i tend to avoid sad boy emo like the plague, and the record isn't quite as exciting, but i have to admit i'd have walked away rather impressed by this set, in terms of them being a pretty solid punk rock band. you could articulate it like this: if i generally get bored with sad boy emo because it's too slow and poppy, this doesn't fall into that trap.
the record kind of does, though.
so, i dunno. i know i'm not going to get there on thursday....
https://kalimasi.bandcamp.com/album/kali-masi-on-audiotree-live
Saturday, November 30, 2019
"post-punk band from chicago", nowadays, conjures up something fairly nihilistic, and this conforms to the stereotype on first listen. but, a few listens in, and the record starts to feel a little less aggressive, even pulling in influences from the likes of la dispute. historically speaking, this is far from novel, but it's a little unexpected at this particular point in time. so, if you tend to like your nihilistic chicago post-punk to have a vaguely goth flair, this might be for you.
i'm not going to get out there this week, myself.
https://corpseflowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/luggage-shift
i'm not going to get out there this week, myself.
https://corpseflowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/luggage-shift
years and years and years ago, when the technology used to make this record was new, it was shopped around to some thinkers and composers that made their best guess at what to do with it. the general perception amongst historians of music, and amongst musicologists, is that not much of what came out of that period of experimentation is particularly valuable, largely because it lacked a concept of spontaneity. these people had these tools thrust upon them, and were just trying to figure out how they worked.
this recording does not stray particularly far from the archaic recordings that were made by the first pioneers into electronic music, and i'd argue it suffers from the same criticisms that they have received, in hindsight, but also that there's a kind of disdain built into the pretension. don't ask me if i've met somebody, i'm terrible with faces. that one does look a little familiar, though, and my recollection is that he's exactly how he looks - distant, not all that interested in people. is that the russell in his eyeglass' reflection?
so, this is pointless, and he doesn't give a fuck.
but, listen - that doesn't mean it isn't pleasant as background, for reading or doing whatever else. just don't try to deconstruct it.
https://koltay.bandcamp.com/releases
this recording does not stray particularly far from the archaic recordings that were made by the first pioneers into electronic music, and i'd argue it suffers from the same criticisms that they have received, in hindsight, but also that there's a kind of disdain built into the pretension. don't ask me if i've met somebody, i'm terrible with faces. that one does look a little familiar, though, and my recollection is that he's exactly how he looks - distant, not all that interested in people. is that the russell in his eyeglass' reflection?
so, this is pointless, and he doesn't give a fuck.
but, listen - that doesn't mean it isn't pleasant as background, for reading or doing whatever else. just don't try to deconstruct it.
https://koltay.bandcamp.com/releases
Thursday, November 28, 2019
would i have ever listened to this?
i've heard of them. but, if i've ever heard an entire record by them, i have no specific memory of it.
i don't tend to like the genre very much, so it shouldn't be surprising that i'm actually not very familiar with much of their work.
but, i would present the opinion that these are interesting starts to songs, if not interesting songs, themselves.
i mean, it almost sounds like it's some white trash inbred christian kids from georgia ruining a bunch of classic, seminal british anthems. almost.
they need more of everything, from the bottom up.
i've heard of them. but, if i've ever heard an entire record by them, i have no specific memory of it.
i don't tend to like the genre very much, so it shouldn't be surprising that i'm actually not very familiar with much of their work.
but, i would present the opinion that these are interesting starts to songs, if not interesting songs, themselves.
i mean, it almost sounds like it's some white trash inbred christian kids from georgia ruining a bunch of classic, seminal british anthems. almost.
they need more of everything, from the bottom up.
have i seen gold crayon?
i'm not certain. if i did, it was by accident. i don't think so...
there's a small number of more interesting rock bands in detroit that often play shows together when they play, and they're in that list, even if i haven't bumped into them yet (and i'm not likely to make it out on saturday night, after plaid, and before whatever else). but, maybe....
there's a kind of impressionist theme underlying their most recent record, which i guess you want to interpret in a rock setting as being "atmospheric", and they take it to a bit of a next level, pulling ideas from all over the place, but i'm not sure that they really get it past an ad hoc stage. it's an interesting proof of concept.
vocally, we've got a billy corgan fan here. clearly. and, i'm ok with that, if it leads to some more abstract songwriting.
as i often say, it's probably worth a beer, but there's some unrealized potential here, too. they could probably benefit from a focused producer that can help them develop those excesses. i could always offer some suggestions. in the meantime....
https://goldcrayon.bandcamp.com/
i'm not certain. if i did, it was by accident. i don't think so...
there's a small number of more interesting rock bands in detroit that often play shows together when they play, and they're in that list, even if i haven't bumped into them yet (and i'm not likely to make it out on saturday night, after plaid, and before whatever else). but, maybe....
there's a kind of impressionist theme underlying their most recent record, which i guess you want to interpret in a rock setting as being "atmospheric", and they take it to a bit of a next level, pulling ideas from all over the place, but i'm not sure that they really get it past an ad hoc stage. it's an interesting proof of concept.
vocally, we've got a billy corgan fan here. clearly. and, i'm ok with that, if it leads to some more abstract songwriting.
as i often say, it's probably worth a beer, but there's some unrealized potential here, too. they could probably benefit from a focused producer that can help them develop those excesses. i could always offer some suggestions. in the meantime....
https://goldcrayon.bandcamp.com/
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
there are some slower points in the recording, and the vocals leave a little to be desired, but there's probably enough here in the interlocking guitars (+horns) to justify a beer, under the right scenario.
it's kind of somewhere halfway between rocket from the crypt and sonic youth.
https://barsofgold.bandcamp.com
it's kind of somewhere halfway between rocket from the crypt and sonic youth.
https://barsofgold.bandcamp.com
Saturday, November 23, 2019
so, i was up at about 3:30 on monday morning, finished the writing, did some errands in the afternoon, made a large meal to give me energy for the next few days, took a long shower and got ready to get out.
i took the 1:30 am bus on tuesday morning, got to toronto at 6:30 sharp, had to blow a few hours, got the first part of the filing done very early, was done serving by 11:00 and got the certificate of service in before noon. i then bought some drugs and went to hang out in the library for a few hours. i couldn't find a seat when i came back in from a smoke, so i was out to the second part of the night earlier than intended, around 15:30. i decided to just go down to the bar a little early for an early beer...
the initial plan was to catch a local guitarist - sean pinchin - play from about 18:00-21:00, have a few cheap beers while i was there, and then go to the bovine sex club for the rest of the night to watch some psychedelic rock bands (headliner: goon), before getting pho at about 3:00 and catching the bus out at 8:00.
but, beer is expensive in toronto. in windsor, beer runs around $3.50-$4.00, cdn. beer in detroit is $2.00-$4.00 usd, which is still only $2.50-5.50 cdn. in toronto, $7.00 cdn is considered cheap, and people don't seem to like it when you complain about it. so, i wanted to go to what i thought was a dive bar to get some cheap beer early, but came up against a $7.00 beer that i just didn't budget for. i mean, maybe there's places in windsor with $7.00 beer, but they'd be full of middle class bourgeois types that i wouldn't like very much and i'd have so little interest in going to them that i don't even know where they are. even that spot across from phog that i complained about is selling tall boys for $6.00, not pints for $7.00. if i walked into a bar in windsor and they tried to charge me $7.00 for a pint, i'd just laugh at them and go somewhere else.
as it is, upon bitching about the price, i was informed by the bartender that i could get a beer for $3.50 down the street, so i took a walk to save a few dollars, and hopefully turn one beer into two. that's just smart fiscal management. clearly.
listen: it's not like i was just being cheap. really. i had a fixed sum to work with, which was down to $43 at this point. if i spent all of my money on an expensive $7.00 beer, i'd just run out of it in a few drinks. then, i'd be stuck in toronto until 8:00 with no money and no alcohol and nothing to do. that's not a question of being cheap, it's a question of being stupid. when you have a fixed amount of money to work with, you have to be smart about how you're spending it - and spending $7.00 for a single beer would just not be very smart. if i was working for the government, i could just print more; i'm not, so i have limits i have to abide by.
but, this bartender at the spot i thought was a dive bar but wasn't....he didn't like me after that. this was a middle-aged white guy with facial hair (and, you know you're special when you hit 25 and still insist on facial hair. lol.) that probably leaned pretty far to the right of the political spectrum, if you can judge a middle-aged white guy by his facial hair, and you usually can. so, my cheap beer at the early show at the dive bar idea failed in a few different ways....it turned out to be expensive beer amidst what was really a rather undesirable crowd of right-wingers that still believe in upholding class (!).
the cheaper beer (it was sill $3.50) was at a place called 'wide open', which started to pick up quite a bit after 17:00. see, i liked the cheaper beer, but the music in the place was truly awful. i'm just not going to want to sit around and listen to bon jovi. sorry.
so, i went back to the not-actually-a-dive-bar, talked the bartender into a $5.50 beer and caught the guy play the first part of his set.
i wasn't actually sure what to expect - it was advertised as a juno-nominated blues guitarist, and i was just waiting for the show at the bovine to start, anyways, so i wasn't that invested.
but, he actually did a lot of finger-picking, and it was broadly instrumental, in scope. so, i found myself enjoying the music in a more detailed way than initially expected, enough that i decided to close my eyes for a bit to float off into it.
uch-o. that's against the rules, apparently. tough guy bartender with the facial hair didn't like that, and asked me to leave for "sleeping at the bar" - an egregiously false claim that anybody in the room would immediately identify as such. rather, i think it's clear enough that he just didn't think i was wealthy enough to hang out there...
so, i sent the guitarist the following message, over facebook, when i got home:
so, i tried to check out your set on tuesday. and, it was a good set, from what i caught of it.
i was in town to do some filing at the court house; i live in windsor. i'm suing the cops for a warrantless arrest that shouldn't have happened, if you're curious. so, i caught the 1:30 bus from windsor in the morning, and everybody drinks on the greyhound, right? i was halfway through a long day full of lots of alcohol and marijuana, and i wasn't going to get home to shower until the next day...
what i said to the bartender was true i am a guitarist (you can check me out by clicking through the links), and i actually have a little bit of training in renaissance classical music, but i'm mostly a psychedelic blues guitarist. so, i like guitar music, and i was enjoying your set. i often enjoy listening to guitar music with my eyes closed, so i can experience it in three dimensions, in the context of the fret board. it's not exactly synesthesia, it's more of a math thing (i also have a math degree), but it's how i dig it. some people wanna get up and clap and dance; i want to close my eyes and space out. that should be fine, right?
but, i couldn't finish your set because they threw me out for "falling asleep at the bar", which is just an empirically and factually false analysis of the situation. i can be drunk and close my eyes and enjoy your set without falling asleep.
but, so what if i *was* falling asleep? beer in toronto is about twice the price of beer in windsor, and that caught me off guard, so i had to readjust my budgeting. i had $40 to get me through the night, period. but, i had bought a beer and was intending to buy another one. you'd think you're entitled to a complimentary nap after paying for two beers, right?
the impression i got from the bartender was actually that he interpreted me as too lower class for his establishment. and, i mean, that's his opinion, if he wants to be like that...
the point i'm trying to make is this: i came to see you play, and the bar threw me out. no, i don't have a lot of money, and, yes, i was kind of drunk, but i was legitimately interested in your art. the reality is that you're a dirty roots guitarist. correctly or not, i may have come off as a poor drunk, but in the sense that that was true, i'm your audience - those guys in suits aren't.
how many other people are going to show up there to see you and get thrown out because they're too drunk or don't want to pay $7.00 for a beer?
so, i'm writing you as an artist to ask you to question whether you think that's a good place to play at or associate yourself with. it's clearly not a sustainable weekly gig. but, are you hurting yourself more than helping yourself?
if you were playing on the sidewalk for change instead, nobody would have chased me off.
