A Gentlemanly Conversation with Starving the Tsunami

            Another week, another interview.  This week we head back to Philadelphia to talk with Starving the Tsunami.  Elliot wrote about them a few weeks back, and really dug the sound they were putting out.  We decided to shoot them a message, and between the two of us we came up with some questions to ask this new band.   Check it out!

Where did the name Starving the Tsunami come from?
           Originally wanted a name that really didn’t have any specific meaning... something that would gain its own meaning amongst those who listened and connected with Tsunami. It may have been inspired by a conversation over Taco Bell.

How did you guys meet?

The roster changed a bit before the line up was solidified in its present form. Mike and Luis met from a craigslist ad. Luis met Dan at a Tsunami show at The Fire in Fishtown. Mike had talked about Dan being a bass player previously, and Luis was intent on scooping up Dan when he relocated from Syracuse New York. The boys met Tina at a south Philly watering hole, Grumpy’s. Luis had a chance to hang with Tina after the bar closed one night. He picked up a guitar and Tina sang improv. He knew then that he wanted her as the new Tsunami front woman.

How long have you guys been playing music together?

The current line up has been playing for about a year and a half.

Elliott had a hard time describing your sound, how would you guys describe it?

When we heard Elliot’s remark in regards to his difficulty in describing our style, we were pleased. Irregardless, Our focus has always been to remain undefined in genre type.

Why is it so important for you guys to remain undefined in genre type?

 Because we're not hobbyists, we're artists.

Who would you say you're most influenced by?

 Everybody in Tsunami pretty much has roots in either the punk or metal scene.

Are you guys trying to gain a certain reaction from your audience with your music?

We really just like to make music that we enjoy listening to and playing. We hope that our songs are loved by people as much as we love them. Simple as that.

"Howl Like The Wind" Has a lot of lyrical repetition.  Why did you decide to structure the song like that?

This was a decision made by Luis during the production process. His whims are inexplicable; usually due to his- and Tina's alcoholic consumption during tracking. 

Now that Tarot has been released, are you planning on following up with a full LP?

We’re currently working on a new installment. Whether we decide to do an EP or LP is going to depend on what unfolds over this spring.

Are you guys planning on a new direction musically with your next release, or are you hoping to try something new?

To answer your question(s): Yes. it is decidedly so.

Is there someone who you guys would love to do a collaboration with?

Yeah a record label.

Do you have any gigs coming up?

We have many shows lined up over this spring and summer with hopes to tour late summer early fall. Anyone can check if we’re coming their way at our Facebook page.

How has Philadelphia effected you musically?

We love cheap beer and bad food.

Now the real question: Pat's or Geno's?

Neither, unless you want a mouth infection. They’re tourists attractions, and sell nothing more than glorified roast beef sandwiches. Cosmi’s is right in south Philly..and Max’s on Broad and Erie in North Philly is amazing.

Well there you have it.  Go on their bandcamp and facebook to get the music and hear about the latest show updates.

Also you can like us on facebook, and check out some of our other interviews with Colleen Green and Buffalo Stance.

New Album from Three Weeks ago - Tarot by Starving the Tsunami

Hi again!

As you may know, we at the blog are perpetually searching for new bands to help quench our undying thirst for good music. It is my hobby and my passion. Actually, it would be more fitting if I said it is my addiction; I may or may not get the shakes if I don’t listen to something new every week. Like most druggies, my addiction has taken me to some very dark places that I am not proud of.

 I have been getting my most recent fix by listening to 80’s Russian post-punk. Just imagine 80’s music from the Soviet Union and you have a pretty good picture of how far I have fallen*. But just as I reached my darkest point, a guiding light brought me back from the brink of despair. This guiding light took the form of an upcoming south Philly band called Starving the Tsunami, and like all guiding lights, it rocked.

Overly dramatic introductions aside, Starving the Tsunami is pretty awesome. Any band that continuously makes me think I am listening to Janis Joplin is doing something right. Tsunami’s lead singer, Teena Leeds, sounds like Janis before her voice was put in a blender. They are not Janis Joplin though; their style is far too different. Their style is akin to most modern rock bands, but there sound is just not clean cut enough to be considered Indy or Alt rock. But their music is definitely rock; I just have a hard time describing it beyond that. I guess I would call them bohemian rock if that was a thing; passionate and intense, but sounding like it is coming from an apartment above a coffee shop (note that I do not consider that a bad thing).

Starving the Tsunami’s first EP, Tarot, is a very good first work. It has some really interesting riffs and baselines that really tickle me in the right places. Also as I have said above, their lead singer is amazing. They also have some awesome solos, especially in my favorite track, “Army of the Strange”. They also have one or two tempo/stylistic breakdowns that I absolutely love. That being said, there music suffers from one fatal flaw; there songs are too long.

Now you should note that I usually take the opposite view on music; songs should be as long as they need to be. For heaven’s sake, “Bros” by Panda Bear is one of my favorite songs every and it is over ten minutes long. However, Tsunami’s songs are too long with each clocking in at over six minutes each. The problem is that there just is not six minutes worth of music in each track. The chorus’s repeat a few times to often at the end. Also, while I love some of the breakdowns, sometimes they make the songs meander dangerously close to becoming “free form jazz explorations”.

So while their music is not divine perfection (really, there can only be one Man Man) like I implied in my introduction, it really worth a listen. Tarot is a good first work that shows a lot of promise (and totally worth buying at $3). I hope that Starving the Tsunami is able to get the time, space, and money they need to put out a full length debut album. If they do, I will be sure to let you know about it here.

Pick up Tarot here or like Starving the Tsunami's Facebook page here.
Like the blog's Facebook page here.

*In all seriousness though, Кино́ has some pretty awesome stuff and is considered one of the most famous and important rock bands in the USSR. Check out my current personal favorite tune “Место для шага вперед” here.

New Album of the Week - Sleepwaking by The Casket Girls

Okay, So I love this blog. I love writing about music. Unfortunately I am just too busy to put the effort that I did 6 months ago when I wrote constantly. So instead of trying to push myself to write like 1000 words every week, I will just do a paragraph or two. Also this takes less time to come up with what to say, so I will just do my new album of the week :D

Anyways, last week I picked up Graveface record's new band's, The Casket Girls's, debut album. Graveface as you might know is the personal label of Ryan Graveface of Black Moth Super Rainbow, and more importantly, BMSR's side project, the Marshmallow Ghosts. If you like crazy-weird-but-crazy-awesome indie music, then they are the label for you.

Anywho, Graveface (the man) decided to do another side project called the Casket Girls with Elisa and Phaedra Greene. According to the website, Graveface (the man) is obsessed with creating a darker version of the Shangri-Las, as evident by the Marshmallow Ghosts cover of "I can never go home" that they played at the concert Steve and I went to. That sentiment was part of what went into the MG and is definitely part of what went into the Casket Girls. Whether he succeeded or not is up to people who know the Sangri-Las better then I do.  But that is irrelevant; The Casket Girls are awesome.

