The Elephant 6 Collective

A record label.  A collection of musicians.  An ethos.  A cult.  The Elephant 6 Collective is all that and more. Based in Athens, Ga. (after originating in Denver), and formed by Bill Doss, Will Hart, Jeff Mangum and Robert Schneider, it started out as a way to record and release their psychedelic influenced lo-fi pop. It soon spiraled and transformed, with other artists joining and band members working on each others’ albums. Eventually, it became less of a recording company than a pool of artists who shared a similar style and philosophy about making music.  And it was from this pool that some of the greatest artists of the genre’s modern era — Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, of Montreal and The Olivia Tremor Control to name a few — got their start.

So what’s the very best of trip-hop? 20 Watts’ MARC SOLLINGER has the answer in our ninth 20 installment. Watch for new 20s each Thursday, only on 20 Watts, and check out our previous 20s below!

The week is finally over and I’m pretty confident that I got through it with passing marks. I’m pretty much exhausted right now but I’m not sure a nap would be a good idea. The econ test was a joke and it bothered me how stupid it was. That’s about all I have to say about it.

Okay so a couple months ago I was looking at Christgau’s review of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion (he doesn’t like it, but I still think it’s pretty catchy). All he said was “sunny down snuff”. I don’t know what those words mean, and I still don’t. This is why I’d never cut it in English. Anyways I looked them up and they are lyrics to a song “Heroes and Villains” by Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys). So if you were to list famous bands that everyone should listen to, The Beach Boys would be pretty high up there. However, I never have (and I guess I still haven’t technically). The only thing I remembered of them is the comedic parodies where people would be surfing and their music would play in the background. It really just sounded comedic to me when I was 8 or 9 like some crappy old pop songs. “Good Vibrations”, for example. Now that song just scares the shit out of me. This stuff is like so heavily psychadelic that I just can’t comprehend it. Well, I didn’t decide to listen to Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys (er, “Good Vibrations” wasn’t on Pet Sounds, but it was by The Beach Boys) but rather SMiLE by Brian Wilson. Wikipedia is really what got me interested. The article on The Beach Boys paints a much different image than I initially perceived… which is sort of similar to The Beatles, I guess. I mention this because of how closely they seem to parallel each other. Apparently SMiLE was originally intended as a Beach Boys project but because of conflict/Brian Wilson becoming mentally ill (I really would like to summarize what I read about this, because it is pretty interesting. You know, with drugs, psychiatrists, and crazy conspiracy shit that keeps you reading a wiki article. Here’s the link) it was cancelled. It was suppose to be a hugeass legendary project of awesomeness but fell through… and then a few weeks after it was officially cancelled, Sgt. Pepper’s by The Beatles was released (which is the #1 record on Rolling Stone’s somewhat famous list of the 500 best albums of all time). Oh and the other parallel is just that like, they both wrote pop songs and then wrote psychadelic pop songs that stayed pop but are incredibly hazy. These songs frighten me but I’m going to learn to like this album or at least appreciate it slightly.

So to be honest I was listening to some Beach Boys tracks and the original versions of SMiLE tracks on youtube and was basically shitting my pants about how awful and painful this was going to be. I mean all of the damn voices are dubbed and it’s migraine inducing. And then he has these random sounds (wall of sound-refined, according to wikipedia) that I don’t like. I mean I don’t need all that goddamn sound at once, but apparently it was both acclaimed, then criticized, and then Wilson’s version (on SMiLE) was of course acclaimed. I don’t really know, I just know that it was really unpleasant.
But now I’m 2/3 way through the album and it’s not so bad. There’s a lot of little interesting ditties that keeps the album feeling light. Though I’ll be honest I have a slight headache (then again I’m pretty tired). It’s fun and I think Christgau was right and I definitely prefer Wilson’s old voice vs. his young voice. While Carl and Brian definitely had some amazing voices back then (they’re still good) they were just sort of awkwardly clean… serial killer clean.

Oh I forgot to mention that I remembered SMiLE because I saw something that convinced me to go onto metacritic which conveniently has a list of the top rated albums (since 2000 + some extra). And, well, SMiLE was right there staring me in the face. Anyways I also looked at some other music lists and saw that Christgau actually liked More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley in 2004. Since they are so easy to listen to, it should be a nice break after this.

Going back to the album apparently a very small, but considerable part of the concept of the album was to write ditties that are deceptively simple. You definitely heard child-like chord progression and then these random riffs (eh wrong word). Random noises, instruments, voices, it makes you go sort of crazy. Oh and the other part of it was that Brian Wilson and lyrical collaborator Van Dyke Parks (who worked on both the original and this actual release) are like spiritually enlightened and so their lyrics are amazing. I wish I could actually hear what they are saying but all I hear is this shit attacking my head. I think this is what happens when music “whooshes” you. Goddamn, he (most likely) didn’t use LSD when he finished this production so what the fuck must be going on in his mind to create compositions like this? On a related note I thought about how he must randomly hear shit and think, “Wow, this is perfect for such and such song” or “Maybe I should write an entire goddamn song about this 2 second sound.” Sort of like how art majors see random shit and make something pretty (or shitty looking for the hardcore depressing art majors). It’d be interesting to see/hear through the eyes/ears of gifted others (literally) I guess.

