Sounds from my Garage

how could this be

2008-12-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

How could it be that I have the center of Scottish punk/twee/rock here in my backyard and I have not heard anything about The Shop Assistants? How is this possible that a lead singer with a voice of milk and honey front a fabulously pop post-punk quartet and I was not aware?

Perhaps the reason lies in the timing of this wonderful mid 80's Scottish band to roughly the same period that Salem 66 was hitting the airwaves (small local college radio airwaves mind you).

I blame all my Scottish friends who happen to be sociologists in sabbaticals at UW for not introducing me to the sublime pop that is this band. Pop has gotten a bad name since the reigns of Brittney Spears and her ilk, but this is pure unadulterated joyful pop for the young and for the un-cynical (for those ur-cynical among us it is a chance to get back to that cool naive place of your earlier years when music was everything, and getting to the next show the most important matter ahead).

For comparison I give you our own American (Boston) Salem 66 and Scotlands own The Shop Assisstants.

The Shop Assisstants: Safety Net
Salem 66: Postcard

PS listen to the voices, listen to the inflection in their voice, that minor key melancholy dripping over the punk guitars... the key juxtaposition to post-punk pop.

Sunday Morning, Brings the Sun In...

2008-11-30T09:38:00.001-08:00

It is Sunday Morning, the fog is in and the coffee is being made (fresh whole beans ground...) and the NYT awaits unfurled from its delivery. Hmmm, very idyllic scene. No Twinkies, Haggis, or other sundry foods to clog the palate. Nice morning, except for son number one complaining bitterly about typing his middle school essay application.

His complaints do add a slight cacophonous air to the otherwise stillness out there.

Alas, I did find the Pica Beats (a local Seattle band, in the above picture playing the small, acoustically changellenged Chop Sueys Venue) on Amazon mp3 download. This band are the direct inheritors of Olympia's K-records sound, that American version of twee including Beat Happening, etc. With staccato playing, young sounding voices and quirky lyrics they take up the reigns of that idea, that concept... that innocent and senstivie can be art too.

the pica beats: shallow dive

Oh by the way I used to write about music.

2008-11-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

With the return of ever impudent RoaringMachine and the local visit of the infamous Colin ,destroyer of screen doors, I had to write something...

The local indie rock station were playing some songs that I had not heard of prior but had to know more about.

AC Berkheimer hail from Holland and that is all I know. They play an 80's influenced indie-rock with shoe-gazery guitars and soft female vocals making for a very cool combination. The guitars have a hint of My Bloody Valentine but much softer, and the singing reminds me of their countrymen Bettie Serveert (may all the dutch sound alike... or something).

Well nonetheless here is:

AC Berkheimer: Ordinary Days
AC Berkheimer: For He's not There

PS: I may try to post in a frequency of more often than every 6 months

PPS: not only does he like walking through doors he seems to now be an amateur pornographer

A request

2008-05-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

It is not often we get requests on this little blog, so for ANON a first time event.

Also this is from a band that is under esteemed and under appreciated. Further, from a scene that happened in LA in the 80's that is almost becoming forgotten. The LA psychadelic revival that happened during that time lead by the Three O'clock and The Bangles' sunshine power pop but also fed by the underground sound of bands like To Damascus (I have both LPs and will work hard to digitize them).

So, again for your perusing pleasure the dark, the melancholic:

To Damascus: Night Surfing (From Succumb)

one more week, and yet here we are

2008-05-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have not any new knife sets so my fingers survived another week unscathed. Son number one really wanted a ripstick-G so to keep him outside instead of watching the TV all day, I succumbed to his pleas and bought him one. It is basically a skate board but with two wheels rather than 4... so now he has all the scrapes and cuts.

Now, the new Scarlet Johansen single "hit" just last week... I will save you my invective against ego rich Hollywood stars who feel so "empty" by the vacuousness of her peers and her own career and thus being the rebel she has always been she will let the country into her private rich meaningful world where art, angst, ennui, but ultimately hope work together to make some sort of stew (perhaps a pot-au-feu) of her emotions, and now we the lovers of real music, are privileged to see it writ large on MTV as the new video by a misunderstood artist. Yes I must spare you my invective... it just isn't nice.

KEXP being perhaps among the best radio stations in the known universe introduced me to this up and coming band from Oxford England. They are Foals. They hail from Oxford and I suspect someone among the motley crew that reads my blog may have blogged about them, if so, then I apologize. They have some of the dance energy of the Arctic Monkeys but with a little more spare sound perhaps ala early Gang of Four. They include a strong percussion, synthesizer and the occasional brass instrument to make the mix work.

Foals: There Are Birds
Foals: Balloons

Late in the day... or is it night?

2008-04-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

(the above picture is graffiti from a grain elevator in Minnesota, found here)

I spoke with a friend recently who has not been feeling as happy as we would all hope, in fact down right sad is the word to describe her. It is sometimes hard to find someone who is not sad out there who does not annoy the heck out of you (I have been blamed for a sunny disposition, but my friends, it is a but a facade for unrequited angst and ennui...). I have spoken to others as well, not as recently, and sadness is the main color of the week.

The above picture somehow captures sadness like Münch's "The Scream" encapsulates angst and fear. The context in which it was found, in some lonely grain silo in the middle of nowhere, where no one would likely see it just adds context to the sense of alienation and despair that the simple hyeroglyphic was meant to convey. Who was the author? I wonder if I would say "hello." I wonder if it would matter.

I have been meaning to post a song from this band since I first heard them because it is energetic and has that pure rock joie de vibre that makes young kids pick up guitars to join bands (that and the drugs and sex of course).

The band is Girl in a Coma and they are from Texas. An all girl rock band of Tex-Mex kids who opened for the great Moz in the not too distant past.

I don't generally post videos but watching the featured hispanic kids dancing and listening to this indie band in the old rundown sketchy bar reminds me of me. The fun they seem to have, their dress, their dancing... all that makes me smile.

Hurrah for alterlatinos everywhere.

Girl in a Coma: Clumsy Sky

Interestingly Enough:

2008-04-19T18:11:00.001-07:00

(a picture of Alki beach we took on a recent walk, kinda reminds me of Rothko somehow).

Today as I took a shower I heard the door ring and then silence. I guess whoever it had been was summarily dismissed by the kids watchful suspiciousness of all people knocking unannounced.

When I got out, youngest daughter Luci told me that the Hobos had come to our door. "The Hobos?" I asked. Luci told me that two men Hobos and a younger kid Hobo (who made up the motley crew known as the Hobos) had come to the door to give us presents.

Daughter Luci however, was too wise and sent these Hobos home without so much as a welcome cup of tea.

After much deductive thinking and finding a copy of the "Watchtower" on our door we found out that "the Hobos" were in fact Jehovah's [witnesses].

I heard today's musical interlude as I perused other blogs. I was looking around the excellent MP3Hugger where I heard a new band from San Francisco that I don't know much about (they do have a blogger page though): The Empty Rooms. They evoke that beautiful guitar drone of their Southern neighbors from LA, the Meeting Places, but also have some of the psychedelic 60's guitar twang thrown in for a good atmospheric jangle and finally, and perhaps, most interestingly the sparse moodiness of the great band Ride (although the opening drums don't hint at this). Why is it generally when I leave a place (be it LA or San Francisco) that a great music revival seems to happen?

The Empty Rooms: We've Been Waiting for you.

Dark Heavy Sounds

2008-04-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

(today is Wednesday and here is Wednesday Addams)

I found two interesting versions of one my favorite Fugazi songs. One of those songs that when I first heard it on the radio I had to stop and try to find out who was the author prior to getting out of the car (thereby being late to work as I waited for 2-3 other songs to pass until the break so the DJ can name the bands).

Fugazi, fronted by the iconoclastic straight-edge Ian MacKaye, was the more rhythmic transformation of the hard-core band Minor Threat from Washington DC. The Waiting Room originally appeared in the Fugazi (EP) 12" from 1988-89. The almost ascetic MacKaye is still going strong with his straight-edge, no alcohol, no drug, vegetarian and non-corporate mind-set.

I have failed the straight-edge way of life in 3 out of 4 categories.

Here is a live version of Fugazi followed by an acoustic version by Bishop Allen from South x Southwest (the great Austin Texas music festival).

Fugazi: Waiting Room (live)

Bishop Allen: Waiting Room (cover)

NIce one, isn't it.

2008-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

I just joined facebook, and am I am now part of the electronic internet thinga-magic era where we are all inter-connected via digital formats.

It is an interesting way to connect with people. Whereas the phone at home was the only way to get communicate with someone, now I can use their cell, I can text, I can email of course, I can leave messages on their blogs, and now I can use facebook and leave a message on their page. Stop by and become a friend if you wish...

It is a beautiful day here in Seattle with the heat reaching a roasting 76 Farenheit (24.4 C for those of you in Europe or those using the metric system). I choose to spend the day tinkering with my camera and learning better iPhoto and Photoshop techniques. At least it is restful and that is what I am after today.

REM has been one of my favourite bands since 1983. I moved to the United States from Peru in the early 80's. I remember while in Peru the popular music was disco, Peruvian pop and the Bee Gess, musically I never felt inspired (except for my Dad's Bethoven collection), I never felt moved by "pop" or "rock" music back then.