==========
and, i'd just leave the situation at that.
i didn't pay cover to get into this place, and it wasn't my intended destination for the night; i just stopped by for a beer or two, and i was planning on leaving within an hour or two. further, i did catch the first half of the set. so, being asked to leave did not affect my night very much.
i may suggest that the bartender is a bit of an asshole, but there wasn't a lot of point in getting upset about it. rather, my reaction is more along the lines of that i don't particularly want to go back to this place, and would plead with people that are in the neighbourhood to choose to play somewhere else, instead. i would choose to avoid that place by choice, next time i'm around.
so, after buying a $3.50 beer and a $5.50 beer, i'm down to $34, and i'm out of smokes. the cost of cigarettes in toronto? $11. and, i know it's $10 for cover, taking me down to $13 for the night.
it's a good thing i didn't buy that $7.00 beer, right? but, the beer at the bovine wasn't cheap, either - i paid $5.50 for a can, and then had to hang on to the rest of the change in my pocket, in the hopes that i'd be able to get something to eat.
my comments regarding the first three acts are actually the same, namely that they each had moments, in their own ways, that were dragged down by an insistence on returning to a poppier aesthetic. in all three cases, i found myself wondering why they'd go back to the saccharine over and over, when it just wasn't working, but maybe i'm missing a trend, or something, i dunno; i know that that was the commonality here, and i don't actually think there's a lot else worth taking much note of.
the first act were highly impressed by the sound tech's suggestion of turning the amp down during sound check, but i actually think they got quite a bit more grit out of the amp than the monitors would allow for. put another way: the monitors gave them more of a "solid state" type 80s rock sound, which they seemed to prefer over their crappy 90s analog pedals. i liked that creamy, sustained muff tone better than the brittle-digital-distortion-through-fender-jazz tone he fixed you up with, guys. but i kept quiet. *shrug*.
they're just kids. they know not...
sicayda were enjoyable as a gaze act, but, as mentioned, they kept going back to these poppy sections that just left me scratching my head.
and, i'll say the same thing about goon, who were almost an interesting psych act, but just couldn't leave the pop at home, in los angeles.
i will acknowledge that i had what i believe i am correct in calling an anxiety attack near the start of the goon set, which required me to cheat hypothermia in stripping down to my tshirt in order to sweat something out that i had breathed in a few minutes earlier. somebody was looking to kill their joint. i'll always take it if nobody wants it, but it took me up past some thc blood level concentration point and forced me to process it, in the way i know how. then i was fine, as always.
if you were to ask me, i would suggest that goon need to decide if they're a psych act or a pop act, but the kids might give you another story.
the place cleared out almost entirely after goon, but they did have one more act, which was even catchier and didn't really have the moments that the first three did. this was definitely more in a new wave or post-punk tradition, so i'm not surprised to realize that they're a little older. i like this general style, but i need something more abstract than this.
then, it was like 1:00 and they were done.
as mentioned, i had $9.00 on me, and i wanted to save it to get something to eat. i just underestimated the cost of everything. if i had saved an extra $4-5 by paying a little less for pretty much everything, i would have bought another beer; conversely, if i had an extra $20, i would have bought another beer. but, i just misbudgeted, and was kind of stuck.
my options were to go sit in a diner for the next 6-7 hours or hang around at the bar until 3:00, with the hopes that a conversation might open up....and then sit in a diner for 3-4 hours. it seemed like an obvious choice. but, this bar - which i hadn't been in before - was actually kind of a couples bar, after the bands had cleared out; there were lots of people there, but they were pretty much solely in units of two. again, this is abnormal for the kinds of places i go to, which tend to be less about going on dates and more about hanging out. i don't know when i'll be in toronto next, but i'll keep that in mind...
the people were at least friendly. mostly.
so, i was approached by a bassist/singer in a few local bands that seemed intent on telling me bad jokes, and arguing with me over the value of recorded music. and, i won't post her links here, but it demonstrates that the place was friendly enough, even to a stranger from out of town there accidentally on an unofficial couples night.
it wasn't quite 3:00 when i left - i didn't make them throw me out - but it was close. and, off i went for pho...
.....which i knew would be cheap, but how cheap? $9.00 cheap? it turns out, not - it was $11.00 cheap, but not $9.00 cheap. so, i went looking for a sub, instead...
....and, i found one, but i would have had to eat it outside, which i balked at.
instead, i got a sausage from the truck outside for $4.50 and a coffee at the denny's, and hit the internet where i read the news for a bit. but, i didn't want to fall asleep and miss the bus, so i went back to the bus station to type there....
...and learned that they shut down all of the outlets at the greyhound. yeah. well, it didn't click at first - i went from outlet to outlet and finally found one in the basement, before the cops came down and threw me out, for reasons that i couldn't understand.
i had two dollars on me at the end, and went looking for a bag of chips, when it clicked - they've installed charging ports. aha.
it would be one thing for them to install quick charging ports as a convenience for people with fast phones, but it's another thing altogether to actually disassemble the electrical plugs, to stop people from charging. my chromebook is misbehaving, so i can't charge it right now. but, it doesn't have usb charging, anyways. so, they're taking away something without fully replacing it.
and, they didn't have outlets on the bus, either, so i just slept on the way home....
*shrug*.
i was home at about 15:00 on wednesday afternoon, ate, showered and passed out until early in the morning.
next time i go to toronto, i'll need to bring a few extra dollars - or, if i don't have it, reschedule until i do. it was a difference of about $30.
but, i did the filing that i needed to do, which was the point of the trip, and i didn't not enjoy the show, for what it was.
i took the 1:30 am bus on tuesday morning, got to toronto at 6:30 sharp, had to blow a few hours, got the first part of the filing done very early, was done serving by 11:00 and got the certificate of service in before noon. i then bought some drugs and went to hang out in the library for a few hours. i couldn't find a seat when i came back in from a smoke, so i was out to the second part of the night earlier than intended, around 15:30. i decided to just go down to the bar a little early for an early beer...
the initial plan was to catch a local guitarist - sean pinchin - play from about 18:00-21:00, have a few cheap beers while i was there, and then go to the bovine sex club for the rest of the night to watch some psychedelic rock bands (headliner: goon), before getting pho at about 3:00 and catching the bus out at 8:00.
but, beer is expensive in toronto. in windsor, beer runs around $3.50-$4.00, cdn. beer in detroit is $2.00-$4.00 usd, which is still only $2.50-5.50 cdn. in toronto, $7.00 cdn is considered cheap, and people don't seem to like it when you complain about it. so, i wanted to go to what i thought was a dive bar to get some cheap beer early, but came up against a $7.00 beer that i just didn't budget for. i mean, maybe there's places in windsor with $7.00 beer, but they'd be full of middle class bourgeois types that i wouldn't like very much and i'd have so little interest in going to them that i don't even know where they are. even that spot across from phog that i complained about is selling tall boys for $6.00, not pints for $7.00. if i walked into a bar in windsor and they tried to charge me $7.00 for a pint, i'd just laugh at them and go somewhere else.
as it is, upon bitching about the price, i was informed by the bartender that i could get a beer for $3.50 down the street, so i took a walk to save a few dollars, and hopefully turn one beer into two. that's just smart fiscal management. clearly.
listen: it's not like i was just being cheap. really. i had a fixed sum to work with, which was down to $43 at this point. if i spent all of my money on an expensive $7.00 beer, i'd just run out of it in a few drinks. then, i'd be stuck in toronto until 8:00 with no money and no alcohol and nothing to do. that's not a question of being cheap, it's a question of being stupid. when you have a fixed amount of money to work with, you have to be smart about how you're spending it - and spending $7.00 for a single beer would just not be very smart. if i was working for the government, i could just print more; i'm not, so i have limits i have to abide by.
but, this bartender at the spot i thought was a dive bar but wasn't....he didn't like me after that. this was a middle-aged white guy with facial hair (and, you know you're special when you hit 25 and still insist on facial hair. lol.) that probably leaned pretty far to the right of the political spectrum, if you can judge a middle-aged white guy by his facial hair, and you usually can. so, my cheap beer at the early show at the dive bar idea failed in a few different ways....it turned out to be expensive beer amidst what was really a rather undesirable crowd of right-wingers that still believe in upholding class (!).
the cheaper beer (it was sill $3.50) was at a place called 'wide open', which started to pick up quite a bit after 17:00. see, i liked the cheaper beer, but the music in the place was truly awful. i'm just not going to want to sit around and listen to bon jovi. sorry.
so, i went back to the not-actually-a-dive-bar, talked the bartender into a $5.50 beer and caught the guy play the first part of his set.
i wasn't actually sure what to expect - it was advertised as a juno-nominated blues guitarist, and i was just waiting for the show at the bovine to start, anyways, so i wasn't that invested.
but, he actually did a lot of finger-picking, and it was broadly instrumental, in scope. so, i found myself enjoying the music in a more detailed way than initially expected, enough that i decided to close my eyes for a bit to float off into it.
uch-o. that's against the rules, apparently. tough guy bartender with the facial hair didn't like that, and asked me to leave for "sleeping at the bar" - an egregiously false claim that anybody in the room would immediately identify as such. rather, i think it's clear enough that he just didn't think i was wealthy enough to hang out there...
so, i sent the guitarist the following message, over facebook, when i got home:
so, i tried to check out your set on tuesday. and, it was a good set, from what i caught of it.