Whoo, just finished the album. It sound like one longass song which I guess it was sort of meant to sound like (I think “Heroes and Villains” is the main piece and then the rest is just a story of some journey… or something).

*edit* I forgot to mention that Christgau’s “review” of Merriweather Post Pavilion is pretty on par though. A lot of the sound and feeling in the former is found in the latter… and the latter came first.

Åh min nya iPhone, den förra hette Fenou, henne ska jag begrava på något fint sätt men samtidigt skiner lyckan eftersom det blivit tillskott i familjen. Välkommen Doris.

Idag blir det konsert. CAarmé och Sidechild. Förra gången med Sidechild körade Emma och jag från publiken. Jag tänker nog inte göra det igen.

Vad som firas ikväll:
Hemlighetsmakeriet
Skvaller
Christophers pris
Att Klassen gick vidare i Webbjokern
Att det är ganska långt kvar tills jag fyller 40.

A partir de 1963 a rivalidade da música Pop entre EUA e Inglaterra ficou quente. De um lado os bem produzidos The Beatles e do outro os interioranos e não tão menos geniais Beach Boys. A história oficial é que vocalista dos Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, ouviu o disco Rubber Soul (1965) dos Beatles e quis gravar algo melhor e assim começou uma busca insessante que incluiu os discos Summer Days (and Summer Nights! (65), Beach Boys’ Party! (65) e Pet Sounds (66) dos Beach Boys e Rubber Soul (65), Revolver (66) e Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (67) dos Beatles.

Muito se falou nos jornais na época, o que levou Brian a uma depressão de 37 anos, mas as duas bandas não poderíam ser colocadas no mesmo saco porque os Beatles apostavam na simplicidade como forma de abranger o maior público possível e os Beach Boys já usavam muito mais elementos como o jazz, a música flamenca e a clássica. Não que um seja melhor que o outra mas musicalmente (pelo menos até 65, antes da “rivalidade”) não eram concorrentes diretos.

Por isso, a rede americana NBC decidiu por lenha na fogueira e lucrar com essa história. Anunciaram num jornal que precisavam de quatro rapazes com comportamento exagerado entre 17 e 21 anos para montar um grupo de rock. Mais de 430 candidatos apareceram e David Jones, percussão, Mike Nesmith, guitarra, Micky Dolenz, bateria, e Peter Tork, baixo, todos também vocalistas, foram os escolhidos. Protagonizaram uma série no canal por dois anos e um longa-metragem chamado head (Os Monkees estão soltos), gravaram vários discos e chegaram a concorrer diretamente com os Beatles, claro, nunca a altura. Fizeram sucesso pelo seu apelo marqueteiro, mas chegou um momento em que o controle do canal, da gravadora e dos agentes foi muito intenso e pouco a pouco a formação se desfez, mas até hoje ainda como uma banda de corações que conquistou muitos jovens e ajudou a construir a estética do pop americano de sessenta.

Yeah, I know– I have three beers and I go on and on about how Brian Wilson is the greatest songwriter of the rock/pop era and how he was way ahead of his time and never got the credit he was due but things are getting better as more people see the light blah blah blah– and if you knew me best when I was younger than 18 (my age upon hearing Pet Sounds), then I was completely sober all the time and going on and on about how John and Paul were the #1 and #2 songwriters of the rock/pop era hands down and how everything else pretty much sucked, excepting some bands like Led Zeppelin or The Who, depending on what grade I was in.  So what am I thinking these days, you’re dying to know?

The other day I was eating a sub from Harris Teeter in the adjoining Starbucks at Cameron Village so that I could sit and inhale my lunch immediately (well, after paying a couple bucks to become an actual customer at Starbucks) when all of a sudden the Beatles started playing.  Can you believe it?  It’s not like they’re an industry unto themselves with entire video games or hit plays or movies centered around them and their music, so why should Starbucks, an industry unto itself, start playing most of Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Pepper and even some surrounding singles back-to-back (I was in there for a while)?  I can’t be sure, but I suspect it has something to do with their entire music library being digitally remastered (again) and repackaged (again) for an even newer generation to enjoy the timeless genius of hits like “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”.  I am picking on them now, and those songs are by most bands’ standards unrepeatable masterpieces, but I am tired of the ubiquitous Beatles and their incessant repackaging for newer and newer generations (e.g. Target commercials; that stupid Cirque du Soleil crap), especially when part of their success came at the expense of another, lone songwriter– Brian Wilson.

