The Enemy Streets in the Sky

I've heard The Enemy before. They're not bad Brit Pop, but  second tier. The kind of band you don't mind if they're the opener, but you wouldn't see them as a headliner. They look like the Arctic Monkeys looked before they became flash bastards. They did nice sub- blur, sub-Oasis, sub- Kasabian songs, but none of them outright bad. Joby has brought out something new in them- by adding massive amounts of overblown volume, the songs crackle and spark, and it's moved them up. They now remind me  of the Manic Street Preachers. Not quite with the same glam-punk elan, but musically they've got a kind of GlamMod directness, and speedburned thuggery that presents the nearly twee melodies in the best possible light for a rock junkie like me. Tom Clarke isn't quite up to the task of being this year's Generation Terrorist, but he's up to the task of being the next "Know your Enemy" guy. So, what I'm saying is it's melodic, and anthemic, in a very british way, but, fortunately for them- loud and scratchy as an American level of brashness. Which makes it far more worth my time.

Concerts

I saw the Hives last week, and it was awesome, but there are upcoming concerts . I have the tickets to see The Refused and Off!, and I'm debating about seeing Jane's Addiction and Die Antwoord ( can you believe they're playing together?) . I'm also thinking about seeing Social Distortion again, Bob Mould, The Afghan Whigs, and Florence & the Machine ( I am married, after all)
All in all, I think it seems like I'm set for concerts for the next few weeks....

Late 1990's Nostalgia

Because of my age, and because of my tastes, there's a certain amount of backwards-looking in my dealings with western Pop Culture. I'm too old to be hip, or  otherwise the primary demographic target. On top of that, my generation are notorious for nostalgia. So, I understand how me talking about the new Everlear and Guided by Voices records might seem like some kind of exercise in nostalgia, for when I was younger, and was the target demographic for a certain subset of Pop Culture. It's true that I still like a lot of music from my early 30's, but I also like a lot of music from my 20's and my teens as well. It just so happens that some of it was popular in a zeitgeist kind of way about 20 years ago. However, I can see a real consistancy from A to B- I don't see how what say, The Dream Syndicate was aiming for is all that vastly different from what A Place to Bury Strangers  is aiming for. Sometimes, also, the band is quite exhausted, yet, even though their time in the Sun is either almost done, or completed.
This is where we come to "Class Clown Spots a UFO" by Guided By Voices. Is there any doubt that Robert Pollard's garage fantasies of The Who playing Wire songs will never be fully realized, so will never be finished? But, I'm not listening for him to get it right. I think that misses the point entirely. If he ever got it right, it would be like some godawful tribute band. No, the point is in the half-finished sloppy joy of standing on the shoulders of those you , and only you, consider giants. Pollard's vision is all about seeing what you see, not what others see- from the name of the band on down. I think it's absolutely beautiful hearing the original band back together, yes- but not for the reasons you might think. These are the same group of "almost made it' dreamers that were doing Guided By Voices before college radio took a shine, before Spin magazine gave them love, before it all- the point is in hearing the guys in the garage chasing the ghost of a genius idea, not in hearing some group of really good musicians trying to perfect the ideal version of some entity called 'Guided By Voices". Ever heard "Joe's Garage" by Frank Zappa? Well, this group is that song come to life, and that's what draws me in- the Art is in the Artlessness. It's in hearing people I could actually meet trying to realize dreams I would have never guessed they had. It doesn't matter if you call that "Punk Rock", "Grunge", "Garage Rock", "Indie Rock" or whatever- the core of it is the same dream- for just a few minutes or seconds we can all see Valhalla, and so, we should try to get that glimpse.
Now, to a certain degree, Art Alexakis is capitalizing on Nostalgia. Have you seen his "Summerland" Tour? Yeah, that's a pretty blatant attempt at doing a "Beatlemania" on 1995. I totally understand why, mind you- Art has some serious bills, the kind you can't ignore. So, what else is he supposed to do? become a bartender?
But, the new Everclear record probably won't sell like the tour. Sure it's got that "Everclear Bounce"- a ping pong beat with heartland rock melodies. Yes, Art is still singing on the same topics- discontent, failure and recovery. What it really sounds like is a kind of completion. This sounds like the 50 year old man's answer to the questions he, himself, posed at 25. So, yes, there's continuity, as opposed to departure from what Everclear did in 1995. But the sound is fuller, less reliant upon dirty guitars. For some, that's problematic, but I can hear Art trying to echo his heroes. I know Art a bit ( when we were younger, we actually got confused for each other a couple of times) and I know that he was a big fan of Led Zep and AC DC on the one hand, and X and Tom Petty on the other. Along the way, he liked other stuff, but ultimately, his tastes are classic rock, mixed with a little New Wave. So, no it's not indie or Punk Rock in sensibility, he's after Big Rock.
So, judged on that scale,  this is much better album than John Cougar Mellancamp has released since the 1980's.  That may sound like a slam,  but it's reflection of how different the values are. So, why do I like it? Because I come from the same place, even if my tastes are a bit different from his.  So, it's not exactly nostalgia- more like re-connecting with an old friend.

Ever heard of Kate Nash?

I've heard of her, and were it not for Metal Only, no Rubbish, and The Collapse Board, I still might have missed the latest brouhaha.
Personally, I don't think it's much of a song, but so what? It's not always about what I like. I don't think it matters. Not when there are artists out there doing everything better, so I'm not really in it for the song.
Here's a few thoughts: let's say I'm a horrible sexist. Does that make it a good song? Let's say that Rocknroll is a boys club- is there any reason why it shouldn't be?  Let's say that she is angry for a good reason- was this the best expression for it? Let's say it really is Punk rock, is that a good thing?
See, I think that it's a throwaway filler track, and what's more interesting to me is what people want it to be.

Saw the Hives

Ever consider Puns? The lowest form of humour and all that, but they're also some of the most efficient forms of joke telling, aren't they? One word stories, they're both genius and dross.
The Hives are like puns. Taken on one level, they're pure, dumb rock. That's a good level. I was standing near some grown up frat boys, and I'm positive they were on that level all night long, and they had a great time. But, on another level, they're a distillation of the last 40 years of rock, compressed into 90 second songs.
However much like puns, so much depends upon tastes, which are idiosyncratic and random. I can understand if they're not to your taste. If so, I hope you can at least respect what they're getting at: there's a reason they go back to the word "idiot" and the back drop was a maniacal puppet master.
Also, despite reputation, in what way are they a "garage band"? I really think of them as more like a punk rock satire. Just a thought. And yes, I enjoyed the show.
I didn't care all the much for the opening bands- The Flesh Lights played pretty basic punk rock, while Fidlar played skate punk. However, both bands were very young and raw. Flesh Lights looked under 20, while Fidlar asked if anyone else was 24 or younger because they "grew up on the The Hives". So, allowances must be made, and talking with the bands after the show, The guys in Fidlar really seem excited and like great guys- they're on a high playing rocknroll, and that might carry them to do something really worthwhile.

Fiona Apple, Sea Creatures and Twinkies

Have you seen the new Fiona Apple video? Ok, then, here you go. Let me get this out of the way: the song is crap. Fiona Apple does music that's too timid. On top of that, she panders to the worst impulses of her listeners. I'm not a fan, and I don't want to waste time on crap. However, a few things are worth noting:
First, I am a big fan of sea creatures. Octopus, squid, shark, and Seahorse, I really do find them all fascinating. So, the octopus hat drew me in to watch the bloody thing, and then I saw what I really want to talk about:
Ms Apple needs to eat a damn twinkie. Yes, that's a crass way to put it. However, I've dealt with eating disordered people of various stripes, and there's no way to be delicate enough for them. They are just like any other addict; manipulative, devious, and ultimately self-serving while at the same time self destructive. So, just like you have to walk on eggshells around a junkie, an Anorexic will want to dance around the plain fact that they are starving themselves to death. Well, guess what? I don't think that's a worthwhile cause, so my answer is "Eat a damn twinkie". Now, I know there's been talk of ms Apple having an eating disorder before, but I haven't been part of that discussion. Personally, I didn't know. But, seeing this video: yes, she has an eating disorder. Not just because she's gaunt, drawn and pale, but because she is displaying all the other symptoms as well, from bad teeth to fine body hair. I'm willing to bet that no-one around her is able to question her genius, either, because she's so brittle, right? Well, I'm not her friend, and I don't think she can revisit anything on me, so without any need to be nice, she needs to re-evaluate her lifestyle choices. Maybe get high, maybe buy a new sportscar and sleep with 20 year old  know nothings, maybe buy a lot of shoes, but eating a twinkie needs to be high on the list. Why a twinkie? Because absolutely everyone knows they are bad for you- nothing but empty calories. She needs to let some control go, and admit to herself that she might do bad things, but that, in and of itself, is unimportant. What ultimately matters is having a genuine human connection, and even then, only as equals. Hell, her music might even improve.
Now, I know. I'm not a doctor. I don't know Fiona Apple. We have met, but that's just an industry thing. I know that it's awfully presumptuous to talk as if I know what she needs. At the same time I feel like I'd be the worst kind of hypocrite if I didn't say something, because we all see it all the time, and it drives me to distraction: we all see people at the grocers, or on public transport, or whatnot, and it's just obvious what the problem is, yet we say nothing, and some of these people quietly die because no one would say anything. I'd much prefer for people to think I'm an arrogant prick than for someone to kill themselves following some mental rabbit down the rabbit hole. So, if I'm wrong, so what? I still stand by my assessment. This is what it appears to be. Fiona Apple needs to eat a damn twinkie, and then, find a better therapist, one that isn't trying to be nice, and will confront her with what she's doing. I'd want nothing less for myself. So, if I'm wrong, that's cool, but I bet I'm not.

