It's not surprising to me that The Rise doesn't get much mention. They didn't exactly play commercial sounding hard rock. They were somewhat innovative in the use of heavily processed vocals (auto tune, and more) in a hardcore/thrash/metal setting, but that would be counter-balanced by how big a debt they owed to The Refused. It's precisely that balance that makes me want to mention them, now, however. I think the thing that makes their second release "Reclamation Process" valuable, and worth your time is that they completed an equation that The Refused started.
See, The Refused were a barely passable metalcore band until they started exploring a relationship between thrash and Techno. They were doing so primarily in service to their leftist/Anarchist/Socialist/Situationist politics, and so even on their bast expression, the "Shape of Punk to Come" CD, they still sounded like a hardcore band playing around with synths. That alone was revelatory, but it wasn't complete. They didn't get into the relationship between the sounds, and they didn't use the music as a means of expressing anything deeper than the lyrics (which were plenty intellectual, but overwhelming to any input from the music). The Rise start out aping the Refused, but on Reclamation Process, the lyrics take a back seat to the sonics which blend screeching "screamo" vocals, and metallic thrashy guitars with auto tune, glitchy synth noise, samples and atonal over-processed laptop sequences. The result isn't exactly pretty, but it does make a sonic point as the electronics slowly overtake the songs. The human elements, one by one fall away- from vocals and live playing over to samples and sequences- without ever losing the abrasiveness of a hardcore punk background. In the end, not only does it presage what a band like Attack! Attack! is doing, but it completes the sonic equation presented by the Refused- what place does the human element have in music, and can the machines express anything beyond simple replication. This isn't like Gary Numan positing human-like androids emotionally lost in the electronic void. It's more like the electronic void having a conversation with a lost soul, and perhaps winning the debate. By the time the CD ends in washes of White and pink noise, you can almost understand what it's communicating. It's definitely worth pondering.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Accept no Substitute
Nasty Fire sounds like the imaginary name of an imaginary band fronted by a twelve year old pyromaniac, doesn't it? The actual band has something to do with that expectation- These guys play basic thrash with the kind of abandon and glee you'd expect from a twelve year old pyro. The lyrics are unintelligible but, if I could understand them, I'd probably be offended. Again, I'm thinking a twelve year old would smile. Go back in time, and when I was a twelve year old, I listened to thrash that wasn't all that different from this, so is it any wonder that I like it? Yes, it's as brain dead as it seems like, but tell me you want to be smart all the time, so I can avoid you. Big dumb thrash beats boring "smart" technical thrash, any day of the week. Want proof? Listen to this. Now, go back to Nasty Fire.
Meanwhile, Sage Francis is probably the smartest guy in the rap/hip hop game ever since Michael Franti decided to write love songs, instead ( and yes, I still think Michael Franti is one of the smartest guys I've ever seen, he's just not in the rap/hip hop game, anymore). Sage does a pretty old school style, but his flow unstoppable. Yes, he can be as silly as a twelve year old, but he'll make you think like an adult before he's done. What a world it would be if he was bigger than Eminem? The beats are better than candy-named wrapper, and the flow is more intricate, and the ideas are more outrageous. Compare Mosh to Conspiracy to Riot. Is there a better argument that Mass Culture is a dead end?
What does this add up to? Whether your personal muse leads you to silly thrash with no socially redeeming values, or to the smart kids' table, or to both at the same time- it's better to follow that muse than either to deny it, or accept the poor substitute that those who don't understand will offer you.
Meanwhile, Sage Francis is probably the smartest guy in the rap/hip hop game ever since Michael Franti decided to write love songs, instead ( and yes, I still think Michael Franti is one of the smartest guys I've ever seen, he's just not in the rap/hip hop game, anymore). Sage does a pretty old school style, but his flow unstoppable. Yes, he can be as silly as a twelve year old, but he'll make you think like an adult before he's done. What a world it would be if he was bigger than Eminem? The beats are better than candy-named wrapper, and the flow is more intricate, and the ideas are more outrageous. Compare Mosh to Conspiracy to Riot. Is there a better argument that Mass Culture is a dead end?
What does this add up to? Whether your personal muse leads you to silly thrash with no socially redeeming values, or to the smart kids' table, or to both at the same time- it's better to follow that muse than either to deny it, or accept the poor substitute that those who don't understand will offer you.
Monday, January 25, 2010
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.
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.
Influential
There are some artists that "change the game". For example, while a band like Tortoise was doing what later got called "post rock" for years, the big game-changer was more when Radiohead got into ambient, textural music. Below that, there were a slew of guitar-based bands in the late 1980's who were playing long, Televsion-influenced nearly instrumental rock, all about feel, and cinematic scope. But, Tortoise was more of a game-changer than them, Radiohead more of a game-changer than Tortoise- you understand?
Well, like him or not, Trent Reznor was a big game-changer. Take a look around on any site where musicians self-identify their influences, and you'll read "Trent Reznor" or even more popularly his Nom-de-guerre "Nine Inch Nails". So, at this point, saying that such-and-such sounds like Trent Reznor isn't big news. It's like saying a guitar player is referencing Jimmy Page or Dick Dale- it's a bit of a given. However, some comparisons are closer than others, so when I say that there's a stamp of Trent Reznor on Fresh Body Shop and Pain, it's not just that they're both essentially one-man bands, with an aggressive electronic rock sound.
In the case of Fresh Body Shop, the vocal similarity between Pedro and Trent is uncanny. My wife is a big fan of Nine Inch Nails and when she heard Fresh Body Shop, she asked if it was a new NIN CD. But, I truly appreciate the differences more than the similarities. It's pretty obvious to me that our man Pedro, I mean "Fresh Body Shop" is much more a pop-rock guy than Trent. If there can be a blues-based guitar lick, there will be. Also, a lot of the songs are far more traditional, and far more upbeat than Trent can muster. On top of all that, Pedro likes Accoustic guitars. Some of the best songs, then, sound like some anachronistic little artifact from 1975, where some hippies heard Caberet Voltaire, or something. It's all very hummable, and very light (as opposed to "lite", meaning lesser). The addition of some 8-bit keyboards really completes this, and integrates the electronics with the folksy-ness. Consider Pedro's band Fresh Body Shop highly reccommended if you want some breezy summery Pop music with a bit of rock backbone.
Pain, meanwhile, is pretty much the opposite. Peter Tagtgren already was a successful heavy metal musician with his band Hypocrisy. Where Fresh Body Shop is light and Poppy, Pain is heavy and abrasive. Where Pain relates to Trent Reznor in the strongest fashion, however, is in the lyrics which are cynical and dark to the point of a kind of misanthropic self-parody. But, where Pain gets interesting is in the other influences- the meeting of electronics and loud rock is interesting, I suppose, but certainly not novel. But, melodically, the electronics usually carry some kind of Wagnerian bombast that clearly owes a debt to Scandinavian folksongs, while the guitars are very percussive- it's like adding a supercharger to Sibelius (Jean, not the software!). As a result, the songs carry a symphonic majesty without ever losing the motorik beat of dance rock. Far more traditional than Trent Reznor, but in an entirely different direction than Fresh Body shop.
Ultimately, that's the best use of influences- as a kind of slate to write your own mark upon- the springboard to your own inspiration. I've heard that Shaw said that Mediocrity borrows, and Genius steals- and I think the point is exactly this kind of thing- we all have influences, if we're intelligent. So, if we're only mediocre, our use of our influences is merely borrowing from the influential material- but it remains in the possession of that influence. The Genius, however, takes the raw material of that influence to not merely change the game played, but instead to make a new game. In other words, it's ok to have influences, so long as you're not overwhelmed by them. That is the game I'd much prefer to play.
Well, like him or not, Trent Reznor was a big game-changer. Take a look around on any site where musicians self-identify their influences, and you'll read "Trent Reznor" or even more popularly his Nom-de-guerre "Nine Inch Nails". So, at this point, saying that such-and-such sounds like Trent Reznor isn't big news. It's like saying a guitar player is referencing Jimmy Page or Dick Dale- it's a bit of a given. However, some comparisons are closer than others, so when I say that there's a stamp of Trent Reznor on Fresh Body Shop and Pain, it's not just that they're both essentially one-man bands, with an aggressive electronic rock sound.
