So, I’m starting to get old enough that my friends are spawning. I’ve celebrated a few first birthdays over the past couple years, and when I see what adults get children for their birthdays, I cringe for their parents. Barney the Dinosaur is an insufferably happy over-sized sock puppet, and you can only take so much Elmo before you start contemplating the potential sales figures of a Muppet-themed punching bag. But the worst of all has got to be the records. Sorry Cheech, kids may love your album, but it’s got to be tough for an adult to get up every morning and hear “MY NAME IS CHEECH AND I AM A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER!”
In the past few years, They Might Be Giants have been working to restore the sanity of parents. Here Come The 123s, their third children’s album, has a lot of selling points; educational value, kid-friendly lyrics, a supplementary DVD with the deluxe 2-disk edition filled with a lot of fun animation and puppetry. But the biggest reason for a parent to buy this album for their kids is that it’s not just kid-friendly, it’s a good record.
The album is just a really well-produced pop record. Fans of They Might Be Giants will already be accustomed to the whimsical nature of their music, so the transition is pretty easy. It’s witty and cleaver as always, and sounds like the parts of Sesame Street that make parents willing to sit and watch TV with their kids. Don’t be surprised if you start singing along yourself.
Those of you who don’t have kids may be reluctant to openly listen to a children’s album, but, well, get over yourself! This may not be the most profound music you’ll ever hear, but it’s fun! Hey Mikey, you’ll like it.
Are you sitting at home staring at your cd collection and wondering whether you should play Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning” or the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”? Well, stop the presses and check out Beatallica! I don’t think much explanation is needed here…
Be sure to check out such favorites as “Sgt. Hetfield’s Motorbreath Club Band” and “RevolOOHtion”
I’m not an expert on electro punk, or electro full strength either. This collection of MPLS EP is something to be proud of. The fact that someone can sit in their basement and write this stuff out of thin air is admirable. I’m just going to tackle what I feel to be the stand out tracks on this most recent collection.
The disc starts off with “Desperado” by Avenpitch. This is definitely one of the top three tracks on this collection. Avenpitch sounds the most like a “band” and something that you could really enjoy seeing live. The track is memorable, exciting and thoughtful. This band could easily move into live band form and still retain the ElectroPunk sound that is desired. Next, ikki’s “Goodbye cruel world.” feels almost like a sing-along for adults. The drums are very industrial, hard hitting and full of great American cheesy goodness. The seduction of Milkbar comes in next on the list. The song “Stop (Check me out),” starts with a hilarious phone conversation from what sounds like a pimp and a somewhat unsuspecting female. The song moves into a very confident L.A sexpot hook. This to me is pure electro. “Corporate Trance” by Iron Balls Magente is a song written by someone who knows how to write this stuff. It seems focused and the sitars in the background give it a lot of character. It also feels very British, cute and determined. Mach FoX’s “Build it Down,” is a fun cross between the B52’s, New Order and Interpol. The guitar is pure Dream Theater/Billy Idol cheese, but, is totally forgivable and warranted. Great track. For you They Might be Giants fans, there is Zibra Zibra’s “Lions on the Astroturf.” The vocal tone is so close to TMBG that I had to check and make sure it wasn’t. The song is playful and put together to be both funny and listenable to the ear more than once in your lifetime. Another stand out is “Private Apocalypse” by Apox. This track is nearly perfect. The 70’s soul rhythms will remind you a lot of what the local MPLS Hip Hop scene has been so good at. It glides smoothly, but, the vocal track feels secondary and unimaginative. I just wish that the melody of the vocals could have been as stand out and strong as the rest of the song. Otherwise, it is divine. Last is the Unicorn’s like “>Sexy” by coincidentally a band called Unicorn Basement. Like the Unicorn’s, they are loving what they do and showing that ElectroPunk can be loose and not as serious as you may have thought.
TC ElectroPunk Volume 4 is a great collection of different styles all packed into this handy compact disc. Who knew that the Twin Cities housed such innovative Electro –songwriters? I know I didn’t. Thank you to TC Electropunk for shining light on this local scene for all of us to enjoy, even if it’s just a snapshot.
This Will Destroy You’s new self titled album is… difficult to describe. It has all the qualities of a great motion picture soundtrack. Clear narrative qualities, catchy melodies, and no lyrics. It’s also a very dark album. It’s sort of like classical meets modern indie rock.
