The Good Ol' Days

So, no, I haven't been putting much up here, as of late. however, that's mostly because I've been really enjoying some older stuff. The best of it is my re-discovery of Skin Yard's "Hallowed Ground". Now, if you don't know who Skin Yard were, here's a nutshell- they were the single most responsible unit in the creation of the whole "Grunge" thing. Don't believe me? Let's review- Dan House, the bass player ran C/Z records which put out the deep six compilation, considered by many to be the first Grunge record. Jack Endino, the guitar player, was the in-house engineer/producer for Sub Pop, so everything from Bleach to Zeke was recorded at Reciprocal studios. Matt Cameron, the drummer, went on to Soundgarden. Ben McMillan, the singer, formed Gruntruck, which opened for Alice in Chains more often than any other band, and were key to bringing Alice in Chains into the seattle scene. So, yeah, I think they were the unit most responsible for Grunge. On "Hallowed Ground" probably their most abrasive record they mix doom, psychedelia, funk metal, and Gothic rock- which tell me if you've heard different- is the formula for both grunge and Stoner rock. So, a key record? Yes, undoubtedly. Find it, if you can.
Another work of staggering genius that I've been listening to is the Effigies "For Ever Grounded". The Effigies were a early chicago skinhead punk band. Not quite Oi! and not quite Punk Rock, they mixed the two in a way that went a long way to creating the "Chicago sound" of bands like Naked Raygun, Pegboy, and Big Black. Then, they got influenced by Joy Division, and created some unique post punk, but on For Ever Grounded, they created a metallic, hard-edged new sound for punk, drawing from Oi!, like Blitz and the early Angelic Upstarts, from Punk, like The Ruts and Penetration and also from arty post punk like Killing Joke and Wire and Uk Decay. Really thrilling stuff, much better than what Los Angeles was producing in 1984.
Lastly, I've been listening to Chrome. Chrome were a kind of missing link between hard-edged psychedelic bands like Hawkwind and early industrial electronic bands like Caberet Voltaire. There were elements in common with The Stooges, Hawkwind, german Krautrock, like Neu! art like the Residents, and even Devo. So, I've been listening to Half Machine Lip Moves and Third from the Sun, both of which pursue a tinny metallic motorik grind with sci-fi lyrics half mumbled into badly functioning recording devices, then coat the whole thing in analog tape effects- it's like Silver Machine runs headlong into Throbbing Gristle. Easily some of the strangest stuff I had in my record collection in the early 1980's, and it wasn't until Six Finger Satellite revived the sound in 1997 that I thought about it. Now, I love it.

Sometimes it crosses over

This'll be on both blogs, because it applies pretty universally. How do I feel about my life, my country and my culture. Knifeman by The Bronx

This is hilarious

The good people of Chunklet magazine posted this Video, and offered that the best joke wins. I think that's entirely redundant. The video is the joke.

What if he's right?

