This has been my favorite Nirvana song for years; I heard this was Kurt’s favorite and that he actually thought it would be more popular than Teen Spirit. I don’t have any sources to back that up, but it really doesn’t matter who thinks what, it’s a great pop song, that’s all ther is to it. I love the little Sonic Youth esque middle part of the tune too. Does anybody else have a favorite Nirvana song?
*Also, I totally forgot this month (8 days from now, September 24) will be the twentieth anniversey of Nevermind. Love it? Hate it? How has it held up over the years- influence and who? Or how has it not held up over the years? Let us know. I have my own thoughts that I might share in a separate post when that day comes (if I remember of course). Here’s an interesting New York Times article on the anniversery. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/music/index.html
Artists: Fat History Month, Kitchen’s Floor, and The New Highway Hymnal Venue: Ant Cellar (Lowell, MA) Date: Thursday, September 1, 2011
Comments: Act I: Fat History Month– These fly cats are the real deal. You know when people say read between the lines, well Fat History Month is what lies between those lines. The band consists of one dude on vocals and guitar and his comrade working the drums. Together they create a mess of noises often drifting from completely fucked up, off kilter ramblings in the traditions of The Shaggs, Captain Beefheart, The Moldy Peaches, The Beets, The Maine Coons to garagey, instrumental jammin a la Vivian Girls- at least to this kid’s ears. In fact, if I had to pick just one band to compare FHM to, I’d pick the Coons, at least in terms of their personality. While the latter are far more pop based, FHM has moments of pop brilliance, but they often delve int the more sinister regions of the musical landscape. I will make note of the fact that this duo has made the rare feat of conquering my mental divide in terms of getting turned on to new music. I rarely see a band and think YESS I need to listen to this! Which is not to say I don’t come across good bands, more often than not I see quality acts, but they simply do not demand my attention like say these guys do. From the opening chords, I felt something, not necessarily good or bad, but it was something special and unique, it reminded me of the first time I saw the Box Elders- wow, I’m getting hard just thinking about that right now. An almost instantaneous wavelength. The Box Elders went on to become one of my favorite bands, now I can’t say that yet about Fat History Month, it’s only been one date, but perhaps we’ll get more intimate in the future. My friend said I have a good feeling about this. As, Lorraine Baines (McFly) says after her first kiss/dance with George McFly toward the end of Back to the Future (1985), “I have a feeling too.” In any case, I hope to see Fat History Month again in this time zone or any other.
Act II: Kitchen’s Floor– Next in line are some Aussies, making a nice little pit stop in Lowell to treat us kids to some sweet tunes. I got some great Punk vibes, especially old school, first wave shit of the Stiff Little Fingers, Adverts variety. I can’t say I was head over heels about these guys, but all in all a fun, tight set. Kitchen’s Floor is on tour right now (with none other than Fat History Month!!!)- be sure to catch these pilgrams when they roll into your town.
Act III: The New Highway Hymnal: Before I saw them play, I heard a healthy chunk of accolades and admiration for this band, some people even directly saying to me that I would like them based on their gauge of my tastes in music. It turns out these brothers and sisters were correct. I really dug their short, but sweet set, particularly the bass- well at least I could hear that the best. But, what I noticed about The New Highway Hymnal, more than the other acts that night was that they had the finest interaction with the audience. Some nice showmanship, in the vein of Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. Just brtualitizing guitars as if you caught them laying naked in your band with both your mother and your girlfriend at the same time. No Fun. This was further complemented by the sonic influence of Sonic Youth, no pun intended. I have to admit, I knew going into their performance that at least one of the members was a massive Sonic Youth lunatic, but frankly having this knowledge ahead of time was irrelevent, I’m positive I would have come to that conclusion anyway. Definitely KLYAM recommended.
This is by far their most fucked up video. By the way, if the two fine ladies featured in the video are reading this, call me! Oh and bring those executioner masks.
Look up and down and all around, and then look to the righthandside of your screen and you will see two demonic disciples that call themselves Fat History Month. What do they sound like? God only knows. But, if you want to learn more about Fat History Month, check out the wonderful site below.
Artists: Handsome Furs, Earthquake Party Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 Venue: Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA Comments: Act I: Earthquake Party– Wow, I have to say I was really impressed with this local trio. I am surprised that up until this point I have never heard of them, I suppose I am not the best at keeping up with local acts. In some ways, I wish I had know them before so I could get into the songs more, because I could tell they had some sweet songs beneath their electrifying showmanship. So, due to my unfamiliarity with their material I focused more on the sonic aspect of their performance, which was nothing short of pure, noisy entertainment. I mean noisy in the good sense, I felt like there was a nice wall of jostling noise. At the end of the day, despite my feelings of enjoyment, I don’t know how much time I will devote to getting familiar with their work, but I will keep an eye out for their shows in the future. KLYAM recommend for sure.
Main Act: Handsome Furs- Ahh yes the Handsome Furs, a longtime KLYAM favorite of sorts. One of the first concerts we (meaning Glen, though both of us were in attendance) reviewed for this site (July 2009). And just like then, we were both greatly impressed with their set. In fact, this time around they were even better. The Furs hit the stage and were gretted with an unprecedented amount of crowd response. The couple displayed immense apprecation for their audience’s enthusiasm; seriously I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fan-performer love. In terms of the sound, it was one of the finest sonic experiences I’ve had at the Brighton Music Hall/Harpers Ferry. Since, I’m not a huge fan of the group (Glen is the big Furs KLYAM guy) I only knew a few songs, but I enjoyed all of them. Classics that I recognized included 2009’s Face Control cuts- “All We Want Baby Is Everything” and “Legal Tender.” As far as showmanship goes, the duo were outstanding. A great moment in particular came when Dan hopped intot he crowd and placed his arms around his many, excited fans, and pogoed- all involved singing along to the Furs’ pop magic. Dan can definitely get a crowd roaring, but Alexi is even better. The way she dances and thrusts with such force is nothing short of spectacular; if this was the 1950s, she would be executed as a Communist spy- God that’s so damn hot! But it’s truly a nice sight, and of course there’s a healthy amount of eroticism in the mix and when you mesh that with the dance rock/electronica of the Furs it just creates an all the more sensuous experience. Speaking of erotic tendencies, there’s plenty of casual sexual play between Dan and Alexi, which teeters back and forth betwen a display of affection and unabashed steamy interactions. Don’t worry, nothing past PG-13 hahaha. All in all, a fine performance, highly recommended.
Grade: 7/10- if I was a bigger fan, this would probably be an 8, so this is a real strong 7 fellas.
I was shocked to see that this song has never been posted on this site! What is up with that? What is the world coming to? This is the Lips’ first single, “Ain’t Comin’ Back” and damn is it exquisite. Vintage Lips- even in their early days they contained all of the Punk Slime that makes them the Black Lips; especially Cole’s little, out of control, six year old vocals. Excellent. Every fan MUST hear this.
P.S. ya ya with all the recent, perhaps excessive Lips posts, we’re starting to look like a Black Lips fan site, which in some ways we are and always have been, but in other ways we’re something totally different. Always keep that in mind and check out everything we have to offer, you would be surprised how much shit from all areas of art, entertainment, news, politics, and just about anything else you can/will come across on KLYAM. One could find posts on Carl Jung, G.G. Allin, how to swallow pills, famous supreme court cases, Anarchism, and an in depth analysis of two girls, one cup… God, the list is endless! I guess I like to think of it as a life appreciation site, but that sounds really, really gay and not in a “it’s not that I think you’re bad looking, u don’t like Rock and Roll!!!” kinda gay, I mean the Un-PC, “this is lame… this is so gay” kinda gay. Alright, I should probably quit while I’m ahead.
“I guess I read for a lot of reasons, but the main one is so I don’t end up being a FUCKING WAFFLE WAITRESS.” Hahahahha, speaking of which, I have to get my Boy George outfit ready for the Klan rally later.
Yeee kid Wavves! “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl” is the latest release from honorary KLYAMers, Wavves. This is a sneak peek at the the forthcoming EP Life Sux. I am definitely digging this tune, very catchy, very sincere. I’d say Wavves fans will probably enjoy this, but it’s not a carbon copy of anything they have done in the past and that’s a really good thing. That’s something I think everyone forgets about Wavves, how much they switch up their sound from record to record whilst still maintaining an incredible pop sensibility that destroys nearly every other current band in the universe. This track is absolutely likeable and I plan on listening to this over and over again, but I wouldn’t say this is top tier Wavves material. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a really solid track, but we’re talking Wavves here, I don’t need to enumerate the classics, y’all should know em! So, naturally my standards are higher. I guess I’m just looking for something else that isn’t quite there, I don’t know, but this one isn’t of the same caliber as their best. With that being said, it is an otherwise terrific song and also a great “End of Summer” tune to nicely transition from the beach to the classroom. Sonically, Wavves is on top of their game, not too foreign for them, but it works. It’s not King of the Beach, but sounds just as nice. You’re hooked from the first few seonds, the guitar riff is certainly memorable. At the end of the day, I get the impression that meeting Dave Grohl means something more to him than just an autograph. To me, Wavves has always been more than meets the eye. On the surface it looks like your typical hipster fare. Typical emo, whiny, teeny bopper stuff. But, what that really is, is honesty. Instead of trying to be something they’re not, they vulnerably are themselves, and in this way they can take on the world.
Grade: Light 7 to strong 8, this track is seriously growing on me, excitement is brewing in the air!
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 