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

under the tray…

‘Chances are, if your only Reggie experience has been on record, you may have asked yourself ?Who is Reggie? and what is ?The Full Effect???

Good question. It?s made to be an elusive mystery.

If you search the band?s website for information, it will tell you that Reggie is middle aged convict who recently befriended someone named Paco in the Canadian prison which he both resides and records. Then there?s something about tacos. Reggie definitely likes tacos and beer. He likes tacos and beer.

Maybe you?re a bit too skeptical, though. Maybe the voice sounds very familiar, not like that of a middle aged rocker. Maybe the songwriting sounds really familiar too. Isn?t it odd that, not only is Reggie on Vagrant Records, but the band has this inseparable bond to The Getup Kids?

Well, for those not in the ?know,? Reggie is none-other than James Dewees, drummer from Coalesce and keyboardist for The Getup Kids, alter ego. It?s all a faxefxbfxbdade, like the missing CD which is hidden CD ?under the tray.?

Even if you are familiar with Reggie, the recordings, and his Reggie?s, or James?, relationship to The Getup Kids and Coalesce, you may still ask yourself, ?What the hell is Reggie and the Full Effect??

Needless to say, it is a project created with no intended audience in mind. The songs range from hardcore and thrash metal, closer to Dewees? Coalesce experiences, to poppy-punk tunes, as with The Getup Kids style. As with previous Reggie?s two previous albums, ?Greatest Hits 1984-1987? and ?Promotional Copy,? this record contains its humorous bits, including sound bites from drunken folks at The Getup Kids shows to another appearance of fake Finnish metal-heads Common Denominator. Although it?s hard to top the first Common Denominator product, ?Dwarf Invasion,? this album?s ?Linkin Verbs? draws out just as many laughs from the listener. To top it all off, there is a rather interesting track called ?F.O.O.D. AKA Aren?t you Hungary?? which has to be an outtake accidentally included on the record. Here?s a sample line: ?F, O, O, D, food food. G, O, O, D, good good.?

Like the previous Reggie release, ?Promotional Copy,? this album experiments a bit with, not just metal, but electronica and hip hop. The product is very interesting and worthy of a listen. The final track, ?Megan 2k2 (Even Though it?s 2k3 now),? uses the same effects as that J. Ralph song ?One Million Miles Away,? with the same results. You know, the song from that Volkswagen commercial with the girl doing that kind of freaky, transy, dance in the car. It creeps me out.rn

http://www.explodingdog.com

‘This is a hard and cynical bastard of a column. If it does not outright say something insulting, it’s in the subtext. Beneath it all, though, there is a soft spot in this column, as well. It may only be one soft spot, and different objects have to share it, but they all get their turn, rotating one by one. This week, ExplodingDog.com gets to be in that special place. We promise the site will make you say “Awwww…” and if it doesn’t, then tough luck. This isn’t a game show, people. There’s no consolation prize. Oops. There goes that cynicism again. ExplodingDog.com is a great way to brighten your mood. Sam Brown, who is the artist behind the site, has a gift. He is brilliant in all his simplicity. He can elicit strong emotions from basic stick-figure drawings with the assistance of clever titles. As a matter of fact, Brown accepts title suggestions and may actually draw a picture to match it. His policy on such things is listed on his Web site. On the site, there are enough pictures to view for weeks on end. The site is constantly being updated as well. So, you know you can always count on a crop of new Photoshop drawings popping up with a good deal of frequency. It’s cute (Yes, I said cute. Now, move on); it’s interesting; at points, it’s even creepy – but this site will never fail to get your attention. Once you run out of pictures to look at, which probably means you have way too much free time on your hands, you can order one of Brown’s books to browse. Or, buy a T-shirt to wear. Send the link around. Download a picture and make it your desktop. Brown doesn’t mind. His policy on such issues are on line under the “answers to questions” section. Oh, one more thing. If you tell anyone about the soft spot, I’m just going to have to kick your ass. Understood?

last call for nightfall

‘Picture Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan growing up as a trustafarian in a rich yuppie neighborhood like… oh, say, Boulder. Now, picture him with easy access to any psychedelic he wanted. Lastly, imagine that he took full advantage of said access.

The boyish voice, the ability to know a good riff long before any ass-biting was necessary: these are two qualities that make Living Science Foundation and Superchunk comparable. It’s the envelope filter and a suspicious hunch that these guys drop acid that put the two bands worlds apart.

It’s like the characters from “That 70’s Show” up and started an indie rock band.

“Last Call for Nightfall,” the band’s freshman effort, is an interesting meld of numerous rock styles that span the course of over three decades. In various cross-sections of LSF’s songs, a good deal of the band member’s influences can be found. In one part, you hear Pink Floyd. In another, you hear the Police. In others still, more recent bands like The Mars Volta.

If nothing else, anyone can agree that this album is unique. The truth of the matter is it’s a love/hate listening experience, an album whose sound can only be described as a freak accident in which the past few generations of vinyl collections melted together into one audible record.

http://www.ouchytheclown.com

‘The scariest part about including this Web site on the “Worst of 2003” list is that there is probably an S&M disk jockey clown community in Boulder that we will offend. Or maybe there are members of the “Porn Clown Posse” here. That would not be a surprise at all.

Ouchy, whose motto is “Nice to beat you!”, is into much more than just sadism and masochism. He’s an “experienced and irreverent DJ” who spins scary ambient, illbient, loungescore and more. He’s also a certified meeting facilitator. That’s right, he can help solve problems within the workplace, brainstorm or even mediate a conflict, all while wearing a leather thong and face paint.

Yes, Ouchy, the multi-faceted clown. In his role as a clown dominator, one of his talents is listed as “making you laugh while I hurt you.” Oh, we’re laughing.

Need your genitals shaved? He’ll do it for you.

Maybe you’re familiar with this clown. He once appeared next to porn star Asia Carrera on an episode of Tech TV’s “Unscrewed.”

Clowns have always been unfairly victimized as being scary. This one not only takes pride in it, but takes that characterization to the next level. On the whole, he’s probably not a bad guy. He’s just the one of the leading West Coast purveyors of really sick shit. At one point, he was the CEO of Evil Klown Industries – until the company collapsed.

If that’s not enough, this masochistic mummer is a movie critic as well. As one might assume, his forte is pornographic films. His ratings are on a scale of one-to-five honks and all feature a graphic which reads: “Buy it now damnit!”

Why is it so damned difficult to think of something funny to say about a perverted clown? Oh well.

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??