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  • Weezer, Raditude

    Who would have ever thought that one day we’d look back at the first two Weezer albums and say, “Hey, remember when those guys had some semblance of maturity?” Indeed, there was a time (over a decade ago!) when every corny sitcom and Green Day reference Weezer turned in was tempered with PG-13 subject matter like paternal alcoholism or the futility of the bachelor lifestyle. These days, S-E-X is a four letter word to Rivers Cuomo and his track suit-adorned posse. read more
    cover of Weezer's "Raditude"

  • Jookabox, Dead Zone Boys

    Jookabox is Indianapolis-based musician David “Moose” Adamson and whomever he manages to rope into helping him prepare his demented lo-fi vision. This time it’s drummer Ostry Okerson, who adds a barrage of disturbing percussion effects to the tracks, and two members of another Indianapolis-based band, psycho glam-rock outfit Everthus the Deadbeats: Lisa Berlin on vocals and musical saw, and Benny Sanders on bass. read more
    cover of Jookabox's "Dead Zone Boys"

  • Pylon, Chomp More

    I regretfully begin this review with the news that earlier this year Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley died at 53 following a sudden heart attack and didn't live to see his band's masterpiece turned into an expanded version and digitally re-mastered re-release by way of DFA. With the legendary ’80s post-punk band officially kaput, it's a shame that even a boost by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem couldn't garner them a taste of the band-reunion resurgence. read more
    cover of Pylon's "Chomp More"

  • Times New Viking, Born Again Revisited

    I didn’t initially know what to make of Times New Viking’s newest record, the perhaps misleadingly titled Born Again Revisited. I’ve always been a fan of the band; I really like the way their melodies are so abstractly laced under such heavy walls of fuzz. That’s what they do and they do it well. But for some reason, this newest one initially seemed overtly repetitive, all of it washed together in a sonic onslaught of hard-to-hear vocals and barely discernible chords. read more
    cover of Times New Viking's "Born Again Revisited"

What Goes On

  • Black Lips Hit the Road, and Other News

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    Black LipsIf you’re never seen the Black Lips perform live, well, you should. They go nuts. Expect to be splashed with beer and spit, and possibly be the oldest person there. But that’s all okay because their live show is super fun. They’ll be back from Europe this winter to hit some select cities in the States, so if they swing by your neck of the woods, check ‘em out. (CMJ)

    Justin Timberlake should get back in the studio to make another album already, but looks like for now, he may be voicing the Yogi Bear character Boo Boo in the forthcoming animated film. (Paste)

    Pennsylvania dwellers, rejoice. Ian MacKaye will be speaking at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster on November 20th at a 500-person auditorium. Suggested donation is five bucks. (Punk News)

    M.I.A. is reportedly back in the studio making a new album. Her producer says “it’s like Gucci Mane meets Animal Collective.” Intriguing. (Strange Glue)

    Read more news after the jump. read more

    by:

    published: November 6, 2009 in column: What Goes On

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  • maus haus and Tempo No Tempo at the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco

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    maus haus: Photo by Angela ZimmermanTempo No Tempo, maus haus
    November 5th at the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco

    My Thursday of this week was punctuated by some excellent local music. I made it out to the Rickshaw to finally see maus haus—I’d caught the very end of a set some time back, but knew they were well worth seeing again. And again and again. maus haus is a six-piece art-rock band that layers and loops glitchy fractured beats to create tracks that make you move, but mostly make your ears perk up to uncover the elements that make up their off-kilter sound. Citing Brian Wilson, Kraftwerk, and surrealism as influences, maus haus occupies a similarly cerebral space, sonically and thematically. An array of instrumentation is implemented into their songs; on this night, they opened their set with a small selection of horned instrumentalists, apparently on loan from SF band Battlehooch (known for setting up impromptu shows outside of supermarkets or on gritty urban sidewalks).

    read more

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    published: November 6, 2009 in column: It Shows

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  • Tiny Vipers’ Life on Earth: Finite and Cavernous

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    Tiny VipersI don’t know about where you live, but here in San Francisco it’s raining this Friday afternoon. The dreary weather and gray skies have put me in a Tiny Vipers mood. If you don’t know already, Tiny Vipers is the musical project of Seattle-based Jesy Fortino (she appears mid-way through the linked YouTube clip talking about how growing up in Seattle has influenced her music). A self-taught guitarist who plays abstract, mysterious music on an acoustic guitar that’s lightly fingerpicked, Fortino’s songs are at once dark and beautiful, carrying with them deeply introspective lyrics that brood mirage-like in a space reserved somewhere between daydream and nightmare.

    Subtly somber and restrained yearning odes abound on her latest release, Life on Earth [July, Sub Pop], her second LP and fourth release. The songs are so personal that I’m not always quite sure what she’s singing about, but that hardly matters as the songs definitely do speak to me on other gratifying levels. If you are a fan of ’60s British folk, you’ll fall instantly under her spell. read more

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    published: November 6, 2009 in column: What Goes On

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  • Video of the Day: The Screamers: “122 Hours of Fear”

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    For today’s video, we’ll proceed a little further down the LA punk thread started with yesterday’s Black Flag clip from The Decline of Western Civilization.

    The Screamers were an intimidating, guitar-less phenomenon on the city’s scene between 1977 and 1981. Their nervy synth-punk sound and innovative live performances, which integrated video and stage props into a compelling visual spectacle, won them a massive local following and gigs at high-profile LA venues like the Roxy and the Whisky, but for reasons still unknown, they never released an actual record.

    Here’s the Screamers performing “122 Hours of Fear” in a clip from their one readily available release, Live in San Francisco: September 2, 1978, issued by Target Video. The moment where frontman Tomata du Plenty pauses and sinks to the floor before standing up again to yell, “YOU BETTER SHUT UP AND LISTEN!” is pretty extraordinary.

    Read more and watch another excellent Screamers clip after the jump…

    read more

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    published: November 6, 2009 in column: What Goes On

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    Golden Animals, "My My My"

    2008-02-27 at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco, CA

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