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April 30, 2005
old rockers live :: wedding present, westerberg
Last week, I saw two old dogs play rock.
The good: The Wedding Present. Maybe they have lost a half step since the glory days, but fuck. David Gedge has clearly relished the opportunity to turn his distortion pedal back up to 11; this harked directly back to the impossibly loud shows of the late 80s/early 90s, and it was more than fine and completely full of energy. My thought? "The English Hüsker Dü". I never had that thought back in the day, but it sure sounded loud fast Smiths to me this time around.
So, go to Bradley's Almanac, the excellent Boston blog, and listen a half-decent recording of the show. I'm not much for incidental live recordings, but many of you might appreciate the link.
The bad? Paul Westerberg. A few friends and I headed out for this one, and we were all kinds of excited. Rumor had it that PW was back on the sauce, recapturing the reckless energy of the best Replacements years. Not so much. It seemed like he thought he was fronting the old careening Replacements who would buffet his whims with barely tethered riffage. But because his band was a bunch of adult pros configured to play the solo material as well as the old stuff, he sounded pathetic, off-key, and pleading, meandering through terrible covers and minor tracks to get to the occasional non-butchered chestnut. It was difficult to watch him do his best to destroy his legacy - which, to be fair, isn't quite as major as most of the fans in the room would make it out to be.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 01:52 AM | Comments (11)
April 29, 2005
more new spoon
2 of the big blogs have posted new tracks from the forthcoming Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, to be released 1 week from Tuesday. At Fluxblog, an artist has drawn a pretty cool cartoon playing out the song provided.
My take? Getting more excited than I was on hearing the song we posted earlier; "Monsieur Valentine" sounds especially great. But I think I'll need the album to make sense of the songs, as great albums do.
Also, the Said the Gramophone link contains a song from the forthcoming Sufjan Stevens; you'll be hearing more about/from that here soon.
Have a great weekend, readers. Back shortly with obscure 60's psychedelic rock and the beginning of a retrospective on a little band from Birmingham (Brum, not Magic City).
The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine (mp3) (in the 4.29 post at Fluxblog)
Sister Jack (mp3) (at Said the Gramophone)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 04:51 PM | Comments (12)
April 28, 2005
hold steady in advance
We officially endorse The Hold Steady here at Borrowed Tunes, and are proud to bring you a track from their new album, Separation Sunday, out next Tuesday.
This is a good one, but I don't think one track does the HS justice. It's all about the cumulative effect of flawless meat-and-potatoes rock with manic narrative lyrics over the course of an entire album. I'm ready for more.
Your Little Hoodrat Friend (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 09:15 PM | Comments (11)
April 27, 2005
love's a real thing : the funky fuzzy sounds of west africa
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This compilation of music made at the late 60s/early 70s crossroads of African pop and folk forms with American acid funk and rock displays all of the features and flaws of genre compilations. It's full of widely varied gems, but it's sometimes hard to find a real thread connecting everything, and it can all seem a bit disjointed. The criteria for inclusion seem pretty loose - some songs seem like fairly normal Afropop with long not-as-blazing-as-you'd expect guitar solos; others are perhaps slightly pie-eyed but hardly psychedelic. There's hard funk, James Brown aping, mellow Mali music, Afro-Cuban groove, and lots in between. But it all adds up to a survey of music that clearly influenced the development of a variety of modern African forms.
If you're new to this kind of thing, there are better places to start - in recent times, my favorites have been Ghana Soundz and Nigeria 70. But you can't go too wrong here, either. In a way, it's the most diverse Afro comp I've heard.
Almost worth the price of admission alone is William Onyeabor's "You Better Change Your Mind". A funk lecture in charming political idealist nonsense, this tune contains the only lyrics I've ever heard sternly admonishing Canada for hubris in the same class as the U.S., Britain, and China. Cool it, Canucks. The track is a real find, sure to star on eclectic mix discs all over.
William Onyeabor - You Better Change Your Mind (mp3)
Super Eagles - Love's A Real Thing (mp3)
Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Contonou Dahomey - Minsanto Le, Mi Dayihome (QT video) at Luaka Bop site
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:03 PM | Comments (5)
April 26, 2005
the books :: lost and safe
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With Lost and Safe, their third album, The Books take a small shift in direction that results in a less remarkable album than the previous two. However, they're still a remarkable duo doing remarkable things.
The Books, now of North Adams, MA, started out as organic sound collagists interested in the possibilities of stringed, bowed and plucked instruments, from banjo (lots of banjo) and acoustic guitar to violin, combined with pieces of spoken word and found dialogue that created a vaguely unsettling sense of dreamy fragmentation. They create motion out of splices and edits, but there is always plenty of continuity and melody to what they do. Their last disc, The Lemon of Pink, had a wonderful balance of unexpected and comforting, lulling aspects.
In the name of progress, they've streamlined their compositional approach somewhat and begun experimenting with singing actual vocal parts (while still using plenty of found voice). The attempt to be more songlike has a bit of a dulling effect, and in combination with musical ideas that don't significantly expand upon their previous innovations, the disc becomes inessential. But, as in so many cases, it's all about your own path: if you've never heard the Books before, this disc might be the ground floor to get in on. And there are plenty of wonderful moments for all of us, stretches of pure beauty. I particularly love "If Not Now, Whenever", with its samples of those short-range walkie-talkies that skiers and snowboarders like to use. "Smells Like Content" is the closest they've come to a regular pop song.
