We Thank You

We would like to thank Hobbs von Wackamole for inviting us to join Past the Fascination. Hobbs has been so generous. He is a busy man, planning for 2012 and the coming tide, and does not have enough time to keep up with this particularly wonderful blog. We are taking over. After all, We are Helpful Critic.

Autolux - Future Perfect

From First Listen: so far, not a record to fall in love with, but a good record (as I finished, I will say the second half of this album is much better). good for fans of SY, certainly. nice and noisy guitar rock without being your usual 'indie' 70's rock ripoff. Why is everything today a 70's rock ripoff? The more I listen to the Kinks, the more invalid so many of today's (and the last 15 years) indie rock bands are. Christ, do something different. I'm bored. And leave led zepellin alone. You'll never be them. move on.

Its like punk rock. Pure punk rock, a la ramones and sex pistols, lasted for 5 minutes, and that was plenty. Everyone of the time with a clue knew that and evolved. Its called a foundation. Punk rock in its essence was and is not the skeleton, the frame. Its the foundation. People should have realized this and moved on. Siouxsie, the Cure, Joy Division, Talking Heads. Built upon punk rock, used it as the base, and that is it. Hundreds of artists realize this. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of kids don't, and start bands. pop punk, green day, go fuck yourself. Rancid, have an original idea, or get out of the way. I knew you sucked when I was 14 and you didn't even exist yet.

In an era of too much music, too many bands, and the elusive originality, one can't blame a band for wearing its influences on its sleeve. If you know music well enough, you know how hard it is to find a song that doesn't make you think of at least one or two other bands. But this doesn't mean you can lack originality, as so much of today's music does. There is still plenty of originality out there. Its called devouring what you love and translating it through your own filter. Most people can't do this, they just regurgitate. But those who truly digest can make a great sound, regardless of what you hear inside of it (yes, i'm thinking of interpol, the knife, et al). I can absolutely hear other bands in there, but i'm not just hearing a ripoff. I'm hearing something interesting.

I will say Autolux has a nice filtered sound. I'm hearing what is in there, at least my interpretation of it, but i'm not hearing ripoff. These guys should continue, keep at it, and I can see great things. And the Production is nice too. Not too polished. Could be a bit more raw, but its still nice and noisy. Good job, T-bone.

On First Listen

track 1 Turnstyle Blues 4-stars. giving this a second listen, now that I've heard the rest of the album. and i didn't really write about it. Its got a nice headnod to it. A good album opener. Nice dirge guitar and bass, good droning layers on that, that shoegazer vocal that comes up later. Great droning end. Still 4 stars.

track 2 Angry Candy - 2.5 stars, lame title, pretty boring, gets better, loves SY. Second listen. Nice dissonance, great vibrating sound in back a la Lee Ranaldo or YLT. Pretty basic vocal structure. Distorted guitars come in and stop. He's got a pretty good voice. Not overly impressed with some of the lyrics, but the song structure ain't bad. The dreaded 'doo doo da doo.' vocal filler. does have a nice fey quality to it, and it does have its moments. then it becomes a direct Sugar kane (SY) ripoff for about 20 seconds.

3. Subzero Fun - again, loves SY, bit of mbv in the vocal. nice sound. 3 stars

track 4 Sugarless - nice and noisy, poppy, still not amazing, but good. 4 stars.

track 5 Blanket - some good rock on track 5. reminds me of a huggy bear song. only mellower. poppy edge, noisy guitars, catchy hook, you can bobblehead to it. nice use of distortion too. This band should make an album that blows you away. This ain't it, but i see potential.

track 6 Great Days for the Passenger Element - is the obligatory slower track. Really enjoying the droning end, but overall, i can live without this song. 2 stars.

Nice, track 7, Robots in the Garden - get right into it. a quick 2 minute power pop, nice and simple, moves well. a bit hokey riff wise, especially the chorus, but bobblehead. nice noise. heavy drums. good rock. 4 stars. silence for the last 20 seconds? oh, churchbell like distortion leading into the next song. good touch. i approve.

track 8 Here Comes Everybody - jangly guitar with droney noise. good start. slower, unrest-y, hmmm. I like the other bands i'm hearing here. Ooop, 'sha la la,' i could live without, but its brief. I'm enjoying this track. 4 stars

track 9 Asleep at the Trigger - starts out with little kiddie piano and noise, thankfully they didn't go too long here. then, a slower thumping drum line straight outta 80's cheese poprap. And then the slow song begins, and brings to mind Cay songs from Nature Creates Freaks. A great record there. Asleep at the Trigger is a great title, I must say. The falsetto voice of the drummer is quite nice. I like the fact that if you didn't read who's in the band, you aren't sure if these guys have great falsettos of if a lady takes the helm. nice. This song is simple, pure, sweet, nice. great swelling feedback bass and guitar layers nicely. I could rest happy here. I didn't think a slower track would stand out, but this really hits nicely. 5 stars.

track 10 Plantlife - Great job using the whale sound to transition to the next sweet riff of plantlife. again i hear unrest, mbv, and a nice thumping stereolab guitarline a lo peng. Then the noise jam, again with peng and noisy yo la tengo, very autumn. lovely shoegazer vocals. this album has grown on me a lot. 4.5 stars

track 11 certainly reminiscent of Cay again, didn't really stand out too strong, but I did get a phone call too. But I don't think its going to Wow me.

reminds me of: Sonic Youth, Cay, Huggy Bear, My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo, Unrest

The Government actually agrees with me on something..

..musical, anyways
Sonic Youth Honored by Library of Congress

Kati Llewellyn and Amy Phillips report:
The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry documents America's history in sound. Its mission is to preserve recordings "that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." For the past six years, the library has annually inducted a number of new additions to the registry, including "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "The Lord's Prayer", the first-ever recording of "Stars and Stripes Forever", pioneering folk, jazz, and blues works, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy, and Nirvana. So basically, this thing is, like, a big deal.

This week, the Library of Congress announced the 50 inductees to its 2006 class. Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues", President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration, the first trans-Atlantic telephone conversation, Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill", Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day", Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street", the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Are You Experienced, Frank Zappa's We're Only in it for the Money, Wendy Carlos' Switched-On Bach, Gil Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life were among those that made the cut.

And so was Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. Whoa. Was somebody in Washington reading Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s list?

Here's what the National Recording Registry's website had to say about the album:
"Pioneer members of New York City's clangorous early 1980s No Wave scene, Sonic Youth are renowned for a glorious form of noise-based chaos. Guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo had previously performed with Glenn Branca's large guitar ensembles, and their alternative guitar tunings and ringing harmonies attest to this apprenticeship. On Daydream Nation, their third album, the group's forays into outright noise always return to melodic songs that employ hypnotic arpeggios, driving punk rock rhythmic figures and furious gales of guitar-based noise. Bassist Kim Gordon's haunting vocals and edgy lyrics add additional depth to the numbers she sings."

Dude! The Library of Congress wrote that! The Library of frickin' Congress! Do we live in a great country or what?

Of course, the thrill of being honored by one of our nation's highest institutions will pale in comparison to Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's previously-reported appearance on the May 9 season finale of the WB's hit series "Gilmore Girls". Along with their daughter Coco, the pair will perform an acoustic version of the song "What a Waste", from the forthcoming Sonic Youth album Rather Ripped (due June 13 on Geffen).

Joe Pernice, Yo La Tengo, Sparks, Sam Phillips, and actress/singer/comedienne Mary Lynn Rajskub will also make guest appearances on the show. It's likely that Lane will have a heart attack...and we'll have to wait until next season to see if she pulls through.

And what would a Sonic Youth news story be without information on some side project or other?

