Space and the City
adr
This user hasn't shared any biographical information
Posts by adr
REVIEW: NEWS ON THE MARCH – GLORY BE
Feb 10th
In the social sciences, the liberal and the fine arts, our favorite cross-disciplinary concept is that of Determinism. The basis of the principle is that environment (or a collective set of sequences or experiences), rather than biology, is the dominating influencer of our make-up on a emotional and behavioral level. It spreads its fun everywhere, from gender and self-identification studies, to (our favorite) language. In Linguistical Determinism, the theory goes so far as to claim that language (the collective set of sequences and experiences) drives thought, and not, as we might expect, the other way around.
So, taking the most popularized and generally misunderstood application of this theory, an Eskimo does not have many many more different words for snow that we do because she is always around snow, but that the need to communicate different aspects of snow (such as wetness and density) as part of the process of staying alive has actually created a greater granularity of distinction between individual characteristics in her mind. It’s not that there are more words for snow (though there are), it’s that the utility for each is sufficiently silo-ed from one another to create a greater number of distinct categories in the lexicon than there otherwise would be. This is the opposite of, say, how Frogger views motor vehicles; there is no distinction between vans and cars and trucks from his perspective – they are all automobiles attempting to massacre him. THAT BLOWS OUR MINDS.
We’ve always wanted to see (and perhaps there is an enterprising ethnomusicologist out there who has already, unsung, performed such research) some empirical examination of the role of environment in creating some of the more prominent music scenes in the last 30 years (punk started 30 years ago folks. 30). For example, what role, if any, did the long Minnesota winters have in the creation of Minneapolis punk/hardcore’s (bands like The Replacements and Husker Du) distinctly un-LA or DC sound? Can we create a line of influence between the region’s largely Scandinavian heritage and aspects of their mother tongue to the somewhat poppier, mellower and relaxed content of those bands when compared to their coast-originating contemporaries? Why is the leading factory for the assembly line manufacture of the Country and Western Music Industrial Complex music located on the other side of the Mississippi?
And what is it about Houston’s near and far East Side that has led it to be such a dependable source of re-imagined Americana over the years? From Janis Joplin to ZZ Top to current burners like Buxton and News on the March? Does the ‘March’s Glory Be EP (the first recorded with the full band) sound as though it was recorded in a room with the shutters tightly sealed and only kerosene lamps to light because East Siders dwell in a world where Hurricanes are a psyche-influencing reality (so much so that, after the album was recorded but before it was submitted for pressing, the roof of their studio and practice place was peeled off by Ike’s careless hands)? Is it the chemical plants that mar the vistas of their bayous’ banks that causes their take on country music’s pastoral side to mix so much guile within the glee?
And yet, in spite of these shadows, Glory Be is ultimately a joyful record, one that smiles on the high road with compositions that are catchy without being particularly hooky and grounded in an experienced realism without being hokey. It’s sipping tea on a porch while planning a picnic, even though the clouds tell you otherwise. Though it may be the dead-horse of their many praises, the vocal melodies/harmonies here are a stunning throwback to a time of taken-for-granted vocal prowess long since discarded in favor of affectation to avoid a gap in ability. Album closer “Clappin’ Good Time,” with its kiss of horns and sing-along closing has been a delicious counterpoint to the drat that has been crashing into our lives lately. And isn’t that the role of good music, to be antidote or accompaniment of the particulars of an environment to counterbalance the wave of woe or catch the wave of wonder? Glory Be is good medicine indeed. Recommended.
Glory Be is available at finer record stores around town, including Sig’s Lagoon, or you can pick up a copy at their show tonight at Rudyard’s with Lonely Dear and Alkari. To hear tracks from the album, visit their MySpace.
OUTSIDE THE LOOP: AUSTIN SOUND’S REVIEW OF UME’S SUNSHOWER
Feb 9th
Welcome to Outside the Loop, our monthly feature where we swap blog posts with the fine folks at Austin Sound and We Shot JR, two decidedly dasheeki sites you should be reading regardless. This month we have ASer Franklin Morris’ review of the new EP by none other than the beloved former Houstonians UME. Enjoy!
It may seem a bit early to declare the best Austin record of 2009, but I am prepared to set caution aside and predict that this time next year UME will be topping best-of lists. The band’s new EP, Sunshower is at once beautiful, brutal, flawlessly executed, and completely unpretentious. It’s the type of record that grabs the listener immediately and demands repeated listens. It’s the whole package – as close to a perfect rock record as has come out of Austin (or anywhere for the matter) in quite some time. Like all great bands, UME’s sound is impossible to nail down in simple terms. They are shredding guitars and vocals that shift from beautiful whispers to raspy growls. They merge the anthemic and with the intimate — sometimes delicate and sometimes explosive.
