"And could you draw us with some picture-perfect friends?" - Say Hi To Your Mom.
Things are pretty slow right now. In lieu of actual content tonight we'll just share our forthcoming schedule: Due to various weddings and vacations, Clicky Clicky will be off-line from the 8th to the 18th of July. During which time we will not be seeing Dinosaur Jr., or attending Pfork's Intonation festival, or a number of other things. Instead we'll be sitting on a beach and drinking beer and reading and listening to music for most of that time. There'll probably be a few more posts in the coming week, but let's not expect any miracles.
Cleaning out the Inbox, then:
You may not know that The Postman, a.k.a. the one-time Kam Fong bassist Ryan Widger, is a talented photographer. He has a new Internet Home Page here. Dig it. We think we'll post a picture of Widger rocking out some 9 years ago in a few minutes. So check back.
That is all.
June 28, 2005
"I've been home, I've been out, something's kept it from its rout." - Superchunk.
Tiny Mix Tapes has a surprisingly lucid and intelligent wrap on what the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al. decision means. Worth reading, with some pretty good context and analysis. As predicted, Coolfer wraps up the decision with pizzazz here, and links to Mark Cuban's blog where the man who made a gajillion zillion American dollars selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo makes a very, very interesting and under-reported observation about the importance of the decision to the financial markets: "Not one buyer or seller of stocks gave a damn."
Elsewhere:
Bono Vox sues stylist. Article provides useful metric for many reasons why the corporate rock and roll business is lame.
Nike apologizes for ripping off Ian Mackaye, but does not apologize for using sweatshop labor to pad its margins, engorge profits and make the rich richer. Way to go, Nike. You rule. On the bright side, the whole affair spurred what many are calling the best ILM thread in years:
"Photoshop/MS Paint Nike and other evil corporations ruining famous album covers."
Related threads:
"[L]ist other Dischord bands/slogans that can be appropriated for advertising purposes."
"Nike Apologizes to Minor Threat; Announces Replacement Campaign, 'In on the Thrill-Maker'"
That is all.
Tiny Mix Tapes has a surprisingly lucid and intelligent wrap on what the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al. decision means. Worth reading, with some pretty good context and analysis. As predicted, Coolfer wraps up the decision with pizzazz here, and links to Mark Cuban's blog where the man who made a gajillion zillion American dollars selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo makes a very, very interesting and under-reported observation about the importance of the decision to the financial markets: "Not one buyer or seller of stocks gave a damn."
Elsewhere:
Bono Vox sues stylist. Article provides useful metric for many reasons why the corporate rock and roll business is lame.
Nike apologizes for ripping off Ian Mackaye, but does not apologize for using sweatshop labor to pad its margins, engorge profits and make the rich richer. Way to go, Nike. You rule. On the bright side, the whole affair spurred what many are calling the best ILM thread in years:
"Photoshop/MS Paint Nike and other evil corporations ruining famous album covers."
Related threads:
"[L]ist other Dischord bands/slogans that can be appropriated for advertising purposes."
"Nike Apologizes to Minor Threat; Announces Replacement Campaign, 'In on the Thrill-Maker'"
That is all.
June 27, 2005
"I'm never ready to go." - Ryan Adams.
OK, we're all caught up. Look for our review of the recently released Say Hi To Your Mom record and Ghostly International's Spectral Sound Vol. 1 compilation (click the link -- the site is kinda nifty), which streets tomorrow, to be published between the pages of Junkmedia.org in the coming weeks. While you're at it, why not check out the page where we've archived all the links to all the reviews we've written in the last three years or so.
The Grokster decision came down today, in case you live under a rock. Plenty of other places will wrap up the details for you, we'd suggest Googling it or hitting Coolfer, which will likely do a wrap on coverage soon. We'd just like to stress to all the paranoid stoners and giddy teens out there that there is a difference between "can be found liable" and "is liable."
Follow Up: A very solid source wrote in to say that our back-of-the-envelop figuring on how the spoils of a digital music file sale are divided, particularly with respects to indie labels that use the services of IODA, were pretty off. When we learn more we'll pass on what we can. Our interest in this is basically a vestige of our time logged workin at The 'Noize, but that interest hasn't really waned. The sign says "Will Write For Money." Well, that's what the sign would say if we had a sign.
That is all.
OK, we're all caught up. Look for our review of the recently released Say Hi To Your Mom record and Ghostly International's Spectral Sound Vol. 1 compilation (click the link -- the site is kinda nifty), which streets tomorrow, to be published between the pages of Junkmedia.org in the coming weeks. While you're at it, why not check out the page where we've archived all the links to all the reviews we've written in the last three years or so.
The Grokster decision came down today, in case you live under a rock. Plenty of other places will wrap up the details for you, we'd suggest Googling it or hitting Coolfer, which will likely do a wrap on coverage soon. We'd just like to stress to all the paranoid stoners and giddy teens out there that there is a difference between "can be found liable" and "is liable."
Follow Up: A very solid source wrote in to say that our back-of-the-envelop figuring on how the spoils of a digital music file sale are divided, particularly with respects to indie labels that use the services of IODA, were pretty off. When we learn more we'll pass on what we can. Our interest in this is basically a vestige of our time logged workin at The 'Noize, but that interest hasn't really waned. The sign says "Will Write For Money." Well, that's what the sign would say if we had a sign.
That is all.
June 23, 2005
"Yeah, hi Howard I'm back, and the other kids quit." - Small Factory.
We're offline from now until we can get caught up on our CD reviews. We need another rainy weekend to really get in a groove, but since that doesn't appear to be in the cards, we'll just have to work extra hard to get back on the stick. Four more discs came through the door today, making the pile pile still higher.
Not that we'll leave you empty-handed:
We've always loved Wayne Rosso for making the unequivocally provocative statement, and it is nice he's still keeping the "digital music space" interesting. Speaking in regards to Mashboxx, a P2P service he has gotten behind, Rosso goes straight to the heart of the matter: "It's highly unlikely that any Mashboxx user is going to be sued." The Grokster decision is expected soon, so expect to see many more Rosso quotes when the decision is issued.
That is all.
We're offline from now until we can get caught up on our CD reviews. We need another rainy weekend to really get in a groove, but since that doesn't appear to be in the cards, we'll just have to work extra hard to get back on the stick. Four more discs came through the door today, making the pile pile still higher.
