2009-05-18

Casper And The Cookies' "Modern Silence" Is A Modern Masterpiece

I probably can't write a better review for Casper And The Cookies (myspace) new opus than I did with this drunken message board post (slightly edited), which was in response to Pitchfork's review of Modern Silence: "I was somewhat surprised to see the name Matthew Perpetua at the end of this review. Perpetua started/is Fluxblog, one of the first mp3 blogs and one I respect. He loves The Fiery Furnaces, so I can't begin to think what he was talking about with this album being "too long." This album is so full of perfect I don't even know where to begin. But to address Perpetua's main criticism, instead of viewing it as too long, view it as a vast musical wonderland - where you can drop in as you please. This CD has been in my truck for a while, mostly all shorter journeys to work, and every morning I get a little excited on deciding which song segment I will choose, whether I feel like the 'let's go, day' of "Little Kings" (and it's flowing follow up songs), the extra pick me up of "Sharp!" or the sharp-yet-fuzzy "Nagoya", the lyrically perfect 'let's have a relaxed day' of "Chocolate Cake And Coffee" or sweeter than aspartame "Sunshine Girl", or maybe weird the day out with the multi-dimensional "I Am Gone" which will keep playing probably through the lunch drive home and have the second half of my day start off having just listened to the most simple, sublime kazoo line with a hoedown behind it of all-time. The playing all sounds like perfect first takes - not too studied and overdubbed, a nice looseness but still nailing it, with just the right amount of accompanying colors and textures. Every sound and song is just too good without ever repeating itself - such rich, fully realized versions of songs that I just cannot get sick of listening to them. It's the most fantastic fucking thing I've heard in a long time, and if the CDs hole were a (quite) bit bigger I'd fuck it. Yeah. I'm a little drunk. "He didn't play a note, but man that note he didn't play - he never heard before."




Modern Silence sees the Cookies stripped down to a three-piece - frontman Jason NeSmith (AKA Casper Fandango) mostly playing keys and singing, his wife Kay on bass, and Jim Hicks on guitar, and those are very loose roles - all members seem to play drums and keys and sing, etc., and there are a few more credited players on the lyrics page. NeSmith owns the Bel Air recording studio in Athens, GA, and the album credits simply says "produced and performed by the band", lists the three members, and then "assisted by Bill Doss" (Olivia Tremor Control, Sunshine Fix, Apples In Stereo), so I imagine many long unhurried late nights in the studio crafting this album, and it's a tribute to them how the performances still sound so fresh. And should Modern Silence not find the audience it so richly deserves, NeSmith will still no doubt be in even greater demand for his studio wizardry, because this album sounds flawless. This and the previous track are a couple of Modern Silence's more upbeat danceable tunes, "Nagoya" is I believe the only one sung by Jim Hicks:




the last track on Modern Silence is a fifteen minute journey (actually about 21 since the two previous songs work as part of the suite) through pop psychedelia with a shitload of guest appearances - they're listed at the bottom of the lyrics page (you may want to bookmark this for future reference since these aren't on the album anywhere). This is just the last three and a half minutes of the last track, but even if it were the whole track it wouldn't be complete without the rest of the album building up to it. But just in this segment, you can hear the low rumbling spirit channeling of The Late BP Helium (of Montreal) at the beginning, a "melody and counterpoints" from Apples In Stereo frontman Robert Schneider in one of his non-Pythagorean scales, and others - I started to explore some of the artists I hadn't heard of before. Going to Gary Pig Gold's website I was treated to the actual version of the mini-song he contributed (heard below), in it's un-fucked-with purity (his bio sounds pretty interesting), and learned the violin player Cole Causey plays with the Athens Symphony. And a kazoo isn't credited, but what else can that catchy as all-fuck two-note melody be?:




Buy Modern Silence direct from the band for ten bucks - HHBTM also has deal going with bonus stuff for thirteen bucks. And I'm going to try to finally finish editing my second day of SXSW shows, and it starts off with none other than Casper And The Cookies. Don't miss Casper And The Cookies last Daytrotter session, featuring three tracks from Modern Silence, and they have another appearance scheduled for later this year, along with several tour dates (check their myspace) - do not miss them when they come to your town!

previously at FP: Casper And The Cookies delivered a jaw-dropping genre-hopping cover of of Montreal's "Penelope" for the of Montreal tribute album I put together.

