...

Sometimes life happens, you know... Relatives and old friends visiting, deadlines looming, code crashing, that kind of stuff...

Anyhow.

As a kid, I wasn't especially fond of the "Find the differences" games. It always looked a bit contrived, and if the Devil's in the details, why should I want to drive him out ?

However, I came across some really endearing versions by Ivoryboy: the first version consisted in finding only 5 differences. A sequel has been released a few weeks back, where you have to find 6 differences this time. The graphics are still amazing and very soothing, and o don't I miss the City.

OK, what's the point, will you ask ? Well...

I recently bought "The Fallen Aristocracy EP" by the danish trio Northern Portrait. It had been heartily suggested by one of my favorite record-store clerk, as some very good Smiths-inspired pop-from-the-North, a la Cats On Fire. I can't but agree.

You still don't see where I'm going ? Well, let's play, then:

On my left:
Crazy - Northern Portrait


On my right:
Dizzy - Vic Reeves and the Wonderstuff




Enjoy...
Oh, and Northern Portrait are releasing a new EP (Napoleon Sweetheart) some time this month, yay!

[the pix is from Ivoryboy]

Gimme coffee!

Don't be misled by the title of this post: I'm not talking about the chain of espresso bars that started in Ithaca, NY before expanding all over New York State (after all, they're really called "Gimme! Coffee"), but about the late Hot Corners, here in Athens, GA.

Yep, late. Hot Corners, this local institution providing coffee, treats and couches for thousands of students and night owls since 2003, closed its doors for good on Fri. 05/09. The very last cup of coffee was offered to yet another local institution, Gordon L., for his birthday. A photographic evidence is displayed (stolen from "Overseen in Athens", sorry and thanks guys), where you'll recognize the legendary trucker hat/glasses/beard. One can only assume that the beverage is indeed coffee, with roughly half a pint of creamers, as usual for GFL.

I'm still flummoxed by this sudden disappearance. I wasn't a regular, but it was neat to know that coffee could be found in Townietown/Tinytown at whatever hour of the night (during school months). Now, I'll have to run to Espresso Royale or Walker's to get a cup of joe or whatever sugary product to fight hypoglycemia, which is a good 3 blocks walk. No, I won't mention a third possibility, they don't need the publicity. Besides, where will I kick friends' collective ass at Scrabble, mmh ?

Moreover, Hot Corners used to be a cool place for small open-mic style shows. I'll always keep a very fond memory of a Titans of Filth show for Athfest2007 that drew a fairly impressive crowd in the "quiet room".

So, the information I could get points towards the walls being taken over by the Trappeze Pub, which opened just before Christmas 2007 in what used to be the "quiet room" mentioned above. Hardly a surprise, given the recent craze around the pub: a wide selection of exotic and expensive beers, a knowledgeable staff, semi-private booths and a patio of some sort... What else could you ask for ? Coffee ? As GFL summarized,

"the message they send is clear: in Townietown, get drunk or get lost"

Ecco.


BTW, it was indeed GFL's birthday last week-end, and a show was organized at the Caledonia Lounge: on the bill, Wedge, Entertainment, TJ Young, Fishboy and Spring Tigers.

• You already know what I think of Wedge, no comment.


• I was expecting the worse from Entertainment, mostly because of the blurb in the last flagpole:

  The Atlanta/Athens band plays dark, synth- and bass-heavy rock that's propulsive and layered, maybe a little like the lovechild that results from the late-night gropings of U2, Echo & the Bunnymen and The Cure.

  and this hilarious review of their latest album:

  Gender, the first full-length album from Athens band Entertainment, is a dark, dance-y amalgamation of all things '80s. The band melds post-punk, new wave, goth-rock and pop into something that sounds as if Bauhaus, Joy Division, (very early) U2, and Chrome were having an orgy.

  Wow. Once again, where's the indie police when you need it ? How did this piece ever got published ? Surprisingly, Entertainment are actually pretty good: they are old enough to have a first-hand knowledge of that musical period, they obviously love it and do a very decent job in recapturing it. I was fearing for some kind of Interpol-inspired rhythms, I was wrong, and I loved being wrong. I'm not ultra-keen on the Shaun Ryder like vocals on some tracks, but hey...


• TJ Young is a local stand-up comedian. Gordon, if you want, I dress up as a clown for your next birthday.


• Fishboy is a band I shouldn't have to introduce. They released one of the best concept/opera-rock albums of the decade, Albatross: How We Failed To Save The Lone Star State With The Power Of Rock And Roll. Go and listen to it now. And buy it. Twice.



• Spring Tigers recently lost a member: their keyboardist Brian called it quit. Fortunately, Shane was able to cover most of his parts while managing with his. Great job. Hopefully the band will find a replacement soon: let's say that the coming months are expected to be full of very exciting news for the Tigers.

That's it for now. I'll post some MP3s soon, when I'll be caffeinated.

Down with the hacks

It's no secret that I don't like Radiohead. There was even a regular joke with an ex of mine that we couldn't date Radiohead fans: I still can't. I found the band's music pretentious, boring and uninspired. I'm quite willing to admit that I'm prejudiced, but you know, whatever. Normally, I would not bother post about that, but a couple of recent events infuriate me.

As a follow-up to their last winter PR stunt, where their album "In Rainbows" was available online for what you deemed it worth, the band recently opened a contest to remix the second single from the album, "Nude". The intention could be laudable. After all, it is an original way to involve their fan-base and bringing a happy few some recognition.
However, apprentice remixers have to download one to five different stems at $1 each from iTunes in order to enter the contest. That, in itself, is already a despicable maneuver. On top of it, as Ms Watercutter reported on Wired:

What's sort of unclear is what actually happens to remixers who get the most votes. According to iTunes' New Music Tuesday e-mail, "Select mixes will be made available on iTunes later this year." Uh, OK. Then what? Do the creators get a portion of the sales revenue? A "thank you" e-mail from Thom Yorke and Co.? The glory of saying, "You love me! You really love me!"? Or perhaps some American Apparel back-warmer emblazoned with "I Won a Radiohead Remix Contest and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" (front) "The Free Economy Sucks" (back)?

