â€Saws are tremendous pranksters, and the ruse of causing Human Beings to believe that they are actually playing them is perhaps the most beloved and persistent joke in Saw-kind’s long history.†That’s funny because when I think of saws, I usually think “sharp teeth†and “missing fingers.†Of course, I’ve never been intimately involved with a saw and, though I’ve heard melodies made from them, I believe this is the first time I’ve heard saws sing with no accompaniment. Julian Koster — he of The Music Tapes and Neutral Milk Hotel — coaxes from the saws a sound that is eerily placid. Yes, it’s shrill and not for everyone, but it’s quite lovely if you’re in a right merry frame of mind…and if you’re tired of the same-old holiday songs sung by pompous humans. The bewilderment comes roughly every three minutes or so as you realize, holy crap, you’re listening to an entire album of holiday standards played on a piece of actual hardware. But, as Koster notes, Jesus was a carpenter. Who knows—after a particularly stressful day of sermonizing and house framing, maybe the Son of God sat down with his saw, bow and a goblet of wine and conjured a soothing rendition of “Silent Night†to remind him of that fateful evening away in the manger.
Eagle and Talon
I love the way “Georgia” meanders its way into my consciousness. It opens in the middle of an off-the-cuff saxophone riff, then the low-end guitar joins in and finally the sweet, laid-back double vocals of Kim Talon beckon my full attention, and unlike Odysseus I’m fresh out of beeswax, so I can’t plug up my ears to avoid certain destruction. Or certain seduction in this case. There’s a bit of nostalgia at work for me with Eagle & Talon. I love Kim’s double-voice work like I loved Julie & Gretchen’s vocals in Mary’s Danish, although Eagle and Talon’s low-fi, earthy production and their stop/start rockin’ and slowin’ recall Sleater-Kinney’s red light, green light energy. Lyrically, Eagle and Talon cover all stages and consequences of desire, from the lead up in “Hot Caught” to the act in “One Lark;” then you’re living with the product of that desire from birth, “Georgia,” through high school, “Ice Life.” Eagle and Talon provide an alluring soundtrack to the entire cycle.
Love is All
A Hundred Things Keep Me Going Back to Love Is All (in no particular order):
1. Their pep.
2. Their perk.
3. Their punk.
4. They tour the U.S.
5. Their gravity.
6. Their levity.
7. The way they blend the two.
8. The way they leave the holes out of the O’s, A’s, and R’s in their artwork.
9. “Last Choice.”
10. “Spinning and Scratching.”
11. The ’70s look of their artwork.
12. “Movie Romance.”
13. Josephine.
14. Josephine’s artistic sensibilities.
15. They’ve covered Prince (though he made them leave it off their EP. Boo! Hiss!)
16. They’ve covered A Flock of Seagulls
17. They’ve covered Dire Straits
18. Nicholaus.
19. “19 Floors.”
20. When Josephine and Nicholaus sing at each other.
21. “It might seem strange, I don’t want to change, I don’t want to interact.”
22. “Last Choice.”
23. The guitars.
24. Their artwork leaves me wanting more.
25. They’re not afraid of repetition.
26. “Turn the TV off.”
27. Their label is called What’s Your Rupture?
28. James.
29. James’ last name.
30. Several of them used to be Girlfrendo.
31. The “found” feeling of the photographs in their artwork.
32. “Turn the Radio Off.”
33. Josephine’s wearing a band-aid on her nose in the “Wishing Well” video.
34. They like to share.
35. Their ’80s sound.
36. It’s the saxophone that really nails it.
37. Their pop.
38. “I’m not your kind and you’re not mine, but for tonight you’ll have to do just fine.”
39. They’re from Sweden.
40. Clay likes ’em.
41. Clay will like me more for sharing more Love Is All .
42. “Make Out Fall Out Make Up.”
43. Their cut and pastey logo.
44. Markus.
45. They rock their pogo pop sound like their lives depend on it.
46. “Give It Back.
47. The cowbell on “Give it Back.”
48. When Josephine and Nicholaus sing together.
49. Hot Chip remixed them.
50 “Talk Talk Talk Talk.”
51. They’ve covered The Pastels.
52. “Wishing Well.”
53. “Wishing Well’s” keyboard riff.
54. They gave Spin an MP3 of “Wishing Well.”
55. Johan.
56. “Big Bangs, Black Holes, Meteorites.”
57. They gave Pitchfork an MP3 of “Big Bangs, Black Holes, Meteorites.”
58. “Sea Sick.”
59. Josephine singing all whispery on “A More Uncertain Future.”
60. Adrenaline, adrenaline, adrenaline.
61. “I keep the one I love in the freezer.”
62. Not only do they make music together, some of them make kids together.
63. “Felt Tip.”
64. The explosive opening to “Give it Back.”
65. They’ve covered Faith No More.
66. They like polka dots.
67. They sound like Siouxsie & The Banshees sped up to Altered Images’ pace.
68. Red, white, black, and blue.
69. Their primary colored seagull t-shirt.
70. Seven seven inch singles.
71. “When Giants Fall.”
