It was so nice for Patrick Wolf to wait until my birthday to release his new album "The Magic Position" here in the states. Or I guess I should say, that it was nice for his label to wait until the 1st of May. It has been out for a month or 2 already in the UK, so I have already spent some quality time with it. This is Patrick's 3rd album and first since his departure with the excellent label Tomlab. "The Magic Position" is if nothing else, one of the best album covers of the year. While one would think Patrick would be maturing and using more adult imagery on his albums. He has gone the opposite direction as a man child on a sort of magical merry go round, dressed like a 10 year old having his cowboy theme birthday party. Or maybe he was just planning this all along for my birthday celebration. I did have an outfit very similar to that on my tenth birthday. Unfortunately my mom would not let me get away with that hair color until I was in high school. Whatever you may think of the album cover, there is no denying it is a unique and brave idea. Much like the music you will find inside.
I having been loving Mr. Patrick Wolf for a while now. He seriously blew me away with his first excellent album "Lycanthropy." I remember that I read a little bit about this before it came out and was very intrigued. I then got the album and was hooked immediately. I slowly spread the word of the greatness of Mr. Wolf. Of course, he is not for everyone. I carefully chose the friends to share him with. He was like my little secret obsession. His music is sort of a combination of the dramatics of Kate Bush, Xiu Xiu, and Erasure mixed with the bookish intelligence of Morrissey and Idlewild mixed with the electronicness of Aphex Twin with a bit of classical thrown in, He does not mess around with his lyrics either. He takes himself quite seriously on the musical journey of his albums. He seems to be from a different time. A Futuristic Past, if that even makes sense. Patrick takes you gently by the hand and forces you into his magical land of wolves and dreams.
There’s this film that I love that no-one seems to have seen or even heard of, despite the fact that there’s some high-profile people involved with it.
But before I tell you what it is, allow me to reiterate, for those of you scoundrels that don’t read each and every blog I post, that I am still at the mercy of an ear infection and, worse than that, at the mercy of my ear infection medication.
This is important because it will help you understand why I write sentences like this one, which begin simply and clearly enough, but suddenly go off on a tangent about those drivers who begin honking at the person in front of them when they’re both waiting to make a left turn at a typical LA intersection. The person in front is waiting for oncoming traffic to clear which is the sensible thing to do seeing as how oncoming cars tend to totally ruin the bodies and vehicles that get in their way, but the person behind them has decided that the person in front hasn’t pulled out into the middle of the intersection ENOUGH, and therefore proceeds, not to toot his horn, but LAY ON IT AND KEEP PRESSING ON IT UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT GETS THE MESSAGE AND PULLS FIVE YARDS FORWARD, which somehow is a matter of life and death for the second driver.
I am a pedestrian. I don’t own a car. When I tell fellow Los Angelinos this, they look at me like I just said, “I’ve never actually seen a cat. I dunno, I’ve just never been anywhere where they are, I guess.”
Huh?
But I keep seeing this road-rage phenomena, and it rattles me. Which is why I’ve started taking action.
Now, when I see a driver honking his horn like a crazy person, I take it upon myself to sneak in front of his car. I pop my head up enough so that he can see me, and therefore doesn’t drive forward (very important detail), but the drivers behind him can’t.
I have a slight problem. I am addicted to collecting DVDs. I seriously can't stop. There are worse things I'm sure. So I get very excited when my favorite movies get released in special edition boxsets with lots of bonus features and great packaging, It is very exciting for me to bring home my new DVD and open it up to see what excitement waits me inside. I am also addicted to James Bond. Every year when Spike TV has their Bond Marathon, I am glued to the TV. Even if I have just seen them, I can't resist watching them over and over again. So you can understand my excitement when the James Bond series got the deluxe treatment at the end of last year. The 20 films were divided up into 4 box sets, with 5 movies in each box. It would have made sense to put them in order. But then who would have bought vol. 4 if it included just the 4 Pierce Bronson films. These were for sure the worst of the bunch. Daniel Craig thankfully stepped in to save the series with the 2006 reinvention of the series "Casino Royale." I have always loved Roger Moore and Sean Connery. Never really able to decide which I like better. They are just different. One is not really better than the other. Sean Connery is of course the original Bond, but Roger Moore is the Bond I grew up with in the 80s. Seriously, how can you pick between "Goldfinger"(Connery) and "Diamonds are Forever"(Moore) or "You Only Live Twice"(Connery) and "Octopussy"(Moore). And while George Lazenby is not usually the Bond of choice for many, his film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" remains my absolute favorite.
Each box set is beautiful. They look like embossed bibles in slide out cases. Within each case is each individual "Ultimate Edition" movie in a slim case with its own little booklet. All of the films have been digitally restored and really look amazing, They also include great commentaries. Each film includes a second disc with "making of" documetnaries, deleted scenes, interviews, and all sorts of amazing little things to keep you busy for hours and hours. While I am tempted to reorder the films into their correct chronological order, that may seriously be the only problem with these boxes. These films have held up over time and still are as exciting as when I was a kid first discovering these films. This is one of the best DVD collections that I have seen. I get excited every time I open one of them up, It is often hard to decide which film to watch first. I often first watch the film. I then go back and watch it with commentary and then go to all the special documentaries and deleted footage.
This week has been so "meh." Overall there's been a definite lack of what I like to call "inspirado" and I just have not been totally on fire these last couple of days at all.
That said, there have been a scant few sources of this aforementioned inspirado lately:
I have been listening to the new Joanna Newsom EP, Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band, an awful lot. It's gorgeous, of course, esp her harmonies with Neal Morgan on "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie." That's my favorite thing at the moment.
... And there has been so much going on on my favorite show, The View, this week too, with Rosie announcing that, sadly, she is not coming back next season and Alec Baldwin trying to explain his heinous behavior towards his daughter. So much drama!
One thing that hasbeen the source of inspiradoduring this weirdo weekhas been the new Mavis Staples record, We'll Never Turn Back. How can anyone possibly not simply adore Mavis Staples? I feel like this album is even more powerful than some of her older ones.
All the songs are protest songs, and she wraps her gospel voice all around them and makes them so moving all over again. It was produced, seemingly like most things, by Ry Cooder. Mavis's voice will never grow old. The cd is supposed to be inspiring and I would definitely say it achieves its goal. When I hear Mavis Staples killing it like that, I want to go back for the billionth time to another one of my favorite things, The Band's film The Last Waltz to watch the Staples Singers perform "The Weight." It's a perfect song, to me, the writing, the performance...the inspirado...
A couple of nights ago we headed on down to the bottom of the hill to see Erase Errata and Adult. I have seen Erase Errata probably like 30 times but it has been a year or so since I have seen them. Not so long ago I actually played in a band and we played with Erase Errata every once in a while. The band has gone through a couple changes the last couple years and is now just a 3 piece band. Sara Jaffe left the band a couple years ago. They then added a dude as the vocalist. However, this kind of ruined them for me. Luckily they decided to just remain a 3 piece, keeping Jenny Hoyston as the vocalist. They put out their most recent album last year, NIght Life.
I really love the bottom of the hill. It is such a nice little place to see a show. It is located in a place kind of away from everyting else but not too far away to be really far away. It often gets a bit too crowded on sold out nights but I still love it. It is very intimate and you can see the stage even if its crowded. It also has a great backyard where I have spent many nights smoking with friends. Even though there is no more smoking for me, I still enjoy heading to the back with my friends to talk and catch up with their lives. I seriously think the bottom of the hill backyard might be one of my favorite places in the world!
We got there a little before Erase Errata, so we had some time to hang out in the backyard, It seriously is a great place to people watch. I always like watching these ladies on stage and have never gotten bored with them. They are just always good. Unfortunately the crowd was not the dancing crowds that I am accustomed to seeing at their shows of the past. One of the best shows I saw of theirs was a record release party for their 2nd album at some high school auditorium type place in the mission. It was a prom theme I think. Kind of feels like a dream but I am pretty sure it was real. Seriously, if you have not heard this band you need to. Especially if you like good nowavey kind of music. They make me feel all good inside.
Everyone's favorite Reggaeton group, Calle 13, released their second album on Tuesday. Residente O Visitante packs as much of a punch as their first release, with many collaberations with other artists. Working with Calle 13 on this release are Tego Calderon from Puerto Rico, La Mala Rodriguezfrom Spain and Orishasfrom Cuba. By far the most interesting pairing is Calle 13 with Bajofondo, the electro-tango group from Argentina. If you can imagine Kanye West,Luny TunesandThe Gotan Project getting together to make a song, then you get an idea what the song "Tango Del Pecado" is like. Check it out for yourself:
I know the infamous Viola Galloway, Amoeba Hollywood's world music buyer and Tango enthusiast, is just going to love the new Calle 13! She has been rallying for Reggaeton to fuse with Tango for the last three years!
Agenda 187 (1999)
Alien from L.A. (1987)
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987)
American Ninja (1985)
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)
American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1991)
American Ninja V (1993)
America 3000 (1986)
The Apple (1980)
Assassination (1987)
The Assisi Underground (1985) Avenging Force (1986)
The Barbarians (1987)
Barfly (1987)
The Beast in the Cellar (1971)
Beauty and the Beast (1987)
Behind Enemy Lines (1986)
Bloodsport (1988)
Body and Soul (1981)
Bolero (1984)
The Borrower (1991)
Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
Breakin' (1984)
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)
Business as Usual (1987)
Chain of Command (1995)
Cinderella (2002)
Cobra (1986)
The Company of Wolves (1984)
Cyborg (1989)
Dancers (1987) Dangerously Close (1986)
Death Wish II (1982)
Death Wish 3 (1985)
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)
Déjà Vu (1985)
Delta Force, The (1986)
Doin' Time on Planet Earth (1988)
Down Twisted (1987)
Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype (1980)
Duet for One (1986)
Dutch Treat (1986)
Emperor's New Clothes, The (1987)
Enter the Ninja (1981)
Exterminator 2 (1984)
Fifty/Fifty (1993) 52 Pick-Up (1986)
Firewalker (1986)
Fool for Love (1985)
The Frog Prince (1988)
The Godsend (1980)
Going Bananas (1987)
Gor (1988)
Grace Quigley (1984)
Hanoi Hilton, The (1987)
Hanna's War (1988)
Hansel and Gretel (1987)
The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood (1980)
The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977)
The Happy Hooker (1975)
Haunted Summer (1988) Hercules (1983)
Hellbound (1993)
Hero and the Terror (1988)
The Hitman (1991)
Hospital Massacre (1981)
Hot Chili (1985)
Hot Resort (1985)
Hot T-Shirts (1979)
House of the Long Shadows (1983)
The Human Shield (1991)
Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989)
Kickboxer (1989)
King Solomon's Mines (1985)
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)
Lady Chatterly's Lover (1981)
Lambada (1990)
The Last American Virgin (1982)
Lightning, the White Stallion (1986)
Link (1986)
Love Streams (1984)
Mad Dog Coll (1992)
The Magician of Lublin (1979)
A Man Called Sarge (1990)
Manifesto (1988)
Mascara (1987)
Masters of the Universe (1987)
Mata Hari (1985) Mercenary Fighters (1987)
Messenger of Death (1988)
Midnight Ride (1990)
Missing in Action (1984)
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
Murphy's Law (1986) The Naked Cage (1986)
Nana (1982)
New Year's Evil (1981)
Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
No Place to Hide (1992) Number One with a Bullet (1987)
Ordeal by Innocence (1984)
Outlaw of Gor (1989)
Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1984)
Over the Top (1987)
Platoon Leader (1988)
Puss in Boots (1988)
Rappin' (1985)
Red Riding Hood (1987)
Rescue Me (1993)
Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
River of Death (1989)
Rumpelstiltskin (1987)
Runaway Train (1985)
Sahara (1983)
Salsa (1988)
Savage Weekend (1979)
Schizoid (1980) The Secret Of Yolanda (1982)
Seed of Innocence (1980)
The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1983)
Shy People (1987)
Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989)
Sleeping Beauty (1987)
Snow White (1988)
Street Knight (1993)
Street Smart (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Surrender (1987)
Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1982)
10 to Midnight (1983)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)
Thunder Alley (1985)
Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)
Treasure Island (1985)
Treasure of the Four Crowns (1983)
Under Cover (1987)
I don’t want you to think I’m an overly critical person, but frankly, I can’t think of very many nice things to say about ear infections.