Blaming the Beatles for all that ails the Beach Boys’ legacy would be like blaming a ham sandwich for the death of a pig (Paul, in particular, is very fond of Pet Sounds and has spoken extensively about its influence on his music), but that Pet Sounds was nearly scrapped in 1966 but today consistently tops the list for best pop album of all time indicates that there is blame to be had somewhere, and I think it belongs to the execs at Capitol Records.  Capitol Records, the undisputed king of proving money destroys art, underfunded and all but ignored American acts during the British Invasion that the Beatles started in 1964.  The Beach Boys, an act that, to Capitol’s credit, were picked up and marketed (and cashed in on heavily) starting in 1962, always relied on hits to sell albums but when the Beatles came along and not only had hits but entire albums of solid, cutting-edge songs (Rubber Soul inspiring Pet Sounds directly), the money never stopped pouring in– and that’s a good thing.  The bad part is that upon being inspired by the Beatles (like everyone else) Brian hit a wall when it was his turn to push pop music forward; he could not leave his role of perpetual hit-maker and become an album-maker like the Beatles because of serious setbacks from the philistines in charge at Capitol.  Likewise– and this is the real death knell– he could not convey his vision to the Beach Boys when he made Pet Sounds; it fell on deaf ears almost everywhere.  He persisted and got his masterpiece released on a “trust me just this once” deal and the world is so much the better for it.  Pet Sounds, in my mind, is the unrivaled peak of popular music, dense with beauty, effortlessly complex, and as fresh and exciting on my last listen as it was on my first.  Not even a collection of the Beatles’ 13 best songs taken one at a time can add up, and that’s why I consider Brian Wilson to be the best songwriter in popular music history.

It sounds like I’m ready to announce (mostly to myself) which band takes the title of “Best Ever”– not so fast.  The Beatles are not the most popular band in history just because they were cute and got lucky; they were extraordinary songwriters, performers, innovators and everything.  They were the complete package, the quadruple whammy, the one-two-three-four punch and all that and there may never be another band as deserving of wealth and admiration as they, especially John and Paul.  They were the first to do this, the only ones to do that, and the last ones to have done still more things, and they did it all in about eight years.  They won my heart at an early age and from the way my eyes were welling and feet were tapping to “Getting Better” in Starbucks the other day, they’ve still got it.

So what do I do?  Is it persistence of quality that makes someone the best, or the pinnacle of quality?  I’ll use another world, the food world, to answer that question.  Suppose I was trying to pick the best restaurant instead of the best band.  On one side I would have a restaurant where I knew I could go in, point to an item on the menu and get a superb meal every time, and then suppose there’s another restaurant across the street that serves but one dish that I enjoy, but that dish is the best food I’ve ever had: nothing at the first restaurant can satisfy quite like the one dish at the second.  But can I say for sure that the second restaurant is better (not objectively, of course)?  I’ll consider what I do in practice: I tend to eat the same thing every time at any restaurant I frequent, which means that I value more the few items that are particularly enjoyable rather than the variety of great choices available at a given restaurant, which means that I would be eating one thing consistently no matter which restaurant I visited.  Since whatever I ordered at the first restaurant would be less enjoyable than the unbeatable dish at the second.  It all comes down to the consistency with which I enjoy the pinnacle of quality in Pet Sounds, not the consistency of quality in the Beatles’ catalog.  The restaurant example is not perfect, as I surely don’t listen only to Pet Sounds and never to the Beatles, and there is so much more to the Beach Boys than that one album, but I think it works for highlighting what I value at any given moment.

So there, I’ve said it: I think the Beach Boys are better than the Beatles.

The Sun Is Up...

Almost a decade ago, Capitol Records started reissuing the Beach Boys titles in two-fer packages, and it was a great opportunity to remember what an incredible run this band had. Like most of the acts that were huge in the 60’s, it was all about pumping out the next hit single ninety days after the last one, so your hits would pass each other on the Top 40 charts and keep up that pulse of dominance.

But like most of those 60’s acts, their zenith came in a short period of time, and as they kept pounding the boards the hits slowed down or dried up, and the albums stopped charting as high – if they charted at all. The live shows, for those who could still muster them, revolved around the legacy of oldies rather than a current, vital presence. And for those who were able to keep the engine running, creativity transformed into sustenance and the compromises that it brings to art.

Sure, The Rolling Stones are still around, but look at their studio output of the past twenty years and you’ll find four albums, only one released in the last twelve years. Even my beloved Kinks haven’t release an album in sixteen years, but at least the band isn’t out there milking it.  With Dennis and Carl sadly gone, The Beach Boys are now splintered, with Brian Wilson trying to patch the holes in his legacy, Al trying to make a living, and Mike doing what he does best – being an assclown. But this release was all about then, not now.

I loved all the releases, but this set held a special place in my heart, because I believe these two were a critical turning point in the band’s history and possibly the reason for their survival. Having grown up on their classic singles, I remember delving into Surf’s Up as a DJ and fielding calls from fans, some of whom were distraught at the direction the band was taking, some (like me) watching a band progress… like an adolescent grows into adulthood.

I wrote the following review for PopMatters in 1990…

Two of the more overlooked records in the Beach Boys canon (well, at least to those who swear by either Pet Sounds or the surf/car singles) get their due as part of the reissue of the Brother Records catalogue. Sunflower and Surf’s Up mark the point in time where Brian Wilson’s influence started to shift aside and the other band members began to assert themselves in the studio. Not that Brian is mis-represented; he’s credited on 10 of the 22 tracks, and his “This Whole World” and “Til I Die” might be the best track on each album, respectively (although I’d make a strong case for “Long Promised Road”).