I remember quite clearly the day we were driving in my dad's car back in '83 and as part of fiddling with the receiver he came upon the local (Los Angeles) alternative radio station KROQ and there for my virgin ears was REM's Radio Free Europe. I was immediately touched and made to experience this personal, immediacy, this moving epiphany. I yelled at my parent's to not change the station.

For the next several days I scoured the radio stations listening for that song again with tape at the ready.

Life has not been the same since.

REM: Let Me In (A powerful distorted guitar that rips the jingle jangle label from this band)

REM: Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars) (one of the earlier songs in all their jangle magic)

The Worst Thing in the World!

2008-04-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

The worst thing in the world, my friends, is not global warming, Darfur, or the current American administration... no, the worst thing in the world is the sock drawer.

A large percentage of us dress for work, wear dress pants, and shoes and therefore socks (although I surmise from some of your comments that this is not all of us reading now: DC Lawyer I'm looking at you). However, if you live in these Northern Climes where a large chunk of the year is spent in total darkness until roughly noon, finding a pair of socks, or even a pair of socks in the same hue-family in the morning is a frustrating and difficult job. I have been made late to work looking for two just similar toned socks, and the number of times that I have gone to work with a blue and a black sock that looked the same under the cover of darkness is countless.

Why not turn on the light? Because lovely wife needs her morning sleep. Why not get a flash light? I can't even find that in the morning dark. Why not pair the socks after they come out of the drier? To do that might endanger the épater la bourgeoisie attitude that I live my life by

So without further ado, a song and composer that has nothing to do with socks:

Liz Phair: Girls! Girls! Girls!

Now, where was I?

2008-04-08T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am still here, hanging around by the skin of my teeth... or it should be the skin of my fingers. I love to cook so I wanted to upgrade my Wusthof knife set to something better and yes: cooler. So as fancy sophisticates are wont to do we headed to the Pike Place Market and went in to the one of the best knife stores in these here United States (knowledge gleaned from my world tour of all things sharp and shiny: there is a joke here somewhere).

We bought a set of the famed Sha Ra Ku Mono knives. Japanese steel knives forged in the centuries old tradition of... something or other Japanese sounding.

They slice through frozen butter, like non-frozen butter... oooh aaah.

Slices a tomato efficiently and quickly (so quick that I cut my index finger). I then proceeded to cut some bread and then rack of lamb... and cut my thumb and my other index finger.

Friends, the sight small children running from a gushing arterial bleed is something indeed to behold, and I still look on that day fondly (especially since it was yesterday).

Music wise, I will continue to promote the amazing musical resurgence of Los Angeles, California. While I lived in So-Cal (Southern California for my European friends) there was good music. There has always been interesting music in LA, but while I lived there the Red Hot Chilly Pepper, Red Kross, and Jane's Addiction were ascendent as well as all things Goth (music that was wonderful and fun but not as fulfilling as the current batch I dare say) . Now there seems to be a simpler, slightly dark, but yet very uplifting (for me) sound emerging. I have not hidden my love for Silversun Pickups, Midnight Movies, Meeting Places, et al. Today I add to that amazing list Autolux.

Please enjoy with a glass of wine at your side:

Autolux: Plantlife

Autolux: Blanket

PS, if you wish to download use the linked song title.

so... what was I talking about?

2008-04-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Enough excuses: for a while there I kept thinking that everyone wrote better than I did and their choice in music was more inspired than mine. Keeping up with the Joneses became a little less fun. I have drunk some tea and feel ready to not compare my self to others and play nice again

So I took a break... then a longer break. Then of course college basketball started (for my European friends that is like Football but without the kicking bit) and I became slightly addicted to the whole process. I also took son #1 snowboarding for the first time 2 months ago and we have gone every weekend since. I would have done it earlier but I was afraid of what the mountain would do to my previously fractured hip. it helps that the kid sticks to green and now blue runs (for my non-skiing European friends, that is like Football, but with a lot more snow).

However, can I revive my sense of having perhaps the best taste in music in the world? It helps that at work the radio (which I control) has been continuously set to KEXP which is perhaps the best radio station in the UNIVERSE!

Well the songs that said to me "post some music!" (which is a strange thing for music to say) were the "Nothing Song" by Sigur Ros, and The National "Mistaken for Strangers". I will try to soon post something akin to those bands, or perhaps something completely different.

Ladytron: Discotraxx

PS Thanks for the messages from Colin, Fil, Jag, Nico, Marcie et al that kept me thinking man I got to post something.

Hard to keep up.

2008-01-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

Today is Sunday and it is time to dread the upcoming week of work. What better way to relax than sitting at the TV with a bottle of Cote Du Rhone? However, an interesting thing happened when I watched "Deal or No Deal" with Howie Mandell and drank a glass of wine. I felt somehow stupefied and did not seem to care to much about the upcoming week and all the work left to do tomorrow. This must be a new yet-to-be-discovered drug for the pre-Monday blues: 2 parts wine and 1 part Howie Mandell (extreme caution must be used when taking more than a single dose of Howie since seizures have been reported).

What kind of Sunday music can one choose? For this wee blog I like to upload something that I enjoy per se rather than for our new communal blog where there is some sort of message in the musical piece chosen.

How about some music from Sweden then. This song has all the makings of a twee hit with the gentle sudued vocals of Karolina Komstedt and dowm tempo but light pop sounds. This is a band that both Colin and Marcy would enjoy (... I think).

Club 8: Heaven

Hello 2008

2008-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Yay...

It's 2008 and another year to not do all the things that I planned: like learn photography, read more or go to the moon more often.

However, there is a communal blog that has sprung eternal from the likes of me, Colin, Marcy, and Nico. This blog is in evolution and who knows what it will become. Who knows if it can survive 4 people who have never seen each other... well two had lunch once, and actually worked together for 2 years, but that is not important right now.

So come on over and read some interesting ideas on fun, heartbreak and all things moody and in between... but not written from some emo kids perspective. No, more like from a britpop kid or perhaps twee kid that just drunk too much Zima and is a little despondent.

Or maybe it's written by people whom you have read in other blogs and are almost like family now and to not go would be like not going to Easter Brunch with the family, and then the whole year the family would remind you that you forgot to come to this event just this once and how awful it was for everyone involved, especially for poor old dear granny who is close to one hundred and twenty three today... well maybe it is not like that at all (or even close).

Here is the blog again in case you missed it.

Here is some cool music

Frank Black and The Catholics: St Francis Dam Disaster

Goodbye 2007!

2007-12-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

When I am asked, as it happens frequently, what I am doing on New Years Eve I say the truth: going to bed.

There was a time when doing something exciting and cool on the 31st of December was one of the most important events to schedule. I would drive all over San Francisco looking for that bar, club, rave or party that was year defining (whatever that means). In my younger years my loser friends and I would drive around Huntington Beach, California and look for parties to crash since invariably we were never invited to the cool parties. We would go to the homes of people we generally despised every other calendar day except for that night and then drink as much of their beer as possible and attempt to be excited with them when the New Year rang in. More often than not we would be kicked out of the party at around 11:45 pm or thereabouts and we would end up spending the New Year at the local 7-11 store with the equally un-cool head bangers playing Galaga.

common refrain:

"Happy New Year, dude"

"This sucks, dude"

For all my fellow current and ex losers here is

Plastic Passion: Everything Changes

I mostly come out at night... mostly

2007-12-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

A venerable Seattle musical institution has closed. The crocodile ("the croc") had many great bands come through in a cozy club atmosphere with a cover charge that never broke the bank. So many Seattlelites who saw music live can tell you of some international musical act that they saw there "before they were big". There is the now famous Nirvana and Mudhoney show in 1992 for $3.00 as an example.

My club-going life has slowed as of late; however, my love of music has not abated and I do cherish my memories of being crammed in to a small stage area drinking cheap watered down gin and tonic while glorious music swirled. Such is life and new venues will pop up and create their own history and their own memories for countless others, but likely not for me.

I will post then some music local to the Northwest of the US (Seattle and Portland) that played at the Crocodile. You can see a soupçon of the diversity of Northwest music from heavy rock (ok whatever: grunge) to more introspective shoegazer sounds that we got to see.

Sleater Kinney: Start Together (music straight from the riot-grrl pseudo-movement, this band was named for a street near Olympia Washington).

Pedro the Lion: Bad Things Happen to Such Good People (this was called shoegazer rock in the Seattle press, albeit a different take if you are expecting MBV type sounds).

Mudhoney: Touch Me I'm Sick (ok, if there is a grunge heaven this will play in the background as St Kurt welcomes you. BTW this was immortalized in a scene from the wonderful movie "Singles" as "Touch me I'm Dick. Watching Matt Dillon trying to explain the title is worth the price of admission).

T for two

2007-12-17T21:58:00.000-08:00

Now that I know who the enigmatic "T" was in the last comments I feel, again, ready to write something (perhaps about the children since it is Christmas time?).

It seems that wife and yours truly, being doctor-types, we know what is best for our progeny with most things medical. The more rambunctious boy twin when he was 4 years old begun having some purulent drainage from his nose and some foul smelling breath. Of course as recent grads and new docs we decided to treat this ourselves (yes, in fact, genius does run in our families).

