So in case you hadn't already noticed, back when we launched our new site in January, we created something called We Shot J.R. Videos-- a new section of the website that features hundreds of different music videos as well as interviews, documentaries, political stuff, and random goofy shit we've found here and there. Anyway, we have been updating the section regularly with videos new and old, and in the process, we realized that it might be fun to get a little help with our Mosaic. Hence this post, Pick 5. On a regular basis, we'll be asking some of our favorite artists to search the net, pick five videos to share, and write a little something about each one. Ghosthustlerwas nice enough to give it a try this week, and their selections are below. Click on the links, and you'll be able to view the videos right here on our site. Also, feel free to play around in the video section and see what other surprises we have there for you.
If you want to see more, click the link above, or just click on the "videos and shit" link on the side bar. Move your cursor over the videos blocks to see the titles, and click on whatever you want.
PPT (TePheJez, 2226 Elm St.) PPT will be throwing one of several upcoming events this evening in celebration of the release of their latest album, Denglish, which we reviewed about a week and a half ago. TePheJez (how the hell do you say that, anyway?) is a downtown club that I know absolutely nothing about, but according to their website, R Kelly and Ja Rule have hung out there. So there's that.
TUE: Health/Daniel Francis Doyle/El Paso Hot Button/Last Men (Rubber Gloves) WED: Feist/Hayden (Palladium) THU: Philip Glass (Nasher Auditorium) THU: Ministry/Meshuggah/Hemlock (Palladium) FRI: Yellow Fever/The Theater Fire/Strange Fruit Project/PPT (Ft. Worth Modern) FRI: Scout Niblett/The Angelus/Lo Fi Chorus/Joey Kendall (The Cavern) FRI: Concernathon 2008 with Record Hop/Shiny Around the Edges and more (Rubber Gloves) SAT: Cat Power/Appaloosa (Palladium) SAT: Hands up with the Party (The Loft) SAT: Good Records B-Day with Mom/Fight Bite/Baptist Generals/Great Tyrant and more (Good Records) SAT: Concernathon 2008 with Astronautalis/Tame....Tame and Quiet/Mom and more (Rubber Gloves) SAT: Violent Squid/Silk Stocking/Zanzibar Snails/Delmore Pilcrow (Hailey's) SUN: Negativland (Sons of Hermann Hall) SUN: New York Dolls (Granada)
I love weekends like this one, when all the stuff I want to do is in Dallas one night and Denton the next. Saturday in Denton should be especially fun, particularly if you like to run around between cheap and/or free shows and goof off. Here is stuff:
FRIDAY
Oops... Jay Z is tomorrow everyone. Sorry.
British Sea Power | Film School (The Loft) Film School had to drop off of this bill this evening due to a family emergency of some kind, so you'll get a set from Wild in the Streetsfollowed by BSP's set. I think things start early, around 830. "Heartfelt" and "anthem" oriented indie rock are usually a bit hard to swallow if you aren't a total moron, but man, British Sea Power really knows what they are doing with these big blasting rock songs. Furthermore, several WSJR associates have attested to the complete greatness of their live shows, so I'd check this out if you need some fist pumping shit tonight in the tradition of The Pixies, Husker Du, etc.
Paper Chase | Faux Fox | Mt. Righteous (Rubber Gloves) Mt. Righteous has been getting a little attention around town lately, but if you want to hear them, I guess you have to go to this show because they don't have any tracks on their myspace page. Yeah, they have links to MP3 downloads on there, but who has the energy?
SATURDAY Mary J Blige | Jay Z (Superpages.com Center) Although not as critically acclaimed as the Blueprint or the Black Album, Jay Z's latest, American Gangster, is a really strong record for sure. The first time I heard the title track and debut single, I was riding around in a car in New York (a rare experience in and of itself, I know) and acting like I was way cooler than I actually am. But you really can't help it when you're crossing the Brooklyn Bridge with Manhattan in your view and the blazing, soulful horns of "American Gangster" on the stereo. Dude WAS NYC that day, as far as I was concerned, and the rest of the album, full of soul samples and sassy ass rhymes about how bad a motherfucker is, is the perfect soundtrack for just about any time when you want to feel invincible. Anyway, this will be a fun show for sure, as Mary J Blidge always seems to find a way to release a single that I secretly listen to non-stop. Got a problem with that? Sensitive thugs, you all need hugs.
Eat Avery's Bones | Fight Bite | Last Men | Nouns Group | Kaboom | Geistheistler (Strawberry Fields) Unfortunately, Fight Bite had to drop off the bill for this show due to the fact that lead singer Leanne Macomber has lost her voice for the time being. That sucks and all, but this show will still be packed with exactly the kinds of bands that make Strawberry Fields fun in my opinion. And Eat Avery's Bones shows are rare these days too, so do yourself a favor and head up to Denton for one of the most insane ten minute freak out sets you'll hear anywhere. Circa 77 Presents The Party (Hailey's) This 18 and up show is sure to be crowded and completely raunchy. These things are always a hit in Denton, and they always make me feel kinda dirty.