i was in town to do some filing at the court house; i live in windsor. i'm suing the cops for a warrantless arrest that shouldn't have happened, if you're curious. so, i caught the 1:30 bus from windsor in the morning, and everybody drinks on the greyhound, right? i was halfway through a long day full of lots of alcohol and marijuana, and i wasn't going to get home to shower until the next day...
what i said to the bartender was true i am a guitarist (you can check me out by clicking through the links), and i actually have a little bit of training in renaissance classical music, but i'm mostly a psychedelic blues guitarist. so, i like guitar music, and i was enjoying your set. i often enjoy listening to guitar music with my eyes closed, so i can experience it in three dimensions, in the context of the fret board. it's not exactly synesthesia, it's more of a math thing (i also have a math degree), but it's how i dig it. some people wanna get up and clap and dance; i want to close my eyes and space out. that should be fine, right?
but, i couldn't finish your set because they threw me out for "falling asleep at the bar", which is just an empirically and factually false analysis of the situation. i can be drunk and close my eyes and enjoy your set without falling asleep.
but, so what if i *was* falling asleep? beer in toronto is about twice the price of beer in windsor, and that caught me off guard, so i had to readjust my budgeting. i had $40 to get me through the night, period. but, i had bought a beer and was intending to buy another one. you'd think you're entitled to a complimentary nap after paying for two beers, right?
the impression i got from the bartender was actually that he interpreted me as too lower class for his establishment. and, i mean, that's his opinion, if he wants to be like that...
the point i'm trying to make is this: i came to see you play, and the bar threw me out. no, i don't have a lot of money, and, yes, i was kind of drunk, but i was legitimately interested in your art. the reality is that you're a dirty roots guitarist. correctly or not, i may have come off as a poor drunk, but in the sense that that was true, i'm your audience - those guys in suits aren't.
how many other people are going to show up there to see you and get thrown out because they're too drunk or don't want to pay $7.00 for a beer?
so, i'm writing you as an artist to ask you to question whether you think that's a good place to play at or associate yourself with. it's clearly not a sustainable weekly gig. but, are you hurting yourself more than helping yourself?
if you were playing on the sidewalk for change instead, nobody would have chased me off.
==========
and, i'd just leave the situation at that.
i didn't pay cover to get into this place, and it wasn't my intended destination for the night; i just stopped by for a beer or two, and i was planning on leaving within an hour or two. further, i did catch the first half of the set. so, being asked to leave did not affect my night very much.
i may suggest that the bartender is a bit of an asshole, but there wasn't a lot of point in getting upset about it. rather, my reaction is more along the lines of that i don't particularly want to go back to this place, and would plead with people that are in the neighbourhood to choose to play somewhere else, instead. i would choose to avoid that place by choice, next time i'm around.
so, after buying a $3.50 beer and a $5.50 beer, i'm down to $34, and i'm out of smokes. the cost of cigarettes in toronto? $11. and, i know it's $10 for cover, taking me down to $13 for the night.
it's a good thing i didn't buy that $7.00 beer, right? but, the beer at the bovine wasn't cheap, either - i paid $5.50 for a can, and then had to hang on to the rest of the change in my pocket, in the hopes that i'd be able to get something to eat.
my comments regarding the first three acts are actually the same, namely that they each had moments, in their own ways, that were dragged down by an insistence on returning to a poppier aesthetic. in all three cases, i found myself wondering why they'd go back to the saccharine over and over, when it just wasn't working, but maybe i'm missing a trend, or something, i dunno; i know that that was the commonality here, and i don't actually think there's a lot else worth taking much note of.
the first act were highly impressed by the sound tech's suggestion of turning the amp down during sound check, but i actually think they got quite a bit more grit out of the amp than the monitors would allow for. put another way: the monitors gave them more of a "solid state" type 80s rock sound, which they seemed to prefer over their crappy 90s analog pedals. i liked that creamy, sustained muff tone better than the brittle-digital-distortion-through-fender-jazz tone he fixed you up with, guys. but i kept quiet. *shrug*.
they're just kids. they know not...
sicayda were enjoyable as a gaze act, but, as mentioned, they kept going back to these poppy sections that just left me scratching my head.
and, i'll say the same thing about goon, who were almost an interesting psych act, but just couldn't leave the pop at home, in los angeles.
i will acknowledge that i had what i believe i am correct in calling an anxiety attack near the start of the goon set, which required me to cheat hypothermia in stripping down to my tshirt in order to sweat something out that i had breathed in a few minutes earlier. somebody was looking to kill their joint. i'll always take it if nobody wants it, but it took me up past some thc blood level concentration point and forced me to process it, in the way i know how. then i was fine, as always.
if you were to ask me, i would suggest that goon need to decide if they're a psych act or a pop act, but the kids might give you another story.
the place cleared out almost entirely after goon, but they did have one more act, which was even catchier and didn't really have the moments that the first three did. this was definitely more in a new wave or post-punk tradition, so i'm not surprised to realize that they're a little older. i like this general style, but i need something more abstract than this.
then, it was like 1:00 and they were done.
as mentioned, i had $9.00 on me, and i wanted to save it to get something to eat. i just underestimated the cost of everything. if i had saved an extra $4-5 by paying a little less for pretty much everything, i would have bought another beer; conversely, if i had an extra $20, i would have bought another beer. but, i just misbudgeted, and was kind of stuck.
my options were to go sit in a diner for the next 6-7 hours or hang around at the bar until 3:00, with the hopes that a conversation might open up....and then sit in a diner for 3-4 hours. it seemed like an obvious choice. but, this bar - which i hadn't been in before - was actually kind of a couples bar, after the bands had cleared out; there were lots of people there, but they were pretty much solely in units of two. again, this is abnormal for the kinds of places i go to, which tend to be less about going on dates and more about hanging out. i don't know when i'll be in toronto next, but i'll keep that in mind...
the people were at least friendly. mostly.
so, i was approached by a bassist/singer in a few local bands that seemed intent on telling me bad jokes, and arguing with me over the value of recorded music. and, i won't post her links here, but it demonstrates that the place was friendly enough, even to a stranger from out of town there accidentally on an unofficial couples night.
it wasn't quite 3:00 when i left - i didn't make them throw me out - but it was close. and, off i went for pho...
.....which i knew would be cheap, but how cheap? $9.00 cheap? it turns out, not - it was $11.00 cheap, but not $9.00 cheap. so, i went looking for a sub, instead...
....and, i found one, but i would have had to eat it outside, which i balked at.
instead, i got a sausage from the truck outside for $4.50 and a coffee at the denny's, and hit the internet where i read the news for a bit. but, i didn't want to fall asleep and miss the bus, so i went back to the bus station to type there....
...and learned that they shut down all of the outlets at the greyhound. yeah. well, it didn't click at first - i went from outlet to outlet and finally found one in the basement, before the cops came down and threw me out, for reasons that i couldn't understand.
i had two dollars on me at the end, and went looking for a bag of chips, when it clicked - they've installed charging ports. aha.
it would be one thing for them to install quick charging ports as a convenience for people with fast phones, but it's another thing altogether to actually disassemble the electrical plugs, to stop people from charging. my chromebook is misbehaving, so i can't charge it right now. but, it doesn't have usb charging, anyways. so, they're taking away something without fully replacing it.
and, they didn't have outlets on the bus, either, so i just slept on the way home....
*shrug*.
i was home at about 15:00 on wednesday afternoon, ate, showered and passed out until early in the morning.
next time i go to toronto, i'll need to bring a few extra dollars - or, if i don't have it, reschedule until i do. it was a difference of about $30.
but, i did the filing that i needed to do, which was the point of the trip, and i didn't not enjoy the show, for what it was.
the historical ignorance is just astounding.
the origin of species was published in 1859, which was a mere two years before the american civil war. the architects of the american system of slavery had no understanding of darwinian theory, for the simple reason that it didn't exist yet. the association is an anachronism, an ignorant one, and one that you generally hear exclusively from religious people that want to whitewash the dominant and decisive role of religion in the history of slavery.
the american slave trade was built on a papal bull. it was neither science nor capitalism that set this off, but christianity. it was back in 1452, the year before constantinople fell to invading turks, that the pope - who was the hegemon over very catholic spain - declared by decree that non-christians (heathens and saracens) may be legally conquered and placed into "perpetual servitude" by christian forces.
and, if you doubt the legal importance of this papal decree, i will present you with the example of ethiopia, which was never colonized because they were found to be christian upon contact.
so, this was the initial justification for slavery - not race, not skin colour and not any feeling of biological superiority at all, but religious exclusionism. strictly legally speaking, africa was not enslaved because it was black, it was enslaved because it was heathen.
further, the 1452 decree that western slavery descends from has it's origins in earlier decrees by muslim caliphs, who had previously enslaved all non-muslims. so, not only is western slavery fundamentally a christian thing, but the christians were just copying the muslims in their implementation of it. slavery, as we understand it, is completely religious in origin and scope, through and through.
"but the church opposed slavery!".
the reality is that this statement is misleading at best and, if we are to be truly honest, should be labeled flat out wrong. the reason that the abolitionists used conversion as a tactic was to undermine the law in the first place, because they knew that if they christianized the slaves then it would undercut the argument for enslaving them. so, i mean, give the abolitionists credit for using a smart tactic, but don't give the church credit for opposing slavery - that would be a distorted concept of history, at best.
in fact, it was the church that first started to appeal to biology by citing biblical passages about the curse of ham, but this didn't start to happen until after the abolitionists got off the ground. when biology was used as a justification for slavery, it was done so by the church (by citing the bible.), and not via any scientific body. further, the church only started using biology as a justification for slavery after the slaves started converting to christianity, thereby denying them of their initial justification.
and, you can get into the whole catholic v protestant thing regarding this, and the question of what authority the pope had, and why citing the bible would be more convincing than citing a papal bull, if you were a protestant rather than a catholic. but, this is secondary to the basic point, which is that slavery was a religious institution that was upheld by the church using whatever arguments it could come up with.
after the end of slavery, it is true that religious leaders tried to co-opt science for their own end, but there were never any scientific institutions running these bodies. the history of eugenics in the united states and canada is mostly tied into the history of sectarian infighting, and was pushed almost entirely by religious bodies. remember: hitler was a catholic, not an atheist. we're walking back down this road of conservative propaganda, again....
broadly speaking, the role of eugenics in the united states was to stop catholics and heathens from breeding. if you read their writings, these people make it clear that they're being driven mostly be sectarianism, not race. but, even insofar as they adopted ideas like "racial hygiene", they interpreted them entirely through sectarian filters - the calvinists naturally thought that they were the master race, whereas the baptists thought they were the master race and etc.
