Minor Bleeps On 2 Bad Albums / Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun

54-46 that’s my number, what’s my number now? Right now somebody else… Oops! Oh hi! Sorry I was doing some jah-dancing. But anyway, the reason I’m about to pack two reviews into one is nothing but how bad they have turned out. It’s honestly difficult writing on bad albums, not bad like Hazards Of Love, though, There’s a lot to say about that, you can wash Colin Meloy’s pride varnished in a mud-bath if you want to and he wouldn’t even mind. But what can I possibly write about these stuff, honest? You can try!

First stop, it’s the man who simply used to imitate Elvis’ voice but had some pretty good hits such as “Wicked Game” and “Blue Hotel” in his knapsack. He’s back after almost seven years. Back then Chris Isaak brought Always Got Tonight: a so-so pop record that alright had its moments. Seven years later Mr. Lucky is here, a complete so-what country-rock effort without a hit, without a mood and absolutely hopeless. The only good thing about it is Isaak’s voice still remaining the same. Nothing else.

Second, I used to be a huge Prodigy fan and I think back in 1997 who wasn’t? Fat Of the Land scared the shit out of everyone with its planet shaking bombarding beats and haunting videos. That massive album was followed some seven years later with Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and frankly it wasn’t that bad, still rough and precise. Liam Hewlett apparently was up to another Jilted Generation when he wanted to record this new thing but somehow he didn’t realize the zeitgeist and the fact that tastes change over eras and that probably no one is going to miss the ol’ Prodigy for at least a decade. Their early stuff is not yet considered classics. I honestly couldn’t give Invaders Must Die a second try; Horrible album art and horrible album title. Reminds me of early Slipknot and KoRn.


But if we could successfully leave all that nonsense behind, chances are we come upon a catchy indie electronic fuzz rock band from Atlanta with a very contrastive chill-out mood name. Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun are absolutely record-label-less. Lauren, Cregg, Micah & Jeremy present themselves with a noise-punk charmer of “Autonomic” with the likes of The Kills. The strangest thing about the track is the neat studio quality of the work and that how confident and determined they sound. “Autonomic” a.k.a “Traits Of A Traitor” is from their 2008’s Lightning Exhibit EP and it’s apparently their second thing in 2008. Cool enough I suppose.

Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun "Autonomic (Traits Of A Traitor)"

The Bright Sparks

They might not be that much into Sean Connery double oh sevens, but at least accidentally they come from Nizhniy Novgorod, Russian Federation and they come with three EPs, one called With Love! Now doesn’t that light a candle of thought? Well, you might wanna skip that for the time being.

The Bright Sparks are Karl on mic and guitar, Jane on keyboards and back-ups, Christian on bass and Cary on Drums. Judging by such an overwhelming band title, they should sound like Mercury Rev, The Polyphonic Spree or something near. Negative! Although they go through different paths on their latest free EP called Empire’s End, they sound like an Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) work on a fast-beat prog-rock side project that dare to play edgy noise nu-punk. That’s at least what the sound is about on this EP. Empire’s End is only 4 tracks long but gives a complete representation of the band’s eclectic existence. “Goodbye” suddenly shifts into an almost synth-rock oasis of “Liar On Fire” which grows noisier as it progresses. Karl’s voice sounds confident and somewhat more English than anything Russian. This is probably the Franz Ferdinand ego of the band. The self-titled song is even more promising and reminds me of Bravery. And the EP closes with “Turn the Lights Down” and seems like they tend towards having a bite out of many nu-punk phenomenons.

But where the hell are these guys? Karl who? Any official websites anyone? I just know they come from Russia and add some fan comments on last.fm. Is that all? Well, maybe it is. Good luck but let me know when these guys have a joint of their own here in the village.

p.s. The following MP3s are hosted by last.fm and they don't seem to be working currently. So don't blame it on us. Last.fm has been acting crazy lately. They wanna charge us three dollars per month to be members. All the luck guys!

The Bright Sparks "Goodbye"

The Bright Sparks "Liar On Fire"

The Bright Sparks "Empire's End"

The Bright Sparks "Turn the Lights Down"

This Winki's New Feature: ZirGround

Suddenly I realize I have posted a few topics on Iranian Underground music without a proper tag. I'm an Iranian running an indie music blog and I guess it wouldn't be far from suitable if I also write more lines and do more interviews with Iranian (Persian) artists. Primarily I wanted to do this on a separate blog but that would take another million years to be recognized. So we're doing it right here on This Winki's on this new feature called ZirGround (Zir=Under).

I have already done a couple of interviews with some talented faces here and I promise there will be more. Persian Underground is still in its "in process" state due to strict limitations in Iran. But what can you do but hope for the better? I have honestly nothing against Persian songs but a vast majority of them have practically nothing new to offer. There's a strong wave of adherence in most Persian musician's genes and it stops them from creating a unique style. But in ZirGround, we'll try to discover some new and old talents, share a track and have a little chit-chat with the artists and etc. The blog, I admit has been a bit inaccessible for non-indie fans. You don't find a lot of Persian blogs about indie music written in English there on the internet. So we can spice this join up a bit. Other This Winki's schedules will proudly continue the way they were. This is merely a new feature and I think I'm going to add it's posts to the blog sidebar as well. Wish me luck on this.

