Playing two sets including material from their excellent new album The Obliterati, Mission of Burma played a fantastic show in a sweaty church basement on one of the hottest days of the year.
Playing after DE LA SOUL and before FLAMING LIPS during a free, underattended festival sponsored by Southern Comfort, Bob Mould’s set resembled nothing less than a tornado of power and energy that ripped through the disinterested crowd and at least forced them to pay attention due to the sheer volume.
Inspired by a fellow blogger’s attempt to listen to all of his CDs in alphabetical order, I’ve finally started the monumental task of putting the bulk of my CDs into iTunes. Starting with the As, I recently listened to this 1981 punk classic. Essentially a concept album about the decline of the original Hollywood punk scene in favor of the then burgeoning suburban hardcore scene, this is one of my favorite records of all time. It’s a unique combination of late ‘70s punk, ‘60s surf music and ‘70s metal, all with massive hooks and great lyrics. They’ve been covered by THE OFFSPRING (who they obviously influenced and who they once sued in 1995), among others, but Living in Darkness is the real deal. The 1992 CD reissue includes numerous extra tracks from early singles and an interview with leader MIKE PALM.
This is GREG DULLI (currently of TWILIGHT SINGERS) at his absolute best. This 1993 grunge-era classic has withstood the test of time better than many of its peers because of the pain, longing and self-loathing in its lyrics is combined with a raw attack combining classic soul music with post-punk. Truly magnificent.
This 1978 first-wave UK punk record is an absolute corker and still one of the best and most underrated records of its era. Included are album versions of the hit single “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” and the even more amazing “One Chord Wonders”, though lesser-known gems like “On the Roof,” “The Great British Mistake” and “On Wheels” are just as good.
From their forthcoming album Live A Little, this track shows JOE PERNICE and company very much backtracking to the sonic territory of 1998’s Overcome By Happiness and 2001’s The World Won’t End. While I loved their last two albums, fans who were disappointed with their more recent ‘80s-leaning direction will surely love this. I hope the rest of the album is as good as this track, which you can download (both audio and a very funny video) here.
Although STEREOLAB defined the term “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music”, the French duo Air perfected it on this 1998 release. This is essentially one of the best “easy-listening” albums ever and a perpetual favorite of mine when I just wanna chill out or go to sleep or when I’m so tired from a long day that nothing else will do.
Thank You For Smoking (R)
This ferociously funny parody stars AARON ECKHART as a tobacco-industry lobbyist who simultaneously tries to be a role-model for his young son. With a cast that includes the great TODD LOUISO (who played the role of Dick in High Fidelity), KATIE HOLMES as a reporter for the Washington “Probe”, ROB LOWE and ADAM BRODY (of The OC) and writing that lops a spitball at Washington lobbyists and the political establishment, this film is a winner.
Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile (Not Rated)
This movie, directed by long-time BEACH BOYS fan, biographer, liner notes scribe and BRIAN WILSON confidante DAVID LEAF, chronicles the history of the ill-fated Smile project and its resurrection in 2004, culminating with a world tour and the release of a new, re-recorded version in the same year. It was originally shown on Showtime in the fall of 2004, but is now available on DVD. While the film is useful for those unfamiliar with the myth and legend of Smile, hardcore fans will learn very little watching this film. This is partly because Leaf is a little bit too sympathetic to his subject. As usual, almost thirty years of Brian Wilson’s history is whitewashed and almost ignored completely, leading many to believe that Brian contributed nothing worthwhile in those intermittent years between 1967 and 2004. Still, my criticisms aside, this is essentially a celebration of two things that very few even thought possible: the re-invention of Brian Wilson as a touring musician and the completion of Smile.
I know that this record is as obvious to lovers of indie and underground rock as LED ZEPPELIN’s fourth album or PINK FLOYD’s Dark Side of the Moon is to the classic-rock listening public at large, but there’s a reason for that. Although their self-titled third record is my favorite, this is a perfect, flawless, ahead of its time masterpiece. Enough has been written about it that I don’t feel the need to add much more except that every time I listen to this album, it reminds me of how I first heard their music. When I was 18, I went into a record store in my hometown and picked up a German double Lp that compiles most of the tracks from their first three albums, including every song on this album except for “I’ll Be Your Mirror”. Needless to say, it absolutely blew me away. At around the same time, DURAN DURAN’s version of “Femme Fatale” was a radio hit that I used to hear all the time when I was working the dinner shift at my college’s cafeteria, but I revelled in the fact that I owned the much superior original version and would often play it when I returned to my dorm.