Verulf | Gavin Guthrie | Voyant (J&Js) Pretty solid show at J&Js that I believe starts at 9pm. Verulf is probably my favorite of all the Matthew and the Arrogant Sea side projects, leaning much closer to ambient than most of the other groups associated with that band. Fans of newer, buzzed about groups such as Growing, Fuck Buttons, Mom, and even Phosphorescent might dig some of this stuff. Gavin Guthrie is a member of Florene, and his solo work is often quite interesting, focusing a bit more on a beat driven, synth-centric sound. It's still slow moving, moody and loosely constructed in many ways, but the post-rock, IDM and electro influences add some interesting textures and surprises that might be pleasantly surprising to some of you. Finally, Voyant is one of the newer project's from Denton's prolific Andrew Michael in which he focuses on extremely harsh electronic noise.
Holy Diver | Schwa | Jeremy Jackson (Avenue Arts) You know, Avenue Arts is actually a pretty cool little venue in a lot of ways. It's a great space with the perfect amount of room for small and medium sized show. You could even have some decent touring acts there too, as they demonstrated when Glass Candy played there last year. It even sounded pretty decent for that show. But jesus Mr. Ruiz, an $8 cover to see Holy Diver (a cover band)? And the place isn't even BYOB anymore, meaning I have to buy drinks after I pay that cover? I don't know about that, especially considering that Holy Diver sounds like Mudhoney for Republicans. Well, at least you'll get Jeremy Jackson spinning metal and Schwa doing his thing.
SUNDAY
Bruce Springsteen (American Airlines Center) Hey, you DO know that it's cool to like Bruce Springsteen again, right? I'm glad all the little indie rockers finally decided that it was "daring" and post-ironic to start telling their friends about the time they started crying when they head "Born to Run" on KZPS or whatever. Sorry songwriting fans... I couldn't care less about this show, and yes, I've heard Nebraska, so you really don't have to try to pull that card on me either. I'd probably like the guy more if I hated you less. Oh no. Did I just "jump the shark?" By the way, that phrase is still banned in the comments sections.
Abiku | Dream Eater | Smart Patrol | Naxat (1919 Hemphill) Apparently, Dream Eater changed their name from Amethyst, to Hate for Man, to their current moniker all within a short timespan. I can not keep up with this shit. Naxat is one of the two electronic music projects of Alex Atchley, and Smart Patrol features members of Bleach Boys and Undoing Of David Wright. The 1919 description says they'll be playing "technical licks" and "fast jams." In other words, nobody gets to make fun of this band for not knowing how to really play their instruments, whatever that means. I love live music. This is a chance to catch Abiku in Fort Worth if you missed them in Denton.
Ra Ra Riot | The Little Ones (Lola's) "OMG, this band Ra Ra Riot has a violin and a cello!" "Yeah, but what do they do with them?" "Um...Old instruments are cool." Lost Generation (Fallout Lounge) This marks the beginning of a straight Techno focus for Wanz. From what I understand, Wanz will be focusing on a lot of the stuff popular in Berlin these days, but I wonder exactly what that means considering that there seems to be two opposing camps there: the party heavy Modeselektor types, and the minimal intellectuals. Who wins at the fight for Fallout Lounge tonight? That is anyone's guess. Ineka plays tonight as well.
Le Loup | The Ruby Suns | Kyle Sherman Band (Lola's) Oh great, it looks like I'm going to have to start driving to Ft. Worth to see shows now too. Thanks a lot Dallas. Anyway, the Ruby Suns are the latest Pitchfork approved pop band that apparently jumped on to the Summer 06's Tropicalia/Afro-beat bandwagon and decided to give it a go in the form of a sort of cute indie pop group. As annoying as said trend can be sometimes, I think Ruby Suns pull it off about as well as anyone could. Their stuff could be dismissed as trendy hipster posturing or merely a Vampire Weekend for stoners, but for anyone who takes Sgt. Peppers as a base for good rock music, this is going to be pretty enjoyable group. Their songs are crafted with attention to detail and a requisite number of surprises to render them a few legs above other indie rock fashion victims who try this sort of thing. Headliners Le Loup are a band I admittedly don't know a lot about, and while I didn't exactly jump out of my seat when I downloaded their debut album last night, I suppose they pull of a pleasant enough mix of Arcade Fire, psychedelic folk and even one song that pulls from Silver Apples fairly successfully. Check "Outside of this Car" on the Myspace page. I'd show up at this late, however, in order to miss the Dudebrah blues of Kyle Sherman.
The Ruby Suns will also be playing a Good Records in store at 6pm. Sweet. Now I don't have to drive to Ft. Worth AND the shit's free, y'all.
It's What We Get (Hailey's) I'm really enjoying the recent influx of show fliers that remind me of the cover of a Trapper Keeper from like 1991, and It's What We Get is doing pretty well in that department.
