Frank Black - Frank Black

The most favorable thing about Frank Black’s debut solo album is that it doesn’t stray too far from where the Pixies last offering, Trompe le Monde. Maybe that’s why people such as myself got more hot and bothered with The Breeders’ early efforts because they actually presented something different when compared to Kim Deal’s former band, and that difference was surprisingly well exececuted.

Not that Black is any slouch, but we came to expect great things from the guy that composed the vast majority of all those Pixies songs that we just beginning to lament.

I suppose you could complain at the lack of diversity with Frank Black, but why bother. There was a real possibility that Black was going to break out into the mainstream, and that possibility seemed to allude him with The Pixies. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and just let the muse sneak out a hit or two, but I’d be hard pressed to find it here.

“Los Angeles,” the great opener here, came the closest, with its full scale video and extra promotional push that’s usually provided to a critical darling that’s just about to test the waters alone. With the drums way up in the mix and guitars punching out of every speaker, there was a chance that this song could have taken off, but like many good songs in the age of grunge, it was not meant to be.

“Hang On To Your Ego” is a telling cover as newly recruited keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman came from Pere Ubu, a band who’s frontman (David Thomas) was a huge Beach Boys fan and would often incorporate an occasional nod or line into one of that band’s originals. Feldman gives Black a wide birth, but all Frank can do is play it legitimately and with respect.

But rock radio and its fans weren’t interested in old Beach Boy tunes at the time, which makes cuts like “Fu Manchu” and the awesome “Parry The Wind High, Low” such great possibilities. Even the Ramones worshipping “I Heard Ramona Sing” cut got buried after Elektra cut the gravy train to any more singles, leaving Frank Black to wallow in obscurity, becoming nothing more than an interesting curio for those seeking out the output of the post-Pixies creative forces.

Michael Schenker Releases Temple Of Rock - Live In Europe DVD

I have to admit that Temple Of Rock is a real letdown, but the idea of watching Michael Schenker shredding alongside Herman Ze German, Pete Way, and Rudolph Schenker is intriguing. Here's the details on Michael's new dvd:

Michael Schenker Temple Of Rock - Live In Europe 
to be released on January 15, 2013

Assault Attack!!

Inakustik will release Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock: Live in Europe on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Limited Deluxe Edition, on January 15, 2013 in North America. This essential live rock'n'roll release includes songs performed live in Tilburg, The Netherlands in May 2012, plus songs performed at London's 2011 High Voltage Festival.

At the ripe age of 15, after a very early start in his professional music career recording his first album with the Scorpions and after joining UFO age 17, Michael Schenker focused exclusively on lead guitar and pure self-expression. The second chapter in his career was focused on experimenting and developing his expertise on a more musical and personal level. With excellent musicians, friends and fans from all over the world, this live recording is part of this celebration. Michael Schenker sees his music as a building block in the construction of the Temple Of Rock. "The Temple Of Rock is almost finished," explains Michael Schenker. "The foundation was laid in the 60s by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Jeff Beck, and Cream. In the late 70s, the pillars were then built by bands like UFO and AC/DC.

By the 80s it was further reinforced by the likes of Judas Priest and the Scorpions, and many other influential rock bands. "There's not much new left to expect, but I am glad to be a part of this temple," says Michael. "It's unbelievable fun and an honor to share a stage and make music with some of the world's best musicians."

A concert from Tilburg, the Netherlands was recorded in May 2012 that noticeably distinguishes itself from previous releases due to the line-up that includes Michael Schenker (lead guitar), Doogie White (vocals), Herman Rarebell (drums), Francis Buchholz (bass) and Wayne Findley (rhythm guitar, keyboards).

In addition to this Tilburg concert, fans can experience extracts from London's 2011 High Voltage Festival with Michael Voss (vocals), featuring awe-inspiring guest appearances from Schenker's friends and musical companions including his brother Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) who plays rhythm guitar on "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Hanging On" and "Doctor Doctor", UFO's Pete Way who plays bass guitar on "Doctor Doctor", and vocalists Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey), and Doogie White, who jointly sing on "Doctor Doctor".

All in all, there has never been such extensive and high quality material from Michael Schenker for your viewing and listening pleasure.

LIVE IN TILBURG - TRACK LISTING
Into The Arena
Armed And Ready
Lovedrive
Another Piece Of Meat
Hanging On
Cry For The Nations
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Coast To Coast
Assault Attack
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
Lights Out
On And On
Let It Roll
Shoot Shoot
Rock You Like A Hurricane
Rock Bottom
Holiday
Blackout
Doctor Doctor

THE MUSICIANS
Michael Schenker (lead guitars)
Doogie White (lead vocals)
Herman Rarebell (drums)
Francis Buchholz (bass)
Wayne Findlay (keyboards, guitars, backing vocals)
Michael Voss (lead vocals, guitar - Special guest on 'Hanging On')

LIVE AT HIGH VOLTAGE
TRACK LISTING

Armed And Ready
Another Piece Of Meat
Rock You Like A Hurricane (ft. Rudolph Schenker)
Hanging On (ft. Rudolph Schenker)
Doctor Doctor (ft. Rudolph Schenker)

THE MUSICIANS
Michael Schenker (lead guitars)
Michael Voss (lead vocals, guitar)
 Herman Rarebell (drums)
Wayne Findlay (keyboards, guitars, backing vocals)
Elliott Dean Rubinson (bass)

SPECIAL GUESTS
Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar on Rock You Like A Hurricane, Hanging On, Doctor Doctor)
Pete Way (bass guitar on Doctor Doctor)
Jeff Scott Soto (vocals on Doctor Doctor)
Doogie White (vocals on Doctor Doctor)

Jah Wobble and Keith Levine Release Yin & Yang

I have to confess, I wasn't very blown away from what I've heard so far.

I mean, this should be a glorious pairing judging by their incredible work together on Metal Box and a few criminally overlooked gems from the debut ("Analisa" anyone?).

But hey, judge for yourself and read the clippings from the new Jah Wobble and Keith Levine pairing:

Jah Wobble and Keith Levene

Yin & Yang Available on December 11

The first collaboration by Public Image Limited founding members since the landmark 1980 album Metal Box

Due for release on Cherry Red Records (via MVD in North America) on December 11, Yin and Yang is the first full-length collaboration by PIL founding members Jah Wobble and Keith Levene since the landmark 1980 album Metal Box. Below, Jah Wobble spills the beans on the making of the album.