The critics generally agree - Pitchfork says:
Though the Books do a nice job here bending lyrics to fit the open-ended tone of their compositional style, the original vocals wind up draining their sound of mystery, and Lost and Safe seems by far more conventional than their previous two records.
although Almost Cool reminds us that it contains some of the best songs they've ever done.
Smells Like Content (mp3)
If Not Now, Whenever (mp3)
It Never Changes to Stop (mp3) (at Salon Audiofile; may require site pass or membership)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:13 PM | Comments (25) | TrackBack
new releases 04.26
The Boss highlights this week's moderate haul. Elvis Costello's King of America finally gets the deluxe-reissue treatment (it's the last major record to get it). The Mountain Goats record is getting great advance notices. So is the Eels - a band that has passed me by somehow over the past several years. And there's a crop of Cure reissues.
I apologize, sort of, for all of the links to Windows Media stuff. I realize it's a problem for Mac people. I do my best to find sample tunes (full songs, not 30 second clips) for as many new releases as I can, and I always prefer to find mp3s. Amazon just seems to have a bumper crop of available streams and downloads this week. Offering free downloads in WM format is just silly. The only reason to use WM would be for digital rights management, and in the case of a free download, that just doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't they want to get the music in the hands of as many listeners as possible?
Rest assured, the discs we cover here with reviews will have mp3s posted.
Bruce Springsteen :: Devils and Dust
The Mountain Goats :: The Sunset Tree (listen to 4 full Windows Media tracks at Amazon here)
Elvis Costello :: King of America (2CD reissue)
New Order :: Waiting for the Sirens' Call (full Windows Media stream here)
Eels :: Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (6 songs WM stream here)
Emiliana Torrini :: Fisherman's Woman
Feist :: Let It Die
Ben Folds :: Songs for Silverman
The Cure :: Pornography (2CD reissue)
The Cure :: Faith (2CD reissue)
The Cure :: Seventeen Seconds (2CD reissue)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 12:34 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
April 24, 2005
edan :: beauty and the beat
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There's not much time to write tonight, but this is an easy one. The first great hip-hop record of 2005 has arrived - finally. I've been privately lamenting the lame start to the year for a few weeks now. But hometown Boston represents strong: for those of you still resting your case on the Madvillain record, this is better.
Unbelievable psych-funk beats, with just the right mix of identifiable sampling and layered collage. Space-rock noises. Occasional lurching Kid Koala-style turntable work. Flow like MC Serch. Monster guest spot by Percee P. 35 minutes long.
Gets better with every listen. Unexpected surprise #3 of '05 (Okkervil River, Devin Davis).
Currently sitting on top of the Metacritic '05 chart, which means nobody can find a bad thing to say about it.
Flaw? So brilliant at the beginning, has trouble keeping pace. Space rock and echo treatments get oppressive at times.
Rock and Roll (ft. Dagha) (posted at Fluxblog)
Fumbling Over Words that Rhyme
Beauty
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:38 PM | Comments (14)
April 22, 2005
q magazine :: may 2005
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Just about the only redeeming feature of the latest Q besides the reviews is the accompanying "Rule Britannia" CD, featuring a wide selection of Brit rock and pop from The Kinks and Small Faces through The Jam and Only Ones up to The Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. This kind of thing has been done a thousand times, but this looks like a particularly unusual selection.
Otherwise, uninteresting Green Day and Mariah Carey pieces plus two inane stories on the role of booze and crack in rock and roll. Let's get straight on to the reviews.
5-star reviews
None
4-star reviews
Hot Hot Heat :: Elevator
Eels :: Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Do Me Bad Things :: Yes
Kathleen Edwards :: Back To Me
Tom Vek :: We Have Sound
The National :: Alligator
Hal :: Hal
Rachel Yamagata :: Happenstance
The Go-Betweens :: Oceans Apart
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti :: Worn Copy
Orange Juice :: The Glasgow School (compilation)
Kurtis Blow :: Kurtis Blow (reissue)
Dire Straits :: Brothers In Arms (reissue)
June Tabor :: Always (box set)
Free :: Chronicles (compilation)
Yo La Tengo :: Prisoners Of Love (compilation)
New Thing! Deep Jazz from the USA 1970-80 (compilation)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:52 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 21, 2005
alog :: miniatures
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The 3rd in our attempted unbroken string of 2005 Rune Grammofon release reviews comes courtesy of Alog. According to thier bio, this duo (one of which works solo on R.G. under the name Phonophani) is named after all of the following words: analog, dialog, logic, a logbook, catalogue, analogy, and so on.
They are expressly interested in the details of sound, and what you hear in their highly abstract music are both electronic and organic sounds chopped up and ostinatoed and panned around until you begin to notice their every tiny feature. Detailed information is carried in the high frequencies, and as such you won't hear much low end here. Lots of plucking, tinkling, and air. Beats are also virtually non-existent (though they do try them out occasionally).
These aren't songs, they're compositions in the strictest sense of the word. Built up from pieces, parts, and blocks.
It's also worth noting that they have written their own software to accomplish all of this. Mac users can download it by clicking on this link. I would love to know more about it, but I'm a PC hack. Someone check it out and post a comment with the scoop. All I've been able to glean is it has some setting or feature called "dream-effect". Sounds Norsk to me.
I don't know what else to tell you. The disc starts very strong and ends with a whimper; it's best on headphones; it is chock full of wondrous moments but perhaps doesn't leave much of a lasting impression.