Dennis Wilson is well represented on Sunflower, earning the leadoff track with the rocking “Slip on Through”. “Got to Know the Woman” takes a Jerry Lee Lewis template and slows it to a shuffle, adding doo-wop harmonies, and of course it’s about Dennis’ favorite sport. But “Forever” is simply beautiful, and probably surprised even his brothers. “Our Sweet Love” is a great showcase for Carl’svoice, and the sunny feeling of “Add Some Music to Your Day” and “At My Window” is irresistible. “Cool Cool Water” might be the strongest tie to Pet Sounds or Smile; ending the record with a reminder of just how much Brian has left in the well.

Bruce Johnston’ssongs have always sounded out of place to me—they’re pleasant but always seem to stick out thematically; Sunflower’s “Tears in the Morning” probably more so than “Disney Girls” from Surf’s Up. The ironic placement of “Disney Girls” beside Mike Love’s “Student Demonstration Time” (a lyrical adaptation of “Riot in Cell Block #9”) mirrored the emotions of the band as well as the rapidly-changing American culture as well. Johnston’s ode to the sweetly innocent neighborhood lifestyle of the post-war era was wistful remembrance; Love’s biting lyrics about getting your head cracked open was a bucket of ice water splashing across your face. (Although the band rocks, Brian Wilson stated that he never liked this song; Love probably enjoyed this moment as much as any other.) Al Jardine’s contributions are both child-like and psychedelic. “A Day in the Life of a Tree” still sounds like a funeral march, which in a way, it is. But Carl’s sweet “Feel Flows” and Brian’s introspective “Til I Die” dominate the second half of the record, capped off by the eloquent title track.

The packaging and liner notes are superb—lots of great photos, an informative essay by Timothy White, and faithful reproduction of the original cover art. Why Capitol decided to use the horrible green and purple logo for the CD instead of the superior Brother Records logo (or even the famous Capitol swirl!) is beyond me, but considering how much time this CD will spend inside my player, I guess it really doesn’t matter.

...And So Is The Surf

Do you believe in magic? I don’t mean in the dodgy, end of the pier routine type of way –  but in real magic; when something happens, or you hear something that is so special that you can’t quite believe that it is for real… Pet Sounds was recorded during 1965 and 1966. It is the bands most creative piece of work, and is often referred to as the best album ever recorded. In short: a work of genius.

Let me make one thing clear before I continue: I absolutely LOVE this album, and have done for probably the last twenty five years or so of my life. For me, this album perfectly encapsulates every human emotion possible: love, hope, happiness, jealousy, wanderlust, redemption, sorrow –  and then some…………..

The album starts off full of hope for the future with ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’, and ends with ‘Caroline No’ – a song yearning for the past, and lamenting on how a girl whom he once loved has changed so much over the intervening years. In between, pure magic awaits.

First things first: Is this really a Beach Boys album? Brian Wilson, the bands leader and creative lynchpin stopped touring with the band in 1964/5 due to nervous exhaustion. He decided to concentrate on song writing and bringing the songs to life in the studio. Apart from the vocals, the rest of the band did not play on Pet Sounds; the instrumental tracks were painstakingly put together by Wilson along with a team of LA’s finest session musicians, (apart from some Carl Wilson guitar work). Each track has such depth, and so many layers; you can only imagine the time spent putting this all together.Wilson also sings lead vocals on most of the albums tracks.

Wilson was unique in the way he would use different instruments; all playing the same melody line to create a whole new sound. For example he would take a guitar and organ and fuse the two sounds together to create something new. Phil Spector, (a massive hero of Wilson’s), had worked in the same way to create his then famous, ‘Wall of Sound’ recording style. In those days, artists would only have had four or eight tracks at most to record on; musicians therefore had to be so much more creative with regards to what went down on tape. It’s also amazing to think that albums like Revolver and Sgt Peppers by The Beatles were also recorded on four track recording machines. Wilson continued to add different elements to the recordings, using instruments such as the bass harmonica that you can hear throughout the album; as well as multiple layers of strings and percussion. As a result it can sometimes be hard to tell what instruments are playing the lead melody lines.

Several members of the band were dismayed and sceptical about what Wilson was trying to achieve; they felt that it was a huge commercial risk to move away from the traditional Beach Boys sound, and in some ways this turned out to be true especially in the USA.

However, work continued. Wilson was heavily influenced by The Beatles ‘Rubber Soul’ album that had been released that year. His aim was to artistically top that album by producing what he described would be a teenage symphony to God. I’ve already mentioned two key tracks on this album; the ones in between are of equal or greater importance. I have several favourites on this album, songs that have meant a lot to me over the years, during different times and situations. Music, when at its most magical, should soundtrack experiences and periods of your life.

