1. Japanther | This Bike is a Pipe Bomb | Brickfight | Denton County Revelators (Rubber Gloves)
We've already talked Japanther up a bunch this week, so we'll just tell you to check out the MP3 at the bottom of our Japanther interview below, and/or go to their Myspace page to hear some good arguments as to why you should really be at this show tonight. This Bike is a Pipe Bomb sounds like a fairly solid straight punk band that leans more towards pop in that Dead Milkmen sort of way. Brickfight sound like one of those early 90's pop punk bands that you can't really recall because they are almost completely forgettable, and I can't find anything on Denton County Revelators, so deal with it. Probably not a solid opening bill, but Japanther will be worth it, cross my heart.

2. Zoo (Cavern upstairs)
Anyone that hasn't had the pleasure of seeing a Zoo performance on a Thursday night should really change that as soon as possible. You'll see all kinds of videos, and I promise that you've never heard of half of the shit this guy plays (that includes YOU, Mr. Record Collection), and almost all of it is really good. We've seen rare Cure videos, random Bowie videos, !!! stuff that we didn't know existed, Mazzy Star, and tons of rare shit from the 80's, 90's and now that seem to be thrown together one after another with no single defining characteristic. The only things that tie the sets togther are visually interesting videos and great music pulled from just about any genre you can think of. Total quality and a shitload of fun. A rare combo for a Dallas weeknight.

3. Dj G 80's house/electro at Hailey's

4. Hip Hop Night (Slip Inn)
Don't act like you don't dig it, cuz you do.

In some ways, nothing can be worse for a new local band than gaining instant recognition in the local press, especially when it seems that the press might have jumped the gun. Sure, it is probably quite a thrill to practically sell out the first show you ever play at a popular Dallas venue, and I would assume that it is a significant confidence booster to see your name in the Dallas Observer several times throughout your first month of existence. However, this kind of attention sets a fairly high bar for a band that is just starting out, making it difficult for them to avoid the dreaded "overhyped" tag that often ends up thrusting such bands back down to reality.

Pegasus Now has received this kind of early attention, and not surprisingly, they have yet to deliver on the promises of their buzz. The truth is that Pegasus Now, at least at this point, sounds like a fairly talented but solidly average local band that could easily become either a successful local act or a perennial opening band at the Barley House, depending on where they go from here. The level of attention they have received really shouldn't factor in to an honest assessment of their output, but such things are unavoidable. The buzz is the reason that most local music fans have even heard of them, and it is certainly a factor in our decision to review this record. And although it is easy to see why people around town might be optimistic about the band's future, their present output doesn't really warrant the current hype.

Careless Loveseeds, the band's debut EP, showcases a group of musicians that might have their shit together, but clearly haven't figured out what to do with it. Of course, this is a common problem with new bands, and it is something that we have written about on this blog many times before. Styles and influences are all over the place and often don't mix quite right, transitions aren't executed as well as they could be, and certain parts of certain songs are underplayed, overplayed, too long, too short, underdeveloped, overly ambitious, or just simply need a bit more or a bit less of whatever they have too much or too little of. But on the bright side, there are flashes of inspired songwriting, strong guitar work, catchy choruses, and tight playing that reveal enough potential to save Pegasus Now, even if their debut is little more than an average local release.

Pegasus Now is a guitar pop band at its core, and if thats your thing, there are several songs on this EP that will probably please you. Lead singer Neu LeBlanc has a capable and soothing voice, and also appears to have quite a knack for writing catchy choruses when he wants to. "Stranger to the Dayes" displays the kind of memorable songwriting that draws people into local music venues, and also features an airy, post-rock keyboard hook that hints at a band willing to go beyond the conventions of indie pop, despite many signs of restraint and trepidation concerning how far they might want to take it. Throughout the record, a diverse range of influences are revealed, with Steely Dan, Sea and Cake, Jamiroqui, the Who, Catherine Wheel, and various elements of shoegaze, r&b and late period britpop dominating the palette. This diverse blend works well on closer "Dance on Pure Glass," where the band eventually allows its rhythm section to take control and set a spacey, low key electrosoul groove behind LeBlanc's soft vocals, playing on all of the band's strengths. But on songs like "Mr. Greycoat" and "Babydoll," the band doesn't seem to know what it wants to do, as bits and pieces of bold, structured pop fade in and out of songs that are otherwise lose and hazy in construction and delivery, often changing the mood before they set it and leaving the listener a bit puzzled. Diversity isn't a bad thing of course, but when too many styles are thrown at you at once in an often awkward manner, it starts sounding less like diversity and more like indecision. Along with "Pure Glass," opener "Tea for Two" is probably the strongest song throughout, and it is also by far the most cohesive, with a simple guitar hook and chorus that avoids stalling and meandering, which many of the other songs on this EP tend to do.

Of course, it would be interesting to hear some of these songs taken in different and more challenging directions, but it seems that Pegasus Now is more comfortable within the framework of straightforward pop. In fact, they could probably become one of the more popular indie pop acts in the area if they can find themselves before the buzz well runs dry.

Ever since last week, when we noticed that Japanther was going to be playing a show at Rubber Gloves this Thursday, their album Dump the Body in the Rikki Lake has been getting some serious play around WSJR headquarters. Their brand of lo-fi bedroom electro noise is very rhythmic, joyous and accessible, but they take more than enough chances with their sounds and composition to make them extremely interesting and hard to define. I can't say that I've heard a band quite like Japanther before (although you could make an argument that there is something of a Swell Maps/This Heat influence present), and I'm really looking forward to catching their show this week, as I hear that their live performances are known to get a bit insane at times. We've posted an MP3 from the Rikki Lake album below, and even you pop kids out there that might not normally be inclined to listen to such things should check it out, because they have enough melody packed in their songs to please you too. We asked them some quick questions via email, and here are the answers:

Is it true that one of you met Calvin Johnson early in life and spent some time with him. Whats the story there? It seems like K Records might have been a big influence on the way you guys record and perform, if not on your music itself. What kind of influence do you think Calvin and K have had on your music?

My name is Ian Vanek and I grew up in Olympia, WA. I was extremely lucky to meet a billion great people who influenced me and gave me ideas to chew on. Without a doubt K influenced me as did Kill Rock Stars and all the other indie labels around OLY.

Your music seems extremely hard to pin down or classify. What are some of Japanther's primary musical influences?

Cartoons and laughing really influences us the most. We are not musicians and really don't want to be.

What is going on currently with your record label? Planning any releases from now until the end of the year?

Tapes Records just released the new JAPANTHER"Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty" CD as well as the Bent Outta Shape LP/CD.

I read that you guys participated in some kind of synchronized swimming performance by creating a soundtrack for the swimming. Could you describe this project to us in a little more detail, and tell us how the idea came about?

The idea was cosmic. We saw Esther Williams in a hotel on the tele and laughed about making our own water ballet. Later in LA we got an email asking us to write songs for just such a ballet. The resulting"Dangerous When Wet" was staged (pooled) in May 2006 at NYU. It featured an olympic swimmer soloing to our song and a punk troupe called "Aqua Doom." Our friends at SAFE clothing even made costumes for the event. It was truly surreal from my vantage point.

I also read that you guys consider Japanther to be more of an art project than a band. What do you think the difference is between the two labels, and why do you think drawing such a distinction is important?

Bands are a dime a dozen and often times have very similar goals. Japanther was started as a means to make art, travel, laugh and dance. Songs were and are secondary.

Being a band from Williamsburg seems as though it would have its advantages and disadvantages. How do you like living and working there? I've heard people say that Williamsburg is on a downward spiral right now artistically and socially, but I've also heard that its starting to get more exciting and creative there since the hipster "buzz" about Brooklyn has died down. What do you think?

I tend to think it's getting better as more and more folks move there. You know Strikes and Gutters, man. Ups and Downs. We are barely home so it doesn't effect us as much as it might effect other bands. We can't afford a practice space so we play at home and that shapes our sound. New York is a hell of town with cycles upon cycles. Give it a chance and judge for yourself. All this shit magazines and blogs are writing about Brooklyn is hot air.

Can we expect any new recorded material from you guys in the near future?

We just finished our "Don't Trust Anyone Over 30"CD and our "Dump the Body In Rikki Lake" DVD. They will hit the stores officially in the fall but we are touring with them now. We also have a split seven inch with Juiceboxxx coming out and split seven inch coming out with The Good Good in Europe.