"I reunited with Keith a couple of years ago. He was off smack and keen to play again. We had a bash in a rehearsal room and it went well. To start with I got him to play on three tracks of the album, (Psychic Life) that I was making with Julie Campbell (Lonelady). Since then we have performed 'Metal Box in Dub' live.

These shows were very well received. As far as I was concerned he was back and on top of his game again. I thought it would be a good idea to go and record some new material. I wasn't sure what we would come up with. As we proceeded, in a very relaxed fashion, the realisation dawned on me , that we were making music that was linked to psychedelic music (especially the British variety), of the swinging sixties through the mid seventies that we both would have been exposed to when we were young. (Albeit our stuff has a spiteful post modern edge to it, I must admit it was a good, (if rather juvenile), laugh referring to myself, (and the listener) as a c*** , as well as eulogising about my beloved Jags and Staffs in the mist of a psychedelic onslaught).

Bands such as Hawkwind and the Pretty Things spring to mind. Our 7/4 version of George Harrison's 'Within/Without you' reminds me of Cream, in its wild approach and execution. There are elements of Americana in 'Yin and Yang' as well. Check out the Keith's acoustic work on the dubby Appalachian flavoured 'Strut' . Likewise listen to the Southern States R&B of 'Mississippi', especially the baptist church organ of the multi- talented Jonas Persson. But my favourite track is the moody instrumental 'Back on the Block', just listen to the controlled anger of Keith's electric guitar.

When Keith and I performed Metal Box In Dub I invited my regular trumpet player Sean Corby along. I knew that he would help inject an element of 'Electric period Miles' into the mix. Not long after we had finished recording Metal Box back in 1979 I heard Miles Davis's 'Dark Magus'. Well, it absolutely blew me away. Talk about cathartic moments. Since then I had dreamed of introducing trumpet into compositions such as 'Graveyard' and 'Memories'. Sean steals the show on 'Fluid', my old friend 'Little Annie' does the same on 'Vampires'. Marc Layton-Bennett, my regular drummer, plays like a demon throughout. The track 'Understand' features Nathan Maverick on vocals. He is the singer that we employed to handle vocals on the Metal Box in Dub performances. I was determined to get him to help write a song for this album. And the boy did good. He really reminds me of someone. Just can't quite put my finger on who it is."

Pissed Jeans Share The Honey(s) Hole

Here's the skinny on the new Pissed Jeans album:


Pissed Jeans will release their stellar fourth album, Honeys, on CD, LP, and digitally through Sub Pop Records on February 12, 2013.

The album, which features the single “Bathroom Laughter,” along with stand-outs “Health Plan,” “Loubs,” “Vain in Costume,” and “Teenage Adult,” was recorded by Grammy-nominated producer Alex Newport at Milkboy Studios in Philadelphia. Please find a full track list below.

SPIN, who spoke with Pissed Jeans’ singer Matt Korvette about the recording of Honeys, raved: “Listeners will have the opportunity to take in yet another electrifying helping of Korvette’s very distinct, some might say sobering, dispatches from beyond the cubicle to address both ‘crippling pet allergies’ (‘Cathouse’), a ‘blistering fear of going to the doctor’ (‘Health Plan’) and more…Honeys is arguably their most muscular and direct effort yet…”

Pitchfork premiered the first single, the aforementioned “Bathroom Laughter” as a “Best New Track,” and said, “…the rage boils over in typical fashion on leadoff track ‘Bathroom Laughter.’ It isn't easy to ascertain, exactly, what has captured the animus of Mr. Korvette this time around, as the band rips through an impossibly scuzzy, breakneck punk romp that reimagines previous single ‘False Jesii Pt. 2’ hopped up on gas station coffee”

More on Pissed Jeans Honeys:

The songs on Honeys are direct without being obtuse, evocative without being vague, and personal without being indulgent. They also rock like nobody's business. Do yourself a favor and forget all the claptrap you've heard about other bands delivering the goods. If you want bloodthirsty, you’ve got it… Sean McGuiness makes other rock drummers look like one of those dimwit longhairs with an involuntary smile playing a bongo by himself on the lawn behind a store that sells rain sticks. With a bass that bass that sounds like a train filled with stolen shopping carts crashing into an orchestra pit, Randy Huth doesn't waste a note. Bradley Fry doesn't look like a guitar hero; he looks a nice guy who would volunteer to help you reformat the drive on your laptop. But if he looked like he sounds he'd be wearing a necklace of human heads and even his reflection would turn you to stone. Matt Korvette screams out observations on the tedium and absurdity of adulthood, delivered in a fashion similar to the way people must sound when being waterboarded. Sometimes the band sounds like hearing yourself being bashed over the head with a snow shovel… (read more at Sub Pop).


Pissed Jeans Honeys Tracklisting

1) Bathroom Laughter
2) Chain Worker
3) Romanticize Me
4) Vain in Costume
5) You're Different (In Person)
6) Cafeteria Food
7) Something About Mrs. Johnson
8) Male Gaze
9) Cathouse
10) Loubs
11) Health Plan
12) Teenage Adult

Harry Nilsson's The Point DVD Released

There's so much more about Harry Nilsson that I've yet to discover, and now the list gets longer.

Evidently, besides a really bad vampire movie (or so I'm told, since I've never actually seen it), Nilsson also released a kid's cartoon, a sampling of which is below.

A friend of mine once went as Nilsson circa '73 for Halloween and pulled it off remarkably well. He showed me the picture and had me guess who he was. He said that not a lot of people remembered or knew who Nilsson was, which is a damn shame if you've ever heard Aerial Ballet.

Here's the poop:

Harry Nilsson's The Point: The Definitive Collector's Edition out now
via MVD Entertainment Group

The animated classic returns to DVD with over 25 minutes of bonus features!

Directed by Academy Award-winner Fred Wolf, The Point tells the story of Oblio, a round-headed boy living in the land of "Point," where everything and everybody has one. Oblio, along with his trusty dog, Arrow, is banished to the Pointless Forest. The tale is narrated by Ringo Starr and includes songs written and sung by Grammy Award-winner Harry Nilsson. The definitive collector's edition.

Track Listing

Me And My Arrow
Everything's Got 'Em
Poli High
Think About Your Troubles
Life Line
P.O.V.
Waltz Are You Sleeping?

Bonus Materials Includes Four Never-Before-Seen Bonus Featurettes:

Who Is Harry Nilsson?
Pitching The Point 
Making The Point 
Legacy Of The Point

Tegan and Sara Release New Video for "Closer"

So it seems that the new Tegan and Sara album Heartthrob is going to be more of the same electronic bent as Saints, an album that I wasn't all that fond of.

