Today's Hotness: AC/DC, Benge, Up Up Down Down

>> When we were youths the arrival of MTV inside our teevees was pretty much the end-all, be-all. We watched so much MTV between the ages of 8 and 16 that it is surprising we did anything else. And one of our earliest memories of the network is the Friday Night Concert. Or maybe it was the Saturday Night Concert, because we recall on Friday it was the Friday Night Video Fights. Anyway, there were two exceptional concerts in those days that were played over and over again. A dazzling assault by AC/DC circa For Those About To Rock, We Salute You, and another great set by rocker Billy Squier. The first thing we did when we heard about MTV's new "Hulu for music videos" was check to see if either of those old concerts was there. And we're pretty sure the amazing live rendition of "Put The Finger On You" embedded above is taken from the performance that was aired as part of the MTV concert. Legendary hard rock quintet AC/DC, of course, just released its latest record Black Ice last week, and Billboard here broke the news last night that the new set will debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 today. Black Ice, which is being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, scanned 784,000 copies in its first week. The band launched a tour to support the record in Wilkes-Barre, PA last night. We can't imagine any of the performances will come close the the awesome clip above.

>> According to this item at The Quietus, there is a new set from electronic music luminary Ben Edwards' Benge project. Twenty Systems features as many compositions, one for each year -- crafted with one synthesizer from the same year -- between 1968 and 1987. Its concept seems somewhat similar to Keith Fullerton Whitmans' Multiples, which featured titles including "Stereo Music for Acoustic Guitar, Buchla Music Box 100, Hewlett Packard Model 236 Oscillator, Electric Guitar and Computer - Part Two" and which we reviewed here for Junkmedia in 2005. Twenty Systems was released on Mr. Edwards' own Expanding Records. According to the Expanding web site, Twenty Systems "combines an audio CD of new music with a full colour 60-page book containing photos and diagrams of the electronic instruments used, along with a detailed history documenting the development of synthesisers between 1968 and 1988." The release has garnered props from electronic luminaries including Brian Eno and Scanner. Twenty Systems doesn't come cheap -- it's 15 pounds sterling from Smallfish.co.uk. Perhaps Forced Exposure will stock it sometime soon (along with the latest Oblong release, please). As we stated here at the beginning of the year, we are big fans of Benge's 2002 release Meme Tunes; the most recent Benge set prior to Twenty Systems was called I Am Nine and it was issued in 2004. Here is the wonderful dreamer "Eve's Escape Valve" from Meme Tunes.

Benge -- "Eve's Escape Valve" -- Meme Tunes
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[buy Benge music from Smallfish right here]

>> Despite announcing its break-up in July and playing its last show in August, awkwardly monikered post-emo superheroes Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start have announced it will play a short set -- as Pearl Jam -- Friday night as part of a Halloween party in New Jersey. The party is at the band's studio in Haddon Heights, and more details, including the rest of the bill, are posted here at DinerState.com. Now listen to "Melanie Flury," which will make you wish the band were reuniting as itself. Sigh.

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start -- "Melanie Flury" -- Girls Names EP
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[buy Up Up Down Down records from the band here]

Muxtape No. 7: Talked Myself To Sleep

[IMAGE: Kasimir Malevich "Landscape With Yellow House," courtesy Wikimedia Commons] We're back on the allergy medicine this week, so we are sort of floating in space, which we think this mix suggests. Which begs the question: why we didn't include anything from Spiritualized's Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space? Alas, hindsight is 20/20. Here is the link to our weekly Muxtape.

1. Frightened Rabbit -- "The Twist (Demo)"
(A kool kat out there in musicland sent us a bunch of demos that Frightened Rabbit had recorded for the excellent set The Midnight Organ Fight, which was released in April. Or was supposed to be issued in April, the date was pushed back, but we're fairly certain the record is finally out now. The band plays Great Scott in Boston Monday night, which normally would be an ideal time for us, but sadly the show conflicts with a visit from Clicky Clicky Mom, so we are going to pass as much as it pains us. We've already heard rumors of the band's return to town for another date, so we'll just have to redouble our efforts then. Anyway, about the demo: we love the little piano twitter laid over the thrumming rhythm.)

