Diggings - musical musings of matthew sigur

Album Roundup #12

Seven great albums and a pop icon. Album Roundup: More-Than-Deluxe Edition—let’s go. 

Last summer, the music world was graced with “Paper Planes.” That was my favorite song from M.I.A.’s Kala. I liked some other songs, but the majority of that disc felt repetitive. Plus her live set at Voodoo was shit. I felt like some British chihuahua was yelling at me while I waited for Rage Against the Machine.  
Kala was advertised as this revolutionary album, but, let’s face it, it was “Bird Flu,” “Boyz,” and “Paper Planes” then filler. Well, Diplo and Switch—the producers behind some of M.I.A. and Santogold’s best songs, made this firestarter: Major Lazer’s Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do. 
I normally don’t like to dance to music. You might ask: What gives? I might answer: I’m white and geeky. This is dance music I can get behind. It’s not some bullshit thump-and-snap routine. And these rappers sound badass. The Bassline and Ms. Thing could run circles around Soulja Boy and Hurricane Chris. 
And look at that cover. Even if the music did suck, I would still put that as my desktop background. 

Now that I’m finished dancing for the month, it’s time for some grimy rock. (Backstory time!) Future of the Left is 2/3 of the now-defunct Mclusky (here’s hoping they’ll reunite to play to crowds of 20 again! C’mon blogs, make it happen!). 
Basically, if you loved Mclusky, you’ll love Future of the Left. And the band’s latest album, Travels with Myself and Another, finds the Irish gang yelling along side another concise mix of devil/drug/alcohol-driven punk rock. Just listen to how the bass sounds like a purring cat’s stomach, amplified and distorted to about 14. 
I don’t understand why these guys are so underrated. This is essential stuff. Just as the band’s debut had the killer single “Suddenly It’s a Folk Song,” this album has the personal, yet still mysterious “Throwing Bricks at Trains.”
Do yourself a favor and just get this album. Right flipping now.

Another underrated band is Canada’s Rock Plaza Central. I had the pleasure of interviewing lead singer Chris Eaton in September 2007. The band’s previous release was a glorious concept album about steel horses.
In all my naivety, I faintly remember asking him if Canadians have some fetish with horses. We discussed Sunset Rubdown’s “Stallion,” The Besnard Lakes “Are the Dark Horse.” What started as a 20-minute phoner became an hour-long conversation.
Easily, one of the most interesting interviews I’ve ever had. 
Gloating aside, I’ve been looking forward to the band’s follow-up, …At the Moment of Our Most Needing, for sometime now. Like it’s predecessor, this sophomore album starts with a calm reprise of a few line with Eaton’s grit buried in the mix of the surrounding harmonies.
No doubt, there’s probably a concept to this disc which I will research for weeks to come. For brevity’s sake, let’s just say my playlist of the acclaimed Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear and Sonic Youth has been interrupted. So far, 2009 has been inundated with great releases, including this and Future of the Left. 

And while we’re on the subject of great releases from Canadian bands, I guess I should mention Sunset Rubdown’s latest opus, Dragonslayer. Given Spencer Krug’s latest two underwhelming efforts with Swan Lake and Wolf Parade, I kinda wanted to not like this album. 
But like every other Sunset Rubdown release, this one is no different in that it has that power to creep under my skin like some tick. Krug and his gang have retained their strength of weaving complex rhythms. On the band’s third album, they effortlessly transition from idea to idea. Unlike Random Spirit Lover, these moves aren’t as forced and jarring. 
Once again, Krug and his cohorts have spoiled me rotten with their twee alt-rock. With every listen, whether I wanted to hate this album or not, I fall even more in love with the band.

Now, I want to go down the road of some killer golden oldies. First up is Sub Pop’s reissue of The Vaselines’ Enter The Vaselines.
Random Thought #1: If you ever thought The Compact Disc Store was overpriced, go pick up this two-disc set for less than $15.
Random Thought #2: I think I may have found what band inspires local act Secret Annexe.
Random Thought #3: Some of this is a bit too drony. Some of this is damn good. Maybe Kurt Cobain would’ve made some sweet pop like this after In Utero. No one can know, but if anyone wants to teach a class in alternative rock, this disc would definitely be in the mix.

Two other albums that would be taught in that class would be Sleater-Kinney’s Dig Me Out and Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. I just got some hard copies of these. Boy, am I glad.
Sleater-Kinney rocks. From when I first saw them on MTV2 rocking out to “You’re No Rock ‘N’ Roll Fun,” to the roaring curtain call of The Woods, I’ve had a major crush on all three of these women. Dig Me Out solidifies that crush. 
Keeping on the topic of crushes, after seeing Yo La Tengo live, I’ve had a man-crush on Ira Kaplan since. I’ve aped his masturbatory guitar styles. I’ve went into hibernation, listening to nothing but their two-disc greatest hits set during a summer. I’ve named a song after him (“If Zach Hill and Ira Kaplan Fucked”). 
What else can be said about this 1997 album? An “A” from Robert Christgau. 9.7 from Pitchfork. 4.5 from AllMusic. It has “Sugarcube,” “Stockholm Syndrome,” and “Autumn Sweater.”
It might as well be considered their first greatest hits album. I might go into hibernation for another summer.