Wire magazine (with David Stubbs writing) said:
. . . there are occasions on Miniatures . . . which feel just a little desultory, whimsical little juxtapositions of sound. But there are ample compensations such as "St. Paul's Sessions II", whose sleighride glockenspiel motif glides pleasingly over a moronically repetitious chord in a way that's reminiscent of Terry Riley's in C.
Also, closer to home, if you liked the last couple of Matmos discs, especially The Civil War, you should giv this a spin.
Lucky for me, 3 mp3s are available at the Alog site. Bandwidth saved!
Severe Punishment and Lasting Bliss (mp3)
St. Paul Sessions II (mp3)
The Youth of Mysterious Conversations (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 09:46 PM | Comments (23)
April 20, 2005
astor piazzolla :: the rough guide
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While Astor Piazzolla is closely associated with a particular niche genre - tango - he is one of those momentous, inspirational artists who broke and changed all of the rules and regulations. He made new music out of old forms, serious music out of folk, and challenging music out of vulgar - without ever losing the human core. He belongs in discussions about true musical invention and modernization that are populated by the likes of Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, and Sonic Youth, as well as Gershwin, Bartók, and even Stravinsky. He is certainly regarded as a national cultural treasure in his native Argentina.
He also belongs in that unique set of Latin American artists of any medium who combined a serious intellecutalism with a magical, often fantastical kind of romance. One could imaging Marquez, Borges, and Neruda at his dinner parties - and they probably were.
I was introduced to Piazzolla briefly in college - as a way to extend my interest in those South American writers - and his music made a deep impression, though I lost the tape or left it behind for my indie-rocking ways. This year's release of a Rough Guide compilation (and these compilations are almost always excellent) gave me an opportunity to get back in. I should have been spending these years amassing the complete works.
Let's start with an early recording from 1957, one of his more traditional: "Tres Minutos con la Realidad". It's anything but rote; there's a clear influence of the classical music of the early part of the century. You also hear here - as in almost every piece I've heard - a cinematic quality. There is always a story being told (and his music was indeed used in plenty of films).
Tres Minutos con la Realidad (mp3)
Now, a bit about his instrument, the chief weapon of tango: the bandoneón. It's part of the accordion family, along with the concertina and harmonium, but it doesn't have piano-style keys. It only has those little punch-buttons. Since buttons create different notes on opening or closing the bellows, it's quite complex. So, you might ask yourself how he pulls off the opening lengthy solo in his composition, "Bandoneón". Then you might marvel at the expansiveness, complexity, and high romance of the piece itself.
Bandoneón (mp3)
One of his more studied compositions is the "Tanguedia" suite, from a 1985 film called Tango, El Exilio De Gardel. This part two of three.
Tanguedia 2 (mp3)
And then, to prove that he wasn't above the people, and that he could rock out, try one of his most popular numbers from 1974, which was later covered by both Grace Jones and Yo-Yo Ma (separately).
Libertango (mp3)
If you'd like to hear more and can tolerate Real Audio, there's an immense selection at the biggest fan site, piazzolla.org, along with plenty of other research material. And I can tell you that the selections I've provided are just a taste; the entire Rough Guide is a must.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:12 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
April 19, 2005
british sea power :: open season
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When I last left British Sea Power, it was the end of their set at Glastonbury 2004. I had just witnessed this scene, as described in the Guardian's review of Open Season:
Their appearance . . . ended with one of their number plunging headfirst from the stage, another pelting the audience with tree branches then recklessly swinging a large plastic bird at their heads, and the remaining members clambering up on each other's shoulders, picking their way through the debris, pursued by a man who had taken to the stage clad in a giant bear costume. It should be noted that this was among British Sea Power's more restrained shows.
The music was exhilarating, and their sense of humor contrasted in a perfectly absurd way with songs of fairly concentrated, serious power.
A year before, they had released their debut album, cheekily titled The Decline of British Sea Power. It was sequenced for the patient - you had to wade through a thicket of raucous, virulent, somewhat oblique art-punk to get to some more serene gems of Bunnymen brood-pop. The live show made sense of album's curiosity, but I could never fully warm to it.
With Open Season, BSP have gone all pop - and, as a result, this might have been a minor classic of the mid-80s. Its only serious flaw is that it sometimes sounds more like an artifact than art. But listen up: this is proper 80s music. It's not the paint-by-numbers stuff from the "alternative" endcap at your local Sam Goody. It's vintage NME.
What makes BSP worth listening to is their strange, stiff-upper-lip naturalistic poetic take on the world. "Oh Larsen B" is about an ice shelf which broke off of Antarctica. The inner world is covered with lyrics like Aorta, liver, ventricles / And other winter vehicles. And, my lyrical favorite, the song that spends much of its time repeating Drape yourself in greenery / Become part of the scenery.
In my review of the Decemberists a week or so ago, I referred to a critic's quote about Morrissey's precociousness with words; it turns out that I had read it in the Guardian's review linked above (and again here). It's an excellent piece of music writing. Other negative reviews have slagged the disc for being one-speed derivative blandness.
But this record puts a smile on my face. Knowing the band's absurdist approach from the live show makes all the difference in appreciating the songs' erudition as sort of a grand joke on British formalism. It's nothing more than a thoroughly enjoyable, solid pop record, but sometimes that's what you need.
Please Stand Up (mp3)
It Ended On An Oily Stage (wma) (from the BSP Web site)
North Hanging Rock (wma) (from the BSP Web site)
Oh Larsen B (wma) (from the BSP Web site)
It Ended on an Oily Stage (high quality wmv video) (from the BSP Web site)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 08:20 PM | Comments (11)
April 18, 2005
new releases 04.19
Once again, like most of the rest of America, I won't be setting foot in a record store this week (at least on Tuesday). But there is a lot of intriguing stuff. I would like to hear more about this new Maria McKee disc. I'll also be looking for some trial files on the new Josephine Foster (Born Heller). John Petkovic's Cobra Verde also returns to the scene. And there's good word on the new Z-Trip mix.
Maria McKee :: Peddlin' Dreams
Cobra Verde :: Copycat Killers
Josephine Foster :: Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (2 mp3s here)
DJ Z-Trip :: Shifting Gears
Roots Manuva :: Awfully Deep (stuff streaming at the home page here)
22-20s :: 22-20s
Loudon Wainwright III :: Here Come The Choppers
Autechre :: Untitled
Small Faces :: 78 In The Shade (reissue)
Small Faces :: Playmates (reissue)
Next week, it's the new Bruce Springsteen (preorder) and New Order, Mountain Goats, and eels.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:25 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
magnolia electric co. :: what comes after the blues
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I'm going to have to stop trying to convince myself that this disc is better than it is, sit down, and write this post. In theory, What Comes After the Blues is a dream come true for Borrowed Tunes, offering a set of well-worked shamble-rock Neil Young-isms (circa Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Zuma) crossed with a bit of Fairport Convention-styled British Isles folk. No complaints about the aping of influences - I think the world would be a better place if there was more shameless Neil Young ripping going on. But in the end this very good disc falls just short of great.
It would make a brilliant EP, though. The core issue is length and concentration. The album storms out with 3 winners styled as lost classics. Then, in an honorable attempt to vary pace, it begins a gradual downward trajectory through two somewhat plodding but occasionally beautiful numbers, before grinding to a stop on 3 increasingly somnolent acoustic numbers. It's a short album (yes, I'm usually castigating artists for overlength), and by the end of it I feel like I've spent LP-sized energy trying to appreciate a less significant work. Here's a great 5-songer: take two of the first 3, then one of the slower electric numbers, then the best acoustic track, "Northstar Blues", and finish it out with the remaining one of the opening triad. That's the right size for it.
Still, this is probably my 2nd or third favorite Jason Molina work. He's also responsible for Songs : Ohia, under which name he released a bunch of dark, good acoustic records, and then confusingly an album of Neil-rock stuff called Magnolia Electric Co. - which was slightly better than this latest one using that album's title as a band name.
I like this review on a site I hadn't heard of before, Delusions of Adequacy. It takes the slight ambivalence I feel a bit further.
The top 20 is getting to be a much tougher ticket: this is the first record so far this year which I would recommend, but can't place above the current selection of 20.
Check out two of the 3 opening tunes courtesy of the label site - Secretly Canadian - and the best of the acoustic tracks.
The Dark Don't Hide It (mp3)
Leave The City (mp3)
Northstar Blues (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 08:22 PM | Comments (11)
April 16, 2005
okkervil river :: black sheep boy
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Well, here's the second big surprise of the year (the first being Devin Davis). I've been caught sleeping on Okkervil River, as they seem to have released at least one other highly acclaimed record, Down the River of Golden Dreams in 2003. I'll have to get to that one, since Black Sheep Boy has shot straight into the the Borrowed Tunes top 5.
The basic sound is wide-ranging, melancholy and intense creative Americana - meaning the songs are folk, but the sounds often come out of left field. Brass and string orchestration is tastefully deployed; tiny electronic flourishes, organs and accordions provide a billowing bed. And while most of the songs meander along, several of them rip open with emotional crescendos.
And the concept is wonderful: it's an extension of Tim Hardin's song, "Black Sheep Boy", about a lovable misfit asking for acceptance and rest after a long time away. He covers the tune to start the record, and is then off in a linked song cycle extending the story. In particular, he seems to want back a woman who has fallen in love with the wrong person, a cad, while he's been away. This record was written durin a year on the road, so there's probably some truth to its topics. It's difficult to put the deeply metaphorical, impressionist pieces together, and I'm becoming obsessed with trying. These lyrics are gorgeous (and yes, they're presented as prose):
Killing softly and serial, he lifts his head, handsome, horned, magisterial. He's the smell of the moonlight wisteria. He’s the thrill of the abecedarian. (See the muddy hoofprints where he carried you?)
This stuff isn't too too far from Bright Eyes - Will Sheff's voice is a desperate high tenor - but there are key differences. First, he's less interested in being noticed for his vocals and more interested in just singing his ass off. Second, the specter of influence doesn't hang over this music. It's familiar, but it's also wholly personal.
Some of the most interesting writing on this disc actually comes via the record label's web site here. Jagjaguwar is a great imprint and can be trusted to write about their own acts. More acclaim is starting to roll in . . . here's an 8.5 in Pitchfork and an A from Stylus. I haven't seen too much in magazines yet.
Some fun stuff below . . . watch the video, listen to 3 whole tracks b/c I found 2 at the label site.