"Critical" MP3

1. The Party w/ DJ Nature (Rubber Gloves)

2. This is Radio Clash (Flashlight Party DJs at Hailey's)
Looks like the Flashlight Party crew have started a regular Wednesday night thing @ Hailey's. The best part is that Hailey's is close enough to Rubber Gloves to allow you to check out Radio Clash and see Dj Nature at another point in the night. The Flashlight Party sets I've seen have tended to be a bit more poppy than Nature's sets, with a bit heavier dose of 80's synth, house, and more recent dance stuff like !!!, M.I.A. and LCD Soundsystem. Between the two, Nature and Flashlight Party should be covering many of the dance music genres you would ever care to hear (other than maybe some of the great house you'll hear DJ G spin at his Thursday night 80's parties), and both have enough variety in their sets to avoid being tagged with any one genre label. Good stuff in Denton tonight.

1. X, Rollins Band, Riverboat Gamblers (Gypsy Tea Room)

$23 isn't exactly a very "punk" ticket price but that's okay. I would actually pay that much to see X alone. I've seen Rollins before and he does put on a really entertaining show even if I can't really get behind some of his Nineties albums. He's touring with his original lineup so that should probably help. I'm sure you've heard of the Riverboat Gamblers, who have the coveted job of opening tonight. They're a punk band from Denton and they're well known for their high energy live show.

2. The Lost Generation with DJ Mwanza (The Cavern)

From the DJ himself:

"Lots of new additions to this week: [A}pendics shuffle,Benga,7 Samurai, DJ Shadow, Dragonforce(yeah this shit is just too funny), Jeff Mills & The Montpellier Orchestra, DJ Spooky and Dave Lombardo and of course the mighty return of the IDM GOD know as SQUAREPUSHER. Of course I am still digging into my Soul Jazz collection also recently scored a new batch of rare funk 45's. I will be joined by Gabriel from Lollipop Shoppe and Grits n Gravy. It will be all over the map as usual. come out and have a drink. Shake your booty and say hi."

Broadcast radio might suck here in good ol DFW, but at least we have Radio UTD, a great internet station. Can someone get these people on the airwaves, please?

ADDS:

1. GRIZZLY BEAR Yellow House
2. INSTRUMENTAL QUARTER Traffic Jam
3. DUPLOMACYAll These Long Drives
4. PINBACKNautical Antiques
5. THE POSITIONS Bliss!

CHARTS:

1. SUFJAN STEVENS The Avalanche: Outtakes And Extras From The Illinois Album
2. THOM YORKEThe Eraser
3. COMPILATION Suicide Squeeze: Slaying Since 1996
4. SEBADOH III
5. MOUNTAIN GOATS Get Lonely
6. BOATSongs That You Might Not Like
7. WIRE154
8. EASTERN STARS July 5th, 1961
9. PAJO 1968
10. RATATAT Classics
11. GOLDEN SMOG Another Fine Day
12. M. WARD Post-War
13. YO LA TENGO I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
14. WIRE Chairs Missing/Pink Flag
15. I LOVE YOU BUT I'VE CHOSEN DARKNESS according to plan
16. LAMBCHOP Damaged
17. BONNIE PRINCE BILLY Cursed Sleep [EP]
18. J. DILLA The Shining
19. ONEIDA Happy New Year
20. WHITE WHALE WWI
21. JIM NOIR Tower Of Love
22. KAKI KING Until We Felt Red
23. SLEEPY JACKSON Personality
24. SNOWDEN Anti-Anti
25. AUTOVAUGHN Space
26. CORDALENE The Star Ledger
27. CAIRO GANG the cairo gang
28. BLACK FICTION Ghost Ride
29. JOAN OF ARC The Intelligent Design Of Joan Of Arc
30. JESU Silver [EP]

Cindy Chaffin posted this on Fine Line a few minutes ago. Apparently Sam was fired by the Dallas Observer today, and I'm assuming that many of you who read this blog will either laugh at or be saddened by this turn of events, judging from the strong comments for and against him that we've seen on here since day one. Cindy doesn't know any of the details and neither do we, but we'll try to get you some if they are available later.

UPDATE #1: here is a bit more from Sam on what happened:

The reason on my goodbye letter says "you are being terminated today as a result of the performance issues we have discussed with you on multiple occasions.

Which Burden Brother do you think is the cutest? I like the one in the middle.

There isn't really anything going on today, and I'm not about to tell you to go watch corn mo play with that other band. Cute is the new suck.

This week, we should have several local album reviews, an interview, MP3s, and other stuff.

1. Red Monroe - Red Monroe EP
2. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
3. Chad Vangaalen - Skelliconnection
4. Ratatat - Classics
5. M. Ward - Post-War
6. Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory - Tree Colored See
7. The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine
8. Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
9. Sorta - Strange and Sad But True
10. Cursive - Happy Hollow
11. Outkast - Idlewild
12. Sleepy Jackson - Personality
13. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
14. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light
15. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
16. The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed
17. Kashmere Stage Band - Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974
18. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
19. Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon
20. My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse

The show at Double Wide on Wednesday featured the most lopsided set of performances that I've seen all summer. I've been to quite a few shows in Denton this busy season, and most of those have displayed some semblance of a shared style, or at the very least, a common musical philosophy amongst the bands sharing the stage. This show featured a couple of California bands that have inexplicably captured some recent blog headlines, along with a local band that hasn't, but actually deserves to. Birdmonster and Division Day did seem to have plenty in common, but it wasn't necessarily anything I would want two bands to share. Local act Tame...Tame and Quiet was nothing like either of these bands, which turned out to be a relief. If they had been in any way similar to the others, the night would have been a complete waste of two precious commodities: gas and time.

I hate it when the best band plays first, or in this case, the only good band.Tame...Tame and Quiet came out and played such a strong set that they probably would have made even a really good band look silly in comparison. They play a very intricate brand of guitar based rock with 70's progressive undertones, and just about any serious music fan would have respected them for all that they accomplish in their brief set. The technically obsessed among us would have marveled at their chops and proficiency. Those who expect intensity at live shows would not have been disappointed by their forcefulness. Even songwriting fans would have been forced to wonder how they went about constructing the tunefulness of their mini-epics.

The band is fronted by two guitarists: Metrognome Collective mastermind Aaron Bartz and Darren Miller, formerly of the late Fort Worth rock group Benway. The band is also more than ably backed by the jazz inspired rhythm hurricane of Boyd Dixon on drums. Boyd plays in Idi*Amin as well, but his drumming is much different and more direct in this setting, exposing his stunning versatility. At their best,Tame...Tame and Quiet reminded me of so manyparts of my favorite King Crimson songs, Polvo albums, and my absolute favorite: Polvo albums that ripped off King Crimson songs. I don't know if they actually count either of the aforementioned bands as influences, but they remind me of the better moments of the so called "math rock" era, when bands aspired to write impossibly complex songs that mixed melody, schizophrenic time signatures and guitar heroics, taking all of them to their logical
extremes. When I heard Tame...Tame and Quiet, I realized how much I miss that time in music, or more specifically, the music itself. The band rocks in such a convincing manner that they blow the intellectual bullshit off of the chin- scratching facade that was so common in that genre. I hope more of you get a chance to see them, and I now know that i should have gone home the moment they exited the stage.

When Division Day came on, I might as well have been at a different show on a different night. Holy shit,where do I begin? Was it the predictable road weary
attitude and stage banter that was played out like theJheri curl? Was it the rocking out on keyboards (an ill advised move for any band)? For the record, I don't care if a band utilizes keyboards, and I actually love it a lot of the time. But please don't jump up and down and try to rock on them like a backup lackey for Nine Inch Nails. With the exception of the keyboard guitar, nothing looks less rock.

Of course, when Division Day showed up, so did the typically late Dallas audience. Dallas crowds are notorious for showing up late, but on this night they really blew it, arriving just in time for two of the worst bands I've seen in recent memory. Division Day did an okay job of silencing a heckler at one point, but for once I was on the heckler's side. Nobody should get away with telling an audience, "It's good to be in Dallas?!" or asking the crowd "How are YOU Dallas?!". Why don't you tell us how Dallas is? Actually, he did say he was glad to be in Dallas because he didn't have a good time in Houston. If that's the case, Division Day was probably treated appropriately in Houston, a town that doesn't take shit from anybody. The band confused me when I saw them play, but I became even more confused when I did a little research on them. They list some semi-adventurous influences on their web page, yet their music is completely Clear Channel friendly, due largely in part to the Mall-Emo melodrama of their vocals. The band was dressed up like Urban Outfitters mannequins come to life, but there was a key difference: the last time I
actually made the mistake of setting foot in that store, I heard some crazy screaming noise rock, indicating that Urban Outfitters mannequins have better taste than these guys, not to mention more stage presence. As confusing as Division Day's hype to substance ratio became after seeing their performance, nothing could prepare me for Birdmonster.


