Television Personalities - My Dark Places: Remixes (2006)

The trouble with remixes is that, similar to cover songs, they usually fall into one of two disappointing categories. (1) They don’t add much and sound fairly identical to the original, leaving you wondering why this version had to be recorded, or (2) they add too much and go off on a strange aural tangent far from the intention of the initial track, leaving you feeling disoriented. Thus, remixes often find themselves fated to be thrown in as EP filler or single B-sides.

This remix-only EP (issued opposite the album reviewed in my previous post) offers four tracks ripe for criticism. Actually, to be more honest, three are worthy of this, while one stands out as an exception to the rule of remixes stated above. The artists tackling Television’s tracks are Battles, Lingling, Black Dice, and Ratatat. While I love Battles dearly, their remix of the title track to the original album comes across as muddled, confusing, and without focus or direction. Both Lingling and Black Dice’s attempts are similarly disappointing, as they rework the sonic structure of the song so that it counters the original tone that still lingers with the lyrics. Only Ratatat’s version of “You Kept Me Waiting Too Long,” renamed here as “You Kept Me Waiting Too Long Long Long Long Long Long Long Long Long” (fitting with Ratatat’s pleasingly repetitive aesthetic), offers changes that complement the original song instead of conflict with it.

Streamable Track: "You Kept Me Waiting Too Long Long Long..."


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Television Personalities - My Dark Places (2006)

The Television Personalities have a long history of writing what could be called pop music, except that it isn’t very popular and sounds much too abrasive and uncompromising. Somehow, singer-songwriter Dan Treacy manages to blend the child-like innocence of Daniel Johnston, the DIY pop aesthetic of Go Kart Mozart, and the stilted post-punk delivery of the Fall’s Mark E. Smith.

The curious thing about this album is that individual songs have a tendency to sound flat and unimpressive, but within the context of the album a greater understanding and appreciation emerges. The songs are uniformly dark in subject matter, ranging from drug addictions to failed dysfunctional relationships. The huge emphasis on the latter leaves Treacy in a very vulnerable position, so much so that you almost feel guilty for listening, as if you’ve stumbled upon his secret diary and know you shouldn’t be reading. Though, that seems to be his exact intention, a cathartic release of troubling, personal emotions that he’s kept pent up inside.

On “Velvet Underground,” Treacy copes with inadequacies as a relatively untalented musician compared to the seminal Lou Reed ensemble. He frustratingly admits that while lyrics come to him fairly easily, he cannot seem to recreate the VU’s influential sound. What Treacy doesn’t seem to realize is that it’s precisely his simple-yet-quirky melodies that allow his adolescent-sounding voice and straight-forwardly naïve lyrics to have the effect they do.

Streamable Track: "I'm Not Your Typical Boy"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

CMJ: Day Four

Gang Gang Dance at Santos Party House

Recap:
The day began with a discussion panel of major label A&R reps who offered to provide insight into how they look for new bands and what they listen for on submitted demos. Unfortunately, they spent the first half of the time-slot name-dropping artists they had 'discovered' such as Fall Out Boy, the Killers, and Creed. They then admitted they were in the business of looking for hit singles and an overall image they could package and push. It became obvious that this was not my scene. It was also proposed that they'd listen to demos at the discussion and critique them in real-time. Instead of constructive criticism or honest opinions, the panelists would nod slightly and say things along the lines of "It was alright. I don't want to say anything without hearing more." It was disappointing.

On to shows. At Fontana's, an afternoon party was being sponsored by Pirate!, where I caught the raucous indie rock of Settle. I then swung by the SoHo Apple store once again to see a set by San Diego natives Delta Spirit. The evening culminated with a lengthy show at Santos Party House (Andrew W.K.'s recent and successful attempt at opening a venue), put on by the Social Registry label. The line-up featured Mike Bones, The Sian Alice Group, Psychic Ills, Growing, and head-liners Gang Gang Dance.

Highlight:
The highlight of the Social Registry set, and the day as a whole, was Gang Gang Dance. The Sian Alice Group was a very close second, but half of their set was plagued by technical difficulties and harsh feeback. Sets kept getting pushed back and GGD didn't go on until after 2AM, but it was worth the wait. They played more songs than at Tuesday's show, and the larger audience provided additional energy.

Honorable mentions go out to Delta Spirit and Psychic Ills. Delta Spirit put on a terrific set and brought to mind the likes of the Black Keys and Wilco, following in their footsteps to bridge the gap between indie rock and alt-country americana. For a San Diego band, they really do channel the 'delta spirit.' Psychic Ills play music that should be called 'trance' if that term weren't already appropriated. It's noisy psychedelic drone-rock that combines elements of shoegaze and experimental electronics.


Left to Right: Sian Alice Group, Psychic Ills, Settle

CMJ: Day Three

Crystal Castles at Webster Hall

Recap:
More of today’s time may have been spent at record stores than venues, but I did catch a handful of choice acts. First was an afternoon show at the SoHo Apple store with Swedish psych-turned-jazz-rock outfit Dungen. I swung by Piano’s after for a short set by Sebastien Grainger, then whisked over to Webster Hall for a full set being headlined by Crystal Castles with supporters Lymbyc Systym, WhoMadeWho, and Fujiya & Miyagi (yes, again).

Highlight:
It’s a close tie between Dungen and Crystal Castles. Dungen may have played a better set and performed more cohesively as a band (the intimate setting also added quite a bit to the show), while Crystal Castles disregarded any notion commonly associated with a ‘band’ and simply went for an all-out sensory overload experiment, and for their originality I commend them. The show was drastically different than their album in that it goes from a passive listening experience to something that’s aggressive, in-your-face, and ultimately scary yet enjoyable. In fact, I imagine their stage presence is more similar to a 70’s Suicide show than any other current ‘electro-rock’ outfit. I say ‘their’ but the true star of the stage was Alice Glass. While Ethan turns his back to the audience, focusing on his synths and laptops, Alice performs all out spastic seizures on stage, shrieking indecipherable lyrics into her mic, and tossing her body into the crowd at least half a dozen times (I lost count). I asked Ethan before the show why he didn’t have any albums available at the merch booth, and his reply was, “We’re disorganized. We forgot. Just download it.” I respect that attitude toward art, although it makes me want to spend the money all the more.

An honorable mention goes out to Lymbyc System, who play ‘epic’ instrumental post-rock not unlike Mogwai. While I personally believe post-rock has more or less played itself out as far as genuine creativity is concerned, I must hand it to this duo for putting on an engaging show. Also, Fujiya & Miyagi were great once again, although they did appear somewhat more tired than their last performance. With the onslaught that is this week, I honestly can’t blame them.


Left to Right: Dungen, Fujiya & Miyagi, Crystal Castles

CMJ: Day Two

Fujiya & Miyagi at Mercury Lounge

Recap:
I started today on a more-rested note, opting to sleep in and skip a few discussion panels (you'll hear about the one I'll definitely attend on Friday). I made it down to the Cake Shop just in time to catch the last half of Women's set in the dark, humid basement of the bar/bakery. Afterwards, I headed over to the Levi's/Fader Fort for a showcase involving Chairlift, The Muslims, Los Fancy Free, and Crystal Stilts, who amazingly enough had the energy to play after last night's show went until nearly 5 AM. At the conclusion of the Fort's activities (and the closing of their open bar), I walked a few blocks to Mercury Lounge, taking in sets by Tobacco, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Walter Meego.

Highlight:
Fujiya & Miyagi. By far the best show of the day, F&M demonstrated that they can not only match the attention to detail in their mesmerizing melodies while on stage, but surpass expectations as well. Obviously fans of bands such as Can, Neu! and, to a lesser extent, Kraftwerk, this trio (don't be fooled by the name... they're also white, not Japanese) brings the hypnotic elements of Krautrock into the post-dance arena. If you're a fan of LCD Soundsystem, take note.