2009-05-16

Animal Collective - Animal Crack Box

Don't know how I feel about a live boxset that's been talked about for years by AC fans getting this kind of treatment - a limited vinyl-only run of 1000 that sold out as soon as it went for sale. It was inevitable that people with possibly no interest in the band would be able to pick up on the hype and profit - one asshole already wants $1,100!!! - while people who are real fans are barely able to get a chance to purchase it, and the thing that gets me is that this fact was probably weighed in the decision to give it such a limited release, and considered good hype. Because we would eventually get a digital download somewhere, I guess I don't blame them for trying to generate more buzz for themselves (surely the band had as much decision as the label on what kind of release this was going to get). Especially since the music isn't what those new to AC may expect - in fact, I have no doubt it will alienate a few people who first got hooked on Merriweather Post Pavillion's catchiness (although veteran fans will delight in new songs and versions and parts unheard before). It is 3 LPs worth of live material from three of AC's first years, and it drones, shrieks, spooks, bubbles, explodes, wonders, and wanders, with hardly a hint of the polish and sampler-based locomotion that marks their last two albums.



2009-05-14

New Deerhoof Session

A top listening-while-procrastinating choice lately that I must shout from the rooftops about is the brand new live sessions from The Bay Bridged, which is a San Francisco-based indie blog, podcast, thrower of kickass SXSW parties, and now live session studio. To kick things off, their first session is San Fransisco's own beloved Deerhoof. And instead of playing something off "the new album", last year's Offend Maggie, they roar through a track from 1999's Holdypaws, two (!) from 2004's Milk Man, and a soundtrack cover from Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who did the music for Zorba The Greek, Z, and Serpico. Here's that track:




... and head over to the Bay Bridged's New, Improved, LIVE page for the rest of the session in your classy choice of 160 or 320 kbps (Deerhoof likes it enough to make this session their sole music selections on their myspace.) I heard that Why? may be upcoming.

2009-05-12

New Animal Collective Song: "Bleed"

Basically this song has three continuous components: a soft electronic pulsating dirge, Panda and Avey doing dreamy call and response vocals that occasionally swirl back into each other and trail off, and the disconcertment of bottles breaking, maybe some chains falling, and the sad hypnotic sound of a bottle cap rolling in circles in the street. I love it, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.




btw, this isn't the same version found on GvB and elsewhere, I ripped this one and added a hint of EQ and limited/amplified for fuller sound, I'm too lazy to do the whole show though, (besides I've got a bunch of sxsw recordings sitting here screaming to be let go of.) The entire concert that this song came from (the second on Animal Collective's brand new tour) is available here, courtesy NPR.

Animal Collective's myspace has their tour dates, which I won't bother reposting since virtually every one is already sold out. If they're not sold out in your area, do not wait.

2009-04-15

SXSW 2009 - Wednesday

feat: The Shaky Hands, Max Tundra, Crocodiles, Wavves, Explode Into Colors, Pocahaunted, Pete And The Pirates, and Telepathe

Sorry (again) for tardiness, it took me longer than expected to process all of the music (on a crappy computer) and whatnot and other real-life things. I can't be bothered to lookup song titles, so if somebody wants to post any setlists or titles in the comments section (or any other comments) it will be appreciated. Eventually I'll get around to posting the two other days of SXSW I recorded, but until then - these recordings from the Wednesday SXSW kickoff are the result of a newly purchased Zoom H2 digital recorder. The results are varied, some sets you may want to keep on your computer, others not, and it was a good learning experience for me concerning microphone placement and other variables I will bore you with throughout this post. I do hope you keep the Pete and the Pirates set, it may be the best one I recorded the whole SXSW and is one I can't stop playing. And pretty much everything here is a highlight in it's own right - Max Tundra's SXSW debut, Wavves second SXSW show, some great songs from Shaky Hands, and a jaw-dropping set from Pocahaunted. I did record a few things over this SXSW I won't be posting, true to this blog's creed I'll only post things I really liked, and even though sets are usually only 20-30 minutes (some are partial sets I arrived to late or something) they add up and my server space is now precious.


