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VIDEO: The Cribs – Anna
It seems like it was only last year the Jarman brothers found their usually abrasive brand of pop punk pleasantly neutered, thanks to newer older member Johnny Marr’s jaunty janglings. It seems like it was only last year because… well it was. ALOT can happen however within the relatively short space of time that is roughly 365 days, I for instance have started taking 2 sugars in my tea instead of 1. I’m a fucking new person I tell you. For the Wakefield trio though, the new year brought with it a whole host of new ideologies so drastic, the band have somehow warped the space time continuum, aging backwards in some Nothern equivalent of Benjamin Button both in their appearance and sound. First of all Marr is out. Not out in a he’s been secretly meeting up with Moz in seedy hotel rooms the width and breadth of the country in some disgustingly middle aged yet nostagically romantic sense. You’ll have to wait for my Smiths fanfic ”These Things Take Time…And A Room At Travelodge Just Off The M62” for that. He’s just not playing, or pulling this psychotic pose with them anymore. Secondly gone are the measured twinkly soundscapes found on Ignore The Ignorant, in a regression that could seem contrived if it came from anybody else. Or at least that’s the impression given from the above new track, played live for the first time at Japans unfortunatley named Clockenflap festivel (hurr). Chugging its way into The Cribs repertoire as a vintage bridge to their scrappy punk past, Anna hints that the trio are channeling the same aesthetic that they were before they were even considered New Fellas. Gritty scuzz punk guitars and tumbling rolling drums thunder under Gary’s cries of ”And I was only asking, what I knew was right”, framing him as much of a naive romantic as when they were singing ”And I’m learning how to fight
kissing you goodnight, but I still can’t really tell you why I’m blue”. With talks of a double album, a 15 minute track and production by Albini, I don’t think I can put into words how excited I am/you should be for this.
I guess this will have to do.
JT
LISTEN: Jack White – Love Interruption
I came into this post meaning to describe to you in a tediously pointless fashion, the nature and sound of the above track but I’m afraid I got sidetracked by the ambiguous title. Just what is it in Jack White’s cushy Coca Cola funded, Bond Theme branded life that’s putting a halt to his love? Could it be a metaphor for his (sort of) recent break up with long time musical partner/lady-wife/incestuous lover Meg White? The dull aching pound of his heartbeat yearning to be unified once again with the monotonous high school talent show thud of her drumming? His slow realisation that the metronome with a pair of novelty fake tits superglued to it clicking away in his rehearsal room just isn’t the same, warping his perception of right and utterly, despicably, it must be against my human rights bad so much he blindly walks into a collaboration with Insane Clown Possy. It’s okay Jack, it happens to the best of us. Or does the title refer to that time J-dog caught a glimpse of his own face in the mirror mid orgasm and his penis retracted back up into him like a ghostly turtle, terrified at the Tim Burton tinged horror of it all? I guess the only way to find out is to actually listen to the track, something I STILL haven’t done yet. Huh you’d think I was writing for a blog or something.
PREDICTION: Jack’s psuedo scat vocals on Love Interruption sound like The Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons with a sinus infection, under which booms some overly under produced hip hop skiffle drumming, scuzzy gutter punk guitars, and a nasally solo that sounds as if an immature sound technician is unplugging his effects pedals at random intervals.
CONCLUSION AFTER LISTENING: I’m a moron.
JT
NEWS: Dinosaur Jr. to record old songs in the style of 1980′s synth-pop
Grand high wizard of the 4th distortion pedal, J Mascis, is going back in time. Initially, to grab as many Dinosaur Jr songs as he can without encountering his younger self and therefore creating a universe ending paradox; and then ultimately drag them, screaming, back to where it all started, the 1980′s. Whilst there, he’ll partake in the popular 1980′s passtime of ruining fashion, architecture and David Bowie’s career, not to mention re-recording those Dinosaur Jr. tracks in the style of recently fashionable 1980′s synth pop. It’s part of a scheme by The Electronic Anthology Project to presumably deconstruct a bands entrenched stylistic tropes and offer up well known songs in a new light, or something. It’s due to be released on that holiest of days, Record Store Day 2012 (April 21st) on purple vinyl, limited to 500 copies, thus giving Yuck roughly three months to sell their guitars, buy synthesizers and begin the hideous cycle all over again.
