ALBUM REVIEW: SUPERCHUNK - "Leaves in the Gutter EP"

There are very few bands that take a long hiatus (5-10 or so years) then come back with recorded material that has the identical sound and energy of their previous work. Superchunk is one of these bands. After a long hiatus of any popular alternative band, the material is usually a bit slower, more produced, a band member or two may be missing and the lyrics become formulaic (Weezer I’m looking in your direction). While Metallica has to enlist Rick Rubin to get back that feeling of old-school speed metal with Death Magnetic, Superchunk just seemed to plug in their instruments. Their latest EP Leaves in the Gutter, has the intensity and melodic chemistry of any of their previous albums recorded in the 90s. Mac’s higher pitched vocals have honestly not dropped a decibel. It’s really kind of strange…like they have been teleported from 1995. The lead-off track Learned to Surf might as well have been off of 1995’s Here's Where The Strings Come In. Misfits and Mistakes on 1999’s No Pocky For Kitty and Knock Knock Knock could have been a additional tracks on 1993’s Foolish. Screw It Up has a newer sound which I cant quite match yet but its kickass. Some tracks like Learned to Surf and Misfits & Mistakes are fast paced and raw while others like Screw it Up have more harmonious aspects to them. I must say I have never enjoyed an acoustic version of a hard rock track more than Learned to Surf (which closes out the EP).

I was kind of a late bloomer with this band, not really getting into them until the late 90s. Once I heard Hyper Enough live I couldn’t get it out of my head and was on a mission to pick up whatever album it was on...turns out it was HWTSCI (my personal favorite album of the band). It was the early Promise Ring, Modest Mouse or Ben Folds Five effect in where once I heard one album I had to get them all YTD recordings immediately. Superchunk kind of dropped off the scene as a band after 2001’s Here’s To Shutting Up came out. They (two of the band members I believe) concentrated on running their own label MERGE (such a solid roster of artists) and subsequently I had thought the band would never record again. I’m pretty glad that they did. Please pick this EP up whether you’re a long time fan or newcomer. A new full length is still TBD but look for them on tour this summer (7/17 with Versus @ South Street Seaport NYC).

“I can’t hold my breath anymore, I stopped swimming and learned to surf”

DOWNLOAD THIS: Learned to Surf, Screw it Up, Hyper Enough, Driveway To Driveway, Iron On, Detroit Has a Skyline

HOLY FU#K!...BUY OUR PRODUCTS!

I heard a Holy Fuck song in a Chrysler commercial the other night. Thanks government bailout. Good band name choice for your "we're rebuilding" ad campaign. The song was Lovely Allen…which…I must admit lends itself well to the re-branding of a failed auto company. Although, I hope no middle America soccer moms (hip to the internet) think to themselves (imagine Sarah Palin's voice) “Oh gee whiz, that is a mighty catchy tune…I’m going to search for the music group that performs it and download the song…oh…here it is…oh…oh dear.”

Many musicians have whored-out their talents to support advertisers since the beginning of time. Being a music freak and working professionally in the advertising field…my senses are heightened, Whether it’s personalities in the ads themselves - Chris Brown (boooo) endorsing Double-Mint Gum, Santogold,/Julian Casablanca’s endorsing Converse and MXPX endorsing Pepsi or songs used in place of a “jingle” such as The Postal Service endorsing UPS, Blur endorsing Levis/Nissan or Of Montreal plugging Outback Steakhouse (aka - oh my god if I hear that one more time I’m going to murder…a bloomin’ onion…dammit) . The most notable are typically car commercials as there really isn’t a lot to communicate expect the car driving in an unrealistic setting (outdoorsy or futuristic). There no need for detailed ad copy so attention grabbing music is key for sustainability.

I used to be a complete snob when hearing these songs, crying “sell-out!” I was visibly upset when I heard Modest Mouse in a mini-van commercial back before Johnny joined the band and more recently with Interpol in some cologne ad? Then I reached my 30s and realized that musicians do not make a ton of money (at least not consistently over the long term) unless you’re U2, Coldplay or Madonna. A little extra cash (depending on the campaign you can make a great deal of money….after you split it with the record company and ad firm). Most are done tastefully (Mates of State for Royal Caribbean) but with others you totally want to throw up and burn your records (Weezer cover for Sandals Resorts).

I think I finally let go when I saw the recent ad campaign for Cadillac staring Kate Walsh. She’s all sexy and soft spoken then slams down the pedal in her stilettos while the thundering riff of Hum’s 90s epic trak Stars thunders as the sports car speeds down the highway. There are two ways I could have taken this.

