My what a surprise this is. More than a decade after their last album, Wild Carnation return with one of the best newer records I’ve heard in quite some time. Reminding me simultaneously of the nervous energy of vocalist/songwriter BRENDA SAUTER’s previous band THE FEELIES as well as the vintage synth-driven sound of STEREOLAB, Superbus is a catchy, poppy immediate affair. The lyrics are great, too, like those of “Saab Story” (great title, too) which focus on SUV drivers and how they tend to overpower others sharing the same roadways.
Well after a long wait, here it is and I’m happy to report that the most anticipated indie album of the year is a triumphant success. I haven’t listened to it enough to evaluate it against its formidable predecessor Funeral (an album that’s only grown on me in the more than 2 years since it originally came out), but my first impression is that I may like it even more with time. The production is notably brighter on this album, allowing the songs to breathe a bit more. Furthermore, several songs (like “Intervention”) show a strong BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN influence, but not in a blindingly obvious way like other bands both bad (cough THE KILLERS cough) and good (THE HOLD STEADY) have in the last year.
Scoop (PG-13)
Legendary director WOODY ALLEN’s follow-up to 2005’s triumphant Match Point (perhaps his best film in decades) isn’t quite as strong, but it’s still enjoyable while bearing more than a passing resemblance to its predecessor. Once again, it’s set in London, stars the beautiful SCARLETT JOHANSSON as an American at the heart of a murder mystery, and HUGH JACKMAN as the requisite young, single, aristocrat also imbroiled in the same mystery. I’ll bet that you pretty much know where you stand with Woody Allen, so if you like him, I’d definitely recommend this.
The 1987 follow-up to their first album (and DC melodic hardcore classic) Can I Say, this brilliant album is even better. It featured then new singer PETER CORTNER (who would go on to sing on their 1988 underrated masterpiece Field Day before the band broke up) replacing DAVE SMALLEY (who went off to graduate school in Israel) and DOUG CARRION (previously a member of DESCENDENTS for their 1986 effort Enjoy!) replacing ROGER MARBURY on bass. The changes were for the better here, as the material became more melodic while not losing an iota of the passionate, youthful energy that they started out with. “The Godfather,” “Trying,” “Safe” and the acoustic “When I Move” are just several of the highlights here on this perfect album. One of the very best, this album is available from Dischord on a CD with Can I Say.
This is currently out-of-print (surprising for a Dischord reissue), so snatch it up if you don’t have it while you can still get a copy for $5.99 or so on Amazon. Anyway, it’s pretty clear that I’m a huge fan of the late ‘80s DC post-hardcore scene and Ignition were one of the best bands of that era. Igntion featured IAN MACKAYE’s brother ALEC MACKAYE on vocals along with CHRIS THOMSON (later of CIRCUS LUPUS) on bass, CHRIS BALD (previously of EMBRACE) on guitar and DANTE FERRANDO (previously of GRAY MATTER and IRON CROSS and currently one of the owners of The Black Cat) on drums. This CD collects everything they ever released during their short (‘87-’89) lifespan, including their first 2 7” singles, their excellent album Machination, the Orafying Mistacle Of… 12” EP and the 2-song flexi they pressed to commemorate their 100th show. This originally came out in 1994 and I guess Dischord let it go out-of-print due to lack of interest, but in my view Ignition belongs right up there with their more well-known and celebrated DC peers.
In light of his performance at the Super Bowl last night, I thought I’d include this song as I heard it played on WXPN a few days ago. A deep cut on his breakthrough album 1999, the song challenges a few popular assumptions about the purple one. The first is that he only started incorporating rap into his music in the late ‘80s to make it seem more dangerous-sounding and contemporary. On the contrary, the spoken/rap portion of this track shows that his interest in hip-hop stretched back much further. Furthermore, it’s alleged that Prince didn’t become interested in late ‘60s psychedelia until the mid ‘80s, when he cut Around the World in a Day and Parade, two albums deeply influenced by that style of music. Despite a persistent (and incredibly funky) groove, the undercurrents of this style are all over this track (and other tracks on 1999 as well), thus challenging that perception as well. Nevertheless, regardless of that this song is just flat-out amazing.
This was Daniel Johnston’s first and only album on Atlantic, to which he was signed to in 1994 due to the fact that KURT COBAIN was a big fan, sporting a Johnston t-shirt on many occasions. Listening to it now, it’s easy to see why it sold so little as Johnston is clearly too idiosyncratic for mainstream consumption. Rather, his lovelorn and obsessive songs are made for personal, private bedroom (or home office) listening, though he’s never less than tuneful despite having a voice that could best described as an acquired taste.
Before Dag Nasty recorded their first album for Dischord, they recorded a bunch of demos with original singer SHAWN BROWN (later of the equally great, but harder-edged SWIZ), all of which are on this fine collection. In addition, there are several demos with later singers Dave Smalley (who appears on only one track here) and Peter Cortner here. One of the few demos and outtakes that could also serve as a great entry point into a band’s discography, ‘85-’86 has been sadly out-of-print for the last decade or so. However, copies seem to float around on the internet for a reasonable price ($15-$20 or so) as it seems easier to find than many other early ‘90s releases on Selfless or of course you could always try file-sharing for this sort of stuff. I highly recommend it.
A blazing hot show that was tighter (and much better attended despite the club only being 2/3 full) than their show here in Philadelphia last year, The Avengers blazed through a set of late ‘70s classics in preparation for their upcoming tour. The most exciting news is that apparently they’ll be back in May as their late ‘70s material (previously collected on a self-titled CD on the CD Presents label) is getting the reissue treatment with a bonus DVD and what not (all coming out in April).
This is an absolutely great book on a previously unexplored subject, specifically the Jewish influence on ‘70s New York punk. THE RAMONES? Half-Jewish. THE DICTATORS? 4/5 Jewish. SUICIDE? Both ALAN VEGA and MARTIN REV are Jewish, not to mention CHRIS STEIN (of BLONDIE), LENNY KAYE and many others mentioned in this book. Despite a few minor inaccuracies (such as the claim that late ‘60s New York-based duo SILVER APPLES are German), this book is a fascinating read, especially since I’m Jewish and have been listening to punk rock since I was a teenager.
