Author: mdefeo

the silhouette

‘Garrison is an inconsisten band, and sometimes they just slap you in the face. This would be one of those instances.

The band’s most recent EP, “The Silhouette,” a younger, feistier brother to “The Model,” is about as loud, angry, and jaded as the band has been to date. Take the record’s first track for example. “Come On Die Young (No Seriously),” which bears no resemblance to the band C.O.D.Y., is just shy of two minutes of fervent chanting “Come on, come on, come on die young.” End of story, end of song.

Fortunately, the aggression burns out and exits early. The jaded nature of the songs runs the course strong, though. By the third track, “God Is Not On Our Side,” Garrison has stepped back to the formula that worked so well on their first EP, “The Bend Before the Break.” At no point during this record do they surpass the musical perfection of some of their earlier works, such as “Serious Heavy Drama,” but the second half of this EP comes close, though.

There are just a few anger management issues that are holding the band back and need to be worked out. Lines like “Just pull the trigger quick and stop wasting our time,” from “We Know Our Demographic” prove that point rather well.

In most of the band’s early catalogue, singer Joseph Grillo utilizes both his scream and his whine in a way that complements the songs tremendously. Somewhere around the recording of their last full-length, “Be A Criminal,” he changed his vocal stylings. It became forcedly deeper. It appears that he discovered the invaluable qualities of his voice. The first song on the new EP has gruff and unpolished quality to it, but he quickly melds old with new, and by the third track, the old won out. The music has that Summer of Killing Flies feel to it again.

If nothing else, “The Silhouette” shows a step in the right direction for the band. The music is regressing, but in a way for which we can all be thankful.

1977

‘Have you ever just sat down and listened to an album, or even rnjust a few songs, and found yourself singing the tunes regardless of the fact that you have never heard them before.  It’s pure pop music syndrome.  Once you are walking down the street and catch yourself singing or humming a song that you heard for the first time on your car ride up to school, you know you have been in the clutches of this tunes catchy rifts.  It has rnhappened to everyone at one point in time or another, and has been accepted in the entertainment industry as, more or less, a part of the American way.  Think about it.  How many times can you remember yourself singing lines like, “Choke me in the shallow waters, before I get to deep,”  or “Should I stay or should I go now?  If I go there will be trouble.  If I stay it will be double.”  Well, do not exclude Ash from this list.  Chances are, you have long been asking people in your presence “Do you remember rnthe time I knew a girl from Mars?”  We all love you, the Girl from rnMars.

Ash has recently released it’s sophomore debut on Reprise rnRecords entitled 1977.  This title was chosen because it was the year that Star Wars was released.  There are many reference to this movie and others of the sort.  “Kung Fu”, which appeared along side “Jack Names the Planets” on the Angus soundtrack, is a collaboration of references to Kung Fu movies, and there stars.  Well, if you are interested, you can figure out references like “Darkside Lightside.”

This album, which was released earlier on last year, gains much rncredibility considering that it was recorded while the band was taking their exams right before their highschool graduation.  It is impressing to hear the outcome of the album.  1977 was produced by Owen Morris, of Oasis fame, and yet the band did not even remotely rip off the Beatles.  Coincidentally,  “Lost In You”  did succeed at ripping off Frank Sinatra to a certain extent.  Oh well, nobody is perfect.  Overall, this release was very consistent with the band’s debut, Trailer.  Through both recordings, that pop-punk mixture is very evident. All the rifts are catchy as hell.  The lyrics are somewhat redundant at rntimes yet fresh and original the rest.  There are many long winded guitar solos that over prove the point that rnTim Wheeler, the bands frontman, does know how to play the guitar.   The style has not changed, which is a very good sign nowadays.

Everyone seems to be changing their formulas for something rnbetter and new.  This is the reason that Ash shines well above the faces of a slew of other Euro-rock bands.  For God’s sake, even U2 is dressing up like the Village People anymore.  Ash rnbrings us back down to reality.  They make us realize why we all fell in love with bands like Nirvana to begin with.  It is the simplicity and honesty of the music that attracts us.  It is not anything new.  1977  shows us the roots behind most rnpost-modern rock.  The album tells us that all we need is a guitar, bass, drums, and two or three pedals to create the rnsongs everyone loves to hear.  Thank you Ash.  1997 needs some new faces to point us in a positive direction.  As more and more of us grasp onto techno, and its offsprings, bands like you are becoming extinct.  It is your duty to repopulate true rock bands.  May the force be with you.

