Tag Archives: Jay Reatard

Music, News

Jay Reatard Dead @ 29

Leave a comment

Memphis garage rocker Jay Reatard, who broke out last year thanks to Watch Me Fall, has died at the age of 29, Reatard’s label Matador Records confirmed. According to Memphis’ Commercial Appeal, Reatard was found dead in his Memphis home at 3:30 am this morning and reportedly died in his sleep. “We are devastated by the death of Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., aka Jay Reatard. Jay was as full of life as anyone we’ve ever met, and responsible for so many memorable moments as a person and artist,” Matador Records said in a statement. “We’re honored to have known and worked with him, and we will miss him terribly.”

I’m really stunned. The last two times I saw Jay, he put on an unbelievable show. I’ve been checking daily to see if he was going to be coming back to the area soon, but now I’ll never be able to watch him perform again. That’s tragic, because he was probably the most interesting musician to read about (via his own Facebook statuses, tweets, or on other websites) and listen to. Just on Monday he threatened to kill kids because they slashed his tires. He was just that kind of guy.

Entertainment, Lists, Music

Nice Overplayed List, WMBR!

1 Comment

As the DJ noted, the list isn’t about good or bad…it was about what was played a bit much in 2009. Turns out a few personal favorites were included like:

#97 – Nobunny – “Nobunny Loves You”
#73 – Black Lips – “Short Fuse”
#40 – Big Pink – Dominoes
#31 – Box Elders – “Alice & Friends”
#13 – Sonic Youth – “Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)”
#12 – Jay Reatard – “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”
#10 – Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Young Adult Friction”
#4 – Mission of Burma – “1, 2, 3, Partyy!”

Art, Entertainment, Lists, Music, pictures

Why Top 5?

Leave a comment

1) Black Lips- Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007, Vice)-
“This is going to be the best live record of all time!” I couldn’t agree more with you Jared. The album begins with the perennial shouting “ohhhh,” then we are held in suspicion as some Mexican dude is rapidly shouting something in Spanish, which culminates to him shrieking “THE BLACK LIPS!” Then we get strapped in for the roller coaster that is “MIA.” Next we float around like Boomerangs until we slide down the “Sea of Blasphemy.” More classics follow, including “Stranger,” “Not A Problem,” “Hippie, Hippie Hoorah,” and others. Particularly, for me the tracks “Fairy Stories” and “Dirty Hands” always get me going. FS is a great dancing number and is the closest the Lips get to a Beatles song. I love how lyrically this song is sooo menacing: “My daddy has a gun, it’s not a toy, but it’s loads of fun!” and yet musically, it’s completely joyous. DH is one of the best sing a longs ever, perfect for campfires. Lastly, the group finishes with their signature song (if they have one) “Juvenile.” Every track is a classic and this is the closest you get to the live experience on a Black Lips album. As with their shows, on this record there is never a dull moment.

2) Jay Reatard- Matador Singles ’08 (2008, Matador)-
This was the first Jay Reatard album I ever heard; prior to hearing this record, I knew very little of Jay’s music. I had seen some youtube videos, but that wasn’t enough. Even seeing him live, didn’t shake me. So, I tossed on this compilation and I was blown away at how catchy these songs were. I know most people will disagree with me, but this is seriously one of the greatest pop records of all times. These motherfuckers stick to your brain! The repetitious vocals, the simple guitars, memorable lyrics. it’s all here. Favorites include “See/ Saw,” “Screaming Hand,” “An Ugly Death,” “Always Wanting More,” “Trapped Here,” “I’m Watching You,” amongst others. Two tracks in particular should be noted: “No Time” and “You Were Sleeping.” These softies are incredible. Sure, they are probably the wimpiest diddies Reatard has ever had the courage to release to his garage punk aficionado fans, but that’s what makes this LP a classic.