We started our unsuspecting little hobbit on a strong sinus infection antibiotic and soon enough the smell improved and the pus went away, but when we stopped the smell came back... hmm.

We decided to call our local friendly ENT and see what they thought and brought him in. Suffice to say on the scale of fussiness this child scores on the Richter scale. Being held down then, specialist looked in his nose, and thought that he saw something bright yellow. A strange pseudomonas infection? A strange and uncommon tumor perhaps? With the alligator clamps she reached ever so gently reaching for the far reaches of his nose and carefully gripped and pulled out a:

giraffe

Well, not a real live one but one of those spongy ones that they oh so maliciously sell to kids at the check out counters of most stores here. I suspect that he had taken the

capsule in its pristine form and as is his wont stuck it up his nose, where it festered in the warm confines of his nasal secretions and enlarged as it is supposed to do in warm water (albeit of course in a glass).

For this reason I bring you some French music today. I have become a moderate fan of French-pop-rock, and although Mylene Farmer rarely graces my iPod, this song I believe just rocks. Actually it Rawks... well maybe not the "w" containing rocks, but you know. I also include Indochine. Which may be what happens when you cross the Cure with a very sensitive French person who likes escargot.

Mylene Farmer: Tomber 7 Fois...

Indochine: Jai Demande A La Lune

PS "Magic Capsules" my butt!

Punched Drunk Love

2007-12-13T20:37:00.001-08:00

Normally I don't do themed posts... in fact I don't post enough, but alas, I will today.

Today was the night of the Winter-Fest. A 1 hour school extravaganza of 4 to 10 years olds singing in unison from the cornucopia that is world Holiday music.

My two seven year olds were partaking in this holiest of rituals for their progressive little private school. The girl was not singing, however, and this became a point of contention after the gig. I asked her why she had not sung calmly but I guess her brothers then begun to antagonize her with their not so delicate questions as to why she did not sing.

I had to find mommy for a second as we had been separated and I told all three kids to wait and not move. I must have been off to look for 2-3 minutes (this is my maximum guess). When I returned I saw the seven year old boy crying holding a swollen bloody nose and the 9 year old boy laughing his head off (it din't help the 9 year old's laughter that the other one kept repeating that "I zink my nos bloke"). My daughter had a look of nervousness as she still had her little fists clenched in anger.

It turns out that she had been teased by the boys and she decided to punch the younger in the nose with all her might.

Of course she got in trouble on the ride home and she did not get the treat fruit drink (punch) that she received after the show despite her cries that she was thirsty and that she may soon expire from this earth from lack of fluid.

After some crying we heard some muted sniffles and snorts and some strange gasps from her general direction. We asked her why she was making such strange sounds. She replied that was trying to drink her tears so that she would make it home.

Sondre Leche: Phantom Punch

The Delays: Nearer than Heaven

[sigh]

2007-12-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

It is late and I have been sitting around listening to music, and I keep coming to the same songs over and over to listen to, which sounds awful boring of me. I am somewhat on the slightly bored side of the equation currently. This malaise and ennui have all the makings of the Holiday Blah's.

Christmas is coming and all I do is prepare for this momentous occasion where the children of this and many other households will tear and rip themselves through many a gift. So we get the tree ready and place our outdoor lights on the roof (a modest lighting I say since we want to be eco-christmas participants, although that begs the question is a live tree really eco-friendly since I have heard the arguments for and against fake trees? Further, is christmas the most eco-unfriendly of all the Holidays? Except of course for the mass blood letting and annihilation that is Thanksgiving, but I digress...) Anyway, this christmas the children should get brown paper bags filled with coffee grounds: the grounds will go to the compost pile and and the bag will be recycled. Of course that would lead to years of therapy to heal the psycho-trauma inflicted on our children.... what was I talking about?

I was meaning to say though, that all I do is prepare and wait and forget to live a little and get lost in the monotony of negative anticipation (not anticipating a negative but more the lack of anticipation).

[sigh]

Nonetheless, I would like to hear some music from the origins of Los Angeles punk. A seminal band from that crucial year in music 1979. The Last were the god-fathers of much indie music in Los Angeles and they influenced bands in the Paisley Underground as much as the nascent punk movement.

The Last: Try to Rise

The Last: Anything that's out There

PS the last song has so much of the Rain Parade in it, that I want to choke on a paisley

PPS the above picture came from here

PPPS although we did watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (which is currently on my favorite christmas docu-dramas right ahead of a Charlie Brown Christmas) and that is always enjoyable.

PPPPS my daughter keeps telling everyone that we celebrate Hanukkah... go figure

On and On it Goes

2007-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

The strange and fascinating world of the internet. I heard these songs from again the KEXP recommendation section and had to quickly post them before the moment passed. They are reminiscent of "Those Bastard Souls" but with a more melancholic and also harmonizing sound. They also have an atmospheric sound and a gentle sense of Americana and Blues. This band I believe are English and they are a production group that has been behind some of the Doves and Starsailor recordings.

Life, as it always tends to be, is busy. Sometimes I try to blog so I can sit alone downstairs and listen to music relatively loudly and you can be as sad and happy about what you hear as you wish, and since this is post ten p.m. there are minimal interruptions.

It is dark and wet... if you have seen the news about Seattle you may notice half the state is under water due to torrential rains. We get lots of rain but mostly drizzle and now we get monsoon's... DAMN YOU GLOBAL WARMING! DAMN YOU TO HELL!

Although all the moisture has been a boon to the semi-pro fungus growers in Seattle and beyond, for me it is just a tad too wettish.

Soulsavers: Revival

Soulsavers: Spiritual

For those wishing to try more I would recommend to sample the song "No Expectations" which was too large to upload to my server

Keeping on Rocking in the Free World!

2007-12-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

The above picture came from this wonderful site.

It has been raining here. No surprise there, it is Seattle after all. Thus the family went on an extended trip to the movies and lunch downtown. For a family of 5 (3 being children under 9) and with lunch being the greatest Pho in Seattle (Pho Bac, no not the one on 12th the one on 7th) this little sojourn still cost us roughly $12,324.32 (that is US dollars, now in Canadian or Euros that is about $120.00).

Yikes, that's why I am going to get the kids jobs post-haste.

I was looking at my site meter and one of the google search keywords was sexy.pps. I am not sure what to make of that. I know .pps is a power point slide presentation file format. I know that I give many presentations, mostly on asthma (yes I know sexy but nonetheless I wonder), and I use power point almost always, also I know that I am sexy so that should explain things. However, there is still this lingering doubt about the true meaning of it all.

I am not one to listen to post much of the techno, electro-clash, trance kinda thing anymore, however this always has a special place in my heart. Felix the Housecat and Miss Kittin remind of other times and some of the great raves of the 90's (can you believe some in the late 80's even... man I date myself) in LA and SF.

Felix Da Housecat: Harlot

Felix Da Housecat: Silver Screen (Shower Scene)

What am I doing?

2007-11-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to earn photoshop CS3. Why, because I have decided I need a new hobby and decided by fiat photography will be it... or it is it until my ADHD acts up again and I change to macramé. That has been taking many of my nights. There is an entire genre of literature devoted to Photoshop that sits proudly at your local book store next to sci-fi and self-help sections. Who is on the short list for the Booker prize? Well if you see "Adobe Photoshop CS3: A Classroom in a Book" don't be too surprised.

I was never able to upload the Drones for some reason and I am still able to upload all other music files to the same server (WTF?). Is there an anti-sharing blocker embedded on the mp3? Is the universe attempting to prevent sharing of music to the 7.3 readers (no more arguments as to who the 0.3 is any more please) of this blog.

Something strange happened. A patient came in with her son about a cold. Granted I had known these people for a while now and I am on very friendly terms with them. But unexpectedly, she turned to me and asked me if I was better now and that she had heard I was sick! Taken aback I asked her how she knew I was ill? She told me that she read it on my blog... if this is not 21th Century medicine I don't know what is (well I guess we are up to 8.3 now).

I was traveling the musical blogs and found several songs that were eclectic in their influences but I find you will find them interesting.

Luke Temple: Saturday People (a falsetto and a banjo... what could go wrong?)

PJ Harvey: The Devil (PJ is the queen... nay the king of rock!)

Beirut: Nantes (I can't help but like them)

PS in the above picture for example, how do you remove some of the brightness from the sun? I tried to dodge, burn, and sponge... (sounds like my last weekend after the missus and I had that bottle of wine)

Tinnitus

2007-11-21T06:50:00.001-08:00

We went to the Showbox to see the show. First met up at Union for some snacks and wine and then to the show.

I think the last show I went to might have been at the Showbox, or was it the Crocodile? Regardless it was nicely familiar and taking JAG's advice I wore the jeans and t-shirt thing instead of the tux I had in store.

Everything was familiar when the music started and now with the indoor smoking ban in Seattle my wheezing had stopped as well. The bands were excellent and the live show had the great combination of funny banter and massive walls of guitar to envelop you that make a show personal. But what I have always loved was the reaction and energy of the crowd to the music. I love that strange communal amoeba that is the crowd at locals shows, that brownian motion of heads, shoulders, cheap perfume, and cheap drinks.

