Archive: February, 2009

THE S/T FIVE: “So ‘Relative Ways’ Still Kinda Rules,” And Four Other Reasons We’ve Seen …Trail of Dead Way Too Many Times

February 28th, 2009 | File Under: Reviews, The S/T Five | Leave A Comment

Conrad Keely leads Midnight Masses in a cuddly lil' chorus line.

Photos/Text by Andrew Parks

We’re not sure how it happened, but we’ve seen …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead more than any other band of the past five years. As in enough times—8? 11? 15?—to say we’ve witnessed the Texan transplants at their worst (the SxSW ‘06 gig where frontman Conrad Keely sat in front of keyboard racks for the entire set, clearly indulging his prog-rock fantasies instead of what we really came to see: genuine mayhem) and absolute best (a roots-revisiting, one-night-only collaboration between Keely and …Trail co-founder Jason Reece).

Last night’s Century of Self gig was caught somewhere in between, although it erred more on the side of …Trail’s better shows. One award it did win was the prestige of being the most oppressive-sounding gig we’ve experienced outside of a buzz-stirring Source Tags & Codes set at Bowery Ballroom in 2002. Maybe it was the fact that the night’s soundcheck lasted a good 45 minutes, but every element of …Trail’s mix (the gut-punching percussion of Reece and Aaron Ford, the clanging chords of Keely and Kevin Allen, the wobbly low-end of Jay Phillips, the smothered synth lines of keyboardist Clay Morris) rang out loud and ridiculously clear—enough to knock us back a few inches during such time-tested jams as “Totally Natural” and the hardcore-esque “Homage.”

And what does this all add up to? Why, another edition of “The S/T Five,” of course …

Posted in: Reviews, The S/T Five

I WAS THERE: Thievery Corporation Brings Splintered Breaks, Beautiful Women to Terminal 5

February 27th, 2009 | File Under: I Was There, Reviews | One comment

Photos/Text by Sean Edgar

Thievery Corporation probably wouldn’t blame you for doubting their live show. After all, the DC-based DJs/producers, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, specialize in splicing downbeat grooves and tropical jingles—the kind of cuts that are tailor made for European cafés and Banana Republic Stores.

Given that their discography embraces such lackadaisical electronica subgenres as dub, world music, trip hop and acid jazz, laying low on spectacle and letting a mix program do the heavy lifting certainly wouldn’t defy our expectations for such laptop symphonies. Fortunately, Thievery Corporation is a lot more aware of this reality than you are.

Posted in: I Was There, Reviews

BROS BEFORE HOES: Five Must Downloads & Two Guitar Solos You Must Learn Before the Libertines’ Inevitable Reunion Tour

February 26th, 2009 | File Under: Features | 2 comments

The good ol' boys at the NME Awards in 2007

Hit refresh on the NME’s news page just about any day of the week and one thing becomes abundantly clear: they really want the Libertines to reunite, almost as much as the rest of the word lusts for one more leg of Led Zeppelin dates. And so it was this morning, as the weekly rag boasted about its exclusive interview between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, captured at the Shockwaves Awards on Wednesday. In it, Mr. Babyshambles promises a proper reunion in 2010, while Barat insists they never stopped being 2/4 of the Libertines in the first place. He has a solo album to attend to first, however, so while that gets worked on, we’ve assembled a list of songs and solos you ought to study for maximum rock ‘n’ roll enjoyment if and when the Libertines crash these shores next year.

Posted in: Features

TEST PRESSING: Nite Jewel Learns How to Annunciate, Leaves Us Stunned In the Process

February 25th, 2009 | File Under: Media, Test Pressing | 2 comments

Is there anything more alluring than a woman lying next to a 505 on a white rug? We think not.

The Italians Do It Better sticker on Nite Jewel’s first 12-inch single was a bit misleading. As much as Ramona Gonzalez’s music reminds us of steamy camera lenses (see also this bit of brilliance) and awkward, arrhythmic dance moves at unmarked Brooklyn lofts, it’s not as indebted to Italo as you might think. Mostly because the mix is so damn murky; danceable yes, but haunted by memories we can’t quite discern. That’s because Gonzalez’s spends most of Nite Jewel’s promising lo-fi debut, Good Evening, hiding her voice underneath shifty beats and a bed of echo chamber effects.

One glaring exception to this rule: “Artificial Intelligence,” which was first unveiled on a self-released CD-R. It’s here where Gonzalez finally reveals the woozy but wonderful qualities of her genteel voice, as set adrift against space age drum loops. Please speak up more on your next LP. That is all.

Good Evening is out in CD form through Human Ear Music on March 17. Gloriette’s limited LP pressing is available now. Listen and learn after the jump …

Posted in: Media, Test Pressing

PEEP SHOW: Celtic Frost Remind Us Why We’ve Always Wanted to Wear Corpsepaint in Public

February 25th, 2009 | File Under: Media, Peep Show | Leave A Comment

Dude, lose the bear mask; this isnt the goddamn Teddybears.

Any thoughts as to who's the scariest son of a bitch in this photo?

The rapturous response we’ve gotten to our metal v. girlfriend guide has left us revisiting some of our favorite extreme listens from the past year. (This is coming from s/t’s editor, who became obsessed with metal after becoming one of Decibel’s first contributors. A little earlier than Aaron, in other words.)

