If you're missing Jonathan Ross playing his obligatory David Bowie track on a Saturday Morning on BBC Radio 2 this should make up for it! David Bowie is a rock hero of mine! Enjoy!

Black Francis (pictured above), aka Frank Black, has told NME.com that a new album from The Pixies could be happening.

Since the legendary band reunited for a lengthy tour in 2004, rumors have been circulating that a new album was in the works. Almost four years after that tour, no new album has materialized. Yet. The Pixies did release a download-only single titled "Bam Thwok" in 2004, but nothing since then.

The Pixies have not released an album of new material since 1991's Trompe Le Monde. On the subject of a possible new album from the band, Francis told NME.com:

"It's just a waiting game right now. Whatever we do in the future is gonna have to be fresh.

"I have to see if the band as a whole wants to go into the recording studio for a new record. That makes sense on some level. For us, there's gotta be an angle. It can't be just playing our old songs over and over."

For more on this story, see the article on NME.com at http://www.nme.com/news/frank-black/39327.

A new album from The Pixies would be something special. I saw one of their shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City in 2004, and they were absolutely phenomenal. If the creative chemistry is still there, they should give recording new material a chance. If they feel that the result is not up to their high standards, they would probably just not release it.

To watch The Pixies perform "Monkey Gone To Heaven" on the December 13, 2004 edition of CBS-TV's The Late Show with David Letterman, click below:

Basically the concept of the Spectacle is that we live life several times removed from its' reality, and only deal in images and concepts that are transmitted back to us through a medium.

I have thought long and hard about this dilemma, how modern society has imprisoned us in a way within this lifestyle, and what can be done about this predicament, if anything.

Lately, what I have come up with is simple : surrealism. Surrealist art, which I am well aware started with painting (I don't paint, but I do occasionally draw), and surrealism in poetry and music, are what interest me most from this phenomenon.

I think that surrealism, in all its' weirdness and mind-bending capabilities, could do well (and perhaps is one of the ONLY weapons that would be effective against the modern Spectacle) because it forces the viewer/reader/listener to think about things in ways that the brain is not accustomed to thinking.

The 90s alt-rock band the Pixies' lead singer/songwriter Frank Black (Black Francis) was very influenced by surrealism in his music, and I believe I am, as well, when I write lyrics for my own band, winter itch. It just suits music, I think (the melodies to which are usually painfully infectiously catchy) to have some really odd wordings and meanings behind the notes.

I first delved into strange wordings when I began reading poetry, first that of Allen Ginsberg and e.e. cummings (in school, probably) and then I was introduced to Richard Brautigan by my father, who quickly became (and still is) my all-time favorite author. I ended up writing a book of surrealist poetry called arealdreamerimagined (That He Couldn't) and also another work (a satirical hero epic) called The Deaths of Heroes.

The other day when I was looking around on the web I found a couple places where there are some great examples of surrealist poetry, specifically here. French, apparently.

As those who know me are already aware, I love certain science fiction, such as that of Philip K Dick (and the movies based on his writings) as well as horror films - weird ones, especially those of the "body" or "biological" horror genre, perfected by David Cronenberg, in addition to the psychedelic romps of Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame.)

I was also thinking the other day how many people enjoy horror movies, perhaps for many reasons - the psychological aspects of things that bother/disgust us, or maybe for masochistic reasons.

I think my own love of horror movies stems from the fact that the bizarre, the gory or just plain weird are other forms of surrealism, things to get the mind thinking in new and unusual ways - something that may provide keys to escaping from the modern Spectacle of our society.

Babies learn from the synapses in their brains coming apart and fusing back together, so this same concept could be applied to our adult brains when we see, read, or hear surrealist art.

My friend is speechless.
Will you give him some wine?
He lost his own son
at the drag racing line.
Oh, please tell us bartender,
what can he do?
Cry some tears for your water
and pour whiskey in your shoes.

Nothing to do about it.
First, you grab it
then, you lift it
then, you pour it down.

Got divorce papers
and we put down the ink.
So, tonight, I won’t be having my usual drink.
Hey there, bartender,
can you make me something new?
Cry some tears for your water.
I’ll pour whiskey in your shoes.

Nothing to do about it.
First, you grab it
then, you lift it
then, you pour it down.

Hey there, bartender,
can I owe you the cash?
‘Cause the end of the world,
well, it came in a flash.
And, I know that tomorrow
I’ll have some new excuse.
To cry tears for my water
and pour whiskey in my shoes.

Nothing to do about it.
First, you grab it
then, you lift it
then, you pour it down.

There once was a band that played this song in their set. I haven't heard too much of them lately though.

Black Francis é Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV, nascido em Boston (EUA), em 1965. Já foi o Black Francis dos Pixies, uma das bandas mais importantes do rock no fim dos anos 80 e começo dos anos 90, quando atingiu reconhecimento crítico e no meio musical. Depois, basicamente nos últimos 15 anos, foi Frank Black, em carreira solo. Em 2007, voltou a ser Black Francis e, depois de Bluefinger, lançou este ano Svn Fngrs, um mini-LP gravado em menos de uma semana, com guitarra, voz, baixo e bateria.

*#*

Enquanto ponderava a indicação de Svn Fngrs na minha estréia na Camarilha, conversava com o Bernardo sobre a relação curiosa que a gente estabelece com um artista que conhece há muito tempo. Tal é o caso de Black Francis, que nós conhecemos como principal compositor e cantor dos Pixies, depois acompanhamos durante os tempos de Frank Black e, agora, voltou a ser Black Francis, solo. E o Bernardo me perguntou se eu achava que ele tinha mudado muito nessas idas e vindas de pseudônimo. Bom, não. Não muito.

E, ao indicar Svn Fngrs, fui ouvir o disco pensando em quais razões moviam Black Francis/Frank Black adiante. Sucesso comercial é que não é. Quem viu o DVD loudQUIETloud sabe que isso ficou mal resolvido para os Pixies, que encontraram sucesso na turnê de retorno, mas àquela altura já pareciam ter mágoas e tristezas demais na bagagem. Os tempos de êxito crítico também ficaram para trás. Qualquer disco que Frank Black/Black Francis tenha lançado nos últimos 15 anos foi sempre julgado e condenado em comparação com os Pixies (confira aqui, por exemplo). Então, o que move Black Francis?

Talvez seja simplesmente teimosia. Junto com os tempos de Pixies, ficou para trás a era da indústria cultural as we knew it, ou seja, aquela fase das nossas vidas em que todo mundo ouvia mais ou menos as mesmas coisas, os CDs internacionais não chegavam ou chegavam com atraso aqui. Hoje em dia, até um gigante como Bob Dylan pode lançar um belo disco (Modern Times), fazer um clipe com a Scarlett Johansson e vir tocar no Brasil que ninguém dá muita bola.

Por outro lado, hoje em dia o artista não precisa ficar preso às determinações da indústria fonográfica e pode lançar suas músicas mais à vontade. Então, se o sucesso não veio na época que poderia para Black Francis, ele ao menos pode gravar e lançar tudo o que faz, gostemos nós ou não. E é o que ele vem fazendo, seja quando acerta (Fastman Raiderman, 2006) ou quando passa ou pouco mais longe (Bluefinger, 2007).

Svn Fngrs não está nem tanto ao mar, nem tanto à terra. Tem momentos diferentes, como a pegada meio funkeada de "The Seus". Tem sonoridades mais familiares como "Garbage Heap", que traz ecos da obra-prima Teenager of the Year (o que é um elogio meio torto). Tem tropeços como "I Sent Away", mas um artista como Black Francis nunca faz feio de verdade. Há sempre arranjos vocais sutis e bem bolados, levadas de guitarra singelas e honestas, quase cafajestes ("Half Man" e "The Tale of Lonesome Fetter"). Afinal, no som de Black Francis está presente quase uma enciclopédia do rock: lá estão o próprio Dylan, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys.

O fato é que Black Francis está aí, nem que seja por teimosia. E assim como toda teimoisa tem um pouco de burrice, tem também um tanto de perseverança, o que não deixa de conter uma potência de afirmação. Talvez por isso ele encerre o disco dizendo "When they com to murder me/I'm already gone bye-bye" (Tiago Campante)

* # *

Desde que ouvi The Cult of Ray, absolutamente todos os discos de Frank Black/Black Francis me fizeram retornar aos seus dois primeiros discos solo, o homônimo Frank Black e Teenager of the Year, e a Trompe le Monde, último disco dos Pixies que é, a sua maneira, já um começo da carreira solo para o cantor (parece incrivelmente mais com os dois primeiros solos que com os três outros discos dos Pixies). svn fngrs pode até ser mais interessante que a média de qualidade dos discos de Frank Black desde 1996, mas não evita o refluxo nostálgico aos momentos de maior inquietação artística e experimentação com composições, gêneros e arranjos. Uma época em que ele surpreendia pela versatilidade e a mistura de fúria e doçura que já impressionava com os Pixies, e que no começo solo expandiu seu repertório do metal ao reggae.

svn fngrs começa bem, com "The Seus". Não é uma faixa grandiosa, ela tem aquela cara meio burocrática de rock de veterano, com aquele bumbo marcando, aquela caixa seca. Mas o vocal domina: partes faladas desaguam em canto, alternância de voz aguda com grave, e uma maneira hilária de dizer "ban-di-doooooh" que leva um sorriso à boca. "Garbage Heap" e "Half Man" representam muito bem a razão da pouca atenção dada ao cantor hoje em dia: as composições são ok até, mas sua medianidade combina muito mal com os arranjos óbvios escolhidos na gravação. Existe até a impressão de que, na voz e no violão, as qualidades das músicas seriam ressaltadas. "I Sent Away", ao contrário, é um rockão de verdade e justifica todo o peso dado ao arranjo de bumbo batendo três vezes, guitarra alta e esporrante e versos curtos, além de uma charmosíssima paradinha de bateria. Dá até pra esquecer o solo de gaita, que no entanto não incomoda. "Seven Fingers" é o lado vaqueiro do cantor; quem gostar que compre. "The Tale of Lonesome Fetter" também é um rock rotineiro, sem nada a se destacar. Mas tem surpresa no final: "When They Come To Murder Me" é a única que em algum momento faz lembrar a época áurea de Frank Black, em especial aqueles hits que dosam muito bem melodia ganchuda e punch ("Headache", "Abstract Plane"). Mas nada que não me dê o impulso automático de ouvir "Los Angeles" ou "Parry the Wind High, Low". (Ruy Gardnier)

* # *

Antes de especular sobre a arte do heterônimo, devo perguntar: como avaliar um EP, e mais especificamente, este EP? Como expressão parcial de um trabalho vindouro? Como retomada? Como pequena brincadeira? Como caça-níquel? A empreitada já oferece dificuldades preliminares, mas aqui o buraco é mais embaixo, pois trata-se do cantor e compositor Black Francis. Após anos assinando como Frank Black, e lançando uma série de álbuns que variaram da genialidade ao pastiche, Francis retornou com Bluefinger e lança agora este svn fngrs. Entretanto, me parece que este EP encerra uma espécie de tentativa desesperada de fugir a um estilo de composição e arranjo que começaram timidamente em Bossanova e, mais agudamente, em Trompe le monde. Um estilo que marcou o fim dos Pixies e o início da carreira solo de Francis, próximo do folk, do rock rural e das referências culturais do pop americano. E, neste caso, o EP representaria uma tentativa não de retomada, mas de recriação. Se o “eu é um outro”, como dizia o poeta, o heterônimo pode representar a aposta do artista em outras inflexões de sua personalidade criativa. No entanto, não se trata de catar no álbum aquelas composições belas, simples e estranhas que fizeram nossas cabeças no final dos anos 80, nem de buscar um novo Teenager of the year (a obra-prima de Black), mas de tentar compreender o caráter do heterônimo, isto é: em que movimento se inscreve esta mudanca e em que sentido svn fngrs a representa.

Bem, a primeira audição mostra que esta mudanca não ocorre propriamente. Vejamos. Quando começa a primeira canção, “The Seus”, tomamos um susto: seria a redenção? Uma guitarra desconjuntada e dissonante rasga a introdução, enquanto os vocais atacam: “you are a bandido!” Mas lá pelas tantas, a batida funk se converte num daqueles inconfundíveis e suaves refrões com os quais Frank Black preencheu boa parte de seus álbuns. “Garbage heap” dá prosseguimento ao EP, e aqui já se trata de um delicioso escorregão, porque é uma daquelas faixas muito semelhantes a algumas do Teenager of the year: balada com tecladão irônico e bateria bem marcada, que faz traz uma certa alegria ao ouvinte, fã e descompromissado. “Half man” segue na mesma direção, o que nos faz pensar que uma política dos heterônimos aqui não surte muito efeito. Já “I sent away”, a segunda melhor do EP, nos devolve a esperança: rock’n’roll pesado e rápido, com letra surrealista. “Seven fingers” também traz um sabor de déjà vu, pois é mais um daqueles rocks característicos de Frank Black, com violão, marcação nos ton-tons da bateria e refrão estilo “chá-com-pão” (na Tijuca dos anos 80, qualquer batida rock 4/4 era “chá com pão”, sobretudo naquela pegada Ramones…). “The tale of lonesome fetter”, a terceira melhor, tem um refrão bacaninha, marcado exclusivamente por acordes de guitarras e tambores. O álbum termina com “When they come to murder me”, mais um rock à moda da casa, que traz no próprio título o problema do álbum: quem morreu? Quem está morto? Quem morrerá? Afinal, o heterônimo traz um sentido, ou uma “inflexão” própria? Mas, então, existiria um eu referencial? Bem, deixa pra lá…

No fim das contas, SVN Fngrs acaba residindo no hiato entre o sabor relativo e a mesmice. Coisa que Frank “Black” Francis vem fazendo há muito tempo. (Bernardo Oliveira)

*#*

Ser Charles Thompson, também conhecido como Frank Black ou Black Francis, não é nada fácil. Também, ninguém mandou ter sido um dos artífices não apenas de uma das maiores bandas da história do rock, mas também um dos pilares do que veio a ser chamado de indie-rock, criando o modelo a ser seguido por todos os jovens que queriam criar uma banda após ele. São poucas as bandas relevantes criadas após o início dos anos 90 que não carregue alguma herança. Após a interrupção abrupta na trajetória da banda, Black Francis mudou sua alcunha para Frank Black e lançou uma pá de álbuns solos, acompanhado de seus amigos católicos.

Alguns álbuns iniciais deram a impressão de que teríamos uma versão pessoal para o legado dos Pixies, mas o que aparentemente aconteceu foi a acomodação criativa, com álbuns cada vez mais presos àquilo que ele próprio ajudou a criar, sem qualquer pretensão de grande contribuição para o legado estabelecido.

SVN FNGRS parece se beneficiar de sua curta duração e da utilização solta de um suposto conceito para fazer um dos álbuns mais instigantes de Mr. Black em muito tempo. Sete canções em pouco mais de vinte minutos, cantadas com intensidade e variedade suficiente para esquecermos de pelo menos uns cinco álbuns chatos que ele lançou na última década, começando com os esquecíveis The Cult of Ray e o recente Christmass. No fim, o lado conceitual parece desculpa para lançar qualquer coisa, ou repetir de forma aguada as incursões pelo bizarro que tanta singularidade trouxe a suas composições desde os Pixies. Um dos pontos de apoio de sua música vem sendo uma certa aposta em composições cruas, com muitas referências ao punk, especialmente à música dos The Stooges, mas o que já rendeu grande vitalidade em discos anteriores, mas aqui apenas serve de muleta e desculpa para o mais do mesmo. A produção é pouco polida para simular agressividade, com a suposta preservação das raízes que aqui parecem já um pouco apodrecidas...

Ainda assim, diga-se que não se trata de grande música, nada que não possamos encontrar em álbuns anteriores ou até mesmo em obras de seus imitadores. Nada que vá figurar em listas de melhores do ano ou que não caia no esquecimento daqui a não muito tempo. Por que permaneceria muito tempo ouvindo SVN FNGRS quando poderia ouvir Frank Black? Fora de questão.

Nem seria o caso daquele artista que cria uma forma de trabalho e apenas vai compondo uma Obra, pois apesar de não serem meras repetições, muitos dos discos dele poderiam ser regravações de discos anteriores, maior exploração de possibilidades abandonadas no frenético início dos anos 90. mas não, temos um gênio que se contentou em jogar fácil, jogar para a galera. Ah, licença que eu vou ali ouvir Teenager of the Year. (Marcus Martins)

Size Medium
$7 + $3 shipping

This is Vital Source, a local publication that I've been harassing gently suggesting they do an article on Teecycle. (They feature Dwellephant, which is pretty cool.) So far, I've been ignored. I don't blame them. I'd ignore me too. But I'd never ignore the legion that is the teecycle fandom.

Go to the Vital Source contact page and encourage them to extend their coverage of Teecycle. Hey look! There's even a letter template for you:

Subject: Teecycle is the Shizzz!

Dear Vital Source Editor:

You should totally write an article on Teecycle. They sell certified pre-loved t-shirts, and donate a buck from each to restoring urban rivers in Milwaukee. You can even sign up for daily updates in your inbox. (They call it the Used-letter. Get it?!) They sells shirts like the Death to the Pixies t-shirt, and it's super easy to search by tags, like bands or animals. In conclusion, Teecycle is pretty sweet. I'm kinda tipsy on Sam Adams right now!

Kthanksbye!

(Your name here)

$1 of the sale of this teecycle shirt is donated to the River Revitalization Foundation to restore urban river trails and waterways.

MISC.

I saw some of Jakob Dylan's set while I waited for Black Francis...pretty standard folky/countryish rock. I also saw a bit of Yonder Mountain String Band, who I officially hate. But the hippies shore liked 'em.

CONCLUSION

Though there were only three performers that really appealed to me, I think, for a first effort, that 80/35 did a good job filling the bill with bands diverse enough to draw enough differing segments of people to create the great turnout they ultimately had. It seemed from my view that Friday was more of the "alt/indie" lineup and Saturday was more "dirty hippie", but the organizers seemed to know what they were doing booking a jam band and The Roots, as they pulled in the people. Also, unlike the other outdoor festival I've been to (Pitchfork), I could come and go from the premises as I pleased. Which was nice. So, all in all, good job 80/35. Looking forward to next year.

miloprometheus

Taken from my Last.fm page because as Johnny Rotten would put it, "I'm a lazy bastard". I selected the ten best album covers out of my pitiful iTunes Library and ordered them accordingly. Perhaps, we may be able to determine what makes a great album cover great, or perhaps I will totally waste your time. The latter certainly seem to be more likely . . .

10. Transformer, Lou Reed
A very iconic image. Reed in full glam regalia, guitar in hand and in stark black and white. What's great about it is that it makes a bold visual statement and communicates the notion to the buyer that Reed's music is going to have a sense of theatricality to it. Plus, it's just a damn striking picture.

9. "Heroes", David Bowie
Bowie was always avant garde but the "Heroes" cover is just something else. In grainy black and white, Bowie strikes a completely bizarre pose. I still have no idea exactly what he's supposed to be doing but it freaks me out. So y'know, job well done. (The cover for his next album, Lodger, almost made it on this list instead. It shows Bowie lying on the floor with a broken nose. It's so totally uncharacteristic for the fashionable Mr. Bowie that you have to love it.)

8. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys
I'm actually not a huge fan of the band, but I'll be damned if that's not a great album cover. The guy is apparently a friend of the band's, I'm assuming after a long night of doing things primarily involving drugs, booze and exposed breasts.

7. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
The cover of Wish You Were Here is a perfectly surreal accompaniment to Pink Floyd's brand of dreamy, epic rock. Gotta love the way the edge of the picture is burning into the white. Fun Fact: the guy on the cover is actually on fire. Ah, the dangerous days before they invented Photoshop . . .

6. Teenager of the Year, Frank Black
I think the cover speaks for itself.

5. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
Another very effective shocker and an image that sums up what rock and roll is really all about. The original vinyl featured a real zipper that actually unzips, which is totally awesome, even though it apparently dented the record and ruined it. Fun Fact 2: They wouldn't let them sell the album with that cover in Spain, so they replaced with an image of a woman's severed fingers in a can of beans, which is obviously far more tasteful.

4. London Calling, The Clash
This is punk. Based off of the cover of an Elvis album, The Clash replaces The King with Paul Simonon smashing his bass on stage. The "fuck you" message is just so potent and so perfect. Just a defining image, for The Clash and for punk music.

3. Things Fall Apart, The Roots
There are five different covers for Things Fall Apart, all of which are designed to make white listeners feel guilty. The photos used are from the Civil Rights struggle of the 60s and show the Roots' connection to politics and history, giving you a clear idea of what kind of rap album this is. The only album covers I can think of that create such an impression and force us to question ourselves and society.

2. The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
A very famous cover for The Velvet Underground's first album, by Andy Warhol, who was their manager at the time. It's just a great piece of pop art and The VU should've counted themselves lucky to have such an artistic genius provide them with a cover. The banana is in fact a sticker that can be peeled off to reveal the pink banana underneath. (You can't see it but it says "Peel here and see" at the top.) Unpeeled copies of this album are big collector's items.

1. Abbey Road, The Beatles
Simple and sweet. This is my idea of album cover perfection. People love Sgt. Pepper's and it's certainly a classic but you just can't beat Abbey Road. The cover was apparently shot quite spontaneously. It's been parodied a thousand times and it's also been the source of many "Paul is dead" rumors, mainly claiming significance in the fact that he isn't wearing shoes, and that Lennon was dressed in all white, representing the undertaker or death or heaven or something. (Lennon was just really into minimalist design at the time.) It's inspired every idiot who visits Abbey Road to stroll across that zebra crosswalk and yes, I'd totally do it if I went there too. My favorite album and my favorite album cover.

- Sean
JULY 08

In the last year Black Francis has released two EPs/short LPs, Bluefinger and SVN FNGRS. I was never a big fan of the Frank Black (and the Catholics) solo stuff, but these new discs more than deserve the old moniker. They rock like nothing I've heard of his since The Pixies, and the live show was impeccable.

Bluefinger is a theme album, based on or at least inspired by the drug-crazed life and times of Herman Brood. The disc contains a cover of You Can't Break a Heart and Have It (by Herman Brood and His Wild Romance), in which you can hear coked-up pounding anguish that makes it such a good song for Black Francis. You can hear how it would influence him. Sort of like, if you listen real hard to Nirvana, it makes so much sense that Kurt Cobain's first band was a Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band.

Listen to Threshold Apprehension from Bluefinger and When They Come to Murder Me from SVN FNGRS on his MySpace, but know neither song is as intense as the overall vibe of the discs.

But if I had to choose, I'd pick SVN FNGRS (vowels are so uncool) for sure. The incisively short songs vamp (or is it harp?) on those good ol' bloody themes: birth, sex, battle, death. Watch the video for the song I Sent Away. The album's title comes from the seven-fingered-and-toed Cúchulainn, a mythological hero from Irish folklore "known for his terrifying battle frenzy or ríastrad, in which he becomes an unrecognizable monster who knows neither friend nor foe." Sounds like the transformation that occurs when pasty, bald (and blue suede shod) Charles Thompson rips into a two-minute song as Black Francis.

I saw Black Francis with a bass player and drummer perform almost every song from both discs at The Slowdown in Omaha, Nebraska. The jukebox, the beers, the size (capacity 470!), the jaw-dropping bookings, the overall aesthetic ... everything's perfect in that bar/venue. And Charles commented more than once on how great the club is for performers.

The Slowdown's excellence comes from the fact that it was created by owner/operators who are musicians themselves--folks from Omaha's own Saddle Creek Records (Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Cursive, et al.).

I highly recommend The Slowdown ... and so do others. It was named Esquire's Club of the Year.

Getting back to the obsessions of Black Francis. He has recorded songs to accompany the 1915 film Der Golem, which I think will be released as another album soon. This is the third film I know him to sing about, joining the ranks of Eraserhead and Un Chien Andalou.

% I was still pretty pissed. And then they come in, and he's knocking at my bedroom door with one of my books that he wants to borrow. And he wants to lift his shirt to flash me with at least one of his nipples, but he's also trying not to spill his beer, which he also wants me to try. I was pissed but not at him. What could I do?

() I can't decide whether or not I like Frank Black's solo stuff. I've been listening to the self-titled album and Honeycomb for like a week already and I feel like I have ADD about it or something but it's better than wallowing in all the Townes Van Zandt I can get my hands on.

Wait, no it's not. Townes could hand Frank's ass to him in his sleep.

Actually, he'd have to.

$ I think the interview went as well as it possibly could have. And by that I mean freaking stellar. They could help me get an MLS and I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up but really I am.

And if this is what gets me really excited why the fuck do I want to stay here landlocked and write about something as filthy as politics instead of going to the beach. Maybe I don't really want to do either one.

^ There's a carburetor on the table next to me as I'm eating my eggs. Drinking my iced coffee. It smells like the junkyard it came from. It's been here for days but the part I can't believe is that I spelled "carburetor" right on the first try.

@ I couldn't leave Lolita to sleep until I started hallucinating, and I can't leave Tropic of Capricorn to eat until it hurts. Anyone who ever lived in New York that's not at least half as angry and disgusted as him is either a halfwit or . . . well, no I guess halfwit does it. Halfwit encompasses a lot. It's perfect.

Overall: There was an overall lack of enthusiasm, in my opinion.  But it's always good for people, myself included, to hear new stuff.  Here's why I think people weren't very excited for the bands (excluding PCC):  Nobody, except for about ten people total, walked over and held a spot for Black Francis; perhaps people were being polite and I hear there was excitement right in front of the stage, but a lot of the time people didn't cheer for the FL until after he said, "Thank you;" during the FL, the people in front of me did not move once; the FL played a lot of recognizable singles, but the reception for each song was pretty much the same; the person behind me was more concerned about complaining how he didn't have weed and how he just came to get high off of someone else's weed.  Yeah, I like going to concerts where people are really excited and don't stand the entire time w/ their hands folded or in their pockets...

I only saw five bands perform...

Andrew Bird: I think this was my favorite performance of the the entire festival. I have been wanting to give him a listen for awhile and his performance was a good reminder to do so. I think, with the exception of indie kids and some out-of-towners, nobody knew he existed before Friday evening.

Flaming Lips: Fuck Bush. Fuck this war. Am I the only one getting tired of hearing this everywhere from MTV to the anarchist's hat at the bus stop? It is the general consensus that America does say, "Fuck Bush and Fuck this War," so can't we go beyond spreading the word that has already been spread and focus on the next election? Anyway....the Flaming Lips are known for their crazy, over-the-top, party-style performances. Is it just me or did it seem like we got a slightly abbreviated performance? With the naked painted ladies, skull costume and psychdelic colors, I was mostly reminded of a Beavis and Butt-head dream sequence, which isn't bad, but who wants a dog when you can have a puppy? Maybe I would have enjoyed this more had a pair of giants not been standing right in front of me.

Jakob Dylan

Black Francis: I went to see Black Francis hoping for the Pixes, or even Frank Black. :( It still was thrilling to see a member of one of my favorite bands perform though.

Poison Control Center: This was the most fun performance. Their loyal fans love them, so the energy is great!

Food: I ordered chicken nachos and there were six-inch pieces of chicken on them, which made them impossible to eat without sitting at a table with a fork and knife. Also, they put shredded cheese on top of pump cheese, ew! I wish I could have found the regular nachos you get at ballparks or movie theaters. OH well, I had some delicious Thai Food afterwards.

Drink: The beer was cheap and the one with the one with the horse was decent. The water was cheap too, but the vendor was overly aggressive when it came to tipping!

Conclusion: I definitely have to commend the committee/people that made this happen because it was quite the feat. Good luck next year!

ninjagarden

I will see you there if you aren't an idiot. But you probably are. So I expect to see a slim crowd.

-wg

The Breeders

Pod Demos

http://www.mediafire.com/?xkeytnkyt0i

At the time, The Pixies were my favorite band in the universe. The Smiths and Cocteau Twins were runners-up. My teenage mind latched onto Frank Black's primal screams on Surfer Rosa and loved the eclectic smorgasbord of Doolittle. This teenage mind liked Bossanova and told Trompe Le Monde to talk to the hand. I saw them with the Ciure and Love and Rockets and my heart swooned at the possibilities of music. Now I am much older and calloused and I look back and wonder why I thought their first two albums were a door to all that was new. I still view Loveless, Queen is Dead, Heaven or Las Vegas and Viva Hate as impeccable gems, but the Pixies just haven't aged well with me.

The Breeders' debut, Pod, is a horse of a different color. It still gets played regularly and it grows more loved with each listen. I like First Splash a lot and find something to love on the other two, but the overall legacy is weak except for Pod. I used the term "supergroup" already today, but here we go on our hackneyed path again. In my mind, the Breeders were much more than Kim Deal. The band included Tanya Donnely of Throwing Muses, Josephine Wiggins of The Perfect Disaster and Britt Walford of Slint, who recorded under the alias of Shannon Doughton to preserve the all-girl flair. When you listen to the demos for Pod, it becomes apparent that they had a lot more to do with its success than you may think.

Pod was produced and engineered by Steve Albini. Known for his work with  Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac as well as production credits on albums by Nirvana, Superchunk Page and Plant and Pj Harvey. It was always obvious that he beefed up the sound of Pod, but one listen to the demos and it points to how Albini and Britt Walford made this album a great one instead of a good one. The demos include all of the Kim Deal tracks and excludes the Beatles cover as well as a few others. The demos are a great insight into the creation of the album and stand on their own as an album, but it lacks the forboding, metallic guitars and creepy atmosphere of the finished product. Yes, this is the case with most demos, but the contrast is schocking.

In the finished product, Walford's drumming is pushed to the forefront and is recorded higher in the mix than than Deal's vocals at times. In addition, Deal and Donnely's guitars sounds more abrasive and harsh while Wiggs' bass is prominent and drives each track with an air of aggression. The finished product is genius while the demos sounds almost twee. There is no Pod as wel know it without the pounding drums of Walford and Albini's raw reconstruction of these songs. You may say this is unfair since these are demos. However, the band's direction after Pod shows that they were always a catchy pop band with rough edges instead of the infinitely more interesting band which recorded Pod.

The opening song from Frank Black's debut album sounds a lot like a leftover from the last Pixies album Trompe Le Monde, which is my favorite Pixies album, at the moment. I don't know if I like Frank Black solo, or Black Francis as he is calling himself right now. It just doesn't have the impact that the Pixies had. Still there are some good songs, like this Los Angeles.

YouTube: Los Angeles, videoclip
YouTube: Los Angeles, live 2007

I had heard Black Francis on the radio, talking about the new Pixies album in his usual offhanded way, about how they wanted to make a double-album, a "vomit of sound". When Bossanova finally arrived, after what seemed like ages (I'd already worn out a cassette copy of Doolittle, their epic second album, and was now testing the durability of a CD copy), it was a curt 40 minutes and, despite an initial three or four song technicolor blast of rawk, was not as promised.

The album is nothing like its title; that wasn't the issue. In fact, I would hazard to guess that in the Pixies' case, "bossanova" meant something more like "superblast". From the sleeve to the lyrics to the theremin featured on the lead single "Velouria", there is a thematic undercurrent of science fiction imagery where previously the band was drawing on mythology, horror and surrealist elements. ("Allison", incidentally, was inspired by jazzman Mose Allison and not a girl named Allison. Which makes the lyric "When the planet/hit the sun/I saw the face/of Allison" even cooler.) There was an obvious artistic diversion from their previous efforts, but not exactly a progression.

No, the problem lies in the atmosphere, which replaces the eerie, surreal nuances of its predecessors with a broader, louder, more sterile rock sound and a bit of a split-personality. There's something a little less obvious happening here, too, and history tells us that it was the band slowly pulling apart from the inside out (which is why very few tracks from the last two Pixies' records were dusted off for their recent reunion tours). There are two halves at war here: the more kinetic, primal Pixies sound versus the more polished, singer-songwriter-y Frank Black sound that was now beginning to emerge and overwhelm. Kim Deal was fading -- or rather, being shoved -- into the background, and this, the least of the band's studio albums, suffers for it. Despite all this, in 1990 the Pixies were still one of the most compelling groups in music.

Pixies performing "Cecilia Ann" and "Allison" on The Word (Channel 4, UK), circa 1990.

UPDATE: Not only does Amy Winehouse not have tuberculosis, she doesn't have emphysema either. She does have, however, a severe case of Smack Talking Dad and even rehab won't cure that! Speaking of, she has been released from the hospital, into the streets. What's rehab?

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch spoke to the media this weekend to state that his daughter has contracted emphysema from smoking crack and cigarettes. Her condition is so severe that doctors are telling her that if she continues to smoke that she will soon become an invalid, permanently tied to an oxygen machine. Amy, who now only has 70% lung capacity, is still scheduled to play Nelson Mandela's birthday party this Friday and Glastonbury on Saturday.

Indy darlings The Shins are said to be considering a self-release for their upcoming studio album, through frontman James Mercer's label, Apothecary. The band, however, is not completely shutting out its label relations and may still collaborate with its old label, Sub Pop, for marketing efforts as well as digital rights.

 As if we needed anything else to convince us that the 80's are back, Frank Black goes and dusts off his old college nickname, Black Francis, and goes on tour with it. The ex-frontman of the briefly reunited Pixies will share several of his dates as an opener for Stone Temple Pilots.

Well, the entire bill has been filled except for one slot. And they are allowing the fans to vote on it. Why am I mentioning this? Beati Paoli is on the ballot, that's why silly! Go here to vote for us. I believe the top five bands will then have a battle-of-the-bands style play off next Wednesday. Yes, we realize it's the same night as our show with Everthus the Deadbeats, but let us worry about that.

It's really easy to vote though, because we are second from the top. Tell your friends. Tell your family. or something. And I'm not sure how trustworthy this surveymonkey.com is, so you may want to make up a fake e-mail address.

ps. Voting ends Saturday, so get to it!

thenoisingmachine

[ROCK FOR A CAUSE] HOME stands for “Help Offset Medical Expenses,” and right now Duane Jarvis needs some major help to sort out medical expenses from his recent shitty cancer diagnosis and treatment. Though he eventually left Portland for Nashville (where he recorded with fellas like Frank Black, Dwight Yoakam and John Prine), locals should remember how Jarvis and his bro Kevin rocked Portland back in the day with their group the Odds. I’ll gladly help out Jarvis at the Wonder, out of charity or just pure selfishness: I’ll use any excuse to go see Frank Black. Richmond Fontaine frontman Willy Vlautin and old-school Portland New Wave outfit Billy Rancher's Unreal Gods provide support.