Not that we'll leave you empty-handed:
We've always loved Wayne Rosso for making the unequivocally provocative statement, and it is nice he's still keeping the "digital music space" interesting. Speaking in regards to Mashboxx, a P2P service he has gotten behind, Rosso goes straight to the heart of the matter: "It's highly unlikely that any Mashboxx user is going to be sued." The Grokster decision is expected soon, so expect to see many more Rosso quotes when the decision is issued.
That is all.
June 22, 2005
"Your stockings had barely reached your knee before I knew..." - Karl Hendricks Trio.
Just a couple quick ones tonight:
Again, more interesting numbers, this time from Tiny Mix Tapes. While the figure isn't sourced at all, we have no reason to disbelieve TMT's claim that currently ITunes "in the U.S returns 60% of its revenue back to the major labels, but only 50% to the indies." That makes the slices of pie we mentally figured in our IODA discussion last month or the month before that much smaller for indie bands and labels the digital music provider works with -- through not fault of IODA, of course.
[Brief Aside: TMT also mentions a band in another post with a name we've been sitting on ever since reading and loving the Haruki Murakami book that inspired it about 8 years ago: The Wind-Up Birds. Oh well. We probably don't have too many more bands in us at this point anyway.]
So say a digital download costs an even dollar. Apparently 50 cents of that goes back to the indie label (60 cents if you are a major). Then we know from one of our friendly label heads that IODA takes 15%, of course we don't know whether that is 15% of the gross song price or 15% of the label's take. But we assume it is the latter. So then IODA gets 7.5 cents for the sale. Seems like a nice fair piece of the pie, and well worth it according to our source. Now would someone hurry up and get the Simple Machines catalog online for crying out loud!
SVC has a really great post that casts J Mascis and Kevin Shields as Highlander-type superheroes. Includes a hysterical mock-up of Mascis as a (or The? I don't remember how the mythos went in that movie any more) Highlander.
That is all.
Just a couple quick ones tonight:
Again, more interesting numbers, this time from Tiny Mix Tapes. While the figure isn't sourced at all, we have no reason to disbelieve TMT's claim that currently ITunes "in the U.S returns 60% of its revenue back to the major labels, but only 50% to the indies." That makes the slices of pie we mentally figured in our IODA discussion last month or the month before that much smaller for indie bands and labels the digital music provider works with -- through not fault of IODA, of course.
[Brief Aside: TMT also mentions a band in another post with a name we've been sitting on ever since reading and loving the Haruki Murakami book that inspired it about 8 years ago: The Wind-Up Birds. Oh well. We probably don't have too many more bands in us at this point anyway.]
So say a digital download costs an even dollar. Apparently 50 cents of that goes back to the indie label (60 cents if you are a major). Then we know from one of our friendly label heads that IODA takes 15%, of course we don't know whether that is 15% of the gross song price or 15% of the label's take. But we assume it is the latter. So then IODA gets 7.5 cents for the sale. Seems like a nice fair piece of the pie, and well worth it according to our source. Now would someone hurry up and get the Simple Machines catalog online for crying out loud!
SVC has a really great post that casts J Mascis and Kevin Shields as Highlander-type superheroes. Includes a hysterical mock-up of Mascis as a (or The? I don't remember how the mythos went in that movie any more) Highlander.
That is all.
June 21, 2005
"Cutting like the smoke through your teeth as you are telling me forget it." - Okkervil River.
We received our copy of the Judge discography over the weekend. Liner notes written by New York hardcore mainstay guitarist Porcell point out something interesting. Judge was conceived wholesale as a backlash to the death of first- or second-wave straightedge as a lifestyle. Many, likely most, adherents to the scene grew older and broke with the straightedge's strict anti-drinking and anti-drug stance. This left Mike Judge disillusioned and hurt and, most of all, PISSED. Hence his band's music was extra heavy and angry. Since we just became aware the scene still existed as a going enterprise at the time of Bringin' It Down's release (we had thought it had died with bands like Uniform Choice in the mid-'80s), we didn't really get that Bringin' It Down was a reactionary, almost conservative statement of values, albeit expressed with the force of repeated kidney punches.
Billy Corgan has opened up in recent interviews and discussed how he did a lot of soul searching over the last several years and came to the realization he needed to re-learn what made him happy as a younger man. A similar sentiment is expressed in the most revealing moment from the Judge catalog, in a lyric snippet from our favorite Judge jam, "Like You." Have a listen and keep an ear out for Mike's reflection: "Now I'm trying to find the things I fought to hide when I was young."
Judge - "Like You" (Bringin' It Down version)
Of course, today's big news: Corgan can't be very confident in his just released solo effort. According to this article he took out ads in Chicago papers announcing he would reform Smashing Pumpkins, a somewhat puzzling move. No word on which members will be on board, but it seems likely only Jimmy Chamberlain will make the cut, as we think Corgan doesn't have the best of relationships with D'Arcy and Iha any longer. It is interesting that Mellon Collie is the band's biggest seller, even with it being a double album. We'd think that Siamese Dream would lap it easily. Stereogum has some of the text of the ad Corgan took out to impart his little secret. ILM, of course, has the whole text and saucy discussion to boot.
That is all.
We received our copy of the Judge discography over the weekend. Liner notes written by New York hardcore mainstay guitarist Porcell point out something interesting. Judge was conceived wholesale as a backlash to the death of first- or second-wave straightedge as a lifestyle. Many, likely most, adherents to the scene grew older and broke with the straightedge's strict anti-drinking and anti-drug stance. This left Mike Judge disillusioned and hurt and, most of all, PISSED. Hence his band's music was extra heavy and angry. Since we just became aware the scene still existed as a going enterprise at the time of Bringin' It Down's release (we had thought it had died with bands like Uniform Choice in the mid-'80s), we didn't really get that Bringin' It Down was a reactionary, almost conservative statement of values, albeit expressed with the force of repeated kidney punches.
Billy Corgan has opened up in recent interviews and discussed how he did a lot of soul searching over the last several years and came to the realization he needed to re-learn what made him happy as a younger man. A similar sentiment is expressed in the most revealing moment from the Judge catalog, in a lyric snippet from our favorite Judge jam, "Like You." Have a listen and keep an ear out for Mike's reflection: "Now I'm trying to find the things I fought to hide when I was young."
Judge - "Like You" (Bringin' It Down version)
Of course, today's big news: Corgan can't be very confident in his just released solo effort. According to this article he took out ads in Chicago papers announcing he would reform Smashing Pumpkins, a somewhat puzzling move. No word on which members will be on board, but it seems likely only Jimmy Chamberlain will make the cut, as we think Corgan doesn't have the best of relationships with D'Arcy and Iha any longer. It is interesting that Mellon Collie is the band's biggest seller, even with it being a double album. We'd think that Siamese Dream would lap it easily. Stereogum has some of the text of the ad Corgan took out to impart his little secret. ILM, of course, has the whole text and saucy discussion to boot.
