RIP Slats
To one of the longest lasting Hipsters in Seattle, Goodbye Slats
Sleepy Eyes of Death – “Data Graves”
Seattle’s sentient synth-scholars Sleepy Eyes of Death are prepping for the release of their 2nd full-length, Toward A Damaged Horizon. The album will be available May 4, but the band has upped the first song to their myspace, “Data Graves” (more synthetic/organic dual naming conventions!). Much like previous efforts, the band is still exploring the slow-searing girth of cinematic sonic barrages. I’m more a fan of Street Lights For A Ribcage than Dark Signals, so hopefully the rest of the record follows (cyber)suit.
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The album release show will be at Neumos April 30th, which also happens to be the 31st anniversary of my birth—hey heeeeyyy. Talkdemonic and Feral Children will be providing aural entertainment as well. For shits and grins, here’s the radically sci-fi video for “Final Heart Beats Black” from Dark Signals.
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P.S. For those of you guys who are wondering why all I’ve been posting are videos lately, it’s because LeDoux finally made it so I could post them without his special web assistance. I’m sure the trigger-happiness will subside eventually. Or not.
A brief history of Alex “Fobbs” DiFabio or Why You Might Care What I Have to Say.
I was about 11 terribly wordy words deep into my bio when I realized I can’t write a bio. So instead I asked my good friend Manny to say a few things about me. Since it seems that people are more likely to read lists than a few threatening paragraphs, I told him to come up with 5 interesting things about his good friend Alex. Here is his list:
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1. At age three Alex participated in a government funded genealogical experiment. The main goal was, in short, to turn 3 year-olds into 3 and-a-half-year-olds. The whole process took about 6 months but I’ll be damned if Alex didn’t toddle out of that place a full half year older. So think about this next time you see Alex: that 26 and a half year old is really only 26, but you’d never even know it. Spooky.
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2. While earning a Music Business degree at Indiana University, Alex interned at sister labels Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguar. Sometimes he would show up, sometimes he wouldn’t. It was there that he was granted the enigmatic status for which he so desperately yearned.
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3. Alex cut his teeth as a musician playing the spoons in a tribute band. The band exclusively covered music from the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They called themselves Shitty Shitty Band Band. Reception was mixed.
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4. Alex begins everyday with a mug of Amaretto. It’s a tradition that started while playing on a prison rugby team in southern Italy, it’s actually where I met Alex. He was originally booked for refusing to pee indoors… and he hasn’t since, and he won’t. I once asked him why and he replied, “I mean, how garish is that? Peeing indoors… Who am I, the president?” So if it’s a swordfight you’re looking for, it will have to be a duel alfresco.
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5. I regularly read Alex’s journal. Here is an excerpt from a Christmas entry entitled “Fun with Santa’s Sack”:
So this year I was donned with a few wrapped treasures courtesy of a handful of thoughtful family members. The piece de resistance was my very first iPod which I think officially makes me the only laggard that will never see social security. What should’ve been an apt and useful dowry really only means I damaged my computer trying to use it. So in the box it remains, bereft of a lifetime of sonic supplement due to the ineptitude of its bearer. What came last in the mail was an intriguing artifact leftover from the bygone era of cheeky 1980s cinema: a DVD curiously titled “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.” I was familiar with the work and I must say it piqued my interest as to what led this cousin of mine to settle on such a selection. That he would not only choose for my entertainment a juvenile, mindless tandem such as Bill and Ted, but also opt for the obvious lesser of the series, was quite provoking. Should I be touched that he delved so deeply into the cracks of modern cinema to extract such an obscure title that he thought might fit the recipient? Should I be insulted that he expected this stoner claptrap to appeal to his beloved cousin? For three minutes I stood there mildly bemused by the situation trying to make ends of it all. If I was embarrassed at the possibility of this being a “good gift,” I wouldn’t regain my dignity with what I did next, which was to screen it immediately.
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Wow thanks Manny, you’ve painted such an intimate portrait. This was about as useful as a 50 cent gift card to the dollar store. The bottom line folks, is that I know music, more than I know baseball, and I know Juan Castro’s career stats. I’m appreciative of the opportunity and am looking forward to contributing a new perspective.
The Fierce and the Dead, Gas, Bass, Traffic
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First thing I noticed this morning when leaving Camano Island to head back Seattle way was that I was low on gas. Damn. There between the odometer and the speedometer, the gas light was on. That wasn’t good. I had a 10:00 meeting with a client down in Redmond, and it was already 8:45. I’d wanted to take a leisurly drive south and listen to the 19 minute experimental opus from the English band The Fierce and The Dead and gather my thoughts about it in order to pen them here. Instead, I’d be fighting time, pushing the gas pedal, checking the rearview for cops. If the music was good, it would distract me from all that. Good music can distract from anything. It demands focus. That’s why I don’t listen to music while programming because I’ll do just that. I’ll listen. And then of course I’ll pick up the guitar or the bass and play along while thinking, “Work? What work?” I popped the CD in and drove on out planning to make a quick stop for gas before I got to the highway.
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A vibrating guitar note came in as I sped down a back road toward the Shell station. Then there was a bass playing E notes, octaves, low-low-high, bum bum buuuum, bum bum buuuum. I drove faster. I would be cutting it too close given the hour drive in good traffic. If rush hour didn’t cooperate I could end up with one less client. Given that I’ve just struck out on my own in private web development, losing a client would not be a good thing. I know, I know, then why the hell was I leaving so late? Set the alarm, get up early, and get a move on, right? Well, I’d been up late working on the new mix for my own band and answering an email from a certain woman, both very necessary things no matter the hour or the obligations of the following morning. I finished the email just before 2:00 A.M., re-read it, and sent it on its way. I then went to bed thinking about that woman, amazed at how the smile of another person can be permanently lodged there just behind the eyes. By 2:30 I was asleep, and preoccupied as I had been with that smile, the alarm/cellphone right there next to the bed was not set.
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The bass notes continued and the guitar continued wailing and vibrating. One thing inevitable came to mind, Pink Floyd’s Careful With That Axe Eugene. This tune was faster, but the the influence was obvious, and I mean that in a good way. I’m quite fond of Pink Floyd’s older trippy psychedelic stuff. I’m the guy who put on A Saucerful of Secrets (for the faint of heart check it out from the 5:25 point of the video) once at a frat party, not my frat mind you, and was surprised that Pink Floyd got five minutes into their space and noise before someone said, “What the fuck is this?” I pulled into the Shell and got out with the idea to just pay ten in cash and be quickly in my way. I went into the station thinking of The Fierce and the Dead and Pink Floyd and gave ten to the cashier, “Ten on pump four, please. Thanks.” The woman working took the money without saying anything, and I left without waiting for a receipt. As I walked back to the car, I had that bass in my head, bum bum buuuum, bum bum buuuum. I was only a few minutes into the 19 that it was, but it was promising thus far. Thinking such, I got in the car and drove off in a hurry to make my appointment. The song came back on. There was the bass, the guitar. The drums came in and the bass started to descend a little between the low E notes. As I got to the highway, my fears became reality. There was traffic, heavy and languid, that lurched along at intervals of feet and inches. Like the bartender at The Monkey Pub a few weeks ago, it was my turn, “Son of a bitch!”
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Grand Hallway – “Blessed Be, Honey Bee”
This one’s been making the rounds, so I thought I’d throw it up here; mostly because it’s probably the best song on Grand Hallway’s record Promenade. Depending on your opinion, of course.
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The soft-rockin’ chamber-folk ensemble kicks off their spring tour tomorrow night at the Doug Fir in Portland, and includes a stop at SXSW next week. The band’s homecoming is April 8th at the Crocodile with Friday Mile.
Gorillaz Stylo is Freakie Stylie!
2D in 3D, Nitro charged Chevys, Bruce Willis and Bobby Womack? Hell yeah!
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The vid for “Stylo” off the Gorillaz just-released “Plastic Beach” is out and on first glance, I gotta say, it’s kinda creepy. Seeing the Gorillaz crew raging through a landscape in some sort of super-charged monster car is nothing out of the ordinary but taking them out of their normal 2-D animated setting and plopping them Nevada car chase straight out of “Vanishing Point” is a little unsettling. Especially 2D’s empty eyes. Regardless, the video is totally worth the watch, the song is great, and Bobby Womack is the shit.
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My question… where the hell is Russel?
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The band has only the Coachella date confirmed so far, but hopefully more will come soon, inc. a little west-coast love.
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New Liars – Sisterworld
Here’s the new (and deliciously disturbing) video for “Scissor” by the freakazoids in Liars:
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Liars – Scissor – Watch more Videos at Vodpod.
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The rampant drone-rock trio will play Neumos Saturday May 1st with Fol Chen. You can listen to the new album Sisterworld, released yesterday on Mute, over on the band’s myspace. So far, so good. If you like it, I’d recommend picking up the special 2CD version, complete with a visually unique folding-style package and remixes/reinterpretations of the album’s songs by Thom Yorke, Tunde Adebimpe, Devendra Banhart, and Bradford Cox, among others.
BRMC @ the Showbox MKT
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I went down to the Showbox last Friday (3/5) with a couple friends to check out Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The San Francisco band is touring on the heels of their sixth LP, Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, which hits shelves tomorrow. The show was sold out. I’ve been a big fan of BRMC for a long time now—since their first record—and this performance did nothing to change that. I’ll admit that the band is less revelatory to me now than in my younger years but Robert Been and Peter Hayes are nothing if not excellent musicians and songwriters. Critics have long derided their lack of ingenuity—save for Howl, I suppose—but to them I scoff. Their heavy-loaded garage-gaze oscillates among the mysterious, the rebellious, the boot-stompin’, and the stirring. I get thrills watching/listening to them play their instruments every time. Not to be outdone, Been and Hayes played each non-new song with noticeable changes and embellishments that made for little rediscoveries throughout the night. The guys were willing to let the songs linger, too, busting out a few divergent guitar tangents here and there.
