Tag Archives: RIP Jay

Art, Band of the Week, Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Music, music video, pictures, Punk, Video

Band of the Week: Lost Sounds

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This week we are breaking the mold of expectation just a smidgen. For the first time we are harking back to an older group as our Band of the Week. In honor of the recent first year anniversery of Jay Reatard’s death, here is the Lost Sounds, one of Jay’s earlier bands- a synth heavy, bizarre Punk outfit that had a nice flavor of Jay to it, but was also completely disparate from his solo work that you could enjoy on both levels. From what I hear, they were fantastic live. Oh, it’s such as shame! Jay Reatard: 1980-2010.

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Lists, Music, pictures, Punk

Jay’s Greatest Hits?

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Clearly, Jay Reatard never had any “hits,” but he had numerous memorable songs and fan favorites alike. The concept of a “Best Of” or “Greatest Hits” for Jay seems a bit odd to me, but in light of the fact that Shattered Records will be releasing one soon, I decided to make my own playlist, entitled “Best of Jay.” At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go the route of his most popular songs, which is hard to measure, or simply my favorites. Ultimately I went with the latter. Enjoy! I highly recommend looking them up.

1) See/Saw (Matador Singles ’08)
2) No Time (MS08)
3) Haunting You aka “Fading All Away”- falsely listed as “Searching For You” (Singles ’06-’07)
4) I Know A Place (S0607)
5) An Ugly Death (MS08)
6) Nightmares (Blood Visions)
7) Screaming Hand (MS08)
8) I’m Watching You (MS08)
9) Oh It’s Such a Shame (BV)
10) Feeling Blank Again (S0607)
11) My Shadow (BV)
12) Hammer I Miss You (S0607)
13) Rotten Mind (Watch Me Fall)
14) It’s So Easy (BV)

I think I’ll take Glen’s tip and limit it to fourteen tracks. What do Reatard fans think? What would be your best of?

Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Music, music video, Pete Doherty, pictures, Punk, Video

RIP Jay…

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Today marks the year anniversery of the legendary Jay Reatard’s death. Looking back, I remember when Glen informed me of this tragedy, I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was just another one of his bullshit shenanigans, only to discover it was the truth. Sadly, I just started getting into Jay’s music in the six months before his passing. Luckily however, I had the privilege of seeing him live three times and particularly had the pleasure of attending a memorable show during the Shattered Records Tour. Now, a year later Jay still remains my favorite singer and my second overall favorite artist (second to the Black Lips!) and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

Later today, Glen and I will make more Jay related posts. Stay tuned.

Art, Box Elders, concert review, Entertainment, Honorary KLAYMERS, Hunx and His Punx, Jay Reatard, Music, Nobunny, pictures, Punk, reviews

One Year Ago Today…

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On October 2, 2009 at Harpers Ferry, various KLYAMERS and friends were in attendence for one of the best shows of our lifetimes:

The Shattered Records Tour: Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Box Elders, and Useless Eaters.

Here is the review from last year:

Best of Jay: No Reatardation This Time: Jay Reatard Concert Review

Art, Drugs, Entertainment, Jay Reatard, Music, News, TV, Video

Jay Reatard Forever…

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Not too focus solely on his death, because he led an incredible life, but here are two videos I just discovered on Jay’s passing. The first being Anthony Fantano of the Needle Drop and the second being Fox News, which I didn’t know his death ever reached the big news stories as it should have, albeit Memphis Fox News.

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Chris

Art, Crime, Culture Jamming, Entertainment, Femmes, humor, Music, News, pictures, Politics, Quotes, rant, Sex

