Another Halfassed Guide to Frasier, PART 1: Introduction

Television is a pretty awesome thing in my mind. Growing up as an only child in an older neighborhood(read: all the other kids on my block were in high school while I was starting elementary school in 1991... or was it 90?) in my small southern suburban town, our TV was kinda like the sibling/friend that wasn't there. You see, when I was very young, I got stung by this wasp at the wave pool in Nashville, and it was totally unprovoked, so I developed this totally irrational fear of bees and wasps. I mean, in my mind, these insects were malevolent enemies of man, and would kill me if i wasn't  careful. This meant not going outside too much and immediately returning to the safety of the house. Also at work was fear that cars would run me over(as they had done to my labrador puppy when I was three)  that drug pushers and street gangs lurked around every corner and would murder me if I wasn't careful. 

That last one was of course fed by all the TV I would watch while avoiding the bees in the declining neighborhood of 1930's homes and low rent shotgun houses a few blocks from downtown Murfreesboro and the downtown Murfreesboro housing project(please do not mistake this as me saying I am 'Hard' or 'From the Streets' as my folks beat a hasty retreat from the area when I was 4 and its not like I was witnessing drive bys, though I was always sure I would just taken out when I would take the trash out later in child hood), as I had been seeing probably unhealthy amounts Reagan era anti-drug propaganda on the. So what I'm trying to say is that me and TV and cinema are all tight bros from way back.

While most of my friends first memories of going to the movies are of late 1990 offerings(Rocketeer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) my first trip to the movies was to see Ghostbusters II in 1989. This is a big deal because lets face it, when you're only 3 or 4, six months is a pretty big jump on your homies when it comes to movies. It meant I was watching The Little Mermaid in its first theater run while those suckers had to wait a whole year for the VHS to drop, and when they were watching in awe at their first sight of the silver screen at the Rocketeer, I already knew what was up. I have a pretty keen memory for the movies and TV I watched at this young age. Commercials, TV shows, a Bush press conference that was the first time my shows ever got preempted– all clear as yesterday. I also recall the moments leading up to my drinking a whole bottle of amoxicillin right down to the shuffle step I had to do to get it out of the fridge with out my mom seeing me. I don't recall the subsequent phonecall to poison control. 

That said, I remember first run episodes of Cheers, too. This was after we moved across town to the house I did the bulk of my growing up in. The house where my mom planted a garden that attracted more bees and led to me spending more time inside(I didn't hate being outside, I loved it. I just hated bees more. I eventually got the hell over it though!). Cheers was a show I watched with my dad. usually in the small bedroom in our new house that he had turned into an odd sort of office/room full of hunting/shooting/reloading gear. So at night, mom would be grading her student's papers in the living room and dad and I would sit in the big arm chair and the bean bag chair at his feet and watch Cheers. Or the Flash(for its one season, with Mark Hamill as The Trickster). Or The Simpsons until mom would yell at me for watching such things(except for The Flash. That one was ok for me to watch). My favorites were Norm and Cliff, likely because I got more of their goofy humor, like getting tattoos on their butts, but getting them swapped so Norm has Cliff's tattoo (an eagle with the words "god bless the US Postal Service) and vis versa. That's classic comedy right there. Totally unnoticed for the most part was one Dr. Frasier Crane. 

Fast forward to around 1994, and I began watching this show about a snobby Seattle radio show host and his equally snobby brother and their salt of the earth Dad. It never registered that this was a Cheers spin off to me, as i had forgotten Frasier's character totally. This was likely due to the fact that towards the end of Cheers, Frasier grew a beard (which I did recall: the smart beardy guy on Cheers) Over the next ten years, Frasier would become my favorite TV show. Dad and I would tune in to NBC every week (typically thursday night) and would watch the reruns on Fox.

Including watching it on TV as kid, I would say I've seen the whole series all the way through about three times. 

I wanted to watch the show a fourth time through, but i knew i needed something different to keep me engaged and thinking and to keep the show from getting stale. Perhapse I could write an episode guide? I put the idea on the back burner until at a thanksgiving party in 2013, an acquaintance and I were discussing 90s sitcoms which of course turned to Frasier. She'd never been a fan because she couldn't stand Frasier's character. While disussing this, the question came up about what exactly was Frasier's true character? Is it the face he puts on for the public he is constantly trying to impress and one up? Is it the crabby fuddyduddy with tinges of asshole-ism he displays to his family and inner circle, or was were those faces merely masks the real Frasier was putting up to hide his insecurities and failures? It was something I hadn't really thought much about myself.

This guide aims to help lead folks through the eleven season of the show. Its gonna try and do a lot. We'll look at some memorable quotes, count catch phases and tropes, talk about some behind the scenes stuff, and more. But the heart of this guide will be seeking to discover just who is the "real" Frasier Crane and what makes him tick. Moreover, why did so many of us come to love the "Loveably Pompous" Psychiatrist. 

So obviously there's not been much going on here lately(ever).

"What has been going on?" I hear you cry.

Well lots of things. First of all around the of my last post I began writing for a Nashville based web site called Sinizine. At that point my meager out put of music journalism was diverted full force into that venture. It was a pretty cool experience, actually. I got to do some cool interviews  got guest listed into some shows, was actually published, not by myself but by a man named Dave who actually had some faith in my skills. I also began to date a wonderful woman who also had faith in me and she became the focus of my attentions more and more. I actually wrote about her on my other blog, that may not be set to public anymore.

Two years later, the Sinizine crew are working to launch a new publication that will be a multimedia experience across several platforms and buzz words. This new venture is gonna be probably the major focus of my creative output for the foreseeable future, and really I should be working on that instead of typing this. Its called Roots and Relevance Quarterly (R/R) and we're working on the pilot issue now.

While R/R perhaps will be a venture that will bring me clout and some sort of future in music journalism, its also a real publication which while I have a fair bit of say in guiding its content at the moment, wont always be about the exact bands and music I love. This coupled with the fact that several months ago i set about digitizing my entire music library, I now have new reason to update here again, and one less excuse not to.

The first order of business will be to clean up this sites drafts folder. Of all the 38 posts I've written here, 13 haven't even been published or even finished. That said the write ups likely never will be because im a strong believer in the adage "you can't go home again" and so try and continue an incomplete thought from 3 years ago would be just a futile reminder of all my past failures. So instead ill try and write futile reminders of all my most recent failures.

