Austin Improv

TexasImprovMassacre wrote:

York99 wrote: I might have an iPod full of holiday cheer for our party tomorrow night...

ur so O.M.

Overly Merry? Funny, TIM.

Or MAYBE I just love the lord Jesus Christ like he was the second coming of Arthur Simon.

O.m. = Overtly Magic

York99 wrote:

TexasImprovMassacre wrote:

York99 wrote: I might have an iPod full of holiday cheer for our party tomorrow night...

ur so O.M.

Overly Merry?

O.m. = Overtly Magic

nope,
i'll tell you when you get it...

I downloaded this a while back, but it's only been recently that I've gotten into it. It's a grower.






It's kind of fashionable to hate on these guys right now after the failure of Rehearsing My Choir (although I would say it was a glorious, intriguing failure, rather than a pretentious one), but, I don't know, there's something about them that's just great. The weird orchestrations, the completely cryptic and at the same time quotidian lyrics (is she singing shopping lists? random numbers?), the callbacks and refrains. I dig.

Oh, and how can I forget. This album is wonderful. Her voice won't be for everyone. The album cover would embarrass even the most dedicated Frodoist. She plays the harp. The songs are as long as many complete shows on cable television. There's something like 40,000 words in the 5 songs on the album. A couple of songs are reminiscent of recent Bjork, whom I love, but whom imitating won't win you any originality prizes. And fuck yeah, it all still works.



Oh, and she probably blew a shitload of money recording it, because it was done at Abbey Road with the help of Van Dyke Parks, Steve Albini and Jim O'Rourke. Not so cheap.

And also, she has received the soon to be no longer cool because middle aged white people like me like her kiss of death by being profiled on NPR.

I gotta give each of them second shots. I loved Gallowsbird's Bark and all the singles around it, but they've been increasingly moving away from that stuff. I really truly want to like them -- the piercing synths towards the start of Bitter Tea kept me away initially (and the fear that their grandmother's voice would come creeping around the corner), but i HATE the hipster hate pile-ons like what you mention, so I'll pull it out over the holidays and get reaquainted. And I need to sit down with Ms Newsom and listen some more. I still haven't heard Ys, as I never got past those first eps/lp. but again, i think this is my issue -- a wrong time/wrong mood thing. This lady has been around Austin more often too, as she has been with Mr. Bill Smog (recent new-ish Austin resident) musically and otherwise.


I have been recently listening to:

Panda Bear - Bro's 12"
Homosexuals - Astral Glamour 3xCD
Edan - Beauty and The Beat CD
Times New Viking - Dig Yourself CD
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Live at Fillmore East CD (ooh laa la, this is f-ing matchless)
Eric Dolphy - s/t LP (one of those Smithsonian Folkways records, with "Jitterbug Waltz" and "Music Matador" on one side)
Charles Mingus - Complete Candid Recordings, disc 1 CD (with the 'vocal' version of "Faubus Fables", as well as Dolphy again)

in the venn diagram of bob and i's music taste, i would add that the times new viking (among others on this list) falls squarely in the overlap. especially for the pop fans. czech it.

blueberry boat was a slow burn for me, but bitter tea wasn't even accessible. which is tres sad, because i like these guys a whole lot and really adore their whole "the who rockopera shit-meets-deconstructed geek vibe". i too am willing to endure it a few more times tho, on your recommendation mr. mccormick.

edited to add:
hiphop fans should get up on this lady (jean grae) if you haven't already.

As of this week, I find Bitter Tea more accessible than Blueberry Boat, and a little more human. And I mean that sonically more than lyrically--I have no idea what the hell they're talking about on either album and don't really care. But I kind of think Bitter Tea hangs together better as an album--there are repeating sonic themes running through the whole thing that gives it more bones than BB. And the mid-song cuts into other places seem less capricious and jarring.

That's just me this week, who knows what I'll think next week.

I must admit I had not even heard of Times New Viking until this post, so based on eveything else we like in common I will check this out.

Beauty and the Beat might have been my single favorite album from last year; glad to see you're still listening to it.

Hey, I own that Mingus Box set as well! My favorite moments are all of Mingus' fake introductions to the songs on the first cd; the 'conversation' that Mingus on bass and Dolphy on bass clarinet conduct--on Sigmund Freud's Mother?; the interplay of Curson on trumpet and Dolphy on alto on the first track, and somwhere later in the box set Booker Ervin's just monsterous tenor solo on MDM, iirc. So tasty.

arthursimone wrote:I cannot stand Christmas music.

Every year, my dad would play the Sticky Fingers album for opening presents on christmas morning, so that was pretty much our christmas music. He's coming down to visit this year - I should try to dig that up.

Also, I was just informed of the existance of the Arctic Monkeys by Bernie's mom, who heard about them on NPR. They're pretty good, but I hear that they're already quite popular with the kids these days. I think that means I'm old.

Also, "A Kind of Magic" was the first Queen album (on cassette, naturally) that I bought. I am right there with you, whoever posted about that.

metal only please.

my bros. band.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... itor&hl=en

My favorite Ignitor song by far.

Which one is your bro?

Less metal, please.

the chick.

actually, the bass player.

i'm actually not a huge metal fan so any level of metal is fine by me from here on out.

The Eagles of Death Metal - Death by Sexy

Goddamn good Rock-n-Roll.

Led Zep! When there were Rock n' Roll Gods! Way before U-2!

Basement 5 | "Riot" | 1980 I admit it, I'm a sucker for Martin Hannett's production work (Joy Division, other Factory Records early stuff). He was a perfect match for Basement 5's attempt at melding post-punk and dub. I keep listening to this song over and over...

Television | live tapes | 1974-1976 Someone keeps uploading tape after tape of Television shows from CBGBs and Max's, and they're a great snapshot of the band in this early period.

Psychedelic Horseshit | various CDRs | 2006 Friends of Times New Viking, Columbus OH's PH is great low-fi distorto pop stuff that reminds me of the early 90s like nothing else right now.

Cigarettes | Gimme Cigarettes 7" | 1978 One-off single by this band, just rereleased by S-S Records. Bizarre and very catchy.

Swell Maps| everything | 1977-1980 I will always love this band.

Magnolia Electric Co. | Fading Trails | 2006 Just great "americana" or whatever. Slight twinges in Jason Molina's voice remind me of Neil Young every so often.

Panda Bear | Person Pitch | 2007 Collects singles and various stuff from Animal Collective member. Noah experiments with acoustic/electric loopy stuff and makes it sound like the Beach Boys at times.

Rhys Chatham | A Crimson Grail | 2007 This work, written for 400 (FOUR HUNDRED!!!) guitars, was commissioned by the City of Paris for a massive festival in 2005. Despite the number of axes, it moves like the tide. Gorgeous.

Listen:
Basement 5 - "Riot"
Magnolia Electric Co. - "Lonesome Valley"
Panda Bear - "Bros"
Swell Maps - Midget Submarine
Television - See No Evil
Rhys Chatham - "A Crimson Grail (part 1)" (this is long...)
bonus: Songs: Ohia - "Farewell Transmission" (pre-Magnolia Electric Co., and a great song to boot)