Welcome To The Working Week

In an effort to bring you at least two posts a week in this thing, a few words about how I spend the 9 to 5 these days, and what gets me through the day.

Currently, I’m spending some time as a research assistant for the Longitudinal Study of American Youth here at Michigan State University. Basically, I take thousands of pieces of data that were collected over seven or so years back in the late80s-early 90s about middle and high school students and run all sorts of tests and analyses on them to try and make them sound useful. While I really enjoy the subject area and the ability to work with such a large-scale data set, the job unavoidably consists of long hours spent sitting at a desk in the peak of summer, typing in code and processing numbers… it gets pretty mind numbing. Fortunately, I’ve got a trusty pair of earbuds and a relatively isolated cubicle, so I can spend my working hours to whatever soundtrack I choose.
The one thing that has above and beyond been a godsend to me in keeping good music flowing thus far has been Pandora, the net radio app from the Music Genome Project, which you need to check out if you’ve not yet heard of it. Rather than just allowing you to specify artists and rate music and then receive recommendations based off the preferences of other users, Pandora actually matches you to new music by measured dimensions of the music itself, from tonality to instrumentation to rhythms to influences and countless others. Oh, and did I mention its ad-free?

Independent of that, however, my obsession at this very moment (yes, I’m blogging in between syntax lines so I don’t forget what its like to write full sentences) is the work of Pittsburgh based music producer Gregg Gillis, better known to the world as Girl Talk. Gillis specializes in mashups, the art of taking two or more often disparate pieces of music and combining them. In this case, there’s emphasis on the “or more” end of that: for his 2006 album “Night Ripper,” Gillis used 150+ samples in the course of a 42-minute CD in which all the tracks just kind of flow into one giant collage of every type of popular music conceivable. As just a small sample of this insanity, check out “Hold Up” posted below, which starts with James Taylor, ends with a Weezer guitar solo, and contains 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and the Pixies in between, along with eight or so other samples… it all sounds like too much to wrap your head around, but the result is surprisingly fluid.

Girl Talk- Hold Up

Finding Jon Brion, Day 5: The Lost Day!

Yeah… got out of the writing groove again last week and didn’t manage to finish my weeklong tribute to musical genius Jon Brion… I’ll get into this regular blogging thing again eventually (I think).

Anyhow, better late than never, right?


The final dimension of Jon Brion’s brilliance is one few have the pleasure of experiencing for themselves—the live concert performance. Brion used to perform weekly shows at Largo in LA up until about a year ago, when he contracted tendonitis and cut back to about a show a month… aside from those performances, he rarely tours (for obvious reasons—what would he promote?) and makes a few odd club and festival appearances that you usually don’t hear of until after they’ve passed. Nevertheless, bootlegs abound on the internet, giving us all a small peek into a Jon Brion show.

And what a show it is, with off the cuff covers, singalongs, bizarre mashups, surprise appearances by friends like Fiona Apple and E from Eels… it’s an indie nerd’s dream come true. Jon’s definitely on my list of artists to see before I die, but for now the reasonable quality of these recordings will have to suffice.

Head on over to www.fairfax-avenue.com and check out the goldmine of bootlegs they’ve got there for yourself, or check out two of my personal favorite moments below: a cover of Life on Mars in the jazz piano style of Fats Waller, and Radiohead’s Creep as it might sound performed by Tom Waits… I kid you not.

Jon Brion- Life on Mars (via Fats Waller)

Jon Brion- Creep (as sung by Tom Waits)

Finding Jon Brion, Day 4: At The Movies

Perhaps the place where Jon Brion has left the biggest mark to date has been his work composing the scores for various excellent films, including two of my personal favorites, “I Heart Huckabees” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Though a large part of his success in this field can be attributed to working with unique and original film projects to begin with, his music always serves as a critical element in what makes them work by staying close to the themes of the movie and helping to define them, from the somber lingering piano of “Eternal Sunshine” to the vaguely mysterious and off-kilter strings and xylophone melodies of “Huckabees”. Plus, he’ll often throw in one or two original songs onto a movie’s soundtrack that might not make it into the film, but usually make for an excellent bonus.