That is all.
June 20, 2005
"This is for the guys who go one two three four five six seven eight nine." Hockey Night.
Just a link dump tonight, as we had to entertain the tile guy and the city property assessment lady earlier this evening:
Stereogum discusses last week's Hit Me Baby One More Time, which we missed, and lists this week's contestants. Needless to say that this week we are pulling for the very underappreciated Greg Kihn (C'mon, "Breakup Song," "Jeopardy" -- pure genius), although we'll be interested to hear whether White Tiger pulls out "Wait" or "When the Children Cry." Note to higher power: Please don't let them play "When the Children Cry."
Coolfer again relays some interesting stats: According to UMG digital music czar Larry Kenswil, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, "almost 90 songs had sold more than 100,000 copies through online stores this year."
Bob Mould points to news links marking the loss of Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who succumbed to throat cancer Friday.
Chromewaves points us to info about the forthcoming Broken Social Scene record, which is slated to drop October 4. Start anticipating now.
The Mobius Band's first proper full-length after four or five years of Eps will finally see release August 9th. You can see the cover art and track listing here.
That is all.
Just a link dump tonight, as we had to entertain the tile guy and the city property assessment lady earlier this evening:
Stereogum discusses last week's Hit Me Baby One More Time, which we missed, and lists this week's contestants. Needless to say that this week we are pulling for the very underappreciated Greg Kihn (C'mon, "Breakup Song," "Jeopardy" -- pure genius), although we'll be interested to hear whether White Tiger pulls out "Wait" or "When the Children Cry." Note to higher power: Please don't let them play "When the Children Cry."
Coolfer again relays some interesting stats: According to UMG digital music czar Larry Kenswil, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, "almost 90 songs had sold more than 100,000 copies through online stores this year."
Bob Mould points to news links marking the loss of Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who succumbed to throat cancer Friday.
Chromewaves points us to info about the forthcoming Broken Social Scene record, which is slated to drop October 4. Start anticipating now.
The Mobius Band's first proper full-length after four or five years of Eps will finally see release August 9th. You can see the cover art and track listing here.
That is all.
June 19, 2005
"What's my protection if I give up my fists?" -Judge
And we're back. Some follow-up to last week's discussion: Like Forrest Gump, BrighAAAAm describes a brush with almost-greatness from his epic road trip in the '80s:
Much like us, Mountain Goats dude and LPTJ shopkeep John Darnielle also loves/hates Hit Me Baby One More Time, and talks about Week #2's events here. Dig it. Even ILM is going nuts for the show. FYI, the best Mountain Goats song is "Cubs In Five."
IODA, which we discussed previously here and here, has just announced a service targeted at traditional retailers that will let them sell digital downloads. Not the first time someone has offered this, and certainly it won't be the last, but IODA has made inroads with some of our favorite indie labels and gotten their music online, so we pay attention. An old name is attached to IODA -- looks like Jill Mango (former MPRM? Or was she with Girlie Action?) has her own shop now is doing IODA's press.
That is all.
And we're back. Some follow-up to last week's discussion: Like Forrest Gump, BrighAAAAm describes a brush with almost-greatness from his epic road trip in the '80s:
...When I was in Albuquerque, my pals and I ended
up at a hardcore show at one of the local high schools
late one afternoon. Op Ivy showed up in an old green
Chrysler Something-or-Other with a big box strapped to
the top holding their gear.
As they were loading in, someone mentioned that they
were short an amp, or that they had blown one out or
something. My [buddies] schlepped
back to our pad to get [an] amp, and showed up a
while later only to find out that the band didn't need
it for some reason, probably because they got one from
one of the other bands.
I find it funny that they found some measure of
success, and that some of them dudes went on to form
Rancid, 'cause back in '88 in New Mexico they were
barely holding their [stuff] together it seemed.
Much like us, Mountain Goats dude and LPTJ shopkeep John Darnielle also loves/hates Hit Me Baby One More Time, and talks about Week #2's events here. Dig it. Even ILM is going nuts for the show. FYI, the best Mountain Goats song is "Cubs In Five."
IODA, which we discussed previously here and here, has just announced a service targeted at traditional retailers that will let them sell digital downloads. Not the first time someone has offered this, and certainly it won't be the last, but IODA has made inroads with some of our favorite indie labels and gotten their music online, so we pay attention. An old name is attached to IODA -- looks like Jill Mango (former MPRM? Or was she with Girlie Action?) has her own shop now is doing IODA's press.
That is all.
June 15, 2005
"Your third drink will lead you astray." - The Silver Jews.
Catbirdseat reveals to us that under-rated Philly indie poppers Mazarin release their third record in August on a New York-based indie we've never heard of called I And Ear Records. The I And Ears site notes that the record features guest spots by our favorite Kurt Heasley, the guy who basically is The Lilys, as well as journeyman Don Devore and one of the dudes from The Walkmen (the picture of The Walkmen gracing its home page appears to depict the band in its recent performance in Harvard Square, FYI). We predict a lot of buzz about this when fall rolls around. Which reminds us we need to figure out if that Hisoft record ever came out.
We don't know how long it will be up, but you can watch a refreshingly spare and restrained version of "The Figurehead" performed live by the newly down-sized The Cure here. We think that the group's return to a three-piece might be the best thing that has happened to the band in 13 years. Link via The 'Nac.
Here’s something very cool: Bloc Party's Thursday night show in DC is getting broadcast live by NPR. Unfortunately, Thursday night is also the start of a long weekend with houseguests, so we won't be able to listen. But anyone who wants to catch the stream and parse it and post it for us somewhere, or deliver it to us on a shiny five-inch circular platter will earn much gratitude. Though we suspect NPR will archive the show. So maybe you should just sit around and drink beer instead. Thanks to LHB for the link.
Pitchfork has an item today about a copyright infringement suit brought against the Beastie Boys. Just imagine how screwed they would be if they had to go back and license all the samples for Paul's Boutique, perhaps the best record of the 1980s.
The ever smart Coolfer notes how Michael Jackson's Thriller record shot from Amazon's #8,436 top seller to its #358 top seller in the hours following the big verdict. People are weird.
That is all.
