There is probably at least one person out there who will light up the comment boards the minute you read that The Swayback have chosen to cover The Velvet Underground’s “Waiting for the Man.” True, it’s a pretty damned iconic song and the prospect of a new version may not be your idea of reverence. Do what you will, and in the meantime I’ll keep it on repeat and will be wishing I had a car so I could blast it on the stereo with the windows down and the sunroof popped. The Swayback are from Denver and could easily fall into that retro-chic class of modster-slash-hippie bands that includes Kings of Leon and Brian Jonestown Massacre. Like those bands (and unlike others that shall remain nameless), The Swayback aren’t copping to any kind of ’60s revival — they’re claiming that way-out guitar sound and wrapping it around some libidinous vocals and a rhythm that’ll make you shimmy. And all of this just in time for summer.
Brighton, MA
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Brighton, MA, refers to the birthplace of Matthew Kerstein, and in his own words represents the sense of “going home again.” An air of nostalgia certainly wafts through the five songs on their self-titled debut EP, out next week. On “Ballad for Coolhand” Kerstein re-visits a younger, naive look towards the future, “How you planned to live free and simple/VW bus for the ride/and you chased your hopes on Down Street/live by the beach and get high.” There’s a hint of Irishness in Kerstein’s delivery and coupled with soaring instrumentation it prompts occasional flashes of U2. This sound is most prevalent on “Bet You Never Thought,” a track originally recorded when Kerstein, Devon Bryant and Sam Koentopp played with the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, but re-worked for this EP. Kerstein’s earnest singing cuts through a dense swirl of guitars. As the song progresses more guitars rush in and the Edge gives way to Kevin Shields. I suspect their folk-gazing anthems will easily win fans as the band works its way into the national consciousness.
Dinosaur Jr.
After a couple years of playing live shows together, the original Dinosaur Jr. — J, Lou, Murph — went into the studio and freakin’ took it back to the old school. Beyond is everything I loved about the original Dino Jr. It’s a noisy collection of reluctantly romantic rock and roll, both hopeless and hopeful, air guitar worthy and turn-out-the-lights-and-sulk worthy. Plus, look at the cover, a throwback to their Homestead/SST releases. It’s just like heaven.
Original post (from 12/10/2005):
As may have already been documented at some point on 3hive, Sean, Clay, and I met as college students. But ours was a college town with no college radio (unless you count 24/7 classical music and church sermons as college radio). So Sean decided one day to start a college radio station, with a more typical college radio format, and enlisted his friends — me and Clay among them — in the cause. To this day, there are songs I can’t hear without being taken back to that tiny booth with the temperamental cart machine and wobbly microphone. While my love for Dinosaur Jr. certainly pre- and post-dates those days, I can’t hear “Freak Scene” without feeling the impulse to punch out the two F words and back sell it with, “That was Dinosaur Jr. on AM960, The Student Underground Network…” Old habits die hard.
Minus the Bear
A few weeks ago, Paul dropped Minus the Bear in our Suggestion Box, describing the Seattle outfit as “catchy and upbeat.” We all need a little catchy and upbeat now and again, and most of the time MTB works it in a fresh, complex way. Check out the pop hooks on “Pachuca Sunrise,” my favorite among these, off the 2005 release Menos el Oso. You can practically see the rays of sunshine filling your room. If you’re looking for something a bit heavier, though, “Dr. L’Ling” and “Drilling” (featuring Minneapolis rapper P.O.S.) the former off the upcoming Planet Of Ice, due in August, give you plenty of noise, thick guitars and heavy drums. Either way, heavy or light, thank Paul for the Minus the Bear tip.
Surrounded
What’s in a name? In the case of Sweden’s Surrounded, it also describes their sound, an intense, brooding, and surprisingly simple brand of indie rock that surrounds and fills and envelopes. The second LP The Nautilus Years, is out in June in the US and is already available in Europe.
Rasputina
A few years ago, I had this great Creative Writing class, with Ross and Tommy and a bunch of other kids. They did some of the best work I’ve seen yet, and I loved them. It was good. For his final project, Tommy brought in a doll’s head, decapitated and with the top of the skull — which had been shorn off — held on tight with a large square silver hinge. Inside, of course, were “Poems and Prose from a Deranged Boy’s Head.” Fantastic. Awesome. I keep that project in a cabinet, and now and again take it out to freak out my classes. Anyway, Tommy was a big, big fan of Rasputina, and though I couldn’t get into the heavy, theatrical cello-based chamber rock at the time, I’m just loving “Cage in a Cave” off of the upcoming Oh Perilous World, to be released in late June. Maybe it’s the Pitcairn Island theme, maybe it’s the pop-rock vibe; either way, I’m ready to talk to Tommy again about Rasputina, and see what kind of crazy things he’s up to.