A Live Review Of Depeche Mode's Sounds Of the Universe

Oh for heaven’s sake, what in the bloody hell is a live review? I tell you what, I’m probably going to make another mistake by doing this but I think it’s among the few times that it’s ok to be “Wrong”! I still haven’t tried the new Depeche Mode. I loved the first single and I hate the album title, but I have just received the album and I’m about to give it one hell of a prime listen. So I’m simply going to scribble my first impressions on everything I hear, so now you figure out what precisely live reviewing looks like, although no other stupid mind would intend to do so because it directly contradicts with the principals of reviewing, right? But who cares? Wrong. But I tell you, I may regret this in a little while but that’s the fun thing about blogging I guess.

Well, about the cover art, I don’t really have much to say. I can do it by Microsoft paint in like less than five minutes or so, but let me push play and forget about that. Here comes my first live review and although it's midday, I'm ready to listen to a Depeche Mode album. You know they mostly demand a darker post-apocalyptic environment!

“In Chains”: Wow! Almost seven minutes. Starts off with a pseudo-space craft being about to set off a very long journey. That’s what I call a superb intro. Dave steps in. I need to be left alone for five minutes now. Alright done! I need more clarifications. Depeche Mode is in chains. Dave is locked in a tiny hub. Martin has his own minimal riff that pretty much works out for the song. A very neat departure from Playing the Angel so far. This time, I think DM is truly trying to sound spacey and prolifically sweet ambient. Unlike Playing the Angel which gave you an adrenaline shot right from the scratch (and there was nothing bad about it at all, who just said that?).

“Hole To Feed”: What’s so nice about this super-band is that they have two different egos. Not many other bands do. Trent Reznor, no matter how hard he tries, is almost permanently in his own tube and Bono may never get back to realize sometimes the world can be crueler and unbearable any time soon. But Dave Gahan is a bilingual entity. He has his bright side; in fact most 2001's Exciter sounds was based on that – if I can only try to talk about the post-millennium Depeche Mode - and then he has his evil side. His two mediocre solo works together with Playing the Angel were more or less based on that particular Gahan characteristic. Now, is Sounds Of the Universe trying to keep a balance here? I think so. “Hole To Feed” sees the darker Dave singing more optimistic and vital side of the story and Martin L. Gore’s trick is apparently working once more. This one could easily be a dance song. More danceable than “Suffer Well”. No need for a remix I suppose.

“Wrong”: A mixture of regret and 1997's Ultra-oriented vibes. The first single off the album has a subtle nightly atmosphere. They say it has an R&B feeling as if Dave is trying to rap out his own mistakes. The video reveals DM has not yet decided to forget about who they are for a long time to come. The wise layers add tension and cohesion to the short single. This one is by far more personal than the others. If it wasn’t for the brilliant arrangement, “Wrong” could easily be a Dave Gahan song.



“Fragile Tension”: I may have to compare this one to “Lilian”. A precious synth-pop like electronica that has its own minimal rock moments, but remains mostly an Andrew Fletcher track. Gahan sings on a half-the-tempo rate and that might make it sound “not dance” anymore. So that may raise interest or lose the fun at the same time.

“Little Soul”: Yeah the album had to turn it down a bit and now it’s a proper time for that. An enchanting duet that divulges uncertainty and restlessness just like many other DM works, take “Damaged People” for instance. But wait a minute, “Little Soul” is just relatively calm, it’s just a song with a lower tempo. I think the Gahan-Gore duet are the only couple who can extract sheer gospel out of an electronic sound. And in the end I’m still stabbed with another L. Gore riff. He apparently knows when to bite. Astounding!

“In Sympathy”: So far I have to admit that Sounds Of the Universe is not as complex as Playing the Angel. It’s like a clueless twin to that. There hasn’t been any track that come close “John the Revelator” or “A Pain That I’m Used To”. I think, in fact it really does intend to sound universal. “In Sympathy” wipes away all the algorithms and formulas. It’s a simple electro-pop tune that yet again gives us pieces of advice. There’s nothing weak about it but it stands right where it belongs in the middle.

“Peace”: Doesn’t start quite like it’s title. Another Gahan-Gore duet. Is it an “Imagine there’s no heaven” clone. No! It’s a bit more gaudy than those. Sounds otherworldly and athletic at the same time. The chorus is the most melodic thing I’ve heard in this album. It also has its own retro ‘80s condiments. Probably an optimistic writ for “Wrong” as though the darker Gahan is writing an answer to his own song. Beautiful and mesmerizing. Afloat and somewhat ethical for what it’s forth.

“Come Back”: the light density was exceeding probably. Therefore “Comeback” is a come-back to form. A space shuttle hub mood, and add a small doze of quantum physics. Gahan refuses to lose his temper yet again. He could use a little company. Another effort with Dave having Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott as songwriting allies (as well as “Hole To Feed” and “Miles Away/The Truth Is”). This one is reflecting and potent at its meditative core.

“Spacewalker”: An intermission for the rest of the journey. Most DM albums need such a gap and “Spacewalker” does the task well. It shifts through many diverse routes in its small world: tribal dance, ambient electro and most importantly its state of being a soundtrack to another time-travel documentary.