Catbirdseat reveals to us that under-rated Philly indie poppers Mazarin release their third record in August on a New York-based indie we've never heard of called I And Ear Records. The I And Ears site notes that the record features guest spots by our favorite Kurt Heasley, the guy who basically is The Lilys, as well as journeyman Don Devore and one of the dudes from The Walkmen (the picture of The Walkmen gracing its home page appears to depict the band in its recent performance in Harvard Square, FYI). We predict a lot of buzz about this when fall rolls around. Which reminds us we need to figure out if that Hisoft record ever came out.
We don't know how long it will be up, but you can watch a refreshingly spare and restrained version of "The Figurehead" performed live by the newly down-sized The Cure here. We think that the group's return to a three-piece might be the best thing that has happened to the band in 13 years. Link via The 'Nac.
Here’s something very cool: Bloc Party's Thursday night show in DC is getting broadcast live by NPR. Unfortunately, Thursday night is also the start of a long weekend with houseguests, so we won't be able to listen. But anyone who wants to catch the stream and parse it and post it for us somewhere, or deliver it to us on a shiny five-inch circular platter will earn much gratitude. Though we suspect NPR will archive the show. So maybe you should just sit around and drink beer instead. Thanks to LHB for the link.
Pitchfork has an item today about a copyright infringement suit brought against the Beastie Boys. Just imagine how screwed they would be if they had to go back and license all the samples for Paul's Boutique, perhaps the best record of the 1980s.
The ever smart Coolfer notes how Michael Jackson's Thriller record shot from Amazon's #8,436 top seller to its #358 top seller in the hours following the big verdict. People are weird.
That is all.
June 14, 2005
"I get the sense this is never gonna end." - The Texas Governor.
Understandably, at press time this afternoon, Pink Floyd, its most well known members, and Bob Geldof held the top five spots on the Yahoo Buzz Index for Music Movers, which basically is a list of the most-increased hit count for various Yahoo search terms. Curiously, the absolutely stellar original ska-punkers Operation Ivy were checking in at #9 today. We'll have to keep an eye on the Interwebs to figure out why that is.
There is some lame mention of the band at this article about an Alternative Press party, but that can't be it. Perhaps it is just the return of summer, which often makes us think of pumping Energy in the WPRS Jeep back in the day. Interesting note about Op Ivy -- they broke up following heavy major label interest from EMI. How would the whole Op Ivy legend have been different had they stayed together and signed? Hard to say, but everyone should have a copy of Energy for summertime beer drinkin.'
The Buddyhead MP3 blog has started doing this bit called Music 101, which is pretty similar to what the StyPod does in some respects. The idea is that they get people of some distinction (at least among the Buddyhead crowd) to wax nostalgic over what they believe to be crucial recordings. So here is John Stanier's entry; he apparently is in that rock act Battles. Here is some other guy's picks, he seems like he is in a metal band or something -- we like his list because it includes Slim Gaillard, who made the chillingist proto-rock with a pop swing in the late '30s and '40s. Finally, the inaugural post was made by a dude in the Buddyhead-signed Burning Brides, who we believe have some connection to Philly. Oh wait, there is one more list from a guy who has played with Jesus Lizard and Tomahawk, looks like that was the inaugural list. Anyway, doooo check it out.
The Music Cherry blog perpetuates comparisons between Slow Dazzle and Mazzy Star that we think are a little tenuous, but maybe our ear is unable to hear past the Slow Dazzle principals' past to hear the similarity. But regardless, Slow Dazzle is building some well-deserved buzz.
More CD copy protection bullshit from Sony BMG. Link via Coolfer.
That is all.
Understandably, at press time this afternoon, Pink Floyd, its most well known members, and Bob Geldof held the top five spots on the Yahoo Buzz Index for Music Movers, which basically is a list of the most-increased hit count for various Yahoo search terms. Curiously, the absolutely stellar original ska-punkers Operation Ivy were checking in at #9 today. We'll have to keep an eye on the Interwebs to figure out why that is.
There is some lame mention of the band at this article about an Alternative Press party, but that can't be it. Perhaps it is just the return of summer, which often makes us think of pumping Energy in the WPRS Jeep back in the day. Interesting note about Op Ivy -- they broke up following heavy major label interest from EMI. How would the whole Op Ivy legend have been different had they stayed together and signed? Hard to say, but everyone should have a copy of Energy for summertime beer drinkin.'
The Buddyhead MP3 blog has started doing this bit called Music 101, which is pretty similar to what the StyPod does in some respects. The idea is that they get people of some distinction (at least among the Buddyhead crowd) to wax nostalgic over what they believe to be crucial recordings. So here is John Stanier's entry; he apparently is in that rock act Battles. Here is some other guy's picks, he seems like he is in a metal band or something -- we like his list because it includes Slim Gaillard, who made the chillingist proto-rock with a pop swing in the late '30s and '40s. Finally, the inaugural post was made by a dude in the Buddyhead-signed Burning Brides, who we believe have some connection to Philly. Oh wait, there is one more list from a guy who has played with Jesus Lizard and Tomahawk, looks like that was the inaugural list. Anyway, doooo check it out.
The Music Cherry blog perpetuates comparisons between Slow Dazzle and Mazzy Star that we think are a little tenuous, but maybe our ear is unable to hear past the Slow Dazzle principals' past to hear the similarity. But regardless, Slow Dazzle is building some well-deserved buzz.
More CD copy protection bullshit from Sony BMG. Link via Coolfer.
That is all.
June 13, 2005
"Hear Me. I'm Calling Out." - Burn.
Briefly:
Revelation 22, the BURN EP, contains the heaviest New York hardcore song ever recorded. We received a CD copy to replace our cassette dub this morning. We literally trembled with anticipation as we cued it up to track three, "Drown." The song is amazing, with singular singer Chaka in full-on aggro mode. We don't remember the vocals being mixed so high, but with headphones on the guitars come into proper perspective. The real mystery of the release is why "Drown" isn't sequenced first, although the song no longer seems head and shoulders above the rest of the EP, as it did when we turned on to it in '92 or so.
Another striking thing: heard in context, the music on this EP seems almost disappointingly similar to the stuff on Judge's Bringing It Down [Revelation 15]. Just listen to the beginning of "Drown" and the beginning of Judge's "The Storm" if you don't beleive it. Of course, the bands were both working the New York hardcore scene at the same time, and Don Fury produced the sessions for each recording. So the instruments even sound the same. Still, Burn's willingness to dial back the metal in the breakdown of "Godhead," for example; to explore more complex emotional and even spiritual material; and Chaka's commanding voice all make this EP substantially smarter than the tough-guy rock on Judge's record.
