Despite the alluring title of Baroque Pop that I always saw lauded by the press in reference to Owen's previous moniker, Final Fantasy, I never really gave the guy a chance. Did this have anything to with the fact that he has a concept album based around Dungeons and Dragons named He Poos Clouds? Yes. But after hearing his vocals on the Gigi album, which I highly suggest you do, I gave Heartland a whirl, and was delightfully surprised. For those of you who complain no one is producing anything original these days, I think you might have found an exception here.
Pallett takes the same grand approach to pop orchestration that Van Dyke Parks is known for, but whereas Parks keeps things fanciful, Pallett takes a much more dramatic approach. Not in an annoyingly dramatic way likeXiu Xiu, but more akin to a musically verbose piece of classical music. Every song is knee-deep in clever and sometimes daunting orchestration. If this were the score to a family drama, there would be a dead little brother or sexual revelation every stanza. Fortunately for us he doesn't fall into the traps of similar artists by attempting to match the gravitas of the music with equally bombastic emotional grandstanding.
Lyrically I'm not sure what the hell is going on here. I read that Heartland is a concept album about a farmer or something but I would have never extracted that from the music. It's not that he is hard to understand, in fact I find his plainly sung directness endearing, but the lyrics (and there are a lot) are very thoughtful, with arty pretension. Not really something you will find yourself singing in the shower. Humming the tunes, maybe.
If the music sounds pretentious to you, that probably isn't something you are going to get past. One of my qualms with his previous work was exactly tha,t but I think that with this new album he has left behind the forced ideas of before and has really focused on the accessibility of the arrangements. If you are a fan of Left Banke or Arthur Russell I highly suggest you check the show out tonight. I have never seen him live and I am not quite sure how this is going to translate to a live setting, but from what I hear he puts on a fun show.
I could have finished this much earlier, however, I spent a long time cleaning up HTML on the entries submitted to our shows page. I don't mind stupid fonts and a little style, or lack thereof, here and there. If you want your show announcement to look stupid, then have at it. But making your letters six inches tall and the like, come on. That being said, I appreciate your participation in making the shows page often include shows that aren't listed elsewhere, even if it's not always the most comprehensive listing.
Also, personally insulting Jaime-Paul Falcon* in your show description is a little much. If you want to take a shot at the most tactful man in local music, you go ahead and be a man and do it as an anonymous commenter. He really hates that. I heard he was one of a few writers that was all over us at some panel during NX35, where according to the panel's host, Sam Machkovech, the lineup was loaded with writers that "loathed We Shot JR."
I have always loved the whole journalist VS blogger argument. Remember, the onus is not on the blogger to prove that he or she is a journalist. The pressure is on journalists to prove they can behave increasingly like bloggers, in order to save archaic business models. I wouldn't be surprised if they had meetings with topics such as, "How To Sound Casual," "Snarkiness 101," and "Illegal House Shows: A Primer."
When you have a journalism major that would much rather be writing about city hall, or sports, or the restaurant business, or community gardens, well, they may not always have the same enthusiasm towards figuring out whether or not some band still has the same bass player, or whether or not a track should really be considered Cold Wave. There's no accountability for this stuff. It's always suspicious to me when a group of professionals has to sit around and waste their breath on why they are, in fact, professionals, and the amateurs are irrelevant.
People have every right to try to make their dreams come true and to try to apply their degree as they had envisioned it would be applied, but I just wish that music wasn't always the first casualty in "journalistic boot camp," where young writers are thrown to sink or swim. This happens since music is largely seen as unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but also as a definite draw and a money-maker, so they can't completely ignore it. But the lowest common denominator usually rules, and safe and accessible is forever favored over anything "challenging." Even in the case of the local music press eventually embracing "DentonDIY" very late in the game, they still mainly focused on the most melodic and straight-forward acts.
Hey, speaking of "amateur bloggers," did you know that Forest Family has already sold out of their first seven-inch? Their new record, by Lafayette, Colorado's Gauntlet Hair will be out in "late May/early June," according to the label.
