Dum Dum Girls

I'm listening to and enjoying the Dum Dum Girls' album Only in Dreams, which came out last year.  These are really catchy pop songs.  It's interesting to me that singer/song-writer/main creative force Dee Dee doesn't list The Pretenders as an influence.  She sounds like a carbon-copy of Chrissie Hynde fronting The Smiths.

If I have any criticism of this album, it's that the arrangements are a bit too simple.  I've written before about how bands should simplify overwrought album production, but these songs go a bit too far in the other direction.  They seem to function on the presumption that if everything is reversed out, than you don't have to play anything that's actually interesting.  Sadly, I think many of these songs could benefit from interesting bass lines.

But the songs are so good, so catchy, and sung with such emotion and power that I don't really care all that much, in the end.  It's a really good summer album.  Provided you like Chrissie Hynde.

Bands I Love: Marked Men Edition

I was listening to a mix that my friend and sometime drummer made three years ago, and a song came on by Marked Men.  Make no mistake about it: I love this band.  They haven't put out a record in three years, and there doesn't seem to much activity on any of their pages, but they're stupid good.

Quick punk songs, catchy melodies, straight-ahead with no extraneous bullshit.  That's all ya need, kiddos.  I've posted a video, but really there's a million examples all over Youtube that show what I'm talking about.

"A Little Bit of Time"

Go buy their records.  Now.  GO!

Leave Some Room for the Tune

This morning, I found my wife playing Foster the People's Torches in the living room.  Now, I have no inherent problem with this.  I've been familiar with this album since it came out.  I find them resoundingly mediocre.  They are the supermarket white bread of the indie rock world - well, them and a host of other bland-but-not-offensively-bad bands of the moment.  But, while we were "enjoying" the record, I realized that, in my head, I kept comparing them to their in-studio set on Soundcheck that I heard last year.  And the album versions kept coming up short.

Why would this be?  Surely, with time in the studio to redo rough takes, your album version should be the best you can make the song sound, right?  You would think.  But, in this case, and likely in many others, the recording studio presents a new pitfall.  There is a pressure to keep adding to a song until every ounce of available sonic space is filled, not with interesting counterpoint or something else worthwhile, but with '80s-esque synth chords and drum machines.

Compare the version of "Pumped Up Kicks" from the album with this one from Soundcheck, and tell me the song isn't clearer, creepier, and in all ways better without all the synthetic instrumentation.  And this is not to rag on Foster the People.  They are simply following a trend.

But, for God's sake, people, leave some room to let your songs breathe!

Cloud Nothings

I was driving in my car this afternoon, listening to XM, as I am like to do.  Nothing good was on Underground Garage, so I flipped through my usual stations, landing on Sirixmu.  I caught the tale end of a tune by Cloud Nothings.  I'm probably a Jonny-come-lately to this band, but I enjoyed what I heard.  Once I was home, it was on to Spotify to listen to the whole record.  It's a good'n.

The songs on Attack on Memory are big, explosive indie rock, recalling the heyday of ...And You Will Know Us by Our Absurdly Long Band Name.  That is to say, there' nothing particularly inventive on this record, but that's cool.  There are catchy guitar hooks all over the place, with a nice mix of screaming vocals and wavery-pitch singing.

For the 30 or so minutes I was listening, I felt like I was in a smokey NYC rock club swilling PBR in a way that hasn't been possible for almost a decade.  Those were some fun times.  If more bands sounded like this, I'd probably listen to XMU a lot more frequently.

Free Time = New Songs

Summer is always a productive time for me. As a teacher, I have free time for the first time in 10 months. So, on the third day of summer, I wrote my first new song in over half a year. I've been trying to write as simply as possible, using just my acoustic guitar and one vocal line. I might flesh it out more later, but right now, I like it as stripped down as possible. The new one's called "Ohio". I'll post a video of it soon, but here are the lyrics:

Ohio

Rolling on to find Ohio

Onward through the night. Ohio,

Over the hills all dressed in

Deep Pennsylvania dark.

Ohio.

(She) feels the light that climbs behind her.

Like all her family's eyes: behind her.

She's come this far and still she

Ain't left the Interstate.

Ohio.

Flat and straight she finds Ohio.

Pressing on to find Chicago,

And when she gets there she'll just

Leave for another place.

Ohio.

Rush

I am not immune to the charms of Rush, let me get that out of the way right now. There was a time, between 15 and 18 years ago, a time before college, when I worshipped the ground Alex, Neil and Geddy walked on, when the opening riff of "Spirit of Radio" (or, better yet, "A Farewell to Kings") would get me all jazzed up, like I'd had too much cola. Sometimes, I wax nostalgic for those days. And they are certaily skilled musicians.

But, as I sit here listening to "Xanadu" in preparation of showing it to my 11th graders tomorrow (we just read "Kubla Khan"), I'm struck by several thoughts. I will enumerate them here:

1. How is it possible that I was such a ridiculous fan? I own 13 studio albums, not to mention the live bootlegs and import singles! I couldn't have possibly found them all interesting, could I have? Must have been all that cola.

2. How did I ever stop listening to them? I mean, they are so antithetical to what normally populates my headphones these days, I can't even imagine the confluence of events that lead me from Rush to Shellac. Or the Crucifux. Or Fucked Up. Or Obits. How did I get here?

3. These guys may be the most theatrical band in recent memory. That doesn't mean their songs are well-crafted, just that they're huge.

4. And what about the voice of Geddy Lee? How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy.

EZ Audio Converter

As a bourgeoning vinyl fan, I bought myself a turntable with a USB output and access to audio conversion software. I'm trying it out today with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings record, I Learned the Hard Way. On the up side, you get to listen to the record while you record it, cause this thing rips. But, I've tried this application a few times now, and the same thing happens. It shows that it's getting the audio in, everything looks like it's working. Then, it sends the files to iTunes and...no audio in the file at all. What the hell!

I went online and downloaded Audacity and, although it isn't as "user friendly" in appearance, its functionality FAR outstrips that of EZ Audio Converter. You can see the wave being recorded, and you can edit the file and move around the track breaks. It's a beautiful thing.

But, I must say, I prefer when the purchase of the record gives you access to digital versions of the audio. Shellac includes a complimentary cd, which is unlabeled and without fanfare. Subpop, Dischord, High Wire Music, What's Your Rupture?, Jagjaguwar and many others do this as a matter of course. Call me lazy if you want, but I listen to music in my car a lot, and it's nice to not have to move my turntable to hook it up to my computer just so I can bring music that I bought into my car, where I do most of my listening. Daptone, I love ya, but you really oughta think about giving your fellow vinyl fans access to the digital files too.