i am back from being dead, sort of. lots of updates to fill you dudez+babes in on. here are some:
• weezer’sred album is pretty rad/good/amazing/average, all at once. “pork and beans” is one of the greatest songs cuomo has ever written, not to mention the video is possibly the greatest thing EVER MADE EVER (below).
other highlights are “heart songs”, with absolutely brilliant lyrics; including this gem:
Back in 1991 I wasn’t havin’ any fun
‘Till my roommate said “Come on and put a brand new record on”
Had a baby on it. He was naked on it
Then I heard the chords That broke the chains I had upon me
and also, the completely insane “the greatest man that ever lived”. overall this record is leaps and bounds above the subpar make believe
• the dandy warhols’ new record, earth to the dandy warhols is also pretty damned good. i’ll admit i wasn’t digging it much at first, but after leaving it on repeat all night it grew on me just as much as their others. “now you love me” is a stunning fuzzed-out lovefest on par with “good morning”, “heavenly”, etc.
• ratatat - lp3 is pretty good, albeit, somewhat more chill than their first two albums. the opening trifecta of “shiller”, “falcon jab” and “mi viejo” are particular good. “gipsy threat” is just weird and creepy as hell.
• mates of state’s latest, re-arrange us, is pretty happy-go-lucky, as we’ve come to expect from such a lovestricken husband-and-wife duo. but that’s, of course, a good thing when it comes to mates of state. still, i can’t say i liked this as much as their more recent efforts, especially the epic bring it back.
• a few albums that i missed last year: the first, (i had no idea that) meredith bragg & the terminals realeased a new album in 2007. which they did, titled silver sonya, and which also, is amazing — even greater than their debut. HIGHLY recommend this record, which would have easily been in my top 15 or so of ‘07. another which i keep meaning to write about, that i learned about from good old sebastian, is junius, who play a brand of post-hardcore similar to the more melodic aspects of deftones or the more fuzz-drenched passages of maserati or cave in. their jawdropping self-titled debut was far and away one of the better records of 2007. “hiding knives” is just unreal.
• also thanks to sebastian’s writeups, i have recently been revisiting wire’s seminal work. i have been particularly enjoying 1979’s 154 and ’78’s chairs missing. though admittedly it takes a bit of work to fully begin appreciating them, i’m still not quite sure what took me so long to be able to love these albums.
• the hold steady has a new album (stay positive), but as someone who has never really enjoyed the band that much (save for the unquestionably amazing “how a resurrection really feels”, from 2005’s separation sunday), i won’t write too much about it. i’ve given it a couple of listens, and can’t say i dislike it, but as per usual, nothing sticks out either.
• finally, dead meadow released their new record some 5 months ago now, and i keep meaning to post a review of it, but my laziness has fucked you again, dear reader. nevertheless, in my opinion, it’s their best to date, which may mean that it’s your least favorite (if you’re a legit dead meadow fan). because the same things that make me like it most (it’s more structured, more pop-oriented, more accessible), are probably the things that are turning longtime fans away. the first half of the album is particularly impressive. “down here” is brilliant.
this is a mix i made about six years ago for a friend of mine. i just recently found the tracklist and decided to edit it together to let it flow. it turned out quite nice. you might enjoy, despite the seemingly strange song selection, and the fact that this is so old i even broke the sacred rule of not repeating the same band on one mix. (three times in a row). a few of these tracks would turn up on later mixes as well. still, i quite like this one.
1. idaho - for granted
2. nick drake - pink moon
3. audioslave - like a stone
4. doves - rise
5. the dirtmitts - fix and destroy
6. the dirtmitts - bank card
7. cat power - metal heart
8. cat power - evolution
9. moonbabies - have you ever said goodbye
10. moonbabies - im insane but so are you
11. the church - under the milky way
12. interpol - leif erikson
13. ms. john soda - unsleeping
14. massive attack - angel
15. new order - crystal
16. starflyer 59 - too much fun
Colour Revolt Plunder, Beg, and Curse [Fat Possum/Apr 1]
I have been looking forward to Colour Revolt’s first full-length ever since hearing their self-titled EP a few years ago, and this release delivers on all counts. The raw, abrasive attitude of the EP has been slightly toned down in favor of a muddier, more introspective tone — lending the record a mature, slow-paced drawl that snakes around like a dirty southern creek littered with weeds and leeches. Yet, this subtle shift in songwriting enhances the band’s strengths even moreso, resulting in a strong record that reveals more of its secrets with each successive listen.
