I Love this Game

In between watching the World Championship of the best sport in the world (sorry NBA), I have tons of new records to listen too. One of the best so far: Sonic Youth's Rather Ripped; a sharp, concise, rocking record. Guitars ablaze, bass thudding firmly, and Shelley keeps pounding the drums with the now familiar authority. Current fave: "Sleeping Around":

"Sleeping around / Sleeping Around / What will the neighbors say (...) / What you did was wrong (...) / Always ends up in a fight"

Somehow I suspect it's not about just any old love.

I'm not just a doctor, I AM A MAN

"Don't worry Mz. Pop music, your son's going to be alright"

So says Kool Keith in the guise of Dr. Octagon on his new album The Return of Dr. Octagon. Kool Keith may not be best known for his willingness to play the pop game. Whether spitting rhymes with The Ultramagnetic MC's or putting on one of his many personas, he has always preferred a dark and eerie soundtrack to his warped, dense, and crazy lyrical universe. Nor is he known for consistency, but when he's been good, as on the now classic Dr. Octagonecologyst and as Dr. Dooom in First Come, First Served, I've found his musical and lyrical humor highly entertaining, no matter how disturbing. But this time, he's funky too.

I'm not sure whether it's a sign of a more sensitive Kool Keith, but titles like "Trees" and "Perfect World" from The Return does have a different ring to them than does "I'm Destructive" and "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman". Musically this is probably his strongest album; plenty of funky electro beasts, with synth riffs, Latin trumpets ("Aliens") and elements of Eastern music ("Ants") for added spice. His darker sides are shown on the bass-heavy "A Gorilla Driving a Pick-Up Truck", which has Kool Keith doing Buck 65. But more startlingly, tracks like "Perfect World" and the highly infectious "Al Green", with it's sampled guitar riff, should get even the stiffest booty shaking. And if there's one thing that Kool Keith still knows, it's booty.

The Return of Dr. Octagon is due out on June 27.

Over there

I used to get asked, mostly by English mates, if I had a theory as to why quality (they meant "alternative", which by no means equals quality) music charts in Britain, but barely makes a splash in the American charts. Their aim was often to point out how they thought Americans were "stoopid", and couldn't tell a good piece of music from their what-you-call-it. They're still a bit jealous, aren't they.

There are many stupid Americans, but there are plenty of stupid Brits, too. Still, my answers tended to point to the fact that the American market is much more varied than the British; The country is after all a mixture of people and cultures that differ in several respects. American culture is not a mono-culture, but rather a heterogeneous culture. Furthermore, the market is much bigger than in Britain, and I also think the British music press is better (or worse) at hyping new artists than they are in America.

Why this? Well, there is a mildly interesting article and Q & A by/with Sasha Frere-Jones in the latest edition of The New Yorker, in which he takes up the issue of why certain British and overseas artists simply don't make it in the United States. In the Q & A-bit in particular, he has some good points.

His final words cracked me up, though. Asked if he thinks Lordi will ever make it in the States, he says:

"Do not speak of Lordi. Lordi rules us all."

Desmond Dekker, 1941 - 2006

Desmond Dekker R.I.P. A handsome man with an even more beautiful voice. When he hits the high note on "be" in the line "so that every mouth can be fed" in "The Israelites", Man!, it gets to me every time. Anybody who complains, unjustly, that Jamaican music is all about rasta and ganja should at least give a listen to that song a couple of times. An extended tribute by Tom Breihan here.

Sex with the Au Pairs

It can perhaps be argued that punk's "anything is possible"-attitude really didn't come to life 'til after punk was dead. Most punk bands were getting increasingly reactionary in terms of their music and image, not to speak of lyrics, as 1977 drew towards 1978. But soon a good few bands came through, inspired by the movement but eager to take things further. Granted, many of these bands started with the original punkers, but it wasn't just the music that was fast in '77. Movements happened fast too. Post-punk it is, then.

I'm not going to write yet another history of punk. During the past few years, Mojo, Uncut, and countless other, mostly British, publications have been churning out one punk special issue after another. Much of this has been made relevant due to the rise of several punk and post punk-inspired bands recently. This has also resulted in a host compilations of music from the post punk era, plus re-issues of more or less classic albums. For which I am glad, of course. Among other things, I was finally able to get Television's fabulous "Little Johnny Jewel" on CD. I also discovered Medium Medium, whose "Hungry So Angry" always makes me want to shake the booty. Then there's been Liquid Liquid, DNA, ESG, Delta 5... the list goes on.

