Sorry, this is a somewhat personal post. Seven-hundred and thirty days ago, my wife and I were married. This one is for her. In two years, 24 months and 730 days, some days have been better than others. I can only promise the best is yet to come.
Badly Drawn Boy | The Shining
Stevie Wonder | I Believe (When I Fall in Love it Will be Forever)
In a somewhat bizarre coincidence, I posted back-to-back days this about Murs and Z-Trip, totally oblivious to the fact that the pair had collaborated on a sampler CD based off Murs’ album The End of the Beginning. The two also hooked up on Z-Trip’s Shifting Gears for the good-time track Breakfast Club. (It’s about cereal. Seriously … cereal-ously? Yeah, that’s a stretch.)
Well, my man Jay set me straight (Funkfinger, holla!) and hooked me up with the goods from the sampler disc. Peep the tweaked track, God’s Work (one of my faves from End), with Z dropping some Queen up in the place. Damn.
Murs | God’s Work (mixed by Z-Trip)
Z-Trip feat. Murs and Supernatural | Breakfast Club
Meanwhile … we’re off to Tucson for a wedding. Which reminds me, June 15 at Solar Culture in Tucson: Tapes ‘n Tapes (fresh with their new record contract), Cold War Kids and Figurines. Don’t even get me started about why I have to drive two hours to Tucson to see this instead of staying right here in Phoenix.
Giveaway. Yeah, that got your attention. I have one limited edition vinyl picture disc (45 rpm) with the unreleased Delphina’s Song on the B-side. Love Me Like You is on the A-side.
So, what’s the occasion? Well, for starters, I do like me some Magic Numbers (previous post w/KEXP mp3s). Also, the UK band – with sibling sets Romeo and Michele Stodart and Angela and Sean Gannon – is playing the second day of this weekend’s Coachella Festival. (Anybody going?)
After Coachella, the Magic Numbers are hitting the road this summer with Devendra Banhart. Check Magic Numbers’ MySpace page for dates.
Here’s the contest: What’s your favorite number and why? A crack staff of judges will decide the winner by Wednesday.
The Magic Numbers | Forever Lost
[Update: Sorry for the unlinking. I fear big, bad record companies will find me and demand my first-born for posting this mp3. Please see previous link in post with KEXP files.]
[Related]: Dodge has pics from a recent Magic Numbers show.
Question …
Inspired by the recent jump into podcasts by Justin and Eric, I’m considering doing one myself. Nothing special … maybe a half-hour of some tunes, minimal blathering by me. Before I decide, I just wanted to get a feel from anybody who reads this thing if they’d download it. And if they download it, would they actually listen to it?
My man the Analog Giant beat me to the punch a few weeks back when he posted about Murs’ new album Murray’s Revenge. But I have no qualms about a little repeat action, especially when it comes to an artist as good as Murs.
As AG let us know, Murs and super-producer 9th Wonder are back at it. My opinion? Murs, of the Living Legends crew, is one of our finest storytelling emcees since Slick Rick. Seriously. His rhymes weave narrative tales of love and LA. When everyone seems so critical of misogynist rappers, how can you not be lured in by a line from The Pain, a track from his last album, 3:16 The 9th Edition?:
“I wanna be picked up, held tight and kissed /
but things like this don’t hapen to dudes like me /
‘Cause I’m more Coldplay than I am Ice-T.”
If ever an emcee would appeal to the indie crowd, Murs is your man.
Murs (feat. Joe Scudda) | Silly Girl
From Murray’s Revenge. Buy it.
Murs | Bad Man!
I’ve sung the praises here before about DJ Z-Trip, who honed his skills in the Phoenix/Tempe scene and moved on to bigger and better things (Shifting Gears, anyone?) in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, I missed him roll through town this past Saturday, but this track is tiding me over for the time being.
This cut pretty much exemplifies what I admire most about Z (yeah, we’re on a first-initial basis): He mixes a cover of a Mazzy Star song by a group I’ve never heard of, thereby introducing me to a new band while concocting another stellar remix.
I’ve had the opportunity to interview Z a few times, and the one time that stands out most was when I visited a his “office” in Tempe. Basically, the place was wall to wall in records, organized by some insane filing system, like beats per minute, that was beyond my grasp. His willingness to experiment knows no bounds, and if you don’t believe me, you might try listening to some of his mixes. Uneasy Listening with DJ P comes highly recommended.
Z-Trip vs. Run Run Run | Fade Into You
At this point, I don’t need to tell you that Built to Spill’s new album, You In Reverse – the group’s first release in five years – came out April 11. More than any other BtS album, this one has made me think about my … well … lasting relationship with Doug Martsch’s music.
It all started in college (doesn’t it always?). I was living with my brother, who, fortunately for me, has exquisite taste in music. I can’t think of any other album or any other song that so stuck with me in those days on 423 S. Mitchell, Apt. C (oh, the memories), in Tempe, Ariz. For the most part, I liked my hip-hop (Digable, Tribe, you know how we do), and all of a sudden I’m enraptured by these epic guitar jams. Slowly, I was transforming … becoming (gulp) indie. I mostly remember these random weekend days … my bro would go on cleaning binges, the sounds of Perfect From Now On overpowering the vacuum. That was it: I was sold.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of band whose music has developed such staying power with me. And, frankly, it shouldn’t have happened. I mostly despise long-winded guitar jams (artistic self-indulgence at its worst) and six- to eight-minute songs just aren’t my thing. I can remember a few times seeing BtS live, wondering when those guitar solos might end; and don’t get me started on the Cortez the Killer cover.
