Yearly Archives: 2011

Some Last-Minute Reviews for 2011

1 Reply

Here are some short capsule reviews of some 2011 releases we didn’t otherwise get to over the past year.

Bill Orcutt, How the Thing Sings (Editions Mego) LP— Seemingly more aggressive than A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Bill Orcutt’s second “post-comeback” LP  How the Thing Sings still manages to showcase the occasional moment of beauty within what superficially may sound like a huge racket. Buy it here.

Nathan Salsburg, Affirmed (No Quarter) LP — We praised Salsburg’s duo record Avos with James Elkington, and we worked on the occasional show with him, so maybe you’re tired of reading about Nathan Salsburg’s deft guitar work and superb melodic sense in these pages. Well, guess what? Too bad. His solo debut, Affirmed, is every bit as good as Avos, perhaps it’s even better in its melancholy starkness. Can’t wait to hear more from Nathan in 2012. Buy it here.

Craig Colorusso, Sun Boxes (self-released) 7″ — One of the more pleasant surprises in our mailbox this year was this unassuming 7″ record documenting Craig Colorusso’s “Sun Boxes.” Basically they’re some sort of contraption that involves twenty amplifiers looping parts of a guitar chord and running on solar power, documented here in two different Massachusetts locations. Despite the short format, we look forward to hearing more. Buy it here.


The Parasites of the Western World, “Politico” b/w “Zytol Automation” (De Stijl) 7″  — Faithful repress of an obscure 1979 single by this band, recently resurrected by the same folks who brought you Michael Yonkers and 39 Clocks (so you know it’s gotta be pretty great). Late 1970s Eno-damaged glam-punk moves on the a-side, with a sparkling synth-driven instrumental on the flip. Highly recommended. Buy it (and their self-titled debut LP) here.

Silver Tongues, Black Kite (Karate Body) LP — This new Louisville band is both confounding and fascinating — the former because of their occasional “big rock” moves, the latter because of the clear gospel-via-Spiritualized influence we hear ringing throughout. Tough to grasp, in a good way, and hints at a possibly more interesting sophomore record. Buy it here.

Stare Case, Lose Today (De Stijl) LP — If you thought you were familiar with Nate Young and John Olson’s music through their “other” band Wolf Eyes, you may be in for a slight shock when you hear the much mellower — yet still intense — Stare Case. Lose Today is almost like a mash-up of their solo work as Regression (Young’s vocals and electronics) and Spykes (Olson’s electronics and reeds), which shouldn’t work, but does. Buy it here.

Mark McGuire, Get Lost (Editions Mego) LP — Excellent solo noodling by the guitar player in Emeralds, probably the best band to come out of Cleveland since, well, the 1970s. Reminiscent of our favorite Cluster/Harmonia/Eno records, but with an acid-drenched modern edge, which is no mean feat. Buy it here.

Void, Sessions 1981-83 (Dischord) LP — Void still sounds better than 99% of hardcore since. Buy it here.

Two Good Shows Tomorrow!

Leave a reply

It’s going to be tough to decide on which of these to go to — that is, if we end up not having to work tomorrow night!

The Web
Brett Ralph’s Kentucky Chrome Revue
David Grubbs
Rude Weirdo
Straight A’s
at the Bard’s Town, 1801 Bardstown Road. 9 PM, $6, apparently now it’s all ages. This show, presented by Louisville’s excellent Noise Pollution label, should be a good one as it’s well-stocked with artists that (should) need no introduction. If you need more info, you might find it at the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/145355115567233.

Also, over at Zanzabar (which is at 2100 S. Preston, of course), Natural Child and State Champion are playing (here’s the event invite: http://www.facebook.com/events/255787627819138). Natural Child played an excellent set at this year’s Cropped Out, so if you missed it, don’t sleep on this show! It’s $5, 21-and-over, and starts at 9 PM.

No matter what you end up doing, have a fantastic New Year!

Wooden Wand & The Briarwood Virgins, Briarwood (Fire)

Leave a reply

My review of Briarwood by Wooden Wand & the Briarwood Virgins ran in this week’s LEO Weekly:

The near-closing lines of the first song, “Well, it’s winter in Kentucky/And I’m all tapped out,” perfectly encapsulate the emotional desperation running like a crooked river throughout Wooden Wand’s ambitious new Briarwood. Recorded with a large ad-hoc ensemble of Alabama-based session players, Briarwood showcases the usually solo, Lexington-based Wooden Wand at his most musically accessible; it’s an album chock full of beautifully sung harmonies and well-played solos, overflowing with melancholic, defiant lyrics written from the perspective of scarred loners just trying to survive. In an era overpopulated with generic music masquerading trite sentiment as true insight, with hackneyed retro retreads posing as nods to “tradition,” the despondent personalities inhabiting Wooden Wand’s songs should earn him an appreciative audience akin to those enjoyed by the best American singer-songwriters. Alas, much as the characters of Briarwood well know, the small rewards eventually come to those who lower their expectations.

You can buy it from Fire Records here.

David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time (PIAS America)

Leave a reply

My review of David Lynch’s Crazy Clown Time ran in this week’s LEO Weekly:

David Lynch – director of such cinematic classics as “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” – has decided to try his hand at music. While both his masterpieces and near-misses (like his underrated adaptation of “Dune”) possess a fantastic musical sensibility, it’s difficult to discern why Lynch felt it necessary to inflict Crazy Clown Time on the public. At best, such as with album opener “Pinky’s Dream” (with guest vocalist Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Lynch retreads the gothic Americana creepiness present in most of his movies. At worst, which describes most of the album, he sounds like a comically impaired Neil Young — except without Young’s heart-tugging sentiment, simple lyrical genius, or compelling melodic sense. Crazy Clown Time plays like a bizarre hybrid of Young’s famous failure Trans mixed with the terrible techno of ex-porn star Traci Lords’ 1000 Fires — except not as enjoyable as either.

If, after reading that review, you still want to buy it, you can find it at http://www.pias-america.com.

JOSEPHINE FOSTER, PARLOUR, and DANE WATERS at ZANZABAR, Friday December 16th

Leave a reply

Cropped Out and The Other Side of Life are proud to present:

JOSEPHINE FOSTER (from Colorado, on Fire Records)
with
PARLOUR (Louisville, Kentucky; on Temporary Residence)
DANE WATERS (from Louisville, Kentucky; member of Sapat and Softcheque)

Friday, December 16th
at ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston
9  PM, 21 and over
$10

Over the course of just a few years, Colorado native JOSEPHINE FOSTER has captivated audiences & critics alike through a magnetic patchwork of recordings ranging from broken spirited balladry as one half of Born Heller, fiery psych rock gestalt with her rock outfit The Supposed to the voice of an outsider folk siren. The one constant is the utterly overwhelming strength and seductive unease of her voice & the bravery of an iconoclastic spirit. “You might call Ms. Foster’s eerie warbling old-fashioned, except that is evokes a scrambled past that exists only in her own vision: mountain songs that never were, spaced-out hybrids that never will be.” —New York Times.

PARLOUR originally began as a solo project from Tim Furnish following the mid-90s dissolution of CRAIN – the seminal Louisville rock group he co-founded in the late ’80s. Currently playing with new drummer (Greg Morris) and synth player (Lee Gutterman), Furnish’s PARLOUR evokes “A unique combination of interweaving guitar shards… driven by a dark, relentless rhythm section.” Their most recent album, Simulacrenfield (released on Temporary Residence), was one of our favorites of 2010.

 

DANE WATERS is one of Louisville’s brightest musical talents. As a member of SAPAT and SOFTCHEQUE, she displays an impeccable melodic sensibility, and has a voice so wonderfully haunting, it sends chills down your spine. Dane’s new solo album, Dark Waters, is now available at Better Days, Underground Sounds, and on Bandcamp here: http://danewaters.bandcamp.com.

Find the Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/events/190881084333042.

To join our email list, send an email to hstencil AT gmail DOT com.

MUSIC and ART This Weekend, 11/17-11/20

Leave a reply

There’s a lot of things going on this weekend to tell you about, so let’s get started…

Tonight, at the Clifton Center, none other than BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA will be performing. We wrote about their album Segu Blue way back in 2009 here:

Given the recent collaboration between Bela Fleck and Malian kora player Toumani Diabate, it’s possible that there’s been no greater spotlight on the West African nation at any other time than right now. Fortunately, all the attention on Mali is casting some light on other worthwhile players as well. Countryman Bassekou Kouyate plays the ngoni, a six-stringed instrument, which is arguably less complex than Tiabate’s 21-stringed kora, but still retains a beautiful melodicism. Kouyate’s 2007 album Segu Blue, issued in the United States this year, contains all the beauty one has come to expect from acoustic music from Mali. And on the blue “Lament for Ali Farka,” a requiem for the departed guitarist Ali Farka Toure, Kouyate and his group Ngoni Ba emerge from the shadows cast by their better-known comrades.

You can buy tickets here: http://www.cliftoncenter.org/?post_type=events&p=144. The Clifton Center is located at 2117 Payne Street, just off Frankfort Avenue. Tickets are $20 and the doors are at 7:30 PM.

Tomorrow night, KING’S DAUGHTERS & SONS make a rare appearance at 21C with SELUAH. Read an exciting interview with KD&S in this week’s LEO here: http://leoweekly.com/music/justice-served-king%E2%80%99s-daughters-sons. Doors are at 8 PM, and it costs $10.

Finally, tomorrow night is the opening reception of THE EXPANDED MUSIC PROJECT, a new show at the LAND OF TOMORROW gallery exploring the relationship between music and art. Here’s their description (with more information here: http://www.landoftomorrow.org/events-exhibitions/expanded-music-project/):

Land of Tomorrow (LOT) is pleased to present the Expanded Music Project, a showcase of work illustrating the intersection between art and music.  The opening reception will be held at our Louisville location on November 18th from 7pm, and the show will run through the 3rd of January.  Included in this exhibition will be work by Heather Cantrell, Aurora Childs, Saiman Chow, Hirsuta, Geneva Jacuzzi, Leslie Lyons, Andrea Stanislav, Thieves Like Us, as well as Raurouw with Shedding, Peaking Lights with artist Letitia Quesenberry, and musician EMA with artist Jacob Heustis.

The premise of this show is to highlight the fluidity between creative forms and artistic practices.  The influence of album art, video production, stage design, graffiti, and the appropriation tactics of remixing have established an ongoing conversation between artists and musicians.  This dialogue between visual artist and musician continues to play a major role, and creative forces as diverse as Elvis, The Velvet Underground, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, and Afrika Bambaataa have delved into the realms of the visual and the auditory to produce work that both fields accept and champion.

The show will be up through January 3rd, but tomorrow night is a great chance to see it first. And it’s free! LAND OF TOMORROW is located at 233 W. Broadway, in the St. Francis High School Building.

A CROPPED OUT Summary: Or Louisville’s Best Music Weekend Ever

5 Replies

Hey Louisville, if you weren’t at CROPPED OUT at some point during this past weekend, you really missed something quite special. It wasn’t just that there were a buncha noisy, arty bands and rock n’ roll and whatnot. There was actually a quite palpable community spirit, evidenced by the smiles, high-fives, and general fun it seemed that most everybody had. Didn’t hurt that some of the best weather of the fall made it possible for lots of bands to play outside, too. So here’s a quick rundown of best parts of the festival, complete with crappy pictures from my cellphone.

DAY 1 — FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11th: Though it got started way early on Friday afternoon, and there was some noise issues early on, Friday was a good start, especially for the Louisville bands on the bill. SAVAGES played immediately after LEARNER DANCER, both of which brought forceful, guitar-heavy rock (the former more in a pop vein, while the latter mined some heavy Sonic Youth-style dissonant territory).

Shedding

One of the early Friday highlights was, of course, Louisville’s SHEDDING (disclaimer: Connor and I are buds, but even if we weren’t, I’d still love his music). Despite his talk of being influenced by RUSH, Connor really brought more of a CURRENT 93 vibe, perfectly mellow yet eerie.

Shit & Shine

Another Friday highlight was Austin, Texas’s SHIT & SHINE, which featured none other than the BUTTHOLE SURFERS’ KING COFFEY on percussion. Tribal, BOREDOMS-esque throb with synth squiggles and CB radio nonsense. Totally fun.

Other Friday night highlights included (in no particular order):
1. apologizing to KING COFFEY for talking his ear off at SxSW ’07
2. MOUNT CARMEL — and the revelation afterwards that KING has never seen ZZ TOP!
3. bonfires (more on them later)
4. hangin’ with MV + EE‘s dog Zuma
5. SHIT & SHINE‘s bunny suits
6. MV + EE singing “Fire on the Mountain” at the end of a fantastic set backed by TIM BARNES and CHRIS from the CHERRY BLOSSOMS (thanks for the beers!)
7. Locals ALCOHOL PARTY, NATIVES, ANWAR SADAT, and AXEL COOPER showing how it’s done
8. Chorizo taco from the Holy Mole Taco Truck
9. Good times with friends old and new
10. Beer

DAY 2 — SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12th: Saturday started inauspiciously as I showed up to the venue, the CRUMMY DEN, way early, so I wandered over to the FLEA OFF MARKET (where I bought an excellent book of photography from Louisville Hardcore’s poet laureate, Mr. BRETT EUGENE RALPH), then had lunch at the Blind Pig. Missed most of the early sets due to some errands I had to run, but caught a little bit of VIDEO DAUGHTER, who were okay.