I doubt that I'll do the knee jerk purchase like I did last time-which was only done because the album before it, The Con, is just so friggin' awesome.

The new one?

Not so much, IMO.

As Tegan and Sara attempt to inexplicably move towards the mainstream, the less interesting and unique they become.

Here's the record label's enthusiastic version:


Tegan and Sara Release Official Video for "Closer"
Heartthrob Out January 29th
Available for Pre-Order Now

Tegan and Sara just released the official video for their piping hot single,"Closer." The video premiered on Spin.com, who glow "it's become clear that Tegan and Sara are indeed readying some of their most accessible and interesting material in years." Truth!

"Closer," off of their upcoming seventh studio album, Heartthrob (out January 29th on WBR), initially premiered on RollingStone.com and proved to be internet gold, peaking at #1 on Hype Machine's "Most Popular" chart that same week.


Tegan and Sara offered fans another taste of what they can expect on Heartthrob when they posted a stream of another new song, "I'm Not Your Hero" and just recently released the cover art and track listing for Heartthrob.

Official Heartthrob Tracklisting:

1. Closer
2. Goodbye, Goodbye
3. I Was a Fool
4. I'm Not Your Hero
5. Drove Me Wild
6. How Come You Don't Want Me
7. I Couldn't Be Your Friend
8. Love They Say
9. Now I'm All Messed Up
10. Shock To Your System

**Deluxe Version includes bonus tracks "Guilty as Charged," "I Run Empty" and "Closer" Official Music Video

The girls just returned from the UK on tour in support of The Killers, played a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and performed "Closer" on The Late Show with David Letterman. They will be kicking of additional US dates with the band on November 29th.

For a full list of upcoming dates, see below.

Confirmed T&S Tour Dates:
w/The Killers:

Nov 29 - 1st Bank Center - Broomfield, CO
Nov 30 - UCCU Center - Orem, UT
Dec 1 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV *
Dec 3 - Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC
Dec 4 - Kitting Factory - Spokane, WA *
Dec 5 - Theatre of the Clouds @ Rose Garden - Portland, OR
Dec 7 - 91x WREX The Halls - San Diego, CA *
Dec 8 - Live 105's Not So Silent Night - San Francisco, CA *
Dec 10 - KJEE Winter Round Up - Santa Barbara, CA *
Dec 13 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Dec 14 - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
Dec 15 - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON
Dec 16 - Metropolis - Montreal, QB
Dec 17 - Agganis Arena - Boston, MA
Dec 18 - Patriot Center - Fairfax, VA
Dec 20 - EMU Convocation Center - Ypsilanti, MI
Dec 21 - UIC Pavilion - Chicago, IL
 *without The Killers

XTC - The Big Express

By the time XTC’s The Big Express was released, I was already a fan, chomping at the bit to absorb all of their catalog to see if it was as good as Black Sea or English Settlement. The trouble was, their records were not always available in my neck of the woods, so a rare visit to a Tower Records presented me with a chance to get The Big Express (albeit on a pricey Virgin import) as well as score a cheap cut-out of the band’s second release, Go 2.

It would take me all of the way back to Iowa to listen to it-cd players still weren’t readily available-and it would take me even longer to get used to the record’s polished production and the fact that drummer Terry Chambers had left the fold and was replaced by a dude who didn’t even get membership privileges.

Not that the album proceeding this one was a drum pounding effort (which may explain why Chambers left) but The Big Express was being billed as a return to form and a polar opposite of the soft arrangements that wrecked Mummer.

Sonically, The Big Express is a harder album that its predecessor, but not in the drums and wires way of XTC of old. While the arrangements may be a tad heavier-and heavy handed in some cases-this is still a record of enormous pop zeal and quirky arrangements just like in years past.

The album title and a few tracks suggest an almost steampunk approach to the lyrical content, with references to trains, industrial centers, and blue collar dreaming. What it doesn’t hint at are the nearly embarrassing references to the cold war and the continuous fear of nuclear annihilation. It’s here that Andy Partridge gets a bit preachy, claiming concern for the kids while lambasting the parents for not doing enough to change the course of nuclear proliferation.

In “This World Over,” he tells the story about a father taking the kids on a hike of London’s rubble-supposedly the result of war-and fielding questions about “What was London like?”

In “Reign Of Blows,” he states that “Joe Stalin looks just like Uncle Sam,” never mind the chord progression sounds like a Rolling Stones outtake, complete with some pretty tepid harmonica work.

When he lays off the preachy politics, Partridge scores easily. On the tremendous. “You’re The Wish You Are I Had” he recalls XTC’s wonderful sense of playfulness within the melodies. Andy must have worked himself into hyperventilation spitting out the steam engine tempo of the closer “Train Running Low On Soul Coal,” furthering the tradition of the band’s tradition of ending things on a strong note.

Guitarist Dave Gregory and Colin Moulding are critical in keeping The Big Express from running off the rails thanks to some top notch performances, including three positively great tunes from Moulding. While Partridge make consistently produce some of XTC’s best closing moments, Moulding shines with his opener “Wake Up” and he displays talent beyond his own pop upbringings with the jazzy “I Remember The Sun,” complete with stand up bass and Gregory’s fretwork.

While certainly not one of the band’s required listening efforts, The Big Express does point the ship in the right direction once again, paving the way for even more rewarding records in their impressive catalog. 

Foals Announce New Album "Holy Fire"

I still bring up Foals' sophomore effort Total Life Forever on occasion, and I'm willing to bet that they put on a pretty good live show too.

They've followed up that terrific record with a new one that's just around the corner as recently announced below, cheese.

The cheddar:

Foals has announced the release of their third full-length album, Holy Fire, available via Warner Bros Records in the US on February 12, 2013.

Produced by Flood & Moulder (PJ Harvey, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) at Assault & Battery studios in London, Holy Fire is the Oxford five-piece's most direct and fully-realized album yet.

Of the electric "Inhaler," front man Yannis Philippakis says "It's heavy, that song; it was liberating," adding that it is the sound of the band shedding their inhibitions.

Foals released their debut album Antidotes in 2008, followed by 2010's breakthrough Total Life Forever. Both are certified gold. Total Life Forever was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize, an Ivor Novello award for Best Song and they received five nods at the 2011 NME awards, winning Best Single for "Spanish Sahara." TLF was also voted The Fly magazine's album of the year in 2010.

 The band will hit the road on a small club tour in the UK next month, look for them stateside in the spring.