So, Radiohead will make money on the back of their fans ? Well, after all, that's what fans are for, right. And Radiohead, or at least, their representatives and publisher, already sent a cease-and-desist letter to Amplive, an Oakland DJ who had remixed the whole album and was offering it for... free. Gasp. Free... Anyway, that's old news, an agreement has been reached between both parties and the whole album is now available online. Get it here.

Now, the cherry on the cake is that this contest stunt seems to work very well: the song made the Billboard Hot 100. Turns out that each stem is counted as a regular download of the whole song (because Billboard considers each stem a different remix). As Wired points out:

Radiohead made the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since 1996 because the remix stems for "Nude" counted towards sales totals for the song.

And of course, higher positions in the chart usually translate in higher sales, more frequent airplay, and therefore yet higher rankings...

OK, maybe the band members are for nothing in that matter. Maybe the blame is only on the representatives, on iTunes, on Billboard or any combination of. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Still, that stinks of scam, and I'm surprised that nobody tried yet to expose the band for the commercial hacks they are. Ah, where's the indie police when you need it ?


BTW, the picture is from the hilarious rainbowpuke site, about puking rainbows...

My couch is a pop-star

Our good friend Keith John Adams just completed a 3-weeks tour with Andy From Denver, and the last show was Tuesday at Flicker, with Andy opening and Casper & the Cookies headlining.

It's always a rare pleasure to catch Keith our side of the pond. My first introduction was in 2005, for the second Popfest. Keith played part of his set in the street, outside the 40W, with an acoustic guitar. We were lucky to have the same experience Tuesday, when the first half of the set was performed outside the Flicker bar, this time with an electric guitar (Keith had a tiny amp on his belt) and the famous toy-piano. As a bonus, Keith showed us some sweet moves while backing up Andy on tambourine...

Keith's new album "Unclever" has been out since mid-February. You may remember that as a special promotion, you could pre-order the album and for a few extra bucks have KJA himself write a song just for you (provided you gave him a funny story to write about). Way cheaper than Momus' "Stars for a day". The offer was limited to the first 40 subscribers, and the songs have been shipped on 2 CDRs along with the actual CD. Mike Turner already posted 7 tracks on his blog, and asked friends of his to post the other tracks. If you don't want to spend afternoons surfing, you'll find shortcuts to some stories and the corresponding songs below...

Of course, I couldn't resist and asked Keith for a song, who was graceful to dedicate it to... my couch. A word of explanation is needed:

When I moved to Athens, I shared an apartment with some friends. In the living room were two couches that came with the flat, old 70es-style pieces of furniture of unknown origin that must have seen a lot of action over the last decades. One late afternoon in Summer 2006, the Cookies, the HHBTM family and Keith came to pick my then-girlfriend and myself for some sushi delights. As we were waiting for the little Miss to get ready, I started fixing up some drinks while everybody picked up seats. Here's an excerpt of the conversation :

- Me, to Keith approaching the divan : "Mate, be careful with the..."
- Keith, springing back to his feet and holding his arse : "Ouch, ouch, ouch !"
- Me : "...couch, it'll rape you if you try to sit on it too fast."

Since then, I had to leave that apartment, but the couches came along, and they still torture careless guests. You've been warned.


Links & MP3s

Ouch Couch : a true story...

HHBTM

• Do The MMT (for Mike Turner)
• Wonderful Friends (for Eric Hernandez)
• Sloppy Loppy (for Leslie DS)
• Double Jay Day (for Jason Jones)
• Perspective
• Sane Boyfriend
• Whadayawant

Three Imaginary Girls

• 15 Pound Zucchini (for Mike Yetter)
• Amazon Twilight (for Raynald Cany)
• Blue Meanies (for Jeff Kuykendall)
• Arty Party (for Dave?)

Indie MP3

• Evil Bus Depot (for Trev LostMusic)
• Daddy Tom (for Tom LostMusic)
• Lost In Korea (for Nathan and Faith Jennings)
• Marry Me In London (for Scot)
• Minus The Cat ( for Tim Schnepp)

24HPP

• Cruise with the Hippies (for Joe Attalah)
• Colors (for Harper Lee and Claire Glazer)
• Caterpillar (for Jason NeSmith)
• Cocaine Off A Hooker's Chest (for Fishboy)

You Ain't No Picasso

• Kidnapped by Filipinos (for Mike Jordan)

A visit from the real world

Some old and dear friend of mine and a friend of hers came to visit Athens this week-end straight from up North, somewhere "in the real world" as they nicknamed their Massachusetts haven. Luckily for my guests, there was plenty to do...

Fri. 04/04 (incidentally, the 7th anniversary of my American Adventures) saw Spring Tigers rocking the Flicker Bar out. That was the second Tigers show since their return from SXSW, and they were really tight. Unfortunately, the PA had some difficulties catching up with their set-up and the sound was sub-par for most of the tunes. Nevertheless, a very efficient show.

Till we are talking about Spring Tigers, let me open a parenthesis and urge you to check "New Improved Formula", their first video-clip, shot and edited by their keyboardist, Brian Smith. 90s of pure energetic catchiness, a fast and in-your-face editing and... kittens. All the ingredients for a youtube hit, as you can see for yourself below. FYI, most of the footages were filmed in Austin, TX during SXSW: the astute viewer will recognize bits of the Kindercore showcase performance at the Light Bar, as well as pictures of the Congress district. And a bunny.



We moved next door (40W) afterwards, where Dark Meat were playing an "acoustic" show. The quotes indicate that even if the guitars/bass were not electrified, the full band was on stage, keeping intact the power and chaos of their more "classical" performances. The show was a benefit for Gus Ramos, a local musician still hospitalized in critical but stable condition after a moped accident. Also on the bill were Music Hates You, but I phased out. On our way home, we got called inside a party where I narrowly escaped being savagely mauled by a tiny dog, who hated me. I wonder whether its name was music.