the scopes monkey trials were in the 1920s, and i'm just citing that to put the situation in context - from 1865-1930, much of the united states was strictly under religious rule, meaning you had to run virtually everything by the religious authorities, which would interpret it as they saw fit. there was no room for science as an independent political ideology, during this period. so, i can cite specific examples, but it's best to put the era in context - to exist in america at the time meant that you were an extension of the local religion, which was deeply intertwined with the state. there was no independent thought, no movement outside of the church. so, if the government did things like pass sterilization laws, it was done because the religious authorities desired and sanctioned it - not due to some exotic theories being discussed in distant europe.
and, as our understanding of evolution has advanced, we've discarded most of these ideas as unscientific, altogether.
broadly speaking, the era of european and american slavery was from about 1500-1850, which is a period that preceded darwinism. trying to argue that darwinisim was a factor in slavery is consequently anachronistic and disingenuous. however, much of the capitalist theory that social darwinism (a pseudo-science that attempts to speciously apply capitalist economics to darwinian science.) relied on did exist, and was formative on at least the late stages of slavery, when it became more of a business.
the roots of slavery, though, are actually in the crusades, and the struggle between christians and muslims over europe and the middle east, a struggle in which they enslaved each other by mutual decree. africa very much got caught up in the middle of this, as the christians sought ways to bypass the muslims to reach markets in asia.
your blame should be directed at organized religion, and the judaic form of it most particularly, and not at the enlightenment principles of science that helped us work through all of these problems that organized (judaic) religion created.
the origin of species was published in 1859, which was a mere two years before the american civil war. the architects of the american system of slavery had no understanding of darwinian theory, for the simple reason that it didn't exist yet. the association is an anachronism, an ignorant one, and one that you generally hear exclusively from religious people that want to whitewash the dominant and decisive role of religion in the history of slavery.
the american slave trade was built on a papal bull. it was neither science nor capitalism that set this off, but christianity. it was back in 1452, the year before constantinople fell to invading turks, that the pope - who was the hegemon over very catholic spain - declared by decree that non-christians (heathens and saracens) may be legally conquered and placed into "perpetual servitude" by christian forces.
and, if you doubt the legal importance of this papal decree, i will present you with the example of ethiopia, which was never colonized because they were found to be christian upon contact.
so, this was the initial justification for slavery - not race, not skin colour and not any feeling of biological superiority at all, but religious exclusionism. strictly legally speaking, africa was not enslaved because it was black, it was enslaved because it was heathen.
further, the 1452 decree that western slavery descends from has it's origins in earlier decrees by muslim caliphs, who had previously enslaved all non-muslims. so, not only is western slavery fundamentally a christian thing, but the christians were just copying the muslims in their implementation of it. slavery, as we understand it, is completely religious in origin and scope, through and through.
"but the church opposed slavery!".
the reality is that this statement is misleading at best and, if we are to be truly honest, should be labeled flat out wrong. the reason that the abolitionists used conversion as a tactic was to undermine the law in the first place, because they knew that if they christianized the slaves then it would undercut the argument for enslaving them. so, i mean, give the abolitionists credit for using a smart tactic, but don't give the church credit for opposing slavery - that would be a distorted concept of history, at best.
in fact, it was the church that first started to appeal to biology by citing biblical passages about the curse of ham, but this didn't start to happen until after the abolitionists got off the ground. when biology was used as a justification for slavery, it was done so by the church (by citing the bible.), and not via any scientific body. further, the church only started using biology as a justification for slavery after the slaves started converting to christianity, thereby denying them of their initial justification.
and, you can get into the whole catholic v protestant thing regarding this, and the question of what authority the pope had, and why citing the bible would be more convincing than citing a papal bull, if you were a protestant rather than a catholic. but, this is secondary to the basic point, which is that slavery was a religious institution that was upheld by the church using whatever arguments it could come up with.
after the end of slavery, it is true that religious leaders tried to co-opt science for their own end, but there were never any scientific institutions running these bodies. the history of eugenics in the united states and canada is mostly tied into the history of sectarian infighting, and was pushed almost entirely by religious bodies. remember: hitler was a catholic, not an atheist. we're walking back down this road of conservative propaganda, again....
broadly speaking, the role of eugenics in the united states was to stop catholics and heathens from breeding. if you read their writings, these people make it clear that they're being driven mostly be sectarianism, not race. but, even insofar as they adopted ideas like "racial hygiene", they interpreted them entirely through sectarian filters - the calvinists naturally thought that they were the master race, whereas the baptists thought they were the master race and etc.
the scopes monkey trials were in the 1920s, and i'm just citing that to put the situation in context - from 1865-1930, much of the united states was strictly under religious rule, meaning you had to run virtually everything by the religious authorities, which would interpret it as they saw fit. there was no room for science as an independent political ideology, during this period. so, i can cite specific examples, but it's best to put the era in context - to exist in america at the time meant that you were an extension of the local religion, which was deeply intertwined with the state. there was no independent thought, no movement outside of the church. so, if the government did things like pass sterilization laws, it was done because the religious authorities desired and sanctioned it - not due to some exotic theories being discussed in distant europe.
and, as our understanding of evolution has advanced, we've discarded most of these ideas as unscientific, altogether.
broadly speaking, the era of european and american slavery was from about 1500-1850, which is a period that preceded darwinism. trying to argue that darwinisim was a factor in slavery is consequently anachronistic and disingenuous. however, much of the capitalist theory that social darwinism (a pseudo-science that attempts to speciously apply capitalist economics to darwinian science.) relied on did exist, and was formative on at least the late stages of slavery, when it became more of a business.
the roots of slavery, though, are actually in the crusades, and the struggle between christians and muslims over europe and the middle east, a struggle in which they enslaved each other by mutual decree. africa very much got caught up in the middle of this, as the christians sought ways to bypass the muslims to reach markets in asia.
your blame should be directed at organized religion, and the judaic form of it most particularly, and not at the enlightenment principles of science that helped us work through all of these problems that organized (judaic) religion created.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
i have to admit that i didn't initially take this seriously, between the sitars and the twee j-pop vocals. but, after subsequent listens, the camp actually became a selling point.
it's certainly still hard to take seriously, but i've always had a soft spot for music that you can't take seriously, and it's kind of eating away at that spot.
so, what's the point of writing this review, if you can't take it seriously, anyways? it's the kind of thing that you don't want to analyze, because you'll ruin it - like a waveform collapsing. and, see, i don't like that interpretation of the theory anyways, but i know i'm not accomplishing anything in picking this apart.
i mentioned a few years ago that we'll know rock is truly dead when it enters the novelty phase, but what's maybe depressing about it actually happening is the realization that it really is still more interesting.
so, if the history books end up written by harry shearer, in the end, there's a place for something like this in them.
https://kikagakumoyoggb.bandcamp.com/album/masana-temples
it's certainly still hard to take seriously, but i've always had a soft spot for music that you can't take seriously, and it's kind of eating away at that spot.
so, what's the point of writing this review, if you can't take it seriously, anyways? it's the kind of thing that you don't want to analyze, because you'll ruin it - like a waveform collapsing. and, see, i don't like that interpretation of the theory anyways, but i know i'm not accomplishing anything in picking this apart.
i mentioned a few years ago that we'll know rock is truly dead when it enters the novelty phase, but what's maybe depressing about it actually happening is the realization that it really is still more interesting.
so, if the history books end up written by harry shearer, in the end, there's a place for something like this in them.
https://kikagakumoyoggb.bandcamp.com/album/masana-temples
what would i actually do if i were at a show and the band started praying?
i wouldn't react immediately. i mean, i'd have to get over the shock of it, first. it would be a weird thing to experience, and i'd have to actually process it, first.
but, you can be pretty sure that i'd either get up and leave or at least go out for a smoke, until the set is done. it would clear me out of the room, without question, and there's not much chance i'd come back to finish the set.
i don't have any clear memories of this ever happening, mostly because this is probably something i'd catch well ahead of time, but i have walked out on bands and djs (the latter more often) for being openly misogynist.
again: i'm not interested in banning things. i'm a free speech advocate, up to the point of calling for actual violence (unless you're talking about killing nazis or other nazi-like extremists, such as islamic fundamentalists, in which case calling for violence is a necessary form of self-defense, and i'd not only not ban it but advocate it). but, i have a strong ideological opposition to any kind of public prayer at all, and i couldn't remotely support somebody doing it in front of me - i would vote with my feet and clear right out.
i don't know what the show was like tonight, but i hope it was secular and i hope people had fun.
i wouldn't react immediately. i mean, i'd have to get over the shock of it, first. it would be a weird thing to experience, and i'd have to actually process it, first.
but, you can be pretty sure that i'd either get up and leave or at least go out for a smoke, until the set is done. it would clear me out of the room, without question, and there's not much chance i'd come back to finish the set.
i don't have any clear memories of this ever happening, mostly because this is probably something i'd catch well ahead of time, but i have walked out on bands and djs (the latter more often) for being openly misogynist.
again: i'm not interested in banning things. i'm a free speech advocate, up to the point of calling for actual violence (unless you're talking about killing nazis or other nazi-like extremists, such as islamic fundamentalists, in which case calling for violence is a necessary form of self-defense, and i'd not only not ban it but advocate it). but, i have a strong ideological opposition to any kind of public prayer at all, and i couldn't remotely support somebody doing it in front of me - i would vote with my feet and clear right out.
i don't know what the show was like tonight, but i hope it was secular and i hope people had fun.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
what's mono up to nowadays?
it's more of the same, really.
they just don't want to break out of the box - they want to follow this post-rock formula to their death, and they're happy to do it over and over and over....
even when i listened to a lot of the style, i would have found this subpar. but, they're one of a handful of acts that has just kept chugging by refusing to change, and building up an audience of people that actually don't want them to. if they could mix it up in any way at all, they might be able to hold my attention. they don't want to....they don't want to scare people off....
so, i'm not that impressed by this, but i really never was that impressed by them.
if you like far and further, be sure to check out yanqui uxo, though.
https://monoofjapan.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere-now-here
it's more of the same, really.
they just don't want to break out of the box - they want to follow this post-rock formula to their death, and they're happy to do it over and over and over....
even when i listened to a lot of the style, i would have found this subpar. but, they're one of a handful of acts that has just kept chugging by refusing to change, and building up an audience of people that actually don't want them to. if they could mix it up in any way at all, they might be able to hold my attention. they don't want to....they don't want to scare people off....
so, i'm not that impressed by this, but i really never was that impressed by them.
if you like far and further, be sure to check out yanqui uxo, though.