“Perfect”: Hmm, once again we’re dealing with parallel universe premise and modern physics. Most songs titled “Perfect” turn out nice. Take Smashing Pumpkins’ “Perfect” or Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”. This one is unfortunately an exception. The lyrics are overstated and cliché. And it doesn’t choose a certain path to carry on. Not a favorite of mine here. Period.

“Miles Away/The Truth Is”: Here comes a complementary to the last mediocre work. “Miles Away” has rougher beats and more consistency. Gahan excuses you for his hesitation. From a kind you may have experienced for three decades. That’s the coolest aspect of DM’s existence. “Miles Away” is a groovy semi-industrial effort, harsher than before and properly serious. But one thing Sounds Of the Universe has – whether on purpose or spontaneously - lacked is a spectacular chorus. Even when there is one, it doesn’t extend more than three words or so. But it’s not a con nor a pro to knowledge base, is it? “Miles Away/The Truth Is” speaks for itself.



“Jezebel”: Martin steps in front of the mic again. So far he has paid his dues with small subtle riffs. His voice is a feminine version of Dave, therefore he leaves an emotional and aspiring element to many DM tracks. I think each DM album deserves a song fully dedicated to Martin. I WikiPeded "Jezebel" and this is what I found there: “The name Jezebel has come down through the centuries to be used as a general name for wicked women. Her Biblical account in Kings I and Kings II shows her as a scheming, manipulative woman and the epitome of evil. In modern usage, the name of Jezebel is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous and sometimes controlling women, as in the title of the 1938 Bette Davis film Jezebel or the 1951 Frankie Laine hit "Jezebel". This image is epitomized by the phrase "painted Jezebel."

“Corrupt”: The closure to the universal sound of Depeche Mode. Well, I have to say the journey was worthwhile but moreover it was SAFE! Yes. And it’s marvelously cohesive and firm. “Corrupt” just like any other work, plays it safe and precious which when it was not a secure game to play. I can’t declare Sounds Of the Universe is a concept album but it never flees its clone of neat, spacey and compromising ozone; Cleaner than Playing the Angel and wittier and livelier than Exciter. I’m totally happy with it. It is a record for its right time and right audience. But I won’t rate it now. Let’s just leave it as it is and not put labels and sticks upon it. The good news is the boys are back in town and they don’t seem to age.

Five Star Albums: THE SOPHTWARE SLUMP by GRANDADDY

This is the 400th post on this blog on this winki’s blog so I don’t like to let it waste away on something I dislike or have bad comments on so I decided to add another timeless item on my 5 star albums. Jason Lytle solo album will be out soon, but will it ever sound like another Grandaddy? Was this band all about Lytle and his own concerns, or were others involved as well? And finally, was Sophtware Slump really released or not?

Grandaddy had always tremendous troubles with the environment vs. technology battle and they probably never succeeded at that. Although the band started out its career in early '90s but without a doubt, the pre-Sophtware era does not even come close. It was probably by then that the band truly found themselves.

The Sophtware Slump is a peculiar album in many ways. Jason Lytle sounds like a child reaching for his mommy’s hands, he sounds restless but not complaining. The album tells such sad stories, the death of an alcoholic robot called Jed and his poems. A miner expecting a sheer signal from his homeland (read more about this song) through a hypothetical gadget known as the dial-a-view, the story of Hewlett’s daughter or the story of a man that’s taken away from his homeland (nature) and is abruptly brought to the modern society ("Crystal Lake"). From the perspective of story-telling, this slump has many things to say. But it would all have turned out like another melancholic Thom Yorke/Radiohead effort if it wasn’t for the music Grandaddy created for such an eclectic collection of nostalgia and childish thoughts. It could be much more simple than that. But Grandaddy doesn’t cook this cake based on a regular method. The breezy guitar noises are precisely measured. When there’s noise, there’s also restlessness and anxiety. Sometimes a piano saves the day, makes space for Lytle to let it all out.

There’s an unusual insist on coming back home in most Grandaddy albums and this one is not an exception. It had become, in fact a quintessential part of their sound. This constant homesickness though, never over-stimulates my brain. It’s somehow something deep inside of us. We all crave for a home no matter where we are. So I guess that can be Sophtware Slump’s neat trick. They don’t musically and lyrically urge you to think their way. Instead they give you some signals; they hit you on the right spots, on your selected chakras. And that’s probably when it gives me the Goosebumps. I go wild on this album and cannot resist.

The starting 9 minute opus of “He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot” slowly overtakes your consciousness by repetition and conquers over your logic. The band uses the same method a couple of years later on their break-up album on “Guide Down Denied” as if they want you to find faith and religion from the vaguest of phrases. Who are these 2000 men? And what is a “Broken Household Appliance National Forest“ anyway? And how beautiful can the Crystal Lake be. It all goes to a large doze of alienation the band has signed to, though a very materialistic mundane alienation perhaps. They sound otherworldly but that’s not their concerns. They are here, they only give you the ticket to places they want you to go. To the lost chronicles of an android, to a simple wish of a man who wants to sleep underneath a weeping willow. This all adds up to the fact that I’m still not sure if Sophtware Slump takes place here on this planet. It’s a bit more abstract than that. Or maybe that’s just how I like to feel about it.