Strangely, though, there has been no sign of any re-issues by the Au Pairs. That is until now. Castle Music has released Stepping Out Of Line: The Anthology which collects their two albums Playing with a Different Sex and Sense and Sensuality, plus plus. As the titles of the two albums suggest, one of their main topics was sex: the lure of it, the danger of it, the guilt, the pressure, how to live up to expectations, how to perform. Their two girls + two guys line-up meant that their topic could be presented from both of the sex' view, and indeed many of their songs are built around the interchanging vocals of Lesley Woods and Paul Foad performing the lyrics almost like a conversation. The staccato guitars signal the anxiety while Jane Munro's bass and Pete Hammond's drums pump out danceable rhythms that take the role of temptation. "Come Again" from Playing... is their shining moment, a view into a relationship strained by the expectations of sex.

Yes thank you, I got one
Yes it was nice, yes we should go to sleep now
Yes, yes it was fine
We must, we must do it again sometime
We must - yes, but I'm tired
Cum again, wot, I need to
shit, I forgot to put my cap in...

(Mp3 courtesy of Rockin Rina'sWomen of 1970's Punk ).

True

"Christ but that guitar breakdown in "Floating Boy" is sweet."

And so is the new Dixie Chicks.

Is you is or is you ain't a racist/rockist

I'm very busy these days, so I don't have time to pitch in with my view on whether Stephen Merrit is a racist or not for not liking rap. (But I may have a say soon).

Nor do I have any time to comment on the ever-returning theme of rockism v. popism, other than to say that this article by Jody Rosen is one of the more insightful views on the topic I've read.

And speaking of rockism, Scott Walker is a rockist hero, his new album receiving praise from all over the place. Except for Mike Powell here. Thing is, Scott Walker looks cool, he wears sunglasses, sings in a deep voice, and surrounds himself with an aura of mystique. As well as he writes (most of) his own songs. For some critics, this seems to be enogh to signify that he is more eh...valuable than, say, Frank Sinatra. Old Blue Eyes rarely shunned the limelight, nor did he write his own songs, but I'll play "Strangers in the Night" over most of Scott Walker's output anytime.

Tired of Being Sexy

Had they arrived a year or two ago, Brazilian seven-piece Cansei de Ser Sexy would probably have been labeled as dance-punk, but they're only "punk" in-so-far as their music is jumpy. Their myspace-site maintains that they sound like "a band". But, yes, they are dance in their use of synthesizers for beats, melody and texture, and also because their music is, you know, danceable. The other elements are closer to guitar-pop (or 90's"indie"). At any rate they are FUN. And although their English occasionally leaves something to be desired, it's more than efficient enough to have a dig at pretentious artists ("lick lick lick my art-tit, suck suck suck my art hole"), as well as nailing Paris Hilton's lingo ("do you like the beach, bitch?"). And when they ask me "do you wanna drink some alcohol?", my answer is most certainly "YES". They may be tired of being sexy, but they're not tired of having fun.

(The album, Cansei de Ser Sexy, is to be released on July 12 by Sub Pop Records).

Grant McLennan, 1958-2006

This is just too sad. Grant McLennan, co-founder of that utterly terrific group the Go-Betweens, sadly passed away in his sleep on Saturday 6th of May, 2006. There is a nice obituary on the band's official web site. The Go-Betweens have been one of the most astonishingly consistent purveyors of sophisticated and intelligent pop since the early eighties. Grant will be greatly missed.

Let the Product Sell Itself...

Eirik asked me last week if I've seen the Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo, and I haven't, because it hasn't been screened anywhere near here yet. But at least I may get to see it soon; Earlier this week, an announcement on the film's official website says that the DVD-version is ready and will be released on June 27th, but you can pre-order it from them and maybe get it before the official release date. The DVD will have extensive bonus material, including 62 songs live and four promotional videos. Oh joy! Did I mention I just had my birthday?

EMP Pop Conference

The fifth - I guess you can call it annual by now - Experience Music Project Pop Conference kicks off tomorrow. If you are unfamiliar with it, the goal is, in their own words "to bring academics, writers, artists, fans, and other participants into an all-too-rare common discussion".

Discussion about pop music, that is. I think it's a brilliant idea, and something we'd benefit from having here in Norway as well (though, I guess they've made attempts at a some of the by:Larm-events). But you see, Norwegian music journos don't like to think too seriously about music, let alone pop music. Their idea of a discussion elevates to whether or not Idol is good or bad for pop. And that's about it. (Swedes are a bit better. Note, for example, the superior quality of SVT's Musikbyrån over it's Norwegian version Lydverket).

One of the sub-themes to be discussed at this year's EMP Conference, has to do with the awkward notion of "guilty pleasures", as if such a thing really exists. Christgau puts it well in his introduction:

"It's a pain that the idea of guilty pleasure has entered rock-critical discourse at all, much less taken a prominent role. The concept reeks of the notion that rock-versus-pop is some sort of paradox--the dim-bulbed theory that meaningful longforms with a rhythm section preclude three-minute trifles with a hook, and vice versa. In fact, as all good critics should understand, the satisfactions of these polar caricatures (most beat-based popular music, of course, falls somewhere in between) often bleed into each other, and figuring out how they interact is a continuing challenge."

But their aim is broader than merely discussing "guilty pleasures". One of the more interesting aspects of "liking something you're not "supposed" to" is when you end up enjoying a piece of music despite its politics, i.e. you don't agree with it's politics, as is the case regarding my relationship with Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" (if you don't understand why, listen to it once more). Looks like the Dean is going to talk about something similar to that.

Drew Daniel's paper, excellently titled "How to Sing Along with "Sweet Home Alabama"", looks like it will tackle the issue of invoked versus taken meaning, which may be especially significant in the case of that Skynyrd classic. Rob Wallace's paper "Angels and Demons at Play: Some Case Studies in Free Jazz and Race" should be very interesting. And the title of Tim Lawrence's alone is intriguing: "Go Bang: Some Queer Songs About Masturbation and Orgasm".

I'm not invited, of course, and wouldn't have been able to go if I was, but Zoilus has promised daily blogging from the conference.

Phoenix 'n' Eddy

I went to see Phoenix play a closed gig this Thursday. With me in the audience were mostly hairdressers, jeans shop clerks, bartenders and scenesters. Well, ok, there were a few musicians, who'd only come for the free drinks, and some music "journos", who seem to be under the misconception that Phoenix is the best thing since burnt toast. They do have a certain je ne sais qua (!) which goes down well over here. But while their music is often clever with its 70's soft rock reference, it's seldom very good. Since they begun to up the tempo on the few new songs I've heard, though, they may be on to something. That something may be Spoon-like, only Spoon write better songs. And I'm still pretty sure no English speaking person on Earth would say "everythin'" without the g-sound twice in succession.

The Village Voice are in the midst of a major overhaul, which among other things has resulted in music editor Chuck Eddy getting the can. Says Robert Christgau: "There have been many good music editors, but Chuck Eddy was the most efficient, most professional I worked with". I've personally always enjoyed his Eddytor's Dozen-column, in which he has often championed music deemed "uncool" (or just plain bad. Take your pick) by the consensus. Just have a look at his Top Ten-list from the SPIN Alternative Record Guide:

1. Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction
2. Various Artists, Electric Salsa: Hot Latin Dance Hits
3. Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
4. Various Artists, The Great Rap Hits
5. Quarterflash, Quarterflash
6. Boney M, The Best of Boney M Volume 2
7. Rose Tattoo, Assault and Battery
8. Skatt Bros., Strange Spirits
9. Loverboy, Loverboy
10. Stacey Q, Hard Medicine

Norwegian Jazz, for a change

Just so you know, in my opinion ECM Records have produced some of the most overrated, self important jazz ever. But they have a few gems too. Still, I'm positively surprised after the first few listens to The Source's new record The Source released on said label. Trygve Seim has failed to leave a good impression on me before, coming across as a second rate Jan Garbarek, which is far from good. This time, he has conjured up melodies that remind me of latter day Air, which is very good. But where Air upped the tempo frequently, both for juxtaposition, thrill and effect, The Source prefer the slow tempos tytpical of much ECM output. They do have a playfulness that is rare in those parts though, and Mats Eilertsen, who replaced Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten on bass, impresses. A promising effort.

Also, Thelonious Monk was honored with a posthumous Pulitzer Prize recently. More here and here.

Bob the Builder

I enjoyed this. Stylus has a feature this week where writer Dom Passantino has taken the task to listen to and review every British number one single of the new millennium. Judging from his ratings so far, he seems to have a penchant for Handbag House and soft Dance-tracks; both Fragma and Spiller receive good ratings. I'm not sure any track deserves a 0 out of 10, though, no matter how bad, stupid or mean spirited it is.

An unsung favorite if mine popped up on the list too. I never did know that Bob the Builder's "Can We Fix It" spent three weeks as Britain's number one single. But it's a great track. A solid stomper that preaches the idea that nothing is impossible:

"Bob the Builder, CAN WE FIX IT?, Bob the Builder, YES, WE CAN!"

Exactly what I would like to teach the kids. And a good few adults too. That's the spirit.

Busy Bee

Tom Verlaine is about to release two albums on Thrill Jockey in short succession. The aptly titled Songs and Other Things will be out on the 25th of April. It will contain songs, obviously, and other things (?!?). You can stream "Orbit" and "The Day of You" from that album courtesy of the Thrill Jockey web site. Both are songs, and probably other things (ok, stop it!). Couldn't find the release date for Around, which will be his second of the year. Rumor has it Around will be an instrumental record. Mr. Verlaine is also the main feature in the latest WIRE. They also have an exclusive mp3 on their web site, which you can find here.

Also, Slate had a beautiful picture special of Jazz musicians yesterday.

Will you Please be Quiet, Please!

In my humble opinion, Kenny Drew has never made a good album. Not truly good, anyway. Of course that doesn't exclude him from the right to have an opinion. After all, I've yet to make my mark musically (or in any other way, to be honest), yet here I am spewing my guts left and right for your (dis-) pleasure. But his recent column for All About Jazz, titled "What the F**k Happened to Black Popular Music?", just plain smacks of jealousy and ignorance, and his arguments are not far from what Classical musicians said of Jazz in its early days. Arguments that were bollocks then, and are bollocks now. Learn your history, mate!

In the article, he attacks current Afro-Am. Pop music, meaning Rap, for the "the stupidity and negativity in the lyrics and the video images that accompany this so-called 'music'". Well honestly, dumb lyrics have existed for a long long time, and I'm not sure Earth, Wind & Fire is the best example of the contrary. Secondly, the style of rap you attack has existed since the 80's, and if your taste in music was really that varied you'd have known that your arguments fall some ten years short of being relevant. Also, not all rap is gangsta rap.

Now I want to argue that although I for various reasons have problems with much of what is labeled "gangsta" myself, is the imagery and style really all that different from movies such as Scarface and The Godfather, both of which are considered classics? I think people have to start to realize that music can be, and often is, fiction too.

Another argument Mr. Drew drops, is that rap can not be called music at all, 'cause when he started playing he learned that music should consist of such-n-such. I myself am sick and tired of hearing arguments about what music should be. I'm not saying he's not entitled to say this and that is bad music, but to say it's not music for the reasons he lists, is close to saying that unless you have a plate of fruit in a painting, its not art. Grow up!

The last thing he argues, is the lack of instrumental skill of today's pop musicians. It's a common argument from older musicians, and it's been around for as long as potatoes. My view is that as long as a musician is able to use their instrument sufficiently in order to get a given song to work, they've done their job. Sometimes they don't have enough of what it takes, sometimes they do. Skill as such does not equal a good musician to me. Yngwie Malmsten has got skills in buckets, but he's a terrible musician.

Stop being a jealous old twat, Drew. Unless you have some valid arguments the next time, I suggest you play your music instead. It's much more admirable than the sobbing you've produced here.

More Jackie

A great tribute by Tom Hull to Jackie McClean, where he goes through some of his highlights on record.

(Note: It took a while for me to open the page. It may have just been my connection, though.)

Jackie McClean

I missed this over the weekend: Jackie McClean passed away last Friday. Jackie grew up in Harlem and was lucky enough to jam with his idol, Charlie Parker, while still at a tender age. He had stints with Miles Davis and Art Blakey, but really found his style after meeting and playing with Charles Mingus, and listening to Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. He recorded for Prestige in the mid to late 50's, and then made several strong albums for Blue Note in the 60's, among them Let Freedom Ring!, One Step Beyond, and Destination Out!. R.I.P.

Rolling Crispies

I'm not going to make a habit out of posting YouTube-videos here, but this one was too good to pass up. A song for a Rice Crispies commercial recorded by the Rolling Stones ca. 1964. Pretty good.

She's not Dead

When I first read the tracklisting for Pink's new album I'm not Dead, I thought "Ur Hand" (short sample) would be a tribute to some great lover. You know, kind of like Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes". I underestimated her, of course. Sonically, the refrain sounds almost exactly like the Veronicas' great "4ever", but this is no "hey! c'mon! let's make out!". No, sir-ee. Pink wants nothing to do with you, you creepy bastard. Which is why you'll end up all by yourself tonight. Just you and...