In the case of Fresh Body Shop, the vocal similarity between Pedro and Trent is uncanny. My wife is a big fan of Nine Inch Nails and when she heard Fresh Body Shop, she asked if it was a new NIN CD. But, I truly appreciate the differences more than the similarities. It's pretty obvious to me that our man Pedro, I mean "Fresh Body Shop" is much more a pop-rock guy than Trent. If there can be a blues-based guitar lick, there will be. Also, a lot of the songs are far more traditional, and far more upbeat than Trent can muster. On top of all that, Pedro likes Accoustic guitars. Some of the best songs, then, sound like some anachronistic little artifact from 1975, where some hippies heard Caberet Voltaire, or something. It's all very hummable, and very light (as opposed to "lite", meaning lesser). The addition of some 8-bit keyboards really completes this, and integrates the electronics with the folksy-ness. Consider Pedro's band Fresh Body Shop highly reccommended if you want some breezy summery Pop music with a bit of rock backbone.
Pain, meanwhile, is pretty much the opposite. Peter Tagtgren already was a successful heavy metal musician with his band Hypocrisy. Where Fresh Body Shop is light and Poppy, Pain is heavy and abrasive. Where Pain relates to Trent Reznor in the strongest fashion, however, is in the lyrics which are cynical and dark to the point of a kind of misanthropic self-parody. But, where Pain gets interesting is in the other influences- the meeting of electronics and loud rock is interesting, I suppose, but certainly not novel. But, melodically, the electronics usually carry some kind of Wagnerian bombast that clearly owes a debt to Scandinavian folksongs, while the guitars are very percussive- it's like adding a supercharger to Sibelius (Jean, not the software!). As a result, the songs carry a symphonic majesty without ever losing the motorik beat of dance rock. Far more traditional than Trent Reznor, but in an entirely different direction than Fresh Body shop.
Ultimately, that's the best use of influences- as a kind of slate to write your own mark upon- the springboard to your own inspiration. I've heard that Shaw said that Mediocrity borrows, and Genius steals- and I think the point is exactly this kind of thing- we all have influences, if we're intelligent. So, if we're only mediocre, our use of our influences is merely borrowing from the influential material- but it remains in the possession of that influence. The Genius, however, takes the raw material of that influence to not merely change the game played, but instead to make a new game. In other words, it's ok to have influences, so long as you're not overwhelmed by them. That is the game I'd much prefer to play.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Some New-to-Me stuff.
So, after the holiday season, I like to post reviews of some of the media type things I got. It's really more-or-less my way of acknowledging stuff that I think is cool, but might be a few years removed from the public eye.
One of my favorite shows on television is How I Met Your Mother. I could write a few pages of justification. For example, the sheer level of narrative experimentation is amazing, but done so seamlessly that it feels like a standard sit-com ensemble comedy like "Friends", or "Seinfeld". But, every episode unspools with flashback-within-flashbacks, deceptive narrators telling parallel narratives, and so on. I could also justify it by pointing out the three genius comedic actors in the cast- Jason Segal, Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris. I could even point out the hip, and stylish wardrobe and soundtrack. But, the truth is that I like it because it is funny and touching in ways that seem written to my demographic. In other words, the references are relevant to me, the jokes are structured like my humor, even the storyline seems like people I know. In other words, for a fictional TV show, it seems awfully familiar. So, I now have seasons 3 and 4 to go with the two seasons I already own.
Another favorite is the band Self. Now, they had a bit of a rough ride, with Major Label problems, and band member deaths, but the music should be considered classic Pop. As in, if you like Pop/Rock, Self will probably have at least one song you'll hum. So, I've got Breakfast with Girls, which is just another lost classic long player.
I also like to experiment a bit, so I also have a band that I knew only a little about before getting the CD. Kylesa play what gets called "Sludge metal". Hardly, if you ask me. This, much like the best so-called "Grunge" bands, seems to apply a punky drive and rawness to psychedelic rock from the early 1970's. What I mean is, just like the seattle bands, the reference points are more Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and Black Flag than Judas Priest and Slayer. This is heavy, yes, but metal? That's a harder sell. The unusual arrangements seem to center on a melodic phrase played repeatedly with intricate drum patterns for variation (the instrumentation for most songs is two guitar players, two drummers, two vocalists, and one fuzzed out bass, for an anchor). Like Pelican, Like Queens of the Stone Age, like Soundgarden, I think it'd be way too limiting to call this "metal". It's hypnotic grooves, downtuned and fuzzed out with Punk/Hardcore shouted vocals. So, to say I like Static Tensions is simply to acknowledge that I like fine hard rock.