Yet Built to Spill’s music spanned those awkward transitional phases of my past decade: college into graduation into what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-working-at-a-newspaper-in-Lubbock-Texas? and, presumably, into adulthood. It’s music that influenced tangible moments.
Better yet, it’s done by a guy, Doug Martsch, who, by all accounts, looks nothing like we imagine (or want) a rock star to look like: balding, beard, beer gut, T-shirt, shorts. Shorts, people! He’s from Boise freaking Idaho (a great city, by the way). He plays pickup basketball (and suffers a detached retina doing so). He’s the rock-and-roll everyman. I trust Doug Martsch. I have more hair than Doug Martsch. (Those two sentence are only slightly related to one another.)
And let’s be honest: His voice isn’t all that great either. Come on, don’t fight me on this. You know it’s true. We like him (and, by association, his band) in part because he looks like one of us. So maybe we can’t play the guitar like he does, but that’s not really the point. At least it isn’t for me.
Besides, lost in those swirly, meandering guitars, is a pretty damn good songwriter. It just takes a little digging to uncover it. Martsch is the type of lyricist I admire the most, his words just cryptic enough so as not to give anything away. He makes you work and concentrate.
Either way, there’s always a certain level of comfort in a Built to Spill album for me, and You In Reverse is no different. As Frank at Chromewaves mentioned, the band isn’t breaking any new ground here. But I’m OK with that. This blog (and others) has opened my eyes to so many bands – some good, some bad, but too many fleeting by nature. A one-off hit/band fad thrills only momentarily; how much do we get out of that? We should appreciate the Built to Spills of this world, who stay by our side and really mean something to us. The rewards are much greater.
Built to Spill | The Wait
Today’s post title is inspired by the great Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands, where Saturday is actually for covers, a great feature for the weekends, when not too many folks are posting.
Combined with the fact that I’ve yet to really explore the world of music videos on this site (mostly because a couple of my peeps already do that quite skillfully), I’m going to attempt to make Saturdays a day for videos. I’ve got some old VHS tapes that need transferring to digital format, so hopefully this will inspire me to do that.
Videos certainly take a certain amount of patience and concentration. More than that, though, watching videos is mostly a stationary exercise, unless, of course, you own a video iPod (which I do not). That’s probably part of the reason I’ve neglected posting videos on this site. Listening to music, as opposed to watching it, allows for a certain amount of multitasking. Videos pretty much require your undivided attention. Me, I’m an antsy person. I like to move, even if I’m not really going anywhere in particular. Ben, Eric and, more recently, Chad have grabbed my attention by posting videos. So … why not give it a shot?
Anyway, today’s selection is for The Raconteurs’ Steady, As She Goes, and although I don’t quite have the credentials to pass a critical eye on video direction, this is a grainy, motion-sickness-inducing piece of visual art. Love the song, but seriously, pass the Dramamine.
More disconcerting: What’s with the top hat Brendan Benson is wearing?
My job, much as I enjoy it, requires I work at night. Which means I miss quite a few social gatherings, including many a good show. It also means I’ve seen my brother’s band, sourceVictoria, only about a paltry three times, which disappoints me greatly.
You’ve read me gushing about sV before. It has only a little to do with the fact that I admire my brother so. More than that, it’s that I believe in his band a great deal. So good for so many reasons. The music will say more than I can.
Anyway, anyone in Phoenix should go Saturday night to the Paper Heart, where sourceVictoria (MySpace, biyatches) will be playing with the Minibosses and Quarter Inch Crown. Go, because I can’t and I’ll be regretting every precious moment.
sourceVictoria | Burn the Pianos
sourceVictoria | The End is Just the End (this gets my highest seal of approval)
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but what makes Dodge such a cool cat (among other things) is his thorough grasp on all things music and Internet. Yesterday, he introduced us (well, me at least) to AOL’s podcast The Interface, which hosts in-studio sessions/interviews.
Already, The Interface has hosted Editors and The Raconteurs. As is habit around here, I’ve cut up the three songs performed by The Raconteurs for easy digesting. But head over to the site and listen to the interview, in which Jack White reveals he came up with the name after reading an article on Mike Wallace. In said article, Wallace was called a “raconteur” or, as defined by Webster’s online: “a person who excels in telling anecdotes.”
Anyway, it’s a pretty nice set, if not a little stilted. The version of Steady, As She Goes changes tempo from the original and almost feels off-rhythm at points. Still good.
The Raconteurs, on AOL’s The Interface:
1. Yellow Sun
2. Steady, As She Goes
3. Blue Veins
Tired of Elbow yet? Yeah, neither am I, especially after hearing this set on KEXP. I’ll continue to push Elbow until you give in and realize their greatness. … Is it working yet? … What about now?
Anyway, this wasn’t just another in-studio job. No, this was one of the Seattle station’s “Behind Closed Doors” sets hosted by the Triple Door. In other words, it was pretty much a full-on live set. The sound mix was incredible. I just hope my recording didn’t blow out the low end too much. I can never tell on my miniscule (read: pieces o’ crap) speakers on my eMac.
On that note, if anyone has suggestions/recommendations for speakers for my Mac, please let me know.
Elbow, Live on KEXP from the Triple Door, 4/11/06:
1. The Stops
2. Fugitive Motel
3. Leaders of the Free World
4. Red
5. Great Expectations
6. Mexican Standoff
7. Puncture Repair
8. Switching Off
