Tag: #Import 2025-04-25 15:23

that much further west

‘Ben Nichols has a scratchy voice. It’s deep and leans to the side of slurred. He’s not classically trained as a singer. That never stopped Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen, though. Like Bob and Bruce, Ben plays by his own rules and is fully capable of achieving greatness.

It’s a quality that earns Lucero records a good reputation. Beneath their country tinge, Sun Volt comparisons are inescapable. As the songs approach their bridge or breakdown parts, it becomes painfully evident from the built-up progressions that this group was influenced by late Jawbreaker.

So, what do a bunch of non-equivalent comparisons say about Lucero? They say that the band can do it all, culling genres from clear across the board. The best part is, it all happened somewhat incidentally.

Ben Nichols never intended to start a country rock band. He never even played guitar or sang for a band before Lucero. He was just asked to do it and, with an effortless shrug of the shoulders, he grew to be a well-respected songwriter.

The old adage proves true once again; the best things happen when you’re not trying to force them to happen.

“This is the first band I’ve ever been in where I didn’t feel limited by the music,” Nichols admitted in a previous interview with the Colorado Daily. “We can play loud and fast or soft and slow. We can do whatever we want.”

It shows on “That Much Further West.” On first listen, you have no idea what to expect next. A song that lulls and calms may very well be followed by a song that releases relentless aggression. It follows no cohesive pattern, no rhyme or reason.

To further add to the innovative structure of the record, a second disc is included for your listening pleasure. Every song on the album proper has an alternate track on the second CD. Tigerstyle Records suggested to the band that they release the double disc. This way, people would have the ability to choose which way they preferred to hear the songs.

It’s an interesting approach that may just inspire other artists to do the same. Why wait for the B-Sides album to release demo versions of songs? Do it all at once! At twice the product for half the money, you avoid running the risk of it being called a copout. This way, it’s innovative. Way to be trendsetters, Lucero.

http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/ralph

‘How many friends do you have that quote Ralph Wiggum to no end? It’s simultaneously irritating and unpossible not to laugh at, isn’t it?

tIf it’s true that it takes a genius to pull of the character of an idiot the script writers for “The Simpsons” deserve honorary degrees from every prestigious university and technical school in the country.

tSo few characters have been written with such attention to erroneous detail as Ralph. He’s adorable, moronic, simpatico and outrageously delusional. His unintentional one-liners will get you every time, as will the torrid memories of having his heart quite literally broken by Lisa Simpson.

t”The Simpsons,” which is scheduled to see its way through 16 seasons on television, has yet to let anyone down for more than a few episodes at a time. It may become the longest running comedy series in the history of television but who cares? We’re here to talk about little Ralphie.

tThis nose-picking, wookie-bending eight year-old is America’s animated sweetheart and this site has all of the media to back the claim up.

tThough the site has tons of graphics, “framgrabs,” and even instant messenger icons, the true treasure of “That’s Unpossible!” is its stockpile of transcribed quotes and downloadable sounds.

tYou can listen or read along to some of Ralph’s most memorable moments as he glues his head to his shoulder, questions worriedly about whether Abraham Lincoln was okay or not or claims to be a Viking in the territory of sleep.

tRalph Wiggum may go down in the hallowed halls of comic genius, as far as animated characters are concerned, anyway. He’s the guy who is quiet more often than not but, when he does speak, he says exactly what is necessary to crack up an audience.

tRalph, you’ll forever be our favorite idiotic second grader.

brighten the corners

‘Pavement is finally back in the scene after about two years of rnseparation form each other.  They have finally teamed up to come out with their latest release, Brighten the Corners.  After the release of Wowee Zowee, it would not take much for any band to come back and record a better album.  On the other hand, since many loyal Pavement fans have refused to listen to this monstrosaty, Pavement still had to compete rnwith the commercial success of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

Considering the fact that Crooked Rain… was one of the best lo-fi rock albums ever written, this is a very difficult task to live up to.  Well, Pavement  has done so on their new album.  This album has some of the tightest songs that they have ever written.  It is fair to say that this has been the best group effort to date.  For the first time since around Slanted and Enchanted Pavement has completely finished an rnalbum.  There are no song lyrics that end in the middle of a sentence.  There are no songs that sound like they were just written.  This music is of the highest quality that you are going to hear for a while.  Obviously, no album will ever compare with Crooked Rain… but this album is in a completely different category.  That album was known for breaking rndown bariers and telling us that the sky is the limit, in a minimalist sort of way.  Their new album is somewhat experimental for the band because it has a tendency to use the tried and true foundations fo rock.

