Rolling Stone has published an interesting article that talks about Reatard documentary Better Than Something and Reatard’s relationships with the city of Atlanta and its people — Jared Swilley, Bradford Cox, the Carbonas, etc.
Check it out: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/all-or-nothing-guy-jay-reatard-through-atlantas-eyes-20120306
Also, check out this hilarious video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvTEPVldEtY
Take a look inside the MetroSonic Recording Studios in Brooklyn, New York where the Black Lips recently finished recording with Mark Ronson. Inside you’ll see Cole’s infamous human skull and a boat load of analog equipment. For those confused about the Lips pairing with Ronson, Ronson says it’s not like he came in and said “hey, I’m going to clean up the Black Lips!” From the video, it looks like there’s a new song with what I like to call the “Dirty Hands” arrangement — a D-A-G chord progression and Cole’s vocals. The last song that is played sounds absolutely fantastic, an ode to the production techniques of Brit Invasion rock and roll.
Check it out: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/237078
Memphis Garage Rocker Jay Reatard Dead at 29
1/13/10, 5:02 pm EST
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.” Watch Reatard perform “Blood Visions” last month in Atlanta in the video above.
“Since 1998’s Teenage Hate, Memphian Jay “Reatard” Lindsey, 29, has spit enough pissed-off, low-fi garage punk to become DIY royalty,” Will Hermes wrote in his three-and-a-half star review of Watch Me Fall. “There’s also choral sugar, dub effects, sweet guitar cascades and mad hooks. On the majestic closer, alongside a sad cello, he insists, ‘There is no sun.’ With sound this blazingly bright, who needs it?”
In 2008, Beck recruited Reatard to record a cover of Modern Guilt’s “Gamma Ray” for the B side of that song’s single. For last year’s Record Store Day, Reatard’s “Hang Them All” was featured on a split 7” with Sonic Youth’s “No Garage.” Reatard also recently opened for the Pixies during their run of Doolittle concerts. On their Facebook page, the Pixies wrote “We want to express our condolences to the friends and family of Jay Reatard, on his sudden passing today.”
– Rolling Stone
RIP Jay, you are immortal through your music, some of the best damn rock and roll my ears have had the privilege of hearing.
Chris
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
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 