To answer Colin's question: yes, I was at the back, but with a cheap gin and tonic (no stout to be found) and nodding silently, moody yes (always) and somber more than mean, and bobbing my head very cool-like of course.

Then the show is over, it is 12:30 am, you have to get up at 6:00 am for work, and as you leave the warm squeeze of the crowd and head off to the cold night in the near empty cold dark city you are left with the gift of tinnitus that rings warmly in your ears giving you physical evidence of the music.

The opening band were the Drones from Australia and since I have posted Band of Horses before, here you go:

The Drones: Jezebel

The Drones: I don't ever want to change

PS it is early now and I need some coffee

PPS my file hoster is not responding I will get the music up post-haste however.

PPPS my google pages account will take most music except the drones... what gives?

Incognito

2007-11-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

So I have been sick as of late. It is one of those sore throat and sinus congestions and no fever kinda things with a soupçon of cough for good measure.

I also made the mistake of buying a star wars game, and thus my new computer has been taken hostage by my sons... alas they are pretty much bored of the game now, I hope, and they can go back to their regular routine and I can at least look at the blogs again.

Being sick, hyper sucks and considering I am not the kind to miss work and rest, nor to take any medicines besides the odd lovely Côtes Du Rhone (which I invariably cannot taste due to my stuffy nose, but at least it eases the pain...) I now suffer along. Much like typhoid Mary I set about the task of infecting the locals, but I keep Purell hand sanitizers all around me and so far no victims.

So to make me feel better I will play Pela. Several people have taken this Brooklyn, New York to heart including one of the best local indie music radio hosts: John Richards from KEXP, Seattle. I think most of you who may read my wee-blog will enjoy this rock/atmospheric/heart felt group. This is from their recent album "Anytown Graffiti"

Pela: Song Writes Itself

Pela: Waiting on the Stairs

PS I will try to keep writing more often since I think I am done traveling for a spell...

PPS It seems that I will see Band of Horses at the Showbox this Tuesday. This will be my first live show since having kids (my son is 9). I just hope that no one bonks me in the head like they did dear poor ol' Colin.

Ooh La La

2007-11-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

I just got a new computer. Yes, a wonderful, very pretty and skinny shiny new iMac. I am an Apple devotee and just had to have the newest version with the the flat key board and all the bells and whistles that is the new operating system.

I know, very nerdy of me. And now you are asking yourself this moment: "Juan, was it needed?" (which is a strange to ask yourself). The answer is complex: My soul needed it and my wife was not going to kill me if I got it. This is at least better than getting the seven fur sinks from Costco (the big discount warehouse store in the US).

In honor of the new marvel of technology and design unity I will give several options for musical delectations:

Minus the Bear: Throwin' Shapes (very pretty and poppy... in an indie sort of way)

Division Day: Tigers (in their guitar driven music there is a twee band waiting to get out)

Le Loup: Fear Not (some early Sufjan banjo sounds in there)

The Cops: It's Epidemic (some cool Seattle rock/funk/etc/etc)

No, not really, I have not forgotten you.

2007-11-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

I just got home from Yakima.

Those words are ones that I wish I would not have to repeat too often in my life. I was going to do a series of presentations and I was being flown from Seattle over the mountains to beautiful downtown Yakima... Yes Yakima. However, at 10:14 am, exactly 1 minute from boarding (and I kid not) a fog descended and made landing and take off impossible. At 10:14 my flight was delayed until 12:10 pm.

The first talk started at 12:00 pm. Hmmm.

So I called my contact there and told him with a heavy heart that flight was impossible and alas I am just going to use this day to go out to lunch with lovely wife and just have a peaceful day.

My contact-captor was not so easily dissuaded (I guess that why he became my contact) and called around to find me a driver who would drive over the mountain pass in time for the second talk.

So off we drove. As luck would have this was my proverbial kindred spirit, loving all things wine and indie-music.

I dedicate this little blog to Joe in Seattle.

My talk went off without a hitch we had a 2 hour question and answer period about the subject of bipolar disease. Many in the audience suffered from bipolar disease thus the talk was quite animated.

In honor of Colin who survived a vicious attack on the dangerous streets of Glasgow oh so very recently, I will play some old favorites from Ladytron. I don't really know what Ladytron has to do with Colin's attack but at least it is soothing to the heart.

Ladytron: Seventeen

Ladytron: Playgirl

Daylight Savings Time is almost over!!!

2007-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that daily savings time was mulled about by the British during world war I, but it was the German's who thought that by adding sunlight to the Summer it might save energy for the war effort? After the war the American Congress was then lobbied by several chambers of commerce and the candy lobby to extend the daylight savings into November. Why? So that American Children will have more time to go on Halloween trick or treating trips and so that there would be more retail sales (since it has been shown the sunnier it is the more shopping happens). Another big beneficiary of the extra summer hours has been the golf industry that has gained billions every week that we extend the daylight since more golfers are able to go out after work... think about it! This is from a NPR (public radio) report this pm.

Thus here we are stuck with this strange system where those of us in Northern Climes wake up in the am to dark dark mornings. The sun does not come fully up until almost 8:00 AM!

So to welcome the morning sun and the afternoon gloom I bring you some down-tempo acoustic indie music from Derby England. The original home of daylight savings... well, I made that part up. So listen to this acoustic guitar driven, female melancholic voiced group in your gloomy November days. For those of you into poetic sad music with simple guitars you are in luck.

Rachel and the Lawn Growers: All in the Mind

Rachel and the Lawn Growers: Rain Again

Best Intros Out There

2007-10-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of myself! If you look closely you will notice that I removed the tiny border line that goes around the header by changing a few lines of HTML code... next I am hacking in to the government pages and naming Dick Cheney the Prince of Darkness and Bush his little Incubus. Did anyone but me watch the Kids in the Hall and just love the Incubus scenes? I can imagine Cheney pulling Bush out from the Darkness Below much like in the show and then telling him (Dick telling GW, I hate vague antecedents) to F$#@ himself.

I was listening to our local alterna-rock radio station and they played the hauntingly classic Bela Lugosi's Dead by of course Bauhaus. The hair in the back of my neck stood nervously as I heard that familiar sparse drum refrain and then those perfect David J driven bass notes.

I sat there amazed at the timelessness of those simple notes, and how in context, I believe, they created one of the best intros in modern music. Would not Cage or Glass be proud of their creation (their = Bauhaus, there I go again with the vague antecedents, I have to work on that sentence structure thing)?

So here are two, very heavily played, but amazing alternative hits, that I believe have intros to die for.

What are your amazing intros that stand your hair on end (and of course they can be old and new)?

The Smiths: How Soon is Now (Peel Sessions)
Bauhaus: Bela Lugosi's Dead

PS Johnny Marr may be a musical genius proving it with this song. How does he make the electric guitar, the instrument of rock gods and legends, sound like that? It cries and wails. Do you remember hearing it for the first time?
Bauhaus, Daniel Ash, cool, enough said.

PPS I am trying a new file hosting site for the bigger Bauhaus song, let me know if it works.

PPPS for the Bauhaus song you have to download it from rapid share, no direct links. :(

Oh Boy I Hate Halloween.

2007-10-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Who was the genius who discovered Halloween? If you are a kid you get to wear plastic (lead filled if made in China) costumes in different flavors of princess, witch, etc. If you are an adult and you are a woman for some reason you get to be anything simple like policewoman, secretary, nurse, maid, etc, but you get to add the prefix sexy- to any of those (ie sexy-nurse, sexy policewoman, etc) and you wear clothes you normally look disdainfully at when worn by hookers (prostitutes for those of you in Canada)... not that I am complaining of course. I am all for adding the sexy back to crime fighting and health care. Er... yeah.

Add the tonnage of candy the kids will consume and then sprinkle liberally with my sour-puss over all the cavorting and you have the joys of Halloween in my household. I am going to start handing out apples and pencil erasers to the trick or treaters.

At least Film School from San Francisco keep the world sane with their dark 80's influenced sound.

Film School: On and On

Film School: Lectric

Man... is it friday yet?

2007-10-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

I am trying my best to write in this little blog-o-mine every so often. The question is: does semi-weekly count? On a nice note is the return of the wonderful blogging site The Roaring Machine from its long slumber.

I decided to work a little harder at trying to get the music to the masses (all 7.3 of you... you know who the 0.3 is). I will try to get you several songs from artists who grabbed my ears much like the latest Sigur Rós video from Colin's site just grabs you and makes you listen (and of course tear up ever so appropriately).

So I am going to post music from a Mancunian country singer (Yes Manchester England has produced a wonderful country ingenue, go figure!). I see a lot of the sound of "Tarnation" from a previous post in the enormous solitude that country music can inspire and the perfectly tuned voice that Emma Black possesses to play this kind of music.

How about then some pop from a husky voiced ~~Norwegian~~ Swede named Anna Ternheim. This is a style that some singers attempt (think Nora Jones) but with a more complex sound since she has a wonderful orchestral arrangement behind her soothing and reassuring voice (what she reassures me of, I am not quite not sure). This is music that may have been more popular at one point, the sound of the chanteuse.

