Alexher123's Journals

Daily Music Dose: Jandek

In many ways the ultimate music outsider, Jandek’s brand of weird and often challenging music in many ways asks of the listener questions. Chief among them to at times redefine what music can be, and can you actually like something like what he produces.

Having released 61 albums over the course of 30 years, not much is actually known about Jandek from a biographical standpoint. His album covers often feature the image of a man but until live performances beginning in 2004, there was no conformation that the man on the images was the performer on the albums.

Starting with 1978’s Ready for the House, Jandek began to build an image of the reclusive musician, denying requests for interviews, in fact only giving two over the course of his career. All information that could be gathered was done through two means, the albums themselves and writing to the record label putting out the records, Corwood, who would in turn send a type writer catalogue of all the available albums for sale.

His music’s dark and somewhat personal nature, along with his reclusive nature early on, lead to theories among those who followed his music that Jandek was speaking from personal experience, producing autobiographical music. And that much of the music was recorded in one frantic session and once 19 albums were released they would stop completely. This theory seemed plausible after the release of his 21st album which ended with a frantic song by the name of electric end, lasting 19 minutes.

However with his live performances, never credited to Jandek, but to a “Representative from Corwood Records” has lead to a now more popular notion that the Jandek albums themselves represent a sort of artistic project not related to any fact but instead works of fiction, making his biographical information irrelevant to the understanding of the work.

The music itself shares lyrical elements common with folk and blues music. They often deal with the theme of heart break, desolation, desperation and loneliness at their core. However the music itself is highly unconventional, with what can be described as unique guitar tuning, atonal singing and often yelling. And while mostly solo work occasionally, as in the case of the song Nancy Sings on the second album, there does appear to be collaboration with other musicians. While the music itself can often be difficult, its haunting quality along with the mystery of who Jandek himself may be has won a small but devoted fan base. In reality the best way to understand Jandek, and his music is to experience it for yourself.

Daily Music Dose: Townes Van Zandt

Considered by many of his peers who knew him as one of the greatest country and folk musicians of all time, Townes Van Zandt lived an often trouble life, filled with substance abuse and depression that lead to his untimely death by heart attack at age 52.

Born John Townes Van Zandt in Fort Worth, Texas, he was the member of a prominent Texas family, whose ancestors were among the founders of the state. In his youth he attended exclusive institutions and was noted for being a good student and athlete. His life was in being groomed for greatness that came with his name. He would be eventually accepted into the pre-law program at the University of Houston and attempted to join the Air Force but was denied entry due to his being, according to doctors, “an acute manic depressive who has made minimal adjustment to life”

After the death of his father in 1966, Townes dropped out of school and began to pursue his music careers, having first started playing at age 8 after a guitar was given to him as a gift. His life at that point began to become in many ways an absolute rejection of his upbringing and past.

Noted for being a heavy drinker and his heroin addiction, he often would show up to shows drunk, too drunk to even play. He enjoyed hanging out in town’s skid rows and making the acquaintances of whinos, bums and other seedy characters. He himself would overdose on heroin and almost die in 1971.

However the period between 1968 and 1973, while being some of the darkest was also his most prolific as a song writer. He produced 5 albums many of which included some of his well known and highly regard songs, including Waiting Around to Die, Poncho and Lefty, and For the Sake of the Song.

He received much critical acclaim during his career but never was more than a cult figure in the music scene. He himself detested the Nashville scene and felt more at home among those considered to be on the wrong side of the tracks.

Through out much of his life he struggled to keep his music in print, and never released albums on major labels despite being regarded as the quintessential songwriter’s songwriter, having his songs covered by musicians such as Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan. And throughout much of his late years took to playing small venues and private shows to make ends meet, often sleeping on friends couches.

He would often attempt to get clean throughout his life but later on as his health failed, was told by doctors that attempts to detox him would probably prove fatal in his weakened physical state. He died in 1997 at age 52 from a heart attack after surgery which attempted to fix a broken hip he suffered and refused to get treated for a week. 44 years to the day of the death of his own hero Hank Williams, and at the same age as his own father.

Late in his life with attention being placed on his talents, he did begin recording more, including an album of duets with artists who considered him a major influence and what would be his major label debut. However his self destructive ways and early death left both unfinished.

Despite his heard drinking, heroin addiction and what seemed like an ultimately self destructive life, Townes Van Zandt’s genius was still able to shine through. Admired by his peers and considered and many of his songs becoming standards in the genre. Steve Earle said of him “the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.”

Daily Music Dose: Cymbals Eat Guitars

New York City’s Cymbals Eat Guitars often garner comparison to well known 90’s Indie bands such as Pavement, Built to Spill, and Modest Mouse, all correct in their nature the sound in no way sounds dated. Cymbals Eat Guitars manage to mix all these influences to produce something familiar yet thoroughly different and forward looking.