Taxi Fare (Zubar) Last time I checked in at Taxi Fare, I heard a lot of 80's dancehall and newer stuff from the islands, and unless you're way cooler than me (highly doubtful), then Wednesdays at Zubar might be pretty much your only opportunity to listen to this kind of stuff.
If you hadn't heard a single note of Record Hop's new material and instead just decided to take Quick or the Dallas Observer's word for it, you'd probably end up believing that the band had completely changed direction or instituted some huge shift in their sound and approach. I don't necessarily blame the Dallas music writer that needs an angle to justify throwing a band on the cover of their daily magazine or writing a big weekly feature on a local act. The mentality seems to be "Hey, this band might hit it big, and we should all be on board in case they do," and for better or worse, this attitude seems to pervade all levels of popular music journalism in the United States these days.
Sometimes the proverbial buzz translates into actual results, and a local band ends up getting featured on some taste-making website, or signing to a label, or a publishing deal, or getting on the roster of one of the big booking companies and opening for critically acclaimed acts at art galleries across the nation. Or maybe a band dupes a writer into thinking one of these things might happen. But let's hope not.
In Record Hop's case, a decision to make a record with Steve Albini resulted in the celebrated recording engineer stating on a poker message board that he thought the band was "terrific" and "carrying the rock torch." Stereogum happened to post this little tidbit in a large reposted chunk of the original Q and A, and to some speculators, this one two knockout publicity punch translated into instant success and a promise of big things to come. I know a lot of people who would take a compliment from Albini over say, a thousand people buying their record, and my intention is not to minimize or take anything away from that praise. Albini is more honest than most people, and therefore it sometimes seems like he gives scant compliments (in comparison to insults) towards musicians. But I think it puts an unfair bit of pressure on Record Hop, that they now have to "make it" due to their slight uptick in publicity. If this media driven idea of "making it" is to a band what the media driven idea of "beautiful" is to an anorexic teen, then there is the expectation that a band must have made some drastic change in order to easily fit into this constrictive conceptual mold.
Yet, here's the thing: Record Hop didn't need a big change to be great. They already were. And the best parts of their eponymous second LP are the things that have largely remained unchanged-- the immense, scraping, twin guitar rock sound leading an abusive rhythm section topped off with wonderfully slurred vocals. That is largely what is on this record, and the only times I ever feel that the band takes a step back are during the moments where this formula seems somewhat compromised. Thankfully there aren't too many of those moments. But am I supposed to interpret them as a band finally sounding as they are "supposed" to? Again, Record Hop wasn't broke, so don't fix it.
The bluesy opener "Skirtchaser," veers a little too close to blues rock territory, and it seems that any of the other tracks might have made better openers. Once again, Ashlee Cromeens' ability as a singer could save just about any lackluster backing music, and I could probably listen to her sing Jimmy Buffet or Eagles' covers without slitting my wrists. There are a handful of singers in the world I could probably say that about. The album really picks up on the second, and one of the best tracks, "Maths." The complex little working parts that make up the verse and lead up to the equally intricate chorus are really something to return to. Included lyric sheets tell us that Cromeens sings "Take this card/I'll fend off" repeatedly, and I realize that I've never wanted to know exactly what she's saying. How she says it has always been the point, hence the slurring.
It's fitting that Record Hop once went as Fugazi for Halloween, as I hear traces of the superior "Repeater"-era in the riffs of "Dognapper," "Yr War," and the aforementioned "Maths." Elsewhere, 90's rock worship almost threatens to undo the momentum by conjuring up another DC Hardcore disciple, Tom Morello, when he started ripping off Zeppelin, such as on the big pulloff-happy riffing on "Rocket Seance." Again, saved by the singing.
Record Hop pushes some of their toughest material late in the record with the brief explosion of "End Of Line," followed by the almost equally short "Clique." This is one of the most successful stretches on the album, and by the time "American Weed" rolls around, it almost seems a shame that the band didn't have more songs like these on the first half of the record, especially considering that they certainly weren't lacking these high energy moments in their past catalog.
The recording itself is as excellent as expected, and Justin Collins did a seamless job mixing all but one of the tracks. But as a self-professed big fan of the band's first record, Pareidolia, I have a certain bias in favor of it, and I think Matt Barnhart has been taking some real critical slings as to how he didn't really capture their sound on the debut. The first record sounds like Record Hop, and it features some unforgettable songs that have always caused people to ask what they're hearing when I play it around the house, which is usually followed by the exclamation of"Really?," when I explain that they're a local band from Denton. The obvious semi-ballad on the s/t record is "Slugworth," and it's good, for sure. But will it have the staying power of local classic, "Last Second?"
Hard to say, and I want to reiterate that these are unfair expectations that have been put on the band, even if it's nice to get so much attention, and I only ask questions like that in the face of how some people have framed the latest chapter of the Record Hop "story." So let people gamble and speculate on the next breakout act, but Record Hop should rest easy knowing that they were always deserving of such acclaim and hyperbole of the sort wasted on their lesser peers, back in the salad days of '04.