I never thought I'd see the day when I'd get offended because someone decided to compare a band to Modest Mouse. That's right, MTV heroes and KidZ Bop Legends, Modest Mouse. But the rampant comparisons of Birdmonster to Modest Mouse on blog after blog have moved me to believe that Modest Mouse is some sort of sacred entity, and I've begun to wonder how anyone could dare compare this joke of a band to a true pillar of integrity and greatness. Compared to Birdmonster, Modest Mouse is the fucking Beatles. Or Can. Or insert your favorite band here. These guys blew my mind with how far they took the concept of being bland. They were the real life equivalent of Uncle Jessie's band on Full House, only not as cool. I absolutely could not believe my ears. When the lead singer did the Chuck Berry duckwalk, I absolutely could not believe my eyes. If this assault on the senses is what passes for Next Big Thing status these days, we are in serious trouble. I invite you to go to the band's Myspace page, listen to the song "Skeleton Suit", and then tell me how this song is not uncannily like Jimmy Eat World's hit, "The Middle". You can actually count down to the moment when the singer will stomp on his distortion pedal and go into the anthemic chorus. I am truly disturbed by the level of buzz a band can build when the only remarkable thing about them is that they aren't on your local Top 40 station. If that's what they're shooting for, then they're on the right track. The moment when Birdmonster played the opening chords of "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams was very telling, because it was apparent that it fit right in with all of their own songs. Some bands just give away all their secrets right there on stage. Have some mystique, guys! Don't let the audience know what kind of garbage you worship, because figuring that out is the only thing that makes seeing these kinds of shows the least bit enjoyable.

Fortunately, not even the disastrous turns by these two overhyped bands
could ruin Tame...Tame and Quiet's great opening set. The usual who's who's of the local scene were all in full effect at the Doublewide, and I wonder if they were as let down as I was. Judging by the quality of Dallas rock, its pretty hard to tell.

Despite a few good shows here and there, there isn't a whole shitload happening this weekend. Here you go:

FRIDAY

Chris from Gorilla Vs Bear will be spinning records upstairs at the Cavern tonight.

Pinebox Serenade | Record Hop | Medicine Window (Rubber Gloves) Although bluegrass influenced stuff isn't normally my thing, Pinebox Serenade seems to be pretty good at what they do, and are probably worth checking out... Record Hop is Record Hop, and I dont' know what else I can say about them that someone hasn't already said, but if you want to check them out, most would agree that the live shows are where its at. I actually think that the first band, Medicine Window, is the highlight of this show. Their sloppy start/stop hardcore reminds me of Jesus Lizard and a little bit of Flipper with some PIL style post-punk bass lines thrown in the mix. I don't know much about this band, but their strong vocals and aggro approach could be exactly what you need on a Friday night.

Really, thats all we've been able to dig up for friday.

SATURDAY

Terrorstorm w/ Alex Jones, Theater Fire, JFK screenwriter Jim Marrs, Shanghai 5 and more (Lakewood Theater)
If you're at all interested in politics, or simply enjoy hearing points of view that most people don't even know exist, then you might want to check out Alex Jones' latest film, Terrorstorm: A History of Government Sponsored Terrorism. Jones will be at the Lakewood Theater at 7pm on Saturday to present his film and conduct a Q and A session afterward. His thesis is that the US government, and the Bush administration in particular, was behind the 9/11 terror attacks, and the film apparently presents evidence to this effect (I haven't seen it, so I'm not sure exactly what it will be like). The Alex Jones videos I have seen are typically low quality, and some of his, um, "logic" can be hard to follow. I think he sort of imagines himself as Winston from 1984, more or less alone with his knowledge of the truth. And while I'm not sure about most of what he says, I really think this could be an interesting opportunity to hear some perspectives that you usually don't, and to maybe challenge your own thinking on 9/11... even if only a bit. Because whether you believe Jones or not (Note to Homeland Security: I don't believe in him), it should still be fun to hear what he has to say. I mean, have you seen Info Wars on public access in Austin? If nothing else, it is highly entertaining and fun to watch. And if you dismiss Jones all together, you can look at it as performance art or something. Oh yeah, it costs 10.50, and the Theater Fire will be performing as well. Should be good times.

Casper and the Cookies will be at Metrognome on Saturday. And in case you are frightened by the name, this is a group of ex Of Montreal members, and they take many more cues from Syd Barrett, The Who, and Television Personalities than they do from Polyphonic Spree or whatever. Probably a bit silly, but I really like the cheapo electro/psychedelic tracks I've heard from them, and you might too.