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One interesting aspect is the addition of new drummer Leah Shapiro (you might recall she toured with the Raveonettes in 2008 for the Lust Lust Lust album). I’d give her an ‘A’ for her skills, especially given how deep the band delved into their back catalog, but she differed from Nick Jago in content. Where Jago was more apt to take an alternate route, Shapiro seemed to keep time in a more straightforward manner. The band pumped out a cool 24 songs (by my count), leaning heavily on Tattoo and B.R.M.C. Songs from Baby 81 included “Berlin”, “Weapon of Choice” and “666 Conducer”. From Howl, “Ain’t No Easy Way”, “Sympathetic Noose” and “Shuffle Your Feet” were also played.
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I like the new record (you can stream it parts of it over at their myspace), but I don’t think it’ll end up being my favorite. That distinction belongs to Take Them On, On Your Own. “War Machine”, “Mama Taught Me Better”, “Shadow’s Keeper” and the title track are all high quality songs, though. Not to mention the 10-minute (!) opening closing track of “Half-State”. As usual, they didn’t talk to the crowd much (I don’t think Hayes said one word), except when Been asked for a request during the encore. “Ok, ‘Rifles’ it is,” he obliged.
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New Band Of Horses Album Art Is Boring
Skyrocketing, Seattle-spurning folk-rockers Band of Horses revealed the artwork for their third album today. It’s called Infinite Arms and will be released on May 18th on a label that is currently TBD (and not Sub Pop). The dudes are curiously still using the calligraphy-type font for their records; which is weird, cuz they (Ben Bridwell) just don’t seem to be the calligraphy type (ha!). BORRRR-ing.
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Haven’t seen/heard any new tunes yet, but they’ll be sure to debut them at Sasquatch! on May 31st.
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Update: Reverb apparently has word that the record will be released in conjunction with three different labels: Brown Records, Fat Possum Records, and Columbia Records.
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Balkan Beat Box Beckons March 17 @ Neumos
The uber-eclectic world band, Balkan Beat Box, has a new album out later this month, Blue Eyed Black Boy; and for those who can’t wait, or have been waiting patiently since 2007, you can experience the new material live March 17th at the Showbox.
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Few modern acts are as undefinable, moving, and in constant transformation as Balkan Beat Box (Beirut and Beck also come to mind). Their music is a fusion of traditional Jewish, Gypsy, Arabic, and Balkan music with modern hip hop beats, dub, and electronics. The globally acclaimed first album, self titled (2005) featured Mediterranean influences; and the second album, Nu Med (2007), changed it up with Arabic and Spanish influences. By creating harmony, seamlessly combining the music of different regions, they hope to raise political awareness; promoting peace, unity, and the elimination of political borders.
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On stage, the three person band (Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat and Tomer Yosef ) expands to a full seven live performers from around the world, bringing diverse musical influences to the show. Balkan Beat Box set out to update traditional music, which they had personally grown up on, and ended up with a highly danceable sound with global appeal; worthy of concert hall or dance club.
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Day: Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Doors open: 8:00 PM
Ages: 21 & Over
Ticket Prices: $17.50 ADV-$20.00 DOS
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Listen to the track, “War Again”, from the upcoming album here
Watch the “War Again” music video here
Free Cybersex! 2!
Oh, man I’m going to regret using that headline, ain’t I… Regardless of the inevitable interloping inter-perverts, it’s necessary. Cybersex 2 is the title of the more recent album sampler from local label, Sub-Pop, featuring a slew of their latest (ish) and greatest. Oh.. and it’s FREE!
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Explains a lot, don’t it? Except for the puppy – that’s just damn cute.
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Many of you who have NOT had their heads up their asses for the past 2 months already know about Cybersex 2 as it was “released” back in January. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the goddamn sun’s finally out and I feel like a moldy, stinkin’ brown bear finally poking its head out of its den. (even though old-man Dick Proenneke -of PBS’s sleep inducing Alone in the Wilderness-has told me in his sleepy papa bear voice how surprisingly clean their dens are – feh! ) So while the tunes on the sampler aren’t as crisp and fresh as they might have been back then, they’ve still got a decent shelf life. Seems most everything in here has been kicking around for a bit anyway, whether released sometime last year or put out as a Sub Pop freebie. Point is you can get them all right here, right now, for the right price. $Free.99
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You can dowload Cybersex 2 by clicking here or visit Sub Pop for the link to the old Cybersex Sampler and lots more kitty-cat gifs that are so fucking cute you’re sure to fall twitching to the floor. Here’s the link! ENJOY!
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Track listing after the jump
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Stream the new Gorillaz ‘Plastic Beach’ Album now
The Gorillaz crew of 2D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc have completed work on the third album, Plastic Beach. Now while I don’t find it to have the dance hall pop hooks of their previous albums, I DO feel it has an incredible laid back tone that lends itself to some serious groove. The liner notes are again chock-full of star collaborations from Lou Reed, Mos Def, Mark E Smith, De La Soul, Kano and Snoop Dogg. The album is due to hit stores next week, but you can click on the cover art below to stream the album now from start to finish.
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