The Verge: Yuck

Posted on May 4, 2011 | 1 comment

I haven’t bestowed “Verge” status on a proper rock band in quite a while, but here goes. Yuck is a London-based indie rock band, but their sound has more in common with US college radio from the 90s than with anything going on in the UK. Because of this, they’re often described as revivalists, which is partially true. As I’ve written about before, 90s revivalism is in full effect, from dance music to hip-hop to noise rock. Twentysomethings cranking out songs in the style of Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, and Smashing Pumpkins was an inevitability.

Yuck’s self-titled debut is full of such songs. Heavy on humbucker riffs and loud-quiet-loud dynamics, Yuck plays like a time capsule from 1993. What sets it apart from so many “saviors of rock” albums is the band’s ability to write and execute hooks, consistently rather than sporadically. The album kicks off with one, the air guitar anthem “Get Away,” which is accompanied by a bug-eyed, fantasy tour video.

The catchy, sing-a-long vibe continues throughout the album, which is littered with rollicking, fuzzed-out jams like “The Wall” and “Georgia,” the latter of which features dual vocals from lead singer Danny Blumberg and his sister Ilana.

True to their indie rock roots, Yuck does “brooding” well, taking a break from rocking to strum some melancholy melodies. “Shook Down” rides the “baby, I want you back” motif acoustically before kicking into a Pumpkins-esque groove under “You can be my destiny / You can mean that much to me.” While I’m making comparisons to grunge bands, “Sunday” reminds me of Hole’s “Doll Parts,” with it’s lilting chorus. In this vein, “Suicide Policeman” is a bit of twee pop with a surprisingly positive sentiment.

Forgive the infantile band name; it’s still better than their last project, one-time hype band Cajun Dance Party. Yuck has been in heavy rotation for me since its February release for a reason: I love the 90s. It was a great time for rock music (for a while, at least), and anyone who can capture that lightening in a bottle is worth a listen.

Apparently, the word is out already: Yuck opens for Tame Impala at a sold-out show this Friday at the Black Cat.

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The surprisingly funny "Happy Endings"

Posted on May 4, 2011 | 2 comments

Every year, the networks try to recapture the “magic” of Friends with a flaccid sitcom about a handful of twenty/thirty-somethings and their romantic hijinks. There have been a rash of these lately, a phenomenon reduced to chart form by Vulture. The results are, as expected, uninspiring; the shows last for a few episodes before being thrown on the trash heap, with good reason. Do you remember Romantically Challenged? Do you miss the recently-cancelled Perfect Couples? Didn’t think so.

At first glance, it’s easy to add Happy Endings to that list, with it’s mix of six zany friends and a premise right out of the Friends pilot. I almost made the same mistake, before another Vulture post persuaded me to reconsider the show.

Happy Endings opens at the wedding of Dave (Zachary Knighton) and Alex (24‘s Elisha Cuthbert). After a not-quite-The Graduate-interruption, Alex leaves Dave at the altar, sending him into depression and their social circle into chaos.

Said social circle includes married couple Jane (the very funny Eliza Coupe, last seen as the brutish Denish on the final season of Scrubs) and Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.), painfully single Penny (SNL vet Casey Wilson) and “chubby gay guy” Max (Adam Palley). By the end of the pilot, Alex and Dave have patched things up enough to be civil, thus saving the group from going outside of their comfort zone.

In just four episodes since then, the single-camera show has established its tone and style, placing it somewhere between Cougar Town and Scrubs. Flashback jokes have been perfectly timed and not over-leveraged (a la Family Guy). Like Cougar Town, the characters live in their own world, coining phrases (“the peter out,” “chicksand”) and crafting dance routines. The dialogue is quick, and one-liners have been just dark enough to give the sunny sitcom a subversive edge. A couple of early favorites:

  • You know what sounds like more fun? Being in wet clothes and watching Schindler’s List.
  • I knew it! I’m parent heroin. They have got a Jane addiction, and it’s bad. I’m talking ‘shaking at a bus stop, willing to do downstairs stuff for a nickel bag of me’ bad.

For the most part, the characters are interesting and quirky. In a post-Glee TV world, Max is a realistic “straight dude who likes dudes” who refuses to be a stereotype. Damon Wayans, Jr. lives up to his family name and makes beta male Brad the perfect compliment to the overbearing Jane (if I had to make a Friends comparison, she’d be Monica).

At times, the plots have been very sitcom-y: Dave dates a clingy girl, Alex gets a roommate, Brad and Jane look for couple-friends. For each of those tropes, though, there has been a “Penny dates Doug Hitler” or “there’s a painter living in the attic” story. There have been sweet moments, too: Max struggles with coming out to his parents (using Jane and Alex as beards), and Brad works on his relationship with his straight-laced father (played by his namesake).

Far from a Friends rip-off, Happy Endings is definitely on to something: it has been gaining a following and ABC is doubling-up on new episodes to strike while the iron is hot. Check out a full hour of Happy Endings at 10pm on Wednesdays for the next three weeks (and catch up on Hulu).

http://www.hulu.com/watch/231025/happy-endings-pilot

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Video Rundown: Lykke Li / Buraka Som Sistema / Salem

Posted on May 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Here are a trio of videos that have caught my eye, presented in order from most cinematic to least.

Lykke Li accompanied the video release for dream pop ballad “Sadness is a Blessing” with a poem, a brief message that the clip illustrates beautifully.

Father,
I know I Broke
Your heart, it was never
My intention, all I
Ever wanted was to
Dance…

Former graffiti artist Tarik Saleh, who also directed “I Follow Rivers,” brings the same Nordic restraint to this video. Stellan Skarsgård stands in for Lykke’s father; a bit of Swedish casting by number. Lykke is as charismatic as she is on the record, drinking vodka and finding her muse in a staid restaurant.

Buraka Som Sistema is back with babytalk kuduro banger “Hangover (BaBaBa).” The video features animation reminiscent of M.I.A.’s GIF-shifting promos for MAYA, matching the song’s jacked up energy factor with frenetic visuals. Throw in some daggering and hypercolored graphics and you’ve got yourself a video.

Saving the most disturbing for last, Salem returns with “Sick,” a video for one of the finest examples of goth trap house on King Night. A YouTube collage of gang fights, bedroom freaks, BMX riders, and the band’s own performances, the video doesn’t have the intensity of “Skullcrush.” Still, it keeps Salem knee deep in “some evil shit,” as the detuned rap by Jack Donoghue promises.

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Album Review: Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2

Posted on May 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Originally slated for release in September 2009, the Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee, Part 2 finally arrives tomorrow. After their 2004 tribute to New York, To the 5 Boroughs, and 2007’s instrumental The Mix-Up, fans and critics alike have eagerly awaited a return to form. The group’s strongest record since 1998’s Hello Nasty, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 is well worth the wait.

Sonically, Hot Sauce Committee* harks back to the group’s post-Paul’s Boutique period, when the boys picked up their instruments – a decision that was equal parts creative and necessary (sampling your own instrumental diversions is much easier than clearing a hundred-odd samples). Sinister riffs on “Say It” and “Long Burn the Fire” are reminiscent of “Sabotage,” in style if not substance. Funky basslines range from the subtle and upright (“Nonstop Disco Powerpack”) to the metallic and slinky (“Funky Donkey”). Drum lines are straightforward and old school, a reassuring constant on a musically varied record.


As for guest spots, the album bats .500. “Too Many Rappers” features Nas, but the two-year gap between its original release and this one doesn’t do the boastful space jam any favors. However, Santigold (who appears poised for a big return after her 2008 dominance and subsequent hiatus) is a perfect fit on the dubbed-out “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win.”


Comprising most of the soundtrack for Fight For Your Right (Revisited), “Make Some Noise” opens the record on a triumphant, nostalgic note. Wah wah guitar, pass-the-mic battle rapping, and blasts of synthesized noises provide a deep well for the Beasties throughout the entire album; they’re in their comfort zone. A welcome break from this formula is “Lee Majors Come Again,” a nod to their hardcore roots and late 70s coming of age.


Hip hop relevance is hard enough for artists half their age, but the Beastie Boys seem to manage it with ease. They have such a trademarked style, both lyrically and musically, that Hot Sauce Committee is immediately familiar but never boring.

*Dropping the “Part 2” for convenience. This release is comprised of the songs that were supposed to be Part 1, which is now in musical limbo.

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Ready for the weekend #10

Posted on April 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

After numerous false starts, it looks like spring has finally sprung. Let’s see what’s on the agenda that won’t require you to be inside (for too long, at least).

The Plan

  • Friday: Head down to Subterranean A (good new DC venue or best new DC venue?) for an evening of laughter – the succinctly titled Comedy Underground. After that, Matthew Dear puts down the guitar and gets back in the DJ booth for Red Friday at U Hall.
  • Saturday: Is there anything better than eating delicious food at a street fair? Taste of 8th takes over Barracks Row from 1-4PM, as twenty area restaurants present their signature dishes at reasonable prices. While you’re in SE, you might as well keep it martial and head from the Barracks to the Armory for the DC Rollergirls.
  • Sunday: Take it easy Saturday night because the first Sunday of the month is always a good one. The folks behind Forward Fest are taking over Yards Park, and if you haven’t been to Tropixxx at Velvet Lounge yet, what are you waiting for?

The Soundtrack

A couple of moombahton minimixes should do the trick. First up, the preview for Dave Nada’s moombahton compilation (Blow Your Head, Vol. 2, out May 31st on Mad Decent), and then the promo mix for the forthcoming EP by Billy the Gent, Long Jawns, and DJ JWLS. Dale!


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Future Grooves: Julio Bashmore

Posted on April 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

I first wrote about Julio Bashmore last year, but in the months since, I haven’t spilled nearly enough digital ink on the UK underground sensation. Please let me attempt to right that wrong.

Julio Bashmore is Matthew Walker, a producer from the epicenter of the dubstep scene, Bristol. Contrary to his city’s dominant sound, however, Bashmore makes house music: deep, mellow, funky house. He first gained attention with a 12-inch on Claude vonStroke’s Dirtybird imprint; “Um Bongo’s Revenge” is tribal, vital, and signaled the arrival of a new producer to watch.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/umbongosrevenge.mp3″ text=”Julio Bashmore – Um Bongo’s Revenge” dl=0]

Since then, Bashmore has been highly prolific, releasing a handful of EPs, single, and remixes. All have featured non-stop grooves, elastic basslines, and warm synths. Vocal samples are impeccably selected, and looped into dreamy, hypnotic refrains. He checks all of these boxes on last year’s “Footsteppin”

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/footsteppin.mp3″ text=”Julio Bashmore – Footsteppin” dl=0]

Recent releases have gotten sharper, emerging from shadow and fog into the clarity of disco ball light. The Everyone Needs a Theme Tune EP has a throwback feel, with funkadelic synths and 808s aplenty. On “Battle for Middle You,” Bashmore turns a 10-year-old sample (from Mateo & Matos’ “Stomp Your Feet“) into a tech house anthem.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/battleformiddleyou.mp3″ text=”Julio Bashmore – Battle for Middle You” dl=0]

Over a year old, Bashmore’s exclusive mix for Vice is a constant play. From his remix of Deadboy‘s “Heartbreaker” to plenty of Night Slugs selections, it’s no wonder why.

[wpaudio url=”http://www.viceland.com/music/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/julio-bashmore-vice-mix.mp3″ text=”Julio Bashmore – Vice Mixtape” dl=0]

Download: Julio Bashmore – Vice Mixtape

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Revisiting "Fight for Your Right"

Posted on April 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Beastie Boys are masters of reinvention. They started as a NYC hardcore band in 1979 (!) before breaking through as party-starting rap rockers in the mid 80s. Since then, they’ve matured musically, and more significantly, personally. There isn’t a bigger 180 than trying to name your album Don’t Be a Faggot and then spearheading the free Tibet movement. Accordingly, the Beastie Boys have done everything they can (including publicly apologizing) to move beyond their early years.

Until now.