Why are they awesome? Well imagine the Marshmallow Ghosts with a little bit more of a upbeat pop mentality and get rid of the Halloween theme. That is fantastic because I while absolutely love the MG, I find there music is best listened to when the air gets cold, the leaves fall, and ghosts are lurking around every corner (October). The Casket Girls are a band I can get behind 365 days a year. I might not like them as much as the MG, but man do they kick some ass. Check out the song "Sleepwaking" below.

Half eerie, half beautiful, half rocking out, Graveface (the man AND the label) once again creates a perfect mixture of obtuse and upright. Whether or not you are a fan of BMSR, the MG, or indie music in general, I highly recommend at least checking out Sleepwalking. You can buy it here.

Hopefully I will be back next week.

New Album from A While Ago - Centipede Hz by Animal Collective

I’m back! Again! Wait…This sounds familiar...

All right, I am going to have to come clean with you… I do not know how much I will be able to blog anymore. You see, the reason why I haven’t been blogging since my “return” is that I transferred to MIT which is… a bit infamous for a heavy workload. To illustrate how bad this can be, about a month ago Mark wrote a really wonderful article on MPP and said “As anyone who knows Elliot can tell you, playing Animal Collective will bring Elliot out of the woodwork like…well…a hipster to a new Animal Collective album. ”. Reading his article indeed “brought me out of the woodwork like a hipster to a new Animal Collective album”, it encouraged me to start writing again; I thought “I HAVE to write a follow up article, I will start right after I finish my work!” Well… this is my follow up… One whole month later…

So I guess I have to change the way I work. I have still been picking up new albums every week, but am now 15 or so albums behind. There is no way I can make all that up. In fact, there is almost no way I can write an article every week anymore (at least not ones as long winded and “well-written” as my previous ones). So here is the deal. I am going to try and put at least SOMETHING up every week. The length of the post will just proportional to how much the album inspires me to write. This will range from long articles like today (being about Animal Collective, I have a lot to say) to half-paragraph long reviews of albums I didn’t like (like if I ever get around to writing about Tenacious D’s Rize of the Fenix). Either way, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews as much as I love writing them.

Ah… the elephant in the room… Centipede Hz came out a month ago… Why now? What happened to the three weeks in “three weeks ago”? Two reasons:

1.  This is MY column dammit and I can arbitrarily create temporal anomalies if I want to (much like I can cry on my birthday if I want to).

2.       Yesterday I played hooky from MIT to travel to Philly and go to an AC concert with John

  Let me start by saying that AC completely blew my mind. The show was absolutely incredible. Trust me when I say this, nothing beats Avey Tare screaming in person. The fact that that man can do that with his voice for 2 hours a day, 4-5 days a week, for months at a time, and NOT sound like Tom Waits (or worse, Bob Dylan) is simply incredible. I also have a hard time believing that they actually PLAY their instruments; guitars simply can’t (or shouldn’t) make noises like that. I will upload pictures to the FACEBOOK soon.

           

        Back on track: Animal Collective is by far one of my favorite bands of all time for one HUGE reason. Every single one of their albums (that I have) is simultaneously completely different than the others and strangely similar. They all feel like Animal Collective, but with a different feel. Sung Tongs is AC with an acoustic folk feel, Strawberry Jam is AC with a kick-ass rock feel, Feels is AC with a unique feel that can only be described as bizarrely tuned instruments, and MPP is AC with an electro-pop feel. Centipede Hz is the new Animal Collective album, and its feel can be best described as chaotic-analog technology.     

       

       If you happened to see my last post, you got to see my initial reaction to the album as it streamed online for the first time 2 weeks before the release date. This chaotic feel is apparent right in my reactions; I had no idea what was going on for most of it. What you don’t know was that by the time September 4^th rolled around and I got my double LP in the mail, I had already listened to the album over 15 times. I can hear you so enthusiastically shouting “HOLY CRAP! You listened to an album 15 times before it was released?” (in my mind, all my readers are on the edge of their seats when they read my posts). And yes, yes I did. Why? At first I just wanted to understand it, and then soon I was trying to achieve the goal of becoming sick of it before it even dropped. And well… I failed; I am still not sick of the album.

To be fair it isn’t my fault; the album is absolutely incredible. Something about it just prevents me from getting sick of it. Maybe it is the fairly consistent quality of the tracks. Some albums have sections that kinda drag on and wear on the listener. Maybe it is the fact that my favorite tracks, “Moonjock”, “Applesauce”, “Monkey Riches”, and “Amanita” are respectively tracks 1, 4, 8, and 11. That is a pretty perfect distribution over the course of the album. I never really have to wait for the “good part”.

Maybe it is the fact that the album flows together super well. The whole concept that Animal Collective was going for was a radio transmission with music going in and out as it overlapped with static and each other. This means that every song has a really interesting “mini-song” at the beginning and end that serve as transitions between tracks. This makes the individual tracks kind of confusing to listen to, but also makes the album feel really complete. In fact, I know this album so well that I could tell John what track was coming in 45 seconds based only on the type of static that they were playing on stage.

But probably the most likely reason is that CH is just a good collection of songs. I named my favorites above, but every track is really top notch (with the exception of “Rosie Oh”, which I just can’t seem to get behind). “Moonjock” serves as a thumping head banging intro that starts with “This is the new Centipede Hz” and ends with typical AC insanity. “Today’s Supernatural” is the crazy un-hinged single that is terribly fun live (“Letletletletletletletletletlet GO!”). “Applesauce” is probably the masterpiece of the album with its glorious vocal patterns and drums. “Wide Eyed” is the first Animal Collective song written and sung by Deakin and let me tell you, it is a treat.

On the second half we have “New Town Burnout”. This song is clearly Panda Bear’s baby; the fact that it was originally written for his solo work is obvious, yet he managed to work it to feels like an AC song and a good one at that. “Monkey Riches” flows over you like the Ocean on a rocky cove. I didn’t make up that image, a video of waves crashing on rocks was paired with it in the live stream and the image is just too perfect not to mention. The opening drums in “Mercury Man” are simply fantastic as is the drums on the whole song, hell the whole album (John would be mad at me if I didn’t mention the fact that Panda Bear plays drums this time around and that his set uses bongos in lieu of toms). “Amanita” is a fantastic end to the album; it matches the grandeur of the intro “Moonjock” and then kicks it up a notch, an ending reminiscent of Strawberry Jam’s “Derek” and MPP’s “Brother Sport”.

Now that I have talked for a great deal about the successes of the album, I need to bring up its failings. The first complaint that I (and a lot of people have) is evident in my initial reaction, it is dense. While this is typical of AC, CH is particularly hard to understand and parse. In fact, I do NOT recommend listening to it on ear buds. It needs nice headphones or speakers; it NEEDS some space between you and the music. The other “problem” with the album is kinda hilarious given how much I have complimented the album so far; it is simply not that good of an album for Animal Collective.

Yeah, you read that right, CH is not that good of an AC album. I just spent 1000 words drenching it in praise just to conclude it’s not good… But that has less to do with CH as it has to do with AC. For heaven’s sake, when you’re last 4 albums have been MPP, Strawberry Jam, Feels, and Sung Tongs, or as I like to call them, FOUR OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, anything less than that level of brilliance appears bad.  And well, it’s not on that level. Something about it is missing.

