tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98817482012-01-10T17:50:18.504-05:00My record collection, alphabetically.Mikenoreply@blogger.comBlogger1931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-45790328607162927912011-09-19T23:30:00.001-05:002011-09-19T23:30:48.799-05:00

Here and here.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-76198699468812595552008-01-14T15:42:00.001-05:002008-01-14T15:42:33.945-05:00

Is This French... photos By Michael T. Fournier Book Preview

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1138472244856605002006-01-28T13:16:00.000-05:002006-01-28T13:17:24.856-05:00

Details are here regarding my book deal (!)

Mikenoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1133413772659175602005-12-01T00:08:00.000-05:002005-12-01T00:09:32.680-05:00

New criticism on Jandek and Garrison are up!

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1132304624823710002005-11-18T04:01:00.000-05:002005-11-18T04:03:44.846-05:00

I'm happy to announce that I have some fiction published at Barrelhouse Press. I also have criticism about Fugazi on Trouser Press.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126513529950371952005-10-24T00:16:00.000-05:002006-09-07T02:54:45.973-05:00

Stats: 594 reviews187 posts105, 766 wordsUses of the word 'skronk': 9Number of Jandek records purchased (and unreviewed) since completing reviews of 27 of his records: 12Number of auxillary Jandek reviews you would have read: 0Spring Break: 6/30-7/4/05When I got iTunes: September 30thWhen I should've gotten iTunes: January 1stThanks for reading.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129916750071346012005-10-21T12:40:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:45:50.076-05:00

(I'll be wrapping up on Monday- please stop by.)Young Marble Giants- Colossal YouthTotal cult record, one that’s revered by a small but fervent group of loyalists. It took me a little while to get into, and the reasons for the lag time are among those that elevated the band to their minor altar: clean, trebly guitars (or sometimes organs) cut precise juts just large enough to allow bass guitar to

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129828475668463122005-10-20T12:12:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:38:48.320-05:00

(So: last two reviews tomorrow. I'll be wrappin' it all up on Monday- please stop by.)Yo La Tengo- And then nothing turned itself inside outThe college radio station at UNH did what they could to book cool bands. My first year, I remember, found the whoppingly awesome bill of the Laurels, Edsel, and Pitchblende playing on Easter Sunday- welcome back, Jesus! Hope you like indie!Then there was the

Mikenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129742893840452142005-10-19T12:27:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:39:02.960-05:00

(Sorry about the blank post, folks- technical difficulties.)X- Beyond And BackAnd pray, what would my last week of reviews be without one more b-sides/rarities compliation? Hell, just for fun, we’ll make sure it’s a double disc by a band that was arguably one of the most crucial in the development of Los Angeles punk rock. All right! Talk about a no-win situation!So check it out: much as I would

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129659730339463122005-10-18T13:21:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:39:25.773-05:00

Wilco- Being ThereI credit my coworkers at Newbury Comics with a slice of my music education. When I started working at the store in 1997, I didn’t have any problem with playing the same three CD’s over and over again (Jawbox, Cast Iron hike and Superchunk). Predictably, the rest of the staff started to (gently, yes) steer me in other directions, broadening my very narrow pallete and keeping

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129573134274802242005-10-17T13:16:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:39:52.230-05:00

White Magic- Through The Sun DoorPlenty of credible source raves about this one. It’s a frustrating record to listen to because I know the band has a lot of potential- they did a giveaway split with American Analog Set that contains some of the craziest bad trip distorto drone I’ve ever heard, completely visceral stuff. This EP, though, consists of a few songs that feature piano in a prominent

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129313395775612592005-10-14T13:08:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:38:02.143-05:00

Weezer- PinkertonI’m getting close to the end of this project, and, as such, have been looking back a little bit. You know, charting my progress. I’m surprised that I never steered any reviews towards an argument of classic albums. It’s such infinitely arguable stuff, the kind of topic that can be rehashed over beer and idiocy for months on the back porch. Criminally neglected albums are like

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129244108675672122005-10-13T17:54:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:37:45.390-05:00

Ween- Chocolate And CheeseHere’s what you need to know about this one: ‘Chocolate And Cheese’ was considered a much more mellow record than the one that preceeded it, even though it contains (among others) a little ditty titled ‘The HIV Song,’ an entirely cheery bit of music that would sound perfect as the soundtrack to a carnival ride were it not for Gene and Dean butting in every few minutes to

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129139338593326432005-10-12T12:48:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:37:26.320-05:00

Ween- The PodA few things about this record:-I wear earplugs when I sleep. Even still, I can sometimes hear whatever record BQ is playing on the living room stereo. I usually don’t mind that much, turn over and fall back asleep, but this one time, right, these horrible, horrible sounds were bleeding through my door and earplugs, causing nightmares of almost unimaginable scope. When I got up, I

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1129055184415705162005-10-11T13:21:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:37:09.740-05:00

Mike Watt- Ballhog or Tugboat?The breakup of fIREHOSE saddened me a great deal, even though I thought their last record sucked. Another instance of me damn near revering an act but never making the effort to see them play- I musta missed the ‘HOSE like six or seven times, thinking in each instance that I’d catch ‘em on the next time through. Same thing with Nirvana, Hoover. Hell, even Watt

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128969737845242692005-10-10T13:41:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:36:52.353-05:00

Rocky Votolato- A Brief HistoryMr. Votolato was in a band you’ve probably never heard of (Waxwing) before releasing this record of spare, haunting singer/songwriter-ish stuff. The only reason I know about Mr. Votolato’s previous band is because all of the fanzines dropped the obligatory namecheck/Fagen in their reviews. Personally, I have no stake in Waxwing, can’t even tell you what a single

