Messages

1

Music Shit / Re: Worst music videos you?ve watched

« on: December 16, 2018, 09:07:08 PM »

Always been perplexed by those animated bits in the Bulletboys video. Did they beat up KMFDM on their way to the shoot and steal their film reel? It's like two videos randomly sliced together.
Classic shitty jam though. If memory serves they opened for Skid Row when I saw them, who were badass.

2

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Gaseneta vinyl LP

« on: September 03, 2018, 01:56:29 PM »

I imagine Thrill Jockey will have this. They usually carry this label.

3

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: RAYS "YOU CAN GET THERE FROM HERE" LP/CD

« on: August 30, 2018, 04:45:34 PM »

Yeah, who did the cover art Bill?

4

Music Shit / Re: What Are You Listening To And What Do You Have To Say About it? PART VI

« on: August 30, 2018, 04:43:12 PM »

Weird, I've listened to half of these albums/artists within the past week or so myself. AND I'm also 42, and completely agree about Modern Lovers at this point in my life. Wacky.
Let's grab a beer next time you're in south central Indiana.

Roland Kirk - Volunteered Slavery - kinda weird that someone thought this was a good idea for an album. Half live, a bit of Rollie talking up his boning abilities, a dash of "Hey Jude" and "A Love Supreme", then some Bacharach (who he messes with elsewhere in the discography as well, as I understand it).  Maybe a piss take on Stevie Wonder and finally an almost side-long Coltrane tribute.  Feels like contract obligation but nope.  Maybe all his albums are like this, alls I know is that Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith is a very tender name for a record.

Bud Powell - The Complete Amazing Bud Powell - one of the great things about the internet having ruined physical media is that CDs are dirt cheap and for a few bucks you can get a nice clamshell and listen to Bud Powell drink himself halfway to death over the course of 5 albums.  I don't know shit about jazz and maybe you don't either but I dare you to listen to Time Waits and not squeeze out an involuntary "shit, cat" or two.  Plus, no horns, just bass and drums absolutely rinsing it out while Bud turns the moaning up to extra and does his thing.

Barney Wilen - Moshi - RIYL: cultural appropriation, pygmies, frenchmen.  Rules, and now available at your local annoying reissue store insteada for 300 bucks from some weird creep or Discogs goblin.  Also comes with a DVD but you gotta ask Krapo what's on that 'cos I never watched it.

The Vulgar Boatmen - first two albums - being bad at writing to begin with I'm not gonna even try to tease out into words what makes these albums special.  Nice to have 'em reissued with care esp. since the second side of my '89 copy of You And Your Sister is pressed so off-centre that it sounds like Dale fell down 3 or 4 flights of stairs before laying down his vocal tracks and I need my Gizmos covers/updates to be pristine thanks very much.

Courtyard Music Group - Our Way Of Saying Hello - I think that's what it's called.  Anyhow this is hey-nonny-nonny kinda stuff and not in that good Shirley Collins kinda way but more like a few degrees worse than even your standard crummy hippie stuff, just really dire, like a patchouli suppository or something.  Then in the middle of all that they drop in this extended druggy jam kinda like uh Trad, Gras or I dunno those guys in Amon Duul or whatever, and anyhow it's real nice if you like that sorta thing but you gotta stick a lot of patchouli up your ass to get there so y'know, proceed accordingly.

Human Switchboard - "Refrigerator Door" - I like it when the guy just gets so stuck on whatever his girl did he breaks out the Slovenian entreaties.  Smooth.

Exit Out - Peruse Prankster - this is the guy from 39 Clocks and if you like what he does I'm gonna guess you'll like this but mostly I bought it because the cover is pretty sweet looking.  RIYL:  sweet looking covers.

Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender - I'm 42 now and I'd way rather listen to this than those shitty Modern Lovers tracks where Jonathan gets all mad at girls 'cos they won't sleep with him and so he blames it on Santana instead of looking within or jamming out guitar-based interpretations of "A Love Supreme" with his guru and some Englishman in a turtleneck.  Also these guys have some nice-ass white suits on the cover.  RIYL: listening to Santana records and generally wasting your time.

5

Music Shit / Re: What Are You Listening To And What Do You Have To Say About it? PART VI

« on: August 02, 2018, 05:22:07 AM »

Master's Bedroom is my favorite, with Help being a close second. But it's irrelevant, the very fact that there's such diversity of opinion among people who listen to them just shows how great they are. It's how people debate every classic band (what's your favorite beatles'/stones'/kinks' record etc).