https://monoofjapan.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere-now-here
i just want to briefly take note of this show, which appears to have been cancelled on wednesday night, i'm guessing due to the snow. they claimed they could "not access the venue".
i probably would have dropped by after anamanaguchi, had i gone to anamanaguchi. but, weather aside, i wasn't that keen on the new disc, and there's a review up if you go back a few posts.
i can't remember when i first heard of ilkae. he's been doing his thing for many years now, and i see he's built up a huge discography by this point. i always found his work to be kind of aesthetically interesting for a few minutes, but lacking any serious experimental or compositional basis. but, i checked out a recent recording to see if he's evolved.
he really hasn't.
on some level, this is exactly the kind of techno that i actually like. but, it's just lacklustre.
https://ilkae.bandcamp.com/album/formal-format
i probably would have dropped by after anamanaguchi, had i gone to anamanaguchi. but, weather aside, i wasn't that keen on the new disc, and there's a review up if you go back a few posts.
i can't remember when i first heard of ilkae. he's been doing his thing for many years now, and i see he's built up a huge discography by this point. i always found his work to be kind of aesthetically interesting for a few minutes, but lacking any serious experimental or compositional basis. but, i checked out a recent recording to see if he's evolved.
he really hasn't.
on some level, this is exactly the kind of techno that i actually like. but, it's just lacklustre.
https://ilkae.bandcamp.com/album/formal-format
ok. i found some video of a six piece.
but, it's the record release show from six and a half years ago, when i lived in ottawa, and those three extras look like they're for hire, to me.
like i say - it's not that they're bad as a three-piece, the drummer carries them regardless, but i'm not going to get much out of it, even as i'm wondering if i'm dealing with theists or not (the evidence from existing footage seems to be that they aren't praying on stage).
but, it's the record release show from six and a half years ago, when i lived in ottawa, and those three extras look like they're for hire, to me.
like i say - it's not that they're bad as a three-piece, the drummer carries them regardless, but i'm not going to get much out of it, even as i'm wondering if i'm dealing with theists or not (the evidence from existing footage seems to be that they aren't praying on stage).
i'm going to put the question off, because it seems like they're actually a three piece, and while it's not bad for what it is, it's actually pretty good for what it is, it's not what was going to drag me out in the cold - i was expecting at least some kind of extra arrangement.
i don't know if those extra arrangements were done by somebody else in the studio or what, but every video i can find has them performing as a three piece.
i don't know if those extra arrangements were done by somebody else in the studio or what, but every video i can find has them performing as a three piece.
no, listen.
i'm tolerant up to a point. i really don't care what your beliefs are, so long as you don't try to enforce them on others - and i have absolutely no tolerance for people that do try to enforce their beliefs on others. once you start trying to pass religious laws, i'm in favour of ejecting you into orbit. you essentially lose your status as a human, in my perception.
i'm a little less reactive when it comes to the intersection of religion and art. i'd rather it not happen, but i'm not going to react by trying to shut it down, as then i'd be doing what i'm fighting against. i mean, there's a difference between writing a song about god and passing a law based on something written in the koran or the bible - i can tolerate the former, but i have to aggressively fight against the latter.
so, there's a difference between singing kumbaya, essentially, and saying a prayer. a prayer is organized. it suggests a belief in a structure, a system. when you start dealing with "art" that brings in references to systems and structures, then it ceases to be art and becomes propaganda.
so, it's a question of scale, of degree. but, that's what is in front of me to figure out. on first listen, i mostly heard an instrumental act with some some kind of typical prog rock lyrics about going on a journey through life that probably ultimately works it's way back to rush as the meta influence. further, the last song was obviously about the legacy of slavery, which is something that a black band has every right to sing a song about, although the references to the christian god are perhaps somewhat of a strange thing, in context. none of that really set me off, until they started praying.
i'm ultimately not in favour of any action besides boycott.
i'm just trying to figure out if that's the better approach or not - if these religious references are light or heavy handed.
i'm tolerant up to a point. i really don't care what your beliefs are, so long as you don't try to enforce them on others - and i have absolutely no tolerance for people that do try to enforce their beliefs on others. once you start trying to pass religious laws, i'm in favour of ejecting you into orbit. you essentially lose your status as a human, in my perception.
i'm a little less reactive when it comes to the intersection of religion and art. i'd rather it not happen, but i'm not going to react by trying to shut it down, as then i'd be doing what i'm fighting against. i mean, there's a difference between writing a song about god and passing a law based on something written in the koran or the bible - i can tolerate the former, but i have to aggressively fight against the latter.
so, there's a difference between singing kumbaya, essentially, and saying a prayer. a prayer is organized. it suggests a belief in a structure, a system. when you start dealing with "art" that brings in references to systems and structures, then it ceases to be art and becomes propaganda.
so, it's a question of scale, of degree. but, that's what is in front of me to figure out. on first listen, i mostly heard an instrumental act with some some kind of typical prog rock lyrics about going on a journey through life that probably ultimately works it's way back to rush as the meta influence. further, the last song was obviously about the legacy of slavery, which is something that a black band has every right to sing a song about, although the references to the christian god are perhaps somewhat of a strange thing, in context. none of that really set me off, until they started praying.
i'm ultimately not in favour of any action besides boycott.
i'm just trying to figure out if that's the better approach or not - if these religious references are light or heavy handed.
do i want to see a band that puts religious imagery in it's recordings, though?
if the purpose is networking, i'm not going to get along well with christians, so it defeats the point. it's kind of a shame - i was excited until i got to the last track, and then the whole thing caved in on itself. seems like a foolish move, on their behalf. they wouldn't have alarmed me if they hadn't included the prayer. now, i'm apprehensive about showing up.
should i blame it on the weather?
the prayer might be the larger disincentive.
if the purpose is networking, i'm not going to get along well with christians, so it defeats the point. it's kind of a shame - i was excited until i got to the last track, and then the whole thing caved in on itself. seems like a foolish move, on their behalf. they wouldn't have alarmed me if they hadn't included the prayer. now, i'm apprehensive about showing up.
should i blame it on the weather?
the prayer might be the larger disincentive.
it's not the actual temperature out right now that's so bad, it's the wind, and i'm just really not interested in what is going to end up being well over an hour walking in it.
i won't pay to take a cab. you know that. it's not worth it. but, is this too good to skip?
this is actually local, and i'm wondering why it's the first i've heard of it. but, that also means that i might not get another chance for quite a while...
so, i'm thinking about it, against my better judgement.
the windchill walking home is going to be pushing -10. yes, i'm canadian. that just means that i know that i need to take that seriously.
what is this, exactly? well, it's some kind of orchestrated math rock. we're starting with something like sonic youth, and then we're adding in layers of morricone & miles davis on horns, of gybe! in the strings, some schizy piano....
i need to get to shows like this, to talk to people.
*sigh*
so, i'm thinking about it....
https://soundcloud.com/isles-of-esp/sets/isles-of-esp-album
i won't pay to take a cab. you know that. it's not worth it. but, is this too good to skip?
this is actually local, and i'm wondering why it's the first i've heard of it. but, that also means that i might not get another chance for quite a while...
so, i'm thinking about it, against my better judgement.
the windchill walking home is going to be pushing -10. yes, i'm canadian. that just means that i know that i need to take that seriously.
what is this, exactly? well, it's some kind of orchestrated math rock. we're starting with something like sonic youth, and then we're adding in layers of morricone & miles davis on horns, of gybe! in the strings, some schizy piano....
i need to get to shows like this, to talk to people.
*sigh*
so, i'm thinking about it....
https://soundcloud.com/isles-of-esp/sets/isles-of-esp-album
so, the weather made actually going to this somewhat of a non-starter. i would have had to have dragged myself, and an unknown punk band wasn't going to do it...
it's an interesting proof of concept, but i wish they did more with the electronics than they are. it just kind of comes off as something to distract people while they're tuning or changing busted strings...
purely as a punk act, it's fun enough, if relatively generic.
i actually bet it was fun. but, my impression is that they should be doing more than this, and i hope they do.
https://weepingicon.bandcamp.com/album/weeping-icon
it's an interesting proof of concept, but i wish they did more with the electronics than they are. it just kind of comes off as something to distract people while they're tuning or changing busted strings...
purely as a punk act, it's fun enough, if relatively generic.
i actually bet it was fun. but, my impression is that they should be doing more than this, and i hope they do.
https://weepingicon.bandcamp.com/album/weeping-icon
i started writing this back in the middle of october and didn't finish it because i wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. i missed the show in detroit for a number of reasons, and i thought i made the right choice at the time, but i don't know if i wish i was there or not.
i did see her perform at the height of her popularity in mid-2016. my first exposure to chelsea wolfe was actually all the way back in 2011, though, and i will eventually post a review of apokalypsis that was written soon after it was released, so i'm not at all taken aback by the retreat to a less grunge-y sound; if anything, it was the loudness that caught me off guard when i caught up with her again c. 2015. she's a quality songwriter one way or the other, and it really shouldn't be the guitar tone or the guitar volume that determines whether you're into what she's doing or not - it should be the atmosphere, the presentation and, for a lot of people, the lyrics. if this was just loud rock music to you, you only got it on the surface.
that said, this is a gamble for her, and she is going to lose the interest of a lot of people.
the question for me is whether the songwriting holds up, and it does seem to on first listen. the tonal collapse in the title track is pretty powerful, and the the highlight on the first listen through. on subsequent listens, what actually appears to define the record is it's stasis, rather than it's sudden shift - she's actually not doing much different here, she's just turned the volume down a little. this creates the perception of being different, when it actually mostly isn't. rather, if you were to chart the path she's taken, her path into rock music actually coincided with a move away from the kind of cathartic pagan presentation she started with, and into a kind of more normal "goth" rock, so that when she's taken the distortion out at the end, what's left is just a kind of sombre pop-rock. this is less a return to her roots, and more like an existentialist taylor swift on heroin. and, one of the things i noticed when i saw her come in to the show without her stage makeup is that she's not actually like this in real life, she just plays the part on tour - that she's just deranged for rock and roll. but, they all are.
so, i'm going to conclude it's actually a pretty good record, after all, if you like the style, even if it takes a few listens to recalibrate. there are points that remind me of the smashing pumpkins' adore, which may generate some snickers and dropped jaws when presented as a compliment, but the fans liked that one. it was the stuff after it that got really awful really fast....
i skipped the show because i thought it would be boring, and maybe my intuition was right. but, i suspect there was a song or two - a few moments - that were worth the price of admission on their own. and, you can ask around.
i hope she surprises me, but it's hard to follow this kind of artistic shift, and it usually signals creative death. so, even if you're not that keen on this, you should catch her while you can, if you want to. because the next one may be even more like taylor swift....
https://chelseawolfe.bandcamp.com/album/birth-of-violence
i did see her perform at the height of her popularity in mid-2016. my first exposure to chelsea wolfe was actually all the way back in 2011, though, and i will eventually post a review of apokalypsis that was written soon after it was released, so i'm not at all taken aback by the retreat to a less grunge-y sound; if anything, it was the loudness that caught me off guard when i caught up with her again c. 2015. she's a quality songwriter one way or the other, and it really shouldn't be the guitar tone or the guitar volume that determines whether you're into what she's doing or not - it should be the atmosphere, the presentation and, for a lot of people, the lyrics. if this was just loud rock music to you, you only got it on the surface.
that said, this is a gamble for her, and she is going to lose the interest of a lot of people.
the question for me is whether the songwriting holds up, and it does seem to on first listen. the tonal collapse in the title track is pretty powerful, and the the highlight on the first listen through. on subsequent listens, what actually appears to define the record is it's stasis, rather than it's sudden shift - she's actually not doing much different here, she's just turned the volume down a little. this creates the perception of being different, when it actually mostly isn't. rather, if you were to chart the path she's taken, her path into rock music actually coincided with a move away from the kind of cathartic pagan presentation she started with, and into a kind of more normal "goth" rock, so that when she's taken the distortion out at the end, what's left is just a kind of sombre pop-rock. this is less a return to her roots, and more like an existentialist taylor swift on heroin. and, one of the things i noticed when i saw her come in to the show without her stage makeup is that she's not actually like this in real life, she just plays the part on tour - that she's just deranged for rock and roll. but, they all are.
so, i'm going to conclude it's actually a pretty good record, after all, if you like the style, even if it takes a few listens to recalibrate. there are points that remind me of the smashing pumpkins' adore, which may generate some snickers and dropped jaws when presented as a compliment, but the fans liked that one. it was the stuff after it that got really awful really fast....
i skipped the show because i thought it would be boring, and maybe my intuition was right. but, i suspect there was a song or two - a few moments - that were worth the price of admission on their own. and, you can ask around.
i hope she surprises me, but it's hard to follow this kind of artistic shift, and it usually signals creative death. so, even if you're not that keen on this, you should catch her while you can, if you want to. because the next one may be even more like taylor swift....
https://chelseawolfe.bandcamp.com/album/birth-of-violence
Sunday, November 10, 2019
so, what happened on thursday?
mindful of the impending yearly catastrophe that canadians call winter, i did a large amount of grocery shopping on hallowe'en (which wasn't so bad weather wise, at least at first.) with the intent to allow for minimal foraging until the end of the month, while hoping for the opportunity to take advantage of a nice day or two, mid to late month. i knew i was going to have to get out to toronto at some point but i had no intention of getting to any concerts in the region until closer to the end of the month.
but, my laptop crashed on the night of the third (corrupt boot sector. lengthy but easy fix.), which gave me several days to sort through the listings for the month, and i pulled out a night i couldn't miss out on. would you skip this night?
detroit component:
early evening show: tchaikovsky's first piano concerto at the orchestra hall
evening show: black midi, which are a noise rock band from the uk that has worked with damo suzuki
windsor component:
late show: lushh, which are an electronic jazz band from kalamazoo
potential late late show: heart attack kids, which are a punk band from london, on
that's a stacked night. i couldn't miss it.
but, i missed it. this is what happened...
i was running a little late as it was, but when i got to the bus station in windsor, the attendant informed me that the tunnel was closing for the night. what that would mean is that i'd have to find a way to get back over the bridge after black midi and, even if i could figure it out, i'd blow the late shows. it just wasn't worth it. alas...
so, i just stayed in windsor, which meant i caught the early show at phog, and then the late show at phog and then the late late show at meteor (and then went back to phog for a beer).
lushh were passively enjoyable, but i actually didn't find them to be mind-bending in any particular way. i didn't want to just go home after coming face to face with the bus situation, so i stayed. but, i wouldn't actually go out of my way for this. it tended to drag a little with superfluous space-filling solos that actually weren't that great, creating a large amount of empty space that was often not taken advantage of as well as it could have been. i tend to pay more attention to guitarists, but it was the drummer that tended to carry them. he didn't seem that interested in the idea of aphex twin remixing queen, though; he treated the proposition like i was proposing some kind of infidelity. or, maybe that was masking a physical attraction that he didn't know how to grapple with. hey, that happens. i'll back off, but offer's open...
it's not like it was a bad show; if you get the chance, you should take the time to give it a few minutes. you'll note that the particular link i'm posting is a bit more guitar-focused (and also very recent), so it actually kind of demonstrates the point: it just didn't quite get off the ground, for me. i need a bit more than that to really get into it.
but, i would choose not to skip them a second time, just in case.
i ran across the street after the set to catch what was left and was kind of baffled by the energy, which i was not expecting. i'm actually not 100% certain what i even saw at all. what i was expecting was a kind of rootsy mid-period whites stripes kind of thing, but they showed up with a bassist and a female drummer (i think she was the drummer for wine lips, as she was using the wine lips kit) and just tore the place down. they introduced themselves as the heart attack kids, but this was not the same band. so, was it also the bassist for wine lips? is there some merging going on here?
it's been a while since i heard something quite like this, which actually had some nirvana-ish undertones in all of the right ways. like i say, it just ripped.
but, this is an emergent phenomenon, so i have no link to share - just the observation that the heart attack kids have evolved, and a recommendation that you check them out.
so, i ended up back at phog for a last beer, listened to some kids talk about philosophy and stuff and stumbled out late into the cold...
...and it was, indeed, cold - cold enough that i stopped a few times to warm up. i was reminded why i don't do this at this time of year. according to the thermostat, it wasn't that bad, but the wind was brutal. it was a difficult walk, at points.
but, i got me some nachos, took me a shower and then slept all day.
so, there's the review. it could be a while before the next one.
mindful of the impending yearly catastrophe that canadians call winter, i did a large amount of grocery shopping on hallowe'en (which wasn't so bad weather wise, at least at first.) with the intent to allow for minimal foraging until the end of the month, while hoping for the opportunity to take advantage of a nice day or two, mid to late month. i knew i was going to have to get out to toronto at some point but i had no intention of getting to any concerts in the region until closer to the end of the month.
but, my laptop crashed on the night of the third (corrupt boot sector. lengthy but easy fix.), which gave me several days to sort through the listings for the month, and i pulled out a night i couldn't miss out on. would you skip this night?
detroit component:
early evening show: tchaikovsky's first piano concerto at the orchestra hall
evening show: black midi, which are a noise rock band from the uk that has worked with damo suzuki
windsor component:
late show: lushh, which are an electronic jazz band from kalamazoo
potential late late show: heart attack kids, which are a punk band from london, on
that's a stacked night. i couldn't miss it.
but, i missed it. this is what happened...
i was running a little late as it was, but when i got to the bus station in windsor, the attendant informed me that the tunnel was closing for the night. what that would mean is that i'd have to find a way to get back over the bridge after black midi and, even if i could figure it out, i'd blow the late shows. it just wasn't worth it. alas...
so, i just stayed in windsor, which meant i caught the early show at phog, and then the late show at phog and then the late late show at meteor (and then went back to phog for a beer).
lushh were passively enjoyable, but i actually didn't find them to be mind-bending in any particular way. i didn't want to just go home after coming face to face with the bus situation, so i stayed. but, i wouldn't actually go out of my way for this. it tended to drag a little with superfluous space-filling solos that actually weren't that great, creating a large amount of empty space that was often not taken advantage of as well as it could have been. i tend to pay more attention to guitarists, but it was the drummer that tended to carry them. he didn't seem that interested in the idea of aphex twin remixing queen, though; he treated the proposition like i was proposing some kind of infidelity. or, maybe that was masking a physical attraction that he didn't know how to grapple with. hey, that happens. i'll back off, but offer's open...
it's not like it was a bad show; if you get the chance, you should take the time to give it a few minutes. you'll note that the particular link i'm posting is a bit more guitar-focused (and also very recent), so it actually kind of demonstrates the point: it just didn't quite get off the ground, for me. i need a bit more than that to really get into it.
but, i would choose not to skip them a second time, just in case.
i ran across the street after the set to catch what was left and was kind of baffled by the energy, which i was not expecting. i'm actually not 100% certain what i even saw at all. what i was expecting was a kind of rootsy mid-period whites stripes kind of thing, but they showed up with a bassist and a female drummer (i think she was the drummer for wine lips, as she was using the wine lips kit) and just tore the place down. they introduced themselves as the heart attack kids, but this was not the same band. so, was it also the bassist for wine lips? is there some merging going on here?
it's been a while since i heard something quite like this, which actually had some nirvana-ish undertones in all of the right ways. like i say, it just ripped.
but, this is an emergent phenomenon, so i have no link to share - just the observation that the heart attack kids have evolved, and a recommendation that you check them out.
so, i ended up back at phog for a last beer, listened to some kids talk about philosophy and stuff and stumbled out late into the cold...
