Tag Archive: Memory Tapes


(Repost) C.D. Singles Club #75 – Roky Erickson, Memory Tapes

Filed Under: General Interest
May.04, 2010

Editor's Note:  What is wrong with the internet?  This is a re-posting of this afternoon's post, which inadvertently cut off a third of the post.  Included is the Roky Erickson track, as well as the Memory Tapes remix.  Enjoy the updated post.

For today's first post, we'll keep this quick and efficient.  We've got plenty of makeup work to get to this week.  Fortunately, this is the last week I have with my high school seniors (for those unaware, I teach 12th grade British Literature, for better or worse).  Needless to say, I've been a little out of blog-focus for a few days.  I have, however, been enjoying a few newly dropped tracks with albums looming soon.  I suppose a thematic tilt is important.  These three tracks don't necessarily line up well sound-wise, but they do represent the myriad of emotional shifts I've been experiencing this week.  Dealing with "senioritis" in teenagers can be a harrowing experience.  Enjoy the tracks.

Gun Outfit does a lot of things we like over here.  Lay down a sludgy bass groove, implant a little trebly raunch of guitar distortion and let the vocals rip.  Last year's album, Dim Light was a spunky gem about midway through the year, contrasting nicely with a lot of the sprawling indie rock that saturated the market.  There's a sincerity to Gun Outfit, a grit and looseness that tells me this trio has a good record collection; there's enough slimeball to keep this from floating away, and enough latent talent to keep it unique.  The upcoming album, Possesion Sound, will only be released on vinyl and digital formats (Sidebar:  Why the hell aren't more bands doing this?  It has to drive overhead costs way down, and most people will buy the previously mentioned formats, right?  They're onto something).  Get it next week via Post Present Medium.

Gun Outfit – My Whole Life

It took a little while for me to warm up to Phosphorescent's Willie Nelson tribute album last year.  For CD writer, Brian, I'm not sure that there could have been enough time in the calendar year to allow for that.  In a risky plunge in 2009, Matthew Houck took on the covers album idea, and in the opinion of many, did so beautifully.  Dead Oceans is releasing Phosphorescent's follow up next week, and the track "The Mermaid Parade" blossoms into a polished and gorgeous track.  It's been floating around the web for a week or so (like I said, I'm late), but there's introspection, excellent instrumenation, and guitar hooks that rise to the sun.

Phosphorescent – The Mermaid Parade

The opening seconds of The Books' new track, "Beautiful People" sounds like it might roll into "Bohemian Rhapsody" at any moment. Once settled in, the song moves through about six distinct genres before it winds to a close.  A subtle mixture of synths and plucking guitars mingle with vocals pushed and pulled through modulators.  Epic horn sections serenade into the track's close, and, as a listener, I'm a little off-kilter and unsure what I've heard.  Equal parts pop, fusion, and opera, the song is, at the very least, intriguing.  Temporary Residence will release This Way Out sometime in July.  Until then, it's probably time for me to hit the back catalog and get in line.

The Books – Beautiful People

I finally got the upcoming Born Ruffians album in the snail mail yesterday, and it doesn't disappoint.  I realize this is the second time I've posted "Sole Brother" onto the site, but this song is an early frontrunner for favorite tracks of 2010 so far.  I've played it 30 times alone tonight.  The clean guitar effects and jangly mixture of blues and pop is absolute ear candy.  I'll review this album more thoroughly in the upcoming weeks, but there's a minimalist approach that flourishes into grandiosity in each song.  Nearly every track on the album follows this model, and a unique pop-derivative is the result.  Warp Records has this thing primed and set to release in early June, and you have my approval for a pre-order on this one.  Fabulous.

Born Ruffians – Sole Brother

On Record Store Day, I was lucky enough to be one of the few Clevelanders that even knew what the Roky Erickson/Okkervil River collab was.  I was able to duck and weave and make my way out with this gem.  I've worn the grooves clean off the album.  There's a gorgeous layer of fuzz that permeates the entire album.  "Devotional Number One" is a fuzzy but completely cathartic organ/synth laced track that is as gentle as Peter, Paul, and Mary with enough raspy rattle to lasso me in.  For anybody who hasn't listened to this collaboration, you're sorely missing out. For those few of us that were able to get the vinyl RSD version, we got lucky didn't we?

Roky Erickson Feat. Okkervil River – Devotional Number One

Brian loves him some Washed Out.  I tend to side with the more complex side of whatever you want to call this genre, instead.  Neon Indian and Memory Tapes punch my numbers.   Memory Tapes' "Green Knight" was probably my go-to chill out song of 2009, and the complexity, oddly, lies in how subtly it moves from thing to thing.  I've heard six or seven remixes of this track, and while this version is a little too dance club for me, I can still fall into the vibe. 

Memory Tapes – Green Knight (VoT Remix)

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Radio Dick – Don’t Sweat the Technique

Filed Under: General Interest
Nov.15, 2009

HM37~Reading-Sucks-Ass-PostersDoes video art sap the life right out of musical lyricism, stifling imagination? I begin today’s Radio Dick with my simplistic and probably naive assertion that one ought to still read words and not dive too heavily into visual culture.  My thoughts have been weighing pretty heavily on this idea lately; my 9th grade class is moving through Romeo and Juliet with me and I can’t help but notice the dwindling patience with the text, the lack of analysis without strong coaching from my end with visual stimuli.  The largely thematic aspects of the play still garner interest, and this is hugely important because it grounds my point.  Kids haven’t changed and people still are the same underneath.  The same things interest us and forge discussion.  My worry is that the avenues for finding meaningful dialogue are becoming restricted.  In other words, the things that make us TALK are not as plentiful as they once were, primarily because of the language and imagination-restricting nature of our visual dependence.  The central conundrum is that today’s media TELLS us what to think and feel.  We lose imagination.  We limit dialogue.  In fact, media today may be serving to decay our ability to think critically and evaluate our surroundings.  If someone SHOWS me what a cheeseburger should look like, I tend to take their word for it; proof’s in the picture, right?  I don’t question or evaluate the cheeseburger.  I simply move on to the next piece of concrete visual stimuli I can find.  We still crave knowledge as humans; visual media just tricks us into a catch-22.  If we can see it, it must be truth.  If this is the case, why look elsewhere for understanding?

