Stuff You Slept On, Alternatively Titled "layzman's post" -- Squeaky Edition

G:TB superfan Squeaky is a musical connoisseur extraordinaire. I don't know if he has more GB of music than Whitney, but he has a shitload of music. So much so that I requested multiple layzman fillers from him. Here's the first.

Mastersystem

What is Mastersystem? It's a supergroup that TJ and everyone else on G:TB has never heard of before.

They are comprised of members from Frightened Rabbit (a few of you have heard them before) [zcomment: I've heard of them, through Squeaky, natch], Editors (you haven't heard of them) and Minor Victories (not a chance). All their music is indie rock/pop slash whatever the kids are calling it these days.

Mastersystem just released an album April 6, 2018.

The single, “Notes On A Life Not Quite Lived”, is below but you can hear the whole record on the streaming service of your choice at this point.

https://youtu.be/v0boT0OsxCE



The music is more on the dirtier, grungier side of indie rock. It has a little harder edge than most Frightened Rabbit stuff but not punk. But the soul-searching lyrics are still present.

As is wont with album releases, the members of the band get interviewed. Below is one such question and response from Scott Hutchison, lead singer of Frightened Rabbit and Mastersystem.

Speaking with Stereogum about the themes behind the record, Hutchison said,

“I thought it would be interesting to play around with the themes of restlessness and dissatisfaction on this album, both as a counterpoint to the exuberance of the music and as an obvious reference to the angst and tension I heard in the grunge and fuzz of my teenage years. This is not the angst of a teenager, however. This is the anxiety of a man in his mid-30s, and for a lot of this record I found myself wrestling with the ways in which I am not quite doing life right, in spite of appearing to lead a relatively joyful, playful and artistic existence.”

Bold emphasis is mine. But if you spent any time listening to Frightened Rabbit you can always hear about his fight with his own ‘demons’ through his lyrics.

Is this album revolutionary? No. Is it a desert island classic? No idea, but doubtful. Just started listening to it today but after a few passes it’s squarely in my musical wheelhouse.

So why mastersystem, why the bolded emphasis, why this post? Well on May 8 Scott walked away from a Glasgow hotel after tweeting the following tweets.

“Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones.”

“I’m away now. Thanks.”

As a lot of us know firsthand, depression can bring out the worst thoughts and actions. Let’s hope he is safe but it’s not looking too good right now.

Unfortunately we have more information about Hutchinson now than when Squeaky sent me this. Enjoy what I assume is Hutchinson's last album.

Squeaky's Concert Guestie

I just spent three evenings over the weekend at an urban music festival. Screw that camping shit.I wanted to sleep in my own bed every night. Besides I have a wife and kid and there is no way I get to be away for a long weekend (only exception OBFT).

I had seen several of the bands on the bill before but there were some that I was looking forward to seeing like the Replacements, The Roots, War on Drugs, Lorde and The 1975. But out of all of those bands, the one that put on the best performance for my money was Twenty One Pilots.

Watching them bring a drum kit out into the crowd and performing while people held up said drum kit was really f*cking cool. Adding to the degree of difficultly was the fact they were playing with a sequenced track and had to account for the time it takes to crowdsurf to your drum kit. It was not their first rodeo but still impressive. It got me and couple of other folks I was there with thinking what other gigs threw you for a loop unexpectedly.

Here's my short list, in no particular order: (I'm sure more will pop into my mind as soon as I send this list)

• Fishbone at the Boathouse - Dirty Kibby hanging upside down from the rafters playing his trumpet
• Garage a Trois at Denver Filmore - Charlie Hunter plays ridiculous tambourine solo. yes tambourine solo
• Twenty One Pilots at Boston Calling Festival - drum kit crowdsurfing
• Bob Mould at The Paradise cafe. solo gig with an hour set of acoustic then hour set of electric for about 75 people
• Califone at my house
• Red Hot Chili peppers at Vandy on the Presidents lawn 1989 - they wore the socks and the drummer stuck a drum stick up his ass and threw it into the crowd.