Continue reading →

CAVE and OLD BABY at ZANZABAR on Sunday, December 11th

Leave a reply

CAVE and OLD BABY

Cropped Out and The Other Side of Life are proud to present:

CAVE (Chicago, Illinois; on Drag City)

with special guests

OLD BABY (Louisville, Kentucky; members of YOUNG WIDOWS, SAPAT, SHIPPING NEWS, and much more!)
and
DJ EVAN PATTERSON (YOUNG WIDOWS, OLD BABY)
DJ JOEL HUNT (The Other Side of Life)
DJ KIM SORISE (Dirty Soul Party)

Sunday, December 11th
ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston Street
9 PM DOORS, $6 cover, 21 and over

CAVE began in Columbia, Missouri, playing mostly improvisational live music. CAVE is now located in Chicago, Illinois. In September 2011 Drag City released the new full length CAVE record Neverendless, which they describe as “a motorik masterwork! The new CAVE is roller-rinkin’ rock for the next generation!”

Watch the video directed by Miss Pussycat for the song “W U J” off their new Drag City album Neverendless here:

OLD BABY is a new Louisville-based band consisting of Todd Cook (SHIPPING NEWS, KINGS DAUGHTERS AND SONS), Jonathan Glen Wood, Neil Argabright (SAPAT), Drew Osborn (WORKERS) and Evan Patterson (YOUNG WIDOWS). This show with CAVE marks their debut, which we are sure will be auspicious, certainly not suspicious.

Link to the Facebook invitation is here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=215187421885679.

To join our email list, send an email to hstencil@gmail.com.

CROPPED OUT is one week away!

Leave a reply

Holy smokes, folks! Time flies when you’re… working, eating, L-I-V-I-N’ in the Louisville these days. CROPPED OUT is nearly upon us! That means what will be Louisville’s best weekend of music (like you thought I was gonna say “Forecastle?”) is just a week away! (You can read our previous preview here: https://othersideoflife.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/cropped-out-is-coming-up/.)

There is some slightly bummer news as we hear that Detroit garage weirdos HUMAN EYE had to cancel (thankfully for us that means there will be no weird stains on our living room rug). But hey, there’s still lots more musical excitement for your listening pleasure. Here’s the whole lineup (our “picks to click” a la Hawk Harrelson in bold):

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11th — MV + EE, DOPE BODY, SUN ARAW, SAVAGES, MOUNT CARMEL, NATIVES, CHRISTMAS BRIDE, ANWAR SADAT, COUGH COOL, SHIT & SHINE, SHEDDING, ALCOHOL PARTY, AXEL COOPER, LEARNER DANCER

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12th — BILL ORCUTT, GUARDIAN ALIEN, PYGMY SHREWS, THE DREEBS, ANGEL OLSEN, CHAT LOGS, JOHN WESLEY COLEMAN III, NATURAL CHILD, LAST YEAR’S MEN, SAPAT, TROPICAL TRASH, MAYOR DALEY, THE MEN, FAT HISTORY MONTH, CIRCUIT DES YEUX, JOVONTAES, ANGELS IN AMERICA, ARCANE RIFLES, CROSS, VIDEO DAUGHTERS, BLACK GOD

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13th — SCRATCH ACID, YOUNG WIDOWS, COLISEUM

Check it out at the following internet spots:

Facebook event invitation: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=251887664858861
Official website: http://croppedoutmusic.com
Official tumblr: http://croppedout.tumblr.com

See y’all there!

UPDATE: CROPPED OUT has posted the festival’s entire schedule here: http://croppedoutmusic.com/fest/#schedule.

Two Good Shows This Weekend!

2 Replies

To be honest, we’re not huge fans of Halloween cover band shows. With the exception of the fantastic Jesus Lizard cover band show from a couple years back (R.I.P. Tony Bailey), usually it seems like most bands take the easy route and just do the same Misfits set or whatever. Yawn.

However, an exception to that rule is Louisville’s WAX FANG, which apparently pulled off Prince’s Purple Rain like it was no big deal. This year, they’re paying tribute to the Velvet Underground, one of our faves of all time! No word on which eras of VU will be represented, but I’m assuming it’s not gonna be just Doug Yule stuff from Squeeze or somethin’.

Another highlight of that same show will be THE BAD REEDS as the Plastic Ono Band (though again, it’s not clear entirely if they’ll be playing Yoko or John material). The show’s at ZANZABAR, which of course is at 2100 S. Preston. 9 PM, 21+, $10.

Also tomorrow night brings NYC post-hardcore chugga-chugg purveyors HELMET. If you’re like me, Meantime was one of your favorite albums at 16, mainly because it sounded like Sabbath played at 45 (with Ozzy’s vocals pitched down to 16 RPM)! TROPHY WIVES are the only opener we know of, but they pretty much rule, so that’s that. At the ridiculously still-chooglin’ PHOENIX HILL TAVERN, 7 PM, 21+ $15.