The problem is that we must have a language first, in order for the visual stimuli to make any sort of sense.  If visual stimuli restrict our ability to discuss and think critically, then what is happening to language?  That is my key question.  Many of the points I just made aren’t prophetic or hugely philosophical.  The question I just posed is, however.  Meaningful dialogue and discussion requires words, and our ability to critically evaluate VISUALS requires words, too.  In a toppled world where everyone is focusing on the visual truth of things, language is bound to take a backseat.  I see it everyday with my classes.  Reading is just not philosophically appealing to many children.  Is a stalemate on the horizon somewhere in the future?  Will we one day simply have nothing to talk about, and no ability to even understand what we’re SEEING either?

I think somewhere in this mess of unanswered questions and poorly constructed arguments I’ve just posed lies the importance of visual art.  Not visual media, but critically latent and complex artwork of the visual nature.  Nobody tells me what to think when I watch a Kubrick flick and that’s what I love about it.  Likewise, nobody does an op-ed video snippet about how I’m supposed to interpret Picasso’s Blue Period.  Visuals have a place, but only if they allow for critical thought.  This is important, I think.  Obviously as many of the indie bands we discuss on this blog march onward in popularity, the inevitable music video always gets attached to the song.  My opinion is that the visual representation of music deafens the lyricism, and runs the risk of telling me what I’m supposed to gather from the lyrical tilt of a particular track.  I hate this, and that’s why I normally detest music videos.  I embrace a song’s lyrical nature before I address it’s musical qualities.  It’s how I roll as a poetry guy.  To take a very childish approach, when music videos tell me I’m wrong or that I’ve misconstrued meaning, I’m pissed.  I suppose it’s similar to the same feeling many take home after watching the film version of their favorite novel.  I worry about that whole idea flip-flopping, to where as a culture, we’ll value the interpretations of originals more than the originals themselves because they make it easier for us to understand.  Remixes, Cliff’s Notes, Harry Potter movies, Insert This For Dummies, Wikipedia, PR Posters, Pimp My Truck, etc.  We want desperately to think and evaluate, but we want speedy routes into understanding.

Sometimes, I can get behind music videos, however.  Maybe it’s when the visual art matches my original interpretation of the song lyrics.  This would be mildly arrogant on my part, but easy to explain.  I do think, though, that when artists pair up with effective visual artists, magic can happen.  When the visual artistic representation can stand alone for its visually artistic merits, we’re usually in a good position to see an effective music video.  It absolutely cannot mar the original, or I come out ready to throw down.

To kind of express my point, regardless if it’s been out for a few weeks, The Low Anthem’s new video for “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin” blows my mind.  This song is on my favorites list for 2009, and the album of the same name is top five for me.  The song is ultimately a melancholy statement on the cyclical nature of life and a bleak reminder of how we’re essentially helpless when tumbling through the largeness of nature.  Imagery of a broken man, tossed around the relentless sea runs throughout the song, and while incredibly gorgeous harmonies and swirling pump organs pin the song down, it’s the lyricism that strikes me the most.  Of course, visually, the band has put together an excellent representation of the track, clay-mation and all.  I can rally behind the visual art, but not for the thematic representation.  That remains between my brain and the lyrics of the song.  On it’s own, however, a thought provoking, visually important piece of art unfolds.  Enjoy.

This is a trite argument to mask my laziness, or possibly it alludes to my busy schedule; I don’t have videos for any of the tracks below.  I do, however, think it’s a great list.  “Black Smoke” by Tindersticks and “October Fires” from Jajaguwar’s own Wolf People are on constant repeat.  The recently disbanded Harlem Shakes leaves guitarist, Todd Goldstein, enough time to work on his own solo project, ARMS.  The demo “Homelife” is intriguing, as have most of the tracks he’s released out into the ether recently.  Avi Buffalo’s track “Whats In It For?” has been out and about for awhile, and it’s grown on me recently so I’ve included it. “Stillness is the Move” is one of my favorites off of Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca, so the Solange cover is worth a listen.  Memory Tapes mixing Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp,” some Atlas Sound, and a kickass psychedelic surf anthem in Happy Family’s “Going To” give you the meat of today’s list.  Check out more on these bands, as many have releases hitting the shelves in early 2010.  It’s going to be a good year for music next year.  The early part of the year is already shaping up to be mindblowing.

The Bravery – The Spectator

Sambassadeur – Days

Midnight Masses – Walk On Water

ARMS – Homelife (Demo)

Wolf People – October Fires

Solange – Stillness Is The Move (Dirty Projectors Cover)

Cloud Nothings – Hey Cool Kid

Avi Buffalo – Whats In It For?