Clap You Hands And Say Yeah Offer Free Demo Of "Statues"

Their debut was relatively good and their sophomore was terribly bad except for one song that was "Yankee Go Home", the rest was nothing but unbearable noise and deliberate bad vocals. And it succeeded at making the list for This Winki's worst albums of 2007 Now they're back and prior to the release of their next thing, they offer a free demo of their new tune "Statues".

All I can say is that it's admittedly wiser and less disturbing than anything from Some Loud Thunder and we thank God for that.

Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah "Statues"


(photo: "Untitled" by Ramin Rahimi)

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

The worst thing about pop music is that it gets played everywhere and more vomiting is that every living soul enjoys it no matter how crappy it sounds most of the time. But the worst thing about noise-pop is that it only carries a “pop” label on its knapsack while it’s likely to become popular no matter how epic it may sound. Who were really there to discover the quintessential noise bands when they needed your help anyway?

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart is: Alex - Bass, Kip - Guitar + Vocals, Kurt - Drums and Peggy - Keyboard + Vocals and they describe their sound like “Imagine if Stephen Pastel actually threw Aggi off the bridge and married Black Tambourine’s Pam Berry and had three four babies that formed a pop band.” For the lo-fi presentation of their official joint, I gotta say the band never had big dreams. They might have released their self-titled EP back in 2005 (with a song having the same name, can you beat that? And don’t forget to wonder that this very LP shares the same name as well) but they never got recognized ‘til just a couple of months ago when I saw their record review in P4K’s best new music section. What they play and how they play is just probably what a late-'80s-early-'90s noise enthusiastic brain would have dreamed of. They have tried to add a large doze of tenderness to My Bloody Valentine’s rough experience and they sound as retro as The Jesus & Mary Chain. Don’t shoot me but I also hear their own Belle & Sebastian borrowed aesthetics in their soul when you prosper at eliminating the noise.

No, you can’t turn back the time, but you can flashback even for a short while and that’s where TPOBPAH’s noise-pop sound so promising and perhaps memory making. Each of the 10 works here sweetly resemble the glory days of noise, maybe not Sonic Youth-wise, but a more romantic and heartfelt side of the noise. So let your restless soul embark to your teen years and enjoy some déjà vu. These two tracks are declared free by the band.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart "Come Saturday"


The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart "Everything With You"

Depeche Mode Ain't Wrong

I'm quite relieved to know the first single off Depeche Mode's new album Sounds Of the Universe (out April 21st) is as haunting and dismal as it can get. Not because I'm not an Exciter fan, but the darker DM sounds, the more gloriously they take our hearts away. "Wrong" is written by Martin L. Gore and according to him:

We knew at an early stage that Wrong was going to be the first single because it's quite different to anything we've released before. It's got a rap feel to it, it's probably as close to R&B as we're ever going to sound.

For a loyal DM fan, "Wrong" sounds astoundingly firm and promising as though the boys refuse to get old. Playing the Angel was a burning proof to that, already!

Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

There’s a separating line between Neko Case’s work with The New Pornographers and her solo works whether recorded by herself or her boyfriends. But now we can put another separator for her own work i.e. the pre-Fox Confessor era and the post-Fox Confessor. During the pre-FC era Neko Case was merely a Canadian country-folk artist with a few good songs and a handful of albums with her lying on the ground on her album covers. In the post-FC era which contains the golden Ukrainian-fairytale folk masterpiece itself , Case is nearly invincible. Her voice has the same strength as A.C. Newman’s power-pop guitar on any Pornographers work. Her songwriting abilities shift from proper plain to dignified and untraceable. He sings on each single key as if it’s the final sequence of the song: potent, energetic and plausibly confident.

The long awaited Middle Cyclone can easily be a sequence to her 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. But first of all let’s extract 2 unbearable flaws in this work: the final track “Marais La Nuit” is a completely unnecessary nature soundscape (almost 32 minutes) to stretch the album length for absolutely no reason. #2 is the so-what cover art that gives me a porn-star poster feeling and nothing more. What was really wrong with the simple yet memory-making cover art of the Fox Confessor? For the rest of the story, it’s all high-quality Neko Case with the very prospects and the very exquisite country-folk.



Sequence I said. Well, sequence needn’t be misinterpreted with facsimile, no! Middle Cyclone is Neko Case on her pop-side, not much conventional, but it’s still pop. “This Tornado Loves You” is a vibrant multi-section tune that shifts itself through various vibrations while it stays coherent as one fine song. “People Got A Lotta Nerve” just like Fox Confessor's #3 “Hold On, Hold On” is the album's peak effort, a hit I suppose, short and enjoyable. Most songs do not stretch on in order to bore you. “Polar Nettles” has the potential of a longer song but Neko Case is wiser than that. If Fox Confessor sounded tender and story-telling sometimes, Cyclone is a bit darker. The Eastern guitar melody on “Prison Girls” is clear evidence. One thing is true here, Neko Case has not let us down with Middle Cyclone. She might not have sounded as lovely and strong if she was to record something thoroughly different from its precedent or something quite like that one. Middle Cyclone is completely worthwhile.

Evening Of Announcements

This is a narration I did last year when I wanted to create a vintage 50s atmosphere for myself. It was meant to be carried on but it somehow didn't. Here it is followed by the text. Background music is David Bowie's "Sense Of Doubt". You can either download or listen right here.

Pedram "Evening Of Announcements"


Text
6:45 PM. Waiting out in my vintage Cadillac, write it down somewhere, will ya?
“The Chief’s Return to the Office”
Now I ain’t that certain but I think he’s gonna do some pretty unnecessary extra paperwork
I mean the guy’s whole being thing is… I don’t know, a … failure
Some people, excluding me, they just merely exist. NOTHING MORE!

He was born in a whorehouse two blocks away from somewhere, and who really cares?
Too much shitty schmucks around him, and everyone he started to have an affair with just turned out to be a fucking prostitute.
His own mom used to call him “Buddy”, and that bitch used to insist on telling him he was nothing but a MINOR MISUNDERSTANDING
Thank God my mom was a part-time working class waitress on the North shore, or was she?

The way things go on and progress in this city, work just far beyond my ever-calculating mind.
People easily get assembled in such wrong positions, how is that?
A most unpleasant worthless flathead left shivering on the city streets, running scared looking for the cheapest downtown motel around to somehow survive until the next dawn on a half-empty glass of beer left on an abandoned table belonging to a total stranger, 5 kids, bankrupt, divorced, loser, dork nobody is suddenly Mr. editor-in-chief of the very city’s best-selling weekly tabloid, such a pity!
I think it was ME being an alien all along!

Well, circumstances need to temporarily change sometimes.
Hence, I’m gonna go pay him a short visit in order to “Wipe all those filthy barriers away in the path headed to PEACE, DEMOCRACY, JUSTICE & FREEDOM” blah blah bah…
And I’m gonna call this “THE EVENING OF ANNOUNCEMENTS” and that’s pretty much why I’m here just
CHASING THE SHADOWS x 2
God! That’s so Nick Cave!
Alright, I tell you what. I’m gonna step out of the car, walk there wearing kid gloves upstairs, and in that priceless moment of immaculate silence, I’m gonna spit my payback manifest right into his ugly-duckling face with pure precision.
Now, don’t worry about him. The guy has nothing to lose.
The life virtues have gradually driven him right where he belongs in this madhouse of an office.
He no longer knows what he’s scribbling about for the front page.
It’s been almost six weekly issues our fellow genius has focused on cons and pros of having cockroaches as pets, supporting deadly reptiles for presidential campaign nomination, the values of slavery, the art of suicide, etc etc.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not gonna pull any triggers it’s just nothing to do with that.
What I’m gonna do is simply, TALK
About what he has transformed into.
You stay in the car, turn the radio on!

I like to know what you think about it.

Like the Original Funny Games Was Not Enough

Michael Haneke, the director of the 1997 brutal violent German movie Funny Games decided to make a American replica from his film. The result is Funny Games U.S. in 2007 and it's only some actors away from the original (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth and Michael Pitt). I couldn't foresee the nearly unbearable shocking scenes I saw. I've no idea what point the film follows and I don't see the point scribbling them here. But it was this sick sick short soundtrack that came surprising on the classic 50s song that was peacefully being played on the opening scene. The film has much more unusual moments, indeed. It ferociously plays with your nerves and estimates your tolerance. Not that it contains disgusting moments that give you the goosebumps, but because it plays chess with your mental state. I mean how far can you see your family being tortured and harassed. If there's a point to this film, it's probably nothing more than this.

The soundtrack is one disturbing collaboration of John Zorn and Naked City. This is "Hellraiser" and thank God it's only 42 seconds.



But I'm not cruel enough to leave you high and dry on this madness. If that was a short torture, this is a short pain-killer from glorious early Neil Young years. Though, I don't think you're that tortured if you have Cannibal Corpse and back metal stuff on your stereos 24/7.

The Hush Now (Free Album Download)

If you've already wasted monthly budget for music away, better spend the rest of this month downloading some free music. Of course there are loads of this stuff out there but 95% officially suck. The Hush Now happens to be a minority here. I had offered free albums before on This Winki's but this one can be considered a personal pick of mine.

This Boston-based shoegazers sound vibrantly atmospheric on their self-titled as they mix a lively composite out of Grandaddy's optimistic moments, Apples In Stereo's morning spray and finally they add their own elements to the story which is young blood. That means they slowly starts to keep their distance.



The album starts off with a rather unusual intro "The Man From Galway" which predictably is not that relevant to what you're about to hear but reading the interesting forming story of the band, this might make sense. It all started one night when Noel Kelly found himself desperate on the road while Queen's "Don't Stop Me Know" was airing on the radio and one angry priest (due to one large dent in the side of his church) was peering down at him. So Noel - having faced a nightmarish encounter - moved to Portland where he met the other members and formed The Hush Now. Well, if I had the same experience, I probably wouldn't sound this energetic and positive. A nightmare can only make you cover Xiu Xiu sounds I guess, but fortunately they have found their way out and the incident seems to be merely an inspirational moment.





Looking up through the statistics, "Traditions" is apparently the most played song by fans. But that doesn't go off the beaten path as well, most songs find their own way while they stay loyal to the defined sound of the band. "Vancouver" sounds like a song composed by Jason Lytle and Elliott Smith putting his vocal talents on it.

The band insists on downloading the album through their own server as they want to keep track of how much they're loved.

