One of four (thank you)

You know how when you're in a new car, and it's got that wonderful new car smell and feel? I have that feeling right now, only it's about a band. I love new band smell.

Canasta. Oh, Canasta. There was a lot to like about this show, and it all starts here. I first noticed them before the show started and before I knew who they were. There they were, sitting off to the side of the room, quietly, as if nothing at all was about to burst forth. "Hmm. Christmas sweater." is what I thought to myself. Then, slowly, there were more. "Apparently there's a theme on. I wonder why no one told me?" Not that I am particularly fond of Christmas sweaters, or even happen to own any. Heck, it's not even like I'm all that big on Christmas celebrations on the whole. But still, maybe it would have been nice to know ahead of time, Canasta. Maybe there could have been a memo. Anyway. I'll certainly give them that they had their own thing going on, and that's what being an indie band is all about: doing your own thing, independently. No matter if what you look or sound isn't mainstream. In this case, the look was ridiculous (hey Canasta, the Griswolds called, and they said quit pinching stuff from their closets) to the point that at times I was overcome. Couldn't even look at them. Just had to turn away and laugh. The sound, however, was superb. And infectious. From the start of the first song, they made the crowd come alive. And when I say "crowd" I really mean just one guy, but he danced so intensely that he made up for everyone else. I went up and danced along, couldn't leave him up there alone and unchallenged, but you knew that already. Canasta totally owns doing their own thing, with the musical prowess and the vocal chops to do whatever they want, and do it well. This included a completely rearranged rendition of a Christmas song that was so infused with their style of awesomeness that I couldn't even tell you what it was, and a wonderful cover of Elton's "Bennie and the Jets" that makes me wish I could take them home with me, or at least borrow the lead singer's voice to bring out to karaoke sometimes.

Canasta - Mexico City

Jon Hardy and the Public is everything a typical indie band is not. If The Man had a band, this is what I would imagine they'd look and sound like. Guys in ties and suit jackets + a girl in a dress. Competent guitarists + keyboardist + horn section, but lacking a vibrancy, or urgency, or energy, or soul. I mean, don't pull out a baritone sax if you don't know how to use it, kay? Go home and listen to some Tower of Power, then come back and we'll talk. The shame of it is had I not known what was to come from the next two acts and been unexpectedly blown away by Canasta, I probably would have liked them just fine. Some of their songs were in fact perfectly danceable, but if I stopped to wander away from the stage and talk to someone I didn't feel like I was missing much. I suppose I can give them one more chance to prove to me that they can rock, but they better bring it.

Elsinore was originally scheduled to be the headliner; due to an unfortunate incident involving a drunk driver after a show in Columbia that put the drummer out of commission the band had to drop out, but lead singer Ryan Groff stepped up to go solo for the remaining dates on the tour. Having seen Ryan perform with Elsinore countless times I felt I knew exactly what to expect, and it turned out I was pretty much dead on: soft spoken guitar, beautiful singing and masterful whistling. Ryan's got a pretty little voice, easily one of the best I've ever seen live, and he knows how to hypnotize a room. Without the band behind him it makes for a much mellower sound, which made quite the juxtaposition next to the other acts in the lineup. Such a change in the energy flow between bands is potentially a huge buzzkill and the kind of thing I'm rather particular about, luckily Ryan is supremely awesome. It's quite possible he's a minor deity, or more likely some sort of wizard. Despite the absence of the band, at times I could almost feel their presence and danced along to the energetic parts of songs just as if they were there. About the only thing that was surprising was his magical looping pedals, which I'm pretty sure he used to layer his whistling over itself. Magical Masterful Looping Whistling sure is a mouthful, and it's quite an earful as well.

With four bands on the bill I was quite afraid that the sets would be frustratingly short, and most importantly that I wouldn't be able to dance properly to Jumbling Towers (it's nice to jam along with songs you know). It's even fun to jam along with songs you don't know (they put out a new EP that I don't have yet), especially when the new man in the band is dancing up on stage. Now that's what I call exciting.

Bonus: After JT finished the sound guy turned on some music while the crowd made its way out and the band packed up. I thought it was likely some old classic rock band I'd not yet heard of because they started fifteen years before I was born, but it turns out they'd come through St. Louis just last week. Mental note: Mount Carmel might the best thing since Grand Funk Railroad. Further investigation required.

Get up and dance to the music

You should all be aware of the fact that I like dancing. Seriously, you should. If this is a surprise to you, there is a distinct possibility that you may be dead. You'll probably want to check with someone to make sure. Here, I've compiled a few simple questions to help get you started:



Alright, now that we've got the issue of being dead / alive settled it's back to the topic at hand. Throughout my life I have had a few formative experiences that have shaped my views on the subject of dance, whether that be as a participant or a spectator. These experiences have all been in the area of music, or in many cases specifically music videos.

Late 80's, artist and song unknown - I have vividly vague memories from when I was maybe four years old of watching a concert performance of some kind on television. Vivid, because I clearly recall the astounding effect that was imparted upon me. I danced along like a wild child with that man who was onstage, and I knew I was good. Nothing could stop me in my uninhibited youth. Sadly, this time was all too short as I would soon enter the Period of the Great Shyness and wouldn't dance freely for another ten plus years.

Circa 1998, Michael Jackson's Dangerous album - Growing up as a boy I didn't exactly have a lot of choice in my musical leanings. In the house or the car I simply listened to whatever was on, and that's all there was to it. In my own room I had a little more freedom, though there were still many things which were off limits. One album I did acquire that did seem to be acceptable was Dangerous, on cassette. I wasn't moved to the point of doing any actual dancing, cause gosh was I shy. But somewhere, deep down, the seed had been planted...

October 29, 2003, Core Project - Some life events leading up to this date resulted in the decline of the Period of the Great Shyness. Though it was to be followed with the Period of the Lesser Shyness, nonetheless this was an important change as I was no longer deathly terrified of all strangers. Now my fear can be managed to a reasonable level and is no longer life-threatening. Coupled with this in that same preceding time frame was an equally important Magical Musical Awakening. For the first time in my life I began to make my own, good choices about what things I would listen to. Some of my notable discovers that still have ramifications to this day were jazz, rock and hip-hop. The days of angst-fueled listening to rap and nu-metal would draw to a close, to be replaced with the smooth sounds of Tribe, the Roots and RHCP. Together, these two things created a perfect storm, and the time was ripe for something new. When I happened across the jazz/hip-hop fusion of Core Project, it was on. I can't say with certainty that this was my first concert, but it was the first time in I began to frequent shows, explore the live music scene, and borrow and incorporate the dance moves I saw. Something beautiful began to grow...

Feelin' nostalgic... Core Project - The Verbal Assault

June 3, 2007, Berlin Whale, The Bureau, So Many Dynamos, Jumbling Towers, and Say Panther - It's one thing to dance like no one is watching. It's something I've taken to heart and made my own, with great success. The thing that I find equally amusing and hard to understand is that people seem to think I look good while doing it, cause I have no clue what I'm doing. When I say "like no one is watching" I include myself in that as well. The simple trick is to flail around in a dance-related fashion, in time with the music. But, that's not what this day wass about. One this day (and it was a glorious day) I first began to grasp the the wondrous concept of dancing badly, in public, on purpose. Now you can't do this to just anything, mind you. It works best when listening to highly infectious and energetic indie rock dance party songs. All the better if you are surrounded by a crowd of excited indie rock fans who like to have fun with themselves. Even more so if it's a song with lots of weird time changes.

Berlin Whale - Igloos

2009, The Marx Brothers - After a couple friends turned me onto the old timey humor of the Marx Brothers, life became much, much funnier. Little did I know that the boys knew about more than just the standard vaudeville shenaningans. Watching A Day at the Races changed the name of the game. Vivien Fay kills it. It's the spinning she does that sets it off. Unfortunately there's almost no info out there about her, but the point has been made: ballet rocks.



2009 - I don't know for a fact that it was this video that inspired me to get off my duff and have a go at swing dancing, but let's just go ahead and say that it was. I want those moves! And I want that outfit. Maybe after I go study for ten years I'll have the skills to pull it off and challenge the master.



And I think that pretty well takes us up to today. Well, other than the latest thing which is to go to the club and start dance fights, but that's a story for another day.

Pieces of a man

In a fit of musical exploration I went to the Pageant last night to check out some bands I've never heard of. This is perhaps a bit uncharacteristic for me at this particular time of year as I tend to go into hibernation mode in Fall and Winter, but I was helped by the fact that we have relatively balmy weather and that I acquired magical tickets. Score two for the good guys. In the forty-eight hours or so preceding the concert I did a little research on the bands in question to make or break my decision on whether or not I should actually go, and it turned out to be rather enjoyable, though not entirely what I expected.