2. Mantissa -- "Modesto" -- Building A Working Model
(We wanted to include this jam here because there is a chord change in the chorus similar to one in the Frightened Rabbit tune. Also it is an under-rated track from an under-rated album made by one of the most recognizable singers in indie rock. Chicagoland indie rock fans may recall Brian McGrath's rasp from the excellent and similarly under-known trio Wendyfix. "Modesto" is not one of the "hits" from Working Model, but placed in a new context it is a surprisingly vital indie rock number.)

3. The Halo Benders -- "Bomb Shelter Part 1" -- Don't Tell Me Now
(Time was we thought this pairing of Beat Happening's Calvin Johnson and Built To Spill's Doug Martsch was too much of a clash. But Don't Tell Me Now collects so many irresistible tracks we've come back to it regularly over the last decade. As an added bonus, in the second chorus that woman with the heavenly voice from, ummm, Heavenly chimes in.)

4. The Royal We -- "All The Rage" -- Single
(Delicious single released last September from a Glaswegian septet whose story we think goes a little like this: band forms, agrees to break up after releasing a record, band garners fans with single and charisma, band releases record and breaks up, true to their word. This number has sass, pep and hand-claps to spare, and there is actually an entertaining video for it to which you can watch here).

5. Haywood -- "Come On Tell The Truth" -- We Are Amateurs, You And I
(One of the many fine moments recorded by Haywood Mach II on its first posthumous release. We remember one of the guys deeming this track as having the "classic Haywood" composition and vibe, and perhaps that's true. Although we don't hear any of the cute half-smiles in the lyric here that Mr. Pauly often uses to shade the emotion of a song. So in a sense this song is an unflinching hard stare at a disappointing situation. Which fits, considering the song's quiet demand for an answer.)

6. Swearing At Motorists -- "Being In Love"
(If memory serves, at one point Swearing At Motorists' Dave Doughman moved to Berlin, Germany and started recording songs in the Weinmeisterstrasse Ubahnhof rail station after it shut down for the night. And we have to believe that this track is a result of one such recording session (although the track wasn't on Exile On Gipsatrasse -- link), what with the amazing reverb and ambient noise. A fairly harrowing take on being consumed by love, but beautiful as well. Well, we just actually did the research and apparently the track is a cover of a song by Songs:Ohia and was issued on a comp. Who knew?)

7. Hurl -- "Dual Showman" -- "Madison Earful" single
(Devastating slowcore. Noisy bookends. Seems to recast the emotions of the Swearing At Motorists track as bold, quasi-Suprematist slashes of melody. Single released on My Pal God, one of the few labels that makes its vinyl singles from the '90s available digitally.)

8. Bottomless Pit -- "Human Out Of Me" -- Hammer Of The Gods
(The pop-and-lock layers of guitar and bass in "Dual Showman" suggested this number to us. Except there is an ease to the rhythm that injects substantially more levity into the proceedings. Bottomless Pit tours this summer and is about to released an EP titled Congress. The extended player will contain the tracks "Red Pen," "Fish Eyes," "Pitch" and "Angry Swan." It is available for pre-order now, will be issued digitally by Comedy Minus One June 1, and will be available on vinyl (with CD included) July 16 directly from the band. If you pre-order prior to June 1 you get the vinyl and CD and shipping for $9.50 total. More info here.)

9. Bloc Party -- "Like Eating Glass" -- Silent Alarm
(This one's a rocker, and we figured we needed to throw a rocker in right here.)

10. Slicker -- "FrustRache" -- The Latest
(Exquisite minimal electronic jam from the son of the guy who made all your favorite '80s movies. One of those records we first heard on the hi-fi at a record store (the erstwhile Harvard Square location of Other Music) and purchased on the spot. The Latest captured the zeitgeist of the times as far as electronic music goes, although we've never claimed to have more than a cursory mastery of what's going on in the scene. Recommended if you like Bruno Pronsato and vice versa.)

