Local Natives

Southern California's Local Natives debuted with 'Gorilla Manor' back in November of 2009, but interestingly enough only in the UK. The album won't drop in the US until February, almost four months later. It's my prediction that by the end of 2010 this will cause one of those fussy Rural Alberta Advantage-esque "do I put it on my best of the year list or not" type squabbles for many, but the fact remains that it will probably belong. Granted, the album is far from perfect, but for me its major flaw lies in often being too pleasant. The group liberally drowns many of their tunes in lush Fleet Foxes style vocal harmony, and occasionally it seems a cover for what may be a weak melody. Another complaint with the record and the group would have to be the percussion however. Often lingering in the back of the mix, that same drab beat graces most of the tracks here. Which is unfortunate only because the group plays some pretty uptempo indie rock songs. I mean, imagine what Justin Peroff (BSS) could have done here and you'll see what I mean.

What is truly great here however is to hear the lush harmony discussed above in practice over a straight ahead rocker, like "Sun Hands", and it is these moments that make the record one to treasure. Probably a great live act too. Check out 'Camera Talk', and the download link below.

'Camera Talk', 2010

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On the Road.. to 2010, and Barcelona

In the last 3 days my sister and I drove from Baltimore to Las Vegas, some 2300 miles. Also just yesterday, I bought my Primavera Sound Festival tickets. Yes, I am referring to the three day long, 4 pm to 7 am extravaganza hosted in Barcelona, Spain, and featuring headliners Pavement, the Pixies, and Wilco. Also announced to show so far are the Antlers, the XX, Panda Bear, Circulatory System, the New Pornographers, Here We Go Magic, Dr. Dog, etc. I obviously don't need to hype this, it speaks for itself. Forget the green paper and get yours here, or at least read a little more about all the fun we'll be having without you. In honor of both this and my recent trek through the desert, I give you a Pavement song I once heard Robert Schneider call "the most beautiful song I've ever heard", which if nothing else probably explains a thing or two about the Apples in Stereo:

"Range Life", 1994


Now, with nothing to do but await the New Years celebration in Vegas tonight, and being just a little excited for it, I put together a little ten song 'New Years' playlist. Featured is a selection of old and modern classics which either look forward, back, or at least have some general relation to the passage of time. Download link below, enjoy.

1. The Past Recedes - John Frusciante
2. Yesterdays World - Circulatory System
3. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies
4. In The New Year - The Walkmen
5. This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks
6. Countdown - Phoenix
7. Time Has Told Me - Nick Drake
8. Time Trap - Built to Spill
9. Memory Lane - Elliot Smith
10. When It Begins - Kevin Drew

Download here.

Royal Bangs vs. Clues

I don't really know why I've always associated these records with each other. Maybe its that they were both sparsely noticed 2009 releases. Maybe because of the similiarly themed artwork. Or maybe just because I burned them on the same blank CD. Either way, these are definitely two bands to be aware of, even if thats where the similairities end.


I picked up on the Clues self titled debut when seeing it praised on a 'best of the decade' list. On a first listen it didn't leave much of an impression, but after a couple it grew. The album is fairly consistent and cohesive, and exists in a place that apart from being indie rock is all the groups own. That said, there is a huge lack of stand out singles here. Let's just say I've never caught myself humming a Clues song. Still a worthy record though that you can check out below.

'Remember Severed Head', 2009

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The Royal Bangs on the other hand have the opposite problem. On this album there are at least four well written catchy tracks, but the rest of outing fails to live up. The record is titled 'Let it Beep', and appropriately so, as everytime the songwriting lacks the mix is muddled with distracting and largely distasteful MIDI style effects. That being said, "War Bells", "Poison Control", "Waking Up Wierd", and "Maniverse" are first rate high energy tunes that any band would be proud to have in their catalog. Check these out as well.

'War Bells', 2009

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Cop Shoot Cop

Cop Shoot Cop were a controversial New York band that existed in a short window between 1987 and 1994, playing into the role of the burgeoning "industrial/alternative" loop that somehow fed clubs with Reznor fans and shitheads alike. It's pretty easy to see where they diverge from this stereotype. Early works like Consumer Revolt and White Noise were deep seated in sarcasm and abrasion, taking an almost ephemeral quality to the musical structure. Things changed after a while, but for the entirety of the band's existence, they purposefully avoided the road towards popularity (or a lead guitarist, for that matter).

Cop Shoot Cop appends nihilism to the growing list of influences which you could attribute to them; artists like Big Black, Killing Joke and Foetus certainly spring to mind. With the aid of a competent producer, their 1993 masterpiece allowed these influences to bloom into the turgid mess known as Ask Questions Later, arguably one of the most powerful "alternative" albums of the decade. Lead bassist (that's not a typo) Tod A.'s caustic songwriting dances furtively between disillusionment and affectation, burning one of the least travailed bridges between the mordant and the accessible. If nothing else, Cop Shoot Cop did what nobody else on the industrial/alternative fence could do -- make an album worth giving a damn about.

Just listen to the first track, it's enormous -- "Surprise, Surprise":



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Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

Sometimes the greatest of things go completely unnoticed.

In this case it's not a far cry to call Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 true visionaries. Their name reeks of pretension and self-importance -- thankfully, neither are applicable. This whimsical group made deceptively simple pop recordings during the late '80s and up until the new millennium, in the same vein as label-mates Guided By Voices and Pavement. While their recording style embraced the lo-fi aesthetic of their brethren at Matador Records, their songwriting style meandered a completely different path.

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282's records were, for most respects, just plain fucking weird. In their early years, most songwriting passages get interrupted by disunited and disorganized excerpts of noise. By the time they signed to Matador Records in the early '90s, TFUL '82 cleaned up their records, but retained their same whimsical sense of humor and execution. The result: a brilliant post-apocalyptic mess that somehow managed to garner a minor college rock hit, Strangers from the Universe.


In the past few months this record has ascended my depth chart of favorite albums. It's an amalgam of everything I love: idiosyncratic indie rock and really unusual (but otherwise groovy) pop melodies. It sounds like someone shoved Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain through a blender and ported the great steaming mess into a thirteen-track take. Although the band tries their best on this album to obliterate any chance of landing a top forty hit, they do fuck up occasionally and produce a truly memorable song, like this one here entitled "Cup of Dreams":



And while TFUL 282 never really received the critical attention they so deserved, this album is a summary exploration of their career's material. So much of this album is expressive of their wide grasp of musical innovation, and their love for it. Sadly, the Fellers have since amicably dissolved, but their existence leaves an indelible impression of what's so wonderful about music in the first place.

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