Finally some strange and atmospheric sounds from of all places Ohio (I guess if Devo were from that strange rounded state then it can't be all bad). The group, Low in the Sky, reminded me somewhat of iLIKETRAINS in its experimental use of acoustic instruments and strong electronic influences (I guess Radiohead may do that but whatever just listen).

Emma Black: 6 0'clock

Anna Ternheim: To Be Gone

Low in the Sky: Dialogue with a Shadow

Keeping on Keeping on

2007-10-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

My goodness can life get any busier?

Well, who knows, but a busy life takes away from music and more importantly: new music.

We had a chance last night to get a baby-sitter and head out to dinner (sans Kids). If you are in Seattle and have a night to eat out go to the Steelhead Diner in Pike Place Market (that famed Seattle institution). Busy, noisy (the right level to give the place an exciting energy), and more importantly great food. So wife and I had a delicious dinner and a night to relax which has been a rarity these last few months. I had the rabbit over risotto

The new job is not so new but still as busy as ever. Even though most of us work 4 days a week it is how you fill the days you are off, finishing those activities that were left undone over the week (since you are so busy working) that can be the deal breaker.

At least I had a chance to find some new sounds (from God Knows Where). The music has that slight Interpol/Editors 80's sound (and they never seem to fall in to pretentiousness) that has been on repeat on the old i-pod.

Moving Units: Blood Beats

Moving Units: Wrong Again

Are things really working, or is just me?

2007-10-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok then on to more new music:

who is in the mood for happy saccharine indie-pop? Does anyone want to here some Velocity Girl without the velocity part?

Well I've got the the Triangles for you all the way from Australia. It has a certain twee-ness that some of you out there will appreciate...

Well, let's keep this short and listen to the music?

The Triangles: I've Had Eye for You

The Triangles: Will it Float

PS you can listen to this band if you need a quick burst of summer sun in an other wise dreary day

Well geez, that was annoying!

2007-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

As Captain Kirk once said: "You're a beautiful animal... and I'm weak, and I want you."

I really have no idea what that has to do with my latest troubles with bandwidth but I thought it was a neat quote and it roughly applies to my daily life... (somehow, well maybe not at all, infact it is the exact opposite of my daily life... yup that's more like it).

Anyhow, I erased my original googlepages account and made a new one from scratch. That's it. It was my music hosting site. What can I expect for free, right?

Well, as I was telling Colin as he went on and on about some country named Scotland beating a poor defenseless country named Ukraine in a football match (soccer to us west of the Atlantic, and south of Canada and north of Mexico), my own progeny was playing in the U-10 fotball league (interesting because they just introduced off-sides without telling any of the kids or coaches). It brought a tear to my eye to watch my son's amazing foot-work that went in to missing the goal from point blank by 5 feet. This of course as my progeny's best friend, who was playing on defense, was dancing randomly towards the sidelines in moves reminiscent of a chicken who had just recently lost his head...

Well, music... I still can't upload music, maybe I will try Colin's suggestion and get a new file sharing system.

PS Well, this is strange, I don't think google likes having you own a blog that is separate from it's own file sharing service on google-pages.

Alas, this is a nice piece.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre: When Jokers Attack

I have been told I have used too much bandwith

2007-10-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

what does that mean?

I can't post music or pictures?

I erased several old postings and still...

any help how to get my website back is appreciated

PS well, this is not working, my little avatar will not load and music will not play... I may have to die now. Excuse me please while I commit computer Hari-Kari

wondering over to musical blogland

2007-10-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was again trying to post Joy Division (likely from Closer or from the Transmission EP) while meandering through musical blogs when I came across another little find which for some reason mjrc I believe should find interesting.

I believe they may be from NYC and have a sound that borders on the folksy, but with enough production values and smooth guitars to lift the spirit of most rock purists (what am I talking about?) The lead singer Renee LeBou has a melodious and uplifting voice that reminds me of a little early Kate Bush (you know that album with the whales).

These are a very pretty and happy songs without ever being mawkish. It was one of those listen once and say "yikes" this is good.

So please listen to:

Elk City: Cherries in the Snow
Elk City: Los Cruzados

Well I was thinking...

2007-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I read two good reviews in the New York Times of two upcoming Joy Division movies (here and there) coming out this week. I figured in honor of their cold metallic sound I would post some of my favorite J.D. music (no, not Love will Tear us Apart), although I realized you all must have their entire oeuvre digitized, in LP, CD, DAT, and DVD I could not resist... but then I heard this band called Cloud Cult from Minnesota and I said to my self: "Self, why must you deprive the world (or all three of you reading) of this new music?"

By the way, even the seven hour shower my body could not stave off the all over body aches that follow hiking up a mountain with 643 seven-year olds who tend to go in every direction except the trail itself. So now, I will post a short entry since my fingernails hurt now.

I heard them at this site which I visited twice with very happy results. I dare anyone to not be hooked by their powerful bass driven intro. In the style of the great Canadian bands (Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, etc) Cloud Cult blend some complex classical elements to catchy rock. Listen for the appropriately used cello through out... gorgeous.

Without further ado:

Cloud Cult: Take Your Medicine

The Island was a Trip and a half!

2007-10-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry my friends across the internets, there never seems to be the calm you expect after you have settled in to a new job. There were two talks to prepare for and stress about and then the mother of all stressors: I was one of the short straw pickers as a father chaperon for my twins' first grade classes. Yes, classes, two total classes with roughly twenty seven hundred kids each... or so it felt.
It was up to us, the few the proud the unlucky to guide these unruly children through hikes, sing-alongs, beach-side bonfires and other manner of terrible adult torture. Suffice to say I am back from Vashon Island in one piece and with 98% of the children (we think).

I had these two songs ready to post last week, but then the preparations began in earnest for all these issues all at once.

However, better late than never I give you Art in Manila which Hail from the wondrous and mysterious middle of our country (the US for all you Canadian and Brit readers). The so-called red states of fame and lore. But somehow, they managed to make great music in this setting and I thank the oppressive languor of their surroundings as a preternatural influence... Now excuse while I take a seven hour shower.

Art in Manila: Set the Woods on Fire
Art in Manila: The Abomination

Favorites

2007-09-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

This an interesting photo that I came across on the normal circumnavigation of the web that most do with one's eyes half closed and some minimal drool making its mark on the chin...

Tonight I wanted to post some music from other posters, music that I found particularly beautiful and/or interesting. However, the first song will be one of my own. A song that led me to the strange and wonderful community in the web that shares and discusses music.

In California I could not for the life of me in the early 80's find the Chameleon's single "In Shreds". A song that I found (and still do find) amazingly energizing and unique in its angst ridden emotionality (what does that mean? I guess I mean in the context of the time, whilst emo was not yet a glimmer in moapy indie-rock's eye, this music bared its author's soul). Finally after looking and searching I found it at the great Aaron's records on Melrose (when Melrose was something else entirely and no one would have thought of making a show there).
A year ago I was looking for videos of this song for some forgotten reason. This led me to Colin's blog which at the time had some of their songs...

Well here is In Shreds and some other utterly unrelated stuff (perhaps only related in their quality).

The Chameleons: In Shreds
Saint Jude's Infirmary: The Church of John Coltrane
The Field Mice: Letting Go

PS "Letting Go" may have one of the most haunting beginnings of any song of recent records... well perhaps not any song, but close.

Cool!... er, I mean: Get Lost!

2007-09-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

Emily strange is a neat and well developed marketing strategy from northern California.

Traversing the musical landscape from goth to alt-country and folk let us move to the atmospheric indie rock of Juno. Juno is a local Seattle favorite that played multiple times at the Crocodile and other small venues. Maybe JAG has seen them play here as well? However, they are currently defunct.

I saw them not knowing who they were at a local music festival when their wall of sound drew me in to their show. I bought their CD the next day. They play three guitars on layers upon layers each distinct and each harmonizing seamlessly. The wall of guitars they create is different from some of the noise-pop (Jesus and Mary Chain) due to the ability to separate the distinct guitars and individual players.

This song is longish. Turn off the lights and listen loud... I mean it. It rocks (in a slow more meaningful kinda way).

Juno: Leave A Clean Camp And A Dead Fire (Too big too load)

PS i tried all night and can't upload this wonderful song, so I will give you two shorter ones more on the indie-rock mold. There is an Afghan Whigs kinda sound to these songs.

Juno: All Your Friends are Comedians
Juno: The Young Influetials

two in a row again, I am nuts!

2007-09-12T20:47:00.001-07:00

I was on TV today! I was interviewed on the local news channel (cable 29) for a monthly show called "Salud" (health). I was taped live last week. Asthma was the topic . Then today at 6:20 pm I was on TV! yay... (I was on after local sports and before the local opinion piece).

Have you heard how TV is supposed to add a few pounds? Well, TV gave me diabetes. That kinda sucked, I looked like Jabba the Hut speaking on a medical subject.

"wooky jaja bumbar asthma mooky wambor toomy poompon asthma, har har har!"

Or some other gibberish that only a Hut would understand or a Jedi conversant in the language. Am I geeking out too much?

Well, today some local Seattle and Southwest music for your perusal (since Ed was so kind to include our local (The Fitness) music in his musings). The The Long Winters from Seattle and Beirut from New Mexico. Both bands make use of local influences: listen for the Mexican Mariachiness in Beirut and feel the wish for less rainy cloudiness in the The Long Winters. I think you will enjoy these two wonderful bands.