Don't Look In The Basement featuring The Devils | Alucarda (J&J's Pizza)
Switchblade Sisters is one of my all time favorite exploitation movies. Highly recommended you check that one out if you haven't, and even if you have it's even better with a crowd. (FP)
Sally Glass | Jeffrey Saenz | Joe Radnik | Quick Chris (The Cavern)
Some times this world can get to be a bit much ya know? There is that bullshit state sponsored fascism going on over in Arizona, the exploitative financial market crumbling before us, the ever widening division between economic classes and now local booking agents frontin' like they know all about DIY shows. With our country making leaps both forward and backwards all at the same time, there is one thing that we as a people can unite and take solace in. Something that Tea Partiers can never take away from us. That my friends is the soothing sounds of soft core pornography music. Whether relaxing by the fireside with a loved one or knitting mini sweaters for your pets, the Emmanuelle soundtrack will get you where you need to go.
In case you need a nerdy rock fact to justify downloading this here ya go. Famed guitarist and King Crimson member Robert Fripp won an out of court settlement over "borrowing" some of the music from Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic album for this recording. One of many things keeping this treasure out of print. sweet dreams
How about this Wall Street jabroni getting his ass straight up served to him on CSPAN this morning? We need more productive vulgarity like this on CSPAN...
The "EM DAWD," as it's called by insiders, continues to pull diverse, quality shows and is even throwing a major curve-ball by hosting a secret dance party soon, with an eyebrow-raising lineup of DJ's.
Speaking of booking oddities, did you know that Spune productions is doing house shows now? I heard it was the "thing to do," ever since some local paper hosted a couple of fake ones last year.
The Tanks | The Istics | Naxat | Division Of Power (1919 Hemphill): Naxat is one of those acts where the artist is playing this extremely complicated music, that would be hard enough with a full band, and yet he's standing there trying to keep it altogether, putting out each little sonic fire, one right after the other. Download an EP from Naxat here.
Ludicra | Magnus | Pinkish Black (Lola's) Ludicra has received a decent bit of positive attention of late, if not in "the trades," then at least on message boards and status updates, mostly for its impressive live show. I wasn't blown away by their recordings, but I don't doubt that their particular style of Black Metal translates better live. Fort Worth's Magnus and Pinkish Black are also on the bill, and Pinkish Black is the new project of The Great Tyrant'sDaron Beck and Jon Teague.
So after all that praising of Todd Rundgren the other day, he goes and plays almost an entire set of blues rock at Trees two nights ago. Ouch. It was cool hearing "Open My Eyes," originally performed with Nazz, but man, it was a bit much. I don't why older musicians feel the need to get in touch with their "roots," even ones they weren't necessarily ever in touch with in the first place.
Trees was the same as it ever was; it was as if it never closed. Todd was getting a bit grumpy about some of the set-up, which yielded his best quote of the night: "Man, I love this gig: Can't see shit. Can't hear shit. And my guitarist has a fucking tree in front of him." One wonders how used Rundgren probably got to larger venues in his heyday, and I hear that's a hard thing to let go of. After all, he was once rivals with John Lennon.
Now, if you'll notice by clicking on that link, very little has changed since Lennon and Rundgren were openly insulting one another in music mags. I found the exchange to be very similar to a couple of small-time musicians attacking each other on any comments section of any modern music site. It's oddly comforting.
The Printed Image - etchings, lithographs, monoprints and spit bites Andrea Rosenberg Barry Whistler Gallery 2909-B Canton Street, Dallas, TX 75226 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Introverted Floating World Brent Ozaeta The Public Trust 2919-C Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75226 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
SATURDAY
Sin Limite - The Mexican Tsunami (M K Semos and Hugo G. Urrutia) Lego (Ruben Nieto) Decorazon Gallery 417 North Bishop Avenue, Dallas, TX 75208 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Beach House I want so much to like you. Contrary to some of my non-blogger friend's beliefs I don't dislike things just because they become too popular or relatively mainstream. These friends seem to have no other reason for my indifference towards Beach House other than cultural elitism. On the surface Beach House seem like a perfect match for me for it is no secret that I have a penchant for moody indie pop. Unfortunately I have been disappointed with Beach House ever since I saw them live alongside a very sparse audience at Hailey's a few years ago. It was a pretty boring show which sadly matched my expectations after giving their self titled a couple quick listens. Beach House make some pretty non offensive yet slightly left of center indie rock. This is the stuff American Apparel hoodies are made of.
