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.

_____

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.

_____

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