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begin live transmission

‘I had a difficult time convincing myself to take the time to listen to this album. For some reason, I felt very closed-minded about it. I didn’t want to take the time to read the verbose essays in the dense jacket sleeve to discover what Radio CPR (Community Powered Radio) was all about and why I would possibly enjoy these songs and interviews. It was too much. There are 35 tracks and a good deal of text that accompanies the CD.

Finally, on a “what the hell, why not?” kind of day, “Begin Live Transmission” made its way into rotation. Within two minutes, the album had me hooked. Honestly, this is an album I will be listening to for long time. The songs even convinced me to buckle down and trudge through the essays.

This is not what I expected at all. In my mind, before listening to this, I had predetermined it to be a bunch of lo-fi three-chord punk bands, atonally screaming the same uninformed message of activism. It’s definitely pessimistic and not something you’d expect from Dischord at all, but this album gave off an aura of teenie rockers in their red Che Guevara T-shirts, knowing nothing more about him than how to spell his name but still attempting to promote his message.

I couldn’t have been more wrong and I feel remorse for putting such an awful stereotype on such a good record.

The truth of the matter is that this is a great compilation featuring more than its fair share of unrecognized but extremely promising musicians whose styles run the gamut. This album has good hip hop, good punk, interesting interviews and cool folk-inspired ballads.

As of the time of this article, the personal favorites are: Head-Roc’s “Enuff,” Scaramouche’s “Walter Winchell,” Pasha’s “Nah (Who’s the Underground?),” Optimistic Tribe’s “So Excited,” Short Stack’s “Offer Still Stands,” and Deep Lust’s “The Peeing Song.” The last one may just be because of the title.

If you want a good album that will provide you with an eclectic mix of songs that will have you bouncing to the beat, rocking out and chilling to the ambient sounds, then look no further than this Radio CPR compilation. It’s an album that cannot be judged simply by its cover.rn

http://www.instructoart.com

‘Imagine road signs built on common sense. That’s Instructoart.

Based on computer-generated images that combine both simple aesthetic pleasures with generally known information, Instructoart is a one-of-a-kind site. It is art you can hang above your bed or your toilet, to provide you with little tidbits of information that you most likely don’t need to be reminded about.

This site will set out to teach you how to signal for a check, to do the Hokey Pokey, as well as how to make farting noises with your arm and how to tip a stripper. Combining the overly simplistic day-to-day maxims with visuals results in a third benefit, humor.rnOf

course, this site will not have you doubled over in laughter but pictures such as “Karma,” “Mighty Scared Whitie” and “In a Man’s World…” will definitely give you a good chuckle.

Mathew Vescovo, the creator of the site, is the self-proclaimed “Master of the Obvious.” He proclaims that Playboy heavyweight Anna Nicole Smith is the inspiration behind his site. He states that reality television shows such as hers scrutinize daily routines and rituals. His goal is to teach people how to do these things correctly.

Vescovo says, “Instructoart is like the Ginsu knife of the art world, just when you think that’s it, there’s more! Simultaneously as you are enjoying a beautiful composition of simple shapes and color, you are hit with a wave of instructional enlightenment. Upon viewing an Instructoart piece, you will feel as though all five senses have been touched in some way, except for maybe touch and taste.”

The art definitely will touch you in one way or another since it creates a post-modern humorous parody that could give Andy Warhol’s work a run for its money.

“Instructoart: The Book” will be completed at some point in 2004 and will most likely make a good edition to the literature lounging around your coffee table.

me first

‘Take the basics of a rock song, then strip it down and slow it down. Throw in lap steel for an old-time feel, and synthetic drum beats to give it cutting edge. The resulting juxtaposition will be nothing short of warm and comfortable, as well as excitingly new and singular – and bound to be overdone by other musicians who pick up on this sound. What else can you expect when Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett and Dntel/The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello work together?

Sennett carries the weight of the entire Saddle Creek scene on his shoulders as he explores different songwriting options for this side project. Numerous comparisons to many representative Omaha musicians are inevitable. Tamborello, on the other hand, is not as concerned with diversifying. He has a reputation to uphold as he tries to fortify his position as one of the top and hardest-working indie producers/contributors this side of Chris Walla. The Sub Pop influences on this album are undeniable as well. While the most prevalent comparisons are between Sennett and a young Elliott Smith, the majority of this album is a cross between Samuel Beam’s Iron & Wine and The Postal Service – of course.

Over a decade after their initial grunge boom, Sub Pop has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the label’s ear for talent, albeit mainly from side projects, will keep them towards the top of the best independent record labels.

Expect the following adjectives to be overused over the course of the year in regards to all parties involved, but mainly Tamborello: inventive, ingenious, remarkable, accomplished and/or masterful. This will not be the last time you hear from any of these people this year. Expect many of their names to be written across the best upcoming projects of 2004. There’s too much of a spark, too much latent ability lingering in the tracks of “Me First” to let it go to waste. I guarantee it won’t.

