This aptly titled post is in direct reference to both Jimi and, perhaps slamming headfirst into a cliche, the way I feel this week. This primarily applies to our regular readers and not those of you visiting for the first time to snag an MP3. Our regular readers are pretty aware that I use this weekly feature to bring a personal side to our work here at Citizen Dick. During the week, we typically take a verbose and analytical stab at reviewing the best in emerging music. On the weekends, however, we’re just as likely to cover Jackie Treehorn’s garden party as we are music. Call it my little stab at irony, considering that many of you are showing up for the first time to get the new Islands track as opposed to listening to me gloat about what a kick ass week I’ve had. With a keen ear for sarcasm, I suppose this Radio Dick is right up everyone’s alley in some twisted way. I get to write a diary of sorts, and you get free tunes. On some level we all win, and that’s okay by me. This week’s a little different, however, because I’d like to cross pollinate this post with personal and musical variety.
The first thing you’ll notice this week is that we’ve posted the new track, “Hands,” from The Dutchess & the Duke. Their upcoming album Sunset/Sunrise on Hardly Art is already generating plenty of buzz even though the folks that share the Sub-Pop offices have done an excellent job of keeping this thing under tight wraps. In our coverage of the Pitchfork Music Festival, James and I got the chance to catch their midday set on the first day and were immediately primed to hear this new material. We’re going to hit a long-form review of the new record when we get it, but for now, we’re just happy to get a taste of a couple new tracks. One of the first things we noticed in the live performance was how the busy Americana tilt was juxtaposed with some brazenly ominous lyrical content. The band’s about as arrogant as a high school quarterback, nonchalantly busting through each track with outward disorganization, but yet a wicked underbelly of intelligence and smart guy musicianship. It’s indie rock/folk at it’s finest and we’re stoked to hear this LP in full when it hits on October 6th. You can pre-order through Hardly Art’s website today.
In other worthwhile news in my own world, school started this week and since I’m teaching 12th grade British Literature for the first time, I’ve got to create all of my lessons and material all over again. For eight years I’ve taught the younger kids and it feels like I’m a first year teacher again. Oddly, this has been entirely refreshing, and I’d encourage all of you to find something new at your place of employment. Make a change, folks. Monotony is such a taxing situation, and I’m experiencing this first hand. I have a renewed spirit in the classroom, and things are going well. My title to this post isn’t exactly about LSD or the wonders of inebriation. Instead, it’s about my intoxicating excitement I’m feeling when I go to work each day. I realize it’s only been a week, but I don’t see a letdown in sight.
In my last little bit of babble for today, I’ve just been clued in on an interesting book Neil Postman wrote back in 1994 called The Disappearance of Childhood. I’m familiar with Postman’s witty and post-modern philosphical works, having read Amusing Ourselves to Death and The End of Education quite a few years ago. Oddly, this gem slipped past me. The basic premise is that the concept of childhood is not really a biological reality, but instead a social construct. Postman explains that our ideas of childhood actually began with the invention of the printing press, and that our current ideas of “adulthood” began when literacy became commonplace for the masses. In other words, the older folk had access to all of the information and chose to give it to children in certain spurts. School became ultimately important at this point. In typical Postman fashion, he makes lofty statements and sometimes leaves ideas undersupported, but I find this entirely intriguing. In the days gone by, looking at pictures of children actually shows kids dressing like adults and vice versa. The division between adults and kids began when all adults had the capacity to digest media and read. Kids began dressing like kids, and a huge division took place. This was written years ago, but it becomes possibly more astute when looking at how media literacy is shortening that divide in today’s society. Adults and kids dress more alike these days, and kids are experiencing “adult” things at a much more rapid and open pace than just two or three decades ago. Because children a more socially literate and “see” things more rapidly than in the past, according to Postman, we’re jumping backwards to where this line gets blurred. I suppose there’s not really a reason to banter about this on a Radio Dick post, other than to pass the read onto our readership and opine about how much this reinforces my enjoyment for what I do at work. Language is so important, folks.
So as we enter another work week, here’s a grab-bag of tunes we’ve been spinning at Citizen Dick headquarters all week. We’ve got some new leaks, a remix or two, and all get our stamp of approval. Look for plenty of emerging music reviews for the rest of the week, and more discussion of these bands as their LP’s start to drop. We hope you all enjoy your Sundays and getting back to the grind in a short 24 hours.
The Dutchess & The Duke – Hands
Times New Viking – Move to California
Fool’s Gold – Nadine (Memory Tapes Version)
Slaraffenland – Open Your Eyes
The Postmarks – My Lucky Charm
Grand Archives – Oslo Novelist
Banjo or Freakout – Upside Down