3) The King Khan & BBQ Show- What’s For Dinner? (2006, In the Red)-
Baayyyy Beee Why Don’t You Lie like Rolling Stone magazine when they didn’t include this masterpiece amongst their bests of the decade lol. Seriously though, if you are looking for fun filled old school rock n roll, doo wop, garage punk numbers, this is your album. Unlike their garage rock revival counterparts, the Black Lips and Jay Reatard, the KKBBQS, both lyrically and musically is all about the good old times when kids were kids and danced their ass off with the Zombies at the hop. This LP includes numerous classics: you have the great doo woppy sensitive pop numbers in “I’ll Never Belong,” “Into the Snow,” and “Why Don’t You Lie?” Then you have your fast rockers with “Treat Me Like a Dog,” “Zombies,” and “Dock It#8.” And then there’s the in-betweens. Specifically, “Too Much In Love” is my favorite tune and is soo damn catchy. I could complain more about the severe lack of recognition this LP and this band in general does not receive, but then again , I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!

4) Jay Reatard- Blood Visions (2006, In the Red)-
So, you name your debut Blood Visions and the cover is you naked covered in (real) blood; does it get more badass than that? I hope not! You don’t even need to listen to this album to know what it is about. Just look at the cover. It’s a portrait of a man, who is giving you his internal emotions in his music, he’s not hiding anything from we, creeps. In this sense, there’s plenty of vulnerability in his music, but it never gets the best of him. To this day, his set lists comprise mostly (or at least a good chunk) of BV songs and it’s not hard to see why with such essential, vintage Reatard: “Blood Visions,” “It’s So Easy,” “My Shadow,” “Nightmares,” “Fading All Away,” “Waiting For Something,” and others. It’s a pop classic, it’s a punk classic, but it’s not pop punk lol. Great, unpolished, garagey production. Just the way I like it.

5) Jay Reatard- Singles ’06-’07 (2008, In the Red)-
Ok, I’ve sucked enough Reatard and Garage Rock dick like Rolling Stone gives Radio head. So, I’m going to make this short and sweet. More classic, essential singles and new acoustic, low fi versions of old favorites, as well as some of Jay’s best love/pop songs: “I Know A Place,” “Don’t Let Him Come Back,” “It’s So Useless,” “Let It All Go.”

Chris

Art, Entertainment, Lists, Music, pictures, rant

My Top Albums of the Decade

Leave a comment

Just flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone (I rarely read the mag) and taking a gander at their bests of the decade lists, I can’t get over the massive discrepancies in our’s and their’s. RS overwhelmingly favors mostly mainstream/major label acts and a few independent acts with some degree of commercials success. So of course, our homeboys (Black Lips, Jay, King Khan, No Age, etc.) are virtually nonexistent because they’re not big enough! Wow, what a terrifically horrendous way to evaluate music… Anyway, case in point, their top 50 albums of the decade barely included 1/5 of independent music, whereas our lists are the complete opposite. Anyway, here’s their list: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31248017/100_best_albums_of_the_decade/44 and here’s mine, the better one :)

1) Black Lips- Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (2007, Vice)

2) Jay Reatard- Matador Singles ’08 (2008, Matador)

3) The King Khan & BBQ Show- What’s For Dinner? (2006, In the Red)

4) Jay Reatard- Blood Visions (2006, In The Red)

5) Jay Reatard- Singles ’06-’07 (2008, In the Red)

6) Bright Eyes- I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005, Saddle Creek)

7) The King Khan & BBQ Show- The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004, Goner)

8) Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam (2007, Domino)

9) No Age- Nouns (2008, Sub Pop)

10) King Khan & The Shrines- The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines (2008, Vice)

11) Arcade Fire- Neon Bible (2007, Merge)

12) Black Lips- 200 Million Thousand (2009, Vice)

13) Page France- Hello, Dear Wind (2005, Suicide Squeeze)

14) Box Elders- Alice and Friends (2009, Goner)

15) The Pains of Being Pure At Heart- The Pains of Being Pure At Heart (Slumberland Records, 2009)

