Here’s the latest batch of Music Musings and Miscellany’s unapologetically subjective selection of the twentieth century’s best 1000 singles.

THE BYRDS – So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star / Everybody’s Been Burned (Columbia 43987 1967)
They had a bit of a nerve poking fun at the Monkees when just a couple of years earlier only McGuinn played on their own debut single. Still it’s a fun piece of satire. The flip is one of the best things the Byrds ever did, a dark but hopeful Crosby ballad.

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE – Soldier Blue / Moratorium (RCA 2081 1971)
Ralph Nelson’s 1970 western Soldier Blue was unlike any other before it. Shockingly violent and, for once, the good guys were definitely not the US Cavalry. Based on a true massacre that happened in 1864, it was also as much about Mai Lai and the Vietnam War. Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree herself, invested the song with both anger and bitter sorrow and yet it is just as much a celebration of the natural wonders of a country and her own ancestry.

DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA – Solitude / Mood Indigo (Columbia 35427 1940)
Ivie Anderson is one of the most underrated jazz vocalists, and she shines on these two Ellington ballads, both of which have become standards crooned by virtually every nightclub and torch singer since.

PETER GABRIEL – Solsbury Hill / Moribund the Burgemeister (Charisma 301 1977)
Fresh out of Genesis, Peter Gabriel launched his solo career with this, still one of his most poignant songs. Solsbury Hill itself overlooks Bath in Somerset, and the song captures that very special pleasure of sitting somewhere still and peaceful and watching the lights and bustle of the city night below.

JESUS & MARY CHAIN – Some Candy Talking / Psychocandy / Hit (Blanco Y Negro 19 1986)
By 1986 the screech of feedback had largely been excised from the Mary Chain’s records, replaced by cavernous echo. With it went a lot of the vigour and excitement, but that didn’t matter so much on songs as good as this, with its booming Spectorish sound.

LEE HAZLEWOOD & NANCY SINATRA – Some Velvet Morning / Oh Lonesome Me (Reprise 651 1968)
How trippy is this? Essentially it sounds like a verse taken from two completely different songs intercut. Hazlewood’s bit is dark and rumbling like Johnny Cash meets Link Wray while Sinatra’s is hippy-dippy flower child stuff, well away with the faeries. It’s like a cocktail of quaaludes and acid.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE – Somebody to Love / She Has Funny Cars (RCA 9140 1967)
When Grace Slick joined the Jefferson Airplane she brought this song along from her previous band the Great Society, written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick. The Airplane version is tighter and punchier with a chorus so strident it’s almost accusatory.

EDDIE COCHRAN – Somethin’ Else / Boll Weevil Song (Liberty 55203 1959)
STANDELLS – Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White / Why Don’t You Hurt Me? (Tower 257 1966)
By 1959, most of the first generation rock and rollers seemed to be mired in gloopy ballads and sounding little different to the pre-rock generation of singers like Johhny Ray and Frankie Vaughan. Eddie Cochran, on the other hand, still had a raw spirit about him: still sounded like someone a teenaged girl would think twice about introducing to her mother. That’s why he was so popular with the punks nearly two decades later, along with his friend Gene Vincent. The Standells, too, had that snotty fuck you attitude. But as they say in the song “You think those guys in the white collars are better than I am baby? / Then flake off!” True blue-collar working class pride…from a bunch of LA rich kids. Oh, well.

BLUR – Song 2 / Get out of the Cities (Food 93 1997)
The indignation this caused from my Pavement loving underground rock friends always made me laugh. It’s noisy and fun. What’s not to like?

LEFTFIELD – Song of Life / mixes (Hard Hands 002 1992)
A nine minute progressive house monster that pretty much defined the genre and still stands as one of the best tracks of its kind.

THIS MORTAL COIL – Song to the Siren / 16 Days (4AD 310 1983)
Originally This Mortal Coil were convened as a one-off project for this single, but its success was such that they ran to three albums, each with a constantly changing cast of performers. Liz Fraser hadn’t really tackled a proper lyrical song before, her voice more used as another instrument in the Cocteau Twins. But she gives Tim Buckley’s classic song a ghostly innocence that is absolutely captivating. The backing is so subtle that she’s almost on her own, but there’s no sign of nerves – she’s absolutely lost in the song. An amazing performance.

JOSEF K – Sorry For Laughing / Revelation (Postcard 814 1981)
Famously a band who seemed happier the flatter their records sounded; a band who scrapped their first album because it sounded too warm and produced and instead put out something tinny and stark. Paul Haig’s bored drone of a voice isn’t the most appealing instrument, but it gives this song a dry sarcasm. And it’s pretty much the touchstone record for the C86 generation.

LAVERN BAKER – Soul on Fire / How Can You Leave (Atlantic 1004 1953)
She’s better known for appealing, but ultimately disposable pop ditties like “Tweedle Dee” and “Jim Dandy”, but Lavern Baker was happiest singing the blues. If anything, though, “Soul on Fire” is deep southern soul a decade too early.

DAVID BOWIE – Sound and Vision / A New Career in a New Town (RCA 905 1977)
A long long way from Ziggy in just four years. “Sound and Vision” was the introduction to Bowie’s leftfield masterpiece Low and about as traditionally pop as the album got. Which isn’t very.

SIMON & GARFUNKEL – The Sound of Silence / We’ve Got a Groovy Thing Goin’ On (Columbia 43396 1965)
Dylan had gone electric, the Byrds were having big hits doing jangly folk-rock. It made sense for Simon & Garfunkel to add drums and rock arrangements. Unfortunately they weren’t working together at the time, and Paul Simon was touring folk clubs in Europe armed only with his trusty acoustic. Producer Tom Wilson stepped in anyway, gave the track a new “with it” backing and Columbia watched another of their folk acts have a huge hit. Simon might not have liked it, but he could hardly complain at the new levels of exposure, and the duo quickly reconvened.

MEMBERS – Sound of the Suburbs / Handling the Big Jets (Virgin 242 1979)
They came from around ten miles away from me, and lyrically this song captured perfectly the tedium of North Surrey / East Berkshire Sundays. Nothing else to do but kick a football around with your mates. Nothing on telly, nothing on the radio (except David Rodigan’s Sunday show on Radio London) and school next day.