Headlining the gig was Wolf Parade, who definitely represent themselves much better live than they do recorded. Listening to a smattering of tracks from their latest two albums I judged them to be just so-so, but they upped the energy level quite a bit on stage. Sadly it was not enough to encourage more than a few sporadic and intermittent dance moves from the crowd, but having no expectations I found it enjoyable.

The show stealer, however, had to be the opening act of Ogre You Asshole. I picked out a video at random and it happened to be one of their best songs. I don't know what it is these guys do to my brain, but I like it. Going in I was more excited about seeing them than Wolf Parade. Other than one frantically dancing guy the crowd never really warmed up to them - maybe because it was early? - but for me it was pretty special walking in just as they started my current top pick of their songs. They finished their set with one I've not yet heard but I for sure need to listen to - the bass solo was especially awesome, it's hard to believe anyone can play a bass that fast using a pick. I also did not mind getting Kei Mabuchi's autograph when he walked up and sat down right behind me. Does it qualify as being a fanboy moment if I've been listening to them for two days?

Japanese guys! In a box! Playin' music and havin' fun with confetti. At least the video isn't game show-inspired.


That's the good news. The bad news is I'm having a near-existential crisis over the state of organization of my music library trying to figure out how to file this properly. In what language do I title the albums and songs? Japanese with Japanese characters? Japanese with Chinese characters? Japanese using the Latin alphabet? English translations of Japanese? I am not helped by the fact that I've found the file names and metadata and general info vary between using ALL FOUR of these. Arrg... Ultimately, I feel the best compromise between authenticity and function is to use rōmaji, but I don't necessarily feel good about it. Order... need order... order which keeps me from going to pieces.

New Music Monday: Club Thing

An impromptu visit to the club for a little weekend dancing has clued me in to a few new bands to groove to.

#3. If Revenge of the Nerds were being remade today, the nerds would play this song to win the final event of the Greek Games in the climactic scene.


#2. Technically speaking when I heard the DJ spin this it was merely a reminder, as I found the track was already on my hard drive when I got home. Clearly it was a needed one. Now that it's gotten my attention for the second time, it's getting so much play. Sadly they aren't very prolific, the only work they've done basically consists of this track and a smattering of remixes. Put out a record already.
Flight Facilities - Crave You [feat. Giselle Rosselli]

#1. Fun songs + fun videos = win. WIN, I say.

You think you've got me figured out

Last night I stepped out to see some old favs at the Firebird, where a good time was had indeed. Headlining the show was adopted band friends Elsinore fresh off the release of a spanking new album Yes Yes Yes. They hail from Champaign, but they've been coming to St. Louis so long they're practically local. As always, lead singer Ryan Groff was masterful with use of his powerfully sweet voice. Notable stops on the rest their tour are at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on Friday, August 20 and the Strutt in Kalamazoo on Friday, August 27. I suggest you take a listen and think about going to check 'em out if they're comin' through your town. I'm already waiting for them to come back again.

Moving backwards through time leads us to Jumbling Towers, one of the thankfully long-lasting local indie rock acts. Too many good local bands have fallen, cut down in their prime by whatever circumstances make bands break up. Where I used to have a stable of St. Louis bands to choose from, with someone playing a show practically every week, now there are so very few. Keep on trucking.

And last we come to those that played first. Opening things up was Dear Vincent, a band of complexities. The only group I can think of offhand with so many layers of instrumentation is Lost in the Trees. Dear Vincent doesn't quite have the depth as Lost in the Trees - and this is hardly a fair comparison to make considering Lost in the Trees is an indie rock orchestra - but they've definitely got a lot going on. I'd say there's reason to go see them again just for the sake of picking apart some of the different sounds that they used, as I'm sure I missed quite a bit. It just so happens that they play some pretty decent music. They sure restored a bit of my faith in opening bands and did a good job of getting the crowd warmed up and into the show. It also happens that the drummer is a cyclist. And that sometimes he follows me around. I bumped into him twice today while I was out and about. It was strange.