Enough- 2010 Demo Cassette

Band: Enough
Year: 2010
Label: self released
Format: Cassette
Tracks-
1. INTRO
2. Search Inside
3. Focus
4. Knock Me Down
5. Look Ahead
6. Step Back
7. Enough

Nashville Straight Edge band Enough didn't come out of nowhere in 2010; there was a lot of chatter about this band in the few months leading up to their first show on November 7. And it wasn't a little basement show either, in just two months, Enough have shared stages with Fire and Ice, Mother of Mercy, and Bitter End, the very happening hardcore bands. This is across a span of two shows at the time of writing. The first pressing of their demo tape sold out in a single evening, The second run of the tape has also sod out, and the 7" release of the demo has been sold out mostly in pre-orders, and Enough have already scored distribution in Europe. About the only thing harder to get than a hard copy of their demo is their t-shirts which sell out at every show they play.

So one would expect nothing but greatness from a band that is that in demand after playing only two shows right? Well that's just the thing—how great can a band rehashing 25 year old Youth Crew era hardcore be?

Perhaps to understand that, one has to know a bit about their home scene of Nashville, Tennessee, a scene populated by almost every possible brand of hardcore except Youth Crew revival. I was luckily able to snag their demo at the Love Is Red/Hollywood reunion show last month.

The first thing I noticed was that the tape's art work was a rip off of some old Token Entry art as opposed to the art on the first pressing, which while simple, was at least original. I'm also told the tape it self was better on the first pressing with its orange cover and blue tape. This tape was just a generic blank with hand written label.

Musically, everything here is run of the mill Youth Crew Revival fodder, with various songs about being stabbed in the back, unity, and general positivity. 5 of the 6 songs with lyrics involve opening your mind, or opening your eyes or some other allusion to sight. All are hook laden with gang vocal refrains every so often. The stand out track is the anthemic eponymous track 7 which is a youth crew song about bigotry and closes the tape nicely.

The musicianship and songwriting is solid, with all four members having come from other area bands, but no one strays far out of the youth crew mold on this record. Which is really the crux of the issue: no matter how good the band is, Enough still just a third or fourth generation clone of 80's New York hardcore.

While Enough is certainly doing the style justice, when compared to what is going on nationally in hardcore, they come across as just another drop in the bucket. Locally, however, they present a style that has been sorely absent in their home for quite some time. It is this scarcity in the face of a seeming insatiable demand that fuels the Enough machine. While there some detractors who are of the opinion that Enough are reaping an unfair amount of success for very little toil thus far, Enough's success is also a statement about the business side of hardcore. They have met a demand in the scene for a specific brand, and while perhaps not as experimental or artistically inclined as other bands, they have been rewarded for giving the kids what they want.

Free download link provided courtesy of Enough:

Download
http://www.enoughxcrew.blogspot.com/
Facebook: EnoughXCrew

The Quest for Bob part 1: "magnum opus"

I throw around the term "Magnum Opus" a lot. As an aspiring music critic(i.e. This Hack's for Hire(oh look, a Toasters pun(and triple parenthetical clauses!) I tend to try and quantify where my favorites bands peaked and waned. With the Slackers, I must say some what emphatically, the Wasted Days album will probably turn out to be their best work, particularly when considered as a multimedia album, since the CD and LP are so startlingly different in scope and overall tone and focus, they form what is pretty much a two part release. Where the two platforms do overlap, the tracks are alternate versions, possibly even alternate takes, but that requires research, which as a Hack, I have not the time for; gotta get those words to make that dollar-- hence appositives and parentheses and interjections. 

With the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, I think most would be hard pressed not say that the band's fifth album, 1997's Lets Face It, showcases the confluence of their older, hardcore influenced sound, with the pop sensibilities of their later records. I say most, because I personally think Question the Answers captures them at the critical point just prior to their pop success, and showcases what for me, the band was all about before said mainstream breakthrough. (but let it be known, that Lets Face It is probably one of the best rock albums of the 90's. I will fight you over this a-la "Beat It" music video.

I feel that with certain artists and genres, we can critically look at their work and make such qualitative judgments with a fair amount of accuracy. We begin to have some trouble with older artists, as I cannot evaluate them in the context of their time, or have not heard enough of their catalog to pin down an actual peak. Boston(S/T) is an exception, and perhaps so are the Velvet Underground (White Light/White Heat), The Who(Who's Next(that one hurts to say it), and maybe, if I want to step on some toes, The Beatles(Rubber Soul). But one artist who I don't even know where to begin with is Bob Dylan. Normally, I would just poll my friends who like Dylan and ask what they would pick as his best album ever, but I know that would be an exercise in futility. This one likes the Nashville Skyline era Dylan, so and so like the early electric stuff, and guy three, doesn't really know much about Dylan or even music it turns out, and was just rocking whatever Rolling Stone had told him to.

Granted, much of my own curiosity about Mr. Dylan's music is fueled by his receivers throne in the Great Hall of Rock Journalist Fellators(along with John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, and others). Not to say that such seats aren't warranted to many artists, but I just refuse, as Lester Bangs refused before me, to buy into an idea that every artist can maintain a consistent greatness for twenty to thirty years. It just doesn't work like that. 

Because it doesn't work like that, it means that at some point Bob Dylan peaked, and perhaps he pealed again a while later. Further more, when we compare folk Dylan talking about the times and how they are a changin' and answers blowin' in the wind to the one strung out in Mobile, Alabama or contemplating Tombstone, Arizona and talking about ladies laying across his big brass bed or what ever he's turned out in the last year, you now have a series of eras to compare. 


I must say that I am not attempting to deride Dylan, but it has always seemed to me that artists with careers as long as his have lot of shit covering the diamonds in their catalog. Now one could just take those stones handed to him by others in the form of bits from sound tracks, compilations, etc. We all know that "Blowing in the Wind" and "The Times They are a Changing" are American classics, and that “Hurricane” was a land mark hit of the 70's and so on. But at some point, curiosity means that one has to put on the haz-mat suit a-la Bill Murray in Caddy Shack and go into the tainted pool to retrieve the proverbial gem(or candy bar, as was the case in Caddy Shack).


Its time to suit up...

Resonance: Rock and Roll Radio is dead; long live Rock and Roll Radio

 DISCLAIMER: This entry was composed over about 4-6 months and at least 5 writing sessions. I don't know what its about anymore, what it was about in the beginning, and it will probably be revised in the future until I'm happy with it.