After recovering in front of Godard's "Bande à part" and strolling along the Oconee River Trail, we eventually found ourself Sat. 04/05 evening at the Go Bar, for a show of one of my favorite local bands, The Buddy System. No need for introductions as I post regularly about them. Portable TV sets and monitors appropriately placed in the bar let the whole audience enjoy the animations, their classical ones along a new song, based on a new concept (think a kind of photonovella, with Lauren Gregg's characteristic touch superimposed). It was refreshing and bodes well for the near future, as TBS keep pushing their limits. Great job, guys... And then we danced our ass off as Dan Geller spinned a tiny part of his 80es/90es indie -dance standards collection, before moving to Little Kings for DJ Mahogany's BDay Bash, and finally to the famous DIY venue where we did not catch any show but still had a lot of fun.

Sunday was spent in a mini REM pilgrimage (Weaver D's, the steeple...), watching Kitano's "Kikujirô no natsu" and yours truly realizing that preparing food for your friends is not a cook-out if you don't cook outside. We could have tried to catch We vs the Shark at the Farm 255, but a certain bottle of whiskey had to be finished before going to bed: guess who'll be married or hanged in the year, as we say back home ?

Anyhow. Guys, come back soon, we miss you already. What's so good about the real world anyway ? Oh yes, I forgot...

MP3s
Dark Meat - Three Eyes Open
Dark Meat - Freedom Ritual
Spring Tigers - Wichitalinemanager
Spring Tigers - Beep Beep

Fun with the Federal Reserve

Dear reader, can you spot the inconsistencies in the following speech, given today by Fed. Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke ? Here's an extract (the full speech is available here):

Well-functioning financial markets are essential for the efficacy of monetary policy and, indeed, for economic growth and stability. To improve market liquidity and market functioning, and consistent with its role as the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve has supplemented its longstanding discount window by establishing three new facilities for lending to depository institutions and primary dealers.
...
The Primary Dealer Credit Facility was put in place in the wake of the near-failure of Bear Stearns, a large investment bank. On March 13, Bear Stearns advised the Federal Reserve and other government agencies that its liquidity position had significantly deteriorated and that it would have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the next day unless alternative sources of funds became available. This news raised difficult questions of public policy. Normally, the market sorts out which companies survive and which fail, and that is as it should be. However, the issues raised here extended well beyond the fate of one company. Our financial system is extremely complex and interconnected, and Bear Stearns participated extensively in a range of critical markets. With financial conditions fragile, the sudden failure of Bear Stearns likely would have led to a chaotic unwinding of positions in those markets and could have severely shaken confidence. The company’s failure could also have cast doubt on the financial positions of some of Bear Stearns’ thousands of counterparties and perhaps of companies with similar businesses. Given the current exceptional pressures on the global economy and financial system, the damage caused by a default by Bear Stearns could have been severe and extremely difficult to contain. Moreover, the adverse effects would not have been confined to the financial system but would have been felt broadly in the real economy through its effects on asset values and credit availability. To prevent a disorderly failure of Bear Stearns and the unpredictable but likely severe consequences of such a failure for market functioning and the broader economy, the Federal Reserve, in close consultation with the Treasury Department, agreed to provide funding to Bear Stearns through JPMorgan Chase. Over the following weekend, JPMorgan Chase agreed to purchase Bear Stearns and assumed Bear’s financial obligations.
...
Clearly, the U.S. economy is going through a very difficult period. But among the great strengths of our economy is its ability to adapt and to respond to diverse challenges. Much necessary economic and financial adjustment has already taken place, and monetary and fiscal policies are in train that should support a return to growth in the second half of this year and next year. I remain confident in our economy’s long-term prospects.

Emphasis are mine.

OK, hold on a minute, I'm getting confused. So, we live in an allegedly self-regulated market economy, where profits made by companies are redistributed only among their share-holders, and where companies in weakened positions are ruthlessly bought by healthier competitors, right ? Basic application of Darwinism to global economy, I can understand. But when the market gets screwed up, when the very same companies took too many risks and can't assume them, the federal administration intervenes with a big pile of public cash and erases the tab before things get worse ? That's pure genius ! As a speculator, I could have my cake, eat it, and have an affair with the pastry girl ! I still feel a piercing pain in my back pocket...

I'm also quite fond of the opposition "financial system / real economy". Should I understand that our current financial systems are fake economy ? Argh. Hard science and computing are so much simpler.

[Insert Billy Bragg/Stereolab song here]

Anyway. Caribou show tonight at the 40W. Looks like they found a new drummer...

Emo kids of the world...

Yesterday, I ran into an article of Wired about demonstrations of Emo Kids in Mexico, protesting the recent raise of violent anti-emo acts over the country. As stated by Wired,

A series of attacks on dyed-hair, eye-makeup-wearing emo kids began in early March when several hundred people went on an emo-beating rampage in Querétaro, a town of 1.5 million about 160 miles north of Mexico City.

The next week, shaggy-haired emo teenagers were harassed again by punks and rockabillys in the capital, prompting police protection and a segment on the TV news. Most recently, a Mexican newspaper reported that metal heads and gangsters have warned Tijuana's emo kids to stay away from the town's fair next month.

But the so-called emos are organizing, too. Last week, they demonstrated against the violence, pictured above, and Wednesday some met with police in Mexico City.

My first reaction was a smirk: emo kids being beaten by punks and goths ? It's so sad I want to cut myself and cry about it. Typical.

But then, I realized that it's actually quite sickening and frightening: it is not because I personally find the emo culture ridiculous that I can condone the violence against followers, on the contrary. The situation is escalating: as reported by The Daily Swarm, the riots are now spreading to Northern Mexico, with attacks reported in Juárez and Tijuana. It is not especially new nor confined to Mexico only either. A month before, in Chili, an attack of emo kids by skinheads was also signaled. A few months ago, a gang of teenagers assaulted a couple of goths in Lancashire, eventually killing a young woman, as covered by the BBC:

A 15-year-old boy kicked and stamped to death a woman because she was dressed as a Goth, a court heard.
The drunk teenager was among a gang of five who “savagely and mercilessly” attacked Sophie Lancaster, 20, and her boyfriend, Preston Crown Court heard.
Miss Lancaster was begging the gang to stop beating Robert Maltby, 21, when they turned on her in Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Lancashire, the jury was told.