I have listened to Pet Sounds during happy times, sad times and times of great loss. It has sound tracked the beginning, and end of several relationships and the loss of certain people who were very close to me.It is an incredibly emotional album and also one of great beauty.  Songs like ‘God Only Knows’ or ‘Don’t Talk, (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)’, could melt the hardest hearts; and I for one should know……

The album was finally released in 1966. Commercially it bombed in the USA; apart from the lead track, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, there were no other obvious Beach Boys sounding singles, (‘Caroline No’ was released as solo Brian Wilson single). The rest of the band had assumed that ‘Good Vibrations’ would be included on the album, and be released as a single prior to the albums release. Wilson refused to release the track and spent a further six months working on the song). However it other parts of the world this was not the case. Thanks to pre-release reviews the album was a massive success in the UK; the manager of the Rolling Stones at that time, Andrew Oldham, even took out full page adds in the music press telling people to go out and buy the album a wonderful gesture, considering that he had no financial interest in the record – he just wanted people to listen to it. Paul McCartney has described it as the best album ever released.

There’s a lot more to say with regards to what happened after this; not least the recording and non-release of the famous ‘Smile’ album. This left Wilson in a fragile state; and coupled with his increasing drug use, he started to withdraw from his position as the Beach Boys creative force. His two brothers, Dennis and Carl began to come more to the forefront; with Carl becoming in effect the de-facto leader of the group; not only on stage, but also in the studio. Sales wise, the group suffered throughout the remainder of the 1960’s in the USA. The group seemed to lose its way, and didn’t fit in with the late 60’s acid culture that had sprung up around them. However, in the middle of this the band produced some of their best work; albums such as ‘Friends’, ’Sunflower’ and ‘Surfs Up’, contain some of the best Beach Boys songs. Brian Wilson’s contribution during this period was minimal; however, you only have to listen to ’til I die from ‘Surfs Up’ in 1971 to hear what a tortured genius he was. The song is probably the most heartbreaking and pleading song the band ever recorded. Wilson recorded it mainly on his own, as a few members of the group had refused to include it on the album due to the desolate nature of the lyrics. In the end it was included following various discussions – thank God it was, as it remains my favourite Brian Wilson track to this day.

If you’ve never heard this album, I urge you to do so. You may have a clear idea in your head as to what the Beach Boys sound involves - please leave that to one side. Anyone interested in music should own a copy of this record. It might well pass you by the first time you listen to it; however at some point you will come back to it again and again and again, and discover the beauty and magic contained within. Once that happens you’ll be hooked; just as I, and countless others have been in the past. As Brian Wilson sings on ‘Don’t Talk, (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)’, “Listen, Listen, Listen”….

This one of the most interesting ideas I’ve ever seen. The guy took out all the instrumental parts from the Beach Boys’ epic masterpiece Pet Sounds, leaving only the lead vocals and vocal harmonies (basically an a capella version of the album). The result is fascinating. This is one of my favorite albums of all time and this sheds a whole new light on the vocal parts. It exposes some of the intricacies that get lost in the layers and layers of instrumental parts present on the album. Here’s the classic hit Wouldn’t It Be Nice: (Via SnarkMarket)

Carles of Hipster Runoff shares his opinions about the Beatles Guitar Hero game and Pitchfork’s review of the re-issues that came out this week. Seriously Pitchfork… why the hell did you review the Beatles’ re-issues? It seems utterly pointless. There is absolutely no question about the quality and relevance of these albums. They’re the most influential band in the history of popular music. End of story. No need for reviews. Enough has been written about them already.

Finally, I must include one more plug for my DJ event tonight. You will come. You will have a good time. You will dance & drink the night away. You will thank us for putting on such an awesome event. FYI- park up and down Woodland.

Everyone is talking about the Beatles. From the new Rock Band game to their digitally remastered albums, the Beatles are taking America by storm for a second time. My entire life, the Beatles have been upheld as the quintessential rock band. They have inspired musicians to sing, play, and even dress like them. The Beatles are an amazing band, but I have to wonder why America is so smitten with a band from across the pond. Where is the love for the ultimate American rock band, the Beach Boys? I know some of you may be scratching your heads. The Beach Boys conjure images of wood paneled station wagons and Annette Funicello, images of a sweetly simple era. But don’t let all the Americana blur the genius of the Beach Boys’ catalog. Give Pet Sounds another listen and you will agree that the Beach Boys are America’s quintessential rock band. Take it from the Beatle himself, Paul McCartney, who said Pet Sounds inspired their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney also said Pet Sounds is his favorite album and the song “God Only Knows” is his favorite song of all time. Thanks Paul, although my favorite is “Don’t Worry Baby.” So tell me, who’s your favorite rock band now?

And now a rock band for a new generation…The Magic Numbers!

My ears have been blissfully listening to this English quartet, composed of two sets of brothers and sisters, for a few years now. This is one of those bands that makes nothing but hits. The Magic Numbers follow the same melodic path as The Beatles, Mamas and Papas, and the Beach Boys. They are currently in the studio recording a new album and until it drops you will definitely enjoy catching up on their previous releases. I recommend absolutely anything from them, but you must check out “This is a Song,” “Love Me Like You,” and “Undecided.” Download these tracks to keep you company until their new album comes out.

Until next time, three is a magic number- K

Sim, meus irmãos: gostei bastante, há trechos belíssimos, tive que enxugar os óculos 3D, não há concorrentes para a Pixar (com exceção de Miyazaki, que dá de lavada), etc e tal. Mas eu esperava um pouco mais deste Up (7.5/10).

