up the (pizza)punx.

some famous asshole once asked, "what is a party without pizza?".

a party without pizza is not a party at all (doiii), and punks and rock'n'rollers all across this great world are taking note of this seemingly minor social detail. so now, here, in this great year of 2009, we have a widespread outbreak of Pizza Punk bands. they are fun. they are funny. they spread the party jamz like no others.

local heroes Johnny & the Limelites are the real deal. the proto-pizzapunks, if you will. they were rockin' out about pizza before pretty much anyone, and are true party professionals. check their debut (one-song) "Pizza Party" 7" single. it's a r'n'r punk rock fun-times gem, complete with a slew of backing vocals, frenetic "pizza party!" shouts and a lot of crazy Stones guitar style. it is, literally for real totally, like a party coming out of your speakers (or headphones). keep an eye out for their upcoming single on Chicago distro/label, Rocket Reducer. also, seeing them live is a very highly recommended experience, so do so (they wear awesome outfits and bring pizza to their gigs!!).

next up: Personal & the Pizzas. ironically, it was a member of Johnny & the Limelites who hipped me to this wonderful and ridiculous band. Personal & the Pizzas pull a total daygo schtick and, i shit you not, pull it off well. they are, of course, from... New Jersey (ahem). all skepticism aside, their first single (on GOOK Entertainment) is #1 A+ quality listening. if you like trashy classic punk (Ramones, NY Dolls, Dictators, Stooges), simple rock and roll licks, and fun, then CHECK IT! there are hilarious spoken interludes amongst songs like "I Don't Wanna Be No Personal Pizza" and "I Can Read." Rob's House Records recently put out a split 7" with P&TPs and Bobby Ubangi...another great slab, although one of the two P&TPs tracks is on the first 7".

the next band i'm gonna throw out there might be a little controversial, since they may end up falling more into the "burger punk" genre (?), BUT they sing a whole lot of pizza-themed tunes. Happy Burger are a french punk band, therefore taking the party-food punk trend international! they play power-poppy, messy and snotty punk on the lo-fi tip. fun and catchy as hell. they have a single recently released on Douchemaster Records (one of the best record labels in existence, btw) which features songs like "Pizza All Around" and "The Ballad of Ray Kroc." you know who Ray Kroc is, right? he bought out the McDonald brothers in the 1950s (or something like that). the first franchised McDonald's was in Des Plaines IL, opened by Kroc. my dad is 60 years old and still can't stop talking about when that place opened and how he would walk down the street for a nickel burger. great, dad.

wavvvvvving over disillusionment.

i KNOW, i know, i know that i incessantly bitch about one or more of the following on a daily basis:
1. pitchfork.com
2. the appropriation of underground culture by the mainstream
3. what is deemed "cool": how & why

that said, i found myself "totes" disillusioned at the (sold out before it even started) Wavves show (Empty Bottle) this past friday. like, all this commotion over some 22-year old hipster jag playing broke-ass jams? really??!

Vampire Hands played 2nd and blew Wavves right out of the fucking water. check that shit out. it's like Akron/Family if Akron/Family were less noodley/jammy and more weird/psychedelic/experimental.

btw, i still find Wavves highly enjoyable and will still recommend his recordings. i'm just irked by the "social" (?) issues around the Indie Rock Machine, and that Wavves show really dug it all into me.

ummm so yeah also, i thought that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart was total bullshit when i first heard them, now i can't stop listening to them. GO FIGURE. if anyone is eating their own words, it's me, always.

.........................................
on a different note on the same damn scale, i'm psyched to see Sam McPheeters writing for Vice Magazine. the fashion forecast piece he did in the new issue is pretty much a breath of fresh comic genius (ie: "You are still very much a creep if you stare at anyone else's ass ad" re: "Assvertisements" wtfffffff) and cuts right through all the bullshit that is the Vice "Fashion Issue."

if you don't read his blog, you probably should.

if you don't know who McPheeters is, what the hell is wrong with you?!

..........................................
after a good 4-hour session of jamming nothing but 7" singles tonight, i am revelling. the 7" is my favorite format, conducive to the most active/participatory listening experience. also, they are cheap.

if you are into singles as much as i am, you should be keeping track of Doug Mosurock's "Still Single" column, a regular feature at dustedmagazine.com. he's also got a bloggy thing for extra information and writings. very very highly recommended...a quality writer who writes about quality recordings; oftentimes, cool new bands that will end up getting huge once they become "best new music" over at Pitchfork a year later. hmph.

.........................................
sorry for all the randomness but ol' girl has a lot on her mind. i'll be back later on all the latest news in the "pizza punk" genre. get psyched.

so reatarded, volume a million.

have you seen Jay Reatard's new website?

in addition to a handy email list (he'll send you songs!), Jay announced that he's starting up Shattered Records again (hell yeah), and if ya ain't broke already from recent subscription series from Sub Pop/Columbus Discount/Hozac labels, he is doing a subscription-only Shattered Records club. $75 gets ya a whole bunch of cool nerdy shit. everything he's planning to put out is pretty damn golden (Nobunny, Box Elders, Jeffrey Novak, Hunx & His Punx....), so this seems like a fairly worthwhile investment.

this is what fame can do for you, folks.

foot set.

