Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett

I don't know to what capacity he was in Broken Social Scene - what he did for them, etc. But his solo stuff is definitely worth checking out. Since that is an entirely inadequate description, take it away, wikipedia:

"Jason Collett is a Canadian singer-songwriter, born in Bramalea, Ontario and attended St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. He performs both as a solo artist and as a member of Broken Social Scene."

Well. That was helpfull. Anyway, I guess he had released a number of solo albums prior to any involvement in BSS, but now they're getting a bit more attention. His most recent one, "Here's to Being Here" is really fucking good. I've only heard that one and some of "Idols of Exile" but everything I've heard I've enjoyed.


Out of Time

I'll Bring the Sun

Oh, You Play Guitar? I'm Pretty Awesome on the Beamz Laser. We Should Jam

So there's a musical product coming out soon that I simply do not understand. Say hello to the Beamz Laser Music System.

I'm not even sure the point of this thing, aside from maybe making someone with little to no musical talent look like a complete jackass. Here is what Sharper Image says it "does" or whatever.

-Amazing laser-based invention lets music-lovers be musicians — regardless of talent or training!
Breaking the laser beams with your hands automatically generates pre-authored pulses, streams, riffs or loops of musical notes or sounds from hundreds of different instruments — strings, keyboards, woodwinds, brass, percussion, even cow bell.
-Choose a complementary rhythm track from 30 original songs in 19 music genres, including jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more. Or create your own track!
-The beamz system has a "W" shape, with six laser beams spanning the two sections; connect via USB to your PC or laptop, then hook up some speakers and you're ready to play, perform or create great music.
With the beamz, there should be no performance anxiety at all because — whichever beam you break, in whatever sequence — your music is guaranteed to be harmonious. All discordant chords and sour notes have been programmed out so everyone plays great.
-All your original creations and performances can be recorded for playback and sharing.
-Includes software CDs and USB cable for connecting directly to USB port.

So you basically wave your hand through some lasers and the thing plays music for you, is all I really can surmise from all of this. Here is their PR video.

my favorite is Quiet Reverie

See what I mean about looking like a jackass? I'd also like to point out that this costs 600 dollars. I will make you look like a jackass for free, if that's what you want. Or 300 dollars if you feel you should pay something. Head over to Gizmodo where they already tore apart the video, and in exchange for ripping it a new anus, were offered to try the product for a review. and be sure to stay tuned for my next post, where I tear apart the iphone! (get it, because then they'd send me one, and the iphone is the thing people say they want when people ask them what is a thing they would want, so that was why I made that joke)

The Flaming Lips

I'm probably not even the most qualified person here to talk about the Flaming Lips - I don't know too much of their earlier music and I'm not huge into their latest releases. I do know, however, that The Soft Bulletin is probably one of my ten favorite albums ever. It is a masterpiece start to finish. A bit of the AMG Review:

"...what's most remarkable about The Soft Bulletin is its humanity — these are Wayne Coyne's most personal and deeply felt songs, as well as the warmest and most giving. No longer hiding behind surreal vignettes about Jesus, zoo animals, and outer space, Coyne pours his heart and soul into each one of these tracks, poignantly exploring love, loss, and the fate of all mankind; highlights like "The Spiderbite Song" and "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" are so nakedly emotional and transcendentally spiritual that it's impossible not to be moved by their beauty. There's no telling where the Lips will go from here, but it's almost beside the point — not just the best album of 1999, The Soft Bulletin might be the best record of the entire decade. "

While I'm not sure I'd hand it best album of the decade, I would say it was in a three horse race with OK Computer and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. For me anyway... unless there are other albums I'm forgetting, which there almost certainly are. Anyway, here are a couple of videos from The Soft Bulletin, both of which are excellent. The songs are, anyway. I can't vouch for the videos.

Race for the Prize



Waitin' for a Superman

Feeling Yourself Disintegrate (one of my favorite songs ever - but ignore the video, it's fan made and set to a like, Chris Evans movie or something)


bonus!
Go (by Daniel Johnston) w/Sparklehorse

Friday is For Fleet Foxes (Even though it's Thursday)

This is music only - no video exists is what I'm told. Anyway, this is a song off their self-titled debut. It's called White Winter Hymnal. It's awesome in a mellow, My Morning Jacket-y, Built to Spill-ish, Zombies-esque sort of way.

Sun Giant EP Review

Fleet Foxes at AMG

Fleet Foxes on Myspace

I'd also like to add that I wrote the title "Fridays are for Fleet Foxes" thinking today was Friday. fuck.me.running. guhhhhh

Fridays are for Arab Straps

Arab Strap happens to hold a very dear place in my heart. The band, not the sexual device used to help maintain an erection. The Scottish duo brought together two awesome things: great music and drunken tales of nights barely remembered. "Singer" Aidan Moffat has this sing-songy type way of kind of just talking but sort of singing over the music, and he sounds like he may very well be half in the bag while he retells stories about getting drunk in seedy bars and having unsafe sex with unsavory women. He is also terribly funny, in his story telling. Though he drops the C-bomb maybe a tad too frequently - what I mean is that if it is somehow possible to use that word too much, he's the one doing it. I remember seeing them in concert when I was in high school and the only clear recollection I have is that at one point the keyboard broke down for a spell so Aidan chatted with the audience for an extended period and was hilarious. Actually, one more thing I remember is that they did a song which consisted of the lyrics "I want to fuck Han Solo" and "I want to fuck Princess Leia". I do not know whether this song was made up on the spot or if it is in their normal repertoire.

I can still remember the first time I heard anything by them. It was the album "Philophobia." This album opens with a subtle number about safe sex called Packs of Three. Here are the lyrics, to give you an idea:

"It was the biggest ever cock you'd ever seen, but you've no idea where that cock has been.
You said you were careful - you never were with me.
I heard you did it four times and jonnies come in packs of three.
She was the best shag I'd ever had.
That doesn't mean I'm saying, bedwise, you were bad.
I think you were working, we got a hotel.
We didn't have anything but I thought I might as well.
I never told the rest.
I was drunk and I told you I was thinking about a test.
You know I just said it for effect.
Then you laughed and said Id fuck anything in a skirt once I'm erect.
And shes a famous harlot in this town.
I know enough to, but still I couldn't turn her down.
He said I'm an arsehole, what was I thinking?
It's far too easy to blame it on the drinking."

See what I mean? It was a jarring introduction, but it didn't take much more than that song to get me hooked. Here are the videos I could find:


The Shy Retirer from Mondays at the Hug and Pint


Here we Go from Philophobia


Cherubs from Elephant Shoe


Afternoon Soaps from Philophobia


Speed Date from The Last Romance


Anyway, if you're at all interested in any of their albums, my personal favorites are Philophobia and Elephant Shoe probably tied for most favoritest, with Mondays at the Hug and Pint and The Last Romance tied for next to most favoritest.

EDIT: Upon reading some reviews of their albums for fun, here's my favorite opener, about Elephant Shoe, from AMG (Now bear in mind this is the opening to a good review):
"All of the same words ("languid," "somnolent," "depressing," "miserable," et al.) employed to describe Arab Strap's first two efforts apply to their third as well..." That is my kind of fucking band.

Pavement Videos for No Good Reason

For no particular reason at all, aside from me liking them and the fact that their videos are always awesome, here are a number of Pavement videos in no particular order. Oh, and also those rumours abound that they might be getting together for a reunion sometime in the near future.