In related news, the Judge discography What It Meant streets on the 21st [scroll down] of this month. We pre-ordered ours and look forward to its arrival. At the same link you will see that there is now a date attached to the BOLD discography The Search 1985-1989: July 12. We'll probably end up pre-ordering that one, but we'll try to stave off the urge to consume a little while longer. For now, why not enjoy some rock?
Burn - "Drown."
That is all.
Briefly:
Revelation 22, the BURN EP, contains the heaviest New York hardcore song ever recorded. We received a CD copy to replace our cassette dub this morning. We literally trembled with anticipation as we cued it up to track three, "Drown." The song is amazing, with singular singer Chaka in full-on aggro mode. We don't remember the vocals being mixed so high, but with headphones on the guitars come into proper perspective. The real mystery of the release is why "Drown" isn't sequenced first, although the song no longer seems head and shoulders above the rest of the EP, as it did when we turned on to it in '92 or so.
Another striking thing: heard in context, the music on this EP seems almost disappointingly similar to the stuff on Judge's Bringing It Down [Revelation 15]. Just listen to the beginning of "Drown" and the beginning of Judge's "The Storm" if you don't beleive it. Of course, the bands were both working the New York hardcore scene at the same time, and Don Fury produced the sessions for each recording. So the instruments even sound the same. Still, Burn's willingness to dial back the metal in the breakdown of "Godhead," for example; to explore more complex emotional and even spiritual material; and Chaka's commanding voice all make this EP substantially smarter than the tough-guy rock on Judge's record.
In related news, the Judge discography What It Meant streets on the 21st [scroll down] of this month. We pre-ordered ours and look forward to its arrival. At the same link you will see that there is now a date attached to the BOLD discography The Search 1985-1989: July 12. We'll probably end up pre-ordering that one, but we'll try to stave off the urge to consume a little while longer. For now, why not enjoy some rock?
Burn - "Drown."
That is all.
June 12, 2005
"And smile in reassurance as you whisper down the phone..." - Pink Floyd.
We are sure we will ultimately be disappointed by it, but news broke today that Pink Floyd will reunite with Roger Waters for Bob Geldof's Live 8 festival. We just can't imagine the band will run out of the proverbial baseline a bit -- the gratification of the crowd who thirsts for FM radio hits will probably be too hard to deny. We would love if they played More front to back, but that's unlikely. Of course, the announcement does little to quell criticism that the event is too Anglo-Saxon. Anyway, Waters apparently has not played live with the band since 1981. We can't remember that far back, but we guess that means the band did not tour in support of The Final Cut, a record we loved in 7th Grade, during which we transcribed the lyrics to many of the songs onto the required brown paper textbook jackets of most of our books. The Final Cut was recently redeemed by Pitchfork's Chris Ott. We've always loved how melodic the record was, and were glad somebody finally stood up for it, whether the record represents the band or just Waters, we don't care.
We promised last week to re-post Fitz of Depression's version of the Tommy Tutone hit "867-5309 (Jenny)." So there you go.
Coolfer is skeptical that even a big bland marketing effort will help excite people about MSN Music's big bland digital music service. Related: MSN Music plans to offer a subscription service. Welcome to 2003, Herr Gates.
Scenestars thinks the world stops spinning when their site goes down. Did anybody else feel it? Not us.
Administrative Note: Clicky Clicky Command Central is now home to a super little greyhound named Olive. We are, for the moment anyway, the type of blogger who talks about our pets. Oh well.
That is all.
We are sure we will ultimately be disappointed by it, but news broke today that Pink Floyd will reunite with Roger Waters for Bob Geldof's Live 8 festival. We just can't imagine the band will run out of the proverbial baseline a bit -- the gratification of the crowd who thirsts for FM radio hits will probably be too hard to deny. We would love if they played More front to back, but that's unlikely. Of course, the announcement does little to quell criticism that the event is too Anglo-Saxon. Anyway, Waters apparently has not played live with the band since 1981. We can't remember that far back, but we guess that means the band did not tour in support of The Final Cut, a record we loved in 7th Grade, during which we transcribed the lyrics to many of the songs onto the required brown paper textbook jackets of most of our books. The Final Cut was recently redeemed by Pitchfork's Chris Ott. We've always loved how melodic the record was, and were glad somebody finally stood up for it, whether the record represents the band or just Waters, we don't care.
We promised last week to re-post Fitz of Depression's version of the Tommy Tutone hit "867-5309 (Jenny)." So there you go.
Coolfer is skeptical that even a big bland marketing effort will help excite people about MSN Music's big bland digital music service. Related: MSN Music plans to offer a subscription service. Welcome to 2003, Herr Gates.
Scenestars thinks the world stops spinning when their site goes down. Did anybody else feel it? Not us.
Administrative Note: Clicky Clicky Command Central is now home to a super little greyhound named Olive. We are, for the moment anyway, the type of blogger who talks about our pets. Oh well.
That is all.
June 9, 2005
"What's left over to stay on for, already told her I loved her." - Haywood.
Another coincidence in the Land of Clicky Clicky. Turns out our very own Reader #6, better known to some as "that guy from Haywood" or "this dude who works at MTV," made the promo we heard but didn't see last night that used the Say Hi To Your Mom song. You can watch the promo here in some odd TV advert industry rag we'd never heard of. Anyway, you can do a search at that site under Reader #6's [insert preferred higher power]-given name and find a couple other commercials he wrote and directed, including a really funny one called "T-Bone." We have to say, we hate 99% of MTV's shows (if only they would put that 'roided up MTV stuff with the indie rock onto basic cable!), but these spots are great. There is an article about the spots, which are part of a larger ad campaign, here, but it's pretty critical. So screw them. We think they mispelled "ensconsed" anyway.
Buddyhead. Back with a vengeance. To whit: "The Used & My Chemical Romance 'joining forces' on that Queen cover reminds me of that time I had a migraine and explosive diarrhea at the same time." Also features a great collection of Liam Gallagher quotes. Fun. As Catbirdseat exclaimed earlier, "Buddyhead update days are good days."
Bars & Guitars has some nice things to say about the Slow Dazzle record, and has posted a track from the album. The blogger has his Mendoza Line songwriting fractions wrong, but we forgive him.
Hey, go grab the Hockey Night track posted at Music.For-Robots, it smokes in a Strokes kind of way.
Hit Me Baby One More Time is just starting on NBC. We are both excited and fearful to see the historically great Tommy Tutone. The studio audience is totally nuts tonight. We wonder if the crowd noise is fake. Probably. Anyway, The Knack open the show and they are pretty sharp. They even look pretty well. Seems like the songs aren't as horribly truncated this week, but still truncated. The Knack are going to play that rockin' Jet song later in the show. That sounds promising. Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for Tutone.