It’s my first time having one, so I’m probably not the best person to speak with authority on the subject. Because it’s all so new, I hate to draw too many conclusions. I generally think of myself as open to new experiences.
When it comes to food, for example, I am practically compelled to taste a dish, if I never have before. Whether it’s sea urchin at a sushi bar in Sacramento or sweetbreads at Musso & Frank Grill or chilled monkey brains with my underage sidekick… oh wait… That was “Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom” - I always get that and my life confused. (It’s easy when you work on the mezzanine at Amoeba Music Hollywood – but we’ll get to that later.)
The point is… um…
Okay, you need to know right away that I am hopped-up on loads of Vicodin. It’s one of the many things my doctor prescribed for the aforementioned ailment.
If you’re like most people found at a swell music store such as the one I work at, you probably just got all warm and fuzzy at the mention of Vicodin. You maybe even got a little jealous of me.
“Oh, lucky,” you think. But I hate it. For one thing, it makes writing a blog almost impossible.
“But Job,” you protest, “You seem to be doing a fine job. Your prose is witty and accessible; smart and grammatically deft. Why, you’ve even managed to find a clever way to sneak in usage of the words ‘ecchymosis’ and ‘zizith’ in the same sentence!”
Well, I return, you’re very kind. But what you don’t know is that I’ve been working on this entry for eight hours without a break (unless you count the lost-time from my fainting spell immediately after I typed out the word grammatically).
Soundways Records out of England does it again! Their Panama and Afro-Beat releases are excellent, but this release is their best by far. Discos Fuentes are to Colombian music what Stax & Motown are to soul, Trojan to Reggae, Blue Note to Jazz and what Sun Records is to rock music. They've released thousands of records since 1934 and still do to this day. The compilation covers the classic years of Discos Fuentes (1960-1976) and is mostly Cumbia and Salsa music with Champeta and some modernized versions of traditional South American music.
Much of what is on this comp hasn’t been released in quite some time and has only been available through out of print records. Included are rare tracks from well known Colombian artists Fruko Y Su Tesos, The Latin Brothers and Afrosound, plus classic tracks from Los Corraleros De Majagual, Pedro Laza y Su Pelayeros and Lucho Bermudez. This is straight up dance floor madness! Even those who can't dance will have a tough time resisting the rhythms produced by this release. Great liner notes with many pictures of the original album covers will make the record collector in you salivate.
Babe’s & Ricky’s on a Monday night is something that everyone should experience. Owner Laura Mae Gross, or Mama, as many call her, greets you at the door. At eighty- seven years old, she is still at the club every night. The eight-dollar cover gets you a free soul food dinner and all night Blues, including a brief set by Mickey Champion.
My first Babe’s & Ricky’s experience was last Monday. I got there early to walk around Leimart Park. I didn’t see the late night chess matches that once went on into the wee hours of the night. There used to be these intense chess matches just outside the legendary 5th Street Dick’s. I hadn’t seen them the last few times I been to Leimart Park. I passed by Project Blowed and The World Stage, both closed for the night. All these locations mentioned are known promoting culture, creativity and improvisation in the black community. Leimart Park is the place you need to be to improve your musical and word skills, with multiple Blues, Hip-Hop, Poetry and Jazz open mic sessions.
Babe’s & Ricky’s has a varied selection of beers, from New Castle to Ole English Malt Liquor. I noticed they had Guinness and I wondered if anyone had the nuts to make their own Black Eight at the bar. For those who don’t know, a Black Eight is a concoction of Ole 8 and Guinness, a throwback to my youth often done as a tribute to Tha Alkaholiks. (…Oooh don't I sound great when I down a black eighth, my style is much hotter than the enchilada plate...) I thought about doing it for a sec, then thought against it, as it’s a long drive from Leimart Park back to Cypress Park.
1991 semi-classic ACTION flick starring Ken Wahl (TV's Wiseguy) as a renegade NFL player (and Beverly Hills resident) who, with the help of cop Matt Frewer (Max Headroom!), has to save himself, save his city, save his neighbor's $$, AND get his girl back from the very evil Robert Davi (Jake Fratelli from The Goonies!) and Lee Ving (Holy shit! From the punk band FEAR!).
The off-the-wall concept details a toxic spill hoax that causes the complete evacuation of Beverly Hills so the criminal crew can execute 'an epic scheme to loot the entire city!' Thankfully, Wahl was getting too busy in the hot tub to pay any mind to the evacuation orders! Out of the hot tub & into the fire, Wahl battles the bad guys (well armed with heavy weaponry & even a TANK) & uncovers the the criminals' true motives.
If you've ever wanted to see Beverly Hills shot up, smashed, blown up and generally destroyed, THIS is the movie for you! Needless to say, my roommate Corydon & I were INTO it. However, Hillary & my cat Samantha looked more like this by the end:
Q: What is the first music you remember hearing, before you had a choice?
G: I remember hearing Bob Seger "Against the Wind" and I remember my sister playing U2 and Tiffany and X2.
Q: What was the first band you heard that really got you into music?
G: I think the Beastie Boys and George Michael. and Run DMC.
Q: What's your favorite music to skateboard to?
G: It's pretty difficult to skateboard to music unless you have an ipod. When I was young I had a boom box and I would play my mom's Fleetwood Mac tape and the Best of Country Gold tape or something like that.
Q: What is your favorite record right now, this instant?
G: Today? Um I like The Way I Am by Merle Haggard, a 1980s record. Very smooth.
Q: What's the best reissue you've heard this year?
G: Well the John PhillipsWolfking of LA. [ed note: John Phillips of the Mamas and thePapas recorded a solo record in 1970. It's fantastic and in our Oldies section.]
That's right - I said hott - with two "t"'s please. Lots of great music only comes out on vinyl. Here's a few 12" releases that are killin' it for the SF crew:
Two seperate 12"s here, with the connection being their solid Prins Thomas remixes. "Rapture" is indeed a cover of the Blondie classic with ex-Specials vocalist Terry Hall on vocals, and it works just fine with its bubbling underbelly of faux-acid, big beat guitar riffs and hip-house. Flip the record over, however, and you get some *actual* acid as Thomas' mix is where it's at, adding a smidge of swing and sounding like some proper Chicago action. Chin Chin, on the other hand, come out on top with no less than three PT mixes on one 12". The Diskomiks is a funky congo affair replete with horn section and hella-funky afrodisco percussion while you get two 'bonus beat' tracks that work great as DJ tools or full songs in their own right. SF Electronica floorperson Brian is super geeked out on this as well, so i'll give it two thumbs up.
So I just saw Blonde Redhead last night at Bimbo's in San Francisco. As one would expect, the show was amazing. I actually missed the last tour they did cause I was sick, so it has been like 4 or so years since I have seen them. I have really been loving the album. But this show actually improved on the album. I could also not think of a better place to see them than Bimbo's. I have already seen them at smaller places like Great American Music Hall and Bottom of the Hill, so Bimbo's had to be next. This has got to be my favorite venue in the city. It also has a great history. The club was originally opened in 1935, originally called the 365 Club, on 365 Market St. It moved to Columbus St. in 1951. The man who opened the club was nicknamed "Bimbo," the Italian word for boy. There has been crazy events there over the years and many people have had their weddings there. So it has a crazy history kind of feeling when you are in there. Like you can feel all the stories coming out of the walls. And unlike the Warfield, the people who work there are actually nice.
So I guess I should talk about the show. But before I continue, have you seen Blonde Redhead's website? It is seriously beautiful. They played most of the new album, "23". It sounded beautiful. Their shows are very intense. The songs and lyrics really come alive at their shows and get inside your soul. The songs have probably already made their way into your soul simply by listening to the record. Seeing them live just makes them stay a part of you forever. I can seriously remember the exact feeling I had the times I have seen them before. It all came back to me last night. I always want to get to Bimbo's early so I can get a table. But that did not happen last night. But the shows are still enjoyable. It is fun to move around and view the show from different positions and angles. Did I tell you about the bathrooms. While they may just look like a cleaner and fancier version of your high school bathroom. They actually have bathroom attendants. Amazing!
So, there's all these awfully tense feelings around the stuff like the ice mountains-- melting on the north and south poles? I forget what they're called but they sank the Poseid-no, wait that was a big wave. They sank the one that Leonardo DiCaprio was on. Ironically, he is really into green causes. Go Leo!
I bet all that drowning made you run out and buy a Prius. I rather like a Toyota myself, in general. If they were a band, I would buy their music. Beep beep. But that's bad because I am supposed to want to bicycle. Always. Everywhere.
Where was I? Okay, so there's going to be this really big show, a concert - about this global heat problem we have all of a sudden? (Like Live Aid, but it's about the sun burning us all up I guess. It's why we take your old AA batteries and sundry and recycle them, see?) Anyway, everyone is quite serious about this now that we aren't really being able to have Satsuma Mandarins, best fruit in the world, now that there's all this global warming. The damn growing season was iced out. Scary!
So, anyway, the big pop show with the fantastic Spinal Tap is happening over at Wembley - an English thing, if I got that right? Let me tell you, I've been there - not Wembley Arena - just the old UK, and they didn't like me one bit. I want some of you Brits to pop on here and let me give you what for. I'm just as cute as a button, there's no explaining your ways to me. Tsk, I say. (Except Pi. We miss you sweety.honey.baby.)
I admit that there's other save the planet shows going on (I just pictured Bob Geldof making out with Al Gore and it weren't a pretty sight) around the old globe, even up in Antarctica they say. Believe that when I see it! All under the same moniker.
But, we're talking about Spinal Tap. So this time they're calling the big show Live Earth, which is after all what we're aiming for. Gets right to the point, doesn't it? We're not likely to have a big show and call it Dead Earth if you catch my meaning. Say, have you seen that blazing TV show called Planet Earth? Discovery Channel!! If you were a car, you'd be a Toyota! That, people, is a big compliment. If you haven't seen it yet, you should buy an IMAX theatre and invite me over. I'll bring pop. Not really, I'd bring bottled water, but it's all the same, isn't it?
JOB, (early 30's) sits at his computer, his head propped up
by his left hand.
He stares blankly at the screen.
He types everything you just read.
Then he types this.
Then he sighs.
JOB
(to camera)
I have an earache.
(beat)
I've never had an earache before. I
mean, this is going on one week.
And the last two days it's been
especially bad.
(beat)
It makes writing a blog especially
challenging, because the pain is
distracting me. Plus, pain is not
funny... usually.
Looks like Amoeba favorites The Raconteurs are getting closer to releasing another album! Jack White tells Billboard that they have been in the studio in Nashville working on 12 songs. Sounds like the album will be out in 2008.
But the real question is: can we expect another Amoeba Instore with the fellas?
Here's hoping!
Oops! Lost myself there for a minute, forgive me.
Everyone remember June 8, 2006 when The Raconteurs played not one but TWO Amoeba instores in one day, one in LA and one in San Francisco? That was a great day.
I always hunt down lyrics anywhere I can find them. Why? Because I have no idea what the hell you're singing about unless you're Karen Carpenter. Bless Her Soul.
Most lyrics on the web are flawed, though the effort is 101% commendable. However, many of the times, the web user ends up with 14 pop ups in spite of firefox and pop up blockers galore. Then of course we have all the phishers who aren't lyric sites at all, but bad and mean people that I scowl at long and hard enough to permanently damage my epidermis.
So what's the damn news already? Yahoo is going to have a lyrics databse and the number I saw was 400,000+
Yay. If it completely and totally sucks, maybe we'll cry. Here's a note to Yahoo:
"Dear Yahoo,
Inasmuch as I enjoy discovering what pithy words tumble from the mouth of Ghostface (not the puppy-dog that shops at Amoeba SF, he's so crazy we're all in love with him, but the grown man who has also shopped at Amoeba, the legend/regular dude from Wu Tang), I also need to know what was that there, that one phrase that I can't catch in composition from the 'rip your soul out and feed it to your conscience' singer/composer/miracle that we know as Diamanda Galas.
Some really great albums come out today. One of my favorites gets reissued today. "Quique" bySeefeel gets reissued today in a delux "redux" edition by Too Pure. This album was originally released in 1993 by that same label. It has been out of print for years and very hard to find. Since I sold my own copy years ago, I am very happy to see it coming back into print. I managed to resist those high prices on Ebay and hoped that it would some day be reissued. And with a whole extra disc of bonus tracks. The reissue includes the original tracks:
Climactic Phase 3, Polyfusion, Industrious, Imperial, Plainsong, Charlotte's Mouth, Through You, Filter Dub and Signals.
and the tracks on the bonus disc are:
Clique, Is it Now?, Filter Dub (Low Pass Remix) [or Filter Dub (1-01 Mix), Come Alive (Climactic Phase #1), Time To Find Me (Alternate Desk Mix), Charlotte's Mouth (Avant Garde Mix), My Super 20, Climactic Phase #3 (Overnight Mix) and Silent Pool.
This album came out at a pivotal time for techno and ambient music. Seefeel provided the perfect bridge for me to get into techno. I had been listening to lots of shoegaze music like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, and My Bloody Valentine. This album had the feeling of those albums but also with a brand new exciting feel to it. The guitars were not as loud and the music had a soothing ambient feel to it. The vocals were not the focus and many songs were simply instrumental. The amazing "Polyfusia," a compilation of earlier eps was released the next year in 1994. Seefeel formed in 1992 in London. The band is made of of Mark Clifford, Sarah Peacock, Justin Fletcher, and Daren Seymour. After the band signed to Warp in 1994, their sound became even more electronic as the guitars disappeared.
It’s been a minute since I’ve been to a metal club. Things are just different at metal clubs. Nobody dances, the ratio from men to women is severely slanted towards the men (although still better than at underground hip-hop shows) and I saw several grown men playing air guitar. Air guitar, Jesus…I can’t believe people do this, let alone in public! I see it sometimes at Amoeba when Iron Maiden or Metallica albums get played in the store. I watch the fingers start wiggling, the faces start grimacing and the arms go sliding up and down the neck the imaginary guitar. I usually cover my eyes in disbelief. I can understand a teenager doing it, but when you’re in your twenties, you might think of letting it go. If you are in your thirties and still doing it, seek professional help! Any older than thirty and still feel the need to rock the imaginary axe, you probably have worse problems, so rock on!
Maybe I have the problem. After all, Amoeba Hollywood is located oh-so very close to the Sunset Strip, the once home of 80’s hair metal. Maybe I should move to Ojai, where they had the insight to have a temporary ban on air guitar. Or maybe I should get with the program and join the US Air Guitar Championship. What song would I choose?
"Eruption?" Naw, too obvious.
Richard Thompson’s guitar solo on “The Border” would be cool. It’s a little obscure but I would need to find some air violin and air pan pipe players to accompany me. Dio-era Black Sabbath would be cool, but I would need circles and rings, dragons and kings.
Maybe I’ll just wait until they have the air deejaying contest...
JOB, (early 30's) is led to the scaffolding by the heavy-set
EXECUTIONER, who wears a black hood.
The courtyard is crowded by on-looking MEMBERS OF THE COURT.
Job is positioned behind the chopping block.
Drum comes to a dramatic stop.
EXECUTIONER
Any last words?
JOB
Yes.
(clears throat)
Sorry.
(coughs)
Sorry. Does anyone have a lozenge?
I'm just... my throat is dry from
being all nervous about dying and
everything.
(beat; silence)
No? Okay, well... I think I have
some gum in my pantaloons up in
Bell Tower...
The Discovery channel has recently been showing the nature documentary Planet Earth. I have become a bit obsessed with this show and have watched most of the episodes. For those of you who have missed it, or those without cable...the series will be released on DVD this tuesday 4/24. This series was first broadcast on the BBC in the UK in March of last year. It was narrated by the great David Attenborough. This DVD release includes the original David Attenborough narration. For the Discovery channel U.S. broadcast the narration was replaced by Sigourney Weaver. Some nature "Attenborough" purists are very upset about this change. I think Sigourney's voice is perfect and she does a great job. This series is absolutely amazing. The shots captured will seriously take your breath away. The show is also broadcast for High Definition. In addition, the DVD will be issued as a Blu-Ray and HD DVD. It is seriously making me consider get a High Definition TV and DVD player. But even for those of us that still have the basic set up, the show is worth investing in.
These shows were the kind of shows broadcast on PBS in the 80s. My dad watched these shows quite frequently and I was often forced to watch them as well. Although, I quickly became interested in the shows as I realized how awesome they were. This was a world you could not quite see at your local zoo. It was amazing to see these environments that I would never see up close and personal. The earth we live on is so vast and interesting. The animals on it so intricately connected. But most of all, what made me obsessed with these shows, was the narration by the great David Attenborough. There is something about his voice that draws you in to the world he is describing. He often was actually there in the shots interacting with the environment and animals. In this recent series, there is no interaction. It is simply beautiful shots on land and in water with perfect narration.
One of my favorites has recently been upgraded to a special edition DVD. Nightmare on Elm Streetis of course available in a great box set with all 7 films and a bonus disc. There is a commentary on the first film and the bonus disc has some great stuff. But this release of the film is really great. The entire film has remastered picture and sound. It also includes some awesome documentaries. "Never Sleep Again" - the making of the film, "The House that Freddy Built" - documentary on New Line cinema, and "Night Terrors" - the origins of Wes Craven's nightmares. Also includes a great audio commentary with director Wes Craven, stars Heather Langenkamp and the great John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin. The DVD also includes alternate endings and a fun trivia game to play. This is enough extra stuff to make your purchase of this DVD totally necessary. But it also includes "InfiniFilm" interactive features. You can watch the film normally or with pop-up prompts. The prompts allow you to access great extra bonus footage and trivia.
Nightmare on Elm Street was originally released in 1984. Wes Craven was already becoming famous for his horror movies. He already directed "The Last House on the Left," "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Swamp Thing." Nightmare one Elm Street was not the first horror franchise series. Halloween was already well on its way with 3 movies and Friday the 13th was on to its fourth. But there was something special about Nightmare on Elm Street. The villains in Halloween and Friday the 13th were basically serial killer types basically acting out on their revenge issues against teens who had sex. However Freddy Kruger was different. But again it dealt with revenge. He was a child molester and killer burned alive by a group of parents. He had some how come back to haunt the children of those parent in their dreams. But he could actually kill them in their dreams. The kids must learn to "never sleep again" or battle Freddy in their dreams.
I am an avid Viewwatcher, and Joy is my favorite personality on the show. She'll be performing her comedy routine at the Nob Hill Masonic Center on June 16th.
I am sure some of you out there are as crazy for The View as I am...I find myself fascinated every morning by the ladies and their Hot Topics. Joy is my favorite because (esp before Rosie O'Donnell) she is the one who is the most blunt, the most truthful. If she came to my family home for Christmas, she would fit right in with my relatives, hilarious and cutting as she is (and Italian too).
What is it about The View that is so addicting? I have asked myself this question for many years now...for me I guess it's about what's going on below the surface on the show as much as it is what the women are gabbing about. It seems like there is always tension behind the scenes and it's tantalizingly close to the surface at times. I like to watch and see if it will peek out at the viewers and at what moment. It's also refreshing to see women actually hashing out what is going on in the news, instead of watching the news and being blandly told so called facts.
Happy Weekend, we got your hook-up:
Personally, I dedicate my days to trying to make life within Amoeba happy (only got 9 lives, embrace it, eh?) ... and the free music works for me! Therefore, to salve your spirits and mine, I bring you these wonderful lickle bites of info:
Sunday, tomorrow 4/22/07, we are having 2 instores!! Checkity-check it:
our friends and yours ...
LYMBYC SYSTEM
2:00 pm Folktronica! Indie-Rock! Shirts with bears! Hats! Music! Pretty yellow wall! I want one!
LYMBYC, in my words? Experimental like nothing you've ever heard before, it isn't just some goofy noise thing where you're like, "Well. I've never heard anything like this before." It's got some layers. It's a damn good thing! (Ok, Ok, they aren't natives. Just local.)
JOB, (early 30's) sits with rapt attention at his computer
screen. He is watching "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", a TV
show from the 1970's that's recently been released on DVD for
the first time.
Behind him on the sofa is JOHN GAVIN, not wearing any
clothes, a hibernating BLACK BEAR and a SPOOKY GHOST.
Michael Hurley played at the Cafe du Nord Wednesday night, so I busted on over there after my weekly Bravo reality tv date, and I made it just in time for his full set.
Hurley is one of the last standing of the 60s folkies, and he's still playing out often. I think in about the last 3 years I have seen him play maybe 5ish times? Oh, and though he is in his 60s he's still expertly writing ghostly, beautiful songs. Some of my favorites of his entire career have been on records from the last 15 years. He's been recording since 1965! Despite the fact that most people associate folk music with serious, political topics, Hurley has always had his sense of humor intact and out front in his songs.
He's come back into fashion in these last 10ish years mainly because lately other artists have been giving him the shout-outs he's always deserved and have been covering his songs. Two of the more notable artists to champion Hurley lately have been Chan Marshall of Cat Power and Devendra Banhart. (Weirdly, Chan Marshall's Covers Albumis almost like a song for song version of Hurley's Armchair Boogie.) A few years back I saw Devendra with Vetiver, Chris from Espers, Carrituck County members and Joanna Newsom covering one of my absolute favorite Hurley songs, "Be Kind to Me" at the Swedish American Hall, and they tore it up, made it the raucous and ramshackle-y number it's meant to be.
Anyway, Hurley's a quiet, modest guy, but he is quite the renaissance man-- in addition to all his writing and touring, he creates the artwork for pretty much all his cds.
Tonight, join us at Space Gallery
1141 Polk Street at Hemlock in SF, 9pm
as Club Unicornbread presents
a night of decadence and innocent yearning:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the world, join us in a celebration at what lies at the heart of all we do day in and day out:
the Muse of Creativity (above, changing my world and yours!) and the music of Electric Light Orchestra!
Join this famous and talented cast as they give tribute
to what is arguably The Best Pop Musical of the 1980's!
One of my favorite online destinations for dance music in 2007 is Australia's Resident Advisor. It's great for up-to-the-minute news, interviews, DJ charts and more. But while the writing is a bit off occasionally and the coverage a bit too club-focused, RA really shines through its podcast, an hour long mix by cutting-edge DJ's featuring the best the music has to offer. Recent sets from Alexander Robotnik,Âme, Maurice Fulton, Ripperton, M.A.N.D.Y. and particularly the completely satisfying Dixon mix have quenched my thirst for ever-newer mixes. Best part: it's free (unless you consider registration a cost). Go get it!
N.W.A. and Black Flag had much in common. Their music spoke of oppression, police brutality and the party life. The cops continuously harassed both groups. Riots sprung at both group's shows, making it hard for the groups to perform. On top of that, they were practically neighbors. Compton is just a few miles away from Lawndale.
BLACK FLAG
Black Flag played hardcore punk that woke suburbia from its sleep. When the rock clubs banned Black Flag from playing their venues, they created alternative venues for their shows and created the first D.I.Y. touring circuit for alternative rock bands. Black Flag released hundreds of records on their own label (SST Records) by other influential punk rock groups. They were the godfathers of the 90's grunge movement as well as every hardcore punk band that came after them. Black Flag saved punk rock from dying a premature hipster's death, yet unfortunately introduced the whole knucklehead element into the punk scene. Circle pit, anyone?
N.W.A.
No disrespect to Too Short or The Geto Boys, but there would be no gangster rap in mainstream media if it weren’t for N.W.A. They achieved massive commercial success and mainstream appeal without the help of radio airplay or MTV. They helped expose society to "ghetto life," putting South L.A. and Compton on the map. Lyrically they helped inspire the revolt of 1992 (Some of you called it a riot; some of us call it a revolt!) and amputated the east coast stronghold held on hip-hop for many years, focusing attention not only on the L.A. rap scene but on other federations of rap music such as Houston, Atlanta and the Bay Area.
Helloooooooo everyone, I just read online that Miss Joanna Newsom will be opening for Miss Bjork on her upcoming tour for two whole dates:
05-15 Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05-19 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Now doesn't that seem like a fantastic match?
I am so excited to hear Joanna's new ep that is coming out next Tuesday on Drag City. It's gonna be called Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band and will have one new song, "Colleen," recorded just after her tour ended in December at The Record Plant in Sausalito. The Plant is a fabled recording studio where Fleetwood Mac's Rumours was laid down, along with sessions by just about anyone who's anyone, including Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder,Van Morrison, Crosby,Stills, Nash and Young,Michael Bolton, etc etc. All the greats. Anyway, I am waiting with most eager anticipation for this latest release, and will give a full report as soon as I hear it. Oh yeah, it's also gonna have some live tracks from the Ys tour and including her crackerjack band of Miss Katie Hardin, Mr Neal Morgan, Mr Kevin Barker, Mr Ryan Francesconi, and Mr Dan Cantrell. Seeing the Ys songs performed live was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had at a show-- this band cooks! And so do the songs. Hopefully everyone's heard Joanna's Ys by now; if not, you are coo coo-- go check it out immediately! Bjork's new album Volta comes out May 7. All of this gives me so much to look forward to!
2nd Street Jazz (or LAND, as it's otherwise known as) is a Jazz club
and bar located in downtown LA's Little Tokyo. It's an inconspicuous
spot, unassuming, situated on a corner between a couple of sushi restaurants and an American Apparel. Actually, it's very easy to miss. However, it's a spot that has been gathering ample attention not by
flyers or ads, but through word of mouth.
2nd Street Jazz was founded six years ago by former trumpet player and
entrepreneur, Kohei Matsumoto. Kohei was a businessman whose passion
for jazz inspired him to open a jazz club in Little Tokyo. Unfortunately, after having achieved his dream, Kohei passed away. However, his son Koichi soon took over and is keeping his father's vision alive.
The week starts off on Monday night, which tends to be a little tamed. You can find your usual suspects enjoying a cold 24oz. Sapporo and speaking with Koichi or the bartender Lisa, from my hometown of Gardena. On Tuesdays, 2nd Street hosts an open jam session that attracts many of L.A.'s up and coming jazz musicians. Wednesdays are reserved for local Jazz groups playing mostly original compositions. In fact, in the multiple times that I have been there on a Wednesday night, I have yet to witness a single mediocre act.
Other nights are reserved for different events, my favorite night being an amateur night with the participants being some of the regulars from the bar. It's funny, some people will surprise you with their talent and others, well… it's amateur night. It's never boring. The acts cover various musical styles: R&B, rock, samba, hip-hop... etc. Lots of cover songs that range from the musical tastes of Alicia Keys to Michael Franks (remember "Popsicle Toes"? ah… yeah, that one) to Miles Davis.
I'm not for global warming at all, but aren't you all as tired of being COLD right now as I am? SF is freezing these past few days...and apparently compared to the northeast we've got it easy here.
Anyway, today since it's so blustery all I have been listening to has been the Zombies'Odyssey and Oracle. It's a fantastic record, makes me feel like it's fall for some reason (even though it's supposed to be spring right now). The Zombies had so much promise as a 60s English rock band, but they broke up soon after this record was made in 1967, I think even by the time it was released. I feel that this record is their penultimate statement though-- it's their only fully realized album. Maybe anything else they would have done would have seemed lesser after reaching such heights anyway.
The thing that is so great about Odyssey and Oracle is that every song is fantastic in its own way. It seems like all the songs on this record tell detailed stories and that's part of what sets the album apart and elevates the music. As with all favorite records, my favorite track changes often-- first, years ago, it was "A Rose For Emily," or maybe "Beechwood Park." Both songs are completely catchy and yet also melancholic. I guess that is part of why I connect this record with an autumnal feeling-- it's that bittersweetness that comes over me about every September as the seasons change. That said, there is optimism and hope on the record too, esp in "This Will Be Our Year" and "I Want HerShe Wants Me," two more favorite cuts of mine. Right now and for the past year or so my favorite song on Odyssey and Oracle is the bizarro "Changes." It's got overwhelmingly huge choruses with swirly harmonies and odd yet evocative lyrics describing a girl from the past who wears "strawberry clothes"-- it's all hung together strangely and yet it works and stands out. Clearly "Time of the Season" is the most famous track on the record, but I tend to forget it is even there, coming as it does at the very end of the whole eloquent thing. It's like a little extra treat after you've heard and digested all these other wonderfully melodic nuggets. Yeah the Zombies were kinda obviously trying to be the Beatles (the record was made in 1967 after all, same as Sgt. Pepper)...but they did a great job of constructing a gorgeous pop album all their own.
I'm a big fan of the reissues. So many of my favorite albums from the 80s need a good remastering. It's also always fun to rediscover your old favorites with new bonus tracks and added video content. The packaging is also usually redone and made all fancy. This last couple years has seen the reissue of the entire Depeche Mode catalogue. Last month we just got the latest two reissues, Black Celebration and Construction Time Again. The only thing left is Ultra and Exciter. I don't think they will be reissuing Playing the Angel since it did just recently come out for the first time.
First up is Construction Time Again. This album was originally released in 1983. This was their third album, following A Broken Frame. It was always easy to remember the order of the early album because construction obviously follows something that is broken! While they had started to make an impact in the U.S., they were still not to the point of playing stadiums quite yet. This album has a slightly more industrial feel to it. It includes more samples than their albums had before. This album included some of my favorites, "More Than a Party", "Everything Counts" and "And Then..." Alan Wilder had joined the band as a full time member at this point. He even wrote the environmentally friendly song "The Landscape is Changing." He joined Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher. Depeche Mode were now the band they would be all the way through Songs of Faith and Devotion. All of their albums were really their own thing. And they all still hold up today. They were breakthrough at the time and are still influencing bands today.
Badly injured in Vietnam, our one-armed burn victim (w/ electronic voice box) anti-hero plots to rob the local mob by inciting a RACE WAR ! Together with his ragtag band of hardened veterans, they take on the mob's gambling & drug trade disguised as black men. You see, these hardened veterans are hardened WHITE veterans - no one will expect THEM! Their disguise is so convincing that an all-together different (aka African-American) cast is used during those scenes. Will the mob figure out what's going on and what will happen when the local badass brothers discover the deception? With a shocking twist finale!
1980. In an unnamed South American country, mercinaries are being trained in the long lost art of the NINJA. These terrorists are killing Canadian diplomats, their families, and other important people across the globe. Only one man can stop the black clad assassins & their devious plot - CHUCK NORRIS !
Chuck battles across Los Angeles to the heart of South America with the help of best friend Art Hindle, bounty hunter Lee Van Cleef, mysterious heiress Karen Carlson and reformed terrorist Carol Bagdasarian, culminating in the ultimate fight against the head ninja, his disgraced BROTHER, within the walls of the sacred battleground of THE OCTAGON.
Check out the trailer below as well as a clip of the penultimate fight between Chuck and Richard Norton (ABBA's former bodyguard) !
So last week was a bit busier and next week will again be super busy. But these things come in waves. Just two albums coming out today worth talking about. I will not be wasting your time talking about the new Avril Lavigne. So I am totally impressed with this dude: it seemed like he was off taking a long break for a while, but then he put out a great new album a couple years ago, With Teeth. It kind of surprised me.
And now Nine Inch Nails is back with a new one alreadyYear Zero. Trent Reznor basically is NIN. He has been creating music for us for almost 20 years now.
2007 is actually the 20th anniversary of Trent's appearance in Light of Day with Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett. You might need to watch it again to catch him in a bar scene playing keyboards in "The Problems." Michael J Fox and Joan Jett are like the rock and roll bar band Carpenters as a brother and sister band called the "Barbusters." Gena Rowlands is amazing as always as their mother. Joan Jett is not only a rocker but a single mom in the movie!
Trent started his career with the brilliant album Pretty Hate Machine on TVT records, an album that basically invented a whole new type of music. It also had a huge influence on many bands. I know many people who still regard it as one of their favorites. He made industrial music that was more accessible and catchy than most. The songs actually kind of flowed and had lyrics that made sense. His albums are always dark and futuristic. This new album will for sure not upset any of his fans. Year Zero is dark, intense and brilliant.
An OFFICER taps out six Advil into his palm and swallows them
with an energy drink. He is exhausted.
In his office is CAPTAIN RODIN, intensively studying some
reports.
LIEUTENANT REDDY knocks on the Captain's door. He holds up a
bag of baked goods and smiles.
The Captain smiles wearily.
Lieutenant Reddy sets the bag on the desk, leaves, then
returns with two tall coffees which he sets next to the bag
of pastries; closes the office door behind him and sits down.
The Captain smiles faintly as Lieutenant removes two
croissants, one chocolate, one plain, and sets them neatly on
the bag.
Issue #22 of Wax Poetics is out now! Included in this issue is an in-depth interview with Pharoahe Monch, whose long overdue album comes out in June. Also included is a feature on the outspoken Betty Davis, who paved the way for future female funk artists such as Macy Gray & Erykah Badu. Way ahead of her time, the former wife of Miles Davis never got full credit for changing the face of funk in the 70’s. Other great articles of note include features on Too Short, Joao Donato and Ornette Coleman, plus a tribute to the late Alice Coltrane. One of my favorite regular features in Wax Poetics is called "Re:Discovery," where the magazine contributors write about five favorite rediscovered albums, twelve & seven inch singles. I often feel a variety of emotions when I read this feature, from jealousy (I wish I had that!) to regret (damn, I used to have that!) to pride (man…I’ve had that for years!). This magazine is a must for people who love digging through Amoeba's vast World, Reggae, Soul, Electronica and Hip-Hop vinyl sections!
Here is former Amoeba man Matt Dickow and his new daughter, Isobelle Madison:
Isobell's Mom, who did 99.9% of the work that day, was glowing and beautiful in the pictures. Uncle Clancy, well, he's crooning black metal songs now to 2 little babies, and son Owen has another playmate. Congratulations and best wishes to your entire clan from us folks over here at Amoeba.
Reason 2,472 that I love Amoeba: I wake up, I read the paper (online, of course) and always find some neato thing!
Today, this is the patch of online journalism that jolts me - somewhere between a good cup of coffee and shock-paddles de resuscitare, I find this description of a man shopping at Amoeba Music, the one on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California:
'... These [albums] were not of mere musical interest to Boyd. He produced them. And throughout the store there's plenty more of his handiwork: influential albums by innovative English folk-rock group Fairport Convention and its most famous alums, Richard Thompson and the late Sandy Denny; the idiosyncratic work of Scottish psychedelic-folk avatars the Incredible String Band; and the singular sounds from the too-brief life of singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
Although that music stands on its own merits, the value is even more evident in the presence here of many younger acts claiming influence from Boyd's catalog, from R.E.M. (which recruited him to produce the 1985 "Fables of the Reconstruction" album) to the currently acclaimed crop of "freak-folk" figures such as Devendra Banhart and (seen to your left) Joanna Newsom, who talk of music associated with Boyd in hushed, reverent tones."
... so, ,maybe Miss Ess, purveyor of music lit world-wide, can blog to us all one day and tell us what she thought of this man's new book:
No, no ... I'm watching Wordplay on a Sunday, which means it's extra hard to watch today so if you're tired, wait until Monday ... anyway, it reminded me of another documentary Spellbound, which I was also the last to see. I should call my movie blogs 'The Finally Founds' or perhaps more accurate would be something along the lines of 'No Attention-Span Theater'
As I was saying, Ladies and Gents, I present to you Wordplay aka Word Play:
An incredible look at Crossword Puzzles, the folks who can do them faster than I can find a pencil - yes, pencil, and fascinatingly: how crosswords are made.
Especially this fella, goes by the name Will Shortz? Face it, when you think artificial heart, you think Jarvis-7 and Barney Clark. Snap. (Some argue the order, but hey ...) When someone says crossword puzzle, you think The New York Times and Will Shortz. (Some argue the order, but hey ...)
If you have no idea what I am talking about, it's even more reason for you to see this docu-mama as soon as you can get yer hands upon it!
My new motto as of last week? I know nothing! I promise you, it's freeing. Try it. Whee. I am no stranger to the squares and cursing beneath my breath as I struggle with that last corner of an angry weekend puzzle. I'm also no stranger to a really bad Monday when I couldn't even finish the puzzle in the Oakland Tribune. Lucky for me, I also remember the joy I got from any Sunday New York Times puzzle that I finished or not. (Most of them, not)
There's a shitty review of the movie on IMDb but don't believe it - this movie DELIVERS baboon carnage, more than any other film in history. Human faces don't stand a chance against a baboon's flesh-ripping wrath ! There's also some fairly convincing footage of baboons getting shot.... but not to worry, there's a note that no animals were harmed in the production of the movie. and if they wrote it, it must be true !
