G A P E S E E D
Project 64
(Silver Girl); 1996

this is a difficult disc to convert to text - maybe modest mouse instruments (distance) being haunted by drive like jehu's vocals (dusty trophy) ? no - then a (hilariously titled) track like Ceci N'es Spasm Pipe surfaces and I'm off trying to figure this bands sound out once again.. .. . .. . ... .. I do like what I'm hearing, so there can be no doubt that you will love it too. Electroshock Oracle is five solid minutes of total freak nasty shit, better than most of the silly overmarketed jazz you've seen in Target sales flyers for the past 3 years.

Released sometime around an era once refered to as 1996 on Silver Girl - the group spontaneously combusted soon after as far as I can tell through web searches. The contents of Project 64 are nothing short of rebellious & spasmatic, a true holy mess - it's a shame more did not come out of this band.

kaleb. 03.06.04

L i n k s : silver

Gatsby's American Dream
In The Land of Lost Monsters
( LLR ); 2004

"Does the left hand, know what the right hand is doing?"

The bio that supports Gatsby's American Dream's album In The Land Of Lost Monsters wants us to forget what we may already know about the band. Since this is my first encounter with these five Seattle guys who personally quote F. Scott Fitzgerald on their website - you're going to get a fresh perspective.

Following the brief beginnings of 'Yes, This Is About You', where the drummer tosses his sticks and the band decides to make it the final cut ("Where's the fucking chorus?" asks vocalist Nic Newsham)- GAD take off into a land where many bands hope to be so early in their career. Frontman (Nic) Newsham has a range that at times (see: 'You Stole My Story'), and if I am the first person to notice - shame, is dead-on with Adam Levine of current stadium-fillers Maroon 5. Not to cut the rest of the band short, this is an EP, that at only 18 minutes, covers alot of radio-takeover ground. At times reminiscent of a more mellow Dismemberment Plan (see:'A Conversation With The Devil') and later fuzzed out with the quick take of 'Red, Red, Blue'.

Gatsby's American Dream have recently signed to Fearless at the beginning of the summer (2004), so expect to hear some wonderful noise coming from this west coast crew in the coming months. Yes.

+ kaleb 09.06.04

the Gena Rowland Band
(trailer)
(autoclave); 2003

"And every song I know is from a car that's passing by"

With 4 highly original compositions at just around 16 minutes - I recently placed all my chips on the number that corresponds to Bob Massey's upcoming full-length album. The Gena Rowlands Band - that's the fancy actress name Bob has chosen to release his tunes under - blend a fine combination of songs that brings to mind what Coustea lead crooner Liam McKahey may have sounded like fronting Joan of Arc around the Gap-album, had JOA not tweaked the Pro-Tools beyond listenability that is. I had the first listen to TGRB on this fine compilation last year, and was completely taken with awe with "The Last Words of Lesley Gore". As if Bob was at a shindig celebrating the final night of this planet's existence, one where no one really gives a damn, 'The Last Word's.. ' is a song that will enter the head on a one-way strip and quite possibly never exit. A brilliant patchwork of a tune, with it's live instrumentation and subtle experimental undervibes - it's the way that the vocals are delivered in such a lethargic tone that adds the crowning touch to one of four incredible songs. Following track, 'Garofalo, C'est Moi', continues in this unique delivery as Bob describes how "everything in this house is on fire", again as if the entire neighborhood could ignite and he would simply find another place to relocate. The musicians that round out the Gena Rowlands Band album (I've read that the touring lineup is not a constant) are nothing short of absolute wonder, never a note overdone nor one player trying to outshine the other.

As much a lyrical mystery hinting at Hollywood glam & power of decades past, there is more than enough bizarre& original content here to count the days until the long player hits later this year.

kaleb. 03.29.04

visit : the GRB

The Ghost
This Pen is A Weapon
(SOME); 2004

"I don't have much to show - but I've got some stories to tell"

Having never spoken to a member of the Ghost about musical influences, I'm kinda stepping out of bounds by expecting that somebody owns a few Fugazi albums. Everyone should own at least one (pref. A Steady Diet of Nothing or The Argument), and the Ghost are making huge sounds as a band that only an elite few (out of the thousands that try) on 'This Pen Is A Weapon'.

Certainly not an attempt to label them as an entirely 'ultra-aggressive' group, nor DC-style political - as this would prove false. Having heard the 'Midwest Reprise' retake on "Red Slippers Red Wheels" from 2002's 'This Is A Hospital' (an album that needs to must be owned), it's the Ghost's diversity that makes them such a strong outfit. Knowing when to slow it down (see: "Mad Max was an Amateur"), pull in the right chorus and swap electric's for acoustics - the Ghost are quite possibly ahead of their own game and genre. If you have ever wondered what it sounds like when a band is actually in a groove on a song, may I direct you to the closing moments of "Banished and Loving It", right before Brian Moss delivers the fatal blow "Your forest could use some FIRE!". Drums, Bass, Guitars and anything else plugged into the soundboard at Chicago's Engine Studio are in absolute unison - brilliant.

