Category Archives: Entertainment

This Ain’t No Prog Blog…


Random title indeed. This is an extremely brief commentary or rant if you will on something that occurs quite often when I am discussing music with other music devotees. Here’s the setup:

Someone asks me if I like some Progressive Rock band like Dream Theater or King Krimson and then I respond that I’m not really into Prog Rock, yet every time this incident happens I am sporting a shirt with one of the few prog bands I listen to (i.e. Tool, Pink Floyd). Most of the music related shirts I wear would be appropos, like the Ramones or the Black Lips, but for some strange reason, I am never seen wearing such shirts when this question arises. I don’t know, I think it’s slightly amusing enough to make a post out of the situation…. and I’m also procrastinating my french homework.

Chris

Arctic Monkeys @ HoB

I dig if tickets aren’t sold out. The date is December 13 and that’s a Sunday night. If I do manage to get a ticket, I know that I’ll do all that I can do to get there earlier than last time when I saw Animal Collective from the way back, but by the grace of God (and a few pushy-shove people) I managed to get really close to the front. I don’t think that will happen at an Arctic Monkeys show.

CD Review: Paranoid Cocoon

Band: Cotton Jones (Formerly of Page France)
Release: 2009
Label: Suicide Squeeze

1. “Up A Tree (Went This Heart I Have)” – 9.6
2. “Gotta Cheer Up” – 9.7
3. “Some Strange Rain” – 9.5
4. “Gone The Bells” – 9.6
5. “Photo Summerlude” – 9.3
6. “By Morning Light” – 9.2
7. “Cotton & Velvet” – 8.9
8. “Little Ashtray in the Sun” – 8.7
9. “Blood Red Sentimental Blues” – 8.7
10. “I Am The Changer” – 9.3

Comments: What we all loved as Page France died as Page France in 2008. Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw, the two main pieces of the PF puzzle, decided to do a thang by themselves called Cotton Jones.  Cotton Jones is a bit jazzier/bluesier and less deep lyrically than Page France. I get this sort of Doors vibe with tracks on here being predominately vocal-centric and mellow.  As a really big Page France devotee back in my day, I don’t sense a lot of lasting appeal to these songs like I did with Hello, Dear Wind (2005), for example. So why I have given them such high ratings? They have a good amount of now appeal. Beautifully written, beautifully sung. Versatile, too. Jazz, blues, folk, country, rock…Michael and Whitney can do ’em all no problem. Admittedly, things get a bit boring (“done before”) toward the end.

Grade:9.3

CD Review: Help

Band: Thee Oh Sees
Release: April 28, 2009
Label: In The Red Records

1. “Enemy Destruct” – 9.4
2. “Ruby Go Home” – 8.9
3. “Meat Step Lively” – 9.2
4. “A Flag In The Court” – 8.3
5. “The Turn Around” – 7.5
6. “Can You See?” – 8.6
7. “Rainbow” – 9.4
8. “Go Meet The Seed” – 9.3
9. “I Can’t Get No” – 8.9
10. “Soda St. #1” – 8.6
11. “Destroyed Fortress Reappers” – 9.2
12. “Peanut Butter Oven” – 9.0

Comments: Pursuing a recommendation from No Bunny drummer Billy, I decided to give this esteemed album a listen. Reminds me to some degree of the kind of rock that good old Chuck Berry was spitting out in his day, though this is dirtier and more prone to experiment. So I can see why this band has been influential to the emerging “coaster” garage scene that includes No Bunny and company. But at a few points throughout, I feel like there are too many layers of different instruments that distort the main rhythm and vocals, making the listening experience a sort of pain in the ass. At a few points, I hear a simplicity reminiscent of Jay Reatard lyrically and musically. It’s the kind of garage-y music that I can’t call awesome, but that I can give a pretty decent amount of respect to. A band I probably won’t make an exaggerated effort to go see, but might if they are playing alongside another good band.

Grade: 8.9

Top Tracks

These are my favorites from my (modern) favorites.

Black Lips:

Black Lips (2003):
Throw It Away, Freakout, Ain’t No Deal, I’ve Got A Knife, Fad, Sweet Kin, Everybody Loves a Cocksucker

We Did Not Know the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow (2004):
Nothing At All/100 New Fears, Notown Blues, Ghetto Cross, Jumpin Around

Let It Bloom (2005):
Sea of Blashemy, Feeling Gay, Empassant,

Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007):
The entire album!

Good Bad Not Evil (2007):
I Saw A Ghost (Lean), O Katrina, Veni Vidi Vici, Navajo, Lock and Key How Do You Tell A Child That Someone Has Died, Bad Kids

200 Million Thousand (2009):
Take My Heart, Drugs, Starting Over, Let It Grow, Trapped In a Basement, Short Fuse, I’ll Be With You, Big Black Baby Jesus of Today, Old Man, The Drop I Hold

Jay Reatard:

Blood Visions (2006):
Blood Visions, It’s So Easy, My Shadow, My Family, Death Is Forming, Nightmares, Fading All Away, Turning Blue, Puppet Man, Waiting For Something

Singles ’06-’07 (2008):
Night of Broken Glass, Hammer I Miss You, I Know a Place

Matador Singles ’08 (2008):
See/Saw, Screaming Hand, Painted Shut, An Ugly Death, Always Wanting More, Trapped Here, DOA, No Time, You Were Sleeping, I’m Watching You

Watch Me Fall (2009):
It Ain’t Gonna Save Me, Rotten Mind, Faking It

King Khan & BBQ Show
:

The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004):
Waddlin’ Around, Fish Fight, Get Down, Hold Me Tight, Love You So, Pig Pig, Shake Real Low

What’s For Dinner?
(2006):
Treat Me Like a Dog, I’ll Never Belong, Dock It #8, Into the Snow, Why Don’t You Lie?, Too Much In Love, What’s For Dinner?, Zombies

Invisible Girl (2009):
Invisible Girl

No Age:

Weirdo Rippers (2007):
Neck Escaper, Everybody’s Down

Nouns (2008):
Brain Burner, Eraser, Here Should Be My Home, Ripped Knees, Sleeper Hold, Teen Creeps

Losing Feeling EP (2009):
You’re A Target, Genie

King Khan & The Shrines:

Spread Your Love… Like Peanut Butter! (2001):
Took My Lady to Dinner

Three Hairs and You’re Mine
(2002):
Fool Like Me, Live Fast Die Strong, Tell Me, Crackin Up, Shivers Down My Spine,

Mr. Supernatural (2004):
Destroyer

What Is? (2007):
(How Can I Keep You) Outta Harm’s Way, I Wanna Be a Girl, Welfare Bread, Land of the Freak, No Regrets

and “Torture” and “Sweet Tooth” whihc are on the Supreme Genius compilation, but I don’t know where they originate

Animmal Collective:

Here Comes the Indian
(2003):
Hey Light

Sung Tongs (2004):
Who Could Win a Rabbit

Grass (single) (2005):
Grass, Fickle Cycle

Feels (2005):
Did You See the Words, Grass, The Purple Bottle, Flesh Canoe, Banshee Beat

Strawberry Jam (2007):
Peacebone, Unsolved Mysteries, Chores, For Reverend Green, Fireworks, Derek

Merriweather Post Pavillion
(2009):
My Girls, Summertime Clothes, Lion In a Coma, Brothersport

Arcade Fire:

Funeral (2005):
Rebellion (Lies)

Neon Bible
(2007):
Black Mirror, Keep the Car Running, Neon Bible, Intervention, Black Wave/Bad Vibrations, Ocean of Noise, The Well and the Lighthouse, No Cars Go, My Body Is a Cage

The Almighty Defenders:

The Almighty Defenders (2009):
All My Loving, The Ghost With the Most, Bow Down and Die, Cone of Light, Over the Horizon, She Came Before Me

The Nightwatchman
:

One Man Revolution (2007):
California’s Dark, One Man Revolution, Let Freedom Ring, The Road I Must Travel, Battle Hymns, Maximum Firepower, Union Song, No One Left, Dark Clouds Above

The Fabled City (2008):
Whatever It Takes

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (2009):
Contender, Come Saturday, Everything With You, Young Adult Friction, This Love Is Fucking Right!, Stay Alive, A Teenage In Love, Hey Paul

Arctic Monkeys:

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)
The View From the Afternoon, I Bet That You Look Good On the Dancefloor, Fake Tales of San Francisco, Dancing Shoes, Riot Van, Mardy Bum

Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007):
Fluorescent Adolescent

Head Automatica:

Decadence (2004):
At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet, Brooklyn Is Burning, Beating Heart Baby, Please, Please, Please (Young Hollywood), King Caesar, The Razor, Dance Party Plus, I Shot William H. Macy

Popaganda (2006):
Graduation Day, Laughing At You

Editors:

The Back Room (2005):
Munich, All Sparks, Bullets, Distance

An End Has a Start (2007):
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors, An End Has a Start, The Racing Rats

And “Dust In the Sunlight,” not sure where this appears

Deerhunter:

Rainwater Cassette Exchange (2009):
Entire EP

MewithoutYou:

Brother, Sister (2006):
Messes of Men, The Drynes and the Rain, Yellow Spider, A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains, Orange Spider, In a Sweater Poorly Knit

Stange Boys:

The Strange Boys and Girls Club (2009):
Woe Is You and Me, Should’ve Shot Paul, MLKs, No Way For a Slave to Behave, Most Things, Then

Wavves:

Wavves (2008):
Lover

Wavvves (2009):
So Bored, No Hope Kids, California Goths, Summer Goth

Immortal Technique:

Revolutionary Volume 1 (2001):
Dance With the Devil

Revolutionary Volume 2 (2003):
The Cause of Death, Freedom of Speech

and “Bin Laden” (Remix)

Chris

CD Review: The King Khan & BBQ Show

Artist: The King Khan & BBQ Show
Title: The King Khan & BBQ Show aka The Supreme Genius of Mark Sultan*
Label: In the Red (2007 Re-release), Goner (U.S), Hazelwood (Europe)
Year: 2004

1) Waddlin’ Around- 9.8- Classic King Khan! Perfect opener and terrific love song. Truly amazing, soulful vocals from Mark Sultan, just a harbinger of what is to come.

2) Fish Fight- 10- Instant classic! This one is a highly catchy rocker. Great for pogoing and moshing (I can imagine and will get back to you after I see them live!). Great, simple, guitar work

3) Get Down- 9.6- Catchy lyrics, nice, fast paced guitar and drums. Gets me in the mood to “get down.”

4) Hold Me Tight- 9.7- Wow! One word to describe this song: Cool. You could roll down the street picking up some fine looking ladies to this guitar riff…. probably not though, but it gives us hope haha. My favorite part is the “Holdddd Me Tight.” Brings me back to Montrose Elementary School Halloween dances when they played those old ‘Graveyard Smash’ songs. The vocals in that part are extremely reminescent of said tunes. Brought back some great memories.

5) Love You So- 9.9- One of the top tracks on this record and in their entire discography for that matter. It’s another love ballad from the BBQ, Mark Sultan. Incredibly simple lyrics, yet ultimately endearing in both sound and passion. Doo Wop influence is most prevalent here.

6) Got It Made- 9.5- Poppy, BBQ Ballad. Catchy lyrics, innocent song.

7) Am I the One- 8.8- Decent, but didn’t really hit me like the others. Cool King song about his gee tar.

8) Take Me Back- 8.5- It’s a good song, but does not bring as much new to the table. Sultan’s vocals and the overall song really, sound too much like previous tracks. Fine song, but nothing new.

9) Pig Pig- 9.9- Love this one. Balls out rock, screeching vocals, fast guitars, loud drums. In this track, King’s gal is a little, diryt, piggy, “covered in shit” haha. No lovey dovey innocence here, which makes this number really stick out. Perhaps the punk rock influence clawing it’s way into the recording.

10) Shake Real Low- 9.7- Fun (as stated in the song) Rock and Roll you can shake your ass to. Kids and everyone else should flooding the dance floor, rocking to this music, instead of the bullshit they play at dances and clubs, which sucks the fun right outta of the music. I don’t understand how our world works. Ohh well, I’m still having fun.

11) Bimbo’s Theme- 8.8- It’s somewhat catchy, but I think it goes on for too long. I dig the dueling vocals of King and the BBQ at the end though. I also really like when King freaks out and wildly screams.

12) L’il Girl In the Woods- 8.9- Sounds pretty hot lol. Cool song, but nothing special compared to the other greats. I liked when the ‘L’il Girl’ chimed in too.

13) Outta My Mind- 9.0- Funny number, great vocals from both the King and the BBQ. Very catchy. One of my favorite lines from this album, ” Ohh baby, you just ripped my heart out and left it out to dry,” which are spoken. In fact, there’s a little section of King doing some funky spoken word. I can feel the pain of not being able to get some gal ‘outta your mind.’ The emotion is very effective on this track.

14) Mind, Body, and Soul- 8.5- Doesn’t do all that much for me per se, but certainly not a bad track. It is one of those album closers that is specifically longer than other tracks, just to have an epic closing. I typically am not a fan of those. I would have preferred some catchy tune as a closer, like “Outta My Mind.”

Overall Grade- A: Fun, romantic, raw, garagey doo woppy, punky, dirty, rock and roll. These guys have recustiated the early 60s doo wop/pop genre of rock better than anyone in the universe… and they do have some fierce competition.

* Not actual title lol.

Chris