Dudes & dudettes, I am sure you can agree that there’s something magical about listening to a sad song in a thunderstorm. Here are my favorites. Enjoy:
Psychotica - 180º [Psychotica/1996]
This seminal goth band’s debut album was a mainstay on my playlist back in high school. “180º”, in particular, is a grand foray into industrial goth androgyny.
Post-punk pioneers The Sound were unfortunately overlooked due to the successes of Joy Division, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen and others. Nevertheless, they released some chilling, hopeless music that used to send shivers up my spine when I would go for walks at 3 a.m. through my empty town of rural suburbia.
The Music’s masterpiece, “Getaway”, from their self-titled debut, is a rain-soaked anthem of intense, thunderous guitars and wailing vocal pleas that never fail to make my blood boil.
“Breaking You” is a sprawling, hypnotic cadence of desparation and dejection. Afloat in dreary reverb and steady electronic backbeats are passionately slow vocals that evolve and devolve like a thunderstorm in and of themselves.
M83 - Unrecorded [Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts/2003]
M83’s gorgeous debut surprised everyone with its intricate electronic homages to My Bloody Valentine, and this epic instrumental cascade of synth-soaked melody is a perfect introduction. “Unrecorded” could probably start a rainstorm by itself if played loud enough.
Rob Crowe hid this little gem on an obscure side project, deftly ensuring a treasure trove of happy-to-be-sadness for anyone lucky enough to discover it. This track is quite possibly the most depressing I have ever listened to, yet two weeks of listening to it on repeat very possibly saved my life once upon a time.
Chino Moreno’s superhuman vocals lust over a stunning display of passion and melody that never let up even when bordering on mesmeric implosion. “Your Skull is Red” displays Moreno at the height of his game.
The side project of Nivek Ogre (of Skinny Puppy fame) harnesses a dark, pulsating energy that exhibits a mature grasp of industrial atmospherics and elegiac melody. Perfect to listen to during a midnight storm.
The Church’s greatest moment (utilized perfectly in Donnie Darko) is quite possibly the saddest, most demoralized song ever written. Steve Kilbey’s wistful vocals float so dismally in the surrounding sea of delicate guitar chords and shivering atmospherics, turning everything nearby to frozen gloom.
The Boxer Rebellion - Never Knowing How or Why [Exits/2005]
The Boxer Rebellion’s debut is a chilling assemblage of Sigur Rossian vocals and droning soundscapes that make for a perfect soundtrack to a rainy afternoon.
The Organ - Memorize the City [Grab That Gun/2004]
This now-defunct all-girl Canadian band has released some of the most depressing music of the decade. “Memorize the City” is a pulsating journey through the empty, rain-soaked streets of desolation, brilliantly harnessing the band’s namesake to add texture to the icy cold guitar passages.
Ra Ra Riot - Ghost Under Rocks [Ra Ra Riot EP/2007]
Perhaps made even more surreal by the recent death of drummer John Pike, “Ghost Under Rocks” is a dazzling track that weaves and winds through a landscape of anguish, refusing to release its deathgrip of emotions.
Ellen Allien & Apparat - Way Out [Orchestra of Bubbles/2006]
Ellen Allien’s collaboration with Apparat showcased a beautifully produced set of moody electronica, most notably this masterpiece, which mixes Allien’s evocative vocals with a backdrop of hammering beats and synthy melodies.
Drenched in reverb and moving along at a sexy, hypnotizing crawl, “Lust” is the perfect backdrop for a canvas of gentle rain on an otherwise silent Sunday afternoon.
This classic Dandy Warhols’ track is a druggy meditation of droning guitars topped with Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s typically lackadaisical vocals, relenting only after a brilliant guitar solo crescendo.
