Blackmail II

So, speaking of EuroAlt music, I also have the new one by Germany's Blackmail, II . It's a frustrating mixed bag. For every really pretty good song like The Rush, Day of Doom or Dual, there's some pretty awful song like Impact or Shine.  There's probably no better argument than this record for A la Carte music buying at Itunes or Amazon, and there is a school of thought for music blogs exactly like that- that I should be telling you which tracks to buy, and which to skip. My problem with that is that I respect other people too much for that. I think you can easily make up your own mind as to what you like. What I'm doing, instead is just pointing out what I like, in case you may have missed something.  So, what do I like about Blackmail? I like how they take American and English influences and screw them up into something different. Case in point: The Rush. We start out with American Indie guitars along the lines of Sonic Youth or maybe Pavement. Then we add sweet high male vocal harmonies, like Crosby Stills Nash and Young, then, for the chorus the distortion roars in like Afghan Whigs. About two minutes in, they have a bridge section with a slide guitar solo straight out of the George Harrison playbook, while Deep Purple organ swells underneath.  Get the idea? Combinations that would be contradictions in an American or British band ( The Australians aren't afraid to mix it up, either, but they tend to go heavier) and it works very well. In America, the stalwart radio condition is "Classic Rock". Since the early 1990's, the one constant is a station that plays the hits from about 1968 through 1978. Never mind that what would constitute "classic rock" for a guy my age would either be hair metal or punk rock. Never mind that, if we were to apply the same formula, in 2013, classic Rock should be Goo Goo Dolls and Live. Nope, we have to preserve the Baby Boomers' false mythologies. So,  how dare a band mix slacker indie with  psychedelia, or grunge and punk into glam, right? The result is stultifying. It's why hip hop has degenerated into rap, pop into boy bands, and rock has gone from something vital to a punch line. Don't believe me?  Dave Grohl  shows up in Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. As does Dio. Get the picture? I'll be digging into this topic when I get around to talking about the Sound City soundtrack, but this is why, apart from the underground, I'm looking to Europe and Australia- they haven't suffered nearly the same "Freedom Rock"( a great coinage from Black Francis)  shackles as has America. There's a reason why The Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age have become a kind of canon for Rock- they're the last of the Americans who understand that the whole point of rock is to be a hybrid of past present and future, and a hybrid of genre and flavor. So, yes, I would suggest you pick up Blackmail's latest record so you can pick out what bastardizations you like.

Kashmir- EAR

So, I haven't mentioned it for awhile, but I still have my love for European Alt pop rock. But, I still got the new Kashmir record EAR. They're still doing relatively gentle alt pop- however whereas earlier stuff was in the Radiohead to Coldplay type soft rock, this one is more umm... Flaming Lips to Blitzen Trapper maybe? It's very gentle music- I don't know if they get the "rock" tag anymore. Yes, there are drums, but it's going more for lush, yet simple acoustic with electronic effects type of pop. In a ghostly way, it reminds me of latter-day Beatles, but far more quiet. One song is even called "Peace in the Heart". It's really good for background music, but when it catches you the melodies are deeply satisfying and ear pleasing. Honestly, here's what I think the best way to hear this would be: as the chill out room music at a David Bowie circa "Ashes to Ashes" themed rave. Meaning that nothing here will rile you up, but you may have some preconceived notions challenged a bit. Which separates them from the Coldplay-to- Decembrists end of the spectrum. If you just want to sample start with Seraphina and Piece of the Sun If you like that, step into their yet Another Green World ( yes, there's some Brian Eno in there)