My only complaint about the evening was the lack of crowd participation. I've seen folks get into the groove in a rather serious way at both Elsinore and Jumbling Towers shows, so I figured the two of them together would produce some epic indie dance action. Plus Dear Vincent was so good starting things off I had high expectations. Alas, it was not to be. Maybe there was something off about the energy level of the place or of the bands, or the length of the sets (personally I felt like they were a little short). I did my best to hold it down on the dance front, and kept up the fight solo, front and center through two whole sets, but things did not jump off as I had hoped. And boy, do I feel self-conscious about it after the fact. Dancing like no one is watching while everyone else is dancing is one thing, but doing so while the whole crowd just sits back and chills is something else entirely. Obviously they can see you, cause there is no where to hide!

A whole mess of sound

At least the spirit of music isn't dead in the Loop. For four days in September 9oish bands will descend onto the neighborhood for a festival of epic proportions. Well, epic for St. Louis, anyway. The PLAY:stl fest runs the 15-18, though it remains to be seen how this will compare to the RFT Showcase. The low, low price of $20 gets you in to see all this glory. I'll admit it's a good deal, but that's versus a simple five spot for the RFT. And this thing is sponsored by Sam Adams. Again, I have to admit that it's a good beer, but we've got plenty of good beer a lot closer to home. I'm not convinced this is not a plot masterminded by Joe Edwards. Now that the RFT deal has moved elsewhere he's free to make a bunch more money off of anyone wanting to see a pile of bands in the Loop? Just a little wild speculation, though it remains to be seen what the real story is. Now that the schedule is up there are a whole lot of bands I don't know... but that could be good! If they're cool, what an intense period of new music discovery it would be. Most notably I see Art Majors are playing, been looking forward to seeing them for a minute. Might be worth checkin' out...

Living a lie

Actually, St. Louis has plenty of good shows. Why, this weekend there happen to be three gigs in two days that I'd love to get myself to. Friday night is looking particularly interesting, with Lojic @ The Pageant and We Landed on the Moon! @ The Firebird. The former doesn't play much here these days, but I've been going to see them since I was a young buck, and they've got a new album out that coincides with the kick off of their Midwest tour (aw yeah, they still know where they're from). WLotM! is a much more recent find, but they sure know how to rock the house, and are generally upstanding and awesome individuals. Tough choices. Sadly I just took my time machine to the shop, or this whole situation would be much easier. Both of these bands are definitely worth checking out, and it kills me that their St. Louis tour dates conflict. My current hope is that their set times don't conflict as well, cause I will surely attempt an unprecedented double-header concert night. You only live twice, right? I'll rest when I'm dead. It's not living a lie if you're not living at all.

Five bucks, five bucks, five bucks

Whooo/ugh. That's the sound my body makes the morning after having fun at a kick ass show, but one which also kicked my ass. Partied it UP last night at the RFT Showcase, and though I had some reservations it definitely turned out to be a win. As I awaken, recover, and put the pieces of myself back together into some semblance of normality, I figure the best way to make sense of things is to do a run down of my own awards. You know, for posterity.

Best Bar: Hair of the Dog is what I would have to affectionately call a "rough in the diamonds". What concerned me most about the showcase's move from the Loop down to Wash. Ave. was the areas lack of pure venue spaces an overabundance of upscale snooty places. (More about that shortly.) HotD, on the other hand, is the kind of bar that wants you to come in and make yourself at home, no need to worry about taking off your shoes or spilling things on the rug. It's lived in. And they have shuffleboard!

Worst Bar: Lucas Park Grille - I've been out to the Showcase for a few years now, and like any good festival the beauty of it is the carefree come (and go) as you are vibe. This place was way too highfalutin. The first clue was the hostess asking people just ahead of us if they had reservations. Then the patio where the bands were meant to set up had almost no space for folks coming in to watch the bands; most of the tables in the place were set up for diners. That would be fine, if you want to be a restaurant. If you want to be a venue (even for a day), be a venue and let people come hang out. If you want to be a venue AND a restaurant, that'd be fine with me too, Cicero's and Blueberry Hill both have a system down with separate spaces to suit your tastes whether it be eating or rocking out. There are many different right ways to arrange things; this was an example of the wrong way.
Honorable mention in this category goes to Lola. The space is fairly new and nice, but I'm turned off by the fact that they also seemed to not have a sense of their own identity. I think more people were there to eat than to hear music, and I didn't really get the feeling that the music revelers like myself were welcome. Also the waitress with the frou-frou artsy trendy hairdo did not excite me. I just want to go to a bar for some tunes and drinks, not look at you attempt to be a runway model. (I didn't think of it until just now, but she kinda totally reminds me of Helen Strangé from Boomerang.)