I'm just like the rest of America, watching Charlie Sheen go nuts. I don't doubt that he is nuts. I think we watch him because he have no hope for his redemption, and we are amused by his fall. Maybe it's guilt, and maybe it's pseudo-intellectualism, but that makes me pull back a bit and wonder- what if he's right? What if he is that rare species that can do a mountain of drugs, party like a rock star, and then, sober up the next week, and never have a problem, again. I've known others that could, so it's not like such a thing is impossible. It's unlikely, and totally improbable, but there do exist those rare mutants who can dance the dance, and then, walk off the floor. ( It would still be a first, for me, in that of those who can do that, none also had histories of addiction in their nuclear family, and none had a history of violence- but I cannot rule out that such a thing is possible) So, let's take a few steps in that reality- what would it mean?
First, it would mean that the logic of the twelve step is wrong. There is some evidence both pro and con for the 12 step, so that wouldn't shock me- but still- the whole notion of the 12 step is based around us not having the power within ourselves to change our relationships with addictions, and someone being able to do exactly that refutes the whole thing. We would then need access to that power, not a way of dealing with our own powerlessness. Imagine how many industries would be out of business, overnight? No wonder therapists, and counsellors and lawyers and reporters are lining up to say he's crazy. He might be, and probably is, but his craziness points something out- that there is an industry that we have a huge amount of interest for, which is predicated upon telling us that we are powerless, helpless, and it's not our fault. I don't know if that's necessarily the worst message to get out. There are ways in which we all have power, and there are ways in which each of us is helpless, but what fits for each varies wildly person to person.
However, if Sheen is right, it would also mean that he is an embattled ubermensch. Is that possible? I suppose. That would make Neitzche correct, and Marx wrong- history would be a succession of great men, and the masses, simply dupes and stooges. That seems, again, highly unlikely, but of course it's possible. It's the battle cry of every dictator, king and warlord in history. We've proven, time and again, that many of us believe it- not only the leaders, but the led. What is the counter argument? That we're all interdependent? That no man is an island? That there is an equality and a brotherhood of man? That we're all equal before God? Are any of these arguments strong enough to counter the incredible will of an individual human spirit? I would say yes, but I'm a damn pinko, and outside the mainstream of American discourse. I should know my role, shouldn't I?
We've stepped through the mirror, though, and must follow it all the way- and that puts us in the realms of Gods, doesn't it? After all- it is a God that Charlie Sheen is describing, isn't it? Something that is more powerful than any man, that is blameless, that exists by will, and dominates all other by its will- sounds like a prime mover to me. How does that leave Charlie sheen out of our national discourse? Don't we view ourselves as gods, of a sort? Listen to a supposed Christian's prayer, and you'll often hear orders- give me this, make sure of that, grant us our will- it sounds more like ordering off a menu than supplication, doesn't it? Our signs of blessing are power and wealth, and our consecrations based upon the power that wealth provides- Sacred ground is entered by going through a metal detector.
So, is Charlie Sheen's crime not in being what we would term "wrong", but lacking in tact? Maybe he's simply expressing how we feel about ourselves, but in terms we aren't bold enough to express. What if his insanity is just Hamlet playing the fool? What if , rather than hopeless, he is our hope? What if he's right? Then, we're all screwed, pal.

Just a random observation

In terms of the mainstream, there are few recording artists as intriguing to me as Kanye West. That has surprised me as much, or more than it may surprise anyone else. However, I recently explained it a bit more. I was going back and listening to some older stuff, and I was listening to Tones on Tail, the Daniel Ash side project band between Bauhaus and Love & Rockets. I must admit, I liked Bauhaus more, but I liked Love and Rockets less than Tones on Tail, and a big part of that was how experimental Tones on Tail was. What's interesting to me now, however is the relationship between what Daniel Ash was doing then, around the turn of the decade between the 1980's and the 1990's, and what Kanye is doing between 2010 and 2011. They're both trying to reinvent themselves, and they're both turning to much more "prog rock" sources in that process. Daniel Ash was referencing Roger Waters and Robert Fripp, and Brian Eno. Meanwhile, Kanye is referencing the same sources! Don't believe me? Here are some youtube clips- please play along, in order:
First, Robert Fripp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kcuqIqmIU
Second, Roger Waters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSH22rJTZ_0&feature=related
Third, Brian Eno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36B225lLvY4
Fourth, Tones on Tail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gs4MJIcjx8
(warning- NsFW- nekkidness)
Fifth, Kanye West:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7_jYl8A73g
(and apologies that it's so censored)

I hope you can hear the continuity. It seems pretty clear to me that they're all mining the same territory. So, basically, I'm starting to think of Kanye of more or less an intellectual stoner, which is what the rest of them are, and I find such types interesting, always....