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128706426140074102005-10-07T12:29:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:36:32.653-05:00

Up On In- Steps For The LightIt’s probably inevitable that this shit gets compared to Tortoise, even though musicians could sit down and pick out all the ways that they DON’T sound like ‘em. Seriously, sometimes I feel like the whole jazz-influenced quiet instrumental post-rock movement (if you wanna call it that) is financed solely by people in bands who wanna admire the musical masturbation,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128619069739483602005-10-06T12:11:00.001-05:002012-01-10T17:50:18.521-05:00

Unwound- A Single HistoryRecords are made to be broken. I don’t want to write about the relative shoddiness of odds n’ ends comps every time I listen to one, but I do so because they’re never as good as a full-length. I buy as many as I do, though, for the same reason I rooted for Luis Castillo, Jimmy Rollins and Johnny Damon (twice)- I wanna find one that maintains quality throughout without

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128535825757093632005-10-05T13:05:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:36:01.806-05:00

Unwound- New Plastic IdeasThe way it sometimes works: a name will show up in enough places to compel me to seek _________ out. That’s how it was in the summer of 1994 (?)- kept hearing about this band Unwound being the next coming of all things punk/rawk. I drove down to the Newbury Comics in Nashua, the closest good place to my folks’ house in Concord, to see if I could track the band down.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128448307991022442005-10-04T12:48:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:35:45.570-05:00

Tubeway Army- ReplicasI’ve turned into one of those cranky old guys who’s able to listen to a band for a few minutes and cite who’s being ripped off and how. I think I’ve been one for a while, truth be told, but I’ve noticed it in myself a bit more in recent months than ever before. I think it has a lot to do with listening to the radio for the better part of a year, the songs that are hits and

Mikenoreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128352708763269042005-10-03T10:17:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:35:25.803-05:00

Trotsky Icepick- Carpetbomb The RiffI bought this one at a dollar store in Concord, New Hampshire- anything on SST is probably worth a buck, if only for the curiosity value.Sometimes I even surprise myself with new levels of obscurity.You’ve thought of me as a know-it-all asshole enough times so I can drop this Fagan with impunity (even though the truth of the matter is that I’m excited to have a

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128104533828756812005-09-30T13:21:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:35:00.490-05:00

Tortoise- Millions Now Living Will Never DieI’ve always thought of Tortoise as a bunch of indie guys playing jazz- jindie rock, I guess. You know, the kind of tasteful, nuanced performances that fuse traditional jazz structure with the occasionally cerebral sensibilities that informed a whole generation of kids who listened to mathy post-rock ship rock. Buncha dudes on stage playing not-rock

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1128011492874651952005-09-29T11:29:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:34:43.926-05:00

Thumbnail- Red! Dead!There comes a point when enough bands play the same kind of music so that wannabes spring up. Thumbnail marks the point in time when there were enough heavy, off-kilter math rock bands touring around to spawn imitators, with predictable results. Think of it as a signpost for the genre, if that eases the pain (and if you wanna call it a genre).Tiger Trap- s/tCuddlecore!So: a

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127927681680248112005-09-28T12:12:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:34:25.790-05:00

Three Mile Pilot- Chief Assassin To The SinisterThree Mile Pilot- Another Desert, Another SeaMusta listened to ‘Chief Assassin’ a dozen times or more sitting in front of a blank screen. Nothing was coming, aside from the phrase ‘loping waltz’, which I’m pretty sure I’ve used before (a quick check confirms my suspicion- a SDRE review already contains that bit). Banging my head against the wall,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127786848502979532005-09-26T23:05:00.000-05:002005-09-28T12:22:13.700-05:00

There are strange things done in the midnight sun, By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen strange sights, But the strangest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.Why he left his

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127754776965835822005-09-26T12:12:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:34:08.580-05:00

that dog.- Totally Crushed Out!Man, what a treat this disc is- a bargain basement closeout from my record club days that I never paid much attention to.This reminds me of my first ‘band’, Feed The Cat Spam, if we had, you know, learned how to play and stuff. Lyrics are bare, confessional, and no frills- there is absolutely zero bullshit to be had about boys, relationships, boys, and relationships

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127448946702265742005-09-25T02:11:00.000-05:002005-10-21T12:33:33.990-05:00

I find myself doing and thinking silly things regarding sports and clothing. You know the drill, I'm sure: wear the wrong hat and your team loses; sit in the wrong place and the quarterback fumbles.For the past few weeks, friends of mine and I have been trying to figure out the Red Sox magic number- the combined number of Sox wins and Yankee losses that would ensure a playoff spot. Got it pretty

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127500502036375122005-09-23T13:32:00.000-05:002005-09-23T13:35:02.046-05:00

Swiz- No Punches PulledSwiz record review, punches pulled:This compact disc compiles the life work of Washington D.C.’s Swiz, an underappreciated band from the late eighties. Impassioned, gritty vocals, melodic post-core guitars and a solid rhythm section on this seminal re-release. Crucial!Swiz record review, no punches pulled:I’ve said it probably a half dozen times over the course of my

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127405797841434652005-09-22T11:16:00.000-05:002005-09-22T23:08:26.806-05:00

Swans- Children of God/World Of SkinAnyone who can do any hallucinogen and listen to both of these records without losing their mind should immediately be enrolled in either the Marines or the space program, no shit. There’s two varieties of sinister on this record- the bludgeoning heaviness of repetition, Gira shouting his bare, grinding epithets about damnation and regret, voice scraping low