Happy Family – Going To

Atlas Sound – The Screens

Blessure Grave – Stranger In The House

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp (Memory Tapes Remix)

The Mary Onettes – Puzzles

Tindersticks – Black Smoke

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Radio Dick – This Post Took Forever Edition

Filed Under: General Interest
Oct.25, 2009

We’ve dished out quite a bit of content this week, so I suppose I’ll get to the music list early.  If you’re just tuning in, I’ve switched up the way these Radio Dick posts go, attempting to offer a little more commentary on the tracks I’m posting.  This week, I’ve got an interesting mix of material from around the globe.  The scene’s been a tad quiet with all of the madness going on at CMJ.  Hopefully, our writer James, who just spent the week rambling around NYC, will hit you with any coverage he was able to either 1) document, or 2) remember.  The twitter feeds have been making me jealous all week, as most of these bands have been performing in various clubs all around The Big Apple.  Check back for any coverage we may end up with.  My initial fear was that Brooklyn Vegan ate James, as he disappeared for the first few days of the festival.  I’ve since made contact with the man, so we at least know he’s alive.

Tracks this week are all fresh out of the creative birth canal, folks.  They span all genres and there’s enough here for everyone to share.  Nobody hog all of the goods.  Have a great work week, too.

Cloud ControlCloud Control – Gold Canary (Radio Edit) – This is my favorite on the list, not due to musical divergence, but becuase it jolted me awake today.  I began the day with a cup of joe and some sullen, mellow tunes on the turntable.  A gritty start to my weekend was blown away with one spin of “Gold Canary.”  It’s a proper indie rock song, make no mistakes, but the trippy synthesizer and guitar tandem work mid-track stapled open my eyes and loosened my shoulders. Gorgeous background vocals and handclap/snap percussion make it nearly impossible not to indulge over and over again. Ooohs and ahhhs and periodically vibrant chants create an upbeat anthem to start any grey day.  Cloud Control’s debut is expected to hit the shelves in early 2010 and this is the first released track.  Let the hype begin.

Cloud Control – Gold Canary (Radio Edit)

l_bf9ffbab1be55f9c5c1614cdc41a64d3Damien* – Confidants – The Italian group Damien*, launched this track, also through IGIF’s Music Alliance Pact, and it’s a killer throwback blast of guitar crunch and arena filling choruses.  It’s an ass-shaker from its opening chord to the last.  Damien* has a panache for big time hooks, delivered with a tinge of gutsy attitude that serves them well.  As a highlight point, the last thirty seconds is a kick to the groin that launches it distantly away from simple brit-pop labels.  The track wails out with  loud crashing cymbals and a galloping riff for the ages. It’s good to know that we don’t need to re-invent the wheel to create a rock song.  It’s also refreshing to know that I don’t need wild shifts in style mid-song to find it enjoyable.  The high octane rhythm of the track doesn’t vary from beginning to the end.  Word.  It was difficult to look them up on the web, but use the links I’ve provided.  It’ll steer you in the proper direction to learn more about the band.

Damien* – Confidants

The UglysuitThe Uglysuit – 1902 Deep Ocean – The underbelly of this stunning track is sinister and dark. Minor chord-driven folk simplicity is at the heart, and emotionally taut vocals leave listeners on the edge of something unclear.  Flutes, hand shakers, and plucky classical guitars emit a strikingly medieval tone.  Lush background vocals and super sharp lyricism bring us more of what we’re used to from the Oklahoma shoegaze/folk/rock outfit.  Big and hollow, there’s a comforting warmth to the entire song. The Uglysuit takes a slight left turn from their traditional sound, and truthfully, it’s cathartic and breathtaking.  The song has underpinnings of a bygone era and time period, and it’s wicked the way they modernize the sound.  The classical guitars are actually plugged in and tinged with just the right amount of distortion volume.  Swing this track into the rotation for times of introspective isolation.  It’s not a sad tune, but contemplative certainly comes to mind.

The Uglysuit – 1902 Deep Ocean

Emergency BlanketEmergency Blanket – Next Passenger – Peruvian band, Emergency Blanket, assaults listeners in “Next Passenger” with a straightline rock sound.  While the track isn’t going to shake the industry with innovation, I defy you to dislike the arena hooks, early 90′s fuzzy sound and late 60′s attitude.  The band’s garnered quite a bit of praise in South America, and we caught the track over at the killer blog, I Guess I’m Floating.  The Music Alliance Pact is a conglomeration of worldwide blogs with a goal to expose emerging musicians from around the globe.  Some hit bank and some don’t.  This track works well, and sometimes there is a refreshing sincerity to music when bands present their spin on traditional American rock standards.  A little bit of research into the band suggests quite a bit of success, and this tiptoe outward into the US scene is hopefully worthwhile.  Check out the band’s myspace link above and if you’re digging this track I’ve posted, it’s likely you’re going to find some more where that came from.

Emergency Blanket – Next Passenger

OOIOOOOIOO – OOIAH – The folks at Thrill Jockey boast a unique and refreshing roster, and they’ve been mopping up 2009 with a raucous stream of edgy and distortion heavy rock n’ roll releases.  This track popped into my electronic mail a couple of days ago, and I’m not quite certain how to label it.  For certain, sneering intensity and frenetic jungle-esque vocals are immediately noteworthy.  Their forthcoming album, Almonica Hewa, is set and ready to fire.  This song is super busy and filled with energetic eruptions of sound.  The quartet could equally belt out tribal chants as anime-inspired cartoon pop.  Underneath all of it is a layer of guitar sludge.  It’s a unique mixture of wicked and frivolous.  For the daring, snag this and play it often.  Curiously, it’ll wander into your memory banks quickly.  Imagine listening to an operatically trained monkey, playing tribal music with a Les Paul in Madison Square Garden to 40K fans.  That about sums this up.  Entirely interesting.