Foals are:
Yannis Philippakis (vocals/guitar)
Edwin Congreave (keys)
Walter Gervers (bass)
Jimmy Smith (guitar/keys)
Jack Bevan (drums)

Eric Burdon and the Greenhornes - Eric Burdon and the Greenhornes EP

“My name is Winston Churchill” states the grizzled voice at the beginning of The Greenhornes’ new e.p. “And I’m having a fucking nervous breakdown.”

That old voice belongs to none other than Eric Burdon, and that’s about the only indication of the man’s age that you’ll hear during the quarter-hour offering. During this 4 song sampling, Burdon turns back the clock on his 71 years on Earth, reminding both the unfamiliar and the lost fans that he’s still got some chops to be reckoned with.

Beginning with the incredible stomp of “Black Dog” (no, not the Zeppelin track), Burdon sounds like he’s shaking the cobwebs loose while the band lays down some pretty dirty riffing.

While the one-take Jake approach starts off strong, you begin to wish a bit more time was spent creating music that attempts to add to Burdon’s legacy instead of simply referring to it.

The same care was needed as Greenhorne members Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler displayed with Loretta Lynn during her Van Lear Rose record. Instead, they allow Burdon to end this otherwise fine offering with “Cab Driver.”

It finds the Greenhornes enabling Burdon down this misguided attempt at humor which sounds lazy at its best and racist at its worst.

That aforementioned Churchill line is a reference to Winston’s battles with the “black dog” of depression. Instead, Burdon should have focused on making more character studies like what’s taking place at the beginning of Eric Burdon and the Greenhornes instead of depressing the entire proceedings with such embarrassments like this e.p.’s final moment.

Stream Eric Burdon and the Greenhornes here.

The Hives Join Pink For 2013 Tour

I say this without a hint of sarcasm: I wouldn't mind seeing The Hives open for Pink.

It seems like the kind of show that both my wife and I would both enjoy, which is a rare commodity in our home.

I really have no frame of reference for how popular Pink is-she seems to have a lot of hit singles, but then again, what's a "hit" single?-and I have no idea if she could realistically fill an arena. But it's been a while since I've been to an arena show, and my gut says that this could be a fun night.

Then again, I bet every night is a fun night when The Hives are on the bill.

The poop:

The Hives add some Pink to their black tie, white noise sound

"As long as you scream 'The Hives!' at the top of your voice, nothing can go wrong in your life." 

 - Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, World's Wisest Frontman 

The Hives will return to the U.S. in February for a nationwide arena tour in support of P!nk. Kicking off February 13 in Phoenix, the dates will take them to 25 cities across the U.S. See below for details.

The band is currently in the midst of a world tour - kicking off their European headline dates next week - in support of their widely-acclaimed new album Lex Hives that has included show-stopping sets at Coachella, Reading & Leeds and Jay-Z's Made in America festival, as well as appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Conan, Last Call with Carson Daly and more.

Carson will air a second episode with The Hives on December 10, featuring two songs from their October 8 set at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. The Hives are Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Nicholaus Arson, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction, and Vigilante Carlstroem.

THE HIVES NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES 
February 13, 2013 - Phoenix, AZ @ U.S. Airways Center
February 15, 2013 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
February 16, 2013 - @ Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
February 18, 2013 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion at San Jose
February 21, 2013 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
February 22, 2013 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
February 24, 2013 - Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
February 25, 2013 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
February 27, 2013 - Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Times Forum
March 1, 2013 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
March 2, 2013 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
March 5, 2013 - Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 6, 2013 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
March 8, 2013 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
March 09, 2013 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
March 11, 2013 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
March 12, 2013 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
March 14, 2013 - Washington DC @ Verizon Center
March 22, 2012 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
March 23, 2013 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
March 25, 2013 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
March 27, 2013 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
March 28, 2013 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Crown And Treaty

Occasionally, an album arrives and upon first listen you get the sense that the music jumping out of the grooves wasn’t created in a sterile studio with too little daylight and too much attention to detail. With Sweet Billy Pilgrims third release, Crown and Treaty, you get the sense that the recording studio is nothing more than a few rooms in a house with wires littering the floor and dirty dishes pilling up in the kitchen sink.

Fuck those chores, particularly if the end results command a record as eloquently crafted as this. Crown and Treaty doesn’t suffer from any poor fidelity sonics resulting from this homespun approach. It’s as detailed as anything as you’d expect from a band with a recording budget that matches the muse that they’ve set out to scale. This muse is in full, beautiful array throughout Crown and Treaty, in what is certainly one of the best albums that you’ll hear all year.

Crown and Treaty incorporates delicate organic instrumentation (clean guitars, banjos, pianos, whatever’s lying around) with some great harmonies, initiated by Tim Elsenburg’s gentle voice. With the recent addition of Jana Carpenter to the fold, Sweet Billy Pilgrim has now found a wider range of vocal emotion, which only begins to take off during the album’s second half.

Prior to those moments, Crown and Treaty offers a wide range of expression through its original arrangements and Elsenburg’s own imaginative lyrics.  There’s a sense of maturity throughout his study on melancholia, suggesting that the existential crisis that we all experience is preordained from day one. Or, as Elsenburg himself details more succinctly in one track, “Life is a place we arrive at upside down.”

If it’s not his own demons he’s documenting, he uses other source material for the task. “Kracklite” appends Brian Dennehy’s character in the 1987 The Belly of an Architect and uses it as a discussion of the folly of trying to overcome our own mortality. “Monuments we build  tumble to the ground,” Elsenburg sings, accurately pointing out that even the most majestic of structures we place on this earth are “just another way to be forgotten.”

With Crown and Treaty, Sweet Billy Pilgrim have delivered their homespun masterstroke, an album that only begs the question of what other gems do they have hidden in their house of creativity and enviable sense of arrangements. 

Here’s hoping that this musical monument never gets forgotten.

This review originally appeared in Glorious Noise.

Ike & Tina Turner On The Road 1971 - 1972

I doubt that you could go wrong with this purchase: a new dvd of Ike and Tina Turner's '71/'72 Tour with lots of behind the scenes footage of the couple together. Of course we now know what went on when the cameras were turned off, but when they were on, Ike and Tina delivered some of the best rock and soul performances that one could ever hope to see.

Here's the spiel:


Ike & Tina: On The Road: 1971-72 comes to DVD on November 20 An intimate look at the dynamic Ike and Tina Turner at their creative peak...

From the lens of legendary rock photographer Bob Gruen By combining soul music with an explosive stage show, complete with the high energy dance choreography of Tina Turner and the Ikettes, and an ingredient sorely missed in today's soul - gritty rock n' roll - Ike & Tina Turner gained a reputation as one of the great live acts of all-time.