With production duties handed over to Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Califone and everyone else you love.. .) from '..Hospital's reigns controlled by Steve Albini, I was expecting less of the aggression and possibly more experimenting - and both of these assumptions are hidden all throughout 'This Pen Is A Weapon'. Take the "Mr. Roboto"-like vocal recognition featured on "The Skin We Shed Has Stories To Tell", a key example of the boundaries these guys can stretch on just one track before directing the song back into full battle-mode.

Then you have the closer "We Shall Persist", a gorgeous instrumental that begins (and completes) with radio-like fuzz leading into a gentle wash of guitars and drums (played by the Brian Deck). It could give Mogwai's quieter moments ( Cody comes to mind) a run for the gold, and make anyone hoping to pin the Ghost into a single genre a fool.

Not just a magnificent album by an amazing band - but the guide for any group seeking the right formula.

+ kaleb 08.22.04

Gibson Brothers
Long Way Back Home
(Sugar Hill Records); 2004

First off, these Gibson Brothers are NOT the rockabilly / psychobilly combo from the 1980s (the Workdogs were associates of theirs), but a band of brothers (hey, that's catchy) who play modern bluegrass... or is that "contemporary bluegrass?" (SO many sub-genres, so little time.) These Gibsons, as befitting brothers, have the classic "brother" sound, that unique close harmony singing, down (i.e., like the Lily Bros., Osborne Bros., etc.), but they don¹t stop there, no, indeed. While they maintain the traditional sound of bluegrass (i.e., Stanley Bros., Jim & Jesse) at the "core" of their style, they respectfully build upon it, judiciously integrating influences of country music (the honky tonk strain), folk and folk/pop (a la Gordon Lightfoot, from whom they get the title tune). Why, the Gibsons have the audacity to go 'n' add drums and pedal steel guitar to the mix! But they're not going for the Dixie Chicks audience (not that there's anything wrong with that), just their OWN style.

The enchanting "Callie's Reel" nods to the Celtic roots of bluegrass, and the majestically haunting and gorgeous "Dreams That End Like This" sounds like it could've come from an old Ian & Sylvia or Lee Hazlewood album (or even Nico's debut 'Chelsea Girl'). And the Gibson Brothers sidestep the staid, stiff, we're-gonna-play-like-it-was-then purism that afflicts some neo-trad outfits -- throughout Long Way Back Home, the Gibson Brothers are enthusiastic but maintain an unaffected, jus'-plain-folks ambiance. If you seek the "real thing" -- but not if it's stuck in 1956 -- look up this latest opus by these brothers' band.

- m keresman 07.16.04

Gimme Skelter
Gimme Skelter
(nettwerk); 2003

"I'm sick of Moby - didn't he rip-off some old black lady?"

Raymond Pettibon - you know why your name is in the front. Let's see here - there is a photograph of Melanie Campbell sporting a very small cup-size bra and hot little pink checked britches inside the booklet, that's fairly cool. The Pleasure (infinity symbol) Forever track King Cobra in the Guts of Valhalla sounds better that most Queens of the Stone Age tracks you thought you liked. Primal Scream will always be this good. I had no idea Dead Meadow was as good as they are, or maybe it was just this track. Around track 10 I realized that the tracklisting inside the cd doesn't quite match up with the numbers my CD player is giving me (10 is 11 & 11 is 10, maybe), yet I daringly continued. Wire has a 'louder, faster mix' of Spent on here - it sounds like it belongs on The (original) Crow soundtrack. Really, it's that good. My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult will be proud. The Cave In that you used to like that they are now going to "sound like again" is on here. The Foo Fighters will be proud. Weezer fans unite - You Won't Get With Me Tonight is a rare-ass archived demo track from the likes of 1995 - yee-fuckin-haw. It still has a little circle p that is followed by the Geffen / Interscope Records imprint, they own you. Ben Kweller will be proud. Ah - The Icarus Line. The little drug-induced heartbeat behind all this gorgeous noize, Losing Touch With My Mind sounds about right - don't die without hearing Mono. Need we forget - Iggy Pop has an, umm.... cock. He also says on tape all the things most Amerikkkans "think" about Moby. Comp of the year? What the fuck do you think?
The rest of this space is dedicated to Jeff Wood, if this shit does go down, please forward a few pics to us. Thanks:

[all spelling left as it originally appears in the Gimme Skelter booklet, permission to reprint by verbal communication]

Dear Christina, hey it's Jeff Wood of Shat. I know that I could realy help you acheve the ultimate orgasum you have been searching for. Not with my cock but with my toung and thumb. I will eat you out for 2 hrs, until you are comletely satisfied, then leave. I won't even take my clothes off, unless you want me to. I know I'm not black but would be willing to take pills to make my skin dark or go to the tanning booth everyday for a year just to please you. I'm all about pleasing the girl. I don't give a fuck about myself just your sexual gradification. I'll ware a mask of a black man if you want me to. It really couldn't hurt just giving me a shot. I can then at least say I gave my it my all to please the woman I love. Email me: jeffwoodofshat@yahoo.com please contact Buddyhead to get my phone number, as soon as your love is ready to be set free to me.

www.jeffwoodofshat.com

In closing, as stated in the liner notes (as quoted from Aaron) and it makes fairly complete sense, "compilations are like tampons... they're for pussies." Good night kids.

kaleb. 12.11.03

give up the ghost
love american - ep
(bridge nine); 2003

L i n k s : aka, aka, .. . ..

