Chapstick Weekly v3

Chapstick Weekly-ish
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

Livin’ and Sinnin’ Mix

Oh, Heaven Isn’t Real – David Karsten Daniels
True Affection – The Blow
Said So What – French Kicks
Downtown – Heloise & The Savoir Faire
I Want to Be Buried in Your Backyard – Nightmare of You
Free to Stay – Smoosh
Kill the Director (CSS Remix) – The Wombats
Sad Sad City – Ghostland Observatory
Mr. Sexy Boy – Chin Chin
Grounds for Divorce – Elbow
Secret Identity – The Jealous Girlfriends
Jackie Junior (Junior Boys Remix) – Sally Shapiro


Albums in my Car

Colin Meloy, Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Cassius, Au Reve
Apparet & Ellen Allien, Orchestra of Bubbles
Broken Social Scene, Spirit If
Smoosh, Free to Stay
VHS or Beta, Night on Fire


Ghostland Observatory: A Recap

Entering the Metro to a DJ mix from DJ Bald Eagle (you don’t like DJ Bald Eagle, well you can giiiiit out), smoke machines on overdrive, and volume turned low, I didn’t know quite what to expect. Ghostland, new on the national scene from Austin TX, is a simple duo that creates a lot of sound with their music.

Once the concert began, little was needed in way of expectations. Ghostland erupted in a fury of energy, lights, and innovative music that was among the best I’ve seen live. The music man, playing drum, keyboard, electronic things, keyboard, etc. and decked out in a cape remained relatively fly-on-the-wall, but the front man.

I know I say wow a lot, but wow. His entire being displayed the vivacity and wonder needed to lift an entire Metro crown up on his shoulders and still dance under the weight. Wearing his hair in American-Indian style braids, sunglasses, a light leisure suit, and crotch-highlighting tight white pants, he moved to the inspiration of the music he was creating. We, in the crowd, all followed suit.

Worth mentioning is the incredible light/strobe/fog display that the band used. I haven’t seen a lot of concentration on light work, as it seems most bands leave the light effects up to the house. But the more intense light show definitely contributed to the overall experience of the concert.


What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Smoosh
This band will put a smile on your face. They are just the typical friendly, unpretentious, musically talented indie-pop duo. Except for that they are sisters under the age of 16. This album was created as a duo, but the third sister has recently joined, making this literally fun for the whole family. Music is heavy on the piano, features lush, intelligent vocals with minimalist bass and guitar parts strewn about. A great find!

Apparat & Ellen Allien
This recent collaboration between Apparat and Ellen Allien is hard to place, as you could hear this in a salon, an upscale trendy restaurant, or on a stereo while you’re getting ready. The solid combination of influences puts some enjoyable drumlines, bass, and vocals in the air that ranges in moods from pensive to heartbroken to danceable, and will have you look up toward the end of the album and say something to the point of “Is this still the same disc? This is amazing.”

Caribou
Caribou caught my eye on the Free Design remix album, and has recaptured my attention with their release Andorra. This release starts of solidly with a quick tempo, and adds layers upon layers of complicated harmonies for a beautiful presentation. Andorra is a tiny undiscovered country in Western Europe, which is a lot like Caribou – independent, sovereign, and I have no clue where they came from. Side note: Microsoft Word recognizes Andorra as a real word.


In Case You’re a Dummy
Buy the Magic Numbers, Those the Brokes disk. This disc has been out for awhile in Europe, but its recent re-release in America sadly went relatively undiscovered. Every song on this album is great. Let me emphasize that again. Every amazing song on this precious album is delightful. They have the sort of hopeful heartbrokenness that can only be experienced by those people that have been there. This album includes some quicker songs that you can’t but to dance to, and some that will draw you in, pull you face down in the dirt, then make you feel better about life in the end.


The Alamo: Radiohead, In Rainbows

Remember Radiohead, In Rainbows? Wow. And that song Reckoner? Religious. Radiohead outdid themselves again because, really, who else remains for them to out do?

Reviewing Radiohead is hard to do. What remains to be said, really, and what could I possibly add to the minds of already fervent fans, feverish first-time listeners, or those that are utterly unexposed?

Let me relate to you a story instead. Taylor and my adventure to see Ghostland Observatory in Chicago ended with a short road trip across the great state of Indiana to a lakehouse on the east side of the state. Across the way, we traded playing tracks on the iPod, where we came across Reckoner.

The minimalist presentation of this song - its full percussion sound, gently flowing simple guitar/bass melody, the scent of a piano in the distance – all presents a vast changing of the tide on an empty shoreline from which surfaces Thom Yorke’s voice, a strongly solitary presence that breaches from the waves only to retreat again before the song ends. This is what music can be.

This song leaves me breathless upon every listening. And it is just one song on an album that is inevitably crowded with songs that challenge your understandings of what a single band’s limitations are in diversity, talent, presentation, spirituality, and getting down to a personal level with a listener that they will never meet.

Technology for Sounds: Tour Filter

I wandered into this site while looking to buy my Ghostland Observatory tickets. And, although I haven’t spent a good deal on this site, it really pushed my mind for a loop. Like everyone, I have trouble keeping track of all the music I want to see live. This is an easily-accessible site that simply lists all the concerts in your area, concisely, with links to where to buy tickets. Voila.



Some Things Are Funny

Like Live Local Music. Let me rant for a moment, if you will. Or just let me continue ranting.

So I went down to the local place of Spin Nightclub in Indianapolis. They are full of the revival of the Indianapolis local music scene. If it can be called such a thing as revival, as my memory doesn’t extend backwards far enough to remember a thriving local scene.

I also went the Slippery Noodle, where, as far as I have noticed it, pace has never gone slack in providing live music to Indianapolis.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really make it a habit of hanging out at either place often.

The scenes are utterly different. You’ve got your Indie Rock/Junior Hiphop/Bad Punk/Old Favorite Local Bands From A Happier Era/Open Mic thing going on at Spin. Then you’ve got some Blues going on at Slippery Noodle.

The technical music talent at Slippery Noodle looks to be much better. By much I mean head and shoulders knees and toes better. The typical musician’s range of blues knowledge and skill allows them to skate seamlessly through Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan songs. Slide guitar, complicated solos, band chemistry, and other crucial elements make the music good every night here. And you may not hear one original tune all night.

The opposite, in its extreme, exists at Spin. There is rarely anything that jumps out at you as extreme technical skill, innovative solos, band chemistry, etc. Just local bands playing their original songs. And by original I mean songs they wrote that are not usually that original anyway. Songs that sound like everyone else’s other songs. Same lyrical topics, same uninspired 4-bar verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus. Same slowed-tempo drum-clanging musical-cacophony ends to every song that sounds the same as each last one.

The best musical nights at Slippery Noodle are the ones where they play blues favorites. That’s easy. Playing good original music is in most ways much harder.

The best musical nights at Spin still are the ones where bands are brought in that aren’t exactly local anymore. What is lacking in the local talent? What separates the original new bands from the old ones?

In my opinion it is music innovation, all the same. You want to write new songs? Well, write them like the new songs that are having success. Play the freaking keyboard (I didn’t see one keyboard between three bands the other night at spin). In fact, play anything electronic. That’s where the world is headed, in terms of new music.

I don’t mean change your f***ing name to Paul Oakenfold and get your tongue pierced. I mean, mix it up a bit and get some sort of loop machine, effects panel, sampler, delay pedal, something, and incorporate it into your music. It doesn’t even have to sound that electronic. A keyboard would probably do it!

The all-conventional-instrument bands play traditional forms of music. Traditional forms like blues, folk, and rock & roll. Indie has embraced electronic instrumentation. Harsh but true.

I’ve mentioned over 35 bands in these 3 newsletters. Everyone has something electronic going for them with the exception of 1. Sammy Hagar and 2. Colin Meloy Sings Live. Let’s admit Sammy Hagar, reborn today, would not be able to play anywhere. Colin Meloy sings just he and his guitar.

People included are such as Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Ray Charles who used the maximum amount of technology available to them to record and play music. Others include top downloaded Hot Chip, top iTunes rated Ghostland Observatory, Radiohead, red-hot Tokyo Police Club, and everyone else!

Why? Because even if you’re not into electronic music, using the latest available technology to produce music is a requirement of the times. The only exceptions are if you are bursting at the seams with talent, in which case, you are probably going to be playing complex blues covers at the Slippery Noodle.

That’s that. Play something with buttons, keys, and knobs. Or fade away into mediocrity. Rant over.


A little side note: No, I didn’t say anything about the new Portishead album. And that is just like saying something. Loudly. As in with a mouth hot with the fiery heat of blah.

Next Week:
Broken Social Scene, Justice, Elbow, Wildbirds & PeaceDrums, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.