* Hello there! You've stumbled onto the archived bloggage of TRMW aka The Real Matt Wright (wait... who?). This site contains posts from my stints blogging at Metempsychosis and Urban Honking, before I moved TRMW over to it's current home. Enjoy!
Did you know that David Byrne is writing some kind of stage performance with Fatboy Slim? He is.
Also, did you know that David Byrne has a blog where he posts pictures of beautiful sunsets he took on his cell phone? He does.
Despite and because of these things, I rep David Byrne. I do.
See also: Awesome radio mixes posted by David Byrne.
The new Hot Chip video is great – fairly perfect visual accompaniment for a fantastic song. Especially like the one part where the guy moves the giant red pixel around like realtime Microsoft Paint, and the clever use of green screen throughout. Each time I hear “Over and Over” it blows me away a little more; How can one track contain just about everything I like in a song? It just can, I guess. I haven’t checked the lyrics too closely, but it seems to be about being bored with recycled culture. In that sense it almost comes off as bragadocio, like “everything else is boring retread, now watch us do something unique.” Bragging is so not indie rock, a point the music – a weird-ass mix of clomping techno beats, thrift electronics, wind chimes, fuzz guitar and crooned slang – only reinforces. All together it makes for a fairly perfect union of genre-splitting form and anti-genre content (seeing as Hot Chip clearly comes straight outta the indie rock diaspora). It’s also super good dancing-around-my-apartment music.
If none of the above makes sense please remember that I’m wearing a bath towel as I type this. I used “diaspora” on my blog! 8′] <— check the shades
See also: Hot Chip DJ set over at Beats in Space (first track = Devo of course), and this cool-looking blog with lots of music videos.
Nick Edwards posts a little email interview with yrs truly over at the always engaging Gutterbreakz. Hopefully I don’t make a total ass of myself and serve the fine electronic music-making people of PDX decently. Isn’t it crazy how blogs enable this micro-level diologue between scenes and fans, like oceans apart even? Pretty cool, I think. Big ups, Nick!
Just back from an excellent extended weekend in sunny San Diego, having a kind of hard time getting back in my groove. I’m doing that awesome check-blogs-check-email-repeat cycle that gets me nowhere and makes me feel like a giant slug by the end of the day.
This is not work:
I smell popcorn and have just been alerted (via AIM) that there is an rainbow outside mine window. New Nice Nice mp3s soon. Stay tuned?
So I’ve got some other things I wanna post but first I feel obligated to somehow attempt to wrap up my year in music. Last year I went with a kind-of freeform approach. I did that because I couldn’t remember what the hell I listened to and I didn’t feel like my listening habits, what impacted me, etc really fit into the stock format. This year I feel even more scattered, but what the hell. 2005 in general saw lots of cool things happening, old genre-barriers falling down, interesting new hybrid musics coming out, and some very awesome albums and songs and live shows. Let’s break it down…
AMAZING ALBUMS THAT CAME OUT IN 2005
Ethan Rose Ceiling Songs (Locust Music)
This record is so amazing. I’m friends with Ethan, so it took me a while to get past the “Oh, I’m probably totally biased in thinking this amazing” to get to “Holy shit, my friend made my favorite record of the year.” But shit, this thing is amazing, beautiful, transcendent. More adjectives here.
Jamie Lidell Multiply (Warp)
Classic soul run through the post-electronic filter in the most tasteful, song-focussed way possible. I was pretty much sold on this guy after hearing the album, and the live show show reduced me to slobbering fanboy status. The record is amazing, but Jamie Lidell Live is basically everything I want music to be in 2006: looking forward and back, high and low tech, virtuosic and stupid.
Sleater-Kinney The Woods (Sub Pop)
Brent says this album “draws a pretty convincing line between Wire and Led Zeppelin,” which is about as good a description of this amazing music I’ve heard. Double props for making something that begins to express just how fucked up the USA was in 2005.
Deerhoof The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
This album is too long, but the highlights blew my face off. The part at the end of “Running Thoughts” where the roof comes off and Deerhoof becomes Can and Boards of Canada and jams into the OM. The guitar solo at the end of “Wrong Time Capsule” that sounds like Brian Eno playing a dail-up modem. The building synth at the beginning of “O’Malley, Former Underdog” that is the happiest piece of music ever recorded.
Nice Nice Yesss EP (Audraglint)
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it now: Nice Nice is the best band on the planet. Here they ditch the no-wave fusion jams of their last album and head straight into M.I.A. style tribal electro (sans, uh, M.I.A.). What? YESSS!
Broadcast Tender Buttons (Warp)
Dryer and fuzzier than I expect this band to be. My favorite thing they’ve done.
AFX Hangable Auto Bulb (Warp)
How can I not put this on here? This shit is my punk rock. Just… really really great.
Amadou & Mariam Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch)
I actually just got this and it’s totally knocking me out. Wonderfully imaginative music from a blind Malian couple as assisted by Manu Chao. Sweet, sweet melodies, high production values, trancey guitars, siren synths, and bongos. Way good.
Stephen Malkmus Face the Truth (Matador)
Malkmus gets domestic, and so do I.
Clor Clor (Regal)
Electro-indie stuff, really solid. Mostly on here for “Outlines” which is a perfect song. RIYL Cut Copy, Indie Rock.
V/A Bro Zone (States Rights Records)
Playful indietronic party jams. Tropical music for Portland summers. This makes me feel good about where the Northwest is headed musically. I wrote a review of it here that says these same things in more words.
A-Frames Black Forest (Sub Pop)
EEEEVILLL CRUSHHINGGG
Animal Collective Feels (Fat Cat)
I like “Sung Tongs” better, but this is still great. 2005 was the year I realized the hype was for a reason. This band is amazing. See “Purple Bottle” below.
OTHER ALBUMS THAT WERE GREAT
Caribou The Milk of Human Kindness (Domino)
Super Furry Animals Love Kraft (XL Recordings)
Menomena Under an Hour (Film Guerrero)
AMAZING SONGS 2005
Animal Collective “Purple Bottle” off Feels (Fat Cat)
I know this person that I love so much it feels like the cosmos falling into place. I’m not sure what the words to this song are but I think it’s about the beginning of that feeling, of being taken over by this giant ball of positive, life-changing energy. This song speaks to that part of me that is in love and makes me want to cry big purple tears of joy. BIG FEELINGS PEOPLE!
Amerie “1 Thing” off 1 Thing (Sony BMG)
I totally missed this song when it came out, but sought it out after seeing it at the top of everyone everywhere’s best singles of ’05 list. And HOLY SHIT!, it so deserves to be right where it is, at #1. Like The Meters vs. early Neptunes w/ Beyonce on top (maybe). Everything about this song is perfect.
Spankrock “Put that Pussy on Me (Diplo Tonite Remix)” 12″ (Money Studies)
Big props to Diplo for sampling one of my favorite garage rock tracks ever, The Seeds “I Can’t Seem to Make You Mine.” I got into that song not too long before this one came out, and pretty much shit myself on first listen. Booty bass electro beats + spooky 60s guitar riffs = totally rad. Bonus points to Diplo for those excellent Gwen Stefani and Ray Charles / Kanye remixes.
The MFA “The Difference It Makes” 12″ (Kompakt)
I heard this at the Superpitcher show in Seattle, didn’t know what it was and subsequently forgot it. Thanks to the tinyluckygenius for pointing me back on track. This song is so euphoric it almost reminds me of the cheesey progressive trance tapes I used to rock in high school, but somehow it stays earthbound enough to feel genuinely deep, instead of OTT x-static and saccharine. It’s also got the octave basslines and cosmic sweep that trance has, things I didn’t realized I missed so much. Just beautiful, cosmic dance music.