1. "WTF…now some yuppie car company is having that Grey's Anatomy spin-off chick pedal their product using our beloved alt-rock gods Hum? That’s bollocks."

2. "Holy shit…I forgot how f-ing kickass that song is and revolutionary that band was…time to throw all of my Hum albums into a playlist. Thanks advertising! (giving the double thumbs-up to the camera)"


(Answer Key)
#1 = 22 year old TommyC
#2 = 32 year old TommyC

WEEKEND “TRIPLE-DIP DOWNLOAD” RECOMMENDATION (NEW FEATURE!)

Support the artists…go to their websites/iTunes/Rhapsody etc and purchase downloads. I’ll make weekly recommendations…I’ll try to do it daily. This “job” keeps getting in the way. Crickets.

OLD: “Start Choppin” from DINOSAUR JR (off Where You Been in honor of my last post)

SLIGHTLY WORN: “Cheap Champagne” from SLOAN (see my album review of Sloan’s Parallel Play in the “Top Ten ’08 Albums” post on 12/19/08)

NEW: “Learned to Surf” from SUPERCHUNK (off the Leaves in the Gutter EP – Full Cugerock review next week)

DINOSAUR JR - GOOD AS NEW

New album out 6/23 entitled Farm. I first saw this on IFC Music Blast/Pitchfork Airwaves and was blown away. If you’re a longtime Dinosaur Jr fan (since highschool for me – Faust/Danny/Budz…you know the deal) you will “cream your jeans” when you watch this video for a new Farm track recording entitled I Don’t Wanna Go There. If you you do some exploring on the site you can see the band interviewed and check out another new track.

http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/episode/75-dinosaur-jr/2

I was never crazy about the old-old albums with the Lou Barlow/Murph line-up (Bug, You’re Living All Over Me, Dinosaur) but the last album Beyond (2007) with them reunited proved me wrong (download – Crumble). One of my vivid memories from high school was me trying to wire up boom-box speakers to my Suzuki Samurai car stereo so I could blast D-Jr's Where You Been album and more importantly the lead-off track Out There…I also felt compelled to blast Mudhoneys Suck You Dry. Such powerful tracks…I guess I’m a child of 90s alt rock. Seeing frontman J.Mascis play live has always been an experience I can’t really describe to people. You have to be there to witness it…however this video gives you a pretty close idea of the pure sensory overload you would experience. Do not let the grey hair fool you. If you are close to the stage…tears well up…the solos are so fucking powerful and skilled you are left with a gaping mouth…regardless whether you’ve ever played yourself. If you have played the guitar in the past, which my cousin Danny has, try to get up front to see what pedals Jay is using to get that sound. Danny & I once saw J.Mascis solo at the Mercury Lounge in NYC…yeah…small venue + loud guitars = awesome. Danny pushed toward to the front to get a glimpse of the hardware. Not sure if any conclusions were made. Danny?

WARNING: If you do have a chance to go see Dinosaur Jr live…please wear ear-plugs. There was a legend about a Lollapalooza show back in the 90’s where a man who was in the audience sued the band claiming that Dinosaur Jr was so loud that they literally blew-out his eardrums. I laughed at that story for a long time…siding with the band and dismissing the story as a gold digging scam…then I saw them live. Holy…

2nd Annual Record Store Day! - Sat. 4/18

Werd up kiddos. THE 2ND ANNUAL RECORD STORE DAY IS TOMORROW!!! Please go out and support your local independent record stores. This is a fitting lead-in from my last post (thank you for pointing that out in advance Dominic. Go Flyers). With digital and mass market music distributors taking over, the smaller locally owned/operated record stores face big challenges to keep up. THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT. This is the second annual record store day and there is so much going on I can only give you some highlights. There are countless rare split 7inches, collaborations/compilations, t-shirts, vinyl/CD re-issues, unreleased live material and in-store performances. Please check the official website (http://www.recordstoreday.com/ ) for participating shops in your area. If you live in the northeast here are some Philly/NYC notes on in store performances (I may have missed some so triple check the site):

- Generation Records NYC: BOUNCING SOULS ACOUSTIC!!!!!! (Not sure what that’s going to sound like but it’s the Souls so it should be pretty kick-ass?)
- Other Music NYC: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Prefuse 73 (again not sure how this will go live)
- Main Street Music PHILLY: Good Ol’ War (a newer version of CSNY in my opinion...should be cool live)
- AKA Music PHILLY: Smog (thanks Chris B)

RELEASES: Some special releases that deserve highlighting (sorry for the crude format):

Bad Religion
Original EP 7" reissue
colored vinyl; 6 tracks from 1981

Blitzen Trapper
"War is Placebo/Booksmart"
7" - two exclusive tracks w/die cut sleeve