Glass Casket
We Are Gathered Here Today
(Abascus); 2004

As far as current events are concerned - a glass casket may have been the most efficient measure as far as Ronald Reagan is / was concerned. Then legions of mourners could have actually seen the 300 year-old man they lost & loved. Just an observation.

There are countless, better yet - endless numbers of bands attempting to achieve what Glass Casket have conquered on just their debut album We Are Gathered Here Today. Sad for the others, most come off sounding like kids who tossed borrowed equipment down short flights of stairs and call it an album.

Best to grab your running shoes, those boots ain't gonna cut it, cause from the appologetic beginnings to the threatening final note of We Are Gathered - keeping up with these guys is a mean lesson in "we're way better than your band"-core. The drums are blistering (see: 'And So It Was Said'), the guitars are spiraling (at times, as close to out of control as they can come) and the vocals utilize the throat as the sixth group member, though it's not listed in the credits. Yes, it's this intense. The only moments your going to be able to take a breath are on the experimental intermission of 'Cellar Door' or the brief lapse of listener-friendly vocals on 'In Between The Sheets'.

Putting this band way over the must hear limit is the crisp production of Jamie King (Rifles at Recess, btbam). If early Poison the Well (The Opposite of December) or either Between the Buried and Me album is your idea of true hardcore, make room for Glass Casket.

+ k . 06.10.04

The Good Life
Album of The Year
(Saddle-Creek); 2004

"I always fall in love too soon, caught beneath the glow of the honeymoon" aches Tim Kasher on "Under a Honeymoon", just one of Album of the Year's twelve exceptional tellings. Join the fucking club (current members include Owen leader Tim Kinsella and honorary treasurer Jerry Fels). ".. Honeymoon", the third track on Album of the Year, the Good Life's third and best album to date, delves into beautifully atmospheric regions that Mojave 3 have crafted in the past - but is one hundred-plus percent a Tim Kasher creation.

From the initial moment I was led to the classic that is, and always will be, Novena on a Nocturn (2000; Better Looking) - I had the feeling this relationship could go somewhere [if you have yet to hear "Golden Exit" I fear you may not have yet lived]. Don't hate Tim Kasher because he can turn a moment of despair into a glorious 4-minute anthem (see: "Needy", "October Leaves"), actually - don't hate him at all. Can't you hear this injured young fawn needs a little time & nursing, as he speaks of the tomato soup his lover used to bring him on "October Leaves". If you are in a relationship that is nearing it's last gasping days, knowing a girl like the side character on "Notes In His Pockets" ( she ".. falls to the floor / says I'm feeling sick of sweet & pure - 'take me now' I'm yours" ) could save your life - but not your marriage.

Let us not overlook the 9+ minute anthem "Inmates" that, like an angel from the bluest of the skies, is delivered like a whisper by former Good Life / Bright Eyes beauty Jiha Lee. As a lone acoustic and a slow approaching swirl of ambience (think a very sad train moving at the speed of a turtle) near, Jiha (later joined by Tim and a full band) reveals "now your a wolf in second-hand clothing, I'm the sheep in a pleated skirt / it's an awkward form a payback, but if it works for you it works". Oh goodness, it is entirely a song you will want to play at your divorce hearing - and giggle the entire time you are sweeping away your tears.

Any of the twelve creations on Album of the Year could sum up on a mix-tape how your relationship has, of late, become quite stale - but I think the album as a whole sums it up best: Love is for Losers. A huge amount of respect to the entire Good Life cast and it's producers / engineers (the Mogis Brothers) - you have over-exceeded all expectations I had for this album.

It's easy to end the review with this, but by damn I'm going to do it - The Good Life. Album of the Year.

"she said she'd never seen someone so lost, I said I'd never felt so found".

+ kaleb 08.14.04

Goldmund
Corduroy Road
( Type ) 2005

Yes - I am going to mention Frédéric Chopin, but I am going to do so in a very particular way. I am also going to mention the Walkmen - again, in a very precise manner. Then I am going to get to the artist I want you to hear, who goes by the name Goldmund. Keith Kenniff is Goldmund, and he has composed one of the greatest works of solo piano since Matthew Cooper, aka eluvium, released an accidental memory in the case of death in 2004. In fact, these two albums deserve to meet one another, and should you be familiar (and/or entranced) with only one of the two, you should seek to own both. We're not talking the "Rockin' the Suburbs" Ben Folds solo piano album here, as Goldmund is quite categorically the polar opposite of such comparison. This is the sound of a man who treats each ivory as delicate as Fahey did the strings on his acoustic - versus, say, Jimmy Page on his electric. I fear I may be losing you, shall we move on.. .?