Klatta “My My” 12″ (Playhouse)
Props to e*rock for keeping the shelves at Ozone stocked with with the best electronic music in the world. I found this flipping through the bins one day, and it’s awesome. Stuttering, really funky beats with blurping synths and sick sick sick baseline. Weird, amorphous techno funk of the highest order.
Hot Chip “Over and Over” 12″ (Astralwerks / DFA)
I really didn’t like Coming on Strong at all, and had pretty much dismissed this band as hype bullshit. But, jesus, this song SLAYS. Tribal percussion, synth arpegios, fucked guitar solos, crazy catchy choruses… how can this be so awesome? It’s the lead single off their new album, so I’ll definitely be checking that out.
Nice Nice vs. Strategy “onneon rmx” off Planet of the Fight Club (Tigerbeat6)
Two rights make a rad!
Blood on the Wall “Stoner Jam” off Awesomer (Social Registry)
AWESOME STONER JAM! I bought this *today* and it is so freaking good!
KILLER NIGHTS 2005
PDX Pop Now @ Loveland
Kiki & Herb @ Wonder Ballroom
Mikaela’s Fiend @ Someone’s Basement
Jamie Lidell @ Doug Fir
Deerhoof @ Berbati’s
Crackerbash @ Crystal Ballroom
Copy + DJ Brian Foote + DJ BJ @ Crush
Superpitcher / Ada / Metope @ Chop Suey
Tussle + Out Hud @ Holocene 2 Year Anniversary
DJ Beyonda @ Everywhere
THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2006
CEX Actual Fucking (Automation) (full disclosure: I’m working press on this. AND I AM REALLY REALLY PSYCHED ABOUT IT.)
new Nice Nice album
new Hot Chip album that has that awesome song “Over and Over” on it
new Blitzen Trapper album, plus UK release of Field Rexx
debut Panther full-length
new Flaming Lips album (the one song I heard was pretty awesome)
About Bongo (Cock Rock Disco)
And of course all the other stuff I forgot.
OK, this one has been brewing for a while now. It started way back at this year’s installment of the annual PRA Foozball Tournament. Marius is spinning records on the porch, with dueling foozball tables on the front lawn (this is the Portland I love). And right before the water balloon fight breaks out, Marius drops this jam:
Greg Phillinganes - Behind the Mask
I recognize the opening synth riffage from the Yellow Magic Orcestra album I slsk’d after this interview. Which makes sense: Marius makes music that can be compared to YMO, Marius plays YMO. But no, this funk guitar kicks in, and all of sudden there’s this dude just BUSTING out disco-soul vocals over the top of what was already a pretty much perfect slice of classic electro. It’s like WTF?! right into OH HELL YES!!
So I’m geeking out pretty hard. I ask Marius what the track is and he shows me this amazing cover art:
Marius actually has the Behind the Mask single, which looks like this. He also has no scanner.
I flip over the back and it’s “Behind the Mask”, credited to “C. Mosdell / R. Sakamoto / M. Jackson.” Worlds collide, my head explodes.
Some Googling later, the story is clearer (tho I can’t find the links now to back it up… help?). Yes, “Behind the Mask” is one of the raddest tracks off YMO’s synthtastic 1980 album X? Multiplies:
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Behind the Mask
But the next part is a little weird: apparently at some point none other than Quincy Jones hears the track, digs it, and suggests Michael Jackson record a version of it for Off the Wall. Michael plays around with it, adds some very Micheal lyrics and ultimately decides not to include it on the album. But Michael’s keyboard player, yep, Greg Phillinganes, is really into it, and asks Michael if he can use it on his solo thing. Micheal says yes. Hence the song Marius played.
But it doesn’t even end there. As the 80′s trudge on, Phillinganes gets a new gig playing keys for freaking Eric Clapton, and, yes, he also records the song. Hence… this, off his 1986 Phil Collins produced studio R&B album, August:
Eric Clapton - Behind the Mask
So there you have it. Japanese Electropop >> Disco Michael >> Crappy Clapton. You can’t make this shit up.