Best Band to Get Me in a Dancing Frame of Mind: The Dive Poets came along at just the right time. Their set was the first at a venue as opposed to an outdoor stage, and being inside / in the evening it had finally cooled off enough for me to start drinking. I miss the fiddle, but they still brought it.

Best Band I've Seen Tons of Times: Jumbling Towers, how I've missed you! I used to kick it at their shows fairly often way back in the day, but it's been quite a long time. They rocked some new shit, they rocked some old shit, and I rocked my shit all over the floor right up front. People came in and packed the place during their set, which was great, but no one was dancing! That just wouldn't do. So, me being me, I scooted my behind up to the stage to help with the motivation. I only made small strides with the folks who were up there, but I did find a few possibly old school fans who knew their songs. Definitely going to have to get back into them.

Best Band I've Seen Tons of Times, But Missed: The Feed.

Best Band I've Never Seen: The Monads - Going to see them was a hard choice. They played at the same time as The Feed, and in this case I elected to go with new-and-potentially-awesome over tried-and-true-goodness. I wasn't sure to make of them while they were setting up. Upright bass, banjo, electric violin, giant bag of beach balls... Okay? They turned out to be real lively. I could see myself getting ragin', footstompin' drunk to this band in a good ol' Irish bar. ...if only I could find the perfect Irish bar in which to do it. The floor is open to suggestions.

Best Band I've Still Yet to See: Art Majors played after Jumbling Towers and I heard a little bit of them, but by that point I was tired and tapped out. It'd been a long day, and I no longer had the ability to properly cleanse my aural palate to differentiate between bands. It didn't help that no one in the crowd was into them enough to start moving, that might have convinced me to stick it out a bit longer. Gotta make a mental note to see them properly at some point.

Best Band for a Funky Good Time: Teddy Presberg kills. Literally. I saw someone drop to the ground of a funk attack, and I don't think they pulled through. DOA. Funkamedics could not resuscitate. The man is cooler than anyone has any right to be. My name is Teddy Presberg, and I'm gonna lay some riffs with this guitar in my lap for a lil' bit, izzat okay witchoo? Yes, please, Teddy. Gimme some more. And who else could pull of playing a show barefoot in such a shiny new bar? (He was at the aforementioned Lola) Bonus points for his man maiming folks with the bongo / drum solo funkassault.

Biggest Letdown Band: UG Project - From what I'd read about this group's style and genre-bending, I was really looking forward to something interesting. I ended up only catching maybe the end of one song at the end of their set, but my snap judgment from what I heard was underwhelming.

Best Friend: I didn't go very far out of my way to promote this thing ahead of time, and so did not attempt to bring a big crew down to check things out. I suppose it could have been fun having a pile of people to hang out with, but it also would have been a logistical nightmare. Almost seems better to go solo, or nearly so. I did invite Julie, who was awesome enough to come down, hang out, and pretty much follow me around to whatever band I wanted to see. I think she had a good time, so things worked out well for all parties involved.

Update: Official fotoes.

New Music Monday: Naked in the rain

Erykah Badu's latest album releases tomorrow. If the rest of it sounds as good as the track, I'll be quite happy to listen to it. Sister is still the Queen. While the video for the song is quite striking, before you check it out I suggest you set it up by watching the one that inspired it.





From Erykah, "[S]hot guerilla style, no crew, one take, no closed set, no warning, two minutes, in downtown Dallas, then ran like hell... I was afraid. But I was ready."

And from Questlove, "People were so stunned they forgot to break out camera phones."

New Music Monday: It's the rhythm you've been waiting for

Continuing the theme from last week, today's New Music Monday is on a girl with a funky 'do. I've been diggin' on Noisettes quite a bit these last days, and I'd love to tell you all about them. Only I have no idea where to begin. Is it soul? Rock and roll? Indie rock? Experimental? There's just so much going on, and each of the songs bounces between genres, sounding so distinct from the last that my brain is having trouble keeping up. It's just too much for me to wrap my head around. I like it, though. I don't care what it is, I just want more.

