The editorial board of Sound & Vision recently hosted a debate as to who is the best American songwriter. Some people were leaning towards Bruce Springsteen as the one who carries this moniker, however the clear winner was the great Neil Young. Hands down.
Neil Young is a national treasure and song writing inspiration to many. Frankly, we can't find the right words to express just how amazing and influential he is...so with that, we will let his music do all of the speaking for us. Enjoy this 1971 clip of him doing "Heart of Gold."
Every once and a while, I’ll get shanghaied into going to some fancy hipster hotel lounge bar for a birthday or some friggin’ thing. And while I’m contemplating the perplexing specialty drink menu, a song will break into the otherwise drab lounge mix that is so good that I’ll have to ask the bartender, “Who is this?”
And the answer always seems to be the same – “Morcheeba.”
Brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey’s ongoing musical collaboration is often tagged with cringe-inducing terms like “trip hop” or “down-tempo,” but backed by Skye Edwards’ calm and powerful vocals, Morcheeba rises above mere weed-infused mood music.
Check out Edwards’ slow simmer on “Trigger Hippie” off of Morcheeba’s 1996 album Who Can You Trust?
Edwards’ absence is notable in Morcheeba’s sixth and latest album, Dive Deep, released in February. The Godfrey’s decision to use a procession of vocalists for the album produces mixed results, but Judie Tzuke’s earthy accent carries “Enjoy the Ride.” As an added bonus, the video features the excellent flash-animation of artist Joel Trussell.
- Matt Squire, Senior Contributing Editor and Lounge Lizard, Sound & Vision
OK, so we are a bit "old school" here at Sound & Vision. We actually bought Radiohead's "In Rainbows" CD this past weekend -- yes, we are a bit behind the times since EVERYONE downloaded it for free last fall. Anyhow, the album is one of Radiohed's best in years - especially after the disappointing "Hail to the Thief."
The fact that "In Rainbows" is so good flies in the face of conventional wisdom. 10 years after the band launched it's masterpiece -- and one of the best albums of all time - "OK Computer," Radiohead is still creating music that is highly dynamic, creative, and honestly sounds too good to be made by a band from this planet. It's almost like they are interplanetary musicians who have blessed us humans by landing on earth and exposing us to their interstellar music. While they have spawned many imitators (some really bad like Coldplay) and some fairly decent (like Muse), nobody - and we mean nobody - can match Radiohead.
Check them out in 1997 playing "Airbag" on Live @ Jools. Absolutely brilliant.
Now, check them out 10 years later with a live cut of "Bodysnatchers" from "In Rainbows." Still glorious. Still innovative. Still amazing.
Hail hail Jello Biafra! An often misunderstood artist, the former front man of the seminal punk rock band, The Dead Kennedys, is so in-tuned with "the truth" that whenever he speaks he eviscerates anything in society that is hypocritical, fascist or just down right wrong.
Check out this early clip of a Jello interview with Jools Holland in San Francisco. Much like Frank Zappa, he's a badass. Enjoy.
Fans of Urgh! A Music War have been waiting patiently for a DVD re-release of the 1981 music documentary to replace a shrinking population of deteriorating VHS tapes. However, the word on the net is that the film is “un-re-releasable” due to insurmountable contract problems.
Thankfully, footage from the film has been preserved on YouTube, featuring some of the best (and worst) of the British and American new wave bands from the early 80s. For instance, check out The Cramps contribution in this ass-kickingly hilarious version of “Tear It Up.”
I first saw Urgh! back in high school when my friend Aaron and I rented the VHS for its promised footage of The Dead Kennedys and X. And interspersed among horrifying white-boy reggae acts were some pretty good bands that I had never heard of before (Au Pairs, Fleshtones and, surprisingly, Gary Numan).
And then there was Klaus Nomi.
Sporting some sort of solid plastic faux tuxedo, kabuki-white face and oddly-coiffed receding hairline, Nomi epitomized all the misdirection that 80s new wave had to offer. Watch this if you can.