Nostalgia and its discontents

Listening to the new Killing Joke got me thinking about some media from days gone by. Specifically, I was thinking about how I used to blast Requiem from Killing Joke's first album ( which I had on Vinyl, to date this) so loud that the synth-heartbeat pulse would literally cause the walls to vibrate. That got me thinking about other bands I would blast on my stereo, and movies I would dig up at the video store ( to this day, I think I'm the only person who ever rented Forbidden Zone at the Hastings store. Strangely, there's now talk of a sequel....)
This is why I was re-listening to Big Black, and watched Natural Born Killers again.
Big Black, on the one hand, is the reward for nostalgia, like this. That strange three-dimensional guitar sound, and fast, oddly timed pounding beat still have the unsettling visceral kick that they did back in 1985. The lyrics are still as abrasive as ever ( I don't think anyone in their right mind could ever really get used to a song like Jordan, Minnesota ). However, with the added quarter century of experience, I can appreciate some of more subtle art- the funk references in some bass figures, the use of treble to imitate blades, the underlying moralism in doing songs about such antisocial topics (for those who don't know- no one, ever, had darker lyrical topics than Big Black. If you cannot deal, I wouldn't blame you) and the layering of minimal lines to maximal effect. Atomizer, for example, more than holds up- it actually sounds better to me now, than it did back then.
Natural Born Killers, on the other hand, falls apart under scrutiny after fifteen years. Certainly, some things hold up- Woody Harrelson still manages to exude menace, charisma and and goofy charm without any seeming effort, the sound track music is tasteful, and evocative, the desert southwest is beautiful beyond words, and so on. But the flaws mount up, quickly. The biggest flaw is in the sound. I warn you right now, if you like the movie, my next sentence may ruin it for you. The sync on the sound is slightly off, and it makes obvious that whoever they had recording the sound on location screwed up BIG TIME, because almost all dialogue and most sound is dropped in, re-recorded in studio. It's like an animated movie- you can actually hear the room's natural reverb on most of the voices. The next big flaw is how ham-fisted Oliver Stone's direction is. I'm not just talking about heavy-handed, didactic approach in shoving his political agenda at you- I mean his literal direction. The guy blocks scenes like it's an off Broadway production. People face the camera for no organic reason, and there's only interaction between the audience and the actors, not the supposed characters. In several scenes the kissing is so awkward based upon the blocking that you can see Juliette Lewis licking Woody Harrelson's cheek, while he is clearly sucking air.However, the performances themselves are pretty uneven. As I said before, Harrelson does a great job, but Juliette Lewis simply cannot sell the character, and her accent is awful. Robert Downey is simply high and doing a Saturday Night Live style riff on Robin Leach and Geraldo Rivera. I mean, it says something that Steven Wright gives one of the more believable performances! Finally, the plot is just soul-less. The characters learn nothing more than that killing isn't fun, forever- but in small doses- hey, it'll get you what you want. Stone, as per usual, is pushing his point (HEY, WATCHING TOO MUCH TV IS BAAAAAD) to the exclusion of anything resembling humanity. If you have to watch a movie about two young lovers who overcome the odds after becoming celebrities over a mass murder, watch Love and a .45. It even has the same "artistic" touches like the psychological backgrounds, and multiple film stocks- but done is a much more coherent and human way.

Just tell them I was....

I've been doing the blog thing since 1997, you'd think I'd be better at it, by now. However, the first blog with this name was at Vox, which is now going under. I don't like retreading, so I'm not going to import all those posts, but if you liked something I wrote between 2007-2010, you might want to go over there and save it, or whatever. Here's the first post, cut and pasted, just to prove I was there:
I've got no idea
Mar 6, 2007 Post a comment
This might be a first post, a last post, an only post, an outpost, I don't know. I'm just seeing if I like Vox.

Self- Reference

So, I never look at stats. It never even crosses my mind that some folks might read this stuff and take it all that seriously. However, today I did look at the stats- it appears that, far and away, I've got more dEUS fans than anybody else reading this.
Excellent! While I'm still not the biggest fan of the pre-millenial work by the band, that stuff is not bad at all. That having said, the last two Cd's, especially Vantage Point are just phenomenal. I can respect what a band like Radiohead or Mogwai are doing, but it's nowhere near the pleasure of a band that can combine such high-minded conceptual ideas with the commercial pop appeal of a band like Coldplay, or U2, or what-have-you.
While my writing might not be all that polished (I rarely edit this whatsoever, so spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and typos abound) I really hope that you who've come here from places like the iSuffer community will look at a few of the other posts, because you might (just maybe) find some other thing that amuses you, or entertains you. I really think that virtually every band, TV show, Book or movie I've mentioned has some value, and if I can serve any function, I'd like for it to be that I introduced someone to some new pleasure.