Can’t stop the rock

‘Gared O’Donnell is fixing up his house with a friend. With big moving plans in the future and a one-year-old boy, Lux (Latin for light), and wife to look after, he’s got a very busy life.

Still the local singer/guitarist makes time for his band, Planes Mistaken for Stars. The ceiling of his house is not the only thing he’s been working on. Just a few days ago, he and the rest of the band finished work in the studio on their anticipated new album, tentatively titled “Up In Them Guts,” which is slated for release on June 15.

A tour is approaching but, first, the band plans on showing off some of their new tunes down in Denver before heading to the East Coast for a five week tour with Against Me!.

The Colorado show, which was originally scheduled with AFI and Thursday at the Fillmore, will be the official debut of new member Chuck French (ex-Peralta).

O’Donnell, whose gruff style brings about comparisons to Hot Water Music and Bear vs. Shark, is more than pleased with French’s presence in the band.

“It’s a new energy,” he said. “It’s rather refreshing. We wrote about three-fourths of this record with him but he picked the old stuff up real quick. He’s as sharp as a tack.”

so long

‘Originally from the suburbs of Ambler and Glenside is the rnup-and-coming indie band, Grady.  These four locals have just released their seven inch EP entitled, “So Long…”  off of their South Philadelphia based label, SuperModel Records.

If right now you are saying to yourself that you have never rnheard of these guys before, then do not worry.  Unless you have been to rnany Mr. T Experience, J Church, Bouncing Souls, or Jawbox concerts or are rnbig on the local music scene than chances are, you have not had the full rnGrady experience yet.  Not only do they sound like bands such as the Mr. T rnExperience or J Church but they have also been playing with such national rnindependent acts for over three years.

Grady is a power/punk/pop band that are trying to establish rntheir roots in the album industry as well as in their accomplished live rnperformances.  “So Long…” can be purchased at many fine local music rnstores including 3rd Street Rock and Jazz, Rock and Roll Plus, rnInternational CD, along with many other shops.

This EP is a must.  It includes such hits as “Barnacle”, rn”Plug”, and “So Long” which have the power behind them to rip pop punk bandsrnand their hyperactivity to shreds.  Allrnof this and their bassist is only seventeen.  Now, that is an rnaccomplishment.

Since the recording of this seven inch, the band has beefed up rntheir equipment and sound much fuller.  In other words, your best bet is rnto also see them live.  They will be touring this summer, which is also rnthe time of the expected release of their CD.  So, you already have rnsomething new and exciting to look forward to from these guys.

de-loused in the comatorium

‘To say that Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez have had a lasting impact on the music is an understatement. The extent of their reach stretches far beyond the boundaries of music. Take a look around. If you’ve seen an anorexic-looking waif of a white boy with a metal-studded belt and an Afro that comes close to doubling his weight, you have seen a small ray in the spectrum of influence that these two gentleman, the musical masterminds behind The Mars Volta, have had.

Bixler and Rodriguez are unshakable entities that have harnessed the uncanny ability to reshape the music world around that which they see fit to have created. They are musical geniuses, pioneering forefathers of our time. To some, they may never shake the tag of their past as founding members of At The Drive-In. To others, they are simply deities that, no matter what they do, will be worshipped unconditionally.

Unfortunately, immortality is not synonymous with musical deity. Death has surrounded this album. Shortly before the album’s release, keyboardist/sound/manipulator James Ward was found dead in his L.A. home.rnrnIn addition, “De-Loused” itself is about a death. This concept album is a fictional spiel whose protagonist attempts suicide. Instead, he goes into a coma. When he awakes, he continues on the path upon which he started. This musical montage is a dedication to Julio Venegas, a friend of the band who killed himself during the ATDI recording sessions for “Acrobatic Tenement.” The song “Embroglio” is about him.

Avid fans, as well as some people close to ATDI, blamed their breakup on Bixler and Rodriguez’s starry-eyed lust for a more glamorous sound. It has been said that they wanted to take the band in new directions that would shake ATDI from its foundation and give a big-studio production to their sound. This assertion is verified when you hear the difference between The Mars Volta and Sparta.

While Sparta stuck to the straight-up guitar-rock roots they founded themselves upon, The Mars Volta was destined to walk uncharted grounds. TMV’s first EP, “Tremulant,” was a good sampling of what was soon to come. It continued along the line set out by ATDI’s final album “Relationship of Command.”

The Mars Volta proved with their first EP that they are a sonically dense band that distances itself from distorted guitars in exchange for fuller drums, pounding bass rhythms, and a love for all things electronic.