To sum up, the album is a little Omaha indie-folk, a little Seattle indie-pop and a little New York club.

floacism live

‘Umm, they’re good. This is the kind of group that makes you wonder about the current state of music. Why do so-called “artists” like Nickelback plague the radio and video stations while the work of truly talented musicians rarely sees the light of day?

It’s not like this group has fallen victim to the obscurity of working with independent labels. They’re signed to DreamWorks.

This album will certainly have you waxing philosophical about the ass-backwards way that pop culture works. Sure, certain musicians and albums, like the most recent OutKast effort, do get the recognition they deserve, but a majority of worthwhile artists are left without the airplay they have earned and, consequently, are made to feel like their efforts have been for naught.

When the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday were at their respective heydays, were they selling out packed arenas like they should’ve been?

Of course, it was a different world then but, when all factors are taken into account, it’s safe to assume neither of those musical savants made anything proportionate the money a Justin Timberlake, or a Britney Spears (or even a Dave Navarro) makes.

This is a side of British music that rarely makes it overseas but it certainly made as much of an impact as it could. Along with numerous other Brits, Floetry was nominated for three Grammys. Although they didn’t win, it sets a good precedent for their future endeavors.

This R&B duo flavorfully mixes harmonies with earth-shaking bass lines. This is lovemaking music at its best. Sam & Dave and Barry White, eat your hearts out.

elixir vitae

‘It’s the late ’60s, you’re getting high with Timothy Leary and listening to the Beatles – either “Sgt. Pepper” or “Magical Mystery Tour.” He breaks out some LSD. You’ve never done it before but, hey, if old Timmy likes it, you will too. So, you put it in your mouth and, well, float downstream.

It’s a completely surreal experience. The music is allover the place. Sounds you have never noticed in the album come flying out in ways that you never knew those cheap stereo speakers could produce. It’s overwhelming – but music will never be the same again. Albums are no longer something that can be fully experienced sober.

Well, wake up buddy. It’s 2004 and you’ve been dropping so much acid over the past 40 years that you need an entire ream of paper blotted with the hallucinogen to feel anything. That’s one hell of an expensive habit that you’ve got there, not to mention all of the other medicines you need to straighten you out when you’re not tripping, Mr. or Mrs. Flashback.

The sad thing is, you’ve burnt out the potential to listen to music of an “acid” nature straight. So, you pop in “Elixir Vitae” and curse the gods because, if this was 1967, the album would be neck-and-neck with “Sgt. Pepper”, both in the charts and on your “record player.” Sucks for you. You really would have enjoyed this album.

It’s something completely retro and still ahead of its time. It’s a fluid blend of late, psychedelic Beatles and some of the quirkier Pixies songs. It’s the kind of album you would have loved, burnout. Way to screw that up for yourself.

But this gets across an important message: too much of a good thing can be bad. That’s why it’s fortunate that an album like this only comes along every once in a while. So, take it in moderation and enjoy these opportunities when presented to you.

Put it on your turntable (or CD player), do whatever it is you feel you need to do – though I condone nothing – and drift away.

visitor

‘There?s something about Onelinedrawing that feels extremely intimate. It is like a good personal friend sharing a song he just wrote with only you, making the title of the first full-length Jade Tree release, ?Visitor,? a misnomer. As Jonah Matranga explains, though, the songs are the visitors and not he nor the listeners.

As quickly as the album starts, a different meaning of the word ?Visitor? is revealed to the listener.  In this slow moving yet beautiful ballad entitled ?Um,? Jonah reveals the heartache of, assumedly, his divorce. He is the visitor, handed a new life where he finds himself ?feeling young and scared.?

No sooner than the fade out of the piano and guitar feedback of the first track, the second song, ?Bitte Ein Kuss? quickly picks up the pace. It has a beat like ?All You Need Is Drums…? by Piebald that just makes you want to dance. This fun and lighthearted song makes a great sex analogy in the line ?It?s time for a bit of in-the-bed disco.?

It may seem like Jonah got over his divorce rather quickly, but keep in mind the fact that these songs were not written and placed in a linear progression. These songs were written over a period of about eight years.

?Visitor? may be planned out more than prior OLD releases, but it is still rather raw and spontaneous in comparison to most albums today.

?Bands are getting too good at cleaning everything up,? said Jonah Matranga. So, OLD takes a demo tape approach to recording songs. Usually, the songs are rather minimalistic, featuring nothing but a guitar and voice but the presence of piano and drums are felt much more throughout the course of this album.

The overall result is a quick flip of the switches from downtrodden ballad, to lighthearted and joyous songs. It?s rather manic depressive in that sense, which is understandable.

In addition to ?Bitte Ein Kuss? which is German for ?A kiss, please,? the best tracks on this album are ?Smile? (which features an interesting solo by R2D2), ?Yr Letter,? “Softbelly,” and ?Why are we fighting??

http://members.surfeu.fi/kklaine/primebear.html

‘Unless you’re high – which we are not insinuating you should be – you won’t spend too much time on this site. There’s little of substance and only one page but on that page you find the oddest content on possibly the entire Internet.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Alkulukuja Paskova Karhu, the Prime Number Shitting Bear. Alkulukuja has one job and, as you may have already guessed, it is to poop prime numbers.