Jon Brion- Strings That Tie To You (from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

Finding Jon Brion, Day 3: Producer Extraordinaire

A big part of the reason why Jon Brion has so little recorded output to call his own is that he’s just too damn good at putting other people’s work together. Brion has worked with some of the best respected names in music today, from Rufus Wainwright to Aimee Mann to… Kanye West? Yup… in possibly his most prolific turn as a record producer, Jon Brion served as co-executive producer on the Grammy-winning Late Registration, and those familiar with his work saw his influence loud and clear, especially on tracks like opener “Heard Em Say”, which features a very familiar sounding piano groove twinkling in the background.

Kanye West—Heard Em Say



Perhaps the most legendary Brion-produced work, at least among the indie geeks, is one that never actually got released. Brion took producing credits for the original mix of the long-delayed (and often leaked) Fiona Apple album “Extraordinary Machine”, but by the time it actually hit store shelves, it had been almost entirely reworked by another producer. Still, Brion fans and music snobs in general swear by the original version and still cling tightly to their pirated original mixes.

Fiona Apple- Better Version of Me (Jon Brion Mix)

Finding Jon Brion, Day 2: The Album

So what of this lone album released by Jon Brion? Well, though I’m pretty sure I’ve written of it before on this blog in an earlier incarnation, there’s no doubt it bears mentioning again. Meaningless, Brion’s 2001 solo effort, is damn near impossible to track down (really only available these days via CD Baby, the web’s greatest procurer of obscurity. If you are willing to travel off the beaten path a bit to obtain it, however, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

The album is straight-up instantly likeable pop music that sounds both familiar and innovative at the same time, with Brion serving as literally a one man band on almost every track. This is perhaps most evident on tracks like “Walking Through Walls,” an upbeat motivational tune that features Brion on vocals, guitar, piano, even acting as his own backup singer (adding, for instance, a just-audible echo of “motherf***ers” to the declaration “get out of my way”).

Plus, when was the last time you hears a pop anthem that successfully incorporated the word “caterwaul”? It curses and it educates!

Jon Brion—Walking Through Walls (from Meaningless)

Tune in tomorrow for what may be the only time you see Fiona Apple and Kanye West sharing a blog post.

Finding Jon Brion: Day 1 (or Meet the Big Hit of Summer '07)

I’m thinking this week is going to be devoted to one of the more prominent yet hard to pin down figures of the indie rock world. If you’ve spent any time reading up on what’s new and exciting in music, the name Jon Brion will inevitably pop up—most music geeks have something of a reverence for the man and his musical skill. At the same time, there is technically only one album by Brion ever recorded, and its near impossible to track down to boot.

So what makes the man so damn impressive? Put simply, it’s the places where he shows up in the margins of great music… and believe me, there are many. From film soundtracks to bootleg Fiona Apple albums to Grammy winning rap, Brion has left his mark in a big way, and he stands to only become more influential over time.

The latest recipients of the Brion treatment

To start things off this week, I’d like to draw your attention to the latest piece of Brion’s handiwork that’s making waves on the web. Though the strangely titled “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” by Austin-based rockers Spoon won’t be out for another month still and features only one track produced by Brion, its that very song that has leaked and is already being touted as a potential summer hit and indie crossover—basically, the “Crazy” of 2007, though hopefully with fewer covers being done. Anyhow, “The Underdog” has all the markings of a Brion song—a bouncing guitar line accentuated by killer horns, handclaps, and undeniably catchy riffs that linger for days, all of which works great with the hipper-than-thou pop vocals of lead singer Britt Daniel. It’s a fantastic song that serves as a perfect introduction to why Jon Brion is the best musician you’ve never heard of but probably already love.

Spoon—The Underdog (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, due out 7/10/07).

The Best Videos Will Never Get Watched

At first glance, it would seem that the music video as an artform has been slowly dying for about a decade now. MTV and VH1, formerly the mainstream distributors of music videos to the masses, have largely given up on the format, and spinoff channels and upstart competitors seem to be lacking in any sort of variety or originality most of the time—take it from the guy who works the night shift in the dorms to the tune of the same damn Fall Out Boy video five times a night looping on MTVu.