While it appeared inevitable that TMV would head out in this direction, they have still managed to defy the expectations of anyone offered predictions on the band’s possible music endeavors. “Drunkship of Lanterns” is a good example of this. This song, driven primarily by Flea’s entrancing bass riffs, can easily be mistaken for the work of Rusted Root; a shock that may come to those weaned on Rodriguez’s songwriting talents and Bixler’s enchanting screams. The heavy influence of fellow Latino music icon Santana is strewn throughout this album as well.

The record is occasionally cataclysmic, spewing out bursts of energy that fans have grown to expect from these two feisty fellows. It is a synthetic genius, built on their rewritten musical dogmas as well as the freedom of limitless studio production. It is constantly shifting from one song to the next, leaving you in heightened anticipation for what is just around the bend. It is a tale of friendship and tragedy that will forever become a phantom emotional appendage that will leave you overwhelmed by a sense of loss.

as the palaces burn

“Grant us your peace.

What ever happened to singing a joyful noise to the Lord?

I guess God is into the jud-jud sound of thrashing guitars, cock-rocking riffs, and drum solos. If that is the case and God is into drum solos, we’ve got a big problem on our hands.

Has anyone seen Rikki Rachtman, Rikki-Rikki Rachtman? Headbanger’s Ball went off the air in 1995. What is this album trying to accomplish? Whatever it is, it’s too little, too late… about ten years too late.rn”

Funny Movie Clips

‘Macromedia’s release of the Flash program revolutionized the way we see the Internet. It gave fluid motion to otherwise static pictures and allowed web design to pull its skin taut and heighten itself to previously unforeseeable levels.

The program’s uses did not stop there, though. Flash unexpectedly turned a wave of slackers into amateur animators and lackadaisical visionaries into hopeful auteur directors and game designers. Within months, after cracks were created and serials distributed, visual autobiographies and comic shorts began popping up all over the place.

These movie files have been shared and celebrated through email links and away messages on various messaging clients. There are few, if any, formal collections or ratings of these files. So, we have decided to establish our collection of favorites to serve as a visual precedent for all future comic Flash files to be judged by.

Slackers and visionaries, we salute you.

1. Tales for the L33t: Romeo and Juliet

http://no-effort.50megs.com/tftl.htm

Baz Luhrman was holding back. Oh, his movie may have been set in a hip modern world, but his characters do not speak “in the parlance of our times.” Chris Coutts has decided to set the record straight by fully updating this Shakespearian classic for a generation of illiterate and anti-social computer junkies.

“Tales for the L33t: Romeo and Juliet” is a black-and-white film created entirely with stick figures. There are no spoken lines of dialogue, only written text appearing above the characters’ heads. The film is lengthy but hilarious. What could possibly be the source of hilarity in any rendition of “Romeo and Juliet,” you may ask? Well, it’s the dialogue. The script has been shortened and entirely rewritten in instant messaging shorthand. Completely (in)accurate with misspellings and slang phrases, the “Tales” will soon be a classic.

2. Star Warz Gangsta Rap Music Video

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/starwarz.php

“A Jedi’s gotta do what a Jedi’s gotta do,” exclaims a cartoon Luke Skywalker halfway through this original rap song. Including numerous characters from the movie and rapped plot summary, this music video is nothing if it is not pure comic genius.

This song parodies the Star Wars movies but does not use any immediately recognizable sound bytes. The graphic work is high definition and succeeds in impressing its viewers. The lyrics are well written and extremely funny. The only thing that kept this Flash file out of first place is the audio quality. It slips and becomes barely audible at points. Outside of that, “Star Warz” is a near perfect production.

3. “Bang Bang Bang”

http://www.starterupsteve.com/swf/Group_X_video.html

This Flash file is a visual companion to the song “Bang Bang Bang” by Group X. The video itself is horrendous. There are two stick figures that basically “Bang Bang Bang” every time the chorus comes around. It doesn’t take any more effort than this first-grade quality drawing to add just enough to the song to cause unbearable laughing stomach pains, though.

4. I Work at Burger King

http://sherm.20megsfree.com/burgerking.swf

As the disclaimer alludes to, the purpose of this Flash file is for entertainment only. There are no derogatory or degrading statements made. No one is insulted. It serves its purpose and serves it well. Like “Bang Bang Bang,” “I Work at Burger King” consists of simple animation to accompany the Burger King song. It’s contagious. You may find yourself operatically singing “ding fries are done” unconsciously.