Speaking of fine Hard Rock, it's hard for me to think of much better than Australia's You Am I. They play a gloriously dissolute brand of poppy hard rock, like Tim-era Replacements- meets Exile on Main Street Rolling Stones. The new-to-me recording I got this time around is 2001's Dress Me Slowly. I'd say it's their second weakest. (The weakest was 2003's Deliverance, in my opinion) Most fans would disagree with me there, but see, as much I like their slow, sweet quiet songs, I think their bigger talent shines when they kick up a ruckus. It's much like the difference between a fake TV drunk, and an actually drunk person in your living room. The TV drunk will swagger about, do something outrageous, and make you laugh. The real drunk will annoy you for hours with their sad tale before throwing up on your rug, and making you clean it up. The slow songs may be more honest and real, but I want to have a laugh and nod my head for a minute or two, then, move on with my life. So, while I can appreciate the sensitive Art, I'd prefer to kick out the jams. Still, this is You Am I, and when they settle on a riff, it's like clockwork. It'll be the best two to three minutes of your day. What more do you want from a bunch of degenerate heavy drinkers?
One of my favorite shows on television is How I Met Your Mother. I could write a few pages of justification. For example, the sheer level of narrative experimentation is amazing, but done so seamlessly that it feels like a standard sit-com ensemble comedy like "Friends", or "Seinfeld". But, every episode unspools with flashback-within-flashbacks, deceptive narrators telling parallel narratives, and so on. I could also justify it by pointing out the three genius comedic actors in the cast- Jason Segal, Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris. I could even point out the hip, and stylish wardrobe and soundtrack. But, the truth is that I like it because it is funny and touching in ways that seem written to my demographic. In other words, the references are relevant to me, the jokes are structured like my humor, even the storyline seems like people I know. In other words, for a fictional TV show, it seems awfully familiar. So, I now have seasons 3 and 4 to go with the two seasons I already own.
Another favorite is the band Self. Now, they had a bit of a rough ride, with Major Label problems, and band member deaths, but the music should be considered classic Pop. As in, if you like Pop/Rock, Self will probably have at least one song you'll hum. So, I've got Breakfast with Girls, which is just another lost classic long player.
I also like to experiment a bit, so I also have a band that I knew only a little about before getting the CD. Kylesa play what gets called "Sludge metal". Hardly, if you ask me. This, much like the best so-called "Grunge" bands, seems to apply a punky drive and rawness to psychedelic rock from the early 1970's. What I mean is, just like the seattle bands, the reference points are more Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and Black Flag than Judas Priest and Slayer. This is heavy, yes, but metal? That's a harder sell. The unusual arrangements seem to center on a melodic phrase played repeatedly with intricate drum patterns for variation (the instrumentation for most songs is two guitar players, two drummers, two vocalists, and one fuzzed out bass, for an anchor). Like Pelican, Like Queens of the Stone Age, like Soundgarden, I think it'd be way too limiting to call this "metal". It's hypnotic grooves, downtuned and fuzzed out with Punk/Hardcore shouted vocals. So, to say I like Static Tensions is simply to acknowledge that I like fine hard rock.
Speaking of fine Hard Rock, it's hard for me to think of much better than Australia's You Am I. They play a gloriously dissolute brand of poppy hard rock, like Tim-era Replacements- meets Exile on Main Street Rolling Stones. The new-to-me recording I got this time around is 2001's Dress Me Slowly. I'd say it's their second weakest. (The weakest was 2003's Deliverance, in my opinion) Most fans would disagree with me there, but see, as much I like their slow, sweet quiet songs, I think their bigger talent shines when they kick up a ruckus. It's much like the difference between a fake TV drunk, and an actually drunk person in your living room. The TV drunk will swagger about, do something outrageous, and make you laugh. The real drunk will annoy you for hours with their sad tale before throwing up on your rug, and making you clean it up. The slow songs may be more honest and real, but I want to have a laugh and nod my head for a minute or two, then, move on with my life. So, while I can appreciate the sensitive Art, I'd prefer to kick out the jams. Still, this is You Am I, and when they settle on a riff, it's like clockwork. It'll be the best two to three minutes of your day. What more do you want from a bunch of degenerate heavy drinkers?
Friday, January 1, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Boob Tube
Ye gads, but it's been bad for cult TV shows and me, this fall.
First, Joss Whedon, who was behind the greatness that was Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog nailed the final nail in his coffin with Dollhouse. Quite possibly one of the worst shows on TV, ever, in my estimation.
Now, they've managed to savage The Prisoner. This was, folks, the pinnacle of television, for me. If you watch all 16+ episodes of the original series, you'll end up with some of the same outlooks on life that I have. Seriously, it was more than "change your life" Art, it was foundational philosophy.
On paper, this remake had several of the trappings of a good remake- some great actors, beautiful sets, a great soundtrack. But, the writing, the directing, and yes, the acting destroyed any greatness that could have been. As it stands, this thing was unwatchable. Yes, pure drek. Avoid it, if you value your time.
First, Joss Whedon, who was behind the greatness that was Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog nailed the final nail in his coffin with Dollhouse. Quite possibly one of the worst shows on TV, ever, in my estimation.
Now, they've managed to savage The Prisoner. This was, folks, the pinnacle of television, for me. If you watch all 16+ episodes of the original series, you'll end up with some of the same outlooks on life that I have. Seriously, it was more than "change your life" Art, it was foundational philosophy.
On paper, this remake had several of the trappings of a good remake- some great actors, beautiful sets, a great soundtrack. But, the writing, the directing, and yes, the acting destroyed any greatness that could have been. As it stands, this thing was unwatchable. Yes, pure drek. Avoid it, if you value your time.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Bomb- Speed is Everything
I like Punk rock. Having said that, I know that Punk Rock involves some artificial limitations that turn a lot of musicians off. Ideally, the Punk ethos is that "Anybody could do it". That's actually a pretty tough row to hew if you think about it. It's like writing haiku- of all the sounds available, you have to cling to only these few.
But, also like Haiku, if you maintain the discipline, you are rewarded with a kind of Freedom- in that you can explore vast worlds of music.
That universe of music is large enough that I can honestly say that I detest some stuff that fits under the rubric of "punk rock' more than I dislike whole other genres, while still really enjoying "punk rock". If you can understand that, you can start to see the kind of scope I'm talking about.
So, Jeff Pezzati specializes in Punk, which should then tell you zero about the music he makes, right?
What I mean is that he explores whole continents of melody, while sticking with a 4/4 verse-chorus limited pop song format. He's by and large unschooled, and relies upon his guitarists for arrangements. So, his once and future band, Naked Raygun really owes a lot of the sound to John Haggerty's minimalism. The Bomb, the band at hand, right now, seems more collaborative. There is a lot more focus on vocal harmony. Not quite like the Undertones, but still, Jeff is singing much more than his chanting in Naked Raygun. Still the guitars are co-stars, here. Jeff Dean has a lot of force to exert, and deploys his riffs in bursts like he's hoarding secrets. He can be as minimal as John Haggerty ( I think "The Rescue" might have less than 3 chords) But he employs strategies worthy of Robert Fripp- using chromatic dissonance to create tension in "Haver", using minor-to-major modalities in "Not Christmas Night" to slow down the melody- almost to a hover while keeping the tempo at appropriate Punk rock breakneck speed. So, yes, it's pretty, and has a lot of energy, but this is a far cry from "stupid". There's even a canny re-imagining of a Flock of Seagulls' "Space age Love Song" as a postpunk shimmer.
This stuff also points out the strength Punk Rock has, which almost always gets ignored. For sheer ferocity, heavy metal beats Punk rock. There are dozens of Hardcore, electronic, and even new music composers who can summon up more of an unfocused threat than punk rock ever has. No, the strength that Punk rock has is in re-shaping aggression, and passion into structured Pop music. Anybody can scream, but Art is made by conveying a scream without screaming. That's what The Bomb has done.
A special mention should be made of the production- J. Robbins had a big hand in shaping this sound, and as he always does, his touch on this is perfect- I defy you to find more ear pleasing production than he works up!
So, if you want to hear what the platonic ideal for Punk Rock is, in 2009, Speed is Everything!
But, also like Haiku, if you maintain the discipline, you are rewarded with a kind of Freedom- in that you can explore vast worlds of music.
That universe of music is large enough that I can honestly say that I detest some stuff that fits under the rubric of "punk rock' more than I dislike whole other genres, while still really enjoying "punk rock". If you can understand that, you can start to see the kind of scope I'm talking about.
So, Jeff Pezzati specializes in Punk, which should then tell you zero about the music he makes, right?
What I mean is that he explores whole continents of melody, while sticking with a 4/4 verse-chorus limited pop song format. He's by and large unschooled, and relies upon his guitarists for arrangements. So, his once and future band, Naked Raygun really owes a lot of the sound to John Haggerty's minimalism. The Bomb, the band at hand, right now, seems more collaborative. There is a lot more focus on vocal harmony. Not quite like the Undertones, but still, Jeff is singing much more than his chanting in Naked Raygun. Still the guitars are co-stars, here. Jeff Dean has a lot of force to exert, and deploys his riffs in bursts like he's hoarding secrets. He can be as minimal as John Haggerty ( I think "The Rescue" might have less than 3 chords) But he employs strategies worthy of Robert Fripp- using chromatic dissonance to create tension in "Haver", using minor-to-major modalities in "Not Christmas Night" to slow down the melody- almost to a hover while keeping the tempo at appropriate Punk rock breakneck speed. So, yes, it's pretty, and has a lot of energy, but this is a far cry from "stupid". There's even a canny re-imagining of a Flock of Seagulls' "Space age Love Song" as a postpunk shimmer.
This stuff also points out the strength Punk Rock has, which almost always gets ignored. For sheer ferocity, heavy metal beats Punk rock. There are dozens of Hardcore, electronic, and even new music composers who can summon up more of an unfocused threat than punk rock ever has. No, the strength that Punk rock has is in re-shaping aggression, and passion into structured Pop music. Anybody can scream, but Art is made by conveying a scream without screaming. That's what The Bomb has done.
A special mention should be made of the production- J. Robbins had a big hand in shaping this sound, and as he always does, his touch on this is perfect- I defy you to find more ear pleasing production than he works up!
So, if you want to hear what the platonic ideal for Punk Rock is, in 2009, Speed is Everything!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Instrumental
Music isn't quite as categorical as it might seem. I mean, to hear music critics, you'd think there are walls between genres- and when someone dares to leap one of those walls, they achieve "crossover", like they went behind enemy territory. Really, such considerations are only for marketers, advertisers and the people duped by them. Not you, right?
So, when I say there are bands out there at the nexus point of "indie rock" and "metal"- somewhere between "Stoner Rock" and "shoegaze" and making music that resembles both Sonic Youth, and Mountain, you're not surprised at all, are you? It makes perfect sense, because all these labels make no sense to music fans, anyway.
Well, ever since bands like Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath got tagged "Heavy Metal" there has been loud trippy bands with extended jams that weren't really trying to cop jazz, or bluegrass licks, like the so-called "jam bands" do when they improvise. So, the newer instrumental, or semi-instrumental "Metal" bands that have sprung up in Neurosis' and Isis's, and Godflesh's wake might be inspired by newer music, I hear more echoes of the very early 70's in them, which might be a turn off to some folks, because they associate it with lazy, uninspired riffing. Me? I think about Can, Neu!, and their Krautrock peers. Simultaneously, I think about some of the most artistic loud bands of the past 10 years, like Queens of the Stone Age, and Deftones.
Well, here are two of the newest, so you can decide for yourself-
The first, from Chicago, Ill, USA is Pelican with their new record- What we all come to need.
Now, they are not a new band, and have practically pioneered a kind of sound, in the past- equal parts Slint and Neurosis, but with this new record they're headed into new territory- this is like what Mogwai would sound like if they gave up their pretensions of being "post Rock"- meaning it's intriguingly complex music built around a foundation of very hard rock. You know the long jams in an Isis song? Yeah, take that, speed it up, add a drummer with an exceptionally light tough for metal, and guitar interplay up there with Television, and subtract most of the vocals, and you end up with this cinematic sound- imagine Mad Max, or playing Fallout 3 with this sound track, and you'll get the idea- it's sweeping post-apocalyptic intense rock- both pretty and brutal.
