By now most people who are Can fans have all the music they need on cd and/or vinyl. For the youngsters out there who are just way ahead of their time this will appeal to you and your iPod. The Grey Area of Mute/Spoon Records will digitally release the entire Can catalogue on March 13th. This marks the first time the 13 Can studio albums, which were recently remastered and restored to their original quality – as well as the I Want More EP, will be made available digitally. So kids…when you're making your iPod mixes for that special someone forget Fall-Out Boy, throw on Tago Mago and watch the sparks fly.
ARS Technica reports, “The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis,” matched an extensive sample of music downloads to American music sales data in order to search for causality between illicit downloading and album sales. Analyzing data from the final four months of 2002, the researchers estimated that P2P affected no more than 0.7% of sales in that timeframe.”
Read the full article by clicking the link above. When you’re done reading, and you happen to work for a major record label, it’s probably time to get serious and look for a new job. I’m not trying to be snooty but it’s ending, fast. Reports like these are the tip of the iceberg. Put your talents elsewhere, or join an indie-rock band.
If you’re already in a band, wipe away those thoughts of landing a big record deal/advance, those days are over. Record the music cheaply (Sebadoh, Flying Saucer Attack…), burn it, sell-it at shows & online (computers are your friend), and tour using biodiesel transportaion. I know of a couple bands who have gone from L.A. to New York on less than $100.00 of fuel! Also, college kids and adults are going to more shows than ever (People still prefer vinyl and need a place to shop for cool t-shirts). Blogs can also be helpful by hyping the most average sounding bands for the simple fact that they are new and different, this could be a plus for your band? But the best part is that no matter who likes/hates your music you own it and will actually make money.
Welcome
Sirs
2007 | Fat Cat
It’s been a long time since I’ve been moved by any music coming out of Seattle, Waashington. But Welcome’s “Sirs” is a jagged mess of pop hooks and angular guitar deserving of repeated listens.
Welcome are making my year brighter than your Clorox whites. They’re like a twisted version of Pavement, or Deerhoof meets The Creation, with disjointed arrangements, echoed vocals and spikey guitar melodies. I probably shouldn’t use terms like “this is my favorite new band” but I think this is my favorite new band of 2007.
Their debut album Sirs sounds almost unfinished, if that makes sense, yet it has such an exhilarating sound for a traditional rock band (guitars, bass and drums). Tracks like the manic art-rock opener “All Set”, the detached female vocals on “Bunky”, and the jagged guitars on “Natural Frost” will make any fan of art-rock crap their pants. Welcome are simply a refreshing act that should shake people up about American bands again. “Sirs” officially came out in November of ‘06 and is being released in the US and Canada on March 5th via Fat Cat Records.
Macromantics
Moments in Movement
2007 | Kill Rock Stars
Melbourne-based rapper Romy Hoffman began her music career in the mid 1990s as the guitarist for Ben Lee’s Noise Addict. I’d be quick to compare this youngster to MIA, because most of this record is fun and easy to get into, but the work here shows more musical variety. Hoffman comes across as a straight-edged teen with her “proper” delivery and quick paced intensity. An even thought she is young Moments in Movement shows maturity and confidence.
The opening track “Miss Macro” is a lyrical open house if you will, cleverly welcoming us into her world of sputtering rhymes that are almost too quick to follow. Her vocals are so jam-packed into each verse it sounds like the song is going to snap into a thousand pieces. Other tracks like “Scorch” and “Bandwagon” are impressive and really catchy from start to finish. A guest appearance by Sage Francis on “Locksmith” exposes an eerie speak-and-spell sample which quickly unleashes Sage and Romy’s cool ramblings about their childhood. The chorus comes back again with the robotic message sealing this song’s greatness.
Hoffman continues to stun throughout the rest of this record with hints of Third Eye Foundation creeping up on a few songs. “Vaudeville” changes the vibe with metallic, dub-like sounds and a down tempo groove that is creepy. The darkness continues on the seven minute stunner “Generation.” It’s as if sampled strings and bells are being spun by ghosts.
While many rap albums rely on generic beats, cheesy lyrics, and dumb sampling Macromantics create songs that breathe and sway like you’re hearing the genre through a new voice. What I also loved about this record is the sincerity and complete lack of pretense; most rap/hip-hop glorifies the ghetto experience as a means, or excuse, to release any album. Romy Hoffman builds songs filled to the brim with smart vocal arrangements and verses overflowing with rhymes. The liner notes for each song are about as long as the Gettysburg Address. If you’re the lyrical type Moments in Movement is sure to hit the spot.
Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
2007 | Kill Rock Stars
Since 2005’s “The Runners Four” Satomi Matsuzaki’s vocals have become noticeably structured and patient. The typical static flashes of sounds and off-key chirps are replaced and streamlined with melodies that work within the songs. Opening track “The Perfect Me,” with its dynamite pedal steel jumping out during the end of the song, and the bluesy riff-driven “+81,” are excellent examples. While Matsuzaki sounds more like a “singer” than ever before, Dieterich and Saunier continue to rock and spike the songs with sounds and riffs that bounce off the walls, settle, and crash into each other. The focus throughout the album is easier to grasp, and longtime fans will most likely deem this album “safe.” But at the same time the trio haven’t sacrificed any of the amazing guitar and percussive dynamics that have made Deerhoof one of the most exciting and progressive bands in the country.
Most people I know have either a strong attachment or blatant dislike for this band, some peeps just like music that treats them nicely. But if you’re still curious and undecided then “Friend Opportunity” is the best chance ever to get into Deerhoof, especially if you’ve never heard a note from them. This is assuming you like adventurous pop music that is experimental and manic during a few measures and suddenly slides right into a bizarre vocal melody. Still, Deerhoof manage to capture every sound and idea that you wish you could think of and constructs them into an accessible batch of tunes.
Clinic
Visitations
2007 | Domino
“Visitations” is a tense and feverish return to the work explored on Internal Wrangler, only this is better. The album opens with a foot stomping rhythm and dirty slide guitar on “Family.” By the time you get to “Gideon” the band is in full swing with the manic vocal delivery of Ade Blackburn once again leading you down a dark alley. Blackburn’s disturbing and fragile voice clearly defines the band’s mood and identity, while musically, the band careens through passages of Spacemen 3, the Velvet Underground, and even Suicide. However, Clinic still sound like a completely original band.
Throughout the album Clinic remain diverse and detailed, covering a lot of musical territory. Even when it seems as though Blackburn is going to “lose his mind” the band reigns in a somber trip on “Harvest (Within You).” Then comes the art-punk bombast of “Tusk,” just under two minutes. Their latest single, “If You Could Read Your Mind,” is a soaring track that encompasses all of the best elements of Clinic; abrasiveness, drive, and tension. The repeated strum of an autoharp lays a thick spiderweb over the piercing Morricone-esque guitar riff. If you were lost in the desert at midnight this is the album that would help you cope with the reality that no one is coming to help, except for a pack of wild animals.
As much as this album sounds reminiscent of their earlier work it’s still unique in its own right. They manage to cover many styles as usual; garage rock, drones, and dark nursery rhymes. I’ve aways felt that Ade Blackburn has been carrying a psychological weight that comes through beautifully in Clinic’s music. Here’s hoping he never sees a shrink in his life.
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