zMusic Review

Everyone at G:TB thanks and salutes rob for carrying the team for several months. Although I haven't done much posting I've been doing a bunch of listening. Here are some suggestions to add to your catalog in Q&A format.

Father John Misty, "Fear Fun"
What is it? A solo album from one of the guys from Fleet Foxes.

What does it sound like? Your typical indie folk harmony album in the vein of Fleet Foxes/Bon Iver/Band of Horses, if those guys ate a bunch of uppers and listened to a little end-of-the-century Neil Young, some rockabilly, and maybe a bit of disco. The lyrics are great throughout and many tracks have a completely unexpected groove that keeps me coming back to the album. I still can't believe how much I enjoy this one.

Who would like it? rob. All day. Shlara and Squeaky too.

If I cop just one song which one should it be? "Writing A Novel." Phenomenally fun lyrics. The first line sets the stage for the whole shebang.



Any other notable tracks? Only Son of the Ladies' Man; Tee-Pee's 1-12; Nancy from Now On - video is NSFW (not because of the toe-thumbs); Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings.

Kanye West, "Cruel Summer"
What is it? A vehicle for Kanye West to showcase the talent signed to his G.O.O.D. Music record label.

What does it sound like? Straightforward hiphop. I think this album is less self-indulgent than MBDTF and much better lyrially than Watch The Throne. I wish Kanye didn't abandon his signature sped-up-soul-hooks for synth tinkles and bottomless computer bass, but the overall product is worth your $9.99. Almost every track is a posse cut, perhaps inspired by the magnificence of Kanye's BET Cypher performance. There's at least one big name on every track (e.g., Common, Raekwon, Kid Cudi, GFK) but no two feature the same artists. Several songs were made available for free download but I bought the whole album to support this type of project. Because no one artist is featured everyone made the most of their verse and generally killed it. Kanye appears in about half the songs and, unsurprisingly, is the cleverest lyricist on the album. The production is impeccable although there's too much autotune.

Who would like it? Mark, maybe Dave, TR after I force it down his throat at a tailgate. Any other beatnerds who dig really smart lyrics.

If I cop just one song which one should it be? New God Flow. Ghostface! Mighty Healthy samples! What more do you need? If you need more, then listen to the song and tell me how the hell Kanye worked that piano in with the Synthetic Substitution sample.



Any other notable tracks? Mercy is my biggest guilty pleasure of the year. It's remarkably ig'nant, kind of like N****s in Paris only dumber. Also fun and ig'nant: the beat to The Morning. Kanye even addresses the ig'nance. Creepers is good too.

A Place to Bury Strangers, "Worship"
What is it? Another album from A Place to Bury Strangers.

What does it sound like? An album by A Place to Bury Strangers. Which is to say it sounds really fucking loud and weird and forceful without being overly angry or hostile. Sort of like a cross between Nine Inch Nails and Joy Division only more instrumental and punctuated with a touch of New Order. Jeez, I'm an old man.

Who would like it? Squeaky, Clarence, probably TR.

If I cop just one song which one should it be? No one track stands out for me, but Why I Can't Cry Anymore is classic APTBS.



Any other notable tracks? And I'm Up; Dissolved; Worship.

Alabama Shakes, "Boys & Girls"
What is it? You already know that they're a blues rock band from Athens signed to Dave Matthews' label with connections to Jack White.

What does it sound like? You already know that it sounds like blues rock.

Who would like it? Everyone who reads this blog already likes it.

If I cop just one song which one should it be? You've probably picked a fave already, but I love the Billie Holliday qualities of "Rise to the Sun."



Any other notable tracks? You already have the album.

Animal Collective, "Centipede Hz"
What is it? Another album from Animal Collective.

What does it sound like? An Animal Collective album. It's not as good as Merriweather Post Pavillion, but what is? The music is very dense -- there are no holes anywhere in the sound and it's entirely possible that every noise on the album was generated electronically. It's the opposite of The Meters in these regards but just as rhythmic. The vocals are often always distorted and layered, and generally address insane subject matter. If you were to consume this album through headphones while sitting on a beanbag chair in a dimly lit room under the influence of psychadelics you would probably lose your shit. In short, it sounds like something from Greasetruck Studios.

Who would like it? Mr. Truck, Almighty Yojo, Dave. Probably Clarence.

If I cop just one song which one should it be? "Today's Supernatural."



Doesn't this video remind you of the famous Greasetruck joint "On the Range"?