16) Against Me!- Reinventing Axl Rose (2002, No Idea)

17) Girls- Album (2009, True Panther Sounds)

18) The Nightwatchman- One Man Revolution (2007, Epic)

19) Glassjaw- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (Roadrunner, 2000)

20) Mark Sultan- The Sultanic Verses (2007, In the Red)

21) Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006, Domino)

22) Kimya Dawson- Remember That I love You (2006, K)

23) Black Lips- Good, Bad, Not Evil (2007, Vice)

24) The Almighty Defenders- The Almighty Defenders (2009, Vice)

25) The King Khan & BBQ Show- Invisible Girl (2009, In the Red)

26) System of A Down- Mesmerize/ Hypnotize ( 2005, American)

27) Deerhunter- Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP (2009, Kranky)

28) Head Automatica- Decadence (2004, Warner Brothers)

29) Deftones- White Pony (2000, Maverick)

30) System of A Down- Toxicity (2001, American)

31) Mabuses- Mabused (2007, Magpie)

32) Glassjaw- Worship and Tribute (2002, Warner Brothers)

33) Against Me!- As the Eternal Cowboy (2003, Fat Wreck Cords)

34) Black Lips- Black Lips (2003, Bomp!)

35) Black Lips- We Did Not Know the Spirit Made the Flowers Grow (2004, Bomp!)

36) Animal Collective- Feels (2005, Fat Cat)

37) Sonic Youth- The Eternal (2009, Matador)

38) Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009, Domino)

39) Fugazi- The Argument (2001, Dischord)

40) Those Darlins- Those Darlins (2009, Oh Wow Dang)

41) The Strange Boys and Girls Club (2009, In the Red)

42) The Used- The Used (2001, Reprise)

43) Arctic Monkeys- Humbug (2009, Domino, Warner Brothers, EMI)

44) Editors- The Back Room (2005, Kitchenware, Fader)

45) Shellac- 1000 Hurts (2000, Touch And Go)

I’m leaving 5 slots open for possible last minute acceptances.

Chris

Music, News

Jay Attacked @ Austin Gig

Leave a comment

Jay Reatard’s Publicist:
“Jay was attacked, totally unprovoked, by two different people, both of whom were later arrested. One guy bolted onstage and came swinging at Jay, but security took him away pretty quickly. Soon after (the band hadn’t stopped playing, by the way), another guy sprinted onstage and hit Jay. Unlike the first guy, Jay didn’t even see this guy coming. So Jay defended himself with the mic stand until security took that guy away, too. Jay is safe and unhurt, and the cops were there for about an hour afterwards. The two guys were arrested, but I’m not sure exactly what the formal charges were or where they are now.”

Creeps.

Art, Entertainment, Music, religion, reviews

Concert Review: The Pixies & Jay Reatard @ Wang Theatre (11/27/09)

1 Comment

Bands: Pixies, Jay Reatard
Venue: Wang Theatre (Citi Performing Arts Center), Boston, MA
Date: Friday, November 27, 2009

Act One: Jay Reatard

1. Blood Visions (BV)
2. It’s So Easy (BV)
3. Nightmares (BV)
4. Fading All Away (BV)
5. It Ain’t Gonna Save Me (WMF)
6. My Shadow (BV)
7. Oh It’s Such A Shame (BV)
8. I’m Watching You (WMF)
9. I Know A Place (S 06-07)
10. All Over Again (S 06-07)
11. See/Saw (MS ’08)
12. Hammer I Miss You (S 06-07)
13. Before I Was Caught (WMF)
14. Faking It (WMF)
15. There’s No Sun (WMF)
16. Waiting For Something (BV)
17. Trapped Here (MS ’08)