The Long Winters: Pushover
Beirut: Elephant Gun

whew! Blogging is hard work...

2007-09-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, I have to post again. Where have I been? Working out the carpal tunnel syndrome and other sundry neuropathies from my fingers (new computer system at work).

Who remembers high school or times thereof? Who out there now was (and/or is) a goth kid? It seems like some of the greatest minds out there delved into the dark arts of gothic music in their early years (I have of course one exception: one of my best friends is a law school grad working for the man in DC and he is still stuck in the mod thing. Yet, somehow, he is still cool).
What is it about sadness and angst that so fits the alienation of the teenage years? Well, I am not one to understand the psyche on lonely unhappy but fashionably conscious kids, but I was a goth kid.

I started my scenster life in the mod world quickly made my way to the psychadelic and paisley underground scence of LA. Then in the early 80's I heard them. I heard Sisters of Mercy in my car (an orange Datsun B210 '73 very goth and very sexy). I had heard Siouxsie and had fallen in love with her, but with the SOM I fell in love with a scene. I quickly made my way to club "Scream" first on Sunset and then on Olive and 8th in downtown LA.

Weird... for a high school kid I was on the moon (one small step for mankind...), but I was home. That was a strange place with strange people and the music was incredible. Siouxsie, The Cure, Bauhaus, and The Sisters of Mercy (and very frequently AC/DC: go figure) on heavy rotation. The club kids in all shades of black and charcoal with the occasional white for accent were dancing and gyrating to music that I thought was undanceable before. Then other LA clubs opened and other scenes begun. The acid-house and rave scene took over LA and all the fashionably conscious kids with some degree of societal alienation moved on (and so, unfortunately, did I).

So, let's listen to the classics from Goth's hay-day. Early 80's Sisters of Mercy with Andrew Eldritch and Wayne Hussey (of course Doktor Avalanche on percussion).

Sisters of Mercy: Temple of Love
Sisters of Mercy: Adenochrome
Sisters of Mercy: Alice

Wow I am on a roll! Don't look down!

2007-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

That is a grainy photograph that I got here. Rain is so apropos of Seattle during Summer... yuck.

You know when you hear music and then you listen to it in context (you see what else is coming from the local area). You think something big is happening and think, "I wish I could be there" hanging out in the dark clubs in the not so desirable parts of town around midnight and in the rain? Being the first to see a scene grow within its own context without the pretext of the "the next big thing" from Spin or Rolling Stone. See music in "the wild".

That is the raw experience that seeing unknown music live brings on. It is music without that you are supposed to like it, without expectations, without external conditions. It is the a priori experience without the layering of meaning brought on by your ahead-of-the-curve local radio DJ. It is pure.

I heard the Midnight Movies in this way. I was originally blown away. Then there was the Meeting Places from LA, the Silversun Pickups from LA and then Metric moved to LA. It was like the Montreal and Vancouver music scenes were moving to California. It was as if something important was happening...

Then the music stopped. No, the music didn't stop. This movement, this "scence" seemed to die out. Like other art happenings it had its brief moment and then its plateau into musical equilibrium: things were not as important. They were good, but I didn't have the urge to pack up and move to LaLa land.

Here is some music from a few years ago. The Midnight Movies are a wonderful example of the psychadelic shoegazery style that seemed to be evolving in a haphazard way at that time. The vocals and 60's distorted guitar have some Dandy Warhols in them and especially in Love or a Lesson a lot of Salem 66 (for those of you in to the 80's Boston scene).

The Midnight Movies: Love or a Lesson

The Midnight Movies: Mirage

The Midnight Movies: Human Mind Trap

PS sorry about my snotty slighlty snooty rantings, but if you can't rant on a blog what else is there?

PPS wow my little counter is over 1000! yay, at this rate I can retire in 2074

Yes, I have been remiss...

2007-08-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Above you see my cousin's art from an Orange County, California gallery that will show his latest surrealistic images. You can find out more here.

Wow, have I gotten lazy lately. I guess the new computer system at work makes me less likely to touch the semi-new computer system at home. I have had the same CD in the computer awaiting upload for 5 days now...

If you wondered how I have been, which I have wondered myself lately, I will say tired and busy. But isn't that just a silly excuse for the lack of input in one area of our lives that is sacrificed to the necessities of life? Meaning I could be tired from blogging so much and not have time to work, but that is not very bourgeois of me...

Alas, I bring you Frente! An Australian band that made a little splash in the US. It had the sweet sensibilities of the better known UK twee/britpop bands.

I need something happy and treacly to keep me listening at this moment. I find it interesting that depending on the day or the mood I may listen to Frente! one moment and then go for some early 80's Sisters of Mercy or Front 242. The ability of the ear to enjoy so much is astounding (of course not surprising though since my palate can enjoy the juxtaposition of peaches and Basalmic vinegar over Chicken).

Without much further ado:

Frente! : Labour of Love

Frente! : Most Beautiful

Frente! : Reflect

PS One of the cool exclamation mark containing band names out there

PPS I didn't realize how long you can let your wee bog just sit there gathering internet dust-bunnies and then voilá you are back like nothing happened. But then here I am.

Ahh back from the coast

2007-08-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

We are back from a small break on the Oregon Coast (we stayed just to the right of that bick rock called Haystack Rock). If you have been there you know it's gorgeous but the weather can be fickle. So we got some rain and many clouds, but that did not stop us from enjoying the beach, sand and outdoors.

So I have to post music that reawakens the musical beast having been away from the computer for a week. I played some twee/jangly britpop the last two times. Now for some Northwest rawkin' music. The Thermals could easily sound like throwbacks from the CBGB days of yore. They hail from Oregon however and make music that very much resonates today. They play short fast thrashing rock and their songs can sometimes blend into one another, but they possess that ability to make you keep listening like the Ramones did with their fast and furious version of punk. But the Thermals don't drip punk toughness and roughness, they have a sensitive side evident in their lyrics and by seeing them play live.

So enjoy this Sub-Pop local gem:

The Thermals: How We Know

The Thermals: Keep Time

Testing Complete!

2007-08-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, Boards are over. I finished early and left. I am not the type to agonize over questions that I have answered. If I know it: I asnswer, if I don't know it: I won't know it 10 minutes later (so rule out the wrong ones and guess). I am not much of a second-guesser. Much like a game of chess I am conducting educated guesses as to what the test writers want me to know and what they want me to answer.

Test Taking (especially in the world of standardized exams [shudder]) is as much a game of skill as of knowledge. Hopefully, I will pass and then repeat the whole process in 7 more years. Thanks to all the well-wishers. I think I can keep my job for now and continue to stick it to the MAN (which as time moves forward I worry that I am becoming HIM, which put me in the paradoxical place of sticking it to myself which does not sound at all pleasant).

Continuing then in the jingly-jangly world of twee/power-pop I bring today the Primitives. These songs are from Lovely their semi-hit LP in the states (with the hit-song Crush). I bring you of course alternate selections. Listen to Buzz Buzz Buzz and hear the Woodentops. Listen to Stop Killing Me and hear the psychadelic and surf sounds from the 60's. Listen to Ocean Blue just because it's pretty.

The Primitives: Buzz Buzz Buzz
The Primitives: Ocean Blue
The Primitives: Stop Killing Me

Taking one on the Chin!

2007-08-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow early I have the dubious honor of taking my recertification boards. A fun exercise in regurgitation of facts learned and unlearned over the last 7 years. Facts that may or may not (mostly arcane and esoteric data that no human uses) have any relevance to today's job. Alas, I will sleep wistfully and dream of stuff.

In the honor of boards I uploaded the brooding heaviness of the Afghan Whigs. They made one stellar album and then their subsequent never reached the critical acclaim of the first.

So in honor of boards and the Afghan Whigs: smile and be happy.

The Afghan Whigs: Be Sweet

The Afghan Whigs: My Curse

PS wish me luck!

PPS Does anyone out there remember Long-Ganong-Levine? I hope it's not in the questions tomorrow...

epater la bourgeoise

2007-08-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

What is happening in the Wet Northwest™ today you ask yourself today? Well, nothing much unless you discount the major computer system upgrade that the company is implementing. Our company just bought as a shiny new toy called Epic (costing $70,000,000). To call it an upgrade is an understatement, since we are going from paper and pencil to a state of the art complete computer system to integrate all our infrastructure... yes, it kinda hyper-sucks for now and the fact that I am taking a vacation in the midst of the implementation makes me very popular. C'est la vie.

Thank you to Fil for the interesting comments on Johny Rotten which has made me want to retrieve if possible my old PIL singles (especially This is Not a Love Song). Even more interestingly is the fact in the right context Fil and PIL rhyme.

I am happy to see Colin, our dearest friend, posting from the darkest reaches of Scotland, staving off the existential crush of the world of academia. He now has some interesting music posted that I have also never heard of (The Prids).

I want to post some music caught somewhere between Altered Images and the Cranberries (maybe?). Of course you say: I have heard the Darling Buds already. But I want to play some less common pieces for your enjoyment that you might have missed the first time around. These two songs are from Crawdaddy from 1990. Never hugely popular in the US they were featured on some somewhat not totally unfunny movies. Exemplary of the twee movement of the mid to late 80's, this is a band whose albums sit in my record collection gathering dust and now it's time to allow a resurfacing.