Now, substitute "emo" or "goth" by any other minority (racial, sexual) and be afraid, be very afraid of the world in which we are living.

Lost Post #1 - week 13

"Where did time go" was the motto of that week: following the lateness pattern initiated the previous week, I ended up missing most shows.

Tue. 03/04
I was pretty thrilled to hear that the HEAP (ex HEAP project) was playing at Caledonia, along Diet Rock Stars and Kenosha Kid. For once however, the show was early and on time, with HEAP opening, so they were already done by the time I showed up. Pity, for I'm a big fan. HEAP is fronted by Bryan J. Howard on bass and vocals, accompanied Jeff Rieter (bass), Ian Werden (drums), Jim Wilson aka Diego Catalan (percussions), Paul Kim (keyboards) and a horn trio (Jeff Crouch on trumpet, Marcus Gilley and Chris Costigan on sax). It's groovy in an indie-meets-funk way, it's roughly Athens response to Morphine, it's unique in our area, it's definitely worth many listens. An album is in preparation and should hopefully be available in June. A couple of shows will be announced before that. Stay tuned.

So I moved next door to the 40 Watt and caught Bomb The Music Industry!. BTMI! is a collective from Baldwin, NY, formed in 2004 around Jeff Rosenstock, with members as famous as Matt Kurz (the Matt Kurz one) or Jeff Tobias (We versus the Shark, Pegasuses XL). It's punk, with some horns: that's not sufficient to qualify it as ska, but that gives a nice Mano Negra feel to it... They ranted against our local institution, Flagpole, maybe because the journal nominated them for the Worst Band Name of 2007, category "OMG Get Excited!!!!". Anyway, that was the last night of their tour, they had to go back to their day jobs in Brooklyn, NY just after.

Pegasuses XL were headlining and celebrating the release of their first album, The Antiphon, on Ernest Jennings Record Co. Very efficient show, Becky "Cars Can Be Blue" Brooks on backing vocals on The Big Haunt. No running-around-the-block pre-show antics this time, just a big group hug, but the feeling was there.

I highly recommend you to lend an ear or two to Antiphon, for it is a very homogeneous album that you should find filed under electro-punk-rap. It doesn't sound as Add N to X-meets-Ladytron than their first EPs, it doesn't have the brutal impact The Midnight Aquarium had (I guess the surprise effect gets diluted with time), it is surprisingly subdued: at a time when twee kids listen to Bearsuit, one would expect Pegasuses to be more in your face. Take a song like Marathon Mansion from the Antiphon and compare it to Run the Gauntlet from their first EP: both are great, mind you, but my preference goes to the second. Still, go and get Antiphon, you won't be disappointed.

MP3s
Pegasuses XL - Run the Gauntlet
Pegasuses XL - Marathon Mansion
Pegasuses XL - The Big Haunt (that's the hit!)

Pictures of the 40W show are available on Mike White's site.
____

Wed. 03/05
A gazillion bands were playing at Little Kings that evening: Madeline, Heather Hines and Liza Sullivan (ex Flash to Bang Time), Ham 1, Nana Grizol, and we ended with the unfortunately too scarce Circulatory System. As usual for this kind of occasion, it's more of a family reunion than an actual evening of shows. Well, it is both, let's say.

____

Fri. 03/07
Second round for Liza backing up Heather Heyn (Vicariously Through Cats) at Flicker this time, with Andy From Denver headlining. I already gave reviews of Andy's shows, so I won't keep you longer. Andy put a very nice stunt by recording some of his between-songs banters, which gave a rather hilarious and surrealistic view of his mind's inner workings ("Oh, to fight the stress, I could just picture everybody naked. Not the guys, though, not the guys."). Andy is currently touring for 2-3 weeks with Keith John Adams in the East Coast/Midwest starting 03/20, so catch the mates while you can.

___

Sat. 03/08
If you have any idea of my whereabouts on that day, drop a line...


Photo by Mike "Deadly Designs" White

Back online, with Stars in my eyes...

Back online eventually, after some exhausting but fun weeks without regular internet connection. I missed several posts, prepared off-line but not quite finalized yet, so bear with me for a little while.

The big event of this past Easter week-end was a concert of Stars at the Georgia Theatre. Stars have a very special place in my indie-pop life. Just before I moved to the States, early 2001, my little brother gave me a couple of CDs of MP3s. On one of them was Nightsongs, Stars first LP, that I listened to regularly throughout that year (and still do, using it as an introduction).

Early 2002, I attended one of their gigs in a goth club NYC, and chatted with them afterwards. Overall, I must have seen them 6-7 times in the course of two years, sometimes in unfortunate but memorable circumstances - a CMJ where all their gear got stolen, another show in Rochester, NY where a botched promotion brought a total of 4 paying tickets, included my ride and myself and the drummer's aunt and uncle, a butt-freezing Valentine's day in Montreal, QC - sometimes in just plain awesome circumstances (with Broken Social Scene later that same CMJ).
Of course, we ended up sympathizing. It's through Stars that I discovered Metric (for a late-night show at the now defunct Coral Room, NYC and its mermaids behind the bar), BSS and consorts, it's through Stars that I met James Husband for the very first time (he was playing tambourine with them at the famous Stars/BSS CMJ show). I hadn't seen them since I moved to Athens: the last times they played in the area were in Atlanta, at times where I couldn't get a ride. So I was quite excited to learn they would play in town.

Early show, Pash (Washington DC) and Martin Royle (from Washington Social Club) were opening. I didn't think much of Pash, seeing Marty again was fun (he played regularly with Stars as soon as 2003), but all in all, I wasn't there for them. Stars then came on a stage covered with red roses that would later be thrown to the audience. They opened with two songs from their latest LP In Our Bedroom After The War: The Beginning After The End and The Night Starts Here (this one marred by some serious issues with the microKorg, Torquil would joke about not being in a folk band afterwise). They followed by Set Yourself On Fire from their previous opus, The Ghost Of Genova Heights, from IOBATW, and many more. Not much from their first works, but a completely new rendition of Going, Going, Gone. I was a tiny bit disappointed they didn't play Peak Hill, but it was a great show nevertheless.