In the early 70's, legendary rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya toured with Ike & Tina, filming them performing, on the road, and behind the scenes. Now for the first time ever this footage is available to the public... This is a look inside a hardworking band as well as an iconic couple.

With portable video recorders not as prominent during that era as they are nowadays, no one has seen scenes like this. But with the release of Ike & Tina: On The Road: 1971-72, fans are finally treated to a must-see behind-the-scenes view of the band, at the peak of their powers. Similar to an earlier DVD set, The New York Dolls: All Dolled Up, the Gruens toured with Ike & Tina and documented everything in black and white (and some color as well).

Now, 40 years later, fans get to experience what it was like to be with one of the most popular touring/recording bands of this time period. In addition to simply awesome renditions of several Ike & Tina classics, we also get a glimpse of the group at work in the recording studio, Tina and the Ikettes practicing their dance routines (and primping their wigs!), and goofing around on airplanes and in airports. We even get to see inside Ike & Tina's house and the couple's funky retro '70s home décor, as Tina cooks dinner for her kids.

 A lot has been written about Ike and Tina's relationship over the years (mostly in the negative light). But for many years, they were able to coexist together in the public eye, and in the process, created some of the most exciting and gripping soul/rock music ever recorded.

Now with Ike & Tina: On The Road: 1971-72, we have a more than worthy visual accompaniment to their classic sounds. "The film Whats Love Got To Do With It? shows why Ike and Tina Turner broke up," says Gruen. "Ike & Tina: On The Road: 1971-72 shows why Ike and Tina were together for twenty years before that."

Finally, A Slice Of Gooseberry Pie

My Mother did something extraordinary for me this Thanksgiving, in addition to the ridiculously consistent awesomeness that is my parent's turkey dinner.

For as many years as I can remember, my Grandparents would drive from their small town in Southwest Iowa to our bigger, yet still small town in Southeast Iowa. They would come for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, occasionally deviating from this schedule, but they were with us enough that the fact that they're no longer part of the holidays is still a bit different.

And it's been almost 10 years since they both passed away.

Their presence wasn't something that stands out as "special" in the sense of an annual meeting filled with joy and memory inducing moments. In fact, there were times when their presence could be somewhat annoying as they frequently bickered, creating a holiday environment that was not up to my ideal of simply getting along for a few days out of the year.

Not that it our holiday was filled with drama or tense arguments; it wasn't. No, our Thanksgivings were just like everyone else's, filled with over-eating, Detroit Lions football games that nobody paid attention to (unless the Packers were playing them), and the eventual nap on the couch or recliner.

It was just the fact that they were there that makes these holidays without them such a weird feeling.

One of the things that my Grandmother used to do was to bake a Gooseberry pie and bring it to my parent's home for the festivities. My uncle would collect a few Gooseberry's in a forest near his place and he would give them to my Grandmother. She'd freeze them and use the tart berries for pies that generally made their appearance around this time of year. She knew that I went crazy for them, so it turned out to be a special thing for me. I mean, when was the last time you've seen a gooseberry pie at your bakery?

My mom got the recipe from her, but since my uncle died as well shortly after my Grandparent' passed, so did our gooseberry connection. They're not a popular berry-for most pie connoisseurs they are too tart-which means that even around the farmer's market circuit in Iowa they're a rare commodity.

Finally, my mom came across an older woman selling fresh berries at one of the last farmer's markets of the season in Des Moines. She had one bag of gooseberries left, and my Mom snagged it for $8. I'd seen green gooseberries listed from some dealer in Oregon for something like $30 a pound, which seemed ridiculous to me. After all, these were the fruits of some prickly shrub that dots the forests of Iowa, a plant that's frequently left for the birds and wildlife to munch on. They are not looked upon as a cash crop, at least not in the same way that those potheads in Oregon must view it with their Internet pricing.

With those berries, she brought out my Grandmother's recipe-the same one that calls for less sugar than most people would prefer, which makes it the perfect companion to a scoop of ice cream. While everyone else fed on apple, yours truly was able to secure the first slice of the gooseberry. It was a delicacy that hadn't crossed my lips in over a decade, and it immediately conjured up an emotional response that can only be described as comparable to the dish served up in Ratatouille.

The crust was nicely done and the berries stayed secure in their tapioca foundation. My grandmother would have been proud of her as I recall a few occasions when her own pie allowed the gooseberry to spill out after slicing the first piece, causing her to apologize for not putting enough tapioca mix to congeal the gooseberry innards.

I never complained. You never look a gift horse in the mouth and you never speak of any inadequacies of a pie's quality, particularly one that's baked by your grandmother.

Because you never know when your next slice of gooseberry pie will come next.

L7 - Bricks Are Heavy

I first discovered L7 in college when I had the misfortune of hearing the band’s debut. It’s awful, horribly produced, and it’s absolutely nothing that you need to consider.

The point it, by the time their third album¸ Bricks Are Heavy, I was already predisposed to disliking this band very much and probably wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t for the promotional copy I received.

Bricks Are Heavy is produced by Butch Vig, which had a certain amount of credibility back when this record was first released as Mr. Vig was already regarded as the dude that helped break Nirvana.

Within moments, you’re greeted by that friendly compression that Vig painted on nearly every early 90’s document he touched, but the amazing thing is how L7 brought their A-game to the Midwestern comforts of his Wisconsin studio.

Credit Donita Sparks for shouldering a large portion of those crunchy and melodic songs. She’s no poet, but she brings a lot of piss and vinegar to the proceedings with stories straight out of the trailer park, garage, and mosh pit.

Sparks is sassy and she has an incredible knack for a good story. Like the mother huffing skinhead named “Scrap” who has a taste for sniffing up gold metallic paint in a garage, only to come out of it “seeing stars.” Sparks passes no judgment on Scrap, she merely tells his story, accentuating the “funky dyin’ brain cell!” line just enough to point out that Scrap’s story is not something to emulate.

These fringe characters were real, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they were part of L7’s world back in the early 90’s. The time capsule is here, it’s loud, and it’s catchy as hell even two decades later.

In the cd booklet, there are pictures of the band in various stages of poses, but there’s a lone picture of a girl’s legs, each one intricately inked with L7’s logo, a pair of hands shaped like an “L” and a “7.”

Those legs belonged to Stacie Quijas, a member of San Francisco’s LGBT punk community and, obviously, a fan of L7. 8 years after the photo was taken, Quijas succumbed to her heroin addiction in the form of an awful flesh-eating bacteria that was acquired from intravenous injections. It came from a nasty strain of tar heroin, and the tainted drugs nearly took another friend of hers shortly after her passing.

Like I said, Bricks Are Heavy works because there is sad reality behind these goofy characters that L7 brings to the forefront. There’s Stacie the addict, the temperamental music fan Everglade, and that aforementioned squatter skinhead, Scrap. But what they also bring to those tragic figures is a voice-supplemented by heavy guitar chords-and a fuck all feistiness that transcends gender, economics, and in the case of this album, the twenty years since these stones were first hurled.

Sub Pop Records Is Really Happy That The Postal Service Album Went Platinum

I supposed it's a big deal when a record label sells a million copies of something...particularly in this era!

But for Sub Pop Records-who's last platinum record came with Nirvana's Bleach-they got all sentimental when the Postal Service's Give Up release went Platinum last month. Good for them.

For me, this record is permanently embedded in the soundtrack to my divorce, "Such Great Heights" a cruel reminder of the lows that a person can face.

The announcement also reminds me that there were a million of others like me, wallowing in this spotty electronic album that permanently altered by perception of Ben Gibbard and Death Cab For Cutie.

Like they give a shit! There was 999,999 in back of me to make Give Up such a success.

Here's Sub Pop's Press Release:


"We at Seattle’s Sub Pop Records feel a profound sense of self-satisfaction in announcing that The Postal Service's universally acclaimed 2003 album, Give Up, is now a certified platinum record. It is only our second ever; please forgive us for the excitement. Released on February 9, 2003, the landmark album, led by the single "Such Great Heights,” peaked at #114 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and has sold 1,067, 087 copies in the US to date. After Nirvana’s Bleach, Give Up is the second-biggest selling album in Sub Pop’s 24-year history.

The Postal Service is a long-distance collaboration between Ben Gibbard (singer/guitarist from Death Cab for Cutie) and Jimmy Tamborello (who also records under the names James Figurine and Dntel). Ben and Jimmy sent music back and forth, between California and Washington, each adding new elements until the record was complete. The result is a sweetly charming, largely electronic album with warmth not typically associated with the clicks-and-beeps set. As an added bonus, additional vocals on the record were provided by Jen Wood and Jenny Lewis.

Give Up, which Entertainment Weekly called a "near-perfect" album, is the first and only full-length by The Postal Service. And the album received 2003 year-end praise from an array of publications, including SPIN, Rolling Stone and the Village Voice “Pazz & Jop” critics’ poll. The album also earned "Best of the Decade" status from Pitchfork, NPR, Complex, Paste, Under the Radar, and more. Both Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello (as Dntel) recorded albums this year: Gibbard's solo outing, Former Lives, was released via Barsuk Records earlier this month; Dntel's Aimlessness was released this past June on Pampa Records. We’re exceedingly proud of our association with The Postal Service and Give Up is a true high point in Sub Pop’s catalog (and admittedly somewhat checkered past).

Congratulations, you guys.

Def Leppard - Pyromania

The trick is to be able to convince those of you snickering right now that Def Leppard’s Pyromania is worthy of a 5-star review, even though the album has sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone

.

But I get it, and I understand that sales don’t always translate into worthy records, but you’d be surprised at how often they really do.

To start with, I think it’s best to acknowledge that Def Leppard set out to make a commercially viable record, something that transcends the hard rock corner they had been placed in. Because Pyromania is an album that strategically tries to break out of that mold in order to get a larger audience, and if you’ve read about the band’s hometown of Sheffield, you understand why that was an important thing for them.

That blueprint, which probably wasn’t even discussed in much detail, is based on the band’s prior work with producer Robert “Mutt” Lange on High ‘n Dry, which is actually a record that I prefer over this one. Regardless, High ‘n Dry gave the band a chance to work with the same producer that worked on AC/DC’s last three records at the time. AC/DC was the band that they were always compared to in terms of riffs and content, so the match made sense.

It also made them rich. But because Mutt Lange is such a bitch of a guy to work with, it would have been easy for them to say “Fuck it!” and find someone else to man their follow up, someone with a more pleasant demeanor and a less strict work ethic.

They didn’t. And Lange took the opportunity to not only drill the band into an obedient bunch of rock and roll workers who took every ounce of criticism to heart, indulged in every bit of studio window dressing that he conjured up, and delivered on every take that was asked of them, prompting Lange to supplant a normal count-off with “Gunter glieben glauchen globen,” just to bring some levity to the insane number of takes he demanded.

But a producer can only be as good as the material that he’s asked to work with, and in that regard, Def Leppard provided him with 10 cuts that were strong enough to capture an audience, even in their most basic form.

They run the gamut of the obligatory rock anthem “Rock Rock (‘Til You Drop”), which gives teenagers a pass for being a bit naughty, because “Your mama don’t mind what your mama don’t see!”

We took those words to heart during the summer of 1983, where this album and Prince’s 1999 shared equal blockbuster billing, blaring out of every car window that cruised Main Street as some point on Friday and Saturday night.

It’d be easy to suggest that my high praise for Pyromania is only the result of soft focused nostalgia, and I’d be willing to give that criticism some validity. But then I’m reminded of the fact that we’re no longer speaking about bands like Autograph or Britny Fox today, and it rests upon the reality that both of those bands-and any other band that attempted to follow Def Leppard’s lead on pop rock appeal-simply did not have the same amount of really good songs to work with.

Even the ballads are better than they should be, with “Too Late For Love” being a prime example. There’s the riff, the stupid Mutt Lange sound effects, and then there’s the tale of a woman who gives it up too soon. Elliot brings no sympathy to her plight, declaring “When it comes to playing life/She always plays the fool,” giving thousands of teenage boys a reprieve for their complete lack of warmth in chasing after the ladies while giving those very same women a song that they can relate to in the slow tempo package.

On the cut “Rock Of Ages,” Elliot declares that “it’s better to burn out than fade away,” but after kicking guitarist Pete Willis out of the band just prior to the recording of Pyromania for excessive drinking, it’s hard to take that claim very seriously. This was a band that enjoyed the success that their previous album High ‘n Dry very much, and after seeing the bump in pay that Mutt Lange helped secure for them, they were very willing to sober up and tolerate the producer’s unhealthy attention to detail.

Except for Willis, of course, who’s termination provided an opportunity for Phil Collen to come into the fold, take off his shirt, and similarly enjoy the windfall of cash that was about to fall in his lap.