Bruce Springsteen
7" "What Love Can Do"/"A Night With The Jersey Devil"
packaged in clear sleeve with 3x5 photo

Camera Obscura
"French Navy" 7"
7" (RSD exclusive)

Cold War Kids
Live at Fingerprints 5 song EP

Cursive/Ladyfinger
Split 10" picture disc
four songs, two unreleased and two new
Dandy Warhols
Remix CD #2

Death Cab For Cutie
T-Shirt - exclusive design for Record Store Day

Dead Weather
Hang You From the Heavens 7"
Jack White's new band! The debut release from both the Dead Weather and Third Man Records

Depeche Mode
7" "Wrong"/"Oh Well"

Dr. Dog/Floating Action
Split 7"- exclusive

El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez (Mars Volta)
“Cryptomnesia”
Limited Edition Vinyl for RSD (3,000 pieces)

Elvis Perkins
"Lorraine Lookout" 7"
two tracks, one unreleased

Flaming Lips/Black Keys
split 7" "Borderline"/"Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles"

Flight of the Conchords
"Pencils In The Wind"/"Albi The"
7" - two exclusive tracks w/die cut sleeve

Gaslight Anthem
Live from Park Ave 10" - 6 tracks

Grizzly Bear
Live on KCRW 7"
two tracks, "While You Wait For The Others"/"He Hit Me"

Gomez
Airstream Driver 7"
non-album b side

Guided By Voices
Hold On Hope LP
Three bonus tracks

Heaven & Hell
7" "Bible Black" / Neon Knights (Live)
Created exclusively for Record Store Day

Jane's Addiction
7" "Mountain Song" / "Standing in the Shower…Thinking"
7" Mtn. Song/Standing In The Shower- Packaged in original replica picture sleeve

Jenny Lewis/Elvis Costello
7" --"Carpet Baggers"/"Go Away"
Never before available in the US

Jesus Lizard
9 x 7" pack
A pack of nine 7"s

Loney Dear/Andrew Bird 7"
split 7" - hand-silk screened covers; tour & mail order item

Mastodon
T-Shirt - exclusive design for Record Store Day

MC 5
7" "Kick Out The Jams"/"Motor City Is Burning"
Packaged in the original rare picture sleeve, first time available since 1969

Metric
"Help I'm Alive" 7" Picture disc
"Help I'm Alive"/"Help I'm A B-Side"

Misfits
Walk Among Us LP
Pressed on 140 gram vinyl

Modest Mouse
7" --"Satelite Skin"/"Guilty Cocker Spaniels"
both tracks are brand new

My Morning Jacket
Celebracion De La Ciudad Natal
CD & 2 x 10" Vinyl - 4-14 Street, Vinyl one time shot. Recorded LIVE in LOUISVILLE

New Order
7" (live) "Temptation" / "Hurt" - as and A&B side.

Neil Young
Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House 1968 2LP
The special vinyl package

Oasis
Falling Down Remix LP
Falling Down Remix LP

Pavement
"Live in Germany 1988" LP
unreleased show from 1988

Poison The Well
Six track CD
6 track CD, taken from 2 7" singles that the band sells on the road, and an upcoming 7" single that will be out later this spring

Radiohead
10" vinyl series (see list of titles in NOTES)
THESE ARE BEING RELEASED EARLY FOR RSD: Drill, Creep, My Iron Lung, High & Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, Street Spirit, Paranoid Android, Karma Police, No Surprises, Pyramid Song, 2+2=5

Rivers Cuomo
Live @ Fingerprints CD and CD/DVD Combo

Russian Circles/These Arms Are Snakes
Split !2 - Previously Unreleased songs on Clear Vinyl (1,000 pieces)

Silversun Pickups
Pikul 12"
exclusive release ahead of their new album

Slayer
7" single "Psychopathy Red"
packaged in special X-Files-style, "confidential" packaging

Sonic Youth/Beck
split 7" (RSD exclusive)

Sonic Youth/Jay Reatard
split 7" (RSD exclusive)

Sublime
"Superstar Punani"/April 29, 1992" 7"
7" single with 2 live tracks, first time on vinyl

Taking Back Sunday
7" Carpathia/Catholic (live)

Talking Heads
77 LP [reissue]
Pressed on 180 gram vinyl

The Decemberists
7" "The Rake's Song"/"East India Lanes"
B-side, "East India Lanes" is unreleased

The Smiths
7" "The Headmaster Ritual" /"Oscillate Widly"
Never before available in the US as a 7" single.