Then again, the YouTube era has dawned upon us, and with it an entirely new venue for music videos to get exposure. Not only can established artists experiment more with the format, but new and upcoming bands can make videos on the cheap as well. These videos may never see the light of day sandwiched between the endless hours of pop culture slowly eating itself on cable, but are nonetheless some of the most clever, amusing, and even on occasion breathtaking pieces of short film out there on the web.

Here are a few of my favorites from 2007 thus far:

The Decemberists—O Valencia (Directors Cut)



The Decemberists are already responsible for one of my favorite music videos of all time with the Rushmore inspired Model UN parody “Sixteen Military Wives”. In this video, also by director Aaron Stewart-Ahn, we get a sort of “Kill Bill” meets “Romeo and Juliet” set in the world of Wes Anderson, with Colin Meloy making his best attempt at playing romantic lead (mostly, it just makes me laugh). While the official video ended with the song, the band filmed this extended version with multiple twist endings that ratchets up the absurdity of the drama to excellent effect.

Feist—1234



I’m more than a little bit in love with Leslie Feist, thanks in no small part to videos like this one… bright colors, choreographed dancing in a warehouse all done in one take, and one hell of a voice… what more could you want?

Los Campesinos!—You! Me! Dancing!



My roommate introduced me to this band and this video just the other day, and I was intantly enamored… its kind of like some of the trippier cartoon shorts that used to run on Sesame Street, but with much better music.

Listening to the New White Stripes Album is Good for Your General Health and Well-Being*

So I missed Monday’s post, and almost today’s as well… my bad. Actually, I never promised daily updates, so apology rescinded.

In any case, the message today is short and sweet. MTV.com has a stream of the new White Stripes album all week leading up to its June 19th release, and it is phenomenal. I have no idea how Jack and Meg stick to such a tired and true core sound while making each successive album sound completely different than the last… this one adds bagpipes and mariachi horns to the mix, and the results are nothing short of magnificent. So hop on over to MTV.com (one of only a few occasions where I’d recommend doing such a thing) and give “Icky Thump” a spin in your bedroom/cubicle/summer dorm room/wherever you’re best prepared to rock. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Stream: “Icky Thump”, The White Stripes (Full Album) [MTV.com]

Also, if you have slightly less time than it takes to enjoy a full album, here's the video for the lead single and title track, complete with a red and white striped zebra and Meg White as a red-haired, glass-eyed, Mexican prostitute:




*This claim not supported by any medical evidence whatsoever… as if you needed to be told.

Shameless Plug: No Second Troy

It’s not too often that I get any comments on this blog, much less from an actual band. So when some guy named Jason left some kind words on my Pancake Mountain post earlier this week and ever so casually mentioned that I should check out his band No Second Troy, I decided to see what was up.



The verdict? This DC based group could just be the next big thing, with a brand new album up on iTunes and a single with a perfect modern rock sound, with energy and sincerity to spare. Here’s hoping these guys can ride that momentum all the way to the top, and not lose an ounce of it along the way.

No Second Troy- Burned

(hope you don't mind me giving people a taste of your sound- I'll gladly take it down should you request it)

Support Indie on iTunes with Immaculate Machine

So I’m on iTunes today, and I was pretty pleased to see that their free single of the week was off the new album by Canadian indie outfit Immaculate Machine. To be fair, I hadn’t heard any of the band’s work before this, but they did have the power of association on their side: their vocalist, Kathryn Calder, is the niece of Carl Newman of The New Pornographers and has recently become a member of that group, contributing to albums and filling in ably for Neko Case when she is unable to tour with the band (and anybody who’s heard Neko Case sing knows that this is no small achievement). In any case, I download the track, and I’m pleased with it… slightly poppier than Uncle Carl’s band, but with that same undeniable catchiness that puts a smile on your face and makes you feel like dancing around your living room.

