April 2009

The Bob Seger SystemI honestly don't have any defined perception of Bob Seger. I know his band during the '80s was called the Silver Bullet Band - and I can't really respect that too much. I'd also probably be able to draw a picture of one of his band's compilations from that period. Who would want it though?

But considering that Seger hails from the Detroit area - Dearborn to be exact - it's pretty safe to figure that his work from the '60s has at least a passing similarity to other groups from the time.  The Bob Seger System isn't the Stooges or the MC5 - he probably wasn't capable of such musicality - but what his band was able to do easily matches some of the Nuggets groups that people care about. That might not be the most glowing evaluation, but the Bob Seger System was more than a capable '60s rock act that touched on psych - just a bit - and foreshadowed Seger's future as a cheese ball '80s rock dude.

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Clevo, 1978Anyone that grew up in the mid-west, outside of Chicago at least, has imagined what life could be like if only they lived somewhere else. David Thomas obviously imagined such things, as he currently resides in France, which recalls the mass exodus of black jazzbos to Europe in the ‘40s. But the music that Pere Ubu creates is uniquely mid-western. And even more specifically, it’s an aural representation of the inner-city of Cleveland.

While Cleveland often enough gets a bad rap, there are now innumerable opportunities for unique avenues of expressions. Not so thirty years ago. When Pere Ubu began, they presaged post-punk, which seems ridiculous considering that in 1975 the tag punk didn’t really resonate yet. Even beyond that, the relative isolation of original music in Cleveland seems to have given rise to something that couldn’t necessarily have been attained in NYC.

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SxFxMost rock music now has some artsy edge to it that instantly makes it clear that whoever is fronting the group has some an ego large enough to douse other individuals opinion of them. That’s apparently just how musicians are – well not all of ‘em. But if you can fill a bar with a hundred people or so that paid to watch you play guitar or whatever, that’s probably understandable.

A few cliques of bands have been able to avoid this particular modern musical trapping. But not too many. Out of Athens, Ga during the ‘90s the Elephant Six folks really were able to remain rather human during their rise to indie acclaim. That’s probably not the last instance of such personas, but considering the new agish Dark Meat has been making the rounds with Indian head gear and war whoops of jazz abandon, it only makes sense that some other folks would have, by now, figured out how to walk in similarly warn tracks.

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David ThomasThe music and lyrics of David Thomas and Pere Ubu are rife with literate allusions and references to not just pop culture from their own time, but from the vast back catalog of film, and poetry. That isn’t necessarily a unique perspective on their work – or even unique to bands. And while the Pere Ubu catalog includes countless essential recordings, the accepted view of this band being beyond the avant-garde is hyperbole.

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KrautSo, German Psych: Kraut! Demons! Kraut! is the lead off of the three kraut comps that were released during the latter part of the ‘80s. And while there are some of the usual folks on here, a number of acts probably won’t resonate too much with passing fans. That being said, though, this first volume might be the strongest of the trio.

I haven’t listened to Hungry Krauts, Daddy! in a while, but I recall being pretty unimpressed by its lack of consistency. And even though it’s just a comp, if these three discs were compressed and offered as a single album comp, it may have turned out a bit better. Having come to this series in an out of order manner may not have helped my perception. But from even a cursory listen, this first volume of the disc offers more of an even selection.

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How can you say no to spending a mere $3.50 in exchange for a download of fresh remixes from The Dandy Warhols 2008 album, Earth to The Dandy Warhols. You don't say no, you say, "yessssss please." Released today on 4/20/09... we can assume that these tunes are a delectable and well-timed gift to be enjoyed in the most empyrean of atmospheres on this fine holiday. The luxuriant texture of the original album is remixed by the ever creative minds of these musicians and talented friends.