Opening composition "Ba" brings to mind what would be if you could extract Paul Maroon's piano track on the Walkmen's 2002 commercially successful "Wake Up", leaving to be the vocals, the percussion and every other disturbing noise but the keys. Then the sadness hits, and that Chopin reference I promised comes in on "Door of our home". Like a rival to such coveted pieces of piano as the epic Mazurka op. 68, Keith pulls emotion from the instrument and captures it on tape like an elite number are able to (I can only bring to mind three, including Kenniff and Cooper).

Certainly not background or conversation music, Goldmund's Corduroy Road is timeless music to be heard, felt and admired. What a treasure it is to have an album of such unrivaled minimalism outweigh the heaps of hype and letdowns the 21st century will offer. Yes, New York, I'm pointing right at you again - raise your tired fists to the anti-rock revolution.

- kaleb 05.28.05

Grandaddy / Verbena 7"
Aisle Seat 37-D / Top of the Mountain
(D.I.W. 5.2 / D.I.W #60); 2003

Back before there were El Camino's that deserved anthems, and back when a mechanical being named Jed ran an electronic junkyard, the Grandaddy elder Jason Lytle crafted songs that would simply stop your heart and remind you that other people get sad too. A fitting example would be "Miner at the Dial-A-View" (off of 2000's Sophtware Slump): "fifteen years is almost done, and I don't recognize anyone". Although that line doesn't scream "irrepairably heartbroken", hearing Lylte deliver it on record does the deal justice. "Ailse Seat 37-D" is that 'one more song' you wished Slump had hidden in a dark, tiny corner of the room. A 4-minute tale of the final moments of a plane on it's way to an uncertain end (in the sea), Lytle sings of his composed manner ("I'm having a glass of red wine") while others are fittingly losing their minds: "Cause the picture of you I couldn't find, I finally found so everything's fine". A simple acoustic guitar, piano and some Mercury Rev-like saw airs around in the background as the passengers cry & the pilot prays over the speakers. By far one of the most beautiful songs I have heard from the Modesto crew, it looks to be fetching upwards of $40 on eBay - which should be the reminder to subscribe to DIW anyway. As for the Verbena song, "Top of the Mountain", if you're a Verbena fan - maybe it's for you, but I dare not turn this record over.

kaleb. one night in February

Grandaddy
Excerpts From The Diary Of Todd Zilla
( V2 ) 2005

Blame the mix, blame the master, blame the record company, blame pseudo success - but for whatever reason - Grandaddy lost their way a couple of years ago (I second that opinion - both hands raised. - k) . After releasing one of the best records ever put to tape (The Software Slump), the band went to the newly remodeled Central Heat and Air Studio and produced Sumday or "Grandaddy Light." Of course the songs were beautifully Grandaddy, but with the edge taken off.

Grandaddy clearly saw the error in their ways as the V2 press release declares, "Todd Zilla was recorded at Lytle's home studio in Ceres, Calif., on older equipment - none of that "glitzy 24-track" business". The change in equipment must have been all that was needed because Excerpts From the Diary of Todd Zilla is an absolute auditory delight. From the very first backing "ahhhs" of "Pull the Curtains" to the gorgeous break in "At My Post", this EP succeeds in every element of Sumday’s failure. Jason Lytle is once again able to make hopelessness somehow wonderful and epic with songs like "A Valley Son (sparing)" and "Goodbye?." Of course, a slightly twisted sense of humor has always been present in the Grandaddy lot, and this is no exception, with the "chorus" melody borrowing heavily from the children's rhyme, "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these" which appears on what may be the best track, "Fuck The Valley Fudge", a rant seemingly directly targeting California’s urban development policy.

I love this album, and rather than hold me over until the 2006 full-length, it has fully reinvigorated my thirst for Grandaddy - I don’t know how I am going to make it.

- goe 09.14.05

Grant Lee Phillips
Virginia Creeper
(Zoe / Rounder); 2004

We ALL need music to mope to, every now 'n'again. Not that "moping"is a bad thing, mind you, as long as one doesn't overindulge in it. No matter how pretty, popular and/or successful, everyone at some point wants to do put on a sympathetic CD, get back on the couch or bed, pull up the covers and listen to the patter of the rainfall between the songs. Pretty people, and you not-so-pretties (you know who you / I am), here's a perfect soundtrack for those special times: Grant Lee Phillip’s latest Virginia Creeper. G.L.P. (ex-Grant Lee Buffalo, y'know) is a handsome fellow, but he knows those times all too well, expressing / exorcizing them in a mellow but committed, honey + lemon voice and a melodic sense that combines hazy/dreamy "Crystal Blue Persuasion"ambiance meets John Mellancamp / Jayhawks / Son Volt
heartland twang. It may seem like I'm damning this w/ faint praise, but I'm not: VC is finely wrought, rootsy white-person angst at its saturnine, comforting, rainy-Sunday best.

-Mark Keresman ::(04.11.04).

---rounder

Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers
( MISRA ) 2005

"The world let me down.. . in a big way."

I fucked up. I was so drawn in to Great Lake Swimmers self-titled debut on Texas-nestled Misra Records that I decided to search the system for more information. Unknowingly, I came to a label page that had over 11 pages of reviews archived for this one album - amazingly well written reviews that said everything I thought and then some. Hell, the bio even states ".. .this debut is an emotional, stirring album that is not meant to just be listened to. It's meant to be soaked in." Yeah, an album bio is honestly supposed to be the perfect review to accompany an album - and that line above serves this purpose. The appropriate names being dropped were just the faces I see when I listen to this album: Jim James, Al James (of Dolorean) and Marc Manning (of Everything is Fine).

Great Lake Swimmers is that album you hear once a year [if you're lucky]. This is the album that labels catch notice of and wonder why the hell they didn't release it - most likely due to the fact that they were all to busy shoving "more of the same" down our infected throats. Misra records isn't one of these labels. Alongside such proven talent as South San Gabriel / Will Johnson / Centro-Matic, Summer Hymns and Phosphorescent - Misra now has this amazing album to answer for. Here's hoping you followed the above nod to the archived reviews for Great Lake Swimmers, 'cause I found it rather difficult to add any more praise - and this album deserves all the recognition it receives. Here's what I came up with - hear this album:

Watching your house burn down. Driving your family off a high road, into a river. Sawing off your own limbs. Each of these tragic events, though riddled with pain and finality, could quite easily be numbed or even lightened if ingested while Great Lake Swimmers debut album plays beneath you. As solid a set of somber anthems I've had the pleasure of hearing (though not putting the family to death), to think this album has been in some collections for more than two years (originally released in March 2003 outside of America) leads me to believe I'm hanging with the wrong crowd. A lone voice, accompanied by choice moments of delay and reverb, and often just his magically plucked guitar guide GLS's Tony Dekker through moments of isolation (see: "This is not like home"), the paranormal ("The man with no skin") and - for the much of the album - a continual coma of electric blanket-like warmth. Moments that do share the space with additional instruments, be it the waltz percussion of "I will never see the sun" or the slide that floats throughout "Great Lake Swimmers" - you can rest assured that every note is fittingly placed, and Dekker's tales hold every stitch together.

Truth to the tale - you could begin anywhere on Great Lake Swimmers and find an instant attraction, and you'd be quite wrong if you thought you'd find a spot to skip between the incredible opener "Moving Pictures Silent Films" and the closing title track.

If you hold your early Hayden albums (The Closer I Get, Everything I Long For) as standards in the collection, and/or found warmth and comfort in Dolorean's prized debut Not Exotic - Great Lake Swimmers is about to become the greatest set of songs you've heard in far too long.

"There are some things better left unknown" (from "Moving, Shaking") - this untouchable album is not one of these things. Go ahead - blame Canada.

kaleb 05.01.05

Great Lake Swimmers
Bodies and Minds
( MISRA ) 2005

 Bodies and Minds starts softly enough with a pretty lullaby called "Song for the Angels". It is after this first wonderful track that the realization of a "backing band" enters and Great Lake Swimmers pick up the pace until they ultimately reach the dreaded "mid tempo" and stays there until song six ("To Leave It Behind") . At this point it all changes (for the much, much better), and for this reason, I will only say that the bulk of my review is purposely weighted towards the second half of the record:
 
"To Leave it Behind" - Amazing. Lovely. Beautiful. 
 
"Falling Into the Sky" - Oh great bass, chorus, tempo, this is becoming something... The early trance is gone, and I am now starting to enjoy, to be drawn into the music, interest is peaking. 
 
"I Could Be Nothing" is a wonderfully crafted song that highlights the levels this band can attain. 
 
The album closes with a wonderful tune ("Long Into the Evening") that sounds like it was recorded In the Fishtank with Low and Dirty Three. Such spaciousness, such restraint - oh the beautiful restraint! 
 
Great Lake Swimmers have made a beautiful, delightful record. I must say that my only complaint is that there is at times TOO MUCH going on - but that is a very, very, very small complaint. This record is a perfect morning coffee experience (it has also proven to be an absolute delight with a bottle of wine). And while after repeated listens, I have begun to enjoy the early tunes more, I still stand my earlier statement that the album comes into full flowered beauty at track six. 
 