65 Days of Static
Just read my original post…so much has changed and so much hasn’t. Same goes for 65 Days of Static. They’re still making instrumental rock that I actually like. But they’ve since matured their sound a bit. It’s less of an aural blitz and more of subtle, studied sound. Don’t get me wrong, they still have an edge to them: they had to kick a Scottish after-school dance troupe out of their own auditorium to record the grand piano for this album. Now that’s rock ‘n’ roll.
Original post (12/20/2004):
I just got back from two weeks of working in London. Sounds great, I know, and for the most part it was. But, as a wise man once crooned, “being apart ain’t easy on this love affair.” So, as I fought jet lag and IMed my wife at 2am, I’d leave the TV on in the background for a little company. I usually kept it on mute, but when the video for 65 Days of Static’s “Retreat!Retreat!” flickered on, I turned up the volume and got sucked right in. Why can’t we just swap these guys for Linkin Park and make the charts a better place for everyone? Here are a couple secular tracks, plus a seasonal treat to play in your iPod as you fight through the crowds at Toys ‘R’ Us. Ho ho ho, indeed.
Alex Delivery
Alex Delivery is comprised of members from former Eastern Bloc nations and Korea, so the harsh realities of totalitarian communism aren’t just a trendy design concept to them (even if they all met in art school), it’s a way of life. You can tell on Komad, which starts like the cast of Stomp lost one of their own and decided to throw him a New Orleans-style funeral march. Then, it keeps going… It’s borderline infuriating if you’re not in the right mindset for 10 minutes of dissonance, but if you allow yourself to get into Alex Delivery’s dystopian groove, you might just stomp along with them.
Brian Jonestown Massacre
1996. Methodrone. The first LP from the Brian Jonestown Massacre was the inspiration for Mike G and I to finally start a band after months of talking about it. You see, I had gotten in his car with some friends not really knowing Mike, and lo and behold, playing in his car stereo was Lilys’ Eccsame the Photon Band, which was my favorite album at the time. Mike and I quickly became good friends, yet the band talk continued until Mike brought over the Methodrone CD. Mike drafted in Chris on bass (I’d have to play the basslines before each song so Chris could remember) and Tom on drums (He was a skater kid so every song gradually got faster and faster while we played). We advertised for a lady singer and the auditions consisted of Mike and I playing BJM songs while getting the wannabes to sing to them. After several hilarious auditions, we had the good fortune of meeting Jessica Foxylady and convinced her to join us. Our first song: BJM’s “Wisdom.”
Anton Newcombe has put out seemingly dozens of albums in dozens of styles with seemingly hundreds of band members, is the subject of the film Dig, and has been called every name in the book and visited every city in the country. All of those albums are available for free download from the BJM website as zipped ogg files.
Also of note is the Brian Jonestown Massacre Fans’ Cover Project, a fantastic site which has collected an ever-growing number of songs. My two faves are below.
CoCo B’s
When CoCo B’s dropped their new tracks into our mailbox I experienced a spell of flashbacks: me and Matt from The Bronx hauling out to Anaheim every Sunday night, Alberto’s burritos in hand, along with crates full of CDs from Orange County bands. This was back in 2002, before Indie 103.1 was around, and a small staff of music-heads were running a great alternative station with a stupid name: Cool 94.3. Matt and I produced and hosted a (four hour!) local show called Go Loco and CoCo B’s track “Big Okie Dokie” was practically our theme song. I haven’t heard anything from them until now.
It appears CoCo B’s have been laying low, working day jobs, taking lots of time to record their new album. Alex Newport mixed the record. Sounds like the band has pulled out all the stops. Compared to the small, hushed strains of “Big Okie Dokie,” their new songs, like “Modern Lover,” are built to rock The Pond without losing their uber-indie cred. Kevin’s vocals are the American, sweeter, less monotone version of Mark E. Smith—which, ironically, make them sound nothing like Mark E. Smith if that makes sense. Gentler than The Replacements, less drugged out than The Lemonheads, CoCo B’s wear their fuzzed-out pop anthems on their sleeves as they shoulder their way through the crowd of bands hoping for their fifteen minutes. This review outta be good for .001 seconds. At least.
CoCo B’s are playing May 10th, with Ima Robot at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa.