new Rilo Kiley

Looks like Jenny Lewis, et al. went and wrote a disco record. I'm only about halfway through it and so far it's my favorite thing of theirs I've heard. I can't tell how much influence Warner money has had yet - the title track is a little glossy sounding, and there are shades of...Fleetwood Mac, mabe? But still! It's got a funky beat, and I can dance to it.

I'm hearing some vocal harmonies that are a bit reminiscent of the Watson Twins' contribution to Jenny Lewis' terrific solo record, but outside of that, this is a very different beast.

"The Moneymaker" is the first single, but you'll probably be able to steal that from somewhere else on the internests, so take this one instead:

Rilo Kiley - "Close Call" [5.2mb]

edit: watch the video for "The Moneymaker". It's got porn starlets in it.

covers

I've spent the better part of the last two days listening to Regina Spektor's cover of Madonna's clunker of a single "Love Profusion". Now, I love love love Regina, and I am ambivalent, if not downright hostile, toward Madonna. But I've found that there are several instances of artists making something more out of the source material at hand.

Sure, it's all subjective and crap, but sometimes these covers have led me to explore the original group's catalog. Sometimes I end up getting into the original artist, and sometimes not.

Cases in point:

• Joel RL Phelps - most of the Inland Empires EP (featuring songs by Iris DeMent, Townes Van Zandt, the Go-Betweens, others). I love this record. I bought Iris DeMent's My Life because of it, and did not like it one bit. I think it was the production moreso than the songs themselves that I didn't care for, but still - I sold the CD. Same goes for the Go-Betweens. I'd actually given them a shot a few years before the Phelps disc came out at the behest of both a girl I was dating, and Tim Cook. I was, and am still, distinctly meh about them.
• Silkworm - "The Chain" (Fleetwood Mac). I remember hating Fleetwood Mac as a kid. I thought their music was pure schlock (except for "Tusk" with all the marching band shit going on). But after listening to SKWM's version about a hundred times, I decided I at least liked the original.
• Shannon Wright - "I Started A Joke" (Bee Gees). I first heard this when I worked for KCMU/KEXP. I got a copy of Shannon's Perishable Goods EP for review, and having already been a fan, I pushed to get this some airplay. Sometime after this came out, I asked her after a show if she knew where I could get a copy for myself. (Before you ask: I didn't have a computer back then, so I couldn't just burn it.) She basically said "Good luck." About the Bee Gees? I own the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on vinyl.
• Bauhaus - "Ziggy Stardust" (David Bowie). I've never had a problem with Bowie. I like Bowie. I just happen to like Bauhaus' take on "Ziggy" more than Bowie's.

Those are just a couple of examples. Hip-hop led me to soul, funk, and R&B, and covers lead me to...Fleetwood Mac. Or even Madonna.

The performance this track is culled from took place at the 2005 New York Jewish Music festival. It was kind of a tongue-in-cheek song selection, considering Madge's questionable Jewishness. Regina totally makes this song her own though, and I will keep enjoying it, despite myself.

Regina Spektor - "Love Profusion" (live at the 2005 New York Jewish Festival) [7.1mb]

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]