Jay and His Denmarkian cohorts (Cola Freaks), they robbed the painted nude ceiling women of their respective virginities with their twelve o’clock chunk, even though most of the crowd was settling in through their set. Their sound was great. I only wish that I was standing and bumping into my companions. As soon as they hit the stage, they blasted into the classic “Blood Visions.” Within just a few moments of mayhem, Jay Reatard aficionados, the few of us, could tell he sounded better than ever before. One fan in particular was so excited he stood up and wildly danced and humped the air! The songs were longer (well, by his standards lol) and resembled their studio counterparts a bit more, whilst retaining that noisy assault Jay prides himself on. Highlights were “See/Saw” (as always) and “I Know A Place,” although the entire set was exceptional. Without a doubt Jay Reatard goes down as my favorite opening act. Alas, the performance was underappreciated, since everyone came for the Pixies, but that’s okay because we’re all fucking creeps!

Act Two: The Pixies
Speaking of creepiness, there’s nothing creepier than Salavdor Dali and his eye ball spinning and slicing, short film, Un Chien Andalou, which was displayed on a gigantic screen for the audience to see. As all Pixies devotees should know, the signature song, “Debaser,” was based on Dali’s spooky work of art. With this in mind, you would think they would open with that song. But, instead they opened with most of the Doolittle B Sides: “Dancing the Manta Ray,” “Weird In My School,” and “Manta Ray,” finishing the would be LP tracks later. This was only a minor qualm for me, because I (and everyone else) was so excited to see The Pixies! As Kim Deal noted, they were “crusin” through the B Sides and they cruised right into “Debaser,” continuing with the entire Doolittle album, as planned. While the band cranked out these classics the audience witnessed vairous, often bizarre, images on the big screen. These videos perefectly complemented the wonderfully horrific music of the Pixies. Horrific in the sense of unsettling. But, of course with their pop hooks and rock and roll chops, one couldn’t feel any emotion but sheer thrill and joy. Musically and technically they weren’t as proficient as Sonic Youth, pretty damn close though. Where they may have slightly (and I stress slightly) lacked in musical ability and sound quality they surely made up for in showmanship. The quartet kept the audience standing and bopping and shaking from the moment they hit the stage till the very end. When they finished their magnum opus, they briefly left the stage. Next, they returned to complete their B Sides. A nice little theatric came in the form of smoke, which engulfed the crowd as the band kicked “Into the White.” Then they played a rather familiar song AGAIN: “Wave of Mutilation UK Surf.” The second version of the classic, merrily malevelent number was more serene than it’s original counterpart, giving the eerie lyrics it’s eerie due a la Jay Reatarard- “Searching For You” perhaps. So, after these two tunes, The Pixies said good bye and hit the dustry trail….. for a bit. After highly energized crowd response, the group pulled a Sonic Youth and returned for Encore II. This time, there were no more Doolittle tracks or B Sides left. What would they play?! Well, they began with the endearing, “Where Is My Mind?” much to everyone’s delight. Next came “Caribou,” a solid performance for a solid track. The night concluded with “Vamos,” another Surfer Rosa classic (WIMM being the first).

Chris Overall: A + Yes, it did indeed beat out Sonic Youth, which was tough, tough competition. This concert is unique in that I recognized every song performed, including both opening act and main act. That has never happened before! So, what else is there to say; one of my favorite bands playing one of my favorite albums, what more can I ask for?

Glen Overall: I’d give this a fringe A+. Excellent sets by both bands. Some Pixies songs that really really caught my attention were “In The White,” “Money Gone To Heaven,” and “La La Love You.” I like Jay’s new direction and I sincerely hope that he will be able to find adequate replacements when the two Cola Freaks go back to being Cola Freaks full-time (provided they don’t go full Reatard). Obviously, I’d prefer a more interactive experience to just standing up in amazement. Motion is always a plus.

Chris

* POST SHOW UPDATE* It should be noted that this was one of Jay Reatard’s final performances, for he passed away nearly two months later. Long live Jay and long live the Pixies! It was an honor to see both legends on the same stage. RIP Jay.