David Bowie's "Speed of Life," live in Dallas, 1978.



NOTEWORTHY SHOWS THIS WEEK:

WED: Dan Deacon (Cavern)
WED: Drenches/Villa Valley/Haunted Castle/Weak Sisters/Ferveur Noir/Aunt's Analog (House of Tinnitus)
WED: Christian! Teenage Runaways/Fizzy Dino Pop/Ribelle Escaltro (Rubber Gloves)
FRI: Shearwater/Minus Story/Shiny Around the Edges (Rubber Gloves)
SAT: Radioclit/Nature/Sober/Select (Fallout Lounge)

SUN: Great Lake Swimmers (Bend Studio)

FRIDAY

Dub Assembly feat. Innerlign and Tyrant | Mundo and Lifted MC | Keith P | Royal Highnuss | Soy Capaz (The Green Elephant 5627 Dyer Street)
So I think a good argument can be made that the stylistic tendencies of dubstep have had a more profound impact on dance music than any other hybrid genre in the past couple of years. From Skream's excellent debut full of backward glancing and forward looking dub to the dark starkness of Kode 9's work, some of the most interesting electronic music in the world has come in the form of dub recently. And thankfully, we've got a dubstep scene here that any American city would be really proud of. And if the great mixes you've heard from Keith P aren't enough, you don't have to take my word for it. Why don't you look at what Wire had to say about Dallas' own Jason Mundo:

"Don’t assume dubstep is an exclusively South London phenomenon: check the feverish workrate of Jason Mundo, a Texan. This is his third single in as many months, and by the time you’re reading this, no doubt another plate will already be pressed up. Mundo is a disciple of the bottom end, with trademark bass drops. His tunes can be played across dub, dubstep, and breaks sets with equally devastating effect. The bass on “My Sound” comes fully formed, rolling consistently throughout the track with an almost Techno feel, while “Burn it Down” is a choppier breaks affair, breathless with call and response rhythms and intermittent DJ grunts, It’s dub, but not as we know it." – The Wire UK, May 2007

Basically, Dub Assembly 8 is going to be great. Try something new if you haven't already, because it's by far the best thing happening in Dallas this evening.

Sean Vargas and Stephen R (Esoterica- Ft. Worth)
Sean Vargas has been holding down this dance party in Ft. Worth for some time now, and it's rare to see two DJs with such good taste playing that town on the same night. Go to this if you're anywhere in the 817 this evening. Disco, punk, bmore, funk, whatever. They'll play something you'll like I'm sure.

Syndney Confirm CD release party with Farah | Lazer | PLID | Pretty Vacant (Rubber Gloves)
I wasn't crazy about the Sydney Confirm material I heard several months ago on their Myspace page, but a listen to the new stuff the guys emailed to me a few days ago reveals a band that is heading in the right direction, with an Of Montreal | Yacht influenced synth-dancepop sound that might not be exactly what they want quite yet, but is pleasant nonetheless and certainly a sign of rapid improvement for the band. And at this point, anyone who completely dismisses Farah's music and performances can probably be brushed aside as someone who has a personal conflict with her. Is Farah a great traditional vocalist? Not at all. Is she a great performer in a traditional sense? Nope. But Johnny Jewel's music and her strangely innocent and surreal lyrics make for live appearances that are actually quite captivating. We've honestly had people from all over the country asking us questions about Farah, and although we usually don't have a lot of answers for them, thats part of what interests us about her. We have no idea what the hell she is trying to do, and we like it.

The Red Herrings | Street Hassle | iKILLCars (Secret Headquarters)
SHQ celebrates it's one year anniversary and gets right back into things with another diverse weekend of shows. Denton's Street Hassle will be celebrating their CD release this evening, and their fuzzed out, lo-fi take on 60's psychedelic blues rock and pop is actually quite good. You've heard all the influences 8,000 times, and you've probably even seen this exact list of influences 8,000 times: Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones, Stooges, Sonic Youth, T Rex, Richard Hell, stuff like that. But still, what you can't take away from these guys is their charming recording aesthetic and their ability to write a good pop song, even if some might tire of the influences on the sleeve thing. I hope this translates well in a live setting. Austin's iKillCaRS, despite a kind of painful name spelling (quit with the caps dudes!), does a pretty good garage rock/pop thing that, again, won't blow you away with influence originality, but is pretty good nonetheless. Red Herrings' tired classic rockisms don't appeal to me at all.

Peel | LaLaLand | Tammany Hall Machine (Hailey's)

SATURDAY

The Party with Krames of Cobra Kai | Nature | Sober | Select(Zubar)
For this edition of the Party, Central Booking has brought in Georgia's Krames, who has made a name for himself and his design crew with eclectic sets of latin house, old school hip hop, the newer ghetto shit, and a lot more. It's actually amazing to say that the Zubar party seems to be getting BETTER over time, but that is exactly what is happening. Bigger crowds, better sets. A total blast.

Deep Snapper | Nouns Group | Koji Kondo (Rubber Gloves)
The local post-hardcore vanguard all get together on this one, and based on the performances I've seen from these bands recently, the sizable local following they're starting to get is actually quite deserved. I'm sure I don't have to describe the sounds of these bands to most of the people reading this, so if you haven't heard them yet, go listen to a myspace page or something.

Men(JD and Jo of Le Tigre) | Aaron Lacrate(2505-formerly Club 7)
Will Le Tigre ever get credit for the indie kids dancing, or nu rave, or ironic bmore funk, or the reemergence of flourecent as a fashion statement? I don't know, but they probably could. Anyway, the two members of Le Tigre that weren't in Bikini Kill will be spinning records at 2505 (Pacific Ave) with Baltimore scene staple Aaron Lacrate. This will be going after hours as well.

Another Holiday | Gashcat | Tenpenny Terribles (Secret Headquarters)
Gashcat... hmmm. A pretty interesting band, and actually a bit creepy too. Whether it's the junkyard, almost tribal folk of "Jesus is Coming" or the gorgeous sleepy echoes of "The Black Creek Babies," this is a highly promising local collaboration that sounds like it could really be on to something.

Robert Gomez (Good Records-5pm)
Some of the people from Palladium will be giving away tickets to the Manu Chao show on Sunday, and I believe Glen Reynolds plays at 3 o'clock as well. Oh, and when I was trying to find the Robert Gomez Myspace page, I came across the page for some other dude of the same name whose headline quote was "life's a bitch and then you die, so fuck the world and just stay high." So theres that.

Great cartoon exhibit at Kettle Art as well.

Oh, and we didn't forget about The Hold Steady show at Hailey's. They just blow a lot.

SUNDAY

Calvin Johnson | Julie Dorion | Tha Bracelets (Rubber Gloves)
Everett True once said that while Nirvana were clearly the most important band of Generation X's era, it was Beat Happening that really had the biggest influence, seeing as how much of what was important about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana came from the confrontational cute aesthetic of the late 80's Olympia scene, aka the one Calvin Johnson started. And while we could sit here and debate this contention if we wanted to, the fact remains that Calvin Johnson's impact on independent music is still highly visible even amongst today's bands, and his solo work, while not quite as revolutionary as what he did with Beat Happening, is still worthy of being taken seriously in it's own right. Highly recommended show.

Nouns Group | When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth | Daniel Francis Doyle | Angry Businessmen (Hailey's)
Austin's When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth helped make a name for themselves last year with an Oneida tribute album that received some solid praise. They've brought the excellent Daniel Francis Doyle up from their hometown to join two great local acts for one of the more promising shows of the weekend.

Danceateria with Keith P/Select | Feezy | Kelle Marie of Grin Music (Sandy's-1924 N. Henderson)

The Black Mountain Army is an interesting but seemingly complicated collective of musicians and artists or otherwise friends in Vancouver, BC. Members reportedly hold down day jobs at a local mental health clinic, which is ironic because their own various musical projects exist somewhat like multiple personalities. Outlets such as Black Mountain and The Pink Mountaintops have generated considerable buzz, and have relied heavily on the talent and influence (and personalities?) of Stephen McBean, a longtime veteran of the BC music scene.

The upcoming debut from Lightning Dust is a notable contribution because, for one, it does not involve Stephen McBean. Additionally, or consequently, the music played by Lightning Dust contrasts greatly with that of previous Black Mountain Army offerings. Their debut further establishes the Army as a ranging music collective worthy of your attention, even if the trek from BC to DFWd is a long one and we tend to miss out on these bands’ live performances.

The Lightning Dust project involves mostly Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. Both are veterans of the Army, and attempting to trace the evolution of their involvement in Black Mountain Army projects is an exercise in taxonomy:

Joshua’s collaborations with McBean pre-date Black Mountain (the band)
In the the late nineties the two played together in the esteemed Ex Dead Teenager, who were one of the first bands to record at the venerable Hive Creative Labs, an influential low-budget studio that has nurtured the BC music scene over the past decade (e.g., Destroyer has recorded there). Wells and McBean were later joined by Amber Webber in Jerk With a Bomb.

Jerk With a Bomb begot Black Mountain, with Wells and Webber contributing alongside McBean and others. Black Mountain is often depicted as a drug-influenced throwback to sixties/seventies VU, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, etc.

The Pink Mountaintops are an offshoot of Black Mountain in which Wells, Webber, and others perform ideas that are more strictly McBean’s. With McBean at the helm, The Pink Mountaintops were invited to SXSW 2006. Whereas Black Mountain is associated with marijuana and LSD, The Pink Mountaintops project, managing to humor spirituality while remaining fixated on all things sexual, seems more representative of a McBean MDMA binge.

And so if the music of Black Mountain and The Pink Mountaintops references hippie hedonism, that of Lightning Dust is more aligned with the disconsolation a hippie might have felt after Nixon trounced McGovern in '72. Since the album expresses resignation or indolence, if not outright depression, it seems unlikely to approximate the buzz of its Black Mountain Army predecessors.

The lethargic pace of the album is underscored by its instrumentation, which is primarily sparse: Drums are heard on only about a third of the tracks. The generally warm sounds of cellos, organs, pianos, and acoustic guitar are the building blocks for most songs, and they allow Amber Webber and her vocals to be at the center of attention. She keeps things interesting with an affecting voice. At it’s best, she sounds like a groggy Chan Marshall, or a glum, even shivering cold Victoria Bergsman (defected Concretes frontwoman). Unfortunately, the lyrical content doesn't always match the emotional force in which it's delivered.

Webber usually sounds as if she’s communicating something that has her on the verge of tears, but an exception to this and the overall tempo of the album is the third track, Wind Me Up. Not coincidentally, I think that track captures the prize for most likely to be skipped on subsequent listenings. More representative of the album as a whole are Heaven, When You Go, and Castles and Caves. Also strong is the album’s final song, Days Go By, which features a double-dub of Webber accompanying herself beautifully, with simple piano, guitar, and drum parts that trudge along seeming reluctant to keep pace.

Overall, there's enough substance for this debut to be considered more than just another Black Mountain Army vanity project. Those fond of Mark Kozelek's output, or maybe a band like Ida, might be inclined to check it out. If it doesn't sound like your thing, well then sit tight because the recent prolific history of the Black Mountain Army suggests that you probably won't have to wait too long to try out something else entirely different.

Lightning Dust's Lightning Dust will be released by Jagjaguwar on June 19th.

New Science Projects | Matthew And The Arrogant Sea | Verulf | Bryce Isbell (J and J's Pizza)
If you're looking for an unconventional take on the singer-songwriter genre, you'll find more than enough at J and J's tonight. The New Science Projects are the act I've been exposed to the most here, and they are also the most challenging out of this bunch. We mentioned Matthew And The Arrogant Sea earlier in the week since their side project, Gashcat, just performed on Tuesday. Imagine that.

80's Night With DJ G (Hailey's)
According to the New Science Projects' Myspace page, "Denton Hipsters" go to this instead of seeing their shows. So if you're too hip, well then act accordingly. I've been to a few myself, and I disagree. There is no way all of those people can be hip.



Lost Generation at Fallout Lounge

Sticky Buns Dance Party (Rubber Gloves)
The Sticky Buns kids are throwing another ridiculous dance party with a highly eclectic playlist and an "I don't even know how to take myself seriously" attitude. Punk, funk, disco, hip hop and whatever else they can find.

Royals/Artwork | White Arms of Athena | Justin and Monroe | Koji Kondo(1919 Hemphill)
This mostly hardcore show was moved to 1919 at the last minute, so hopefully more than a few people got the message. Koji Kondo, who will be touring with the Undoing of David Wright later this month, will get things off at 7pm.

Meat Radio is DJing tonight at Fallout Lounge

Short Attention Span Theatre (Hailey's)
the folks at Strawberry Fields bring you another edition of this entertaining video collage freak out. This week:

we are bringing back the TV Carnage. In case you do not know, TV Carnage collects the absolute worst segments of television programing and tightly condense them into 90 minute fun fests. In between carnage segments there will be music playing with crazy things being projected on the walls. Just like in the 60s!

Gashcat | Barn Burning (Rubber Gloves)
Gashcat is a side project that splintered out of Matthew And The Arrogant Sea. So if you check out Matthew And The Arrogant Sea's Myspace calendar, you'll find that either of these acts will be playing every night until 2008. The recordings are subdued and distant, with a sound that is interesting in that the songs, structures and intent aren't immediately apparent. This is a definite positive except that music relying so heavily on recording fidelity as an extra intstrument is often in danger of coming off as standard and unremarkable live. Hopefully, that's the not the case. Rhode Island's Barn Burning will face the same challenge, although mostly with the vocals.

Doppleganger | Network of Terror (1919 Hemphill)
Doppleganger is a collaborative effort between members of Koji Kondo and the noise outfit Judascow. The results so far seem to be a much looser affair than Koji Kondo, with humming sound-scape backdrops and freer playing in general. Network of Terror sounds much like their name implies, with the terror mostly communicated through blastbeats and screaming.