OK, try this another way. Take your favorite depressed album, the one you keep on hand for those days when the world seems to just hate you and you don’t want to feel better. Now, take away everything that could make it feel like that album was written for anyone but you. That’s the kind of tragic wonder that you’ll get out of this album.
It doesn’t hurt that the band clearly has major chops, both compositionally and instrumentally. If their live show is as tight as they are on the recording, it would definitely be something to see. It sounds almost as if there’s just one instrument being played. You can get the same kind of experience watching a really good chamber orchestra being conducted by a phenomenal conductor, almost as though the conductor is playing the orchestra rather than just directing them.
While this really is a good album, it does have one major flaw. It’s easy to listen to, but also easy to tune out. Without a vocalist, there’s nothing you really have to pay attention to in order to get the songs. With that in mind, if you’re not really paying attention, there’s a lot you’re probably going to miss. And, since it is such a moving, sad, and sometimes sinister album, if you’re not in the right state of mind you’re probably not going to be really paying attention.
Still, it’s great background music and the perfect soundtrack for a rainy day. Good music to get dumped by.
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12. He will be 199 years old.
In honor of this great man’s accomplishments, I would like to direct you to the mySpace page of Minneapolis’ own, Best Friends Forever, who have written and recorded a most beautiful tribute to our nation’s 16th President. The song, entitled “My Head In Front of Your Head”, is a splendid biopic about a man who suffered chronic bouts of depression, which twice landed him near suicide. Lincoln was charming, gregarious, and funny. He wore a love of the arts on his sleeve and expressed a deep knowledge of pretty much any topic you can think of. Not an attractive man, Honest Abe was able to marry into the well-to-do Todd family of Kentucky through his sincerity and his ability to make chics laugh and smile through his storytelling.
(Above: Best Friends Forever)
It is no surprise to me that ladies in present day Minneapolis would want to go back in time and put their head in front of his in order to save him from the bullet that took his life. Considered by many to be our nation’s greatest President (I put him in the top 2), it is refreshing to see a resurgence in Lincoln-interest as of late, started in large part by Doris Kearns Goodwin’s fantastic bestseller, “Team of Rivals“.
My hat’s off to Best Friends Forever, and I look forward to seeing this, dare I say “geek-rock”, band develop!
Back in my late teenage years I had an epiphany which was this: “Not all folk music is good.” Of course, not all folk music is bad either, but it takes a very special folk musician (or musicians) to get me going. In order to catch my attention you’ve got to be really good.
So when Magic Bullet Records sent me a copy of Austin Lucas’ latest album, Putting the Hammer Down, I was a little confused. I’d only ever done one other roots music review, so it seemed like quite a limb to go out on to assume I’d be the right person to review this album.
Now I get it. This is an artist who may never really make it big, but god-damn that’s a tragedy.
It’s a very dark album right off the bat. The first song is Man Alive. It’s a song about a smoker, and really that’s about it. I never thought I’d think a song like that could be any good. It’s not vilified, it’s not glorified, it’s really just tragic.
I really hope Austin Lucas gets more notice. It seems like the kind of music that could burrow into the lesser-known celebrity area of the music scene. Tom Waits and Richard Thompson, make room at the table.
Say Hi (formerly “Say Hi to Your Mom”) had never been a high-priority for my listening time. I’d heard a few tracks here and there and thought “eh, it’s a good, but right now I’m listening to (insert band name here).” In fact, if it hadn’t been for their name being shortened, I might never have bothered.
The sound is hypnotic. Very simple chord progressions that change at just the right moment. There are no extended solos, there are only layers of sound that mix and interchange between instruments to form a wonderful and involving musical depth. At times it’s a very digital sound, but never cold. A calm warmth seeps out from the speakers and envelopes the listener.
While Eric Elbogen’s vocals are far from perfect, they suit the music perfectly. He misses notes here and there, and almost mumbled his way through the album. His voice sounds exhausted, as though it took immense effort for him to sing. It creates this delicate sense of urgency, this intense need of the vocalist to share his thoughts and experiences in song.
I really try to offer a balanced opinion in everything I write up here, but honestly I can’t find anything wrong with this album. Sure, not everyone’s going to absolutely love it, but there isn’t a single beat, a single note, that isn’t exactly what it should be. Even out of tune, it’s just precisely what it is.
Thats right. Head on down to Clinic’s website for a free download of the song “free not free” from their forthcoming album, “Do It”, which won’t be released until April 9th (damn). You can also see the video with them lounging (VERY CREEPY).