The benefits of a Hothouse Flower

America has a lot to offer, but sometimes it's better to concentrate your attention elsewhere. I've been really looking into the coterie of bands in Antwerp, all related, however distantly, to dEUS.
dEUS, first of all, are a nearly two decade old alt-rock concern centered around Tom Barman. Really, it's a two part career. Up until the millennium, they were an indie rock-jazz-prog band that had a Zappa-esque tendency to go off on tangents. Then, they went on hiatus, and when they came back in 2004 with a more pop, more electronic sound. I much prefer the second phase. Yes, it's eclectic stuff, but listen to a song like "slow" or "Smoker's reflect" and you may hear the appeal. Like the Pixies, they're doing pop music that's all sideways, utilizing microtones, or strange modal harmonies, but with a subtleness that makes it sound suave and sophisticated, not artsy. Hey, they're even on myspace, so they're not all that esoteric, but they really are... It's infectious music that doesn't leave you feeling hollow, like the pop music in the states often does.
I never would have found them without Millionaire, though. Millionaire is Tim Vanhamel's band. Tim, I heard by way of Eagles of Death Metal. However, the CD I have by them, Paradisiac, sounds like a glitchy, more electronic version of what Queens of the Stone Age were trying to do on Era Vulagaris, except it came out well before that record. I'm not saying that Homme stole the sound, but he was the producer, and I really do think the change in QOTSA's sound between Lullabies to Paralyze and Vulgaris is at least partially Vanhamel's fault. If you haven't heard any of this, picture a more "New Wave" version of Sonic Youth playing motorik covers of Stooges songs with Trent Reznor. In other words, big dumb rock played by people who aren't dumb, with a solid background in atonal noise.
Likewise, because of that Millionaire album, I heard Creature with the Atom Brain . Named after a Roky Erickson song, and collaborating with Mark Lanegan, these guys play a more traditional version of psychedelic rock than most of the "stoner" and "grunge" bands, but minus any nostalgia you might think that entails. So, yes, if you're a fan of "Stoner Rock', I'd give them a shot.
Also, I haven't heard much, but by reputation, Tim Vanhamel's new band, Eat Lions seems like a good candidate for modern-day psychedelic warriors.
Not so with Tom Barman's other band Magnus who play commercial electronic dance music. I'm not the biggest fan of underground electro bands, but I do like decent dance music, and the magnus stuff has the same kind of "cultured" vibe as trip hop, but far more debauched. Watch some videos and you might see the sleaze that I hear.
Try adding all that up! Consider that all these bands are related, and you might see a depth that is lacking in most music scenes in America where the "Metal" bands might (maybe, just maybe) mix a little with the "Hardcore" bands, and that gets called "crossover". So the advantage I see to "regional" culture, like just Antwerp, is that with the limited number of musicians, venues, etc, those that are there have to, by necessity, cross pollinate, and from that hybrid vigor comes new, intriguing Art.

Post 50

Fiddy posts? That's it? Well, I'm not trying for quantity, nor quality. I'm trying for honesty. When I've got something to say, I'll say it. Even if it's stupid, and when it's redundant.
The Big Takeover hit 30 years with the latest issue. This is a magazine that publishes every 6 months, and sometimes, that's not enough, and sometimes (like now) it's too often. I trust Jack Rabid and company- they're honestly trying to put out the highest quality music mag they can, I just think that time isn't on anyone's side. There are long stretches of time where there really isn't anything new that is worth a damn, and there are times when it's all good.
I don't want to be negative, but right now I'm not excited by anything new. I'm still digging the old. I've been listening to stuff on my Ipod, I've been watching DVDs I already own, and I have been reading books I have read before.
Speaking of all that- you can read my preferences in my profile- but as I get older each of those things that I love, I love for different reasons. For example, the poppy, thrashy punk rock that I still profess to love? I wouldn't even dream of getting into the pit, these days. Way back when, that was a good percentage of my reasons. Now, it's mostly because I appreciate the economy and obvious structure of the music- Thrash is to rock and roll as tents are to buildings. So, even without pressing forward, I'm still in motion.

Waiting to see what's next

I like them, but never thought of them as really being fodder for this blog, in anyway, but Barnaby Jones are promising a new direction, and I'm hopeful. What they have done as a band seems like a combination of two bands that I like: they were like a bit of a cross between Kid Dynamite and Dillinger Four. However, I have to say that both of those bands are better. Sorry, but it's how I see things. Barnaby Jones aren't "bad"- it's more that they had potential to be great. Here's hoping that what comes next is that great thing.