Noisettes - Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)

New Music Monday: Here come the future girls

Hello, is this Deltron 3030? I think I've just found your soul mate. Her name is Janelle Monáe, and she's got an interesting thing going. Of course if you're not interested I could maybe call Gnarls Barkley, but I figure the two of you have more in common. I bet one day you could make beautiful robot babies.

I'm not sure I'd agree with Sean "P Did-all Puff Diddy" Combs when he says she's one of the most important signings of his career... I mean, she's certainly got something, no lie. I've also got to give the girl points each for daring, creativity and theme. But the eclectic futuristic thing has been done before, ya know? And while it was a cool concept, it didn't change the world. In any case, she released an EP a few years back called Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase. Her first full-length The ArchAndroid - which will cover the second and third parts of the story arc - is scheduled to come out in May. The dance party rocker and nerd comic fanboy in me are having fights about which is more excited. Furthermore although she can stand on her own, how much better will this be featuring guest spots by Saul Williams (!) and Big Boi? The future, ftw.

Deltron 3030 - 3030
Janelle Monáe - Violet Stars Happy Hunting

Alright, it's gig time, what t-shirt am I gonna wear?

This weekend I stepped out to the Firebird for what turned out to be a perfectly awesome rock show.

We Landed on the Moon!: The flexibility and energy of this band is amazing. It is of course always great to hear someone playing some good music, which they surely did, but what really got me is how much fun they have doin' their thing. It's infectious. But not like "oh noes! I am disease-ridden!" More in a good way. Like, there has been an outbreak of rock n roll. People everywhere are coming down with it. Symptoms include smiles and wild dancing. Pleased be advised there is no cure; the only available option is to let the disease run its course, so if you find you are suffering the effects of this illness please report to the front of the stage for treatment.

Blind Eyes: What can I say about them? Local band, three white guys in standard arrangement. I was not wowed. I'm not knocking the idea of three white guys in a local band, mind you. I can think of at least one such group that has always impressed. But them... I believe I heard someone refer to them as "Bland Eyes", and that pretty well sums it up. My attention was not grabbed by the complexity or energy of the music, or by the depth of the lyrics. I did think they had a slightly interesting sound with their use of a blues guitar in a rock band, but it wasn't strong enough to stand out and make up for the band's overall shortcomings.

Elsinore: And speaking of complexity... I don't have any of their records, but I've now seen Elsinore a good three or four times. They're not local, but they come through St. Louis somewhat regular. It's only at this last show that I'm beginning to understand how much they've got going on in some of their songs. Somehow they managed to blend a beat that kicks with something as beautiful and sweet as a sea breeze. It's only because of their lead singer, I feel, that they are able to pull this off. The rest of the band is fairly adept as well, but it's he who really brings it all home. I was of two minds, torn between wanting to dance around and just bask in the music; ultimately I settled for dividing myself in two and using each half of my body to do both at the same time. The stage presence wasn't quite as strong as I've seen it be in the past - the last time they came through the lead singer was cracking jokes and bantering back and forth with the crowd - but I'm more than willing to forgive that as they were on day 28 of 28 of their tour.

But wait, there's more! Have some video goodness...





When I die, I sure hope I don't have pie all over my face...

It feels like I'm watching something dyin'

What is "indie"?

A sound? A philosophy? A label affiliation?

An important question for one who is particular about the labeling of genres and ideas. By the dictionary's definition of the term (here being "independent") - along with a bit of contextual assumption - I imagine its meaning to be something produced and distributed without connection to the mainstream establishment. As a person living an eclectic and slightly Bohemian lifestyle, this is a definition I find terribly appealing. Not that mainstream is inherently bad, mind you, but I feel at times it can be somewhat unwieldy, sometimes archaic and possessing of values that don't align with my own. Arguably this definition of indie could be applied to just about anything, which threatens to make even indie itself begin to become unwieldy, but for simplicity's sake I'll restrict my thoughts here to music. (Though I must admit a deep interest and admiration for indie news - even if it does at times lean a little to the left, I have to respect its telling of the many things that would otherwise not be reported.) Thinking just of independent music quickly runs into a large problem, in that so little of what is being produced today remains truly independent of the mainstream labels. Additionally, the depth of knowledge and history required to define what is and is not indie is simply out of the grasp of the majority of the population. I confess that I can be more than a little obsessive when it comes to the definitions and organization of my music library, but even I have never gone so far as to look up and define the status of individual labels, nor do I have any interest in doing so. Because of this it is my opinion that this once meaningful term has now become corrupted. Which makes me sad. I think of myself as traditionalist and appreciative of the old-fashioned, and I don't like how so many of the old ways and aspects of cultural have fallen by the wayside.