 I feel that Today’s Supernatural is a huge part of the problem. Each AC album always has a “big song” that kind of defines the feel of the album. For me it is “Who Can Win a Rabbit” off Sung Tongs, “Did You See the Words” off Feels, “Peacebone” off Strawberry Jam, and “My Girls” off MPP.  “Today’s Supernatural” just really doesn’t hold any water to those songs, it is definitely weaker. And though AC is definitely an album oriented band, without that big hit it just doesn’t feel like as strong of an album.

Another thing that a lot of people don’t like is what I started this section with, the general feel of the album. To some it feels over produced, to others it feels too chaotic. I actually really like the feel of CH, in fact I would rate it over Feels, Sung Tongs, and maybe MPP for that exact reason. This is just a part of the AC fan base; there is no agreement over which AC album is best (John loves Feels and MPP). On average however, CH is below the big 4.

But really, if CH was made by almost any other band it would be the gem of their career. The album is stunning and has some undeniably great moments. And well, even if you’re a jaded lover of everything pre-MPP (commonly considered their “pop album” if AC could even have one), you should find comfort in knowing one thing that I believe with all my heart. Centipede Hz is not a sign of decline, AC is still on a roll, and the next album will have a completely different feel and be completely awesome. Who knows, maybe they will adapt this new “dub step” trend I have been hearing so much about. 

Elliott's real time reactions to the pre-stream of Centipede Hz

Hello Readers!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted an article. My only excuse is that I have had a very busy summer (I got a job). That being said, there is no time like the present to get back into the swing of writing, and no band like Animal Collective (besides Man Man) to make me want to talk about music. So here goes everything (and by that I mean nothing).

So as many of you know, AC is releasing their new masterpiece album on September 4th.
As those of you who liked our Facebook know (see what I did there), I am so excited for this album that I made my doctor think I had rabies won't talk about anything else. You might also know that they streamed the album for the first live on Sunday night. Well, while I was listening for the first time, I wrote down the thoughts that ran through my mind. I have since listened to the album 7 times (I am currently on my 8th), so I have a MUCH better idea of what I think of the album, but I will save that for my full review in late September.

So it is my pleasure to present to you what ran through my mind as I listened to Centipede Hz, with some comments added (in blue italics) later to give you some context. (Warning: my English is broken and I can't spell)

 

Before the album started, the Geologist played a mix of songs that inspired the sound of the new album. This was very confusing for me, because I had no idea if the album had started yet.

OH MY GOD WHEN DOES IT START
WTF IS THIS MOONJOCK?!?!
no... that was just another intro... DAMMIT
IS THIS MOONJOCK?!?!
Nope....
OMFG ITS STARTING!!!!! a'oihfq[oihgqow

01 Moonjock
AWESOME start, heavy hitting drums and riffs
slowish but hard. 
referring to the style of the song
typical ac crazy crushed stuff together
very compressed and hard to understand, but good - very dense
oh man those drum hits are SEXY
i love the random noise too
fuck yeas, AC got sucked into a computer / blender
"what!"
I wrote down lyrics I liked a lot (or understood) in quotes
omg funcky breakdown of wtf?
sudden cutout, then lots of random stuff, very AC transition, lots of transitions i am guessing
kinda mini songs
The transitions are like mini songs, a la Fall Be Kind

02 Today's Supernatural
oh man, i know this one
I own the single and have listened to it countless times over the last month
man this visuals are trippy
The stream came with special visuals for each song
mixture of rollercoaster, distorted kids from home movies, and MRI pictures of the brain. oh and a really old cartoon
probably the least excessible AC album I have ever heard at the moment, we will see the rest
OH but this song! its great, like driving at 150 mph barely holding on , any slip will makes you crash.
Aw... its ending, now for rosie oh, been wondering how this transition was gonna work, cause i like the "mini song"

03 Rosie Oh    
- This song is a weird one, most of my thoughts are me not understanding what is going on
sweet! the strings hold on in to new song,
OH MAN, i love this.. wait...this is weird
eh all ac is weird, but in a good way
oooohhhhh i like this songs breakdown thingy
oooooohhhhhhhhh, fuzzy funky riff at the end,
some samples and "johnny walker"  
Describing the end of the song

04 Applesauce
aight, some fuzz going on
sounds like musical engine taking off  or like a rocket ship of sound
fruit in space visuals
oh man i really like this song
how to explain it? its like warm and fuzzy and happy
A pretty good description actually
less chaotic then the previous songs, but still out there
AH I LOST THE STREAM
OH THANK GOD IT BACK      
counting up 1-4, but with stuff inbetween, super cool
The lyrics count up in the lyrics, it's cool
fade in and out switch
Transistion

05 Wide Eyed
more fuzz and stuff, sounds like a crazy bass is building
nope i was wrong, no base
god this is the worst band to do this too    
I complain about how hard it is to describe AC from here on
the worst album by them too XP
Yeah, this album is particularly confusing on the first listen
too much is imposibble to describe at the top of my head
It gets easier on later listens
this one has a great bum bum...bum bum... bum bum...
Trying to describe a pulsating bass sound
"wide eyed" over and over, more noise takes over
oh man, time is getting messed up
AC - the closest you can get to an acid trip without doing acid
laughing and "be okay" over and over
I really liked describing the ends of songs a lot....

06 Father Time
the flashing colors hurt my eyes
the video gave me a headache at this point
this is a quiter simpler song                  
nice
slows down a lot at the end, whispers over and over
a breath of rest, glorious silence
the silence at the end of the song is a welcome change of pace           

07 New Town Burnout      
I sort of zoned out on the rest of the album, less comments                 
starting back up,     
music picks back up                                              
oooohhh interesting percussion going down
buzzing like guitar
kinda calmish, seems nostalgic and reflective who knows

08 Monkey Riches
waves in image perfect for song
You should check out this song with visuals, its fitting
flows in an out, crashing then lulling, very soothing in that way, but not slow at all
exactly like a wave, crash, drain, pause, rush, crash
breakdown gets chaotic flare, its good
same with ending

09 Mercury Man
rushing drums and electronic like intro
then changes, like everysong on this album XP
the intros REALLY throw me off    
"sounds like machines talking to me through the phone"
rolling drums
"just let it slip like mercury, just leave me be like mercury"
"it might be somewhere, it might be no where"

10 Pulleys
nice kinda piano in the background
simple beat, swelling lyrics
oooooooo , tricks you into thinking the song is over

11 Amanita
oh man im feeling this one
uses quiet very well
OH NO LOST THE STREAM AGAIN
oh good its back
holy shit! skeleton dance, sily simphony (referenced in my DSO post)    
LOST STREAM AGAIN ARRR
back
GOD DAMMIT LOSING STREAM
oh man this is fucking awesome
awesome bussing and chaotic
like graze of derek, but not the same
i will have to listen to lyrics, but the song sounds very regretful
"what are you gonna do? what are you gonna do?"
ending is sort of a crash, winding down.
SOOO GOOD
aww... its over... :_(


I hope you enjoyed my broken thoughts, I know I laughed re-reading them.
If there is one thing to take from what I wrote, it is that Centipede Hz is not an accessible album. It can be very hard to get into on your first listen, mainly because it is hard to tell what is going on.
That being said, I highly recommend the album. Each listen just makes me enjoy the album more and more.