I will admit that Teen Dream has some very lovely moments, especially early on but by the time Lover of Mine kicks in I can no longer distinguish one song from another. The whole affair gets very bland very quickly. Much like last year's darlings Grizzly Bear, Beach House holster one set of tricks that they execute over and over. The plucking guitar, the lurching organ and Victoria Legrand's vocals which shows little range or personality from song to song. Teen Dream is not a difficult album to listen to, in fact it's a very passive one. Repetitive and anti-climatic. After the third listen I was asking myself what else this album had to offer and I came up dry. Trust me I know that I am in the minority on this one but I hope to offer a voice for the voiceless amongst the hipster blog-o-sphere.
Frankly there are artist today in the same musical spectrum as Beach House that I enjoy more. Please feel free to disagree with me as I offer some examples. The new JJ album has a very similar feel to this one and while it might not have a cozy sound like Teen Dream it has way more personality and takes more risk. I had a feeling I was going to be greatly let down by the new High Places after not liking the last album as much as the previous singles but High Places vs. Mankind is really impressive and effectively expands on their sound, unlike Teen Dream which sounds purely like a step forward production wise. So since you missed out on tickets for this sold out show you should buy the aforementioned albums, or just put on one of your parents Fleetwood Mac albums. Bone Thugz-N-Harmony (House of Blues)
This is going to be much more entertaining fun than Beach House. See ya at the crossroads.
Thought I would go with a topical selection this week. Now I don't know if I would really call this a controversy but Bongwater leading lady Ann Magnuson's fan page (maintained and frequently updated by Manuson) was recently kicked off of Facebook for a pretty stupid reason. You might think that it was because of some sort of radical leftist agenda she was pushing but instead it was because of the picture below. A nudity free mock up album cover, obvious spoof of the Roxy album, that had never been released and she was sharing with her fans. Of course her few but dedicated followers made an uproar and shortly there after her account was re-activated. I know this may seem ridiculous because it is Facebook and who gives a shit but it makes you wonder what role censorship will play in social networking's future.
But what about the music Frank? This here is the first album (this release is also packaged with the debut EP) from the duo of actress Ann Magnuson and Shimmy Records founder Mark Kramer. Over their brief lifespan and catalog, Bongwater have become known, at least to me anyways, as the masters of commercially viable avant-garde pop. The music is great, weird and catchy but the real star here is Magnuson and her Tracey Ullman raised by The Residents performance style.
This is definitely an experience for the adventurous listener. Bongwater know how to make a beautiful pop song, you just have to take a little avant-garde side trip to get to them. Where this could be a tedious exercise in the hands of less radical minds, Bongwater maintain a balance between the political and the trashy, the abstract and confrontational, the beautiful and the fucking weird. The music is out there and jumps from one style or spoken word piece to another with a rewarding spontaneity which rarely transcends similar artist's (Ween, Miranda July) intentions. That is not to say that this is a messy, drug fueled pop art experiment. It may be out there, but the music is totally accessible to those not in the college rock know. Great place to start or a great one to revisit. Also features some surprisingly heartfelt covers of The Monkees, Roky Erickson and the Moody Blues.
Oh yeah and their name is Bongwater and it is 4/20 get it?
Screening: "Don't Look In The Basement"- Mo Tai aka Devil Fetus/MO aka The Boxer's Omen (J&J's Pizza)
Todd Rundgren (Trees) Todd Rundgren's records were a favorite steal of mine when I raided my parent's collection as a teen, and I've always been envious of my father's claim to have seen Todd at the original Dallas Palladium, the one off of Northwest Highway. Wow, take a second to read over that link. Isn't it weird to read a piece on local music that doesn't sound like a text message convo?