Vocalist Lauren Lagner Larson is a petite blonde and bears a more-than-passing resemblance to Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon – but the SY similarities really do end there. UME is far more melodic than Sonic Youth (they even make their walls of noisy guitars sound pleasing to the ear somehow) and while Sonic Youth is sometimes too weird for mass consumption, UME’s music is so instantly likeable that it will not alienate any listeners. The band runs contrary to a lot of modern musical trends, and is in many ways a throwback to the 1990s, without ever sounding derivative. Where increasing instrumentation (synths, auxiliary percussion, and so on) are becoming the norm, UME is stripped down by comparison, making a mountain of sound as just a three piece – guitar, bass, and drums. It is a formula so simple and timeless, and yet somehow original.
UME wastes no time – the EP’s post-punk opening track, “East of Hercules”, erupts out of the speakers with blasts of loud guitars and a frantic momentum (laid down by the band’s stellar rhythm section, bassist Eric Larson and drummer Jeff Barrera). Lauren Lagner Larson’s vocal delivery is beautiful and aggressive, her playful phrasing twists in and out of the song’s rhythm. “Sunshower” is a slower track, that builds to an enormous chorus. The quiet-loud dynamic and the interplay between the guitar and bass sounds faintly reminiscent of Trail of Dead’s Madonna album. “Conductor” is the record’s strongest song. It is three minutes of insane energy, pounding toms, and guitar shredding that slides into a dreamy chorus and then into a wall of raging cymbals and guitar noise. The melody is so catchy and irresistible that it will stick with you long after listening. This aggressive, pop-rock anthem demonstrates what UME sounds like at the top of their game. The record’s closer, “Pendulum”, is another highlight with just as much energy and melody as everything else on Sunshower. Frenchie Smith’s production really helps this song sparkle, bringing out both the delicate beauty of the verses and the massive guitar-rock choruses.
The only complaint I have about this EP is that it is too short. I am anxious to see exactly how UME’s passion, energy and authenticity will translate on a longer release. Only time will tell. But either way, Sunshower is an important record for UME. It is the point at which they went from being one of Austin’s biggest potentials, to being one of Austin’s best bands.
ATTN THIS WEEKEND: YOU ARE LIKE ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
Feb 6th
UPDATED. We actually don’t know what it means to be islands in the stream, other than perhaps a deceptively difficult karaoke track.
FRIDAY
The Pons (CD release), Davie “Fathands” Graves, Sad Gorilla, Elaine Greer, Buxton and Paleo @ 1816 Calumet
Austin’s The Pons cited “Low, The Wedding Present, XTC, Galaxie 500 and AC Newman” as their influences in an interview they did with indiehouston.org this week. Kicks! That very same website has put together an all star line up of the 713′s own for their record release party, all kicking off at 6 in the PM for an equally paltry $6. There’s said to be a keg for the 21+ crowd. Party.
Vinyl Ranch @ Leon’s Lounge
Our favorite monthly record spinnin’ boot scoot always has both the hottest shit-kickin classics from back in the country day and all the most roper-tastic single ladies (put a ring on em’). But this month, there’s even more goin on in the game, as they unleash “From the Ladle to the Grave”, their first ever vegetarian chili cook off. That’s right, you can honky tonk with a frito pie in hand well past midnight. YES. 10pm-2am. Free.
Andy McWilliams and the Aboveground Pools, Free Radicals @ Notsuoh
Scattered Pages multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer (and former builder of amps, and sometime builder of effects pedals, and possessor of excellence in denim jackets) presumably brings the decidedly non-shoegaze sounds of his 2008 Shoegaze EP to the stage, a track from which made an appearance on our annual SKYLINE 50 (and eventually we will get off our asses and review the whole thing).
UPDATE: Robert Ellis, Chase Hamblin, Benjamin Wesley @ Avante Garden
Just got the word on this one. As always, you owe it to yourself to check out Ben’s solo set, and Robert Ellis has been burning up the buzz charts. Party. Music starts at nine.
The Appleseed Cast, Golden Cities, The Hungry Villagers @ Rudyard’s
Heh. I bet you are wondering “Gee, why did they review the Golden Cities record when this show wasn’t until this week, rather than post it today and help tie it to their show?” Yeah, we’re wondering that too.
ALSO
Mission Control, featuring Mic Skills (CD release), DJ Remix, & more @ The Mink
Bob’s Birthday Bash, featuring L.A. Guns, Low Man’s Joe, & Laidlaw @ The Meridian
Fredster, El Jeffe, Gracie Chavez @ Boondocks
SATURDAY
SHAMELESS PLUG: The Skyline Network’s ADR will be playing records at the Walker Twin’s 30th birthday sillybration over at the Big Star bar. Every dumb party song you hope to god isn’t going to be played will be played. Twice.
Tody Castillo @ Cactus Records
This is a little later than most of Cactus’ in-stores and is alleged to involve artwork or photography involving dead rock stars, and of course fee beer. Though there is nothing about it on the Cactus website/MySpace, we’ve been assured by someone playing that this is, in fact, happening. Party
The Western Civilization, The Pons, Your Kisses Cause Crashes, Guitars @ Rudyard’s
Dear Rachel of the Western Civilization. I know in the past we’ve kind of gone on and on about how you are the most attractive piece of telecaster playing womanhood we’ve ever seen. In retrospect, that seems somewhat sexist, so we would like to let you know that we think you are the most smoking piece of telecaster playing humanity that we have ever seen with the possible exception of young Harrison Ford, though we don’t think we’ve ever seen him with a guitar so it’s chill. We also hear that the Western Civilization is hard at work on a new album, which is rather thrilling to us and we are more than a little annoyed that we will be unable to attend this show due to superstar DJ priorities and therefore may miss the performance of some new materials. This has happened rather frequently as of late, and so we hope you will finish your record soon. <3. The Pons stick around for a second day of Houston shows and are joined by fellow 512ers Your Kisses Cause Crashes. Guitars, featuring members of Monocles, Alarma and Lenny Briscoe opens.
Dirty Honey, featuring Brett Koshkin & DJ High C @ Boondocks
You know how you know when you hate yourself and want to die? Cause you keep missing the most Dasheeki Saddlesoap monthly soul records dance party in the city. Or atleast we think that’s whats wrong with us. Man. Bummber. Free. Starts at 10pm.
Free Press Houston Issue 100 Celebranza, featuring Monotonix, State Radio, The Tontons, American Fangs, Tha Fucking Transmissions, & Rebelution @ Numbers
Congrats on 100 issues, and for continuing to put together lineups that inspire us to check out bands we’ve never heard of before. Doors at 8. All Ages. $12.
Also
Paris Falls, Spain Colored Orange, Al-Shire and the Henchmen, You(genious) @ Walter’s on Washington
Rehab, Erase The Virus, Come See My Dead Person @ The Scout Bar
IN THE STUDIO: BORN LIARS
Feb 4th
Chris Ryan works the controls (seated) while the Born Liars chill in the Dead City Sound control room. Photo by Rosa Guerrero.
In this episode of In The Studio, we check in with the Born Liars, who haven’t skipped a beat in getting as much of their output recorded as they can. We swapped some emails with Liar Bill Fool and he gave us the skinny on what they’d been up to – with a minimum of prompting too.
TSN: You were just in the studio. Where were you recording (and with who) and what were you working on?
Yeah we were at Dead City [Sound] on January 10th recording with Chris Ryan (who the fuck else) and did seven songs in around two hours. We did “Find Me In Church”, Poverty Check”, Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” (yes another fuckin’ don’t song), the Bob Seger classic “Get Out Of Denver”, “Ain’t Livin’ Today”, “Let Her Go” and “Move Right In”.
Even though we have 2 7″s out plus a brand new LP we can’t just sit and wait for the next big opening for another release (Heavy Leather [Records] is about to release 2 songs from the Ragged Island sessions that were not on the record) so we just went in and kicked ‘em out. And even though Scott has quit the band for the big paychecks of The Sideshow Tramps he was nice enough to end his time with us by recording some kick ass leads. I think Beau [Beasley (No Talk, The Homopolice)] will be adding a little more guitars since he’s in the band now. These songs already have releases set up for them. “Poverty Check” will be out on a free 7″ comp with No Talk, Secret Prostitutes plus one more I’m not sure of. This will be a free 7″ with a zine by our buddy CJ. and these will go fast so get them as soon as they come out. The rest will either be on an EP and 7″ or just one long 12″ EP.
If you want to know how crazy the recording day went I have no problem lettin’ the cat out on the whole day. Rosa [Gurrero (Ditchwater Records)] was there, took pictures and helped consume the mass amount of beer and Rumple Minze. We started drinking heavy at 11:00am and after the recording we made our way to a bar (can’t name the bar for legal issues) where we stole a case of tallboys (can’t name the brand again for legal issues) then made our way to an art show. Took a piss in the middle of a yuppie townhome parking lot as a few of them were coming home then went in. Jimmy loves cheese so he was happy they had a spread. I was happy about the free wine and nude photos. The chick who took the photos was interested in what we thought, I thought they were ok and wanted to know more about why one of the naked chicks was scared. Right then that particular chick walked in.
So after her telling us about her sex stories I/we decided the place needed to be rearranged. First I took some nice flowers out and started beating Rosa with them. Well Rosa wanted revenge so the rest of the flowers went. Well Jimmy was protecting the cheese and I felt no fucking way so then cheese became the art (the best I saw that night). I do feel Jimmy is still upset about the cheese. We got fucking kicked out. Off to Lolas we go.