The Stooges
7" "1969"/"Real Cool Time"
Packaged in the original rare picture sleeve

Thermals/Thao
split 7" Get Down Stay Down (4 tracks unreleased)

Underoath
T-Shirt - exclusive design for Record Store Day

Wilco
Ashes of American Flags DVD
DVD is released with an exclusive window of two weeks for indie stores and mail order

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
It’s Blitz LP
vinyl version of forthcoming Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD

So much I am getting anxiety just looking at the offerings. Really…I’m experiencing shortness of breath.

GET OUT THERE AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT YA BEAUTIFUL SONSABITCHES!!!!!

ALSO - It doesn’t hurt that the weather on Saturday is going to be (singing) soooooooo sweet. Um in the northeast at least.

Are CD Collections Akin To The Laserdisc?

I have a pretty massive CD collection. I know we are living in a digital age and I have countless gigs of music on my computadora as well but I still take pride in my CD collection. Is that wrong? Should I be hiding these CD towers of power? Every once in a while I like to dig through my collection and whip out old classics and load them into my iTunes. Plus, certain album jackets take me back to certain times in my life. The college ones usually have some weird stains or burns on them as cd often doubled as coasters or cigarette “resters” (while you tossed you darts or launched a ping-pong ball). Any of the REM records I pull out bring back such vivid memories I can’t even tell you. Then I think about all of the CDs that I’ve tossed and sold throughout the years (not many) and wonder of the lost potential. I know my friends often like to browse the collection and say “Whoa…I forgot about this record or this band”. Lately I’ve been re-kindling my love-affair with punky SKA bands from the 90s with such legends as the Pietasters, Mustard Plug, Bosstones, Goldfinger, Stubborn Allstars, Buck-O-Nine, Skankin Pickle, Dance Hall Crashers, Slackers etc. Slackers are still good. See…this is why I have a cd collection. Who’s with me?! (crickets) Anyway, I’m now trying to build a vinyl collection but it’s slow going. I look at my CD collection and feel a sense of accomplishment and security. Which I guess is all that matters but thought I’d put it out to the group. I had a pretty big tape collection in high-school as well often duplicating my CD collection….mainly because I was a pizza delivery guy and music freak combo. I was too cheap to buy a cd player for my car (Suzuki Samurai) or a CD walkman. Sony-Sports bitchaz. Auto-Reverse.

ALBUM REVIEW PEPPER SPRAY

Let’s face it. We live in a fast paced society. The kids want quick, short bursts of communication. If you’re not tweeting their language then you’re out…ya blew it. It’s called the “fragmentation of media” people. There’s an engagement factor that must…(mid-sentence pause)

OK...here’s the deal. I’ve been incredibly busy (which is good given the hell-hole that our economy is in…freaking consumers out will bolster confidence right?). I’ve listened to numerous albums in the past few weeks but I don’t have time to review them to you in the long (winded) format so here is the “short-short” version of a few…

Trail of Dead – Century of Self

The full length album definitely did NOT live up to the excitement generated around the Festival Thyme EP (see my review on 11/11/08). Bells of Creation and Inland Sea remain the top songs on the full length. Century of Self is not bad by any means. Its a lot more rockin that the previous concept-esque albums. The faster guitars mixed with some mellow piano tracks and vocal pair-offs between Conrad and Jason (seen on Far Pavilions) is reminiscent of their masterpiece Source Tags & Codes. However, this album is so “polished” it’s a little concerning. Some songs I couldn’t tell if I was listening to TOD or Fall Out Boy (ok…maybe that’s a little extreme…but you’ll get my point). Century of Self is good but falls a little short…oh but the album art is UNREAL…serious. Take a look. Download this: Bells of Creation, Inland Sea, Far Pavilions, Ascending

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
I’m gonna be honest. The “feeling” behind the cover of Neko Case’s latest album Middle Cyclone didn’t really match the sound in my mind. All I hear is “Barracuda” when I see that cover. Anyway, I listened to Neko’s solo work for the first time with this album. She is truly an amazing vocalist. I only knew her previous work with the New Pornographers with songs like Bones of an Idol on Twin Cinema and the title track off Challengers just to name a few. As for Middle Cyclone goes, it is a pleasant listen but lacks anything unique in my opinion. It’s a true Singer/Songwriter recording. The lyrics and harmonies in songs such as the opener This Tornado Loves You, Vengeance is Sleeping and The Pharaohs are sublime. I could have done without Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth (I hope that track was meant as a joke) and the 30minutes of “nature sounds” at the end. All in all I feel like this album is parallel to Jenny Lewis’s solo work. It’s nice and pretty and folksy and could be more easily played on your local adult contemporary (light hits) radio station than on some indie stream/satellite channel. I know many will disagree but I’m just being honest here. Download This: This Tornado Loves You, I’m an Animal, The Pharaohs

