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Quick update: Mac on the mend

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I had to (gulp) leave the eMac with the Apple store for its “kernel panics.” They’re telling me it could be a simple as a new logic board, in which case I’d get it back in one or two days, or it could be something else, which could delay the process by a week. That would depress me greatly.

I felt like I was dropping my child (if I had a child) off for the summer at camp or something. Poor little guy. Hope they’re treating him well.

That said, I’m doing this from work, which likely will get me fired in no time. Until I get my computer back (or until I buy one of these, which might be sooner than I think), Chris is going to drop in and keep things running around here. So major thanks to him.

Hopefully, I’ll have the ol’ computer back in time to record this.

general

Post No. 300 / Sparta

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I realize that celebrating this, my 300th post, is rather arbitrary and probably trivial. But, hey, you’ll just have to indulge me. It’s a nice round number.

And it gives me a good reason to talk about Sparta, one of those bands that I absolutely love but sometimes gets buried in my cycles of listening.

Quick history lesson: Sparta originally formed as an off-shoot of El Paso’s At the Drive-In. Singer/guitarist Jim Ward, drummer Tony Hajjar and guitarist Paul Hinojos formed Sparta; Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez became the Mars Volta. Hinojos has left Sparta, and Keeley Davis has joined.


OK, now that we’re caught up … In lieu of any new mp3s, Sparta is teasing to the release of its third LP on Sept. 26 with three-minute video podcasts. The podcasts, all artful and grainy, show clips of the band recording with cryptic sort of overtones. The first episode flashes the message: “Hide who you are” and “The service and loyalty I owe … there if I grow” near the end. If anything, it’s an intriguing piece of marketing.

Links to the podcasts (via iTunes):
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III

Check out Sparta on MySpace. And I swear I saw Sparta on the original Austin City Limits Festival lineup, but now they’re gone. What’s up with that?

Until we hear some new stuff, here’s a B-side to a 7″ for Mye, which was on Sparta’s debut, Wiretap Scars.

Sparta | Vacant Skies

sports, vinyl

Spoon: “I Turn My Camera On” (demo)

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I swear sometimes when I go to record stores, I don’t find vinyl … it finds me. I’ve had pretty decent luck lately – or it just could be that I scour the same few shops so often that something is always bound to turn up.

Either way, it’s always great when a little labor pays off. Turning up a worthwhile 45 or LP after slogging through piles of dusty stacks makes the work worth the trouble. It’s even better when it’s 99 cents, like this Spoon I Turn My Camera On 7″ I found at the Zia in Tempe.


The A-side is the album version of the song; the B-side is a stripped-down demo. (I suppose that’s repetitive.) The demo, sans drums, is great because you can really get a feel for the origin of the song – how the rhythms develop, how the bass sounds, where the drums eventually will fit. Better yet, Britt Daniel and Co. rock a xylophone in the demo shot.

And don’t worry: A little analog static is on me.

Spoon | I Turn My Camera On (demo)

About that punch …

I’d be remiss if I didn’t add my two cents on the Cubs-White Sox scuffle from the weekend.

Quick recap: White Sox base runner A.J. Pierzynski bowls over Cubs catcher Michael Barrett on a (perfectly legal) play at the plate on Saturday. Pierzynski is safe and slaps the plate with his hand for good measure. He walks by Barrett, presumably to pick up his helmet, when Barrett grabs him and reportedly says, “I didn’t have the ball, bitch” – in other words, telling Pierzynski a slide into home plate would have sufficed.

Nevertheless, Barrett loses his mind and coldcocks Pierzynski pretty squarely (as detailed in the photo above) in the face. Benches empty, more punches thrown, etc.

In the aftermath, and having seen the highlights at least 40 times by now, there’s no defending Barrett in this, even as a lifelong Cubs fan. Pierzynski, tagging up from third base, never could have known Barrett didn’t have the ball – or at least wasn’t going to receive the throw by the time he was going to reach the plate.

However, I will say it was oddly cathartic (if not kind of surreal) to see it all go down. The Cubs have been underperforming this season and the frustration must be at a boiling point. Of course, that’s no excuse to throwing punches willy-nilly. Barrett deserves whatever suspension is coming his way. But damn, that was exhilarating. If it jump-starts the Cubs to some semblance of a winning streak, then maybe Barrett knew what he was doing.