Trying to watch Urgh!’s wall-to-wall antics on the family TV after school required a bit of finesse in order to avoid the gratuitous critiques of my tired and cranky father coming home from work. So when I spied him trudging up the walk right when Klaus’s hit his first high C in “Total Eclipse of the Sun,” I immediately called on the assistance of Aaron who held the remote.
“Dude! Dude! Turn it off!”
Aaron sized up the situation and in his best Charlie Manson imitation stated “Uh-Uh! Ahm the Day-vul!!” while turning up the volume, and poor pop, after a grueling day in the salt mines, was greeted home by the soothing sounds of arguably the gayest thing that ever sashayed out of Berlin since Ernst Röhm.
- Matt Squire, Senior Contributing Editor and Good Son.
Sound & Vision Editorial Note: VH-1 Classic very occasionally plays Urgh! Look for it late night and set your Tivos. Also, key highlights include Echo & The Bunnymen playing "The Puppet" and XTC doing "Respectable Street."
True vocal abilities is a rare find. Thanks to Matt Smithwick for turning us onto Antony & The Johnsons. Check out this wonderful song. If only more people sang like this (and Devendra for that matter) rather than the high-register, emo-nasal crap from bands like My Chemical Romance. Enjoy.
The songwriting muse moves in mysterious ways. She only shines her blessing on the young. Sadly, most artists peak around 29 -- and it's usually all downhill after that. Bummer for us Sound & Vision staffers who are in our 30s, by the way. Anyhow, by the time Michael Stipe was in his mid-30s, the post-Monster decline set in...and it's a trend that has never been reversed. Maybe if Bill came back it would all be good again?
While this song is clearly no Driver 8, Life & How to Live It, S. Central Rain or Green Grows the Rushes, this is a SOLID new REM tune. Welcome to Supernatural Superserious.
The word is that they are going back to their original sound and rediscovering the viability of classic tunes like The Auctioneer, Harbor Coat and Wolves Lower. Clearly this new song is not on that caliber, but it seems to be a move in the right direction. REM will also be revisiting many old classics on their upcoming tour. The Sound & Vision staff will be there with a beer buzz, big smiles on our faces and a warm, fuzzy feeling that we felt when we saw them in 1986.
Greg Dulli is an often misunderstood man of mystery whose duality personifies the soul of Etta James and the twisted lifestyle of William S. Burroughs, often channeling dark, yet captivating music that makes one dream of a rock and roll lifestyle and develop a man-love even if you’re heterosexual. His wounds are yours, gushing out like a badly injured accident victim – nothing is off limits in his twisted mind. Part of you wants to bandage his wounds and nurture him back to health and the other side wants to stare until he bleeds out. The way I look at it, Mr. Dulli has channeled something from within that most of us tuck deep inside and it works on every level for him.
If you were honored to see Dulli front The Afghan Whigs, you were treated to a true show, a spectacle and spectacular music, fueled by cocaine and booze, of which most humans would not survive. Then came The Twilight Singers, a true test of musical craftsmanship and rotating musicians orchestrated by Dulli that when seen live would make the ladies swoon (in a – I want to go backstage now, kind of way – and not for conversation) and left many boyfriends and husbands jealous. The problem is these same boyfriends and husbands also can’t resist Dulli’s stage persona. When Dulli takes the stage, my wife has one of these demented crushes – the kind that sends her into fantasy-land; yet, in some twisted way, I can’t get enough of the dude either. He wants the listener or audience to feel a little perverted, uneasy; yet to be a liver of life, emotionally engaged or charged and most importantly - to push ones boundaries. Check out this live clip from 1994:
