March 2004

Grandpa Loves Music

Man, I got a bunch of new music recently. Here's a short list:

Audio Bully's - Ego War
I got this based on the merits of one song, "We Don't Care." I can't get enough of that song. They used to play it on BBC Radio1 all the time in 02/03. Being unemployed for the whole year, it was put on the back burner, but I popped over to Amazon and hooked myself up real good.

Air - Talkie Walkie
Need to listen to more…much more. At first listen, it's wicked pretty. I soooo need to be somewhere else. This is a bad album for a married guy with a steady job.

The Thrills - So Much for the City
This is my favorite catch from the Princeton Record and Tape store place.

Like the Libertines, The Thrills made a future-sounds-of-the-past record. While the Libertines took their inspiration from the Clash, the Thrills took theirs from the Beach Boys. Both albums greatest strengths are in their ability to work their own ethos into the sounds their are imitating. (Yes, I wrote ETHOS.)

Along with the infectious "Santa Cruz", which channels Brian Wilson like a big dog, but that ethos which I mentioned cones through in songs like "Your Love is Like Las Vegas" and "One Horse Town." I could listen to this album for years and year.

Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
I missed most of the hype behind this band when they first hit the scene. Their single, "California Waiting" is pretty catchy, and I rather like it. Apparently, the music press picked them to be some second coming of the Strokes via Nashville or something. Having listened to the record, I don't quite get it, but what the hell to I know.

This is very basic rock and roll music. No fuss, no muss. The first time I played the CD, I kinda liked it. Today, I played it three times in a row, and now I am a supporter.

All in all, I like it, but I cannot explain why exactly. It's certainly going to be a fixture in the car for the summer, right next to Junior Senior and S Club.

Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players - Vintage Slide Collections from Seattle, Vol. 1
This is totally wacky performance art. Sure, the indy kids are gonna tell you how damn awesome this band is, but they are overstating the truth. This band is unique and smart, but the music is lost outside of the visual context. I am a bit of a fan, and over time, I may like it more or less - that is yet to be seen. The Dad sounds like one of They Might Be Giants, which is cool, and the harmonies with the whole fam are nice.

"Together, as a system, we are unbeatable!" Hell yeah!

Erlend Øye - Unrest
I fell in love with the Kings of Convenience back in 2001. But not too soon after September 11th, they cancelled their American tour, and then separated. Erlend continued recording, for himself and for others, like Royksopp. For this record, he traveled all over the world, recording tracks with different producers in different cities. It's a terrific idea.

After five listens, back to back, I am convinced that the album sounds more like a Greatest Hits remix than an actual album, but that may have been the point. He did manage to pick producers influenced by Daft Punk, which gives each song a electro-80's feel.

Biggest problem with the record is the sound level. It's way too quiet to play in my car on a road trip.

Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse
Next month I will give you a much bigger write-up about this one. I want to devote some personal time on the train, at work and at home with this one.