TGIF Hodge Podge – Laminated Cat + Boy Genius + Soul Asylum
I need to start out today by apologizing for leaving you all without a Hodge Podge to wake up to last week. I know how much many of you look forward to our time together on Friday mornings, and I feel terrible about leaving you hanging. The only excuse I have to offer is that I accidentally got drunk and passed out. Poor planning on my part, but I always say that if you’re going to make excuses it’s best that they revolve around alcohol. Better to be drunk than lazy, or something like that…
The first band up today caught my eye the moment that they appeared in my inbox, which is really saying something given the amount of e-mails that I get on a daily basis. The subject line of this particular message noted that the band, Laminated Cats, was referred to bay Apples in Stereo leader Robert Schneider (unfortunate name in hindsight, given the theatrical turds that the actor of the same name has dropped on us) as “the best young psychedelic band in years.” As an unabashed fan of everything that has ever spawned from the Elephant 6 crew, my interest was obviously peaked immediately. A cursory listen to the linked track has me even more excited. Opening with an alt-countrish riff, “Aquamarine” quickly takes form with buzzing atmospheric synths and space age blips that recall The Flaming Lips at times. Throughout the track maintains an eerily monotone sound that is both soothing and uneasy all at once, shifting from cohesive to disastrous at times with uncanny easy. Their debut record, Umbrella Weather, is the second release from Schneider’s own label, Garden Gate Records, and dropped this past Tuesday so you can buy it, like, now.
This next track is from an album that doesn’t come out until January 2010, which literally seems like an eternity from now, but I came across it yesterday and it was love at first listen. Boy Genius is a Brooklyn quartet that originally began life as a duo in 2006. Now, three years later and with two additional members, they are preparing to release their second record, Staggering, with producer Mitch Easter (who has worked with, among others, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr). Though I admittedly have no knowledge of their back catalog, after spending a few days with their latest track “Old New England” I can’t help but think that this band deserves far more coverage than they have received thus far. Though I have heard them classified primarily as indie pop, I find the sound to be far more reminiscent of 90’s garage. This new track in particular is hazy, beautiful, and sounds absolutely timeless. And if this tune alone isn’t enough to get you on the bandwagon, consider the fact that the upcoming album was conceived to be two distinct sides of a record, each with its own unique sound and stories. As such, the LP is slated for a vinyl-only release when it eventually drops, with a digital download included for those occasions when you can’t bring your turntable with you.
Today’s vault track is actually something that I had intended to post last week in this space, you know, before I got drunk and flaked out on the post entirely. A few weekends ago I unexpectedly found myself at a Soul Asylum show here in Chicago. I realize that it isn’t every day that you wake up in the morning with no intention of seeing a Soul Asylum concert and then later find yourself attending one, but I assure you that this is indeed what happened. I left my house that morning with the intention of watching the Buckeye game at that bar, doing my best to choke down a few brews in my massively hung over state, and then heading home immediately after. Anyone who has ever indulged in gratuitous day drinking, however, knows that in these instances things rarely go as planned. Long story short, I never did make it home that night and several drinks later I found myself at the Roscoe Village Oyster Festival. Curiously I didn’t see any oysters, but I did manage to eat some lamb on a stick and watch Dave Pirner and co throw down a set that made me feel like I was back in high school again. Keep in mind that I’ve never been what you might call a ‘fan’ of Soul Asylum, nor would I pay any denomination of American currency to see them, but I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with their set on that Saturday evening. Classics like “Black Gold” and “Misery” stood out as tracks that I must have grossly underrated in my youth, though the rest was admittedly quite average. In any event, I haven’t been able to get “Misery” out of my head since I heard it that night, so going with the misery loves company approach (pun intended), I thought I might feel a bit better if shared it with all of you today. So enjoy and have a great weekend!
October 4th, 2009 at 4:38 AM
Excellent vault choice. “Somebody to Shove” obectifies the mid 90’s angst and their version of Victoria William’s “Summer of Drugs” is another one that sticks in the head for days after one listen.