I’m still working from the original cd pressing, which is a step-up from the original music cassette that I originally had. It’s plagued with Lange’s now-dated production and I have no idea if the re-mastered version sounds any better, but I’d be surprised if it does. Amazingly, for an album that’s emotionally and sonically tied to the 80’s, Pyromania remains an enduring piece of heavy pop rock that satisfies both men and women tied to the decade it represents while finding a new audience for their offspring who are already going through the same dramas that this record agelessly documents.

The Real Reason MTV Doesn't Play Music Videos

We’ve all been there: bitching about how MTV no longer plays music videos.

Hell, they don’t even claim the “Music Television” part of their moniker any more!

But what’s really sad is how a channel like VH1 Classic, a network that seems to be catered towards my demographic, has also be the kibosh on music related material.

It used to be endless repeats of That Metal Show, concerts and programming related to the hardest rock songs of all time. Now it’s Married…With Children repeats and the strange introduction of The Larry Sanders Show to the nightly programming. I mean, I know Tom Petty had a cameo once, but seriously, what the fuck does Gary Shandling have to do with music?

But I digress. It’s now time for the younger generation to feel old for a bit.

Eddie Money Has Given Up

It’s official, Eddie Money has given up on giving a shit. Twenty years into his county fair tour, Money gives a particularly candid assessment of his relevance in a recent interview with the awesomely-titled Up On The Sun, a music blog documenting the worthy notes of the Phoenix area.

“Once they buy your greatest hits, they don’t give a shit if you live or die.” Money admits in the interview, which serves as a precursor to his performance in a minor league stadium for a benefit to the Boys and Girls club.

The rest of the interview is filled with the prerequisite “back in the good old days” meanderings, which occasionally borders on the kind of conversation that one may have with a former president of the local Rotary Club instead of a hard boozing rock and roller.

He peppers his meanderings with “I sold a lot of records in Phoenix back in the 80’s. It was `one of my biggest markets.” Conjuring up images more like a car salesmen than rock star. “When you think about it, I had 14 songs in the Top 100. That’s when Sony Records was really big and really happening.”

If Money looks fondly on the past, it’s only because he seems frightened of what the future will provide him. Besides the charity gig, Money admits “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll be putting out a new record within the next year.” Hinting that, at this point, the wheels of repetition continue in Money’s world, even when there’s little interest beyond the greatest hits collection and embarrassingly accurate insurance commercials.

15 Years After The Death Of Michael Hutchence

"Don't Let Your Pain Take Over You"

It’s strange how certain times of the year conjure up memories of an untimely rock and roll death.

For example, every Christmas season I’m reminded of the assassination of John Lennon. I received a copy of Double Fantasy for Christmas that year and remember how quiet it got for just a few moments when I unwrapped the present. The hush was an unscripted act of respect as it acknowledged the artist’s impact, the tragedy of his loss and how his murder deeply moved me, a fourteen-year-old kid who never experienced Beatlemania firsthand.

There’s another tragedy that’s even closer to Christ’s birth: the untimely passing of Joe Strummer. It’ll be ten years ago this Christmas, which is just a lifetime if you ask me. We could have really used a man like Joe to counterbalance the Bush years, and especially now, just to put some perspective on the entire 99% occupy movement (sorry, Michelle Shocked).

There’s the April Fool’s vibe of Kurt Cobain’s suicide, which rendered me a bit harder when getting too emotionally attached to a performer or musician. I no longer get as smitten with an artist I admire since that tragedy, and maybe that’s a good thing.

As we approach Thanksgiving here in America, there’s another artist passing that I’m reminded of. Perhaps it’s a bit overlooked, because pop music is itself made for immediate consumption and, by nature, doesn’t possess a very long shelf life.

But to me, the band INXS was a bit more than a typical pop band, and their lead singer was a bit more than a typical pop star.

We’ll reach the 15^th anniversary of the passing of Michael Hutchence this month, and I’m willing to bet that we’ll hear very little about it this year, or in five years, or ten.

It’s because his death came during the decline of INXS, and it came after a half-assed comeback attempt where the songs still weren’t all the way there and the prospect of recapturing something that would bring the band back into the mainstream radar seemed highly unlikely to begin with.

A taste of that reality came during Michael’s presentation of Oasis with an award of Best New Video during the 1996 BRIT awards. Liam Gallagher joked when Hutchence gave him a peck on the cheek after meeting on stage, but his brother Noel was not as cordial. After admonishing the audience that he was now wealthier than they were, he saved his parting slam for the presenter himself: “Has-beens shouldn’t be presenting awards to gonna be’s.”

Time would eventually turn its cruel face to Oasis, but for Michael, time was something he was running out of much sooner.

He never fulfilled the promise of regaining the charts again, and he never experienced the cash flow that would have been provided on the oldies circuit. I say that without a hint of sarcasm, because I would have loved to see INXS at any capacity, any venue, and any point in their career. They were good enough to work as a well-oiled machine and Hutchence was the type of frontman who doesn’t come around very often.

I gave them up on Listen Like Thieves, and I watched as the friends who’d never heard The Swing suddenly bought up copies of Kick, leveraging the band into heights only reserved for music’s elite.

I lost further ground with X and Welcome To Wherever You Are, but they were constantly played at the radio station I was working.

Mark Opitz came back in the producers role for Full Moon Dirty Hearts, his first since spinning the knobs of Shabooh Shoobah. The album was ignored by fans and criticized by the press, but I liked it.

I missed the album Elegantly Wasted and Michael’s solo album entirely, but I was thrown for a loop when they announced that he died. Then came the back story, and the entire auto-asphyxiation controversy, neither of which were too flattering for the pop star.

Someone lying around here is a well worn VHS copy of Dogs In Space, Hutchence’s only starring role in a very weak, yet strangely compelling film about a punk band from Melborne set in the late 70’s. It’s where I first heard about Nick Cave and Iggy Pop’s Soldier album, thanks to the movie’s hard to find soundtrack.

Hutchence played the drug-addled lead singer, and his lack of any real dialogue didn’t matter. When he was on screen, your eyes were drawn to him.

Within a year, he’d be in the stratosphere, and within another 10 he’d be dead.

Hard to believe that it’s been almost as long since his death as it was when he was in the band. And the years that pass seem to turn him into a distant memory. The fact that the rest of INXS decided to use the name to parlay it into a brief reality show hasn’t helped either.

The reality is that INXS was better than a quick, final grab at notoriety.

With the 15^th anniversary of the passing of Michael Hutchence, the band should now renew their focus on maintaining their vastly underrated catalog of pop-rock gems with more dignity to their shared legacy.