#1:
i have another writeup on Josh Honn's excellent blog this week: a feature on aussie swamp punks Beasts Of Bourbon debut album, with a download. check this every week for always-changing writers and awesome out-of-print tunes ready for you to d/l.
here you go: Oh Wowee!

#2:
club foot set 3/30/09.

shared set with the great John Benetti, no setlist for him. it was a fabulous, packed night...thanks everyone who came out. not to be all emo, but it meant a lot to me. due to a million conversations at once all night long, it was hard to keep track of what i played, but i think i pieced everything together fairly accurately...

pretty things- bracelets
arthur brown- fire
vee dee- into the void
death- rock'n'roll victim
busy signals- uh oh
black randy & the metrosquad- i slept in an arcade
essential logic- shabby abbott
weave- laveau
tamaryn- ashore
dum dum girls- yours alone
golden triangle- prize fighter
woods- to clean
jeffrey novak- never together
let's wrestle- let's wrestle
_______________________________

zola jesus- flesh
blank dogs- calling over
joy division- a means to an end
raincoats- and then it's ok
comsat angels- missing in action
kurt vile- freeway
akron/family- many ghosts
nobunny- motorhead with me!
nothing people- when i drink
thee oh sees- meat step lively
happy burger- ballad of ray kroc
brimstone howl- mammon
zips- take me down
rudi- big time
wax museums- traffic violation
gg king- adult rock
pains of being pure at heart- a teenager in love
harmonia- notre dame
visage- in the year 2525

foot set.

club foot set 3/23/09.

carla bozulich- pissing
throbbing gristle- hot on the heels of love
the fall- lie dream of a casino soul
girls at our best- go for gold
toy love- rebel
able tasmans- what was that thing
gordons- adults & children
nervous eaters- just head
huns- glad he's dead
obits- put it in writing
intelligence- reading and writing about partying
gunslingers- gigolo albinos
wavves- surf goth
blank dogs- the tied
dum dum girls- catholicked
afrika bambaata & the soulsonic force- go go pop
felix (arthur russell)- tiger stripes
wicked witch- electric war
bitter tears- bachelors say
mass shivers- downwind of amour
AFCGT- new punk
blatz- lullabye
embrace- money
necros- andy's shit for brunch
weakends- heatwave
scientists- swampland
jesus lizard- rope
mastodon- oblivion
rabid rabbit- C section
vee dee- phaedra illusion
monkees- porpoise song
rolling stones- live with me
bachs- i'm a little boy
JT IV- the monitors
lover- my michelle
o voids- light
personal & the pizzas- i can read
strange boys- woe is you & me
mark sultan- hold on
ooga boogas- oogie boogie
blank its- windows are dirty
whatever brains- mount whatever
x_x- you're full of shit
demon's claws- weird ways
nice face- exterminator
tyvek- pamphlet
black time- corpse life
woven bones- sitting sick
spits- shitty world
zero boys- livin' in the 80s
ultravox- rockwrok
mechanical servants- around the world (with johnny jostins)
royal family & the poor- voices
gina x performance- opposite numbers
tamion 12"- do the devil dance
icicle works- as the dragonfly flies
japan- tim drum
coil- tainted love

the law that i'm breaking always.

omg.



huh huh huh new Z Gun rag (if you don't read this you really should because it is both keeping shit old skool and rad as hell)...huge article on Riot Grrrl (wtf?!) written by a dude (!) and is awesome because it's covering THE MUSIC and not THE MESSAGE (for the most part)...this is something that needs to be done, culturally, because the RG movement had some of the most fucked up weird awesome inventive punk rox coming from it. shan't be ignored! the article even makes mention of Blood Sausage, who no one remembers but were, like, pretty much one of the best bands to come out of RG UK. mmm, in addition to Riot Grrrl coverage there is a very insightful Dan Melchior interview, an interview w/the man of Die Stasi Records which is one of my favorite comtemporary labels, some Billy Bao, some other great stuff, a billion reviews, etc. just get it.




sidenote: i've been listening to this crazy-ass thing like a maniac lately. essential listening if yr into broke-ass and druggy "machine funk." Chaos: 1978-1986 is the first ever reissue (collects two 7"s and a 12"), and i'm pretty sure that the LP is already out of print (boo). basically, out of the rubble of late 1970-80s Washington DC rose Wicked Witch, aka Richard Simms, who made all these creepily awesome lo-fi/lo-budget experimental funk recordings (almost all instrumental), heavy-bass grooves with weird synths and heavy on experimentation. there is influence-a-plenty (Sun Ra, P/Funkadelic, James Brown, etc.) but this disc is as real as it gets. i would put up a song for you but someone would have to get me into all that vinyl-to-mp3 bullshit.