Compare that to Westing.  Also, we get a glimpse at Steve Malkmus’s personal life for the first time.  He shows us himself in lines like “If my soul had a shape, it would be an elipse…”  This is also new ground that Pavement has laid their foundation on for the first time.  On the other hand, he has not gone completely overboard.  There is still some whackiness inside of him.  We see this in lines like: “A redder shade of rnneck on a whiter shade of trash and this emory board is giving me a rash…”

After having seen them play live, in support of this album, the path that they are on seems much clearer.  The concert was an amazing event, as always, but it was very different.  The band was feeding off of each other a lot more.  There were a lot more guitar solos, and fill ins that produced a fuller sound.  This is not somehting that you expect to hear from the band.  They were focussing on putting on a show, not playing their music and that is what was different.  So, in the end, it is safe to rnsay that Pavement has hit the pop scene for good now.

volume and density

‘Sometimes an album’s significance is relative less to its actual sound and more to its historical context. Duvall’s “Volume & Density” may be one of those albums.

In the early ’90s, before “indie” had the same connotation that it does today, two-thirds of Duvall’s members were out there living the indie-rock lifestyle. With the addition of drummer Mike Felumlee and bassist Matt Caterer, they comprised the influential and often underrated band, The Smoking Popes.

Sure, they may not be credited as the group that started it all or made revolutionary changes to music but in some ways are more of an important group than Sunny Day Real Estate or Fugazi. In that infinite quest of the indie rocker to find the most obscure bands that have weaved their way into the independent music fabric for years, The Smoking Popes score pretty high on the charts.

The band’s members have been making music for nearly a decade and a half now, and their sound has influenced many headlining acts of today. Take Alkaline Trio, for whom Felumlee went on to briefly play drums, as an example. A close listen to these two bands would produce an undeniable connection in the listener’s mind. Search through the indie section of your CD collection. You’re bound to find something that may be derived from the Pope’s catalogue.

Duvall picks up where their former band left off. They’re writing a similar style of song that will make you wonder if this album was written about a decade ago. Vocalist Josh Caterer’s voice is still a bit frog-ish. The songs still occasionally employ solos. But these are elements that are easy to look past. Duvall is a band with which it is easy to sympathize. Something intangible in their music fraternizes with you. It aligns itself with you. Disliking these songs would be like disliking the songs your brother so proudly wrote and showed to you. He’s worked so hard and so long on them.

Even the cover of Spandau Ballet’s “True” is unabashedly catchy. You’ll keep singing it over and over in your head, regardless of how badly you want to pretend ’80s music didn’t exist.

http://www.extremeironing.com

‘Just when you thought you had the ability to distinguish between the actual and the parodied, extreme sport enthusiasts have done something completely unexpected: they’ve made ironing a sport.

According to British creator Phil “Steam” Shaw, during an interview with BBC News last year, the beauty of Extreme Ironing is that it “combines the thrill of an extreme sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt.”

Extreme Ironing merges the world of the domesticated with the world of the outdoorsman. It’s simultaneously rugged and refined, while still maintaining a semblance of good taste.

In short, this is no activity for aging sedentary housewives. This is a way to teach that wayward, athletic child some responsibility.

That same child can win a medal if (s)he gets good enough.

Last September, the first Extreme Ironing Championships took place. The Brits conquered the competition on the sport’s homeland. The Championship included teams from nine different nations. Two British teams took home both the gold and bronze medals.

Shaw’s motto is “An ironed shirt in hand is worth two in the basket.” This is not a saying that he takes lightly, considering the fact that the champions are judged partly on their ironing skills.

According to BBC News, the contestants “were judged on their creative ironing skills as well as the quality of the creases in the clothing, which included tea towels, T-shirts and boxer shorts.”

That goes to show you that you may not be able to judge a book by its cover but someday soon you may be able to judge an athlete by the crease in his/her shirt.

Same as it ever was

‘The most prominent of bands succeed because they defy convention. But they do so in moderation. Without the need to push the envelope or to focus on vanguard sounds, these well-respected bands use the tools at their disposal to create an entirely new sound out of a preexisting style.

Engine Down is one of these bands. When attempting to place the band in a certain category, none seem accurate enough to describe what they do. They are the odd pegs out.

Founded in Harrison, Virginia nearly a decade ago out of the ashes of Sleepytime Trio, The Weak Link Breaks and Bughummer, the band uses a novel approach to songwriting that incorporates any number of non-traditional instruments to fine-tune their sound. Over the course of three full-length albums and a handful of seven-inchers, their sound is more than demure. It is sublime.

The same is certain to be true when their much-anticipated fourth offering reaches completion. At this point, that may still be a long ways off, and Engine Down bassist Jason Wood, formerly of The Weak Link Breaks, has no intention of letting the cat out of the bag.

“We just listened to the rough mixes of the album,” he said. “We’re making our notes and sending them back to Brian McTernan (producer and engineer for the likes of Thrice, Hot Water Music, Cave In) so we can pick an order in which we feel happy with everything.”

His fear is that whatever he says now will be inaccurate by the time the record comes out. So much can change over a short period of time.

Now out of the studio, the band has shopped the record around to labels but has no idea who will end up putting it out.

“Technically, we’re still doing one more tour on our last record (‘Demure’),” Wood said. “It puts us in a weird spot because we have all of these new songs but nobody has heard any of them yet. We’re really excited about the upcoming album but can do little about it.”

As a compromise, they have agreed to sample three of their new songs throughout the course of this tour. The downside is that nobody will be singing along. Then again, mp3s leak so quickly that the band may find themselves in shock at how many people know the words. But that is unlikely.

While the crowd will probably remain quiet through these new tunes, that silence will most likely be pregnant. Rather than being bored to death, chances are this will be a good opportunity for audiences to absorb the new step in their evolution.

Part of that development comes along with a new-found sense of commitment to the band. Lead singer Keely Davis and drummer Jonathan Fuller felt it necessary to leave their other musical venture, Denali, behind. The fact that this project was fronted by Keely’s sister, Maura, made the decision even more difficult.

“I just don’t think that people realize how hard it is to be in two bands that have two albums come out around the same time,” said Wood. “Keely and Jonathan would get home from an Engine Down tour and head right back out on the road with Denali. It was really draining for them.”

Keely and Maura have close-knit ties and are sad to be apart from each other, but this is being viewed as an opportunity for each of the two bands. It has freed both of them up to tour at the same time in different locations, as they are doing right now.

Whether or not this will mean more tour dates or not for Engine Down is uncertain – but each show is guaranteed a higher level of energy than it might have had a year or two ago.

The shared dates between brother and sister’s ventures may now be kept to a minimum, which can only mean half as many depressing and ambiguous lyrics per show but twice as many downtrodden shows to go to.

“Each time we go out by ourselves, the tours seem to get a little bit better,” said Wood. “You grow with each step you take and we’re at the point where we’ve got all the bases covered and learned from the mistakes we made in the past.”

http://www.ihatemyjob.com

‘You know those days where you wish you had called in sick from work? Or, how about those days where you are forced to work with some people who consider themselves to be God’s gift to your particular place of employment? Or perhaps even the world itself? Everyone has muttered the phrase “I hate my job” at least once over the course of a lifetime.

It may not be your current job you hate. Or, it may be your current job that makes you wish you were unemployed, homeless, and begging for food on the street corner of a pedestrian mall. Either way, this sentiment is something to which everyone can relate.

Well, IHateMyJob.com is the place for you. The content of this website is almost entirely user-submitted and, when you consider the amount of posting on the discussion board alone, you know that you are not alone in the sense of loathing that overcomes you when you walk through the office door.

The people who post on this site may not have interesting stories to tell. They may not even be able to spell. That’s all right, though. Just reading the posts is therapeutic. There are people who can empathize with your position and someone can always be found that is in a worse position than you are.

On IHateMyJob.com, you can read job-related jokes; click around humorous pictures that look like something you’d see hanging in your dentist’s office, and even search for new jobs. Yes, this site even offers a solution to your problems. People can post and search jobs through the site.

While online, if you have a joke or comment of your own, you can post it online. Submissions are not only accepted but they are encouraged here. If not, you can steal a picture and make it the desktop of your computer. Why not?

banded blue

‘Indie rock has a 50/50 shot amid the masses.

The most forthcoming sub-genre to prevail consists of short and winding intricate guitar licks, dominant and sometimes off-tempo drumming, and a cross midway between catchy and unique.