Cut Your Hair - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain


Carrot Rope - from Terror Twilight


Range Life - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain


Gold Soundz - from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain


Stereo - from Brighten the Corners


Rattled by the Rush - from Wowee Zowee


Shady Lane - from Brighten the Corners

Beirut Tuesdays

Beirut (Zach Condon) is only like, 19 years old, so it's at once easy to forgive the kind of goofy and dumb lyrics of his songs, while at the same time hate him for his success in the music industry at age 19. Anyway, I thought his first album, The Gulag Okestar, was kind of annoying, especially vocally - he seemed to have the right idea musically, but he would just mumble and gurgle through the songs. It's like he knew his lyrics were kind of dumb so he opted to make them inaudible. This was a noble but misguided effort. Last year's The Flying Cub Cup somehow honed his the potential shown on the first album and is truly awesome. Here are a couple of videos, notable guest appearance from Grizzly Bear in the first one.

Cliquot from The Flying Club Cup


Nantes from The Flying Cub Cup


The Penalty from The Flying Club Cup



I'd also like to point out that I'm kind of ambivalent about these hipster-y videos.

Monday Morning Man Man

Van Helsing Boombox


Black Mission Goggles

What Happened? Mike Doughty/Soul Coughing Edition

Soul Coughing used to be one of my favorite bands. Ruby Vroom would easily make its way into my top 25 favorite albums. It was so full of awesome funk and sample-y goodness and drug induced nonsensical fun and wicked drum beats that it was impossible not to love. Here is a snippet of lyrics from the song Moon Sammy:

Moon Sammy washes. In the sink. Below the sink. There is a drain. The draing oes straight. Into the sea. The sink itself. Is porcelain.
Obsess yourself with causality. The information you hear is a loophole,technicality. Behind every object is a mathematic; an obscure substance infused with a kinetic force, energy, an obscure conscience shoots a gun at the feet the world dances.

Set over a weird jazzy beat that is better heard than explained.

Irresistible Bliss came out, and was, while not as good as Ruby Vroom, still really strong with some really great songs. I can still remember in 1998 rabidly foaming at the mouth waiting for El Oso to come out, and how much I wanted to love it the first 5 times I listened to it, before I resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn't very good. It's not that it was bad really. Just gone was all the fun stuff and the seeming stream of consciousness lyrics that made Ruby Vroom amazing and Irresistible Bliss's better songs so good. There were some pretty good songs on it, but it just seemed kind of blah, I guess.

Then in 2000, they broke up.

I remember how interested I was to head Mike Doughty's solo album in 2000. He always seemed like the real drive behind the music anyway. And I guess what I mean by that was that crazier he seemed, the better the album. It seemed as though maybe he was easing off the drugs or something, and maybe that's why all the weird eccentricities that added so much to the songs started to disappear. I was intrigued. So I was surprised that the only backing music on Skittish was an acoustic guitar, and I was also surprised at how awesome it was. His cover of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" is awesome, though the overall tone of the album is a hell of a lot darker than anything Soul Coughing ever put out. From album closer Rising Sign:

i’ve seen the dangers of your rising sign/ but i swear i’d like to drink the fuel straight from your lighter / it’s all inside the wrist, it’s all inside the way you time it/ i resent the way you make me like myself

After a couple of EPs and one really good live album type thing, Haughty Melodic came out - finally - in 2005. I was excited to hear what direction he would go in. His EPs had hinted at a more fleshed out sound. What I didn't expect, however, was for Doughty to become a complete hipster and a pussy. I guess he kind of always was a hipster, but before hipsters were hipsters, so I'll let it slide... for now. Anyway, on this album it seems like it's "Goodbye Heroin, Hello Jesus!" and we're all worse off (except maybe Doughty's health or whatever). His most recent album, Golden Delicious, solidifies his fall into pussydom. It's all poppy and boring and not remotely interesting. They aren't bad albums, really. But I wouldn't think either one bears a repeat listen. And here is a quick conversation about an EP that was released with Golden Delicious:

Pemulis: got this EP that came with the mike doughty album if you bought it from insound - its like 5 tracks he recorded of him playing solo in a subway station
Pemulis: its not bad, but its as annoyingly hipster-ish as it sounds like it could be
Pemulis: like him with tiny bits of chatting in between songs and shit, faint trains sounds here and there. just want to punch him
Killian: a concept that I like/hate after reading that sentence
Pemulis: its almost like it could be a cool concept then you see it executed and you can imagine him sitting in the subway station thinking he is the coolest person alive for thinking to record a little ep in a subway station
Pemulis: and you just want to fight him
Killian: EXCATLY
Killian: or exactly
Pemulis: excatly (adverb) an action done in the manner of a dead cat, or ghost cat

It's depressing considering how much I love some of the stuff. Let's move on.
Here's a video retrospective full of highlights (that I could find on youtube.)

True Dreams of Wichita from Ruby Vroom


Super Bon Bon from Irresistible Bliss (bonus points because this is the actual video, and features a kitty-cat!)



Circles from El Oso (Not the best song on the album, but one of the too few highlights)


Some other stuff cuz' why not I guess:

Video for Screenwriter's Blues, from Ruby Vroom.

Doughty performing Bottom of Well, from Haughty Melodic.

Video for 27 Jennifers, from Golden Delicious.

Doughty playing Janine, live somewhere at some point.

Music Beej: John Vanderslice

This Wednesday edition of the Music Beej is in part because I'm not as in love with John Vanderslice as I am with the other winners of this prestigious award. You see, there are really only two albums of Vanderslice's that totally blew me... away. 2004's Cellar Door and 2005's Pixel Revolt are both really, really fucking good. His newest one I only listened to once, and it seemed kind of same-y. Like he peaked with the two I mentioned and has since kind of leveled off. Not the worst thing in the world to happen, I just thought Emerald City was a little too boring to bear repeat listens.

Anywho, Vanderslice tells stories in the first person, much in the same way that John Darnielle or Bill Callahan does. These persona's are usually involved in shady business, drugs, or part of an incredibly fucked up family.

First up is a video for They Won't Let Me Run, from Cellar Door. I don't know who made it, but whomever did has way too much free time. It's like cartoon Legos, which reminds me of this cop game I had for my first computer way the hell back when. Shit, if I don't remember the name of that game, I may go insane. Whatever, here's the video, jerk.



And here's a video for When it Hits My Blood, which some pleasant youtuber has set to scenes from Requiem for a Dream. Thanks guy. Now I can associate this song with Jennifer Connely vomiting.

Grammy Night: Actual Conversations

So I had (have) no interest in the Grammy's whatsoever. Do not care at all. I don't even know a single person who has bought an album in the past maybe.... three years. Besides, these awards are probably the biggest joke, as far as awards shows go. I can't remember the last time someone was referred to as a "Grammy Award Winning" Artist and it meant something someone gave a flying fuck about. Anyway, the lady enjoys these celebrity events for reasons I can't explain, and here are snippets of real life conversations from throughout the evening:

Me: Oh crap, The Simspons is a repeat, I've already seen it.
Her: What about the Grammy's?
Me: What about them?
Her: We could watch them.
Me: We could also forcibly insert hot pokers into my eyes and anus, and even though that's less painful than your suggestion, we're not going to do it. Besides, who gives a shit about the Grammy's? They're completely pointless! Why would you want to watch them?
Her: To see the dresses and stuff...
Me: (puts on simpsons)

9pm rolled around - which meant Iron Chef America, natch. But then 10 rolled around and we found ourselves in the same room finally... and watching the Grammy's. I figured if I had to suffer through it, maybe I could at least ruin it for her too.

During Kanye's performance - the first song was "stronger" he had on these neon-lit, insanely bright sunglasses

Now imagine those sunglasses brighter than the sun.

Me: Wouldn't that hurt your eyes?
Her: Probably.
Me: I wonder if he's retarded. I imagine one would have to be to think wearing neon sunglasses is a good idea. Just think of the potential retinal damage. And this song doesn't really translate that well to the stage, considering he says like four words, and the rhymes are like that of a 5th grader.
Her: This was a bad idea... please shut up.
Me: And now what's with the Tron brothers playing backup fake instruments? You know those things aren't shit but set decorations. This is a farce.