{ post script-ive ramble - somewhat invisible to the http:// eyes } I think a couple of things about this record. Tony Dekker (singing) does sound a lot like Jim James (My Morning Jacket), so Misra records (or whoever is responsible for the sleeve) should not tell me that repeatedly. Why would you highlight a point that the singing is not unique? My second point is that I would really like to hear the first record, because the only thing I can find that I don't like about this record is an overbearing band that doesn't let the songs breathe. 

- goe 11.06.05

Adam Green
Jessica
(Rough Trade); 2003

Have you seen the moustached guy Frankie from this band The Darkness that's taking over the nation the way Andrew W.K. did a little over a year ago? He's got this ridiculous handlebar above his lip, giving me the sense that he forgot The Village People were gay. Maybe he is gay, not that there is ANYTHING wrong with being gay. Here's the point of Frankie & his "moustache" - I take this guys facial hair about as serious as I take Adam Green and his latest ep Jessica (taken from his July '03 full-length Friends of Mine). I mean the cheese is layed on really thick, all the way down to the fine print (the title track and a reworking of Kokomo were recorded at Dumbo Studio in NYC). As you may know - Adam Green is part member of the (temporarily on standby) fantastic NYC duo The Moldy Peaches, who themselves made music you could easily grow to love. The great thing about this 5-song ep is that it is better than most of what you've hear on the airwaves any this year - really. The title track Jessica is a fitting ode to the Jessica Simpson, star of MTV's Newlyweds and 24/7 true blonde freakshell. Adam sings to Jessica in many stylish ways - some lines she's dead, another she is a waitress and all around he tells her she's "got it all wrong", all atop a Neil Young-esque acoustic guitar track complete with drums, tambourine & full string section. Funniest shit you've heard in a long while. Following track 'Friends of Mine' continues this "are you serious?" scheme of song - it's totally Neil Diamond in an accidental way, I'm sure. 'Don't Smoke / The Bronx Zoo 1989' sounds like a joyous uncovered homemade recording of Adam from some 14 years ago. HA! 'What A Waster', an acoustic Libertines cover, may be about Jessica as well, who the fuck knows - I was told she does cocaine by my bodyguard. Again, it's a great track - my deaf Grandfather told me it's his favorite song of the past 27 years. You've done good Adam, he's a tough old cookie. Big boy Ben Kweller pops up on the fine remake of Kokomo, complete with tamourine hits & hand claps - that takes me right back to the middle school dances where this song never got be any play. These here are the true sounds of Mount Kisco, New York. Finest ep of the year - hands down!

kaleb. 12.13.03

Green Milk from the Planet Orange
City Calls Revolution
( Beta-lactam Ring ) 2005

" ............... . ...... .. . ... ! "

This is that album you'll have to find all on your own, 'cause the local record store won't have any idea where to file it. With that - do find it.

What subtly begins with a minor bassline and vibrating keys, like it could be paying respect to a "Riders on the Storm"-era Doors, "Concrete City Breakdown" and her spectacular 20 minutes of display turns a corner into Green Milk's obvious "in your face"-style of rock oblivion. What dead k, the lead "agitator" is chanting about shouldn't concern you much (it's not in proper English, that's for sure) - rather your mission should be to uncover the earliest influences (Shellac, CAN) GMFTPO correctly injected to punch out 70+ minutes of stellar guitar & drum rebellion in 4 stark tracks. "OMGS" puts drummer and occasional vocalist A to the test, with an adrenaline flooded percussion intro that bleeds into a patterned chase of high-hat and super-octane guitar that wouldn't be out of place on the roster from Sympathy for the Record Industry - past or present. Add in dead k's indistinguishable text and you're again placed at the center of the dark forest seeking explanation for how you got here, all the while realizing you've fallen in love with this gigantic beast. Fourth and final composition is the 38-plus (insert 'epic', 'opus') minute "A Day in the Planet Orange" - if Stanley Kubrick were still alive he'd likely rewrite a portion of 2001: A Space Odyssey just to accompany this tracks atmospheric intensity. Akin to Mono at their pre-fervor serene, minus the strings, the beginning chapter (say - the initial 5 minutes) of "A Day in the Planet Orange" steadily creeps in only to reveal this trio rising to brace the afternoon. By the 12-minute mark they're kicking out feedback-inducing licks you'd find in the rear of a "last call was 2 hours ago", dust-settled bar down south. Although it is a track that requires a bit of patience and focus (oh - the final 8 minutes just KILL), the reward is far greater than most half-hour tasks.

Both 'Intensity' and 'Progressive' belong around this bands praise.

3 young Japanese men with access to the same equipment you could get your hands on - only these guys take it to another level planet completely. No rest for the dead!

: k 06.07.05

Danger Mouse Presents
The Grey Album
( all over the internet ); 2004

"Now, if you shot my dog - I'm gon' kill your cat / Just the unwritten laws in rap - know that "

Who in the glory of Hell gave DJ DangerMouse the rights to make this album? Michael Jackson owns all this shit doesn't he? Man - it's been a tough year and a half on that Jackson family, hasn't it? Oh - so nobody gave him the green light on this project? Well goddamn if that ain't just giving a stiff middle finger up the ass of anybody who cares to take it like that! DANGER!