OOIOO – OOIAH

Parlour StepsParlour Steps – Bleeding Hearts – The jangly opening to “Bleeding Hearts” hits me in the same vein Okkervil River does; I get behind smarter-than-thou pop releases with enough distortion to keep me honest.  This track isn’t short of hooks, but includes a percussion driven mixture of piano work, megaphone delivered vocals and plenty of rock-the-house energy.  The quartet is an indie pop band in the truest sense.  The two minute instrumental tilt to close this track out is gorgeous and points to a hefty amount of talent immediately.  Anthemic piano hooks swirl at the song’s close.  A cocky nonchalance is the fire to the gunpowder of Parlour Steps’ sound.  They’ve got chops and throw it down well.  See them up there in their suits?  They’d equally fit in as a grungy hipster-clad quartet as well.  Playback value is high on this one, chaps. Order their album, The Hidden Names through Nine Mile Records.

Parlour Steps – Bleeding Hearts

LipglossLipgloss – Land of Lords – A looping honky-tonk guitar fill provides the backbone of the repetitive and jumpy underbelly of this track.  The beauty of this song, however, is in its inconsistency.  It’s a mixed drink of huge psych-pop choruses, growling vocals, and 50′s surf rock.  Wait a minute, that can’t be right.  Maybe it’s part honky-tonk and complete psychedelic synthesizer rock.  No.  Maybe?  The central thesis here is that the track is epic and filled with multiple styles and shifting sounds.  The song ends up miles away from the twangle jangle of the opening verses.  It’s difficult to label, but huge and ambitious just the same.  Regardless of classification the listeners choose to pin on this Argentinian band, there’s a lot of oozing talent flying around your ears here.  These guys listened to cool records, for sure.  Be careful, like me, not to accidentally find the asian “Lipgloss” band.  Follow this link HERE to find out more about the band and where to snag their self-titled EP and for information about what’s in store.  Keep an eye on this band.  I think they can step right into the US indie market immediately.

Lipgloss – Land of Lords

9389lgO’Lovely – A Different Day – This New Zealand outfit creates a darker spin on traditional pop in “A Different Day,” a track centered around a dark guitar sound and repetitive riff.  Singer, Laura Lee, has a set of pipes and goes after it vocally throughout the song.  Far away and drifting anger rises throughout the song.  Despite the heavy, heavy fuzz on the track, it’s super endearing and beautiful in its own right.  The drone and feedback of the guitar will be with you long after you hit the stop button.  As if trapped in between a dungeon and a swank British night-club, this song spans the gap between fluffy and fist-clinching.  A little bit of research suggests that this new and darker vibe is on purpose and you can expect a lot more of this.  The Lost Luck EP, where the track comes from, is out now.  Follow the links to hit their myspace page for more information.

O’Lovely – A Different Day

Midnight JuggernautsMidnight Juggernauts – This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix) – Today I include two Memory Tapes tracks, and I believe I’ve posted just about each new remix and released track that has dropped this year, mainly because I’m fully into the smooth sound.  This particular mix of “This New Technology” is more sharp around the edges than some of the other mixes Memory Tapes has completed recently, but it’s not without merit.  The lively and upbeat tempo is insanely lucid and crisp.  Bongos and drum machines pair up with the door-creaking wail to begin the track.  Triumphant sirens blare and jar the listeners.  More percussion and phat beats enter at minute two.  Nothing too difficult to dissect here, but the unique twist on the Jugg’s stuff is cool.  The looping and layered synthesizer horn effects in the middle of the track are a highlight point.

Midnight Juggernauts – This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix)

memory-tapes-walk-me-homeMemory Tapes – Walk Me Home -  The newly leaked “Walk Me Home” just hit the ether a few days ago, and it continues in similar modes as other Memory Tapes proper leaks.  A slow and lush opening awakens a sleeping giant of sound, incredibly rich in 80′s nostalgia and rhythmic diversity.  Synths swirl and dark, rich sound textures are layered throughout.  As I’ve previously mentioned, maybe it’s my childhood that makes these tunes sing to my core.  I’m typically a rock guy, but Memory Tapes is hitting grooves in my spinal column and has been all 2009. Get the bandwidth ready, as it’s 16:52 of kick ass ambiance.  I took a nap to this today and woke up and it was still playing.  The 6-8 minute mark of the track brings out some excellent fodder for video games.  I’ll leave the intelligent discussion of Memory Tapes to others, as I just like the feeling I associate with it.  Then again, maybe that’s the goal.

Memory Tapes – Walk Me Home

Golden-SilversGolden Silvers – True No. 9 Blues – Stereogum posted a bit ago that London’s Golden Silvers was a “band to watch” and one spin of this track clearly exhibits why.  They just wrapped up performances stateside at CMJ and are aiming for our ears over here in the US.  According to Stereogum, there’s plenty of buzz across the pond, as their album, True Romance has been out for awhile.  Luckily for us, it just dropped over here earlier this month.  This particular track is off of their debut.  Killer bass lines and smooth keys rip through the whole track.  The synths, while dominant, are never overpowering and everything’s mixed impeccably.  This isn’t the type of track I normally post, but I’ve played it ten times already today and you’ll understand why when you hit it.  The funky bass grooves are stellar.  True Romance is available now through XL Recordings and I’ve already ordered it myself.

Golden Silvers – True No. 9 Blues (True Romance)

warpaintWarpaint – Elephants – Brian posted Warpaint’s other released track, “Billie Holdiay,” so I include the second track, “Elephants” in today’s post.  Their album, Exquisite Corpse is now out on Manimal Vinyl, and this track is a bruising blend of edgy and trebly guitar, entrancing percussion, and dark vocals.  The song spins through multiple shifts, each growing a bit more eerie as they progress.  The song becomes more violent and spastically distorted as it rises is tension.  The trio holds the fort down with big bass lines in the background and stop-and-start methods.  Check out “Billiew Holliday” as well.  There’s no shortage of angry chick rock in the folds of today’s scene, but the smoothness of this track sets it apart.  In many ways, this could be seen as subtly gentle crooning, but I think there’s a definite wickedness to the vibe the quartet is spitting out.