Chris On…

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Gross Out Videos/Pictures In the Online Age: In my last edition of “Chris On…” I observed the distinctions between high and low culture, well here we have perhaps the lowest of cultures: Shock Sites. But, without a doubt it is a burgeoning subculture and has had an impact on our entire culture as a whole. Perhaps it all began with the projectile vomit inducing “Tub Girl,” I don’t recommend you check this out unless you want to be sick to your stomach. That was the Gone With the Wind for disgusting media. Since then you have your Lemon Parties, Pain Olympics, and the chick that farts out peanut butter and other shit lol, I forget the name, but yeah it’s all there. Oh and who could forget the most notorious, the Casablanca of the genre, if you will, Two Girls, One Cup. So, are these vile videos an impending sign of decline in Western Civilization? or is it merely the tech age’s opportunity to profit on centuries of repulsing fetishes by posting it in the privacy of everyone’s home? I’d say a little bit of both. Personally, I do not in any way, “get off” ahaha on these little ditties of sexual macabre, but at the same time they sure are intriguing and in some bizarre way worth analyzing! Even more importantly, it’s worth observing others’ reactions to such videos, funnier too! All in all, it’s nice to get a cheap and crude laugh, if at least once. And believe me, with said genre, you most likely won’t come back for more! Finally, I’ll admit, I am one to partake in the voyeristic journey of “how far will this go?” video and apparently I’m not alone, as millions of Americans, from young to old, are viewing the latest,”dude, this shit is nasty, you gotta check it out!” as we speak. What this specifically, does to our culture is a whole other story…

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Mumia Abu-Jamal: I bet it seems pretty odd that I shift from discussing an extremely wacky topic like videos displaying coprophillia and emetophillia to an infinitely more serious topic, such as the jeopardy and constant abuse of one man’s life, but that’s how it works here with “Chris On…” With that being said, I actually did make an attempt to connect certain topics from the last post, i.e. death penalty to Mumia. Mumia Abu-Jamal is an excellent “journalist” and/or commentator on current affiairs and essentially how this system is completely fucked up and filled to the brim with injustice, as he is living (possibly not for long :() proof of this. His courage and dedication to “waking up” the public and specifically blacks is a massive inspiration. Oh, did I forget to mention, that he is (and has been for nearly thirty years) wrongfully sitting on death row?! Over the years, his conviction has been reviewed and appeald throughly for it’s undeniable flaws, but the Cracker Courts, won’t let up. In a nutshell, Mumia was charged with the murder of a police officer, Daniel Faulkner and subsequently was given an unfair trial, clearly marked with prejudice. Whether he committed the crime or not, is insignifcant, even though I don’t think he did. There is not enough evidence to point to him. And let’s say that he did?! Just for the fun of it; Mumia, himself was wounded by Faulkner’s gunshot. I’d bet all my money that if Mumia was the one that died, Faulker would be a free man. In other words, even if Mumia did kill him, isn’t that self-defense. But, no a Black Man is inferior to a White Cop in the White Courts of White America. You can say that’s playing the “race card,” but how come it’s not playing the “race card” when black people are given an all white jury? The Constitution entitles us to the right of a “jury of one’s peers.” Now, I need to do more research, cause I don’t know for sure if Mumia’s trial had all white jurors, but I have a positive feeling it did. Either way, FREE MUMIA!

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The Recent Surge Of Often Untimely, But Not Always the Case, But Still Sad Celeberty and Not So Famous to Use That Term, But Still Vital To The Arts Deaths… PHEW!: Jay Reatard, Howard Zinn, J.D. Salinger, Bobby Ubangi, Patrick Swayze (not as cool as the others, but still, worth mentioning lol), Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, Carol Chomsky, and I apologize if I forgot anyone else, feel free to comment on others. Yeah, so I don’t give a fuck about MJ or Teddy Kennedy! Hahaha! Yeah, I know the sancitty of life and all that jazz, but if they weren’t famous then they would not receive the same amount of respect and grief. I’m not happy their dead, but in the grand scheme of things, people die all the time, so I don’t feel particuarly saddened when some criminals die. We did however lose some folks that seriously meant something to me! Chiefly, the most shocking, Jay Reatard, my favorite singer and one of the most promising artists of the past decade. He is sorely missed for his intensely catchy music and high energy live shows. On the same token, other fun rockin guys in Bobby Ubangi left us far too soon as well. Bobby played alongside the great, Jared Swilley in the Gaye Blades and had his own solo material, both of which were nothing short than brilliant bubble gum pop magic. He will be “Forever” remembered for his “Dirty Hands.” Hahah. Now, for Howard Zinn and J.D. Salinger, perhaps these deaths were not as untimely and therefore not as shocking, but certainly not less important in any way. I didn’t really follow Salinger all that much, but his most famous work, The Catcher In the Rye is my favorite book of all time and has strongly influenced countless writers including myself. Mr. Zinn was the highest model citizen and always discussed politics, history and various social issues in terms of how it meant to the “people.” His works and speeches have had a major influence on my own views and writing. Check out “My Main Influences” post for further reading. And of course, fame doesn’t measure value, so we must remember those who have died in Haiti and still suffer. Alas, we don’t mention them all that much here on the KLYAM, but that doesn’t mean we do not care about them.

Chris

Art, Articles, Entertainment, Music, pictures

Pop Master

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Perhaps two of the best words to describe the late, great (it still sounds strange) garage rocker. In my opinion he wrote the catchiest music in the history of Rock and Roll. Well, The Ramones probably have him beat and The Misfits are close, but yeah I’d say he is the 2nd catchiest artist of all time. At least for my money. In his own words, he described his aesthetic: “I make it up on the spot, improvise lyrics, usually start with a drum beat, come up with a chord progression and then start layering melodies and pulling ones out that don’t work. I end up with what I end up with. It’s kind of like a Polaroid of your music. It’s right then and there and I think that’s how it should be… It’s easier to hear they’re pop songs now.You can add anything you want to a pop song, but when you get away from that being a base, you kind of lose people.”- http://newsroom.mtv.com/tag/jay-reatard/

Chris

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Best of Jay: Singles ’06-’07 Review

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Artist: Jay Reatard
Full Title: Singles ‘06-’07
Label: In the Red
Year: 2008
My Rating: A/ 9.4/10

1) Night of Broken Glass- 9.3- Solid opener. I love the shattering of glass as the first thing you hear! It’s pretty damn catchy, simple guitar, nothing groundbreaking, but an overall sound recording.

2) Another Person- 9.1- Even catchier than the first track, but not as rocking, still great though. It’s an upbeat track musically (odd for Jay I suppose). Lyrically, this person gives him the “creeps” haha. He loves that word. The guitar is really catchy and I dig the mini solos. There is also great use of vocals (all Jay) in which he sings the lead and then he takes a separate set of his vocal and throws it in the background cool stuff! I’m not sure, if this is the first instance of this, but it’s certainly not the last. I guess that was an unintentional reference to the previous number haha.

3) All Over Again- 8.8- A good tune, but it doesn’t stand out that much from any of his other material, though I have said this before about other Jay tracks that I now love, so clearly early impressions do not dictate offical tastes. I will say I like the raw “Jay” drum work in this song. Simple, but not reatarded.

4) Feeling Blank Again- 9.6- One of the compilation’s better offerings and one of my new Jay favorites! Another excellent use of the aforementioned vocals tactic. The backing vocals are simply “uhhhh” but, they are certainly creepy and perfectly complement the lead vocals in which Jay describes how it feels to feel blank: “can’t breathe.” I feel a tad bit claustrophobic when listening to this, that’s how effective the music/lyrics are.

5) I Know A Place- 9.8- Amazing pop song. It’s too bad I didn’t recognize this song when I saw him perform it at Harpers Ferry (I only know he played it because I have the set list). I would have definitely sang along, but anyone who has seen Jay live knows that even if you know one of his songs, you can still miss it, that’s how fast and furious the Jay Reatard Colossius is live! But, I digress… Anyway, back to the song; superb, soft, vocals. This is a love ballad of sorts. Kinda sounds like it is crawling outta an 80s soundtrack, but good lol. That’s the best way I can describe it without insulting it, cause typically 80s pop blew massive 80s Alf spunk! Lyrically, the tune captures Jay’s “soft” almost romantic side; he attempts to persuade some girly into escaping “away… away from here” to a place he knows, where they can be alone. Most likely he is referring to some shady, uncomfortable place, like the back of a Volkswagon somewhere in the middle of Memphis. Then strangely in the next verse, the tune loses it’s love ballady sentiment and transforms into a suicide note about escaping said lover: “I know a place, where I can go to be alone, I know a place where I can crawl to die. Away… away from you.” Odd, but kind of cool.
6) Don’t Let Him Come Back- 9.8- Another Softie, but Classic! It gets stuck in your head easily. I really enjoy the slow beginning which I think is a guitar?! Haha, I’m not really technically sophisticated. It sounds like keyboards are ramblin’ in the background, either way it all works.

7) Hammer I Miss You- 9.7- Terrific sing along and extremely uplifting! If Glen can recall I was singing the lyrics on the way to the Jay concert and have been since. It’s not a rocker like “It’s So Easy” and it’s not a softie like “No Time,” it’s simply a pumping pop number about missing some Hammer dude. Gay Reatard cough cough. In terms of Garage Pop, you can’t touch this…

8) It’s So Useless- 9.6- Heavy and very very catchy. I love the loud guitars, one of the comp’s heavier tracks and yet still has it’s hooks. It’s more akin to Blood Visions tracks, I suppose, but it still has this comp’s poppy/lovey dovey flavour. This track stands out because it doesn’t have soft vocals like most of the other tracks, but rather they are screamed and shouted. You can headbang and mosh and do your thang.

9) All Wasted- 9.0- Cool track about zombies. But, not the kind of zombies you want to walk around at night with. Nah these guys are “all useless…all wasted.” A decent guitar solo (haha, you know what I mean) toward the end. This one lacks the catchiness of it’s buddies, but nonetheless has strength.

10) In the Dark- 8.7- This doesn’t stand out that much to me. It’s a good song, but just doesn’t bring anything new to the table and isn’t particularly catchy. But, yeah if you like Reatarded music you will probably like it.

11) Searching For You- 10.0- This makes the hair on my testicles stand up and do the tequila! For those of you Blood Visions devotees out there, this track is an acoustic version of BV’s “Fading All Away.” BELIEVE ME, you haven’t heard “Fading All Away” like this before. Sure, since it’s acoustic, it’s not as angry or heavy, but it is infitnitely more malignant. This psychotic, musical madness is completely unpolished, noisy and sounds like some amateur, lonely, melancholy, Jay fan lying on his bed covering the song, warning his listeners of his menacing plans of murder and torture. This callow sounding approach in no way hinders the song, it only adds to its eeriness, a feat I did not think was possible!

12) Haunting You- 9.7- This is pretty much like the above track in style and sound: raw, acoustic, unpolished, version of a Blood Visions song. This time it’s “Nightmares,” a classic in it’s own right. I really dig this track for similar reasons to “Searching For You,” but it’s not quite as strong as the former and I prefer the original (unless this one is the original and the BV version is the second? Release dates? Shit, now I’m really curious about this and the last track).

13) Let It All Go- 9.4- Yet another hooky love number! I really dig the poppy guitars, pulsing, but steady drums, and best of all the repeated lyrics, “And now I need you, and now I need you, and now I need you… say that’s you want me, say that’s you want me… you never loved me, you never loved me….” He finished the show we saw with this song and I can definitely see why, it’s a powerful closer and overall pop song.
Tracks 14-17 are pretty much the same versions of their Blood Visions counterparts, but weaker and of poorer sound quality, in my opinion anyway. Although, “Turning Blue” is an exception; it’s not better thant the BV track, but basically on par. Here they are without ratings:

14) Blood Visions
15) Turning Blue :)
16) It’s So Easy
17) Oh It’s Such A Shame

Overall, this is an exceptional CD and is truly underated. Some of Jay’s strongest pop songs appear on this compilation and it makes me realize that his Matador Comp wasn’t as big of a transition as I thought it was. His latest release, Watch Me Fall, is definitely his biggest leap, though it’s my least favorite, but that’s a whole other story. This singles set ranks behind Matador Singles ‘08 and Blood Visions as my favorite Jay work, but it still receives a well-deserved A. I hear through the grapevine that these tracks are nonexistent online, well then I highly suggest shelling out some dough for this one, you won’t be disapointed and if you are, oh it’s such a shame!

Chris

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Best of Jay: No Reatardation This Time: Jay Reatard Concert Review

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Artist(s): Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Box Elders, and Useless Eaters
Location: Harpers Ferry, Alston, MA
Date: October 2, 2009

Pre-Show Activity: Doors opened at 8, so we arrived at 8, but that was not good enough apparently. Doors were now to open at 8:30. In the meantime we shot the shit with Billy, drummer for Nobunny, whom would later play before Jay Reatard. Billy was a great guy and provided Glen and myself with insight on the real world of garage rock: Grueling tour schedules (driving in vans to and fro, none of that pussy bus shit), partying, and fun fun Rock and Roll! Having played with Jay for some time, Billy voiced his admiration for the band, particularly the incredibly fast guitar playing. He also mentioned the light and dark sides of Mr. Reatard (calm at one moment and gonzo the next); no surprise.