Denton's excellent Current Leaves will be kicking off their September residency at Club Dada with a show there on Saturday night. They will be joined by the Backsliders. Of course, CL will be playing every Wednesday or Thursday or something for the next month, so if you're one of those weekend warriors, this will be the best chance you'll get to see one of Denton's best bands in Dallas.

Dj Nature will be spinning at Zubar again this weekend with DJ Mel, and if this show is anything like the one last week, well, you'll feel pretty stupid if you miss it.

Birth to Burial will be at SHQ with Oklahoma's Engine Orchestra... two great rock bands that are actually doing something interesting in addition to kicking ass. Its three bucks, BYOB, and starts at 8. No reason not to go if you're up in Denton.

Pleasant Grove | Red Monroe | Ennui | Voot Cha Index (Wreck Room in Ft. Worth)

Silk Stocking | Sean Kirkpatrick | Plexus Loom/ (Amsterdam Bar on Exposition) Hadn't heard Plexus Loom until today, but they are pretty fucking good... very strange, like the Cramps playing folk music or something. Oh yeah, they'll all be joined by Oak Cliff's The Sheena Militia.

And as usual, I am running out of steam, but I will say two more things:

Laptop Deathmatch is going on at DoubleWide on Sunday, and its not to be missed.

Also, the Feds are the most annoying group of pussies on the planet. I try to be friends with everyone that requests on Myspace, and The Feds are included in that. But these retarded suck asses have sent me one too many "we're coming home, check out this gig" and "vote for us on the cockfight" fucking bulletins and event invites that I am officially going to hack into their myspace account and do something mean to them. Thats all.

Have to be a bit quick today, so here goes:

1. Night Game Cult | Emil Rapstine of The Angelus | Jen of Shiny Around the Edges | Wild in the Streets (Rubber Gloves)
Not sure exactly what they will be doing tonight because I've never heard solo stuff from Jen, but based on their main musical projects, I'd say its a safe bet that this will be a pretty good show from Jen and Emil. You know we like Night Game and Wild in the Streets, so thats that.

2. Hip Hop Night (Slip Inn)
We've forgotten about posting this for a while now, but I am convinced that it is still easily the most fun you can have in Dallas on Thursday nights typically... and since there aren't any big shows going down in big d tonight, this could be the place for you... if you like JJ Fad and Public Enemy and Pharcyde and De La and Tribe and Big Daddy Kane and stuff like that. Because that is what they play, and it rules.

3. Daniel Folmer | The Fiction | Rifle Recoil (JJs Pizza Denton) This show is FREE, which means you are dumb if you live in Denton and don't at least stop by. I hadn't heard them until today, but from the sound of things, The Fiction's shimmering, hazy electro atmospherics could be right up your alley if you're one of those people who, like me, only likes music that you think other people will think you are cool for being into... nah, just kiddin' dude, psyche! It really is good, you should listen... not a lot of people doing what these guys are doing around here, which might make it worth checking out alone. You could probably call them Casioprog and get away with it. Yes! Rifle Recoil are kind of Radioheady, but unlike most bands you could say that about, they aren't annoying. In fact, they sound pretty good. Should be a good show if you're not looking to go crazy tonight.

4. Dj G is at Hailey's as usual.

5. The excellent Zoo will be showing their unusual collection of music and other videos upstairs at the Cavern tonight.

Bye.

One More Thing: Has anyone checked out some of the leaked tracks off the new Rapture album yet? Hmm, if the three tracks I've heard are any indication of what the rest of the album is like, the people that wanted to write them off are about to find out how wrong they were. I'll post some MP3s if anyone is interested.

1. The Party w/ Dj Natutre (Rubber Gloves- Denton)
I'm guessing that Nature and Select picked up even more of an audience with the full capacity, out of fucking hand set they played at ZuBar last Friday. Its great to see these guys succeeding in Dallas, and Nature apparently already runs shit in Denton... so you probably shouldn't be the absolute LAST person on earth to see one of his sets. Aren't you supposed to be hip or something?

