You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2008.
From the blog on the Spring Fresh myspace:
“For the month of April, Kevin Drew will be known by his hip-hop name Spring Fresh.
Word.”
End Scene,
Dan Tana
I’m a busy, busy man. Between honing my new “walk”, keeping up with the constant influx of Elvis Costello re-reissues and preparing for the zombie apocalypse, I don’t have a lot of time to hunker down and listen to music. I do, however, make it a point to set aside a few passing moments every so often to take a good look at music. Therefore, I now present you with a brief analysis of some choice album covers…
There comes a time in every man’s life where he realizes that he should save up a couple hundred dollars and fly to New York for All Tomorrow’s Parties (Friday 19th September to Sunday 21st September inclusive at Kutshers Country Club in Monticello, NY), or get his company to send him, as does Indie Schmarm…except that whole part where that’s not true. This year, New York’s ATP line-up has proven to turn some heads with such acts as Built to Spill, Low, Mogwai, Thurston Moore, and a great up and coming band called My Bloody Valentine. I hear great things about these guys and everyone is buzzing about their first live show at this year’s ATP.
Weezer has really impacted the music world by delivering some of the most powerful and inspirational albums in the 90s. Either of those records are almost always on top 100 lists, and on top of that, they invented a sound and look that to this day is emulated among many kids and musicians. They then made Green Album, which was pretty good, though many felt let down by it. The rest we all know and needs no further discussion, as I’m sure you all have done already a few times over lattes. That brings us to the present, which brings us to the up and coming Red Album.
We don’t usually just do track reviews on The Schmarm, but I felt the need to talk about “Tessellate” by Tokyo Police Club this fine day. So this will be more of a discussion than a review. I heard this song a week ago or so and since I’ve come to enjoy this little number. I’m not one for the catchy novelty bands that come and go, and/or the “animal nouns” of the word, or bands with the name “Black” in it, but the new single “Tessellate” has something to it. It still has the catchy dance hand clap CMJ buzz band qualities to it, but it’s also well delivered. I’ve always said that it’s all in the delivery. You can get away with pretty much anything as long as you deliver it well. As far as I’m concerned that’s how bands like Sonic Youth and Pavement made their career. Their unconventional ways were done with so much flair that you had no choice but to love it. Thurston Moore even said once in an interview he did with Pitchfork regarding Daydream Nation: “We’d been listening to the mastertapes, and it’s ridiculous how crude the mastertapes are; specifically myself. Did I really accept that for myself? It sounds like I’m wearing a boxing glove on one of my hands.”
Valentino has grown to be one of those friends’ bands whom I go see because they are just good. They also happen to be the kind of group that is always in on some joke or smiling about something. Over the last few months front man Aaron Leigh and the original sibling crew, Sarah Rayne and Zach Leigh, have recruited Mack Slevin on guitar (Flashing Red Lights, Ghost Kings, Darci Cash, Hungry Birds), Mike Hendry on bass (Flashing Red Lights, Ghost Kings), and Jeff Baird on drums (Darci Cash) into the family. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
I have been anticipating the new Wolf Parade record for months and months now. Unless Spencer throws in a new Sunset Rubdown record in 2008, Wolf Parade’s next record will most likely be my record of the year. Earlier in the month, Pitchfork announced the next Wolf Parade LP, titled Kissing The Beehive (due out June 17th). They then proceeded to rip into it and clearly expressed their dislike for it. Aside from Pitchfork hardly ever liking a release following one of their “Best New Music” picks, there’s the other “we are better than thou” elitist intern rants that come into play more than half the time as well.