Watch in amazement as he lets 1s, 3s, 5s, and 7s fly. Stare at his line-art rectum as it lets 11s and 13s loose. Folks, this bear is truly dropping bombs. This is fun for the entire family. It’s educational. It’s immature. It’s a lesson in computer design. The best part is that it keeps statistics. Count along with the amount of prime numbers he’s shit. Guess ahead to what he’ll dump out next. Oh, it’s like a Family Channel sitcom, packed tight with endless fun. Seriously, does it get any better than this?

Sadly, it does – but not on this site. So, we’ll just have to pretend for now.

There are only two negative aspects to this page. For one, the address is difficult to remember. As of July, the site was supposed to move over to http://www.primenumbershittingbear.com but it has yet to do so. Also, there are many more fun and amusing aspects to this site, but they are in what appears to be Finnish. So, it’s kind of difficult to read what has been written, unless you happen to be from Finland or speak their lovely language. Then, for the love of God, will you tell the rest of us what the hell is going on?

Well, there is a page of quotes featuring numerous sayings in English such as “Don’t be a hero. Always run away while the hero dies” and “If it has tits or wheels it will give you a problem.”

Those are their words, not ours. So whether you need to know what prime number follows 18461 or to find practical or slightly misogynistic sayings, Prime Number Shitting Bear is the place to go.

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons

‘It’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid short Flash films on the Internet, and weeding out the bad ones is not a fun prospect. But discovering the funny ones is always a treat – especially if someone points you in the direction of the site.

Weebls-stuff is one of the most interesting, non self-promoting site suggestions we’ve received all year. It’s humorous and unique and captivating, three essential ingredients for good Flash films. The only problem is, we’re still not sure how the hell to describe it.

Under the main page, located at http://www.weebls-stuff.com, the site user is given many options. In addition to the typical news and links portions of the site, there is a time-consuming game subsection. It’s safe to say that their top games, like Car Death Auto, Suicidal Super Puppy and Monkey Shoot are unlike any other you’re find anywhere else on the Web. Go ahead, search. If you find something more quirky, let us know.

The games are fun and there are some interesting threads on the forum – but the real meat and potatoes of this site is the Toons section. In it, you will find three full pages of some odd cartoons. It’s hard to say what function these cartoons serve but it’d be a good guess to say that they were made while high. The repetitive motions and beats give that away. If viewed while high, plan on watching the same cartoon a handful of times or so before understanding what it’s about.

Their trademark seems to be when they cover one very boiled-down topic like the fact that there are lions in Kenya, or badgers and magic mushrooms. Many of their ‘toons tackle such topics but each retains its singular hilarity.

“The Lord” and “The Lord 2,” dealing with an old British lord’s drug binges, are possibly the funniest of the cartoons on the site. Also, check out “Merry Christmas,” “Special Edition” and “Bonjour.” You may not understand it but, most of the times, there’s nothing to understand – just enjoy.

s/t

‘Boysetsfire has unintentionally released an onslaught of bands attempting to parody their name, including Boy Hits Car, and now Rock Kills Kid. The latter of the two is a much more clever name. It’s a shame the music does not follow suit. It starts off strong and with a good deal of promise. At some point around the opening “Closing Time” ripped-off riff of “Miracle,” the second track, it heads downhill. It quickly becomes bad radio rock. That is not to say that radio rock is bad, just that this is BAD radio music. Leave the indie pop to the masters, like Jimmy Eat World. High points: The name, the vocal melodies, and the drumming. Low point: They seem to have expended their creative energies in coming up with a name. It hits rock bottom by “Everything to Me,” the third track.

fall back open

‘Fall Back Open? has taken a while to absorb. Its lackadaisical layers wander aimlessly throughout the course of the records.

Clichxefxbfxbd yet most appropriate words: sweeping soundscapes, singular, auspicious.

Now It?s Overhead?s most recent Saddle Creek debut speaks of sounds from about a half-decade passed. The album is filled with mid-90?s Thrill Jockey-style sounds. The clicking, shiftless guitars sound like they may have been pulled directly from a Tortoise of Sea and Cake record.

The spaced-out vocals present some form for the song to exist in but the most literal of the instruments used is the drums. The songs? drumbeats are a bit more straightforward and aggressive than everything else to the album but, it seems, the reason for this is to give the rest of the band a structure from which they can easily depart.

The best guitar work and worst backing vocal appearance collide with Michael Stipe?s guest appearance on the track ?Antidote.? The opening ?forked-tongue venom? line clashes horribly against the dynamics of the song. It leaves a bad taste.

As for the remainder of the album, it is a strong, consistent effort from this powerhouse of a band. ?Antidote,? with the help of one of rock?s most successful artists, ironically, is the weakest of the tracks.

?Fall Back Open,? the prodigious title track, on the other hand, is the band?s strongest showing. It doesn?t hurt that this song features the assistance of Conor Oberst.

Straight across the board, this is a strong sophomore Saddle-Creek release from the label?s only non-Omaha-based bands.