Sparks to Perform Their Entire Catalog Live, Album by Album; A Very Small Portion of the Public is Staggeringly Excited, Another Very Small Portion of the Public Is Making Fun of Them, Everyone Else Is Sorry But Would Really Like Us to Keep it Down
By Joe B. on 11-28-2007
It seems like everyone who has ever heard Sparks in my company either immediately “get it” or wish they could gouge their eardrums out. I love Sparks. Many upstanding, educated people do not. Thurston Moore is on my side, while reports suggest Kim Gordon is not. In spite of the fact that many modern experimental bands would kill for such a crowd response, Sparks has always struck me as a band that deserves a second (or third) look.
It’s probably not intentional (it actually strikes me as one of the less histrionic things the Mael brothers have ever done), but nothing screams “Look at us!” quite like performing all 20 of your studio albums in order over 20 nights.
Halfnelson, Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing, Kimono My House, Proaganda, Indiscreet, Big Beat, Introducing Sparks, No. 1 In Heaven, Terminal Jive, Whomp That Sucker, Angst in My Pants, Outer Space, Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat, Music That You Can Dance To, Interior Design, Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, Plagiarism, Balls, Lil Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers will be performed in that order at London’s Islington Academy this May and June. The 21st and final night of the band’s residency will see them performing their as-yet-untitled 21st studio album.
A Small Aside: There used to be a video on YouTube of Sparks performing live on some television show hosted by Danny DeVito. They performed “Mickey Mouse” and the performance was preceded by a hilarious, DeVito-flabbergasting monologue about how mice are “usually known for ingesting massive amounts of saccharine for laboratory experiments, but sometimes they manage to break into show business.” The video in question is perfect and can no longer be found. If that video can ever be tracked down, many points will no doubt be scored for the side of me, Thurston Moore, and Sparks.
Snoop to Release New Album; Will 2008 Be the Year of the Dogg?
By Josh Fenderman on 11-28-2007
It may be Dr. Dre's mug in the iconic Zig Zag logo on the cover of The Chronic, but it was the introduction of Snoop Dogg that catapulted that album into the hip-hop hall of fame. One of the best summer cruising albums of all time, you're just as likely to hear it pumping out of an open window this summer as you were in 1992. While Dr. Dre is most relevant today behind the boards, Snoop has continued to release a steady stream of albums since his solo debut, Doggystyle.
This March, Snoop Dogg will release his tenth proper album. Titled Ego Trippin, the album is preceded by the new Shawty Redd-produced single, "Sensual Seduction." The single is available now on iTunes, and the video will premiere November 28 on MTV.
Being a good journalist, I figured I'd plunk down the $0.99 for "Sensual Seduction," so I could better let you know what to expect from Calvin Broadus this time out. But after a quick run-through of the 30-second preview, I decided a buck was asking too much. Snoop Dogg takes rap's most recognizable flow through the vocoder, and here's what comes out: "So she can get a sensual seduction/ So I can get a sensual seduction/ So we can get a sensual seduction."
One of the main gripes against Snoop as a serious rapper is that, in 15 years and 10 albums, he has never come close to eclipsing his debut. And if this 30 seconds is any indicator, Ego Trippin will fall far short as well. But, such as his collaborations with Pharrell, Snoop has emerged from the haze a number of times since he was top dog. So there is a chance you will catch an unmistakably laid-back verse from Snoop's new album wafting out of a car window in the summer of 2008.
Richard Buckner Advises On My Exes Over Cold Turkey Sandwiches, Tours
By The Friz on 11-28-2007
After months of efforts, I’ve finally dragged Richard Buckner, large-palmed troubadour, into the kitchen to explain my situation. I had arranged for plates of Thanksgiving leftovers, now nearly a week old, to compensate the singer for his time, and I explained that I was sorry to keep him. His hands grabbed the cold turkey sandwiches, topped with dripping cranberry sauce, like so much desert enveloping a forgotten ancient settlement. I plop a lump of potatoes and stuffing on his plate, and as I begin, he eagerly devours their crumbly contents.
“So it all started back in high school...”
Some hours pass. Through the tale, his expression moves from disinterested to curious to emotional to agitated to gleeful to solemn and somewhat unreadable.
“So, my new theory is that it’s all about control, but you know, I think I kinda get off on it. Is that wrong?”
Buckner looks up. He’s discovered the pumpkin pie I had been hiding in the fridge. It’s nearly gone.
“In my book... no... can you pass the gravy?”
Get some gravy and slop on all the fixings at these Richard Buckner tourdates:
* Blind Boys of Alabama
Merge Records Auctions Cool Silkscreened Posters to Benefit Oxfam America and a Food Bank; This Is Beautiful and I Suddenly and Inexplicably Feel the Need to Remind You All of the Impending Holiday Season and of My Love For David Kilgour
By Joe B. on 11-28-2007
Merge Records, notable these days for having kept it real, unabated, for the last 18 years, showed no signs of slowing down when they announced yesterday that it would be auctioning off a series of silk-screened posters autographed by Merge artists.
All proceeds from the auctions will be donated to Oxfam America and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. Admirable!
Merge’s more or less astonishing roster of artists past and present have come out in droves to support the endeavor, with Merge guaranteeing the appearances of Arcade Fire, Robert Pollard, M. Ward, Oakley Hall, Spoon, The Rosebuds, Superchunk, Portastatic and Destroyer, plus adding a tantalizing “and more.”
The posters are being auctioned off two at a time until Merge “runs out,” so bookmark this page right here, check it once in awhile, and if something comes up that piques your interest, enter the first monetary amount that comes to mind in the prominent, centered white box. New Zealand pop legend David Kilgour and the aforementioned Arcade Fire are first up to bat. I am pretty sure Arcade Fire one has jumped like $20 since I started writing this article, while Kilgour, ever the gentleman, has remained understated and affordable.
Basically, social injustice will be opposed and the hungry fed this holiday season, and indie rock will be partially to blame. High five, McCaughan.
Casey Calvert, Hawthorne Heights Guitarist, Found Dead
By 8bit on 11-28-2007
Not many people outside the Midwest have heard of Dayton, OH. And making a confused attempt to correct my pronunciation of Daytona doesn't make you seem more intelligent. If you are exceptionally worldly, you might recall the Dayton Peace Accords of 1995. You might even remember that Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the airplane in Dayton. Perhaps, if you're reading this, a single neuron might flicker when I mention that Guided By Voices formed in the 1980s and recorded the low-fi masterpiece Bee Thousand in dusty basements around the city.
But, chances are, if I'm talking to you in the real world, you don't frequent this website, nor have you ever heard of Brainiac or Swearing at Motorists. However, if you're under the age of 30, mentioning the band Hawthorne Heights usually elicits some sort of response along the lines of "OMFG I LEIK LUV THOSE GUYZ THEY R SO HAWT" or "Dude, I didn't know Dayton was emo." Either way, I've managed to establish Dayton, OH as a viable metropolis, and we can move passed the mystery of where I came from.
While I've never been a fan of Hawthorne Heights, I have felt some sort of bizarre Gem City kinship with them. Which is why I'm genuinely saddened to hear that Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert was found dead last Saturday afternoon. No cause of death has been given, but the official website insists that "he was not doing anything illegal" at the time.
Hawthorne Heights have canceled the remainder of their 2007 tour to be with Calvert's family.
Update: Peta2 is doing a day of action for animals 12/8 as a memorial tribute to Casey Calvert. You can find more information here.