At Amoeba SF's electronica section, we've usually got at least four or five titles each month that we're extremely hyped on. Here's our current batch:
First we've got Gui Boratto's Chromophobia on Kompakt. Boratto's Brazilian heritage gives him an edge when making his brand of tech-house, and that's an ear for rhythm. Straddling between minimal and electrohouse, Chromophobia avoids any LP pitfalls by working equally on a dancefloor as on headphones, it's got enough oomph to sound fantastic on a large sound system, but intricate enough that you notice small details while listening at home. I love his way with melody, particularly the swooping tones of "Terminal" and the bleep counterpoint in "Gate 7"; it gets quite emotional. The rhythms are key, though, and it's clear from the first track on that Boratto has a good grasp of syncopation and funk. Between the Hug and Field albums and now this, Kompakt are on a bit of a roll, again!
Next up is We Are Together by Japanese producer Kuniyuki Takahashi, released on Mule Musiq. This is an album that is a unanimous vote amongst the electronica staff - everybody loves it (well, at least four of us). It's jazzy house music only in the loosest sense of the phrase, managing to perfectly walk the tightrope between noodly and stiff. The thing I like best about this album is its sense of space, the production on every track sounds so expansive and widescreen as to conjure up images of the music's physicality. In that sense it reminds me of the Burial album where there's a very conscious sense of three-dimensional space - it's a real "smokers delight". Check Kuni's MySpace page to hear more of this excellence.
Roseanne is one of those shows that remains hilarious after all these years. Some shows, ALF as an example, were hilarious when they first aired, but they do not hold up years later. Believe me, cause I have tried. But Roseanne managed to create a show that was still hilarious 7 years into it. Season 7 originally aired in 1994 and 1995. The show lasted 9 seasons. It still remained a great show for one more season. However, it was season 9 after they won the lottery that the show went down hill quickly. Roseanne was hilarious because it dealt with real situations. It was a real family dealing with real situations. They just happened to use a whole lot of sarcasm and humour to get through the day. Season 7 begins with Roseanne becoming pregnant, which she was in real life. In this season, Darlene gets a new boyfriend while David remains at the Connor house. Jackie and Fred have problems and split up. Becky and Mark move out, again. My favorite episode is when some elderly nudists move in next door. Roseanne and Dan can't stop peeping and are eventually confronted by their neighbors. This is also the season where Beverly is arrested for drunk driving.
Laurie Metcalf is really underrated as an actress. She is again amazing in this season. Estelle Parson as Bev and Sara Gilbert as Darlene are also great additions to the cast. The season is filled with guest stars. Sharon Stone as the Landlord of Becky and Mark's trailer park. Traci Lords as a new Lunch Box employee. Danny Masterson stars as Darlene's new boyfriend Jimmy. And Shelley Winters is as amazing as ever as Bev's mom. Martin Mull and Sandra Bernhard also return as the co-owners of the Lunch Box. This season also included an episode with the famous TV moms of the old family shows. Also a dream episode with the cast of Gilligan's Island. The cover art for these DVDs often have horrible pictures of John Goodman on them. It seems the designer of these boxes is not a big John Goodman fan. However, this season box seems to have a more accurate picture of John on the cover. The great thing about these season boxes is that they contain the original uncut episode. The episodes you see on Nick at Nite are cut down to fit in more commercials. So there are new little bits that you may not remember added back into the episodes. Seriously, this show is timeless. It cracks me up every time I put it on. It also brings me back to a time when sitcoms were still funny.
A couple of weeks ago I went to go see Fujiya & Miyagi at the Mezzanine. I had no high hopes for the opening bands since I have had bad experience with the openers there before....Mikey Avalon as an example. So I was ready for Lo-Fi-Fnk to be over before they even started. However I ran into my friend Tom and he tried convincing me that I was gonna like them. I still was not totally convinced. But suddenly curious. Little did I know they would be my new favorite band. These kids from Sweden have got to be like maybe 20 years old. But they really did blow me away. Super fun electro that kind of made Fujiya & Miyagi seem a little boring. They remind me of when I first saw Les Rythmes Digitales. They for sure had some fans there. But the crowd seemed to be mostly Fujiya & Miyagi fans that were being won over by the lo-fi funk of Lo-Fi-Fnk. They had really good energy and seemed to get the crowd excited and into their jams. Similar to Hot Chip or Junior Boys, it is fun catchy electro. So I went and picked up their album "Boylife" as soon as I could. And the album is awesome! I can't stop listening to it. The album is full of catchy electro jams such as "What's on Your Mind" and "Wake Up" and "Adore."
Lo-Fi-Fnk are from Stockholm, Sweden. The band is Leo Drougge and August Hellsing who met in High School. Probably not too long ago. This album came out in Europe in 2006. No release yet in the U.S. But it can't be too far off in the future. These kids obviously set out to have fun and make a dancey fun record. They succeeded brilliantly. They somehow made an album that is seriously addictive. Great synth beats with catchy lyrics. They don't take themselves too seriously. So don't go thinking this is a serious electronic album. Its fun electro pop and you will surely become addicted as I have. Here is a fun video for you
to watch...
Alternately known as Old Skool, Hardcore or simply Rave Music, Breakbeat Hardcore is the bastard spawn of Chicago Acid House, Dub Reggae and Bomb Squad-style Hip Hop. Here's a slew of videos I've been collecting that showcase the stuff in it's full glory. All Hail YouTube!
JOB, (early 30's) and his boyfriend COREY (late 20's), exit
the theatre amidst the late-night crowds of tourists, all
looking downward at the celebrity-made prints in the sidewalk
panels.
This week I happened to receive new music by Elektrons, a Manchester-based duo who've recently released their second single, and it's one that has shot to the top of my chart - I've been humming it all week!
"Dirty Basement" features Eska, a vocalist who's worked extensively in the Broken Beat world with the likes of Bugz in the Atticand I. G. Culture, often the highlight of the songs she's singing, as is the case with the majority of Culture's vastly overlooked New Sector Movements album Turn It Up. She is wicked, and this is no exception. The staccato verses sound like she's channeling Missy Elliot a bit but once she really starts singing, it's purely Eska.
Elektrons are also known as eclectic DJ crew The Unabombers and throw an internationally-known club night called The Electric Chair (popular enough that they have their own CD compilations) that's been turning folks on to its varied music policy of fun, funky and leftfield dance tunes since 1995. Made up of Justin Crawford and Luke Cowdrey, the Unas both have a long history in music, with Crawford being behind jazzy downtempo act Only Child on Mark Rae's Grand Central Records as well as bassist for Madchester dance-rockers New FastAutomatic Daffodils (who are due for a major revival any day now - you heard it here first).
So I don't know if you all are fans of Lester Bangs or not, but I am a huge fan. Lester Bangs kinda sorta "invented" rock journalism as we know it today. He was a passionate and talented fellow, who took his inspiration from the Beats and from nyquil, among other things. In his pieces he rambles from one brilliant point to another, all the while insulting everyone possible and tearing down your expectations. He's also incredibly tender about the things that have really moved him.
My favorite piece he ever wrote is, not coincidently, about one of my favorite records: Astral Weeksby Van Morrison. You can check out the entire piece he wrote here. (And you should.)
Lester's writing style can't be beat in my book. It's so upsetting that he died so young, pretty much burned himself out, cause it would be so fantastic to have him here today, railing against the dull- as- tombs stuff that passes for music writing these days. It would be so interesting to hear his take on the world we have now, a world in which the internet (here we are) means that anything, any bit of information or connection we want we can have at our fingertips, instead of that long, weary and ultimately rewarding search we used to have. I think if he was here lester would still see and point out the beauty in that brand of now- old-fashioned journey.
The 1970s were a great time for the airplane thriller genre. Kick started by the multi-Oscar nominated Airport, flights ruled the air and the silver screen. However, by the time The Concorde... Airport '79 rolled around, the series was verging on self parody, leading to the seeming conclusion of the genre, Airplane!
Surprisingly, the success of Turbulence in the home video market brought engines roaring back to rental stores across the country, spawning the release of dozens of nearly identical new entries into the Airplane Terror field.
Rough Air follows the genre conventions closely. Eric Roberts is a disgraced pilot called in for one last flight. Alexandra Paul is his former lover / head flight attendant. The routine international flight hits a patch of ROUGH AIR when (first) the plane is depressurized after the cargo hatch is torn from the plane, (second) hits a brutal oceanic storm, (third) is hit by lightning causing massive computer malfunction, (fourth) the prisoner being transported back to the states to stand trial as the Internet Murderer (!!) gets loose planning to hijack the plane, and (fifth) the plane passes the half way point of the flight signalling there is NO TURNING BACK ! Thankfully, the passengers include an airplane repairman on his honeymoon, a European soccer star (hellbent on making the sport bigger than baseball - take that Beckham!), and the aforementioned Internet Murderer (who happens to not only have a pilot's license but also a heart of gold!). Director Jon Cassar brings an air of respectability (almost) and excitement to this cliched affair, just as he would do several years later as the coproducer / director of the hit show 24.
JOB, (early 30's) sits at his desk. A BLACK CAT is curled in
his lap.
He's listening to music on shuffle; a new song playing every
few minutes or so. Currently playing is an early song by
Front 242 from their album "Geography", located in the
Gothic/Industrial section of Amoeba Music.
He's typing out his latest blog, in screenplay format.
In the time it takes him to describe the music that's
playing, it switches to a track from Clinic's latest effort,
"Visitations"; an album he is still exploring and enjoying,
though it doesn't immediately rock his world like their
impish, catchy and pithy album "Walking With Thee", located
in the Rock/Pop section of Amoeba Music; an album which
samples one of his heroes, Laurie Anderson, also found in
that section.
The Employee Interview
Second Edition: M. Nero Nava
3 + years at Amoeba
Floor Gent
Q: What was the first music you remember hearing as a kid, before you had a choice?
M.N.N: The first song I remember was Blondie's "Heart of Glass."
Q: How have your parents' musical choices affected your musical tastes?
They affected me a lot because my dad likes blues music, which got me into R&B, and my mom used to be a goth chick, so my aesthetic leanings were more towards post punk and all that stuff. But of course I rebelled as a teen and I listened to hip hop.
Q: What has been the biggest musical influence on your life?
Probably my mom. She laid the foundation with bands like the Cure, David Bowie, Lou Reed.
All those R&B chicks that have one good song and they have one name: Kelis, Aaliyah, Ciara, Amerie. Q: What's the last concert you went to? What was the first concert you went to?
First concert: Jefferson Starship at Great America.
Last concert: I saw Prince for my 46th time.
.
Q: When did you start playing music and why?
When i was 16 I started playing keyboards, then I sold my sampler and bought a guitar when I was 18. I wanted to play because girls like that and I'm funky.
the full length album by the Love of Diagrams "Mosaic."
I love this album! Ever since I first heard their ep a couple of months ago, I have been obsessed. And patiently waiting for the release of the full length. While this is their first album out in the US, they have one previous in their native Australia, "The Target is You." But it is all about Mosaic.
Love of Diagrams have been around since 2001, but are finally making their way to a US audience. The band is made up of two awesome ladies, Monika Fikerle and Antonia Sellbach, and one dude, Luke Horton. I don't know what it is, but I love bands with both dudes and ladies singing back and forth at each other. It just makes the songs more interesting by combining two different perspectives.
You can easily mistake them for a late 70s/early 80s no wave band. They have the post punk sound of similar bands like Erase Errata. Bands like these often do not hide their influences, it seems to have gotten to a point where bands are torn apart for being too obvious with their influences. But I really think it has almost reached a point where everything has been done. Every band name has been taken and every sound reinvented. But I don't really care about any of this.
Love of Diagrams simply makes me wanna dance and gets me more excited than most bands have the ability to do. It 's the kind of album I want to start over before it's even finished the first time. They have a great raw energy on this album, similar to early Siouxsie albums. You seriously need to go check out this album. You can always start with the ep, if you a scared to commit to an entire album.
Here is a video if you need some more convincing....
There are three things you need to know about DJ Sloe Poke: 1. He doesn’t mess around with any of the artsy stuff. 2. You won’t hear him tactlessly scratching and 3. He goes to a club to rock it.
