An impossibly perfect introduction to Wilco…

I don’t know why it took me so long to get into Wilco. They’re an amazing band, from Chicago to boot! I had their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, because I had always heard of the band and that this was their best album, but I never really gave it the light of day. I think “Jesus Etc.” was all I listened to from it. Thankfully, one day I became fed up and decided to see what this band was all about after all.

The second I heard “Impossible Germany,” I knew. The fluid harmonized guitars in the intro turned into background flourishes for the melancholy verses. I still have a tough time understanding the cerebral lyrics and what exactly Impossible Germany and Unlikely Japan signify (World War II, perhaps?) but that doesn’t mean they’re ineffective at all.

And then there’s the solo. Hot damn, that solo. Nels Cline was an excellent addition to Wilco and works his magic on this track. His jazz background is heard loud and clear through his quick bebop runs, but his phrasing is what kills me. The space in between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves, and Cline makes use of every bit of time he has, taking breaths in between phrases for punctuation and also (in my mind) to give the listener a chance to pause and think “Damn! This guy can play.”

After the solo comes a gorgeous harmonized riff with more soloing done on top. At this point you may be thinking Wilco is participating in some major wankage, but trust me it is tastefully done. The great solo complements the great song and blends into a style that’s hard to pin down. It’s Cline’s jazz, it’s Jeff Tweedy’s rock, but it isn’t fusion.

I was surprised to read reviews of Sky Blue Sky, the album that features “Impossible Germany.” After hearing songs like “On and On and On,”  ”You Are My Face,” “Either Way,” and the album’s title track, I was blown away. Many critics didn’t share the sentiment, saying it was a disappointing follow-up to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and that it wasn’t as bold or experimental of an effort. Fine then, to each his own I guess. All I know is that the album, and “Impossible Germany” definitely kicked my ass.

Here are some pics that I took at the 4th Annual Psychobilly BBQ held at the Bell House in Brooklyn.

Everyone there was super cool and super sweet.  The bands were extremely nice when I spoke with them even when I was half in the bag.

Expect a couple of more posts on this great event.  I’m just too tired and buzzed to write tonight.  So to hold you over, here’s Scott next to one of the hot rods that came to the show.  Sweet fucking ride, man!

In these days of Internet memes and viral videos, it takes a lot for a video to break through the mold and become a hit…or does it? Either way, Jan Terri has what it takes to become a web legend.

I first stumbled on to the video for Losin’ You, while I was typed “worst music video ever” on YouTube because I was looking for the ELEKTRONIK SUPERSONIK
video. A couple of hits down, this is what I found, and clicked on:

What a feast for the eyes! Countless pans of city skylines, video quality that was ahead of its time, and of course, the transcendent Jan Terri. Looking like a biker bar version of Mimi from the Drew Carey Show, she had a radiance that is rarely found, perhaps only present before her in the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.

And the song…rich instrumental work with Terri’s soulful voice crowning as the icing on the decadent cake. Terri’s voice makes the song’s poetic lyricism sparkle like polished diamonds. I don’t wanna lose you tonight/You’re the only thing that matters…Absolutely magnificent. I have yet to read anything comparable from Dickens or Joyce.

Being a true innovator means never resting on your laurels. And although Terri could afford to leave her legacy on the shelf, she chose not too. Rather, she pushed herself further, taking conceptual songs and forming them into high art. Just take a look at the masterpiece Journey To Mars.

Incorporating CGI of this caliber, effects that would make James Cameron embarrassed of his own Avatar, may make some think the video is a distraction from Terri’s talent, but never was there a better peanut-butter and chocolate style combination. Terri dressed the part, in a dazzling silver spacesuit, shouting the words of our hero, Captain James T. Kirk, as she says “Beam me up, Scotty!” Not even Shatner himself could deliver the line with such panache.

And then there’s Get Down Goblin, a Halloween-themed song that both frights and delights. It’s like Thriller, only better.

It’s difficult to pick one area of the artistic force that is Jan Terri and call it the best. There are the touching, poignant lyrics, the masterful cinematography of the videos, or just the timless cool and class of her work. The Daily Show is one of the outlets able to truly capture the genius of Jan Terri, as seen in this video:

So take some time to reflect and think just how lucky we are as a human race to have been graced by the music, and luminous visionary that is Jan Terri. And get down you goblins.

MGMT-Congratulations

ATTENTION FRAT BOYS AND PARTY DOUCHEBAGS IN GENERAL!!! If you’re a fan of  ”Kids,” “Time to Pretend,” and “Electric Feel,” and never branched out to see what else MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular had to offer, do it. I’m certainly glad I did. Don’t get me wrong, I love the aforementioned big three (“Electric Feel” is my jamz) but when I finally listened to the rest of the album, I truly recognized what a great band MGMT is. Oh, and if you’re looking for party-ready, minimalist synth hooks, don’t look for them on Congratulations, they ain’t there.