ps oh snap! live Blood Sausage:

briefings.

btw, i'm not posting my last club foot set because it was basically a disaster. i'll just say that it was ridiculously 90s chicago-themed, ridiculously underdog/johann's/dyslexic-themed, ridiculously repetitive, etc. sorrrrrry.

ok: this is old news already but my 2nd favorite Monkee, Peter Tork, has a rare form of cancer and recently had surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his tongue. if you have any desire to follow up on his health and recovery, you can be as nerdy as me and be facebook friends with him (omg!!).

more old news:
i keep forgetting to mention the Death reissue (For The Whole World to See) on Drag City, which is like the best thing i have ever heard in my life, no joke.
i cannot understand how this band didn't achieve Stooges-level infamy, because this record is so ridiculously perfect: three musically-minded brothers in detroit raised on r&b/soul, exposed to the MC5/Stooges 'scene,' formed Death, and made some of the BEST midwest protopunk/r'n'r that i have ever laid ears on. god damn. they released one single ("Politicians in My Eyes") and were going to release a full-length (on Columbia) but refused to bow to record label pressure to change their band name, and the LP was shelved. only seven songs here, but they range in style from power pop to weird psychedelic/garage rock to damaged punk soundz. heavy political themes. etc. i can't NOT make the Bad Brains comparison, because it's clearly evident that HR&co. were influenced by Death, also see: Dead Boys, Zero Boys, Fishbone, Hendrix, and the like...
peep the track "Freakin' Out" here, the 'punkest' track on the record, and keep in mind that is was only 1975 when this was recorded.
major props to Drag City and their recent reissue efforts (that JT IV record from last year too, holy shit).
you can buy this album on CD format currently, and freshly-already-repressed vinyl should be available at your local independent record store within the next couple days.

in other reissue news, we just got the Black Randy & the Metrosquad Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie LP (on Vinyl Countdown) in. i never thought i would have this piece on vinyl; 2 LPs no less, with demos/singles/liner notes/live stuff...it's a fantastic package AND limited to 1000, ok? get 'em quick. Black Randy, flagship of Dangerhouse and funkpunk originator. LOVE IT.
here is their film debut in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains:

it's calculated.

thanks to Tal for posting Laura Barton's 'legacy of riot grrrl' piece. it's (obviously) the briefest of overviews without any info that you probably don't know already, but a nice came-out-of-nowhere article nonetheless (peep the comments too!).

strange, as i just did a writeup at Oh Wowee! on the Raincoats first album, which i would not have discovered (at the age i did) if it weren't for the RG scene. umm you should check out Oh Wowee! regularly, btw, for free out of print goods and fantastic writings.

another great mystery of things in threes: an email a few weeks ago from a former prof asking for some information from my undergraduate thesis (appropriately titled: "Suck My Left One").

hmm.

feast on my heart.

Pylon cofounder/guitarist Randy Bewley died today.

Pylon = by far, the best band to ever come out of the Athens scene (REM/B52s...pffft).
Gyrate = by far, the best minimal postpunk record ever to be made, on a Feelies level of jangle, on an Au Pairs/Maximum Joy level of arty angularity and groove.
Also, Pylon has been back at it in recent years, so this is for sure a sad ending.

Listen to "Danger." RIP.

Vee Dee Upon Us.

thanks to Darius of Criminal IQ and Nick D'Vyne of Vee Dee, i am "leaking" one (previously unreleased) track off the forthcoming 2nd album, "Public Mental Health System." holy shiiiit:

Vee Dee- Out of my Skin

this is the shortest and most "punk" track on the record, which is a fucking masterpiece of epic proportions; oozing psych fuzz, punk/garage mania, and bluesy drawls...and the world has been waiting 5 fucking years for it!

check it:
-Public Mental Health System is out March 17 (gatefold 2LP!).
-record release show at Empty Bottle, March 21, w/Krunchies, Dials & Daily Void.
-(the best band in Chicago be makin' a well-deserved comeback)

jan/feb faves.

first of all, wtf on the news that Touch & Go is folding most of its operations.

i'm extraordinarily curious (in a not-excited-at-all kinda way) to see how much this is going to change the indie rock biz landscape in the next year (not to mention how many people/bands/labels are going to be majorly fucked). bummer jams, indeed. it seems that some less-extreme business decisions can be made in this situation, but wtf do i know. regardless, RIP T&G, the most important indie label/distribution of the past 25 years.

...on to the fun stuff...
Favorite Releases of 2009 at the Two Month Point Edition:

two releases at pretty opposite ends of the spectrum are already heading the little "2009 Fuck Yes!" list in my head.

