Author: mdefeo

en garde

‘The more records that get released, the more this question becomes inevitable: Are the only creative musical hotbeds of this country in Omaha and Seattle?

It is decidedly so, according to the Magic Eight Ball. That’s the answer on which Criteria’s Stephen Pederson was banking. It must have been a good combination of luck, skill and careful shaking.

When his last band, The White Octave, disbanded, Pederson returned to his Omaha home to run through marathon writing sessions, 10 cuts of which were to appear on “En Garde,” his solo-band debut. “En Garde” is a savory blend of part Cursive, part The Cure, part The Good Life, part The Faint and all Omaha; errr… except for that part about The Cure.

Featuring session help from members of Nebraska’s elite, including members of Desaparecidos, Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class, Pederson had a good deal of backing that was bound to, at the very least, pad record sale statistics. Still, money was most likely not a factor. When you have some of the most talented musicians in the indie scene today at your disposal, why not use them?

He also has the experience of working with Tim Kasher on his side. From the band’s inception until 1998, Kasher was Cursive’s second guitarist. Once he parted ways with the band, Lullaby for the Working Class’s Ted Stevens took his place.

The time spent as Kasher’s second set of six-string-strumming hands has rubbed off on him. “En Garde’s” content could very easily be mistaken as the B-sides for Cursive’s more recent efforts to the inattentive listener.

His songwriting is a bit more staid than Kasher’s, but the resemblances are there. So are the differences. Their voices sound nothing alike. There is no apparent concept behind this album. There is also little dissonance built into the music, but the guitar progressions and vocal melodies are clearly comparable, revealing that he is a disciple of the almighty Kasher.

Criteria could stand its own ground without the Cursive influences, but using the lessons he has learned with that band have only added to this already heady record. The songs are tight, the production is pristine and Pederson shows a good deal of potential with this record. It is a solid debut.

http://www.seemerot.com

‘Worst of 2k3.

Awful. Simply awful.

Howard Dean’s campaign came to an early end when he announced that his hopes for presidency were over on Wednesday. No one could have predicted this six months ago. Some may lay blame on the power of news networks like CNN, whose portrayal of Dean’s infamous scream heard round the polls was over-exaggerated by a super-sensitive microphone.

Reportedly, no members of the audience heard anything out of the ordinary that day. Those of us tuning into the news stations heard something different. Soon, sites like http://www.deangoesnuts.com popped up and remixes were even made in which Dean’s scream was put to music.

Sure, he’s arguably an a-hole – but he may also have been one of the wiser choices in the upcoming Presidential elections. Nevertheless, this man’s aspirations were quite literally crushed by the power of the media and modern technology.

Although CNN apologized for the microphone and willingly accepted blame, the effects of their actions are irreversible. It’s a sad and incidental side effect of recording equipment, but far from the most absurd application of it.

On the other hand, putting a camera in a coffin is just WRONG. It may not result in amplified screams (or, at least, we hope not) but this employment of technology is hard to rationalize. It’s possible that it can lower the rate of people being buried alive, as if there was a huge epidemic of such instances, but we highly doubt that was the desire of the folks responsible for SeeMeRot.com.

It is entirely possible that this site was created as a spoof, but there’s nothing funny about the idea of a coffin camera. That’s almost as ludicrous as the idea of putting a camera in your pants and broadcasting it over the ‘Net. Oh wait, that’s happened already too. Honestly, it has. Go to http://www.pantscam.com if you don’t believe us.

What possible good can come out of leisurely watching someone rot inside his or her coffin? If you answered “none,” you passed our ethics and morality quiz of the week. But that still doesn’t change the fact that Dean took it in the butt.

the satellite years

‘”The Satellite Years” is the second full-length recording from Hopesfall. It is the first featuring Jay Forrest at the helm of the ship, and Trustkill Records as the ship helping the band sail forward.

Since signing to Trustkill, it appears that there have been no more shallow waters to pole through, or rough storms to face. Hopesfall is at the point of their journey where they are experiencing clear blue skies and sunny days with low humidity. They are certainly directing the ship, but no adversity stands in the way of the choices they are making at the moment.