It should be noted that Pierzynski is not very well-liked among some of his peers. Sporlitics has a rundown of why more than a few people probably took a little joy out of Barrett’s knuckle sandwich (via Deadspin).

general

Death Cab on the Henry Rollins Show

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Death Cab for Cutie is going to perform tonight on the Henry Rollins Show on IFC. But there’s a “Web exclusive” of Ben Gibbard and Chris Walla performing Sound of Settling acoustic.

No matter what you think of Death Cab at this point (someone no doubt is crying “sellout” at this very second), you have to wonder: What in the hell is Ben Gibbard wearing in this performance? He’s already got this doughy, guy-you’d-take-home-to-mom thing going. The knit cap and striped shirt (3 for $24 at Old Navy!) just are not helping.


He looks like a sailor. With glasses. Who plays guitar. I mean, far be it from me to judge someone’s fashion sense; I go for the no-sock look with just about everything. But this is just really hard to take seriously. The least he could have done is wear his new Stereogum shirt.

Check out two-fourths of Death Cab performing Sound of Settling here.

Also …

Taking the eMac into the Apple store’s genius bar (their word) today. For whatever reason, it’s been locking up and telling me I need to restart my computer. It does this like, oh, every day. Anybody have this happen to their Mac? I’m afraid there’s some sort of hard drive corruption going on. Dear lord. Wish me luck.

radio rips

Jason Lytle on WOXY

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It’s been pretty well documented that Grandaddy is calling it quits with its newest/final LP Just Like the Fambly Cat.

Grandaddy’s dissolution is sad to me because I only really got into Jason Lytle and Co. in the past six months. (Yeah, my unhipness knows no bounds.) So, it’s hard for me to sit here and wax nostalgic about the group’s curtain call. In a way, I feel cheated more than anything: No, no, Grandaddy, you can’t go now that I’ve discovered you! Alas, the fault is mine. It’s just a little depressing to see a great band hang it up when so many other less-than marginal groups will move onward against our will.

I realize I’m only six years behind the curve here, but The Sophtware Slump? Sheesh. Greatness. Better late than never, I suppose.

For a little more on Grandaddy, check out Chromewaves here. Lytle has been doing solo acoustic in-store sets to promote the album – a farewell of sorts. Chris had pictures of his Dallas stop.

Here’s Lytle’s mini-set from WOXY’s Lounge Acts on May 15:

1. Go Progress Chrome
2. Elevate Myself
3. Disconnecty
4. Underneath the Weeping Willow

general

Halou: “Wholeness & Separation”

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Call me shallow, but when I see members of a group have done production and remixes for DJ Shadow, Low (Monkey remix), Blackalicious, Lyrics Born and Run DMC, I tend to perk up and move that group’s CD to the top of the to-listen pile.

Say hello to Halou, a three-piece electro-pop outfit from San Francisco. At one point in my life – OK, like two weeks ago – anything described as “electronic” probably would have made me shudder and run. But this album came from a trusted and respected source, so I owed it to myself to listen, and I’m glad I did.

There’s a soothing warmth to this album, due in no small part to Rebecca Coseboom’s lead vocals. If I were some professional writer who uses flowery adjectives, I might say something like “ethereal” or “lush” or “wistful.” Oh wait, that’s been done.

This is the best kind of electronic music: programmed beats and layered synths mixed with a delicate touch of live instrumentaion.

Wholeness & Separation comes out May 23. Pre-order here.

Halou | Honeythief
Halou | Wholeness

contests, remix, vinyl

The Streets vinyl contest

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The folks at addVice wanna hook someone up with a copy of the Streets’ new album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living on vinyl. And I’m always one to promote the collecting of vinyl. Chris was running a similar contest, so if you didn’t win there, you get another chance.

Before that, anyone have any well-constructed thoughts on the new album? I find myself listening to it in small doses at a time – sort of digesting two or three tracks at a time and then moving on. I’m not sure why. My wife, upon hearing about the first four tracks, thought it sounded like a British musical. (I can just see it: ” … Starring Mike Skinner in the stage version of Oliver Twist … “.)

My initial (and probably hasty) feeling on The Hardest Way is that I’m attracted more to Skinner’s production and beats than his writing and rapping. The title track and Memento Mori are my faves so far.

I think we can all agree that Skinner’s heavy (maybe exaggerated?) British accent gives him a unique voice among hip-hop acts.

