New Music: The Gravediggers Song

The Gravediggers Song - Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral

The new single off of Mark Lanegan's new album is right on line with his previous stuff from Here Comes That Weird Chill Again, its fuzzy, loud, dark, deep, with twists of folk and psychedelia. Mark Lanegen still sounds like the gravely chain smoker he may have been, and at least on this track his backing music is still as dark and deep and post grungy as ever. This track immediately took me back to Methamphetamine Blues due to its repetitive throbbing beat, and dark tones. Unlike in Methamphetamine blues however, there is little to no focus on guitar, it does not provide too much melody other than a couple of simple variations and rhythms. The guitar seems even more so a texture and a canvas for Mark Lanegan's smokey voice and dark lyrics, a background that helps color the voice that we should be focusing on. In a way, this is an even more stripped down and hypnotic version of a song that I will forever remember for its intoned growls of "Moving just to keep on moving". Mark Lanegan has in a way taken a further step away from structure, focusing much less on instrumentation and letting his voice do most of the painting and drawing of emotions for the listener. I love it. Its heavy, filthy, dirty and everything I expect out of Mark Lanegan.


Enjoy!

New Music: The Revivalists

The Revivalists - City of Sound

I just recently stumbled upon this Big Band New Orleans group which incorporates many different styles into a very very tight recording on City of Sound. Technically apt, rhythmic, and soulful, all things expected coming out of a music city like New Orleans, I was amazed by their breadth. The first impression I had was that they would be a horns and guitars funk/soul band, but that really is a weak description of all the different kinds of sounds this band incorporates into their album City of Sound. With soaring vocals, electronic affects, distorted guitars and drums they go well into rock and alternative, while keeping instrumentation (like an electric steel guitar and some horns) that lend themselves well to other genres. Great, distinctive vocals and loud intensity brings this album together and keeps it from seeming like a collection of odds and ends. Instead what we get is a band that is having fun, singing and shouting at the top of their vocals, and expressing a wide range of emotions while using separate musical voices. Absolutely recommend a whole listen, but here are some of my favorite tracks.

Upright

Pretty Photograph

Navigate Below

Criminal

Up In the Air

Saved By Magic

Saved by Magic is by no means a stellar album. The music itself doesn't do a whole lot technically (that I can here anyway), and the lyrics are just silly. They cover "classic" topics of the 70's; making rock and roll to defeat the man (The Messengers), recalling drug induced hazes (Paradise On Earth, Let the Truth be Know), "lovin'" (Inside of you, Kiss Away), and the 70's themselves ('73). To give you a more accurate representation of the silliness level I thought I would pick out some of my favorite lyrics from the album.

"I know I'm crazy//and so are you//these machines were built to phase me//They're built to phase you too" ('73)

"and my opinion on that//is like the tree//the tree who gives you wood"('73)

"go downtown tomorrow night for an orgy of bad taste" (Kiss Away)

"When you think you've lost your buzz//Gettin your rocks off is a must" (Kiss Away)

"Sometimes a wizard...Get's lonely at the top" (Make the Pony Trot)

"Just another day at the office (ring ring)//baby can you hold my calls?//And if I ever mix business with pleasure//Then baby, you can hold my balls (hold his balls)" (Make the Pony Trot)

"Put some love, put some love inside of you (is what i'm gonna do)" (Inside of you)

"Don't work for the man//I work for rock and roll" (Let the Truth be Known)

"Your stereo's too loud and they don't understand you" (The Messengers)

"The kids who burn up what they say//Ejaculate when the flames get higher and higher" (The Messengers)

Really any and all the songs have some pretty weird lyrics and deliveries about topics that aren't relevant now, and may really only be relevant stereotypes for an era that Bjork himself never experienced. Honestly, that's part of why I like them. These songs are adolescent and ridiculous and silly, and I can absolutely identify with those three adjectives, this music causes me to laugh, not only at it, but also at myself. And while not at all technically proficient, the instruments do shine when the lyrics don't get in the way. Brant Bjork always seemed to me to have a creative way to create a lot of feeling with very minimalist melodies. The fact that this album has that whole big sound, with an emphasis on the bass, is wonderful, and translates so well in the instrumental songs like Dr. Aura, Freak Levels, and  Dylan Fantasy. But even with the lyrics as they are some of his short simple riffs are catchy, song's like '73 (which has a nice bongo touch), Lil' Bro, Make the Pony Trot, Let the Truth be Known, The messengers, and Paradise on Earth are each a little varied (like the awesome sample in the beginning of Paradise on Earth) while still flowing with the main sound of the album. The only thing that really gets me down is that some of these songs feel so unrealized and underdeveloped, a contribution from the lyrics no doubt. It's not a classic, nor is it emotionally provocative, but it does have a great relaxed groove, some interesting sounds, and an overall effect of a smile.

As a small aside, covering "Sunshine of your Love" was interesting, and I did enjoy how big and thumpy they made everything, but nothing I've heard compares to Cream's original.

Live Performance Special: I Don't Wanna Go There

Live Performance Special: I Don't Wanna Go There - Dinosaur Jr

This is another one I have meant to share since way back in '09. It's a pretty cool performance, I get a kick out of seeing any kind of loud live music, and I really dig just the general sound of the band here. The washed out guitar sounds with some mellow vocals over top are definitely 90's but the lick is bluesy enough to not get lost in it all. Something I forgot is how generally loud it was, especially after listening to some more volume dynamic music, this stuff really is just a block of distorted loud.

I also think I remember listening to the original song and really preferring this version because it actually had less soloing, and was just generally tighter and more exciting. As a small aside I love that they play in separate rooms in the performance.

Here's the Performance,

and Here's the Original.

New Music To My Ears Update: Modest Mouse - This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About

Although still far from new or relevant, I had heard the song "Ohio" on this album a couple of years ago somewhat closer to its 1996 release date. Modest mouse seemed to me at the time to capture a feeling of intense and agonizing boredom, a great quality of adolescence. Maybe its the whiny voices and discordant notes that don't really advance to anything, or lyrics that march on with lyrics like

Calmly crashing, I pace faster than anyone
Hinges rusting, they swing louder than anything
Truly lonely, this place is flatter than it seems

And I loved it, and then forgot about it, letting it slip into the back of mind until I went back on a modest mouse kick, and rediscovered this song and without listening to anything else bought the album. It brought back so many memories, and even though I never listened to any other songs at the time the whole album took me back to the first time I heard Ohio. I remembered how much I loved the name of the album when I first read it. I was always fascinated by car rides (and music associated with driving, ie. Girl Boy Tom, Tallahassee, and many others) and the name just seemed to fit me. I loved just sitting in the passenger seat, letting the car melt away, and just imagining being a ghost just traveling through strange places observing but never interacting with what he saw. I usually didn't even think about anything, I just kind of wandered around with the scenery. In "Laughter and Forgetting" Milan Kundera describes a character who can focus only on his goals, and the rest of life around him, is the "negative" of the image in life that his goals form. The negative forms that which frames but isn't focused on. I always found a simple wonder in wandering around in the "negative" space of life, not focusing on anything but just taking notice of all of the transit through it. This album really takes me back to those car rides, it's use of weird sounds, shouted and muttered lyrics, and just a generally feeling of lostness all build to that, and all make this album very special. 

It is raw, and strange, and scary, and angry, and loathing, and ultimately depressed,  but the fact that it can bring forth these emotions and memories from me makes it extremely worthwhile and moving to listen to. I hope others can enjoy it to. Here are some quick favorites.  

Dramamine

Breakthrough

Ionizes and Atomizes

Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset