in the future. My new album, entitled ‘$’ is coming out sometime soon. No idea when. Or how, at this point, but I do know that there was one song from it – Nobody But You – floating around… Maybe the In The Red myspace page? Speaking of In The Red, they put out a new single of mine a few weeks back: ‘I Am The End’ b/w ‘Catastrophe’. These are non-LP versions. The new Bloodshot Bill & Mark Sultan album is done! It took a while to iron out the last mixes or whatever,more than a year in the making, but it will be out soon on Norton Records. Tours: The King Khan & BBQ Show will be in Europe in February. Dates coming soon. The Almighty Defenders will be playing sporadically at festivals in both the US and Europe from now until the summer, and both bands will tour together with Black Lips in around May for one fun European jaunt. Keep your eyes peeled. I will also be on tour, hopefully, in the US opening for the Black Lips. With my new band. Standing and singing the whole time. More rockers and dancers. I think that’s it for now! MARK SULTAN
Yeeeee that probably means a March or April Black Lips/Mark Sultan US tour.
People almost died and fainted. Especially girls and those under 5'3.Drummer Matt Helders, indeed, sung a heart-felt "Last Christmas." Alex Turner stayed quite sharp throughout the night.
Set List From Friday Night @ Terminal 5 In NY!
1. The Jeweller’s Hands – Humbug
2. Brianstorm – FWN
3. This House is A Circus – FWN
4. Still Take You Home – FWN
5. Potion Approaching – Humbug
6. Red Right Hand (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cover)
7. My Propeller – Humbug
8. Crying Lightning – Humbug
9. Sketchead – Humbug B-Side
10. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor – WPS
11. The View From The Afternoon – WPS
12. Cornerstone – Humbug
13. If You Were There, Beware – FWN
14. Pretty Visitors – Humbug
15. Do Me a Favour – FWN
16. Fluorescent Adolescent / Last Christmas – FWN
Encore:
17. Secret Door – Humbug
18. 505 – FWN
$35 Helders doesn’t sing “Last Christmas” tommorow night. Good shit, Alex!
First, Girls experimented with gay pornography in their video for “Lust for Life.”
Now, Massive Attack has gone the porno route with a 1973 film featuring commentary from the actress (Georgina Spelvin, now about eighty years old) who starred in it.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 