Observation 23: It’s weird to watch members of a focus group describe themselves as people who like to “live life to the fullest.”
March 19, 2009
Because apparently none of them had anything better to do than sit around in a cinderblock room with a bunch of strangers for two hours, talking about packaged goods over warm sodas and stale crackers.
Observation 22: At this moment in time, there are global recessions, wars, and a number of other compelling human crises taking place.
March 18, 2009
But few things can spark spirited public protest quite like Facebook can, just by changing its format.
Again.
Sort of like a patchwork quilt for your retinas, don’t you think? How long until a Brooklyn gallery starts selling framed prints of landing pages? Or has it already happened and I missed it?
Observation 20: Disappearing for hours on end in the wee hours of the night doesn’t necessarily mean you’re off killing prostitutes.
March 15, 2009
But it will make people suspicious.
Observation 19: There’s a Silver Jews lyric for everything.
March 12, 2009
Today’s:
“I’m afraid I’ve got more in common with who I was than who I am becoming.”
- Black and Brown Blues
Okay, so bare with me for a second here. I am not, and will in no ways pretend to be, “metal” in any way, shape, or form. But Mastodon seriously rock. In ways I cannot even begin to fully comprehend. And while I have not yet heard their new album, Crack the Skye, which officially breaks March 24th, I feel safe in going ahead and saying that it will be amazing.
“But wait, Laura, how can you possibly review an album that you have not yet listened to?”
Well, because when Mastodon decided to make an epic concept album that rocked with the power of a white whale crushing the ocean with the power of 10,000 white whales, this is what it looked like:
And then, when they went on to make an album that essentially told the world something like, “While making this album, either the strength of our rock or the strength of our weed transformed our human bodies into those of half-deer, half-wolf beasts. We’re not sure which it was, but we do know that this album is so awesome in its force, that it may cause people to sprout forth extra heads from their torsos just to equally distribute the pressure of our mind-exploding power,” this is what it looked like:
So now? I feel fairly certain in saying that Crack the Skye will most likely destroy with the fortitude of two light-breathing Russian gods, who not only have the power to levitate, but also turn ferocious killer bears see-through. Because while I haven’t heard anything off of it, I have seen the album art. And this is what it looks like:
Should you be able to pay cash or order this on Amazon.com, instead of sacrificing a small child or endowing the clerk at the record store with gifts of opium and / or live goats, well, I imagine it will be a bargain. But judging from the looks of that cover, you may have to. And yes, it will totally be worth it.
Observation 17: Jehovah’s Witnesses are perceived as a nuisance by the majority of the general population.
March 10, 2009
But I bet that if they also sold Girl Scout Cookies, this would no longer be the case.
The two albums that I have most been looking forward to this year come out, officially, on March 24th.
However, I did some chants, incanted some black magic, and miraculously, I’ve managed to take a listen to both ahead of time. And I’m happy to report that my impatience has paid off greatly.
I won’t go into great detail, save to say that these are two albums lucky enough to already have built-in audiences. In Deacon’s case, it’s riding the recent wave of attention that the Baltimore music scene, in particular the Wham City art collective, has been garnering, in large part due to his own contributions to it. In Obits’ case, it’s simply the legend of Rick Froberg, aka Rick Fork, aka one of the driving forces behind seminal groups like Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and Hot Snakes.
But while these built-in audiences will recognize a great deal of the trademark stuff that made each of these artists worthy of their fanboy-level obsession, they would be mistaken to think that either is guilty of base rehashing. In both cases, familiar sounds are evolved but also given ample room to be expanded upon and screwed around with. And in both cases, it’s pretty damn rewarding.
Another common thread is that, in my opinion, a large part of what makes both of these albums great is that they’re the work of people doing what they know how to do best instead of following an arbitrary and predictably short-lived trend. Granted, the wave of high-energy Charm City-based art-noise that’s been feeding the hype machine lately may actually be a trend now. But Deacon was one of its forefathers, not its followers. And in the case of Obits? Well, Froberg said it best:
“We’re not into innovation as a band. I think innovation is overrated and an overestimated quality. Anything that’s going to be original is going to happen without your control. Things that make your band sound like you, are things you wouldn’t be able to change anyway. We just go ahead and play the stuff we like, and we don’t worry about originality per se, because that takes care of itself.”
Listen to Dan Deacon’s Bromst, in its entirety, legally and freely, here.
Listen to the Sub Pop freebie (and second track off of Obits’ I Blame You), “Pine On” here.
Read “2009 has been rocking the new music releases [Part 1]” here.
Observation 15: Depression gets boring after a while.
March 9, 2009
So stay posi, y’all!
Coincidentally, when someone doesn’t pick up even one of 18 phone calls between the hours of 12AM and 4AM, there’s a 100% chance they’re asleep.
Yup.