They have a few modes: Heavy, folk/baroque, space/kraut, that they mix freely to a greater or lesser extent on each album.

I just think it's great that they put out a new record every few months, we play it in the store, and there's always someone here who thinks it's "their best" and someone else who is "meh", or one of us thinks they're "over it"...until the next one maybe and they're "back on board!" It's a fun record store nerd game.

They are also a good gateway band, and unite a broad range of listeners (maybe this is what annoys garage rock/punk purists). Kids coming from more of a bland indie rock/pitchfork world discover them and pretty soon they are buying Hawkwind records or some such. I see it happen, and completely approve.

6

Music Shit / Re: Best 2018 releases

« on: July 31, 2018, 07:36:25 PM »

I too have been listening to the new Lavender Flu, almost daily. Really like it. Maybe not as well as the last one yet, but close. Maybe it's because I didn't really know who they were when I heard the first, and so it was more of a revelation.

Just realized my friend and neighbor Eric did the cover art of the new Patois Counselors LP. I still need to check it out.

7

Music Shit / Re: What Are You Listening To And What Do You Have To Say About it? PART VI

« on: July 31, 2018, 07:24:54 PM »

I doubt John Dwyer is cool to the record collecting elite here but they've been one of my favorite bands for years. New album is heavy and hazy.

Is this so? People don't like Oh Sees here? Crazy. Seems like this place would be a natural bastion for that band.

What's not to like? They are fun to see live. They are always the same but always different. They're just about the perfect rock band at this point. I've gone almost completely classical and I still think they are great.

On top of that, Dwyer came in to my shop a couple months ago and bought a broad range of great records. Asked good questions. Thoroughly affable dude.

8

Pop Punk / Re: EGG PUNK vs. CHAIN PUNK: AKA.Termbo has officially been eclipsed.

« on: July 22, 2018, 09:55:24 AM »

Is this some update on the Mod vs. Rocker thing?
I never heard the term Egg Punk (does that make me "Old Punk"?)
Is it the genre formerly known as spud punk? That is, Devo influenced.

9

Cities / Re: Indianapolis, IN (Gonna be there April 3-8, what's happening?)

« on: July 22, 2018, 09:51:48 AM »

If you're willing to drive an hour south to Bloomington:
Warm Bodies show early September...
https://www.facebook.com/events/668316603503770/

ABC Gum, who are a Cowboys-related Bubblegum band are supposedly playing this show:
http://thebishopbar.com/events/bonny-doon

They are supposed to have a tape release show sometime soon, doing a set of originals and a set of classic bubblegum covers. It'll probably be a house show. I'll post here if I find out more.

I think that Richard Lloyd thing referred up in Indy (and maybe here too) is a reading, not a performance, but I could be mistaken.
I'm sure there is something worthwhile about any weekend at State Street Pub. There is supposedly some new, good vegetarian restaurant, Something Carrot or some such. Depends on what you're into...

Sorry I can't offer more. I barely know what's going on in my own neighborhood thanks to facebook making everyone lazy.

10

Music Shit / Re: What Are You Listening To And What Do You Have To Say About it? PART VI

« on: July 19, 2018, 02:02:22 PM »

Is there some history or backstory here I'm not aware of? Were you involved in the production of this record in some way? If so, I'm sorry. Nothing personal. I'm taken aback by your angry response. I thought this was a safe space to talk about records and bands.

I'm not sure how many record shops are jammin Wilson Phillips these days. But, yes, in general, spending time in a record store (as an employee or otherwise) means being exposed to music your not already familiar with or a fan of, or favorites of your closest friends. That's sort of the whole point. I listened to a Roger Whittaker album today.

But I know what Wilson Phillips sound like because I'm 42 and they had some hits that were on the radio and MTV when I was a teenager. And I'm glad I have the reference because that's what this shit sounds like to me, only more like the filler on side 2 when they ran out of songs. If you don't agree, hey, it's cool. Plenty of people who I know and respect like the U.S. Girls album.

About once a week I accuse some new album of sounding like Wang Chung deep cuts. And it's not even really a put down, it's just what it sounds like to me.

I sincerely do not give a shit who doesn?t like the new US Girls album and don?t care to debate the merits of the music. I like it a lot, as do many of my closest friends. I?ve been listening to it once or twice a day on average.

I couldn?t say if it sounds like Wilson Phillips or not because I?ve never been a fan of that band, so I?m not familiar with their music. I guess when you own a record store though, that?s an important reference point to be familiar with. Nice life.