SXSW - AUSTIN, TX

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009


Click pictures for a larger version. You can also download all of the Wednesday mp3s in one zip file (275MB) HERE (click "Download for free with FileFactory Basic")




I had to work and miss at least one day of SXSW, and since The Shaky Hands weren't playing too many shows I went Wednesday (to see them) and Friday & Saturday and had to work Thursday. I'm too big of a Joggers fanatic to miss drummer Jake Morris playing with the established Portland band which he recently joined last year (since the Joggers take years to release an single 7"), just in time for their tour opening for the Meat Puppets. I talked to Jake before the show and he was apprehensive, and said they hadn't played in a while, had just driven in early that morning, and before that founding member/singer Nicholas Delffs had an even longer journey, having just arrived from India. But the worries were unfounded and The Shaky Hands made me a big fan, and disappointed in myself that I'd been missing out and hadn't gotten any of their stuff yet. It may not be as angular as the Joggers, but it's its own kind of rich textured rock. They just kicked off a nationwide tour, check them out fer sure if they're in your area. After a stint on the great UK indie label Memphis Industries, The Shaky Hands signed last year to Kill Rock Stars and opened the Kill Rock Stars Day party at Club Deville. Track 7 is especially nice and mellow and shows off Delffs' immediately likeable voice.


The Shaky Hands
2009-03-18 SXSW, early afternoon
Club Deville

2009-03-18 SXSW 01
2009-03-18 SXSW 02
2009-03-18 SXSW 03
2009-03-18 SXSW 04
2009-03-18 SXSW 05
2009-03-18 SXSW 06
2009-03-18 SXSW 07
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And from there we headed a block away to Red 7 to catch the SXSW premiere of British electronic-kitsch maestro Max Tundra at the Terrorbird/Force Field Day Party. It was probably the first time I've seen a book used as a prop during a music gig. Tundra's voice explores pitches like some modern avant-garde opera (or camp theater), playfully bouncing vocal melodies over the top of by his unique style of breakbeat techno with electronic flourishes and toys. I was back by the soundboard like I was for The Shaky Hands show, but Red 7 also had a concert going on outside just behind us, and during quieter passages you can hear it - I would imagine this is not something you really have to worry about normally when recording, but as can be heard here has to be a concern in the cramped downtown spaces of Austin during SXSW. But all in all not a bad recording and definitely a nice moment to capture (thanks to smileybone for the pic above/left)












From there it was around the block again to Emo's and the Pat Possum party to see Wavves, and before that was two dudes called Crocodiles who most definitely know all of the Jesus and Mary Chain records by heart. With a drum machine and a guy singing over one noisy guitar, it was a bit more than the sum of its parts and rocked hard enough to justify the sunglasses. I recorded from the very back next to the soundboard, and added a touch of EQ to all the recordings, but realized I had to add more the further back I recorded. Crocodiles are currently on tour in support of Ladytron.

Crocodiles
2009-03-18 SXSW, afternoon
Emo's outside

2009-03-18 SXSW 01 - I Wanna Kill














And next was one the the most hyped acts of the year, Wavves from San Diego. Like Crocodiles it's just two dudes, but having somebody live drums helps fill out the live sound for Wavves, although the music is still much less expansive and the drumbeats for the most part just match the same pounding rhythm of the guitar and much of the noise and nuance of the albums is missing. Nathan from Wavves does play his straight-ahead rock chords live with a catchy urgency and has a way with vocal melodies, especially the switching to ooo-ing sweet beach melodies like on "To The Dregs", although by that song in this set (only their second of SXSW I believe) his voice is already showing signs of strain. By the end of the week things didn't get much better for him, almost losing his voice due to the huge number of shows they played over four days.

Wavves
2009-03-18 SXSW, afternoon
Emo's outside

2009-03-18 SXSW 01 - Intro
2009-03-18 SXSW 02
2009-03-18 SXSW 03
2009-03-18 SXSW 04
2009-03-18 SXSW 05
2009-03-18 SXSW 06
2009-03-18 SXSW 07
2009-03-18 SXSW 08
2009-03-18 SXSW 09 - To The Dregs
2009-03-18 SXSW 10 - Wavves








After that we headed to what's becoming a not-so-great secret about SXSW and my default place to go: the free day shows all week long put on by NYC promoter Todd P (teaming up with various labels and party-throwers) at Ms. Bea's. Ms. Bea's is on Sixth Street, on the east side of highway 35. The downtown club scene (and downtown itself) is generally west of I35, but the east-of-35 area, not too long ago mostly all lower-middle class, is slowly being gentrified. But Ms. Bea's is an old-timey Mexican ice-house, like others in the area, and it has a great patio and open area out back, and for SXSW it's configured with two stages that bands alternate between. The first stage is just a section of patio in front of a chain-link fence and the second is underneath a covered arbor. Thomas from Pete and The Pirates said it best on their blog, "This is how all gigs should be; played outside in people's yards on warm summer evenings."






