Anything On Your Mind?
I was chatting with a buddy about music the other day, as you do, and I mentioned that I have a pretty big blind spot in music corresponding to when we first started having kids, with the trough of that time probably being 2010 and 2011. It didn’t really help that I had some job transition things going at that time as well, just to increase the challenges to staying in touch. Adding yet another layer of challenge is that my recollection is that music media was kind of a mess at the time, with the revenues of print media collapsing which ruined some of the ways I tracked stuff. And, of course, online music criticism was deep in the throes of poptimism which was not very much of a help for me.
Add it all together, and that period of time is one where I didn’t pick up on many new bands and was generally treading water as far as music. I wasn’t stretching genres much either like I try to. It was more a matter of picking up on releases from bands I knew and just hanging in there. It turns out having young kids around and not getting out much also serves to limit your awareness of the broader culture. It wasn’t until some time around 2012 or 2013 that I started finding some new blogs and started really trying to stretch myself more.
I do wonder about the records I’ve missed. I don’t really have the time or energy to fill in those gaps, because there’s enough new stuff to keep track of that I can’t really mine those missing years for other stuff. Looking at RateYourMusic’s 2011 list, there’s stuff in there I listen to, but sure enough, lots of question marks. Ah well. Can’t fret over spilled…uh, records. Whatever.
What Do You Listen To From 2011, Josh?
A sampling of albums that I’m playing regularly, whether older ones or newer ones. Just the things that I think are worth highlighting, and maybe you’d enjoy.
Eh, screw it, let’s stick around in 2011 a little while longer. Here’s three records that I do listen to from that year, although I’ll note that one of them I actually backtracked to pick up. Not beating the out-of-touch allegations there!
Weatherhead, Helms Alee
I first saw Seattle’s own Helms Alee when they opened up for Torche, a rare case of picking up on a new act live during this rough time frame. I actually found the tickets in my email, and it was actually in 2011. A miracle!
Helms Alee have released six albums over the years, with the records sitting somewhere around noise rock and sludge metal, moving pretty seamlessly between those styles and mixing them together. There are a couple of big attractions here - the vocals have quite a bit of variation to them thanks to all three members contributing, which is a nice variation from a lot of bands in this space. It reminds me a bit of Kylesa, which is a comparison that might not make a lot of sense but does in my head.
The other big attraction to me is Hozoji Mathison-Margolis on the drums, who does a great job of propelling everything forward. I’m a relentless homer for Seattle bands, so my judgment is suspect. More than usual, anyway. But I really like this band a lot.
Mammal, Altar of Plagues
Altar of Plagues’ 2013 release, Teethed Glory & Injury, is the record that got me back into touch with black metal. I’d listened to some way back when the second-wave bands were still going concerns, but I definitely lost touch with the scene for a long time. After that album really kicking my ass, I headed backwards and picked up their previous release, and my goodness, “Neptune is Dead” is a genuine triumph. It’s not an easy album for sure, and kicking off with an song of this length is certainly no way to ease people into things. But it absolutely rewards your attention, and if you ever feel up for something off-putting and abrasive, but with plenty of depth, carve out some time and sit with this one.
Moody, Standard and Poor, Obits
Rick Froberg would be a legend for his work in Drive Like Jehu alone, as one of the driving forces behind a band that helped set the bar for post-hardcore. That he then followed up with Hot Snakes (reuniting with John Rees) and made another three great records (and a live album) is adding to his legend. Hell, Hot Snakes then came back after more than a decade and released another great album. Those six studio albums (along with the other stuff released) are an enviable contribution to music.
But during that break with Hot Snakes, he had another band which is somewhat overlooked, despite Froberg’s pedigree. Obits released three records during their time before breaking up, and they’re all good records. Are they up to the standard of Froberg’s other bands? Well, no, but that’s an impossible standard. What they do have is some fun interplay between Froberg and Sohrab Habibion and some nice propulsive songs. It’s a bit more of a relaxed experience than the lighting-in-a-bottle stuff of his other bands, but they’re definitely worth a listen and for sure to be remembered among Froberg’s contributions.
Let’s Talk New Releases
Records come out every week, and there’s no way to stay on top of them. This isn’t a comprehensive look at everything, just a few things that have caught my ears out of recent releases. Any impressions here are very early!
Through the Hourglass, Witch Ripper
Once again, I have to remind you all that I will cheerlead Seattle bands. So, Witch Ripper. Do you want more Mastodon? Like, Crack the Skye-era Mastodon? Yeah, me too. And so, here’s Witch Ripper’s third record. You’re going to hear some similarities in approach here, let’s just say. You’re going to get those top notes of Mastodon, which will unfold into some strong hints of Baroness, before finishing up with a lingering finish of High on Fire. This is not only failing to break new ground, it can’t really find new ground on its map. And that’s fine, because this sort of proggy sludge is very much comfort food for me, and I can’t listen to Blood Mountain or Leviathan every time I want to listen to something like this. Well, honestly, evidence suggests I might actually be able to, but whatever, it’s good to have another choice. Is this going to stick in my rotation forever? Almost certainly not, but I’ll have some good times with it in the meantime. (Car album, for the record.)