Chelsea Boys

So, let me get this out of the way first: Sonic Youth are broken up. Thurston and Kim are broken up. I really liked some Sonic Youth records- primarily Sister and Daydream Nation, but others as well. Yes, I also had a strange kind of romantic idealism about their marriage- the notion that a married couple could function as one, in Art and life, appealed to me. However, that is not why I like Chelsea Light Moving. While it is Thurston Moore's new band, and he still sounds like himself, both in his songwriting, and in his guitar playing, I think it'd be wrong to simply view this as a Sonic Youth offshoot. This is a noisey Arty punk band, and thus definitely in the same field as Sonic Youth, but there are major differences. First, the vibe, the feel, the tone, whatever you want to call it, is far more masculine, far more aggressive, far more rock than Sonic Youth. There are short bits that even get up to Unwound/Jesus Lizard/Cows territory. I think that is why the reviews are only mildly positive. People want it to be more balanced, like Sonic Youth was- but it's not. This is Thurston Moore in full bore "Rock God" mode. He's indulging himself, sure, but it's also not a solo album- it's about dudes jamming, and not so much in a Dave Matthews sense- in a garage band , in the garage sense. This is the core of rock music- guys, fueled by id, asserting themselves into the universe. Yes, women can do that, too, and yes, Samara Lubelski is female, but it's still mostly a guy's game.  If that appeals to you, as it does to me, you might very well dig Chelsea Light Moving.

I haven't forgotten

Ok, How about a slightly longer take on three CDs I gave short shrift to?

First,

David Bowie's "The Next Day". Now, on the "David Bowie scale", which is to say, in relation to his other albums, it ranks somewhere around "Heathen" for me- which is to say not all that high, but certainly listenable. On a plain, ordinary scale, that's still pretty high- call it a 3 star rating on the Zagat scale- but not perfect. Songs like I'd rather Be High, and You feel so lonely You could Die are barely disguised retreads of ideas, and melodies already explored. However, tracks like "Where are we now?" and "Heat" have the avante garde goods that Bowie used to deliver with regularity. Still, most of the tracks are good, putting out pop-rock with a pinch of eclectic artiness, like What would happen if a crooner like Perry Como, or Burt Bacharach were forced to interpret My Bloody Valentine, Scott Walker and Sonic Youth for a Vegas routine. If that interests you, as it should, then you'll probably like it. If you're new to David Bowie, this isn't the place to start, and if you're still awaiting the return of the 1980's Pop Ziggaurat that David Bowie used to be, you'll think he's gotten old and boring. But, if you liked the Berlin albums, but have aged to mellow complacency, then this may be exactly what you want.

 

Next,

Clutch are local boys for me, but they are on tour so often that I rarely see them. I even missed out on getting tickets to their magnificent show due on 4/20. However, because I have beer making friends, I was able to score an advance copy of the new CD, and, for me, this is the best Clutch  record since Blast Tyrant. Please don't misunderstand, I enjoyed stuff they've done since 2004, but I'm not fully prepared to follow them all the way down into some of the bloozrawk cul-de-sacs they have ventured into. Unlike many of their fans, I'm also not all aboard with Neil's lyrics, which I think are sometimes Bull for shit's sake. So, Earth Rocker has mercifully (for me) tightened up on the music, and eased off from Neil's meanderings. Tracks like "Crucial Velocity" ,'Mr Freedom" 'DC Sound Attack" and 'Book Saddle & Go" make their points with the tempo and the tune long before Neil can tell me what he means. Yes, there's Heavy, heavy blues involved, but this is a pure rock LP, more than it is anything else. In fact, they have mentioned Judas Priest in some of the interviews, and that's not completely misplaced. So, even for a heavy rock band, you could almost say that this is their 'Heavy Metal" record. For them, I think that's a great thing. Tim Sult needs to rock his P-90 suited Junior more often. The P-90 bridge position into a Marshall half stack is literally the most "rocknroll" tone possible, whether you're talking punk, glam or metal,  and it's obvious he's using that, probably with a JCM900 . Also, it's like an old vinyl LP- about 45 minutes long- 4 or 5  songs to a "side"- each about 4 to 5 minutes long- like a classic hard rock or metal LP. Oh, and the Beard thing? That's a Maryland/ mid-Atlantic in joke that went international.

 

Finally, Swingin Utters ( or $wingin utter$, if you prefer) have come back ( we won't mention "Here, Under Protest" because I definitely have a minority viewpoint on that one) and aren't the same band they were in 2000- both literally, and metaphorically. I really like this one because of the difference. See, they'd gone from a generic plaid mohawk retropunk band to a Celtic folkpunknroll band- like Dropkick Murphys or Flogging Molly, but with a more So-cal Rocknroll vibe, a la Social Distortion. Now, there's an emphasis on clean, or nearly clean rapidly downstroked guitars, like early new wave- and it has that same spastic energy, like a Rezillos, Spizzengergi, Pylon or (more recently) the Briefs. I'm sure this has something to do with Jack Dalrymple- as he'd be the new element. The end result approaches classic postpunk- like the early Pixies, or Strokes, but with a manic garage thrill, like The Hives. The distorted telephone vocals definitely helps to give it the proper "lo fi" setting. It's hard to pick out "standout" tracks, because it all goes rushing by, like a bike messenger with a bad case of assquake. But, Brains and Poorly Formed made it on to my Mp3 player first.  

Intronaut's New One is pretty good

Intronaut occupy an odd space in my collection. On the one hand, they have passages that are extreme Metal, and very much follow that convention. On the other hand, they have vocal harmonies and Clean passages that seem not to far removed from the psychedelic work of Baroness. Then again, the time signatures are something out of the Meshuggah playbook. The dissonance would place them also in a mathy kind of place. Perhaps psychedelic math skronk? Doom jazz?  In any event, I have their new one " Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones) and I like it. Maybe it's the increased emphasis on vocal melody, or maybe they've honed their songcraft, but they don't sound quite so "cut and paste". Things flow a bit more, and the dissonance works as a dynamic device, while the melodies are a bit less shoehorned in. I still prefer Kylesa, Baroness and Torche  but this is the first Intronaut record I listened to more than once. You can listen to it at their website  and decide for yourself, but I believe this new one is more worth your time than their past releases.

TV Change

Just a heads up that I'm going to be making a change in my TV soon. I'm going from Cable TV to Internet only. I plan on writing about what that entails. So, where we are at, right now is that I'm paying about 150/month for Cable TV and "High Speed" internet. This is their "discounted" rate: I think the breaking point for me was when I asked them if we could get that under 100/month, and they could not, even though they are currently running multiple promotions stating they can do phone, internet and TV for under 100. Basically, I'm tired of being penalized for living in a part of the country where legislators don't care about the citizens, so basic consumer protections hardly exist. See, the Cable TV company has a monopoly, here. I cannot switch companies. If I want TV, I can either pay the Cable TV company whatever they want, or I can do what I'm doing, and pay the same company for Internet ( again, at whatever rate they demand) and not pay them  for Cable, and subscribe to multiple services online ( I'm figuring on Hulu plus, Netflix and HBOGo) .
So far, I've purchased a Roku Box, and I plan on buying a new Modem and wireless router today. I have to get my wife to call the Cable Company, because the service is technically in her name, and I'm hoping to get her to do that on Monday. Then, it's a matter of subscribing. I'll report back. I really want this to work out, and I think I've done enough research that it should.

Catching up

I can't really do full reviews but here's a thought for some of what I've been listening to:

Clutch- Earth Rocker: Damn, it sure is good to live in Maryland, sometimes. These are my local guys. If you know Clutch, this new album is Clutch plus ( meaning it's what they do, only more so) but if you don't know- they play blues- based extremely heavy music, like Soundgarden or The Melvins, only with more blues than The Black Keys or Jack White. Oh, and they even dip into some Go Go this time.
David Bowie- The Next Day. Ok, it's Bowie, so there moments of Genius. But I really think this is about as backwards looking and nostalgic as he has ever sounded. He clearly is referencing his Berlin to "Ashes" periods, and for a guy who's always staked his claim on going into what's next, it's odd that the Next Day is so grounded in the past.
Son Volt- Honky Tonk. In Country music, The Bakersfield sound is pretty much the Stoner Rock of the genre. It's raw, but mellow, and built around substance abuse. Further, and more importantly to this thought- it's one of the major non-rockabilly influences of the rock sound of the early 1970's. So Son Volt have been doing Americana for years, and now, they're going for the Bakersfield sound, and I like it.
Swingin Utter$- Poorly Formed. Where in the hell did this come from? The Swingin' Utters always did a celtic informed version of the rock-n-punk ethos that Mike Ness has perfected. Now, the line change has produced a great New Wave band. This is the meeting of Fat/Epitaph pop punk with the spazz punk of the Rezillos and Spizzenergi. The end result is one of the best New Wave LP's I've heard since the Pixies' Tromp Le Monde.
Hex Machine- Fixator . Mathy Skronky, Metallic crunch bastards. What more do you want?
The Cribs- Payola - A great singles collection from the band that killed Britpop to save it.
Of course, there's more but this is just meant to catch me up a little bit.  I've got even bigger tech problems now, including a very serious threat to the hard drive that houses most of my music collection, so, Ta.....

No post here.

Sorry, I'm dealing with some computer crap. However, I thought I'd mention it, since you may deal with it at some point, too.
I have Comcast as my cable TV provider. I am trying to cut that cord, though. However, they have a monopoly for Internet in my part  of the world, so, I will continue to "favour" them as my ISP. If I could change, I would. They like Internet Explorer, and McAfee. I prefer Chrome and Kaspersky. However, Chrome doesn't like Kaspersky, and Google has, in fact, been demonstrably less functional as of late. So- I'm having all kinds of loading issues, and crashes as my Internet service provider dukes it out with my Browser and my Security programs.  Yes, yes, I could get rid of all my computers, etc, and switch to Apple, but I could also just not use a computer ever again, too. In case you don't understand- I'd rather become Ted Kaczynski than use Apple. I think that Apple products trade their users' rights and security for Apple's rights and security and I think that's completely screwed up for people to buy into that system. So, sure, I could also go Linux, and I would if I didn't have a job. The fact is, the American Workplace uses Microsoft. Period. So, I cannot antagonize Microsoft too terribly much.
So, anyway, while I work this out- I cannot talk about the stuff I've been watching ( Walking Dead, Portlandia, and Person of Interest mostly) nor listening to ( new Clutch, David Bowie, Son Volt, Swingin Utters, Hex Machine and Cribs- All of which are great in their own ways.) nor reading ( "This is a Call" the Dave Grohl bio, "Spray Paint the Walls" the Black Flag bio, and "Undisputed" the Chris Jericho auto-bio). So, there's no post here. But, go out, watch, listen and read all that, and I bet you'll be better off than if I described them for you.