He then went on to perform "Hey Mama"... During this performance, I noticed he had what appeared to be a word shorn into the back of his head...

Me: What's that on his head?
Her: I think it says "MAMA"
Me: Hmmm... couldn't he have just shaved "Pussy" or if he wanted to keep it to four letters, "homo"?
Her: His mom just died!!!!!
Me: What does that have to do with him being a huge pussy?

She then hit me.

And during Mr. Andrea Bocelli's performance, the exchange went something like this:

Me: Is something wrong with his eyes? He hasn't opened them once.
Her (fearing she was being baited): shut up.
Me: What? Seriously, it just seems weird and maybe even a little rude to be honored in such a way and not have the decency to look the crowd in the eyes is all.
Her (somehow just now realizing I am being an asshole): Ok shut up, are you trying to see if I know he's blind so you can make fun of me, or are you just being a dick?
Me: A little of column A, a little of column B. But seriously, coulldn't he at least be nice enough to wear sunglasses? That shit is distracting as all get out.
Her: You're unbelieveable.
Me: Crumbelievable.
Her: I hate you.
Me: I wonder what's going on under those eyes
Her: I was just thinking the same thing.
Me: Yea, you think he has eye balls and pupils or like, bloody gaping holes he can scare children with? Or like, interchangeable glass eyes with like, one he could even keep a gold fish in?
Her: Ok, I wasn't thinking the same thing.
Me: Durn tootin'... anyway, you know he doesn't or else why would he have his eyes closed right now.

And then to cap off the evening, I was relieved to have my hatred for the Grammy's renewed with the following exchange (In reference to a portion of the show I missed watching Iron Chef Cat Cora have her ass tarred and feathered in battle chocolate):

Her: I was glad Rhianna won, I like her so much.
Me: Oh, that is just stupendous - what did she win a Grammy for?
Her: Umm... I don't know. Umbrella.
Me: Oh, so best umbrella related song of the year? Are there new categories now? Sweet.
Her: Shut up, all I know is it was up against Kanye.
Me: So best umbrella related and/or Kanye song. A little specific for an award category, I should think. But you were right, the Grammy's aren't a complete waste of time.
Her: God, I hate you.
Me: I bet you remember what color her dress was when she accepted the award though, and that's what really matters.
Her: ...

Friday Music Beej: Arto Lindsay

Arto Lindsay is a Brazilian born musical genuis who was a seminal part of the No Wave movement in the 80's (as part of the band DNA). He then infused Brazilian samba and bossanova pop music into his noise rock and created some albums unlike anything I'd ever heard previously. My very most super favorite thing about him, though, is that he looks like a computer geek.

That's a man who in the mid 80's helped promulgate a scene where guys went on stage and hit their instruments with hammers just to fuck shit up - and forget about tuning those instruments, that shit is for pussies. This contemporary of awesome bands like Sonic Youth and Captain Beefheart has released a number of solo albums. There are three in a row which, I think, perfectly sum up the combination of noise and pop and Brazilia he was trying to accomplish. I highly reccomend any of them: Noon Chill, Prize, or Invoke.

As one might guess, videos online of this fellow are slim pickin's (or so my five second youtube search would have me believe). Anyway, this is a good song - though I'm not sure what it's from.

Friday Music Beej: The National

Yea, I know.  But better late than never, as a feller says.  Anyway, this week's music beej goes to The National.  My biggest problem with a lot of the music I thoroughly enjoy is that several of the bands are from Brooklyn, and can be seen in and around Williamsburgh fairly often.  I cannot walk down Bedford Avenue without imaging murdering every single person I see.  Yes, hipsters, you are ruining everything.  But either way, there is a lot of good music coming from that area, and The National are no exception.

