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Articles from Berkeley Place-A lil' bit of BK from VA

THE FLAMING LIPS-”July 29, 1987″ 2008-02-11 18:59:59 Bootleg day! The avant garde masters, The Flaming Lips. Here for y’all . . . A few tastes, and a zip, as usual. P.S.: The medley is as awesome as it looks. One Million Billionth of a Millisecond on a Sunday Morning Just Like Before With You Unplugged Charlie Manson Blues Death Valley 69 7 Chinese Brothers Maximum Dream for Evel Knievel Staring at Sound Prescription: Love Scratching the Door > Break on Thru > Who Do You Love? > Rock On > A Day in the Life > Scratching the Door > Communication Breakdown Summertime Blues (encore) ZIP ...

KARA KEITH-s/t EP 2008-02-11 04:00:32 In May, Kara Keith will be recording a new record in Montreal with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade). Right now, though, she’s released an EP. And it’s good. Really good. Kara was the lead singer and keyboard player for Falconhawk, a band hot with college kids in Canada, but now she’s breaking out on her own. (One account I read says she had originally tried to name her new band “The Tight Niggaz,” but soon gave it up.) Her EP starts with its least accessible track. “Gorgeous Gets the Gold” sounds like something Laurie Anderson might have made. It’s eccentric chick music in the extreme. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not pulling me in. But this odd song is followed by pure pop: The bouncy piano-and-syth cut, “Kick This City.” This is a fun tune, but it doesn’t offer anything unfamiliar. I’m not bowled over yet, but the third track comes and that all changes. A solid guitar riff, a horn section, a rad keyboard so ...

ACOUSTIC CLASH! 2008-02-10 04:33:21 Y’all know I’m a huuuuuuuuuge fan of the Clash. And by huge, I don’t mean I’m fat. I mean I love the ornery fuckers. So, I try not to let more than a month go by without doing something to pay tribute to Joe, Mick, Paul, Topper, and the rest of the crew. This time, it’s an “acoustic” show (mostly percussion in the mix). I wish this were better quality, but you take what you can get. The cool thing about it is you can really hear all of the lyrics. The songlist is above, on the jacket of the CD. If anyone out there has a crisper quality version of acoustic Clash material, I desperately want it. In fact, if you’ve got any rare Clash/Clash related stuff, please send it to me. I have several more Clash posts planned over the next few months. A few tastes, and a zip: Cool Under Heat White Riot Bankrobber Stepping Stone ZIP ...

ELEVATOR SUITE-”The Wheel/Eleanor Rigby” 2008-02-10 04:06:40 We don’t generally review singles on this corner, but Elevator Suite’s new single, “The Wheel,” has a pretty fresh B-Side. Elevator Suite make electronica/pop, bordering on house music. They’ve been around for a long time, but their new single has a remix by Phil Hartnoll of Orbital and this cool B-Side. Check it out. Eleanor Rigby Buy Elevator Suite here ...

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM/MUSIC REMIXED-”Sounds Like Silver Remixed” 2008-02-09 09:42:20 I wasn’t as impressed by “Sounds Like Silver” as I expected to be, based on the last LCD Soundsystem album. But here it is, in its entirety, remixed! 1. Get Innocuous (Geek Chic’s Harm-Free Retouch) 2. Time To Get Away(ATOM’s Exit Stage Left Mix) 3. North American Scum(Dunproofin’s Not From England Either Mix) 4. Someone Great (Shokking Shokkaboy Remix) 5. All My Friends (AMIGAMAN Remix) 6. Us vs Them (Go Home Productions Remix) 7. Watch the Tapes (Team9’s Excursion On The Version) 8. Sound Of Silver (McSleazy Remix) 9. London, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down (Hearing Double & JCB Soundsystem) ...

THE AUTUMNS-”Fake Noise from a Box of Toys” 2008-02-09 04:14:40 The Autumns claim as formative influences bands like the Smiths and Stone Roses, and both are obviously present here from the first cut, “Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers,” a swirling, sonic wall of wailing. Overall, the album follows that kind of soaring, “big” pattern—alternative rock intended for arenas. For example, Glass Jaw is a high energy tear that must be fantastic live. Like many ’90s alternative tunes–in the tradition of Nirvana, The Breeders, etc.–it moves tireless forward through its chorus, which is more guitar than lyrics, but instead of doing the standard slow/fast/slow/fast common to this style of music, the song simply plows forward until the last few seconds, where it brings the listener down gradually into a really sweet fade out. A few other cuts, like “Clem” in particular, skate too close along the edge of the kind of ball-less whining some call twee, and the album lost me a few times because of that. ...