More soon

We know. It’s been awhile since KillerPOP Records has released any new jams, but would you rather we pump something out every week, or meditate on it a bit so we can put out something substantial every once and awhile? Hopefully, you picked the latter, cus that’s just what we did. Eleven and the Falcons have just dropped their sophomore release on KPR titled All The Clocks Around The Town Had Died. It’s a four-song EP of all cover songs and they run the gamut from smoky and somber to epic a capellas. That’s the album art up top and you can click right here to download the damn thang absolutely FREE! Track list and original versions after the jump.

1. I’m Sticking With You (The Velvet Underground)
2. Rory Rides Me Raw (The Vaselines)
3. Cut Dead (The Jesus & Mary Chain)
4. Street Flash (Animal Collective)

Heads up ya’ll. Our new covers album is out and ready to make sweet sonic love to your brain! Download All The Clocks Around The Town Had Died FREE at KillerPOP Records. Features songs from The Velvet Underground, The Vaselines, Jesus and Mary Chain, and Animal Collective.

Stay tuned for our first full-length album coming out later this year or early next year!

This weeks list is compiled of musical duos that are siblings. I realise it would have been easier to do a post about siblings in music in general but i like the ideas of duos better, the whole “it’s just the two of us” kind of logic.

When brothers/sisters get together and make the choice of recording music together, whether it’s as a duo or as part of a band, there’s no telling what noise might end up being produced. It goes either one of two ways, the absolutely dreadful (The Jonas Brothers) or unbelievably good (Boards of Canada).

There are quite a few factors that come in to play when siblings unite musically. First off, do you get along? Do you get along enough to tour without constantly fighting, to make an album without arguing when the next guitar solo should come in and who should be on the front cover. Secondly, tastes. If one of you likes RnB and the other likes Death Metal then forget it. Thats not to say that for siblings to work well musically they have to like the exact same music but like most people starting up bands it helps to at least have some similar tastes. Thirdly, age difference. With the exception of the Jackson 5, if the age difference between band members is pretty big (say 10 or 15 years maybe) then it’s probably not gonna work. So with that we move onto the list..

Family Values
——————-
MP3’s

1. Boards Of Canada – The Colour Of The Fire
2. Orbital – Chime
3. The Knife – Pass This On
4. Lymbyc Systym – Ghost Clock
5. The Fiery Furnaces – Even In The Rain
6. Tiny Masters Of Today – Stickin’ It To The Man
7. Sparks – Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
8. Tiefschwarz – Yeah
9. Tegan And Sara – Back In Your Head
10. The Veronicas – Untouched

And briefly moving away from the subject of sibling duos i’ll give a nod to two of my favourite bands that just happen to include siblings.

VIDEO: Jesus And Mary Chain – Sidewalking

VIDEO: Radiohead – Reckoner

Also worth a mention in the “Siblings That Work Well Musically” category are The Stooges, Kings Of Leon,  The Breeders, The Carpenters, The Kinks, Psychedelic Furs,  The Misfits, The Black Crowes and sometimes but not all of the time…..Oasis. I have a somewhat love/hate relationship with that band. There are times when i could listen to a full album or two right through and other times when i can’t bear to listen to more than 30 seconds of one of their songs.

Meanwhile there are too many that should be lumped in the “Utter Shit Musical Siblings” category. Way too many to mention but i’ll give dishonourable mentions to The Cheeky Girls, B*Witched, The Darkness, the afore mentioned Jonas Brothers, Spandau Ballet, Bros, The Osmonds, the streak of musical piss that is Hanson and last but not least the latest siblings to jump on the Shit Siblings band wagon….JedFUCKINGWard. Go away please you two annoying quiffed up little bag of bones.

I’ve actually succeeded in bemusing myself as to how i’ve managed to include the names Jedward and Boards of Canada into the same post.

Oh and The Corrs are worth a mention (and a picture) simply because of Andrea Corr. I had a major crush on her in my early teenage years.

S.I.T Wolf  X

It’s Friday, and I’ve got Friday on my mind. Lucky, really. Let’s do this security news thing, before we indulge in weekendly leisure activities.

So – first up is a bit of Dutch video. You like that, don’t you? It’s of some UK gangsters robbing an ATM in a shop in the Netherlands. A dangerous way to bring home the bacon.

SMT Online editor Brian Sims has gone ahead and had a look at the Government’s Crime and Security Bill. Read what he wrote by clicking here!

It’s not often that we use pictures of Beyonce and Shakira in our pages, but there was one of each this week. Why? Read the story for further enlightenment.

And for more exciting Glastonbury-based security news, you could do a hell of a lot worse than reading this story all about it. At least Bosch’s involvement, anyway.

This week’s tenuously justified Song About Security comes courtesy of one of my favourite ever bands, the Jesus and Mary Chain. They’re noisy, and/but utterly brilliant. It’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it. Of course, you are perfectly entitled to hold the wrong opinion. That is your right.

Farewell!

www.info4security.com, www.ifsec.co.uk

1991

Come In Alone – My Bloody Valentine

1992

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Reverence

…and vanish in a swirling glitter upon a gilttering swirl of music, with her high delicate head and her bold painted mouth and soft chin, her eyes blankly right and left looking, cool, predatory and discreet.

William Faulkner, Sanctuary, 1931

Velvet – The Big Pink

2ooo-now

Heaven

“Show me how you do that trick
The one that makes me scream” she said
“The one that makes me laugh” she said
And threw her arms around my neck
“Show me how you do it
And I promise you I promise that
I’ll run away with you
I’ll run away with you”

Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed her face and kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways I had
To make her glow
“Why are you so far away?” she said
“Why won’t you ever know that I’m in love with you
That I’m in love with you”

You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You

Strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You’re just like a dream

Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me

You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
Just like heaven

Honey

(Δεν μπορεσα να βρω το official video:( )

Listen to the girl
As she takes on half the world
Moving up and so alive
In her honey dripping beehive
Beehive
Its good, so good, its so good
So good

Walking back to you
Is the hardest thing that
I can do
That I can do for you
For you

Ill be your plastic toy
Ill be your plastic toy
For you

Eating up the scum
Is the hardest thing for
Me to do

Just like honey…

In honor of all the twos featured in the post title, here are three (!) sets of two songs that either complement each other or bookend the albums they appear on. I won’t ramble too much in the intro as I have plenty of rambling (and some damn fine tuneage) below.

Previous versions found here:
The Heavy Rotation Archives

Vitalic – See the Sea (Blue)/See the Sea (Red)
Vitalic’s latest album, Flashmob, features these two companion pieces, with both follow the same melody to very different conclusions.

Here’s what I love about Vitalic. He doesn’t fuck around. He’s an electro producer who’s been around since the early 2000’s. As one of the forerunners for the short-lived and over-hyped “electroclash” movement, Vitalic put in a little time making his name in that scene with the assistance of the “vocals” of Ms. Kitten.

Once everyone got tired of electro mixing with rock and dumping monotone monologues full of “shocking” subject matter (Drugs! Blowjobs!! Drugs and blowjobs!!!), the scene disintegrated into a million shiny shards. Most were trampled under the fleeting shoes of a million bandwagon-jumpers.

Vitalic stuck to his guns and his true calling: electro. Freed of the deadpan vocal schtick, Vitalic hit the bedroom studio and perfected his niche. His last two albums (including Flashmob) have been solid, with only a few misses. They also operate well as albums, a rarity in the mp3 world.

But here’s the key: he does it without pandering. He does it without attempting to court the mainstream with a ton of guest stars. He does it without attempting to broaden his spectrum by introducing change for the sake of change. He just cranks out track after track of amazing, confident electro.

Obviously this makes it a tougher sell than, say, “hard rock” or “old standards.” But if you’re good at what you do, why dilute it by flirting with the mainstream or other people who are never going to give a shit anyway?

See the Sea (Blue) starts slowly, building on some low-key synths and vocoded-into-thin-air vocals before tangling with a 303 in a nightclub parking lot.

See the Sea (Red) starts out bruising before suddenly dropping the bluster and showing its sensitive side.

Blue

Red

Front 242 – Serial Killers Don’t Kill Their Girlfriend/Serial Killers Don’t Kill Their Boyfriend
Out of Belgium, which is close enough to Germany to fall under the “you can’t throw a rock in this part of Europe without hitting an industrial band.” Progressing from the chanting and martial beats of their earlier work, which often gave them the feel of a deeper Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 dropped two incredible albums in 1993: 06:21:03:11 Up Evil and 05:22:09:12 Off. (The numbers stand for letters…)

Off is their masterpiece. Full of stylistic experiments, sound collages and even occasional female vocals, Off transcends the “industrial” label. These twin tracks appear six songs apart on an album filled with variations on themes. The song Animal appears four times with the subtitles Cage, Gate, Guide and Zoo, while Modern Angels progresses from an aggro stomper (original) to pulsing techno (Happiness [More Angels]) before concluding the album with a hardcore raveup (Speed Angels).

If these songs are serial killers, Boyfriend is the swaggering misanthrope, heading down dark alleys, all knives and chains. Girlfriend is the shadow in the bushes and the creak on the stairs.

But you can leave
Your mother home
You know how much I like to be alone
And when I hear the sound of your voice
It leaves me no choice…

Girlfriend

Boyfriend

Jesus and Mary Chain – Reverence/Frequency
Taken from the Chain’s last good album (Honey’s Dead), these track echo each other and actually bookend the album, with Reverence (and its attendant blasphemy) setting the tone and Frequency providing a coda in half the time with all the blasphemy and a set of chords (and a refrain) jacked from Greg Kihn’s Roadrunner.

I wanna die just like Jesus Christ
I wanna die on a bed of spikes
I wanna die just like Jesus Christ
With the radio on

Reverence

Frequency

For comparison:

All files loaded into an Archive, two-by-two:
Heavy Rotation Vol. 22
(link opens in new window)

-CLT

[All music posted on Fancy Plans... is kick ass and too awesome to be contained. All music is also posted temporarily and, due to its high level of ass-kicking, should not be distributed without a prescription and care should be taken while operating heavy equipment or dancing around the living room (clothing optional, but do remember that the blinds are open/kids are still awake).
Should you wish to have your brilliant artistic statement forced back into confinement, please email me at 2timegrime@gmail.com. Feel free to leave a comment, as that will probably be noticed sooner.
By all means, if you like what you hear (and you will), please support the totally rocking artist(s) by purchasing some music or heading out to see them live.]

Dirtblonde’s Liverpool Music Week gig at The Masque, supporting Bombay Bicycle Club, was a classic for the band.

Dirtblonde at The Masque, Liverpool Music Week 2009 (c) Too Funky

After The Sand Band had the pull out, the organisers moved Dirtblonde up on the bill, as the main support act for the Bombay Bicycle Club boys.

The venue was packed and, perhaps unsurprisingly, nothing could prepare the audience  for the “Dirtblonde experience”!

photos (c) Too Funky

First song, a new one called White Horses, seemed to leave the audience speechless. Literally – as soon as the song ended, after a barrage of guitars and weird tape echo oscillations, we were met with stunned silence.

Well, what can we do? It’s fashionable to say you are influenced by Jesus And Mary Chain or dance to Sonic Youth’s Kool Thing, or wear a Ramones t-shirt you bought from Topshop…but as soon as a band actually sounds as raw, loud and fucked-up as those bands did at their best, people are just not used to it!

(c) Too Funky

Not to say Dirtblonde’s set didn’t go down well – it went down pretty well…and as usual the band split the audience: a few “boos”, some cheers, some excited teen girls, photographers tapping along to our songs…the whole lot!

“That’s how it works – if you like us, you clap. If you don’t like us – fuck off.”

Some shitty little bands the NME likes are there to entertain the indie audiences…we are here to give you an experience. Like it or not.

Check more pics from The Masque gig at Too Funk’s Dirtblonde set (thanks!)

Ah! We also just found a cool pic of Ivan almost hitting the photographer with his Epiphone Wilshire…check it out!

Dirtblonde Setlist @ The Masque:

• White Horses
• Brooklyn
• The Hangmen
• Superfan
• His Name
• Pretty

If you missed Dirtblonde @ The Masque, check our next gig for Liverpoool Music Week, at MOJO, on Tuesday 10th November – FREE ENTRY!

Dirtblonde gig at MOJO for Liverpoool Music Week...come!

Very occasionally a group of people get together on the Touchedmix blog and post mixes on a particular theme. Last week, the theme was HEADS, with their features and their functions. I thought readers of this little corner of the music blogosphere might be interested in the two mixes I banged together.

*     *     *

OVER MY HEAD MIX
1. Aztec Camera – Head Is Happy (Heart’s Insane) (1985)
2. Crowded House – Pineapple Head (live) (1996/2006)
3. Johnny Cash – Mean Eyed Cat (1996)
4. The Dillards – I’ve Just Seen A Face (1968)
5. The Holmes Brothers – Smiling Face Hiding A Weeping Heart (2006)
6. Paul Anka – Eyes Without A Face (2006)
7. The Undisputed Truth – Smiling Faces Sometimes (1971)
8. Justine Washington – I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face (1964)
9. The Flamingos – I Only Have Eyes For You (1959)
10. Mississippi Sheikhs – I’ve Got Blood in My Eyes For You (1938)
11. Robert Mitchum – Mama Looka Boo Boo (Shut Your Mouth-Go Away) (1958)
12. Emile Ford & the Checkmates – Them There Eyes (1960)
13. Lewis Taylor – Blue Eyes (2000)
14. Andrew Bird – A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left (2005)
15. Nada Surf – The Way You Wear Your Head (2002)
16. The Sweet – The Lies In Your Eyes (1975)
17. Ben Folds – Doctor My Eyes (2002)
18. Josh Ritter – One More Mouth (2006)
19. Kaki King – Saving Days In A Frozen Head (2008)
20. The Lilac Time – The Darkness Of Her Eyes (1991)
21. Thomas Dybdahl – Pale Green Eyes (2009)
22. Ryan Adams – Halloweenhead (2007)
23. The Cardigans – Give Me Your Eyes (2005)

Download

.

Justine Washington is better known as Baby Washington; this is the original version of the song covered to good effect by Dusty Springfield.

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SENSES WORKING OVERTIME MIX
1. David Bowie – Can You Hear Me (1975)
2. Tim Buckley – I Can’t See You (1966)
3. Herman Düne – I Wish That I Could See You Soon (2006)
4. Devics – If We Cannot See (2006)
5. Richard Hawley – Can You Hear The Rain, Love (2001)
6. Scott Walker – You’re Gonna Hear From Me (1967)
7. The Righteous Brothers – See That Girl (1965)
8. Chris Montez – The More I See You (1966)
9. Cass Elliot – I’ll Be Seeing You (1973)
10. Blind Boy Fuller – What’s That Smells Like Fish (1938)
11. Smiley Lewis – I Hear You Knocking (1955)
12. The Supremes – I Hear A Symphony (1965)
13. Jim Messina – Seeing You (For The First Time) (1979)
14. Baby Huey – Listen To Me (1971)
15. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Taste Of Cindy (1985)
16. K’s Choice – A Sound That Only You Can Hear (1995)
17. Mull Historical Society – Watching Xanadu (2001)
18. Ron Sexsmith & Don Kerr – Listen (2005)
19. Rosanne Cash – I Was Watching You (2006)
20. The Magic Numbers – I See You, You See Me (2005)
21. Paul Anka – Smells Like Teen Spirit (2005)

DOWNLOAD

For this very special edition of Heavy Rotation, I’ve decided to run down my top 5 all-time favorite bands. These are the bands that soundtracked my second childhood, which started as soon as I exited my first childhood/family home.

I was a little behind the times, musically speaking. My parents were very religious which meant that rock (denoted as “secular”) was forbidden and so any music I heard was piped in by a Walkman under my pillow. I did get to listen to Christian rock, which is… well, it’s just fucking terrible stuff. Hank Hill said it best (referring to Christian rockers): “You’re not making music better. You’re just making Christianity worse.”

Consequently, I stumbled onto my favorite bands often after they had already broken up. (Never mind the bittersweet feeling of having lived long enough to see many of them reform, but at the time it seemed a little unfair.)

First listened to the Pixies in 1993. Their last album was released in 1991. The Cure? 1992. Their last album? Well, they’ve had many “last” albums, but for all intents and purposes, Disintegration (1989) was their last great one. The JAMC? 1993. Their next album, Stoned and Dethroned, had me swear off any purchases of their future albums. Love & Rockets? 1993. At that point they were four years removed from the success of So Alive and on permanent hiatus. Skinny Puppy? 1993. Last Rights was one year old and the band had broken up following the heroin implosion that was their modus operandi.

So, of course, they’ve all gotten back together for albums or tours by this point, but during my belated teen angsting it just seemed that God (or somebody) hated me by taunting me with a finite supply of music from my favorite bands.

Previous, less special, versions here:
The Heavy Rotation Archives

Pixies – No. 13 Baby
My favorite band ever with my favorite song ever, if my maths is right. First stumbled across them on the Pump Up the Volume soundtrack with their song Wave of Mutilation (U.K. Surf). Rushed right out and bought Bossanova, which I discovered sounded nothing like that song, but also like nothing else I’d heard before (keep in mind, Nirvana hadn’t fully taken off yet).

Taken from 1989’s Doolittle album, this song features two odd features:

1. It runs nearly 4 minutes long when most of their catalog barely clears the 2.5 minute mark
2. It fades out over an extended (for them) wordless groove.

It’s about strange women and tattoos. More importantly, as you’ll find in the chorus, it’s about tattoo placement.

And then there’s this:
I want brown eyes la loma

You can take that shit to the bank.

I had this shirt and I wore it all the fucking time.

Recommended listening: Well, you really can’t go wrong with any of the Pixies albums, but considering that their last two (Bossanova, Trompe Le Monde) tended to reflect Black Francis’ alien fetish, your best bet is to pick up Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. Both are loaded with darkness and dynamic shifts as well as the occasional profanity.

The Cure – All Cats Are Grey
Lumped in with the goth scene for no apparent reason, the Cure spent the greater part of a decade releasing some of the finest albums on the planet (1979-1989). This comes from 1981’s Faith, which is a joyride all the way through, following up on the synth additions of Seventeen Seconds and working as a prelude for the suicidal nihilism of 1984’s Pornography.

“Haunting” does the job to describe this track, as does “funereal,” but don’t let that scare you away. Eerie and atmospheric, the way the Cure was always meant to be.

Recommended listening: I can wholeheartedly recommend any album up to (and including) 1989’s Disintegration (my personal favorite). After that, things tend to get a bit spotty as Robert Smith seemed to be more focused on possible mainstream breakthroughs/possible full band breakups.

Love & Rockets – Haunted (When the Minutes Drag)
The best thing that ever happened to Bauhaus, Love & Rockets saw three of the founding members form their own psych-pop monster while still retaining their original haircuts.

Best known for their inescapable So Alive single, L&R released several albums that covered ground from goth-pop to Beatles-esque psychedelia to underground electronica. This track comes from their debut album Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven. Originally two separate tracks written by Daniel Ash and David J, respectively, Haunted… is nowhere near the soundclash it should be. Instead it’s an aching song of desire and near-obsession that morphs into a kiss-off/dedication to the unnamed object all packed into the ambiguous but pointed phrase: “And this is for when you feel nothing.”

I have this logo tattooed on my arm, done by perhaps the worst tattooist in the Greater Midwest. So, no, I won't be showing it off.

Recommended listening: Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, Express and Sweet F.A. are the strongest. The rest of their albums all have something to recommend but until you’ve decided that this is the band for you, you might find their genre-hopping to be a bit frustrating and definitely uneven.

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Who Do You Love
Another soundtrack band. Heard them on the Encino Man soundtrack of all places with an awesomely fucked up love song called Why’d You Want Me. Tracked down their debut album first and fell head over heels for the sustained feedback, dark lyrics and towering hair.

This is by no means my favorite track by the Scottish brothers (that would be Upside Down which is 2:34 of someone shoving a cheap guitar through an amplifier) but it was the best I could find on the youtubes.

A truly wicked deconstruction of the song popularized by George Thorogood. Slowed down to half-speed, alternately drawled and howled and punctuated by the siren call of feedback.

Recommended listening: Their first four albums, with Psychocandy and Darklands being the standouts. As they went on, they got more satisfied with their very competent drum machine and tended to dial back the feedback. Beware of Stoned and Dethroned, which ditches their sound completely and much of their lyrical bite. Also worth buying: their first two b-sides collections (Barbed Wire Kisses and The Sound of Speed) which include some of the finest music never to grace a proper album.

Skinny Puppy – Icebreaker
Here’s the point where most of you will say, “Those are all pretty well-known altrock touchstones and etc., but where’s the ringer?”

Skinny Puppy, Canada’s foremost noise terrorists. Fronted by Nivek Ogre, Skinny Puppy laid the groundwork for industrial dancefloors with their sonic nightmares. Of course, this ground was somewhat paved already by the likes of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, but Skinny Puppy took the ball and ran with it.

This track comes from Bites, an album that sounded like nothing else in 1983. Full of twisted electronics coughing up damaged chords and distortion, all swirling around Nivek’s bark and several menacing samples.

Recommended listening: Other than their album The Process, everything else is runs the gamut from good-outstanding (although I am unfamiliar with their reformed output). I’m partial to Bites, Remission, Back & Forth Series 1, Too Dark Park and Last Rights. Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate and Rabies can be put on the back burner until the other albums have been given a good rinse.

Here’s a taste of their understated live work:

All tunes in one nostalgic zip file of way-backness.
Heavy Rotation Vol. 19 (link will open in a new window)

-CLT

[All music posted on Fancy Plans... is kick ass and too awesome to be contained. All music is also posted temporarily and, due to its high level of ass-kicking, should not be distributed without a prescription and care should be taken while operating heavy equipment or dancing around the living room (clothing optional, but do remember that the blinds are open/kids are still awake).
Should you wish to have your brilliant artistic statement forced back into confinement, please email me at 2timegrime@gmail.com. Feel free to leave a comment, as that will probably be noticed sooner.
By all means, if you like what you hear (and you will), please support the totally rocking artist(s) by purchasing some music or heading out to see them live.]

I am particularly excited for my New Release Tuesday post today. “Why?” you ask. “Is it because of the new Backstreet Boys CD or the Creed re-release?” Well, I can honestly so that it is not. It is however the first week of October which means the official beginning of the Christmas season for record labels and movie distributors, thus kicking off the nauseating three month frenzy of crap being dumped into the marketplace. Sweet!

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The Raveonettes – In and Out of Control

Emily Haines

For those unfamiliar, The Raveonettes are a brilliant band from Denmark by way of Brooklyn consisting of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo who I am in love with. Sharin shares a special place in my heart with Metric’s Emily Haines. I indeed have a weakness for waify non-American blonde indie rock chicks who play guitar. Anyway…on to the music.
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The Raveonettes’ last album Lust Lust Lust was my absolute favorite of 2008 and I’ve since been patiently anticipating its follow-up. Their music is like pre-Beatles pop songs recorded by the Velvet Underground and then covered by a Psychocandy era Jesus and Mary Chain who sent the tracks back to the future through a time warp to be mixed by a pre-felony/incarceration era Phil Spector. Helpful? After three attentive listens I’m prepared to say that In and Out of Control isn’t quite on par with Lust Lust Lust, but I didn’t expect it to be. The same seamless harmonies and efficient songwriting, just much less adventurous sonically.
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Here is their incredibly catchy new single “Last Dance”

Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones

Ryan Gosling

Two things can be expected from actors who become bored with acting and decide they want to be rock stars: A) Their album will suck. B) No matter how bad it sucks some label will take a gamble and release it. For this reason I was terrified upon hearing Ryan Gosling, one of my very favorite actors and man crush objects, started a band with his neighborhood’s hipster children’s choir and they were releasing an album. Initially I feared that best case scenario it would be dismissed as an indulgent novelty and forgotten before doing any permanent damage. Well, sorry I doubted you Ryan.
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I am relieved to say that after listening, my respect for Gosling as an artist has only deepened. Dead Man’s Bones can’t easily be summed with comparisons so I’ll just recommend listening to it. The best I can do is say that it’s eclectic, charming in a creepy sort of way and best experienced with a fake life-sized doll.

Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions – Through the Devil Softly

Best known as the former singer of mid 90’s shoegaze folk duo Mazzy Star whose song “Fade Into You” still finds its way onto soundtracks and TV shows. Hope could sing through a phone book and make it haunting and rich, (though I hope she never does because that would make for the worst album ever), and to me that’s why this album as a whole doesn’t grab me. Too much gets stripped down and cleared away to make room for her vocals and as a result sometimes the songs either run into one another or just don’t go anywhere. Through the Devil Softly was produced by former My Bloody Valentine guitarist Colm O’Coisoig who I wish would have brought some of his former band’s sonic adventure with him to this one. Click here for more good times secret

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Built to Spill – There is no Enemy

Indie-rock troubadours continue to make it work after 15 years. Nothing groundbreaking, just good vibrant pop-rock songs and giant beards.

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Noah & the Whale – The First Days of Spring

This British folk band’s name is a tribute to filmmaker Noah Baumbach and his wonderful 2005 film The Squid and the Whale which makes them instantly cool. Their sophomore album The First Days of Spring is a melancholy affair that seems to largely be about lead singer Charlie Fink and former member Laura Marling’s relationship. While it makes for a focused album it comes off as semi-pitiful when considering that 19 year old Laura’s album Alas, I Cannot Swim is quite good and seems to have nothing at all to do with him.

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Matthew Good – Vancouver

Well-crafted, emotive songs from veteran Canadian singer-songwriter.

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Brandi Carlisle – Give Up the Ghost

Produced by Rick Rubin, the mastermind behind Johnny Cash’s American recordings. Love her voice, like her songs as much as I need to.

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Air – Love 2

Sleepy and uninspired 5th album from the French electronica duo responsible for setting the moody sonic backdrop to Sofia Coppola’s debut film The Virgin Suicides.

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Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath

Well, this hazy, London indie rock band is nothing if not consistent. Sometimes predictability can work.

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DVD’s

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

The fact that I never heard of Anvil and that my only interest in 80’s hair metal is mocking its ridiculousness didn’t stop me from loving this documentary. The film was marketed as the “true to life” Spinal Tap which makes sense but at the same time trivializes the heart of the film. It is hilarious and equal time is spent laughing with them and at them but it’s also heartbreaking. At Anvil’s core is a story about disappointment and broken dreams and the relationships that sustain us. Director Rob Reiner does a great job delicately balancing humor and heart. You will find yourself cheering these guys on as they take one final stab at their dream. I Highly recommend!

Books

PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God

This book series is very meaningful to me so I’ll post about it at length in a couple days

Scarjo in the recording studio; image courtesy of actressarchives.com

Scarlett Johansson wants to be considered a hyphenate. And not by joining her surname to husband Ryan Reynolds’s. She wants you to think of her as both actress and singer.

Now, I’m not sure when hyphenates like “actress-singer” or “singer-model” or “model-actress” became a punchline, but I think it suggests a certain snobbery toward classical training and finely-honed technique, usually acquired from years of stage work. Having just watched another episode of Glee, I wonder if guest-star Kristen Chenoweth and principal Lea Michele, both Broadway babies, lend legitimacy to the hyphenate. You could sub in any number of singing actresses with considerable stage training for more examples — Patti LuPone, Julie Andrews, Rita Moreno, Bernadette Peters, Vicky Lewis, Jane Krakowski, the mother-daughter legacy that is Judy and Liza.

Jane Krakowski as Lola in Damn Yankees; image courtesy of playbill.com

And yet, if actresses like Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Lewis, and Gwyneth Paltrow try to establish a musical career, their efforts are dismissed with a derisive chuckle (okay, admittedly, GOOP made Paltrow more of a punchline than Duets ever could). 

But Johansson is an interesting case, because she seems to want to tap into some of the indie caché that fellow It Girl Zooey Deschanel has cultivated with projects like She & Him, if not at the very least balance it with an attempted career in the imagined, perennially just-emergent film musical revival.

Johansson has made music for some time, having taken music and dancing lessons as a kid. Fans of Lost In Translation, her break-out movie from 2003, were perhaps charmed by her performance of The Pretenders’ “Brass In Pocket” during the scene at the karaoke bar. I know some girls who donned that pink wig for Halloween.

Johansson also leant her vocals to a cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” for a charity album in 2006 and performed with proto-shoegaze royalty Jesus and Mary Chain at Coachella back in 2007. Again, anyone who saw Lost In Translation can walk through the big symbiotic moment that results from having the actress sing a song featured in the movie that made her a star. That she is alongside the band that authored such a legendary song in the first place and performing it at such a public, credible venue as Coachella should not be overlooked. 

But Johansson’s first widespread effort to tap into hipster-approved musical ventures was her Tom Waits covers record, Anywhere I Lay My Head. Pointedly, this effort was widely dismissed by its target audience. The critics were not kind, dismissing it as a vanity project, discrediting Johansson’s ability, and crying offense that some starlet would dare cover the songs a musical legend like Tom Waits.

Cover of Anywhere I Lay My Head, released in 2008 on Atco/Rhino; image courtesy of tomwaitsuper.blogspot.com

Now, I don’t consider Waits’s ouvre or anyone else’s to be a sacred text. Songs are malleable. What’s more, covers are really fascinating. When they’re bad, they test what you actually like about the original. When they’re good, they can be transcendent, forcing you to rehear a song you already know and love. The Wire faced this each season when they re-worked Waits’ “Way Down in the Hole” for the opening credits, the original only being heard in season two. Let it be known that I think Steve Earle’s pedantic version for season five that swipes from the theme to Law and Order made me question if this song was actually good. Conversely, The Neville Brothers’ version in season three reminded me that it totally was.

Oh, have you seen The Wire? If you haven’t, you should.

For me, then, it wasn’t so much that Johansson, an actress, dared attempt reworking the songs of the (male) master. I could think of far worse things Johansson could do with her time and resources (get arrested for drugs, get cosmetic surgery, get really skinny, make another movie with Woody Allen).

My big frustration with her Waits covers record, which is where I ended up siding with some of the critics, is that I couldn’t actually hear Johansson. Perhaps putting her vocals so far down in the mix was meant to free her from any tethers to the master’s words. But, to my ears, it kind of sounded more like an attempt for producer David Sitek to upstage her, twiddling knobs and piling on layers of reverb so that her voice lent a “cough medicine/Tinkerbell“ vibe to the proceedings. Sitek’s futuristic, anthemic sensibilities usually do it for me, particularly with the work he’s done with Telepathe, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and his own band, TV on the Radio (aka my favorite band, aka the rock band of the 2000s). But here, I was like “oh, this is really his record.” It seems to make all the difference when she sings the song live.