11. Benge -- "Eve's Escape Valve" -- Meme Tunes
(More minimal, yet more lush and with more melody. A good allergy medicine anthem. Again something in the rhythm and chimes suggested the next song to us.)

12. Althea And Donna -- "Uptown Top Ranking"
(A sunshiney pop reggae gem apparently cut by two teenage girls in the late '70s. The pair was the youngest duo to ever reach the top of the British pop charts, which they did in 1978. There seems to be a fair amount of disagreement about whether the one woman's name is spelled with an "i" or an "e," although this very informative Wikipedia entry claims that the dual spellings were a mistake that somehow didn't stop the record from charting.)

Today's Hotness: Benge, Superman Revenge Squad, The A-Sides

>> As we loaded up the disc changer this morning with birthday brunch-appropriate Belle & Sebastian, our eyes wandered to the right in the row of CDs and noticed Benge's sublime platter of understated electronic music, Meme Tunes. It's a very fitting record for a quiet morning with a surprise inch or two of snow. Benge -- recommended if you like ISAN or the more bleepy Morr Music acts -- is the nom de clicks of British electronic music veteran and Expanding Records principal Ben Edwards. Meme Tunes was released in 2002 -- some four years after Benge issued a Very Best Of... set -- and we reviewed it for Junkmedia right here. Listening to and enjoying immensely the set this morning inspired us to check in at the Expanding Records web site and it appears Mr. Edwards' output slowed substantially after the release of Meme Tunes. After releasing nine records in six years or so, Benge has only issued one more; a tenth called I Am Nine was released in 2004 (the Expanding site refers to this a Benge's ninth record -- we guess the label doesn't count the Very Best Of... set). Last.FM has maddeningly short samples of the tracks on I Am Nine here. In case it is snowing where you are, here is an MP3 of "Adam-Age Loneliness" from Meme Tunes.

Benge -- "Adam-Age Loneliness" -- Meme Tunes
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[buy Meme Tunes from Expanding Records here]

>> UK-based online music 'zine God Is In The TV will release a re-recorded version of Superman Revenge Squad's "Idiot Food" Feb. 18 as the fourth installment a free digital singles club, according to this blurb. The track is backed with new versions of "The Angriest Dog In The World" and "When Everyone's Dead." The boundlessly bitter and remarkably verbose Superman Revenue Squad's "Idiot Food" has to be our favorite song with the word "diarrhea" in it. Readers may recall we devoted a fair amount of digital ink to the Croydon, England act and its stellar pre-cursors Tempertwig and Nosferatu D2 last fall here, here and here. God Is In The TV pronounces that the new versions of the tracks sound ace, so we are eager to have a listen when the appointed date rolls around.

>> Philadelphia-based indie rocker The A-Sides launch another strand of tour dates at the end of February in support of their 2007 release Silver Storms, according to this item at Pun Canoes. We still haven't seen the band perform, despite following their trajectory for the last few years. As the dates posted below attest, this tour will not change that -- the band is heading due west from Philly. But one day... Silver Storms was one of a bunch of records we discussed in this post concerning 2007 releases we wish we'd had more time to write about.

02/20 -- State College, PA -- Bar Bleu
02/21 -- Cleveland, OH -- Grog Shop
02/22 -- Bloomington, IN -- Bear's Place
02/2 -- Chicago, IL -- Subterranean
02/24 -- Ames, IA -- Maintenance Shop
02/25 -- Milwaukee, W -- Mad Planet
02/26 -- Minneapolis, MN -- 7th Street Entry
02/27 -- Omaha, NE -- Slowdown
02/28 -- Lawrence, KS -- Replay Lounge
02/29 -- Denver, CO -- Hi Dive
03/01 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- Kilby Court
03/04 -- Portland, OR -- Holocene
03/05 -- San Francisco, CA -- Bottom of the Hill
03/06 -- Costa Mesa, CA -- Detroit Bar
03/07 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Spaceland
03/08 -- Upland, CA -- The Wire
03/10 -- Tucson, AZ -- Plush

>> We'll be back Wednesday.