Days Late

If there's one thing that is an absolute motivation killer, it's precipitation. One of my favorite things to keep my chin up is putting on the Vaselines The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History. It's a guarantee that I'll be feeling a lot better by the time "Son of a Gun" is over. I can now add Sonic Chicken 4's self-titled to that very exclusive pantheon. Their debut album came out last November on the always amazing In the Red records, but it wasn't until I threatened King Khan's life for promos from the label that I had heard it. File this under more great albums that came out last year and not this year. Obligatory video follows.

Sonic Chicken 4 - "Only Lose"

Sonic Chicken 4 is out now on In the Red Records

BBQ This Weekend

Rain or shine, it's BBQ weekend. Mark Sultan BBQ, the other kickass half of The King Khan and BBQ Show. He is gracing Boston this Friday so please do check him out. His Sultanic Verses from last year has aged like the finest of Bordeaux wines.

Lineup and details:

May 16th, 2008
Abbey Lounge
BBQ (Mark Sultan)
Coffin Lids
The Tampoffs
+ TBA

all for $8 and 21+. Catch it!

Told You So.

I'm kind of ashamed of how much time I've been spending lately reading the Matador Records blog, but I feel totally redeemed when I stumble across something like this. Press release using the term "multi-album, worldwide, exclusive recording agreement" in a non-sarcastic context + Jay Reatard = kind of weird, kind of hilarious.

Read it & weep, y'all.

The In The Red-financed singles compilation surfacing this summer is good news & it might even temporarily distract me from how I'm eventually going to play right into Matador's hands when I have to shell out money for THEIR singles collection at the end of their record collector-baiting pyramid scheme.

As long as you're seduced away by the Matador blog, check out that new Matmos video, because they've got a new jam coming out really soon & I like what I've heard so far.

For A Real Cheap Time...

I hope you guys all got your first Matador-sponsored Jay Reatard 7", because the next one is already one the way. I'm currently taking friendly wagers as to how long I can last at keeping up with these records until I explode in a fit of frustration & break my computer's keyboard in half.

Also, let me implore you to go see Mister Reatard at Harper's Ferry in Allston this Sunday with Cheap Time (whom I am not yet familiar with, although they have a new record out on In The Red, which is promising enough for me). Here's hoping that it doesn't wind up like his show in Toronto last night, because it's bad enough that I'm willing to travel two hours to see this man run through a full set that barely cracks the nineteen-minute mark WITHOUT drunks destroying his gear.

Get BBQ'd.

As much as I like to hate on Boston, there's another really good show happening there this weekend.



Expressway To Yr Skull favorites, The King Khan & BBQ Show!
The Tampoffs
The Turpentine Brothers
The Hospital Rats
at Great Scott in Allston (Harvard & Comm Ave.)
9pm, $9, 18+ (sorry all you youngsters)

Be smart & go see them, because with the KK/BBQ splitting their time between Berlin & Montreal, they don't really tour around here that often. Give in to the peer pressure.

Stay Cool, Sugarpuff Redux

In the Red continues its run of excellence by lovingly reissuing the King Khan & BBQ Show selt-titled debut LP on both CD and double-vinyl. The double vinyl LP features a bonus side of demo recordings featuring some cover songs and two tracks that would appear on their second LP “What’s for Dinner?”

"Fish Fight"


AND

Crypt Records has a brand-spanking new EP by the KK & BBQ Show called “Teabag Party” out now for only $4. It's five brands-spanking new tracks encased in a a poorly photoshopped homoerotic cover that almost gives the Liars “It Fit When I Was a Kid” EP a run for its money.

Behind The Curve.

Was anyone else aware of the fact that the Black Lips apparently booked & already cancelled a show (with Quintron & Miss Pussycat!) scheduled for March at Pearl Street in Northampton, all of this seemingly happening within the past couple of days? Since I didn't even know about it, I can't really be disappointed, but perhaps they'll reschedule & the Pioneer Valley can finally get some (ex-)In The Red love. We're kind of overdue for it, dudes.

And just because I feel like it, here's a video of Quintron kicking out the jams in my old 'hood in Houston.

Cough Up Some Cash!

If you have money that's currently burning a hole in your pocket (and you should, since we know that most of you didn't give it to us during fund drive this week), definitely send it to the fine folks over at our beloved In The Red Records, because they've recently launched a series of mailorder (and merch table, if you're lucky)-only vinyl releases that will make you kick yourself later if you miss out on them.

Jay Reatard's Night of Broken Glass EP has been out for awhile now & is apparently limited to 700 copies, never to be re-pressed. It also happens to be fucking awesome. He hasn't had them at his merch table the past two times I've seen him, so you should order one from the label directly (which y'all should do more often in general), because I imagine they'll probably be gone soon.

There's also a split 7" featuring Lamps & Haunted George, with the old trick where each band covers a song from the other. This one's limited to 400 copies & if the Lamps full-length that recently came out (which you should also check out) is any indication, this should be pretty excellent.

The most recent installment is from Intelligence (featuring Lars of the underrated & now defunct A-Frames), who just put out a kick-ass full-length called Deuteronomy on In The Red as well. Their contribution to the series is a four song 12" EP, limited to 600 copies.

That's not enough to get you all hot & bothered in your record nerdery? How about the fact that the Black Lips are slated to put out a record for the project? Yeah? There's also apparently a non-mailorder Angry Angles (another great Jay Reatard outfit) album coming out on the label soon. Get stoked.

Track Thursday

I'm going to try every Thursday to post a track review of a song that is amazing. If not me, then hopefully someone else.

The inaugural edition will start with Spank Rock's wonderfully filthy "Put That Pussy On Me (Diplo Tonite Remix)." What this song does is give me two things I love: MC Spank Rock's (real name Naeem Juwan) crude-yet-still-banging rapping and a beat (any beat really) done by Diplo. How Diplo isn't a bigger producer in the mainstream rap world still miffs me.


This idea came from listening to The Seeds self-titled LP for the first time and realize that the first song, "Can't Get You Out of My Mind," was main sample Diplo used for the remix. I basically found out something additionally great about a song I already loved, causing me to love it more.

The Diplo Tonite Remix of "Put That Pussy On Me" does a fine job of shifting the lyrical reaction of the rap by just changing the backing music. First, the warped guitar Diplo knicks for the remix completely changes the song's purpose- from the straight-up club-banger original into a playful, sunnier rap jaunt. Whereas someone playing the original might think the rap is just fulfilling the generic lyrical quota of involving ass and MC-braggadocio, in the remix the lyrics get highlighted in their true jestful intent. A good example is in the second verse, where Diplo blows the beat starts to blow up but offsets it with the summery, tinkling organ notes from The Seeds song. He then drops out the sugar completely, submerging everything but the drums in what sounds like a bathtub, putting the focus on the song's jokingly self-referential barb "I create styles of a superior taste that/some white boy's sure to imitate." By doing so he keeps the quasi-grit of the lyrics intact while softening the edges with the music. A gentlemen might actually be able to put this on a mix for a lady and not get slapped in the face.

Additionally, the track furthers the growing interest in Nuggets-era music. It's been a real treat to see more press/media outlets making note of bands like the Black Lips, King Khan and BBQ Show/His Shrines, Mark Sultan, Jay Reatard and all the other In the Red/Bomp!/Die Slaughterhaus labels that are putting respectful focus on that period of music.

I'd make a download of the track available, but I don't want to risk legal matters yet. The Spank Rock website listed above has the original version of "Put That Pussy On Me" available for download.

Some would have a very good case at saying Spank Rock is a overly sexist rap act. The album cover above acts as evidence, but so does their simple-in-concept music video for "Bump," which consists of a buck-naked girl jumping around in front of a white backdrop. Or the new Spank Rock and Benny Blanco Bangers and Cash EP that's just weeks away from being released. But that's missing the point. Spank Rock's about a good time and reveling/mocking hip hop's clichéd standards.

Monty Buckles

There's a new Pissed Jeans video flying around the world wide webs today, viewable below.


The video is directed by a gentleman named Monty Buckles, who is now my 3rd favorite named music video director (2nd Famous Mortimer, 1st Nathaniel Hörnblowér). He fronts The Lamps, who've released two LPs on In the Red. What I was not aware of was that he has directed some other great videos for bands like The Black Lips, Intelligence and A-Frames, just to name a few. According to his website bio he is described as an "unlovable drunken shut-in." His shooting style reminds me of the 90s low-budget Spike Jonze glory days. I have a feeling Mr. Buckles gets compared to him a lot. Did I mention he has a blog?

Here are some other videos he has directed.

The Black Lips - "Fad"


Intelligence - "Dating Cops"

Here We Go.

So I guess this is going to be the first post in our little blog. Excessive ramblings & heated arguments will be soon to follow, rest assured ("Soundin' Off: Eric v. Erika" should be particularly intriguing).


The WMUA Tuesday/Friday crew (aka Eric, Erika & Bryan) was representing at the Middle East in Cambridge this past weekend to witness the rock spectacle that was Jay Reatard & The Ponys, live. If anyone was unfortunate enough to catch Awkward Noise with any sort of regularity last semester, you'll probably know how thoroughly nutty I was for Blood Visions, the album that Mister Reatard released at the end of last year on the great In The Red record label (arguably the most kick-ass record of 2006 - if you don't have it yet, don't be a fool & get it, now). Before Jay's set, Eric made a comment to the effect of "I bet he goes through his entire catalog in forty minutes". No way. He instead tore through about 75% of his songs in NINETEEN MINUTES. I danced my ass off & in spite of having to contend with an extremely drunk girl repeatedly groping my chest for the majority of the set, it was nineteen minutes of pure bliss. Do yourself a favor & pick up anything this man puts out (and good luck keeping up with everything). His new EP, "Night of Broken Glass", is particularly excellent & Awkward Noise endorsed. Oh, and a big "Fuck You" to everyone who elbowed me away from the merch table & thwarted my attempts to snag some of those impossible-to-find singles. Jerks.

I personally felt that the Ponys were doomed to have an impossible time following Jay Reatard, which is a shame given that I've been pretty keen on their new Matador album, Turn The Lights Out. On the way to the show, the three of us were talking about how the Ponys are sort of like a mixtape of all of the big "college rock" bands of the late 70s/early-mid 80s (see: Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, The Pixies, et al), which is meant in the best possible way. Plus, I was kind of stoked on how totally grunge their lead singer looked. They were pretty great, but unfortunately by mind was a total blur after Jay kicked my ass. So I'll just say that you should show them some love & pick up their new record (as well as their earlier shit on the afformentioned In The Red). I'll even momentarily put aside my feelings toward the intentional mispelling of their band name.