Download the entire album for free here.
Or click here to download tracks seperately

Links
The Hush Now on MySpace
The Hush Now profile on Six Star

Jealous Ped

The Pogues ft. Kristy McColl "Fairytale Of New York"


This is a rather memory making rather stupid letter I wrote my cousin years ago. I found it while I was digging deep in my university journals. This was supposed to be sent via air-mail but somehow never got a chance. It’s interesting to see how my mind was limited in music by then, I don’t wanna have that brain back and I don’t think I had a valuable time in the uni years but anyway, anything that relates to going back to the old days might sound pleasant sometimes. Check out how naïve and plain I was…

Dear Samira! Hi!
How’zit going? Well I couldn’t write e-mails, cuz we don’t have a phone line yet here in this nu apartment, so I decided 2 write u, writing is more fun I guess. Tell your mom that we got her pic with scarf and she looked like Palestinian rebels ;) We’re missing you both here really.

So how’s this uni you’re going? I heard from Behrouz that it’s a cool place, I’m quite sure you deserved it! I’m in the 5th term now here…I mean exams r finishing in a couple of days (by the time you’ve got this letter, I think the 6th term is getting started anyway). I’m still searching for a nu girlfriend but none of them attract me (actually there is one, look in next page). I mean they’re million miles away from me (in thoughts) and all the uni girls r ugly cuz they’re nerds…hehe.

How’s your friend Morissa? Is that her name? R u both studying in the same field? Well say hi to her cuz I think I’ve spoken 3 words to her on phone. It’s 2:45 AM here and I’m still up thinking. I cannot concentrate on my studying. I dunno if I’m in love or just a psycho (hehe!). No… I just found the word, I’m jealous. That’s what I am now! I want to make someone mine but I haven’t made it yet becuz a fucking 3rd party is like a thick wall between us. I don’t even know if that someone has the same feeling about me. This is not a good feeling, believe!

I’m looking for some music albums here but nobody has them. Everybody listens to this stupid pop stuff. I like Elliott Smith. I only have his “Either/Or” which is brilliant. I like Alan Jackson and Jack Johnson (he’s from Hawaii, I have his “Brushfire Fairytales” but I couldn’t download his “On & On” from internet. But I think the best rock song of this year was “Weak & Powerless” by A Perfect Circle which is a Tool + Smashing Pumpkins side project. Although I’ve heard the other songs on their album is not cool at all. But this one is awesome. I love Tool. Do you? Nobody here has ever even heard of existence of such bands!

Alright. I’m…Uhh…I can’t write no more…I’m going to bed Zzz
Say hi to your mom ‘n dad & Roya & Blake & Behrouz & others

Pedram
xoxoxo
3.00 AM

And by the way the song you (probably) pushed play was too joyous/glorious for a sad/nostalgic post. I was first introduced to The Pogues through Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho, an eccentric film on gay life having the late River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as the main roles. Don't judge Gus Van Sant by his latest Milk, he has plenty of great movies in his handbag. The coolest thing about the music of The Pogues is their state of being permanently drunk. Both, their lyrics and sound smell like cheap vodka and that's pretty much how I enjoy their stuff.

M. Ward - Hold Time

He might have been brought into the scene by Conor O’Berst (Bright Eyes) but despite the moody vintage lo-fi gramophone acoustic sound of his music and his withdrawn exhausted voice, he can never get as boring as O’Berst. In fact, quite the contrary! In the world of leaning towards big names just to sound like them, Matt Ward sounds surprisingly unique and determined and he’s probably getting better album after album. Hold Time – giving a shot at Ward’s previous efforts - is the most studio oriented album of his career as well as one of its highlights. It’s like he’s never been to these recent decades or ‘50s was just all he needed. Last year M. Ward successfully collaborated with Zooey Deschanel on a superb vintage album under the moniker of She & Him. Well, that spectacular work was indeed nothing without the classic pop atmosphere that Ward provided.

Hold Time is nonetheless a pleasant experience as it acts as a composite of well-measured covers and a pocketful of new songs. As Ward has already discovered his signature style and prestige, he seems reluctant to go off the beaten path and step into anything experimental. The collaborations with Deschanel, Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) and Lucinda Williams can never overshadow Ward’s sound. In fact it’s the guest performances that lean towards him. “Epistemology” is a personal favorite of mine.

Moreover, there’s actually no conspicuous borderline between the wise-picked covers and the original ones. “Jailbird” sounds as vintage as any other cover found here. Conclusion: I think with such an exquisite style as Ward, it’s almost impossible to sound unpleasant or even surprising. He easily sounds like an old-school veteran that refuses to make any changes to his music and plays himself over and over. It’s just probably his songwriting abilities that seem to grow by time. As though, he’s unwantedly in a win-win situation.

This album can be an apt sequence to 2006’s also brilliant Post War. If his previous stuff such as Transfiguration of Vincent, Transistor Radio, etc all seemed to be somewhat distracting sometimes (which I believe they weren’t), we can persuade ourselves that Hold Time is Ward’s pop effort. He deserves much more recognition that this for sure. We'll definitely hear more of him for the time to come.