Good lord how this works so damn well - THE Jay-Z vocals from his final Black Album atop a near-flawless mix of beats, vocals & riffs from THE Beatles White Album. When Danger called me back in October of last year I didn't have enough cash to front him for mastering. I still knew this was going to be some classic shit. Word in my part is the next "project: undergound mix-tape" is going to be The Olive Drab Album - A mix of the lyrics from Metallica's "Black Album" with the beats & riffs from Weezer's "Green Album". Oh man - the RIAA & Lars are gonna shit themselves silly over that joint. I can't wait.. .

Note to self: The Beastie Boys are STILL being sued over samples they didn't clear (including The Beatles) for Paul's Boutique in 1989! That's AFTER they paid nearly $250,000 for cleared samples. It just goes to show if you want to get it done - just go on wit' your bad self & FUCK THE MAN.

It's everywhere available for download - just google "dangermouse" - the RIAA is losing their fucking minds over it.

Hey - where is "Lucifer"?

HOv. (03.08.04)

grey does matter
How To Make Millions In Real Estate
( JankOMatic ); 2004

"I've been singing the same old shit for years".

 grey does matter is the vector-rock outlet for NYC resident Jason Crawford, and the debut [self-produced, mixed & engineered] album "How To Make Millions in Real Estate" is an 11 track journey through (to name a couple) mathematics, tough breaks and the underlying theme of love. Equipped with a guitar that comes off as if it was preprogrammed with a digital encyclopedia of pop hooks & machines that feed beats & synths as if it were a secret weapon, GDM will sneak into your head and hatch melodies that will resurface in the form of a hum or foot tap for days. Somewhere along the edgy path that MK Ultra paved in the late 90's with 'The Dream is Over' ( Sinking ) or the John Vanderslice of the present ( You Love Me ) - the many facets that How To Make Millions... possesses could easily become a favorite amongst listeners of multiple genres.

And don't take it the wrong way when I tell you that half of this album could easily find it's way onto popular radio, even though it would be a (rather large) surprise to hear a song as infectious as Sinking huddled between the latest Strokes & Justin Timberlake singles. Better yet - let's see it happen, some change is good - like Presidents in 2004.

Oh - I'm still looking for that real estate advice if anybody knows a good agent, I've got that "anything times zero is zero" chapter down.

kaleb. (02.25.04)

when in town, visit: greydoesmatter.com

grey tone and panda bear
spirit they're gone, spirit they've vansihed
( animal / fat-cat); orig. circa, 2000

Just for fun - let's pretend. Let's make believe that I have been sent to deliver these words to you, the humans of planet earth, in order for you to be bettered by the things I shall lead you to hear. Also - just for fun - let's set the tone by imagining that the precious words to follow are set above 6,000 miles of barely tolerable static.

Now we are set to carry on with the message.

grey tone and panda bear have met under very bizarre circumstances. The fortunate turns of events have led the two to none other that each other. grey tone is equipped to deliver the words & sonic spasms as one 'panda bear' sets forth the perfect percussion. The two fine beings have led very similar lives and upbringing, as both were raised by fairies and dreamed of one day making beautifully strange anthems of wooden toys & friends who did not exist. So be it - and so this is.

[this is the turn in the message that the 6,000 miles of barely tolerable static fades to simple cricket chirps]

grey tone does indeed have a delicious voice, a vocal range that pleads manic-depressive (see: april and the phantom - which also contains 3,000 miles of tolerable static) or at most tripolarity (see: chocolate girl). panda bear certainly holds it's own share of "magical rhythm stick" control, and the two are most fortunate to have crossed paths in the patchwork land, and certainly a wonder to those seeking to oust any possibility of the human form of fate.

[at this point the crickets soothing chirps blend into a dozen or so (various species) monkey voices]

certainly a treasure of work that requires repeated listens as well as attention that is undivided from the headphone to the senses, spirit they're gone, spirit they've vanished is as magical as it's art & historical beginnings reveal.

Now, my bare-hearted friend, you may play your sun harp.

the furry jackal (02.29.04)

visit: animal collective

Grumpy Bear
Hmm... I'm a little bit lonely these days
( these are NOT my records ) 2005

Being an "indie" artist is often used as an excuse these days. Fortunately, Arizona's Grumpy Bear (Pima on the map!), although experimental and certainly could be tagged as "indie," has avoided using their indieness as a crutch. They rather lean on their songwriting (on a keeper-track like "dreaming with tears in my eyes"), which is something that is sadly rare in independent, "what budget?" music.

The album is eclectic yet distinctly familiar, organic yet electronic (see opener "Buckminster Fuller"!), yet overall a very promising effort from a band that could be something special. The music is a wash of sounds, landscapes of acoustic guitar, distorted keys, and doubled vocals. It's interesting and comforting with warmth that radiates through the lo-fidelity.