Pick up Centipede Hz on Sept 4th or visit  http://radio.myanimalhome.net/  to check it out pre-release.

New Album from Four (cough) Weeks Ago: Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem

Sorry, there isn’t any time this week for an overly-long-winded-yet-hilarious-and-insightful-anecdote/discussion to lead into my review. I got way too much to say about this album and not nearly enough time to say it. So, let’s get straight to the review. Also, as usual, sorry I am a week late.

Let me preface this review by stating, I know almost nothing about rap. As I have stated many times before, I used to hate rap. I wouldn’t have called it the worst genre of music, but that is because I wouldn’t call it music. A catchphrase of mine was “you can’t spell crap without rap”; apparently I thought I was clever in addition to being intolerant. My hatred of rap was insufferable.

Then in early January, John put on Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP. Because I respect John a great deal I actually listened to the album instead of my usual reaction, throwing a fit until the music was changed. I was taken back; I actually liked it. My eyes were opened and I realized that rap is a perfectly respectable genre.

The Marshall Mathers LP single handedly converted me from one of rap’s most staunch and bitter opponents into a fan of it. It is important to note that I do not just like the album. If I had just liked the album I could have called it an exception and a guilty pleasure and continued to hate on rap. No, The Marshall Mathers LP converted me to a full on fan of rap music in general. People don’t change their minds like that very often. Yes, the album is that good.

The Marshall Mathers LP is a masterpiece. I don’t have to know anything about rap to say it is one of the best rap albums of all time, seeing as it is the most critically acclaimed and financially successful album of one of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful rappers of all time. The album is proof that art and popularity need not be mutually exclusive.

So what makes the Marshall Mathers LP so good? It has this texture to it that is unlike anything I have heard before.  The album is incredibly complex and contradictory. It is simultaneously personal and fictional, hilarious and horrifying, poetic and crude, defensive and self-deprecating. The album is bursting with emotions, which are down-right terrifying at times. More importantly, Eminem plays with words in a way that at times is simply breathtaking. In short, The Marshal Mathers LP grabs you right at the start and doesn’t let you go until it is over.  

Eminem’s second major label record, The Marshall Mathers LP marks a great shift in subject matter from its predecessor, The Slim Shady LP.  Eminem touches on this shift with the line “they said I can’t rap about bein broke no more, they aint say I can’t rap about coke no more”; the main theme of the Marshall Mathers LP is dealing with family, drugs, and success whereas his previous album was centered more about being poor. However the real shift is how much more personal Eminem is on the MMLP is versus the SSLP.

Like many rappers Eminem created an alter-ego, the infamous Slim Shady, as an exaggerated version of himself. Slim is incredibly violent, explicit, and deranged. The Slim Shady LP almost exclusively features Slim, whereas the MMLP uses him much more sparingly. By using less Slim, Eminem balances the overly elaborate fiction of Slim with more subtly reality of the real him. Songs mix honest feelings and thoughts with fictionalized exaggerations of reality. The result is an eerie mixture where it is hard to determine what is real and what is fiction. In Who Knew (below) Eminem comments on hypocritical parents who blame him for youth violence in the same breath as graphically threatening to kill them. He purposely makes himself into the world’s most unreliable narrator so he can create and maintain paradoxes without disrupting the tone of the album.

Speaking of paradoxes, the MMLP is one massive paradox. It is simultaneously one of the funniest and most terrifying albums I have ever heard. Jokes range from crude, “So I can sit next to Carson Daly and Fred Durst and hear them argue over who she gave head to first”, to offensive, “Slim for pete’s sakes put down Christopher Reeve’s legs!”, to ironic “this music is for the kids!”, to disturbing (all of Ken Kenneth). Some jokes are a bit cleverer. In Remember Me? he promises not to say “fuckin” for six minutes, only to say “fuck that” a minute later. Yet he didn’t say “fuckin” and doesn’t until after I’m Back, over six minutes later. If you take it literally, he fulfills his promise, a fact that makes me laugh every time I listen the album.

Yet at the same time the album is horrifying; he frequently talks about beating women, spews homophobic lines, and describes graphically killing people. Not to mention Stan (below) and Kim, two songs that are probably heavier than every Goth and Emo song combined. Kim in particular is the scariest song I have ever heard in my entire life; it is so complex that I will have to save my discussion of it to an Eccentricity someday.

The whole album is filled with emotion. Sure it might be almost exclusively anger, but emotions are emotions. Almost every track on the album feels like Eminem poured a bit of himself into it. This emotionality adds to the weight of his words. Everything that he says, be it joke, truth, falsity, or explicative, feels like it matters. It allows Eminem to create lines that feel incredibly raw and intense.

Yet Eminem doesn’t let it the emotionality of the MMLP take control, he uses Slim to hide it in the midst of reality versus fiction. The album is not weighed down, it remains in a haze between heavy and raw and light and trivial. This balance allows him to create tension and release it. He can say something serious and then undercut it in the very same line.

That all being said, the best lesson the MMLP taught me about rap is that what you say does not matter nearly as much as how you say it. A rap about a baloney sandwich could be the best rap ever if it was (absurdly) well crafted. This is where Eminem truly shines. The excellence of his meaning is magnified a million time over by his shear rap talent. He is absolutely incredible; he manipulates words in ways that load my brain with explosives and delivers them in a way that lights the fuse.

Eminem uses every rhyming trick in the book and then some. He is like Shakespeare combined with Dr. Seuss and a liter of grain alcohol. He is able to pack about a million words into one second and then slow down to utter the last couple syllables to finish the line off. He varies his rhyme throughout each song to create some really memorable lines. My personal favorites are both completely frivolous.  One line is in Who Knew, “Fuck shit ass bitch cunt, shooby-de-doo-wop, skibbedy-be-bop, a-Christopher Reeves, Sonny Bono, skis horses and hittin some trees.” The other is found in Kill You, “I invented violence, yu vile venomous volatile bitches vain Nicadin, vrinnn, Vrinnn, VRINNN!!! (chainsaw sounds)”. Neither line really means anything, but my god are they bad-ass. Surely this is proof that rap, even if it is about hoes, rims, and blunts, can be a work of art.

The end result of all of these points is an album that is almost impossible to comprehend. What is real and what isn’t? Which lines does he actually mean and which are lies? I don’t think you can really tell what Eminem thinks from listen to this album; you would have to know him in person. I do not have the luxury of knowing Eminem, so I am left guessing like everyone else. The thing is though; the opacity of the MMLP is a great part of its appeal. In short, the complexity of the album makes it intriguing and engaging in a way that most albums aren’t.