The Show:
Useless Eaters:
Chris: This duo composed of Reatard on bass with a fierce, energetic comrade on guitar and vocals. Clearly, guitar-driven music; vocals were weak. But, I thought it was decent, a good start to the show. I am glad to see Jay keeps busy with side projects.

Glen: Played hard punk-influenced garage rock that sounded at times like early Jay Reatard. Jay’s bass play is what made this band, but I got to complement the guitarist on his fine solos. The last song, which was at leat over five minutes long, stood out in my mind as the group’s best. Jay played the same bass line over and over again while the guitarist went through a few different effects.

Box Elders:
Chris: With this group we see a slight progression in crowd reaction. This progression would sharply follow with each group up to and including Jay Reatard. Anyway, Box Elders (I thought they were “Box Cutters” until just now haha) offered me a rare experience. Only once in a blue moon, if that, do I see a live band, especially an opening act and almost immediately find myself singing along to their tune. So, props to Box Elders for that. They displayed plenty of passion and high energy, particularly the drummer, who stood up the entire and simultaneously played keyboards the entire set! He also made goofy faces and body movements, which was funny and entertaining, to say the least. The guitarist sported a fancy, double guitar, which I have never seen in person, so that was cool. Well, I can really see their music appearing on my ipod in the future.

Glen: Really really catchy. Old sounding garage-pop, fun for the entire family! The drummer made this band in my opinion. He was quite the character, doing aerobics and stretches all whilst playing the drums with one hand and using the other to hit some organ keys. The two singers voices went well and definitely this is a band I’ll keep a fine eye on in the future. Their best two songs in my opinion were “Jackie Wood” (brought back memory of Ramones + arm aerobics!) and “Librarians” (awesome little keyboard part).

Hunx and His Punx:
Chris: Wow! Bruno Live! Which I’m sure disgusted or irritated, or possibly enticed many. For me, I just laughed my ass off in bewilderment. If you think you have seen homocore or queercore, then look again. Hunx and His Punx is just about as gay as it gets and unabashedly so. I will admit, the music was fine, but nothing special. Wit that beings said, singer Hunx (? lol) demonstrated fabulous showmanship, albeit in tight spandex, which he disrobed until her was down to a thong. The guy next to me had his face planted in the singer’s crotch…. it looked like he enjoyed it though haha. By the way, he looked like Cole Alexander.

Glen: When it comes down to it, Hunx and His Punx played some pretty awesome good music. That’s beside their stage presence which made everyone in the audience except for one guy feel really awkward. A homo-punk band taken to the most literal sense, the singer chanted about how he “likes [his] boys like meat – juicy and raw.” The singer actually reminded me of a really flamboyant Dean Allen Spunt plus an intense lisp.

Set List:
1. You Don’t Like Rock & Roll
2. Hey Rocky
3. Cruisin”
4. Teardrops
5. Do the Makeup
6. GOOD Kisser
7. Gimme Gimme Back Your Love

*On October 1, 2009, Hunx and His Punx arrived at the Holiday Inn in Montreal. How much did it cost to accommodate five individuals? Why 126.99, in case you wondering. Seth Bogard made the reservation. Yeah, next time don’t put your set list on the back of your hotel invoice. Good times.

Nobunny:
Chris: Perhaps the best band to play straight before Jay. These wild bunnymen, (yes there was a bunny!) continued the trend of charisma Hunx created. Playing loud, fast, garage punk, they garnered the crowd in to intense dancing, moshing, pogoing and just about any -ing you can think of. The guitarist (drummer, Billy’s bro) spent most of their set at the very front of the stage with and sometimes in the audience. I even grabbed one of his fluffy bunny tails, which he proceeded to Jay(ha!) with. The set concluded with some good old fashion Pyrotechnics! Unfortunately, the security stomped them out merely after seconds of ignition. I dug the last line of their performance, right after the pyro was put out, “We still have seven more songs to play.” Something to that effect.

Glen: The crowd really got into Nobunny. They fuckin’ rocked the place. Their formula for success was essentially the same as the other bands, except they just seemed to have a little something extra. The singer was really interactive, jumping into the crowd on a few occasions. The bassist also didn’t hate going up to the crowd. We met the drummer Billy! Such a cool dude…besides him dressing in only underwear. That’s what the singer did too and a bunny mask too. Apparently, the lead singer of Hunx is the lead singer of Nobunny, but I can’t confirm this. They pulled similar antics on stage, except Nobunny was far less gay. “BoneYard” was probably their biggest hit.

Jay Reatard!!!!:
Chris: Looking back at my earlier post, “Jay Hopes and Expectations,” I can say most were ultimately satisfied in this great concert. He played over half of the favorites I envisioned him playing. He did not get pissed and leave abruptly. There was no animosity between the audience and the performers. His set was about forty minutes I believe that is the exact time or longer than I expected. Unfortunately, he did not play all of my favorites; these are songs I wish he would have played: “Blood Visions,” “Waiting For Something,” “Screaming Hand,” “Always Wanting More,” “DOA,” “No Time,” “You Were Sleeping,” and “Rotten Mind.” It seems like he will never play those really soft songs like “No Time,” “You Were Sleeping, and even one of his latest, “There Is No Sun.” Nahh, Jay has to maintain that unrelenting, brutal, live assault. His music live is much different than on record. I know this true of all artists, but especially true of him. Live, sometimes you cannot even tell which song it is, even if it is a number you would normally recognize if you heard the recording; it’s all heavy, great for rocking out, moshing, crowd surfing, stage diving, etc. And our crowd certainly did so. We Reatards had tons of fun bashing around and singing along to his malevolent, anti-social lyrics. “My Shadow,” “It’s So Easy,” and “See/Saw” evoked tremendous crowd response, more than any other tracks. Fans, self-included, got a massive kick out of screaming “IT’S SO EASY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD! IT’S SO MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU DON’T EVEN CARE! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME!” Just taking a quick gander at the set list (which is featured below) one will notice most of the songs were from Reatard’s earlier albums, Blood Visions (7) and Singles ‘06-’07 (8, though some of those are BV tracks). This is another indication that he plays mostly raw, heavy, guitar fuzz-driven songs in his concerts, since these albums feature such music much more than his past two releases: Matador Singles ‘08 and Watch Me Fall

Glen: I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd was 10X more into Jay this time around than they were in July. He played all good ones. He’s rocked for a while and probably will for years to come. “See/Saw” certainly got me the most excited.

The following is Jay’s set list for the night; in parentheses is the album/compilation of which the song appears:

An Ugly Death (Matador Singles ‘08)
Nightmares (Blood Visions and Singles ‘06-’07 but under the name “Haunting You”)
Fading All Away (BV and S0607 as “Searching For You”)
It Ain’t Gonna Save Me (Watch Me Fall)
Trapped Here (MS08)
Greed Money Useless Children (BV)
_*_*_- Switch To Acoustic- _*_8_
All Over Again (S0607)
I Know A Place (S0607)
I’m Watching You (MS08 and WMF)
–_*_*_-Switch Back-_*_*_–
It’s So Easy (BV and S0607)
Not A Substitute (BV)
MY Shadow (BV)
Oh It’s Such A Shame (BV and S0607)
See/Saw (MS08)
Hammer I Miss You (S0607)
Faking It (WMF)
A Whisper (demo)
Let It All Go (S0607)

Final Thoughts:
Chris: My 3rd favorite concert! Behind Black Lips, King Khan & The Shrines and just ahead of good old No Age. Four solid opening bands, a lot of charisma/energy, highly entertaining. I always get really exited when I see my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES and Jay is #4 for me, so this was big time. Pure Rock And Roll Fun!

Glen: Overall the experience was similar to the best concerts I’ve gone to…and that’s always awesome!