Alec
NEWS: Last.fm publishes 2011 statistics, offers gratis superiority
The year of our lord, 2011. Full of music, it were. You probably remember some of it, the fine folks at last.fm do too. They’ve been busy collecting our listening habits in a way which is absolutely not part of a larger plot, one which ultimately leads to our collective mortal demise. So what do the Terminators of the future have to look forward to? Well, judging from their published 2011 statistics, the robot apocalypse will be sound tracked by warbling chubby chubster Adele, who scooped the top spot with a cool 818,395 listeners, followed not so closely by faux avant-garde mistress Lady Gaga with 460,356 listeners to her name. Who else made the list? Read on, weary traveler.
1 – Adele
2 – Lady Gaga
3 – Foster the People
4 – Britney Spears
5 – Natalia Kills
6 – J. Cole
7 – The Strokes
8 – Foo Fighters
9 – Radiohead
10 – Avril Lavigne
11 – Christina Perri
12 – Fleet Foxes
13 – Coldplay
14 – Incubus
15 – Bon Iver
16 – James Blake
17 – The Vaccines
18 – Beyoncé
19 – Diddy – Dirty Money
20 – The Naked and Famous
Of course, that’s just the tip of the dimly interesting iceberg, you can sort it all by country or genre, which is nice. Alternatively, they’ve got a sexy little infograph showing the biggest news stories of 2011′s musical calender and their effects on musical habits.
Your journey to the center of procrastination starts here
TRAILER: LCD Soundsystem – “Shut Up And Play The Hits”
If you were lucky enough to go see LCD’s final euphoric sendoff live, and you happen to be at Sundance 2012 to see this film, you are by far my least favourite human being on the planet. Honestly.
Alec
NEWS: Xiu Xiu announce new album “Always”, stream new single “Hi”
No, i’m not upset with you, Jamie. I mean, it’s not like you made at least one Xiu Xiu record every single year since 2002, only to leave me hanging after 2010′s supoib (that’s how New Yorkers say superb) “Dear God, I Hate Myself”. Oh no, it’s not like that at all. Oh wait, it is like that. But I’m not mad, i’ll be fine. At least, now I will be. Yes, fans of the emotionally explosive exploits of Jamie Stewart, Xiu Xiu are back with a new album, a new single AND a new logo. The latter of which may or may not look exactly like the XX logo turned fleshy, which is neither here nor there (A: may, here). The new record is called “Always”, which implies the kind of permanence which musicians can scarcely afford, and it’s also had quite the tough birth, what with the gloriously luminous entity of Zac Pennington both joining and then quitting the band among mysterious and probably bitchy circumstances. Those poor creatures.
Here’s a tracklisting for it, followed by some words, which I wrote.
01. Hi
02. Joey’s Song
03. Beauty Towne
04. Honey-Suckle
05. I Luv Abortion
06. The Oldness
07. Chimney’s Afire (Mickensian Suicide)
08. Gul Mudin
09. Born to Suffer
10. Factor Girl
11. Smear the Quen
12. Black Drum Machine
“Always” will be dropping (that’s music journalist speak for “arriving at all decent retailers”, we sure are a crazy bunch) on the 28th of February in the glorious European union and the 6th of March for everywhere else. Not only that, but there “500 limited edition copies of translucent pink 180 gram vinyl available via Polyvinyl mailorder. A collage poster of Xiu Xiu tattoos and scars accompanies the LPs.” which sounds absolutely wonderful. Europe can get it here, whilst everyone else must click here for that sweet sweet cash transaction action.
SOMETHING I WAS GOING TO WRITE IN THE TEXT ABOVE BUT FORGOT AND NOW AM SHOEHORNING INTO THIS LITTLE BIT AT THE BOTTOM: Xiu Xiu have a new single, too! It’s called “Hi” and you can here it directly above these words. As the sexually confused offspring of Fabulous Muscles and Dear God, I Hate Myself, it’s one glorious mess of affected vocals, horrifically catchy melodies and deeply off kilter musicianship. Almost exactly like the kind you were waiting to hear ALL THE WAY THROUGH LAST YEAR. Sigh.
Alec