M. Ward "Epistemology"

Heap / Pistolero

Two tracks, first is a band called Heap. In the good ol' habit of "this sounds like this and a little bit like that" because folks want to get an idea about your songs, this new track from Heap's self-titled debut is an heir of the more James Brown side of Led Zeppelin. That is, the guitar melody is addictive, the rhythm can be interpreted as a danceable brand of indie soul and the vocals is a funkier version of Chad Kroeger, with the exception that it sounds strictly rational unlike Chad! Who doesn't hate Nickelback these days anyway. Here's "Alcohol" and yeah why not. Kick off your shoes and start dancing if you don't mind.

Heap is lauded by bands from the venerable Violent Femmes, to Kevn Kinney, to Prince and the Revolutions's Dr. Fink. Brian Ritche from the Violent Femmes has gone as far as to say that "[The] HEAP funks like James Brown, slides like Dr. John, blows like Ornette Coleman, and dances like an octopus. [It's] entertaining music that has some substance."

I would appreciate the song even more if it wasn't this comedy and cheerful at points. But whatever.

Heap "Alcohol"


Next stop, is Pistolero with a track that is not necessarily a Grizzly Bear album but it's recklessly called "Yellow House". The band has released six albums in the past two years (where's Springsteen? hey! come over here for a sec Bruce, will ya?) Their new LP called Warface is due April 25, 09. The band has arranged a lush amalgam of Wilco, Spoon and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

This 5 piece has proven that the music in your head can’t be allowed to stay there. Critical praise has been lavished on past releases and the trend should be easily continued with the upcoming release. Moving easily from a rockin’ summer love song drenched in Atlanta heat and humidity to an acoustic lullaby for the dead, Pistolero shows their versatility and song writing prowess.

Pistolero "Yellow House"


(photo: "Untitled #27" by Arash Khosronejad)

World Of Goo Soundtrack

For the fans of the ultimate addicting game of World Of Goo, the soundtrack is freely available for download. However you may get sick of the music as you go playing the levels one after another, the joy of playing the otherworldly game is absolutely precious.

World of Goo is a smart creative puzzle game in which you have to connect a series of goo balls together in order to reach the main pipeline. It only sounds simple though it gets more and more sophisticated as you go through different exciting levels and enigmas with various types of goo balls. The game is designed and implemented by Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel as they state in their 2D Boy website that "2D Boy is a brave new indie game studio based in San Francisco, making games the old fashioned way - a team of two, no money, and a whole lot of "love". Our goal is to make games that everyone can play, with gameplay nobody has seen before."

Download the full soundtrack album here.

Song Surgery: "Do the Evolution" by Pearl Jam

Me, Pedram I ain’t no angel and I know that and I’m extremely happy about it. In fact, how tough and boring it might be being an innocent angel. I’m glad I can bleep and curse this and that and blame it all on folks around. I might appear friendly most of the time but when the moment comes, I’m badly good at hating! There I’ve said it. And don’t we all get mad at each other on a daily basis? And here in Iran, it’s pretty much easy to hate almost everyone. People fucking up the line in the post office, people flashing out their bright lights behind you in the highway whilst you’re driving at a standard velocity, people parking their cars in front of your parking, people not answering your “hello!” When you enter their shops, people so bored and idle that find nothing but cruising in your neighborhood searching for the hitchhiking prostitutes while playing the shittiest possible music on maximum volume and so on. Seriously how can you possibly love these jerks dwelling around you, making you old, and fucking your brains out! It’s just easy to hate, as simple as that.

But I can’t take a shotgun out and start killing people every day, can I? So I find an alternative most of the time. I sit behind the desk and play a certain collection of songs to soothe the blues. For the last couple of years, Pearl Jam’s timeless riot tune “Do the Evolution” has done that task for me. I scream my guts out with it mindlessly. I admit there are certain Nine Inch Nails songs in that list as well but the priority has always been this good ol’ song from my Pearl Jam’s favorite album i.e. Yield.

Months ago (look at the post date when you’re reading this stuff), my friend Pooy brought a copy of Daniel Quinn’s book “Ishmael” which he had subtly inspected and understood by that time. He wanted me to read it as it was influential and a bit mind-changing for him. Based on that, I began reading this philosophical novel consisted of a series of dialogues between a man and a chimpanzee called Ishmael about more clarifications on the reality of mind and spirit. Sadly I only had the capacity to read 4/5th of the novel as I lost track of it in the middle due to discrete designated reading sessions so I clearly can’t give out an apt summery about the novel. But it wasn’t until last night that I figured out it’s the cornerstone of one of my favorite songs by Pearl Jam and I was astounded to know that.

“Do the Evolution” is Eddie Vedder’s favorite track out of the album with a neat cool video. But although I have been a loyal PJ fan during the years, I could never relate to their videos and so this Batman cartoonish thing didn’t rise my attention that much and I clung to the song itself.

I like the fact that Eddie is absolutely out of his mind on this one. His voice resembles a drunk-ass boxer being beaten up on the ring while showing his delusions of grandeur by singing these lines such as “I’m ahead, I’m a man. I’m the first mammal to have pants. I’m at peace with my lust. I can kill cuz in God I trust yeah!” Probably a man exhausted out of the black history of tyranny and monarchy of fascism and probably republicans (lol). Eddie grows wilder by time, his voice goes more and more out of tune, he loses his grip and in the end he even defies the listener as they do it in boxing rings with irritable phrases like “Come on! Come on...Ahhhh” . This one is definitely my all time pick for a riot/punk song no matter who the genres big names were. This land is mine, this land is free. I’ll do what I want by irresponsibly. Don’t forget the brilliant Stone Gossard work on the guitar.

