A Playlist That Makes Sentz (9/22/08)

[Tim-Æ]

Welcome back to the world of tunes, tones, and beats. Got lots of new stuff out there that I've been checking out so instead of wasting time blabbing about how awesome I am (which I do) we'll roll right into the news....

Enter Induction?

Metallica is oddly enough up for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which I find hilarious. Of the 9 acts up for consideration (Metallica, Run DMC, The Stooges, Jeff Beck, WAR, Bobby Womack, Chic, Wanda Jackson, and Little Anthony and the Imperials), Metallica to me seems to be the least likely to be inducted. Popularity wise, sure, they'd be considered. But half their canon is garbage, there's only so much thrash and grunge, and "mmmyeahs" after every verse that any one person can take. Knowing our luck they'll get inducted and stand there at their acceptance and complain about how music has changed (but they haven't). This is all brought on by their best selling new release of last week. I listened to one song and realized it was basically a blenderized rehash of all of their old records. Perfect reason to put them in the hall of fame.  What would be better is to see the black sheep of music - The Stooges - get inducted.

AC/DC is releasing a new record this fall, next month they are saying. I'm not sure what to think of this but it appears they are getting quite a bit of attention. The record is 8 years in the making which is pretty impressive, but not nearly as long as Chinese Democracy (wake up Axl!).

I guess everyone loves Britney Spears again? Amazing how losing weight does that to a person.

There's a lot of buzz for the new Oasis record set to drop 10/7. When I have a minute, I'll download it and give a full review. I'd never consider myself an Oasis fan. I think I know of possibly 4 songs by them, and they weren't enough to make me buy a record of theirs (or download one even) but I would never consider them an awful band. I can appreciate Oasis, I've just never given them much thought. However, 2008 has been a comeback year for a lot of artists. R.E.M. surprised us all with a fantastic record earlier this year.

Speaking of returns, Queen will release their first new record in 14 years with Paul Rodgers of Bad Company taking on the lead vocals. The band has been touring for years now (bout 4 I think) and they are comfortable enough with the work to put it on disc. It comes out on October 28th, but I'll be sure to download it early and let you know what I think.

Lastly, Radiohead have announced plans to release "Reckoner" to the public for remixing, much like they did with "Nude" a few months ago. You can download the skeletons of the songs and remix how you see fit, then send it in and maybe win something. Not sure if this means Radiohead is making "Reckoner" their next official single off of "In Rainbows" but we'll see. I personally love the song, but I don't know if the public is ready for a song as dynamic as that, but whatever. I was surprised at how well "Nude" performed but thats due to the single and remixing contest.


The Playlist That Makes Sentz -  If its at the top, I've listened to it a lot, at the bottom, not as much, followed by a letter grade rating of the album as a whole.

1. The Kooks: Konk -   -A
2. Locksley: Don't Make Me Wait   -A
3. Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line    B+
4. Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes     A+
5. Islands: Arms Way  B+
6. OAR: All Sides   -B
7. Staind: the Illusion of Progress    C
8. The Hold Steady: Stay Positive B+
9. The Rumble Strips: Girls & Weather B
10. Taproot: Our Long Road Home    D+
11. TV on the Radio: Dear Science n/a




The Vault

This is a new section where I'm hoping to use for older music (anything 5 years or older) that may have been forgotten that I'm just now finding. Just last night I was able to finally get a hold of Olivia Tremor Control. OTC is basically the indie rock pioneer of the mid 90s, along with bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Spoon. And while Sunny Day went in the direction of emo, and Spoon went more mainstream, OTC never really went anywhere. But if it wasn't for this band, its quite possibe that indie music would have never become such a big deal. More importantly...if OTC had never broken up, then perhaps indie would still be barely recognized.

The Olivia Tremor Control was made up of extremely talented musicans who went on to create the basic defition of indie sound, and after their break up, brought to prominence the Elephant 6 which is a recording company/creative circle. Its basically a group of friends who shift back and forth and creatively compose music however they feel, which is how indie music starts basically. As a result, we have indie rock bands like The Apples in Stereo, Of Montreal, and Neutral Milk Hotel (well not anymore). Some of those bands survived and some of them didn't but they usually just move onto something new, all within this collective.

As I was saying, I managed to finally get a hold of their first record Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at the Cubist Castle which just screams indie in the title. No real verdict just yet on how good it is, but I did listen to it this mroning, and I'll have more on this one later. I will tell you this though, its certainly different than the future projects of hte Elephant 6 but you can definitely sense the influence they had on all of those bands. Its incredible really, how a band like this ever survived in the mid 90s because there's a lot of elements that a lot of people would not enjoy (a 9 minute track that is mostly silence) but its made up for with 69 minutes of raw music that you can really get into. What i have heard so far, I really enjoy. So that's your band from the vault today, hope you check them out.

What's New? - What I've downloaded recently.. (in no particular order) and have not listened to enough to give a letter grade to.

1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
2. Olivia Tremor Control - Music from the Unrealized Script, Dusk at the Cubist Castle
3. Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty
4. John Butler Trio - Grand National
5. Noah and The Whale - Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down
6. James - Hey Ma
7. Ben Folds - Way to Normal (fake EP leak)
8. The Walkmen - You & Me



What I'm Looking For - this section will be music that Tim is currently trying to get a hold of but can't. If you know of a place (torrent wise) to get this, let me know, and I'd be much obliged.

1. The New Year - The New Year
2. Boud Stems - The Family Afloat (I really want to find this)
3. Ben Folds - Way to Normal (the real one)



Weekly Review

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society


About 3 weeks ago I heard about the Kinks. I know, I know. A very popular 1960s band that had just as much influence (possibly more) on the music I listen to today as the Beatles, and I'd never heard of them. I can honestly say I have been missing out. I was watching Hot Fuzz a few weeks ago and heard The Village Green Preservation Society playing (scene where Sgt. Angel goes for his run) and I sat up in bed and was like "I want that song!" Much to my surprise it was from a classic rock band and one that I'd never heard of, imagine that. So I searched far and wide for the album and finally found it in torrent form and also bought the hard copy (first CD I've bought this year).

The album opens with a very rich, sunny side up kind of song, which was the reason I was hooked. I can't praise "The Village Green Preservation Society" enough, really. It's an amazing song that captures the mood of the album right from the start and sets the tone that the rest of the album follows through with. That's what I love about this album so much, its through and through just one complete album. Sometimes you find tracks that just don't fit in your mind to certain "classic" albums. My best example is "Fitter Happier" on "Ok Computer," it doesn't hurt the album because its not awful, but its annoying so that keeps it on auto-skip for me. Anyway, this isn't about Radiohead, this is about the Kinks. The band had a few hit singles before this album that were huge "You Really Got Me" was one of them. Then the Kinks when in the new direction much like the Beatles did, but they weren't quite as popular as the Beatles. They became an album based band and thats where this amazing record comes from.

There's nothing but class on this record. There's just a lot of amazing tracks, and it smacks of sunshine, which is the best way for me to describe the record as a whole. There's nothing depressing about it, it's not dark, it's not offensive, its just the type of record you pop on as you're driving and roll the windows down. It's got the complexity of the Beatles, but with less ego. I strongly recommend this album to EVERYONE.

A+

That's it for this week folks. Look for some more reviews once I get them listened to. Until then....Werd to your mothers.

[Rob]

I really didn't rate R.E.M's latest album to be honest. It's just an album full of songs that could've been so much better if Stipe actually gave a damn anymore. I don't know why but there's something about their older stuff that just grabs me more.

[Duckman]

Ray Davis of The Kinks is without a doubt one of the most important song writers to ever come out of the UK.  The Kinks are a band who wrote songs about England and being English which in the 1960's wasn't something people did.  Even The Beatles sang in kind of transatlantic American accents for a while in the early days.

Waterloo Sunset is without a doubt one of my favourite songs of all time.  It's one of those songs that if you're a people watcher, you just instantly understand and recognise.  Some of the lines are such genius it's amazing the song isn't more talked about in terms of UK classic singles:

"Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, Flowing into the night
People so busy, makes me feel dizzy, Taxi light shines so bright
But I don't need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time - Waterloo sunset's fine

Terry meets Julie, at Waterloo Station, Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander, I stay at home at night
But I don't feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise

Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time - Waterloo sunset's fine

Millions of people swarming like flies 'round Waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river
Where they feel safe and sound
And the don't need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset - They are in paradise

Waterloo sunset's fine"

I know Damon Albarn took a lot of influcences from The Kinks in his early Blur work, especially on Modern Life Is Rubbish and Parklife.

Glad to hear there's still guys like Tim discovering this brilliant, brilliant band!

Peace

Duckman

[Tim-Æ]

I think that the Kinks have entered my top 10 bands list as a result of The Village Green. I have never been hooked on a band so quickly...not since Tool. It may have just been the mood i was in, but the Kinks blew me away and were the perfect remedy for my day. So yeah, slowly climbing, I should just start to move towards the other albums that I downloaded instead of looping The Village Green over and over again. Albums fuckin tops.

[Duckman]

Some of my favourite Kinks songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmQB38aT5U
20th Century Man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WsmSgBRUe4&feature=related
A Well Respected Man

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK-Po-IGY8k&feature=related
Death Of A Clown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDoDaCYrEY&feature=related
Waterloo Sunset.

Peace

Duckman