What makes Sloe Poke one of L.A. ’s best DJ’s is that he can spin several styles of music with ease. Sloe Poke attributes his skills to the years of spinning for people with diverse tastes, ages and cultures. Most DJ’s can spin two or three different genres of music but get lost when it comes to Latin music. This is where Sloe Poke excels. He’s the kind of DJ that can entice the older generation to go out on the dance floor and put a younger crowd to shame. He can mix a Salsa classic like Joe Arroyo’s “Rebelion” with Celso Pina’s Sonidero hit, “Cumbia Sobre El Rio,” then follow those songs with Thalia’s poppy, “Piel Morena” and Frankie Cutlass’ club fave, “Puerto Rico,” making it all flow together somehow.
Because of Sloe Poke’s range, he can spin almost anywhere in the city. Besides being a resident DJ at places like Little Temple and the Rhythm Lounge, he spins at clubs like Sonido, playing Dub, Dancehall & Lover’s Rock. At the Root Down on Thursday nights he plays funk alongside some of L.A. ’s best funk DJ’s. At ¡DESCARGA! Sloe Poke keeps the floor moving with Salsa, Merengue & Cumbia. When he’s DJing at The House of Blues in San Diego, he compliments whatever act is headlining. He has opened for shows as diverse as Mos Def, David Lee Roth, Yellowman & Jaguares. It really doesn’t matter who or what genre Sloe Poke is spinning for -- he always has the perfect mix.
1979. Drugs are taking over a small California town. An unknown karate killer is slowly picking off a team of undercover narcotics agents. What will the harried police chief & his misfit band of officers do ?
Hire local martial arts champion Matt Logan (CHUCK NORRIS) to teach them how to FIGHT BACK, that's what ! But the drug cartel (and their skateboarding dealers) get more than they bargained for when they kill Logan's adopted son - they soon have to deal with a vengeful FORCE OF ONE !
Teamed up with sexy sidekick Jennifer O'Neill (Scanners), Chuck Norris presents one of his more entertaining '70s flicks, though the PG rating robs any hopes of nudity or extreme violence covering the affair with a sort of tv movie vibe. Still, director Paul (Deadly Force!!) Aaron keeps things moving and thoughts away from the seeming ineptitude of the police department.
Joni Mitchell is killing me lately, just killing me.
Ever since I picked up these new Dick Cavett Show box sets that are out and watched the Rock Icons Collection, my interest in Joni has been re-established. The very first episode in the set is the "Woodstock Episode," literally taped the morning Hendrix ripped the sh*t out of the national anthem. The show features Jefferson Airplane, Joni and (in place of Hendrix) Stephen Stills and David Crosby, still covered in mud.
Although the entire show is fantastic to watch, it's Joni Mitchell that affects me the most. It's obvious that Cavett is enraptured with her, and it's easy to see why. Draped in green velvet, with her young, open face and unbelievably crafted songs, she's a mind bender. There's no one else like her, is there?
The expressions on her face while she performs her song "Willy," a song she says is "for my man and for the moon," are so gorgeous-- she's living her way through the song, lost in her own memories and thoughts. You can see the spark lit on her face throughout the performance and just like the line in the song it is "like a shiny light breaking in a storm."
I've watched it several times through, over and over. The optimism and honesty doesn't live just on her face, it permeates the entire program and seems so foreign to me and to my experience processing much of the music released and performed on tv these days. For some reason, we can't afford to be that optimistic anymore? All I can say is when it's there, it's beautiful to watch.
OK...there are some exciting new release out today for you all...
First up is the new Blonde Redhead "23" and it has nothing to do with that horrible new Jim Carrey movie that already disappeared. It's been about 3 years since their last album "Misery is a Butterfly." This is their second album for 4AD. However, it has much more in common with the album before "Misery" which was "Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons." "Misery" was a bit forgettable. Still good, but it did not remain in my head for days later after listening to it. I still can just think of "Melody" for just a second and conjure up all the great amazing and tragic memories all tied up with that album. I seriously listened to that album every day for months. It was just that good.
Blonde Redhead has always been good. The band is made up of Kazu Makino and the scary twins Simone and Amedeo Pace. I only say scary, because twins tend to scare me, although I am also strangely intrigued by them. The band is usually made up of just vocals, drums, and guitar. The vocals are amazing on their albums. I often have to go read the lyrics to be able to follow along. The songs alternate between male and female vocals, kind of like a combination of Versus and Dead Can Dance. It's amazing to have an album this good, seven albums into their existence. Again, I find myself addicted to Blonde Redhead. I can't stop listening to this album. It quickly draws you in and there is really no going back.
......well, maybe not exactly, but there are some major similarities.
Mainly, that I eat up both programs with a spoon. They are both so light, so fresh, so speedy and zeitgeist-y. They are both addicting. When I watch either show, I am drawn in so quickly because the dialogue drops so fast and there are tons of in-jokes. Oh, and there's so much eye candy each scene is popping with it. Four friends take on L.A., much like four friends taking on NYC.
Only different.
Boys will be boys, right? I mean, Entourage is very obviously created to appeal primarily to a straight male audience, with all its t&a and constant video game playing. Yet still, it manages to appeal to a "sophisticated" lady like me...not to toot my own horn here, but I think that has something to do with how smart the show is.
Those four guys, Vince, Eric, Turtle and, of course, the luggish Drama, are so danged believable. We all know crews of dudes that are just like them and operate just like them. It's fun to be "in" with a group of friends like that, just as it was when Sex and the City was on and I loved watching the gals sit around the coffee shop table exchanging witticisms.
So I went and saw Grindhouse on Friday at the Bridge. And I knew that I was gonna like it. But I was seriously blown away by how good it was. 10 minutes into the first film by Robert Rodriguez "Planet Terror" I wanted to see it again and was already getting excited about owning the DVD and watching the uncut version. I am a big fan of all the movies that these guys are in love with. It was so great to see them do an excellent job of replicating these movies. There have been so many horrible remakes of horror movies the past couple of years. It has almost made me not want to see these kind of movies anymore. Always so disappointing. But like 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead, I was totally surprised at how great these movies were. I am a big fan of Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under. It was so great to see him in a completely different role in Planet Terror. He was awesome as the hero of the film. Rose McGowan is awesome as well. She has great roles in both films, but really outdoes herself as a one-legged stripper in Planet Terror. It was so great to see both Tom Savini (makeup artist for many of the 80s greats: Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, Creepshow, etc.) and Michael Biehn (star of two of my favorites Terminator and Aliens) as two cops in Planet Terror. The movie was nonstop action and gore. Like nothing I have seen in a long while.
Our favorite electronic/dance music magazine, XLR8R, has just launched XLR8R TV, a weekly (yes, weekly, despite what the image to the left says) video show featuring pieces on music and culture of the type the magazine is famous for keeping up with. In the first two issues, Zion I is intereviewed while we get to check out live footage from DAT Politics in Oakland, CA. Episode 2 sees a camera crew following Carl Craig as he trawls through the bins at San Francisco's esteemed Aquarius Records, showing us some of his favorite albums and critiquing some new stuff too! Future episodes will feature Lindstrøm, Busdriver and more. New shows pop up every Tuesday! The best part: each video is available in four different formats, with streaming as well as downloading options, plus RSS links to add the feeds to your favorite torrent or vidcasting aggregator. We like!
Si Para Usted is a well put together compilation of Cuban artists from 1970-1980. The now legendary artists such as Irakere, Los Van Van and Juan Pablo Torres were the new wave of Cuban music that broke away from the traditional Cuban sound and started their own thing. Influenced by the sounds that were prominent at that time (Jazz, Afro-Beat, Rock, Funk and Brazilian Tropicalia), this compilation shows a hip side of Cuba that may not be known to many people, especially those who think Cuban music is played strictly by little old men dressed in Guayaberas. (Thanks, Wim Wenders & Ry Cooder!)
Here is a video of Irakere playing a red-hot version of “Bacalao Con Pan,” which is the second track on Si Para Usted. The thing that strikes me about the video is that although the Puertorriqueños were already doing this sort of music in New York for many years, Irakere style had an Afro-Beat feel to it. Most of the funkier tracks on this compilation have that same African vibe as well. Also, the drummer is playing on a trap set, which was pretty rare for the time.
"When Tony grows up, he's going to be just like Daddy!"
..... Until then, the best he can do is use psychokinesis to have his toy soldier kill his neighbor:
Did I mention that this film used to be banned as a video nasty in the UK ?
I co-produce a radio show on local community station KUSF called theFriday Night Session. Along with my fellow producers Andrew Jervis and Tomas Palermo, we visit brand new music for two hours every Friday night from 10pm to Midnight. While there's no set music policy, we tend to play jazz, soul, funk, latin, reggae and electronic dance music that is influenced by all those things, including Broken Beat, so-called "Nu-Soul" and Disco.
Last week we were lucky to have Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio One DJ and selector extraordinaire as our special guest. Gilles was in town working on the second volume of his Gilles Peterson Digs America compilation series for Ubiquity Records, as well as to DJ at local superclub Ruby Skye, but still found the time to kick it with us at the KUSF studio in SF's Western Addition.
Over a killer falafel plate from Haight Street'sBlue Front Cafe and a wonderful bottle of wine, Gilles took us on a tour of his record box for two hours, while regaling us with tales of being a globetrotting DJ. Inbetween sips of cabernet, Gilles managed to play us a diverse selection of tunes ranging from latin jazz from artists like Tito Puente and Ray Camacho to more contemporary jams from Louie Vega and Simbad.
A direct descendent of American Bandstand, and the older, cooler cousin of Dance Party USA, Detroit's own televised dance show The Scene ran from the mid-70's until the late 80's, giving local urban teens a place to strut their stuff and be seen by nearly everyone in the metro area - literally. The show's popularity was so high at its peak that its ratings outshined all competitors, including the six o'clock news. The Scene was the focal point for local kids, as is evident by the enthusiasm of these young dudes:
More pertinent to this blog (and interesting to me) is that The Scene was popular during the birth and growth of Detroit's last enduring gift to the world: Techno.
The show aired on Detroit's only black-owned TV station, WGPR, and had its roots in the swinging disco Seventies, as you can see in this short piece from Detroit local news:
As disco "died", it was replaced by electro, boogie, and the eurodisco now commonly referred to as Italo-disco in the early Eighties. Its use of synthesizers would directly influence Detroit's black youth, not to mention the Belleville Techno triumvirate of Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. Case in point: Scene-sters dancing suavely to Kano's "I'm Ready".
Less than a month before Lethal Weapon would change buddy cop film history, Cannon Films unleashed its own brand of black & white justice. Starring Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds, Massacre at Central High, Revenge of the Cheerleaders) & Billy Dee Williams (Empire Strikes Back, Colt 45) as mismatched police partners tackling crime on the mean streets of LA & corruption in their own precinct! Williams is Hazeltine, a smooth ladies man, always on the prowl. Carradine is Berzak (aka Berzerk), a renegade mad dog who eats RAW MEAT (!!!) when he's not busy trying to throw a monkey wrench into Hazeltine's love plans. Peter Graves (Airplane, Mission:Impossible) is the tough police captain who doesn't take any guff! And Valerie Bertinelli (Touch By An Angel) is Berzak's estranged wife, torn between her former lover and some guy who drives a red sports car. They all collide in what my roomate deemed "Number Awesome With A Fuck Yeah!"
[Doris Roberts (the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond) is in the flick as Berzak's nagging mother... but I couldn't bring myself to post a picture]
Andrew Meecham is The Emperor Machine, one of the best producers working in electronic music at the moment. A soundclash between influences as diverse as Can, early Human League, Hawkwind, George Clinton and Kraftwerk, Meecham's Krautrock-Disco bubbles and squeaks with analogue rock intensity while remaning funky enough to get your groove on.
Meecham started out in seminal 90's house/rave group Bizarre Inc. alongside Carl Tuner and Dean Meredith. They had a string of hits including "Playing With Knives" and "I'm Gonna Get You", both of which charted in the UK (the former hit #3, the latter #4) as well as the US (#47), and both are considered "club classics".
"Playing With Knives":
"I'm Gonna Get You" (one of my personal favorites):
After their second album, 1996's Surprise, was commercially disappointing, Bizarre Inc. disappeared until 1999, when Meredith and Meecham resurfaced with Steve "Fella" Kotey as Chicken Lips. Since then, it's been full steam ahead, with the boys finding a home at DC Recordings (scheduled to have its own Technophilia post anytime soon) as Big Two Hundred, aka "the dark side of Chicken Lips", and two side projects: Meredith as White Light Circus and Meecham as TEM.