Another way to look at it is in terms of a sound or a genre, but there are issues with this outlook as well. "Indie" is commonly used as a definition specifically for rock music, but what about hip-hop? There's a strong movement in hip-hop for artists and the general style of art that remains independent, perhaps better known as underground. There are some deep-running feelings about it. Just look at how much controversy got stirred up when Nas came out with "Hip-hop Is Dead." He sure got people all riled with that one. I'm sure there are ways the term could be applied to many other genres as well. To be thorough and safe I typically classify my music as "indie rock" and leave it at that, but... if I think about it too much it leaves me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that, at best, this is not specific enough. At worst, I worry that it means nothing at all. Certainly there is enough breadth that it's difficult to justify fitting all these wildly different-sounding artists under a single umbrella. I can't say I'm very happy at the thought of yanking the rug out from under what forms such a significant percentage of what I listen to, though.

Ultimately, what I'll likely have to do is largely leave things as they are and not think too hard about this. Flawed as it is, were it to be taken away I don't know that there's something better to replace it. If this requires wearing blinders, or even screwing my eyes tightly shut and hiding under the bed, so be it. (I will not be sticking my fingers in my ears, it should be noted, cause then I wouldn't be able to hear the music.) As long as I don't read many more disturbing articles like the one that prompted this rant I figure I should be safe and able to sleep at night. The alternative is just too unpleasant to consider.

Paste Magazine - Is Indie Dead?

By the by, though so far I've only been reading this one article (which is fabulously well-written), I think I might be in love with this magazine. I'm considering grabbing a subscription, I'm so impressed by my first look. We'll see how good the rest is as I read further.

Beck - Already Dead

They call me quiet, but I'm a riot

o.O? The band formerly known as "The Gossip" apparently has changed their name to "Gossip". ...the part of me that likes things to be organized doesn't know how to handle that. Should I find all the locations where the old name occurs and change them to the new? Should I be steadfast and stick with the original? Or should I change the info only for music they've released from the point in time at which the new name was used?

Arrgh. Can't decide... can't decide, brain aneurysm!

No New Music Monday this week. Still in the midst of reorganizing an entire library of music, rebuilding playlists I've destroyed, etc, and it's a beast. Roughly 4.3 gigs filed and in place, 58.5+ left to go. Gonna be at this a little while. Maybe this'll tide you over for a spell.
Gossip - Heavy Cross (RAC remix)

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Now playing: The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (LA Riots remix)
via FoxyTunes

Vol. 2, the indie rock mixtape challenge

This is a message for the indie rock kids. Go check the short version if you're pressed for time, or if you hate jokes, or if you didn't care all that much for High Fidelity.

As Mr. T would say, any fool can make a mixtape. I can give you a few examples: I personally have seen trained seals put together decent stuff. I heard about a monkey hitting tracks at random on a laptop for an infinite amount of time with an infinite number of mp3s once creating a complete mixtape. A reasonably intelligent dog probably wouldn't do half bad. Hell, I bet even a Neanderthal who was slightly ahead of his time could do something not so terrible. That's all well and good if mediocrity gets you going, but that's not what I'm striving for. I'm a perfectionist. How 'bout a little eardrum-blowing bliss, hmm? How 'bout a mixtape that brings lots of people to my front door, trying to get into my house for merrymaking at my place. Yeah. I'll have a couple helpings of that. At least, that was how I looked at this before starting some research in preparation. There is an entire world out there that I was unaware of; I'm now trying to understand and incorporate some new ideas. I first found there exists a surprisingly lengthy wikipedia article about mixtapes, touching on history, legal issues and culture (I particularly liked the section about aesthetics... and yes... I did read the entire thing... kind of a dork that way). Going deeper, I decided I would watch High Fidelity, which expands greatly on the aesthetics aspect. Jack Black and John Cusack imbue me with a new level of energy and enthusiasm. I feel I am ready to accomplish something magical...

