FRIDAY

Two things that are making me very happy these days

The Milk of Human Kindness
JUST SO YOU KNOW THIS IS MANITOBA’s NEW NAME- CARIBOU.
This is Dan Snaith’s (formerly Manitoba now Caribou-- seems the very lame frontman for punk band The Dictators, Handsome Dick Manitoba, sued Snaith for trademark infringement) first full length recording under the new alias and it does not disappoint; sweet beats, tweets, buzzes and all the pop hooks reminiscent of his last effort- Up In Flames. This new album seems to be an inspired electronic exploration and celebration of sixties psychedelia and swamp rock.

Everything Comes and Goes-Tribute to Black Sabbath
Four tracks into this compilation, which will blow your mind, is the Four Tet version of Sabbath’s “Iron Man”. This track alone requires that everyone own this CD, a tribute to Ozzy era Sabbath and never has the word tribute been more appropriate. These bands come from musical worlds far distant than that of the aubergine fog engulfed planet we know to be metal. There is incredible range here; a country folk interpretation of “Planet Caravan” by The Anomoanon as well as a noise version of Sabbath’s catalogue titled “Reversible Sabbath” by Japan’s The Ruins. Not one of these nine tracks is a toss off. Each is a well considered interpretation of music that changed the world.

Life During Wartime

LIFE DURING WARTIME
Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons
packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway
a place where nobody knows
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto
I've lived all over this town
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Transmit the message, to the receiver
hope for an answer some day
I got three passports, couple of visas
don't even know my real name
High on a hillside, trucks are loading
everything's ready to roll
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nightime
I might not ever get home
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
This ain't no mudd club, or C. B. G. B.
I ain't got time for that now
Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
somebody might see you up there
I got some groceries, some peanut butter
to last a couple of days
But I ain't got no speakers
ain't got no headphones
ain't got no records to play
Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time?
Can't write a letter, can't send a postcard
I can't write nothing at all
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
I'd love you hold you, I'd like to kiss you
I ain't got no time for that now
Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock
we blended in with the crowd
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines
I know that ain't allowed
We dress like students, we dress like housewives
or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle so many times now
don't know what I look like!
You make me shiver, I feel so tender
we make a pretty good team
Don't get exhausted, I'll do some driving
you ought to get you some sleep
Get you instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to stay healthy, physical fitness
don't want to catch no disease
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say
(lyrics by the Talking Heads)

April 15, 2005

milo

fever

Last night I went to Fever Pitch, a film based on Nick Hornby’s first book. I do not understand. The film was so uneven, poorly acted and the soundtrack sucked (yes the soundtrack SUCKED). Nick Hornby was even the Exec. Producer. How very disapointing and sad, good for the pocket book no doubt. The only saving grace was the memory of that incredible series last fall and Boston.This though was not really a true save.

buzz, spurt, zip

The clocks in my house all seem to be in variance of each other by between five and ten minutes. I feel as if I exist in a soft time, nothing dramatic, but never quite at time, on time, in time but deffinitely moving forward. I wonder if I might blame the clocks on my oft time perplexity of things solid. The time has now jumped a full hour ahead, I remain soft.

Daft Punk-click, zoom, buzz. Daft Punk have once again spun together an album of electronic sounds from their limited pallet . What takes Daft punk to a different dimension of just plain fun is their unforgiving love of ROCK. From thrust-your fist-in-the-air power chords to massive drums, this duo are bananas for all that is great about 70’s cock rock. It is as if two kids from another solar system intercepted the whole KISS catalogue and sent their interpretation back to earth at Commodore-64 driven warp speed, farty sounds and all. This recording is often silly, but when it rocks it does so for all the right reasons. : Human after All(Virgin)