11

Music Shit / Re: What Are You Listening To And What Do You Have To Say About it? PART VI

« on: July 19, 2018, 06:02:59 AM »

U.S Girls - A Poem Unlimited. Not sure I'm totally onboard as much as some others on here. I find the song "Incidental Boogie" kinda hoaky. How is some of this any different than some Johnny Jewel project? Don't answer that, I can tell the difference. On another note, anyone a fan of Mitski's 2016 album Puberty 2? Sounds nothing like U.S. Girls but I dont know...I like it better.

I listened to this the other day because of the praise on here, and while a lot of it is good musically, I can see the late-70's / early-80's Bowie influence, as well as Annette Peacock, etc., something about the production coupled with her vocals leaves me feeling nonplussed and thinking it's borderline bland. Probably sounds great on drugs, but also probably sounds well-suited playing out the overhead speakers at H&M or Urban Outfitters. Will at least give it another spin for good measure.

M.A.H. sounds like ABBA. Actually quite many of the songs sound like ABBA.

Not super into it, but been playing it in the background now and it doesn't annoy at least.

It's nowhere near as good as ABBA. Sounds like Wilson Phillips to me....only it's not even as good as that! Both Abba and WP had songs; but I can't remember a single melody or any lyrics once this US Girls album is ends. It's all vibe, no tunes.

12

Non-Music Shit / Re: Books on the Vietnam War

« on: July 17, 2018, 08:55:12 PM »

Mainly the Burns doc goes light on the U.S. when it comes to our initial involvement. It makes it out to seem like we went in with good, pure intentions, and that things just got out of hand and beyond our control and...oops. The overall tone is that we had just made better decisions along the way things would have been peachy. But I think it's clear that our whole involvement was corrupt from the start. Before the start, really. There were no pure intentions or good faith or anything of that sort.

That said, sure, there is plenty to learn from the series, the interviews with the North Vietnamese officers in particular. I just don't think it should be treated as gospel or a definitive take.

That O'Brien book I mentioned: it's not filled with "facts" and you aren't going to learn any details about anything; but I like it because it captures some of what I imagine was the surreal, hallucinatory aspect of the war. It's about a guy on patrol who decides to go AWOL and walk to Paris; and about his platoon who goes after him.

13

Non-Music Shit / Re: Books on the Vietnam War

« on: July 15, 2018, 08:33:05 PM »

I have an 11 year-old son who is really into history, and I briefly thought about watching this Vietnam series with him when it first came out. But after watching the first few episodes on my own I decided against it. It's pretty damn gory. I would strongly recommend against it.

In fact, after watching the entire thing can say that, while I learned quite of lot of details, overall Burns goes pretty light on the U.S., the overall tone is not nearly as critical as I think it should be, and I would only half-heartedly recommend it for adults; and only that because of its length and just all the raw footage. Watch it with a tremendous amount of skepticism.

For the record, my favorite Vietnam book is Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien. It's fiction but full of truth.

14

Music Shit / Re: Best Guitar Interplay

« on: July 10, 2018, 05:28:19 AM »

Excellent question.

Some perhaps obvious answers:
The Grateful Dead...Bob Weir gets overshadowed as a player by Jerry's fat ass.
The Allman Bros....more of a dual lead thing I guess. Embarrassingly when I first heard Television as a kid I thought it was the Allman Brothers until the singing started.
Sonic Youth...speaking of the Dead. Maybe the two most disparate guitar players to be in a band together.
The Stones...each era playing off Keef is different. Save the Mick Taylor era, it's often dual rhythm and NO lead.

Apologies if you're not 14 years old and these are condescendingly stupid answers.

15

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / The Vulgar Boatmen (post-Gizmos) vinyl reissues

« on: July 09, 2018, 08:28:26 AM »

These aren't our releases, but we're getting a bunch of them in:

http://store.landlockedmusic.com/product/vulgar

The Vulgar Boatmen were latter-day Gimzo Dale Lawrence's critically acclaimed yet criminally overlook (by the buying public at least) band from the late 80s through mid 90s. Mid-western pop at its finest. Seriously. Effortless, deceptive, and catchy as hell. The music will seep into your subconscious. You'll pick up a guitar years after hearing them and write a song, then realize you blatantly ripped them off.

Here's some cultural backing for those so inclined:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/an-obsessive-listen-to-a-twenty-five-year-old-album