Another way to view the Long Tail: the infinite Tent

Yes, the concept of the long tail is pretty crucial to understanding my Aesthetics, here. However, I don't see it two dimensionally. I see it more three dimensionally. Picture, instead of a long tail, something more like an endless plateau of fabric. Now, imagine tent poles erected at various spots underneath this endless fabric. At the apex of each spike, you have your "hits"- those things that are enormously popular. The more flat areas unaffected by the tent poles? That's the "long tail" area, and if you're picturing it the same as I am, there's a lot more fabric that's flat, like that, than there is elevated by the tent poles.
There's several important bits involved with why I prefer this model. First, because the fabric itself is just one endless thing unto itself, and the tent poles are something else- related, but not intrinsic to the fabric. That, to me, more accurately represents the relationship between Art, and culture, and finance and popularity. The "art", the fabric, exists just as it is whether it's "elevated" by commerce, or not, eventually, it is effected, just as fabric stretches if you put a tent pole under it, but it still is more the same thing as Art that is not "elevated" by commerce. Second, because in three dimensions different areas can exist to represent different forces. An example- Japanese Anime is enormously popular in japan for Japanese reasons. It appeals to the Japanese person for reasons that have to do with Japan. But, it's also very popular with some Americans, for very different reasons. So, in our tent pole, one slope can represent the Japanese popularity of Anime, while another side of that same tent pole slope represents the American interest in Anime. Those things elevated the highest by the tent pole are Animes that are popular on both sides of the Atlantic, while, as the slope descends, you have things that are more popular in either places, but not necessarily both. Third, because with multiple tent poles under endless fabric, we can represent other factors, like time, and fashion. For example, picture two tent poles spaced just far enough apart that the fabric between then just about touches the ground for some of the space between them. That would more accurately represent , to me, anyway, Swing music in the 20th century. First, it was obscure, close to the ground. Then, in the 1930's and 1940's, it peaked up in interest, but then, as other stuff gained popularity (other parts of the fabric were explored) the fabric got closer and closer to the ground. Then, in the 1990's, another tent pole goes up, and the interest climbs with it. The fabric (swing music) never got as low as it did before the two tent poles (the interest never hit zero) but it did decline.
Now, why is this metaphor important for reading this blog? Because I'm more interested in things that, for this time, in this place are lower to the ground, thus, further out on the long tail, but that doesn't mean it was ever thus, everywhere. For example, right now, my interest in Thrash would be fairly long tail, fairly "niche". But, if this were Finland, and it was 1987? It wouldn't be nearly as long tail. Get it? It's important because it is this much more broad, more "three dimensional" view that I think is more sustainable, and more inclusive, and better able to describe the realities of the relationship between culture of all types, and the whole of the "mass".
Yes, this is fairly self-referential and esoteric- but I think you can adopt my framework, here, fairly easily for whatever your own niche thinking may be....

Riding out the long tail

I wouldn't say I agree with everything Anderson has to say, but the initial article that led to The Long Tail by Chris Anderson was a key inspiration for this here blog. That nugget was a bit of the same thing as the climactic speech in Revenge of the Nerds, when he says that there are more of us nerds, spazzes geeks and so on than beautiful people. The idea of the long tail is that while loads of people like the mainstream stuff, nearly everyone has at least one "niche" thing they like, and so, for a seller, it can be an equally viable business model to sell lots of niche things, instead of a few mainstream things. I'm not trying to sell you anything, but I am a life-long inhabitant of that long tail, in that almost everything I've ever liked has been "niche". So, while I don't expect too many people to ever see my blog, I would encourage everyone who does to go as far out on whatever long tail they occupy as possible. We are very lucky, in these early days of the 21st century. We have more access to more obscure stuff than ever before, with better access, and easier access than ever thought possible. With a little luck, and a little research, if you thought some unknown actor in some "b" movie from 20 years ago was pretty special, you can find out what they're up to, these days. Likewise, if you liked hardcore punk rock, and you liked the sloppy, dark psychedelia of the Butthole Surfers, and wanted them put together, you could find Facepuller . If you like the odd time signatures of math metal, but the melancholy keyboards of gothic metal, you could find Returning we hear the larks . That's how far out the long tail you can ride!
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not so very far out, and obviously, I still like fairly mainstream stuff. The Clash, The Ramones, Queens of the Stone Age, etc ; I can swim in the mainstream. Heck, I even have a Lost theory (the island is host to a Genie-like entity that most folks are calling the "man in black", who is locked in a struggle with another powerful being {Jacob} who's like an Angel {think Jacob's ladder} which means that the story in Lost is about the trials and temptations of people seeking enlightenment). That's pretty mainstream! But, that's the beauty of doing away with the concept of mass culture- popularity doesn't matter either way! you can like completely mainstream stuff, and completely obscure stuff equally, and at the same time. You don't have to play either of those two old adolescent pastimes- trying to fit in, or trying to be an individual. You can simply just be. That's what I'm suggesting, and I hope you can see the potential, and already are riding your own long tail...