Finally embracing their “Hooligans of Hip Hop” stage, the Beastie Boys have struck comedic gold with the surreal short-film Fight for Your Right Revisted. Written and directed by Adam Yauch (the thankfully cancer-free MCA), the film picks up where 1986’s “Fight for Your Right” video left off. For reference, the original clip is required viewing. The MTV Era classic was loaded with cameos (Tabitha Soren, Rick Rubin, LL Cool J) and references (George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead).

Crawling out of that debauchery are the Beastie Boys, played by Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and Elijah Wood. The lithe Wood is the only passable imitator, but that’s hardly the point. This cast was assembled for maximum hilarity; the dialogue has an ad-libbed feel, which isn’t tough to imagine, considering the comedic talents that took part. It’s a Who’s Who of blink-and-miss-it cameos, everyone film pros like Susan Sarandon to hipster favorites like Jason Schwartzman. It feels like a friends and family production that must have been a blast to produce.

The video is set to music from their eagerly awaited album Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. “Make Some Noise” and “Say It” are spun, rewound, sped up, slowed down to match the video’s increasingly twisted antics. After doing whip-its and acid with switchblade-wielding metal chicks (played by Chloe Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, and Maya Rudolph), the Beasties are met by a DeLorean from – where else? – the future.

Cue big reveal: the Future Beastie Boys, played by Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black. To settle this time traveling identity crisis, a b-boy competition (conflict resolution, 1986 style) is proposed. The climactic battle turns into a pissing contest – literally. The Beastie Boys’ opinions on this era of their history are less than subtle. After a bit of slow motion water sports, the cops (played by the real-life Beasties) shut it all down.

The self-referential, meta fest goes far beyond the Beastie Boys vs. Beastie Boys set-up. Will Ferrell, before showing up as a future Beastie, references his most famous SNL skit, cowbell in hand. David Cross appears as Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch’s lederhosened alter ego, and Will Arnett delivers a GOB-like “come on!” (while wearing what’s possibly a $5,000 suit). Like Arrested Development, the film rewards repeat viewings.

Fight for Your Right Revisited is fan service at its finest, answering the eternal question: who are the real Beastie Boys?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/234862/beastie-boys-fight-for-your-right-revisited

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The Weeknd gets chopped and screwed

Posted on April 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

While many are vying to tag The Weeknd’s music with a genre name, not many were clamoring for slower, meditative versions of his already down-tempo jams. Despite this, two chopped and screwed takes on the House of Balloons mixtape have cropped up, with mixed results.

Swishahouse co-founder and chopped and screwed pioneer OG Ron C gives his trademark treatment to House of Balloons, as does Odd Future member Mike G. Both versions provide the syrupy (in more ways than one) sounds for which the genre is known, but as expected, OG Ron C’s comes out ahead.

The veteran does more chopping than a sous chef; his sample twisting on mixtape standout “What You Need” manages to make the tune even more hypnotic.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/WeekndOGRonC.mp3″ text=”The Weeknd – What You Need (OG Ron C version)” dl=0]

Mike G, on the other hand, opts for a more straightforward BPM drop. Sometimes that’s enough: the sinister “Glass Table Girls” coda on the title track doesn’t need much work before sounding like witch house.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/WeekndMikeG.mp3″ text=”The Weeknd – House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls (Mike G version)” dl=0]

At first glance, chopping and screwing House of Balloons seems redundant and unnecessary. But the inspiration seems to be drawn straight from The Weeknd’s lyrics.

From “Wicked Game:”

Bring your love, baby I can bring my shame
Bring the drugs, baby I can bring my pain
I got my heart right here, I got my scars right here
Bring the cups, baby I can bring the drank

Or more succinctly, from “The Morning:”

Codeine cups paint a picture so vivid

Download: OG Ron C – House of Balloons (Chopped-up not slopped-up)
Download: Mike G – House of Balloons (Screwed)

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Album Review: Bosco Delrey – Everybody Wah

Posted on April 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

On his debut record, Everybody Wah, Bosco Delrey builds upon the timewarped sounds of his initial singles. The album is full of jangly rockabilly and rambunctious garage rock, loaded with hooks and a slicked-back swagger.

In the lull since last year’s releases, it was clear that Delrey’s biggest hurdle would be meeting the immediacy of songs like “Evil Lives” or “Space Junkie.” On Everybody Wah, the rumbling, electric organ jam “Glow Go The Bones” and catchy album opener “Baby’s Got a Blue Flame” are up to the challenge.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/01-Babys-Got-A-Blue-Flame.mp3″ text=”Bosco Delrey – Baby’s Got A Blue Flame” dl=0]

Everybody Wah presents a modern take on classic rock and roll without aping it note-for-note. The songs mix an old school songwriting approach with diverve new school influences, the kind of formula that led Diplo to call Delrey a “garbage can Elvis.” “Get Outta Dodge” swirls under a psychedelic fuzz; the electro-tinged “Archebold Ivy” has the weirdness of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd; “Afterlife” grooves with a mellow dancehall beat. In all cases, Delrey serves up patchwork, not pastiche.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/09-Afterlife.mp3″ text=”Bosco Delrey – Afterlife” dl=0]

The flip-side to sock hop rock songs is the doo-wop / country western ballad, which Delrey also handles with aplomb. “Expelled Spelled Expelled,” “Down We Go,” and “Insta Love” are updates of the classic style, with gentle arpeggios and even gentler melodies.

[wpaudio url=”/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/10-Down-We-Go.mp3″ text=”Bosco Delrey – Down We Go” dl=0]

The album closes with the spacey, galloping electronics of “20 Flight Dub.” The song is a bit of an outlier, but it serves as a fine digestif after an impossibly catchy full length. The song’s unofficial video pairs it with the surrealistic touchstone Un Chien Andalou. For an album of unexpected twists and turns, it’s a fitting choice.

Everybody Wah comes out tomorrow, April 26, on Mad Decent.

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Film Review: "New Garage Explosion"

Posted on April 22, 2011 | 2 comments

“Keep it simple stupid.”

That’s the advice Joe Bradley of the Black Lips offers early on in New Garage Explosion: In Love With These Times, a documentary by Aaron Brown and Joseph Patel about the last decade’s garage rock scene (Ed. note: quote originally incorrectly attributed to Cole Alexander). Those four words manage to sum up the scene (and film) better than I could, but I’ll give it a shot.

The garage rock profiled in New Garage Explosion harks back to punk’s origins, not the hardcore punk of blackshirt mosh pits. It’s punk filtered through 50s rock’n’roll, 60s bubblegum pop, and 70s psychedelia. It’s also very much a regional movement: cities like San Francisco, Brooklyn, Memphis, Detroit, and Atlanta have their own scenes, bands, and sounds, but are all united by a brash, punk attitude and a DIY spirit.

New Garage Explosion documents the pillars of garage: the influences, the lo-fi recording process, the financial realities and the lifestyle. The film is interspersed with performances, rarely showing too many talking heads before getting back to its core: the visceral live performance of garage rock. Missing is the narrative of great documentaries: the audience is following one band’s experience, but rather the entire experience. It’s a cut-and-paste, film-as-zine approach that suits the topic.

Fans of any of the bands shown (Black Lips, Magic Kids, Vivian Girls, Smith Westerns, Davila 666, to name a few), will probably discover a new band, classic record, or groundbreaking record label from watching New Garage Explosion. Like the characters in High Fidelity, the interviewees relish the chance to list favorite obscurities. There is a record-store-nerd current throughout the film that anyone who has spent time in a cultural/musical underground will appreciate.

Sadly, the specter of Jay Reatard looms over the film. The film’s first case study died after an accidental overdose at just 29. On stage and off, Reatard was antagonistic and self destructive, but with a self-awareness evident in his interviews. Chillingly, he remembers punk rock records made by “dudes that kinda did make it… and then they fucking threw it all away and made these amazing albums on their downward spirals.” As he trails off, he references his prophetically titled Watch Me Fall. Unfortunately, understanding history did not prevent Reatard from repeating it.

New Garage Explosion is a brief (only 75 minutes long) introduction to a scene that is very much alive. The film features a brief section on the cycle of buzz band hype, asking “What does it take for a band to have lasting power?” Maybe that means taking Joe Bradley’s advice.

Stream “New Garage Explosion” below or at VBS.TV

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