Von Bondies – Love, Hate & Then There’s You

I was wondering what these cats were up to. Everyone loved ‘04s Pawn Shoppe Heart (including the FX network as C’mon C’mon remains the theme from Rescue Me) but since then all I really can remember is that a few members left the band and Jason Stollsteimer got punched in the grill by Jack White. So I heard the new single off of LHTTY called Pale Bride and was like…”alright, I’m picking this one up”. I was pleasantly surprised. The album is pretty rockin. Some of the tracks are a little too poppy (aka title track) and forced but the bulk of the album is good. I miss the rawness of the prior album (see also Been Swank) but the new album has some meat to it. Tracks like The Chancer and 21st Birthday deserve heavier rotation. That said. Download this: Pale Bride, 21st Birthday, The Chancer, Modern Saints

Thursday – Common Existence

This might turn into a long winded one. Thursday’s album Full Collapse is in my top 10 records of all time/thus far. When it came out during the early millennium it sounded nothing like anything I had ever heard before. It blended hardcore with emo like those old Reeses commercials. To this day when a track from this album pops up on my iPod in shuffle-mode I think to myself "oh hell-yeah”. The genre “Scremo-core” began with this record. Now a billion bands mimic their sound. Once Geoff Rickly was featured on a Spin Magazine cover back in 2000(?) with Karen-O of the YYYs, Justin Hawkins of the now defunct Darkness (see also: drugs) and some other “it” music personality…I guess it freaked him out a bit. I feel like the band stepped out of the dim alt-rock spotlight after that right when War All the Time was released (Full Collapse follow-up). For me War All The Time was a let-down at first cause it wasn’t as powerful and didn’t have enough…umm…screaming…to be honest. However the more and more I got over that initial feeling and actually listened to the music and vocal arrangements, I grew to like the album…a lot. Most of the time I’m a brat when it comes to bands “maturing” their sound. The album after that was A City by the Light Divided which was even better than WATT. A great deal of the tracks were arranged differently than any of the other albums and most were pretty strong and pounding. That said when I picked up Common Existence I had high hopes. Looks like I set the bar too high. The album has no differentiating factor. It’s just bland, over produced hard rock songs. Its not awful, just strange as I’ve heard their sound evolve from Waiting (1st LP) till now and thought either (A) the sound would take a new turn or (B) they would return to form given their earlier work. I should have known there was trouble when I saw they were playing on the “Taste of Chaos Tour: Sponsored by Rockstar Energy Drink”. They seemed to go through the motions on this one. Major disappointment. Download this: Subway Funeral, Resuscitation of a Dead Man

Phoenix on SNL?

http://pitchfork.com/news/34921-phoenix-to-play-saturday-night-live/

Wtf. Sometimes bands go on SNL that are virtually unheard of in the mainstream...but not very often. Music snobs like me would like to keep it that way. This reminds me of when Teenage Fanclub was on SNL when I was a kid (which exposed me to the "Bandwagonesque" album which changed my life). Crap...I guess I should let go of my snobbery/sell-out-itis from my 20's and be psyched...I am. More psyched for the new album to come out. The last Phoenix album ("It's Never Been Like That") is in my tops of all time/thus far. At least America Ferrara, Steve Martin or Michael Phelps isn't hosting. When is Robert Loggia gonna host? Robert Loggia. http://www.trilulilu.ro/Ana/bffd82441bbe6a

Ladies & Gentlemen...the Greatest Album Cover of All Time

I probably should have an album review to go with this but I haven't picked it up yet. I was floored by the "awesomeness" of this cover. Review will come shortly. Sorry....it's been a busy week and I had a stomach flu last week (TMI bitches). Waaaaaaaaaa. No crying on the blogosphere.

OMFG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovm3_UjISiQ

The only potential reunion that ever mattered to me (besides Pavement). Graham is back on board and they are starting off with some Hyde Park shows in foggy London town (on American Independence day weekend). Anyone want to fly out there with me? (I think the shows sold out in a matter of nanoseconds) Well...if not I'm sure we can look forward to some shows stateside in late '09 or early '10 depending on if they are recording or not...which I believe they are. Why do some 90's alt-rock reunions never result in new material? Some actually do which can be incredible (Dinosaur Jr) or "sub-par" (Breeders). I'd like the Pixies or Swervedriver to come out with some new stuff...otherwise you just know these reunions are "forced" by reasons of increased mortgage rates etc. Duh. I'm sure they all are but they don't have to make it obvious by not writing any new songs. My zero cents.