That is all.
Another coincidence in the Land of Clicky Clicky. Turns out our very own Reader #6, better known to some as "that guy from Haywood" or "this dude who works at MTV," made the promo we heard but didn't see last night that used the Say Hi To Your Mom song. You can watch the promo here in some odd TV advert industry rag we'd never heard of. Anyway, you can do a search at that site under Reader #6's [insert preferred higher power]-given name and find a couple other commercials he wrote and directed, including a really funny one called "T-Bone." We have to say, we hate 99% of MTV's shows (if only they would put that 'roided up MTV stuff with the indie rock onto basic cable!), but these spots are great. There is an article about the spots, which are part of a larger ad campaign, here, but it's pretty critical. So screw them. We think they mispelled "ensconsed" anyway.
Buddyhead. Back with a vengeance. To whit: "The Used & My Chemical Romance 'joining forces' on that Queen cover reminds me of that time I had a migraine and explosive diarrhea at the same time." Also features a great collection of Liam Gallagher quotes. Fun. As Catbirdseat exclaimed earlier, "Buddyhead update days are good days."
Bars & Guitars has some nice things to say about the Slow Dazzle record, and has posted a track from the album. The blogger has his Mendoza Line songwriting fractions wrong, but we forgive him.
Hey, go grab the Hockey Night track posted at Music.For-Robots, it smokes in a Strokes kind of way.
Hit Me Baby One More Time is just starting on NBC. We are both excited and fearful to see the historically great Tommy Tutone. The studio audience is totally nuts tonight. We wonder if the crowd noise is fake. Probably. Anyway, The Knack open the show and they are pretty sharp. They even look pretty well. Seems like the songs aren't as horribly truncated this week, but still truncated. The Knack are going to play that rockin' Jet song later in the show. That sounds promising. Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for Tutone.
That is all.
June 8, 2005
"So how's your mom, and are you working the same place?" - Swearing At Motorists.
We just were moving some stuff hither and thither around the house when we distinctly heard some of that good old-fashioned indie rock on the television. It seems Brooklyn-based indie rockers Say Hi To Your Mom, who released a new record called Ferocious Mopes today that we are mid-way through reviewing for Junkmedia, have finally rode their excellent song "Let's Talk About Spaceships" into the mainstream, as the tune is featured in a promo for some MTV program or another. The song is from their 2004 record Numbers and Mumbles and you can download it from the band's web site (scroll down). We highly recommend you do, as the song even gained a coveted spot on one of our mix CDs last September, and it is getting beyond the point where you will be cool for knowing about them. The band was apparently Spin.com's band of the day today. Next stop, The O.C. We're guessing.
Say Hi To Your Mom's name always reminds us of Ohio's own Swearing At Motorists, whose excellent cut "Flying Pizza" covers related territory in its chorus. Right click and save as to download it.
Not a lot of interest found in our spin through our usual sites today, but here is some good news: AC/DC's Back In Black just became the fifth highest-selling record in the U.S. ever, according to the RIAA. As of now, the record has shipped (not sold?) 21 million units. Good work, AC/DC.
WMG is doing its financials Monday. Why not dial in and listen for old time's sake? If anything, we're glad to see Will Tanous is still attached to the label group. Real chill dude. Looks like they changed his phone number, but at least homey's still got a job, considering the upheaval surrounding Warners in the last three or four years.
There are exactly 7,600 songs in our ITunes and IPod today.
That is all.
We just were moving some stuff hither and thither around the house when we distinctly heard some of that good old-fashioned indie rock on the television. It seems Brooklyn-based indie rockers Say Hi To Your Mom, who released a new record called Ferocious Mopes today that we are mid-way through reviewing for Junkmedia, have finally rode their excellent song "Let's Talk About Spaceships" into the mainstream, as the tune is featured in a promo for some MTV program or another. The song is from their 2004 record Numbers and Mumbles and you can download it from the band's web site (scroll down). We highly recommend you do, as the song even gained a coveted spot on one of our mix CDs last September, and it is getting beyond the point where you will be cool for knowing about them. The band was apparently Spin.com's band of the day today. Next stop, The O.C. We're guessing.
Say Hi To Your Mom's name always reminds us of Ohio's own Swearing At Motorists, whose excellent cut "Flying Pizza" covers related territory in its chorus. Right click and save as to download it.
Not a lot of interest found in our spin through our usual sites today, but here is some good news: AC/DC's Back In Black just became the fifth highest-selling record in the U.S. ever, according to the RIAA. As of now, the record has shipped (not sold?) 21 million units. Good work, AC/DC.
WMG is doing its financials Monday. Why not dial in and listen for old time's sake? If anything, we're glad to see Will Tanous is still attached to the label group. Real chill dude. Looks like they changed his phone number, but at least homey's still got a job, considering the upheaval surrounding Warners in the last three or four years.
There are exactly 7,600 songs in our ITunes and IPod today.
That is all.
June 7, 2005
"Life could be worse in the sun..." - The Farmhands.
Good way to spend 90 minutes: Listening to Quicksand's excellent 1993 hardcore gem Slip (which arrived in today's mail at the office to replace our old cassette dub) about three times this morning at work. Bad way to spend 90 minutes: Having our dentist, who is a very nice guy we like a lot, botch three procedures (not all his fault) to close out the afternoon. The seven shots of novocaine are still wearing off, and the real pain is wearing in. Anyhoo, does anyone recommend any of the post-Quicksand projects, Handsome and Rival Schools? We haven't heard either, but as a heavy music phase is starting to manifest itself, perhaps the time has come.
AllMusic is spotlighting The Books. Which basically means there is a nice picture and a snippet of their bio on the front page right now. No matter, still nice that such a deserving band gets attention.
Coolfer points to more verbiage about the dust-up between WMG and Tom Waits' former publisher. WMG is claiming purchasing a download means you are buying a product, not a license, which they believe apparently boosts their case. We seem to remember the same "license" construction being used the opposite way a few years back, where labels were trying to limit the fair use/sharing argument for (old-style) Napster etc. by claiming that purchasing a CD is actually purchasing the right to use the music, not purchasing a product (We are sure that we could find some label dood/ette making that argument in the Webnoize archives, if such a thing were to exist). So which is it? Anyhoo, dig in to the issue at the Berkeley Intellectual Property blog.