In a world of Nickleback let's listen to the little songs with the sweet guitars that make us smile.

The Darling Buds: Tiny Machine
The Darling Buds: So Close

PS above you may note a large ceramic frog.

Once more to the breech!

2007-07-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Again an interesting photo from my dear lost friend Matt, please visit him here.

With all the news of the wasted talent of Lindsay Lohan out there, and with her career being destroyed by her inability to control her drug and alcohol use, my mind turns to others out there with gifts left unfulfilled. Musically speaking I think of poor Pete Doherty. The Libertines gave us another promising young British songwriter and music that combined mod hubris with blues rock (at least my simple take on it all).

To have it all and then to waste the gift like so many other young artists: Who knows what would music be like if Kurt Covain or Jim Morrison had lived to at least 40? It seems like charisma and musical ability are worse risk factors than diabetes and heart disease for sudden death.

I present to you two lively, energetic tunes from the Libertines second major release.

The Libertines: The Man Who Would Be King
The Libertines: Last Post on the Bugle

Following in the Footsteps of Giants

2007-07-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

"Today, so many years later, the shock of punk is that every good record can still sound like the greatest thing you've ever heard.....because it can convince you that you never have to hear anything else as long as you live-each record seems to say everything there is to say."
Greil Marcus 'Lipstick Traces' 1989

This is a book all music lovers must read, and although it focuses on the unbroken philosophical chain that begat punk from time immemorial (well not so immemorial since someone is writing about it...) it can easily apply to all indie rock music. It can include twee, goth, alt-country, etc. And although Mr Marcus is a slight blowhard, his historical points cannot be ignored.

I for one believe that "punk" has existed since man discovered art and then was told by someone else what good art is. The need to rebel against the authority controlling the means of expression is a timeless human trait that took one of its most visible manifestation in the punk movement of the 70's. But looking at Dadaists, Situationists, Lettrists and so many other artistic movements it becomes easier to see the commonality.

So I say: epater la bourgeoise

Excuse while I get off my soap box... there, ok now I am back.

I will chose songs from a hit album from a Los Angeles band that got its name from a store that was at the corner of SUNset and SILVERlake (of course Silversun Pickups). Their hit Lazy Eye is a gorgeous downtempo rock classic ala perhaps early Smashing Pumpkins (... perhaps).

I want to share two songs that may not be on the radio (Since my local station plays Lazy Eye 17 times a day). Also I want to play this for a certain friend from Washington DC that used to love music but now is stuck in his musically-limited lawyerly ways, but still has the spark since when I played him Lazy Eye in the car he instantly loved it ( but had never heard of them). Thus Mr Lawyer from DC (via Huntington Beach) these are for your perusal.

Silversun Pickups: Three Seed
Silversun Pickups: Well Though Out Twinkles
Silversun Pickups: Little Lover's so Polite

Anyone out there?

2007-07-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Why the caveman? I suspect Canadian and European readers will not have seen the Geico car insurance commercial which (although became generally annoying after the first 1000 times it was shown) did have a featured song that I really enjoyed.

After hours of research online and stabbing several people in the back to get this information, I was made aware of the great Norwegian downtempo electronic band Röyksopp. I really still know very little about this band but I sat up listening all night on repeat to the songs that I found. The commercial features the lovely "Remind Me" and that led me to the yummy "What Else is There".

I hope you enjoy these two beautiful pieces.

Röyksopp: Remind Me
Röyksopp: What Else is There

Time to Get Going

2007-07-16T19:46:00.001-07:00

I have been remiss in posting new music, and have instead hung on much like a limpet to other posters' music. However, re-inspired, I rise like the phoenix from the ashes... (but I hyperbolize)

The above picture I found to be beautiful and unique in its composition and color pallet; unfortunately, I do not know whose work it is. I found it on an internet image search, alas its creator shall remain anonymous.

It has been an interesting two or so weeks. I have started a new job in a new location much closer to home and we are all getting trained on some new software that the company just bought for us (I was hoping for an Xbox but I settle for electronic medical records). My first test of the software will be to see if I can play Halo-3 on it. We'll see. I asked the medical information team and they sneered at me (they must be Sony PS2 people).

Music wise it has been a tough week. I have not been able to make it to the closet to remove my USB record player to get Pylon and BBQ Killers digitized. Even though it sits a mere 2 feet from my hands it might as well be on the sun 93 million miles away (in which case it would obviosuly disappear into a subatomic plasma soup before I could ever touch it... even with oven mitts... the big ones!). Thusly I will not post these two bands, but I will post instead from one of those CDs you buy because it should sound good, but then you never listen and then one year later you find it in that hole in your couch where you lose your remote (where I also might have left my dignity it seems).

I bring you then music from the Matador CD collection. Matador being one of those rare purveyors of excellent music in this Brittney filled universe (they brought us Interpol after all and so much more). I want to give you some non-interpol-matador music and thus these two gems. Any band that is named after a Smiths song has got to be good, and any band that has been around for so long and originated from Dayton Ohio has the staying power and sheer force of will to be good.

Pretty Girls Make Graves: This is our Emergency
Guided by Voices: My Kind of Soldier

Wow it's hot in here...

2007-07-10T21:53:00.001-07:00

Has anyone noticed how the phrase "unseasonably hot" has been used more and more often lately? Well, guess what, it is unseasonably hot in here and it will get hotter tomorrow. Seattle may hit the upper 90's tomorrow and I am looking at the kiddy pool with envy. Maybe I will sponge myself down with my own tears as I contemplate how freakin hot it's here!

The picture above was sent by a friend and I enjoy the brownian movement of regular humans caught by the camera. Thank you Nico... Excellent taste in music and art.

However, I must dedicate this post to Lindsay who complained recently that I have not dedicated anything to her, so in the spirit of true friendship I dedicate this post to her. Why? Simply because I can!

I wanted to stay in the sad music vibe thus, I looked at the ol' CD collection and found and dusted a relatively unknownish band originally from Texas. Calla have the dark rock sound that seems de rigueur for Southwestern bands. They play a bass driven music that seems to fit in the 4AD mold but they stay true to Southwest roots by keeping the vocals understated in the manner of Pedro the Lion that I posted earlier. Apparently the band has transplanted to Brooklyn and they are now a New York group.

Calla: Strangler
Calla: Don't Hold your Breath

PS have I mentioned that it's hot here?

Le Tour has started!

2007-07-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I am happy that the Tour de France has started and so far as of stage 1 no one has tested positive for drugs! I love cycling, but the current state of the sport is in dire need of rejuvenation. Check this site for amazing panoramic pictures of European cycling.

However, the above picture is in honor of a good friend with excellent taste in music but not a good system set up to control the level of alcohol built up in the blood stream after a night of enjoying libations: thus the ultimate toxin evacuator and icon of worship.

Today I will post some sad music (I guess the idea that Colin is around has me thinking of music he may enjoy). I will post the San Francisco based band (now sort of disbanded and rebanded?) Tarnation, led by the incomparable voice of Paula Frazer. The alt-country influence is impossible to miss in her gorgeous vocals and the lap steel guitar that colors much of the music. But this is a band that played the smaller indie/punk venues in San Francisco when I lived there (I got to see them at the Bottom of the Hill club), thus there is something in the melancholia of the music, something in the lyrics, and in the music itself that separates it from mainstream country (forget about that sad musical enterprise called young-country).
Paula Frazer should be a star with her amazing vocal powers, but she keeps it "real", as it were, with music that is extremely intimate without ever being narcissistic: art that belongs more with Sylvia Plath and Edith Piaf than Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.

So from her band's first LP for 4AD I give you three gems:

Tarnation: The Well
Tarnation: Do You Fancy Me
Tarnation: Hallway to Madness

First Week In The New Job

2007-07-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I finished my first week, my first full week (albeit shortened by my day off on Thursday and July 4th on Wednesday) at my mew job. My new location is biking (and even walking) distance from home and I will fully incorporate eco-friendliness to my new life (no more car).

However, I must appease Agen who happens to be a neighbor and fellow blogger from here in the occidental side of Seattle. Agen's life was rent asunder by the illegal firework displays that plagued our city on the 4th of July. A fusillade of bottle rockets and sundry incendiary devices were fired towards his home in an uncomfortable display of nationalistic pride, keeping his child and his family awake, testing the very fragile boundaries that separate our civic enjoyment from becoming berserker rituals of neighbor upon neighbor violence.

Thus I get to use my new favorite word from the last post: Poor Agen just went through a blow-shit-up-tacular experience...

In returning ever so slightly to the Paisley Underground I will post music from Los Angeles 60's influenced rockers The Rain Parade. A band that had some important influence in the future sound of rock (perhaps with later success as part of Mazzy Star?). As an extra bonus will post some Long Ryders (also from LA and sharing in Byrds influenced guitar rock). With the Long Ryders we can smell Wilco and Uncle Tupelo coming down the road and alt-country becoming an important musical movement.