Finally, in this over-long edition of Roundup, I must make a note of the icon, the King of Pop—Michael Jackson. I won’t be over-sympathetic and act as if I knew the man, but I have two distinct memories of his music.
When I was about four, my family and I went to Disneyland. I witnessed the 3-D Michael Jackson escapade. I was scared out of the theatre by that monster. I’m not sure what movie it was. I might have just been a video compilation. I honestly don’t even know the name. I just remember being frightened.
Later, in the third grade, FM 102 always played “Thriller.” I remember staring at my mom as she sung every word along with her Mazda Miata’s radio.
My mom? A hip woman who knew the words to an R&B song? It couldn’t be! She admitted, “Oh yeah. Michael Jackson was great. This was a big song.”
Jackson’s death is sad. This man had some wonderful songs. Even his late career “Jam” is a bass-driven masterpiece. The guy could make you feel his anger and happiness.
I hate the wall-to-wall coverage. I’m sure even ESPN is doing something about him as I type. And if anyone caught Larry King’s interview with John Landis last night, you might have caught some wisdom from someone who actually knew the guy. What’s terrible is that these media pundits interrupt the very interesting bits from people like Landis. Instead of getting a view of what he was, we get a story from people who never knew him at all. Larry King interrupts Landis to end the segment and turn to Anderson Cooper. The television sets return to regularly scheduled programming of Here Come the Newlyweds and The Secret Life of an American Teenager. CNN still investigates the alleged crimes and focuses on those troubled times rather than that perfect pop. 
He was the King of Pop for numerous reasons. That should be the focus.  

BULLETIN: About some recent releases....

How about some quick reviews for this wonderful Thursday?

The Mars Volta—Octahedron
I liked it better when it was called Francis the Mute. 

Wilco—Wilco (The Album) 
My dad will love this! 

Chickenfoot—Chickenfoot
Worse than Gary Cherone-era Van Halen. 

Discovery—LP
Hipsters love irony, terrible rap beats and—now it seems—blandness.

Dinosaur Jr.—Farm
Anyone else amazed that J Mascis isn’t deaf by now? 

Street Sweeper Social Club—Street Sweeper Social Club 
Tom Morello doing his worst Tom Morello impression.

Iggy Pop—Prelimenaires
Where’s the Sum 41 duet? Oh, this is his bid for relevancy.

Placebo—Battle for the Sun
These guys are pale…and mad. Still.

It Hugs Back—Inside Your Guitar
Brought to you by four guys who cry and use a lot of Kleenex…and socks. 

Genuwine—A Man’s Thoughts
He’ll never top “Pony.” 

Album Roundup #11

Cold. Colder. Freezing. 

The past couple of weeks, I’ve been drawn to some heartless sounds. These are very much studio albums. Some of these sounds work wonderfully, others…well, they need to go back to the hard drive from whence they came. 

Neu!’s 2 is considered the quintessential remix album. The Krautrockers rushed out something after the release of the band’s self-titled debut. “Fur Immer (Forever)” might sound like an eternity to some, but it’s quite a soothing track, ebbing and flowing. Though the song is a bit too long, it sounds like an ample soundtrack for a surfer or someone who conquers huge tasks daily while maintaining a Zen-like state. The powerful thing about this song is that it takes the same basic chords then makes these bursts and leaps.
You know those “visualizers” Apple has on iTunes? It’s basically a cool, shape/ribbon/color/orb-shifting screen saver. On “Fur Immer,” it’s like Neu! captured the feeling of one of those “visualizers.”
The rest sounds OK, “Neuschnee 78” sounds like something from the video game “F-Zero.” It’s a 16-bit masterpiece. And if you’re not a fan of the tape-speed, maxed-out glory of that tune, check out it’s introspective father, “Neuschnee.” 
This album sounds like it was recorded within a few weeks. Somedays, these guys would wake up with a nice cup of hot Earl Grey tea. Other days, they would wake up with a bub of cocaine.
In short, I dig this.

Peter Bjorn and John’s follow-up to the wildly catchy Writer’s Block, is hit-or-miss. If first impressions are indeed everything, then Living Thing begins as attractively as the homely, drunk, mustached man in the corner, breathing heavily, holding off the inevitable. 
“I feel it,” Bjorn Yttling sings. In response, I feel like changing the track. And once you do that, you’ll find those first impressions were meaningless. “It Don’t Move Me” is the band teens fell in the love with a couple years back, and, once again, the band produces one of the catchiest singles of the year. 
On this album, the band wants to be abrasive with their beat selection. Check the distorted kids on “Nothing to Worry to About” or the medicinal marijuana ode “I’m Losing My Mind.” 
Not all is lost here. It’s not that challenging of a listen. Remember, this is still a Peter Bjorn and John record. There’s a string of great singles here, “Living Thing,” “I Want You,” and “Lay it Down” make this album deserving of repeat listens. 
Living Thing also has an air of heartbreak and a cloud of hash smoke tinting what could be an otherwise gold record.

For some reason, I caught myself listening to Black Moth Super Rainbow’s Dandelion Gum more and more as I worked a dead-end job in a fiberglass warehouse. The vocoder lyrics of sunshine and cotton candy appealed to me as I cut sheet metal. 
Now, the band has returned with Eating Us. These guys have been called, “Air with balls.” Produced by Dave Fridmann, this album sounds exactly like a Flaming Lips album.
Without balls. 
The lollipop and LSD references are still here. The desire for the sun and distorted drum tracks are alive and well. It’s a predictable, rushed album from a band featuring a lead singer who uses a device to mask his drug reference-laden poems. 
Eating Us has a few good tracks. Two tracks in, I was ready to give up, but the sweet sounds of “Twin of Myself” reminded me that the band can be a cool, little psychedelic act from time to time. 
But, I’m no longer at a fiberglass warehouse. I don’t need some guy who sounds like the younger brother of Darth Vader to tell me of sunny days and acid trips. 
Eating Us is inessential fluff.