Then, I should have run to the 40W where The Buddy System and Folklore were headlining a nth JammyJam Party. By the time Stars finished playing, I would have missed most of the TBS show anyway, so I hanged around backstage, greeted Dottie a happy birthday (Stars did so on stage earlier), and had long chats with Torquil, Chris, Amy and especially with Evan, about their growth from a four-piece bedroom-electro pop band from Ottawa/Brooklyn/Toronto to the internationally successful 6-piece they are today (Pat the drummer joined in 2003, and a 6th member was backing Amy on guitar), and their uncompromising attitude towards their career. Don't expect any Stars song in a commercial any time soon, they don't want that to happen, they want to keep their credibility intact. Stars are indie and proud of it, and I'm very proud of them. Good job guys, now I'll make sure not to wait 4 years before seeing you again.

MP3s
Going, Going, Gone (Nightsongs)
The Face (Dead Child Stars EP)(good luck finding this one...)
My Favorite Book (In Our Bedroom After The War) (dedicated to whom should have been here)
The Ghost Of Genova Heights (In Our Bedroom After The War)

FOG #5 - Marquis de Sade

New installment of our "Frenchies Oldies" series...
Most of the times, when people think about French music, they think ye-ye (Dutronc, Hardy, Gainsbourg in the 60es) or realist (Piaf, Brel), and that's about it. Fine, but we have more, far more to offer.

What about Post-punk, for example ? In a town that gave us Pylon and The B-52's, everybody loves post-punk, right ? And it's coming back among the cool kidz, so... Well, surprise, we had some in France ! Not a lot, true, but quite good nevertheless.

Marquis de Sade was founded in 1977, in Rennes (Brittany, FR), around Philippe Pascal (vocals), Frank Darcel (guitar), Christian Dargelos (bass) and Pierre Thomas (drums). After gaining some regional and then national momentum that materialized in a first single in 1978, despite numerous changes in members and management (such as Eric Morinière replacing Thomas, Dargelos quitting to be eventually replaced by Thierry Alexandre, Daniel Paboeuf joining on sax) that almost caused the band to split, the band released their first album "Danzig Twist" (a pun on "Dancing to East") in September 1979.
They spent most of 1980 on the road before releasing the second album, "Rue de Siam" (a famous street in Brest, Brittany), in January 1981. After a brief tour, the band eventually split for good in April 1981. Pascal will later form Marc Seberg (originally, an hoax invented during an interview), while Darcel will join forces with the latest guitarist and drummer of MdS and form Octobre.

Marquis de Sade sang mostly in English, occasionally in French and German. The themes were dark: psychiatric internment, alienation, authoritarian states, decline and degeneration.
Some influences are easily recognizable: Television, Talking Heads, the Velvet Underground (they covered "White Light/White Heat"). But keep the dates in mind, they were real precursors in their own genre, to such an extent that famous French rock critics at the time refered to Joy Division as "the english Marquis de Sade". In any case, they had a marked influence on many French bands of that time.

I discovered Marquis de Sade late in the day, around 1990, actually through Marc Seberg. I've never been a big fan of that latter, but at least, they got me into MdS...

A fairly detailed history of the band is available here.

Clip: Conrad Veidt (from Danzig Twist), live '79:


Clip: Set in Motion Memories:


MP3s:
Danzig Twist : Henry
Danzig Twist : Conrad Veidt
Danzig Twist : Skin Disease
...
Rue de Siam : Cancer and Drugs
Rue de Siam : Final Fog

Last week in show - Missed it !

Springtime is about to settle in Athens, at last, which tends to set me in a rather cozy mood. So, minimal review of last week's shows.


Thu.02/28 - 40 Watt

Showcase for Jimmy Hughes' (Folklore, Elf Power) bumbleBEAR label, back to activity after 5 years of slumber. I showed up far too late and missed most of the bands, but did catch Titans of Filth in their newest incarnation.
A few months ago, the band lost their multi-instrumentalist Emily Armond to her many other bands (Dark Meat, Mouser,Sea of Dogs) and their violonist Ann Rogers to her personal adventures. Since then, the Titans performed a couple of shows as a trio, before welcoming guitarist Spencer Rich among them. Replacing 40% for a band by yourself is no small feat, especially when the 40% in questions were so charming and talented. Nevertheless, Spencer did a fair job. I'm not completely convinced, however. The subtle balance the Titans had achieved and which materialized in some famous shows at New-York Popfest and at Hot Corners during Athfest 2007 will probably take more tweaking and practices to be fully restored. Still, the material is as good as ever, and I'm still fan.

Don't forget to lurk around the bumbleBEAR site, a true treasure trove of MP3s goodness.

MP3s:
Titans of Filth : Our Impending Announcement
Titans of Filth : Swinging Lovers

_____

Fri. 02/29 - Flicker

Following mostly the same pattern as the previous evening, I missed Everybody Everybody, the new band of Nate Mitchell (Cars Can Be Blue, Titans of Filth), Laura Swindall (Christopher's Liver), David Specht (Quiet Hooves), who were introducing Melissa Colbert, their new singer. From the reports I heard, the show was very dance-pop, fun and quite exciting, à la ESG. I know I should have hurried, but hey.
I was too busy drowning my regrets and celebrating my first day of Spring to really pay to the New Sound of Numbers the attention they deserved, but I liked what I heard. And the evening ended in yet another awesome dance party, but alas, my favorite partner was M.I.A. So I made more of a fool of myself on karaoke hero. I suck.

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Sat. 03/01 - Flicker / 40W

Talk about some confusion in the organization: the 40Watt was hosting Vic Chesnutt and Jonathan Richman, while Flicker was presenting Spring Tigers, another band named after a mall, and the Besties, more or less at the same time. Too many choices!
Spring Tigers followed their new motto "tighter, faster, louder" to the best effect. Really great show.
Vic Chesnutt was entrancing, but I spent most of the show fixing my nicotine levels and trying not to break in tears. I therefore missed the verbal altercation between Vic and a spectator that may or may have not been on his cell-phone during the show.
Despite Marisa's cold (she had to whisper before the show as to save a bit of voice for the actual performance), the Besties were faithful to their name and their reputation. It'd been too long since they last paid us a visit.
Jonathan Richman was as endearing as ever... He was again accompanied by drummer Tommy Larkins, and both were promoting the upcoming release of Jonathan's next album, "Because Her Beauty's Raw And Wild". Priceless, leaves me speechless.

MP3s
Besties: The Zombie Song
Jonathan Richman: Not So Much To Be Loved Than To Love

After such a song, there's nothing much to add...

[Update 03/07/2008: Mike White posted pictures of the 40W show. Go and check!]

FOG #4: Lio - Amoureux Solitaires

In 1980, Wanda de Vasconcelos is 18, a Portuguese exiled in Belgium and already better known as Lio, thanks to the immense success of her very first single, "Banana split". She asks Jacno and Elli Medeiros, who have recently disbanded their punk combo the Stinky Toys but still perform as a duo, to adapt in French their song "Lonely Lovers". They agree, Elli taking care of the lyrics, Jacno of the music (as composer, producer and arranger), and here we go: "Amoureux solitaire" will become a hit.
Despite some up and downs in her career, Lio still performs nowadays.

There are several reasons for choosing that particular song as our fourth installment of "Frenchies Oldies but Goodies".

• You know very well that I can't resist lovely young brunettes, of course.
  
• Lio's first hit seemed too obvious a choice: after all, there is a trope in pop music where ingenues sing lyrics full of double-entendre (think Gall and Gainsbourg "Les Sucettes a l'Anis"), and "Banana split", like "Les Sucettes...", is an ode to fellatio. I'm still surprised that Cars Can Be Blue haven't covered it yet.
  
• The production is quite characteristic of Jacno's at that period. He just had a huge hit with the instrumental "Rectangle", inspired by his meeting with Kraftwerk in a train. And in a way, Jacno is the naughty godfather of contemporary french electronica...
  
• The lyrics of "Amoureux Solitaires" have a melancholy and an accepted self-delusion that appeal to my twoth side.

Hey you, tell me you love me
Even if it's a lie and we don't stand a chance
Life's so sad, tell me you love me
Every day's the same, I need some romance
A bit of plastic beauty to erase the shadows under our eyes
Some chemical pleasure for our brains too dull
Let our lives look like a perfect movie
Let's forget everything, ourselves included, what we really are
Lonely lovers in a dead city
Imaginary lovers, after all who cares
Let our lives look like a perfect movie






MP3s
Lio: Amoureux Solitaires
Elli Medeiros: Lonely lovers . 2007 cover of the Stinky Toys' original. Kinda stinks.
Jacno:Rectangle. 2002 reprise of the 1980 classic.

Last week in show

Wow I'm later than a white rabbit, so let's not wait and start our "Last week in show"...


Mon. 02/18

Killick & Tatsuya Nakatani - Flicker

Technically, I didn't attend that show, I was outside, sipping a PBR after having bought some cigs, and waiting for Caledonia to open their doors. Anyway, I'm utterly impervious to this kind of improv' on percussions (Nakatani) and cello (Killick), even if I recognize the talent and the technique, so no comment.


Wedge & Evangelicals & Headlights - Caledonia

Tommy Wedge, a native of Indiana, relocated to Athens in 1999. Last year, he released his solo album, "Heavensville", publicized as "a lush, ambient foray into territory first charted by bands such as Cocteau Twins and Xymox". Be warned however that Wedge doesn't sound anything like the Twins or Xymox at all, but more like Slowdive, Sigur Rós or even Radiohead. That brand of generic dream-pop makes me want to crawl up in a hole and die. At least, stay outside the venue till the end of the show, even if it was in the low 30es and I wasn't properly layered up. Quite a feat indeed.

The Evangelicals are a quartet - Josh Jones (vocals/guitar), Kyle Davis (bass/keyboards), Austin Stephens (drums), Todd Jackson (guitar) - from Norman, OK, who took way too long to set-up (but I was cold and therefore impatient). However, that was definitely worth the wait. I had purposely avoided reading or listening to anything about them as to not impair a first experience, and it was a good move. They completely blew me away with their sound, as if Flaming Lips were collaborating with Animal Collective on some Queen covers (cliché, I know, but to the point). They made a fairly extensive use of lights and fog machine, to the extent that at one point, you couldn't see the stage if you were more than a dozen feet away. The Evangelicals just released their second album, "The Evening Descends", a more complex follow-up to their 2006' "So Gone". Both are heartily recommended.

In comparison, the Headlights, a combo from Champaign, IL, paled a bit. Oh, not that this wasn't a good show, quite the contrary. Tristan Wraight, Erin Fein, Brett Sanderson, Nick Sanborn and John Owen were promoting "Some Racing, Some Stopping", the praiseworthy successor of "Kill Them With Kindness". It's a great album, but I had seen the Headlights earlier, so there was no surprise factor. Besides, I couldn't help remembering Tilly and the Wall, go figure...

Photos of the Monday shows are available at www.deadlydesign.com. Thanks Mike.

_____

Tue. 02/19

"Persepolis", the animation feature based on Satrapi's series of autobiographical comics, was done by 11PM. I underestimated the time I needed to catch Edgie Sedgwick at the Caledonia (I've been told it was really great dance-pop), but I had enough time for

Joe Lally - Caledonia

Former Fugazi bassist Joe Lally was performing in front of a sparse but extremely respectful crowd. Not a word could be heard from the audience during or even between tracks. Not a lot of cheering either, it felt like attending a concert of classical music in a church. Maybe it was, I've never been a fan of Fugazi, so Lally's presence wasn't some kind a religious experience for me. Interesting show, that taught me a new taunt seemingly popular among third graders: "You got cheese in your plate".
To summarize, it was very quiet, very grown-up, very cozy. But I'm still not ready for that yet.