...and it was, indeed, cold - cold enough that i stopped a few times to warm up. i was reminded why i don't do this at this time of year. according to the thermostat, it wasn't that bad, but the wind was brutal. it was a difficult walk, at points.
but, i got me some nachos, took me a shower and then slept all day.
so, there's the review. it could be a while before the next one.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
how was alessandro cortini, though?
he mostly did social network style stuff, which was predictable, but maybe not what i was expecting. he was on late and finished late. and, then, i was essentially stuck there listening to dubstep (which i can't stand) until the buses started running again.
when the works shut down, it seems to have opened up a void that is still kind of settling. but, it freed the scene up and gave rise to marble, which is a bar that has both a crowd and a stylistic focus that i greatly prefer over the works. like most of detroit, i actually hated the works - i hated the atmosphere, i hated the djs and i hated the scene. it was a gross, disgusting place full of gross, disgusting people - and very, very bad music. but, on some nights, it was the only party in town, and people seemed to not want to put on other parties because everybody was going there, anyways.
i've noticed recently that the dubstep kids are migrating to marble, and i'm hoping they don't settle in there. marble was great precisely because it wasn't full of the old works crowd of dubstep people. it was an older and less shallow audience, over all. it might be too late, though, and if they settle in, and the management embraces them, i might find myself needing to look somewhere else. for now, i've got plaid coming up at the start of the month and we'll see what happens next year...
personally, i think that the leland club is a better spot for the dubstep kids. those goth nights are always dead, and they've been upstaged by small's, anyways. they could save their bar by becoming the new works, and that would be fine with me, if it means protecting marble from the wubbz invasion, and everything that means.
however the dust settles, i'm just hoping there's a consistent way to avoid dubstep on a weekly basis. for a while, there wasn't, and i ended up hanging out in a place that i didn't actually really want to be in - and, as it turns out, didn't really want me there, either.
he mostly did social network style stuff, which was predictable, but maybe not what i was expecting. he was on late and finished late. and, then, i was essentially stuck there listening to dubstep (which i can't stand) until the buses started running again.
when the works shut down, it seems to have opened up a void that is still kind of settling. but, it freed the scene up and gave rise to marble, which is a bar that has both a crowd and a stylistic focus that i greatly prefer over the works. like most of detroit, i actually hated the works - i hated the atmosphere, i hated the djs and i hated the scene. it was a gross, disgusting place full of gross, disgusting people - and very, very bad music. but, on some nights, it was the only party in town, and people seemed to not want to put on other parties because everybody was going there, anyways.
i've noticed recently that the dubstep kids are migrating to marble, and i'm hoping they don't settle in there. marble was great precisely because it wasn't full of the old works crowd of dubstep people. it was an older and less shallow audience, over all. it might be too late, though, and if they settle in, and the management embraces them, i might find myself needing to look somewhere else. for now, i've got plaid coming up at the start of the month and we'll see what happens next year...
personally, i think that the leland club is a better spot for the dubstep kids. those goth nights are always dead, and they've been upstaged by small's, anyways. they could save their bar by becoming the new works, and that would be fine with me, if it means protecting marble from the wubbz invasion, and everything that means.
however the dust settles, i'm just hoping there's a consistent way to avoid dubstep on a weekly basis. for a while, there wasn't, and i ended up hanging out in a place that i didn't actually really want to be in - and, as it turns out, didn't really want me there, either.
i mean, what they told me was that i was "making people uncomfortable". not a specific person, but "people", in general.
i asked for them to be more specific, and they declined. i was not able to properly decode the statement, and i've never been able to build the full context.
my perception of myself is that the only people that i tend to make uncomfortable are homophobic men - and i know that's a real thing. so, when somebody comes up to me and says "you have to leave because you're making people feel uncomfortable", and then declines to elaborate, i can't draw any other real deduction - i must have been thrown out for upsetting the men in the bar.
and, the bar was almost entirely full of men at that point, as well, which is probably why i became the focus of attention - there were all these guys looking around for girls, and i was what was there. if there were more women in the bar, i probably would have escaped notice.
as mentioned - that's the only example i have, because i don't actually like to go to upper class type places, anyways.
but, i'm not going to put a shirt on. i'll go somewhere else, instead. sorry.
i asked for them to be more specific, and they declined. i was not able to properly decode the statement, and i've never been able to build the full context.
my perception of myself is that the only people that i tend to make uncomfortable are homophobic men - and i know that's a real thing. so, when somebody comes up to me and says "you have to leave because you're making people feel uncomfortable", and then declines to elaborate, i can't draw any other real deduction - i must have been thrown out for upsetting the men in the bar.
and, the bar was almost entirely full of men at that point, as well, which is probably why i became the focus of attention - there were all these guys looking around for girls, and i was what was there. if there were more women in the bar, i probably would have escaped notice.
as mentioned - that's the only example i have, because i don't actually like to go to upper class type places, anyways.
but, i'm not going to put a shirt on. i'll go somewhere else, instead. sorry.
the reality is that i don't think it's ever actually come up, because i
don't tend to be drawn to those kinds of places, anyways. i don't recall
ever being turned away anywhere. but, i don't have any memories of
actually going anywhere that would make it an issue or want to turn me
away, either. 98% of the time that i'm in a bar, it's to see a concert
and, for the other 2% of the time, i would naturally avoid a place like
that out of reflex, and seek out the dive bar down the street, instead.
i've never had a group of friends that would say "let's go to this bar
with a dress code", either - i've always preferred social groups that
consist of anarchists, punks and nerds that would rather hang out in
dive bars, in the first place.
that night that i got thrown out of the works probably had a lot do with what i was wearing, but it was a gender expression thing. i never really got a straight answer, but i appear to have upset some guys at the bar via a combination of turning on their girlfriends and confusing them about what my gender was. i was there on that night to see allessandro cortini, and he seems to have attracted a lot of heteronormative meatheads to what is generally a sleazy dance bar. so, yes - they probably threw me out for what i was wearing, but it was more of a gender thing than a class thing, and all i can do is point out that it reflects exceedingly poorly on the bar owners and management. the bar has since closed.
i have no other examples.
and, my only request to the new detroit is that they tell me before hand so i can avoid anywhere that wants to put one down.
that night that i got thrown out of the works probably had a lot do with what i was wearing, but it was a gender expression thing. i never really got a straight answer, but i appear to have upset some guys at the bar via a combination of turning on their girlfriends and confusing them about what my gender was. i was there on that night to see allessandro cortini, and he seems to have attracted a lot of heteronormative meatheads to what is generally a sleazy dance bar. so, yes - they probably threw me out for what i was wearing, but it was more of a gender thing than a class thing, and all i can do is point out that it reflects exceedingly poorly on the bar owners and management. the bar has since closed.
i have no other examples.
and, my only request to the new detroit is that they tell me before hand so i can avoid anywhere that wants to put one down.
actually, my perspective on dress codes is to request that you publish
them ahead of time so i know to avoid your party or establishment.
obviously, nobody likes meeting a bouncer that is going to refuse you
entry based on your clothing. it's a frustrating and embarrassing
situation for everybody. but, i'm not the kind of person that is going
to change my appearance to fit it, or want to spend time in a place that
enforces rules on what you can or can't wear. further, i fully reject
all kinds of hierarchy - i'm an anarchist. so, i'm not going to like the
people there any more than they're going to like me. the disinterest is
mutual. i do not want to be at a party with a dress code.
if you publish it ahead of time, you can save everybody the hassle - i'll go somewhere else. and, i can launch into an argument about property rights, but it's ultimately inconsequential, in context. the best outcome is that we avoid each other.
i'd just request that communication around the issue be upfront and clear, well ahead of time.
if you publish it ahead of time, you can save everybody the hassle - i'll go somewhere else. and, i can launch into an argument about property rights, but it's ultimately inconsequential, in context. the best outcome is that we avoid each other.
i'd just request that communication around the issue be upfront and clear, well ahead of time.
on the origin of the term 'black midi', i would have to think it has a lot to do with an early 70s zappa composition.
when you stump terry bozio, you're doing something hard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Page
yes, early 70s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Page
i have to admit that i'm not particularly familiar with sibelius, and
that this is a piece that does not develop into much interesting to me.
but, there's a tchaikovsky piece opening that i'm more familiar with and
i wouldn't mind catching.
but, there's a tchaikovsky piece opening that i'm more familiar with and i wouldn't mind catching.
that means i can potentially program an exciting thursday night, maybe.
1) 19:30-21:30 - tchaikovsky's first piano concerto + sibelius, maybe
2) 22:00-23:30 - black midi @ deluxx fluxx (somebody gave me free tickets.)
3) 00:00-02:00 - lushh @ phog. this is electronic jazz.
and, i could maybe catch the heart attack kids + wine lips across the street if the timing syncs up, which...if i'm right there anyways, why not?
it's not going to be the nicest night, but that's just it - that's the kind of night i need to go out in this weather, and i wasn't getting it for the other nights i was looking at, or for any other night next week. if i can pull that off, it's worth it. and, it might be the only thing this month that actually is worth it, too.
what else am i looking at, though?
12th - weeping icon + paint thinner. probably not, though.
13th - anamanaguchi early + ilkae late, or maybe just ilkae. i might not think just going for the autechre knockoff in windsor is worth it. i probably won't actually do this, but it's a night, at least.
16th - la dispute/touche amore + late show @ phog. do i actually want to go, though? it's probably superfluous. there may be cheaper shows in detroit, or i may want to stay in.
that's what we've got for this month, total, so far.
but, there's a tchaikovsky piece opening that i'm more familiar with and i wouldn't mind catching.
that means i can potentially program an exciting thursday night, maybe.
1) 19:30-21:30 - tchaikovsky's first piano concerto + sibelius, maybe
2) 22:00-23:30 - black midi @ deluxx fluxx (somebody gave me free tickets.)
3) 00:00-02:00 - lushh @ phog. this is electronic jazz.
and, i could maybe catch the heart attack kids + wine lips across the street if the timing syncs up, which...if i'm right there anyways, why not?
it's not going to be the nicest night, but that's just it - that's the kind of night i need to go out in this weather, and i wasn't getting it for the other nights i was looking at, or for any other night next week. if i can pull that off, it's worth it. and, it might be the only thing this month that actually is worth it, too.
what else am i looking at, though?
12th - weeping icon + paint thinner. probably not, though.
13th - anamanaguchi early + ilkae late, or maybe just ilkae. i might not think just going for the autechre knockoff in windsor is worth it. i probably won't actually do this, but it's a night, at least.
16th - la dispute/touche amore + late show @ phog. do i actually want to go, though? it's probably superfluous. there may be cheaper shows in detroit, or i may want to stay in.
that's what we've got for this month, total, so far.
i think it's interesting that this advertised as being "for meditation",
because it kind of pushes the point - as a piece of music, it's not
very exciting. oddly, perhaps it's not intended to be exciting.
i would find it to be terribly boring in a live setting, myself.
https://tetramusicproject.bandcamp.com/album/resolution
there's
reasons why i may find the premise of mixing electronic music with lead
guitar work to be interesting; that is, after all, what i do, myself.
but, this is just exceedingly dry on both levels. as a guitarist, his
style is just dead - no passion, no emotion in the playing. and, as an
electronic composer, he's just running off ableton templates; there's
not a lot of thought put into this, in either direction.
but,
if it simultaneously fails on an intellectual level and on a corporeal
level, perhaps it succeeds on the level of being a kind of elevator
music, for exactly the reason it fails at being compelling electronic
music or compelling guitar music. but, if that's the case, perhaps you
want to listen to it alone when you're reading, or perhaps as a sleep
aid, rather than go out and see it performed live.
https://tetramusicproject.bandcamp.com/album/resolution
we know that life began with amino acids. but, we don't know the answer
to the fundamental question: amino acids....or astro amino acids?
https://theaminoacids.bandcamp.com/album/humanity-will-fall-like-pins-2
i've
had many chances to see them when they were closer to the tunnel, and
i've missed every one. i'm not going to make it out to hamtramck on a
weeknight in the cold.