Everyone has those songs that reach into their chest and squeeze their heart. Some even can pull it out and have it catch fire a la Temple of Doom. I've done nothing this week but listen to those songs.

I guess I'll start with "Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio" by The Ramones. Joe Queer sums up this song for me:

I talked to Joey about it, and that song, “Do You Remember Rock ’n’ Roll Radio?,” (sings)  “Do you remember lying in bed, with the covers pulled above your head?” And I said to Joey, "I couldn’t believe you wrote that line.” And he just laughed and asked why, and I said I thought I was the only one who ever did that. 

The idea of listening to the transistor radio until you fall asleep seems to be a sort of archetype in this country. I used to tune my clock radio to the Oldies station when I was little, or sometimes into one of the myriad country stations. When I was in middle school and early high school, I began tuning into Beth "Damn" Donahue on 102.9 WBUZ at night, and listening until Vallery came on to do overnights, at which point I began to fall asleep. Not too many years later, I got turned on to college radio and my mind was blown. Goal No.1 from then on was to get on that talk'ity box. Which I successfully have done. I'm sorry-- BACK TO THE RAMONES and “Rock n Roll Radio”

I never listened to the 80's Ramones stuff until I heard "Danny Says" and at the risk of an Interweb shitstorm(HAHA! no one reads this blog!), End of the Century became one of my favorite Ramones Albums. That and Leave Home. All the songs on End of the Century just speak to me. And Phil Spector's wall of sound is a nice change of pace. I love songs about the radio, particularly ones about making it relevant again. Down by Law's "Nothing Good on the Radio" still kicks ass and rings true today, in spite of being somehow more dated than the former song that came out like 15 to 20 years prior. 

Rock n Roll Radio hearkens back to an era that, as a college radio DJ, I wish I could be a part of. I'm the sort of guy who gets chills during the scene with Wolfman Jack in American Graffiti 

 

Now, I personally substitute Wolfman for Murray the K, because I thought The K sucked up too much to the Beatles. Not to malign the man, but I just wasn't impressed with that sort of thing. Anyway, the point is that radio, which for me is a treasured medium, is in its death throws as far as having any real cultural relevance. To illustrate, even NPR news corespondent Mara Liasson also moonlights on Fox News to pay the bills.

As I look to start a career in radio, I begin to notice that there is little place for the things I want to do. Gone are the days of a few DJs breaking new artists by taking a chance on a debut single that had come in the mail. Now the new stuff that breaks on most commercial radio stations is what has been sent down from the ivory towers in New York, L.A., and --in my neck of the woods-- Nashville. I am sure that to a point, it has always been this way, but with so many stations turning to syndication, automated systems(particularly Variety Hits formats), which require no DJs at all, and remove most of the slight programming input DJs and listeners ever had.


I personally feel this has killed radio. Many of my reasons are summed up in this Wolfman Jack interview from 1995:





While I somewhat wonder about the validity of The Wolfman's notions of computers using advanced algorithms to select the hits, its not far from the Truth(with a capital T, to underscore the subjective nature of this truth) that much of our modern hit parade has been completely mechanized. The thing is, while I can remember scores of chart topping artists since the mid 90's, I can recall very few of those hits, and much of them don't really seem to evoke much emotional response from me. Bare in mind that I am referring to top 40 pop hits, as opposed to say some of the very iconic rock songs from that time. Furthermore, many of these songs I remember seem to have faded from the cultural memory around me. You don't still hear Pennywise's "Fuck Authority"(peaked at 38 on the Modern Rock Tracks) in most markets. Likewise with most Green Day songs released after 1997 and before 2004(and even the singles from American Idiot have all but disappeared from most airwaves)

Granted top 40 was never about playing songs that were popular, but will I turn on my radio in 25 years to an oldies station and think "Ah, I remember the last time I ever kissed my first girlfriend before she went back to Tokyo, this song was on the radio" when I hear 311's "Amber". Probably not... when was the last time you heard a 311 song other than "Down"? And then only during a 90's weekend on the Modern "Bro(read: Cock)" Rock stations.

The Catalyst #1: Descendents

I can't recall the exact circumstances now, but in a sad and pathetic twist of fate, Descendents songs have served as the catalysts for a number of my troubles with my now estranged ex-girlfriend(this includes some ALL songs, too)

This thought occurred to me this morning, but I couldn't remember what the first song that made me ask susan a question the next day that was answered with a long pause and followed by the words "Thomas. . .  Fuck! I'm not doing this anymore."

You would think that that song would have stuck in my head like glue, but it didn't and now, I'm going to figure out what song it was. A lot of people suggested "Clean Sheets", but I'm about positive that wasn't the song. that song was September's theme. That may be my next post.

For what ever reason, I suspect it was "Good Good Things". More tomorrow. I have a lot of Descendent's albums to listen to

2009

Was god awful for me. Fuck 2009. What's more, it infuriates me when I say "I'm so glad to have this year behind me, and am ready to start a new chapter in my life." only for the schmuck I'm talking to to say "Man I LOOOOOVED 2009, it was great. What are you talking about?"

Well, lets go with music for a start(since this IS a music blog) My favorite records that came out this year were by and large, hardcore records and maybe one ska album, and one pop-punk albums. When you think of the heyday for the latter two genres in America, both were incredibly popular in the 90's, when we weren't stuck in a country that has never been conquered by an occupying force, when there was a bull market, and our president was banging all the fine(and not so fine) ladies. Now we have a disappointment of a president, a public so polarized, i see no hope for reconcilement or bipartisanship, the economy still teeters on the brink of collapse, and life generally sucks. Lots to be angry about these days, and I feel hardcore thrives in that kind of climate

So what are my 2009 picks?

Dolcim - Guillotine Rides
Screamo has really gotten interesting in the last few years. Its gone from the Jerome's Dream and In/Humanity stuff to these big epic songs full of crescendos, and honestly, its pretty amazing and I love it. Dolcim play Envy style screamo, and the hints of their Cease Upon the Capitol heritage are also evident from time to time. Honestly, these guys will probably be on 2010's list when the new album drops. Heard some demos, and discussed the ideas fueling the new record and damn... it's gonna rock.