If the Gilmore gals are really on top of it, they'll reference the new Perfect Partner box set, released by Electra Productions this week. A souvenir from a music/film performance that toured across Europe in 2005, the set includes music, art, and other show-related artifacts. Perfect Partner, dreamed up by Gordon, artist Tony Oursler, and filmmaker Phil Morrison, featured Gordon, Moore, Jim O'Rourke, Ikue Mori, DJ Olive, and Tim Barnes improvising music to a film projection starring Michael Pitt (hot guy from The Dreamers and Last Days; his band Pagoda is on Moore's Ecstatic Peace label).
Included in the package are a vinyl 12" with a recording of the project on its A side and an etching by Gordon and JD Walsh on its B side, autographed prints by Gordon and Oursler, a Perfect Partner poster with artwork by Gordon, Oursler, and Walsh, a script of the film, and, best of all, a glitter bumper sticker.
Only 500 were made, so they're pretty expensive (£75, which is about $130). Still, a glitter bumper sticker!
Also on the market right now from Important Records are a 7" and book/CD by Sonic Youth six-stringer Lee Ranaldo. The 7", Vancouver Ambients 1-4, is the sixth installment in the label's Arts & Crafts series. Pressed on clear vinyl and packaged with a screen print designed and signed by the man himself, it was recorded with the all-star lineup of Alan Licht on guitar, Christian Marclay on turntables, and William Hooker on drums.
The book/CD is a combination mail-order exclusive featuring an autographed copy of Ranaldo's tome Road Movies (featuring photos by his wife, Leah Singer) and the disc Ambient Loop for Vancouver.
Both the single and the combo pack are limited to 500 copies.
Fiiiiiinally, we'd like to remind you that Sonic Youth have a bunch of shows coming up, including a mini-tour with Pearl Jam, sets at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and All Tomorrow's Parties' "Nightmare Before Christmas" in December, curated by Moore.
Daydream nations:
04-19 Paris, France - "Le Mouv" on Radio France04-20 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino06-14 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom06-17 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel * 06-18 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival $07-06 Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand #07-07 San Diego, CA - Cox Arena #07-09 Los Angeles, CA - Forum #07-10 Los Angeles, CA - Forum #07-13 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl #07-16 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium #07-18 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium #07-29 Yuzawa-machi, Japan - Naeba Ski Resort (Fuji Rock Festival) ^08-03 Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center (92.3 K-ROCK Presents Kuyahoga) +08-05 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza) +%12-08-10 Somerset, England - Butlins Minehead (ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas) &
* with Be Your Own Pet$ with Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Ben Folds, Common, My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Atmosphere, Amadou & Mariam, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Magic Numbers, Dungen, Andrew Bird, et al# with Pearl Jam^ with Broken Social Scene, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Franz Ferdinand, the Hives, Mogwai, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, Super Furry Animals, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, the Zutons, et al+ with Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, Secret Machines, the Hold Steady, She Wants Revenge, Wolfmother, the Go! Team% with Kanye West, Wilco, the Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, the Shins, Sleater-Kinney, the New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill, Gnarls Barkley, Feist, Iron & Wine, Ryan Adams, Andrew Bird, Common, et al& with Iggy & the Stooges
* Pitchfork Review: Sonic Youth/Thurston Moore Reissues* Pitchfork News: Sonic Youth Tour with Pearl Jam, Rock "Gilmore Girls"* Pitchfork Feature: Interview: Sonic Youth* Sonic Youth: http://www.sonicyouth.com/* National Recording Registry: http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-nrr.html* Important Records: http://www.importantrecords.com/* Electra Productions: http://www.electra-productions.com/

a note from the sex pistols

Finally....

ahh...i finally got my buddha machine today.

I heard about the machine a few months ago: A friend of mine that i used to work with at a record shoppe showed it to me. he had a green one. brilliant!

Then, I read an article with the lead singer of Low, and it was mentioned. So, I googled it, read up, and ordered one from Forced Exposure.

I saw Low a few weeks later. During the Encore, they were taking requests, and someone yelled out "Buddha Machine!" And of course Alan went into his suitcase, pulled it out, held it up to the mike for a minute, and we all applauded. All the people around me asked what the hell it was. All I said was, I have one coming.

Sadly, mine is hot pink! Guess I'll keep trying!

I'm driving everyone in my office crazy with it.The best idea I've had in the 3 hours since I got it - I went into the bathroom, into one of the stalls, and let it play. Great acoustics, and at least 3 people came in and out while I was there. I'm sure they are very confused.

New Arrivals!

...I've officially become obsessed with Lost. Someone lent us season 1, and we watched it in a weeks time. I'm hooked. Nice job. Not much good on TV right now, so Lost it is. Now, using iTunes and my dwindling bank accound, I can catch up and start watching Season 2 with everyone else. Anyways, I've just received some new arrivals to my collection in the mail today. One for history, one for collecting, one a new album by someone i like, one a recommendation I've not heard yet. And, they are:


1. for History: OHM+: the early gurus of electronic music 1948-1980


2. for Collecting: MF Doom presents Special Herbs the Box Set (limited release, too)


3. new album: Cat Power - The Greatest


4. Recommendation: Animal Collective - feels

I'll let you know.

Currently hearing: A Secret Life - Brian Eno and David Byrne on My Life in the Bush with Ghosts.

best confirmation ever...

..a friend of mine bought a CD from an online company called CDBABY.com. He received this confirmation of shipping email, which he shared with me. CDBABY is now my favorite online music retailer. Read on, Baby!

Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that moneycan buy.

We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Thursday, January 12th.

I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year'. We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!