Rain Parade: This Could Be Today...
Rain Parade: I Look Around

Long Ryders: And She Rides (this last song I got from the great blog on all things Paisley Underground: CUEBURN. )

PS I am trying to digitize the LP "Athens Georgia Inside Out" which is the eponymous soundtrack to a great movie featuring early REM but also Pylon and BBQ Killers. Let's see if motivation and drive persist.

PPS I will try to move on as I tried and promised to non-LA music, but it is so appealing... and more importantly there are so many memories and associations with this music. Music that defines a time and place so specifically and so beautifully. It, again, rekindles youth so I will post these nostalgic nuggets from time to time as band-width permits.

Moving on then...

2007-07-05T21:04:00.001-07:00

Well, I have noticed some rare but real sightings of ur-blogger Colin who has sent me a nice musical question. The band in question is one those interesting Scotland based indie-rock groups.
Bricolage have a definite, happy Arctic-Monkeys type of sound with very danceable tunes, but there was something else in this music that makes me like it... what is it? As I listened, I sensed about halfway through similarities to other musics past . To whom does this latest add-on to the Scottish musical scene owe an homage, I question: the Woodentops, I believe. Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Bricolage, and Futureheads have that fast paced, staccato beat that defines their light mood and gives them their energy. These bands (which I have not seen live here in Seattle) must all put exciting, energetic shows with a synergy between show watcher and musician that forces the show watcher to join the spectacle (how Situationist of me...). The beats make you want to dance, jump and move due to their short crisp stabs at notes and rhythm (who can resist?). Didn't the Woodentops (during live shows specially) have those beats driven by their non-reverberant drums and backed up by their heavenly keyboards?

But tonight I wanted to post some interesting occasionally sad music in honor of Colin. In honor of just a girl they shall be from north of me in Canada.

Eric's Trip hail from the maritime province of New Brunswick, way over there. They have a very unique sound and this selection finds a breathless singer trying to catch up to the song which gets me to smile every time (in a non-judgemental fashion). Jale are also from way over there in Canada (from Halifax) and both were signed to Seattle's own sub-pop at one point. Unfortunately both groups disbanded, their small greatness (love the oxymorons) can only be heard digitally now.

Also I must dedicate this for (blogless) Nico(le) who should have had lunch with us today but had to stay away due to the Factor.

Eric's Trip: eyes shut
Jale: Not Happy

PS above beautiful picture is from my long lost friend and you can visit here

Los Angeles LaLa land...

2007-07-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th to all. The fireworks may soon die down and we may all get some sleep.

Sometimes I have to remember that I am not in LA anymore. Strange, LA is a very easy place to hate and miss at the same time. I miss the LA-ness of the place and I hate the people who live there who are destroying the image I miss. Somewhat oxymoronic, since without those "people" LA might be some other SoCal city like maybe Santa Monica or Fontana or some other non-LA place.

There was a strange vibe there, that somehow the inversion layer and the chronic sun fermented to a strange stew that maybe was not good for you, but tasted good... maybe like Chinese food? Comparing LA to a food? Am I insane?

That is the paradox that is LA and that awkward weirdness is what made LA something that I wish existed. My subjective experience of it, is the reality that I concocted, but unfortunately is not the complete picture. You take some fake boobs, spray on tan, artistic endeavors, despairing actors, ethnic strife: mix in a blender or gently shake and pour into a dirty glass. Voilá LosAngeles-tini.

I bring you some very non-LA music and I dedicate it to all the ex-pat LA people in the world at large who although would never go back, still sometimes wish that they had not left.

Those Bastard Souls: The Wake of Your Flood
Carissa's Wierd: Die

PS Nico(le) for all your nice posts...

PPS My favorite new word is "blowing-shit-up-tacular" from defamer's recent review of the movie Transformers. If I can work it into sentence while at work in clinic, I am set.

Old Acquaintances

2007-07-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

How should one celebrate when you find an old friend from high school whose best man you were a mere 18 years ago? A friend that moved from the insular Orange County to the wilds of New Mexico. A friend whom you visited there for 4 days and then came back with 2 new large tattoos, a couple of new pierces and a raging hang-over thingy. And then for some reason disappeared...

A friend that you had a bonds-man trace, whose name you found in the white pages of New Mexico and you called all the names that were similar in the area... what do you do?

Well you should post some music, that's what. I include above a sample of his artwork and you can find more here. However, my interest in the Los Angeles music scene has been reawakened and now given more impetus since this lost friend and I would frequent the OC and LA music establishments that would play excellent local music. Of course I have been looking at the LA psychedelic scene music with the last post and if you listened you heard the lighter paisley and sunshine sound that made the scene almost biggish with the Three O'clock and the Bangles. Of course there was a dark side to this musical scene. Having stronger influences from perhaps the Seeds and the garage band sound I bring you To Damascus lead by the enigmatic Sylvia Juncosa. A local Los Angeles impresario and what Courtney Love wised she had been...

This band made no ripples and I only heard them played on local college radio at 3 am. That is one tough tough demographic. Their music has a touch of the melancholic and almost an LA pre-goth sound. Try it out and see.

To Damascus: Night Surfing
To Damascus: Tomorrow

PS the picture above features a typical street in Hollywood

The Paisly Underground

2007-06-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

My musical development just happened to coincide with the mod revival in California and then the early to mid 80's wonderful and short lived Paisley Underground. Initially as a little 13 year old wearing three button suits and my tight but super cool Gibson shoes we would go to Safari Sams or the Golden Bear and see any 60's themed band. We even saw my friend's band Opaque Window at these clubs and at local parties for the mod/paisley set (any one out there remember the orange county underground music thing?).
When some of us got cars and we could drive to Los Angeles, more of the paisley underground music opened to us. There was smoky and hip Momma Browns. There was the Cavern (on Vine?). There was the super cool Anti Club that played the Leaving Trains, The Pandoras and others.
Los Angeles was a cool and exciting place to be a teenager. It was scary and fun. I guess that's what defines rebellion in kids. I guess you had to be somewhat of a mild crazy rebel to leave your conservative latin mom's house dressed in blue/white paisley shirt, pegged brown pinstriped pants, and winklepickers that could poke your eye out.
There was that whole conforming to non-conformity issue, but who cared? We were having fun and all us freaks were part of something. We were all part of a small movement in time and at last in our crazy clothes and our music we belonged somewhere.
But I drone on and on. I am of course talking about youth. Whether you were a punk, a mod, a goth or a headbanger (well, maybe not a headbanger) you were young and things mattered. In that spirit of youth and crazy abandon I bring you the Salvation Army. The band that was to become the Three O'clock and lead the LA bands in the paisly underground psychedelic sound.

The Salvation Army: She Turns to Flowers
The Salvation Army: Upside Down
The Salvation Army: The Seventeen Forever
The Salvation Army: Mind Gardens
The Salvation Army: Grimly Forming

PS I want to give kudos to the source of the picture. This myspace page has awesome music and interesting stories about the paisly underground. Thanks.
PSS I was motivated to post this LP when I listened to this blog's wonderful music. Thanks for posting the music from way back when.

Siouxsie was my first Love...

2007-06-23T21:36:00.001-07:00

Now, how many of us who read these musical blogs and have "similar" musical interests were in love with Siouxsie (and I include man, woman, or child) in the 80's and 90's?
Above you will note some hidden gems from my garage. These were albums that I have lugged around since I lived in Huntington Beach, CA. They have withstood the test of time, several moves, one wife and three kids, and a major plumbing incident (... I was in need of two plungers and some cheese... enough said).

The above LPs were signed by the ice queen herself and her band mates Steve Severin, pre-spouse Budgie, and some guitarrist (I believe it was John McGeoch - at one point it seemed like the Banshees were going through as many guitarists and Spinal Tap went through drummers). Let me retell the story:

It was a warm Summer day in So-Cal in the early 80's and we heard that Siouxsie and her mates were being interviewed in the local radio station (KROQ for those who must know). We skipped classes and left at 11:00 am to go to Los Angeles (a 45 min drive). We (three friends and I) arrived as she was leaving the studio (imagine 4 goth kids packed into an orange Datsun B210 '73). There she was, the gothic-majesty herself, in the flesh. A throng of other black be-gowned kids were waiting as well, yelling her name and asking her to sign note pads and take pictures. Suddenly a large angry man whisked them all into a limo and they sped off the 101 freeway... or was it the 405? Nonetheless we got into our car and sped after her...
What ensued was a car chase down the Los Angeles freeways straight out of Starsky and Hutch except no injuries occurred and no cars were flipped into the air catching flames as they landed. We finally caught up with them at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Blvd. I did a spin over the hood of the car as we stopped and chased after her. The bell-boy or manager (an obsequious man in a tux) tried to kick us out. However, Siouxsie and Steve Severin came out as well as Budgie and some guitarist. They talked to us on the sidewalk and signed some albums.

I gave Siouxsie a flower I had been saving for just such an occasion and she said:

"Thank you, love"

I was smitten.

These songs have lived with the pen marks written by the band themselves... (sigh)

Oops, my recordings are so scratchy I decided to not post them yet. I was going to post Placebo Effect, Icon and Premature Burial. I am working on this but too sleepy to continue, ugh.

Siouxsie and the Banshees:
Siouxsie and the Banshees:
Siouxsie and the Banshees:
Siouxsie and the Banshees: