ChapStick Weekly

MIX!

2008-12-01T11:52:00.001-08:00

Get it Together Mix

2008-09-10T16:07:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all!

2008-07-22T09:30:00.001-07:00

Oo-de-lally! Oo-de-lally! The Chapstick Weekly Launch Party was superfab, and I thought I’d say a few things about it!

First off, on the monitors during the evening were two videos:
First, the Disney animated Robin Hood, probably the greatest Disney movie ever (I can see a top five really of greatest evers, also including Winnie the Pooh, Fantasia, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan…but we should all go ahead and agree that Robin Hood takes the Gold - I mean, check out legendary singer/songwriter Roger Miller as the Rooster).

Second Powaqqatsi, presented by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. It’s basically a collection of great clips that are supposed to show “Life in Transition” aka the effects of modernization on 3rd world developing cultures.

Second off:
The model and makeup design was done by Katie Jones at Savvy Salon. If you didn’t see it, you missed out. You can see some more of her work at the upcoming Oranje. Definitely worth your while, even if your interest in fashion and style is circumstantial.

Third off:
I’d love to get some input about future parties. What do you think?

And! Then! There comes a time when it’s time to say thanks. So here it is, short and sassy (or concise and clear if we want to do professional, resume-sounding terms).

Thanks to you, Katie Jones, for being the most amazing, remarkable person I have ever known! It was a pleasure to have your involvement in this event, and I can’t tell you thanks enough for all your support and help! Gracias! Gracias! De nada!

Thanks to you, Clay Reinken, for getting the design aspect of the site looking like it’s a real site and not something that I did.

Thanks to you, Alex Jimenez, for running for Mayor in 2011.

Thanks to you, Patrick McNellie, for helping me out in the many small areas you did.

Thanks to you, beer people, for donating beer!

Thanks to all of you, for helping to make my event a success. Hope to see you at the next one!

The Definitive Paul Reinken

2008-07-19T10:33:00.001-07:00

v9

2008-07-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

The Definitive Paul Reinken Mix

The Word – The Beatles
Ghettochip Malfuntion (Hell Yes) [8bit Remix] – Beck
Happy Valentine’s Day – Outkast
The Last Time – Gnarls Barkley
Phantom – Justice
Inspector Blanchflower – The Fiery Furnaces
Phantom Pt. II – Justice
Brakes On – Air
Huddle Formation – The Go! Team
Move Your Feet – Junior Senior
Idioteque – Radiohead
Boy From School (Erol Alkan’s Extended Re-Work) – Hot Chip
Crimewave – Crystal Castles vs. Health
The Girls – Calvin Harris
Electric Feel – MGMT
Black Ice (Hymn 4 Disco) – k-os
Trying to Put Your Heart Back Together – Slow Runner
Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles

Albums in my Car
Beck, Modern Guilt
The Black Ghosts, The Black Ghosts
The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
Flying Lotus, Los Angeles
MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
Midnight Juggernauts, Dystopia

Chapstick Weekly Release Party Tonight!

MF! The party is upon us, as suddenly as a 30 degree weather shift in Indiana! An electric feeling, from the depth of my tarsals to the tingling ends of my carpals, is reverberating through my body. I hear a maniac, purple-hatted Gene Wilder shouting/singing something over the storm! It’s kind of like this:

There's no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going!
There's no knowing where we're rowing
Or which way the river's flowing!
Is it raining?
Is it snowing?
Is a hurricane a-blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing,
So the danger must be growing.
Are the fires of hell a-glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes, the danger must be growing
'Cause the rowers keep on rowing
And they're certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing!

STOP THE BOAT! Savvy Salon on the BRAVE (BroadRipple Avenue) will be momentarily become an outrageous oasis to the desert of style and good music typically found in Broad Ripple on Saturday nights (in fact, probably found in most major cities....).

Editors Note: Savvy Salon could always be considered this Oasis.

There will be drinks and dancing, wanderings and wonderment, and great music all night! Pull up your socks, jump of your boat docks, and be ready to rock! I’m going to karate chop a panther, I’ve done it before!

See you there, we couldn’t do it without your imagination and shaking booties! After all, We are the Music Makers, we are the Dreamers of Dreams.

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Black Ghosts
Beautiful, sublime, and masterful in its production, this album is brilliant on every track. The Black Ghosts combine energetic electronic grooves with touches of funk and jazz, with a sublime craftmanship that merits an extra large portion of toe-tapping. I’d love to call this album playful, but the serious effort given by the obviously talented musicians in this group can be seen from the first moment the music fills the air and enters your cerebrum.

The Hold Steady
Recently I referred to this band as a group finally fulfilling the potential of what midwest rock could do (from Minneapolis-Saint Paul originally, their roots grew in Brooklyn). They have also been referred to as “America’s Bar Band” – however the driving feature of this band is undoubtedly their ability to combine meaningful, sometimes heart-wrenching lyrics to a full, rock band back without ever coming across as just trying to do so. The lyrical influences, from Bruce Springsteen and Jim Carroll to Atmosphere and Jay-Z, show in this vibrant, far-spanning effort!

Chromeo
If the fun-loving, superfunk attitude that all but drips out of the air when this album is on makes is purely evident that the two members of this band never made it out of the disco mindset. But given all the modern advantages of The Electronic/Communications/Nintendo Age, what comes out of the speakers is the exact thing that would come out of Hal’s exercise room in Space Odyssey 2001! “When you wanna go Wow! When you wanna scream and shout tonight!”

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Ratatat, LP3 album. Just as you’d expect, there are swelling strings and guitars! Crescendos of drums and sound! Quirky arrangements that draw you in for a closer look then spring on you in jack-in-the-box fashion with the absurd ridiculousness of all things beautiful! Their album, Classics, was amazing and by all means, their most recent effort on LP3 is obscenely precise and wonderful!

BEER! (from Tony the Yodeling Shetland Pony)
It is safe to say that the best beers in the world come from Belgium. Before the goose-steppers ran amuck, Belgium boasted more than 3000 breweries, today that figure is around 100. Even American breweries have taken notice and started to reproduce and play around with traditional Belgian beer recipes.

Allagash brewery from Portland, Maine has emerged as one of the leading American breweries producing authentic Belgian style beers. They serve up a plethora of different and creative beers, ranging from under $10 to nearly $20 a bottle. For this article, I recommend sampling their Triple Reserve. Allagash’s Triple Reserve is a bench mark upon which most other triples can and should be measured against. Their Triple has a high carbonation (I imagine it is what fizzy lifting drink feels like on one’s tongue), and a cloudy, golden, almost honey coloration. As in the nature of Belgian-style beers, you will immediately notice a quickly-fading, not overly-sweet taste to it.

With a price tag of $7.92 at the ghetto shop down the street, it is reasonably priced (for one 750mL bottle, so the size of two large pints), and it packs a punch at 9% alcohol. If you’re not in the know, please pour your Belgian style beers into a rounded bottom glass (think brandy glass, goblet, large wine glass, etc), and if you don’t have one of those, just use any glass you got.

For Tony the Yodeling Shetland Pony’s sanity, please do not be a philistine and drink it out of the bottle, you will be like a child clown without shoes! Have you ever seen one? It’s disgusting!

The Alamo: Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire

Remember Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire? At first listen, it is difficult to overlook the fact he is his father’s son. It is equally difficult to avoid immediately drawing an intense emotional connection to his music.

The morose, uncomplicated lyrics fed with inspiration from his self-said greatest influences (mom and dad), give this musical savant a razor sharp edge to do some surgery on your foolish and broken heart. He can burn a hole into the center of your deepest memory, ball it up in titanium twine, and pull it out of your core to see the fresh light of day, all in a single breath!

The beautiful arrangements of music that accompany his words, have a style of their own: unpretentious harmonies, masterful two-handed piano, and classical guitar all ease themselves into and out of the intricacies of every track.

As an added bonus, this album comes with a brilliant DVD that depicts the album through short sketches. A single scene sticks out in my mind: Sean Lennon, bent under the weight of a sleeve-carrying heart is slumped on a couch, strumming the complicated chords of the album’s title track “Friendly Fire” with an ease and effortless giving of emotion. Wonderful, sublime, emotional, timid, and unique.

Tastin' Summer! (Submitted by Katie2 of Savvy Salon in Indianapolis)

Music and umbrellas set the scene on the front deck of Taste Cafe in SoBro (South Broad Ripple)! Cool off with a cool lunch with the many gourmet salads to choose from. (Esp. our savvy favorite: beet salad, tortellini salad, and curry chicken topped off with a quenching tea/lemonade beverage. Numbingly deliciosa!

Speaking of taste, check out the Ronson genes! Charlotte Ronson, sister of music maestro Mark Ronson, has a remarkable clothing line that found now at Urban Outfitters! From high-waisted sailor shorts to stacked sandals, this line is a savvy favorite!

ps. Duh! “Electric Feel" by MGMT is totally beaching!
pps. Savvy is proud to launch "what's next" in hair care, by Sebastian. www.sebastianprofessional.com

Some Things Are Funny

Like Music Genres. So much depends, it seems, on the name of a genre of music.

Realistically, the genre is often the first point of description. Is this album rock? Is this alternative country? Electric Blues? Or even Adult Alternative Pop-Idol. But, in the endless repeat of “what kind of music do you listen to?” I am still puzzled as to the correct response. Obviously this Chapsticked effort of mine here has a severe electronic lean (or lien.). But does that pinch me into a situation of a solo electronic listener?

I’d prefer to think that my canned answer of “just good music” can hit a mark that naming off a few genres cannot. I also prefer to think that, just perhaps, the area of electronified music is the area where the most new, innovative material can be found.

The much appreciated singer/songwriter genre contains many of today’s poets and prophets, and certainly emerging in hiphop commonly are performers who are coming to be defined as the new age of Bob Dylans, speaking directly about the common state.

All the same, the largest consistency of compelling releases and innovation in music appears to be coming directly out of the wall outlet, into a myriad of electronic equipment. This makes sense, seeing that our recent history is marked by great strides and advances in electronics.

The merging of popular genres back into a single “pop” umbrella seems to be approaching, for simplicity. I mean, let the specialty genres carry the specialty names. In the mean time, I am going to stick with the idea of “just gimme somethin’ good!”

Next Week:
Gnarls Barkley, Dirty Pretty Things, The Music, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

Chapstick Weekly v8 Mix

2008-07-09T08:08:00.001-07:00

Chapstick Weekly v8

2008-07-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady
Check out the new, improved Blog-Zine!

Beetlejuice Black-striped Bubblicious Birthday Mix

Revolution (Love album version) – The Beatles
Back in the U.S.S.R. (Love album version) – The Beatles
Modern Guilt – Beck
Do What You Wanna (Mr. Scruff’s Soul Party Remix) – Ramsey Lewis & Mr. Scruff
Crisp Endorsement – Of Montreal
Shadows – Midnight Juggernauts
DARE (Junior Sanchez Remix) – Gorillaz
D.A.N.C.E. (Feat Spank Rock & Mos Def) [Benny Blanco Remix] – Justice
Funplex (Peaches Pleasure Seeker Remix) – The B-52’s
No Sex for Ben – The Rapture
The Suspense Is Killing Me – Boy 8-Bit
Around the World – Daft Punk
Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley Remix) – Silversun Pickups
Bellona – Junior Boys
Soul Sauce (Fila Brazilia Remix) – Cal Tjader & Fila Brazilia
Tubthumping (Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann Remix) – Chumbawamba
Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock

Albums in my Car

Beck, Modern Guilt
Shine, The Common Station
Midnight Juggernauts, Dystopia
Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
Zero 7, Simple Things
The Chemical Brothers, B-Sides Vol. 1

Modern Guilt from Beck Hitting Stores Today, Tuesday, July 8.

Moments before a figure emerges from a thick fog, the cloud-wall moves, jerked in currents and streams by the sudden approach of something travelling at a great speed. Something massive. Something danceable, intangible!

(It’s going to be the best album ever…I can’t wait.)

The figure, the awoken (or sleepless) beast that is the new Beck album, has not only begun to stir, but is barreling forward at a breakneck pace. I had the intense pleasure of pre-viewing his new tracks over the weekend (you can too, if you foolishly don’t want to download it yet – beck.com), and if I hadn’t already pre-ordered this album, I would get it right now. As in, F you, I can’t wait for this album.

Driving, 60’s teeny-pop drumlines electrified by Danger Mouse (Yeah, that guy from Gnarls Barkley and Gorillaz) provides buoyancy for layers of bouncy, heavy keys and unfiltered, unabashed guitar licks. Where Danger Mouse ends and Beck begins is hard to say, and their natural fusion is apparent on this effort.

OMG! I can’t waaaaiiit.

Seriously let’s get so serious for a moment. Seriously. Metaphors aside, Beck has a stethoscope that hear music’s sublime beating heart and breathing lungs. I’ve seen it.

Let’s abstain from using words like “re-invent” and “experimental” from describing every new Beck album. He moves more subtly through the shifting tides of music’s capabilities, creating his only consistency through his continuing, adaptive ability to find synthesis in all things that are beautiful (something that Lao Tzu could only call succeeding).

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Midnight Juggernauts
If there was ever an appropriate band to do a keyboard air guitar to, this would be them. The quirky vocal delivery of this group’s Talking Heads / Bee Gees hybrid is paired with simple synthesizers and a driving, dancey beat that will turn some heels over heads. Although elegantly done, this album’s music presents a solid landscape of sound, with little fragility to its structure or delivery. Very good. Danceable. Approved. Vunderbarr.

Chemical Brothers
Have you ever heard of this duo? They are neither new to me or to you, but their B-sides album is one that slipped between the cracks in late 2007, and much to my great happiness, overshadows their recent release, We Are the Night, in rainbow shades of glory. Punchy, precise, prudent, practical, and pleasant.

Shine
Tapping into the same soulful, live band sound with an easy electronic groove that has placed Zero 7 in a class of its own, Shine’s freshman album does well to please the gentle listener. With the long-awaited release of The Common Station, a few unmistakeable gems emerge (tracks Ashbury and Hawaii) with an album filled out with songs worthy of a dimly lit background and plush, bloated-looking furniture. By the end of the album, you’ll probably find yourself stretching your feet out for a nice relaxation moment.

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Daft Punk, Alive 2007. I’ll admit, I was slightly reluctant to get this one. But as live albums go, this is phenominal in quality, energy, sound, and substsance. From the moment the proverbial needle hits the proverbial vinyl, this disk transports you into the futuristic, cartoon, liver-performance world in which they must live. Try not to sing along, in your best robot vocoder voice, to these songs as they get stuck in your head.

The Alamo: Zero7, Simple Things

Remember Zero 7, Simple Things? That album that reached you in your dark place and drug you out, clear, free, and nearly unscathed?

Breath. Sigh. As one of the first places (if not the first place) to listen to Sia dominate the vocal landscape, its uniqueness, in hindsight, can be seen in this album’s minimalistic approach to her undisputed talent (and minimal use). In fact, avid listeners of this album can certainly overlook that she is even featured on it.

In fact, many of the album’s perfect 14 tracks are wholly instrumental. Flawless, intelligent arrangements keep the pace of this album lifted and airy, giving it that power that music only has to look into your face and say, “I know it, buddy. I’ve been there. But what do you really have to worry about? Life is actually beautiful.”

(Editor’s note: The above quote is not really a quote.)

Soothing Aloe strings and a drum and bass combination that provides Vitamin E smoothness traipse easily from track to track, mixing with electric piano and acoustic guitar to provide a sound that is, in every way, undefineable. Like the smell of just walking into the door at home, or the touch of sun on your skin.

Each track unpretentiously bides its time, patiently letting the complex harmonies take root over a backing beat tranquil and unruffled enough to ice skate on.

To be honest, I’ve been sitting here trying to determine the best way to do this remarkable album justice. After an emergency lifeline phone call to probe Taylor’s thoughts (who incidentally introduced me to this album), I’d like to end off with this single thought.

In the myriad of circumstances and events in my recent life that have been effected by this album, be they wholly benign, intolerably low, or outrageously ecstatic, there will never be an album that could fill each next void, each next moment like this one has and continues to do.

You Show Look Good (NEW! Submitted by Katie2 of Savvy Salon in Indianapolis)

Are you as hot as the music you're snapping to? Here are a few fashionable tips to cool you off at summer shows.

Bangs, buns, everywhere! Braids in your hair
Take the time to look like
You didn't even care!

Keep denim to a minimum! A pair of shorts or a dress
Jersey knits or cotton
Can absorb sweat the best!

Roman in your gladiators
Chillin in your chucks!
Flops and pastel polishes
Are definitely a must!

Ya dig?

When dressing for the summer swing, remember cool comfort!

...

"What the heel were you thiking? those won't help you dance!"

Some Things Are Funny

Like Irony! Not long ago, I posed a question to you readers: can good music supercede the bad choices that people generally make on JukeBoxes in an user-oriented, on-demand information age?

Well, the answer is leaning yes, it appears, thanks to new efforts from Beck. Text messages to 40411 with “Beck” have yielded responses that tell you where to go download his pre-released tracks onto local jukeboxes!

Could this possibly herald the dawning of a new age of jukebox promotions, dramatically increasing the viability of the user-oriented, open-access music selection process that actually yields decent tunage?

A thought has stirred in my imagination of hundreds of music zealots, filling jukeboxes with music pre-releases, creating new sound atmospheres at local venues and allowing for great music to stem out of the popularly selected.

Next Week:
Sean Lennon, LMNOP, Chapstick Weekly Launch Party!, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

Chapstick Mix

2008-06-27T12:27:00.001-07:00

Chapstick Weekly v7

2008-06-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

NEWS!
July 19th 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.! Savvy Salon on Broad Ripple Avenue is hosting the First Chapstick Weekly Launch Party! There will be Chapsticklips Models, giveaways, unveilings, revelings, and the greatest music you've ever heard, duh!

Check Your Backseat Mix

Light My Fire – The Doors
Rollerdisco – Black Moth Super Rainbow
Mercy – Duffy
Sexx Laws – Beck
Hold On – Hot Chip
Lights & Music (Boys Noize Remix) – Cut Copy
I Created Disco – Calvin Harris
This Boy’s in Love – The Presets
Live Fast! Die Old! (Headman Remix) – Munk
God Kveld – Bjorn Torske
Minuit Jacuzzi (DaTA Remix) – TEPR
Smile Around The Face – Four Tet
The Birds and the Beats – Booka Shade
How Many – Tender Forever
Hey Ya – Obadiah Parker

Albums in my Car

The Doors, Greatest Hits
Beck, Midnight Vultures
Slow Runner, Mermaids
AIR, Moon Safari
Sean Lennon, Friendly Fire
The Little Ones, Sing Song

Interview with Owen from The Elms

I had the privilege of getting to interview Owen from The Elms, and his thoughtful, compelling responses merited a rendering in full. Here it goes!

Your music sounds re-inspired, especially with The Shake! What is guiding this inspiration? New music you're listening to? New vibe in the air?

Oddly, I don't listen to much music these days, so it's probably not that! We're just much more confident than ever before, and it certainly creates a type of fearlessness. I think all the boys in the band are inspired by each other. Everyone in the band plays so well, they're all very capable and in control. For me, I'm just thrilled to do this with these guys, my closest brothers. That's the most inspiring part for me, and all the most precious parts of it are rooted in the time we spend together.

Is this just a continuation of the inspiration that you felt fueled the changes seen in Chess Hotel from your earlier work?

We're notorious for taking too long to make records, so when we made The Chess Hotel, we resolved to have it finished in a matter of weeks. We recorded for 12 days, then mixed in four, and it was done. We're very proud of that record. Now, we're digging a little deeper, searching for the finest songs we can possible write. The record will take some time to make, we're back to our old ways. It's a totally different process from TCH. We'll record a bit, then write a bit. We do it in waves, in cycles. We've got 80 tunes written. I'd love to make a double album, or sell half and give half away free. I think it will wind up being very uplifting lyrically.

It seems like you are still doing a lot of your own promotion, if not the majority of it. What are your thoughts about the music distribution technology out there, i.e. the interweb, MySpace, iLike, HypeMachine, and Muxtape?

We're very hands-on online. We embrace the bulk of what's going on with social sites, but ultimately want our official site to be the hub for our online operation. It's hard for MySpace to not be seen as the priority when bands are so obsessed with how many plays they're getting. It just seems to breed such silly, frivolous competition. Our official site gets far more activity than our MySpace, which is how we like it. It does my ego good when our MySpace is getting thousands of hits versus hundreds, but who cares? Online, we're most dedicated to offering as much interaction and information as possible to people who want it. We can do that on our official site and offer many more amenities to fans of the band. MySpace is just sort of clunky. iLike is more far-reaching, and offers better downloads. But we do what we can to push people back to our official site in order to create our own community.

Does your band benefit from this ease of listener access? Or do you think you lose in potential sales?

We're more interested in people hearing the music than anything. The accessibility online is far more an asset to new bands than a hindrance. We've always released CD's with record labels. People don't realize that in order to see mechanical royalties from your label, or actual dollars from records sold, you have to recoup all costs of making, marketing, and releasing your record. Most bands never enjoy that type of success, you really have to be a superstar act for that to happen. Then, once you do recoup, you're only contractually entitled to a very small percentage of the profit. Most bands live off touring income and publishing royalties, we certainly do. So our priority will always be to get people to shows, get the music used in film and television, or to let people support us in tangible ways, like our online store. Things are sustainable that way.

How important is establishing and maintaining a sort of music community?

Very important. Nowadays, it's probably THE most important thing. The internet has nearly destroyed the idea of the aloof, untouchable rock star. Bands who succeed for more than five minutes are very in touch with their supporters. By in touch, I don't simply mean that they know their fans' desires. I mean they legitimately communicate with them whenever possible. At shows, online, wherever.

How often do you play music with people outside your band?

I don't. I'm not interested in it and have no need for it. The idea of moonlighting doesn't do anything for me. And if I'm being honest, the idea of playing music with guys other than Thom, Chris, and Nathan sounds miserable. This is only a matter of perspective, though. I guess it would just seem to compromise my efforts, and I love the old Pat Riley quote, "You're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as a life in-between."

How important is keeping up with the available technology that is available for musicians to use, i.e. electronic drums, sequencers, synths, loopers, etc.?

We use very little digital equipment as it pertains to our personal gear onstage, maybe just 5%, for things like a guitar pedal or click-track. We do record digitally, though, and it's made the process of recording music very efficient. At one time, we only recorded to analog tape, but found that the sacrifices in sanity and functionality outweighed the sonics, so we go digital in the studio now. It's cheaper too. Most of the guitars and amps we use are older than we are.

Do you ever picture incorporating more electronic instrumentation into your music, even something as common as synth keys or something like that?

Some great records of the last few years have strong electronic elements, like M.I.A. or MuteMath. But again, our band gravitates to simpler, raw stuff. We've had small electronic bits on records before, but it will probably never become a prominent part of our band's sound, unless Chris really starts getting into Kraftwerk, which is unlikely.

From reading about you, it seems that your initial rise in the music ranks was thanks, in part, to the ballooning world of the Christian Rock genre. What other things do you think allowed you to separate The Elms from the pack?

Maybe the gospel genre is thriving, but I don't know about "Christian rock." I don't really have my finger on that pulse. It was funny, though, because we signed a record deal with a gospel label called Sparrow in 2000, right when we were getting started. I mean, when you're 19 and someone offers you a deal, you don't think much about it. Immediately after our first record came out, people were saying things like, "You'll never make it in this market," or, "These people aren't going to understand you." At first, I didn't get what that meant. I thought that if we were good, they'd like it. But it's a very different scene, with much more complicated criteria than just being a good band. We're much happier in front of rock audiences, even though there's a spiritual bent to our music. As far as being separated from the pack goes, we just ended up where we were most likely to thrive, and that wasn't in gospel music.

In a single line, describe what you think your music sounds like. Be as creative as you like (eg. like two trees grown together on the horizon, like the breath you take before jumping into icy cold water, like a German tourist masquerading as a Belgian philanthropist).

That's tough. I guess we just sound like we're trying to do our best Kinks impersonation.

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Duffy
As if you could get enough of the early 70’s soul, reformed, remastered, retried, and reanimated! It’s been more than 30 years, and as a collective, we are all still in the grips of our imaginations, dancing on smoky dancefloors, and Duffy does well to lead us into another funky album where we can dance in tight, short cords, with our arms waving in front of us while watching those that know how to get down in Motown really do it. (Speaking of imagination, I always imagine myself dancing just like them.)

Slow Runner
Although much of their most recent release houses a benign, gentle feeling in thoughtful musical overtones, a shining gem sticks out on this album: “Trying to Put Your Heart Back Together.” This single begins slowly and picks up steam as each next track is added, tracks including a duet female vocalist, dancey percussion, and a heartfelt fill of keyboard and bass. By the end of this song, you’ll be moving your shoulders and singing along to its catchy hook.

The Little Ones
Catchy, straight-forward rock with a good beat, talented musicians, and a great frontman leading the way. This band will catch your attention with their talent, then get you smiling with their angled approach to songwriting, incorporating just the right amount of synth, drum fills, and vocal crescendos to life the proverbial spirits. Their compositions are masterfully put together, with a charm that could only be found, attracted to the Astralwerks label.

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Hot Chip, Made in the Dark album! Hot Chip doesn’t disappoint, building you up to speed within two minutes of the album until you are jerking about, dancing like a cat’s toy on a string. There are even a few lovers’ songs for you softies out there! A little shiny tidbit: Todd Rundgren is sampled on “Shake a Fist” describing a game called Sounds of the Studio (In the words of Willy Wonka, “You’re going to love this, just love it.”). As if you needed a bonus, this album comes with a DVD that gives you a glimpse into the genius that is the Hot Chip live performance. It is indescribable, and you have to see it to believe it.

The Alamo: Beck, Midnight Vultures

Remember Beck, Midnight Vultures? That album that snuck into the mix under the radar, but by the time it left, you were singing in a falsetto you didn’t know you had?

By the end of the first track, you’ll be confused as to what year it is, and, in your disorientation, you’ll be swept away by the sheer momentum of this album. The rolling bass lines, the solid simple beats, and all the sounds that can be managed to be squeezed in between!

Released in 1999 (before the Y2k panic), it shows shades of banjo, slide guitar and other remnants of the former Beck efforts, but it is fully injected with an overdose of 70s disco zeal and an abandonment that gives even the most conservative man freedom to dance, sing, and do all the silly things they usually see everyone else doing. It was the fate of this album to be the one to which all future beck albums would be compared, in terms of diversity, experimentation, and danceability.

Oh yeah, and Debra is on this disk. That’s enough reason to go rooting through the boxes you’ve never unpacked from your last move to get this disk out.

Technology for Sounds: MixWit.com

Mixwit.com. Make a mix online, that you can post on your own page! (I did!) This is going to be very important to you amateur mixologists out there. Get comfortable with this one, because in the near future I’m going to be using it to broadcast your very own, very first, very great Mix EP Competition Extravaganza! Select from a vast catalogue of songs, or upload your own .mp3’s, and put them all on a really cool, strange mix tape electronic creature!

Some Things Are Funny

Like jumping up and down at concerts. I write this at the risk of sounding old. In the sense of old beyond my young years.

Floorboards creaking underneath, the Double Door’s long-awaiting appearance of Crystal Castles was greeted with urgency only the most eager Chicagoan (rhymes with Obiwan) could dish out. Everyone, at the cue of some unseen beehive-pheromone signal, immediately negotiated for a prime position near the stage: this is where jumping up and down is the most enjoyable and effective.

Jumping also allows you to really impress the ladies. The higher you jump, the more vigor and emotion you put into it, really shows the duality of athleticism and sensitivity that the modern young woman can really appreciate.

This poses both a moral and philosophical conundrum: was House of Pain right?

Next Week:

Zero 7, LMNOP, Midnight Juggernauts, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

v6

2008-06-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish

For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

Check Your Backseat Mix

Electric Feel (Just ice Remix) – MGMT

Kick Drum (feat. Spank Rock) – Shy Child

Tenderoni – Chromeo

Working Bees – The Pinker Tones

You, Me and the Bourgeoisie – The Submarines

Cosmic Rapp – James Pants

The Shake – The Elms

Lay Down The Law – Switches

Vanished – Crystal Castles

Dotted Lines – Electric President

Trying to Put Your Heart Back Together – Slow Runner

Two Sisters – Headman

I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi – Radiohead

Shut Up and Let Me Go – The Ting Tings

Into the Galaxy – Midnight Juggernauts

Lights & Music (Boys Noize Remix) – Cut Copy

Albums in my Car

Switches, Lay Down the Law

Electric President, Sleep Well

Calvin Harris, I Created Disco

Headman, Catch Me

AmpLive, Rainydayz Remixes

Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles

Catching up with Switches at the Vogue

It was my pleasure and enjoyment to get some time with Switches before they played their June 10 show at the Vogue in Indianapolis, opening a 4-band night with headliners She Wants Revenge.

I’d like to mention that 1) I love English politeness, pomp, and personal presentation and 2) I love the idealist that is the BritPop rocker.

While much of their music is unabashed straight-forward pop (their single, Drama Queen, is the theme song to MTV’s new reality show Legally Blonde), their incorporation of vocal harmonies and unmistakeably, a bouncy danceability, separates them from the pop herd.

“We really separate ourselves with a music talent we can be a bit smug about,” said Matt, the lead singer and primary writer on their current release. “We use a lot of harmonies that sort of reinforce the chord structure. Like on Drama Queen.”

And their talent is evident with the creative approach to the melodies and arrangement on several of their tracks. Most markedly on the track “I Need To Be Needed” with its sweeping vocals that lead into a fabulous harmony late in the track, and in the rhythm of “Lay Down the Law” as well as a short interlude burst in that track with a tooting, minimalist organ sound.

But what is it in the song creation process that really makes them danceable? Do they start out that way?

“We keep it simple,” said their drummer, Steve. “I just play what suits the song, with small variations or touches.”

“It really is a more studied approach to music,” added Matt.

When asked about a one-line shot to describe their sound, they gave me some good answers:

“We’re like a trashy old whore in a three-star hotel suite.” Also, “We sound like trash whips coming in whipped streams.” Editorial note: when an Englishman says whore, I feel like it means something a little less abrasive.

Their music, albeit a bit poppy for this publication at times, is truly enjoyable, and, according to the band, will probably have some electronic instrumentation in its future (which I am excited to hear).

Switches’ album, Lay Down the Law is now available to purchase wherever you might like to buy it. They are currently heading west through the US on the Nylon Magazine Music Tour.

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Electric President

The forlorn, attractive delivery of this band’s gentle electronic sound will take you to instant nostalgic heights and new, somberly electric lows. Unyielding, steady percussion guides their newest release through labyrinthine verses and echoing choruses, rife with heartstring-pulling melodic ups and downs. Thoughtful, precise, yet utterly self-conscious swells will reach you on an extremely personal level, if you let them. I suggest you do.

Headman

If I could get away with just saying, this album is good: you won’t be disappointed, I would. Dancey arrangements, intelligent sequences, and a natural, practiced instrumentation wedge this album neatly in the all-things-dancefloor genre. Drawing from the common influences guiding the electronic/dance world right now, this album probably contains 11 viable singles (out of 13 tracks).

The Pinker Tones

Capricious latin rhythms combine with quirky effects and instrumentation to be capped of with a whipped, hip-swaying funk. Their infectious sound will evolve slowly through your body, from toe-tapping, to head-nodding, to shoulder bouncing, to 100 calorie per minute burning hip gyrations. Sounds like a beautiful summer day street festival in high gear, complete with watermelon stands, round, brightly dressed and flirting women (I’m thinking early thirties), and the far and wee sounds of children playing in sprinklers.

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Beck, Guerolito disc. But Tengan Cuidadolito! This album contains one of the most engaging, compelling remixes ever created by man or machine (Ghettochip Malfunction, the 8Bit remix of Hell Yes). You will end up dancing on a table, couch, desk, or various other available pieces of furniture. Did you like Guero? O’ course ya did! Who th’hell don’t! This is the musical masterpiece follow-up with remixes from Islands, El-P, Adrock, Subtle, Boards of Canada, and Air. What happens when you shove all these people onto a construction site with blueprints and schematics from Beck? Well, this does, duh.

The Alamo: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!

Remember Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!? The wildly eccentric, mostly ineligible, circus-fire vocals whose unpretentiousness begs you to sing along with your best guess on what the words are? The abso f’n lutely rocking four-piece backing band reeking from a full day in the kitchen of everything danceable and late nights on a 1974 BBC live radio broadcast?

This album’s enthralling sound is rumored have been a top pick of legendary David Bowie and legendary David Byrne in the same month. Upon its release, it fulfilled the fledgling promise of the upbeat, rock style on whose leading edge it rode.

This album will forever remind me of my virgin visit to NYC, packed 7-deep into a small 4-door, racing through the Brooklyn streets behind an absolute madman at the wheel, showing little care or consideration to the usual traffic laws and guidelines! If you want, it can remind you of that too.

Long story short, it’s summertime, and your summertime adventures need a soundtrack. Get this one back out. Stomp your feet, shake your fist, get sweaty, and sing into your imaginary microphone on stage in front of an arena filled with rows upon rows of people singing into their imaginary microphones.

Note: I have to reveal here, that this is not much of an “Alamo” for me because it still dominates my 25 most played list 3 years after its release. But I thought it might be for you.

Technology for Sounds: Monome

Adaptable, minimalist interface. Incredible. It’s hard to explain exactly what this is, but easy to explain what its seeming limitations are: none. The sample videos on the blog-like website exhibit a few masters using this device to arrange elaborate electronic compositions. Even more amazing is that they are doing so live. Utterly amazing. If I had the time to devote to incorporating this device into my life, I would!

ps. A thanks to Justin, a random encounter at the Wellington, for pointing me to this one.

Some Things Are Funny

Like jukeboxes.

So, Katie Jones put me on to this article about a T-Shirt company, Threadless, Inc., that is the epitome of the user-interface Web 2.0 infrastructure. What they have done, is built a t-shirt empire built on the voting and purchasing and designing of a large online social network. And it works, with wild success.

Why doesn’t the user-interface work at a bar with a jukebox going? Shouldn’t user selection generally override the bad music that you can already hear on broadcast radio or American Idol? I am not cynical enough, yet, to believe that we have been force-fed popular, uninspiring music enough to have to regurgitate it everywhere we go.

It seems the user-interface override would particularly be effective with the modern jukeboxes that allow user downloads of new albums and tracks, creating a virtually unlimited library.

Yet, why is this not the case? Why don’t people just play something good!? Is it a few squeaky wheels that muck up the entire playlist? The many buzzing thoughts in my head point to no solid solution...however! If I may, I would like to leave off with two thoughts...

1. Is there such a thing as universally, genuinely good music? (ps. if you know anything about it, this is similar to the questions of Plato and his Forms in Phaedo)

2. Is there hope that this “Good Music” can trump musical taste? Can trump genre and popularity and access and familiarity? Can be recognized by every open-minded listener as simply: good.

Next Week:

The Music, Junior Boys, The Elms, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

v5

2008-06-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish

For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

It's Late, It's Either Monday or Tuesday Mix

Electric Feel – MGMT

Beat Control – Tilly and the Wall

Ready for the Floor (Extended Mix) – Hot Chip

Hock It (YACHT Remix) – The Blow

Sad Song - Au Revoir Simone

Lovers Who Uncover (Crystal Castles vs. The Little Ones) – The Little Ones

In Your Machine – Alex Metric

We Share Our Mother’s Health (Ratatat Remix) – The Knife

I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll – Queen of Japan

Mary, Mary – Run-DMC

Faustz – AmpLive

Electrotumbao – The Pinker Tones

Chains – Sons & Daughters

Creeper – Islands

Humankind – Alice Russell

You Are My Face – Wilco

Vampires in Blue Dresses – Margot and the Nuclear So and S o’s

Albums in my Car

The Pinker Tones, Wild Animals

Blank Blue, Western Water Music Vol. II

Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles

Ronald Jenkees, Ronald Jenkees

Easy Star All Stars, Until that Day EP

Mojib, Whimsical Lifestyle

Catching up with Richard Edwards, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s Interview

Richard Edwards fronts Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s on stage with a calm, conversational style, letting the music speak for itself, mostly. Away from the stage, he is much the same.

I spoke to him at a stop on his tour, in an unidentifiable city somewhere west of here (close as I can guess is Lawrence County, Missouri, playing that night at a place called The Jackpot). After getting there, a label-organized national tour with a major label release pending and a set recording contract for more music, what is left for this Indianapolis band?

“Our goals? We want to keep making better records. To continue growing...working hard,” said Edwards.

Well said: the ethereal future for this band whose explosion continues to ripple outward, it seems, isn’t dotted with concrete markers along its way. But how did they get to this vantage point? How does a band make it out of the humdrum, barely-supported scene for local music here? What separates this band from other bands? It is a constant musing of mine

“If I had to give just one answer, I would say extreme sacrifices. We all moved in to a small house together, toured together with no money.”

And I suppose that is exactly what I can see in the bands that typically circulate Indianapolis. An “as long as its fun” approach to making music, centered on me and I.

Specifically to do with The Dust of Retreat, Edwards gave a fitting description, “It’s like the first time a little kid uses a curse word: articulate and charming.” There is obvious talent and power in their music, and their approach does seem to come from the intrigue of discovery. He continued, “We are some people who are very passionate about getting their message across, throwing everything at it. Dust of Retreat has some good examples of that.”

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s are now on tour in the Western United States. Their next release, Animal! is set to come out the middle of this summer (as accurate as I can get).

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Queen of Japan

Is there something wrong with me, or is it natural to be listening to “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” on repeat? Queen of Japan takes this, and a number of other stalwart steadfasts of rock and nostalgia and feeds them to a nearby ambiguously gay, early-model, dance android, who, after chewing delicately, spits back out a barrage of capricious, shake-your-ass ridiculousness! If you’re not cheesing and rotating those hips by the end of “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” you will be after “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”!

Blank Blue (aka Nobody)

Picture yourself in a record store at closing, over-sized cheap headphones on, eyes closed shaking your head slowly with a satisfied smile perched on your lips. Suddenly you have bridged some previously irreconcilable harmony. This is what is playing. The gentle seascape layers of music that build each track to greater and greater heights are masterful: never dominating, but letting you ease into the body-temperature warmth of a much-needed embrace. The album “Western Water Music Vol. II” will take you on a ride away from the harsh realities of this world.

Mojib

Whimsical Lifestyle is the name of his album, and the image conjured of a Pacific Islander, 15-year-old kid behind the ship wheel on an old-style yacht, complete with white captain’s outfit, smiling into the breeze is fitting. This downtempo music is riddled with loops and samples that tickle your memory, and some that don’t: I hear Kings of Convenience, early Moby, and Regina Spektor track samples so far. Whimsical is the perfect word to describe this music, that carries you through lo-fi beats, acoustic guitar, Disney-like electronic instrumentation, sitars, and of course, high-harmonic bell sounds.

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Cassius, 15 Again disc. With the exception of Pharrell’s appearance on Eye Water, this album is fantastic front to back. Catchy dance songs, driving dance songs, beat-driven dance songs, and funky French interludes fill this CD to the brim, and their no-nonsense joy-seeking spills the music over the edge! Another French album on my list here, but it’s just so good. So good! From the first track on, this re-emergence of Cassius is one that you wished you bought when it just came out.

The Alamo: VHS or Beta, Night on Fire

Remember VHS or Beta, Night on Fire? All the vocal power that a five-foot nothing skinny Asian man could possibly produce across unquestionably danceable tones carrying all the dignity that a funky 90s-smelling sound can offer.

Dust off this album, and if you don’t have it, take a good look in the mirror and reassess your life, dummy. The scope of the types of people that could enjoy this album range from people that never made it out of the 90s, middle-school teachers letting loose, lost teenage Louisville runaways, and anyone who owns a convertible to budding music newsletter writer/editor/publishers.

This album has been a fixture, and one of the first original danceable bands that helped usher in this era of danceable dandies!

In short, this album came out of Louisville, and carried this band across the globe on the Astralwerks label (same label as Air, Cassius, Magic Numbers, and Hot Chip to name a few), from summer trysts in Ibiza to international tours and back to the midwest. This is certainly a disc that welcomes a long return.

Technology for Sounds: The Apple Airport

I bought one of these Apple products from Ebay on some Chinese portal. It was difficult to read what exactly I was buying, but I had a good feeling. This is a wireless router that plays music from your iTunes library (and any USB device aside). I literally plugged it in by my stereo, plugged my RCA’s into my stereo, and connected via iTunes. Easy to use, you can plug this little guy in anywhere, this device is a must for anyone who regularly listens to music produced out of iTunes. This $15 plus shipping item has really allowed me a diversity of music listening that I could have only hoped for.

Some Things Are Funny

Like finding Ronald Jenkees on YouTube. Like finding any music on YouTube! I can be stubborn, headstrong, whatever. What comes with this, among many ill things, is that your mind closes down a bit, limiting accepted input, and stifling the great music you can hear on…YouTube.

Ronald Jenkees, from nearby Kentucky, is a peculiar, mole-looking, late-twenties guy, who is unnervingly graceful at the keys. Through a webcam perched at the end of his full-length, full-throw keyboard, we see him bobbing his head to each next creative beat, playing extraordinary configurations of melodies with a range of voices and effects.

I can’t believe the dexterity with which he approaches playing this music! His glass-bottle glasses magnify how much he must be nearly blind, but this cannot take away from the obvious happiness he has found with the ability to share his music.

Side Note: It is for once, heartening, to see something like this surface on YouTube. This man is obviously not good looking, nor is he blessed with a silver tongue. But, somehow, he rose to the top of the YouTube pile. The only explanation is that his music brought him to where he is now. And that is something.

This is one thing I have been coming back to, watching, on impulse, several times a day. His self-titled album would have never been near my peripheral if it hadn’t been for his posting on YouTube.

So, as he ends each of his small videos, “Hello YouTubes, that was too much fun. Thanks for listening.”

Next Week:

Amplive, The Music, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

Chapstick Weekly v4

2008-05-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly-ish

For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

Steam Rollin' Freight F'n Train Mix

Germany to Germany – Ratatat

LOST CONTROL UFO! REMIX3 2 – The May Fire

Heavy Heart – Ghostland Observatory

Untrust Us – Crystal Castles

Treehouse – I'm from Barcelona

Wanderlust (Ratatat Remix) – Bjork

Sleepless – Apparet & Ellen Allien

Pop the Glock – Uffie

Till We Got You And Me – Cassius

Wrestlers (Sticky Dirty Pop Mix) – Hot Chip

Trash the Rental (Crystal Castles Remix) – Sohodolls

Sweaty (Shazam Remix) – Muscles

Little Bit – Lykke Li

I Liked the Boys – The Long Blondes

Hold On – Holy Ghost!

Fool for Love (Sebastion Remix) – Das Pop

Martha Ann – David Karsten Daniels

Albums in my Car

Elbow, The Seldom Seen Kid

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Dust of Retreat

Ratatat , Classics

Elvis Costello, Momofuku

Justice, Cross

Hot Chip, One Pure Thought EP

Local Band, Mardelay

Well, hello spur of the moment decision! I am reviewing Mardelay, a local Indianapolis band that contains my friend, Mo (alias Emily Richardson), in the capacity of Cello/Keys/Backing Vocals.

I caught up with them on Saturday night at the Mine Shaft in Broadripple, but...let's rewind to a more distant past momentarily. To Birdy's.

Birdy's Nightclub, a mile-ish distance from the Broadripple strip has a creeping decoration of wall-to-wall band flyers, posters, stickers, and other memorabilia. It is a place for a band to come and cut their proverbial teeth, giving local bands an opportunity to share the stage with rising national acts, and to perform in the shadow of famous after-hours appearances including Prince.

The high stage sits in an isolated corner of the room, no less than 16 ft. away from the tall tables and chairs that line the back wall between the back door and the bar. A balcony overlooks this expansive, mostly unused, dance floor from the far side of the room. There are vacant pool tables in well-lit back rooms.

Mardelay played their second set of the evening, the first being at another small local place. Their singer had strep throat or something of that nature.

Even so, their performance was practiced and dignified. Opening unexpectedly with a guitar/cello duet with a primacy on vocals, the band quickly silenced the surrounding chatter and replaced it with a melodic intro.

As the other band members meandered casually onto the stage, their instruments added to the mix, eventually providing a full-fledged onslaught of overdriven sound. I was surprised and pleased to see the incorporation of keyboard on a few songs, as well as background vocals on several tracks.

Although the grace of this introduction song was not quite captured again, the band's sound seemed to be very deliberate in its style and presentation. The members obviously have been working hard together, and their ability to take cues from each-other on stage was apparent.

Mardelay's EP release is expected this July. Check them out!

What's New to Me and Maybe New to You

The Bird and the Bee

Who is this band? That's what all the kids are saying aka what is the general response upon first listening to this group. The crystaline peals of the lead singer's voice ring true, but make it incredibly difficult to sing along to. And you're going to want to! The catchy, meaningful lyrics of their bouncy songs are irresistible when it comes to singing them loudly (generally incorrectly). Also, I find myself dancing with a funny crooked neck when this music is on.

I'm from Barcelona

"I have built a treehouse! I have built a treehouse! Nobody can see us: It's a You and Me House!" with a banjo/mandolin/oohs/aahs backing and full-on danceability. I think they are probably not from Barcelona, as I, for some reason, can't really picture a Spanish treehouse. Imagining that such things exist are beyond me. This band reminds you of something you can't quite put your finger on, but don't really feel pressure to dwell on. (ps. they are Swedish.)

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Wild as in Amazonian rainforest wild! Their music is such an amalgam of styles and influences that it is literally impossible to classify – and it sounds as if it's all created between a Swedish songbird and a Nord drummer. And it is! As Swedish pop duos go, they match the Scandinavian eccentricity that you'd expect, ranging from jumprope chants (with the backing of hand-made peacedrums) to nostalgic blues in the scope of each song. Any way you look at this band, it is a fun listen with its own brand of energy: an experience in itself.

In Case You're a Dummy

Buy the Ratatat, Classics disc. The building, diving, powerful music is good for all occasions. Don't be alarmed! It is instrumental. Four sets of cascading guitar riffs and melodies, harmonizing synthesizers, driving beats, and all-around well-produced effects. This album has some danceable tunes, but the most enjoyment can probably be had as driving background-music inspiration. Katie Jones once said that this would be one of the best CD's to have in the background of a runway show. And she knows things like that.

The Alamo: Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene

Remember Broken Social Scene, Broken Social Scene? What a revelation of music! What a revelation of the soul itself. This extremely large band leaves an extremely large impression on your understanding of music by the end of this self-titled release.

The collection of talent on this band is astounding. And, to use the expression, the combination puts everything in its right place.

The creation and execution of each track is organic, with instruments and harmonies playing delicately off eachother as if they were two trees that had grown together, their branches playing into intricate patterns as they grow seamlessly, unmistakably together.

From straightforward, rocking tracks, to songs with elaborate percussions, confusing songs about getting cortizone in your eyes or Canadian armament, and songs whose lyrics will cause a knee-jerk reaction on a first date, this album can do nothing but please the avid music listener.

Technology for Sounds: iLike

Omg, I'm totally like reviewing a facebook app. But! Lo-and-behold! It is an independent app! You can plug this directly into iTunes for recommendations, band updates and more! iLike, despite its connection to a shameless social network site, is a wholly useful and integrated piece of technology. After loading in the titles of bands, the application automatically updates you when bands post local shows, new videos, blogs, photos, music, etc. etc. The "Local Shows" utility of this application is worth getting on facebook just to make use of. Within the facebook world, you can also dedicate songs and videos using this application, making it another useful way to share music.

Some Things Are Funny

Like Solo Dance Parties. We all have them. Don't deny it. Here is the first ever! Chapstick Weekly Self-Help Solo Dance Party Tips and Tricks Recommendations and Techniques List!

1. Always dance with your eyes open.

What is closing your eyes going to do? You might run into something besides. It is good practice to have your eyes open, in case you decide to muster up the courage to dance in front of other people. You don't want it to look like you're on drugs, or that you are picturing making out with yourself.

2. Make a serious face. Really serious.

This makes you look more serious.

3. Try to wear what you would ordinarily wear.

It is a romantic thought that you would dance around in your underwear, or bare foot, or in a snow suit, but really. Stripping by yourself is silly, a stubbed toe is dangerous, and you'll quickly overheat in a snowsuit.

4. Take risks that might get you caught dancing by yourself.

Like leaving the door unlocked after you have invited guests over. I have tried this a lot, and no one has ever really thought it was weird for me to be dancing by myself.

5. Try dancing to a Chapstick Weekly Mix.

That's why they are there, dummy! The songs may inspire you to move in an unexpected way.

6. Don't move your arms so much.

Everyone remembers the Elaine. Even more so, arm movements generally are a lazy way of dancing. Once you eliminate the arms, moving everything else becomes much more important. Then you can really get down to business.

7. Name your dance moves.

If you feel like you look like some sort of exotic animal, the name will probably be appropriate. Other name suggestions include: out-of-date appliance brand names, city street names, former vice presidents, and backyard game items.

8. One thing to Note:

Once you are a stage performer, I encourage you to break all these rules. Where would we be if frontmen didn't dance in snowsuits, smiling, eyes closed, with their arms outstretched like they are a four-year-old make believing they are an airplane?

In summary, a wise man once told me, "If it feels good, do it." And that's all she wrote! For your dancing!

Next Week:

Margot & the NS&S's Interview, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

Chapstick Weekly v3

2008-05-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Chapstick Weekly v2

2008-04-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly (so what I’m a little late.)
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

Summer Sinsemilla Mix

Beck – Girl
Paul Simon – Late in the Evening
Badly Drawn Boy – Once Around the Block
The Little Ones – Cha Cha Cha
The Pinker Tones – Sonida Total
Ray Charles – Mess Around
The Rolling Stones – Can’t Always Get What You Want (Re-Mixed and Re-Edited by Soulwax)
Sweet Emotion – Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon
Mixel Pixel – Sinking Feeling
Radiohead – The Reckoner
Heavy Metal – Sammy Hagar

Albums in my Car

Ghostland Observatory, Robotique Majestique
Heavy Metal, Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Koop, Koop Islands
Radiohead, In Rainbows
Does it Offend You, Yeah?, You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Into
Matt Pond PA, Last Light

There’s my Chippie. There you are Chippie.

First thing’s first, the live bake-off went great.

We arrived in Chicago at full speed, parking a few blocks away from the Vic. After unloading a few tickets, we made our way into the already over-crowded Vic just as Hot Chip opened up with their first track.

The Vic is the Old Victorian Theater – and it is an old Victorian theater. The layout includes downstairs and balcony seating areas, with a large dance floor up front. We didn’t really get an opportunity to explore through the venue, but we did pound our way up to the front area very quickly.

As the show was All Ages, there was a wide spattering of disrespectful, inconsiderate people of all ages throughout, all happy to spill your beer on your face then stare at you as you tried to move about in a danceable fashion.

This being said, after 10 minutes or so, I was well on my way to being a beer-smelling sweaty bastard, dancing precariously close to the drug-riddled, teenaged neighbors, and generally greatly enjoying some of the best live music able to be heard.

I love Hot Chip. I can’t tell you enough how much I love them. I am unphased by their recent boom in popularity. I was disappointed when the concert ended....but I was re-enlivened when they announced an after-party at the Metro.

So, to the Metro I went to enjoy hours more of dancing and drinks before I tumbled back to the Swissotel for the night to sleep and dream right through the biggest midwest earthquake in years.

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Don’t let the poppy punctuation fool you, they are diverse and danceable. Their new CD inspires your ass to get moving, is innovative, expressive, and generally well put together. With tracks titled “Attack of the 60 ft. Lesbian Octopus” and “Being Bad Feels Pretty Good” how could you go wrong?

Ghostland Observatory
Solid. An all-around solid band who greatly deserve their recent attention. They are an amalgam of Japanese De-Ionizing Foot Pads and 3 a.m. Strong Coffee, ready to point your toes to the dance floor and scream at you if you start falling asleep. If you get a chance to see them this summer, take that chance and take a friend. I am feeling a wide range of appeal here.

Bonobo
With a little help from Bajka who also makes appearances with Radio Citizen, Bonobo has created a beautiful album. If you’re a tracks person, check out “Days to Come,” the title track of the album, it will get you a solid taste for the complex instrumentation, lyrics and playful harmonies of this group.

In Case You’re a Dummy
Buy the Mark Ronson, Version disk. You’ll laugh (When you hear ODB’s rendition on Toxic. Yes, the Brittany Spears song), you’ll cry (When you hear ODB’s rendition on Toxic), and you’ll burn a few calories as if you were on a spin master. His unique mixes and remixes combine influences from all around, but most noticeably from genres that include a large amount of horns, backbeats, singing soul girls, and getting in the mood to do something experimental. Sexually.

The Alamo: Air, Moon Safari

Remember Moon Safari? That album that so precariously combined influences from Serge Gainsbourgh, early Beegees, Van Morrison, and the Beach Boys? The album that started it all, changing the ever-present drumming beat of electronic music in popular listening to a more sublime, artistic and unmistakably French electronic wonderland.

Burn yourself a copy, dust off your old copy or buy the new re-release and pop it into your favorite stereo. You’ll be toe-tapping to Sexy Boy and Kelly Watch the Stars within minutes with a Nostalgic smile on your precious chapped or unchapped lips.

You’ll catch yourself saying things like, “I saw the Sexy Boy video late night on an MTV Amp. That was a cute little monkey.” or “The first time I got high, I listened to Moon Safari on repeat. It was soooooo French.”

This album is timeless, under-represented, and more than worthy of a daily listening.

Technology for Sounds: Muxtape.

Clay showed me this one www.muxtape.com. You can get on, make your own .mp3 mix or listen to others. Upon an hour’s perusal I listened to a few cool remixes and made a few notes on other bands to watch out for. This site looks to be in its infancy, but is worth checking out on the strength of its original idea. I can truly see this developing into something great, or influencing other sites to include similar functionality.

Some Things Are Funny

Like Heavy Metal the movie and Southpark. Here is a dirty confession: I downloaded Sammy Hagar from iTunes. I am consistently listening to it daily. There is something decadent to thinking about large breasts and head banging to my soul’s content.

There is a picture of Sammy in a boxing ring, red, oversized codpiece included, on the iTunes artwork. Is Sammy Hagar a sexy bastard? I’m assuming that its undeniably so. He is the current embodiment of the less extreme, more acceptable type of debauchery that people have come to accept as “Heavy Metal.”

Also on the soundtrack was music from Devo, and those bad-asses, The Blue Oyster Cult. We all know these guys know how to rock! Right? Can I get the pinky and first finger symbol and some head nodding?

Probably not until you are desperate enough to get yourself stoned off of cat urine (see Southpark episode “Major Boobage”) would you really think you could rock out to Devo. Even so, the super-straight, super-conservative heavy metal-ers out there would never get close to a cat’s genetalia. This is ironic, in the whole irony sense of the word.

The genre dilution that happened with Heavy Metal is embodied by this soundtrack. Commercial Capitalism at its finest! Thank you Southpark for introducing me!

ps. Portishead just released a new album, and that’s no joke, buster.

Next Week:
Portishead, Radiohead, Ghostland Observatory, Caribou, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.

v1

2008-04-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Chapstick Weekly
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady

Top Tracks List

Crimewave – Crystal Castles vs. Health
Duke Dumont – When I Hear Mu’Sic
Tokyo Police Club – Your English is Good
Shine – Ashbury
Hot Chip – Boy From School (Erol Alkan’s Extended Re-Work)
The Koop – Koop Island Blues
The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful
Instituto Meicano del Sonido – Escribe Pronto
Ghostland Observatory – Dancing on My Grave
cLOUDDEAD – Dead Dogs Two (Boards of Canada Remix)
Neon Neon – I Lust You (feat. Cate Le Bon)

Albums in my Car

Flying Lotus, 1983
Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (Bonus Track Version)
Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell
Justice, Cross
Hot Chip, Coming on Strong
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple

Smooth Lips and Hot Chips

Here’s a hot tidbit. One of the current members of Hot Chip is also a current member of LCD Soundsystem. Here’s a hotter tidbit: I’m going to see them on Thursday in Chicago.

Clay, Taylor, me, and the elusive Katie Jones are travelling up to the windy city for some Hot Chip music. Guarunteed ridiculousness will ensue.

I am going to karate-chop a live panther. Right in the neck or square in the head.

I am also going to participate in a live bake-off on stage as a piece of performance art with inspiration provided by the music of Hot Chip.

Not really either of those, but I do expect to shake my legs to rubber and wear clear through the soles of my shoes by the end of the show. If you haven’t seen the surprise 70’s twist that Taylor can get himself locked in, or the Fashionable Flamingo demonstrated by Katie Jones, then you can’t imagine the amount of fun that this event will produce.

Packed in the imaginary suitcase: a 6 ft. rubber dinosaur, 4 tablets of Metamucil, one 60lb oxygen tank, 14 clean pairs of white underwear, a late-model defibrillator, one unisex bed pan, and 60 individual servings of salted cashews.

What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You

The Crystal Castles

Wowpants. There are some tracks on their Bonus Songs release that will literally make you grab onto your socks. Are you looking for something danceable with an extra helping of sprinkles? You’ll be picking small sugary crunches out of the cracks of your dance shoes for weeks.

Flying Lotus

Let’s not forget that there was once a strong genre of music called lounge which can also be called downtempo. Flying Lotus is the glorious return of sitting and sipping and listening to music. It is also recommended for mid-day back massages, late-night rendezvous, and two-person bathtubs.

Colin Meloy

The singer for the Decembrists, his live album just came out, and is very good. His voice is haunting, his lyrics penetrating, and his guitar-playing more than adequate. He’s one of those guys that a guitar player looks at and thinks, I wish I were him.

In Case You’re a Dummy

Buy the Calvin Harris, I Created Disco disk. Don’t think about it, just do it. You’ll be dancing before the end of the first song, and you won’t stop until you break something or someone. He created disco, and that says a lot.

The Alamo: Hot Chip, Coming on Strong

Chip. Chipchip.

Don’t forget Hot Chip, Coming on Strong. Their first proper (to use the British word) LP and a gem (ps. it’s probably the Hottest Chip), you can hear tantalizing lyrics such as “Even Stevie Wonder can see things,” “I was stunned by your revelations, then I forgot them,” and “Riding in my Pugeot, hey! 20-inch rims with the chrome, now, hey! Blaring that Yo La Tengo, hey hey. Hey hey.” You can’t go wrong on this album, and it’s like running into an old friend at the local produce section, then running into them again later on at the Hot Chip concert.

Where’s my Chippie?

I still can’t decide if all of their references are intentional, but I think even they would say it doesn’t matter. Let it play, put your windows down, go for a drive, and try not to dress like the lead man in Hot Chip, who seems to encourage wearing inappropriate outfits in appropriate situations.

There you are Chippie...There’s my Chippie.

Technology for Sounds: Pandora Radio

If you haven’t at least looked at Pandora Radio, go there and try it out for the day. www.pandora.com. You set up your music liking and it will really play some great tunes. Like any radio though, it has its drawbacks. You can, however, add friends, see what your friends are listening to, skip songs, view music profiles and offer reviews. Also a Plus: You can put it on your google home page. It’s worth a look and listen.

Some Things Are Funny

Like Bob Dylan and the Pulitzer Prize. You know, right now. At this very moment. That I am writing. “Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man” is the #3 YouTube rated video. How does stuff like that happen? It seems like news pushing news pushing pop culture is a swirling porcelain fiasco where nothing really advances.

I mean, I went and saw Bob Dylan play this summer. It was awful. If I hadn’t been with my family, I would have left. Him being awful now, doesn’t quite speak to his majesty during the great years, obviously. That sort of backwards logic doesn’t work on me, so don’t even think about giving me the Catholic guilt.

He was awful and that’s that.

Bob Dylan received a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." That impact has come and gone. The only impact he is having on young artists now is finding a second career before they turn 70.

What impact is he having now? The #3 Youtube download. In association with his Pulitzer mention, Bob Dylan rises to the top of Youtube with one of his most over-played, easily-interpreted lyrics.

Is anyone else finding this to be crazy? I am. I mean, the song was used in Dangerous Minds as an example. Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, bring me some drugs because that’s what the kids are into.

The true influence here: don’t make anything too hard to understand. If you do, you may get respect for it, and a mention in a Pulitzer Prize ceremony (although he didn’t win anything). But you will be most well known and remembered by your barely-masked drug references

Side note: On Youtube, #2 is “amazing guitar player” (I’m not even going to watch that, although I’m now very tempted to. Someone watch it and let me know if it’s worth my time).

Side note: Sark (European Island) abolished the last remaining feudal system in Europe. This is ironic, if you think about it.

Next Week:

Ghostland Observatory, AIR revisited, Mark Ronson, The Magic Numbers, the Hot Chip Recap, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.