#1. Antony & the Johnsons- The Crying Light
talk about bummer jams, this album is chock full of 'em. Antony & co.'s third full length is completely void of anything that could possibly be classified as 'rockin,' but is absolutely full of gorgeous, confessional, orchestral and (of course) torchy gems. this record is a huge step forward in terms of compositional aspects (exceptionally arranged strings, horns, acoustics, electrics, vocal patterns), and Antony has come into his voice 100%. lyrically and thematically, there is not one song that's nothing short of heartbreaking. 100% beautiful.

#2. Marked Men- Ghosts
i have to say that this is the worst album cover i have ever seen in my life. wtf, guys?! this is like some late 90s high school graphic design shit, really, it's just terrible. but as long as you can disregard the unfortunate cover, you will find exactly what you might expect from them on their 4th album: catchy, stripped, poppy garage punk. 15 songs in 30 minutes. infectious hooks abound. done in a way that only the Marked Men can do it. sometimes, sticking to the familiar is a good thing.


in the land of reissue material, hooooly shiiiiit:

--4 Men With Beards does it again with the release of Jorge Ben's "Forca Bruta" on 180-gram vinyl. Jorge Ben is the completely overlooked master of brazilian grooves, kneading samba with soul, mixing complex percussive arrangements with traditional orchestrations like it ain't no thang. although Jorge was aligned fairly tightly with the Tropicalia movement (Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, etc.) his music was nowhere near as "radical," but every bit as lovely.

--Secretly Canadian killed me with CD and vinyl reissues of the Zero Boys "History Of" and "Vicious Circle" albums. pretty major reissues for what was pretty much the only punk/hardcore band out of Indiana in the early 80s (and pretty much one of the best punk/hardcore bands to come out of the midwest in general). "Vicious Circle" is an obvious classic but "History Of" is way more exciting... collecting a bunch of stuff that has never been released on LP and/or CD (ie: "Livin in the 80s" 7", comp tracks, etc.). i love the Zero Boys because as brutal as they were sonically, they trumped typical hardcore aesthetics with major doses of melodic and rhythmic experimentation. ridiculously awesome stuff.


also, we finally got in some german import copies of the Lover "Gather in the Graveyard LP at the store. i have been touting the shit out of this band since first rocking that damn "Booger in your Asshole" jam last year, and if you have picked up all their easily-attainable singles and loved them as much as i, i highly recommend laying down the cash for this. perfect poppy punk rock weirdness, mixed and mastered by Jay Reatard, etc.

oh god and the new Mi Ami record! it's fantastic! dudes from the Black Eyes rockin' minimal dub weirdness...just get it. ok no, maybe listen to some of it first because i can see people not being down with the vocals, which are definitely....fucking irritating. but it fits the artistic vision 100% and this full-length is fully representative (and then some) of the few 12"s they have put out in the past year or so ("Ark of the Covenant", "African Rhythms", "Echoonecho"). so yeah, it's called "Watersports" and oddly, is on Quarterstick/T&G.

and that's all for now...

foot set.

foot set 1/26/09.

split set with the great Tim of Laurie's Planet of Sound. he is not as nerdy as i, therefore no setlist for his time at the turntables.

coconut coolouts- nerd holocaust
sweet faces- on top of that girl
sexy kids- sisters drown me
canadian rifle- follow the leader
buzzer- disco kiddz
perfect fits- radio transmitter
king khan & bbq show- animal party
hank IV- feeding me back
rats- rat race
middle class- out of vogue
big boys- we got soul
_________________________________

marked men- ghosts
paxola- steal it
real kids- all kindsa girls
exploding hearts- busy signals
milk 'n' cookies- just a kid
nerves- hanging on the telephone
xtc- my weapon
the clean- anything could happen
animals & men- don't misbehave in the new age
urinals- black hole
coathangers- a real honey
_________________________________

gories- can't catch up with you
eric & the happy thoughts- ride ride ride!
nobunny- give it to me
traditional fools- get off my back
romance novels- hang on sloopy
debris- tell me
method actors- dancing underneath
bauhaus- in the night
die haut- the victory
ice- la grande guerre
_________________________________

tv ghost- the nihilist
unholy two- altamont 1969
pack- st. theresa
nice face- exterminator
fnu ronnies- meat
hunches- ate my teeth
mystery girls- i took the poison
eddy current suppression ring- i'm guilty
intelligence- bulbs

2 days in and still okay...

i know there's a recent pattern of lifting this ban whenever a dem is in the white house, but Yay Obama:

Obama already in the process of rescinding global abortion funding ban.

still waitin' for dude to make me mad BUT, i'm totes happy to have a pro-choice president back in the white house.

by the way, Happy (slightly belated) Roe V Wade Anniversary!

they are weeping back at them...

shocking news of the day:

Mick Harvey has announced that he's leaving the Bad Seeds.

since Mick is the only Bad Seeds member that has been consistent since the very beginning and then some (if you count the Birthday Party years), this makes for fairly major Nick Cave news. it was sad when Blixa left a few years back, but the direction that the Bad Seeds were taking at the time ended up working alright without him (ie: more traditional songwriting).

i think that i'm confident that Nick can keep things kicking (creatively) without him (especially with Warren Ellis around), but most people aren't aware that Harvey was a major figure in the groups sound from day one, AND took care of almost all the managerial aspects of the band. fingers crossed for everyone involved, basically.

more linkage:
mick harvey
nme
ABC australia

see ya.

unfortunately, Bush & co. are taking a free ride to a luxurious retired life, despite being war criminals. at least they're out, good riddance, and it's a new day.