In trying to discern his music, People have often claimed that Eminem advocates violence, homophobia, and misogyny. These claims aren’t unfounded; almost every song has at least one line that is insulting to homosexuals, involves beating women, or discusses murder. These lines can get so bad that even I, someone who has a very dark sense of humor, have trouble swallowing it. So I understand the controversy behind Eminem. However, as Robert Everett-Green wrote, "Being offensive is Eminem's job description.” A lot of what Eminem says it to provoke a reaction, hence why he is labeled as a horrorcore rapper. When you listen to the MMLP you have to know how to distinguish between what might actually be real and what is just spitfire. This is something that children are unable to do, most take everything at face value. It is my strong opinion that Eminem is not a villain; he is not an awful person trying to corrupt people. However, impressionable people who can’t easily distinguish reality versus exaggeration (read: children) should NOT be allowed to listen to Eminem.  

That is to be said I do have some complaints with the album. For one, he could tone down the three things I described a bit. I know that is not the point (seeing as I just argued against him toning it down), but that doesn’t mean that I like it. Another thing that bothers me is Eminem’s constant reliance on pop-culture references. This album in forty years will be worse than it is now simply because no one will know who Brittney Spears, ’N Sync, or Fred Durst is like people who were alive in 2001 (I actually had to look up who Fred Durst is). All of the lines where he talks about how boy bands suck will be meaningless when people don’t understand the context. And unfortunately, Eminem raps about how they suck a lot.

I am glad I gave the Marshal Mathers LP a chance. Not only have I discovered another great piece of work, but it has opened my eyes to another world of music. I now want to check out some Tupac, Biggie Smalls, and more. I never thought I would ever say that sentence, let alone mean it. I want to see what else rap has in store for me. And I owe all of this thanks to that firebrand white rapper out of Detroit. I wonder what he would say if he ever read this. I like to think that he would laugh and then curse me out.

Elliott's Eccentricities - Red Solo Cup by Toby Keith

Quiz: what genre of music gets the least amount of love from the blog? What is that you say… Pop Punk? Sorry avid reader but you are mistaken, Eric loves himself some pop-punk. So as much as the rest of the blog will hate on that particular craphole of a genre, it has a home somewhere on the log. What about “old school genres” like classical or jazz? Nope, John has those covered. Even current mainstream pop gets a bit of respect; some bloggers don’t deny that Lady Gaga and Adele make some good music. No, the genre that receives no love on the blog, no love at all, is Country.

No one on the blog genuinely enjoys country. We don’t listen to it, we don’t talk about it, and we certainly don’t blog about it. We probably couldn’t name more than a handful of country artists if we tried. Maybe we are biased against it because we’re from Philly, a northern city. Perhaps we have never been introduced to the great classic country singers (I don’t count Johnny Cash because he isn’t purely country). It could also be that Country is just a crappy genre that cannot possible contain good music.

I reject that idea. I think that every genre, including my mortal enemy pop-punk, has at least one masterpiece. A genre might be mostly terrible, but it has the potential to contain a good track. I must admit that Welcome to the Black Parade is a really incredibly song despite the fact that any other song like it makes me want to punch Eric in the face for supporting those bands by buying their albums. I am positive that there is great country music out there, I just haven’t heard it. Note that I haven’t listened to much country so that statement is not bashing too many songs/bands. So today I am taking the first step towards accepting Country music in to my heart (and the blog) by featuring a song by Toby Keith.

Recently a friend of mine forced me to listen to a country song that she thinks is fantastic (and hilarious). I resisted, thinking that it would be about “how his wife cheated on him in another guy’s truck so now he is drinking a whiskey in his truck that he loves so much thinking about how he loves America and trucks”. (That is what all country songs are about right?) She persisted so I eventually caved and gave it a listen. What I found was a pleasant surprise.

I wasn’t quite wrong in my prejudiced view on what the song would be about; Red Solo Cup is a love song directed at the red cups people drink beer in at a party. So sure, it falls into the stereotypical topics of country music, trucks, women, booze, trucks, cheating, and trucks. Yet it doesn’t make me roll my eyes because it doesn’t take itself seriously.

On the eccentricity scale ranging from 1 to 10

1 - I wrote a song about a plastic cup

10 - I tuck a plastic cup into a miniature bed and give it a goodnight kiss

Red Solo Cup - 1/10

The song is just funny. Right off the bat Keith claims that anyone who prefers beer in a glass doesn’t have testicles. The whole song is sort of sardonic yet genuine. He knows how silly the song is, yet I feel like Keith really does appreciate all that the red solo cup does for society. Just the fact that I can write the previous sentence and be serious is proof that the song is awesome. Anyone who has ever been to a college party has had experience with the so called red solo cup, and thus knows how pervasive they are. The red solo cup is an integral part of youth culture.

The word choice in the song is fantastic; it uses “yucky”, and “foreclosable” in the same song. It also rhymes “receptacle” and “testicle”. I also love the fact that the chorus “proceed to party”. “Proceed” just makes me picture a police officer not allowing the party to start until the red solo cup appears. It is such a formal word in a place that it just doesn’t belong, yet it works so well.

The background noises in the song are also great. The echoes of “Solo Cup” at the end puts a smile on my face. Lines like “that’s what I am talking about”, “what up, what up”, and “lifelong” permeate the song, filling me with joy. The cheering, wooting, and fight sounds make me feel like I am at a party with my trusted friend the solo cup.

The video for the song is really fantastic. It depicts all the typical things that can happen at a party, fights, encounters with angry drunks, and have naked women. The shenanigans that go down in the background are a joy to behold and almost always feature Keith’s best friend, the cup. Speaking of which, the breakdown where Keith calls the cup his friend cracks me up. It is so honest; it is exactly something a drunk person would say and exactly the way he would say it.

All and all the song is just catchy. The twangy guitar really adds to the mood without being obnoxious. The song is just the right length, any longer and the chorus would become annoying. It is just a good, clean, simple song that is proof that not all Country music is bad. From now on I am going to keep my eye out for some more good country. Hopefully next time it will be more serious.  

New Album from Four (cough) Weeks Ago: BiRd-BrAiNs by tUnE-yArDs

Before I start, I wanted to give a quick note. Technically Tune-Yards is stylized tUnE-yArDs, Bird-Brains is stylized BiRd-BrAiNs, and Whokill is stylized W H O K I L L, but if I write them that way every time, my word-processor is going to become sentient and murder me. Also, as usual I am sorry I was a week late, I suck (you just get to enjoy two this week :D ).

This Saturday, several members of the blog (I think everyone except for Eric) are going to the Root’s Picnic at Penn’s Landing in Philly. To say I am excited is an understatement. Not only is James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) doing a DJ set, but St. Vincent and Tune-Yards are also performing on top of many other amazing bands. Now, we at the blog have gone to a heck of a lot of concerts this past year. Every time we debate which concert was best, Tune-Yards and St. Vincent are universally agreed to be the top two, with former barely edging out the later (Man Man is disqualified from the debate because I become violent if anyone claims that either concert wasn’t the best concert of all time).

I unfortunately missed the Tune-Yards concert, yet any long time reader (I.E. no one except for Eric) will know that I saw St. Vincent and loved the crap out of that show. Needless to say, I am excited to see Tune-Yards seeing as the rest of the blog claims that they are better. So you can imagine how excited I am for Saturday.

So what made Tune-Yards a better concert than St. Vincent? Both are solo projects by strong female singers, Merrill Garbus and Anne Clark respectively, so they must sound exactly the same. Ah, but how wrong you are you ignorant music fan! Not all female solo acts sound like the homogenous mass I like to call Lady Katie Clarkson.