Monothesis, Celtic Frost’s first studio record in more than a decade, proved to be one of the mightiest releases of their 15-year-plus career. Unfortunately, it also proved to be their last, because the band broke up for the second time in 2008. Enjoy the melodramatic music/video after the jump …

Posted in: Media, Peep Show

FROM THE STACKS, THE MONTHLY ROUNDUP: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Fol Chen and 8 Other Records You Need to Hear Right … Fucking … Now

February 25th, 2009 | File Under: Features, From The Stacks | 2 comments

AIDAN BAKER gets all up in our business

Trend-setting blogs can only tell you so much about the state of music these days, what with the way they change their damn mind on a daily basis. That’s why self-titled’s staff digs through piles of CDs every day—to sift the classics-in-waiting from that all-too-common realm of complete crap. Here are some standouts at the moment (please right click to save our sample MP3s) …

Posted in: Features, From The Stacks

BUY IT, BURN IT, SKIP IT: The Black Lips Situation

February 25th, 2009 | File Under: Buy It, Burn It, Skip It, Reviews | One comment

By Aaron Richter / Photo by Travis Huggett

As we all know by now, new releases hit record-store shelves and digital-download services each Tuesday. That’s why self-titled presents the following every week: a new release you’d be stupid not to own (Buy It), one worth checking out if you’re the curious type (Burn It) and something you might have heard about but probably should avoid (Skip It). Simple, ain’t it?

Only this week, pickins are slim, so one highly anticipated record gets some extra-special attention.

Posted in: Buy It, Burn It, Skip It, Reviews

FEED THE ANGER: “Sorry, Honey. I Love Metal”

February 23rd, 2009 | File Under: Feed The Anger | 25 comments

By Aaron Richter

Transforming from a bespectacled indie-rock dweeb into a burgeoning metal head isn’t easy. First, there’s the feeling of discouraging ignorance, that no matter what you’re listening to, now matter how fantastic it is, you simply like it because, well, it’s metal and you either heard or read somewhere that it’s supposed to be good. Maybe let’s call that a lack of discerning taste. This can be acquired easy enough. And with enough dedication you’ll be touting the merits of Dopethrone and impressing friends at parties with your sub-basic knowledge of Øystein Aarseth’s murder.

A much more difficult mountain to climb, so to speak, is the girlfriend. She can’t be ignored. Or disregarded. No, that won’t do. Because she’s hot and awesome. And no Matt Pike bellow or Mick Harris blast beat is worth losing the love of your life over. (Unless, of course, she sucks, in which case this article is probably not for you.) Any true metal obsession means that she’ll be forced to digest extreme music at least once a day, intentionally or not. And for the uninitiated, that’s a lot to bear. Thus, altering her tastes becomes a conquest of sorts, one in which you must triumph. Here are ten necessary steps to victory.

Posted in: Feed The Anger

PEEP SHOW: Wolfgang Voigt’s GAS Project Sparks Bad Trips, Fetal Positions At Transmediale Fest

February 23rd, 2009 | File Under: Media, Peep Show | One comment

With Gas very much on self-titled’s mind after Sunday night’s endless Oscar broadcast (see our previous post) we stumbled upon a two-part glimpse into Wolfgang Voigt’s rare opening night performance at Berlin’s 10th annual CTM festival.

Here’s a priceless excerpt from a review of the show:

Some time into Wolfgang Voigt’s performance of his Gas project in a small gallery in Leuven, I noticed that the burly man in the seat next to me was behaving a little oddly. He had his head hanging between his knees and was hyperventilating like a dying donkey. From time to time he’d swing his head up toward the huge screen in front of us (we were in the front row) and stare, terrified, at the endlessly replicating visuals in front of him. “Mein Gott” he moaned to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow with a sopping hanky before dropping back into the Ryanair emergency position. I half expected him to puke all over the floor. It was not a good gig to attend while on something.

Please do us a favor and refrain from chocolate-covered mushroom caps before consuming the following clips as well …

Posted in: Media, Peep Show

LONG PLAYER OF THE DAY: Various Artists, “Pop Ambient 2009″ (Kompakt)

February 23rd, 2009 | File Under: Long Player of the Day, Reviews | One comment

POPNONAME pretends he's in a Jim Jarmusch film.

If you’re even remotely familiar with Kompakt’s second oldest compilation series (Total 1 beat Pop Ambient 2001 by a couple years), you know what to expect here, from flower-powered album art to smokestack-like synth lines.

Keeping that in mind, the 2009 edition stretches its laconic legs a bit, showing Wolfgang Voigt at the top of his curatorial game. The Kompakt co-founder is also determined to retain his own Eno listening rep, expanding on last year’s gorgeous—and undoubtedly essential—Gas reissues with three of his own Ambient appearances. That includes Voigt’s first Mint composition in eight years (the patient, plodding “Hindemith”) and a couple pairings with longtime collaborator Jörg Burger (a Jürgen Paape remix that re-imagines John Carpenter as a PG-13 auteur and an original track—”Frieden”—that trails Icarus on his joy ride to the sun).

Posted in: Long Player of the Day, Reviews

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