72. Their similar saxophone swagger of Romeo Void.
73. “Ageing Had Never Been His Friend.”
74. Sometimes they sound like they’re going to fall apart.
75. They never fall apart.
76. “A More Uncertain Future.”
77. Josephine and Markus didn’t laugh when an interviewer asked them what “indie” means to them.
78. When Josephine wears b/w stripped shirts that match her keyboard.
79. I like this second album more than their first.
80. I can’t wait to hear their next album.
81. “New Beginnings.”
82. They’re not too distracted to ponder infinity.
83. They hand printed their own re-usable grocery tote bags.
84. “Rumors.”
85. They’re not too jaded to throw money into wishing wells.
86. Black, white, and pink.
87. “Used Goods.”
88. Woodie.
89. Wyatt.
90. The technicolor video for “Ageing Had Never Been His Friend.”
91. They’re just plain fun dammit!
92. Love is All can cleanse your soul of Leo Buscaglia.
93. Their MP3s we linked to two years ago still work.
94. “Trying too Hard.”
95. “Busy Doing Nothing.”
96. l.i.a.
97. Fredrik.
98. The Bees remixed ’em.
99. They’re the perfect soundtrack to a bounce-house party.
100. Coming up with this list.
The Sweet Serenades
I’ve got too many playlists of Swedish bands. The first was simply named “Swedes,” then came “More Swedes” and “Even More Swedes,” all including Swedish bands that can find by a little searching our 3hive archives from recent years. Now I’ve got to start another one to include the Sweet Serenades. Martin and Mathias, after many years of friendship, finally decided to start making making music together in Stockholm. The result: a sound that runs the gamut from 50’s pop to 80’s arena rock to today’s hipster indie rock, all in one song, like their new single “Mona Lee.”
Pale Young Gentlemen
The Pale Young Gentlemen are indeed pale. But unless my eyes have deceived me, they’re not all gentlemen and at least one of them is gonna get a smack from mama for their chauvinism. Maybe that’s why there’s all of this talk of only having one good arm, and running through barley and other slightly macabre circumstances. “The Crook of My Good Arm†is an escape song—the string section is low and immediate, the guitar is frantic, and the vocals and lyrics fall somewhere between Tom Waits and Rufus Wainwright. What they’re escaping from, we’re not sure. But there’s a good chance it’s mama’s wooden spoon.
RIP Odetta
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Surf City
December barely rolls in and finally it looks like “winter” around Huntington Beach, CA, aka Surf City USA. “Winter” remains an ideal time to hit the waves for a chilly little surf session, and this warm, fuzzy track from our Surf City brothers down in New Zealand is the perfect soundtrack for such a jaunt. The band started when two friends connected in a video library just after one of the fellows, Davin, had purchased a four track recorder with money he received from a study grant. It sounds as if he spent more time studying the acoustics of a Volkswagen van because that’s what this EP sounds like: a more cheerful Jesus and Mary Chain as recorded in a VW. No matter your geographical location or its current climate, Surf City will sun up your heart and give you cozy toes.
Boy Eats Drum Machine
It’s the day after Thanksgiving and I’m still thinking about eating. Even the music I’m listening to reminds me of eating. Enter Boy Eats Drum Machine. It’s somewhat of a misnomer because Jon Ragel the multi-instrumentalist behind the moniker is all grown up and no, he didn’t eat a drum machine. Instead, he joined forces with a who’s who line-up of Portland indie rock drummers via a local drum break series called Bridgetown Breaks. Drum credits go to the drummers of Viva Voce, Talkdemonic, and Menomena among others. Ragel adds everything else and it’s a plateful: turntables, synths, tenor sax, guitar, organ, and yes, bravely, vocals. RJd2 didn’t even step behind the mic until his second album. From record one (Booomboxxx is his third) Ragel’s armed with one turntable, one microphone and all the goodies mentioned above. The result is a scratchy, earnest pastiche of jazz, breaks, spaghetti western soundtracks, and soulful crooning. A delicious mix of sounds for the whole family to feast on this holiday season!
Lex Land
Hands down, Lex Land is one of the more gorgeous voices we’ve featured on these pages of late. Although Lex Land is somewhat of an antithesis to my usual selections. My favorite songs are the ones I can sing along to, songs with hooky choruses and witty verses. I’m drawn to songs that make me want to sing. The “quality” of the music or the “ability” of the musicians in question are secondary. I listen to music with my gut, not my brain. Lex Land reminds me that I can’t sing, because man, she sure can. However, Lex Land does leave room for the untrained among us in her songs. My favorite songs of hers, and my favorite parts of this song, are the small, intimate, almost reluctant moments when she almost falters, moments that leave me holding my breath, hoping she pulls it off. Those moments are plentiful, as are the ones where Lex Land soars far beyond anything I might muster.