Super Sonic Rock Saga, Sick Shooters
A thing that I’m starting to notice about myself is how much I listen to garage stuff. I would have certainly recognized it as a substantial part of my music diet, but it’s maybe a greater component that I had perhaps realized. My music pyramid has a lot of servings of garage in it. Or maybe it’s just an excellent year for this stuff so far? Well, I’m not complaining either way. Anyway, Sick Shooters are from Utrecht, there’s no bass guitar on this, the tunes are fun, and the sound has sufficient hair on it. This is going to get lots of spins while I make dinner.
ReSet, David Chevallier, Sébastien Boisseau, and Christophe Lavergne
I kind of feel like I need to put stuff in here sometimes to prove that I’m not just a big oaf. I am, of course. Oafishness is an integral part of my musical preferences, something I make clear every time I write one of these things. And that’s fine, I’m comfortable with it. I have made peace with my inner caveman. And outer caveman. All the cavemen.
But I want to emphasize that I’m not just an oaf. I contain multitudes! Most of those multidues are also dumb musical tastes, mind you, but they’re there. Dig deep enough, and it turns out I do sometimes like some more sophisticated stuff. Like this! It’s good! Jazz, baby. I don’t know shit about it but listen to it nonetheless, in the manner of a dog cocking its head trying to ascertain if the word you said is a synonym for “treat” or “walk”.
Five Random Songs
Yes, it’s the “classic” five random songs format. It’s been told before on this blog many times, but basically, on an old forum, people would post the last five songs their shuffle pulled up. I liked it, so I made it into a blog. And now, here we are.
“Demise”, Tricky
Tricky decided not to just keep making Maxinquaye, one of the holy trinity records of trip-hop (along with Massive Attack’s Blue Lines and Portishead’s Dummy). This was admirable in him following his muse, but it wasn’t a successful one just in terms of selling records. By the time he reached his third record, Angels With Dirty Faces, he was really working in a pretty different mode. Still very rhythmic, it’s a darker record and doesn’t feel at all like trip-hop. I’m not sure what it is, exactly. Someone with a better knowledge of genres in this area could probably explain it better than me. Look, I can’t be an expert in everything. Or…most things, honestly. Five Songs: Full Of Shit But Doing Our Best.
“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, The Police
Well, this isn’t the most popular song we’ve ever had on here (that will almost certainly always be the time we got “Shake It Off”), which is up to 3.6 billion views on YouTube as of this writing. And while I’m here, because I was chatting with the same buddy above about A.V. Club Undercover, here’s the Screaming Females cover of “Shake It Off”.
Anyway, it’s always a little tricky to decide what to write about a song this well-known. Every angle has been covered by writers a thousand times more talented and knowledgable than me. So I’ll write a few things of random crap and call it a day. First, this video is extremely funny. The boys look like real dorks! Second, I love Stewart Copeland’s snare hit on the four just before the chorus. It’s a small moment but it gets me every time. Just perfect. Third, while on the subject of Stewart Copeland, I really liked the Q&A he did for Wired. His videos with Drumeo are also very fun. All right, good enough!
“Work It”, Marie Davidson
I picked up this record after an appearance on a year-end list in 2018. I don’t really follow electronic music all that closely, because who has the time? But I’ll pick up records here and there, mostly due to serendipitous encounters with things. And so, what do I think? It’s fine. It’s a little distant, a little aloof for me. I recognize that complaining about aloofness in a record like this is idiotic, but that’s where I landed.
“F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)”, Mudhoney
Mudhoney was generally unsubtle under the best of circumstances, which is appropriate for what they were playing. Subtlety would be lost, or more likely, not even noticed in the first place. Mudhoney’s audience wasn’t really looking for that sort of thing. But among a songbook that includes stuff like “Here Comes Sickness”, this song manages to stand out for its total lack of subtlety. Anyway, this is off of My Brother The Cow, the middle record of their Reprise trio, and maybe the best of the three. Piece of Cake had a little too much fuckin’ around (even by Mudhoney standards), and Tomorrow Hit Today had a little less character. Mudhoney’s catalog is actually a very consistent one, which is surprising for a band that had a reputation for goofing off as much as they did, so most of their stuff is worth listening to. But this record is nevertheless one of the better ones and worth a spin as probably a next place to go after the first Sub Pop records.
Oh, and this still isn’t the least subtle song on the record, an honor that goes to “Into Yer Shtik”.
“Thorns For a Dying Day”, Moonfrost
Bandcamp tells me I did buy this record, but I don’t remember doing so. That does happen occasionally. I generally stay on top of my purchases pretty well, but sometimes I’ll go on a binge (often at year end but sometimes other times) and an album will get lost in the shuffle. Let’s have a listen together!
Hmm. Kinda doesn’t go anywhere, does it?