About that contest … because I’m a bit uninspired and don’t feel like making anyone jump through hoops, just email me with “The Streets” in the subject line and your address in the body (in case you win) to somuchsilence@gmail.com. A winner will be randomly selected by my wife out of my favorite Cubs hat. Entry deadline is Sunday night.

Now, it’s time to head over to the Vice Records blog for your Streets mp3 fix:

The Streets | When You Wasn’t Famous (Professor Green remix)

radio rips

Silversun Pickups on KEXP

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So, the album I’ve been eagerly awaiting, Carnavas from Silversun Pickups, is making its way to mailboxes of bloggers everywhere. Our good friend Dodge has a couple of tracks posted. And I do believe Chris may be posting a track today.

For some reason, I thought I had posted this KEXP set, but it appears I did not. (FYI, KEXP has a blog. Check it out. It’s good.) Anyway, I have posted on Silversun before, and I have a feeling I will again in the future. The band even included my post on the press section of its Web site. I’m flattered, and I’m hoping like hell they make that short jaunt from LA to Phoenix for a show. (Hi, Dangerbird Records. Hint, hint.)

I’ll spare you my ramblings about the fuzzy guitars, shoegaze revival, blah blah. Listen. I also have a KEXP set from Silversun’s performance at SXSW. Requests, anyone?

Silversun Pickups, Live on KEXP, 9/26/05:

1. … All the Go Inbetweens (my favorite)
2. Kissing Families
3. Comeback Kid
4. Lazy Eye

general

Mike Patton is Peeping Tom

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Is there any doubt that former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton (also of Mr. Bungle fame) is one of the most … well … unique and intriguing characters in rock? In 1989-90 you couldn’t not notice Patton when Epic blew up, with that video and the poor little fish flopping around gasping for air at the end. (I prefer Falling to Pieces, but anyway … ).

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Patton’s Peeping Tom album (on his own Ipecac Recordings) is a bit unorthodox in its execution and final product: According to the bio, “Patton would write songs with a wishlist of theoretical collaborators in mind, then hope for a reply in the form of a finished track.” What you get is 11 tracks that aren’t very cohesive as a whole, but unusually creative as individual parts.

The list of collaborators is just as intriguing. Among others: Kool Keith, Dan the Automator, Massive Attack, Bebel Gilberto, Kid Koala and … wait for it … Norah Jones. Yes, everybody, Ms. Jones drops an F-bomb, and it’s on record for all to hear. (Check Stereogum for some more risque Jones … Norah, if you’re nasty.)

As always, I’m attracted to any artist pushing limits and willing to collaborate with respected hip-hop artists. And it doesn’t get any better than Kool Keith, Dan the Automator or Kid Koala.


iTunes has a track, Preschool (click it), that is unavailable on the LP, due for release May 30.

Here’s a Billboard story on Mike Patton’s numerous projects.

Finally, Peeping Tom will be on Conan O’Brien May 26.

Peeping Tom (feat. Rahzel and Dan the Automator) | Mojo

covers

10cc “I’m Not in Love” covered by Gloritone

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So I have this cool page-a-day calendar next to my computer that my good friends Jay and Carrie got for me as part of a birthday gift last year. This one is the 365 Tunes Calendar, which is basically what it says: a song for each day of the year.

This past Wednesday’s entry was for 10cc’s I’m Not in Love, and it reminded me of a great cover by former Tempe, Ariz., band Gloritone, which for a while seemed on the verge of really breaking out after the release of its debut Cup Runneth Over, released on the former RCA subsidiary Kneeling Elephant. But that’s a story for another day.

The author of the calendar, Michaelangelo Matos, a music critic who I just discovered has a blog, puts it ever so succinctly and correctly: “A cushion of sound with a shockingly hard center: The guy’s a total dog but the music exposes every word as a lie.”

Aside from the Postal Service reviving Against All Odds as a broken-hearted anthem for the modern indie sap (though I don’t envision Ben Gibbard struggling with love much these days), I can’t think of a better choice for a cover filled with emotional denial.


Gloritone (perhaps making a comeback?) pushes the issue with Tim Anthonise’s strained vocals, and the up-tempo pace stirring a stronger sense of urgency than the original.

10cc | I’m Not in Love
Gloritone | I’m Not in Love (from the album Fainter Farther Still. Recommended.)

(Thanks to Last Sound of Summer, who had the original posted.)