Top of 2008, aka Great Music for a Shitty Year.

basically, 2008 sucked.

personally, nationally, politically, internationally, economically....shit's been life-sucking and wholly lackluster, two exceptions being (1) the excitement and hope that came out of the november 4 results, and (2) my old-woman attempts at "Punk Rock Summer," recreating the carefree teen years with some quality results.
anyway. . . despite the crapass year, a whole crop of excellent records have been released to tide my ears and head and heart over until the start of a new beginning. happy new year, folks.

MY 25 FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2008 (in no particular order).

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- Dig, Lazarus, Dig!
i don't believe in god, but i sure as hell believe in Mr. Cave. i often say that he is my god, actually, with little to no jest. and i give thanks, because unlike most long-standing (aka "aging") singer/songwriter/rocker/musicians, Nick Cave is not losing it, burning out, or getting boring. him & the Bad Seeds have taken some leftover inspiration from last years' Grinderman project and let the rock in, and it sounds so fucking sweet.

Fucked Up- Chemistry of Common Life
one of the biggest musical bummers of 2008 has been the extreme appropriation of 'the underground' by large indie rock outlets (ie: Pitchfork aka The Devil, Matador Records, etc.). while i'm always happy when a band/musician that i truly love finds some notoriety and livelihood-by-music, it's always sad (and annoying) to have my special little secrets blown up to the rest of the world (i realize my snobbishness in this way of thinking, but i don't care). Fucked Up has unfortunately been swept away by both a Matador deal AND a high level of Pitchfork brouhaha, but their sound most definitely has NOT "sold out"...their brand of epic hardcore slays on this record: sprawling and brutal hardcore punctuated equally by brutal measures and psychedelic weirdness. don't let The Man get you down, indeed.

Nobunny- Love Visions
read more about Nobunny elsewhere in this blog, all i will say here is that this is by far, the best, most F-U-N collection of garagey twisted pop gems to be released this year.

Harvey Milk- Life...The Best Game in Town
2nd of a triumphant return for these completely underrated dirging doomy metal masters, and even MORE perfect than 2006's "Special Wishes." oh hey?! Joe Preston is on this record? even the fucking more better, my friends. one of the most dynamic stoney metal releases that i have ever laid ears on. 100% dirging heaviness with slow, punishing (yet pretty) riffs, metallic doom with a southern edge, crests and bursts around every corner! also also also, they do a killer cover of Fear's "We Destroy the Fmaily"!! BONUS.

Melvins- Nude With Boots
extremely controversial opinion: i think this is my favorite Melvins album. this opinion may be slightly tainted by a very strange and wonderful transcendental-type experience that i had at their Double Door show last summer, but shit. so good. it's...soulful. the Melvins. soulful. hm.

Evangelista- Hello, Voyager
Carla Bozulich & co. can do no wrong. this record is even weirder, more intense, and more emotionally crazy than Bozulich's "Evangelista" from last year. she's got a slew of expert collaborators here, creating off-kilter and beautiful soundscapes, with Carla's dark and jarring guitar playing AND her emotional, somber and gut-wrenching vocal stylings. it's very atmospheric and experimental but also delightfully ethereal and wildly raw...so wonderful! if you like very depressing and abstract music, then this is for you.

Thee Oh Sees- The Master's Bedroom...
here's some broken, deconstructed, minimal garage rock scrawl with a nice poppy feel from super-prolific noisy indie dude Josh Dwyer (Pink & Brown, Coachwhips, etc.). Thee Oh Sees is, by far, his best and most accessible project, and this record is a total stand-out among past Oh Sees releases. they capture the essence of bluesy 60s garage rock perfectly while formulating a unique and modern sound, almost avant-garage! it's catchy, bombastic, drugged out, howling, and generally rocking.

Torche- Meanderthal
this record is the perfect combination of metal and pop. this is a very difficult thing to accomplish, mind you, without sounding just plain shitty. but if you want soaring, anthemic songs as well as punishing noise, well here you go!

Nodzzz- S/T
their single from earlier this year, "I Don't Wanna (Smoke Marijuana)" was one of the feel-good hits of the summer, and this (very very very) short LP just expands upon the following superb equation: lo-fi/home-recorded sound + simple r'n'r + Modern Lovers feel + poppy cuteness. it all equals fun times and good listening.

Wax Museums- S/T
pretty straightforward garage punk, but this record perfectly executes everything that (in my opinion) makes a perfect punk record: short, simples, catchy and silly.

Cut/Copy- In Ghost Colours
no matter what happens, i will always have a HUGE soft spot for 80s synth pop and dance music. this record fulfills any contemporary yearning for such a sound that i might ever have and then some! it's full of shimmering and sweeping electro beats, swelling synths, and glaringly wonderful melodies...while keeping enough of a melancholy feel to keep if from entering cheesy Erasure-type territory. although, Erasure, Human League, Depeche Mode, OMD, etc. are not bad comparisons.

Cheap Time- S/T
see what i wrote for the Wax Museums, but then add to that the following: songs are a little longer and more complex, way poppier, TOTAL Buzzcocks-ian and way 70s/early 80s punk/new-wave. again, a perfect punk record.

No Age- Nouns
more soaring lo-fi! i can't write much more about this record than what's been said already on every fucking music site and blog and end-of-year-list, but this is a damaged-indie rock classic in the making! 1000% attack of the lo-fi in '08, AGAIN. lovin' it though!

Sic Alps- U.S. Ez
whaaat? this band is so weird and rad....part of the new crop of most excellent Siltbreeze bands, Sic Alps have really honed their lo-fi arty folky punk weirdness. a definite glorious mess of Syd Barrett-ish psychedelics, hazy garage and fractured pop.

Vivian Girls- S/T
another band that is now all the rage, but these girls fucking kick ass with their shoegazey punk/pop harmonizing and sweet DIY punk rock ways.

Jay Reatard- Singles 06-07 & Matador Singles 08
same bummed-outedness for this guy as i have for Fucked Up, but seriously, dude shits gold. every goddamn garage-pop masterpiece that he puts out is absolutely powerful, catchy, and hard. the "06-07" collection is light years better, in my opinion, as the Matador collection gets a little tired towards the end, but stilllll... it's all fucking great.

Dillinger Four- Civil War
people be dissing on this album left and right, but i am always up for some new output from D4. they stick to their perfected 'sound' of catchy, midwestern-style melodic punk with all the bells and whistles, humorously political lyrics, and pop-punk mastery.

Enslaved- Vertebrae
huh huh huh. my favorite metal band releases yet another insanely proficient and blasting album. there are elements of prog, black metal, psychedelia, and good ole fashioned death metal all over the place and everything is stitched together perfectly. slightly quieter than their past couple releases, but i think that's what makes it really stand out.

Night Marchers- See You in Magic
the newest John Reis (RFTC, Hot Snakes) project and people been giving me shit since it came out because, yes, i like it more than Hot Snakes. I LOVE IT! excellent, unapologetic rock'n'roll, fair and square.

Human Eye- Fragments of the Universe Nurse
Detroit wonders, post-Clone Defects, fractured and truly art-tinged r'n'r, epic punk, light years better than the first album, terrifying, frightening, fucking kick-in-the-ass killer tracks, etc.

Eat Skull- Sick to Death
truly underground-of-the-underground, fucked up, noisy and poorly-recorded punk madness sounds so good! it's trashed out and arty, yet perfect pop melodies are buried underneath a wonderful mess of fractured buzzing sound.

Parts & Labor- Receivers
once again i am writing: EXCEEDINGLY TRIUMPHANT! "Receivers" is far better than their last album, and i fucking loved that one to no end. it's even more intricate and soaring and weird than the last, with even more strange experimentation enveloped between lovely pop, and even more anthemic qualities. expertly and beautifully arranged noisepunk, PLUS a good deal of "audience participation", as they used samples and field-recordings sent by friends and fans across the world to round out the sound experimentation.

Nothing People- Anonymous
best and weirdest rock and roll record of the year, hands down. it's like all the best elements of classic punk, proto punk, new wave and...weird, all mushed together in one excellent record.

Eddy Current Suppresion Ring- Primary Colours
these Aussies are so great at modernizing classic Australian garage/punk, and i couldn't believe my ears when i heard they were up for an Australian grammy, wtf?! although i enjoy their last album a bit more, they're still givin' it all to their indie-garage-punk ways and it's still pretty damn perfect.

Der Teenage Panzerkorps- Games for Slaves
more manic Siltbreeze weirdness for 2008! "Games for Slaves" is German darkwave-type weirdness: rhythmic, moody, monotone, a whole lot of post-punk/Joy Division moments...a giant leap backwards to 1980 mixed with post-war barren minimalism. "totes" superb.