Any other notable tracks? Applesauce; Wide Eyed.

I'll stop with these five and save some others for later.

I've Been Doing It Wrong My Whole Life - A Gheorghemas Resolution

I hate what I do for a living but I'm stuck doing it because I don't know how to do anything else and, more importantly, I'm a total coward.  I cannot imagine not knowing when my next paycheck is coming, or not having health insurance, or being at all entrepreneurial.  I can't think of anything else to do but work these shitty mind-numbing jobs making PDFs, moving commas around, and explaining the same thing over and over to people who will never understand it.

Oliver Ackermann is the opposite.  He's the frontman for A Place to Bury Strangers and the founder of Death by Audio, a company that "handmakes effect pedals in an underground warehouse in Queens, NYC."  Click on this link and check out all the different pedals they make, watch the videos for each one and marvel at how cool the physical pedals are, their shapes and graphics and retrograde Radio Shack meets Buck Rogers aesthetic, and the crazy ways they manipulate sound.  Here's an example if you're too lazy to poke around their website.

So cool, right?  You know why Ackermann created this company?  Here's why, in his own words (and I added a few extra seconds before the origin story just so you can get a fuller gist of his essence).

He was squatting in a warehouse and wasn't making any money, which seems to be another way of saying he was homeless and unemployed, and he wanted to go backpacking in Europe with his girlfriend, so he started an audio equipment company focused entirely on guitar pedals for noise rock/shoegaze musicians and 20-plus years later it's an international business.  How the hell does this happen?  How did he even have a girlfriend to go backpacking with?

If you have the time you should watch the full Ackermann interview, the new A Place To Bury Strangers album can be converted into a synthesizer provided you have some foundational know-how and a soldering iron.  And he has some amazing combover game.

This guy inspired me to say fuck it, to make a Gheorghemas resolution to quit working for the man, to stop shaving my head and grow a powerful combover, and to launch a niche business so preposterous that it cannot fail.  2025 y'all!

Name That Tune

I recently returned from a highly productive three day jaunt to Boston during which I got more stories than JD's got Salingers.

1. I got a haircut from my old barber Baldino who was recently named runner-up for best barber in Boston, which is bullschtein because he's still #1. You're a donkey if you let anyone else in Boston cut your hair. Now like the Knicks I got game like I work at Hasbro.

2. I got my "Biz's Baddest Beats" CD back from my buddy J-P, who borrowed it some time around 2003 and who returned it on Tuesday with nary a scratch. Now I got more [of Biz's] hits than Sadahara Oh.

3. I got a gurgling cod. I can put juice in it, and I got more juice than Picasso got paint.

4. I got a King of Kenmore and some beers including Samuel Smith's India Ale and a really good porter the name of which I cannot remember, at The Lower Depths. With that porter, I got more flavor than Fruit Striped Gum.

5. I got a good music tip from Chris, the kickass bartender at The Lower Depths, because he put "Exploding Head" by A Place to Bury Strangers on, and I said how much I like them, and he said he was embarassed to admit that he just heard about them, and I said that that made no sense as they were totally up his alley, and he agreed and then suggested I check out Film School, claiming that they are very similar acts.



I think the comparison is pretty good musically ...



... and when it isn't close musically it's close graphically ...



In any event, with the addition of Film School to my iPod I can now say that I got more rhymes than Jamaica got mangoes. I counted. Really, I did.

6. I got home and the zwoman just finished doing the laundry and was folding her tits off, so now I have clean clothes. You could even say that I got more suits than Jacoby and Meyers. Or, for bonus points, that I got more styles than all the Jamaicans in Brooklyn.

More zShazams

 I'm back with more zShazams.

1. "Bloke on the Run" by Dennis Cometti

A straightforward garage rock song about a guy who escaped from an Australian prison in 1861.

2.  "Gorilla" by Little Simz

British hiphop with a 1990's vibe.

3. "Denim & Diamonds" by Nikki Lane

The video is like watching Meg White cover Sheryl Crowe.

4. "Black Skinned Blue-Eyed Boy" by The Equals

A very funky protest song.

5. "Love is the Way" by Thee Sacred Souls

Old school soul that sounds like it should be on Daptone.  This one has been played quite a lot over the past few months so it might be in your zShazams too.

6. "Oh Yeah, Oh No" by Add N to (X)

I don't know how to describe this.  Maybe Neutral Milk Hotel doing electronica?

7. "Two Ways" by Weeping Icon

Sounds like something from A Place to Bury Strangers.