THROW ME THE STATUE-”Moonbeams” 2008-02-08 17:47:56 In my current position, I’m fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to hear dozens of new albums every month, and the vast majority of them fit into two categories: (1) They sound like a bunch of stuff I’ve already heard, but aren’t as good; or (2) They sound like nothing I want to hear ever again. (Often, the submissions fit both categories.) But here I found an oasis. Hailing from Seattle comes another winner from Secretly Canadian: Throw Me the Statue is nothing short of brilliant. A few notes on just a couple of the tracks: “Lolita” is a good-natured, upbeat ditty occupying a space somewhere between the quirkiness of The Flaming Lips and the stripped-down, clean sound of The Kinks. It’s a great song that relies heavily on multiple forms of percussion (including electronic(?) hand claps and glockenspiel!) to bounce into your skull, but it’s still complex enough that it doesn’t stay in there for days. It’s not catchy so much as easy going. If this tale of post-adol ...

YO LA TENGO, SLIGHT RETURN 2008-02-08 04:16:14 A while back, I posted one, two, three Yo La Tengo cover posts. A few of you liked them, I promised more, but didn’t deliver. Until now. The first one I’m posting I need help with. I’ve been told it’s a Sun Ra cover, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. If anyone knows who did the original and, more importantly, how I can get a better quality boot of this song, please tell me. It’s my 8 year old’s favorite tune: Dreaming (Sun Ra(?)) Somebody’s Babe (Jackson Browne) Roadrunner (Modern Lovers) Somebody’s In Love (Cosmic Rays) You Tore Me Down (flaming groovies - live) A Message to Pretty (Arthur Lee and Love) Pop Life (Prince)-Cover by Dump (Yo La side project) Don’t Cry No Tears (neil young) ...

HOT CHIP-“Made in the Dark” 2008-02-07 04:34:23 Yes, Hot Chip’s “Made in the Dark” is on EMI, and I don’t generally post on major label outings. These days, being a major label seems to mean only that you’re willing to sue anyone for anything rather than change your business plan. But I must give credit where it’s due, and it’s due here. The labels took somewhat of a risk signing such an odd and clearly indie-sounding band. “The Warning” was quite good, and this new one is pretty much the same. If you liked the first two, you’ll like this one. Their sound has become more polished, but the themes are the same. Lots of neurotic bop, electronic bounce, and generally peppy dance music. The album begins with “Out At The Pictures,” winding an electronic crank slowly, faster, faster, introducing the hook, stopping, starting, and then kicking in. It’s an excitement builder, a lead track, and it’s only the intro. After that comes “Shake a Fist,” which is the clear pick for first single. It’s got r ...

JON McKIEL-“The Nature of Things” 2008-02-07 03:34:56 Wednesday Records is pulling out all the stops to promote Canadian Jon McKiel’s new record, The Nature of Things, offering an eMusic pre-release (this week) and allowing listeners to stream the whole thing for free at Rhapsody next week. Why so much hype? Maybe it’s because they’ve got a winner here. His music is on the dark side of shoegazer, featuring moody hooks and introspective themes. It’s reasonably accessible, but doesn’t bend over too far to grab your ears: There’s catchy stuff here, but most of it will make you concentrate a little too hard for me to call it indie pop. But I’d definitely call it indie. And I’d definitely call it worth a listen, too. For fans of: The Stills, The Slip, The Diggs, Andrew Bird. War on You ON TOUR: February 7 2008 - 8:00P, Pat’s Place, Antigonish, NS February 8 2008 - 10:00P, ECMA Showcase, Fredericton, NB February 9 2008 - 2:00P, Ski Ben Eoin, Sydney, NS February 16 2008 - 8:00P, Rocky Saureen, Hamilton, ON February ...

JOELL ORTIZ-”Brick: The Bodega Chronicles” 2008-02-06 04:00:09 Last year, Joell Ortiz dropped his debut album, “The Brick: Bodega Chronicles.” It landed like, well, a brick. Nobody I know picked up on it, and that’s too bad because the album is dope. To be a good MC, you have to have the lyrical ability to constantly surprise, and you need quality production. But above all, you must have flow: There must be something about your delivery that’s unique, that makes people want to listen to you. Otherwise, rap is just words spat quick or slow. Ortiz, from Brooklyn, is a well-rounded guy, and it shows in his style. He scored 1400 on his SATs (or so he’s claimed), he was offered a basketball scholarship, and he has been signed by Dr. Dre to Aftermath (although I read a rumor recently that that deal has already gone south), and he’s recorded with Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap, so he’s starting to get heat. It’s time for you to catch the man whose been drawing comparisons to Big Pun (and, even bette ...

COVER WARS: CYNDI VS. BYRNE 2008-02-05 04:06:18 In the turn of the decade into the ’80s, The Talking Heads started working with famed producer Brian Eno. Under his able hand, the band started releasing more accessible nerd pop than they had before. That was when the band broke to a wider audience. In 1983, “Burning Down the House” became their first top 10 hit. They were something of an anomaly at the time, but soon lots of top ten bands would produce neurotic, clinical pop songs (see: Men Without Hats, Men at Work, etc.). The Heads’ influence can’t be denied. But, in same year of 1983, a strange and colorful girl who hung out with wrestler Lou Albano (the big fat dude known for wearing rubberbands all over his face) exploded all over Madonna’s scene with popular music that wasn’t exploiting sexuality, but still sang about it. Sometimes rather lewdly. But when Cyndi sang pop songs about sex, the sex was meaningful. That was probably the big difference between Lauper and Byrne: The lat ...

NICK JAINA-”Wool” 2008-02-04 03:34:08 “Wool” is the second album by Nick Jaina (also of Binary Dolls), following his debut solo album, The 7 Stations. It’s a unique sound, with some of the mournful creeping offered by troubadours like Tom Waits, some of the quirky musicianship of Jenna Newsome/Tori Amos, and, through it all, a genuine sense of humility. Rather than try to control his music, Jaina seems to allow his songs to guide him, as if he is but the vessel. “Ponchatoula” is primarily a violin-and-piano piece that almost sounds classical. Although the vocals are good, I was almost disappointed that they came in so fast. I could have listened to the instrumental beginning for a few minutes longer. A Tom-Waitish faded drum boom occasionaly explodes in the background, turning the tune into more of a march, and giving it a feeling much darker than Jaina’s optimistic vocal quality. A very interesting tune, unlike virtually anything else I hear these days. “Wool” is a gentle, piano-based album t ...

THE FUTURE OF THE LEFT-“Curses” 2008-02-03 16:39:58 Mclusky was one of the greatest punk bands in history. There, I said it. They may not be superfamous. They may not even have been terribly influential. But I defy you to find a band with wittier lyrics and more complex music. Few did the genre better: Not Black Flag, not The Pistols, not the Dead Kennedys, nobody. It was true punk, without an alternative twist or pop production. Of course, mclusky is dead. But rising from the ashes of the brazenly brilliant band comes . . . Future of the Left. Andy “Falco” Falkous (vox/guitar) and Jack Egglestone (drums) didn’t hate each other enough to stay apart, so they joined with Kelson Mathias (vox/bass) of Jarcrew to form this new powerhouse group that released a shamefuly slept-on record back in 2007. (Count me among the sleeping– didn’t even know the album came out until last month!) Much like Fugazi, Future of the Left doesn’t seem to want fame or success. They’re known for playing secret shows to avoid crow ...

WHY THE SUBPRIME CRASH DOESN’T SUCK 2008-02-03 04:12:07 I am not an asshole.  I’m not mean.  I’m not a knee-jerk anti-establishment liberal, either.  I’m not saying the recent economic crisis is good because venture capitalists can easily buy low, especially real estate foreclosures (but stocks, too), and later will almost certainly make money off these investments.  I’m not saying it’s good because the banks deserved to lose money.  But I am saying there’s an up side. Hear me out. I’m personally affected by all of it.  I may lose my house.  From that perspective, it sucks and I hate it.  But from a global perspective, it may be just what we need.  Under Reagan and Bush I, America and Americans were the most powerful people in the world.  Under Clinton, we started to use that power on a global level, going on peacekeeping missions, increasing aid to foreign countries, and moving our own industries abroad at a staggering pace.  We lowered trade barriers, too, believing that we were invinci ...