Possibly the greatest song New Order has ever recorded, “Crystal” is nothing short of an anthem for driving fast in the rain. Bernard Sumner’s melodic vocals have never sounded so intense with the accompanying keyboards and throbbing bassline.
The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever [Sleep Forever/2008]
The title track of The Big Sleep’s latest record is a perfect album closer, awash in shoegazy guitars and wailing vocals, like a massive summer thunderstorm.
The Get Up Kids - Like a Man Possessed [Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3/2004]
One of The Get Up Kids’ softer, more introspective moments (which makes a jawdropping appearance on an episode of One Tree Hill), “Like a Man Possessed” combines a restrained tempo with melodic guitarscapes and a vigorous breakdown.
Maura Davis’s classically trained vocals have never sounded as frozen and hopeless as they do on this Denali song — backed by steady, electronic drums and cacophonous guitars, this track was my only solace for weeks following my grandpa’s death a few years ago.
Radiohead - Where I End + You Begin [Hail to the Thief/2003]
Radiohead’s “Where I End + You Begin” is a staggering kaleidoscope of haunting atmospherics and discordant guitars that perfectly compliment Thom York’s manic vocal stylings, creating a sort of bi-polar mood that never fails to clone the feelings I was having in 2003 when I first heard it.
Starflyer 59 - Too Much Fun [The Fashion Focus/1998]
The epic wall of guitars that is “Too Much Fun” is not only the greatest song ever recorded, but perhaps the moodiest I have ever listened to. At almost 8 minutes long, there simply is no better song to listen to during a tumultuous flood. Period.
Sound Team’s “TV Torso” is a steadily escalating, trance-inducing track that continuously gains steam like a feverish locomotive, uncompromising in its despair and unabatedly frenetic.
Mark Linkous’s typically surrealistic wordplay and intricate arrangements add a bizarre, dreamlike quality to this song, giving it a sense of delicate frailty that goes perfectly with a gentle rainshower on a weekend afternoon. This track ties itself to many of my most vivid memories from the early 00s.
The opening title track on Blonde Redhead’s most recent magnum opus is a spellbinding display of harmonies and spine-chilling temperaments. Featuring Kazu Makino’s now-customary blend of abstract vocal stylings and a canvas of My Bloody Valentine-influenced distortion, “23″ vomits beauty and inhales more of my soul with each listen.
The 7-minute closer from The 101’s first full-length is a ceaselessly lethargic and logical conclusion to the record it closes. Dripping with melodic vocals and driving guitarlines, it forms a reasurring aura that hides its futility without denying its existence. This track was a mainstay for me on Saturday afternoons a few summers ago.
Maserati - The World Outside [Inventions For the New Season/2007]
“The World Outside” is a sparkling bit of instrumental post-rock, laden with gorgeous textures and vibrant guitars that weave in and out of themselves as they gracefully unfold.
Honey is Cool - Bolero [Early Morning Are You Working/1999]
Karin Dreijer’s pre-Knife music is somewhat inconsistent, but Honey is Cool’s best work can easily stand on its own with her newer, more acclaimed releases. “Bolero” is one such example, offering a fabulous glimpse into Dreijer’s future as a skilled songwriter and producer with this assemblage of wintry, otherworldly vocals and tundric guitars.
Moonbabies - I’m Insane But So Are You [June and Novas/2001]
This Moonbabies track is a wonderfully sad sea of jangly guitars and shimmering boy/girl vocal harmonies that perfectly flatter the hopeless tranquility found in the lyrics. Every time I listen to this song I am instantly shoved into the Japanese dreamworld described in Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood. So much so, that Moonbabies has become my official soundtrack whenever reading any Murakami.
Failure - Another Space Song [Fantastic Planet/1996]
Possibly one of the most overlooked bands of the mid-90s, Failure’s “Another Space Song” is a dismal, metaphorical tale of being left alone to die in nothingness. Ken Andrews’ amazing grasp of space-tinged effects are exhibited flawlessly here, adding just the right amount of color to his heroin-soaked vocal chords. Fun fact: the intro of this song is taken directly from a scene in the 1973 animated French surrealist film Fantastic Planet.