Then I read the reviews. With an average of 2.5 stars out of 5, they’re mostly pretty disdainful of what I thought was a pretty good song, deriding it as “not rock”, “annoying”, “music for five year olds”, and “so… 80s”. It bummed me out on a number of levels. First, at the risk of sounding like a snob, its disheartening to see what happens when something out of the mainstream is foisted upon the general public. Sure, its not the usual soft-rock ‘as heard on Grey’s Anatomy*’ here today gone tomorrow type fare that plays on most radio stations today (if not all in some markets as freeform and eclectic formats are crowded off the air), but do we really lack the attention spans and tolerance to give something new a shot? On another level though, I just plain felt bad for the band. They’re trying to break into the American market, they get offered this plum deal by Apple that will distribute their single for free and sell their album on iTunes a week before its release for two bucks cheaper than standard rate, see it as their big chance… and get shot down over and over again. I know its part of the music business and all, but these folks deserve a little love, don’t they?

I guess that’s for you to decide. Check out “Jarhand” on iTunes if you are so inclined—it won’t cost you a cent, after all—and if you like it, which I think you will, drop them a line of encouragement in the reviews (I’m not usually one to write online reviews, but I even made an exception here). Or better yet, buy the album.

Immaculate Machine—Jarhand (iTunes free single link)

As a bonus, I’m putting up another Immaculate Machine track I found linked on Pitchfork from the new album that was equally as enjoyable.

Immaculate Machine—Dear Confessor

*just as a point of clarification... the people behind the music at Grey's have done some fine work and gotten exposure to many acts (hell, maybe even this one someday soon)... but a lot of what sticks with the public seems ridiculously bland to me.

Pancake Mountain: The Show You Wish You'd Been Raised On

As a college student who continually feels like he is hurtling toward the adult world, I’ll on occasion find myself going in fast forward, wondering about things like what kind of parent I’ll be. I tend to be optimistic on the matter, knowing that I’ll get all the basics down—I’ll read to my kids, play with them, teach them the necessary skills to make positive life decisions, etc, etc.

But what will they listen to? I know I want my kids to be immersed in music—it was an important part of my upbringing—but do I honestly think that I’ll be spinning the likes of Wilco for a toddler? Shouldn’t they be listening to more age appropriate ditties by Raffi and Big Bird?

For the folks at Pancake Mountain, good music knows no age limits. This underground public access kids show out of Washington DC has managed to somehow attract the biggest names in indie rock to perform in “dance parties” before an audience of hyperactive young ones. What’s more, they’re not asked to play rocked-out versions of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, but rather their biggest hits written for grown-up ears. The results are, needless to say, adorable, from the high energy bouncing along to Ted Leo and The Pharmacists on “Little Dawn” to the slow swaying and spinning that accompanies Bright Eyes on “True Blue”.

And as if this wasn’t enough, the whole thing is headed up by a goat puppet named… wait for it… Rufus Leaking. Get it?!?

…oh well, not everyone appreciates puns, I suppose. Check out the various video links and YouTube clips for yourself, and try to tell me you don’t wish you had your own Pancake Mountain dance parties to go to in your formative years.

From the Pancake Mountain website:

Ted Leo

Bright Eyes

The Arcade Fire

And on You Tube:

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins



Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips (in a karaoke duet with Rufus of “We Built This City”—I kid you not)

Review/Preview: Flight of the Conchords

Okay, so after some thought (and a mind-numbing day at work), I’ve decided to kick this baby back into active service for the summer as an outlet for some creative energies and alternative to a life of interpreting syntax files for the next several weeks.

Taking it a little easy today (no mp3s today, but I've got some stuff coming up soon for sure), I’m looking for a little feedback (if anyone’s actually out there) on something I’ve come across that is no doubt about to make some waves in the United States. HBO is rolling out a new half-hour comedy series in a few weeks based on the works of a New Zeeland folk-comedy duo known as Flight of the Conchords. I’d never heard of them myself, but find that truly great comedy on TV is hard to find (and often short lived), and straight up musical comedy acts are even tougher to do well (Stephen Lynch and Tenacious D are the only two that come to mind), so I took a look at the first episode currently streaming online.

My verdict? It’s not half bad— a balance of the quiet absurdity and accents of the original version of “The Office” mixed with the random musical numbers and attitude of the original “Tenacious D” show and the classic sketch comedy “Mr. Show,” both of which aired on HBO in the mid-90s. The music is a similar mix—half David Brent, half Jack Black—and a You Tube search revealed much, much more… one Bowie parody in particular managed to walk the line between absurd nonsense and knowing parody really well.

But, to quote the immortal LeVar Burton and “Reading Rainbow”, you don’t have to take my word for it. Take a look at the show at the link below along with some of the YouTube clips and let me know if this is the next big thing or just another comedy flop.

Flight of the Conchords- Pilot Episode

..and On YouTube:

"Business Time"


"Bowie Song"


"Think About It, Think, Think About It"

Top Five Concerts (or, I just wasted an afternoon writing about music for the first time in forever, and it felt pretty good)

So no promises I'm reviving this (though I've got some great ideas to write about... more of a time thing than anything else), but I did jot down some thoughts based on the comment post made at my favorite movie review site, http://www.pajiba.com, regarding top five concerts of all time, and since its the first piece of music writing I've written for public consumption in some time, I figured I'd post it here for anyone that still has this bookmarked/fed to their LJ.

Enjoy! (and I'd love to hear your own responses about most memorable concerts if you are so inclined)

-JL

1) Wilco: Kalamazoo, MI, February 2005

The first of four eventual times I would see them, and still the best. A Ghost is Born had just won a Grammy, they opened with Via Chicago (it takes balls to have the first words you utter at a show be "I dreamed about killing you again last night, and it felt alright to me"), the fantastically weird Detholz opened, and the encore was amazing cover after amazing cover. Even in the balcony seats we had, it was unbelievable.

2) The Flaming Lips/New Pornographers: Lollapalooza, August 2006

The Lips have a legendary live show that didn't disappoint, complete with santas, aliens, confetti guns, Wayne Coyne in a bubble, giant balloons, and anything else that could result in sensory overload. Entire set was phenomenal with singalongs, jumping, dancing, crowd surfing, et al, but it was made near perfect from the moment the countdown began into "Do You Realize???", which was akin to a religious experience (though my memories may be shaded by the contact high)... the energy led right into the New Pornos' set right clear across Grant Park, which rocked hard despite the lack of Neko Case and Dan Bejar... worked through the crowd high-fiving everyone during "The Slow Descent into Alcoholism" in time to be front and center for "Sing Me Spanish Techno". Definitely the best one-two punch of an amazing weekend.

3) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Detroit, MI, April 2007

Makes the list solely based on the fact that it managed to not disappoint in spite of a set clocking in at just about an hour and equipment problems preventing the encore, which would have featured my personal favorite "Walkin To Do". Incredibly energetic show (I can't think of any other band I've seen move quite as much on stage) in a small venue, with great banter to boot. Also notable as my first post 21 show- my friend and I got PBRs to celebrate- as well as having been attended on Monday of finals week with campus an hour away and half of the folks I went with having early morning finals.

4) The White Stripes: Detroit, MI, October 2005

I skipped out on the first UM-MSU game the Spartans had a chance of winning in years for this, and it was well worth it (and not just because MSU lost). Once Jack White got started on the guitar, he didn't stop, making it feel like one continuous medley... save for stopping for Meg to play "Passive Manipulation" on the tymps (twice?!) and to switch to piano for "My Doorbell" and "Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)", the chorus of the latter being belted out by myself and my roommate and possibly nobody else in the theater.

5) The Mountain Goats: Kalamazoo, MI September 2006

Amazing for being one of the most intense "quiet" shows I've ever been at (the crowd literally mouthed along with the songs at some points, which was chilling), but also for so many strange reasons- running into my best friend from kindergarten, having John Darnielle standing literally shoulder to shoulder with us during the opener sipping a beer and spastically rocking out, my friend inexplicably passing out midway through the show and having to be carried out and checked out in the back of an ambulance, getting back in time to chant 'hail satan' in the doorway during the encore and tell John he rocked as he rushed offstage, and finally driving on the wrong side of the road for about a mile on the way home.

Biggest Disappointment: Stars at Lolla 2006. Possibly just not a great outdoor festival band, but "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" completely failed to move me as a heart wrenching breakup anthem should.

Dream to See: Billy Bragg. My life will not be complete until I can stand in a crowd of people screaming the near perfect lyrics to "A New England" right along with the now-middle aged man who wrote them, standing alone on a stage with guitar and amp and still rocking harder than half the bands out there today.