Despite this setback, Johansson continues to make music. Last summer, she covered Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” for the soundtrack to He’s Just Not That Into You, a movie I did not see because I figured an ensemble rom-com of needy skinny women, aloof men, and Wilson Cruz being underused would make me yell “feminism!” and throw tampons at the screen and that’s why we watch movies at home. I can’t valorize her efforts, because the original is a song that made me so swoony for the beautiful boy singer that I taped a photo of him in my notebook and spent my allowance money on Grace. Johansson’s version, on the other hand, reminded me of Vonda Shepard. Tepid execution of such a powerful song makes me feel like a wet noodle.

But now Johansson has recorded Break Up, an album she did with Pete Yorn (who has not had the effect on me that Buckley has, but he seems nice enough). If you’d like to hear some songs off the album, along with their interview with NPR, check it out here and then thank my friend Kristen for, once again, pointing you (and me) in the right direction.

Cover to Break Up, released in 2009 on Atco/Rhino; image courtesy of forthempire.info

Yorn had Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot’s collaborations in mind when composing these songs and casting long-time friend Johansson, who he felt was today’s version of the French bombshell.

The music itself sounds fine, and definitely lines Johansson up more closely with the indie-friendly retro cool Deschanel has found for herself. I still feel like her voice, while more expressive and interesting here, seems a bit flat and projectable. And, of course, there’s something potentially unsettling about Johansson being linked with men like Yorn and Sitek who seem to have a little too clear a vision of what they want to construct instead of fostering a more openly collaborative relationship. One could easily extend this reading into a comparison of patriarchal impulses surrounding production between musicians and movie directors. 

So while I don’t want to suggest that Johansson isn’t singing for herself, I also hope she keeps striving to find her own voice.

This is one of those things where it happened a long time ago, but it hasn’t happened here yet.

The Purrs – “Sister”

Anyone with a penchant for that UK brand of paisley psychedelic rock will dig this unsigned Seattle-based band.  It’s the kind of sound I never get tired of.  And The Purrs fourth full length album, Amused, Confused & More Bad News, is full of those iconic UK influences – from Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, Oasis, and The Verve. It’s a well-worn and familiar path, but it feels really good. Slip it on and see for yourself.

The Vandelles
Del Black Aloha
2009 | Safranin Sound and Design / Spoilt Victorian Child
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Del Black Aloha is Greenpoint alt rockers The Vandelles’ latest effort. This twelve song LP put out by the Safranin Sound and Design collective, and Spoilt Victorian Child in the UK, is the first full length to come from the group, and the record stands to strengthen The V’s presence in a Brooklyn scene that has given surf ‘n’ reverb revival bands like Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts nominal success. Del Black Aloha is analogous to Vivian Girls’ Everything Goes Wrong and Crystal Stilts’ Alight at Night in that each song conforms to the band’s cultivated aesthetic and promotes a singular trademark nostalgic reference. The most obvious nostalgic aesthetic that Del Black Aloha references is the scorching distortion and melodic vocals that The Jesus and Mary Chain conjure up on Psychocandy; it’s not reprehensible that The V’s sound like Jesus and Mary Chain. It is more a question of their fashioning of a consistent sound that seldom varies. Every track on Del Black Aloha has a comparable sound and structure — every song has the same haircut. And this is what causes Del Black Aloha to flatline. Each song seems to either lyrically or sonically reiterate the previous. Yet, the end product is respectable: a solid pop record for a local band with a growing following.

Del Black Aloha’s quizzical name is actually quite referential to its sound: tunes of alternating equatorial sunbeams and thunder cracks. The sucrose songs, “Die For It Cowboy” and “Blue LA strip,” have sweet I-IV-V chord progressions with white noise distortion. And the tempestuous numbers, “Lovely Weather,” “Roving Rex,” and “Going Downtown,” maintain sharp fuzz and harmonies, gritty minor thirds in the bass, and stomping drums.

Last May, Jezebel writer Gordon Sharp wrote that The Vandelles “…come on like a hazy dream, full of just the right amount of nostalgia to get the senses up and running.” I affirm Sharp’s viewpoint that The Vandelle’s nostalgia gets my senses up; however, I become overwhelmed at all the bands I’m connecting Del Black Aloha to, for instance, Comet Gain, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Autolux, The Pixies, Crystal Stilts, and Vivian Girls. Del Black Aloha slaps listeners’ brains with an acute aural schizophrenia as these brains are over-tabulating The Vandelle’s musical references, references which The V’s wear on their sleeves, shamelessly. This album is a new serious addition to Brooklyn’s pool of indie surfers, but the pool is getting crowded.

Réaliser une compilation n’est pas une mince affaire, on se souvient encore de cette époque bénie où l’on passait des heures à mettre sur cassette un ensemble de titres qui s’enchainent à peu près proprement. Aujourd’hui, c’est devenu l’occupation de certains DJs, comme Rob Da Bank qui nous propose une sélection de groupes à grosses guitares, de préférence shoegazes, pour le volume 3 de la série Sci-Fi Lo-Fi.

Les choix de Rob Da Bank sont plutôt audacieux, tout d’abord on ne retrouve pas My Bloody Valentine, ce qui est plutôt une bonne chose tant le groupe est cité à outrance dès que l’on parle de noise ou de shoegaze. A l’exception du classique Just Like Honey de Jesus And Mary Chain, placé en ouverture, Rob Da Bank propose un certain nombre de titres pointus et des choix qui se révèlent payant. A commencer par le génial Freak Scene de Dinosaur Jr, qui vient rapprocher les élans soniques et rentre-dedans des américains vers la sophistication du superbe Nowhere de Ride, ou encore du mélancolique When The Sun Hits de Slowdive. Rien à jeter dans cette sélection qui a de quoi satisfaire les auditeurs exigeants que nous sommes ainsi que les néophytes avec de nombreuses propositions noisy et ambiantes.