Hum - Little Dipper [You’d Prefer an Astronaut/1995]
This thunderous wall of sound is drenched in waves of distortion and droning, indolent vocals — sluggishly moving without moving and breathing without breathing. Matt Talbott’s space-themed lyrics are the perfect adversary to such a stentorian nightmare, his voice barely audible above the swells and crashes of the surrounding feedback.
Before their breakup, these NYC experimentalists managed to test the limits of despair on this track, which comes in at just over two minutes. Yet, in just a couple of minutes, the band overlays a simple, repetitious guitarscape with an utterly hopeless vocal line that seems as sad as anything could ever be.
National Skyline - A Night at the Drugstore [This=Everything/2001]
Former members of Castor and Hum teamed up to create this demure masterpiece, which is a sensory overload scourged with chilling synths, ethereal samples and emotionless drum loops. A perfect choice for walking around in a midnight thunderstorm.
We Barbarians In the Doldrums EP [Self-Released/Nov 11]
Long Beach newcomers We Barbarians’ first EP has all the makings of a band about to explode on the indie circuit. This debut displays a stunning grasp of atmospheric post-punk — seamlessly mixing the detachedly moody aura of Radiohead with the rhythmic, angular hooks of Les Savy Fav.
This up-and-coming Brooklyn band’s debut full-length is a sort of savvy melangé of vintage Bowie and late Flaming Lips — juxtaposing sunny psychedelia with dancey anthems that compliment eachother beautifully by turning keyboards into acid flashbacks and acid flashbacks into dancefloor epidemics.
apologies for the recent downtime (did anyone even notice? probably not). anyway, i was forced to switch servers and i am still trying to fix some of the things that are f’d up because of the move. i will fix it though! i am a fix-it man! i promise! i swear :(
here are some things for you to read:
• i have found the greatest video ever created. this is the reason the internet was invented:
yeah.
• also, here is a video of tony romo and mr. belding singing “don’t stop believin’” with metal skool. seriously. mr. belding and tony romo covering the greatest bar song of all time? the world just imploded.
• things have been quiet on the new music front recently, but there are gems that i will be posting shortly. (e.g.: mgmt, foals, we barbarians, girls in hawaii).
• for some reason i have been salivating on old school modest mouse recently. i kind of forgot how great and raw their earlier stuff was. do yourself a favor and listen to “neverending math equation” again.
and the plants and the animals, they are linked
and the plants and the animals eat each other
oh my god and oh my cat
brilliance!!
also, the lemonheads. was there ever a song about drugs that made you more relaxed than “drug buddy”? (the answer is no)
• should i start making more lists? perhaps. i think i will.
• the wire is like, the greatest tv show ever. and i just finished season 4 and now i am :(
• also, dexter is the greatest tv show ever. don’t watch it on cbs, though — that is bound to be horrible.
Horrible cover art aside (yes, that album cover is actually real), Stephin Merritt’s latest thematic undertaking is drenched in reverb — brilliantly accentuating Shirley Simms’ sugary vocals, which in turn act as delicious adversaries to Merritt’s deep, miserablist delivery.
Brooklyn band’s second full-length is a wall of post-rock guitars interlaced with shoegazy post-punk influences. Sleep Forever dares to kick some ass one minute and cry in the rain the next — what you would get if you mixed Black Sabbath with Explosions in the Sky.
Nada Surf’s fifth full-length is an unfortunately bland addition to an impressive recent discography. The splendid mellow harmonies found on their past few releases have been dulled down into a mired pit of average indie rock.
Explodingnow is basically a bloggy online zine (isn't that what most of the internet is these days?). Mostly it's about music, sports and culture. You will love it, I promise.
You can email me, dja AT explodingnow DOT COM.
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------------------- Hit list
1. it’s always sunny in philadelphia
2. my new house
3. golden/labra doodles
4. 2008 arizona diamondbacks
5. carlo rossi
6. california beaches
7. iowa visits
8. pauly shore is dead
9. morelikedie.com
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3. sportscenter anchors
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6. similes
7. wells fargo
8. new mmj record
9. road construction
10. 2 girls 1 cup
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