The group is sincerely happy, appreciative of where they’re at, and potentially one of the nicer groups of individuals in the music scene today. There is little not to like about them.

They further scored points by enlisting the help of Matt Talbott, of Hum fame, to produce “The Satellite Years.” He has put his signature style into the record and it shows. The guitars’ sounds are lifted directly from Hum’s “Downward is Heavenward” at points. It has his name written all over the production.

The album’s title, the cover art, the song titles, and even some of the lyrics seem to bear his fingerprints as well. This is something that the band denies, though. The shared interstellar themes are incidental. At the very least, it’s an interesting coincidence.

The overall sound and production of the album are high-quality. The music is tight and well-written. The guitar and drum work are downright impressive at points. The backing vocals are unobjectionable. It’s just the lead vocals that are difficult to understand. For a loud, aggressive, and angry song, it makes sense to scream. Scream your heart out, as loud and throaty as you want. It’s fully functional in that instance. A good bit of the songs are downright pretty, though. To continue the same type of scream over every part of every song shows a lack of ability to diversify. It makes the songs one-dimensional, no matter how hard the rest of the band tries to open up the sound.

Forrest has the ability to sing. Use it. Okay, this scream is the fashionable thing to do in the hardcore scene. That’s understandable, but such a scene has no lifespan. The kids listening to it now are going to grow up. They will no longer agree with the anger that comes out of the screaming. They will not want to listen to such records anymore.

It’s a shame. Overall, “The Satellite Years” is a good album. It is the constancy of the screaming that shortens its lifespan. It makes an otherwise remarkable record sound faddish.

http://www.juvalamu.com/qmarks/

‘There’s no way around it. Nobody is going to read this article.

It’s the holiday season and the students have all skipped town. So, why waste a perfectly funny web site article on the three people that may read this column? OK, maybe three is a generous number if you don’t include editors and proofreaders. Certainly this column will reach at least one person.

And if we’ve made a difference in at least that one person’s life, than it has been worth it for us. We’re damned good Samaritans, you know? That’s why we’ll share an f-ing good Web site, to help our loyal allegiance of one.

Welcome to the Gallery of “Misused” Quotation Marks, you. Oh, and, thanks for reading, mom.

The creator’s precept is simple: to point out the common American fault of bad grammar, specifically in relation to “quotation marks.” The result is “comical.”

Blah blah blah. Blah blah blah.

Still reading?

Oh, yeah, the Web site. We should probably discuss that.

The Gallery is setup like an online library, featuring three sections: the Current Exhibitions, the Donation Rotunda and the Permanent Exhibits. Sure, there may not be any Picasso paintings hanging within but good old Pablo isn’t known for being unintentionally funny.

What you’ll see here is a collection of sayings and slogans from various signs. It’s more of a text-only, white trash art gallery.

Of course, a quote is no good alone. The gallery’s curator comments each one on. The comments are often not humorous so feel free to skip them.

Signs read: Road “Work” Ahead, “Milk” $1.99, Make some “friends” and Lose some “weight.”

The comical nature of this site can be described as a one-trick pony.

You figure we would’ve done a holiday related web site since it is the end of December. If you’re looking for something dealing with Christmas that might amuse you, go here: http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/white_trash_christmas.

Cleared for takeoff

‘”It’s been a lot of work,” began Jets to Brazil frontman Blake Schwarzenbach.

After a full-on bout with depression, the departure of drummer Chris Daly, and the constant struggle to separate himself from Jawbreaker, Blake Schwarzenbach has had a long runway and the Jets were moving slowly.

“We have a new drummer, Matt Torrey (from MK Ultra). We’re all trying to get the solidarity there, to feel that we’re all people that belong together.”

The end of the runway is approaching. The Jets have picked up enough speed to takeoff.

Troubled by low visibility, the process of deconstructing and rebuilding was tough but necessary. “It was good to stop everything and build it back up. Jets had to be reinvented again and to figure out what we had.”

What Blake figured out is “you have to be a band for about five years before you have any kind of audience, really.”

