Soviet // Tell Her

Earlier this week we got a taste of Soviet's highest quality recordings yet via the start-up local imprint Tree Fall Sounds, who are also responsible for a batch of new Fate Lions tunes as well. The uptick in quality also comes with another change of direction in the band's sound, as they've opted to trade in their lo-fi flower punk for a more polished alt-rock lean --at least for the time being.

We mentioned earlier that Soviet's newest jam "Tell Her" reminds us of the high school cafeteria where we'd daily argue the merits of Ozma in regards to the more popular Weezer. In retrospect this debate seems silly, but one must remember the Green Album had just been released, beginning their slide into perpetual mediocrity while the Doubble Donkey Disc was ruling our worlds.

But why try to decide whether "Tell Her" sounds more like a pre-Green Album Weezer b-side or a cut from Ozma's prime when we can just enjoy Soviet as a batch of spritley young locals who've come of age this summer right before our eyes.


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Violitionst Session // Peopleodian

We already made it pretty clear that we think the Violitionist team should be getting everyone's votes for this year's Best Blog DOMA award but we thought we'd give you a few more reasons why. Yesterday (as they do every Monday) they posted a new Michael Briggs-recorded live session in their typical 3 songs/3 questions format, all 'proudly made in Denton, TX'. This week's session features a further preview of Peopleodian's upcoming It Woke The Moon EP that Wolfe brought up a few weeks back. Watch the rest of the session here, it's pretty mesmerizing.

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Burning Hotels // Burning Hotels

After watching the MTV's Video Music Awards show Sunday night, I was feeling discouraged about music. The show was filled with bad jokes, awkward moments, and nothing original (besides of course the great win for the Foo Fighters).

Thankfully some music found its way to me today that snapped me out of the hopeless feeling for the music scene that the VMAs created. The Fort Worth band, Burning Hotels, is about to release their self titled album tomorrow. This cohesive eight song album falls under the genre as 'Sex Wave' (as Mark Schectman of KDGE labels it). This is my first time hearing of such a genre but if this is what it sounds like, I'm all for riding the wave. The band dropped their post-punk start for a more mellow pop-indie-rock sound after writing the song "Allison". Band mates Chance Morgan and Matt Mooty took the opportunity to experiment with their sound for this album and it really paid off, creating for some really nice music.

Burning Hotels Tracklist:
1. Beard
2. Always
3. Days Are Gone
4. Sound City
5. Wildly Inappropriate
6. The Incident
7. Allison
8. To You With Love From Me

-Laura Sliva

Attic Abasement // Dancing is Depressing

Dancing is Depressing by Attic Abasement is hard to describe, but easy to fall in love with. Early Modest Mouse probably, and K Records stuff I guess. Or maybe this is a more crass avenue in the bohemian realm of Joan of Arc or Smog. This sloppy masterpiece sounds like a mope rock opera about the life and times of Charles Bukowski's alter-ego, Henry Chinaski. It's ugly, it's true, it's worth writing about.


-Wolfe McBain

Tonight: SubEx Turns Three

Hey, this is tonight! We'll save the sappy I-can't-believe-we've-lasted-this-long-and-we-couldn't-have-done-it-without-you post, but trust us, we'll definitely drunkenly tell you in person tonight at Andy's in Denton, probably while standing way too close to you and/or giving you slightly uncomfortably-long hugs.

But in all seriousness, we've added a super secret special guest to tonight's bill that's definitely worth showing up early for. Set times are below. Oh yeah, and it's BYOC (Bring Your Own Cake).

9:30 - Super Secret Special Guest Performer
10:00 - Hares on the Mountain
11:00 - Spook Easy
12:00 - Man Factory

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It's DOMA Time Once Again

Earlier today the Dallas Observer announced the nominees for this year's Dallas Observer Music Awards, we were fortunate enough to find ourselves on the ballot once again this year. (Read the rest of the noms here).

At the risk of coming off bitter (trust us we're not, we are truthfully thrilled with our little niche as DFW's 6th best music blog, honestly) it is still a little empty feeling knowing the eventual winner will be a 'writer' who admittedly goes to very few shows or pays any attention whatsoever to the local scene. In short these statements alone make one a national blogger. No better, no worse, but certainly not a local.

Take for instance the following quotes from the Dallas Observer's own cover story on that Gorilla and Bear site:

Aside from a few acts with area ties that the blog regularly covers — DeLaughter, Erykah Badu, Dentonites-turned-Brooklynites St. Vincent and Neon Indian — it really doesn't touch the Dallas music scene.

"The Dallas music scene is not something we have a perspective on," Bartholow says. "We're basically on an island."

Cantalini admits he hardly pays attention to the area's live music. He rarely goes to shows, and when talking about a local show he once presented with St. Vincent, he confuses the name of the venue, mistaking the Double Wide for an Austin venue called the Double Down.

Believe us, we're not the least bit resentful about Gorilla vs Bear's success, we just think a local award should go to someone more deserving like, say, Violitionist, or at the very least an entity who will actually show up to the ceremony.

Honestly we're thrilled just to be nominated.

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Tom Waits // Bad As Me

I've been listening to a lot of Tom Waits Radio on Pandora lately, which unlike most Pandora stations pretty much just ends up being mostly songs by the artist the station is named after. Which is understandable when one tries thinking of how many possible other songwriters feature laid-back structures, jazz influences, r & b undertones, deep & meaningful often narrative lyrics, minor key tonality, prominent acoustic instruments, gravelly male vocals, or the many other similarities to Tom Waits identified by the Music Genome Project.

And the station is set to add some new material real soon when Waits' new album Bad As Me is released in October. The title track (streaming below) was made available for purchase today at iTunes/record stores/etc.



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SubEx Turns Three // 8-26 at Andy's

So while our actual third 'blogiversary' was a couple weeks ago, we're just now getting around to celebrating. This Friday's b-day party at Andy's will feature Man Factory, Spook Easy, and Hares on the Mountain, not only helping us kick off year four right, but serving as a sort of back-to-school celebration as well. Hope you all can make it.

MP3: Man Factory - The Guile Profile
MP3: Man Factory - Balrog 24/7

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This Weekend: Sea Lion CD Release Show

If you have yet to hit up Bryan St. Tavern, it is arguably the best place in town to catch a punk show, and the perfect setting for this weekend's free Sea Lion CD release show. Just looking at the Facebook invite where, as far as I can tell, there are already twice the guests as the venue's capacity. Not that FB event pages provide accurate attendee numbers whatsoever, it still appears primed to be a rowdy, memorable night indeed.

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Pepper Rabbit // Murder Room (LehtMoJoe Remix)

A pair of new remixes from SubEx pal LehtMoJoe from, coincidentally enough, a couple of artists we've had the pleasure of interviewing in the past. You'll find our Q&A's with Pepper Rabbit and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. over in the left sidebar and links to the MP3's below. We're interested in the Pepper Rabbit one, in particular, because from what we've been told "..the remix was recorded onto cassette and then buried in the backyard for a week," before being dubbed back to digital, making it "dirty in every sense of the word".

MP3: Pepper Rabbit - Murder Room (LehtMoJoe Remix)
MP3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Morning Thought (LehtMoJoe Remix)

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The Shaggs // Philosophy of the World

If you are a patient individual here is some pretty interesting audio from BBC radio in which Jon Ronson speaks with '60s outsider girl group The Shaggs.

Jon Ronson talks to The Shaggs - the girl group from the 1960s who were home schooled and practised for hours every day in their basement. Having no outside influences, they practically had to invent music from scratch. Recorded on location in Fremont, New Hampshire, the clip is introduced by Terry Adams from the band NRBQ; Terry rediscovered the band and brought out their records long after they split up.

Frank Zappa rated The Shaggs #3 best band in history in a Norwegian newspaper (April 1988).

MP3: The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World

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Trombone Shorty // Do To Me

I've never disliked the trombone--I've been fortunate to have played with some great 'boners and have always thought they one of the key elements to second wave Ska's success--but I've also never thought it a cool instrument, per se. Before Trombone Shorty started getting big I had never seen anyone play it and not only look really cool, but actually kind of sexy. Most folks probably pick up the guitar in high school in order to pick up chicks, but here we have a guy who has done the near impossible by mastering one of the most awkward/dorky instruments of all to the extent that he probably pulls in more tail than just about anyone. Check out his performance of "Do To Me" from Monday's episode of Conan.

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I Feel Awesome // Roads I Die

Don't usually do this, but this email was so incredible it had to be shared verbatim.

is some new music made by Admiral Grey of Glass Lamborghini and it sounds like this :
my twin and I hope that you do enjoying to it.
thank you for giving such a lovely blog.

XXXadmiralgrey
http://snakeintheboot.blogspot.com

MP3: I Feel Awesome - Roads I Die

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Fresh Daily // The Quiet Life

While everyone is going apeshit about how much they love and/or hate "Watch The Throne", we present a self proclaimed Jay Z and Kanye West fan showing his skill humbly. "i don't mean what my rhymes is like i mean sayin' hi and bye". Every stanza here does each easy going track justice, meanwhile the beats could not be more appropriate for the subject matter. Can't have a bad day if this is part of it. Enjoy "The Quiet Life" by Fresh Daily from Brooklyn NY.



