OK, no retractions

I still haven't purchased the EPs, exactly. But I felt so bad after posting the last post that I dug out a credit card, and purchased the Articles of Faith and Dead Ending releases as Mp3's from Amazon. Please note this is definitely NOT my preference. I would rather purchase the actual EP's from Alternative tentacles, and if you have the means, I suggest that you do so. I suppose I should say why I never do it this way- 1. I don't like Credit Cards. They put you in debt to some of the most twisted and evil institutions in the world, and I really do blame the big guys- Visa, Mastercard, American Express for the economic mess we're in, worldwide. To explain would involve details that would be far too involved for 99.99% of you, and the .001% would already know those details. So, the short and nasty version- The derivatives market is based upon markets made possible only because of the securitization of debt that the major credit cards made. The speculation on derivatives  puts so many zeros into portfolios that otherwise solid markets get drawn in, and the result is inevitably the destruction of that market, as the  vast sums are fraud, by nature
.  2. While I don't think of Mp3's as evil, they're a definite downgrade from physical objects- even the most compressed and poorly mastered CD sounds better than most Mp3s
 3. I'd prefer to put money in my friends' bank accounts than in a faceless corporation like Amazon
4. I really don't like to spend money on stuff that only I will enjoy, when I could spend it on stuff my friends and family could enjoy as well.
So, yeah, I'm neurotic, and guilt struck, but that was outweighed by being completely depressed by my current situation. I won't go into great detail, but I will say that I had to go under the knife, but it did not involve full sedation. If my insurance were as good as it once was possible to get in this country, it only would've cost me a couple hundred dollars, instead of the four figure range this cost me.  No, there really isn't anything happy about having a procedure that you need, in order to maintain your health, cost you more than a vacation would've cost. So, hell yes, I'm bummed out.
So, I've listened to both, and, sure enough, this is the state of the Art for Hardcore Punk Rock.
I fully recognize that Vic Bondi's voice, even in the limited genre of Hardcore, is a limiting factor- which is a nice way of saying- most folks hate his voice. I'm good with his voice. But what you cannot assail is his songwriting. I mean, imagine that- hardcore thrash, with no metal diversions, or apologies, that has all the songwriting care of classic rock- John Fogerty, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen figure most prominently.
The melodies are more abstract than most of punk rock. It's not quite the angular, atonal math stuff, but there's a lot of half steps, and dissonance. That's what midwestern Hardcore does, though- think about it- from Die Kreuzen, to Killdozer to Big Black to USOT, The midwest doesn't do standard pop punk. I fully believe that the whole Fugazi DC thing came to be because of the midwest. J Robbins was obsessed with the midwest, especially Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Helmet and  Big Black, and in between Minor Threat and Fugazi, Ian did the pailhead project with Jourgensen of Ministry- so again, if you want Angular hardcore punk Rock, you go to the midwest, first. No one has ever done it better, in a thrash context, than Articles of Faith. If you can listen to In this life and Give Thanks, and still think that a band like Fucked Up is taking Hardcore into a new, and exciting place, you're just objectively wrong.
However, this new, re-united version isn't doing the stuff they did in the 1980's. I can hear the influence from Tom Morello, and  the aforementioned J Robbins. But, still, amazing, boundary pushing and defining hardcore, made by adults, for real, and heartfelt reasons.
As for Dead Ending- the combination of  Jeff Dean ( The Bomb, Noise By Numbers) and Vic Bondi is something really special. There's something in the chemistry- Jeff Pezzati, Vic Bondi, J Robbins, Jeff Dean, Dan Vapid, etc of these older guys that produces the exact formula for punk and hardcore that I like. A combination of noise, drive, melody and aggression that sounds perfect to me. If you like the "retro" hardcore of Bullet Treatment and AC4, this is perfect, as well. If you're a kid who somehow stumbled on to my blog, and you somehow are interested in speedy old school hardcore, it's a great place to start.

Regrets

I've got several right now, and they're all related. I wish I could go see Black God tonight at the Black Cat.  I wish I could get both the new Dead Ending EP and the newish Articles of Faith Ep and I wish the new Workers CD was available for sale nearby. However, I can't do any of that due to a medical emergency last weekend. Basically, besides the health problems, the medical emergency drained me of cash. So, All that will have to be put aside. So, it's not so much that I've got nothing to blog about, it's that I'm frustrated, right now.

Saw The Artic Monkeys and Black Keys

So, last night we (my wife and I) saw the aforementioned bands at Merriweather Post Pavillion  . I have start with how great the venue was. Picture a great, natural park; Giant Trees, a babbling brook or two, nice shady grass bits, you get the idea. Now, put an Amphitheatre in the middle. Ring the place with homespun looking installation Art and Carnival style Food and vendor booths. Yeah, that's a nice place for some Rocknroll, huh? I thought so.
A lot of people were there, and not my usual crowd, to be sure, The Black Keys seem to draw a lot of  Baby Boomers, Meatheads and Neo-Hippies. However, there were also a fair number of indie hipsters, and a few Punkers, who, while not my usual crowd, either ( I'm more of an Aging Slacker type)  made it feel a little less alien.  Still, Rocknroll, good site, and my wife, it's all good.
I will say that The Arctic Monkeys finally make sense to me. The live sound was turbo charged retrorock. They're not so very different from some bands I've liked in the past, at least in intent. They're fueled by the bands that obsess them, and trying to cram in all the magic from that into their lives. It's not like being in a tribute band- it's being fully charged by incredible rock music, and trying to convey what that gives to you, filtered through who you are.  So, ultimately what you're sharing isn't a tribute to the bands, but your perspective.
The Black Keys on the other hand, while a great band, are trying to actually be the bands and music they love. I don't have anything against that, but that doesn't affect me as much, either. Of course, the best of all possibilities is when the band  is trying to bring something entirely new into the world, and I'm sure all bands think they are, but all fail, most of the time. Why I like the Arctic Monkeys more than the Black Keys is how much closer they get to doing something really new. It's subtle, I know, and what's not so subtle is the difference in fashion and tempo, so I can see why people in the audience seemed to prefer the Black Keys- the comfort of the familiar trumps the thrill of exploration- and the equation for the Black Keys leans heavier on the familiar, whereas even the familiar elements of the Arctic Monkeys are familiar to a much smaller, much stranger group of people, and I'm one of them

The Cribs -In the belly of the Brazen Bull

I hear about all kinds of stuff that is supposedly in some sort of 1990's "revival', and usually, it just sounds reminiscent of 1 or 2 bands, or of 1 microgenre. This new CD by the Cribs really does sound like the 1990's- I hear echoes of everything from The Pixies, Pavement, Guided By Voices, You Am I, Teenage Fanclub, Shellac, and Nirvana to The Vines, and Dinosaur. Add all that up, and try to stick with 1 or 2 years in the 1990's, I dares ya!
Of course none of that would mean much if they didn't have killer songs, but they really do- I can totally see what both Johnny Marr and Lee Ranaldo saw in these kids.
It's poppy loud alt rock, and I like it. Look, if you like about half the bands I listed above, listen to it. If you like more than half, buy it. I don't see any point is deconstructing it, it's just a really good, really smart, really catchy rock record with a slightly skewed perspective. It's wonderful.

The Whole Tom Gabel Thing

I don't really have much of a comment. If he's serious, and he wants to be a she, for sincere and honest reasons, well, then,  don't let any of us stop you, go forth as you will. I still have my doubts that this is the case. Beardly Folk-punks gone pop punk married with small children don't exactly fit the demographic of the Trans folks I've known, but it's a big world, I could be wrong. I've also never known a trans who didn't "experiment" first, then make the transition quietly. Considering there are no photos I've seen where Tom is showing any feminine traits, nor is there a known history of sexual experimentation, and there's this big announcement, out of the blue, with only 1 verse in 1 song as a "sign", I really do have my doubts about the reality of this.
So, if this is some kind of stunt- maybe even well-intentioned- I'm not the biggest fan of Against Me!, so I can't say I'd care all that much. But, it would pretty much rule out your Career, as an earnest "authentic' musician.

That having said, I'm posting this more or less because of the massive reaction this announcement has created.
Everything from really extreme antipathy, to dogmatic expression of faith. What I haven't seen in all that is anything like my reaction. So I'm adding it.

 I'm totally comfortable being a dude. I don't think I'm exactly a Manly man, nor am I a boy, nor am I a guy or a bro, I'm what gets called a Dude, and I'm good with that. I'm married, with a grown son,  and all that, and I also know what it's like to kiss a man, and to wear a dress. I also have many family members and friends who lives totally different lives from me- and yes, that includes transgendered people. Mostly, for those who choose different paths from me, I understand at least a little bit about why they would choose differently from me. As for being judgemental, well, that's more about the individual than whatever group they might be identifying. ( This is reason  #486 why I hate the whole "identity politics" thing. Just because you're a "Queer Afro-Asian Person of Colour" doesn't mean a thing about how smart, or right, or nice you are, all of which is far more important than what gender, orientation, or race you happen to be labelled) . But, the path I understand the least is the "transformer"- I don't just mean transgendered, or coming out of the closet as gay later in life, although they're part of this- I mean anyone who follows first one life then, abruptly, exchanges it for another.  I'm not saying that I am judging such changes, because I've made a few changes myself, I'm saying I am mystified by them. To this day, I couldn't tell you why I gave up running a radio station, and leaving the west coast for life in the rural east. I don't fully understand it, myself.  I can point to a couple of specific things, and I can give you an over generalization, like I just didn't feel like it was the life for me, but I cannot claim to understand. So much the more then, that I cannot understand why someone who's a husband and a father would want to change their gender. I just don't understand it. I could understand with someone like, say- ok, here's a scenario- Kurt Cobain. Let's say he, instead of shooting himself, came out as transgendered, at that time in his life. It would make some sense to me- the self-loathing, the identification with -ahem- "strong" women like Courtney, the obvious dissatisfaction with his own body- all of it would click into place. But, with this guy, by all accounts, he appears to be in a good place. There's no suicidal impulses, no self-destruction, and so on. This would seem like a sudden turn, and that I don't understand.
You can call me every name in the book, but that won't make me understand.  So this is the comment that I'd like to see addressed in our media- Why?

Simple

I have a fairly complex brain, I think. I can handle contradictions, paradoxes, and multi facets. That's not bragging, because I bet that's true for most folks. So, why is pop culture marketed in such a linear, boxed-in fashion? It's like someone, somewhere, decided that we, as people can only handle one thing at a time. We can't like both emotionally tangled Kitchen-sink dramas and big high concept action flicks? We can't like primitive country blues and over-produced techno?
I don't believe that it's anything so conscious as that. I think there are multiple factors, both from above, and below. On the one hand, it's difficult to sell two or three thoughts at the same time, but on the other hand, people like belonging to easily identifiable tribes. Also, it's near impossible to have the obsessive levels of concentration necessary to create actual Art, and switch focus mid stream. So, while we as people are complex, our Art tends to get simplified.
Still, I really like hybrids, mash ups, crossover, and so on. That's the case with both CDs I'm listening to, today. I don't think of either one as a "must have" but there are enjoyable parts to either.
First, I just got the new Tragedy Cd, Darker Days Ahead. For a Sludge punk band, this sure is some fine Doom metal... I know, I know, obvious joke, but there's something to it: Tragedy have gone further and further into doom territory from CD to CD. This new one is actually pushing through doom, all the way over to more or less Stoner rock territory at times. The vocals are about the only thing truly in Sludge territory, the majority of the music is in melancholy Doom lands, but sometimes there's a improvisatory looseness that reminds me of Stoner rock. So, it actually reminds me of my entry point into all these microgenres: early Kylesa. I know that the influence goes the other way around, but as a listener, it sounds to me like Tragedy have been listening to  "To walk a Middle Course" and are trying to bring that into their sound.
Then, I finally caved in, and got the Djerv CD. I say caved in, because there are so many things to dislike about the band- Agnete has Euro Rock Chick disease on her clean vocals ( her growls are another matter altogether), the stuff is over-produced beyond recognition ( recorded, engineered and mastered by three different guys on two different continents? really??? What next, gonna get Swizz Beatz and Diplo to do remixes?) and Death Metal pedigrees actually put me off. But, the songs are really strong, in a HIM, Tiamat, and (less) Lacuna Coil  kind of "blackened Pop" kind of way. Also, Agnete's growl/scream is exactly up my alley. So, in that fashion is a hybrid of a different sort- stuff I don't like mixed with stuff I do- so yes, it took me a year to cave in and buy the CD.
Now that I have, I think it's exactly where Metal should go. See, as I keep on saying, I'm not much of a Metal head, so this would probably go down like a lead Zeppelin (hehe) but all the "extreme" stuff in Metal: the seven string guitars, the 30 minute guitar solos, the blast beats, the gargled vocals, and so on- they all seem like gimmicks to me. So, whereas most of metal is hung up on what I'd call gimmicks, so much so that there's no music left. Djerv, on the other hand, start with solid rock songs, then add those extreme metal touches exactly like I see them- as gimmicks. Still, they're Metal at heart- considering that they do a better version of "Symphony of Destruction" than Megadeth do. So, we're back to my thoughts about simplification and complexity. I think that because Djerv are making music that's real, and direct to them, they can cut through the various levels of hype and genre to communicate what I think Metal should say- this is rock music brought up to the Nth degree. If you have to simplify my tastes, I guess that's about as best as I can do...