BEST OF THE NON-FULL LENGTH FORMAT
Sex Vid- Communal Living 12"
Lover!- all singles they released this year
Antony & the Johnsons- Another World EP
Smith Westerns- Irukandji 7"
Cola Freaks- all singles released this year

LABELS THAT HAVE DONE NO WRONG IN 2008
Rob's House
Mississippi Records (esp. on the Irma Thomas, Clean, Animals & Men, holy shit!)
Woodsist
Siltbreeze
Numero
Douchemaster
HoZac

LIVE SHITZ
2 nights of Nick Cave (even with a migraine on the 2nd night).
Melvins/Big Business @ Double Door (during 'the storm of the century').
Vivian Girls @ People Projects (despite waiting for like 6 hours for them to go on).
Coathangers @ Ronny's AND SubT
Nobunny/Okmoniks @ Bottle
Spits @ Beat Kitchen
Carla Bozulich's Evangelista @ Schuba's (most tearful live music event of the year).
Jay Reatard/King Khan & Shrines @ Bottom Lounge (despite the Pitchfork fest douchebags).
At the Gates @ HOB
Sweet Cobra/Disfear @ SubT
Pissed Jeans @ Bottle
2 awesome Planet Earth events at the SubT

SOME HONORABLE MENTIONS
i either forgot about these in the mix of things or didn't get to spend enough time with them, but all early impressions harkened to l-o-v-e:
Ooga Boogas- Romance and Adventure
Crystal Stiltz- Alight of Night
Cheveau- S/T
Wavves- S/T
Fabulous Diamonds- S/T

also major props for all the Nigeria Special comps, Arthur Russell "Love is Overtaking Me," Africa Screams comp, Nixe LP, Rodriguez "Cold Fact" LP reissue, BIPP comp, and the motherfucking Arthur Russell documentary "Wild Combination." also being in "my thirties" and still loving fucked up, loud shit more than anything.

word.

foot set.

club foot set 12/29/08.
best/favorites of 2008 edition!

sex vid- scripture
eat skull- punk trips
human eye- slop culture
mayyors- side b of that damn unicorns 7" w/no track listing
smith westerns- crab man
los llamarada- stressa closer
xyx- nunca nunca
shudders- big heat
black time- scary people
nothing people- suspicious
eddy current suppression ring- which way to go
the pets- heart attack
der teenage panzerkorps- unfavorable meanings
fucked up- days of last
torche- grenades
enslaved- vertebrae
parts & labor- wedding in a wasteland
sic alps- COCA (for p.a.)
thee oh sees- two drummers disappear
no age- teen creeps
king khan & bbq show- teabag party
cola freaks- keder mig...
jacuzzi boys- i fought a crocodile
cheveu- lola langusta
lover!- no more reasons
hunx & his punx- gimmie gimmie back your love
cause co-motion!- which way is up?
muslims- parasites
nodzzz- controlled karaoke
tranzmitors- are you gonna take me
baby shakes- ooh la love
okmoniks- not that good
digital leather- hologram
cheap time- people talk
gentleman jesse- highland crawler
hank IV- my anger
ooga boogas- neon sunset
dan melchior & das broke revue- street of crocodiles
the feeling of love- truth belongs to the brown liquor
vivian girls- tell the world
wax museums- the smell
jay reatard- you mean nothing to me
thomas function- filthy flowers
nobunny- i am a girlfriend
submarine races- part b (where are you going)
deerhunter- never stops
melvins- billy fish
harvey milk- motown
boris- buzz-in
dillinger four- minimum wage is a gateway drug
night marchers- open your legs
marnie stern- the package is wrapped
cut/copy- far away
crystal castles- untrust us
king khan & the shrines- land of the freak
david byrne & brian eno- life is long
nick cave & the bad seeds- today's lesson
the breeders- walk it off
antietam- shipshape
fuck buttons- ribs out
crystal stilts- the dazzled
evangelista- lucky lucky luck
antony & the johnsons- another world
fabulous diamonds- 3
okkervil river- stand ins, two

foot set.

foot set from 12/22/08: christmas party edition
(this tracklist has major holes in it, thanks alcohol!)

charlie rich- santa claus' daughter
wailers- christmas spirit
fat daddy- fat daddy
bobby "boris" pickett- christmas mash
bob b. soxx & the blue jeans- bells of st. mary
damned- there ain't no sanity claus
run dmc- christmas in hollis
el vez- feliz navi-nada
james brown- santa claus goes straight to the ghetto
stevie wonder- someday at christmas
mono men- christmastime is not for sinners
wizzard- i wish it could be christmas every day
darkness- christmas time (don't let the bells end)
rocket from the crypt- cancel christmas
sonics- don't believe in christmas
trashmen- dancing with santa
boss martians- 3 ghosts
dickies- silent night
wild billy childish- a quick one (pete townshend's christmas)
gentleman jesse- christmas hangover
jet boys- merry christmas, fuck you
holly golightly- christmas tree on fire
electric prunes- jingle bells
jimi hendrix- little drummer boy/silent night
raveonettes- the christmas song
clarence carter- back door santa
moonglows- hey santa claus
drifters- white christmas
ron holden- who says there ain't no santa claus?
new bomb turks- christmas (baby, please come home)
bob seger & the silver bullet band- sock it to me santa
big dee irwin & little eva- i wish you a merry christmas
ramones- merry christmas (i don't wanna fight tonight)
pansy division- homo christmas
waitresses- christmas wrapping
kate bush- december will be magic again
soupy sales- santa claus is surfin' to town
bobby rydel- jingle bell rock
low- just like christmas
celia cruz- fiesta de navidad
walkmen- christmas party
national lampoon- a kung-fu christmas
slade- merry christmas everybody
queen- thank god it's christmas
david bowie & bing crosby- peace on earth/little drummer boy
caetano veloso- in the hot sun of a christmas day
ronettes- sleigh ride
brenda lee- rocking around the christmas tree
red aunts- little drummer bitch
elvis presley- blue christmas
pretenders- 2000 miles
john lennon- happy christmas (war is over)
smithereens- auld lang syne

foot set.

club foot set 11/24/08.

a witness- i love you mr. disposable razor
fad gadget- life on the line
PiL- public image
lurkers- shadow
ultravox- saturday night in the city of...
wayne county- paranoia paradise
dead boys- sonic reducer
iggy pop- new values
members- the sound of the suburbs
blondie- rip her to sheds
malaria!- your turn to run
lazer crystal- hot pink bux
can- vitamin c
rodriguez- only good for conversation
black vatican- i don't wanna fight
mirrors- the suburban strate coat
hank IV- car in zebra
black time- scary people
wax museums- safety in numbers
easter monkeys- monkey see monkey do
eddy current suppresion ring- which way to go
bad party- another girl dies
hospitals- friends
clockcleaner- s. dingo
fucked up- no epiphany
black flag- louie louie
naked raygun- backlash jack
pegboy- not what i want
dillinger 4- gainesville
weirdos- happy people
parts & labor- nowhere's nigh
lines- on the air
the fall- fantastic life
black orphan- xx spectrum
wounded lion- carol cloud
pierced arrows- the wait
thee oh sees- mincing around the frocks
davila 666- basura
music machine- see see rider
hunx & his punx- you don't like rock n roll
amber alerts- i her U screemz
MyDolls- exorcism
bosom divine- i'm your animal
lover!- forced to the ground
sisters- everybody...
nodzzz- i was my parents vision
crystal stilts- the sinking
marnie stern- shea stadium
shudders- big heat
nixe- E.O. twit
baby shakes- far away
brian eno- the true wheel
flying burrito bros- man in the fog
irma thomas- gone
sam cooke- bring it on home to me
pixies- velouria

foot set.

club foot set 10/27/08: halloween theme!

goblin- suspiria
bobby "boris" pickett- monster mash
lavern baker- voodoo voodoo
screamin' jay hawkins- little demon
lollipop shoppe- you must be a witch
birdland w/lester bangs- kill him again
roky erickson- i think of demons
dracula (gene moss)- i want to bite your hand
billy demarcus- drac's back
tarantula ghoul & the gravediggers- graveyard rock
monsters- she's my witch
tommy roe- blue ghost
oingo boingo- dead man's party
cut copy- so haunted
ministry- everyday is halloween
joy division- dead souls
mission uk- love me to death
echo & the bunnymen- happy death man
bauhaus- spirit
sisters of mercy- possession
the lines- dance for a drop of blood
45 grave- evil
sex gang children- kill machine
delinquents- alien beach party
gun club- devil in the woods
cramps- creature from the black leather lagoon
night marchers- in dead sleep (i snore zzzz)
blowtops- teenage zombie blues
eat skull- puker corpse
dan melchior's broke revue- hungry ghost
leper print- dead flowers
thee oh sees- ghost in the trees
ran-dells- martian hop
marketts- outer limits
the five blobs- the blob
tyrone a'saurus & his cro-magnons- monster twist
memphis morticians- bury you now, dig you later
don hinson & the rigamorticians- do the rigamortis
vivian girls- my baby wants me dead
jay reatard- death is forming
digital leather- dance til dead
new bomb turks- i want my baby...dead?
deep wound- dead babies
melvins- lexicon devil
vindictives- the terrible monster
ramones- pet sematary
misfits- spook city USA
bad brains- fearless vampire killers
hollywood squares- hillside strangler
dickies- killer klowns from outer space
sam the sham & the pharoahs- little red riding hood
sonics- the witch
a-frames- death train
uk subs- i walked with a zombie
scratch acid- monsters
lake of dracula- plague of frogs
shellac- ghosts
horrors- jack the ripper
motley crue- shout at the devil
macabre- killing spree (postal killer)
suffocation- blind torture kill
at the gates- souls of the evil departed
testament- first strike is deadly
birthday party- release the bats
wade denning & kay lande- pass the witch's broomstick
hank williams III- satan is real/straight to hell
ray parker jr- ghostbusters