Depending upon which era’s perspective is taken, the influences can range from Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate, to Guns ‘N’ Roses, to Christopher Cross’s “Sailing.” Admittedly, that sounds odd, but the guitar progressions usually fall into one of two categories: broken-up licks directly removed from solos or arpeggiated open chords broken into choppy bits to give them more of a complex edge.

MTV will catch up with it in five years like it is now catching onto the poppy punksters Saves the Day and A Newfound Glory. MTV2 might catch up in three.

This might not be an insult to the sub-genre. It requires a bit of brains and fast, loose fingers in order to be able to write and play such music.

What more could be asked for out of such a band? How about a female vocalist who has the ability to turn both phrases and heads?

Enter The English System. The band is fronted by Jessica Larrabee. Her range is dynamic, deep and alluring. Imagine Billie Holliday with the ability to get sounds out of a Fender that not even Leo Fender himself could have anticipated.

Of course, Jessica’s voice is not the only good thing about the band, but it is arguably the main attraction.

For a band that’s been together for only a short period of time, they have managed to reach a level of tightness rarely reached by bands who have not been touring for the better part of a decade and up.

“Banded Blue,” the band’s first full-length recording, is an impressive achievement that shows not a sign of sophomore-slump potential. The compositions are of very high quality – the lyrics are intelligible, accessible, and well-sung. Best of all, the songs are full-band efforts in which each instrument shines in its own right.

If this is merely the beginning, it is safe to say that the end will go out with the kind of bang that only quality rock musicians can produce.

http://www.modernhumorist.com

‘When a site proclaims itself to be humorous, it is a good guarantee that it is not. It is only when people fail at achieving their intended goal that they generally feel the need to point out their intentions. Surprisingly, this is not the case with Modern Humorist. The site is both up with the times and quite funny.

You may wonder, is this site funny – funny like a clown? Will it amuse you?

Actually, yes it will.

There is more than enough content on this site to allow you to waste weeks of valuable work time, or to fatally procrastinate before finals. There’s lots of good material for you to forward to all of your friends, filling up their inboxes so they can’t receive any important mail, jerk.

This site has been up for a matter of years now and there is a better-than-even chance that, if you are as big a loser as we are here at the Daily, you’ve probably scoured the Internet for all of its good content, including Modern Humorist.

You may be well versed in the ways of “Harry Potter in the Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.” It’s possible that you’ve sent the (mock) R. Kelly Sex Tape to everyone in your Address Book, including accidentally sending it to your parents. Also, you may love laughing aloud to the entire subsection dedicated to George Bush or the entire casebook of Encyclopedia Brown mysteries.

Or, maybe you haven’t.

It’s okay. No, no, no. Don’t feel like a loser just because you’ve never heard of this site before. We’re sure that’s not the reason none of your “friends” hang out with you anymore. It’s because of your breath. Oops.

That’s the word on the street, anyway.

So, loser, once you’re done with that pity party, head on over to ModernHumorist.com and get in the know. There might still be a chance for you yet.

the transient

‘Are you an audiophile? Do you love rare treasures that tend to slip through the cracks?

If so, “The Transient” may be the best purchase – or illegal download – of the year.

David Dondero is not a fa?ade. He is, by far, the real thing. As possibly the first true singer/songwriter – not just the clich/d fabrication – in years, he lives for his music and in his car. He travels as he may and has called nearly every state in this country home. Sounds a little like Woody Guthrie, doesn’t it?

It kind of is. His music is his passion and he does it under the cover of obscurity. Dondero is an amazing songwriter with a unique voice that inspired Bright Eyes boy wonder Conor Oberst to feel comfortable with his own singing. As a matter of fact, Oberst sings backup on this album.

On “The Transient,” the voice matches the guitar playing: heavily reverbed and bright with a trebly twang.

An obvious comparison of the record’s course can be made to the path of a setting sun. It starts warm and fierce, and virtually omnipresent. Each passing track steps a little further back into darkness, moves a little slower. By “Song for the Civil Engineer,” the final track, it disappears as a whimper, leaving the listener in a silent and peaceful state.

As the feeling of the album changes towards the second half of “The Transient,” a title Dondero has bestowed upon himself, his voice becomes less reminiscent of Oberst and more like Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz.

Expect lots of songs about drinking, drugs and doing time. Thirty years from now, you can also expect your kids or grandkids favorite folk/activist bands to be covering Dondero songs as tribute to a relatively unrecognized but extremely important figure in Americana history.