La cerise sur le gâteau est Sweetness & Light de Lush, sortie sur un EP chez 4AD ; grand moment de pop mélodique, saturé et hypnotique ce titre bascule la sélection vers un format plus délicat. Car cette compilation n’hésite pas à faire le grand écart entre noise strict et electronica exigeante. On retrouve donc avec surprise Zoetrope de Boards Of Canada, Teen Angst de M83, ou encore Cherry Coloured Funk de Cocteau Twins, remixé par Seefeel. De bien belles perles qui nous plongent vers de l’ambiant dont il serait dommage de passer à côté.

Réaliser une compilation n’est pas une mince affaire, la preuve Rob Da Bank est DJ, et sa sélection de titres shoegazes se révèle des plus pertinente, en faisant rempiler ce genre dans la case electronica, lui donnant ainsi une meilleure jeunesse qu’il n’aurait pu rêver avec les nombreux suiveurs qui donnent dans la pédale d’effet sans relief. C’est le meilleur des cadeaux que Rob Da Bank pouvait nous faire.

Par Mathieu

The title is a rockin’ Sonic Youth track….

1. Mission of Burma, Innermost-single, Innermost (a brand spankin’ new single from the awesome Mission of Burma)
2. Sonic Youth, Sister, Hotwire my heart (1987)
3. Suicide, Suicide, Cheree (1977)
4. Yo La Tengo, Matador at 15, Deeper into Movies
5. My Bloody Valentine, Glider, Glider (1990 Sire records)

6. Jesus and Mary Chain, Upside Down (This was their debut single released in 1984)
7. Wire, Object 47, Circumspect (these guys are so cool formed in the late 70s and are still making albums this was released in 2008)
8. Box Elders, Alice and Friends, Cougars
9. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Now I Got Worry, Wait (1996)
10. Siouxsie & The Banshees, Hyaena, Swimming Horses (1984)
11. The Cure, The Top, Wailing Wall (1984)

12. The Gun Club, Fire of Love, Promise Me (1981)
13. Pixies, Trompe Le Monde, Subbacultcha (1991)
14. The Dream Syndicate, Medicine Show, John Coltrane Stereo Blues (1984)
15. The Smiths, “Hatful of Hollow”, What Difference Does it Make (1984)
A great request!

16.The Barracudas, Drop out with the Barracudas, (I Wish it Could Be) 1965 again (Came out in or around 1982)
17. Delta 5, Singles & Sessions (Kill Rock Stars put this together with their stuff between 79 and 81), Mind Your Own Business
18. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out, Dance Song ‘97 (released in, this is going to surprise you after that song title, 1997. This was also on Kill Rock Stars.)
19. The Normal, Warm Leatherette-Single, T.V.O.D. (1978)
20. Erase Errata, Night Life, Giant Hans 2006
21. Nobunny, Love Visions, I Am a Girlfriend
22. Swirlies, Blonder Tongue Audio Baton, His Love Just Washed Away (1992, Tang Records)

23. PJ Harvey, Stories From the City Stories From the Sea, A Place Called Home (2000)
24. The Nerves, One Way Ticket, Hanging on the Telephone (70s power pop from LA, recognize the song? Yeap, Blondie covered it.)
25. The Wipers, Best of, Better Off Dead (released in 1990 but encompassing their work from the 80s), Better Off Dead
26. The Red Guitars, Slow to Fade, Good Technology (1984)
27. ESG, Come Away With ESG, Come Away (1983)
28. Shop Assistants, Shop Assistants Anthology, Safety Net (around mid to late 80s)

Iran

The Moon Boys(Tumult 2003)

http://www.mediafire.com/?xfzgntxay4m

I was sorely disappointed by Iran’s latest album, Dissolver, because it stripped away all of the scuzz and feedback that mated so perfectly with their wayward way with a simple melody. Yeah, its “progression” probably had a lot to do with the addition of TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone to the band, but their newfound clarity always aims for the bullseye where Aaron Aite used to revel in mistakes and missteps. By no means is Dissolver a bad album, but count me in the minority who find Aites’ embrace of chaos more appealing than his attempts at an orderly pop song. Then again, six years have passed since The Moon Boys was released and god knows that time has a funny way of adjusting the way you view the world. Therefore, let us take a few moments to pay tribute to an album that may be one of the best albums Siltbreeze, Xpressway, Shrimper or Catsup Plate never released. Yes, these are obscure benchmarks, but it was rare that any of these labels released a perfect marriage of noise to pop even though I wanted so hard to believe that it was so. Yes, the Dead C, V-3, Yips, Amps for Christ and other disparate souls have come damn close to this holy union, but I always reach for this album over anything in their discographies.

The synthesis of noise and pop is hardly an underground concept. God knows that the Jesus & Mary Chain made some moolah with their own jigsaw of Phil Spector and white noise and the whole shoegaze scene was based upon sensual coos and a lusher brand of feedback and squall, but The Moon Boys stands out because there is a sprawl to their compositions that seems epic comparison to the aforementioned bands’ succinct slices of sweet and sour. Sonic Youth’s “Hyperstation” from their Daydream Nation seems like the most accurate touchstone for Iran’s music circa The Moon Boys. I remember listening to “Hyperstation” at 3am as a teenager and imagining if there was another band that could conjure the same loose, late-night vibe where a psych-pop song sounds as if it was heard via a faraway AM station many states away from your destination. This album does that for me throughout its entirety. Then again, I am a former insomniac who used to listen to the scratchiest transmissions instead of counting sleep or drinking warm milk, so my bias is evident.

The imperfections are what make The Moon Boys so gripping. Don’t be fooled that melodies worthy of Brian Wilson lurk beneath the muck because these tunes tend to stretch out in sometimes difficult directions. What does stick out is Aaron Aites’ guitar work as he somehow straddles the line between outright sabotage and grubby melody. No song really even stands out here as the overall effect of it as an album is what gets me every single time. I approach it as a long rambling epic where slow, atonal riffs last for days only to be replaced by some of the most simple and sweet notes that shake all of the pieces back into proper balance. Iran always stride close to the edge only to reconfigure themselves as something so sentimental and tender that you almost forget you were listening to a staccato riff seconds before. The Moon Boys is admittedly a bit of a mess, but I hear something new each time I try to reassemble the pieces.