Depressed Mode

Remember that joke? People- mostly late eighties dudes who were a bit jocks but dated Alterna-chicks, like me, called "Depeche Mode" that.
Well, I bring it up because it's suitable for the two new CDs I've got- How To Destroy Angels' "Welcome Oblivion" and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Specter at the Feast" . Both are downbeat little affairs, with layered loops and kinda "post Rock" vibes. I'll spare you any possible suspense and say that if you have to choose between the two, I'll suggest BRMC , hands down. But, I do own both. So I hate neither one.
How To Destroy Angels can be differentiated from Nine Inch Nails by two main factors: Mariqueen's vocals and more sparse, open arrangements. These are both improvements. I could go a lifetime without hearing Trent Reznor's strangulated Kermit the Frog voice. I understand using claustrophobia as a device in a song, but over the course of  5 out of 8 records, it becomes simply bad songwriting. By reducing the instrumentation, there's less compression on the individual sounds, so I don't feel like I'm listening to the aural equivalent of the trash compactor of the Death Star ( muddy, crushing, junked and it stinks). Now, I didn't hate NIN, but I thought of them as a bit of a put-on. No one feels the oppressed, and oppressive and shifts that many units. So, they always struck me as the "gothic" night at the local disco- dress up in fetish wear and dance to the beat of an auto factory so's people can take pictures of you being "wild". HDA, on the other hand sound experimental and adventurous- in a David Bowie meets Brian Eno in the 1970's Berlin kind of way. Pop music keeps on showing up in the glitchy electronic soundscapes. Still, it's very quiet, or it's very glitchy, and it ends up ultimately being like bad trip hop for me- I'm sure fascinating things are going on in there, but I am not fascinated enough to listen that closely. But, on better tracks, like "Ice Age" there's enough warmth and humanity that I stop and listen, and nod my head. But most of the tracks are so amelodic and glitchy that, well, my CD, as is sometimes the case with promo CDs, is damaged, on the 3rd track " and the sky began to scream" and I didn't notice until the 2nd repeat play. Still, that digital imperfection that they carefully sculpt is the one thing keeping tracks like "how long" from sounding completely like MOR. So, there is a function.( Edited to Add: OK, so I've now verified that I've got a defective CD, here. However, I've listened to a stream of the entire thing, and most of my comments still stand. I would only change that it's not quite as glitchy as I'm emphasizing here, but electronic "noise" and digital imperfections are still a major songwriting tool, here, and I would add that the latter third does go right in between latter day NIN and Trent Reznor's soundtrack work- meaning that the intention might very well be to have a kind of gloomy ambient music. Instead of another green world, perhaps an alternative black planet, hehehe. The pessimist Buddhist lyrical stance would seem to bear that out, jokes aside. ) Ultimately, unlike NIN, it's ear pleasing music that risks a lot, and that really should be rewarded. Maybe I'll buy it when it comes out, in the hopes that my copy is just defective.
BRMC, on the other hand I'll buy because my copy will have worn out. I really dig this Album. It starts slow, with a psychedelic folky run on the first four tracks. It isn't until "Hate the Taste" starts to roar that the rocker in you will come alive. But, yes from there, they alternate between lush ballads like the Verve used to do and raw hardheaded rockers like The Jesus and Mary Chain, with a mescaline psychosis. These guys suffered a bit- contract disputes, band members flaking out, family deaths, and everything else. They have earned the more subdued side. But, when subdued, there is still enough grit that I think of atmospheric bands like Calexico and Pelican, as opposed to I dunno, The Decembrists. It's more like what it would be if George Harrison joined the Who- the gentleness is a foil to the thuggery.  They're downbeat, but not beaten into submission. The swagger, snarl and menace of "Hate the Taste", "Teenage Disease", or "Funny Games" carries through, so that when you get to the final, gentle keyboard coda at the end of "Lose Yourself" it's an earned release. In other words, while Black Rebel Motorcycle Club might still have the tough sound of their Marlon Brando inspired name- much like Brando's Johnny Strabler they have suffered more than they cause suffering, and for that, they are compelling. Damn, I want a 1961 Triumph Bonneville T120, some vintage Lee dungarees and a vinyl copy of this record- it would all fit, trust me. Here's their myth, but hope you like the reality.