Warpaint – Elephants

The WhigsThe Whigs – In the Dark – My first taste of The Whigs was, and I’m not a bit ashamed to admit it, seeing them open for Kings of Leon at Detroit’s Fillmore late last year.  This was before the gluttonous bloodsucking KOL decided to unleash on the music industry.  Of course, despite the fame KOL has reached hard for, they’ve always attempted to pair up quality unknown indie acts to tour along with them.  Maybe this is the way they pay homage to their stepping stone to teenage rockstar status.  In any event, I walked out of that show understanding that The Whigs was best enjoyed in a live performance.  Last year’s Mission Control, on record, was blah for me.  The live show, however, was huge and full of enthralling energy.  They have a panache for southern sentimentality with hooks big enough to hang steers off of.  The trio played musical chairs instrumentally and certainly held their own weight in the sold out concert hall.  Fans began the show indifferent and ended applauding and asking for encores.  I didn’t feel last year’s album equaled the largeness of their live show.  “In the Dark,” from their forthcoming LP, has me fairly excited to see if they can do it this time.  It’s a big pop-rock song with an asterisk.  The last minute and a half waivers between pop song and ugly, sneering breakdown. A snarling synthesizer crescendos the track out.  It seems to mirror what I’ve long thought with The Whigs.  They’re a band teetering on the edge of fame and holding onto their excellent musical talent.  This album should tell the tale.

The Whigs – In The Dark

Yeah.Yeah.YeahsYeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) Club Edit – This is the lone remix from left field in our list this week.  The A-Trak remix of “Heads Will Roll” has been running around the internet on epic levels for the last week or so.  This Club Edit version is danceable and lively.  I’m not much of a dance guy, but, I can get behind the reworking of a track I love in the first place.  As a general rule, I’m against the remix.  However, Brian brought up an interesting point this week as we rambled back and forth at work.  If the intent is strictly for fun, I suppose I can deal.  This A-Trak remix, at least as far as I can tell, has no malicious intent, so I post it on that premise.  I also have played it over and over again all day.  Remixes be damned!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) Club Edit

faded+paper+figures-lpFaded Paper Figures – Logos - I had seen several tracks mentioning “Logos” flying around the interwebs but was mistakenly confusing it for Atlas Sound’s most recent release.  Our writer Rob clued me in on this one in the last few seconds before I put this post up, so I’ve placed it on here to round out today’s list at 15 killer songs.  Immediately, “Logos” pops off as electronically tilted, but in a more subtle, non-obtrusive way.  Silversun Pickups, as Rob mentioned in our discussion, is a pretty apt descriptor here.  Smooth synthesizers roll through the song with ease and the accessible guitar work and arching chorus hooks are impossible to dislike.  Gentle vocals pop and emblazon themselves into your craw pretty quickly here.  This track’s lighting up the internet right now, and there’s probably healthy reasons for that.  I’ve played it six times straight through since downloading it.  The interesting dichotomy that manifests itself is completely comfortable; one one hand it’s a synth driven pop anthem.  Underneath all of it, however, is an impeccable attention to composition, and full on band sounds play an equally important role.  Their LP, Dynamo, can be purchased by going to thee band website HERE.  The band’s “New Medium EP” is in the works and looks to be released within the next couple of months.  Apparently, the trio is bi-coastal, with one member working at Yale University and another taking up residence in LA.  A spot on Grey’s Anatomy this week certainly has helped things.

Faded Paper Figures – Logos

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Radio Dick – Sweetest Day Edition

Filed Under: General Interest
Oct.18, 2009

blackheart

Sweetest Day didn’t go well for me.  On one hand, I woke up entirely hung over from Friday’s Dr. Dog show at Beachland.  We had a little Citizen Dick reunion of sorts, with Rob, Brian, and Justin all converging at my place after the amazing set the medicinally astute canine put on for us.  Plenty of brews were enjoyed, and after a slew of heated musical and professional debates, I went to bed knowing the morning wouldn’t be too sweet.  This was correct because my liver was smoking a cigarette next to me when I rolled out of bed.  Lesson one, I suppose, is don’t expect to be too romantic and effective after a night like that.  Lesson two is obvious.  Go see Dr. Dog whenever you get the chance.  They may just be the best live act in the straight up indie rock genre.  I’m sure Brian will expound upon this in the show review headed your way tomorrow.

Sweetest Day is a bullshit holiday and most people already know this.  I decided to go the cheap route and didn’t spend a dime on anything remotely associated with the relationship industry.  Instead, I bought two pumpkins, a pumpkin carving kit, a bottle of rum, and some apple cider. This could have been brilliant!  Instead, my salty ass attitude pretty much ruined the evening and everything fell apart.  In my effort to avert the Sweetest Day nonsense, I actually fell knee deep into it.  I didn’t economically help the Hallmark industry, but I got my foot stuck in the trap.  Never again, folks.  Never again.

Onto the musical portion of today’s Radio Dick.  I’ll steer directly into discussion of today’s tracks.  You may notice a different tilt if you’ve been reading our site for awhile.  Tracks won’t be listed at the end of the post, but instead underneath each description.  You’re all intelligent chaps.  I think you’ll figure it out.

1.  Old Canes – Little Bird Courage – We’ve been meaning to write about Feral Harmonic for quite some time, and hope to have a a more long-form review of it up later this week. This particular track is killer, however, and we’re putting our stamp of approval on the entire album proper.  Chris Crisci from The Appleseed Cast, has an excellent album here, tuning in full and sonorous stringed arrangements.  This is their second full length and it drops on October 20th on Saddle Creek.  In “Little Bird Courage,” the intensely driven percussion and acoustic strum is paired with far-away vocals.  Subtle xylophones, a full blown horn section and dulcimers all swirl and blast the senses.  This song chases you from beginning to close.

Old Canes – Little Bird Courage

2. That Ghost – The Red Bow – This is a gritty song, and my lip curls and fist clenches each time I spin it.  Ryan Schmale, a DIY Californian, is releasing Get It and Get Out, a formerly tour-only EP, on November 17th.  The 19 year old is obviously working pop undertones into  well-controlled fuzz here.  It’s garage rock with a sullen hint of sadness.  The lyrical nature of the track is pretty killer, as well.  Stereogum pasted Schmale already as a Wavves and Black Lips lovechild, and while this is probably apt, I’ll let the chap do his own thing without shitty comparisons.  This track rules.

That Ghost – The Red Bow

3. Cant – Ghosts – We get a nice Halloween present here in this spookily entrancing track from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor.  While I love Department of Eagles, there’s something awesome about Taylor’s side project, as well.  It’s relatively haunting in scope and structure, and there’s an overall loose structure to the arrangement as a whole.  Off kilter percussion and big booming vocals are both lulling and jarring at the same time.  This is the first track released by Taylor as Cant,  and the 7 inch is available on Terrible Records.  Well worth it, especially if you’re a Grizzly Bear fan.

Cant – Ghosts

4.  Trophy Boyfriend – Black Ship – I believe these guys are Irish, and even though I’m not a huge pop fan, when a band says “All we can talk about are fist fights and black ships,” I’m interested immediately.  There’s a big growling synthesizer behind this whole song, and while wispy pop nods are explored, I can dig the darkness here.  The song dives about midway through into some creepy ahhs, and then slams back into the central hook.  This song isn’t going to win a grammy for best new experimental band, but there is a catchiness here that’s impossible to ignore.  Ballsy lyrics make this sucker move.

Trophy Boyfriend – Black Ship

5. Doveman – Angel’s Share – If you’re inclined to sit back with a glass of merlot and watch the world go by this Sunday, put in this gorgeous track from Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett).  The full album, The Conformist gets its proper release on Tuesday, and this track makes this Radio Dick post take a left turn into the slow and gorgeous.  A beautiful piano arpeggio begins the song and by the track’s close, you’re either singing along with Bartlett’s breathy delivery, or have dropped your wine-glass in complete relaxation.  Full strings and melodies blossom with popping detail and aural color.  You’ve heard the song before, folks, but it’s damn good every time.  For the sensitive lads and lasses reading today’s post, pick this record up on Tuesday.

Doveman – Angel’s Share

6. LCD Soundsystem – Bye Bye Bayou – I post this track for a couple of reasons.  First, I’d probably not be doing my job as a blogger if I didn’t.  Secondly, it’s addictive as hell.  As I mentioned above, I’m not a huge pop fan, and realistically, I’ve never been a gigantic LCD Soundsystem supporter.  I can recognize electronic phat beats (that’s what the kids call it, right?) when I hear them, however.  The funky rhythms and helicopter slicing sounds are fabulous and the 7 minute track moves into a lot of different territory in a short amount of time.  It’s a dance number.  I’m not a dancer, but I think I get it.  Enjoy the track.

LCD Soundsystem – Bye Bye Bayou

7.  Little Girls – Growing – There are too many “Girl” bands to keep straight, but this fuzzy lo-fi track has been getting plenty of spins over here at Citizen Dick headquarters.  You can snag Concepts, the Little Girls debut right now, but the vinyl edition is limited to 300 copies and is available as of October 30th.  This will no doubt sell out, so attempt to get it while you can.  “Growing” certainly brings in the heavy lo-fi grime and grit but keeps one foot steadily planted in brit-pop nuance.  Josh McIntyre, the brains behind the Canadian four-piece is hugely endearing in this song, and it’s well worth the research.  They’re playing a couple of CMJ sets next week, including one by our pals over at Pop Tarts Suck Toasted.  There’s plenty to dig about this song, and we’re curious where this train rolls on next.

Little Girls – Growing

8.  Primary 1 – Foaming (Memory Tapes Remix) – I’ve fallen head over heels for everything Memory Tapes has done this year.  Memory Tapes snaps a comforting tone to each track they produce, and there’s a smoothness to the finish that’s so refreshing in today’s emphasis on angular and harsh production quality.  Maybe I just miss the 1980′s.  Whatever the case, the Memory Tapes remix of Primary 1′s “Foaming” is solid, and I stand by it, even with my negative ranting earlier this week about the worth of remixes.

Primary 1 – Foaming (Memory Tapes Remix)

9.  Woven Bones – If You’re Gold I’m Gone - Slime.  Anger.  Nonchalance.  Swagger.  Bloody Lips.  Barfights.  These notions are somewhere rooted in my machismo and all come back in leathery flurry when I spin this track, which I sorely omitted from last week’s Radio Dick post.  It’s been swirling around the interwebs for a little while now, but who cares?  Austin has spurted a few fuzz-heavy bands of note, particularly White Denim and Harlem.  Woven Bones doesn’t stylistically resemble either of those bands, but I love the retro influence to some of these gems that fly out of our indie capital.  Leave the songbirds for the sentimental.  This track is brooding and catchy.  It’s filled to the gills with attitude, and it’ll serve a purpose for you this week at some point, for certain.  The Minus Touch EP is out and available, but for 500 people.  Hopefully it’s still available with the tardiness of this post.