Anyway, The National have release four albums, but the most recent three, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, Alligator, and Boxer are leaps and bounds better than their self-titled debut, and each one is excellent in its own way.  Sad Songs is the most direct - lyrically speaking - and it has some incredible lyrics for being as blunt as they are.  On the album opener Cardinal Song, singer Matt Berninger suggests: "Let her treat you like a criminal/so you can treat her like a priest/girls forgive my human mind/girls forgive me one more time.  Never tell the one you love that you do/save it for the deathbed/ when you know you've kept her wanting you"

Alligator may have been my favorite album of 2005, with standout tracks like Secret Meeting and the insanely awesome rocking closer, Mr. November.  A number of people aren't quite thrilled with his voice, but I think his baritone delivery fits perfectly over the lush guitar lines and the more fleshed out sounds Alligator brought to the table.  It's an album that bears repeat listens and I find new bits and turns of phrase each time that make me appreciate it more and more.

Alright, enough with the jibber-jabber.  You listen and you see for yourself.

Mistaken for Strangers from Boxer

Mr. November from Alligator

Lucky You from Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers

Music/Death Beej: Heath Ledger Edition

I mentioned earlier in the day to a friend that the possible accidental overdose that may have caused Heath Ledger's death was eerily similar to that of one of my very favorite musicians, Nick Drake. This sentiment was made even weirder when I found this article on pitchfork, which mentions Ledger's love of Nick Drake and how he had hoped to portray him someday. Depressing, to be sure. Drake's final album, Pink Moon is one of the most amazing, beautiful, and sad albums I've ever heard, and every song on it is as dark or darker than anything else I've ever heard, and that includes "Holocaust" by Big Star.

I'm posting about Ledger mainly to point out how awesome I am for making the Ledger/Nick Drake connection before anyone else (in the world!). But also because for the past several months, all of us (Ziller, Killian, and myself) have had raging mega-huge nerd boners created by previews and hype for The Dark Knight. Ledger looks like he is (was?) going to be ridiculously awesome as the Joker in this movie. Full disclosure: My first thoughts when I heard he died yesterday were, "This shit better not fuck up The Dark Knight or any subsequent sequels they had planned!" Alright? there, I'm a bad person. I knew that already anyway, fuckface.

Anyway, in honor of both of these beej worthy dead fellers, here's the trailer for The Dark Knight, and Things Behind the Sun, by Nick Drake. And feel free to not watch the video for Nick Drake, the song is amazing but that's the only video of it I could find and from the five seconds of it that I watched, it seemed pretty fucking dumb. Also if you're a reader, Nick Drake's biography is an excellent book.




And Things Behind the Sun:

Friday Music Beej: Destroyer

Destroyer is the solo vehicle of Dan Bejar, whom you might better know as a member of the New Pornographers... While I am a pretty big fan of the Pornos, I always finding myself wishing every song on it were more like the ones that Bejar writes and sings... which then makes me realize there are 8 Destroyer albums I could be listening to. My personal favorite has to be Your Blues. Bejar's style is a weird mix of electric folk and wry humour in his observations that make listening to the lyrics part of the fun. With Your Blues he made a leap into some new territory, with the album being really heavy on the synths. It's at once grandiose while remaining fun and easy. He then did an EP of songs from Your Blues with Frog Eyes as his backing band, which should have been way more awesome than it was. His follow up album Rubies did a nice job of kind of intergrating the synth styles of Your Blues with the folksy elements of his previous work - He has a new one called Trouble in Dreams out in March, and just thinking about it gives me a boner.. And since I'm not nearly as eloquent as I'd like to be describing music (Most of the reviews I give my friends sound like this, "It's awesome, trust me. You'll love it! If you don't it's because you're a fucking shitfuck"), I'll leave off here with a video - the song is An Actor's Revenge




Also, if you dig Destroyer (already did or do now), I highly recommend checking out Danielson.