5. Dancing George Bush/George Bush Aerobics

http://www.miniclip.com/dancingbush.htm

http://www.miniclip.com/bushaerobics.htm

The George W. Bush Flash files were bound to happen. It’s too easy a target. These two Dancing and Aerobics files are similar in content. They are more interactive than the rest of our winners. You control George Bush and can either make him dance or workout, depending upon which link you follow. Simply having virtual control over his actions is enough to keep you occupied for a while.

Direct from the mouth of the have-not

‘What does it say when the politically charged punk band X still continues to tour to packed houses more than 25 years after its inception?

“It could say that we’re foolish, for one, or that we’re committed,” joked X frontman John Doe.

Actually, Doe cites a number of reasons for X to continue to pack up the van and hit the road: a steady demand from audiences and venues, the fact that it’s still fun and profitable for them to be touring, and because they no longer have to deal with the pressure of writing songs or touring to support a newly released album. Instead, they’re playing material off of their first four records and having a good time doing it.

But it’s not all fun and games. Doe takes the activist political messages of X’s songs just as seriously as the music itself.

“Artists have a duty and right to voice their opinion so that there is a balance,” he said. “People in government are always going to be saying, ‘Let’s go to war.’ Artists are going to say, ‘That’s bullshit.’

“I’m shocked and dismayed that people are surprised by that. It’s been that way, probably, since the [ancient] Greeks. The Greek artists didn’t stop writing plays and decide to go to war. That’s the role that artists play.”

As an artist, Doe plays many roles. When he’s not on tour with X, he tours with his band The John Doe Thing. Their latest album, Dim Stars, Bright Sky, was released by the label Artist Direct last year. In addition, Doe has had a reoccurring role in the television show Roswell, and has appeared in more than 40 movies, including The Good Girl, Boogie Nights and Roadside Prophets. He is also currently working on an HBO series called Carnivale, “about a traveling carnival in the era of the Dust Bowl.”

Doe says he finds himself switching constantly from the set to the stage, also from punk rock venues to quieter, more intimate settings for his solo material.

“I once heard a great quote from Kristin Hersh (of the bands Throwing Muses and The Grotto) that ‘Quiet is the new loud,’” said Doe.

And Doe, like so many musicians, has followed suit as his interests led him to form The Knitters — an “old-time country tribute band” — in the mid-1980s, and more recently with his roots-rock solo project, The John Doe Thing.

Since Doe first made the switch from writing politically motivated, loud and angst-ridden punk to mellow, acoustic-driven songs with folk leanings, numerous prominent musicians in the independent scene have followed suit. Punkers, including Hot Water Music’s alter-ego band Rumbleseat and Blake Schwarzenbach’s switch from the seminal punk outfit Jawbreaker to his current singer/songwriter styled project Jets to Brazil, have cited Doe as a reason for turning the amps way down.

“It’s the yin and yang of music,” said Doe. “As long as you have loud, people will also make quiet. As long as there is shitty rap/rock, there will be people out there who continue to make good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.”

…burn, piano island, burn

‘Why is there so much hype surrounding this band right now? Everywhere you turn, there is something new about the Blood Brothers popping up, as if they are the reincarnated form of the Messiah, back to save us all. Heed the wise words of Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav and “Don’t believe the hype.”

fight test

‘Anyone who bought the album “Transmissions from the Satellite Heart” for the single “She Don’t Use Jelly” learned quickly that the one thing you can expect from The Flaming Lips is that you don’t know what to expect next.

After the release of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” one of the most talked-about albums of this toddler of a century, Wayne Coyne and company are moving into uncharted territory once again.

“Fight Test” is part lighthearted techno and dance beats and part easy listening. Then it ends with a country song. Unlike all of these styles, though, this EP has substance to it. Even if it’s not immediately visible, a lot of work and effort goes into each Flaming Lips song.

This EP consists of a few previously released tracks, two new songs and a few covers. The oddest (yet morbidly intriguing) song on the EP is the final track, “Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me).” Maybe they are ahead of their time, but they are definitely over many people’s heads.

The cover songs include Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (written by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis), Beck’s “The Golden Age,” and Radiohead’s “Knives Out.” The Beck and Radiohead covers are serious and well done. The Kylie Minogue cover is worthy of a laugh or two. If for no other reason, hearing these covers is reason enough to warrant listening to this record.

“Fight Test” is not earth shattering but it is on par, at the very least, with other releases by the Flaming Lips. It’s a new direction and a positive sign for the next full-length to come.