Formed when lead singer Joseph D’Agostino was only 19, they began working on Demos before being a fully formed band with Charles Bissell of The Wrens fame before the band had fully formed. Charles Bissell himself commenting later on how mature D’Agostino was despite his age and assuring they’d be indie famous before long.

And that assessment makes sense. On their self released debut album, Why There Are Mountains, which garnered the best new music honors by pitchfork media, they constantly mix what seems like a dizzying amount of sounds and effects into well crafted, self assured and on occasion epic songs. When seeing them live one often feels as if they must be playing multiple songs all at one but never do you feel as if its too cluttered a sound. And while the album provides a miss or two, it’s an overall solid debut for such a young band.

The potential for Cymbals Eat Guitars seems limitless and it’s really only a matter of time before everyone else starts to catch on to what some already have, that they are worth taking notice of.

And the Hazy Sea

Cold Spring

Wind Phoenix

Some Trees

Daily Music Dose: Dirty Projectors

Formed in 2002 by Dave Longstreth, Brooklyn’s The Dirty Projectors have produced a series of albums that are creative, challenging and critically acclaimed. And most important have earned them a following among Indie rock fans. Dave Longstreth along with a group of revolving musicians have formed the Dirty Projectors over time.

The first official release fully under the Dirty Projectors name came by way of 2003’s The Glad Fact. The album itself would receive modest critical praise and attention but would introduce certain elements into the music that continue throughout their subsequent albums, such as songs about brown finches.

This album would be followed by the release of a couple of EP, and a full length by way of 2005’s The Getty Address, a concept album described as being “a modern opera about post-9/11 America, the destruction of our natural wilderness, the confrontation between Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs in the early 16th century, and a protagonist named after Don Henley.”

The album was recorded over the span of five months and three states using twenty five musicians. Dave Longstreth would then later deconstruct the tracks and overdub his own vocals, bass and guitar to them. Creating a rich and distinctive sound while manage to avoid the clutter of sound possible from such a large amount of musicians.

The release of 2007’s Rise Above would bring the band more attention than ever before. The album itself, a re-imagining of Black Flag’s classic album, Damaged, was written and recorded by Longstreth purely from memory not having listened to Damaged itself in over 15 years. That album as their previous ones was critically well received as well. With The Onion’s AV Club commenting “Dave Longstreth clearly had more than a remake on his mind—a mind whose wandering ways will be worth following for years to come”

2009’s Bitte Orca would however prove so far to be the bands most well received album both commercially and critically. Near universally praised by major publications and blogs, its been called by Streogum as “a pay-off for joining Dave Longstreth on his years of recorded self-discovery" It recently made Pitchforks Top Albums of the Decade list at #54. And the band is beginning to appear on national television for the first time. The album is the bands most guitar oriented album but maintains their distinctive sound and level of experimentation and creativity that fans of the band have to expect of them and love.

Rise Above

Stillness is the Move

Cannibal Resource

I Will Truck

10 things about me (picture edition)

1. I use to like ska a lot. I've since recovered.

2. Howl is my favorite poem.

3. I'd probably go gay for Morrissey, I'd defiantly cuddle.

4. I hold doors open for women and small children. I give up my seat to old ladies, pregnant women and children, and I become very annoyed when others don't.

5. I can burp on command, just tell me burp and I can.

6. I hate watermelon. Its a texture thing, it tastes amazing but when you look at it, its solid food, but when put in your mouth it melts away. I realize this is one of the main selling points of Watermelon, but for me its just a royal mind fuck I can't deal with and makes me want to vomit.

7. I can sit through any sporting event on earth. It may be just part of my male genetic make up, but really how many people do you know can sit through curling and then watch a cricket test match in the same week, just because its on. (PS: Curling, so much more exciting than its given credit for, and way better than cricket.)

8. I'm kind of afraid of escalators, and often envision a death which involves being mauled by one.

9. I'm kind of a know it all, not consciously, and not to be an asshole. It just happens, I generally feel bad about it.

10. I'm loyal to a fault and often ends up with me being disappointed in the actions of others.

I tag, Jerr, Kassady, IkkyG, Hidedontseek, and whoever else wants to do this

Los Campesinos!

The seven piece welsh indie pop band Los Campesinos! exude an energy through catchy songs and simple but smart song writing that many punk and metal bands strive unsuccessfully to achieve. Formed in 2006 at the University of Cardiff early internet buzz from their demos and well received live shows helped them land a opening spot on tour with Broken Social Scene.
Eventually singing to indie label Wichita Records, In 2008 the band released their first full length album Hold On Now, Youngster... which was me with many positives review, and finding its way onto various Top 10 record of the year lists thanks to its insanely catchy and up beat songs, and often witty and fun song witting .They proved they were more than just the product of the internet hype machine.

;Death to Los Campesinos!
;My Year in Lists
The International Tweecore Underground

A Statement

Too often as a society we are quick to pat ourselves on the back. To act as if we have done a job, and even if its not fully complete we can go ahead and ignore the problems of before because we full expect someone else to fix them.

Too many people I see touting how they have changed the world because they voted, people who up to a month ago may very have not even truly cared about the issues. People who I know when tomorrow comes will no longer care, will feel their job is done, that the world is somehow already better. People who's reason for interest is spurn forward by celebrity and an election cycle of particular interest. But what happens when that is done with?

What happens is that the suffering of the world has not ended. What happens is that the oppression of people throughout the world has not ended. What happens is that tomorrow morning millions of kids will still go hungry. What happens is there will be countless of atrocities, of crimes, and of abuses that will go under reported, unreported and all together ignored for the lack the glamor, and ease of correction as some seem to want.

There wont be celebrities, there wont be songs, or high paid campaigns for "Change". Change has not happened yet, a vote does not mean change. If all you do is pull a lever or push a button once every four years and then return to your complete state of apathy, a complete state of disregard for the world around you, then you are ever as guilty for ignoring your world. You have not created change, you have created an inflated sense of self satisfaction and nothing more.

Because change takes hard work. Change takes dedication. Change takes a willingness to go out on a limb and do things. Change takes time, and often generations.

What happened yesterday was a monumental event in American history on a social level. A mere four decades since the sixties we have elected an African-American as president. We have once more lived up to the promise of America. We have shown that we can heal old wounds, and truly do something special.

But really that's the only change I saw last night.

Because im bored I steal, from BUZZLULZ... a game.

Gloriously stolen from BUZZLULZ

Step 1: Open up whatever MP3 program you use and add every song in your collection.

Step 2: Put it on random.

Step 3: Post the first line from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.

Step 4: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.

Step 5: Cross out the songs when someone guesses correctly.

Step 6: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!

1. Charlie I'm pregnant living on 9th street above a dirty book store.

2. SOS in a state of emergency, the situation and the prying eyes look at me.

3. Well if i found God anywhere it would be by the tracks, face down in a box car 40 in both hands.

4. I hate the politics! (LOL!!!!! AT THE FACT THIS CAME UP)

5. You said send me stationary to make me horny.

6. I'm the boy that looks excited, I'm the boy that's going to fall apart.

7. Hear that lonesome whippoorwill he sounds too blue to fly.

8. Last night I had burritos and drank a lot of beer.

9. You got a lot of nerve to say you are my friend.

10. I dove into that freezing sea with a parasite attached to me.

11. Do you still dream of that mountain bed we made of limbs and leaves?

12. I'm a pop punk girl i like sunny days, stupid jokes and a good Ramones song.

13. One song about a girl can't breath when I'm around her.

14. All that time your were keeping me straight I was bleeding powers.

15. Dont smoke, I don't drink, I don't fuck.

16. Everybody is looking at me I thought i saw my face on MTV.

17. I dont like the way you cook, i just like the way you look.

18. I can't wait to be a rock star so I can do lots of drugs.

19. Sometimes I wonder if i'm never going to make it home again.

20. This album is dedicated to all the teachers that told id never amount to nothing.

Fast Times at Barrington High Review

I can still sing by heart all the words to Jude Law and A Semester Abroad and other songs from the Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon with all the conviction of a former 16 year old boy that I once was and despite my musical tastes maturing and evolving that part of me can still recognize a catchy album when I hear one Fast Times at Barrington High is one of those albums.

I must give credit where credit is due, The Academy Is... can write a good pop song. The album at its best is catchy, the type of summer album you play endlessly through mid-july expeditions to 7-11's, through restless nights sitting at home with friends and those moments of no real consequence that mean so much which leads me to wonder why you would release an album of that nature in Mid-August.

Its strength also accounts for a great weakness within, the albums tracks seem to start at some point to meld together, not nessecarily stand out on their own and at no point does the band seem to challange itself musically. There is no ground breaking stuff here at all, no new subjects that no one has ever done before. I guess High School is just universal. William Beckett's voice lends itself at times really well to the music and of the lead singers out there within this genre I must admit his is among the better voices.

For the target audience this album probably hits the spot, the same way Leaving Through the Window hit the spot for me 6 long years ago but I guess we all have to get old sometime, and hopefully the band will join me in our older age, their talent for crafting song is evident, and maybe challanging themselves a bit more they can produce something just a little more wonderful.

If you're 17 by all means go buy this, but if you are like me I think im happy being 22.

Rating: 3.73256 of 5

Musical Guilty Pleasures as Tagged by Crash13

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Thats my list of musical guilty pleasures...for real.

I tag whoever hasn't been tagged but to be also specific say, thesusieq, flyingbunny, and undead4gerard. I dont know if you have been tagged but if you havent now you have. The End.