Coke Bust - Lines in the Sand
Best straight edge hardcore album of the year. These guys have gotten all kinds of good reviews, and its because they're keeping it real, and not totally aping the whole Ceremony/Black Flag thing that's big now, and they aren't trying to sound like Have Heart and Bane, which while I love all those bands except have heart, its nice to see some bands not trying to sound like them for once. Think Youth Crew and Noisy Hardcore crossover. Keep watching these guys

Aggrolites - IV
The best ska album of the year. Traditional ska/rocksteady played with soul, but not like soul(unlike every traditional ska band at the moment) The Soul/Ska fussion stuff is getting played outm but these guys go back to basics.

Moutheater- Ornament
Melvins style grunge. Pretty evil and proves that not all modern grunge has lost its teeth and power.

Lion Of Judah- Number-rology
LoJ are back with this 3 song EP. All more post hardcore than the Universal Peace album. This one leans very much on the Dischord sound of the mid-late 80's.

Give- Self Titled
These guys came outta no where. Post hardcore ala early 90's Fugazi with some southern rock tossed in for good measure. These guys play one of the best live shows I've seen. Thrashing around, wailing on guitars so they have to be retuned every other songs. Thought that kind of sloppiness coupled with somehow tight and in control musicianship died in the 90's

Rouge Nations- Be Your Own Rouge Nation
These guys play straight ahead punk rock ala TSOL, Dead Kennedy's and such like. Smart lyrics, too

A Place to Burry Strangers- Exploding Head
If Devo and Black Reble Motorcycle Club made hot monkey love, this would would be their hot monkey love child.

Teenage Bottle Rocket - They Came From the Shadows
Pop Punk heavyweights return with a new album that got a little too Fat Wreck-ish at times. Still solid and about the only really good pop-punk album to drop this year, IMO.

La Roux - S/T
These synth pop newcomers are making some waves in that scene. Totally chanels the best of 80's synthpop

Cursive- Mama, I'm Swollen
Cursive returns to a sound and concept more reminiscent of Domestica

Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans
I say these guys are the kings of modern noise rock in the vein of Flipper or Jesus Lizard
As We Let Go- Above the Clouds
Japanese Hardcore. Think more like Champion or Bane and less like Gauze or Gizm

Brainwreck - Power On
Out of all the noisy hardcore bands that have cropped up in Nashville, these fellows are the best.

In Defence - Into the Sewer
Party thrash inspired hardcore from the twin cities. Lighthearted, but know when to get serious

STAPH - Keys
Emo. Real emo. 90's ish stuff with a lot better production.









---------------demos--------------
Nationale- 2 song demo tape
90's emo sylings with a female singer. RIP
Trenchfoot- Not Smiling tour cassette
Pop punk not unlike a really simplified and less depressed Off With Their Heads
Cannomen- Demo Vol. 2
Garage inspired Hardcore Punk hearkening back to 80's stuff.
Leach - demo CDr
Nashville Hardcore vetrans playing Weezer style power pop
Guide - demo CD-r
Murfreesboro TN hardcore with some Youth Crew vibes.



That's the list. I don't think I have to justify these. they're all amazing. I make these lists by basically sitting and writing the first things that come to mind. I figure if I remember them when I think about stuff I liked, they must be the best I heard that year. I also only put stuff I've actually listened to on the list. I know there are lots of other great records that dropped this year, but i didn't hear 'em. I own some I know would be on the list and I haven't played them yet.

Berserk- Complete Go-Kart releases.

That's really only 1 CD and a compilation song, but its all awesome. Berserk were a pop punk band from Maryland, and were the first band to have a full length on the then fledgling New York DIY powerhouse. The band has one cassette EP/demo I'm trying to track down, and another comp track on the Walking By A Building comp from Hat Factory. There was a 7" single for "Giant Robots" with "When I Think" on the B. There was demo version of "Giant Robots" on the soundtrack to Justin Case Productions’ PERMANENT DAMAGE. That covers the released material, aside from a video of their 1998 reunion.


God, that's boring, isn't it? On to some more interesting stuff. The band formed in the late 80's, with the Gonna Save the World From Danger dropping in 1989 on Beef Platter Records, who maintain a pretty useful page on the band with some reviews from various zines. They're all cool things to read, but hit on the same points: "Giant Robots", Love of Japanese and Korean Pop-Culture and Women, Incredible pop sensibilities. One zine review not included was one from the old Cake zine where the reviewer felt that the opener "Giant Robots" was "too Devo" and so otherwise panned a record he never listened to. Now that's solid Rock Journalism! Honnestly, the Devo comparison is pretty ignorant of band's far more similar to Berserk, and applies to maybe two songs on a 12 song record.

The trio comprised of Brent Malkus, David Crawly, and Skizz deliver some really awesome not played out pop-punk. In the early 90's Go Cart seemed to be doing two things- in your face garage punk a-la Meatmen, Buttsteak, and Candy Snatchers, and pop-punk with indie rock sensibility. Bands like Weston and Doc Hopper and Berserk were taking more cues from The Doughboys than Greenday or Screeching Weasel. As mentioned ad nauseam in reviews, The Buzzcocks cast a long shadow over Berzerk, but at the same time, songs like "Korean Kabbidge [sic]" and "Bluehearts" could have come off The Doughboy's Crush. Those song names bring up another important facet of the song lyrics- Love of asian pop culture and associated institutions.

Over half the songs reference some sort of Japanese cultural icon or an Asian girl the singer is pining after. This was probably what drew me to the record, as I have long loved Japanese movies and TV(anime included) and had recently had my first dating experiences with a girl from tokyo that transfered to my school for a year. These guys were basically like the minstrels in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail, following me and narrating my life and thoughts. I'd love to interview these guys and talk about their experiences that created this blend of mournful love songs and songs about Ultraman.


The album breaks into two halves really. The first six songs are fairly upbeat and rollicking, while the second half is darker in tone and style. Its kind of like one side is for when you're happy and in the perfect relationship, and the other side is for when you feel like me. 


This album was one of my first punk albums that wasn't by a band that every punk rock wannabe worth his weight in pyrite knows(e.g. Misfits, Ramones, Dead Kennedys etc.).  This was the kind of punk rock that the hometown bands played in Murfreesboro at the time, so it instantly struck a chord the first time I heard the album, and so for a time it was in heavy rotation in my car. That means two things, first being I got sick of it after a time, and the second will be addressed at the end of this post. Since then, I pull this CD out only sometimes. I think it hadn't been played in over a year and a half when I put it in the CD player this morning on a whim. The problem is two fold:


1. Berserk has such a limited output, that the songs get old very fast, and thus the band does too


2. Berserk don't innovate with these songs, so much as showcase their excellent songwriting. not much new is on the table, so it can easily become background noise


So now, when i clean out an old binder or desk and find a note from Marie(afore mentioned Japanese girlfriend) I get this CD out. Or when I've had a particularly awful day/week/5 months.


So with out further ado- Berserk


EDIT:


I found the liners from the CD and the GKvCG compilation. It didn't shed much light on the record, other than that the album had actually been scheduled for release several years earlier. Go Kart bought it from the original label, and put out in 1994. It was also released in Austrailia,(on time i think) and had at the time of the compilation's pressing only sold 140 something units. 


A big thanks to Skizz and  Beef Platter Records for keeping a pretty decent archive of information on the scene they helped build in Maryland in the 90's!

oops

Haven't had much to post here lately, but I do have a lot of new music for future posting here.

But I haven't Listened to any of it. I drug out dad's old LP collection and have been checking that out. So right now its some quick reviews of wax older than I am.

1)

The Songs of Leonard Cohen- Leonard Cohen, 1967

This is Cohen's first album. While the front cover is pretty non descript, the back(which I could not actually find, but pictured is a tribute album using the same image), as you can see is pretty out there. Which is a pretty good illustration of what the album is like.

One second, Leonard is presenting a very beautiful ballad, but the lyrics have a dark and sinister twist.

"Suzanne", the lead off track, is easily the crown jewel of this album. The rest of album seems to build off the cadence Cohen presents in this first song. "That's No Way to Say Goodbye" is probably my second pick on this one.

Cohen isn't just a one trick pony on this one though. He delves into some pretty odd sounds in the final cuts of the album, and "Sisters of Mercy" is almost incongruent with the rest.

These are dark songs. I think if you know any of Cohen's work, you probably know that with out being told. Gorgeous music though. The songs on the B-side have some choruses of female backing vocals... I can do with out those.

Heart Attack and Vine-Tom Waits 1980

Tom's last Asylum release, this album ranges from visceral blues tunes about the underbelly of American city life, and visceral jazzy piano ballads, and one song later covered by the Boss. Waits is in fine form here, and often fluctuates from a baritone voice to his iconic slurring growl within the same verse.

I find there is a bit of a lull at the end of the title track, an instrumental blues composition that just doesn't do much for me. Other than that, this album is perfect. Its almost two EPs shuffled together at times. The slower ballads are all the heartfelt kind about how much love hurts, which, if you read my other blog, is how i've felt. There's a slimy feeling to this one and it's not to be missed.

Green Day- 21st Century Breakdown

<---A Rock Journalist Rock Journalism- A dream job for me. I took a step toward that this summer with some intense photography stuffs at some shows and lined up some interviews. In an atempt at boosting my rock journalist cred here's a stab at a sacred cow of modern rock. It's a loving stab, kinda like how Brutus stabbed Ceaser.

If you keep up with former punk rock outfits, you surely know that once great East Bay out fit Green Day dropped a new album back in May. Right around the time my cat died, my girlfriend left me, and I turned 23 and felt like I was living my favorite Blink 182 song[What's My Age Again?](Screw off, Enema of the State was good for what it was(the album that opened my mind to punk music) at the time). That's a fragment. So anyway, Green Day is a band that, while I hold lots of nostalgia for, I hold no continuing respect for after Warning and American Idiot, so I didn't give the new one a fair try. So here's a track by track review:

Song For the Century: Fluff. nothing of real value here, they book end it on the last song(s).

21st Century Breakdown- Starts out like a Weezer song. Not awful, but not "Armitage Shanks" either. It then goes into some celtic inspired Drop Kick Murphys stuff. generic, but it couldn't brace me for the sudden 80's KISS that ends the song.

Know Your Enemy- This song sounds like it came off of Warning. I imagine this must be one of the lead singles. Its catchy, and doesn't stray too far from the sound they built between Nimrod and Warning, so its pretty safe for Mr. Radio™. Anyone can like this if they enjoy what the radio foists upon us.

¡Viva la Gloria!- This starts out as a piano ballad. It sucks. Then it stops, Tré clicks out a count off, and it goes into some rollicking pop-punk goodness with lots of melody. I actually like this one. It reminds me of some of the stuff on Nimrod. Pleasant Surprise.

Before the Lobotomy- What's up with the cheesy acoustic intros then exploding into rock? But hark! THIS SONG IS "WALKING CONTRADICTION" WITH A FEW EXTRA LICKS AND NEW WORDS!!! Shit you not... Check it at 1:20 and compare with the hit single from Insomniac

Greenday has aped everyone from the Doughboys, to Dillinger 4, to the Kinks. This doesn't speak to the originality of the band, when they recycle their 15 year old hits. I know that when you work with song structures that only use 3-6 chords in a song, you are gonna have some stuff that sounds similar to your other work, but Green Day by this stage knows how to write stuff that doesn't sound like Green Day.

Christian's Inferno- Weird new wave intro gives way to 3 chord rock and does that a couple times. Kinda Devo-ish at parts. The chorus is awful; I can't back this track... its lame. The outro reminds me of "Welcome to Paradise"

Last Night on Earth- Piano rock intro... I hate piano rock for the most part. I take that back... this is a piano rock song... its not God awful. Kinda Ben Folds-y; I like him. I'd make out to this song. Its nice, but not captivating so you can focus on technique.

East Jesus Nowhere- Remember that Holiday song? Not the one by Weezer or Madona, the one off American Idiot. "East Jesus Nowhere" is the same style. Green Day first used this percussive guitar style with "Hitchin' a Ride" as I recall. I would not be surprised if this one gets heavy radio play. This song is a bit too long

---It is at this point I realized the shortest song the record is 2:54, most being over 4 minutes. This is not Punx.---

Peacemaker- I point you too this Mitch Clem Comic-..... well I couldn't find it, but back in the late 90's every punk band had at least one ska song, and this sounds kinda like the band wrote a pretentious concept album ska song. poorly executed, totally forgettable. Its also has hints of kelzmer. Once again, trend hopping(lol folk/gypsy punk)

Last of American Girls- Poppy, kinda bland. Very much a throw back to the botched Warning album. Wow... Really poppy and way too long. There's a solo in here that needed to be omitted or used as on outro. Which is one of the short comings of this album. The songs go on too long saying the same thing over and over

Murder City- Straight forward pop-punk. I really like this one. Its the shortest track, and sounds the most like the Green Day I love, but has a nice solo in the middle that doesn't come across as forced displays of talent(like many others on this album) This one is a keeper.

