dead prez:

I cannot believe I slept on this group for so long. I'd been aware of them since Let's Get Free was released in 2000, but it's only been since my interest in hip-hop was renewed that I checked them out. As far as I'm concerned, Let's Get Free is the finest political hip-hop record since Fear Of A Black Planet. It manages to be menacing and funky as hell all at the same time.

Dead Prez's appearance in Dave Chappelle's Block Party is one of the highlights of the film. The mood is electric, energy practically arcing between the MCs, the band, and the crowd.

You should watch it:

I've been a bad blogger.

Well, actually, I've been busy as shit lately. More stuff to come soon, promise.

Led Zep vs. EW&F:

I noticed a striking similarity between the vocal melodies of these two songs -

Led Zeppelin - "Stairway To Heaven" (1971)
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven
And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed
With a word she can get what she came for

and

Earth, Wind, & Fire - "Fantasy" (1977)
Every man has a place, in his heart theres a space,
And the world cant erase his fantasies
Take a ride in the sky, on our ship fantasii
All your dreams will come true, right away

Someone needs to do a mashup of this, pronto.

Led Zeppelin - "Stairway To Heaven" (.wma) [10.27 mb]

EW&F - "Fantasy" (.mp3) [8.8 mb]

Explosions In The Sky:

An ex-girlfriend hipped me to Explosions In The Sky a couple of years ago. I like moody, epic rock songs (i.e. Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Do Make Say Think, and especially Mogwai), and these dudes fit the bill.

I was surprised when I found out that they'd done the soundtrack to Friday Night Lights. I don't typically associate epic instrumental rock songs with high school football. I finally got around to watching the movie last night, and ya know what? It works. Their music has been carried over into the TV series on NBC, which is actually pretty good as well. Plus it gives me a bit of a football fix until the NFL season starts again.

I've been geeking out on the longer of the two versions of "Your Hand In Mine" that appear on the soundtrack. (The original, 8-minute long version is from their 2003 album The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place.) Something about the chord progressions they use in this song just get me. I can't put it any better way than that.

I'm also putting up "The Moon Is Down" from 2001 release Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever, which is the first song of their's I ever heard.

FYI: big files, as is demanded by epic songs.

Explosions In The Sky - Your Hand In Mine (with strings) [6.73 mb]

Explosions In The Sky - The Moon Is Down [14.52 mb]

worthless goddamn cripple:

Ever wonder what happened to Dave Riley (the bass player from Big Black)? No? Well, I did, ever since I first read an article about said band in Spin about a million years ago. The article stated that his whereabouts were unknown, and that he had likely overdosed.

Turns out he'd had a stroke. He's alive, and is blogging about it.

Rock Lottery 3 this Saturday:

Here's how it works: Twenty-five hand picked musicians meet at 10:00AM at the evenings performance venue. These volunteers are organized into five groups through a lottery-based chance selection. The five separate groups are then released to practice at different locations. The musicians have twelve hours to create a band name and three to five songs (with a one cover-song limit). The groups will then perform what they have created that evening in front of a waiting audience.

I'm plugging this for two reasons: 1) it's a benefit for a good cause (being the Vera Project), and 2) I'm one of the 25 musicians doing it. So clearly you should be there.

http://www.myspace.com/rocklottery

Betty Davis:

OK, I have no idea how I managed to go as long as I did without hearing, or even being aware of, Betty Davis. (Not that Bette Davis.) She came up in a conversation with a friend last week, and I sought some stuff of her's out, and I have to say, it's funky as hell.

And you know than any woman who managed to stay married to Miles Davis for any length of time had to have been a tough-ass broad.


Light In The Attic Records recently reissued two of her albums. Peep that shit.


Anti Love Song

If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up

great:

Fergie is playing Bumbershoot this year!

I'm so excited I might pee myself.


Full line-up here.

station break:

This has nothing to do with the bands that I intended to write about here.

I'd like to take this moment to proclaim that I heart Kelly Clarkson. That 'Never Again' song? Kicks ass. I get some sort of Pat Benetar vibe out of it, though she sounds closer to Corin Tucker in spots. Either way, I've been playing the shit out it.

Also: the new Blue Scholars and Busdriver records are the shit too.

June of '44:

For once, Seattle is having clement weather on the 4th of July. I've always associated June of '44's Four Great Points with the summertime - specifically the summer of 1998, and all the shenanigans that went on then.

This record came out when I was in the midst of my math-rock period. Pretty much anything that came out on Thrill Jockey/Touch & Go/Quarterstick found its way into my collection. I have a hard time listening to a lot of that stuff now. A lot of it sounds soulless, and dated. (See also: drum & bass.)

Four Great Points has held up though. (Granted, it's not terribly math-y, but whatevr.) The first track ("Of Information And Belief") is a slow burner and a great kick-off to the record. And I recall having a "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" moment when I heard the typewriter intro to "Air #17".

June of '44 - "Of Information & Belief" [9.5 mb]
June of '44 - "Air #17" [9.3 mb]

Silkworm:

In 1995, I discovered what would become my all-time favorite rock band. I got into a lot of bands by reading reviews of them and buying their records sound-unheard. I was only 19, and therefore unable to go out and see a lot of the acts that were active at the time. (Seattle has traditionally had a tumultuous relationship with all-ages venues.)

I had seen the name Silkworm show up in the local music press (meaning the late, lamented Rocket) from time to time. They were on the receiving end of a little buzz around town, and there was something about their aesthetic that I found appealing. I came across a used copy of their second album (In The West) at Cellophane Square in the University District, and figured "what the hell?"

I remember sitting in the living room of the shitty little house I shared with four other people, listening to In The West and initially not knowing what to think. It was a trebly, abrasive-sounding record filled with off-key yelping and the sounds of Telecasters being molested and drums that sounded as if they'd been recorded inside of an oil tanker. It was confusing. So I listened to it again. And again. And again.

The first song that really put its hooks in me was "Raised By Tigers," a composition by one Joel RL Phelps. It sounded menacing in spots, hopeful in others, and powerful all around. It builds and builds until about halfway through before Phelps explodes. It was my favorite song (of all songs, by anyone) for years. Initially, Phelps' songs appealed to me the most; they tended to be more minor key, more introspective, and just darker all-around. The other songwriters (Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett) were (and are) fine songwriters, each with their own distinct style and voice, but it took me longer to really appreciate how they did what they did.

The more I listened to Silkworm, the more I became addicted. I purchased their other 1994 release (Libertine), and by the time 1996's Firewater came out, they had attained their status as the numero uno band in my collection. (Phelps had quit just prior to the release of Libertine, and has put out several excellent records as a solo artist.)

Silkworm released upward of 14 records and EPs before drummer Michael Dahlquist was killed almost two years ago. Andy and Tim have a new band called Bottomless Pit, who I got to see live last year, and totally kicked my ass.

There's a pretty comprehensive rundown of the Silkworm discography here. I'm sure I'll be writing about them more in the future.

Silkworm - "Raised By Tigers" [4.81 mb]

first post:

I guess it'd be fitting for the first post in my fledgling mp3 blog be one that contains a song by a band that I am in. I'm doing this not out of blatant self-promotion, but because I don't know what I'm doing yet.

This track is a short little banger from our The Musical album, which I believe will one day become a cult favorite due to the fact that there are so few copies floating around out there.

Key Note Speaker - "Don't Be Fooled"[3.24 mb]