IndieWorkshop has the first Slow Dazzle review we've seen. It's also the first one with a sentence fragment we've seen. And incorrect use of "it's." Etc. We'd write and complain, but we think we already hassled the same reviewer last year for misspelling Bracy and Deppler's names in a review of Fortune, so we'll lay off this time. Anyhoo, the Slow Dazzle record, released on Misra, streeted today. [A quick check of American Book Congress reveals the location of another review].
Despite assertions that his blogging days are numbered, Mystical Beast continues to turn out great stuff. Check the first part of a week-long exploration of Tiny Lights. [OK, the post is by Sleeve and not Dana, but whatever…].
That is all.
Good way to spend 90 minutes: Listening to Quicksand's excellent 1993 hardcore gem Slip (which arrived in today's mail at the office to replace our old cassette dub) about three times this morning at work. Bad way to spend 90 minutes: Having our dentist, who is a very nice guy we like a lot, botch three procedures (not all his fault) to close out the afternoon. The seven shots of novocaine are still wearing off, and the real pain is wearing in. Anyhoo, does anyone recommend any of the post-Quicksand projects, Handsome and Rival Schools? We haven't heard either, but as a heavy music phase is starting to manifest itself, perhaps the time has come.
AllMusic is spotlighting The Books. Which basically means there is a nice picture and a snippet of their bio on the front page right now. No matter, still nice that such a deserving band gets attention.
Coolfer points to more verbiage about the dust-up between WMG and Tom Waits' former publisher. WMG is claiming purchasing a download means you are buying a product, not a license, which they believe apparently boosts their case. We seem to remember the same "license" construction being used the opposite way a few years back, where labels were trying to limit the fair use/sharing argument for (old-style) Napster etc. by claiming that purchasing a CD is actually purchasing the right to use the music, not purchasing a product (We are sure that we could find some label dood/ette making that argument in the Webnoize archives, if such a thing were to exist). So which is it? Anyhoo, dig in to the issue at the Berkeley Intellectual Property blog.
IndieWorkshop has the first Slow Dazzle review we've seen. It's also the first one with a sentence fragment we've seen. And incorrect use of "it's." Etc. We'd write and complain, but we think we already hassled the same reviewer last year for misspelling Bracy and Deppler's names in a review of Fortune, so we'll lay off this time. Anyhoo, the Slow Dazzle record, released on Misra, streeted today. [A quick check of American Book Congress reveals the location of another review].
Despite assertions that his blogging days are numbered, Mystical Beast continues to turn out great stuff. Check the first part of a week-long exploration of Tiny Lights. [OK, the post is by Sleeve and not Dana, but whatever…].
That is all.
June 6, 2005
"Superfreak get on your feet and throw your secret signs." - Halo Benders.
Music.For-Robots gets the royal treatment from NYT. The piece includes the interesting tidbit (we love hard numbers) that the Robots have only sold 150 CDs, or 15% of their inventory, in the first two weeks since the disc came out. Meaning that our earlier exhortation to go buy the CD a couple weeks ago for fear that it would sell out was well off the mark. All the same, we think the disc is pretty listenable. Ultimately it will probably just sit on the shelf we've designated for comps and jazz in our guest room, gathering dust somewhere between A Dog So Large I Cannot See Past It and This Is Harrisburg Not Topeka (Scroll down -- Targo, Torgo, it's all ball bearings...). But even if viewed as purely a vehicle for the new Haywood cut, $10 bucks seems a pretty fair price.
Coolfer rounds up a few pre-release hype-builder interviews with Coldplay. Stereogum rounds up people hatin' on the band; Pareles' piece in the NYT makes a very sound argument that neatly ticks off all the reasons Coldplay can be annoying.
IndieWorkshop executes a much-needed and solid redesign. We really couldn't feel the flow of the old model. This is a marked improvement. We're still not so crazy about some of the CD reviewers' stizz, but the site has broad coverage and a decent news product.
MysticalBeast runs down the ins and outs of TeenBeat's The Teenbeat Story: Superstars On 45 comp. Unfortunately, he doesn't highlight the tunes from it we'd most want to hear, but it is an interesting piece of reading if you are a fan of the label.
Tommy Tutone will (attempt to) rock that awful NBC show this week, and we guarantee sometime this week we will post Fitz of Depression's awesome "867-5309 (Jenny)" cover to compensate for the certain disappointment we won't be able to tear ourselves away from.
That is all.
Music.For-Robots gets the royal treatment from NYT. The piece includes the interesting tidbit (we love hard numbers) that the Robots have only sold 150 CDs, or 15% of their inventory, in the first two weeks since the disc came out. Meaning that our earlier exhortation to go buy the CD a couple weeks ago for fear that it would sell out was well off the mark. All the same, we think the disc is pretty listenable. Ultimately it will probably just sit on the shelf we've designated for comps and jazz in our guest room, gathering dust somewhere between A Dog So Large I Cannot See Past It and This Is Harrisburg Not Topeka (Scroll down -- Targo, Torgo, it's all ball bearings...). But even if viewed as purely a vehicle for the new Haywood cut, $10 bucks seems a pretty fair price.
Coolfer rounds up a few pre-release hype-builder interviews with Coldplay. Stereogum rounds up people hatin' on the band; Pareles' piece in the NYT makes a very sound argument that neatly ticks off all the reasons Coldplay can be annoying.
IndieWorkshop executes a much-needed and solid redesign. We really couldn't feel the flow of the old model. This is a marked improvement. We're still not so crazy about some of the CD reviewers' stizz, but the site has broad coverage and a decent news product.
MysticalBeast runs down the ins and outs of TeenBeat's The Teenbeat Story: Superstars On 45 comp. Unfortunately, he doesn't highlight the tunes from it we'd most want to hear, but it is an interesting piece of reading if you are a fan of the label.
Tommy Tutone will (attempt to) rock that awful NBC show this week, and we guarantee sometime this week we will post Fitz of Depression's awesome "867-5309 (Jenny)" cover to compensate for the certain disappointment we won't be able to tear ourselves away from.
That is all.
June 5, 2005
"Hollywood cops shoot each other in bed." - The Replacements.
Spent a good portion of Saturday driving around and listening to Superchunk's On The Mouth. We'd never spent much time at the band's web site, but it appears they have very nice liner notey kind of write ups for each release, including interesting tidbits such as: the working title of our favorite number from the record (not including the title track, which was released on a single) was "Old Lady Package Thief." Also, in the discographical info for the comp Incidental Music, Jon admits to not knowing "Makeout Bench," or its release info. We can help out on this count: our recently mallied friend PEG told us back in the day that the song was issued on a cassette comp, the name of which escapes me now. It was one of PEG's favorite jams, and it became one of ours. Anyhoo, both records are definitely crucial. If you don't own them, throw up your hands in despair and then order them from Amazon or something. Then cross that problem off your list. Speaking of...