_____

Thu. 02/21

Leaving ATH for ATL for once...

Spring Tigers - Smith Old Bar

It was only the third show of Spring Tigers (after a first one opening for the Lodger at Flicker last November, and a second one a few weeks later at Caledonia), but the first with the new configuration (Kriss on lead vocals and guitar, Brian on keyboards, Shane on second guitar, Eli on bass and Chase on drums). Eli and Chase are an ideal addition, they were really tight. All of them were tight. All in all, it was really great performance for the best brit-pop band this side of the pond. My only regret is that there were not enough backing vocals, but no doubt that'll change as the rest of the band gains more confidence: after all, it was only the second first show. The new mini-LP is just about to be ready, more news very very soon.


Silver Seas - Smith Old Bar

The next band of that evening was the Silver Seas, a quarter from Nashville, TN, who play some kind of neo-yacht rock formatted to please the whole family. Ideal for weddings, bar-mitzvahs or retirement parties. I couldn't tell if one of the songs they played was an original or a cover of Van Morrison, but it sure did sound a lot like "Jackie Wilson Said". And thankfully, we had to leave to go back to ATH.

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Fri. 02/22

Black Skies & Subrig Destroyer - Caledonia

What do you want ? Sometimes, the Caledonia Lounge is more of a social club than an actual venue. At least, it's how I take it. So, no comment either on Black Skies, a heavy metal trio (Kevin Clark on guitar/vocals, Michelle Temple on bass and Cameron Weeks on drums) from Chapel Hill, NC, nor on Subrig Destroyer, a heavy metal duo (Chris Holcombe on drums and Joel Martin on bass) from Athens, GA. Not that they were bad or anything, it's really not my cup of tea, so I cannot comment due to a lack of references.
However, nice creative chats with some friends.

_____

Sat. 02/23

A busy day, with an afternoon of beers and rugby (France-England in the Six Nations Tournament, we lost), that finished with

AUX2 - Flicker & Little Kings & Ciné

That was the second edition of a local art festival focused on electronic and experimental music. Going into the details of it would take far too much time, as the event was spread on three venues and mixed music, video, dance, art installation, and the best honey-pecan vegan cookies I ever tasted. Anyway, I only caught a bit of Black Swan Network (mostly OTC members), Pterodactyl Wingspan (mostly Dark Meat members), Maps and Transit that I really liked, and, er, that's about it. Eric Harris (of OTC fame) was also presenting the prototype of the Magic Tape Cube, a clever device that automatically composes your very own "pop"-song depending on some settings you select by turning some knobs. It works !
Overall, the whole event was kinda like a big family reunion, everybody who has ever been in any band in Athens was there, it was really heartwarming. Which was needed because of the sudden drop in temperature we experienced at sunset.


The Buddy System - Caledonia

Fifth show of TBS, and last one in town before a few weeks. No new animation this time, but a very smart trick. Ryan Lewis (guitar) had some last minute commitment that prevented him to play. Instead of canceling the show, he recorded himself on video with the help of his brother Mat, and the footage was shown on four displays stacked one on top of the other on stage.
The result was of course a virtual Ryan, scratching his beard between songs, and shredding during songs (with and without a bear mask). Quite original, very well done (even if a minor, temporary screw-up made our Ryan lose his head for the mac equivalent of a BSOD), and actually a really cool idea that deserves to be used again...
Pictures available at www.deadlydesigns.com, thanks Mike again...



OK, that's it. No MP3s this time, I'm way too late for that. Blame deadlines and cracks in the spatiotemporal continuum.

Message personnel

In 1973, Françoise Hardy was in studio with Michel Berger, recording "Message Personnel" and the eponymous single which immediately became a hit (and now the third installment of our FOG series).

I was only a toddler but this song was so popular that you just couldn't avoid it growing up. It is still played nowadays and can be considered as part of the French psyche: take "8 women" as an example. Anyway, the piece speaks for itself. The change in lexical register in the original French lyrics in particular always makes me melt.

I grew fond of that song, and it always pops back in mind at various intervals, depending obviously on the circumstances. After all, it is well known that standard side-effects of the condition of a pop lover are a taste for sugar, an addiction to predicaments and a tendency to drama-queenhood...

An english translation of the lyrics is available here.

Dolcezza, in bocca al lupo !
Rimaniamo in contatto, chiamami, mi manchi già
Mille baci...

I love me recordshop

Even today, in this age of internet and file sharing, my favorite way to discover new music is to frequent local record stores, the mom and pop kind of operations where you can bring your coffee and chat with the staff for hours at time. Here in Athens, we're blessed with Wuxtry, a true institution since 1976.

I stopped there a few days ago as Mike was working, to show off my shiny new hot pink cellphone and its Wired up ringtone (how tacky is that ?). Mike greeted me with a smile and a "you gonna love that" light in the eyes. And he was right.

Bubblegum Lemonade
According to his official website, Bubblegum Lemonade is the solo project of a Scot from Glasgow, Laz, and his 12-string Brickenbacker. After a first tune released last October on Matinée Hit Parade sampler, Laz gives us his new EP, "Ten Years Younger". That's an understatement: the first 10 seconds drove me instantly back 15 to 20 years ago, at the height of jangly pop, a time where as a teen I was discovering Jesus & Mary Chain, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Stone Roses, the Velvet Underground and so many many more. You, in your mid-thirties, do you remember those afternoons of ecstasy and wine spent with friends listening to what would become the soundtrack of your lives ? Buy the EP now and get 12 minutes of youth back. And here's a piece of advice for you, the younger ones: get with your significant other(s), put "Ten Years Younger" and make yourselves some memories. This EP is a pure gem, layered vocals, catchy harmonies, subtle feedback, everything's there. I wouldn't be surprised if Laz and I grew up more or less at the same time and with more or less the same record collection...