Silversun Pickups -Neck of the Woods

I just got the CD today. I've only listened to it 1 time. So, here are some thoughts, call it a review only if you're very brave.
I am a fan of Silversun Pickups, and not a fan of Smashing Pumpkins, but even I can hear the vocal similarities between Brian Aubert and Billy Corgan. That having said, I don't think there are any real parallels musically between the bands that aren't better drawn between other bands. Mostly, the past records have reminded me of The Comas. This new one is different than that. Honestly, I hear connections with another contemporary band- The Twilight Sad. Not quite caught up to the new record, but along the same melancholy atmospheric vibe. What that says is that it's darker, more moody, more minor key, with a more synthetic beat. The guitars are less of a fuzzed out blur, and more skeletal twang, with bursts of distortion, like angry fits, as opposed to the out-of- focus shoegazing comforter of sound they've done before. They keyboards are less melodic, more noisey. I like it, a lot. Maybe more than the last record. I like icy electronics, meet raw guitars. Heck, listen to old Tubeway Army records- that's the new Wave sound that half my generation fell in love with- so I don't think my aesthetics are very far removed from normal. What makes it a little more odd is the nakedness of some of the loops, the glitchiness of the noises, and the almost atonal guitars stuffed under honey sweet melodies ( as opposed to the Spun sugar melodies they've used before)
Oh, and the packaging, something I almost never mention in most CD releases, is gorgeous- wonderfully still photos, almost on the edge of offering some kind of narrative form, but still oblique- just so, so pretty.
So, on first impression, I think this may lose some of the American audience, but gain some European respect. I can see them on a bill with Twillight Sad, White Lies, Editors, dEUS, Kashmir, and Silence is Sexy. That's a much better crowd than Smashing Pumpkins, any day.

G8 in Frederick County, yeah!

So, are you one of those who travels around to protest the various G8 summits? Well, then you probably already know that the next one is on the 18th and 19th at Camp David, and, unless you have a death wish, that means your protest will have to be in Frederick Maryland. 

So, Hi! I live in Frederick County, and I'm actually sympathetic to your cause. However, that makes me a bit rare, here. This is a pretty conservative, pretty republican area. Even if Frederick, as a city, is trying to put on the appearance of a liberal, Artsy College town, the truth is- this is Tea Party country. 

So, a few tips-

1. Tread lightly. You're behind enemy lines, here.

2. We've got a wannabe Joe Arpaio  in Sheriff Chuck Jenkins. Don't count on Law enforcement to see things your way. You might make for a good headline.

3. That having said,  there are a few places in town where they'll be a little more friendly to you-

The Common Market, MOM,  The Frederick Coffee Company and Hood College but I said a "little" more friendly. Keep that in mind

4. If you're planning on camping- may I suggest  Gathland State park.  You should be able to find some spots here, and hey, that's Blair Witch territory.

5. and Finally- keep in mind, if you want a mass movement, you have to appeal to the masses. Keep it friendly.

I never hated Coldplay. They seemed a bit 'chick rock'- not in a lilith fair kinda way, which would actually be halfway cool, more in a cynical Christopher Cross kind of way. But, not offensive, not evil. That changes, now. The cover of Fight for Your Right (to Party)? Loathsome. Utterly degenerate.
First of all, it's like doing a memorial to the Pope by re-enacting the Spanish Inquisition. Yes, in either case, a major event, but not exactly what either party would want to remember. Beyond that, let the guy have a moment. If you're gonna play his song, play it his way.
But, we all really know why they played that song, that way, don't we? It was the song the most audience members would know, and played  in the Coldplay "formula" so that the audience could feel like Coldplay were being "heartfelt"- That's pure cynical manipulation.
On top of that, it's emphasizing the worst part of Coldplay's sound- hopelessly simplistic melodies, with narcotic overtones- like Pink Floyd at their worst. It's bad music, played for bad motives. No, thank you.

For Fellow Travellers

Adam Yauch. You already know why. Here's why you should spare him a moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64lWVE3Tg2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf1YF_MH1xc&ob=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE&ob=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKNmLMs7ugw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNfTBzgLX8E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He2M9Bbp0GA