TSN: Do your songs tend to evolve while you’re recording, or do you enter the process with a pretty definitive handle on what you want to do?
The only thing that evolves during the recording are the lyrics and backup vocals. The rest are whipped in to shape at the practice space. When I say whip I mean it. Our leader, Jimmy “Thunders/Westerberg” Sanchez, has a bull whip he uses to make sure we play his songs in the proper non-hipster fashion. Why the hipsters like us I will never know.
Two songs were created the night before we went into the studio. It’s funny cause they are both from the slow and faggotty (s. a. f.) trilogy “How It Gets At Night” s.a.f.II off our new LP and “Ain’t Livin’ Today” s.a.f.III. Just so you know, slow and faggotty I is “Quiet Lives”, but you should know that already as we let everyone know at every fuckin’ show we’ve played the last 2 years. The cover songs are already thought out by the person who wrote them in 60′s and 70′s so you will need to ask them about how they think we should handle their songs. Though that doesn’t matter as Jimmy will tell them to “Go Get Fucked”.
Catch the Born Liars playing an in-store at Sound Exchange February 19th, which is billed as a record release, though you can alrady get their LP in said establishment. And you should. See more of Rosa’s photos online at the Ditchwater site.
REVIEW: INDIAN JEWELRY/FUTURE BLONDES SPLIT 12″
Feb 4th
Marketing, as a process, appeals to us because it is the repetition of a form. We like the chair example: you know what a chair is because you’ve seen millions of them during your lifetime. They all have the same basic properties; a platform on which your tukus rests, supported at a height from the ground by some sort of structure and with a vertical rest for your back. You instantly recognize a chair when you see one, and you have a basic expectation about it, mainly being that you can sit on it and it will support your weight. Indeed, so great has been your exposure to this form (the chair), that you are able to identify sub-groups within the form and assign more specific expectations to them as well.
A recliner will be exceedingly comfortable, allow you to stay in it for extended periods of time and may be difficult to get out of. A desk chair will position you at the proper height and with appropriate posture to operate a computer keyboard and and complete other tasks while not swallowing you and tempting you to slumber. A rocking chair will do just that, and provide relaxing utility be your task calming a baby or enjoying a lemonade.
And this is what Marketing seeks to achieve; to repeat a form endlessly, in whatever context or channel the message can be transmitted, until the consumer instantly recognizes the Brand and the corporate-intended characteristics of it. We see the dynamic ribbon and know this is a Coke product, and that it will be refreshing and delicious, regardless of whatever this new Zero variant of it may be. It’s a methodical, slow and eternal process, like the geology that creates diamonds from grains of sand. It never ends as long as the product exists and there is someone or something to sell it to. Ad campaigns may come and go, but Marketing has no beginning, no end and no middle, only the endless repetition of the form. There’s something about this eternal Mobius Strip that appeals to us, personally, and we believe it is part of the composition of our character that has led us to enjoy this sort of repetition in other parts of life. This split from Indian Jewelry and Future Blondes is a good example.
More so than on previous outing we can recall, Indian Jewelry’s “Zing Zang” is based on repetition. Though there is some build and dynamics as windy guitars blow through the ten minutes of funk bass and distorted spoken word, the overall effect is post-minimalist in style, with little approaching a recognizable intro, outro or climax. Though Free Gold especially positioned the band as songsmiths of dystopian urban tribalism, this would be their first composition that could be described as a rain dance for additional psychedelics. And yet while it works well as the counter-point on this split, and certainly would not have been out of place as an interlude on Free Gold, something about the looseness of this track, and how it wanders makes us suspect that this will be a fairly unique composition in Indian Jewelry’s catalog, and not necessarily the sign of what is to come.
Future Blondes has always been based on repetition with teasing variations to provide the narrative movement, and “Heartless” is no different. The is probably the most refined track among the impressive mountain of output they’ve assembled in the past year (we’re two EPs and a split full-length behind, to say nothing of the tracks being offered up for free online). The thumping gristle of bass does most of the heavy lifting with drums that are more rhythmic and less punishing that we’ve come to expect. We won’t go so far as to say that this is dance-y rather than drone-y, but if someone were to throw the right sine line on top of it, it the resulting mashup would be a dead ringer for first-wave Chicago acid house.
Like good marketing, this split derives its ultimate utility from repetition. It’s not something we would throw on for five minutes of fun on the drive to the video store. It’s good headphone music for reading, or writing or even just enjoying. Endlessly. On repeat. Stopping every ten minutes or so to flip the wax. Recommended.
The Indian Jewelry/Future Blondes split 12″ is availble at fine record stores around town, including Sound Exchange, and online from the Dull Knife website.