Stream | Pearl Jam "Do the Evolution"

Yours Truly, the Commuter (Jason Lytle Reveals the Tracklisting)

They broke up some three years ago, such a sad predicament for an otherworldly psych pop fan it was. Jason Lytle has changed his position, his record company and is coming back with a solo work called Yours Truly, the Commuter. I had personally missed his voice and music a lot and I'm gonna write on their stuff more but meanwhile this is the message on his website upon the release of his work due in May 2009:

Hi everyone, Welcome to my website. It's new. In other new things news, I have a new record and a new record label. One is called Yours Truly, The Commuter and the other is called ANTI Records. New album in stores and all that on May 12th.

Here's the tracklisting:

1. yours truly, the commuter
2. Brand New sun
3. ghost of my old dog
4. I am lost (and the moment cannot last)
5. birds encouraged him
6. it's the weekend
7. furget it
8. This song is the mute button
9. Rollin' home Alone
10. you're too gone
11. fLying thru canyons
12. Here For good

U2 - No Line On the Horizon

The question that possibly lingers for any music enthusiast is that what is left there for U2 to make sense out of? U2 has always stayed U2. They never stepped out of their own precious clone but they have been through various paths for the past three decades of fame and immortality. From the early days of riot back in Boy and October to the more experimental era of Zooropa , Achtung Baby and Pop and then the vast universalism of All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb. U2 has made us feel warm, energetic, responsible, alert and sometimes weird and frozen (which were not necessarily bad, I frankly always loved their 90s state of electro-experimental existence). So at the end of this third glorious decade we’re left with No Line On the Horizon: An album that is striking out hard to have all the aspects of U2 in one package. Whether it fails or not is not of great significance to me.

The most interesting thing about No Line On the Horizon is Bono himself. He sounds vigorously young and his spacious lung that somehow saw decay back in All that You Can’t Leave Behind (listen to “In A Little While”) and How To Dismantle (listen to “Vertigo”) has self-reincarnated from the young "Sunday Bloody Sunday" boy and that’s deeply promising. The Edge’s guitar is just the same, he turns on his groovy rock engines on (“Get On You Boots” and “Stand Up Comedy”) but then goes pop on some others (“Breathe” and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight").

I can barely blame U2 for what they have done. They have been labeled so many things: prestigious but then pretentious, rock ‘n roll but then pop and mainstream. OK but you know…they’re a bit this… Bono is this and that, whatsoever. No Line On the Horizon is definitely not U2’s best effort but then it doesn’t disappoint either. The pure reflecting 7 minute “Moment of Surrender” mixes the band’s vast emotional 90s moments and some less humanitarian songwritings at the same time and that’s the fun thing about it. “Get On You Boots” could easily be the opener instead of the self-titled track that has more noise and shrieks than it has groove and perfection although it lacks its hit potentials with the frail psychedelic chorus of "You don't know how beatiful you are". “Breathe” is probably the best song found here as it takes advantage of everything Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen can do in their own scope. “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” once again sees U2 as a spiritual guru teaching us lessons of love and affection but I don’t know why I find it charming and sweet. The album refuses to make a hit the way other post-millennium ones did and it’s the Zooropa-ish side of it but then after all those grammys and awards and appreciation and their political state, U2 is somehow unable to be too personal or more experimental than this. I guess we just have to accept them as they are for the time being.

Stream | U2 "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

The Diamond Center / The Book Of Questions by Gregory Stock

One. As stated in their official joint, their upcoming album a.k.a. My Only Companion is completely different from their previous Claws & Flaws which apparently was a little gem that few heard, but those who did raved about it. The Diamond Center is Brandi Price, Kyle Harris and Jana Price, the Lubbock, TX, based band has been compared favorably to Neko Case, Loretta Lynn, and My Morning Jacket, and called everything from psychedelic alt-country to noisy cowpunk.

The first single off their new album (feel free to download) sounds Beach House-ingly ghostly and tender and yet psychedelic and deeply feminine. Maybe they deserve to be heard more.

Download | The Diamond Center "WTT"


Two. About two weeks ago as I was strolling around a book shop, I didn't mind buying a small book called "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock, PH.D. which was surprisingly best seller according to NY Times. The book is nothing but a pocketful of questions that are a vigorous strike between logic vs. morals. I thought: "Wow! It won't be useless practicing some of them with a new astute English student of mine." here are some of the questions that are worth giving a try and reflecting upon:

1. You are given the power to kill people simply by thinking of their deaths and twice repeating the word "good-bye". People would die a natural death and no one would suspect you. Are there any situations in which you would use this power?
2. While on a trip to another city, your spouse (or lover) meets and spends a night with an exciting stranger. Given that they will never meet again, and that you will not othewise learn of the incident, would you want your partner to tell you about it? If roles were reversed, would you reveal what you had done?
3. Would you be willing to give up sex for five years if you could have wonderfully sensual and erotic dreams and night you wished?

And interesting stuff like that.

Links
Buy The Book Of Questions at Amazon.com