And if 12 minutes are not enough, do not worry, rejoice ! Laz has a second project:

Strawberry Whiplash is Laz on instruments and Sandra on vocals. Our duo just released their first EP, "Who's in your dreams", once again on Matinée, and once again four little jewels that'll stuck with you all this summer. I know it's only February, but their "feeback wall of sunshine sound" and a song like "It rains on other planets" will disperse winter clouds and make flowers grow around your steps. Like for Bubblegum Lemonade, 10 seconds were enough for me to fall head over heels.

So yes, I'm a sucker for twee and jangle, but I do love heavier stuffs as well, which brings us to

A Place To Bury Strangers, publicized as "the loudest band in NYC". A trio from Brooklyn fronted by the ex-Skywave Oliver Ackermann, APTBS does indeed play some loud, pedal-intensive noisy-pop/shoegaze with some surf music overtones. You'll recognize some influences of Jesus & Mary Chain's "Psychocandy", MBV's "Feed Me With Your Kiss"/"You Made Me Realize", Boo Radleys' "Kaleidoscope", The Cure's "Pornography", I gonna stop there, you should have an idea by now. Not original by any means, but formidably efficient.

Mike also tried to push the reissue of Adorable, but nah. I thought they sucked back in the days (1992, 2 to 5 years too late, mates), I had forgotten about them, and no regret whatsoever. I'll stick to our Glasgow friends for the time being.

MP3s
Bubblegum Lemonade: Ten Years Younger
Strawberry Whiplash: It Rains On Other Planets
A Place To Bury Strangers: She Dies

The "we never made it" week in shows.

Tue. 02/12

A: - Hey, what are you up to tonight ?
B: - Dunno, maybe gonna try to catch a show...
A: - Who's playing ?
B: - Dunno
A: - OK, gimme a call when you're downtown and let's meet.
B: - We have a plan.

Fact Not Fiction - Caledonia
Fact Not Fiction is a 4-dude, generic indie-rock band from Northeastern Georgia, with already two albums behind them. They are tight, they definitely know how to play, but the tunes are plain and insipid. I foresee success, in the tracks of Modern Skirts. Count me out.
MP3: Fact Not Fiction - Stars and UFO

B: - So, where are you ?
A: - Oh, I'm just calling it a night, actually. Stick around Flicker, Bell Hollow are playing, they're supposed to be good.
B: - OK, catch you later.

Bell Hollow - Flicker
Bell Hollow is an all-black clad quartet from NYC, currently touring with their sound engineer. As their outfits hint, they play some guitar-based cold-wave inspired dark music. I wasn't especially impressed by their performance: weak vocals (but we were warned not to pay too much attention to it), music too much in the lines of your generic mid/late-80es band, not enough punk-rock in the goth. They were headlining for Misfortune 500, which should give you an indication. Anyway, touring bands always need gas money, so I purchased their latest EP ("Sons of the Burgess Shale") and album ("Foxgloves"). Still mediocre on CD, eh, but it gives the urge to relisten to Vancouver's now defunct The Organ which is (was) far far superior in the same genre. Bah.
MP3: Bell Hollow : The Bottle tree

__________

Thu. 02/14

B: - Let's go see Blade Runner, there's the final cut at Cine.
A: - Can't do it. Let's meet at Go round 23:00 instead.

I found myself attending the 7PM showing (that was good...), which left me enough time to catch

Sex Robots - Caledonia
Sex Robots are an excellent punk trio from Saint Louis, MO. You may recognize Mario from the famous combo Bunnygrunt. Ah, there's something with the immediacy of pop-punk, the energy, that often leaves me with a smile on my face. And that was the case that night.
MP3: Sex Robots - Take Me Out Dancin'

So it was on springs that I went to Go. Unfortunately, I showed up at 23:15, too late for the electropop-duo of La Chansons, from ATL. Sad, because I'd been told that they were purely adorable (coming from Dan Geller, famous half of Ruby Isle and I'm the World Trade Center, that's a compliment to be trusted), and because I'll never have the answer to the question of whether they don't know enough French grammar or whether their name is a subversive statement. I stuck around for a little while, listening to the tunes of Twin Powers, before leaving for another dance-party at Little Kings where DJ Mahogany was spinning. So many parties, so little time, but always a good one when Mark is behind the tables. And he played some mean Jackson 5...

__________

Sat. 02/16

B: - Hey, there's a show in this new studio, round 21:00. Fancy coming ?
A: - Er, we'll see.
B: - OK, I'll call you.

The Glow studio was founded in January 2007 by Jesse Mangum and Chase Prince in Jacksonville, FL, and is best known for being where the Black Kids recorded their "Wizard of Ahhhs" EP. Jesse and Chase just relocated to Athens a few weeks ago, and were having their grand opening Saturday. Incidentally, Chase also recently joined Spring Tigers on drums, along with Eli (The Goons) on bass. To celebrate their new venue, Jesse and Chase set up a 4-band show:

Zeeg had already played when I showed up, so can't tell.

Manatella (Alissa, Lauren, Nate and Chris) hail from Jacksonville, FL. Chris recently moved to Jax from Gainesville, FL, home of our friends Oh Sanders for whom he still drums. Manatella just released their latest CD, "Fashionable Neighborhood", filled with jangly guitars. The balance that night was rather sub-par, and one of the guitar amps got possessed by the evil ghost of Eric Clapton and had to be bypassed, but being introduced to their music was still a good surprise.
MP3: Manatella - Eye Spy

The Shylights, from Atlanta, GA is the solo project of Josh Blanton. The night was warm on the deck, the beer was cold, I was with some friends that I don't have the luck to meet as often as I wish, so I missed it.

Lazerstar is Chase Capo, from Jax also, and also a solo project with a laptop, keyboards and guitar (occasionally). Imagine that a universe where Kevin Barnes came from Northern Florida and never met Bryan, Derek, Andy, Dottie or Jamie and you'll get a somehow good idea of what it's like: pop-fresh, electro-camp, irresistible. Highly recommended if you're into neon blue spandex bike shorts (or not).
MP3: Lazerstar - My myopic vision (last drop mix)

[Edit 02/18: moved files to fileden]