It seems Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano gets a bad rap, whether it is the indiescenti at ILM or AllMusic calling her band's debut "confused." Sure, the band's ultra sappy "Joey" is probably grounds for some derision, but we are always surprised how short so many music fans' memories are. Concrete Blonde came to national attention, in an '80s alternative rock kind of way in any case, on the strength of a real hot rocker, "Still In Hollywood," from the band's debut released on I.R.S. All fine and good. At the turn of the '90s Napolitano dueted with Westerberg on "My Little Problem," one of the more rocking songs on The Replacements' swan song All Shook Down. This post was going to detail other duets Napolitano did with some of our other favorite artists, but when we did the research it turned out that she hadn't sung the songs we thought she had. So just enjoy this one.
The Replacements (w/Johnette Napolitano) - My Little Problem.
TMT gets all Marx and whatnot on Clear Channel. An interesting bit of writing, although only slightly if at all illuminating on the subject of high ticket prices driving concert-goers away from concerts. Sound and fury signifying nothing, but in an entertaining manner. Good enough for us.
That is all.
Spent a good portion of Saturday driving around and listening to Superchunk's On The Mouth. We'd never spent much time at the band's web site, but it appears they have very nice liner notey kind of write ups for each release, including interesting tidbits such as: the working title of our favorite number from the record (not including the title track, which was released on a single) was "Old Lady Package Thief." Also, in the discographical info for the comp Incidental Music, Jon admits to not knowing "Makeout Bench," or its release info. We can help out on this count: our recently mallied friend PEG told us back in the day that the song was issued on a cassette comp, the name of which escapes me now. It was one of PEG's favorite jams, and it became one of ours. Anyhoo, both records are definitely crucial. If you don't own them, throw up your hands in despair and then order them from Amazon or something. Then cross that problem off your list. Speaking of...
It seems Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano gets a bad rap, whether it is the indiescenti at ILM or AllMusic calling her band's debut "confused." Sure, the band's ultra sappy "Joey" is probably grounds for some derision, but we are always surprised how short so many music fans' memories are. Concrete Blonde came to national attention, in an '80s alternative rock kind of way in any case, on the strength of a real hot rocker, "Still In Hollywood," from the band's debut released on I.R.S. All fine and good. At the turn of the '90s Napolitano dueted with Westerberg on "My Little Problem," one of the more rocking songs on The Replacements' swan song All Shook Down. This post was going to detail other duets Napolitano did with some of our other favorite artists, but when we did the research it turned out that she hadn't sung the songs we thought she had. So just enjoy this one.
The Replacements (w/Johnette Napolitano) - My Little Problem.
TMT gets all Marx and whatnot on Clear Channel. An interesting bit of writing, although only slightly if at all illuminating on the subject of high ticket prices driving concert-goers away from concerts. Sound and fury signifying nothing, but in an entertaining manner. Good enough for us.
That is all.
June 2, 2005
"Die young is far too boring these days." - Helmet.
We're currently watching the new National Broadcasting Corporation show Hit Me Baby One More Time. Purely just to see Loverboy. They rock (or shall we say, historically they have rocked). The show is only in its first minute and we can tell it is going to be a car wreck. For the record, Mike Reno is now really fat. He seems really unhealthy. OK, now the band is playing. How bad is your TV show that the big opening is a very grey and turgid iteration of Loverboy feebly rocking out? Anyway, just watch the video of the original song at the link supra. The version they played of "Working For The Weekend" live was horribly truncated. Oh man, this is bad. We can't keep writing about it...
Buried in this story about Tom Waits' former publisher suing for a larger cut of royalties from digital downloads: WMG's cut, and presumably its typical cut, of a $.99 download is $.67, or more than two-thirds the retail price. That is sort of interesting. We hadn't realized their slice of the pie (presumably for the mechanical royalty, though we can't really remember all the differences anymore) was so large. We assume WMG's cut includes a portion that is in turn paid to Waits, presuming any advance he had has recouped. Ditto for the publisher: presumably a cut of that goes to Waits, too. The point being that this story sounds like the publisher is going to bat for Waits, but in fact it just wants more money for itself. Guess that's no surprise.
Somehow we knew when we were seeing the Gang of Four show with BrighAAAAm last month that the performance would get written up at Pitchfork. Today Pfork obliges with a typically late but very solid review. Speaking of good show reviews, check out the New York Times' take on the Kraftwerk tour. They are the robots.
Getting indecent charges on your IPod battery? Sign up to get $50 bucks from them for your trouble.
FYI, Arrested Development just owned all the other bands. The host of this show needs to die. What an asshole.
In non-music-related reading: If you haven't been reading the Captain's Log lately, you've been missing out on some funny stuff.
That is all.
We're currently watching the new National Broadcasting Corporation show Hit Me Baby One More Time. Purely just to see Loverboy. They rock (or shall we say, historically they have rocked). The show is only in its first minute and we can tell it is going to be a car wreck. For the record, Mike Reno is now really fat. He seems really unhealthy. OK, now the band is playing. How bad is your TV show that the big opening is a very grey and turgid iteration of Loverboy feebly rocking out? Anyway, just watch the video of the original song at the link supra. The version they played of "Working For The Weekend" live was horribly truncated. Oh man, this is bad. We can't keep writing about it...
Buried in this story about Tom Waits' former publisher suing for a larger cut of royalties from digital downloads: WMG's cut, and presumably its typical cut, of a $.99 download is $.67, or more than two-thirds the retail price. That is sort of interesting. We hadn't realized their slice of the pie (presumably for the mechanical royalty, though we can't really remember all the differences anymore) was so large. We assume WMG's cut includes a portion that is in turn paid to Waits, presuming any advance he had has recouped. Ditto for the publisher: presumably a cut of that goes to Waits, too. The point being that this story sounds like the publisher is going to bat for Waits, but in fact it just wants more money for itself. Guess that's no surprise.
Somehow we knew when we were seeing the Gang of Four show with BrighAAAAm last month that the performance would get written up at Pitchfork. Today Pfork obliges with a typically late but very solid review. Speaking of good show reviews, check out the New York Times' take on the Kraftwerk tour. They are the robots.
Getting indecent charges on your IPod battery? Sign up to get $50 bucks from them for your trouble.
FYI, Arrested Development just owned all the other bands. The host of this show needs to die. What an asshole.
In non-music-related reading: If you haven't been reading the Captain's Log lately, you've been missing out on some funny stuff.
That is all.