¿Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl)- Very Klezmer intro. If you don't know what Klezmer is, think "Hava Nagila". Its a folk music with roots in Jewish European culture. This song has little in common with ¡Viva La Gloria! earlier on the record sound wise. The connection must be in the lyrics which advance the concept of the album, which I've not paid much notice of

Restless Heart Syndrome- Mid career Beatles intro. Very Brit-pop sounding song. I guess this one was supposed to appeal to fans of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". I'm sure its all through out the album, but this song has a distinct wall of sound: string sections, layered guitars that strum and drone and twinkle at the same time. This is a well produced song, but really not what I come to Green Day for. If you can't tell, I'm trying to be as fair as I can. I don't want to lam baste the whole thing, so if something stands out on a track, I'll mention it. I can't help it if a lot of what stands out is how bad some of these songs are. In the case of this one, its a solid song, but not a Green Day song in my mind. If Oasis or Suede had cut it though...

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades- So much like the Hives and other neo-garage rock bands, its uncanny. I swear if you had Jet or Jack White singing this, you wouldn't know it was Green Day. I like that stuff, but it just seems out of place here.

The Static Age- Despite the title, the Misfits don't abide in this song. Its pretty generic rock and roll, nothing stands out here. Its not bad, but it certainly isn't good. Mediocrity oozes from this one.

21 Guns- I think this is one of the lead singles. Total radio trash balladry. This is 21st Century Breakdown's "Boulevard"

American Eulogy (Mass Hysteria/Modern World) Song For the Century repeats then goes into two excellent tracks that wrap up the story. "Mass Hysteria" bleeds out into "Modern world" in the way "Brainstew" broke down into "Jaded". Modern World is classic Green Day sound. I love this track. They two songs sort of converge at the end, and they partner perfectly. This is what the majority of the album SHOULD have sounded like. You have mature songwriting and musicianship that does not compromise the sound the band established in their early heyday on Reprise

See The Light- Some Who homage is going on here. Not bad, but like the rest of the album, is cleaned up to appeal to the masses. Which leads me to this conclusion-

21st Century Breakdown would have been an excellent album from another band or a post Green Day project from Armstrong(who from certain sources, is currently the driving creative force in the band). There are some very good songs on this that will never get proper attention because of the direction the band seems to want peruse musically. I stand by my statement I made after American Idiot came out– Green Day should have quit after Nimrod and done these projects under a different banner.

Nimrod, while not the band's magnum opus (I maintain that honor goes to 1996's Insomniac), was a perfect album, capturing a band that had run its course in the best way possible, by burning bright, working hard, and growing up. Now we see this band some 10 years later still trying make buck off a revered moniker. People forget that Green Day's second wind came after a hiatus, a piss poor album(Warning), an aborted album, and a near break up that was only resolved through band therapy. That's some Spinal Tap shit.

I make this claim about performing under a new moniker, because I know that all of these members could do it. Ever hear of Pinhead Gunpowder? This San Francisco punk super group has had moderate success despite limited performances, focusing mostly on recording. Armstrong plays guitar and does some vocals. How about Foxboro Hot Tubs or the Network? Both of these Green Day side projects sound nothing like the classic Green Day albums(meaning they are of the same ilk as the last three Green Day albums) but enjoy moderate success with limited promotion. Mike Drint also enjoys some side project success, filling in with Screeching Weasel around the time of How to Make Enemies and Irritate People, and more recently with The Frustrators. Is there really any need to drag the old East Bay pop punk institution through the mud anymore?

I can understand why some rock journalists are praising this album, but I feel that when reviewing albums, many people don't look at history of groups. But I guess that's why I'm a blogger and not making the big bucks with Rolling Stone.

*note: the term sellout did not appear in this blog until now. Let's not resort to petty name calling, after all.

New Records

I just made a miniature haul for most record collectors, and what amounts to finding a 200 karat red diamond the size of my fist for me. I live in a pretty small town for America, and since the downfall of Grand Palace Records, Hardcore and Emo being sold in stores has been scarce(read:nonexistent)

But today I have found three awesome LP's of 90's hardcore and emo

Heroin s/t looks to be an older pressing, at least it has a different cover that the pressing currently for sale from Gravity(its lighter, no green on it either)

Rorchach- Remain Sedate- pretty sure this is from the first (only?) press run of this band featuring th founder of Gern Blandsten records

Unwound- Repetition is from 1996, and is when the group began to add other instruments that treadionally weren't "rock". Not my favorite stuff from them, but better than nothing.

Farethee well Michael, you creepy bastard

People who write off the king of pop because of the child abuse allegations have missed the mark. I think most people who ever watch his rare post 90's press appearances can agree MJ was bat shit insane by then. Its sad that after putting in all the work into staging his comeback, he died.

I'm not looking to wax philosophical, or gossip about the bizarre circumstances of Jackson's death, but I do have one thing to share with you all...

A somewhat rare MTV short piece-milled together from footage from a lesser known anime called Mighty Space Miners. This is one of several Cartoon Sushi shorts(I briefly discussed this MTV animated anthology a month or five ago in the entry entitled "Cartoons") that were made this way, collectively known as UltraCity 6060. Clips are cut up, poorly dubbed and displayed out of context to mixed effect. This is one of the better ones. I like to think of it as what would have happened had things not gone south for Michael in 2003.

I present UltraCity 6060: Planet Jackson

What I love most is Quincy Jones in the clip looks like a white Quincy Jones. I read somewhere that computer is supposed to be Donnie Osmond or something.

Back in inaction

Today I did my first solo radio show with WMTS. Urusei Punk Rock!! got off to a rough start. I didn't get to bed until 5:30 last night, as I was working on my computer. I then had to be up at 9 for the show... that didn't happen by the way. I got there late, had forgotten my iPod with the show's play list already made out, so I ran the show using CDs and records. This is not a big deal, it just means your board is tighter than a band of sun dried raw hide around your neck. I was scatter brained, hungry and tired as hell, but I made it work. 

If you're wondering, I play pop-punk and hardcore on my show. I'll be recording it next week and will upload the recording in two parts. I'm gonna try and see if I can somehow record on my computer which will let you hear it all, uninterrupted. Doing a 2 hour show on CD-R means there's a gotta be something missing, and it get freaking expensive. 

Anyway, today is my birthday, so here's so stuff for you because I'm feeling magnanimous. This was one of the hidden gems I got 5 months ago when the station pitched out its library. Fucking morons... I was incredibly angry. so much great music was just thrown away. This is a CD from Books Lie, a Brooklyn band that stuck around for a couple years longer than most hardcore bands seem to do. They were still jamming out their brand 

of hardcore as late as 2004, and thus far I've not been able to find out

 much more since then. They were wanting to head over to Japan, but since they disbanded in 2005, I very much doubt that worked out for them.  

The music really reminds me of the stuff coming out of San Diego in the early 90's. Antioch Arrow and Heroin come to mind. This CD is the Hall of Fame of Fire EP and a bunch of old 7"s so you get a good bit on this one. That said, if you piece it together right you can hear the band's evolution. this is of course true with most discographies or collections, but this one isn't in order, so I figured I should state that. I don't know why I felt the need to state that, or justify it. Welcome to meta-blogging? Anyway, the chronological order is as follows-

9, 11-14, 16(I Felt Like Such a Loser Until I Realized I am Already a Winner); 15(Split with Living Under Lies); 17-18(Empathy 7"); 1-8--  and no info on what track 10 is... must be one of those B-sides I hear so much about these days There's a weird electro track that is better off ignored. I'm guessing they are there to punctuate the sections of this collection as the end of the titular EP is also one of these oddities. 

This is on Level Plane. I really dig their roster. If labels like Dischord and Gravity captured scenes at a special place and time, level plane seems to be a who's who of the last 10 years of this music, what ever you want to call it. 

I'm not including art work on this one, as you can google it. Enjoy.

Also, Bad Skulls' has launched their new site with more awesome shirt designs for every kind of hardcore  music you can think of, and more importantly- Posters and records(mostly Look Back And Laugh stuff, but that's more than OK)

Books Lie:

Brooklyn, NY

1999-2005

Hall of Fame and Fire CD

Level Plane Records 61

2004

And another thing-

If you are interested in cycling, my lame day to day existance, random musings, and anything i enjoy that isn't covered in this blog, please check out my other "personal" blog Hi Losers. . . I'm Here. I'll be getting my laptop back on Friday, and I'll have my real post of the summer up before too long.

More new stuff, still no posts

Right now the only thing hindering uploads is the absence of my computer. Since I rip music from it, it is obviously the second most important element of the sharing process.(after the record/cd/tape, of course). But when it comes back, I'll have a lot of stuff for the summer. Lot of CD rips, and some cool vinyl rips, and a sampler from this baby-

Yep, the Dolcim LP, Guillotine Ride finally hit, just in time for tour. I spent a lot of time this weekend hanging out with my friend Jonathan and Sean(Dolcim's bass player), who is a mutual friend through different circles from many moons ago. Dolcim is heading out on their first tour(today, I think) which is also their first European tour. Doing it up Gorilla Biscuits style, I guess. Needless to say, Sean hooked us up with the CD-R of the 12", and two copies of his solo project, Kafka on the Shore, which is pretty much amazing. Its all instrumental, and is available on tape only at the moment. I'll also be posting up a few select tracks for you at a later date as well.

I also got some other cool records, such as the Urusei Yatsura Drama Special 12" from Japan. Urusei Yatsura is a much beloved Japanese anime TV show from the 80's, and if you like Japanese culture, its probably the best series representation out there. Its full of humor that most non Japanese would have no hope of comprehending if not for extensive translation notes, a familiarity with the language, and too much exposure to Japanese pop culture, history, folklore, etc. As a terminal nerdking, I can say I dig this enough to buy a mint condittion copy of the record and pay for the shiping from Hokkaido. Since there are only two tracks of music (the rest being a promotional radio drama for the second season of the show, in which the important parts of season one are recapped) I'll only be putting up those tracks. Also to come are a metric buttload of 7"s and a smattering of 12" records.

Still more exciting for me is that I am going to be doing some music stuff of my own. Jonathan came to me about two weeks ago with a plan to write and record an album of predominantly instrumental bits. I've been roughing out some guitar parts for the last week, and I think we'll have the rest of the first song written out by the weekend. I'm doing all the guitar and bass, While Jonathan will be doing some percussion, keys, and horn. We'll be bringing in some friends to help as some of the ideas are a little out of our reach as musicians. Mostly it will be some more complicated drum parts that I can write, but not perform(I honestly can't play drums at all... not one single rhythm). And since we happen to be good friends with a pretty damn talented session drummer, He'll be assisting us at points.

The project is called Imperialism After Dark, and we plan to incorporate some familiar bits of pop culture into our music as short melodic fills, modified drum beats, or just jumping off points with little to do with the original works, as has become the case of the song I'm currently churning out.

We have no idea as to when or how the release of this stuff will go down, and the planning isn't all there. Its one of those things where if we don't just get up, rush headlong into it, the thing will go on a dusty shelf of aborted projects, along with a ska punk band, a feature film, a Le Mons race team, and a zine. Its a do or die situation.

More to come-- Stay tuned

shucks-howdy!

So i had a fairly productive weekend that brought two new titles into my vinyl collection. I went to a small CD/Record show in my home town and was about to leave emptyhanded(most of what I wanted I could get elsewhere for less or was available from the lable still.) when i won the door prize of a 25.00 gift certificate to the one vendor who had had nothing I wanted. So i flipped back through and found a demo copy of the Ramones' Leave Home album, notable for still having the song "Carbona not Glue" as opposed to "Baby Sitter". Awesome. I wonder what else that guy had that I over looked? Anyway, with a bit of funds freed up, I was able to also get 97a's Abandoned Future 12" picture disc. Both are in great shape, and I may rip the 97a disc at some point.

I'm also looking into building a collection of anime sound tracks on vinyl too. its fiarly cheap since the demand is low and it looks cool too. The japanese are all about pacaging if you've never looked at the stuff coming out on their major lables. Its pretty elaborate, lots of hardbound liner notes and stuff.