but, if you like man...or astroman? and you've got a few hours to blow next week, then this is happening.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
this is the night before anamanaguchi, and, see, you have to get that my interest in this is purely musical - i'm not the
grown-up that spent my childhood lost in metroid or zelda or whatever
else. i played a lot of civ, and i listened to my own cds doing it.
so, i'm going to analyze this purely musically, and, on that level, it's really just kind of dorky metal. really. it's not that different than iron maiden or judas priest.
if you're around though....
so, i'm going to analyze this purely musically, and, on that level, it's really just kind of dorky metal. really. it's not that different than iron maiden or judas priest.
if you're around though....
ugh.
https://bluehawaii.bandcamp.com/album/open-reduction-internal-fixation
tell her to release another braids record.
i had a conversation with one of the guitarists from anamanaguchi the
first time i saw them, at the saw gallery in ottawa, some time in 2011
or 2012. the opening act that night, fwiw, was supposed to be moon king,
but they couldn't make it up the 401 and 416 due to the blizzard. so,
it was during the winter of 2011-2012....
they weren't selling alcohol at club saw at the time, so i had to run across to avant-garde to take some shots during the extreme animals set.
i actually wasn't excited about moon king anyways - as a spiral beach fan, i found the material to be a move backwards and in the wrong direction. to take things full circle, i saw spiral beach open for the white stripes at the bluesfest in 2007 (and also at zaphod's....i think, twice). i was more impressed by airick's stuff with doldrums. i digress.
we had a brief talk about guitar tone, and i pointed out that i'd really like to hear the band take it to the next level regarding the psych guitars - for them to jump from doubling the 8-bit parts to actually harmonizing with them. i was expecting him to agree with me, but he shot me down rather harshly. he was actually more interested in taking the band in a more quintessentially japanese direction, and suggested i should expect them to do less chiptune and more j-pop.
"like ymo?", i suggested. meekly.
"no. poppier than that..."
so, i found myself disappointed in the second record, but not surprised by it. they were broadcasting the point. i saw them in a larger bar in ottawa in early 2013, but left them behind at that point due to artistic differences. i didn't have a lot of interest in the direction they were going in.
the new record is more mature than their last one, there's no question about that. this is certainly a giant leap forwards. i bet they even used a 64-bit recording module. think about that - it's anamanaguchi^2. in all seriousness, it's not a fair comparison, but i'm not sure their audience is going to follow them down this path. and, i'm certainly not going to have the same kind of fun dancing to this that i did dancing to my skateboard will go on, while fucked up on vodka in the dank basement of an art gallery in the middle of the winter.
rather, this would be more of interest to fans of generalized millennial faux indie rock, like imagine dragons. it's only a tad more punk than that, and a tad more trance than it, too. there's bits of, like, 65dos in the ambiance. but, the only traces of 8-bit that remain are gimmicks.
that said, if you like that style, you might consider this top notch because it kind of actually is, relatively speaking. in a relative sense, it blows imagine dragon out of the water....but it still kind of just blows, in an absolute sense.
have fun, kids. i'm going to check something else out...
https://anamanaguchi.bandcamp.com/album/usa
they weren't selling alcohol at club saw at the time, so i had to run across to avant-garde to take some shots during the extreme animals set.
i actually wasn't excited about moon king anyways - as a spiral beach fan, i found the material to be a move backwards and in the wrong direction. to take things full circle, i saw spiral beach open for the white stripes at the bluesfest in 2007 (and also at zaphod's....i think, twice). i was more impressed by airick's stuff with doldrums. i digress.
we had a brief talk about guitar tone, and i pointed out that i'd really like to hear the band take it to the next level regarding the psych guitars - for them to jump from doubling the 8-bit parts to actually harmonizing with them. i was expecting him to agree with me, but he shot me down rather harshly. he was actually more interested in taking the band in a more quintessentially japanese direction, and suggested i should expect them to do less chiptune and more j-pop.
"like ymo?", i suggested. meekly.
"no. poppier than that..."
so, i found myself disappointed in the second record, but not surprised by it. they were broadcasting the point. i saw them in a larger bar in ottawa in early 2013, but left them behind at that point due to artistic differences. i didn't have a lot of interest in the direction they were going in.
the new record is more mature than their last one, there's no question about that. this is certainly a giant leap forwards. i bet they even used a 64-bit recording module. think about that - it's anamanaguchi^2. in all seriousness, it's not a fair comparison, but i'm not sure their audience is going to follow them down this path. and, i'm certainly not going to have the same kind of fun dancing to this that i did dancing to my skateboard will go on, while fucked up on vodka in the dank basement of an art gallery in the middle of the winter.
rather, this would be more of interest to fans of generalized millennial faux indie rock, like imagine dragons. it's only a tad more punk than that, and a tad more trance than it, too. there's bits of, like, 65dos in the ambiance. but, the only traces of 8-bit that remain are gimmicks.
that said, if you like that style, you might consider this top notch because it kind of actually is, relatively speaking. in a relative sense, it blows imagine dragon out of the water....but it still kind of just blows, in an absolute sense.
have fun, kids. i'm going to check something else out...
https://anamanaguchi.bandcamp.com/album/usa
this is at the new bar in windsor on thursday night, and while it's not
the kind of thing i'd go out of my way to see, i could very well walk
past it on my way home from a show in detroit.
there's some moments in the longer tracks, but i'd consider it a little too tame for me, over all - too boxy, too repetitive, kind of generic. when she tries to break out, she mostly actually doesn't, she hits the boundary and bounces back.
if they could take it up a level to the next level of abstraction, it would be more compelling.
but, like i say, i might be walking by.
https://winelips.bandcamp.com/album/stressor-2
there's some moments in the longer tracks, but i'd consider it a little too tame for me, over all - too boxy, too repetitive, kind of generic. when she tries to break out, she mostly actually doesn't, she hits the boundary and bounces back.
if they could take it up a level to the next level of abstraction, it would be more compelling.
https://winelips.bandcamp.com/album/stressor-2
if you like amber period autechre, this might be worth the beer tomorrow night in windsor.
https://soundcloud.com/d-troy
personally, not in this weather.
it has a bit of a heavy u2 back-crossing to it, but this is otherwise even mixed to sound like an early cure record.
https://unmaker.bandcamp.com/
the
thing about those cure records that none of the copycats get is the
influence from progressive and psychedelic forms of music, which opened
the tracks up both horizontally and vertically. you could try to
describe this in terms of detail or complexity, but i think the blunt
truth is just that essentially nothing that rips on the cure is as good as the cure. no, i do this on purpose, as the most articulate means of expression is sometimes the most simplistic one.
if you love the style, i'm sure it'll be worth the beer, but i'd rather stay at home and listen to the real thing, or watch it on youtube.
if you love the style, i'm sure it'll be worth the beer, but i'd rather stay at home and listen to the real thing, or watch it on youtube.
they can cite can or the stooges if they want, but it actually sounds
like late doors. and, while this isn't the end of the review, i want to
break on through to the other side...
...of that line break. there. done. k.
in
fact, he even cites them as he's doing a clear late morrison
impersonation, which is why the universe just imploded without you even
noticing.
the first track has a neat climax, but it's kind of prodding and boring, overall.
if
you like late doors, though, maybe with a dash of faust, it's tonight,
on the edges of hamtramck. don't forget to bring a jacket.
this is tonight in windsor, and it would be worth a beer if it wasn't so awful out, and i didn't feel so gross, in general. i don't know what it is, but i haven't felt so great since i came in last month. as it is, i'm just not feeling very social today.
what i will say is that the reason i stopped to listen is that phog is advertising him as a virtuoso jazz musician, and i'm not hearing that in the recordings i've found. this ep seems to have a little bit of live playing, but the other one appears to actually be mostly sample-based.
it's probably not his fault; he probably didn't write up the event listing. so, i don't want to delve into a critical analysis of his skills that he likely didn't bring on himself. further, i could be wrong - i might be missing a real spectacle. but, i suspect the write-up is just off base. his playing is competent, and it might be a different thing for a lot of kids to see nowadays, but it's not particularly impressive, from a jazz-fusion perspective, and as that's what i'd really be going to see, it hasn't convinced me.
it's probably not his fault; he probably didn't write up the event listing. so, i don't want to delve into a critical analysis of his skills that he likely didn't bring on himself. further, i could be wrong - i might be missing a real spectacle. but, i suspect the write-up is just off base. his playing is competent, and it might be a different thing for a lot of kids to see nowadays, but it's not particularly impressive, from a jazz-fusion perspective, and as that's what i'd really be going to see, it hasn't convinced me.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
apologies - i've been at home typing, but my head has been fuzzy and blurry for much of the last few weeks. i've been sleeping a lot. i tend to prefer a state of alertness when i'm analyzing music, and it's just been fleeting right now.
i have a chelsea wolfe review coming; i've been listening to it off and on since the 23rd.
but, i'm posting right now to drop the link for the chronologically ordered version of the 11/2013 blog,which is 110 pages.
http://books.noisetrade.com/j/112013-deathtokoalas
this blog is a little different than the others, as these archives are not static. i kind of forgot that. but, it will be a long while before i start doing more reviews, too...
====
unfortunately, noise trade did not work out as a hosting solution, and i never got a clear answer as to why. but, i decided in the end that the site was full of ads and unworkable, anyways.
the readable version of the november, 2013 archive for this blog is now available as a standalone in the music journal package at bandcamp:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/11-2013-music-journal
...or as a component in the half year archive at smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1026620
...or as a component in the first reconstruction phase archive, available in the following places:
https://www.lulu.com/en/ca/shop/jessica-murray/full-first-reconstruction-phase-deathtokoalas-blog/ebook/product-zrgr94.html
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10DbwOVdqWt73rHNzWJWgEfduzREogExX/view
i have a chelsea wolfe review coming; i've been listening to it off and on since the 23rd.
but, i'm posting right now to drop the link for the chronologically ordered version of the 11/2013 blog,
this blog is a little different than the others, as these archives are not static. i kind of forgot that. but, it will be a long while before i start doing more reviews, too...
====
unfortunately, noise trade did not work out as a hosting solution, and i never got a clear answer as to why. but, i decided in the end that the site was full of ads and unworkable, anyways.
the readable version of the november, 2013 archive for this blog is now available as a standalone in the music journal package at bandcamp:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/11-2013-music-journal
...or as a component in the half year archive at smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1026620
...or as a component in the first reconstruction phase archive, available in the following places:
https://www.lulu.com/en/ca/shop/jessica-murray/full-first-reconstruction-phase-deathtokoalas-blog/ebook/product-zrgr94.html
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10DbwOVdqWt73rHNzWJWgEfduzREogExX/view
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