Woven Bones – If You’re Gold I’m Gone

10. Tamaryn – Mild Confusion – This is a huge song, and it continues the 2009 trend of early 90′s angry chick rock.  Big synthesizers flourish and emotional neutrality is explored lyrically here.  I loved Sian Alice Group’s release earlier this  year for the exact same approach Tamaryn takes in her arrangement.  It’s fairly straightforward but the controlled ambiance will send you to the repeat button.  Blow the dust off of your old “Crow” soundtrack and just kind of sneak this one in there.  It’ll be right at home.  The split 7″ is available through Matador on December 8th, and it’s paired up with, aptly, Mazzy Star.

Tamaryn – Mild Confusion

11. To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie – The Needle – In what seems to be a running theme in this week’s list, a cerebral haunt-fest awaits listeners when they enter “The Needle” from TKAPB’s Marlone.  Sharp and violent outbursts erupt and unsettle listeners throughout the track, and the angular shifts all manage to somehow stick close together behind creepy monk-like vocals.  Dissonant piano chords, a wailing violin and spooky cymbal rides all lump this together into a snarling opus filled with desperate tones of isolation.  As quickly as the track ushers in a jolt, it silently drifts out with very little explanation or closure.  If you’ve not picked up the album, out now on Kranky.

To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie – The Needle

12.  Frat Dad – Freak in Nature – New Jersey duo, Frat Dad, have released this track from their 7″ under the same name.  The low-fi sound is the pummeling aggressiveness Wavves wishes he could achieve, primarily because these guys have talent.  There’s a gentle lull in between each violently shrieked chorus, and despite the fuzzy blitz we’re all too used to in today’s scene, there’s an underbelly of effective guitar soloing that rides behind it all.  I’m not kidding here.  Sometimes I can get behind what Wavves unleashed on the blogosphere, but he’ll never put it all together because his overall sound lacks real guitar talent.  While this is only one track from Frat Dad, there’s definitely controlled axe skill in this eruption of chaos.

Frat Dad – Freak In Nature

13. Electric Wire Hustle – They Don’t Want – This track’s included with full recommendation from our other CD writer, Rob.  I’m not a huge fan of the track, but Rob sent this one to me with eagerness to get it up on the site.  This kind of nu soul stuff is not my territory at all, but there’s a catchiness to the backdrop for sure.  I suppose someone in our readership will enjoy this majorly, so we’re including it.  Perhaps Rob will chime in and give some love to the track in the comments section.  Word.

Electric Wire Hustle – They Don’t Want

14.  Surfer Blood – Swim (To Reach the End) – Surfer Blood will release Astro Coast in January of 2010, and tracks are already beginning to surface.  The band’s also playing Brooklyn Vegan’s day party at CMJ this week and look primed for plenty of pre-release hype already.  There’s an interesting conglomeration of styles working in this latest track.  Huge arena rock standards are employed and a unique spin on surf and lo-fi rock is explored.  Equally, well-placed guitar swirls and refreshing cool off periods mid-song make it difficult to pin down.  My fist is pumping in the air one second and I’m digging to critically evaluate just as quickly.  This is meant to be played loud, around plenty of people.  Keep your Eddie Money arsenal close by, because this song is begging to be followed up with “Gimme Some Water” immediately.  Listen, and you’ll see what I mean.

Surfer Blood – Swim (To Reach The End)

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Radio Dick – Spike the Punch Edition

Filed Under: General Interest
Sep.13, 2009

Editor’s Note: Usually, I use Sundays to rant and rave about just about anything and I’m just as likely to discuss broad topics about music as I am my cat or wrangling at Home Depot.  I’ve been fairly off the radar for the last couple of weeks while Brian, Rob, James, and Justin have been covering the album review duties superbly.  Rob’s debut review of The Ettes earlier this week was solid and we’re glad to have him on board.  Justin’s finally getting over his Canadian hangover and Brian has officially shaken the flu.  Wrap all of this together with James’ news that he’s attempting to make the big move to The Big Apple and it all signifies a pretty hectic week at Citizen Dick.  To update our regular readers, we’ve seen another spike in readership and we’re super stoked to have all of you on board.  Several emails we’ve received this week have humbled us and we appreciate all of the positive feedback y’all send our way.

Home DepotThis photo of a local Home Depot could have been taken right here in Cleveland.  The facade of the store looks entirely similar to the one down the street from me.  The Massachusetts home improvement warehouse is exactly like the Cleveland Home Improvement Warehouse.  I’d imagine these two dudes are about to get royally screwed regardless of which entrance they choose.  See, my local Home Depot doesn’t have this many patrons.  The parking lot is usually half full and the employees wander aimlessly around the store looking for something to do.  You’d think they’d be able to span the idle time helping the few customers that DO need something.  Unfortunately this isn’t the case, and I’ll never purchase another thing from this clusterfuck of an organization.  We’re now going on day 30 of my carpet installation project.  I made the horrible decision (much like these two gentlemen) to go through Home Depot to purchase carpet for my basement, and while the company had no problem coming in and ripping the old carpet out, installing the new stuff seems to be less of priority.  As I type this post, the installers have now skipped their third scheduled installation appointment at my home, and if I had a blowtorch and jug of petro, I’d make a pyre out of my local Home Depot and drive to Massachusetts to take this one out just for fun.  Seven-day installation guarantee, my ass.  I’ve skipped a golf outing, a date, and a night of binge drinking to sit around and wait for the carpet van that never comes.  I’d heard the naysayers urging me to go direct from a carpet outlet, but I fell for the name game, and I’m paying the price for it.  I mention all of this for no other reason than to urge our reader-base to join in on my boycott.  We could have fifty feet of snow here and Cleveland and I’d shovel my driveway with my hands before I’d give them one cent for a shovel.  If I could yell at these east-coast dudes to turn the fuck around, I would.  If they don’t show for a fourth time, I’ll walk in and start chucking full paint cans at the employees.