Speaking of Japanese stuff, i gotta couple of Japanese hardcore/emo CDs from the station's great dumping of music that im gonna rip for you all, as well as some other cool things I've found, and expect updates to resume in early May. TTFN!

Cartoons...

. . . have always captivated me. I never grew out of them, and I don't mean "I watch Adult Swim, and think the cartoons are edgy." Don't get me wrong, Adult Swim has done some pretty awesome stuff for cartoons in the eye of the general public, and some of the stuff on the show has really sort of pushed some limits. 12 oz. Mouse comes to mind, ushering in some of the stuff that now comes across as bat-shit insane, such as Superjail, which I love.

Yet so much of these cartoons really are no more weird or bizarre than the cartoons of the late 80's and 90's that were just sort of off the deep end at times. Some older readers may recall that in the 90's and early parts of this decade, MTV seemed to have a deep interest in animation. Many remember the seminal series such as Bevis and Butthead, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, and Aeon Flux.

I would say (and I only speculate in the case of the latter most, because I have yet to see it) that these titles live on for good reason, but I daresay many people have long since forgotten shows such as Liquid Television, Oddities, and Cartoon Sushi.These three series were anthologies of typically short cartoons, and often gave rise to other more popular series, such as Bevis et al. and Aeon Flux. But mostly, the segments were one off projects that showcased new faces in animation. Oddities showcased only two cartoons as I recall, both action cartoons, “The Head” and an adaptation of The Maxx comic series. At the time these shows were on the air, my local cable provider either did not offer MTV in expanded basic, or my folks had blocked the station. I eventually caught these shows either as late night reruns several years later or at my grandmother’s house on spring and summer breaks. I have begun looking for videos of these to share for your enjoyment, and expect to see more of those titles filling in the gaps between record uploads on these pages. But what prompted all this?

I decided to diversify the blog for two reasons. First, my record collection is stagnating with my current unemployment. I did luck out and get a bunch off cool CDs when the station had to get rid of everything, and I did get some new records a while back that I am excited about. But ripping takes time I don’t have during the school months and that leads into reason two- I can post more often without compromising my school work or quality of the blog. So I guess we should get started…



I found Rad Boy and Jack Mac on the New Bomb Turks’ myspace. The cartoon is very much a prtoto Bevis and Butthead in some respects, with similar themes such as underage drinking, which kind of makes a proto Superbad, except the cops aren’t cool, and they die. Oh well. The plot revolves around Jack Mac and Rad Boy’s plans to go to a party, but its BYOB. They drive to the store, steal some beer, and begin rocketing down the highway until they collide with a truck hauling nuclear missiles for the government. Along the way, they run over a dog, cause two cops to get hit by a train, a couple car crashes and ultimately the destruction of an entire city.

Animated by Wes Anderson, the cartoon aired in the mid 80’s on USA network’s Night Flight. Anderson was one of the original Simpsons animators for the Tracy Ullman Show and was occasionally a director up to season 7, and went on to work with Fox on King of The Hill as well as some early Futurama. I think more interestingly, is Archer’s new project as supervising director on ABC’c upcoming The Goode Family, a new Mike Judge creation. The new project sees character designs that hearken back to the caricatures of Bevis and Butthead as opposed to the somewhat more realistic King of the Hill. Since the 80’s, Wes Archer has moved into more of the role of crew as opposed to the creative side of things. For The Goode Family, Archer was brought on to direct the pilot and seems to be on board for later episodes. Expect to see the show in the summer season on ABC.

Lux Interior

Is dead. Most of you who keep your fingers on the pulse of punk rock probably already knew this, as it was anounced yesterday. Lux was the front man for seminal punk/garage/rockabilly/rock out fit The Cramps. His passing marks the end of these pioneering punk rock legends. I don't care to go into particulars, you can get those elsewhere, but the death was heart related.

The thing that I want to talk about is the fact im a little weirded out by Lux Interior's death. On Monday, all I listened to were Cramps songs, all day, all night. To find out that the next day their leader was dead is merely coincidence, but a damn weird one no matter how its sliced. I regret that the thing that gets me back into posting is the death of a punk icon. In my circle, this will go on as a foot note, but I know others are bound to be shaken by Lux Interior's death

Just Things

The Beefeater reference in the title is unrelated. The college radio station I work at is purging their CD library, so I have obtained a few more things to put up when the time comes. I think its time I inform the more hardcore oriented that the next 5 or six posts are going to be mostly pop-punk and ska titles. I don't want things to stagnate, and I only have so much hardcore and emo. So if it's not heavy enough for you for the next little bit, stick with it; there will be more to come.

some other house keeping items:

The WHoR discography isn't up. I've uploaded it 4 times and something fucks it up every time. maybe next week.

I am doing a radio show on 88.3 WMTS, Murfreesboro, TN. My co-host and I usually record the show, so maybe i can get you a copy if you like. We play Ska music, and what ever else feels like being played. Everything from Aqua to Charles Bronson to Mineral. But its usually just ska of various flavors. Last week's show was cut short but otherwise we run from 6-8pm Central, and maybe you can listen online sometime soon. Streaming has been down for some time though. You'll be hearing more about the station as the year goes on.

Whore House of Representatives- Decay

This one is still available, but the copy I'm putting up is a promo copy I got when I ordered a Watership Down 7" about a year ago. It seems to have been printed in Malaysia, and has different art work than the official Un-Yelliman Records. I can't find a track listing for the official release, but i assume its the same, unless they manged to secure the tracks off the Mark Burback split. On to the meat of our topic. What you get with this discography is some 90's Seattle Anarcho-punk. Its fast, snotty, and occasionally pushes into hardcore and thrash territory. WHoR used to kick around with a lot of the Rodent Popsicle bands, and half the photos I found were with Toxic Narcotic or Brother Inferior. And that's much of what you get here. Female fronted punk that strays into hardcore and power violence territory from time to time.

I'd like to say I love all the music posted here, but I could take or leave this apparently, as it sat on my desk untouched for a year. Actually, for a while I forgot I had it. Its not bad, its just kind of generic. I tried to find out more about the band, but they seem to keep their info to themselves. Formed in 1993, seemed to be very active in the Seattle area, broke up in 1999, and are rather bitter about the state of the Seattle punk scene today(at least according to the liner notes of Decay)

This is one for fans of bands like FCP and Retching Red, which are both female fronted bands that are more aggressive that the typical Riot Grrl offerings.

the end