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127325260808678692005-09-21T12:53:00.000-05:002005-09-21T12:54:20.826-05:00

C4RT/Madman Films/Hopewell @ TT the Bear’s, 9/14Why?/Deerhoof @ Middle East Down 9/15Lucero @ Middle East Down 9/18I dug through my files to no avail- couldn’t find the episode of my old Frame 609 series that details this one week when I went to like four shows. I know Sunny Day Real Estate’s reunion was in there, maybe a Discount gig, probably either Garrison or Hip Tanaka. I remember feeling

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127242290266363152005-09-20T13:51:00.000-05:002005-09-20T13:51:30.280-05:00

Sleater-Kinney- The TreesI bought two Sleater-Kinney records, both of which I liked very much, then was kinda like ‘whatever.’ Never had any interest in picking up anything else because I assumed that the two slabs I had would be a nice representational cross-section of their body o’ work. I never disliked the band- always thought they were very good. Just didn’t have enough invested in them to

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1127150093855064852005-09-19T12:14:00.000-05:002005-09-19T12:14:53.866-05:00

Lungfish- Feral HymnsIt’s been a tough couple of months. I’ve been assertive and proactive about making several different projects happen, which should make me happy and keep me busy. I’m busting ass to get everything done and it’s like the void grows larger with every increment, every step. I’m thinking way too much, getting too wrapped up in self-analysis and –doubt even though I have been

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126892653854386122005-09-16T12:40:00.000-05:002005-09-16T12:44:13.860-05:00

First Strike- live at Damian’s, 8/20/05The annual party, unblemished by rain. A bunch of little kids running around the kegs on the lawn. We all think we’re hot shit playing wiffleball, trying to throw curves and sliders. The peninsula doubles as the smoking area. Radios play classic rock. Fake and real meat on the spotless new grill. First Strike was the first (and best) band of the afternoon.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126806819430594542005-09-15T12:48:00.000-05:002005-09-15T12:53:39.436-05:00

Deadguy- Fixation On A CoworkerI got a copy of ‘Fixation’ years ago, deemed it way too heavy for human consumption, and gave it to Joe, who listened to it like ten times a day. Nonetheless, I was down enough, at least in theory, to accompany him down to Worcester to see Deadguy play the second incarnation of The Space. They cancelled, and Doc Hopper headlined instead. Chris Pierce, when he got up

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126724532028667332005-09-14T14:00:00.000-05:002005-09-14T14:02:12.033-05:00

A Frames- Black ForestCaught these guys at Fallout Records in Seattle years back on one of my trips to visit Shelly. I remember their hazmat suits matching the herky-jerk of Devo. What I don’t remember from the live show is the sense of looming veil that hangs over the entire affair, this hysteria that ebbs from resignation to full-on lash-out furor as gritty technology usurps the human race and

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126635992153226782005-09-13T13:25:00.000-05:002005-09-13T13:26:32.160-05:00

I’m so fucking spoiled when it comes to traveling. I live in one of the easiest pedestrian cities in the United States, and, as a result, sometimes forget that the rest of the country isn’t anywhere near as tightly wound as my home (or me).The first day of any trip is a haze: new settings, old friends, lack of sleep. I had been out drinking with some of the camp posse after work on Friday night,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1126512580040017132005-09-12T03:08:00.000-05:002005-09-12T11:47:09.526-05:00

So here’s how we roll: I’m going to be cleaning the mental junk drawer for the next couple weeks. Tomorrow and Wednesday I’ll be posting some pieces regarding to my trip down to Texas, then for a little while after that I’ll be covering some records that I’ve bought since this project started. There will be a few live reviews, hopefully some guest reviewers (the kind that don’t involve psychic

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1125045428473614582005-08-27T03:32:00.000-05:002005-09-01T16:45:54.590-05:00

A.B.C. is going on vacation for two weeks. I'm going to be flying to Austin and then New Orleans to see Jandek's first two United States shows.So, posts will resume on Monday, September 12th. My alphabet is almost done- when I finish, I've got some tricks up my sleeve, just you wait. I may/not have time to post from the road- feel free to check in.(9/1/05: Flew to Austin on Saturday, and was

Mikenoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1125077922580356312005-08-26T12:38:00.000-05:002005-08-26T12:38:42.620-05:00

Supergrass- I Should CocoSo I had this one breakup that necessitated the splitting up of communal stuff. I got the gems of the coffee mug collection- “If You Were Not My Sister In Law You Would Still Be My Good Friend” remains a stunner to this day- but got shafted in the record department. For example, I managed acquire this Supergrass record. There’s nothing wrong with it: totally good stuff if

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124991338330184302005-08-25T12:32:00.000-05:002005-08-25T12:35:38.340-05:00

Superchunk- Here’s To Shutting UpHmph. I spent the last review talking about how much I appreciate the fact that Superchunk has been a band that’s never feared evolution or change- you’d think that I would have more positive things to say about this, the followup LP to “Come Pick Me Up”. I appreciate the fact that “Shutting” contains far more deviation from the 2gtr/bass/drums formula than any

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124904789089530262005-08-24T12:32:00.000-05:002005-08-24T12:33:09.106-05:00

Superchunk- No Pocky For KittyI spent much of my freshman and sophomore years of college trying to be punk as fuck- I was loosely affiliated with the tastemakers at the college radio station and read Maximumrocknroll with a fervor that bordered on fanatasicm (a hell of an equation, I realize now, after the fact). Despite my façade, I fell into listening to a bunch of bands that didn’t quite