Sinceramente, o filme me parece um pouco desconjuntado. Lembro que, num textinho antigo, escrevi que Wall-E mostrava o desejo da Pixar de arejar a animação digital com novas ideias, mas também deixava claro os limites dessas tentativas — já que, depois de uns 20 minutos iniciais bastante atípicos para o formato (cinema mudo e high-tech, com um pé no futuro e outro no passado), o longa ia se adaptando a uma narrativa convencional. Pois bem: Up é isso ao quadrado.

Pete Docter fez um curta-metragem extraordinário (a vida de um homem numa cápsula colorida, em melancólico 3D) que calha de servir de prólogo para um filme de aventuras exóticas que, aposto, minha prima de quatro anos de idade confundiria com Era do gelo 3. Nada tão trivial, no entanto. Ou esquecível, ok. Numa comparação muito estúpida, eu diria que a Pixar de Wall-E e Up é o Beach Boys de Today! (1965). Maravilha, mas ainda fico aqui no meu cantinho esperando dela um Pet sounds.

the most prized record in my collection is my beach boys’ smile vinyl bootleg, but my favorite has to be one of the first cds i ever bought – pet sounds, remastered in 1990 in glorious mono. the album itself needs no further introduction, but i remember listening to the cd for the very first time and vividly recall the magic that filled my ears. i also remember the group’s pristine cover of the 1927 classic “sloop john b” being the standout track for me after the first listen, with its a capella break keeping me enthralled listen after listen. today as i passed by aquarium drunkard, i stumbled upon the full a capella version of the song, which was one of its recordings done in 1965, i believe. this version invokes the same magic of the finished work but in its utterly purest form, which for me will be a real treat to savor for a long time to come.

mp3: the beach boys – sloop john b (a capella)

Cruising the blogosphere and found these incredible a capella mixes of “Sloop John B” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” from the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds at Aquarium Drunkard.  Definitely worth the download:

Beach Boys- “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (a capella)

Beach Boys- “Sloop John B”

“Beware the lollipop of mediocrity – lick it once and you suck forever.” ~ Brian Wilson

I Know There’s an Answer

I know so many people who think they can do it alone
They isolate their heads and stay in their saftey zones

Now what can you tell them
And what can you say that won’t make them defensive

I know there’s an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

They come on like they’re peaceful
But inside they’re so uptight
They trip through their day
And waste all their thoughts at night

Now how can I come on
And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there’s an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

Now how can I come on
And tell them the way that they live could be better

I know there’s an answer
I know now but I have to find it by myself

I was a late-comer to the joys of The Beach Boys. I’m still not their greatest advocate, but I appreciate their genius now and I always liked music influenced by The Beach Boys. Of those who admire the boys, is Florida’s Lane Steinberg, who has been active in various bands since around ‘84. Wall of Orchids, a more recent musical endeavour, features some beautiful arrangements a la Brian Wilson. Perusing Steinberg’s youtube account (it’s either Steinberg or a really big fan), I found this ditty that features an unreleased track from the Pet Sounds sessions called “Trombone Dixie” except Lane Steinberg has turned it into a song! He sings (and does a fairly convincing Brian Wilson-esque job) and basically he makes a true-to-the-vision song out of it. I think it’s a real treat and his other songs on the account are worth looking up too.

First up, an awesome danceable remix of Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys, done by the Girls Can Hear Us

Wouldn’t It Be Nice (The Girls Can’t Hear Us Remix)

also Jay-Z’s new album leaked, The Blueprint 3.  I can’t say I like most of it, but this is the best track I’ve heard so far.  I didn’t know Kid Cudi could actually sing, and if he can’t thats the most natural sounding vocoder in history

Already Home (ft. Kid Cudi)

Another track from last posts bonus artist, Kings of Convenience, this is yet another catchy guitar piano driven melody with great backing vocals from Feist

Love is No Big Truth

a live cover of Snoops classic Gin and Juice from the hip-hop blues specialists G. Love and Special Sauce, more smokey than the original if you could imagine it

Gin and Juice

thats it for now i’ll be sure to bring you more stuff in the future

…but long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I’ll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I’d be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you

I enjoy that song. It’s strangely ambivalent, don’t you think? I was going to go with the whole you have made me too depressed to write / I am at best a Brian Wilson, but a Brian Wilson who went to bed before making Pet Sounds thing, but I went with this instead. Fuck, I thought I should probably go with something. Need to suggest a point for the point to be comprehensively missed.

MY3ИKA ΦIЛMM (Media Market)

Nr. Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine

Like many of Ukraine’s key shopping destinations, Kiev’s best record store is 10 metres underground. Perched beneath criss-crossing roads, frothing fountains and numerous iconic monuments, Kiev’s ‘Media Market’ is slap bang underneath the centre of city.

Entering the air-conditioned bunker, I flick through their prominently positioned collection of dance music mix CDs. Little sticks out apart from live recording from Kiev’s Global Gathering festival from 2008, but it isn’t quite tempting enough to make me split with my cash (euro-trance makes me feel suicidal these days).

The bargain bin further on offers nothing but dodgy cover versions of bad originals ( I read the back of ‘My Heart Goes On’ sung by ‘The Olga Twins’ in horror). Everything is priced at 25UAH (£2) and it appears people with little taste, also have little money.  I do find a copy of Gary Numan’s 2006 studio album, hidden at the back, and feel a little sympathy for the British electronic pioneer (but not enough sympathy to actually purchase it, it looks awful, no offence Gary).

Then, hidden behind a stand boasting Ukrainian folk music, I stumble across the booty.  The Wall. Paint It Black. Breakfast In America. Pet Sounds. Triple vinyl live sets. Re-presses of Krautrock legends. All sealed. All four times as much as the cost of a hotel in the centre of Kiev.

I’ve hit gold. This is the first vinyl I’ve found in Kiev. I grease my thumbs, and start flicking.  At the sight of a record, laying haphazardly on its side, my heart climbs up into my throat….

The White Album.

THE White Album.

A record even Beatles’ nay-sayers list in their top ten of all time.

There it lays, still sealed, promising two great slabs of vinyl of the highest quality. Repressed, but that’s beside the point. This for me, at the tender age of 21, is the first time I had seen this album in its original intended format. But with a price tag of more than 680UAH (around £40) I have no choice but to slide the sleeve back in, holding back tears.

First record shop. First heart break. No Purchase.

Purchases For The Day: 0

Spend: £0

You’re probably gonna get sick of me banging on about how good Bullion is, but there’s really nothing I can do about that so you should probably just get used to it.

Here’s why: taking a break from being a sick-like-swine-flu producer of Low End Theory style blip-hop, he’s just released another (free) mix on the internet with like Joni Mitchell and ELO and shit on it. Sunday morning business.

Bullion Mixed Up In Love II

1. Free Spirits Intro
2. Sweet And Innocent – Express Your Love
3. Iron Butterfly – It Must Be Love
4. The Moody Blues – I Don’t Mind
5. The Manhattans – Follow Your Heart
6. Birtha – Feeling Lonely
7. The Bee Gees – To Love Somebody
8. ELO – Telephone Line
9. Joni Mitchell – Solid Love
10. The Four Tops – Still Water (LOVE)
11. Let’s Kiss Blonde Coeds Interlude
12. Adrian Baker – Is This Love
13. Ned Doheny – A Love Of Your Own
14. Tony Grey – She’s My Love
15. The Koobas – Woe Is It Love My Dear?
16. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – More Love
17. Free Spirits Outro

It a free download on The FADER website, and in case you’re wondering why I’m so hyped about this guy, I think you can still download the extraordinarily good Beach Boys/J Dilla mashup album here.

By Dave Gebroe

There is this strange phenomenon that occurs, wherein bands who’ve fallen out of touch with current trends, whose salad days are now naught but a series of scrapbook clippings, attempt to get with the times and take up a more commercial direction…and wind up unintentionally creating the least commercial music of their career. If you’re a true music nut, a diehard to the core, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you’ve never heard of Carl & The Passions…So Tough, then I know I’ve got your attention.

By 1972, the Beach Boys were an antiquated notion at best. The world had no idea what to think of them, these hopelessly square signifiers of a dead age, the band with the most cloddishly silly name possible who were now trouncing about clad in meditation robes and long, filthy beards, their travails inspiring all manner of tales involving drug abuse and madness. The world just wanted to get it over with already, flush these guys down the toilet and forget the whole thing ever happened. Over time, the band had frittered away their credibility to the point where it didn’t at all seem conceivable that they could work their way back into the black. The long-promised Smile project had never materialized back in 1967, nor did it appear five years later following yet another “boy cries wolf” round of public statement pinky swears. And after several purposely under-produced and hit-free (yet totally brilliant) records closing out the decade, Brian Wilson opted to sit out the Seventies, handing over the reins to the rest of the band, mainly brother Carl. The band’s response was to move ahead, fashioning new artistic directions that felt, to them, more in step with what was going on in the world around them.

There had already been signs of this shift underway. The band started writing ecologically themed songs on 1971’s Surf’s Up. They’d bandied about the possibility of shortening their name to simply “Beach,” to optimize the chances that the world would take them seriously without the baggage of their past weighing them down. And manager Jack Rieley was pushing hard for the band to take a hard rock direction, a style they were about as adept at as The Stooges were at square dance-style country waltzes. This suggestion, coupled with the discombobulated weirdness in the band, inspired resident uber-nerd Bruce Johnston to pack up and split, and Carl…well, he did what anyone would’ve done at a turning point like that: he drafted in a couple of funky black dudes. Enter guitarist Blondie Chaplin and drummer Ricky Fataar (later of Beatles parodists The Rutles), the latter to pound skins for Dennis Wilson while his hand recuperated from an accident. Both of these random additions to the whitest group on planet Earth had been spotted by Carl in London back in ’69 while playing in a band called The Flame.

Strangely, with their push to pursue a more progressive, contemporary direction, the title they chose for the record is possibly the most old-timey sounding of their entire oeuvre. Carl & The Passions was supposedly an early band name possibility, and its usage in the title intimates a surfeit of songs that deal with hanging out at malt shops and cruising the strip. But there’s nothing of the kind anywhere on this record. And the phrase “so tough” couldn’t describe with any less accuracy the sounds found within. But that’s okay, because it’s all part of the album’s unintentionally crazed charm.