Grumpy Bear have self-produced a thoughtful album that is impressive, appealing and hopefully a precursor for more albums to come. Fear not the loneliness my friends, a party of listeners is on the way to your comfy cave.

Bonus: they've been strong-hugged by the fabulous shelter of KEEP Recordings (Keepsake 2) and word is the 2 Grumps have a fondness for Depeche Mode. True that!

Jandk 07.08.05

Guess Who This Is
Tribute to Dom Leone
( two won santa ); 2002

I had to do some research.

Dom Leone was one of the 5 members ( lead singer / writer ) of the early / mid 1980's folk outfit Ed's Redeeming Qualities. "Quirky" folk says All Music Guide. I think I can hear some quirk in these songs. Sadly, Dom Leone passed away in late 1989 from cancer, prior to any major distribution of his bands music. The opening liner notes state that " this collection ... hopes to bring Dom Leone's songs to a wider audience" - and I think we can all benefit from this release. Just one peek at the roster will spark an interest in many circles: Granfaloon Bus, TW Walsh, Calexico & birddog just to name 4 out of the 27 total tracks here. A select few of Dom's poetry readings are showcased here as well ("Scrabble" is a clever little bit).

The 86 version of The Letter is a grand surprise of a listen - a delicate banjo & fiddle lead one of the most sincere songs I've "just so happened" to hear in quite some time. The artwork here is also magnificent, various detailed sketches by many a folk to represent individual song titles. Dom was / is loved, and it shows visually as well as through the listen. Damn - this is some fine stuff people, I am again so taken by the amount of talent that without a bit of searching or rear-shelf interest would normally pass a listener by. Milkweed's take on "Intentions" and Corey Porter's version of "Cheese Grater" are just 2 more artists I've never heard of, but shall be on the lookout for more in the coming days. This would be a good spot I suppose to thank Dom, whom I know so very little about, for his lyrical offerings. These songs have an enourmous amount of magic that is carried out of my tiny computer speakers into my head, where they will nestle for months; years even. My first listen of The Funny Bunnies ( covering Sweater ) leaves an equally amazing perspective on their musical outing. Have I mentioned how surprised I am with this tribute compilation - comps aren't supposed to be THIS GOOD! The Perth Amboy Society Tea Orchestra add a certain flair of "intermission" like jazz to the middle of this mix with a swing-era, horns-a-plenty remake of "Spider" - you may just want to ask your lady to take a shot at the dance floor. An entire cast of Leone's appear in the form of Spurs of the Moment with one of those "quirky" tracks we were promised earlier entitled "Mom".

There are many a good things to be said of an album that has so much heart, love & humor to it, but I think it best that you hear it in your own right. We've paved a small audible path, hell, we're even gonna give you a one-click to the goods. .. . .. . . .. . . Seek this.

Proceeds of Guess Who This Is go to The Dom Leone Writing Competition.

"I'm not a musician... you might've realized that by now, but in case you haven't , I'm just kinda comin' right out with it. I ain't even a songwriter. What I am is... uh... - I'm pretty good at scrabble." - Dom Leone

+ k ( 02.21.04 )

get in here --------> two ton .

John Guilt
By Any Other Name
( johnguilt.com ) 2005

The three songs that grace Mister John Guilt's* latest, hand-pressed and elegant EP By Any Other Name have been patiently waiting to be heard. Written and recorded in the time that was known between 2002 & 2003, these three tracks deserve multiple spins.

Built around Andrew Goldman's spectacular lyrics and harmonies, John Guilt is just one of the important aliases Goldman & co. has performed under over the past several years (see Maestro Echolpex, a brief beautiful fit of solo-ism). Title track "By Any Other Name" is a slow rush of subtle drums, viola and slide guitar that glide around Goldman's story - one that seats this young man up top with envied songwriter / song singers of current such as Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and Josh Rouse. There's also a superb video that accompanies this track in moments of sepia and stark black & white that's not to be overlooked - there's something quite 4AD about the whole cinematic approach. EP centerpiece "23 Revolutions", an electrified moment of wizzardry, will slay you with the lyrical imagery only John Guilt* (the band, the myth, the man.. .) can bringforth. "Cake on an Infant's Face", the closer to this 'oh-too-brief' set of songs, knocks the pace further down a few brackets and delivers an aching ode to a tale called 'life' with the breaking lines "sometimes life is a piece of cake / sometimes it's cake, on an infant's face". Guest musician Karen Correa's viola again adds somber texture to this grand lullaby, while Goldman's guitar gently weeps with the slight brushes of a snare and cymbal - provided by percussionist TJ Lipple (who also mixed and mastered the EP, fyi).

When an EP leaves you yearning for more, it's safe to say the brief listen has served a purpose. By Any Other Name has done just that - bring over the long player as soon as you can Mr. Guilt*.

* John Guilt is a band of talented individuals - do keep this in mind when scanning the white pages for an address.

kaleb 06.12.05