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124820726914492462005-08-23T13:03:00.000-05:002005-08-23T13:12:06.923-05:00

Sunny Day Real Estate- How It Feels To Be Something OnI’ve mentioned the apocryphal nature of Sunny Day Real Estate elsewhere on this web page. For the sake of review, though, here we go: the band broke up under mysterious circumstances in the mid-nineties after releasing a great debut (‘Diary’) and a follow up that inspired legions of sensitive boys in tight shirts to go back to the basement and

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124733170494393902005-08-22T12:51:00.000-05:002005-08-22T12:55:38.640-05:00

Iggy And The Stooges- Raw PowerPart of this gig is backtracking, checking out the past to make more sense of what’s going on in the present. So I checked out Iggy and the Stooges after years of hearing lip service paid to the man and his band. The first thing to mention is that this is a newly remastered CD- apparently there were years of grumbles from Stooges fans, speculation about what ‘Raw

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124472601169386642005-08-19T12:29:00.000-05:002005-08-19T12:30:01.176-05:00

Strike Anywhere- Change Is A SoundRockin’ punk guitar, chugga chugga breakdown, WHOAH-OH-OH-OH!Vaguely political lyrics using the word ‘they’ a lot, WHOAH-OH-OH-OH!AN-THEM!You know it’s anAN-THEM!Gotta love anAN-THEM!Motherfuckin’AN-THEM!Pointin’ fingers at the all ages matinee, WHOAH-OH-OH-OH!It looks like no one’s showered even though we’re on Jade Tree, WHOAH-OH-OH-OH!FRAN-CHISE!Sing along

Mikenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124388305696946152005-08-18T13:04:00.000-05:002005-08-18T13:05:05.706-05:00

Bruce Springsteen- Greatest HitsCheck it out: there are periods of time when, at parties, hipsters ‘confess’ their love for certain artists. F’r example, there was a period of time a few years back where everyone and their brother was coming out of the woodwork at scenester parties with their startling confession that ‘Pet Sounds’ was the best album ever recorded. This was, of course, neither

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124303313173424652005-08-17T13:27:00.000-05:002005-08-17T13:28:33.183-05:00

Soundgarden- BadmotorfingerYou know it’s just a matter of time before the grunge revival begins. Honestly, I was surprised when new wave wannabes took over the airwaves recently because I had been banking on grunge first. It makes sense- get the right pedals, smoke a ton of pot, crank Sabbath, and when you hear the beep, you’re there. The movement (if you wanna call it that) has easily

Mikenoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124200914488939292005-08-16T09:01:00.000-05:002005-08-16T09:01:54.496-05:00

Smoking Popes- Born To QuitI totally had the review in my head as I put the disc in- the vocal similarities between the Popes’ singer and Morrissey (this right after I listened to three Smiths records in a row, mind you). The Popes disc skipped, though, got rejected by my CD player. And the one in the kitchen. And in the living room. Dammit.Solex- PickupUsed record store owner from across the

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1124122122304267432005-08-15T11:08:00.000-05:002005-08-15T11:08:42.320-05:00

Smiths- Hatful Of HollowSmiths- The World Won’t ListenYou Ess versus them, packaging and repackaging.Both ‘Hatful’ and ‘Listen’ are European Smiths releases. I bought ‘em a few years back when I was in London and Amsterdam with BQ, Honor and the Black Tank. I never knew any of the songs on either of these records as singles- like a lot of kids, I suspect, I was exposed to the material through the

Mikenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123919650362438552005-08-13T02:53:00.000-05:002005-08-13T02:54:10.366-05:00

Smart Went Crazy- Now We’re EvenSome of my favorite Dischord stuff has fallen through the cracks. It was nice to see the amazingly underrated Warmers get a little bit recent more attention as a result of Amy Farina’s involvement with Ian MacKaye in the Evens. I’m still waiting for the listening public to catch onto the fact that Trusty’s “Goodbye, Doctor Fate” is a complete gem of a pop album,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123786758036703482005-08-11T13:54:00.000-05:002005-08-11T13:59:18.043-05:00

Slept- Guy Trapped In A SituationThe hardest ones to write about are the gems. This one is very hard to write about.There’s usually some kind of hook on first listen, genre association or sound, production, instrumental signature that fires synapses and makes it easy for me to associate and begin to understand what the intent of a band is. There are some little hints scattered throughout the

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123700223771904082005-08-10T13:56:00.000-05:002005-08-10T13:57:03.780-05:00

Six Organs Of Admittance- School Of The FlowerI admit it: I bought this CD because rumor has it that Six Organs Of Admittance were the one band that Jandek watched when he made his live debut in Glasgow last year.Singer/songwriter playing these hushed, spare acoustic numbers in the mold of like Nick Drake and/or Elliott Smith, similarly understated. Except, of course, neither Mr. Smith nor Drake

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123611215976175332005-08-09T13:11:00.000-05:002005-08-09T13:13:35.983-05:00

Six Going On Seven- Self-Made MessA band with a sonic blueprint that stood out in a town full of cut rate metal and emo bands: songs weren’t driven by guitar so much as they were punctuated by it, mostly clean chords or, more often, runs of picked notes which fit over and emphasized Josh’s driving, occasionally atonally (k)new wave-sounding basslines and Will’s drumming. All a musical platform

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123529722045341022005-08-08T14:34:00.000-05:002005-08-08T14:35:22.056-05:00