So Tough could actually be my vote for the most schizophrenically disjointed album of all time. This record has no clue whatsoever what it wants to be. But its rather insane collection of disparate styles actually allows it, in some kind of weird, ass-backwards way, to cohere into a singular statement of in-the-moment purpose. Where there was a cohesive direction in their artistic arc under Brian’s direction, once he dropped out everyone saw the band as something other than the next guy, and So Tough illustrates quite clearly that there were now four very, very separate and distinct visions of what the Beach Boys should be. Mike Love saw it as a mouthpiece for the Maharishi’s teachings, Dennis as a showcase for his newly burgeoning talents as a string-drenched balladeer, new members Blondie and Ricky as a smooth, hip R&B unit, and Brian…well, Brian did what he could, which at that time was by all accounts pretty limited.

There are eight tracks on the record, with two examples each of the record’s four totally unrelated styles. The weakest of the batch is “Here She Comes” and “Hold On Dear Brother”, the Blondie/Ricky cuts. But I happen to love their inclusion on the record for two reasons: they sound absolutely nothing like the Beach Boys in any of their various guises; and the latter track has the gall to seem to be striking a position of brotherly concern for Brian’s mental health, coming from what amounted to nothing more than two peripheral neophytes on the scene.

Then comes the duo of TM tunes. “He Come Down” is their stab at a Baptismal, testimonial-style gospel belter, an interesting addition to the Boys’ canon. “All This Is That” is something else entirely, one of the most gentle, ethereally beautiful, and underrated Beach Boys songs in their entire catalog. With its soft, billowing harmonies, beds of pulsating keyboards, and burbling, percolating bass supporting the band’s most eloquent description of the Transcendental Meditation experience (many others of which stands as awkward or just plain embarrassing), “All This Is That” is a contender for the best song on the album.

Dennis’s pair of ballads is a real surprise, both astoundingly vulnerable and so heavily orchestrated as to seem eager to edge over into Disney-style bombast, stopping just short of being ludicrously over the top. “Make It Good” is the superior of the two, a heartbreaking love song with Dennis’s croak of a vocal selling the honesty behind the sentiment without a speck of doubt. “Cuddle Up” isn’t too shabby, either. Both songs wind up swelling to such melodramatically intense emotional peaks that it almost inspires laughter. The guy was obviously in a lot of pain, and nowhere is this more apparent than on his contributions to So Tough.

And then there are Brian’s songs. Somehow, even in the depths of battle with his inner demons, Brian pulled a couple of classics out of his ass. An amazing feat, that. “You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone” kicks off the record with a throaty, gut-bucket growl of a Carl vocal that renders him virtually unrecognizable. This track feels like the most apt application of what were then contemporary tics to the Beach Boys formula. There’s just enough classic harmony and structural touches to make it obvious which band was behind the thing, but then it’s also something of an R&B ass-kicker with unique dabs of banjo and violin thrown in for good measure. Brian’s other contribution, “Marcella”, is a stone-cold classic, and the most Beach Boys-sounding track of the bunch. No surprise there, seeing as the melody’s been reduxed and tossed a couple times over, originally as an outtake from 1964 called “All Dressed Up For School” and then again during the 1970 Sunflower sessions when it was known as “I Just Got My Pay.” Of course, Brian’s songs were the ones released as singles. Not that they made anything even remotely resembling a dent in the charts—“Mess Of Help” sank without a trace, and “Marcella” shot to #110 with a bullet.

It isn’t much of a surprise, considering the confused (yet glorious) mess of styles on display, that Carl And The Passions…So Tough only made it to #50 in the States. In fact, I’m shocked it was that successful. It didn’t really stand a chance. A large part of the reason for this was that, for some bizarre reason, the Beach Boys decided to pair the record as the second disc of a two-album set with their 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds. That was a recording with a uniform style that supported it with delicate grace through a song cycle of unparalleled beauty. It was flat-out suicide to group it with Carl and the Passions…So Tough, a move akin to a forty-year-old using college photos to represent himself on matchmaking sites and then wondering why his dates all seem so disappointed when he shows up.

I suppose, in retrospect, that this move made sense. Nobody cared about this band anymore. Yet, although they were indisputably past their prime, they were still a relevant act making solid music worthy of consideration. And pairing one of their oddest and most overlooked records with what is roundly considered their magnum opus must have been their way of shouting out to anyone who’d listen that, “We still matter, damn it! We had something to say back in the day, and we still do, no matter how differently we choose to say it!”

There would be only one more record (1973’s equally fascinating Holland) from this odd, mid-period incarnation of progressive-minded Beach Boys before they abandoned the uphill battle of attempting to convince the world that they were a valid artistic concern, and instead conceded to acting like the sun-and-fun puppets the world had wrongfully assumed they were. And thus the lead curtain of nostalgia came crashing down, and that was that. After all, in the end the general public tends to get what it asks for, which in this case—as in many, many others—is a damn shame.

To read more of Dave Gebroe’s “On Second Thought” posts, click here.