homecomingQueen

Luckily this weekend found me in my hometown of Cincinnati, catching some high school football (my dad’s a coach), and the long drives afforded me plenty of time to catch up on my listening pile.  It was also good to get away from the nonsense drama of teaching high school kids.  It’s homecoming season and the cut-throat importance of electing a king and queen seems to supersede the gift of obtaining a good education.  I needed to get out of my school for a couple of days and relax.  If I hadn’t, I’d be the teacher on the news getting fired for rolling into a dance with a spiked bottle of fruit punch tucked under my blazer.  All kidding aside, kids are nuts.  End of story.  In any event, the long drive down I-71 is usually pretty care-free, as the straight shot from Cleveland to Cincinnati is a cruise-controller’s dream.  Before I left, I snagged a lot of the new MP3′s we’ve been jamming to and created my playlist.  I spun this exact list several times through during my march to southern Ohio and figured I’d share the wealth.  The Sunny Day Real Estate reissue is coming out soon, and they’ve allowed “Seven” for download.  Neon Indian’s been on constant repeat and Palomo’s remix of Au Revoir Simone’s “Another Likely Story” kept the ride pretty energized.  There’s a healthy mix of post-punk sneer and light hearted fare on today’s Radio Dick.  This entire playlist kept me fueled up for the 8 hours of driving and even though I didn’t realize I’d head back to the Home Depot debacle, but maybe a few run throughs of this can keep me from torching the place.

Enjoy the tracks and head back on Monday for a week of emerging music reviews.  Enjoy the work week, folks, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

Supercluster – I Got The Answer

Los Campesinos! – The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future

Saintseneca – God Bones

Russian Circles – Malko

Kurt Vile – Hunchback

CFCF – Monolith

Sunny Day Real Estate – Seven

Tempo No Tempo – The Rat (Part One)

Hard Drugs – Bad Ideas (Don’t Give Up)

The Gates of Slumber – Blood and Thunder

Au Revoir Simone – Another Likely Story (Neon Indian Remix)

Memory Tapes – Plain Material

ARMS – Kids Aflame

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Radio Dick – Bickering Spouses Edition

Filed Under: General Interest
Aug.02, 2009

couple_bickeringIf you’re a regular reader of our site, you’re probably aware of our Radio Dick portion and how it differs greatly from our regular content throughout the week.  We consider it a sort of round up of sorts, covering some of the week’s biggest releases.  It also serves to whet our own appetite for upcoming albums we may feature in our typical long-form album reviews.  While this isn’t an exact science, we’ve found it works pretty well for us.  The key problem with this weekly post is that it somewhat negates our ethos of critically evaluating all of the music we place on our site.  Surely, if there is anyone that enjoys breaking down a track, album, or video into its most crucial parts, it’s me.  Nonetheless, we try our best to hit you with our evaluative content throughout the week.  In other words, if you’re here for the music, enjoy it friends, but make sure to swing back to see what we’re really about here.

Switching thoughts for a few moments, it’s been a trying week at CD headquarters, primarily due to the growing pains of adding additional collaboraters here.  The extra email addresses and increased intensity in communication has drained us a bit and has lain the groundwork for some excellent war room brawls.  Brian re-emerged from his summer camp hiatus and is still shaking the sleep out of his eyes.  James, still reeling from a big move across town in Chicago, is a crabby asshole.  As for me, I’ve done my share of jabbing throughout the week, as well.  The only two innocents in this equation are Justin and Rob, our two newest dicks.  I suppose this is as good a time as any to apologize to our new co-workers and bury the hatchet with James and Brian.

So what, in reality, does this have to do with you, our reader?  Lots, fortunately.  As we expand and grow, we’d like you to get to know who we are so that we’re not just mindless drones and poor critical voices out in the ether.  When you read Brian’s reviews, we’d like you to know a little about him and what his tastes are, for example.  Likewise, it’s important for us to maintain integrity in the music we review here.  The extra people involved in the process should hopefully bring you better reviews and more effective coverage of the scene.  As our britches get bigger, our basic tilt remains the same:  We don’t bash albums here, and if a review lands on our site it’s because it’s good.  If you don’t see it anywhere on our site, it’s either because we missed it, or have not found concensus on its worth.

In the nature of good tunes, we’ll move onward with the music for today.  This list is pretty fresh, and should put you right on key with what’s going to be moving and shaking on the interwebs this week music-wise.  As a guilty pleasure, I’ve included 2007′s “Crimewave” by HEALTH just to get (some of you) psyched for the upcoming album.  As for the other tracks, all are set to rip on full LP’s soon.  There’s a Memory Tapes track, remixed by The Horrors, new Roadside Graves, The Mountain Goats, and Sea Wolf, as well.  One of my favorites on this list comes from Hometapes’ own Bear in Heaven, and I’ve been playing it since I snagged the download.  Throw Me The Statue just released another MP3 off of their release, but I’m sticking with “Ancestors” because it’s the one I can’t stop playing.  There are several others on the list, as well, so enjoy.

As far as this week, we’ve got some reviews on tap and, hopefully, a whole lot less bitching.  Enjoy the work week peeps.

The Mountain Goats – Genesis 3:23

Princeton – Calypso Gold

Memory Tapes – Bicycle (Horrors Cosmic Dub)

Roadside Graves – Work Itself Out

Sea Wolf – Stanislaus

Early Day Miners – So Slowly

Hallelujah The Hills – Blank Passports

Bear in Heaven – Bag of Bags

Throw Me the Statue – Ancestors

Music Go Music – Warm In The Shadows

Shannon Stephens – In the Summer in the Heat

HEALTH – Crimewave

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