The OCD Chronicles: The Breeders - Saints

It’s not technically All Saints Day today, but we acknowledged it in church. Our family lit one of the candles you see their from our Sunday morning congregation, in memory of those loved ones who’ve passed.

We also view Saints someone differently. They can be alive, some have yet to be born. But we give special pause to reflect on those who have left us, which left me in a contemplative mood, bringing me back to the musicians that we’ve lost over the years.

And then there is the song that’s been going through my head. The Most Awesome Breeders in one of my favorite songs of theirs: “Saints.”

This is the J. Mascis mix that was used for the single. The album version is different, not as rockin’. Hard to believe that this is almost two decades ago, but it’s awesome enough to qualify Kim Deal as a saint.

To all you young’uns: The Breeders were a pretty big band, back in the day. I wished there were more like them now, and I’m speaking to bands that don’t have the Deal sisters in them.

This is right at their apex, so rise, Lazarus, and rock your balls off for two minutes.

Swans - The Seer

The cover art to Swans’ 12^th album-like the record itself-makes a credible argument that The Seer is probably better suited for a vinyl format.

It features a painting of a dog, presumably a Yorkshire Terrier, a small breed of canine that is small in stature and originally bred to kill rats in the clothing mills of England. They bark a lot, which makes them excellent alarmist and they have a tendency to have dental problems throughout their life.

The Yorkie on the cover of The Seer features Swans’ leader Michael Gira’s teeth drawn in the dog’s mouth. Flip the cover over and there is a picture of the dog’s anus in full view. I’m giving the artist (Simon Henwood) the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it is merely representative of the dog’s backside, not Gira’s.

How this particular breed relates to Gira is another matter for discussion. I don’t know the relevance or if it even if there is one. I just know that it’s disturbing and compelling at the same time, definitely the same you get from listening to The Seer. It’s a record that not only serves as the culmination of Gira’s thirty year career as a provocative noise monger, but one that qualifies as perhaps the best album you’ll hear this year.

That praise comes with the condition that you’ll have an open mind to tolerate epic length of sonic torture. The Seer isn’t for everyone, but the reality that Gira has accomplished something very special here needs to be relayed to every music lover, including the ones that will never enjoy endless moments of sonic drones and skull crushing accentuations.

This, perhaps, is the other reason The Seer is better suited for the vinyl format.  At two hours in length, and with some songs running near the half-hour mark, you’ll need that simple act of taking the needle off the record to take a breath and compose yourself. This isn’t to suggest that all 120 minutes aren’t worth their weight, but to suggest that Gira’s dread is often the equivalent of enduring repeated blows to your optimism.

The Seer is not comprised entirely of his bag of confrontational brutality; there are moments of incredible beauty paced throughout this monolithic creature, and some of those moments come at the hand (or voice) of the album’s long cast of characters.

The most notable is “Song For A Warrior” featuring Karen O in a strategically placed spot, kicking off the record’s second half and providing a reprieve from the record’s primal first disc.

But perhaps the most beautiful is the “A Piece Of The Sky,” a nineteen-minute suite that begins with a crackling fire, develops into a nightmare chorale (featuring former member Jarobe scratching out the polyphonic drone), transforms into post-rock stomp before brilliantly segueing into a languid poetry shuffle where Gira delivers some of the best prose of the album.

It alternates, like most of the Swans most notable material, between the profane and profound. Gira points out the beauty in even the most conflicting of environments (“In the wind of my lung/In methane and in love/In petroleum plumes/There’s a floating slice of moon”).

The Seer is as abrasive as life itself, and how you chose to relate to its harsh realities is a matter of both taste and tolerance.  

But If you’re familiar with Michael Gira’s past 30 years, and are willing to believe that he’s able to deliver the most complete and compelling work at nearly 60 years of age, then The Seer will show how this old dog’s bark is just as vicious as it has ever been.   

This review originally appeared in Glorious Noise.

Pere Ubu - Dub Housing

I “rescued” Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing from a radio station, where it stayed locked up and forgotten until my efforts came into play.

And for years, I never really understood why I kept it. It’s a difficult album, and I rarely played it. Even though I initially didn’t “get” what the band-or specifically this album-was all about, at least I had the common sense of keeping it. I thought that if I gave it some more time, I would someday discover what it was about this band that had so many glowing reviews.

When I heard “Non-Alignment Pact” and “Final Solution,” two early singles from this weird band from Cleveland, I began to warm up. And thanks to the accessibility of Cloudland, I was beginning to piece together the complex stitch work of Pere Ubu, and before long, I was ready to tackle Dub Housing again.

I still didn’t get it.

Dub Housing is the band’s second full-length, and it’s a hard thing to understand how they could get an album like this on a major label. Yes, they were on the Chrysalis records roster-right next to Nick Gilder and Jethro Tull-during a time when you could get away with something like that.

And I still can’t believe how this, an album that took me so many years to figure out, found it’s way onto the label during the year 1978.

It sold horribly, or so I’ve read, and those promotional copies sent to radio stations probably all ended up in a dumpster instead of hidden away in a back shelf like my copy.

I can’t tell what exactly turned me around. Maybe it was those years of listening to Captain Beefheart records, secretly prepping me for things that didn’t always make sense. But when it finally took hold, I discovered that Pere Ubu was indeed a national treasure and Dub Housing their most vital release.

Don’t let me scare you off: there are actual songs here, and you can get a taste of both the bizarre and the traditional song structure that mixes together with opener “Navvy,” a bouncy, angular guitar pattern made positively normal when Allen Ravenstine comes in with his bag of beeps, blips, and scratchy noises.

If Ravenstine never played keyboards on any other album besides Dub Housing, he’d still deserve a place as one of the all time greatest keyboardists. There is very little in his playing that constitutes traditional structure, yet the minimalist technique and endless barrage of strange sounds is positively groundbreaking. He has a fondness for both the typical garage rock organ tones of the 60’s and a healthy quest to create the most bizarre sounds known to man, in other words, a perfect addition for a band that’s already very adapt at making left hand turns.

Dub Housing features some of vocalist David Thomas’ most manic and memorable offerings. From crazed voices of repeated phrases (“Walked around/Took a bus/Walked around/Took a bus”) to just a bunch of noises made with his mouth, Thomas does not let his limitations deter his skewed sense of art.

He is one of the reasons why I never gave up on this record. And even though it took me several years to get there, I finally relented an began singing the chorus of “Navvy” with much conviction, joining Pere Ubu with their declaration “Boy, that sounds swell!”