What you will find on this sophomore outing is some pretty excellent electro-surf music. Honestly, it’s like The Ventures entered a time warp into present-day Brooklyn and were given a synth and Brian Eno as a spiritual guide. (More on him later) The album cover also shows what the inside’s all about.

As the follow up to Oracular Spectacular, Congratulations has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor put MGMT on the map and most fans may not be ready for when the opening track, “It’s Working” hits them with its splashy keyboards and spring-reverb laden guitars. They certainly can’t prepare themselves for the epic 12-minute “Siberian Breaks”

While Brian Wilson may be the biggest influence to go uncredited on Congratulations, electronic and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno gets his due with the song of his namesake, sounding like it was written on the site of the original Batman series. “I can tell that he’s kind of smiling but what does he know?/We’re always one step behind him, he’s Brian Eno,” sings Andrew Van Wyngarden on the track.

“Lady Dada’s Nightmare” serves as Congratulations’ instrumental piece, similar to how “Pet Sounds” did on that album. (Did I just make another Beach Boys comparison? Sorry.) I’m also assuming it is somehow referencing the spaced-out pop star, but how can we be sure?

Congratulations is bound to hear whispers and even some shouts of “sophomore slump.” That is truly unfortunate because it’s an excellent album on it’s own and a brave effort to resurrect a genre that was cool so long ago by giving it some new twists and technology.

Grade:B+ Congratulations may not be the powerhouse Oracular Spectacular was but it’s a damn good second release. Buy it if you’ve been waiting for a surf revival since “Misirlou” was featured on Pulp Fiction, or simply want to prove that you’re not just into MGMT for their party songs.

Neon Indian-Psychic Chasms

I wanted to get this review done soon because I know I won’t like this band for much longer. I’m already kind of mad at myself for liking them now. I mean, their genre is referred to as “chillwave,” and we all know how much I hate “chill” when it’s used as an adjective. Psychic Chasms poses an interesting question to its listeners: does the fact that Joe Jonas endorses a band automatically make them suck?

In this case, my ruling is…not yet. See, if you take Neon Indian as a novelty, I think you’ll be fine. Don’t go looking for deep, soul baring lyrics here. Also don’t look for brilliant instrumental work or anything particularly exceptional.

What Neon Indian does (fairly well) is create odd, extremely lo-fi music that seems as if it was taken from VHS tapes of employee training videos made in the mid 80′s. Check out Everything is Terrible or watch an episode of Tim and Eric to get a feel for what I mean.

Psyschic Chasms is basically a collection of these little ditties, some better than others-”Deadbeat Summer” and “Terminally Chill” being two of my favorites.  Psychic Chasms is good to put on when you have no idea what to listen to and just kind of want to hear music no matter what it is. I assume if you wanted to drop acid before listening to it and wouldn’t mind taking a trip where everyone is wearing Jordache jeans and shoulder pads, that would be fine too.

GRADE: C+ It gets points for being original and serving a novelty purpose on my iPod. It loses points for the little part of me that’s mad at myself for liking it and the Joe Jonas stamp of approval. Download it, but quick because Neon Indian’s got about 3 of its 15 minutes of fame left.

The metal world lost one of its all-time greats this morning as Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer.

Its truly sad to see Dio go, but it is good to know he isn’t struggling anymore. Dio had a long and still active career, from fronting Elf, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath, to starting his own band, Dio. His most recent work alongside Toni Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinnie Appice in Heaven and Hell continued to draw large crowds on tour and critical acclaim.

Power metal is what Dio did best, and he did so with relish. Warrior outfits, swords, and castles made Dio’s video for Holy Diver look like a Dungeons and Dragons fans’ wildest dreams come true.  Or how about Rainbow in the Dark with Ronnie singing on top of the building and Vivian Campbell coming from out of nowhere to play that solo? And while it might seem cheesy, Dio wasn’t the kind of guy who took himself seriously enough to let it bother him; just check out his role in Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny for proof.

Were you to take away all his musical accomplishments and just give Dio credit for the “metal horns,” it would be enough to make his birthday a holiday. Just think-it gave millions of metal fans around the world who lack any dancing skills something to do at concerts.

Hopefully, Dio’s importance to music will be realized and he will receive the recognition he deserves in death. So blast some Dio and raise those horns to the sky in salute. While you’re at it, put on Straight Through the Heart. If the riff after the drum intro isn’t the manliest, most balls-out fuck yeah! riff ever, I don’t know what is.