 According to my co-bloggers, Tune-Yards was simply more fun than St. Vincent. The concert was more like a party than anything else; people just started dancing like mad. Whole sections of the audience jumped up on stage with the band and just started dancing with them. They weren’t thrown off the stage, Tune-Yards just started dancing with them while continuing to play. According to Steve, St. Vincent might have been a better performance, but the Tune-Yards show was one of a kind.

I don’t need to know my friends as well I do to trust their take on Tune-Yards, I can tell from her music. Whokill is one of the best albums of last year. Not only is it amazing artistically, it just makes you want to get up and dance. It has this light-hearted joy to it that makes it fun to listen to. I can only imagine how crazy it must be to listen to live. I doubt that Saturday will be anything like the concert I described above because it is going to be in a festival setting, but I am sure that I am going to have a heck of a lot of fun.

Thinking about Tune-Yards music this week made me wonder why her music is so fun. There are so many different emotions that music makes people feel, but fun is rarely one of them. Upbeat, kick-ass, pumped, happy, ready to party, and relaxed for sure, but fun? I don’t know how but they do it but even her mellow songs have a playful quality to them.

I think Tune-Yards’ music is fun because it feels like kids music made for adults. It has a youthful energy and dynamic to it that is akin to music in kid’s movies and TV shows, yet it has the complexity and depth of more mature music. I might be completely full of crap, but I feel like it bridges the gap between the playful energy of a child’s imagination and seriousness of the adult world. In short, Tune-Yards is music for your inner child.

Connecting childhood to Tune-Yards is not completely unfounded. Both of her albums, Whokill and Birdbrains, feature samples of children. It is important to note that these are not choirs, or focused lines from children like most songs, but straight up kids talking. Garbus also does a lot of work to support youth programs in the arts. Both of her music videos feature a whole bunch of kids from one of said programs. The videos are just a bunch of kids and Garbus up to crazy antics, dancing around and making faces. When kids aren’t on screen, the adults on screen are acting like kids. If those videos aren’t proof that Tune-Yards loves kids I don’t know what is. Check out the video for My Country below.

Somehow Garbus is somehow able to capture the antics of childhood in her music. Is it is the high tempo and strong drumming? Maybe it is the way she sings, an intricate mixture of softly serenading, rapidly chirping, and powerfully bellowing? Or perhaps it is the energetic guitar and ukulele riffs that repeat over and over? I really don’t know; she really doesn’t do any specific techniques that I haven’t heard before. What she does do is put it together in a way that creates a really unique sound that makes me yearn for recess.

I picked up Bird-Brains for the same reason that I picked up St. Vincent’s Marry Me; I wanted to check out the debut album of an artist I love. The thing with picking up a debut album after listening to an artist’s later work is that you will inevitably compare it to their later stuff. While comparing an artist’s varying albums is usually natural, it is unfair in this context. I listened to Bird-brains wanting it to be just like Whokill, just like I did with Marry Me and Strange Mercy. I originally didn’t like it because it wasn’t quite as strong of an album as Whokill, one of the best albums of last year. However, I forced myself to try to appreciate it without considering Whokill and grew to love it.

Bird-Brains is a really interesting album. It might be the most lo-fi album I have ever listened to given that it was recorded on a recycled cassette tape using a dictation machine without a bass guitar. Given its limitations, the album is extremely impressive. Besides the obvious poor sound quality, something that is part of the album’s charm, it is impossible to tell that it is just Garbus and not a full band. It is busting with musical ideas. It so desperately wants to be more than it is but cannot manage it with the equipment that it had to work with. It literally sounds like the cassette is filled to the brim, it cannot physically handle any more musicality and artistry. Switching between the two albums I just can’t help but feel like Whokill is simply Bird-Brains freed from its shackles.

At the same time however, Bird-Brains is not nearly as good as Whokill, even considering the limitations. Yet, that is only natural given that the former is a debut album and the latter is almost a masterpiece. Bird-Brains lacks a bit of the sophistication and artistry of its successor. However, the two albums are actually remarkably similar. The energy and style of Whokill is pervasive throughout Bird-Brains, all that was needed was a bit of time to mature. Unlike St. Vincent on Marry Me, Tune-Yards is not trying to find her sound, rather execute it.

Like Whokill, Bird-Brains consists of one amazing track after another. every song on the album is excellent. It never relents, never sags. I am a huge fan of Lions; the drum beat is so simple yet really drives the song. Also it has the line “While my brother and all his friends whip out their tiny teenage cocks” which is absolutely fantastic (and kind of creepy). John is a huge fan of Hatari which has some awesome bellowing and a really wonderful end section. News, Sunlight, and Jumping Jack, are all bursting with energy and make me want to dance. However, the best song on the album is definitely Fiya, seen below. Fiya has everything I could want in a Tune-Yards song, it starts off soft and peaceful and builds into a massive song that makes my inner child boogie. The drum beat is huge and wonderful and the riffs are to die for; the song is really fantastic.

The one exception I have when I claim that every track is amazing is its lead track, For You. I admit that I am not a huge fan of For You simply because it features a long sample of Garbus and a little boy AFTER the song. I know it is picky but it would have been a great opener it if the two were reversed. These types of decisions really bother me on some tracks; I hate the fact that Neon Bible ends with My Body is a Cage and not Antichrist Television Blues. But that is just me picking at strings.

If you haven’t heard of Tune-Yards before but liked either of the above songs, you should definitely grab Whokill because that album is really fantastic. If you are familiar with Whokill, then I can’t recommend Bird-Brains enough. Once you get over the extreme lo-fi sound, it is a really great album. That being said, if lo-fi is not your jam then Bird-Brains is not for you. Either way listen to tUnE - yArDs and let your inner child out for some fresh air.

Elliott's Eccentricities Part 2- 8-Bit OK Computer by Radiohead

It's too late to make this video this week's EE, but it's way too awesome to pass up mentioning and I cant wait for next week. So I present a part 2 to this week's EE. Check out this awesome 8-Bit version of Radiohead's Ok Computer.

In case you have lived under a musical rock and don't know who Radiohead is (only one of the best bands of all time), skip to 24:27. You might recognize that tune, Karma Police.

Or if Kid A is more your jive, dig this 8-Bit version.

Elliott's Eccentricities- Silly Circus by Silly Circus Band

Some musical instruments aren’t meant to be used. The recorder, for example, is pretty much only used to teach toddlers how to read and play music; I don’t know of any composer/band/music act that has ever used one in earnest. The Theremin is similar, though it kicks complete ass, it is used sparingly. A whole slew of whistles and noisemakers fall under the category of sound effects and are barely used in music. The king of the non-instruments is one that everyone has played and no one has enjoyed listening to, the kazoo.

“Oh but Elliott” you might say, “jug bands use them all the time and Barbara Stewart played a kazoo at Carnegie Hall”. Well congratulations, not only do you know how to use Wikipedia but you also have a knack for being a killjoy. Please stop reading this article and go back to fact checking YouTube comments where you belong. Are the killjoys gone? Yes? Good, now I can get back to kazoos.

