Pavement – Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement (Matador)
For years, I ignored Pavement for whatever reason. In recent years, I’ve started to warm up to them, but this excellent new “best of” compilation has definitely made me into a fan. With all of the classics (“Gold Soundz,” “Cut Your Hair,” the PIXIES/WEEZER-like “Stereo”, “Spit on a Stranger”, et al.) and lots of deep cuts from their four studio albums and early EPs like Perfect Sound Forever and Watery, Domestic, I can’t think of a better place for a novice to start. Even for all of you long-time fans, this is worth picking up as it may make you all appreciate them all over again.
Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (Sub Pop)
This year’s answer to VIVIAN GIRLS‘ two Lps, DEE DEE and her L.A.-based crew (featuring a member of CROCODILES and FRANKIE ROSE, formerly of CRYSTAL STILTS and Vivian Girls) trade in the same kind of lo-fi, ’60s-inspired noise-pop. “Jail La La” is the definite highlight and will probably be one of my favorite songs of the year, but at 11 songs in less than half a hour, this is a fast, easy, breezy, fun joyride of an album. After the whirl, it’s then appropriate that the album closes with a beautiful, winsome version of SONNY AND CHER‘s “Baby Don’t Go”, a song also covered by CAMERA OBSCURA.
Graham Parker – Imaginary Television (Bloodshot)
For this first new album since 2007’s Don’t Tell Columbus, Parker wrote out the plot lines for twelve imaginary TV shows and wrote accompanying theme music for these. Although clearly different from any of his previous albums given its central concept, the style here will be very familiar to fans of his recent work. Fans of his recent, roots-based albums such as Deepcut to Nowhere, Your Country and the aforementioned Don’t Tell Columbus will like this, too, and as I’m definitely in that boat, I’m enjoying this new record.
Leatherface – The Stormy Petrel (Big Fish Recordings/No Idea)
An absolutely incredible album that so far, at least, is my album of the year. “Nutcase” and “Diego Garcia” may even rival Mush‘s “I Want the Moon”. It’s a thrill to have them back after a five year absence.
Ted Leo – The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
Ted’s Matador debut and his first album since 2007’s Living with the Living (which turned out to be his sole album for Touch and Go) is not quite as compelling as the aforementioned Living with the Living, but still a winner. Much more uptempo, straightforward and rockin’ than its predecessor, it’s Shake the Sheets to Living with the Living‘s Hearts of Oak. Regardless, while I’ve yet to fully digest these songs, I’m really looking forward to seeing him live again next week.
Love of Diagrams – Nowhere Forever (Unstable Ape)
While I don’t like this one as much as their awesome Matador Lp Mosaic or their self-titled four-song EP for the same label (which contained “The Pyramid” and “Pace and the Patience”, two absolute killers from that same Lp), it’s still a fine effort. Instead of ably approximating UK and US post-punk (think SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES or early PYLON, whose first single “Cool” they covered on that EP) better than just about any modern band out there, on this album they seem to take much more inspiration from the late ’80s/early ’90s shoegaze/dream-pop scene. They still rock like beasts, though, so think more SWERVEDRIVER or CATHERINE WHEEL than say, COCTEAU TWINS.
Best Coast – “The Sun Was High (So Was I)” EP (Art Fag Recordings)
The kids call this stuff “chill wave” (whatever that means), but I just call it dream pop or noise pop. File right alongside VIVIAN GIRLS, Dum Dum Girls, et al. Of course, I love it.
Love of Diagrams with Party Photographers – Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia, PA) – March 28, 2010
I’ll never understand why Love of Diagrams’ Matador Lp Mosaic wasn’t a smash. Since then, they’ve put a new album Nowhere Forever, but apparently it’s only out in Australia and instead of opening for Ted Leo at the TLA (where I first saw them back in 2007), they’re now playing to 30 people on a rainy Sunday night and opening for another Australian band called BEACHES (whom we didn’t stay for, so I can’t tell you how they were). Anyway, they only got about five or six songs and though the sound could’ve been better, they were still great. I liked the new songs better in this more energetic context.
Party Photographers, the only locals on the bill, also opened the show. To be fair, they had a good bit of energy, but mostly they were really loud and not really to my taste.
“Red Hot Patriot – The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins” – Suzanne Roberts Theater (Philadelphia, PA) – Saturday, April 3, 2010
This is a seventy five minute monologue which just started its world premiere run here in Philadelphia a few weeks ago with KATHLEEN TURNER rather brilliantly portraying the late MOLLY IVINS. For the uninitiated, Ivins was a California born but Texas bred journalist/rabble rouser who was famously outspoken for her liberal views, befriending the late Texas governor ANN RICHARDS and critiquing the “good old boys” of the Texas legislature as well as politicians like another former Texas governor, GEORGE W. BUSH.
Fortunately, this play shows that her spirit lives on not only in the wit and sense of humor implied in the play’s title, but also in the influence it has on folks such as the show’s writers, MARGARET ENGEL and ALLISON ENGEL.
Parenthood (NBC, Tuesday)
This is perhaps my favorite new TV show and the only network show that we consistently watch. So far, only five episodes have aired and I have no idea how it’s doing in the ratings, so I hope it doesn’t suffer the fate of other critically-loved but ratings-challenged shows!