Haven't had much to say

So, I haven't posted. Mostly, I've been listening to stuff I've already talked about. Mostly, I've been watching the same shows and movies I've talked about. I have read some new books, though. I read Chris Jericho's "Lion's Tale", and Rufus&Lawson's "Scavenger's Manifesto", and Thompson's "Badass". All have their merits, but none are something to get excited about. Call them 3 of 5 stars- more good than bad, none excellent.
All I can plead is that I've been working a lot, and I've got some big worries about cash, right now, and it's draining a lot of my thought.
I'll also admit to playing a lot of Fallout 3 and it probably is my favorite video game, but I think there are enough video game blogs out there, already.
One thought, though- if you watch TNA (and I think you should) I'm not real fond of the "WCW part Deux" feel that Hogan has brought in, but it still has some of the finest entertainment you can see on TV. Worth a bit of your time.

Hey, since this is a blog, after all

Not so much a "review" as remarking that lately, influenced by playing Fallout 3, I've been playing a lot more "traditional" pop music. That is to say- I've been listening to Billie Holiday, Louis Prima, Bob Crosby, Louis Armstrong, etc, etc.
Yes, I do love Rock music, but that doesn't mean I close myself off to anything else.
Some folks can even combine 1940's pop music with really dark heavy rock, too. Like Clint Ruin. Been listening to that, too.

State of our Union

So, it’s the end of a year, and the beginning of a new one. I haven’t posted anything in awhile, but I think I remember how to do this. I also think that people will be expecting some kind of recap, summary, or list, right? Because I’m supposedly writing to an audience who cares about my opinion on some given subject.
The problem is I’m not.
I’m writing to myself, and while I do care about my opinions, I’m not so filled with hubris that I feel the need to explicate a list of “the best” or “the worst” of anything. I know what I like, and why I like it. So, if someone reading this really does care about my opinions that much, please re-read some of my posts and I’m sure you’ll get a pretty good idea of what art I think you should support
Truthfully, I’m not all that excited by a lot of the newer stuff. I think 2006 will be seen as a better year than 2009. It’s not that I’m nostalgic by nature, it’s that not every year is filled with inspiration.
If 2009 had anything to offer us, it would be lessons. Lesson #1 was given by all the dead celebrities- from Anna Nicole Smith to Heath Ledger, From Michael Jackson to Brittany Murphy, the lesson is that Fame, and the culture of fame kills. I have said before, and I still believe- Fame is like a disfigurement, a disease- a cancer on the human condition. If fame is thrust upon you, my advice is to do whatever you can to avoid it. Otherwise you, too, could very well end up dead at a far too young age with a bedside filled with pills in a dozens forms, while your face, unrecognizable when compared to your genetics, will be photographed a hundred times post-mortem- just so people can comment on your life without caring once about who you might have been. Oh! There’s a recommendation- See Daniel Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. Maybe see it a few times. Realize that it’s not just wrestlers who sacrifice their bodies and their emotional lives just for fame, and you might start to see things the way I do.
Another lesson from 2009- I think this really is the year that the old music industry died. Oh, there’s a death rattle or two, but it’s dead. The system of major labels, and artist-raping deals? Gone. However- the system of independent labels, and playing 200 sweaty bar gigs, and making a modest living at it is gone, too. What is come is downloads, and hobby-musicians, and remixes, and licensing deals.
You know what I think would be the ideal outcome of this? Such a complete glut that making music becomes something that everybody does it. I would love to see a world where people don’t just play a video game called “rock band” but everybody is in a rock band! I’d love to see company jazz bands in place of the company softball team. I’d love it if music took the place of paint-by-numbers and knitting. I think music should really be folk music- it should be the music that folks play, not that they consume like a product. I have heard that the greek plays of antiquity weren’t new stories. What I understand is that these were familiar stories, told and re-told, with the real art being in the re-telling. Well, imagine if we applied that to Art in our age. Ever seen “Be kind, Rewind”? Yes, that’s a start. How about the stuff on Youtube? Starting to see where I’m going? Well- where I want to be is a place where there is no “mass culture” but instead there is a culture of the masses- where Art and culture are actions shared between friends. So, if I have a hope for the new year, it’s that. Maybe 2010 will be the year that people start taking culture and making it their own.

Background

I’ve been digging out some music that I think folks are sleeping on (meant in the hip hop sense of ignoring something you really shouldn’t) so I thought I’d mention some bands-
I dig the Chameleons. Virtually everybody in the “overly dramatic rock” category from Interpol to Coldplay owes the Chameleons.
I also dig the Dream Syndicate. Of all the “paisley underground” bands, they played both the loudest, and the longest, and folks still don’t give ‘em the credit they are due. Bands like Wilco and the Hold Steady really owe the Dream Syndicate for re-interpreting the Velvet Underground as a bar band. The mix of country, and psychedelic is fitting, too, in that fuzztone guitars were made for country records, too.
Of course, Pop will Eat Itself. Besides writing every decent Soundtrack of the past few years, Clint Mansell, in PWEI pretty much brought the postmodern grab everything you like and stick it together vibe into dance music- as much, if not more than the Beastie Boys. So, all these mash ups, all this Remix culture? Sounds like PWEI to me.
This is the tip of the iceberg, of course. There have been so very many records, tapes, CDs, Mp3’s you name the format that are less discovered than they should be. Again, that’s the reason for my title. You have a list, as well. TV shows, music, books, Movies, Artists- we all have our idiosyncratic favorites. We all have our individual tastes. I hope that more people remember that, because, as the Music Business dies a well-deserved death, I’d like for us to replace with the beautiful cacophony of the idiosyncratic, of the eccentric, of the just plain strange, so long as it really speaks to the individual. Replace Mass culture with the cultures of the masses…

Taxonomy

There’s a type of music I like that I’ve heard defined so many different ways that I almost think it should be a genre. It’s heavily processed guitar music that usually employs a relatively simple song structure and lots of repetition. Now, as of late, people are describing bands like that as either Shoegazing or post rock, but that doesn’t quite fit because I can trace a fairly straight line from Krautrock, with the Motorik beat through some of the punk bands, into the New Wave, and then, into both the shoegazing scene and into the “Madchester” baggy trousered Brit Pop, and then, into the Goth Scenes, and into the Stoner Rock category. That’s the problem with such a broad category: it can apply to lots of bands, some of whom are even working at cross purposes.
Of course, I like a lot of music, and music is important to me, so I might be viewing this through a distorted lens, but I do get somewhat put off by some of the attempts to pigeonhole this stuff. At the same time, it is such a handy tool to be able to pigeonhole things a bit. That’s why I’ve adopted the “swirlie/Swirly” tag for this kind of music. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about Can, or Neu! going all the way to Silence is Sexy, if I mention that something sounds like that, or if I use that term, please understand that I’m talking about vaguely psychedelic rock music, employing a simple beat, lots of processing on the guitars, and some drone, producing a hypnotic, drift-to-maelstrom “swirl”

We're an American Band....

For my posts, you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm European, but, no, I live near the American Capitol. Further, unlike my recent selections, I listen primarily to Punk, post-punk and Hardcore. On top of that, despite my pop culture leanings, I'm a bit of a Pinko.
Enter The United Sons of Toil, a bunch of American socialists from Wisconsin. They play a particularly political brand of abrasive rock. They call it "math", but it's got almost nothing in common with the "math rock" you mostly hear today, which is all a bunch of random time signatures to my ears (exception: Meshuggah, who sound like an off kilter grind, as opposed to bad, loud jazz). No, this is mid-1990's midwestern strum and klang, like The Jesus Lizard, Slint, and (early) Fugazi. No surprise that prime Son Russell Hall did his time in Pound Wi and P'Elvis .
They definitely know their way around some skronk. So, if you want some loud punk, here you go. All loud, but well constructed, without any hint of metal. Lyrics like a modern Gang of Four, no waste, all anger. They have nothing to insult your intelligence. So, aging hardcores, Listen! You have nothing to lose except your chains!

A Continuation

This will now be my blog for my pop culture stuff. I think I'll keep my Vox site available just for a photo archive ( http://maxvan.vox.com/ ) but I'm finally done with Vox. Blogger has its frustrations, but Vox well and truly sucks. I'll be sending this message to those few folks who care. I'll try to dump some content on this site ASAP, as well.