The Faint Largesse

Subtext of a generation

2005-06-29T01:52:00.000-04:00

If the purveyors of popular culture had it their way we may never experience another quiet sleep, a wistful moment of reflection, or a silent epiphany ever again. If the plans for constant commercial badgering already set in motion succeed we will be unable to wrench ourselves from an unyielding stream of vacuous stimulation. That our society may one day be so "keyed up" with an oversaturation of useless information puts me ill at ease. Yet, day in and day out we are stuffed with the empty calories of media that encourage us to support the new name brand, to spur on an already unsustainable economy, to feed the beast of many heads and one thirst - accelerated capitalism. Maybe in the far too soon future children will be given books that they can read but can't turn their pages. Like a crack addict looking for his next fix people will be (and are) filed away as commodities, dithered down into focus groups, demographics, and exploitable incomes circumventing individual humanity to satiate a seemingly infinite (and superficial desire). The blare of modern living, that engraved hum and whir trapped in our ears, can and should be ignored. We can defeat the monster because we are its master, its puppeteer, its fathers and mothers. We need simply to moderate our glib desires, our impetuousness, by concentrating on our fellow human beings and their trials. We can't afford a moment of serenity when we are too busy relying on mere diversions to survive. Anything can begin to unravel when racked with inattention, even our society.

Model A turns whispers into blows. They take hold of that precious ambiance so many of us ignore, serrate the edges, and then pierce the oblivious with the very melancholy they so desperately need to address. They put melody to a effected state of being that deserves even the most modest of our affection. This music reaches a hand to the uninspired, the distracted, and attempts to soothe and redress simultaneously. It seeks to be a constant reminder that, even if allowed to be entrenched for short time, we deserve our faint calm much more than the flickering bemusement we are so often provided. Most of all, however, Model A shows us that a squeak or sigh can squelch the most capricious roar.

Model A's Website

01 Angry Hippo
02 Robot's Dream of Love Pt. 1
03 Robot's Dream of Love Pt. 2
04 Rooftop
05 Street Sign Says
06 Gravel Poured Out

Notching it down a bit for quite some time now
MJT

Related Links:
Music courtesy of Sundays in Spring and the Internet Archive

Agitprop for the simple spirited

2005-06-28T01:23:00.000-04:00

Simplicity is a concept highly underrated in the modern world. Whimsy is maligned for more desirable aspects such as productivity, complex problem-solving, and multi-tasking. Given the present population's proclivity to success and overachieving, a straight line to anything is more than likely to be bent, skewed, or molded in the name of ingenuity. However, history has always taught us that the glimmer of genius holds an indefinite debt to the ever-phosphorous sheen of naivete. If anything this perceived propensity for an elaborate state of mind is deceiving in the sense that projected gaiety can many times triumph over it's antithesis. A colorful worldliness can often be mistaken for gullibility or ignorance when in actuality it is much more informed of an Earthly yearning for joyousness and playful celebration. Maybe those people engaged with fanciful fetishes or overcome with indecipherable exuberance are also those truly actualized and at ease. When Albert Einstein was determined to be a self-actualized person, a human being in harmonious standing with the world, was it so attributed due to the man's personal accomplishments? One would think not. To use a set of an individual's achievements as a contribution toward his or hers fulfillment seems at odds with the very nature of the desired existence. In my humble opinion, Einstein reached harmony through understanding and logical implementation of the fact that any person's continuance is influenced by elliptical patterns of existence (space, time, etc.) that will erase and just as broadly retrace any discernible conquest or failure. Essentially, and to paraphrase an old, paradoxical adage, he took solace in the fact that there is always a method to the madness and that the method, conversely and unsurprisingly, is fully informed by madness. For all the academic, militaristic, and popular influence ole' Albert had he finally realized that no matter how deeply entrenched he may be in the public conscious, he would someday fade away to nothing. So he rejoiced every moment after that revelation for the fleetingly, oblique gifts they were.

The Galactic Heroes make music that is "in the moment" rather than producing something tepidly "of the moment". Any person, young or old, could tell you that it is always better to be fully engrossed, totally in tune, and wrecklessly interacting with a place and time. A sportsman, video game player, artist, public speaker, and yes, musician can all find that "zone" and piece themselves within the fabric of the whole. They can propel themselves within the atmosphere and bear witness to the ages old beauty of planet Earth. They can be all things to all the people they care about and one thing to themselves - alive. I thank God that there are musicians, much less bands, that strive to live "in the moment" the same way the Galactic Heroes do so effortlessly. And I thank them for sharing that instance of mirth with the rest of us.

The Galactic Heroes' Website

01 Coffee and Pastries
02 Cherokee
03 Wonderful

Looking for the "zone" that allows a 40+ hr/week career man to make daily updates
MJT

Beneath the automatons

2005-06-22T01:50:00.000-04:00

The testament to the binding concepts of functionality and compartmentalism that we call the modern age has become a bulbous juggernaut, exponentially gaining ground by the minute. It seems, the further we travel in life the more guarded we are supposed to become, eventually transforming ourselves into emotionally flaccid agents. We are encouraged to forsake our individual quirks for a series of stream-lined, generic archetypes that achieve no real goals other than creating harmony for some grand unattainable design. I have seen people react to tangible, weighty emotions with either the most horrible disdain or with a flurry of hazed angst. Yes some harmony should be strove for, but the wholesale sterilizing of sometimes messy, infrequently predictable, yet always beneficial affections is a pulsating core of the human experience that should not be tampered with. It is true that there is more than likely a group of the human population that is truly sick and is unable to properly socialize with the remainder. However, I find disapproval for the raising stock of self-sufficiency if it is directly decreasing the sense of community. I concur that everyone needs to address their own actualization, however, I get better results, good, bad, or neutral, with a support system by my side. I hope one day we can curb our selfish, obsessive compulsions and try to improve our surrounding environment instead of just ourselves. We are as much a part of our encompassing habitat as anyone else so by contributing to it's functionality we are essentially insuring positivity in both personal and social states.

Twee pop is to this listener as Kryptonite is to Superman. I don't have a weakness to this sugary sweet confection per se, it just truthfully degrades my mental state. The melodies shut down my ability to think critically and an overall aura of whimsy seeps into my brain which can not distinguish between the music and endorphins. The Tales of Jenny managed to bring me close to this nirvana, however, it's work somehow bemused me. When I wasn't being lulled into a false sense of well-being by this siren, the literary correlations began to engage me. Something tells me that the members of this group are bookworms of the highest order with an extensive library of written works that enrich their lives but don't dictate their intellect. It comes as no great surprise then that the listener, if he or she is not entranced, will uncover a dauntingly expansive amount of well-written lyrics. Twee on the page can be moving, jarring, confusing, angering, and even depressing, therefore, making it a wonderful antipole to the ever-so popular concepts of functionality and comparmentalism. How Tales can take an emotional epic and dither it down to a breezy, unfettered ditty is a paradox I can't just grasp. However, it is a set of tales in a world that I am trying to better appreciate.

The Tales of Jenny's Website

01 Prague Spring
02 Noone Appreciates the Sky
03 Eye For Ivy

Petrified by the fact that I might be a hippy
MJT

Note: Special thanks to earlier feature The Lovekevins for linking The Tales of Jenny from their website, subsequently leading me to this wonderful music.

A technological flit

2005-06-21T02:25:00.000-04:00

Unfortunate news hit me yesterday by way of Boing Boing. It appears as if Hollywood has managed to get the Broadcast Flag into Congress via an amendment to the monolithic Senate Appropriations Bill at the last second, thereby skirting a properly mounted opposition campaign. The amendment gets reviewed in subcommittee this afternoon, therefore, avoiding floor discussion or even a more robust debate in a full committee. A quick grassroots campaign has been launched and hopefully the amendment gets shut down. Why exactly is the Broadcast Flag so important and why does it warrant being addressed in a blog concerned primarily with music? I will tell you.

Like Apple Computers' DRM (digital rights management) for music files or Macrovision for video, the Broadcast Flag seeks to remove a great deal of the electronic, social elements present in today's television media, subsequently delineating the flexibility and freedom of said content in the most restrictive of terms. Now (trying my best to not sound like a crackpot) I have to wonder whether or not this attempted broadening of corporate control of a highly social environment (e.g. prosecuting 14 year old girls for file sharing over the internet) is closer associated to McCarthyism rather than a true fight over intellectual properties. From my perspective, I see what was once a near omnipotent system of enterprisers losing footing concerning how information can be communicated, received, composed, shared, presented, and manipulated. This instability has caused the corporate interest to co-conspire with the only tangible form of bureaucracy in an attempt to reign in a loosely governed, socially flourishing aggregate (i.e. the internet). Such restrictions on or even attempts at restraining this dynamic social structure manages to influence and mold this hierarchy in unpredictable ways. Any system that focuses on individual interpretation and assembles a forum conducive to user specific interaction will always be bound and determined to morph communally.

A great and extensively archived example of technological, ad hoc expression, at least in music, is hip hop. One of the purest forms of this approach that I ever heard was put forth by the New York duo, Siah and Yeshua DapoED. The Visualz EP, in its broadest interpretation, is nothing more than verbose braggadocio over CTI jazz-inspired beats. Closer inspection, however, reveals a discordant document which addresses the intellectual property cops with vitriol. Uncleared samples, lo-fidelity recording, esoteric lyrics, and a grandiose sense of adventure give the EP a cloistered, subterranean aura. This sense of rebellion feeds either into or off the burgeoning nonconformist internet community stabilizing a great deal of its footing in the mid-90s. I believe anything this cavalier definitely has a place within the modern-day, dissentive cyberspace and is certainly as inauthoritative. By combining these admirable traits with the fact that the EP was a limited-run, vinyl-only release, the artists insured themselves a relatively obscure existence. All that plus the epic last song, "A Day Like Any Other", is likely to put a smile on any RPG fans face.

Siah and Yeshua dapoED @ Fondle Em Records

Siah and Yeshua dapoED - The Visualz EP
01 The Visualz
02 Gravity
03 Glass Boat Bottom
04 No Soles' Dopest Opus
05 The Mystery
06 A Day Like Any Other

File Format: .zip (Download Winzip to unpack.)

The group, Text Adventure, present a more recent view on the polychromatic world which is more engaged with technology than the message ingrained within. When first experiencing Text Adventure's Fantastic Disaster EP, the listener may write it off as nothing more than another in a long line of electro-emo-pop releases following the mass exposure of The Postal Service. The electronic flourishes of Text Adventure come off more processed and less maudlin by presenting a dissonant world of blips and beeps. Their music immerses a personal voice (sentimental as it may be) into a menagerie of expansive technology, represented by unfamiliar yet simultaneously comforting patterns of sounds. By doing such, the group constructs an intriguing point of view concerning the intimidating, daunting technosphere increasingly becoming prominent in our everyday lives. By consuming Fantastic Disaster one is essentially attempting to find the beauty in the maelstrom, to decipher meaning in a world overwrought with information.

Text Adventure's Website

01 A Little Explosion
02 If It Could Talk It Wouldn't Say Anything
03 Kill Meow
04 I'm a Shoe I Miss You
05 Tide to the Ocean

Bold enough to say online what I won't in public
MJT

Related Links:
Text Adventure EP courtesy of Observatory Online and the Internet Archive
For more information concerning the legalize of technology please visit the Electronic Frontier Foundation

When the carnival comes to town

2005-06-18T18:10:00.000-04:00

A rural existence guarantees a certain set of mitigable truths for the average child. Small town residents generally police each other concerning the publicity of their dysfunctions, keeping the less attractive embellishments of human existence cloaked. The younger set is usually shielded from the darker side of small town life to more less contribute to the ambiance of the rural sheen. Children of the backwood persuasion usually have nothing more than their imaginations and a strongly encouraged sense of socialization to entertain themselves. As a matter of fact, my life as a rural child was usually marked by two occasions exclusive from holidays, the circus and the carnival. Arcadian carnivals differ from the theme parks of major cities and usually coincide with a fair that is commemorating some forgetful event. Fairs and their carnivals, to me, were always an extended metaphor for my pastoral home. Yes, the rides were fun, the times fond, and the food irresistible, however, I never realized that all of these amenities were being maintained, produced, and sustained by transients. Many of these vagabonds were adrift and homeless, some were criminal, and all resembled parts of our community closer than we expected. The bright lights of the carnival were never very flattering to the fading patina of small town life. At times they made our lives seem boring and square, a brooding, conformist existence with no real surprises. However, when we looked behind the luminescence we found people just as unhappy as us, except they were willing to openly trick and mock us all (leading me to wonder if we were more alike than I had previously thought). Sometimes we can't see the grime in our lives if the light is shining directly in our eyes - an action the "carneys" had mastered by standing on the other side of, as well as being the source for, that intoxicating glare, to which we all flocked to unconsciously.

Big Fresh (aka The Joybombs) understand the whimsy of the Bluegrass state and sound like experts of the down home brand of celebration that I was ushered into as a child. Their approach to Midwest eccentricity sits comfortably next to that of Wayne Coyne. The band(s) successfully manage to internalize and splice together disparate elements of the American experience, subsequently forging a nearly covert statement on modern culture (think an approach trying to hold hands with John Philip Sousa and Outkast, among others). Unfortunately, one may outright consider this to be strictly carnival music upon a cursory, first listen. This may be a somewhat accurate view, however, it does lack an appreciation for a great deal of the subdued substance put forth. While listening to The Joybombs, I understood that they were speaking to us people who celebrate and party as a means to consecrate all the disorder, aggravation, hard work, etc. associated with our attempts at happiness. The melodies may sound saccharine, but listen to the words. You will be surprised at the great deal of sarcasm and satire fueling this good time pop music. Big Fresh and The Joybombs are actually trying to give their listeners license to throw their hands up at their problems (albeit temporarily) and have a good time. Therefore, it wouldn't surprise me if John Linnell was silently wringing his hands somewhere with a tentative eye placed firmly on eastern Kentucky.

The Joybombs' Website
Big Fresh @ Myspace

01 Joybomb1
02 Joybomb2
03 Joybomb3

Thinks funnel cakes are a great metaphor for the pitfalls of life (or not)
MJT

Hybrid saga

2005-06-17T01:45:00.000-04:00

Some theories of existence give credence to the thought that everything merely exists on a cosmic Möbius strip bound to repeat cycles and languish in sameness. When applied to popular culture, this school of thought holds a lot of truth. Most could remember when the 90s nicked the 60s and 70s for trends and most people can observe those around them cribbing elements of the 80s in today's life and times. When two Möbius strips are combined a Klein Bottle is formed. Just as the Möbius strip has no discernible beginning or end, the Klein Bottle has no true "inside" or "outside" in relative terms of space and dimension. My view of spacial existence favors a construction akin to the Klein Bottle. Having no distinguishable plane, the Klein Bottle more closely resembles a plethora of possibilities placed before us. Essentially, we can all exist of and within the elements, grabbing and infusing them along the way, rather than being stuck on a path that eventually leads to deja vu. This view also represents a great deal of the music which finds weight with me. Those bands that take a comprehensive set of influences and derive a new approach almost always hold my attention and ear better than those that attempt a half-hearted continuation of one or two obvious inspirations. In music and popular culture, like in life, a multi-perspective view is always better than a one-dimensional picture.