CODA:
Human League did a super-campy house version of “Behind the Mask” that was released in 1993. Check the piano breakdowns! Feel it, feel it:
The Human League vs. Yellow Magic Orchestra - Behind the Mask
Orbital remixed the track for the 90s YMO remix comp Hi-Tech / No Crime. It’s peaky:
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Behind the Mask (Orbital Remix)
And I have no idea what this is all about:
Yellow Metal Orchestra - Behind the Mask
CONCLUSION: Good music transcends time and space. And music is trippy.
The best song to listen to while questing through a blizzard to get to your loved one is Dinosaur’s “Kiss Me Again”. Driving up Division, following an SUV with twin canoes strapped to the top. Those vocals, 5000 minutes of cosmic universe-level love-yearning, me sliding around, pumping the brakes, sliding. The voice singing “Kiss me again” like that kiss means life or death, me half letting myself think the same, I picture the Honda sliding into the twin canoes, their forked blades piercing the windshield, slow-motion, like jello, dying in love. THIS SONG FUCKING RULES:
PS: This song is from this good and cheap mix album. Here’s some info. David Byrne played guitar. (!!!)
OK, so I know I just posted something on Ethan Rose*, but hey, sometimes lightning strikes twice (or something less annoying and cliche). This is a track from Ethan’s band Small Sails, which, as of a week ago, used to be called Adelaide. The name change seems to be coinciding with a subtle change in sonic direction – Adelaide was all smoothness and softness, and this track is a little drier and bouncier, with some almost Animal Collective-y amorphous vocals thrown in. It’s also really fucking good.
Small Sails - Aftershocks and Afterthoughts
This track will be released and promoted as part of the forthcoming Rorschach Suite Compilation, to be released Spring 2006 on the very cool Moodgadget label. Other artists on the comp include Dykehouse (Ghostly International, Planet Mu), Benoit Pioulard (Kranky, Ghostly International), and Wisp (Sublight, Hymen). Sounds pretty rad, right?
* Speaking of Mr. Rose, he got some major props from Glenn Kotche of, like, WILCO today, over at the ‘Fork’s artist best-of’s feature. And I quote:
Glenn Kotche, Wilco
1. Ethan Rose: Ceiling Songs: Really amazing stuff from Portland-based musician/artist. Also if you can find it, The Dot and the Line is numbingly beautiful– made from player piano reels and packaged in resin boxes. (Locust)
I’ve been thinking about it, and I totally agree – Ceiling Songs is one the most amazing pieces of music I heard this year. So so so so (so) beautiful.
OK, removing mouth from crotch. ;)-~ (smileys on blogs are cool now)
Sorry for the lack of updates of late, been crazy moving out of my house of 2.5 years and moving into an excellent new apartment (the cool old brick ones right by Zell’s on 13th and Morrison). I’ve got a couple posts a-brewin’, but in the meantime please allow me to direct you to the awesome remixes Brian Foote has been posting over at Outward Music. I’m not sure what we’re even calling this music anymore, but it’s like completely mashed and reassembled techno, totally funky and totally weird and creative. Avant-techno? Ketamine house? I don’t know, just go there! Also, just remembered this bit of relevant info: Brian will be performing live in the flesh on December 16th at Crush, along with the inestimable Marius Libman aka Copy. Hey, that’s right by my apartment!
For more like this check DFA’s super cheap and rad Holiday Mix. Also very good.
Have I got your attention yet?
Stumbled on this crazy video (see above) via the Table’s Turned* podcast, who in turn found it via the awesome WFMU blog. The band is called Secos e Molhados (Brazilian for “Dry & Wet Goods”; yes!) and… wow. Watch it, bug out, then read this. Really interesting, trippy bit of Brazilian music history there. Also, Os Mutantes back Gilberto Gil on Brazilian TV.
* Table’s Turned is a really cool podcast licensing group set up by my friend Marcus. Bands, labels, and DJs would do well to check them out.
~:P ~:P ~:P ~:P ~:P ~:P ~:P ~:P