Shotwell/Miami- splitSo Iggy Scam has changed his name back to Erik Lyle and is trying to get freelance work. It’s a little bit sad- there goes my youth- but the guy’s been living the life for sooooo fucking long. I remember seeing his graffiti in town as far back as 1998. By my count, it was more than ten years of dumpster diving, hopping trains, touring around the country with rickety punk

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123269884805496082005-08-05T14:24:00.000-05:002005-08-05T14:24:44.813-05:00

Shift- SpacesuitMan, the story about Shift is, well, storied.First time I saw ‘em was at the (first) Space in Worcester, with Cast Iron Hike and Iris. Texas Is The Reason was supposed to play, headline, but they had van trouble or something. Everyone was disappointed, but Shift’s melodic leaning post-core rock did the trick. They looked like the Mod Squad, I remember: skinny white singer/

Mikenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123176863538566052005-08-04T12:33:00.000-05:002005-08-04T12:34:23.546-05:00

Shellac- At Action ParkTerry and I saw each other over Christmas break of our respective freshman years (mine at UNH, Terry’s in Ann Arbor) and were both stoked on all these new records, bands. We compared notes to find that we’d both discovered Big Black.I filled out the band’s discography in the months that followed, marveling at the abrasiveness of the sounds being played. Steve Albini’s

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123092345908874042005-08-03T12:58:00.000-05:002005-08-03T13:05:45.916-05:00

Screeching Weasel- EmoMan, did I ever love Screeching Weasel. My favorite band for a year or more, no joke. Then they released a farewell album and broke up. Months later, three-quarters of the band formed the Riverdales, an act that sounded like a Ramones tribute band. Flop. After that, Screeching Weasel got back together again. That’s about when I stopped buying their albums (although I must

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1123007327735994752005-08-02T13:28:00.000-05:002005-08-02T13:28:47.743-05:00

Samiam- BillyPop-punk for people who didn’t like the genre, or, for that matter, know what it was. If we’re going to be strict about definitions, there’s no fucking way that Samiam fits the parameters, even though they started at Gilman, like so many of the participants. I guess I tend to think of pop-punk being simple 1-4-5 progressions, owing a lot to the Ramones musically and Buddy Holly

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122913098744147652005-08-01T11:17:00.000-05:002005-08-01T11:18:18.750-05:00

Rye Coalition- The Lipstick GameRye Coalition (or, if you wanna go back a little ways, Rye And The Coalition) were a band that always got a lot of lip service. Crazy live shows early on, from what I heard, and they used the obtuse revolutionary standby that Nation of Ulysses (and Refused and Hal El Shedad and umpity ump other bands) made so prominent. Now, granted, I didn’t see them play in their

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122655981218557122005-07-29T11:52:00.000-05:002005-07-29T11:53:01.230-05:00

Rush- Different Stages (live)Q: What’s worse than listening to a triple live Rush album?Rush- Vapor TrailsIf you watch the Rush Chronicles DVD, you’ll notice that Geddy Lee has this amazing power. See, every mini-epoch of like six months or so seems to generate fashion trends that become instantly dated the second said era ends. Hell, just think back to last summer: remember Von Dutch? Like

Mikenoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122570361074642812005-07-28T12:02:00.000-05:002005-07-28T12:06:01.083-05:00

Rush- Moving PicturesFor me, ‘Tom Sawyer’ is all about the drum fills.Geddy Lee kills ‘Red Barchetta’ by sounding SO fucking laxadasical and uninspired when he sings the words “adrenaline surge.”I still play the air bass harmonics every time I hear ‘YYZ.’The lyric “All the world should be a STAGE!” in ‘Limelight’ is pretty righteous when you’re seein’ Rush play live. It’s no “concert hall!”, but

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122485857797357132005-07-27T12:37:00.000-05:002005-07-27T12:37:37.810-05:00

Royal Trux- Cats And DogsFor no reason, I decided in like February or so I needed to own some Royal Trux records. Seriously, no discernable impetus- maybe I saw an ad for them in a back issue of Forced Exposure or something, I don’t know. I just woke up one day and thought I should buy some of their stuff. The Newbs in Harvard Square had a few of their newer albums in the used bin, but faint

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122402649430580412005-07-26T13:28:00.000-05:002005-07-26T13:30:49.440-05:00

Rex- CDoug Scharin, the drummer of June of 44, playing this music that went in one ear and out the other when I listened to it. I’m tempted to play the album again, but the cursory listen made no impression on me- absolutely zero- so I think we’ll take that as a sign.Rjd2- DeadringerFor a little while, the hip genre was ‘intelligent dance music’, kids with laptops constructing willfully difficult

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122309736894951042005-07-25T11:40:00.000-05:002005-07-25T11:42:16.906-05:00

Refused- Shape Of Punk To ComeRefused, the rock group, put out an okay but totally unremarkable EP that I reviewed probably seven or eight years ago for a fanzine- a slice above hardcore by numbers, but a thin slice at best. Refused the FUCKIN’ FIERY INSURGENTS put out an LP that all the kids love, thought was the bee’s knees, instant classic, blah blah blah. If you wanna draw more attention to

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1122056948215064592005-07-22T13:26:00.000-05:002005-07-22T13:29:08.226-05:00

Red House Painters- Ocean BeachI listened to this one a good bit when I was doing my second tour of duty living in Dover circa: ’99. Four songs that are under the four-minute mark (one of which, ‘Summer Dress,’ belongs in the R.H.P. canon), which makes the record feel less mopey and more poppy than the band’s average affair. It’s all the setup, though, for another canon-worthy gem that closes the

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121969043682263652005-07-21T13:01:00.000-05:002005-07-21T13:04:03.690-05:00

Red House Painters- Down Colorful HillI know I’ve told this story a bunch of times before, but it bears repeating.A rain just above freezing filled the gutters of Allston as I walked around, looking for someone to spend my birthday with. I hadn’t told anybody, presuming that everyone would just remember, even though I’m fucking awful with birthdays myself. Both of my roommates were at work. Me, I

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121883951838351712005-07-20T13:23:00.000-05:002005-07-20T13:25:51.846-05:00

Real Heroes- s/tOn my second cross-country trip, I hung out in lovely Austin, Texas for a few days. Man, what a fucking blast I had- I went to Emo’s to watch a bunch of bands play a Hallowe’en show as other bands (so I saw the Go Go’s, Nirvana, Jawbreaker, Green Day and the Misfits- fucking awesome), got a tattoo, drank a lot of beer and coffee. Our hostess for the stay was this woman (awesomely)

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121797552974945392005-07-19T13:25:00.000-05:002005-07-19T13:25:52.980-05:00

Rancid- ……And Out Come The WolvesBy now, I’m sure you’ve heard about that sneaker company blatantly stealing the cover art of the Minor Threat discography, right? Everyone was totally pissed and bombarded the company with incensed emails and phone calls, forcing the corporate giant to fucking APOLOGIZE TO DISCHORD. What an amazing moment that was. The reason I mention this, of course, is because

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121708612062623282005-07-18T12:43:00.000-05:002005-07-18T12:43:32.073-05:00

Radiohead- Kid A‘OK Computer’ was canonized soon after it was released. Once the buzz died down, the new buzz of eager anticipation took its place as everyone wondered how on earth Radiohead could follow up their masterpiece.I’m starting to waver a little bit on the statement that ‘OK’ is the band’s defining moment. I’ve been listening to the band’s last three LP’s a lot- more than any other

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121448961799718362005-07-15T12:35:00.000-05:002005-07-15T12:36:01.806-05:00

Radiohead- The BendsI wish I could say I was down back in the day. I’m not going to lie to you, though. Radiohead was a band that I talked a lot of shit about when they broke. ‘Creep’ was all over the place, on radio and MTV, magazines, and I took a reactionary, uninformed glee in calling them Nirvanabees. I figured they’d have their one hit and then go away.When ‘The Bends’ came out, of course,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121362501678112822005-07-14T12:33:00.000-05:002005-07-14T12:35:01.683-05:00

Radio 4- The New Song And DanceThe boldly titled ‘New Song And Dance’ was released in 2000. I remember being excited about it before I even heard ‘em for a few reasons: ex-members of Garden Variety, band name stolen from an under-the-radar P.i.L. song. I loved the music, as well- an amazing synthesis of late seventies/early eighties new wave, combining all of the best production and songwriting

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121288933014598762005-07-13T16:08:00.000-05:002005-07-13T16:08:53.020-05:00

Rachel’s- The Sea And The BellsChamber goes indie. A bunch of folks from the Louisville/Chicago scenes playing instruments most traditionally associated with classical music- strings, piano- but with an approach that embraces traditional rock song structure with the ability to circumvent it when needed.‘The Sea And The Bells,’ as the title implies, is a nautical record, both in concept and sound.

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121192228981215642005-07-12T13:09:00.000-05:002005-07-12T13:17:08.990-05:00

PROSOLAR MECHANICS- TURN ONMy career as a promoter lasted for a whopping two shows. Still, though, I had a fucking blast. This one band from Washington state played the basement of my dorm with Stricken for Catherine, a straightedge hardcore band and one of Steinmetz’s pop-punk acts (was it Kid Company?). The other show I set up was held outdoors, funded by money I solicited from the dorm council

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1121105430479219312005-07-11T13:09:00.000-05:002005-07-11T13:10:30.486-05:00

Princess Superstar- s/tPrincess Superstar is this super-tech female hip-hop MC who, like Paul Barman, has the seemingly mutant power to seamlessly cram half a zillion syllables into meters where three or four would fit. Her record is full of dense, funny lyrics, and she’s not afraid to talk about sex, either. Didja notice how many guys got huge boners about Liz Phair because she sang about

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120847370905169002005-07-08T13:24:00.000-05:002005-07-08T13:29:30.910-05:00

Prince- The Hits/ The B SidesYou grow up listening to something, whether it’s the stuff that your parents listen to on car trips or the tunes that crank through the boombox of the kid next door. Something. Some foundation which everything else is later built, no matter how incidental or cringeworthy the early stuff turns out to be. Stuff that you hear and you just KNOW, stuff that exists outside

Mikenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120758100896070082005-07-07T12:39:00.000-05:002005-07-07T12:41:40.900-05:00

Pretty Girls Make Graves- Good HealthA hell of a mix: all of the urgency and energy that made Avail so much fun to shout along with, complemented nicely by both well-placed cheap-sounding keyboards and hammer-on guitar leads, fronted by strong, singular female vocals that cut through the maelstrom without ever detracting from it. Enough production nicks in their razor-sharp delivery to make

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120669410989751792005-07-06T12:03:00.000-05:002005-07-06T12:03:30.990-05:00

Poster Children- Tool Of The ManI’ve got a huge amount of respect for the Poster Children. They’ve been at it as long as anyone, and were the first band that I can remember who used the internet to its fullest potential to promote themselves. Their web page was cavernous, this absolute wealth of information, which added to the general feeling that the band just happened to be a bunch of people

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120233899669088302005-07-01T11:04:00.000-05:002005-07-01T11:04:59.673-05:00

Policy Of Three- DiscographyI am such a sucker. There’s this punk as fuck record store in the neighborhood, right, which I totally check out like every few weeks. The kids that run the store have been around for years, still totally flying the flags and trying to make it work in an area that must have a pretty high rent, so I try and buy something from them every time I go in. Come to find out

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120152804094152062005-06-30T12:32:00.000-05:002005-06-30T12:33:24.100-05:00

Pinhead Gunpowder- Jump SaltyJust awesome. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day’s side project, containing songs that are more gritty/less hooky than his usual fare, propelled by the frantic, caffeine-fueled drum stylings of Aaron Cometbus (though not anywhere near as rickety as his work in Crimpshrine). Wildly entertaining stuff.Pixies- Surfer Rosa/Come On PilgrimWe were sitting on the back porch a

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1120065405639932962005-06-29T12:15:00.000-05:002005-06-29T12:16:45.650-05:00

Piebald- If It Weren’t For Venetian Blinds It Would Be Curtains For Us AllThe follow-up to ‘When Life Hands You Lemons’, part of the amazing initial batch of records that HydraHead put out in the late nineties, before the label narrowed their focus to metal. Whenever it was, 1997 or so, Piebald was like THE band around town (which I spend a little time explaining in the review down below for ‘

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119984358105568742005-06-28T13:45:00.000-05:002005-06-28T13:45:58.113-05:00

Pet Shop Boys- SinglesI didn’t have any time to sit around and feel sorry for myself because there was too much shit to do before Dennis’s wedding- had to take care of sleeping accommodations, transportation, tux pickup, laundry, etc. I first found a cheap auto rental place down the street from my house a little ways, then an online coupon which made renting a midline sedan cheaper than renting

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119896471775414022005-06-27T13:18:00.000-05:002005-06-27T13:21:11.780-05:00

Pedro The Lion- Winners Never QuitAn eight song concept album, all linear and narrative, telling the story of this politician and his drunk brother. This record’s a hell of an accomplishment- David Bazan plays everything, sings. The slower moments totally test my patience, engaging and well thought out storyline regardless, as do the dirgy, relatively monochromatic vocals on such occasions. Pell

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119635031392991272005-06-24T12:41:00.000-05:002005-06-24T12:43:51.396-05:00

Pavement- Terror TwilightTwilight as in ‘the end of the band’s career’, and terror as in ‘scared stiff of entering the workforce after our once mighty band breaks the fuck up following the release of this goose egg.’Pearl Jam- VitologyI’ll totally give it up for Pearl Jam- they’re a band that has grown up, and admirably, in the spotlight. It’s just that I can’t listen to the band ever again

Mikenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119550066480441412005-06-23T12:59:00.000-05:002005-06-23T13:07:46.490-05:00

Outkast- StankoniaFile sharing, internet, the demise of radio, blah blah blah. You’ve heard the arguments, thrown tomatoes at members of Metallica, all that cool shit, right? The fact of the matter is that as important as the ‘net has been in the circulation of music, it’s still the established mediums, TV and radio, that break bands.What about criticism? Good question. I’d say that reading

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119466966721285252005-06-22T14:02:00.000-05:002005-06-22T14:02:46.730-05:00

Omaha- AccidentI remember buying this because it was on Doghouse, the same label as Metroschifter and Split Lip (before they changed their name to Chamberlain). The Bob Weston production credit didn’t hurt, and neither did the two dollar price tag- gotta love the bargain bin, at least in theory.I totally got what I paid for in the case of Omaha. This is some very tightly played, heavy rock music

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119375813911395682005-06-21T12:41:00.000-05:002005-06-21T12:43:33.916-05:00

N.W.A.- Straight Outta ComptonLike I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this page, of COURSE all the punk kids got into hip-hop. The shit was raw and angry and dangerous- what’s more punk than pissing off Sam Walton? The same fundamentalists, I’m sure, that were down in the deep South picketing the Sex Pistols’ first/only real U.S. tour in 1978 were just terrified by hip-hop in general, N.W.A. in

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119288775024437422005-06-20T12:32:00.000-05:002005-06-20T12:32:55.030-05:00

No Knife- Hit Man DreamsThis intricate, technically played, immaculately produced melodic record with post-punk leanings. So immaculately produced, as a matter of fact, that the recording occasionally leaves something to be desired- an unclean hook for listeners to latch onto, for example. Still, though, these songs are catchy and erudite. We spent so many car trips and nights on the back porch

Mikenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1119026405842465942005-06-17T11:30:00.000-05:002005-06-17T11:40:05.850-05:00

Nine Inch Nails- Downward SpiralThere’s a new topic of discussion pretty much every Monday night- me and Ned and BQ and Ed (and sometimes Terry G. and/or The Bank) get together and bullshit each other about politics, movies, records, whatever. It’s always great fun.There were three consecutive weeks where band retrospectives were the order of the evening. We were talking about Zeppelin this one

Mikenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118947149176787922005-06-16T13:38:00.000-05:002005-06-16T13:39:09.183-05:00

New Year- Newness EndsA record that I thought I had listened to only a couple of times, this well-constructed, mellowish indie pop album featuring the guys from Bedhead (a band I never listened to- total gratuitous namedrop) and the ubiquitous Chris Brokaw (a guy whose output and touring schedule makes Jandek look downright lazy. Maybe we can get the two of ‘em in a steel cage match for charity).

