Category: music

Sudden Ensemble. Live in Long Branch.

The new songs are excellent, and the second album will be available soon. This mercurial duo is playing only their second stateside show, as far as I know. So I recommend getting while the getting's good. Because then it might get going and be gone or something like that. I'm not the PR guy, what do I know?

Thursday night, February 11 at The Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. According to the schedule, tickets are $6.00. I can afford that on a blogger's salary. So consequently, I will be there. So come say high to your favorite blogger, or even me, for that matter. I'm told that Sudden Ensemble should be coming on around 9:15 PM.

New songs are on their MySpace page. Songs from the first album appear at the Sudden Ensemble page at ApacheMatrix11. The first album is available from Angelika Kohlermann (Austria).

And I'm posting Antwerp just because I can. At least I think so, but as far as I'm concerned a C & D letter would mean somebody read this blog. At least one somebody. Besides me.

Sudden Ensemble – Antwerp.

Mp3's will remain available until I remember that they've been up kind of long and should probably take them down so someone goes and buys something. That's my disclaimer.

Rolf Mashes

I'm not really sure where I was going with this posting. But here it is, in its primordial state, I think all postings start out this way until they become so dense that they collapse upon themselves and form something else entirely. Something else which is exactly nothing like a universe.

I know Rolf harris mashup shitmat ROFLMAO wiggles son

Rolf Harris

Shitmat

Put them together to form…

Vikings Vindicated on Video

The video must be Joel Trussell's commentary on all the rock bands coming from Scandinavia in recent times. Or is that old history dating back to 2001?

His video for Jason Forrest's track, “War Photographer” is lots of fun. Vikings, guitars, robots, cowbell, what else do you need?

Joel has some development sketches on his blog as well.

Imperfect Pop

I know there are essays out there about “Another Girl, Another Planet” being the greatest pop song ever. (Although my Google search hasn't come up with any, perhaps that theory's dead, and it's still the first sentence of this post.) People have professed their love for this song (scroll down, kid), regardless of the fact that it barely charted. And I will give them that, it's a great song. Catchier than the common cold in a kindergarten classroom.

When I first heard this song, I had no idea it was by The Only Ones. I had some compilation CD that contained a version by The Mighty Lemondrops. And although the Mighty Lemondrops never really caught my interest previously…well, Damn, if it wasn't the best song on the entire comp.

I've since heard a live cover by the Replacements that sounded like it was disintegrating and patched together with duct tape, but that added to the charm. And I can't find fault with the original.

I actually thought the song was built in such a way that no matter who covered it, it would remain intact and brilliant. A piece of perfect pop.

Enter Blink-182, or Blink182 or Blink 182 (spaces, hyphens, whatever. and is it Kid606 or Kid 606? My iTunes gets confused sometimes.)

Anyway the Blink boys come along and pour too much powdered sugar over the top and just ruin things. I could hear it in one listen. Maybe they should have had the nasally guy sing more. There's kids out there who have never heard the song and this is what they get, the NutraSweet version on a greatest hits compendium. Granted, Blink182 is a watered down Green Day, but I liked “Dammit”. And Travis Whatshisname is a good drummer. They chose a good song to cover. And I'm not one of those crotchety folks that think every cover sucks, and that covering this song or that song is blasphemy. And if someone samples of mashes it with something else, so be it. I think if there was a demo version of this cover closer to the Dude Ranch/Cheshire Cat days, then maybe it would have sounded a bit better.

At least Limp Bizkit didn't cover it on their greatest hits collection.

Shonen Knife

I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into the fray in the world of mp3 blogs, but I heard about the recentdeath of Shonen Knife and DMBQ drummer Mana “China” Nishiura in a car accident, and was surprised to see no mention in any of the mp3 blogs over at The Hype Machine. (If there were any comments, no mp3s were posted.) “China” was currently touring with the band DMBQ. She apparently was a session and touring drummer that played with a number of other bands (Teem, Rashinban, Droop, Slower Traffic 5), in many styles.

I will not pretend to know a lot about her, and if you are interested in learning more about Mana “China” Nishiura, then I suggest visiting some of the links in this post.

The only CD I own by Shonen Knife is Let's Knife, but my favorite track is on the soundtrack to The Powerpuff Girls: Heroes & Villains movie. The Shonen Knife contribution is “Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)”, and The Ramones influence is way beyond obvious. But that's okay. The song is a lot of fun.


Shonen Knife – Buttercup (I'm a Super Girl)

enRAGEd

enRAGEd – A collection of Rage Against the Machine mash-ups and remixes.

I couldn't find this with Google today, then I realized I had the link in an e-mail from the folks at what was formerly boomselection.info. That site is now defunct (or at least orphaned), but has been replaced with boomparty.net. Think less mp3s, more party promotion. Good luck, folks. Now where am I gonna go for my fill of M.I.A. mixes and mashes.

AGGREGATOR

Time better spent blogging has been more often spent at The Hype Machine. It's an mp3 blog aggregator/archive. If this were the eighties, there would be some type of metal band named AGGREGATOR with a record album cover that would look heavy as fuck, with some skulls thrown around for good measure. And some type of evil ass font that would just cry out to be on the back of your denim jacket. Fuck yeah.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

All blog sites must praise this band or risk the scorn of Pitchfork reviewers. They sound a little like somobody else, and a lot like another band, too, but who cares, since everybody sounds like somebody else. I think folks who liked Pavement will like them.

I think the name goes beyond the ridiculousness of emo band names. Perhaps they will usher in an era of even worse band names until bands start using combinations of unpronouncible symbols, hand gestures, and morse code to develop names.

There are a few tunes to download on their site. If you've heard of them from me first, then you don't get out much. Scratch that. You get out often. You must be in front of a computer less than me. Good for you then.

Here's 10 names for bands that hopefully will never appear on a marquee (Why 10? Because people expect lists in 10's. And it gives me something to do before I get that much deserved sleep I've been lacking. Plus the rush to come up with 10 names right before bad will ensure the awfulness of the names created.)

1.) Locked My Keys in the Car

2.) Spill Milk and Cry

3.) Shampoo Rinse Repeat (actually that one is pretty good)

4.) Dreamt You Left Me Woke Up Got Up Yawned

5.) Wave Them Like You Just Don't Care

6.) Always Get a Receipt

7.) This Band is not a Toy

8.) Cross Tees Dot Eyes

9.) No Balance Transfer Fees

10.) Put Your Right Foot In, Put Your Right Foot Out

Good Night.