For Wednesday day the party was "Todd P presents Music Made by Women"curated by Veronica of Finally Punk. We caught the end of the set from Portland's Explode Into Colors, and it was what SXSW is all about: discovering new bands. I hadn't heard them before, but was wholly impressed by the thick and swampy musical atmosphere created by this female three-piece, with expansive grooves and vocals that alternate from sweetness to seance - perfect I'd imagine for summer highway cruising. The slight crackling heard a bit here and even more during Telepathe is actually a result of the PA for the under the arbor stage and not the recorder

Explode Into Colors
2009-03-18 SXSW, late afternoon
Ms. Bea's

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And then one of my most anticipated shows: Pocahaunted. If Explode Into Colors sounds at times like a seance, Pocahaunted sounds like channeling Native American spirits from the underworld. Bethany from Pocahaunted didn't come with them and is on hiatus, but Amanda had more than able backup, including new arrival Diva Dompe from LA band Blackblack on bass and members of Robedoor (husband and Not Not Fun cofounder Britt Brown on guitar and trumpet) , Sun Araw, and Magic Lantern. I asked Amanda afterward about the set and she said it was all brand new material that they had just written together, with no real titles for the songs. The bass in this newest incarnation of Pocahaunted has a definite nod to dub reggae and Amanda has said that ahead is an even funkier sound, one that perhaps you can even dance to. In an interview with LA CityBeat she says "Right around the time we started recording Island Diamonds, I started listening to a lot of spacey dub and buying Soul Jazz box sets, trying to sink my teeth into that aspect of electronic music." Previous to this set I knew Pocahaunted's vocals mostly of course for their primal chanting, but didn't realize until I read that LA CityBeat interview that this was the first time they've used actual real words in the vocals. But that definitely doesn't take away from the other-worldliness. As the pictures show, I was right up front for this recording and it sounds great.


Pocahaunted

2009-03-18 SXSW, late afternoon
Ms. Bea's

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It's hard to pigeonhole Pete And The Pirates (or Thomas Sanders' other project Tap Tap). They are imaginative but not necessarily ground-breaking. It's hard to nail down references but you know they sound like somebody. Their greatness lies in the details - Sanders' quintessentially British vocal phrasings, the tightness of the band, and most of all the extremely catchy pop hooks. The songs here at Wednesday evening's NY Noise party are sung and played with contagious enthusiasm, and by track 4 "Come On Feet" things really start clicking. The next track, old favorite (recorded by both Tap Tap and Pete And The Pirates) "She Doesn't Belong To Me" brings some calmness for a bit but even it can barely be restrained despite the fact that this is their fifth set this day, and then three fantastic new songs after that. Pure indie pop goodness. Like Pocahaunted I was right up front for this one with nobody in front of me, and though I might have assumed this could be too close, the sound came out well-balanced and full, probably the best of all the recordings I got for the whole week., despite the fact that the kick drum sounds like it was "made of ceramics". Big thanks to Melissa Soltis (flickr) for sending me these pics (and the one above of Ms. Bea's).

Pete And The Pirates
2009-03-18 SXSW, evening
Ms. Bea's

2009-03-18 SXSW 01 - intro
2009-03-18 SXSW 02 - Jennifer
2009-03-18 SXSW 03 - Things That Go Bump
2009-03-18 SXSW 04 - Come On Feet
2009-03-18 SXSW 05 - She Doesn't Belong To Me
2009-03-18 SXSW 06 - Motorbike
2009-03-18 SXSW 07 - Selina
2009-03-18 SXSW 08 - Lost In The Woods
2009-03-18 SXSW 09 - Mr. Understanding













I actually enjoyed Telepathe's closing set enough to include it here, and that's kind of surprising. On the surface it's just electronic club music (which I'd normally probably hate), the vocal melodies seem kind of Top-40 inspired, and there's a futuristic New York hip-hop vibe, some desert tribalism, and a little Miami booty bass. But they pull it all together and "wing it" with a snare drum, keyboard and samplers (pretty much Animal Collective's live setup) and make it work, sounding original and modern. Thanks to lap0la for the pic!


Telepathe
2009-03-18 SXSW, evening
Ms. Bea's










coming next (eventually): Friday, including Casper And The Cookies (who seriously have an album of the year contender hitting stores soon), Bearsuit, Fishboy, and the Not Not Fun label showcase.