Unfortunately, I can't really write a full review of The Last Ones on Earth debut because I only got a chance to listen to it once all the way through. So I figure if anyone would like to do a write-up of this CD and submit to us, they're welcome to do so. You can even borrow my copy. All you have to do is go pick it up near the corner of Main and Haskell, which is where I threw it out the window of my car.

I've been able to goof off for the past couple of Mondays (especially last week), but now that I'm back to non-goof off Monday, I think I'm starting to feel like this:



Anyway, no matter how you're feeling, you've always got Jazz at the Amsterdam on Mondays, and for those that might like to spend the evening watching one of the cute Strokes play some cute songs, you can go to the House of Blues to see:

Albert Hammond Jr. | Mooney Suzuki | Dead Trees

And just for fun, can someone name a worse early 00's garage band than Mooney Suzuki? I mean I guess their first album was decent, but didn't they start letting NSYNC produce their albums or something? And no, Jet doesn't count in this little contest.

LOCAL TOP 5

1. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait
2. Mom - Echo Breath (CDR)
3. Bosque Brown - Cerro Verde LP
4. Chris Garver - E4/E5
5. The Last Ones On Earth - s/t

OVERALL TOP 20

1. The National - Boxer
2. Handsome Furs - Plague Park
3. Hymns - Brother/Sister
4. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait
5. Battles - Mirrored
6. Soundtrack - Once
7. Dntel - Dumb Luck
8. Fennesz Sakamoto - Cendre
9. Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Pullhair Rubeye
10. The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur
11. Voxtrot - Voxtrot
12. Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls
13. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
14. Elliott Smith - New Moon
15. Blonde Redhead - 23
16. Feist - The Reminder
17. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
18. Mice Parade - Mice Parade
19. Keren Ann - Keren Ann
20. Hot Chip - DJ Kicks

Jesus Christ.... we've said it before and we'll say it again: Blogger is free, and you get what you pay for. After being labeled a "spam" blog by one of Blogger's trusted "spambots," we were locked out of our blog on Friday afternoon and have just now been given access again, meaning that we didn't get to post a weekender or anything else for several days. Somewhere, a member a Belafonte has a tear in his eye.

Anyway, the really crappy part is how Blogger's spam spotting works: The robot finds your blog, suspects that it's a spam blog, and automatically locks you out in order to shut it down. The problem is that this apparently happens to dozens of legit blogs every single day, and once a blog is locked for spam, Blogger insists that you wait for up to a week or longer in order for a human being to actually go to your blog and confirm that it isn't spam. Then, and only then, will they unlock it and give you the privilege of blogging once again.

Yeah I know, bitching about a free service is kind of stupid, but Google certainly isn't running Blogger out of the kindness of their hearts, and this guilty unless proven innocent approach to security seems to go right along with Google's happy new partnership with the Chinese government. Get in where you fit in I suppose. Expect a "very short because we didn't think we were going to post today" it list a bit later.

So now that Memorial Day has come and gone, it's safe to say that Summer is officially upon us. Here in Texas, the season can be a little hard to take to say the least, but whether you're looking forward to the heat or dreading it like we are, we figure the concept of "summer" provides us with a nice opportunity to kick off something new on this blog...

So over the next few hot months, we're going to present "We Shot A Mix," a brand new series of posts where we invite one local DJ, band or DJ group to put together an original, party oriented dance mix for your downloading pleasure. There will be no criteria or theme to any of the mixes: they do whatever the hell they want, give it to us, and we give it to you. Pretty simple. We figure with the number of good DJs and tasteful musicians in the area these days, it should be pretty easy to convince people that this is in fact a brilliant idea. You should expect a diverse range of artists to participate over the next couple of months, and I'm sure the mixes will all be full of new music and pleasant surprises.

Anyway, we're happy to kick off the We Shot A Mix series with Pretty Vacant, a new DJ duo who played a big role in getting last weekend's excellent Glass Candy show together. Consisting of Dallas party people Lolita and Justin V (former member of High Society), Pretty Vacant brings a diverse and tasteful palette to the table, focusing on everything from new house (I refuse to call it "Blog House") to disco to punk to synth pop. The mix below consists of original songs and remixes by the likes of Brazilian Girls, The Teenagers, Mstrkrft, New Young Pony Club and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others, and the thing builds up, peaks and comes down over the course of just under 30 minutes. The mix is very well put together, by the way, featuring a dark party vibe that's a lot of fun without being too obvious. I honestly enjoy every second of it thanks to the choice remixes and artful execution, and I think once you listen to it, you'll agree that we're likely to see these kids around town a lot more in the coming months.

Download it here