Anyways, since you, and I, and however many people fit into the current incarnation of Trees will get to catch such a legendary talent in a club setting, and though that may not speak so well of where Mr. Rundgren's current perceived or more specifically, his commercial legacy stands, it is a privilege nonetheless.
A lot is made of whether or not Rundgren is at his best when he's all progged out with a group; which is how he got his start, with the overly capable Nazz, or if he's better with the Mesquite School Radio sound of his heavily Carole King-influenced period. And then there's that "other stuff" he did, the "synthesizer crap" that my mom always brings up when she laments his career arc. Which is more often than one would think. That "synthesizer crap" is most likely what has cemented his influence and lasting effect on both mainstream and underground music, particularly the riskier moves he made after scoring AOR gold, to the point where labels actually turned down some of his submitted material, as is the case with his never-released Disco Jets. The album is from 1976 and yet some of it sounds eerily like Ariel Pink'snext record.
It's funny to think of all the people throughout pop music's history that were laughed at or rejected by the public and by their employers, for testing uncharted territory; whether it be through technology or composition, style, philosophy and all other conduits of progressive approach and vision. It's a well-beaten cliche, but it's still fun to listen to those almost undetectable tendrils of influence slowly creep through the decades and shelves upon dusty shelves of music both heard and unheard, until it finally stops at your current time, reveals itself through a sample, or a busy keyboard part and in some subtle way, points at you as if to say, "I told you so."
Here's a link to an article from the Houston Chronicle blog which mentions the Houston angle, since DJ Premier was born there.
Here are a few somewhat obvious faves, but I still get really excited anytime I hear the opening samples to these tracks no matter where I am. "Code Of The Streets" may be the best hip hop song I've ever heard, or at the very least contains one of the greatest and most epic samples.
Nothing to report today, except Jazz at The Amsterdam, Cool Out, etc.
I spent some time at the Good Records "Record Store Day" event this past Saturday only to find that it was running three hours behind schedule, and that's no surprise, since there were so many acts booked. Nevertheless, it seemed like a success, even if I always spend all my time at these things waiting around for sets that seem to never come. I was mostly trying to catch Wanz Dover's new post-punk band and first non-DJ project in quite a while, The Black Dotz, and simultaneously trying to get a feel for whether or not Wanzactually likes dubstep. That guy is just so vague about his feelings, ya know?
The Majestic Dwelling Of Doom show was great this weekend, and things were much more on-schedule there than I expected. I was mostly excited to finally see Chest Pain, an Austin hardcore band with DFW roots, and they lived up to my expectations. You guys know that's what it's all about right? Living up to my shitty little expectations.
Anyways, Chest Pain's lead singer, Travis Smith, is late of Denton's Angry Businessmen (for which he played drums and sang), and Coppell's Tyrannosaurus X (for which he sang). This band is much heavier than the slightly humorous, bass-led root beer punk of Angry Businessmen, and much more like TX, with minimal groove sludge and blast-beat chaos.
I believe that Angry Businessmen was the only five-star review ever on We Shot JR, much to the annoyance of even my fellow writers. Their nomination in the Quick Awards was a local music highlight for me and I always think it's great when something so under-the-radar registers a blip in a big publication. I don't credit us for any of that, it's all up to the artists themselves. However, I'm often asked these days why we still do this site, after doing it for so long, and since it seems like more trouble than it's worth, and I realized why when I was at the Majestic Dwelling Of Doom. The answer is simple: So it isn't only left up to cynical idiots who don't care to really know anything about underground music to list a show like that, or to ignore it altogether. There's nothing romantic about it. That's it.
Oops, I forgot. A Twitter account that makes fun of the way people look in Denton is having a pizza party at Hailey's tonight. You know the sad part? When you rag on people and throw a party in Denton, people will definitely show up. We know all about that. Why Denton Sucks is also selling t-shirts. Denton, you're so kinky and masochistic, you're making us blush.
Oh, and while I'm at it and to tie this altogether: Angry Businessmen's lead vocalist Clint Butler will be DJ-ing and playing video clips at the Why Denton Sucks show tonight. So there you go.