Grade: A

Chris

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Best of Jay: Matador Singles ’08

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Artist: Jay Reatard
Title: Matador Singles ‘08
Label: Matador
Year: 2008

1) See/Saw- 10- My personal favorite from Jay Reatard. It’s heavy, catchy, funny, surely one to get stuck in your head! To me, it exemplifies everything great about Jay’s music. He creeps me out, but he creeps me in again.

2) Screaming Hand- 9.8- A nice tale about the young Reatard singer and how he was different from everyone else and started his band. I love the “You are my hero” and “oh No No No.” Extremely catchy. I find that SH goes well following See/Saw.

3) Painted Shut- 9.5- Simply Classic Reatard

4) An Ugly Death- 10- I try to avoid giving out more than one 10 on any album, but this definitely deserves it! I think this was the first Jay song I came across and it is very powerful to say the least. I love the epic guitar opener; it just makes my ears anticipate what will happen next. Even after listening to the tune a ludicrous amount of times, I still can’t get over those powerful, yet simple chords. When I’m shuffling songs and AUD pops up on my ipod, I can never muster the will to turn it down. My actual favorite part of the song is the “for you, for me, for all to see” the vocals and guitar are just perfect. I also dig the ominous lyrics meshed with the upbeat music.

5) Always Wanting More- 8.8- One of my least favorites on this compilation, but nonetheless a hooky and genuinely decent tune.

6) You Mean Nothing to Me- 9.0- Typical Reatard. It gets stuck in my dome from time to time. In terms of lyrics, People being meaningless to Jay seems to be a recurring theme.

7) Fluorescent Grey- 9.2- This is a Deerhunter cover. Having never heard the original, I don’t know how it holds up, but I enjoy it very much. Giving the nature of Deerhunter’s music, this one is a bit softer and more experimental than previous Reatard singles/songs, lacking the familiar chainsaw guitars and pop hooks. It works though and foreshadows future Reatard talents.

8) Trapped Here- 9.6- Haha, I always find myself laughing at Jay’s disturbing, malicious lyrics! Violence, particularly one villain torturing his victim and remind them that they can’t escape and that they will soon parish is a frequent theme in the long haired punk’s lyrics. Memorable lyrics include “Relax, Relax, Relax, my little victim” and “You have nowhere to hide and you have everywhere to die.” Haha, the music itself, menacing, perfectly compliments the creepy lyrics.

9) Hiding Hole- 9.4- Another signature Reatard tune. Extremely, catchy, loud, fast guitars, fast, shouted vocals.

10) DOA- 9.8- One of the more popular singles and it’s certainly easy to see why. One of the heavier and yet absolutely endearing songs from this album. It includes perhaps the best example of the classic Reatard technique of slowing down the guitars and drums and simply shouting one line over and over again till its burned into your brain. In this case “It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun!” for whoever is dying on arrival haha.

11) No Time- 10- Once again, a rare 10! I love this song so much! Completely Unreatard. One (you’ll see) of the softest Jay songs I have ever heard. When I first heard this I was confused, I thought I may have put on a different artist. In this number, we see a gentle Jay (it sounds so strange) expressing his deepest emotions. “It seems I never have the time to make my mind feel fine,” Jay’s best lyrics and one of the best lines I ever heard period!

12) You Were Sleeping- 9.8- It gets even stranger! I can picture this and the former pissing some Reatard fans off. Especially some serious Blood Visions motherfuckers. Most of the previous statements I made about “No Time” apply here. It’s a sensitive song, I couldn’t even imagine Jay playing live when I saw him.

13) I’m Watching You- 9.7- A fabulous closer to a fabulous record! Softer than most Reatard songs, but heavier than the previous two. Unlike the other two though, it’s an upbeat single, but it’s similar to them in the sense that they all violate the typical Reatard format. I always smirk whenever I hear the line “You see, to me, you always were a cunt.” Haha. This is much better than the Watch Me Fall version in my opinion.

Grade: A:One of the best albums (though it’s technically just a compilation of singles) I’ve ever heard and certainly of the past few years. Probably the best from 2008. Jay and the gang bring their roaring flying Vs with them from Blood Visions and Singles ‘06- ‘07 and mash them up with more pop and delve into previously unknown or unforeseen territories! Foreshadowing their next effort, Watch Me Fall. There’s a notable progression that is perfectly displayed here.

Chris