The result is quirky and eclectic, perfect for shaking you out of your preferred music rut. Listening to the original songs on Earth to The Dandy Warhols gives you the sense of place and appreciation required to truly dig these new remixes. While I haven't listened to the first remix, Earth to the Remix Vol. 1, I'll be sure to find it today on their website, www.dandywarhols.com and have a listen!

http://www.dandywarhols.com/earth-to-the-remix-vol-2-now-available/

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The recent mystic and confusing love affair with all things lo-fi should be confusing to those that have for a long time been into shitty punk, pop and garage bands. The tag that some of these groups have found themselves working with doesn’t necessarily please ‘em. But the press needs some way to figure everything. And the fact that Jay Reatard has been lumped into all of this is even more disconcerting. But Blank Dogs – nee Mike Sniper – is one of these folks. And regardless of how much work he’s released over the last few years, I’m gonna say that his greatest contribution to underground rock music is releasing a disc by the Beets.

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After spending years on the back end of the promo industry, the folks at Rooftop Promotions have seen fit to start releasing their own music. And as was the case with the groups that it worked with previously, the newly minted Cat ‘n Roof seems to traffic in specifically European related music.

One of the labels first discs comes in the form of Wet Cookies’ Soul Protection. With the group counting a Noisepusher alum, the disc should be expected to traffic in electronic based, dub influenced dance music. That’s not an apt summation – but close. The level of cheese found on Noisepusher albums – one which included a version of “Kung Fu Fighting” – shifts over to this disc as well.

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The weed inspired, other world where Daevid Allen travels has gone through a number of different changes. And by 1980, Allen had seen fit to take it on the road to New York.

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As the year wears on, it seems that Bibio (aka Stephen Wilkinson) hasn’t stopped recording. And in this new clutch of songs for the Ovals And Emeralds EP on Mush Records, the producers has seen fit to record some more disturbingly organic electronic music. And while that assessment of these tunes might not make sense, there’s really no better explanation.

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For every magical and indispensible issue of Arthur, both Byron Coley and Sir Thurston Moore make certain to rattle off the densest and listener unfriendly caterwauling that each has come across since the previous issue. That being said, even if all of the stuff that the duo checks off isn’t to your liking, probably it’ll be at least somewhat interesting to hear about. Ok, maybe not, but that’s what I think about it. But instead of waiting for the next installment of the “Bull Tongue” column, check out the top ten list the duo concocted.

Grails

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There are really more than enough reasons to dismiss Psychedelic Horseshit. And probably, if I wasn’t from Ohio, I would have by now. You can’t sing along or whistle ninety eight percent of this. It doesn’t beg to be played amidst any sort of mixed company and the band’s name is purposefully offensive. Good job. You’ll soon be rock stars.

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Of late, acoustic guitar music has attainted a larger cult following than it had been accustomed to since perhaps the ‘70s. And while some of the folks from that era are still around – Leo Kottke for one – some are not, but they have left behind a body of work explicating what American Primitive Guitar actually is. And thanks to a post at Wrath of the Grapevine, it’s a bit easier to understand where that phrase and some of the players associated with the genre came from. And while the folks below are all mentioned in the piece at WotG, what follows is my perception of each of them.

John Fahey

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At some point I realized that the flute doesn’t suck. I don’t remember when, but I did buy a Bobbi Humphrey record at a garage sale within the last five years, which probably means that it was around that point in time. And even if half of Humphrey’s album Blacks and Blues is at least half cheesy, “Harlem River Drive” is probably one of the funkiest tunes to get cranked outta the Blue Note house.

It was probably a bit before this that I picked up Last Date from Eric Dolphy at the library. And while he doesn’t limit himself to flute during the set, some of the finest moments of that recording come across on the phallic instrument. So between these two musical experiences, the flute shifted from something fanciful and almost ridiculous to an instrument that had as many possibilities as it does players.

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Having been musically relevant since the mid ‘60s, Neil Young has sought to keep himself atop the ever shifting pile of dudes with guitars for almost fifty years at this point. And even if he’s a Canadian (Manitoba to be exact), he’s inserted himself into American politics, voicing a left leaning biased for almost as long as he’s been playing music.

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