The universe has several constants, the speed of light, the permittivity and permeability of free space, and the fact that no one likes the kazoo. Its only purpose is to be given out in cheap goodie bags at children’s birthday parties to annoy the crap out of all adults in earshot. It is not a musical instrument; no one in their right mind would disagree, let alone use a one in a song. Of course this is “Elliott’s Eccentricities” and no one here is in their right mind. This week features the one band that proves the universe wrong by using a kazoo and using it well, the Silly Circus Band.

I must admit that I did not discover the Silly Circus Band, Eric deserves full credit for that. Several weeks ago Eric was reading a movie blog that he follows from time to time when he saw a bizarre post. The blogger happened to be in Germany and saw the Silly Circus Band performing and decided to film them. They kept repeating “Silly Circus Band” so he googled it and found their myspace/bandcamp page. What he found impressed him so much that he told me to feature them.

At first I doubted him and refused to check them out because admittedly, the band’s name is stupid. There was no way that a band called the Silly Circus Band could possibly make music that wasn’t complete garbage. However one day he forced me to listen to them and I was astounded. It is quirky, different, and somewhat insane, yet still really enjoyable to listen to. To my surprise I found myself humming along to their tunes and actually enjoying myself. “Elliott’s Eccentricities” was created to discover and share bands like SCB.

I have search all over the web (the top page of Google search results) for information on the Silly Circus Band and found almost nothing. The band has myspace, facebook, and bandcamp pages that each contains very little information (in German). However from what I have seen and read, the band is full of crazy people. Their front man either wears a terrifyingly tight jumpsuit or a bathrobe in every video/photo I have seen of them; the blogger said he wears the robe all of the time, not just on stage. He also does this terrifying little step that I think he considers dancing. The rest of the band consists of guys in short shorts, trench coats, and shades and girls with ridiculous dyed red hair. I got a particular kick out of this Facebook post (translated into English by Google translate).

 “A small correction for your band info: the television tower at Alexanderplatz is called "television tower" and the space AROUND the "Alex". The tower is not "Alex". Yes? Just as the penis is not "man" but is "penis" and the man is all around "man". Logical, right?”

The band might be certifiably crazy, but their music, oh man their music, is really enjoyable. I would describe it as insane German folk. It features a lot of acoustic guitar, drums, vocals, accordion, and flute. Sometimes it will randomly breakout into a form of melodic-rap a la Dan Bejar. It is surprisingly diverse, some songs are very fitting of their name, Silly and upbeat, but other songs sound serious and sad (check out the song Mannomann). I am really sad I don’t speak any German (and that I can’t find any lyrics to translate) because I really want to know what they are singing. However, their best track by far is their self-titled Silly Circus, which if you might have guessed from the intro to this article, features the kazoo.

On the eccentricity scale ranging from 1 to 10
1- I play the kazoo
10- I played the kazoo at Carnegie Hall
Silly Circus -6/10

Silly Circus opening reminds me a lot of the intro to Men at Work’s Down Under, also known as one of the best 80’s one hit wonders. Both songs feature a bit of percussion followed by a kickass flute intro. The flute line in Silly Circus is then interrupted by a kazoo of all things. Normally such trolling would throw me into a fit of rage, but the kazoo sounds good. SCB used the kazoo’s few strengths and minded its many weaknesses. The kazoo has an interesting timber and is rhythmically flexible, yet doesn’t have a lot of musical range and gets annoying fast. The kazoo riff (I am so happy I got to write those words next to each other), doesn’t try to do much; it follows a simple melody. Yet it makes up for it by creating a very pleasing rhythm that compliments the flute and drums well. By placing the kazoo with the flute and using it sparingly, SCB is able to balance the obnoxiousness of the kazoo and actually make it enjoyable to listen to.

Yet the kazoo is not the only thing going on in the song, underneath it is a folk song that is quite catchy by itself. The vocals are also great, they shift between pure singing, melodic-rap, and spoken word to create a really interesting rhythmic pattern. It makes German sound like a really lyrical language in a way that I haven’t experienced before (though admittedly I don’t listen to a lot of German music). I wish I spoke German so I could understand what they are saying, I am sure it is fantastically silly.

Check out more by the Silly Circus Band on their bandcamp page HERE.

New Album from Three Weeks Ago: Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars by Fatboy Slim

Quick, name the sources that influenced your taste in music the most. I am not talking bands or albums, I am talking who or what introduced you to them. Did you say the SSX or Tony Hawk game series? No? Well in that case you are either too old/young to know what I am talking about or you failed at having a childhood. Those games had a profound effect on my relationship with music today. Since music is one of the main passions in my life, I owe them and similar sources a great deal of thanks.

The seeds of my music obsession were sown throughout my childhood. My mom had the radio tuned to a classic rock station every time we got in the car. Through the radio and my mom, I gained a deep back knowledge of all classic rock. I couldn’t tell you who sang what; I thought Led Zeppelin was a person for years. But you could play almost any song from before I was born and I would not only know it, but know half the lyrics. I had the knowledge, but I had yet to get the music bug.

In sixth grade, I was on a ski trip with my school. During the long ride, my classmate John Livecchi played Stairway for Heaven for me on his iPod. I knew the song, but I had never actually listened to what was going on, up till that point I had only, as I like to say, “consumed” music. My mind was completely blown. I went back home and started listening to everything I could get my hands on. I suddenly realized that all they were so much more than a just catchy chorus, and more importantly, that there were things called bands with their own distinct style (I was an idiot). Suddenly my world was filled with Queen, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, and the Beatles. I got my first iPod and I was hooked.

Yet falling in love with classic rock was also a curse. Like many die hard classic rock fans, my mind closed down. I refused to accept or even listen to any other genres or bands. Rap was unmusical garbage that liked to rip off classic rock riffs, electronic music was the same except with more beeps and bloops, pop music was all Britney Spears, and metal was just people screaming. By not opening up to new bands, my taste in music stagnated.

Fortunately I encountered Tony Hawk/SSX before I completed my wall. The games forced me to listen to music that I normally wouldn’t. I was introduced to punk via the Ramones, alt-rock via Queens of the Stone Age, metal via Metallica, and most importantly, electronic music via Fatboy Slim. I made up excuses as to why I liked these songs despite their obviously inferior nature. I labeled them as “guilty plessures” and continued to isolate myself. But it was too late, I had secretly fallen in love with this different music. This love would slowly grow and eat into my brain until it tore down the wall (see what I did there).

I said Fatboy Slim was the most important because I loved him the most. From the first time I heard Don’t Let the Man Get You Down on SSX3, I haven’t been able to view electronic music the same way. The way it sampled Signs by the Five Man Electrical Band was perfect for a purist like me. It kept the feel of the original song, including the fuzz of a record player. Sure it repeated the same line over and over again, but the song never got old. The beats were so clever, the instrumentation was fantastic, and the variations kept the song engaging without alienating my anti-electronic mindset. The song got me to buy a couple more Fatboy songs, The Rockafeller Skank, Weapon of Choice, Wonderful Night, Praise You, and Right here, Right Now. Fatboy Slim opened my eyes to electronic music, though it would take years until I readily accepted it.

It wasn’t until I came to Drexel and met my fellow bloggers Steve and John that my world was blown apart. The two of them introduced me to so many fantastic artists in so many different genres. Before I knew it I couldn’t get enough and became the music explorer I am today. I owe this change to them and to Fatboy Slim; he was able to put his foot in the door and let them it.

Three and a half weeks ago I was celebrating Record Store Day with Steve and John at Princeton Record Exchange. I picked a couple exclusive singles and then wandered over to the discount CD rack. I was ecstatic to find a copy of Fatboy Slim’s Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars for only two dollars. I was already a huge fan of You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby and HBGS’s hit single Weapon of Choice, I was excited to get the complete set.

If the album title is supposed to be
a euphemism like the album art suggests,
then that girl has REALLY long legs...

I should state for the record that I haven’t listened to entirety of Fatboy’s catalog, but I have at least a single from his first four albums (of five). So I feel fairly safe in saying that his sound and style hasn’t really changed much at all. I have said in the past that this can be a kiss of death for a band, that evolving is necessary to avoid stagnation. However, there are always exceptions to this rule and Fatboy is one of them. Fatboy’s sound is so distinct, nothing is really like it. There are other Big Beat acts, but no one sounds quiet like Fatboy. Even though he works with really diverse samples, I can identify if a song is by Fatboy song even if I have never heard it before. His style is so unique that he can get away with not changing it; he doesn’t need to.

So what exactly is Fatboy’s style? It is hard to put to words. I can list each individual component that comprises the sound, but it is the way that they are out together that makes it distinctly Fatboy. Interesting vocals are looped over a fast paced beats with various hooks fighting for attention with electronic noise on top. This sum of parts is prone to looping, breaking, and scratching. Fatboy mixes each track to mirror a genre, be it disco, dub, or funk. It is a kind of magical sound that is magnificently funky and addictive. Check out the music video for the Weapon of Choice, the best song on the album. I want to point out that this is the GREATEST MUSIC VIDEO OF ALL TIME despite the fact that it is of the shorter radio edit. (If you disagree, post a message on the Facebook and we can set up a meeting time for me to kick your ass).

The thing with Fatboy’s style is that it is very track oriented. Thus his albums feel more like a collection of tracks more than a complete work. Halfway Between the Gutter and the Star is a great example of this. The songs do not feel like they really belong together. There are some exceptions of course. Talking Bout my Baby and Song for Shelter are really nice bookends on the album, with the later containing a reprise of the former. The transition from Retox to Weapon of Choice is fantastic. Yet despite these examples I feel like I could trade out almost any other song, heck even half the songs, for a song from a different album and not notice the difference. I have said in the past that I am not a huge fan of albums of this sort, but that does not mean it is inherently bad. What it does mean is that it should be judged by the merits of each individual song and not the album as a whole.

HBGS didn’t really do anything for me on my first listen. I really enjoyed some tracks, Bird of Prey, Yo Mama, Drop the Hate, and Weapon of Choice of course. Yet the rest of the tracks’ vocal loops were not particularly interesting. Seeing as Fatboy’s style is centered so much around these loops, an uninteresting loop kills the magic of the song. However, as I listened to it some more my mind began to change. I noticed things I hadn’t on the first go. Songs became catchier the more I listened to them. Talking Bout my Baby, Mad Flava, and Retox really grew on me. I am really glad that I gave myself three weeks to check out this album and not one.

That being said, there was a limit to how much it grew on me. Some tracks just aren’t that enjoyable. Despite the greatness of its ending, most of Song for Shelter just isn’t particularly interesting. I think that Star 69 vocal loop is dull. I mean come on, “They know what is what, but they don’t know what is what, they just strut, what the fuck”? It tries to be interestingly cryptic and fails. Love Life just doesn’t do anything for me. I can’t decide how I feel about Demons. Sometimes it engages and entertains me, other times it can’t hold my attention.

HBGS as a whole is a decent album, I wouldn’t call it bad but I wouldn’t suggest you go out and buy it. That being said it has some tracks that you really shouldn’t miss, particularly Weapon of Choice. Fatboy’s style is very hit or miss; you will either love a track or not. So if you liked Weapon of Choice I recommend sifting through iTunes or YouTube and giving each track on HBGS maybe 30 seconds of your time. If you like what you hear, buy it; if not, forget about it. You should also check out the singles I listed at the top of the album, they are incredible. Don’t buy all of Halfway Between the Gutters and the Stars unless you’re a big Fatboy fanl; some of the songs are fantastic while others are crap. Halfway between the gutters and the stars indeed. 

Elliott's Eccentricities- Rag and Bone by The White Stripes

Jack White is always on the right. Or is he...?

I swear, Jack White is not a human being. He can’t be; he is just too weird to be from this universe. I am convinced that he is a real life Johnny Depp character from a Tim Burton movie. I mean look at him! I don’t know how he managed to pull a reverse Viewtiful Joe, but I am glad he did.

The funny thing is that, despite how crazy White looks or acts, most of the music he makes is fairly normal. The White Stripes has made some really incredible music that manages to split the divide between popular and artistic. I really don’t know a lot of people, be they hipsters or mainstreamers, who object to the White Stripes. That being said, every Beatles has their Revolution #9, and Jack White is no exception.

Rag and Bone might not be the White Stripes most eccentric track, but it is probably my favorite. Jack and Meg’s Deppesque personalities really shine through. The track follows them as they beg for free stuff. I like to imagine that the song is completely serious; that Jack and Meg really do wander into random people’s houses and creepily ask for stuff.

The thing is the track masks it’s bizarreness behind what sounds like a completely normal Stripes song. The general structure and chorus are fairly standard (and fantastic). It fits perfectly with the rest of Icky Thump and the entirety of the Stripes catalog. The song is so subtly eccentric that a couple members of the blog didn’t think that it really deserved an Eccentricity (don’t worry Eric, I will get on that suggestion next week). However the crazy is there if you pay attention.

On the eccentricity scale ranging from 1 to 10
1- I saw Ghostrider 2.
10- I thought it was a good movie.
Rag and Bone -1/10
Jack White in general – 10/10

The single greatest part of this track is Meg White in the background. She randomly interjects with whispers that just make me crack up. She whoos when she sees the inside of the house, randomly asks what stuff is, and mutters to herself. She completely sells the song; I can see her picking up things and pocketing them as Jack distracts the owner of the house. She says the second best line in the song, “I saw some stuff in your yard, are you gonna give it to us….or not….?” The line is so great that even Jack can’t ignore it, chastising her for being rude.

I said that Meg has the second best line in the song because Jack says one of the greatest, most eclectic lines I have ever heard. Towards the end of the song Jack devolves from coherency and starts saying random words that rhyme. What is great is that it works perfectly; it doesn’t feel out of place. To paraphrase, he claims that they are going everywhere from the west-side, to the middle-east, to twilight zones in search of everything from “techniques, turntables, to gramophones”. So take the last lick of your ice cream cone, because Jack White will steal it if you don’t. Wow, that is a terrifying mental image…

Wait, here is a scarier one...

You know you're weird when you're
in a photo with the insane clown posse
and YOU'RE the weird one...