The second is a northern European juggernaut- partially from Berlin, mostly from Arhus, Denmark- The Manipulated Living, with their newly-remastered demo "Prelude to Oblivian". Unlike Pelican, who specialize in a kind of twangy pounding- like a an Ennio Morricone sound track made by Ogres, the Manipulated living make a sound that's a kind of molten shimmer- like the heat distortion from a desert road in summer. In other words, there are echoes of different more gauzy types of hard rock- like the more pastoral elements of the Deftones, and the echoing drone in "Home" by Jane's Addiction. The result is less Cinematic, less airy than Pelican, and more oceanic, more trance-state. The song length in either case is Epic- figure about 8 minutes per song with Pelican, and about 10 minutes per song with The Manipulated Living- but that epic length is not an excuse- this isn't Pop music with a bridge section, like the Grateful Dead! Especially in the case of the Manipulated Living- the whole is meant to be taken in at once- like getting on a surfboard- you don't experience the ocean in parts, you feel the whole thing, then learn to isolate bits from it. This isn't the greasy kid stuff of some screamo band lost to their own inflated sense of self-worth- this bears more in common with composers like Glenn Branca and John Cage- a new way to experience the familiar. A swooning new visualization of loud music.
So, when I say there are bands out there at the nexus point of "indie rock" and "metal"- somewhere between "Stoner Rock" and "shoegaze" and making music that resembles both Sonic Youth, and Mountain, you're not surprised at all, are you? It makes perfect sense, because all these labels make no sense to music fans, anyway.
Well, ever since bands like Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath got tagged "Heavy Metal" there has been loud trippy bands with extended jams that weren't really trying to cop jazz, or bluegrass licks, like the so-called "jam bands" do when they improvise. So, the newer instrumental, or semi-instrumental "Metal" bands that have sprung up in Neurosis' and Isis's, and Godflesh's wake might be inspired by newer music, I hear more echoes of the very early 70's in them, which might be a turn off to some folks, because they associate it with lazy, uninspired riffing. Me? I think about Can, Neu!, and their Krautrock peers. Simultaneously, I think about some of the most artistic loud bands of the past 10 years, like Queens of the Stone Age, and Deftones.
Well, here are two of the newest, so you can decide for yourself-
The first, from Chicago, Ill, USA is Pelican with their new record- What we all come to need.
Now, they are not a new band, and have practically pioneered a kind of sound, in the past- equal parts Slint and Neurosis, but with this new record they're headed into new territory- this is like what Mogwai would sound like if they gave up their pretensions of being "post Rock"- meaning it's intriguingly complex music built around a foundation of very hard rock. You know the long jams in an Isis song? Yeah, take that, speed it up, add a drummer with an exceptionally light tough for metal, and guitar interplay up there with Television, and subtract most of the vocals, and you end up with this cinematic sound- imagine Mad Max, or playing Fallout 3 with this sound track, and you'll get the idea- it's sweeping post-apocalyptic intense rock- both pretty and brutal.
The second is a northern European juggernaut- partially from Berlin, mostly from Arhus, Denmark- The Manipulated Living, with their newly-remastered demo "Prelude to Oblivian". Unlike Pelican, who specialize in a kind of twangy pounding- like a an Ennio Morricone sound track made by Ogres, the Manipulated living make a sound that's a kind of molten shimmer- like the heat distortion from a desert road in summer. In other words, there are echoes of different more gauzy types of hard rock- like the more pastoral elements of the Deftones, and the echoing drone in "Home" by Jane's Addiction. The result is less Cinematic, less airy than Pelican, and more oceanic, more trance-state. The song length in either case is Epic- figure about 8 minutes per song with Pelican, and about 10 minutes per song with The Manipulated Living- but that epic length is not an excuse- this isn't Pop music with a bridge section, like the Grateful Dead! Especially in the case of the Manipulated Living- the whole is meant to be taken in at once- like getting on a surfboard- you don't experience the ocean in parts, you feel the whole thing, then learn to isolate bits from it. This isn't the greasy kid stuff of some screamo band lost to their own inflated sense of self-worth- this bears more in common with composers like Glenn Branca and John Cage- a new way to experience the familiar. A swooning new visualization of loud music.
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