After six years in Jets to Brazil, Blake’s audience and band are finally starting to stabilize at a safe altitude that promises nothing but blue skies and clear days.

down with wilco

‘Sounds like mid-career Beatles or Paul McCartney’s solo material. It’s difficult to hear Peter Buck’s usual guitar work on this album. Then again, the part that Wilco played on this record may be the reason for this. Their influence drowns out the potential sound of everyone else’s input. Then again, that is what to be expected from the group still fresh off the success of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” It’s hard to argue with a band that put out such a landmark album. High points: Jeff Tweedy’s backing vocals. His voice is mesmerizing and works well on this record. Low points: The record drags at points and produces a sense of monotony.

first demo tape

‘When labels began sending CDs addressed to me this past year, the concept of reviewing a Minor Threat album seemed ludicrous.

Maybe if Dischord felt generous and I was having one of the luckier days of my life, I would have received the “20 Years of Dischord” Box Set. Unfortunately, that never happened. Still, you can imagine my surprise when a new Minor Threat release showed up on my desk.

“We’re just a minor threat,” ironically chants lead singer Ian MacKaye on the opening track also titled “Minor Threat.” About 10 minutes later, this eight-song demo is over. Writing songs not much longer than the blink of an eye, Minor Threat was born and the face of hardcore was torn apart, only to be hemmed back together in the same sweeping motion by the newborn faction of straight-edge hardcore. MacKaye’s words, albeit rough-sounding, unmixed, and left to collect dust somewhere in a studio closet, had more of a lasting impact than anyone at that point could have imagined.

After 22 years, the demo tape that was abandoned for a similar sounding 7-inch recorded a month later was finally released. From a studio shelf, it started it all.

Rumor has it that Dischord has sold two million records since their birth over 20 years ago. That same rumor also mentions that one million of those records sold were Minor Threat records, 500,000 belonged to Fugazi and the rest of the bands on the label made up the remaining 500,000. As hard as it is that such a reputable label has only sold two million records, it is not surprising that the majority of those records belong to Minor Threat and Fugazi, two MacKaye-led bands.

So, there is only one question you need to ask about the “First Demo Tape.” If you are a Minor Threat fan, is there any reason not to own this seminal and previously shelved work? One million records worth of sales proves that answer is no.

a people’s history of the dismemberment plan

‘The Dismemberment Plan will never die. As long as CDs remain unscratched, record player needles remain functional and mp3s remain online, The Plan will live forever.

For the people and by the people, this final record is a compilation of remixes of the best of The Plan. It is exactly the way the band was destined to go out. It’s weird, quirky and not even the biggest of fans could have predicted this. Above that, it’s absolutely amazing, a downright beautiful epitaph. It sums up the career of the band perfectly and is this ultimate, Buddhist sort of release, letting go of ownership of the music and returning it back to the people.

“A People’s History of The Dismemberment Plan” may be one of the best records released this year, although all of its material is recycled. It’s concise and accurately descriptive in the ways it deconstructs and reconstructs the band’s art. It’s quintessential musical postmodernism. It’s rife with aural poetic sentiments that embrace the love the fans show for this band. This is a culmination of the emotional attachment that both band and fans have put in to The Dis Plan over the years.

The Plan will forever be known for its cutting edge, its absolute ability to go where most other musicians fear to tread. They are D.C. musicians who have taken from their surrounding scene to create something so different, so unique that few if any other bands sound like them. They are a musical anomaly, an irrational happening that generations of fans still to come will only be able to wonder and marvel at the remnants of this spectacle.

“A People’s History” is a welcome addition and possibly the most indigenous member of this family. It is the best they have to offer, recreated by the best the kids have to offer.

The Dismemberment Plan was one of the most seminal of ’90s indie rock bands and they will truly be missed, but will forever live on through both their catalogue of works, highlighted by “A People’s History.”

evanesce

‘This is what good new school post-hardcore sounds like: a little prog, a little punk, a little metal and all heart.