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118859254401364532005-06-15T13:11:00.000-05:002005-06-15T13:14:14.406-05:00

Neu! – s/tThe third of the three Krautrock records that I own. My favorite of the batch- none of the hippie jam leanings of Can; slightly more engaging than Faust. This has the same vibe as the latter does, the kinda textured Stereolab-sounding soundscape thing (except that these guys did it way before Stereolab ever did, I know- consult my Faust review for the whole spiel about that). I do like

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118768867077078672005-06-14T12:07:00.000-05:002005-06-14T12:07:47.083-05:00

Most Secret Method- Get LovelyMost Secret Method- Our SuccessMost of my reviews get written a week or two before you read ‘em. Initially I was posting ‘em as I went, writing the day of. Didn’t like that so much- too many typos, too rushed. So, I developed a backlog to allow for tinkering/editing. After the Jandek marathon, I was back to square one, pretty much writing everything the day I posted

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118684946140113512005-06-13T12:48:00.000-05:002005-06-13T12:49:06.146-05:00

Morphine- Cure For PainI remember making passionate arguments a few years back against the then-looming ban on smoking indoors in the city of Boston. It’s going to hit me in the pocketbook, I’d explain to whoever would listen- the service industry is going to get fucked. Within the space of a week, though, I loved it. The hardcore smokers were going outside, the fair-weather ones were quitting in

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118431183670901162005-06-10T14:17:00.000-05:002005-06-10T14:19:43.676-05:00

Modest Mouse- This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think AboutI totally wanted to just have the review say ‘This is a long record for someone with nothing to say about it,’ but the truth of the matter is that I continue to be impressed by Modest Mouse, even if it’s cred death to admit such a thing. The band totally sounds good on the radio, for one thing- the Pixies reunion didn’t

Mikenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118339066642284652005-06-09T12:40:00.000-05:002005-06-09T12:44:26.653-05:00

Mission Of Burma- OnOFFOnI saw one of the first Mission of Burma reunion shows. I was excited- ‘Our Band Could Be Your Life’ had just come out, and the chapter on the act was a good one. So me and BQ went down to the Avalon, sat through the Explosion (a band who would later emerge as one of the zillion Boston acts who are supposed to be fucking huge but never break so much as wind. This city,

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118250780156960302005-06-08T12:12:00.000-05:002005-06-08T12:13:00.163-05:00

Minor Threat- First Demo TapeThis EP is totally for the dorks who already know every note Minor Threat ever played. Their first demo, recorded a month before the stuff that Dischord would eventually release. And what a difference that month made- the songs on the demo don’t have the same swagger. It sounds like Minor Threat is standing at the urinal but can’t take a leak because someone just

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118167606249232552005-06-07T13:06:00.000-05:002005-06-07T13:06:46.256-05:00

Roger Miller- Oh Boy Classics PresentsThe country/folk singer, not the guy from Mission of Burma. I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about Roger Miller other than the fact that he’s written some really cool, funny songs. Gertsen used to play a bunch of Roger Miller vinyl on his poker nights back in the day. The versions of ‘King Of The Road’ and ‘Dang Me’ that were on his records were a lot less

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1118080211002476132005-06-06T12:46:00.000-05:002005-06-06T12:50:11.003-05:00

Metroschifter/Shipping News- SplitI confess to purchasing this one mostly because of its artifact value. The cover insert of this CD is a booklet-sized sheet of black metal, etched with the bands’ names and a fleur-de-lis. Pretty sharp lookin’.The music? Not too shabby. Metroschifter is way tighter than on ‘Fort Saint’, clocking in a few songs with a newly refined lackadaisical intensity that is

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1117730822680043422005-06-02T11:46:00.000-05:002005-06-02T11:47:02.686-05:00

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes- Have A BallA bunch of guys from the Fat Wreck Chords roster- NOFX, Lagwagon, etc- playing punked-out covers of songs that I heard when I was on car trips with my folks in the late seventies/early eighties: Anne Murray, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel and so on. If I was in a more academic mood, I could blather on for a few lines about how recontextualizing these songs

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1117646871653903282005-06-01T12:27:00.000-05:002005-06-01T12:27:51.656-05:00

MC Paul Barman- It’s Very StimulatingIt’s hard to be taken seriously if you put out a funny record. There’s a fine line that one walks- push things too much and you land in Weird Al territory, damning yourself to an eternity of playing to overcaffeinated fourteen-year-olds with thick glasses and bad haircuts. Too little humor and it gets skimmed over, or, worse, missed entirely. So where does MC

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1117562497587667062005-05-31T12:58:00.000-05:002005-05-31T13:01:37.600-05:00

Madonna- The Immaculate CollectionThe singles, starting with ‘Holiday’ and running all the way through ‘Vogue’ (no one really counts ‘Justify My Love’ or ‘Rescue Me’ as singles, do they? The latter was a throwaway tack-on, and the former was a vehicle for a video that doubled as softcore porn). No matter what’s said about Madonna- she doesn’t give a shit- the fact remains that she paved the way

Mikenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9881748.post-1117474324205012552005-05-30T12:31:00.000-05:002005-05-30T12:32:04.210-05:00

Lungfish- The Unanimous HourThe least grabbing of all the Lungfish records in my collection- not a whole lot of distinction to be found on this one. They play the same riffs over and again, Higgs says some crazy shit, etc. Strangely enough, though, this is the first of the band’s CD’s that I bought. Lungfish- NecrophonesI’m realizing that ‘subdued’ isn’t a word that applies to the Lungfish

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