2. Birdmonster | Division Day | Tame... Tame and Quiet (Doublewide)
I don't think I get what all the blogfuss over Birdmonster is all about. I've heard that they are a pretty solid live band, but I can't back that up. All I know is that the songs I've heard from them don't come close to justifying all the hype... they sound like a competent version of most of the poppy post punk revivial stuff that we've all been hearing for the past four years. Nothing bad really, but surely nothing amazing either. Division Day could probably be put in just about the same category, except they seem to lean a bit more towards Shinsy psychedelic pop, and are a bit more interesting. I do like Ft. Worth's Tame Tame and Quiet quite a bit, so I would recommend going early to check them out. The show is probably only like five bucks anyway, so what the hell?

Should I really be reviewing albums like Jubilee Dive? Is a band like the Drams even relevant to what we are doing on this blog? What is the point in trashing a record that most WSJR readers would never consider buying in the first place? These are the questions I started to ask myself after about five minutes of listening to this album for the first time, knowing all too well that there was no way I was going to get through its 14 tracks without a struggle. I needed a way out, an excuse to not listen to these songs ever again, a chance to escape from the feeling that I had to write about them. There were two major problems that I just couldn't seem to get around, and I thought that avoiding the whole thing would probably be best. The first problem was the fact that merely listening to these emotional mid tempo country rock snore fests was a pretty painful experience in and of itself, and the second was that it seemed almost impossible to come up with anything to say about an album that isn't quite terrible enough to be funny, but boring enough to be completely forgettable. Basically, there are only a few ways in which one can say "this sucks," and I think I've tried just about all of them on this blog.

But nevertheless, The Drams are relevant to a lot of people in this tiny little world known as local music, and since this is primarily a local music blog, I decided that a fair review based on a careful listen was warranted. After all, the band seems to be fairly well known on the local circuit, and the fact that all but one of its members have previously played in formerly popular local rock bands Slobberbone and Budapest One means that their record is noteworthy enough to write about, even if doing so might not be very fun. Basically, whether I like it or not, this is something of a big release in local music, and someone probably has to say something about it.

Of course, the difficult part isn't simply telling you that this record isn't very good, because it clearly isn't. The real challenge lies in explaining exactly why it isn't good, since nothing on it is truly offensive. Ok, here goes: take the worst songs on the Clerks soundtrack (especially that Golden Smog song), mix them up with the worst Wilco songs you can think of, throw in a bit of popular Nashville country along with a dash of Train, and you're probably getting pretty close to what Jubilee Dive sounds like. Most of the album consists of overly slick, extraordinarily dry adult contemporary southern rock songs about drinks, girls, politics, angels (not kidding), and just about anything else that you probably don't want to hear these guys talk about. This is "regular guy" music to a fault, and I can't stand regular guys (or at least their music).

And yes, for all you people who are into "good ol fashioned songwritin" or whatever Everyman bullshit you like to say, the melodies are good enough, the singing is decent, and the playing is tight and competent for the most part. The main problem is simply that there seems to be nothing behind these songs, as one flows into the next before you notice it has ended, staying uniformly stiff and lifeless throughout. The first four songs sound like they should be on the soundtrack to an early 90's roadtrip movie where Drew Barrymore is wearing flannel, showing just enough of The Drams' country influences to confirm that yes, these guys are probably from Texas, but never going much deeper than the kind of post-Alternative Nation guitar pop that record executives still think "the kids" listen to. Length is also a big issue on a lot of these tracks. For example, "Holy Moses" clocks in at 6 1/2 minutes with a cheesy chorus about angles coming down from heaven and a torturous helping of unnecessary solos and predictable chord changes that render it a VERY long 6 1/2 minutes that could probably be cut in half. Elsewhere, the ballad "When You're Tired" drags on for another wandering six minutes without really going anywhere, and closing track "Make A Book" ends up being little more than a five minute reminder of the luke warm power pop that dominates the beginning of the record, failing to make a case for going back and checking out those tracks again. Ironically, "You Won't Forget," which is clearly the album's highlight, is also its second longest song. But unlike most of the other tracks, the band maintains interest here with a strong melody, relatively minimal yet effective guitar work, and a horns breakdown/changeup in the middle that sounds unbelievably refreshing within its context. Unfortunately, the Drams fail to bust out with any other surprises, leaving the listener with the feeling that the track was probably a fluke.

The bottom line is that anyone who agrees with this review probably would have never given this album a chance in the first place, and anyone that I've pissed off here has probably made it a rule to never listen to anything they read on this blog anyway. To put it another way, I'm still not exactly sure why I reviewed Jubilee Dive, and I'm also unclear as to why the Drams recorded it.

(rating is out of a possible five stars)