Bands with deceptively simple titles can usually be a crapshoot. Bands like The Blasters or The Clash are forefathers of their respective genres, but just looking at their names, one might assume that these bands might be run of the mill. I nearly made this mistake when I stumbled across the homepage for the already-pigeonholed, "alt-country" band, The Bellyachers. Luckily, I clicked on one of the music links and was instantly greeted with a big middle finger for my nearly premature misconception. AOR, metal (heavy and hair), acoustic folk, powerpop, and yes country (as well as many other as-of-yet unprocessed flourishes) all float through the reverberations The Bellyachers stridently produce. Like many other "alt-country" tinged productions, this is perfect roadtrip music. So grab a few albums from the website, gas up, and head out. Rest assured, The Bellyachers are the perfect soundtrack for motoring on this Klein Bottle I call life.

The Bellyachers' Website

01 Fool's Game
02 Halfway Around the World
03 Walking Time

My roadtrip's in my mind
MJT

The icon's anthem

2005-06-16T00:16:00.000-04:00

In the world of music what does an icon's anthem truly sound like? Is Led Zeppelin's anthem, the true representation of what these men strove for, really encompassed in Stairway to Heaven? Maybe Zep's true anthem is played every time a band they influenced takes the stage. When an artist like Zakk Wylde steps before an audience to essentially pay homage to the heavy metal demigods, does not every note that leaps from the man's guitar represent a tribute to those that came before him? Are the anthems really found in the work of those people who toiled away at the feet of the masters? Yes, the masters can be surpassed, and in doing so they are simultaneously dismissed and revered. The icons continue to have their anthems, but they no longer can have a personal connection to most who appreciate their music. Essentially, the icon becomes a legend and it's songs become parables. Therefore, it always is tricky to have a unique, personal connection to something a multitude of people have come to appreciate.

Living in the Midwest I, like many others, understand the reverence the music fan has for a state like Illinois and its most populous city, Chicago. In an indie scene that ran most of my lifespan (at least two decades), Chicago has been epicenter to a flurry of creative activity. So from the rural areas around Chicago (Belleville, to be exact) we have Wake Up. Report. This "indie rock" band carries the torch of anthemic post-rock glory that many metropolitan bands before them had built from tinder and brush. Wake Up. Report. reaches a hand out to Sonic Youth with it's tonal manipulations, yet pulls back just short of anything revelatory. There are also other independent giants on the way to Wake Up. Report.'s ultimate goal. For some strange reason, however, I am usually too distracted with the scenery to see the destination. I am sure that in some time Wake Up. Report. will find a voice specific enough to allow them to stand in the hallowed halls of the "indie giants". Then they will be the icons serviced by other bands' music. For now, though, they seem to be in a pleasant stage of development.

Wake Up. Report.'s Website

01 Spilt to Bill (Lies, Lies)
02 The No Vote
03 The Telephone Calls (Keep Quiet)
04 The Book You Never Read

Looking for an anthemic personal voice
MJT

The Swedest Thing

2005-06-14T23:53:00.000-04:00

Somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere lives a group of people neutral to the political sway of the rest of the world. This country is supposedly inhabited with "perfect" genetic specimens of the WASP variety with blonde hair and blue eyes. This land apparently strives for equality socially, economically, and amongst genders. Many make Sweden out to be a utopian peninsula of monolithic proportions. What many people fail to realize is that Sweden, like every other nation, has its faults. For being as socially progressive as it is, Sweden still has an unemployment rate on par with fellow developed nations. Furthermore, Sweden is more culturally and racially diverse than some might think. Sweden really does not represent the image many Western foreigners have placed on it. But one recent trend is a fact. It has produced a slew of kick ass independent bands in the recent years.

The Lovekevins sound too much like a few of the hippie bands I was raised on when filtered through the Britpop of my collegiate years. Usually, anything this immediately derivative sets off an alarm in my brain that tells me to scrutinize, analyze, and pick apart these impostors. The transitions, from whimsical Arthur Lee narratives, to lightly Celtic dirges, immaculate Marresque guitar work, and even post-punk inspired disco drumming, are too smooth to try to disassemble before being pulled into the near-cloying melodies. It sounds so much like something familiar that more than once I have been torn between resting comfortably with the music or actively engaging the lyrics and stylistic references. But usually I just sit back and enjoy.

The Lovekevins' Website

01 Blame the English
02 Stop Being Perfect
03 Happy Happy

Wouldn't mind being a Norseman
MJT

Special Note: I would like to thank one Ben Walpole and his band The Minor Leagues for the horrible pun at the top of this post. The song sharing this title from the album Sometimes My Arms Bend Back is actually quite good and inspired part of this post.