“Evanesce,” Anatomy of a Ghost’s fist full-length, is inspired. It is an album in the style of popular bands like Thursday, and Coheed and Cambria, as well as a good part These Arms are Snakes.

It starts off fierce yet melodic, and never relents. The melodies are bright. The production is crisp. The straightforward progressions and intricate riffs are well balanced. For a dirty genre, it’s surprisingly clean.

Not one aspect outweighs another on an album in which everything stands out simultaneously. This is one of those cases where it becomes easy to look past the current release in heightened anticipation of what the band may offer next.

Portland’s Anatomy of a Ghost has written an album that may be in line with the trends but, unlike many contemporaries, it will outlast the fads. This album should have a very long shelf life – but it won’t sit on the shelf long enough to collect dust.

As a hardcore fan, this will become a staple of your collection. So, if you have yet to do so, get up off of your lazy ass and go buy AoaG’s “Evanesce.”

True Delta Blues Roots

‘Rolling Stones, watch your backs. There’s a new band in town and much respect is due.

Their sound has been described as Muddy Waters meets Howlin’ Wolf meets Jimmy Hendrix. They’ve been labeled as white garage punks playing Delta blues that are as true to their roots as the best music Fat Possum could put out. A demo created on their first day of practice after dropping out of college bought them a record deal with Alive Records. From there, their records have been hailed by the press, including a rating of number 25 on Mojo’s Top 40, the “Best Debut Album of 2002” by Rolling Stone, and one of the best five records of the year by Magnet and the Village Voice, among others. The hype has them surrounded.

After releasing two well-received albums, “The Big Come Up” and “Thickfreakness,” where do the members of the two-piece band The Black Keys go from there?

“I don’t know,” began Keys drummer Patrick Carney. “We’re just taking it as it comes. Hopefully this time next year we’ll be releasing our third record. We’re really anxious to do that but it’s hard to find time when there is so much going on with this tour. It’s difficult to switch from performing mode to creative writing mode in between shows. It’s all so up in the air.”

One thing is for sure, though. This duo is not the White Stripes.

“It’s an unfortunate matter of circumstance that the press compares us to them just because we have two members, especially since we started playing together before the White Stripes did. They are a great band and they have opened up rock ‘n’ roll to a bigger audience but we sound nothing like them. Dan (Auerbach, guitarist/vocalist of the Black Keys) was always into two-piece blues bands like T-Model Ford and T. Rex. It started as just the two of us and we never even considered adding a third member.”

Patrick and Dan have known each other since they were eight and they have been playing together for the past seven years. As their practices evolved into songs and their playing around firmed up into a cohesive sound, The Black Keys began impressing everyone that heard their music. They continue to do so on the current large outdoor amphitheater tour with Beck and Dashboard Confessional.

Their fans come from a variety of genres including hip-hop, punk, pop, and blues aficionados. It is their own personal musical differences, in addition to their musical abilities and the confidence they exude, which may have opened up their sound to a such a wide mix of people, extending far beyond just the blues scene.

“I’m not really a fan of the blues at all,” continued Carney. “I am more of a rock ‘n’ roll, indie rock, and hip-hop fan. Dan is the fan of old blues music. That’s the great thing about playing with him, though. He comes from a different place than I do and that allows us to add our own touches to the music.”

Their convergence of eclectic styles mesh together into a blues sound so earnest that you would think that the Keys roots grow deep in the South. Being raised in Akron, Ohio could not be any further from that stereotypical image, though. On top of that, one of their biggest markets is out west in the Boulder/Denver area. The band has done well here over the past few years and they attribute that success to the folks of Colorado.

“There are some great stores in Boulder and we really appreciate all of the support that the stores have given us. I remember people, like the owner of Albums on the Hill, has always been so nice to us. Plus, Boulder and Denver have more of a rootsy scene here. There’s great music that can sell out here that can’t even book a show in Cleveland.”

The Keys hope that this is a relationship that will strengthen each time that they come around, including their upcoming show this weekend. That should not be too difficult, though. With Auerbach’s howl and grit layered over Carney’s left-of-center drumming, what’s not to love?