Triggerfinger and beyond

There are a few bands that are hard for me to pin down. Most of the time, I've got a pretty good idea what the band wants to accomplish within two or three listens. Sometimes, I know the band well enough that I can figure things out as I hear a new song. Then, there are bands like Triggerfinger. I have been aware of them since about 2008. I finally ordered a copy of their last studio LP "All this Dancin' Around" after seeing the triumphant set they did at Lowlands this past summer. When I heard it was a remaster, I figured they were trying to polish a not strong set of songs. So I didn't worry when it took a month to get to me. I gave the CD a cursory listen, and filed it away. But I remembered that set I saw. So, I listened a few more times this past week. What I can say is that, while I can't pin down who they are as a band, nor what they're trying to do, I can say that they have some strengths that are compelling. First, as should be obvious from following the links above- they put on a hell of a show. Second, Singer/guitarist Ruben Block has a great voice that is mostly like Josh Homme's but with a wailing, killer  howl of a falsetto that he deploys like a cruise missile and plays guitar  with a both a command of his instrument and an underlying joy of noise, in a way that I cannot resist. Third,  drummer Mario Goossens, while a strong drummer, really knows how to produce a record ( he worked the same for Black Box Revelation, and Hooverphonic)- and with this record, he got to do it at Sound City (I've simply gotta see that doc) . Seriously, the record sounds absolutely crackling!  Fourth, Paul Van Bruystegem is a secret weapon of a Bass player. He functions like both an augment to the drums, and as a second guitar player- no mean feat, that. It reminds me of Mike Watt, and you'll hear no higher compliment from me.
However- there's some basic confusions going on. I cannot figure out if they're doing an exercise is blues rock formalism a la The Black Keys and White Stripes, or a psychedelic desert rock grunge revival a la QOTSA and Red Fang. There are definite elements of both, and usually not at the same time. One track is a flat out grunge boogie, and another track a Blues rock scorcher- and they do either one with enough conviction that I'd believe either one is their true calling.  They do covers like some kind of bar band. But they also do originals as their mainstay, like bohemians. They dress like errant members of Grinderman, and yet, with a kind of ironic hipsterdom that reminds me of Cake, circa "Fashion Nugget" .  All this is nearly impossible for me to reconcile, unless I consider them hacks- just blown about by whatever marketing tells them- but that doesn't fit, either. These guys have put in their time- Ruben was in a psychobilly band, Mario a grunge band and the sound would fit between those two influences. Also, if they wanted to sell out, I would think that a more pop direction would get them farther. So, I'm not buying that.
There is a precedent - Thin White Rope.  Now I'm not saying that Triggerfinger sound like Thin White Rope, or that they have the same talent one of my favorite bands of all time, but I am saying that mix of reverence for golden era blues and roots music mixed with a heavy metal love of sheer volume and brash rock theatrics. They, too,  would passionately record covers but then put out truly convincing originals. They, too flirted with irony on their image without becoming parody. The resulting sound they had would also fit neatly halfway between Psychobilly and grunge. Also, let's not forget that aforementioned "golden age"- what made many of the artists of that time forebears of bands we love now was their ability to walk between worlds. If Ike Turner hadn't mixed blues and country, there's no rock n roll. If Les Paul hadn't decided to mix studio wizardry with virtuoso musicianship, modern music doesn't happen. If people hadn't decided to sing more than one melody line, there's no harmony. You can take this as far back as you'd like- the point is the same- Art is about confusing our expectations. It's about both commerce and piety at the same time, and about joy and pain, and everything else. I know that's pretty heady stuff. Triggerfinger just play Rocknroll, so don't make it more than that because that's enough to make it more than worth your while, whenever you come across it, and however it forms.
On the other hand, such concerns are important to me- whether art innovates, renovates or replicates matters to what and how it communicates. Something that's just replicating says that there is nothing more to be said and is therefore closed. When a bar band does their level best to play the hits of the day, exactly as the original artists did, they are erasing themselves, and stating that the here and now matters less than the fantasy of what could have been. Such is why I loathe "tribute" bands. They are saying- right now sucks, and wasn't it cooler, or wouldn't it be cooler if we were watching AC/DC? Further, it's even making the object of their Tribute a closed off proposition - their songs are preserved in amber, like million year old mosquitoes, no longer able to breathe, or live in any real sense. When a musical Artist innovates, they are also saying that something  no longer works, but they are trying to fix that. They are asking us to let go of our fantasies and see what might be next. I vastly prefer that, but the best choice for me is when Art renovates- when they say this is great, but let's customize it, let's make it function better for our purposes, now. That, to me, is at the heart of what I think Culture should be. So, while it's not truly important if Triggerfinger hews to that line, it's important that I point us in that direction.