Americana in motion

2005-06-14T01:48:00.000-04:00

Being from the high lonesome mountains of the Appalachian range, you could say that I always have a vested interest in the modern development of Americana. On more than a few occasions I have sat on a porch surrounded by my mother's or father's friends (and their beers) waste deep in the throngs of bluegrass music. Little did I realize the deep connections this hyper-kinetic music had to old country folk and (since the advent of soloing) jazz. Western Europe, parts of central Europe, New York, New Orleans, you name it and it was absorbed like wildfire. Held captive by the current trends of hip-hop and punk, I was unable to grasp the weight of what was going on around me. Only now, while a somewhat lengthy distance from home, do I truly appreciate the heritage and musicianship that was placed firmly in my lap. But something interesting is happening. Genres cross-pollinate and co-exist at the drop of a hat in today's time. You can get the post-rock/ska meanderings of Camper Van Beethoven with a healthy dose of fiddle or a powerpop gem from Decibully expertly hiding a bango somewhere in the mix. It seems now, more than ever, all one has to do to extend the shelf life of Americana (a timeless tradition regardless of this attempt) is to simply use instruments associated with it.

This brings us to the Cult of Sue Todd. Cult displays a seamless admiration for the folklorish mystique of Americana and a well-informed grasp on modern college rock. It's bouncy, but simultaneously sounds deceptively melancholy. They come off with a kitschy (in a charming way), studied homebrew of drama and wit that sounds more subdued than read. In other words, as soon as something weighty is brought into play the listener is usually offered up an escape, be it twangy bango or loungy organ, to take up in glee. That there are artists that borrow elements of Americana and essentially dilute its potency to offer inroads back to folk is truly a gift. Now we can enjoy both the invitation and the party.

Cult of Sue Todd's Website

01 Foul Fetor
02 X-mas

Missing my old Kentucky home
MJT

Mystery abounds

2005-06-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

Sunday, my lazy day, just so happens to be a good day for sonic discovery. Continuing in the same vein of yesterday's spotlight I bring to you another denizen of the (apparently) growing netlabel phenomenon. The music presented herein also seems to be a proud supporter of the Creative Commons licensing project. A very good concept, but I assure you that my efforts are just not being concentrated on those artists who decide to support this approach. I am trying to bring my penlight's worth of exposure to a multi-faceted group of musicians. As a matter of fact if you feel you have something that this blog would like to showcase you are more than free to contact me.

The Forest Wilds should not be allowed to make music without strong songwriting. As a matter of fact this group should at least have a vocalist on its tracks. It is simply criminal that music this good would seem so ephemeral to some listeners without vocals as an anchor. The fact that I have not been able to track down any info concerning this group could also feed into anyone's temporal reaction to it's work. Do your best not to ignore the music being offered up, however, because The Forest Wilds, given enough exposure, could very well be one of the best indie bands today. Any group that can pull the dark silhouette from Sigur Ros and then begin to inject it with whimsy gains a lot of ground in my book (and this is just within the span of a few listens). I would call this surreal if, in this day and age, the concept of surrealism hasn't been torn asunder by reality itself. Perhaps, The Forest Wilds grasp hold of this long outmoded artistic concept by elusively existing just off the radar. Or maybe they just make good music.

The Forest Wilds @ 8bit Records

01 A Long Time
02 Forked
03 Travelling Across the Ground

Promising to have music with vocals next week
MJT

Related Links:
All music courtesy of 8bit Records and the Internet Archive

The style of sound

2005-06-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

In going over my latest blog and traversing in the ever expanding mp3 blogosphere I came to an epiphany. My blog format and stylistic choices are less than aesthetically appealing. To rectify this dilemma I have decided to reformat the way in which I present newfound artists and their music to the reader. Artist links, including songs and info, will be placed at the end of my (hopefully) short rants. I have decided that an ongoing organizational analysis of this blog will be beneficial to future projects and the prosperity of this site.

The duo of artist spotlights for this edition of Faint Largesse are both under Creative Commons licensing. This form of copywrite/licensing is, I believe, the future of protection for creative works. With the current rash of digital, internet-enabled plunderphonics coupled with an insurmountable amount of media socialization and sharing, it comes as no surprise that the restraints placed on intellectual property need to lax for further exploration. If the current standards of copywrite protection reflected the forward thinking of the Creative Commons project the consumer could avoid a great deal of litigation and at the same time be encouraged to become participants. Now on to the artists (both showcasing work from the Observatory Online Archive).

.tape. consists entirely of one Daniel Romero, his PC mic, and an apparently thrift store-sized collection of children's instruments. His approach to making music can not be any more different than the All-Time Quarterbacks of the world. While .tape. in theory reads as just another musician noodling away on cheapie instruments, in execution the work comes across ethereally sunny, warm, and digitally concise. This has a lot to with the fact that Romero injects his work with the adventurous vigor of electronica, specifically glitch. Think the Books preciously dawdling about in a playground. Furthermore, this cohesive suite could, more or less, be classified as a foray into ambiance. If the tracks themselves don't convince you of the charm inherent of .tape.'s music check out the interactive flash included with the EP.

.tape.'s website

01 Making Waves
02 Island
03 Sea-Scaping Monthly
04 Travel Kit
05 Is That a Seagull? (Interactive Flash Media)

The work of Eyeliner Airlines when compared to that of .tape. seems more explicitly (rather than subtly) cerebral. Airlines, along with .tape., proves through electronic manipulation that popular music has not lost its intelligent edge. This brings up a quick side question. By casting music in a different perspective do certain elements of electronica (like many other previously avant forms of music such as free Jazz) challenge a long held status quo of spacial reasoning? That certainly seems like one to ponder. Eyeliner Airlines address this question by cutting a wide-ranged swatch of pop from the 1980s to now, diffusing and then digitally rearranging those associated notes. No stopgap artist references for this one, just a well-intentioned offering of this wonderful work. Listen, make your own judgments, and then feel free to berate me if you feel otherwise.

Eyeliner Airlines' Website

01 Hardworking Spaceship Crew
02 Rodfrugtsragout
03 Termofrost Botanics
04 Underwater Civilization

Well that's it for now
MJT

Related Links:
All music courtesy of Observatory Online collection @ the Internet Archive

Long time gone

2005-06-10T00:53:00.000-04:00

I took some time away from the blog to process a solid decision for site updates. So here it goes. I will attempt to post an artist spotlight with links to the artists' pages and mp3s on a daily/bi-daily basis. These spotlights will consist of anywhere from one to umpteen million (actually probably a maximum of 10) artists and their songs. Mix albums (compilations) will come monthly and will consist of tracks that I have enjoyed over the proceeding months' time and hopefully you, the visitor, will also find some sunshine in. As always these items will have a seven day time frame and a fluctuating download limit to be determined by the hosting site. I will try to weed out all dead links but if you guys find one let me know. So without further ado I present the first two artist spotlights.

The first of these wonderful artists just so happens to be the Spectacular Fantastic. I was first introduced to the Fantastic by way of my wonderful friend Josh (member of the Minor Leagues who we will get to after the completion of their upcoming album). Josh is a coworker of one Mike Detmer who just so happens to be the principle songwriter on all Spectacular Fantastic projects (as well as a core component of offshoots Folk? and Infinite August). Mr. Detmer is what one would call well-traveled in the Cincinnati indie scene. The Spectacular Fantastic has a wonderful sense of power pop in the alt-country vein with just a dash of lo-fi (more so in approach and execution than ultimate goal). To the point though, the Fantastic are offering up a free online EP. Said EP is titled I Love You and can be found at their website. Please give them a try and if you enjoy it don't hesitate to purchase one of their albums from the label linked from their site or even buying their mp3s from iTunes.

The Spectacular Fantastic's Website
The Spectacular Fantastic @ Ionik Records

I Love You EP Download

The next group I will throw in for good measure for two reasons. The first is that they are an amazing up and coming band from Murfreesboro, TN (just a little to the right of Nashville on any accurate map). Reason number two is that I witnessed a very tuneful set from these young lads and lady immediately before the Spectacular Fantastic took stage this past Saturday at the Comet. Do they sound angular and twangy? Yes. Do they seem sloppy (in a good way), a little raucous, and a lot stream of conscious? Yes, yes they do. Maybe, just maybe that is why a certain Tennessee publication compared this upstart with the almost iconic Pavement. I will dodge the responsibility inherent of this hyperbole and just say listen to the damn music and decide for yourselves. Oh yeah! They go by the Velcro Stars. They have links at both myspace and artistnow for you to check out. Definitely, worth your time and effort and if you ask kindly enough they might provide you with a CD for a modest price.

The Velcro Stars @ Myspace
The Velcro Stars @ ArtistNow

Now on to future business. As for the monthly blog comp, I would like to probably start to assemble a Creative Commons album filled to the brim with artistry free of commercial and copywrite constraints. This could probably fill a years worth of comps or even a whole blog. For now though, I will probably intersperse electronic, acoustic, and popular music mixes through the remainder of 2005. I also have a few goodies such as an all French (and one Portuguese and glitch) pop comp made a year ago for a friend. Further down the road I plan to begin assembling and working out the details for an all Cincy local podcast including Nati area artist interviews and music. This one will take some planning, so have patience please.

A few writing projects have also been put before me. The first of which is actually one that I envisioned for myself to hone my creative writing skills. Given the potency of my gumption and a lack of procrastination I will tentatively begin a blogged fictional novel. These details will be somewhat difficult for me to hammer out so I will keep the readers (if there are any) notified. I also was off-handedly asked to contribute to a novella project along the lines of music documentation which I will more than likely take up. This idea is one which I find very intriguing and will anxiously await further info on.

Well that's all for now
MJT

New mix on deck (with artist links)!

2005-05-29T18:56:00.000-04:00

First thing's first. Seeing as it has been a week since my last compilation, I guess it's time for a new one. This is basically a Summer mix for all of you to play while drinking sun tea on your porch/deck or driving the 275 loop with the windows down.

~~Throwdown at Lookout Point~~ EP

Apollo Sunshine - I Was On The Moon (4:15)
Architecture In Helsinki - Wishbone (2:26)
The Brunettes - These Things Take Time (2:48)
Self - This Is Love (2:17)
The Faraway Places - Another Life (3:56)
The TV Sound - Be That Kind (4:00)
The Color Bars - Eliza (3:14)
Irving - White Hot (3:54)
The Go! Team - Huddle Formation (3:11)

Runtime: 30 minutes and 1 second
File Format: .zip (Download Winzip to unpack.)

These are all great bands. Some old. Some new. Some big (member-wise). Some small.

What else is new? I went to Taste of Cincinnati yesterday with my brother and his wife along with a few of their friends. I saw half of a set by the splendiforous Heartless Bastards. This is my second time seeing them live (the first being with the Drive-by Truckers at the Southgate House) and I must say that the raw power that this band commands in a live setting is awesome. The fact that they were performing in front of the Cinncinatus mural made it just that much more wonderful. All in all a pretty cool Saturday with good eats and great music.

Today: I was going to watch a movie but it looks like I'm ~~going out with friends~~. Guess I am going to eventually watch a movie tonight.
Tomorrow: ~~Record hunt and thrift store pillaging with my roommate.~~ Lazy day.

Anway, thanks to you all for stopping by and please check back for as much goodness as I can muster.

Orson Welles' F For Fake and the current state of creative copywrite

2005-05-22T16:37:00.000-04:00

I must say that after watching Welles' F For Fake not very shortly after viewing Star Wars caused the synapses in my brain to bristle with activity. Essentially, Welles' work is a pseudo-documentary of a faker, Clifford Irving, who subsequently authored a biography of an artistic (of the paint on canvas variety) forger, Elmyr de Hory, by the master charlatan behind great media rouses such as The War of the Worlds broadcast. If you watch this movie with a wandering eye and a blunt mind it looks just like any other run of the mill PBS special. If you decide, however, to pay close attention and give Orson the reins you will come out very informed.

"Of what will I be informed?" you may ask. Well of many things, but most importantly of authorship, authentication, the socialization of creative works, and the fact that behind any objective view point lies a veritable network of subjective ideas. Now, to many, this all may seem mute in the 21st Century media factory we call Earth. But I implore the reader to look closer and he or she will see that the issues are still there, they have just been compartmentalized. For example, Welles' implies oh so explicitly in his work that the experts of the day (i.e. art merchants) are just as guilty of forgery as Elmyr. They, however, are the greater of the two evils, because when the traders feign intelligence of authentication there are thousands to millions of dollars at stake. The same can be said for today.

I guess a short example is in order. Modern experts, lets say political pundits, claim to have the ostensible p.o.v. for the common good. Realistically, any sane human being can tell you that most if not all of punditry, especially the brand that holds sway in the media, is more or less self-serving (whether or not it holds fast on the left or right). As a result, subjective ideas are either explicitly or covertly presented as another reform closer to a grand utopia.

Now let's delve into cyberspace for a minute. The issue still seems fuzzy but the transfer of DRM encrypted files has lately been hotly contested in internet dialogue. If we, as consumers, buy media (or art) it should hold true that we have an individual right to access, modify, or enjoy it whichever way we choose. But, if we decide to socialize or share the art we may be at risk for violating copywrite law. Imagine the world without Andy Warhol's corporate paintings due to fear of being sued by Cambell's Soup or Coca-Cola for trademark infringement. How do we as consumers of privatized art share and disseminate that which we enjoy if we live in fear of violating the laws? Furthermore, what does all this have to do with Welles' work?

In F For Fake Welles subtly and playfully implicates the political world surrounding these gifted artists (and lets face it a forger is talented) as the very reason why they are criminalized. The art market that was manipulating and taking advantage of Elmyr set the standards and then slipped between their cracks while Elmyr was left holding the ball. One may find it very cliche' that the art dealers' major motivation was greed. Likewise, the privatization and subsequent politicizing of the structure surrounding the music business has abolished a great deal of its emotional impact. Forgers are frowned on because they are standardizing an artists impact by revealing that renowned painters are not cultural institutions themselves, rather, it was their view of the world (which can be transferred) that held water. Unfortunately, it is this same standardizing by the music corporations through focus groups, set playlists, and chart tracking that begins to outmode the intensity of any music released by the conventional major record labels. That is why a system for socialization free of corporate influence needs to take hold for creativity to flourish.

Of course, we all must cover the third dimension in any dialogue, the observer. So what exactly makes me an authority on the subject of movies, music, and copywrite laws - nothing. I have no degree from a higher university nor am I as terribly knowledgeable of these subjects as I'd like to be. That's the way I like it though. By carving my own path of exploration through these subjects I gain an informed perspective that is also unique. Am I a charlatan the likes of Welles in his movie? Yes, but not as convincing and certainly not as enthralling. This brings me to two final points, grand as they may be. The greatest authorities are those that are acutely aware of their own fallibility. Furthermore, any amount of authority in this world is commanded by figureheads who, sooner or later, will be toppled or replaced.

Star Wars and the Loss of Child Wonderment

2005-05-22T00:38:00.000-04:00

So ... I watched the new Star Wars ~~today~~ yesterday evening. Let me say up front that when it comes to Lucas and his creations the only set that actually held any water for me, even when I was younger, was the Indiana Jones trilogy. Let me further state that I usually am vehemently against any creative work that sets itself up to be a stock franchise (of which Star Wars has become a behemoth when compared to good ole Jonesy). That's not to say that I'm extremely opposed to the Star Wars universe, its just that at this stage of my personal growth the whole concept is kind of ..... meh. I did and sometimes do enjoy the escapist mentality of Star Wars, however. Its just that I can no longer suspend my disbelief while watching such an odyssey turn down heavy-handed, poorly-acted territory (especially when it is offered with a built-in structure of allegories). Of course, to Star Wars' credit, I never had a WTF moment as powerful as the one I had when a group of Nazis disintegrate after opening the Arc of the Covenant.

Anyway, I should say that the following track inspires more whimsy and nostalgia in me than any recent, overly-hyped movie.

From the Redo the Tracks compilation - ~~Starfighter #1479~~ Courtesy of Bars and Guitars

This reminds me of a space-inspired movie I was much fonder of from my youth, The Last Starfighter.

Post that mix! Grab that mix! Play that shit!

2005-05-21T00:10:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm posting a mix CD sooner than expected. This first mix was compiled from Download.com and various other sites during my latest net trolling. ¡Le presento tan!

~~As the Chirps Turn Metallic~~

Of Montreal - So Begins Our Alabee
The Boy Least Likely To - Paper Cuts
The Cloud Room - Hey Now Now
Performance - Love Life
Loquat - Time Bomb
Tree Wave - Sleep
Supersystem - Born Into the World
The Private Lessons - False Alarms
Sleeper - What Do I Do Now
The Wildlife - Electric Slide
Call Florence Pow - A New Life

Runtime: 38 minutes and 34 seconds
File Format: .zip (Download Winzip to unpack.)

I guess one wouldn't really consider this a mix. I guess it is more along the lines of a compilation. One day I will have the skills to mix music and it not sould like complete bollocks. Right now, though, I believe it would be a disservice to the artists featured. Anyway, to all that download. - ENJOY!

You want me to write a song? Okay.

2005-05-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

This is a song I've been trying to finish for some time. I like the first two stanzas and the chorus. However, anytime I try to finish this song it becomes less metaphoric and more literate. Anway, for anyone's approval, here are the parts that I do like.

Appalachian Poles

-Verse-

He's staring back at her clandestine face
A flickering fire-fly, hardly keeping pace
With the frost of the winter on Appalachian poles
Trudging along through the prose of stiffening cold

While she looks up at a crystal blue sky
Busy watching her dreams just float on by
Breaking off into different cloudy forms
Absorbed by the closest snow storm

-Chorus-

But he just wants to hold her
Come alight, warm her cold shoulder
Bonfires are smothered into smolders
When hope is dropped into the icy world

That's all I have. It may be a little too literate even like that. I would really like to write in more of a clipped, veiled style. Maybe this will develop with more growth. This is one of my earlier works hence the AB rhyme structure. I hope that it is really not as contrived as I think.

2005-05-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

One of the very few games I play incessantly.

btw. I'm not crazy wearing this coat in Spring. This picture was taken in the Winter in an airport in Wisconsin. That's right, any Ms. Pacman machine I see I play ...... badly.

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Why so literate?

2005-05-18T19:26:00.000-04:00

Post one. Blog one. Where to begin?

I named this post The Faint Largesse probably for several different reasons. However, only one reason is prominent in my mind right now. To me a faint largesse is more or less an excellent euphomism for life, or the present state of being, or whatever you want to describe this malaise we call existence. I know the Latin origin of the word largesse may connotate a somewhat romaticized point of view or at least a cynical one spiked with a bit of whimsy. This may be right, but I must directly warn the reader that my tone usually traipses within agnostic territory. Anyway, faint largesse refers to the proliferate amount of lessons existence gives us as human beings. Unfortunately, most people (myself included) are too busy being automatons (with our set schedules, meetings, coffee, borders, and pathes) to actually absorb all the pertinent information life is feeding us. All things said though I can still see how life may have its significance.

Will I be using this blog for more than dismal ranting? Yes, HELL YES!!

Hopefully, I will mostly be linking to new music. I more than likely will be posting some of my own songwriting to this blog (as amateur and contrived as it may be). There also may be glimmer of hope that some of my own music will be posted if I ever get around to building a suitable recording setup (I currently am using a memo tape recorder ala Daniel Johnston). Anyway, here's to hoping that Blogger is full of creative critics (even harsh critics can be creative so if you feel the need release the vitriol).