Honorable mentions go out to The Muslims, a San Diego/LA-based band who play damn catchy 70s garage-pop, Women, an all-men group who play lo-fi fuzzy noise-rock, and Crystal Stilts (again). Though this time the latter played without their keyboardist. That, and the fact that they were playing to a packed room of nearly 300 as opposed to the 12 in attendence in the wee hours of the night before, made this show slightly less celebrated, but still a lot of fun.


Left to Right: The Muslims, Los Fancy Free, Walter Meego/F&M Gear

CMJ: Day One

Cloud Cult at the Knitting Factory

Recap:
With four hours of sleep under my belt (red-eye flights are accurately named), I jumped on the subway over to NYU's Kimmel Center, where one found badges in the lobby and the convention center on the tenth floor. I'm sad to say that there were even fewer participants with booths than last year, which was already significantly fewer than the year before. I did pick up a few mix-CDs of up-and-coming acts, something to spin when I return home and see if there's a hidden gem lurking in the stack.

After dropping my luggage off at a generous friend's place uptown, I relaxed for a while before heading back out to the Knitting Factory to catch an early evening show with Sister Suvi, Paramount Styles, and Cloud Cult. Following a brief chat with a girl who turned out to be a friend of Cloud Cult's and with whom they were staying while in NYC, I headed northbound to Webster Hall. Therein, I caught the tail end of Tigercity and a DJ set by Friendly Fires. After some milling around, the Stereogum After Party kicked off at the same venue, showcasing Gang Gang Dance, Ponytail, Marnie Stern, and Crystal Stilts.

Highlight:
The best show of Day One, hands down, was Cloud Cult. The singer announced that this set was an experimental first try at the band going 'acoustic' though it was anything but mellow. His wife stood at the back of the stage with her back to the audience, painting a canvas which was then sold at the end of the show. Several songs in the set were almost difficult to process with the amount of emotion the singer poured into them. There is a distinct possibility that they have secured themselves within the top ten best live bands I've seen.

Honorable mentions go out to Paramount Styles (alternative singer-songwriter style in the vein of The Wedding Present with a singer who bears a striking vocal similarity to Mark E. Smith of The Fall), Gang Gang Dance (electronic walls of noise, steel drums, and tribal singing come together in an oddly perfect way), and Crystal Stilts (lo-fi psych-rock not unlike contemporaries The Gris Gris).


Left to Right: Paramount Styles, Crystal Stilts, Ponytail

CMJ 2008

Tonight I shall board a red-eye flight to NY to catch this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. For those not in the know, the College Music Journal puts on an annual 5-day festival spread over Manhattan and Brooklyn, chock full of shows, discussion panels, film screenings, and parties. This will be my third year in attendance, and for the first time I’m planning on providing daily updates as to my musical adventures and findings. Check back for commentary from Tuesday the 21st through Saturday the 25th.

After I return from CMJ, I’m going to re-establish a regular update for this site. The dust has settled from my recent move and new job, and I’ve fallen back into a good groove for discovering new music. I’ve got quite a few albums in heavy rotation that I’d love to post about, so expect new reviews posted every Monday and Friday. Thanks for reading!

16 Horsepower - Hoarse (2001)

I don’t particularly like live albums. This stems from my aversion to Greatest Hits releases, only now the production quality has been decreased and background noise added. That said, there are always a few exceptions to any rule, and this is one of them. 16 Horsepower moseys on in from Denver, boasting gritty Southern-gothic alt-country rock. The band features David Eugene Edwards of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, and shares additional members with fellow dark-folk champions The Denver Gentlemen and Woven Hand.

I rarely feel enticed to play a live track over the original studio version, but 16HP found a clever way to tempt listeners: include several songs unavailable on any studio album. In the case of this release, these include covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s "Bad Moon Risin’," The Gun Club’s "Fire Spirit," and Joy Division’s "Day of the Lords." It’s a truly impressive feat that 16HP has effectively turned songs by both John Fogerty and Ian Curtis (two songwriters not often mentioned in the same sentence) sound not only like they belong to the same band but authentically great as well. Covers aside, the 1998 concert recorded in their Colorado hometown establishes that this is a band worth seeing live.

Streamable Track: "Bad Moon Risin'"


Artist Website / Album Purchase