Perfect for a Boards of Canada video, I've imagined the children who are at the Oracle's house in The Matrix playing with the Tangible Sequencer in these youtube videos:
Sadly, it seems that director Bob Clark & his son died today in a Santa Monica car crash.
You can read the AP obituary here.
Clark may have reached mainstream fame as the director of A Christmas Story but he'll forever live in the hearts of Video Maniacs everywhere as the filmmaker behind Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Black Christmas, and Porky's. He will be sorely missed!
Finally!!! Twin Peaks Season 2 is now available. It just came out this week. It has been over 5 years since Season 1 came out on DVD! Like many of you, I sold my vhs box set years ago in anticipation of the release of this show on DVD. I am so excited I now get to revisit my favorite show and watch it all from the beginning. David Lynch is a genius and was really able to show the world just how brilliant he was with this amazing ground breaking television show. Season 2 originally aired in the 1990/1991 season. While the 1st season only had 8 episodes, season 2 had a full season of episodes with 22. This was the year it was nominated for some Soap Opera Digest Awards.
Sheryl Lee was nominated for best death scene as Maddie Ferguson. And I have to agree...she was amazing. She was brilliant in her second role in the series as Laura Palmer's strangely almost identical nerdy cousin. Kyle Maclachlan and Piper Laurie were both nominated for outstanding acting. The show was nominated for outstanding Prime Time Show. It won no Soap Opera Digest Awards but did walk away with a couple Golden Globes. Amazingly the Soap Opera Digest Awards still happen. However last year was the first year it was not televised and it went straight to magazine. Not a good sign for the future of the awards show.
So the other night I got to see local San Fran band the Dilettantes kick and shake some rock and roll booty at the Cafe du Nord.
There aren't so many actual rock n roll bands right now in San Francisco, and taking in the energy and attitude of the Dilettantes made me remember why I like good ol' rock n roll so much in the first place.
The band is centered around Mr Joel Gion, formerly of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. In case you missed the fantastic documentary Dig, which came out a couple of years ago, chronicling the band's years-long troubles with labels and the law (not to mention rival band the Dandy Warhols), Joel's a tambourine player. If you did happen to see the flick, you'll easily remember Joel. He's the one who dumps a drink down his pants. You know, that guy. He's also the best tambourine player you'll ever see. The guy has the magic touch, no joke! He is the tambourine player, of course, in the Dilettantes, but he has taken his natural charisma up a notch now and is also a Lou Reed-esque vocalist. His stage presence is something to behold, full of appropriate and highly enjoyable rock n roll posturing and skill.
The two guitarists, Jefferson Parker and Brock Galland, also trade off singing different songs to great effect. Jefferson's soloing skills are amazing-- remember when American indie bands had crazy epic guitar solos with effects peddles and feedback? I sure do. This guy's got it down.
Reposting the newest communique from my local heroes, The So Bad It's Good Film Festival:
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Now April is here!
Come out to the Vista this month to check out Lady Terminator!
LADY TERMINATOR
Vista Theater
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles 90027
Friday April the 27th at MIDNIGHT
Admission $10 - Cash only
This enjoyable 'Terminator' rip-off is about a young anthropologist who becomes possessed and goes on a sexual killing spree. If the bad dubbing and stolen 'Terminator' moments don't grab you, why don't you check out the trailer on our myspace page. I dare you...
More details and a bad-ass flyer coming soon...
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No club or bar frequented by Latinos would be the same without it. Neither would any wedding reception, quinceañera or backyard party. In fact, if you were to drive through the L.A. barrios, my guess is that you would hear the song at some point in your journey.
Celia Cruz’s “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” was originally released in 1998 and it hasn’t left the dance floor since. The song was an international hit for both Celia Cruz and for recent Cuban expatriate Isaac Delgado, who released his version in 1999. Isaac’s slightly melancholy version is good but Celia’s version is bombastic. It maybe pop music but it’s good pop music. The horn lines are catchy to point that you will be humming them all day. The tempo is perfect. Not too fast for novice dancers and not too slow for the experts. It is a song that mixes well with other forms of Latin music. I’ve have heard versions done in Reggaeton, Banda, Cumbia, & Merengue style.
Then there is the chorus. It is the chorus that hits home for most people.
Ay, no ha que llorar,
Que la vida es un carnaval,
Es mas bello vivir cantando.
Oh, oh, oh, Ay, no hay que llorar,
Que la vida es un carnaval
Y las penas se van cantando.
Which roughly translates to:
Ay, no need to cry
Life is a carnival
It's sweeter to live singing
Oh-oh-oh ay, no need to cry
For life is a carnival
And singing relieves the pain
“La Vida Es Un Carnaval” makes me think of people I used to work with in the factories in my teens. My co-workers were mostly undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Central America and the Philippines. Most of them came to the U.S. to make money to send back home. Some escaped from the wars in Central America during the 80’s. Others saw no future where they were and came to the U.S. to try something new. Regardless why they came, they had to give up family and homeland to come here and work.
While the front of the dvd marks director Andrew Davis' key work as The Fugitive (1993), we here at Video Maniacs beg to differ. Even a cursory look at his IMDb profile finds a wealth of trash film treasure!
1972 cinematographer for the Paul Bartel cult classic for perverts, Private Parts
1976 cinematographer for Mansion Of The Doomed aka Eyes of Dr. Chaney / Eyes of the Living Dead / House of Blood / Massacre Mansion / etc.
1979 cinematographer for the coming of age masterpiece Over The Edge
1983 directed The Final Terror, a backwoods slasher notable for early film appearances of Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Adrien Zmed & Joe Pantoliano
1984 cinematographer for the legendary Hollywood teenage prostitute Angel
1985 directed Code of Silence, one of Chuck Norris' 3 films from 1985 (with Invasion USA & Missing In Action 2)
1988 directed Above the Law, Steven Seagal's film debut !! thanks andrew !
1992 directed Under Siege, the definitive Steven Seagal pic. aka Die Hard on a boat.
As for Chain Reaction, it's a typical mid 90s actioner with the standard twists & turns. Basically a Fugitive redux, the plot hinges on the fact that Rachel Weisz & Keanu Reeves are brilliant physicists. She, maybe. Him, probably not. And before any of you smart alecs write in, I know Keanu's character is technically a grad student machinist.... but screw that, he figures out the key to generating a safe, easy & unlimited amount of energy from hydrogen.... therefore he's a scientist.
You might as well know this early on my postings: there is no music I like better than Neil Young's music.
Like any good Rustie, I already had some of the bootlegs from his solo acoustic 1971 tour, and have practically worn out the tapes and vinyl over the years. This tour in 1971 came at a particularly prolific moment in Young's life. He had released After the Goldrush, one of his very best, and was done writing Harvest, widely regarded as his career best. (Although to me that's a debatable call.) Since at the time it had not been released, the songs from Harvest were completely new to the audience during the performance. As someone who has been listening to Harvest for 27 years, this is both difficult and also very exciting to imagine.
So, a few weeks ago on March 13, again like any good Rustie, I got ahold of the official release of Live at Massey Hall(the special version of course, including the dvd) as quickly as I could.
It rules.
The dvd is mostly footage from the show at Massey Hall, but it also includes vintage super 8 footage of Neil on his then newly-purchased ranch in Woodside with his dogs, fences and dappled light. The images only enhance the warm quality the music already exudes.
I'm not really one to use the word peaceful. I don't
own a yoga mat. But this footage, this voice,
these songs, made me feel just that-- peacefully at home. I guess that's in large part because I grew up with Neil Young's music, was taught to sing harmony by my mom to his songs, was quizzed while a child as to who was guesting on his albums and where they were recorded. I remember our green station wagon and those long family drives to Yosemite, rocking the Neil all the way, dad drumming along on the steering wheel.
OK everybody, it's April. I'm not sure how 3 months already passed by this year, but they did. Today is a Tuesday, which means another street date. So every Tuesday I'm gonna discuss the new releases that are coming out -- at least the important releases. or at least what is important to me...which may not be important to you...but it should be. As far as music goes, there is not a whole lot out today.
But most important is the new album by Jarvis CockerJarvis. I have loved Jarvis for a long long time now, but I have to admit that I had not paid much attention to him lately. After Pulp broke up in 2002 I never thought Jarvis would be able to put out anything nearly as interesting or fun as those Pulp albums. Back in the 90s I wore out my old Pulp albums: His 'n' Hers (1994), Different Class (1995), and This is Hardcore (1998). These 3 albums have all been reissued as deluxe versions. They are available now as imports but I'm sure they will be out soon domestically, especially now with the domestic release of his excellent solo album.
It's been over 12 years since Different Class came out. Seriously, one of the best albums of the 90s! I danced many nights at Pop Scene to Pulp along with Blur, Oasis, and Suede. This album made Pulp huge stars both in their native England and in the U.S. and this album blew me away. It was just one of those albums you can't get enough of. I could never hear "Mis-shapes," "Common People," or "Disco 2000" too many times, and it seemed like most friends I had at the time agreed with me. This album came out when Brit pop was one of the most popular styles of music. They were on the cover of all the music magazines and everyone was talking about them. 1995 was the year Blur's Great Escape and the Oasis album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? came out. Suede's Dog Man Star was released the year before, just as Jarvis is now releasing his solo album ...
TOM, early 30's, fit, exits the house from a sliding glass
door to the backyard swimming pool. He wears swimming trunks
and a T-shirt that reads "ABOUT TO BE TOSSED".
He removes shirt and walks on to the diving board.
He dives in.
I/E. POOL - CONTINUOUS
UNDERWATER SHOT.
Tom swims down, down, down.
He keeps swimming downwards; the pool is impossibly deep and
he never reaches bottom.
It was so nice for Patrick Wolf to wait until my birthday to release his new album "The Magic Position" here in the states. Or I guess I should say, that it was nice for his label to wait until the 1st of May. It has been out for a month or 2 already in the UK, so I have already spent some quality time with it. This is Patrick's 3rd album and first since his departure with the excellent label Tomlab. "The
Magic Position" is if nothing else, one of the best album covers of the year. While one would think Patrick would be maturing and using more adult imagery on his albums. He has gone the opposite direction as a man child on a sort of magical merry go round, dressed like a 10 year old having his cowboy theme birthday party. Or maybe he was just planning this all along for my birthday celebration. I did have an outfit very similar to that on my tenth birthday. Unfortunately my mom would not let me get away with that hair color until I was in high school. Whatever you may think of the album cover, there is no denying it is a unique and brave idea. Much like the music you will find inside.
bit about this before it came out and was very intrigued. I then got the album and was hooked immediately. I slowly spread the word of the greatness of Mr. Wolf. Of course, he is not for everyone. I carefully chose the friends to share him with. He was like my little secret obsession. His music is sort of a combination of the dramatics of Kate Bush, Xiu Xiu, and Erasure mixed with the bookish intelligence of
Morrissey and Idlewild mixed with the electronicness of Aphex Twin with a bit of classical thrown in, He does not mess around with his lyrics either. He takes himself quite seriously on the musical journey of his albums. He seems to be from a different time. A Futuristic Past, if that even makes sense. Patrick takes you gently by the hand and forces you into his magical land of wolves and dreams. 
I have a slight problem. I am addicted to collecting DVDs. I seriously can't stop. There are worse things I'm sure. So I get very excited when my favorite movies get released in special edition boxsets with lots of bonus features and great packaging, It is very exciting for me to bring home my new DVD and open it up to see what excitement waits me inside. I
am also addicted to James Bond. Every year when Spike TV has their Bond Marathon, I am glued to the TV. Even if I have just seen them, I can't resist watching them over and over again. So you can understand my excitement when the James Bond series got the deluxe treatment at the end of last year. The 20 films were divided up into 4 box sets, with 5 movies in each box. It would have made sense to put them in order. But then who would have bought vol. 4 if it included just the 4 Pierce Bronson films. These were for sure the worst of the bunch. Daniel Craig thankfully stepped in to save 
the series with the 2006 reinvention of the series "Casino Royale." I have always loved Roger Moore and Sean Connery. Never really able to decide which I like better. They are just different. One is not really better than the other. Sean Connery is of course the original Bond, but Roger Moore is the Bond I grew up with in the 80s. Seriously, how can you pick between "Goldfinger"(Connery) and "Diamonds are Forever"(Moore) or "You Only Live Twice"(Connery) and "Octopussy"(Moore). And while George Lazenby is not usually the Bond of choice for many, his film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" remains my absolute favorite.
avorite thing at the moment.