Punk Rock Biography

I don't claim to be a Punk Rocker. However, I've been listening to Punk Rock since the seventies. I was a pre-teen, and I'm middle aged, now, so it's safe to say that Punk re-directed my life. Still, I never wore the uniform, and I never limited my tastes, which would have labelled me really punk except when I discovered the subculture was a particularly defensive time, so I got the label "poseur". I understand the reasons why- if  you're both being attacked from above ( police, government, media) and from all sides ( peers, family, co-workers) the safest route is to take up a badge, and band together- and, keep in mind, I wasn't necessarily doing much better- I simply wasn't going to trade tribes, when any tribe I chose made me a target. So, I was a poseur, and good with that, just like I still am.
However, I'm writing this as I watch a DVD called "Punk's Not Dead" . Oh, it's revisionist, just like every one of these autopsies on Punk- which well and truly died in the early 1980's, make no mistake- but just one thing stuck in my craw- they're not saying the word- but unspoken thing is everyone is trying to prove their 'cred"- the old punks talking about how they were hated, Corporate heads of Hot Topic and the Warped Tour talking about how they're not the enemy,  Second, third, fifth generation bands and fans talking about how they're carrying the torch, and there's something in me that recoils. I've never been too fond of "purity tests".  I don't like that kind of wall-building. But would it be so bad to say "I'm not punk. God, I sure do love The Clash, but it's 2012, I'm in my forties, I'm a middle class guy, so no way you could call me a Punk". Or, wouldn't it be refreshing to hear some 20 year old say "I'm no punk. The bands I'm inspired by were themselves inspired by Punk Rock, but I'm off on a tangent"?  Or best of all how about "Punk Rock? I read something about that, once. What's that got to do with me?"

Premature

I've only heard them tonight, but yowsa- Antlered Man have the rock. Straight up Amrep styled skronk with a British twist, like I've not heard since Barkmarket. I just downloaded the free EP, but I may very well get the LP before the week is out. Just listen, and tell me I'm wrong.

Metric Synthetica

Timing can be everything. Had I heard this at another time, I might have enjoyed it a lot more. I can hear that it's a really good album, probably Metric's best. They've been on an upward trajectory. The first couple of records were spotty affairs that could connect really well in bits ( " Combat Baby" especially) but never as a whole album. Despite Punk, despite Mp3's, I'm still an Album guy. I like to have a collection of songs that not only work on their own, but also work together. Fantasies was getting closer: with about an EP's worth of strong songs, but this finally feels like an album. However, here's the twist: I heard the new Silence Is Sexy, first, and where Metric is reaching, Silence is Sexy have been. This could be a transition place between "This Ain't Hollywood" and "MODERN Antiques". So, I'm going back and listening to Silence is Sexy, instead. Metric are a good band, and "Synthetica" is a good album, but Silence is Sexy have done what Metric do best, and I think they did it better. There's no shame in being a runner up, and I'd rather listen to Emily Haines than any of the current crop of Jessie J wannabes ( and she, herself, a weak shadow of  Gwen Stefani, who was  less than a copy of Debbie Harry and Madonna) because at least Emily is trying to stay relevant, and does bad girl/ free spirit better than most. So, it's not really fair, but timing is everything.

Magnet magazine

I've complained a bit about The Big Takeover, so I think it's only fair to mention that, despite the misgivings, I'm starting to like Magnet magazine again. While they have been less than fully reliable, and the journalism standard is fairly low, even by American standards, let's put it this way: we have The Dandy Warhols, the Cribs, Austin TX,  and Rhett Miller on the cover, they give a higher rating to the new GBV than the new Japandroids,  and  a truly funny bit taking the piss on Record Store day. Seem like my kind of people.