For Real (mp3) (from the Jagjaguwar site)
Black (mp3) (from the Jagjaguwar site)
Song of Our So-Called Friend (mp3)
Interesting video of the "For Real" recording session
Band site w/lyrics and other info
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 03:08 PM | Comments (187)
April 15, 2005
robert christgau consumer guide april '05
There's a new Consumer Guide by Robert Christgau at the Village Voice web site. As usual, two benefits: he ranges far and wide with unique takes on unconsidered discs (especially from the world of international music), and he often reviews records that are months old, giving us a chance to revisit past calls.
And thank god to the Dean for rubbishing the Game disc, which seems to have gotten generally strong reviews around the time I dissed it here. See this, from his "Dud of the Month":
Dull even when he isn't describing his medical problems, this no-talent is masscult rock at its most brazen, as certain to fall as Tom DeLay (meaning it looks that way and I hope the fuck). He's not Asia or Whitesnake, who reconstituted known elements.
Inexplicably, he gives the new 50 Cent an A- at the same time; in all honestly I haven't heard it, but the supposed highlight singles have left me cold without having to get to the filler. And about the new Beck, he sounds curiously like Borrowed Tunes as well:
Is that the world ending in his rearview mirror, or just his career?
Although he gives it an honorable mention for having 3 good tracks. He calls Prefuse 73's track with El-P and Ghostface, "Hideyaface", a Choice Cut - we figured it inscrutable.
Otherwise some interesting A- grades given out:
A- :: Blueprint :: 1988
A- :: Loudon Wainwright III :: Here Come the Choppers
A- :: Bang On A Can :: Bang on a Can Meets Kyaw Kyaw Naing
A- :: VA: Love's a Real Thing/The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa (Borrowed Tunes review coming soon on this one)
A- :: Rachid Taha :: Tékitoi
April 05 Consumer Guide
robertchristgau.com
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:47 PM | Comments (11)
advance spoon
Hot off the blogwires, here's a track from the forthcoming Spoon album, Gimme Fiction (due in May). Spoon is like newbie hipster gold.
For my part, if this is supposed to be the blazing lead single, the standout track, I'm a little concerned. But if this is an example of some of the new production ideas and sonic approaches, I'm very excited. Certainly advance word on the album is extremely strong.
I Turn My Camera On (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 07:27 AM | Comments (23)
April 14, 2005
robert pollard tracks
While Borrowed Tunes completes its corporate tax filings, enjoy some demos and other tracks from Robert Pollard, the lead singer of the now-defunct Guided By Voices. The newbie hipster world eagerly anticipates his latest solo record, due in the fall.
Various tracks at robertpollard.net
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 07:57 AM | Comments (13)
April 12, 2005
beck :: guero
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My thought process upon listening to the new Beck for the first time:
"So, alright, this one's supposed to sound like a calmer Odelay. I don't know; that's not what I really want out of Beck, or anyone, right now. Seems so of it's time; I can't imagine listening to it much today. I loved Sea Change; I was kind of hoping for another songwriter record . . . maybe an upbeat one."
"Hmmm. This is like Odelay crossed with all of the pleasant or mellow music he's made since then. Is there a personality here, or is it just a series of calculations? Are we skirting Moby territory?"
"You know, Odelay seems pretty damn good in comparison to this. I wish I could hear it instead."
Guero is skillfully made and not a whole heck of a lot else, good or bad, with the exception of 3 or 4 memorable tunes. The Dust Brothers' beats sound very dated, and tamer versions of whiteboy raps a la "Where It's At" are not my idea of artistic progression. Many critics seem to be entirely satisfied that he's made a mediocre record - even the positive reviews seem to read like a defense of the disc's flatness. For example, Paste Magazine says: it’s an album remarkable in its consistent, pleasant above-averageness, punctuated by bursts of true genius. OK, great. I think of it as an average album punctuated by bursts of filler.
The best moments are songs like "Girl" and "Earthquake Weather" which wed a beat to one of his forlorn Sea Change melodies - you know, the ones that sound like a slow "On A Plain" or "Come As You Are". I always felt like the Cobain influence was largely undetected in his more writerly songs.
As is our rule, no mp3 samples for records we're not loving.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:45 PM | Comments (15)
April 11, 2005
new releases 04.12
Ain't no record store gonna be getting my money this week. At least on Tuesday. All of the stuff below is intriguing, but I'm going to find other ways to research them. Of Montreal is particulary interesting, but I associate them with those three-word bands that I O.D.-ed on in the mid-90s (Olivia Tremor Control, Apples In Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel).
Of Montreal :: The Sunlandic Twins
The National :: Alligator (mp3 here)
Martha Wainwright :: Martha Wainwright
Charalambides :: Our Bed Is Green
Archiecture In Helsinki :: In Case We Die
I mentioned last week that the new New Order (which I could care less about) was supposed to be out this week. I think I was misinformed. Next week doesn't look too great either . . . Caribou (formerly Manitoba), Autechre, and that's about it. Plenty of backlog to cover here at Borrowed Tunes, though.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
eluvium :: talk amongst the trees
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It's incredibly difficult to write about ambient music; it lends itself to amateur prose poetry. So, instead, I'll simply present you with a list of the ingredients that make up good ambient music:
Shifty Drones
Melodies That Sneak Up On You
Reversed and Looped Stuff, Decontextualized
Hum, Hiss, and Other Warm Sounds Of Electricity
Smearing Echo
Misty Reverb
Ingredients that are not allowed:
Noises Made By Mouths (Except For Oohs and Aahs)
The Sound Of A Thing Banging Into Another Thing Percussively (Except When Reversed)
When it's all done right, it can be a very beautiful thing, and such is Talk Amongst The Trees. Ambient music runs a line between concretely melodic and abstractly droned, with too much of the former resulting in New Age and too much of the latter resulting in sleep or forgetting. This third Eluvium splits the difference nicely - it begins with a almost-too-engaging-to-be-ambient emerging melody piece, moves into some more ephemeral droney stuff, and comes back home to cadence-ville (if you don't know what I mean by cadenceville, I'm prepping a theory on "cadence porn", which is music made entirely of sweetly resolving chord progressions such as Sigur Ros. A cadence is basically a sensible chord progression. Trust me. You'll have to wait for it.)
This review by Christopher Alexander in cokemachineglow takes the trouble to try to pull the pieces apart and describe what's going on.
Background: Eluvium is one guy, Matthew Cooper. This is his third album, and it's perhaps more accomplished than the first but more of an excellent partner to it. That disc, Lambent Material, featured more some repetitive piano-based stuff and one long pretty noisy piece. The disc in the middle, An Accidental Memory in the Case Of Death, is one that I haven't gotten to, but I understand it's very different and entirely composed of contemplative solo piano pieces.
Beautiful photographs in the liner notes, by the way.
Samples:
New Animals From The Air (edit) (mp3) (from the label site, Temporary Residence)
Everything To Come (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
prefuse 73 mp3 fixed
If you happened to read the Prefuse 73 post from a couple days ago & had trouble downloading the track "Expressing Views Is Obviously Illegal", it's been fixed. Thanks to our loyal reader Max for the tip.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 01:31 PM | Comments (8)
April 10, 2005
the decemberists :: picaresque
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A critic once said something about Morrissey that boiled his particular talent down to effectively using words you'd never otherwise hear in a pop song. That was before the Decemberists were born (and said critic had obviously not heard Elvis Costello). There aren't just words you'd never hear; most of the topics themselves are new territory.
Picaresque - with a title like that, you should know what you're in for - is the Decemberists' most sharply focused collection of prodigiously literate folk-pop, with perhaps a bit more of a human heart than before. Trumped-up, over-the-top songs of infant queens and gay espionage are balanced with smaller portraits of individual love and loss, especially "The Engine Driver", their finest song to date.
But, while the critical reaction to this disc has almost unanimously named it the best Decemberists yet, I feel like the small step forward in songwriting is offset by a step back in production values and artistry. This is a nice-sounding, well-made record, but a bit one-dimensional in sound, as richly orchestrated as it is. Its predecessor, Her Majesty The Decemberists, shined the curving surfaces of Colin Meloy's work to a sparkle in a perfectly modern way. Picaresque shows the effortless confidence of a band in its stride playing live in a hall; I wonder what the closer, more embellished sound of Her Majesty might have done for this.
The key to liking the Decemberists is not to take them too seriously. I'm sure they have fans who hang on their every thousand-dollar word; they're missing the essential goofiness of this outfit. The amateur drama re-enactment photos in the liner book give it away. It's all in good fun.
The Decemberists certainly aren't for everyone, and you're to be excused if you never wanted to hear again from the guy who got all the leads in the high school plays. It's this that will keep them for now from the top ranks of my table; while they've made 3 very solid albums now, I would like to hear them continue on their progression towards a more personable and toothsome end product. They'd do well to pull out their Richard Thompson records - which they undoubtedly own - and find how to help their tales grow deeper roots.
I've searched high and low for other interesting takes on this record, but critics are swooning in unison: "he's literate, he's getting better, and damned if we can find anything wrong with it".
The Engine Driver (mp3)
16 Military Wives (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 08:10 PM | Comments (26)
April 08, 2005
perception is reality (thanks, tofu hut)
I just noticed that we were blogged by the venerable Tofu Hut (in the Saturday 4/2 post). The Tofu Hut is one of the most original mp3 blogs; the guy's taste knows no bounds, his selections are inspired, and it's always a great read.
The excellent thing is his review of our little joint: "Borrowed Tunes offers Spin/Blender newbie hipster fodder". I'm sure those of you who know who Mr. Borrowed Tunes is will chuckle along with me at being called a "newbie hipster". And about the Spin/Blender thing: close, but no cigar. Everyone should know that this site is mainly about music from the hit television drama, The O.C. Last time I looked at Blender, fucking J. Lo was on the cover, which makes them both terrible and 2 years behind the curve. And regarding Spin, I don't take time out in every post to remind you that Nirvana is the best band of all time, except when Radiohead is, and that Green Day is "saving rock". That's not to say that I won't start.
But when you're raving about Bloc Party, jumping on the Bright Eyes bandwagon, and putting LCD Soundsystem and M.I.A. next to each other, you get what you deserve. It's a measure of my respect for the Tofu Hut that 'll save the rant about musical exclusionism for another day.
Thanks for the traffic (and the sidebar quote)!
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 06:54 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
prefuse 73 :: surrounded by silence
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Even though he gets plenty of notice, I feel like Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73) is overlooked by a large group of people. His music is typically categorized as "instrumental hip-hop", which undoubtedly turns off the "I listen to everything except rap and country" crowd. Even though he does have the occasional guest MC on his tunes, the fact is that his music is a very engaging, listenable, and yet constantly innovative form of electronica that only shares the basic foundation of its beats with traditional hip-hop.
His particular talent is for making rhythmic information out of airy tonal and harmonic content. This is done by chopping instrumental passages that are often made up of strings, woodwinds, or voices playing tense, suspended chords or jazz harmonies into bits that play off of and syncopate with familiar breakbeats as anchors. Other instrumentation skitters across or reverses through the sound field, making for tracks that support multiple listens with revealing layers. Often there's a suggestion that the chopped sounds would be essentially ambient if they were put back together and stripped of beats.
The main criticism that can be leveled at Prefuse 73 as of now, with his 4th full-length release, is that his sound hasn't evolved sufficiently - and this has been the thrust of a set of generally lukewarm, B/B+ reviews of this disc in the press. As if he recognized the danger in advance, he chose to find new territory by working with collaborators, from electronic whizzes like The Books and Pedro to vocalists like Claudia Deheza of On!Air!Library! to new, more challenging guest MCs such as Wu-Tangers Ghostface, GZA, and Masta Killa, as well as El-P himself. The results are mixed.
The tracks that feature the most imposing collaborators tend to fracture the flow of the disc, and it's better when it settles in for long stretches of what Prefuse does best, or when he's working with a simpatico electronicist like Pedro. There is no question that his album is more liable to sag than any of his previous work. I especially find the Ghostface/El-P collab, cast as the feature track, to be almost impossible to parse and unconvincing (El-P usually trades in obscurantism, and Ghostface in mania, but this sounds tossed off). In the end, I'm somewhat surprised to generally prefer the tracks on Surrounded by Silence that sound most familiar.
While I agree that the basic Prefuse approach may be wearing out soon, I still find his music almost endlessly listenable. but to be consistent with my comments on other records I must point out that at 21 tracks (many of them interludes), this is quite draining to absorb in one sitting.
Dedicated Prefuse followers may make different judgements than curious new listeners; if you're new to the scene, I'd encourage you give these examples a spin regardless of your reaction to so-called "hip-hop". Then travel through the Prefuse catalog at your leisure, knowing that there's plenty more and better where this came from.
Expressing Views is Obviously Illegal (mp3)
Gratis (Prefuse vs. Pedro) (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 06:21 AM | Comments (41) | TrackBack
April 06, 2005
bloodthirsty lovers/grifters
Last Saturday I saw the Bloodthirsty Lovers, who are the latest project by Dave Shouse of the brilliant late 80s/early 90s Memphis band, The Grifters, who were vanguard members of the lo-fi scene. Don't get the lo-fi thing wrong: they were much harder rock than most of their compadres.
Shouse is a first-rank man of rock, channeling everyone from Bowie to Jagger to Neil, and seeing him play again brought back very fine memories of the couple of years when the Grifters ruled my world. Some day we'll do an extended series on them, but for now, I leave you with one of their very best tunes, plus the wonderfully cinematic lead track from the first Bloodthirsty Lovers' first album of a few years ago. I haven't gotten the new one yet. You can buy it here.
History really gave the Grifters a raw deal.
The Grifters :: Corolla Hoist (mp3)
Bloodthirsty Lovers :: Telepathic (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:59 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 05, 2005
bloc party frustration
I got shut out of Bloc Party's first Boston appearance tonight. I take pride in my ticket-obtaining abilities and I also am willing to pay way too much to see rock, but even hall-of-famers have bad nights. The local club was crawling with obsessed kids, and nobody was selling anything. This band seems poised to completely explode. They really seem to touch a nerve with people who have resisted the new New Wave to date.
I don't feel so over-the-top about my calling this disc possibly the best of the decade (and I missed a chance to call it the best of the century!) now that I realize I have company: read this A+ review in Stylus.
There is some good stuff at the band's web site here, including a live track, a good b-side, and a perfunctory dance mix of "Banquet".
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:51 PM | Comments (4)
April 04, 2005
new releases 04.05
A pretty decent and somewhat exciting week this time around - I'm optimistic about this new Magnolia Electric Co., and I think I'm going to pick up the new Okkervil River, who I've only heard a few tunes by. Also have high hopes for the new one by The Books, who are one of the most unique electronic acts out there. And the new British Sea Power could be another nice Brit entry.
Magnolia Electric Co. :: What Comes After The Blues (mp3s here by clicking on the bottom nav)
Okkervil River :: Black Sheep Boy (2 mp3s here)
The Books :: Lost And Safe (looks like you can stream the whole thing at Tomlab - find your way to the listen link)
British Sea Power :: Open Season (3 tracks here - you can use a fake e-mail address if you want)
Rolling Stones :: Sucking in the 70s (remaster)
Damien Jurado :: On My Way To Absence
Hot Hot Heat :: Elevator (thanks to MTV's The Leak, I know to pass on this for now)
Next week looks like a down week, unless you're psyched for the new New Order. Of Montreal could be interesting.
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:21 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
out hud :: let us never speak of it again
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I had high expectations of this record, as I had remembered loving the first Out Hud record, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D., which combined Tortoise-y post-rock with harder hitting, dance-inspired beats and a spaciness worthy of Brian Eno. It was electronic-inspired music that was made with lots of real instruments.
They also share members with !!!, and when I was suitably impressed by their record last year (Louden Up Now) my expectations were lifted for the new Out Hud even more - "if this is so good, I really can't wait for the new Out Hud!"
Two problems:
1) By adding vocals to the mix and straightening the sound towards a more pure house/techno vibe, they've moved too close for comfort to !!!, and sound like a slightly poorer cousin.
2) Upon review, I don't love the last disc as much as I thought I did. I just like it a lot.
This is still a nice little record; it's ear-catching in several passages as songs build. But there is an essential oddness and intensity to !!! that is missing in the poppier milieu of the sister band; Out Hud has become the B-52s to !!!'s Talking Heads (though that's unfair to them; they're much better than the 52s). It's fairly frontloaded; I was in a pretty good groove through the first 4 tracks or so. It runs flat more often after that, occasionally sounding barely different from vintage Orbital or Underworld.
The leading webzines Pitchfork and Stylus, who have really pushed !!! and Out Hud to the fore, say that this new disc is a major success, and it mostly seems due to their appreciation for the vocals, which sound ineffective to me. I tend to agree more with magazines like Q, which says LCD Soundsystem bass player Tyler Pope played on this album before committing himself full-time to LCD . . . [he] made the right decision. This indie club music is getting to be a crowded space, and it's a tough task to depose the LCD juggernaut. Out Hud make a valiant run, but fall a notch short.
How Long (mp3)
It's For You (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 10:59 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 02, 2005
shining :: in the kingdom of kitsch you will be a monster
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Our second in a long series of reviews of 2005 Rune Grammofon releases couldn't be more different than the first (Nils Økland). Shining's brand of innovation is a combination of spaz-jazz and ambient, experimental sonic collage. Many of the reviews, and the band themselves, have used the phrase "art-rock", but I think rock gets left behind after the riff-driven first track - and thankfully so. I put it in a broad category of structurally improvised art music along with John Zorn, Henry Threadgill, Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Tim Berne. These guys are also related to Jaga Jazzist, who I've never heard.
In the Kingdom of Kitsch contains chaotic music, yet underneath it all it seems highly organized. Most pieces do set a theme which is then wrecked or shifted in various ways; that theme may be abstract or melodic. Tracks tend to be eiher abrasive or serene, with plenty of both kinds. Electronic and acoustic instruments get equal play - and sometimes there are hybrid sounds like a sax through a guitar amp or a distorted human beatbox.
This disc has been hailed as highly original, and indeed it pushes further with strange instrumentation and sonic ideas than I've heard in some time. However, it doesn't sound entirely alien if you've listened to enough John Zorn or other wack-jazz. It's just another very good record in that vein. It hasn't been reviewed much, but here's something from Pitchfork which is well done; I don't agree that the first tune is the highlight, though. I prefer the more abstract stuff.
In the end, the best description I can give you is the list of instruments credited to the apparent leader, Jørgen Munkeby: saxophones, flutes, clarinet, AKAI EWI, electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass, rhodes, synths, piano, accordion, mellotron, harmonium, church organ, celesta, vocals, string and drum programming and editing.
If you've never heard a record like this, it's a pretty good place to start. Check out the samples below and begin the journey.
(P.S. keyboardist Morten Qvenild is one of the masterminds behind Borrowed Tunes' #10 record of 2004, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra's List of Lights and Buoys)
Aleister Explains Everything (mp3)
Romani (mp3)
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 06:57 PM | Comments (411) | TrackBack
mojo :: april 2005
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Mojo is slightly disappointing in April (and, as I write, the May issue is probably very close to out). There's big coverage on Joy Division and New Order on the 25th anniversary of Ian Curtis' death, which is a bit troubling since Mojo's sister mag, Q, has a similar story in the same month. However, there's a great inset story about the cover artist responsible for the classic Joy Division/New Order sleeves.
There's also a story on Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, progenitors of roots reggae. I don't know much about this area, and the article got me interested in learning more about this early Jamaican music. There is a new album on the way.
Not too much else of note. Let's get straight on to the reviews . . .
5-star reviews
Antony and the Johnsons :: I am a Bird Now
Dinosaur Jr :: You're Living All Over Me (reissue)
Rod Stewart :: Reason to Believe (The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings (box set)
Brian Eno :: Apollo (reissue)
Brian Eno :: Thursday Afternoon (reissue)
4-star reviews
Queens of the Stone Age :: Lullabies to Paralyze
The Mars Volta :: Frances the Mute
Phantom Buffalo :: Shishimumu
Brendan Benson :: The Alternative To Love
Atomic Hooligan :: You Are Here
Daft Punk :: Human After All
Psapp :: Tiger My Friend
A Guy Called Gerald :: To All Things What They Need
VA :: World Traveller Adventures
Rufus Wainwright :: Want Two
Arcade Fire :: Funeral
Blaze Foley :: Oval Room
Paolo Conte :: Elegia
Woodbine :: Best Before End
Mia Doi Todd :: Manzanita
Bap Kennedy :: The Big Picture
Iron & Wine :: Woman King EP
Blood Meridian :: We Almost Made It Home
Hazy Malaze :: Blackout Love
Golden Shoulders :: Friendship is Deep
The Frames :: Burn the Maps
Deathprod :: Morals and Dogma
The Endrick Brothers :: Built To Last
Al Green :: Everything's OK
Damien Dempsey :: Shots
Dälek :: Absence
Edan :: Beauty and the Beat
High On Fire :: Blessed Black Wings
Mary Gauthier :: Mercy Now
Many 4-star reissues such as Dinosaur's "Bug", the Hip-O Motown Singles box set, the David Bowie live reissues, and the Jimmy Webb box set
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 06:01 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
April 01, 2005
t. schiavo RIP
When you're a man of extremely poor taste, it's good to know you have company:
"TERRY SCHIAVO, what's on yer walkman/ipod?"
Posted by borrowed_tunes at 11:16 AM | Comments (5)