A couple of nights ago we headed on
down to the bottom of the hill to see 
place kind of away from everyting else but not too far away to be really far away. It often gets a bit too crowded on sold out nights but I still love it. It is very intimate and you can see the stage even if its crowded. It also has a great backyard where I have spent many nights smoking with friends. Even though there is no more smoking for me, I still enjoy heading to the back with my friends to talk and catch up with their lives. I seriously think the bottom of the hill backyard might be one of my favorite places in the world!
I have already seen them at smaller places like Great American Music Hall and Bottom of the Hill, so Bimbo's had to be next. This has got to be my favorite venue in the city. It also has a great history. 
The club was originally opened in 1935, originally called the 365 Club, on 365 Market St. It moved to Columbus St. in 1951. The man who opened the club was nicknamed "Bimbo," the Italian word for boy. There has been crazy events there over the years and many people have had their weddings there. So it has a crazy history kind of feeling when you are in there. Like you can feel all the stories coming out of the walls. And unlike the Warfield, the people who work there are actually nice. 
So I guess I should talk about the show. But before I continue, have you seen Blonde Redhead's 
hell you're singing about unless you're 
mouth of 
Diamanda Galas
Some really great albums come out today. One of my favorites gets reissued today. "Quique" by 
perfect bridge for me to get into techno. I had been listening to lots of shoegaze music like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, and My Bloody Valentine. This album had the feeling of those albums but also with a brand new exciting feel to it. The guitars were not as loud and the music had a soothing ambient feel to it. The vocals were not the focus and many songs were simply instrumental. The amazing "Polyfusia," a compilation of earlier eps was released the next year in 1994. Seefeel formed in 1992 in London. The band is made of of Mark Clifford, Sarah Peacock, Justin Fletcher, and Daren Seymour. After the band signed to Warp in 1994, their sound became even more electronic as the guitars disappeared.
The Discovery channel has recently been showing the nature documentary 
Some nature "Attenborough" purists are very upset about this change. I think Sigourney's voice is perfect and she does a great job. This series is absolutely amazing. The shots captured will seriously take your breath away. The show is also broadcast for High Definition. In addition, the DVD will be issued as a Blu-Ray and HD DVD. It is seriously making me consider get a High Definition TV and DVD player. But even for those of us that still have the basic set up, the show is worth investing in. 
These shows were the kind of shows broadcast on PBS in the 80s. My dad watched these
shows quite frequently and I was often forced to watch them as well. Although, I quickly became interested in the shows as I realized how awesome they were. This was a world you could not quite see at your local zoo. It was amazing to see these environments that I would never see up close and personal. The earth we live on is so vast and interesting. The animals on it so intricately connected. But most of all, what made me obsessed with these shows, was the narration by the great David Attenborough. There is something about his voice that draws you in to the world he is describing. He often was actually there in the shots interacting with the environment and animals. In this recent series, there is no interaction. It is simply beautiful shots on land and in water with perfect narration. 
One of my favorites has recently been upgraded to a special edition DVD. 
making of the film, "The House that Freddy Built" - documentary on New Line cinema, and "Night Terrors" - the origins of Wes Craven's nightmares. Also includes a great audio commentary with director Wes Craven, stars Heather Langenkamp and the great John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin. The DVD also includes alternate endings and a fun trivia game to play. This is enough extra stuff to make your purchase of this DVD totally necessary. But it also includes "InfiniFilm" interactive features. You can watch the film normally or with pop-up prompts. The prompts allow you to access great extra bonus footage and trivia. 
Nightmare on Elm Street was originally released in 1984. Wes Craven was already becoming famous for his horror movies. He already directed "The Last House on the Left," "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Swamp Thing." Nightmare one Elm Street was not the first horror franchise series. Halloween was already well on its way with 3 movies and Friday the 13th was on to its fourth. But there was something special about Nightmare on Elm Street. The villains in Halloween and Friday the 13th were basically serial killer types basically acting out on their revenge issues against teens who had sex. However Freddy Kruger was different. But again it dealt with revenge. He was a child molester and killer burned alive by a group of parents. He had some how come back to haunt the children of
those parent in their dreams. But he could actually kill them in their dreams. The kids must learn to "never sleep again" or battle Freddy in their dreams. 
news and being blandly told so called facts. 
r Miss Bjork on her upcoming tour for two whole dates:
ar Joanna's new ep that is coming out next Tuesday on 
s, Nash and Young, Michael Bolton, etc etc. All the greats. Anyway, I am waiting with most eager anticipation for this latest release, and will give a full report as soon as I hear it. Oh yeah, it's also gonna have some live tracks from the Ys tour and including her crackerjack band of Miss Katie Hardin, Mr Neal Morgan, Mr Kevin Barker, Mr Ryan Francesconi, and Mr Dan Cantrell. Seeing the Ys songs performed live was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had at a show-- this band cooks! And so do the songs. Hopefully everyone's heard Joanna's Ys by now; if not, you are coo coo-- go check it out immediately! Bjork's new album Volta comes out May 7. All of this gives me so much to look forward to!
also melancholic. I guess that is part of why I connect this record with an autumnal feeling-- it's that bittersweetness that comes over me about every September as the seasons change. That said, there is optimism and hope on the record too, esp in "This Will Be Our Year" and "I Want Her She Wants Me," two more favorite cuts of mine. Right now and for the past year or so my favorite song on Odyssey and Oracle is the bizarro "Changes." It's got overwhelmingly huge choruses with swirly harmonies and odd yet evocative lyrics describing a girl from the past who wears "strawberry clothes"-- it's all hung together strangely and yet it works and stands out. Clearly "Time of the Season" is the most famous track on the record, but I tend to forget it is even there, coming as it does at the very end of the whole eloquent thing. It's like a little extra treat after you've heard and digested all these other wonderfully melodic nuggets. Yeah the Zombies were kinda obviously trying to be the Beatles (the record was made in 1967 after all, same as Sgt. Pepper)...but they did a great job of constructing a gorgeous pop album all their own.
remastering. It's also always fun to rediscover your old favorites with new bonus tracks and added video content. The packaging is also usually redone and made all fancy. This last couple years has seen the reissue of the entire 
First up is Construction Time Again. This album was originally released in 1983. This was their third album, following A Broken Frame. It was always easy to remember the order of the early album because construction obviously follows something that is broken! While they had started to make an impact in the U.S., they were still not to the point of playing stadiums quite yet. This album has a slightly more industrial feel to it. It includes more samples than their albums had before. This album included some of my favorites, "More Than a Party", "Everything Counts" and "And Then..." Alan Wilder had joined the band as a full time member at this point. He even wrote the environmentally friendly song "The Landscape is Changing." He joined Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher. Depeche Mode were now the band they would be all the way through Songs of Faith and Devotion. All of their albums were really their own thing. And they all still hold up today. They were breakthrough at the time and are still influencing bands today.
So last week was a bit busier and next week will again be super busy. But these things come in waves. Just two albums coming out today worth talking about. I will not be wasting your time talking about the new Avril Lavigne. So I am totally impressed with this dude: it seemed like he was off taking a long break for a while, but then he put out a great new album a couple years ago, With Teeth. It kind of surprised me.
Hate Machine on TVT records, an album that basically invented a whole new type of music. It also had a huge influence on many bands. I know many people who still regard it as one of their favorites. He made industrial music that was more accessible and catchy than most. The songs actually kind of flowed and had lyrics that made sense. His albums are always dark and futuristic. This new album will for sure not upset any of his fans. Year Zero is dark, intense and brilliant.
David remains at the Connor house. Jackie and Fred have problems and split up. Becky and Mark move out, again. My favorite episode is when some elderly nudists move in next door. Roseanne and Dan can't stop peeping and are eventually confronted by their neighbors. This is also the season where Beverly is arrested for drunk driving. 
Masterson stars as Darlene's new boyfriend Jimmy. And Shelley Winters is as amazing as ever as Bev's mom. Martin Mull and 
hopes for the opening bands since I have had bad experience with the openers there before....Mikey Avalon as an example. So I was ready for 
Chip or Junior Boys, it is fun catchy electro. So I went and picked up their album "Boylife" as soon as I could. And the album is awesome! I can't stop listening to it. The album is full of catchy electro jams such as "What's on Your Mind" and "Wake Up" and "Adore."
Elektrons are also known as eclectic DJ crew 
xpectations. He's also incredibly tender about the things that have really moved him.
that he died so young, pretty much burned himself out, cause it would be so fantastic to have him here today, railing against the dull- as- tombs stuff that passes for music writing these days. It would be so interesting to hear his take on the world we have now, a world in which the internet (here we are) means that anything, any bit of information or connection we want we can have at our fingertips, instead of that long, weary and ultimately rewarding search we used to have. I think if he was here lester would still see and point out the beauty in that brand of now- old-fashioned journey.
The 1970s were a great time for the airplane thriller genre. Kick started by the multi-Oscar nominated 
First concert: Jefferson Starship at Great America.
1979. Drugs are taking over a small California town. An unknown karate killer is slowly picking off a team of undercover narcotics agents. What will the harried police chief & his misfit band of officers do ?
elievably crafted songs, she's a mind bender. There's no one else like her, is there? 
I only say scary, because twins tend to scare me, although I am also strangely intrigued by them. The band is usually made up of just vocals, drums, and guitar. The vocals are amazing on their albums. I often have to go read the lyrics to be able to follow along. The songs alternate between male and female vocals, kind of like a combination of Versus and Dead Can Dance. It's amazing to have an album this good, seven albums into their existence. Again, I find myself addicted to Blonde Redhead. I can't stop listening to this album. It quickly draws you in and there is really no going back.
primarily to a straight male audience, with all its t&a and constant video game playing. Yet still, it manages to appeal to a "sophisticated" lady like me...not to toot my own horn here, but I think that has something to do with how smart the show is. 
believable. We all know crews of dudes that are just like them and operate just like them. It's fun to be "in" with a group of friends like that, just as it was when Sex and the City was on and I loved watching the gals sit around the coffee shop table exchanging witticisms.
Six Feet Under. It was so great to see him in a completely different role in Planet Terror. He was awesome as the hero of the film. Rose McGowan is awesome as well. She has great roles in both films, but really outdoes herself as a one-legged stripper in Planet Terror. It was so great to see both Tom Savini
(makeup artist for many of the 80s greats: Martin, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, Creepshow, etc.) and Michael Biehn (star of two of my favorites Terminator and Aliens) as two cops in Planet Terror. The movie was nonstop action and gore. Like nothing I have seen in a long while.
Our favorite electronic/dance music magazine, 
season. While the 1st season only had 8 episodes, season 2 had a full season of episodes with 22. This was the year it was nominated for some 
strangely almost identical nerdy cousin. Kyle Maclachlan and Piper Laurie were both nominated for outstanding acting. The show was nominated for outstanding Prime Time Show. It won no Soap Opera Digest Awards but did walk away with a couple Golden Globes. Amazingly the Soap Opera Digest Awards still happen. However last year was the first year it was not televised and it went straight to magazine. Not a good sign for the future of the awards show.
So the other night I got to see local San Fran band the Dilettantes kick and shake some rock and roll booty at the Cafe du Nord.
ma up a notch now and is also a Lou Reed-esque vocalist. His stage presence is something to behold, full of appropriate and highly enjoyable rock n roll posturing and skill.
important releases. or at least what is important to me...which may not be important to you...but it should be. As far as music goes, there is not a whole lot out today. 
of the 90s! I danced many nights at Pop Scene to Pulp along with Blur, Oasis, and Suede. This album made Pulp huge stars both in their native England and in the U.S. and this album blew me away. It was just one of those albums you can't get enough of. I could never hear "Mis-shapes," "Common People," or "Disco 2000" too many times, and it seemed like most friends I had at the time agreed with me. This album came out when Brit pop was one of the most popular styles of music. They were on the cover of all the music magazines and everyone was talking about them. 1995 was the year Blur's Great Escape and the Oasis album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? came out. Suede's Dog Man Star was released the year before, just 
as Jarvis is now releasing his solo album ... 