-Wolfe McBain

The Rap Genius of Kanye West

The "Jesus Walks" line from Jay-Z/Kanye's new Watch the Throne irks me almost as West's "Medulla Oblongata" line from that one Kid Cudi song a few years back. So much so I was going to do a post this morning about all the terrible Kanye West lines from over the years. But whilst searching lyrics I discovered a site that is at the same time interesting, informative, and hillariously tongue-in-cheek. Rap Genius, who brands themselves as the Wikipedia of rap lyrics, provides line-by-line explainations to hundreds of hip-hop tunes.

For example, here's some of the lines from "Otis" I find most contentious, along with their 'genius' meanings.

I made Jesus Walks, so I'm never going to hell
Couture level flow is never going on sale
Luxury rap, the Hermes of verses
Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive
I get it custom, you a customer
You ain't accustomed to going through customs, you ain't been nowhere, hah?
And all the ladies in the house got them showing off
I’m done I'll hit you up maña.. nah!

Kanye said that if making a religious song like Jesus Walks takes away from his spins (radio plays), which would take away from his ends (money), then he hopes it takes away from his sins.

Couture clothes are custom-made for one person, so it doesn’t go on sale. In other words, it’s priceless.

Hermes is a French high-fashion house that sells luxury goods, most famously scarves. Kanye is suggesting that his verses the cream of the lyrical crop. This could also be a double entendre; Hermes was the messenger to the Greek gods, while Kanye “delivers” dope verses.

Kanye is proud of combining high and low culture in his flow — the Sacred and the Profane…

While Yeezy gets his clothing made by Savile Row’s most sought-after tailors, you are merely a customer — essentially you are a peasant in a potatosack. This is a slick line, in that Kanye is referencing Jay-Z referencing EPMD; Jay’s 1997 track “You’re Only a Customer” was a conscious nod to the EPMD classic.

By saying that that “you ain’t accustomed to going through customs” Kanye is implying that he is. In other words, he is a jet-setter. His lifestyle makes him able to fly to exotic places, but “you ain’t been nowhere”. Note the word play with “custom” and “customer” in the previous line with “accustomed” and “customs”, as well as “curses” and “cursive” in the lines above those. Also note the trademark Kanye HAH?!

He begins to say mañana, which is the Spanish word for tomorrow. Before he can even spit it out, he changes his mind and says: “Nah!”. Hope she doesn’t hold her breath waiting for Yeezy’s call.


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Fergus & Geronimo vs Merle Haggard

It's not even really all that close, but for whatever reason the bit 14 seconds in to Fergus & Geronimo's "Girls With English Accents" always reminds me of the first 10 seconds of Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried".

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Luke Wade & No Civilians // Strangest Angels

Lately the Ft Worth scene has been growing on me a bit. There's quite a bit of really diverse and under-appreciated talent out that way. And while their Fort Worth Weekly Awards leave much to be desired (20 minutes in a crammed room with too little beer while a couple of dudes speed through a list of award winners) the one thing they have done right the last couple of years is the charity compilation they've been putting out. Unlike other local awards they actually have nominees come in and record new Daytrotter-like live studio recordings of their songs.

Luke Wade & No Civilians might have won the award for Best Song this year for their "Strangest Angels" based on the strength of the album version but it was the mellower take on the FW Weekly comp that won my heart. Gone are the punchy/borderline cheesy horn fills which makes this rare version more cohesive and contemplative.

Which brings me around to the selfish part of this post

Somewhere along the line I misplaced my copy of this year's comp. If anyone has one laying around and feels like ripping me a copy of the Luke Wade tune again and sending it my way I'd owe you a hug/high-five (or the virtual equivalent).




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Point-Counterpoint: The Problem With Watch the Throne

Today's Point/Counterpoint comes via local alt-rockers Soviet and Ft. Worth Star-Telegram entertainment writer Preston Jones via their Twitter accounts, in which the two parties debate the new Jay-Z/Kanye collab Watch the Throne as well as the problem with mainstream rap.

@prestonjones: My review of the superb "Watch the Throne": dfw.com/2011/08/08/491…

@SovietMusic: @prestonjones interesting review. I completely disagree. I feel that it's reviews like this that only further the idea that they are artists

@SovietMusic: I would suggest that the lens which you and many other ppl see these two is tainted by the "event" of their superstardoms

@prestonjones: @SovietMusic What were your thoughts upon listening?

@prestonjones: I'd argue that's part of it, but there's undeniable skill at work there. Each has an incredible facility w/words (cont.)

@prestonjones: (cont.) which sets them apart from most, save maybe Lil Wayne. I feel like rap's true essence is ability to convey (cont.)

@SovietMusic: I was completely repulsed by the mania of their ego and found it almost unlistenable. Mind you, i enjoy hip hop.

@prestonjones: (cont) the rapper's truth. In their case, they're superstars (like it or not), wrestling w/themes beyond usual subj. matter

@prestonjones: Interesting - I felt like some trax were commentaries, almost considering ego in a satiric way.

@SovietMusic: see, here is the fundamental problem. I refuse to acknowledge Lil Wayne as even a top 50 all time greatest.

@SovietMusic: so, if you judge kanye and jay z (who both are not top 10, not close) by Lil wayne, sure, it's good. But if u judge it by...

@prestonjones: What holds him back, in your opinion? I think he's pretty impressive, as modern rappers go.

@SovietMusic: ..MF Doom or Aesop Rock (just 2 examples), they sound like they have the vocabulary and intelligence of gangsta 5 year olds.

@prestonjones: They're not Dr. Octagon, no, but as mainstream rap goes, they're preferable to the likes of Rick Ross or 50 Cent (cont.)

@prestonjones: They're not Dr. Octagon, no, but as mainstream rap goes, they're preferable to the likes of Rick Ross or 50 Cent (cont.)

@SovietMusic: what holds Lil Wayne back is that he's a drug addled uneducated fame whore. And his generally misogyny and ignorance.

@prestonjones: You're gonna knock him for misogyny and fame whoring? C'mon, you've just discredited every rapper ever at one time or another.

@SovietMusic: but why should the qualifier of "as far as mainstream rap goes" matter? I guess its a larger question of whether or not art...

@SovietMusic: ...criticism a comparative discipline, trying to constantly place things in historical context, or a more normative discipline

@prestonjones: Because, fairly or not, there's a delineation there, in terms of awareness. J/K are *widely* known; MF Doom etc. much less so.

@SovietMusic: ...which is more trying to work toward a organic understanding of the work as an individual piece of art

@prestonjones: Definitely normative, at least for me. It's tricky, tho; w/this album, there's a need to also consider the hist. context.

@SovietMusic: re: Lil Wayne. Ok, so you are willing to ignore his entire body of pop work for a few clever verses here and there.

@prestonjones: I'll grant you his hit/miss ratio is worse than J/K's (for instance), but when he's on, he's fiercely impressive.

@SovietMusic: I'll agree it's tricky. We'll have to agree to disagree for now, twitter is not the forum for this, I'm sure you'd agree haha

@prestonjones: Agreed. And yes, Twitter doesn't really lend itself to discussions like this. :)

@SovietMusic: if anything, be heartened that your review sparked debate. "it's a good thing" - Martha Stewart, Convicted Felon.

@SovietMusic: come to a show sometime man, I'd love to debate in person.

@prestonjones: Indeed - I do appreciate the conversation (and thx for reading!)


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Hello The Mind Control // Summa' Time Demos

Songwriter Tyler Blue of Mesa, Arizona sings like a fishboy, but with out the dramatics. These kids are playing August 12th with Fishboy at J&J's Basement. Hello The Mind Control makes me want to hug shit. I bet kittens and rabbits love this music. Enjoy "Summa' Time Demos" and have a beautiful day.


-Wolfe McBain

Lupe Tabasco

Had the day off so I maked this 4 U guys. <3<3<3

xoxo
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Video: Hunx and His Punx // Lover's Lane

I once heard Cali garage-doo-woppers Hunx and His Punx described as an updated version of the Ronettes in which Ronnie Spector was a gay dude, and well, there's not much more to it than that. But I love the way the band's audio and visual imagery work together so well in their new "Lover's Lane" vid, the gorgeous Super 8mm plays well with the song which is as much an homage to their '50s doo-wop influences as parody thereof. The snarky nods to '50s teen tragicore tunes like "Last Kiss" and "Leader of the Pack" also play well with me.

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Bowlegs Sessions: Unknown Mortal Orchestra // Ffunny Ffrends

These days it seems like every reputable magazine or website has it's own 'sessions' series going on where they film or simply record bands performing exclusive live in-studio takes on their material. Daytrotter and the A.V. club are two that instantly come to mind, and of course, Violitionist here in our own backyard. We do not have a session series of our own, but then again we did say every reputable website. Bowlegs Music is yet another in the long line of sites with sessions that we've never heard of, but they did capture a pretty gorgeously-shot take on Unknown Mortal Orchestra's "Ffunny Ffrends". Check it out above, and see other Bowlegs sessions here.

MP3: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Ffunny Ffrends

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Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward // Live In The Living Room

Tomorrow the Denton-based alt-country outfit Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward will release a new live album Live In The Living Room, a sort of Daytrotter-like live acoustic songs-as-they-sounded-that-day take on material from the band's first two albums, their 2010 The Apology Part 1 EP, as well as a pair of tracks from a still-in-the-works studio LP --all which were recorded in the living room of a home shared by a couple of the band's members.

The band also notes that these tracks were recorded with zero amplification in front of 30 of their closest friends and colleagues. All in all a nice little departure from the band's typically more amped up live sound, and a worthy means to tie over fans until their upcoming The Apology Part 2 LP hits in December.

MP3: Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Rewards - Skin and Bones (live acoustic)

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