And so, that is why I am today issuing for myself the Indie Rock Mixtape Challenge! Here's how this party works:
1. Blab for a little bit about what you dig, in terms of genres (or sub-genres), moods, tempos, instruments, artists, actions to accompany listening, etc. If you've got no clue where to begin, you might cheat a little.
2. Armed with my trusty library of indie rock songs and a few handy last.fm tags, I create your custom mixtape of choice.
3. Listen to mixtape. Have eargasm. Rinse, repeat as necessary.

As there are now just four weeks left until the sure-to-be-awesome mixtape party, I figure it's time to get crackin'. That could be either a lot of time, or a little, depending on how demanding and complicated I decide to be. Or how distracted I get by other music, or shiny things I find on the ground, or hard drive death and its subsequent loss of data, or interesting stuff on the interwebs... Also! Still waiting on Perry, o' fearless leader, to put out the guidelines for this.

Participation, of course, is optional. If you elect not to play the game but still want a little something something I can make you a mixtape that's a bit more random and follows whatever whimsy floats through my head at the time.

PS: So entertained by the things that can be found on wiki. :-)

New Music Mhursday

A-whoops. Maybe if I was better at posting on a regular basis, I could do a weekly thing about what I've been diggin (or not). And it'd be all alliterative and awesome. Think about how nice that would be! But I'm just me, sooo... Mhursday it is. I'm sure it's fine, because in the words of

Florence + The Machine: I have no idea where this one came from, but girl's got a big ol' voice. It's surprising to hear that much power coming from a vocalist these days, but especially so from one so young. And who knew white British people had soul? First Amy (she may be a hot mess in her private life, but she's got pipes and you know it), then Duffy, now Flo. Been listening to her take on quite a few covers and it puts quite the interesting spin on things. A lot of those have been of the rock and indie variety, but you can tell she's into history as well. Mad respect for anyone who's into Candi Staton. I just can't. Get. Enough. Wanna hear more, know more, and maybe marry her.

Florence + The Machine - You've Got the Love (Candi Staton cover)

Eternia: This one caught my attention from Bob knows where on the interwebs. It's terribly hard to find good female emcees these days, people that have a sound that says style, a sound that says class, a sound that says this is hip-hop. And if that's what you're looking for, don't stop, cause you won't find it here. I'll give her that she's got something going for her, and I'll likely give her at least a second listen before I put her away and forget about her, but after hearing what she has to say on Get Caught Up I can't say I'm all that impressed. Certainly I can't understand why anyone would go so far as to claim Eternia is "the best female rapper alive"*, as I saw someone comment on last.fm. That's the kind of bold statement that, I feel, deserves a bit of inspection. There are a lot of subjective and hard to measure variables that could qualify one as being among the best emcees alive. To list a few: 1. A firm grasp of the four elements (if you don't know what those are, go back to hip-hop kindergarten). For that, the first that controversially comes to mind would be Fergie; I know, I know she quite possibly ruined the Black Eyed Peas, and she really went off the rails with that solo shit she pulled, but for a while there BEP was one of the rare contemporary hip-hop groups that incorporated break dancing. For that, they will always have my respect. Even if it's locked away in a time capsule from the days of their first two albums. 2. The ability to tell a compelling story that draws in the listener. When it comes to this, I have to say it's hard to be better than Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique (though he will get a little too into it for my tastes), or Slug (more for the early- to mid-2000s; wasn't so much diggin on that When Life Gives You Lemons...). All of them make me feel like a little kid listening to a bedtime story that I don't want to end. The skill to lay absolutely dope verses over some fresh beats. Jean Grae, Psalm One or Lauren Hill (back when she used to be about hip-hop, before she went all crazy and came out with Unplugged) can all do this in a way that'll get the crowd jumpin. I do have to give Eternia at least some credit on this aspect; her flows and beats do not suck. But on my first listen, it didn't sound like she was talking about anything. Nor did it seem she was bringing an energy that I could connect to, and the beats started to sound a little repetitive and mechanical. Give me something original and laced with fire. Maybe I'm being a little hard on the girl, but I'm particular about my hip-hop. After all, someone's gotta stand up and make sure the world isn't overrun by a bunch of crap rappers.

Eternia - Foul Child

*Technically, she said "raper", but we'll go ahead and let that potentially tragic typo slide.

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Now playing: Black Eyed Peas - They Don't Want Music [feat. James Brown]
via FoxyTunes