On The Afghan Whigs album Congregation, which was released in January 1992, Dulli belts out, “my twisted mind is bent all out of shape” on the song Dedicate It. That’s says it in a nutshell. It’s Greg Dulli’s world and we’re just living in it, or so it seems when you’re in his congregation. Deep down, Dulli is a soul man, like Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye, with varying influences. What comes out in his music is everything from punk/alternative/indie to classic rock and many influences in between and beyond – the Beatles to Fugazi, Prince to Etta – funk, soul, rock and roll, mish-mashing and experimenting with forms, creating his own sound that echo’s throughout his bands, instruments and voice. Dulli is also an intellectual, but the type with street cred that you don’t want to cross but would have your back no matter the situation (Austin, TX anyone?) Dulli will bring you on a ride and you will never be disappointed. You might feel a little dirty at times, but I guarantee you’ll like it. Check out this Twilight Singer's clip:
Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, also described as “The Satantic Everly Brothers” on fan-site for all things Dulli, Summer Kiss, are joining forces on their latest collaboration, The Gutter Twins. Lanegan, also known from his days with The Screaming Trees, has also collaborated with Isobel Campbell, Queens of the Stone Age, The Soulsavers, and many other musicians along the journey. He uses his deep, Grim Reaper-esque, yet eerily beautiful voice and powerful stage persona to create a modern tour de force of duets with Dulli and his accompanying band of musicians. Both of these gentlemen might not be known to all, but I guarantee you that in the past 15 years they have influenced the music industry and other musicians more than one will never know. Don’t miss The Gutter Twins’ upcoming tour and album, soon to be released on Sub Pop. Hope you enjoy this clip.
- Mike McDonnell, Senior Contributing Editor and Extreme Snowboarder
The Flying Luttenbachers, the free-jazz/punk/noise instrumental project led by Oakland drummer Weasel Walter, has called it quits after 16 years.
Still scratching your head over that last sentence? No worries. Despite numerous albums and lineups throughout the years, the Luttenbachers have been kicking out their electrifying and, admittedly, inaccessible style of music in relative obscurity.
The Luttenbachers combine the melodic complexity of King Crimson, pounding rhythm of Black Flag and dissonance of Krzysztof Penderecki, (you still with me?), and, led by Walter’s tight percussion, fuse these otherwise unmixable styles into an explosive listening experience. Check out this insane promo video:
The Luttenbachers’ MySpace page has some excellent cuts from their later albums, including their last release, Incarceration by Abstraction. The Luttenbachers’ back catalog is available on ugEXPLODE Records.
Unfortunately, Walter’s retirement of the Luttenbachers reflects how difficult it is to cultivate an audience for such a challenging sub-genre of music.
“I guess what I was trying to prove is that nothing could stop the band. That's not a very good reason to have a band, honestly,” wrote Walter on the Luttenbachers’ website. “Perhaps if I feel like a wider audience is ready for it, we'll reappear, but until then we've done all we can do. Any more would be quixotic and futile.”
Perhaps the real lesson lies in the phrase at the top of the Luttenbachers’ MySpace page, which could serve as the epitaph for every uncompromising musical group in America :
“SUPPORT LIVING ARTISTS - DON'T TAKE GREAT MUSIC FOR GRANTED”
- Matt Squire, Senior Contributing Editor and "Purveyor of Insanely Great, Obscure Music"
While many Pavement purist favor Slanted & Enchanted, we think Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is the defining Pavement album. In fact, this was the defining album for all indie music in the 1990s.
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain offers a musical bounty of songs that really don't sound like anybody else...perhaps there is a glimmer of early REM in their work. Perhaps, but it was pure Pavement. Angular guitar riffs combined with Stephen Malkmus' word-play lyrics the band was quickly dubbed a favorite by graduate students.
Here's a key track called Gold Soundz. "So drunk in the August sun..." aah that line brings us back the halcyon days of 1994. Enjoy.
Straight out of Sweden -- via Argentina -- Jose Gonzales brings a welcoming element to independent music. A pure sound comprised of only his voice and a nylon string guitar. His most recent album, In Our Nature, is award-worthy.
Here's the video for "Down the Line" from that record. Enjoy.
One can't deny the power of outside influences. In fact, the staff of Sound & Vision experienced a powerful shot in the arm by the outside influence of XMU (the hipster station on XM Radio). Our intern was out on a coffee run this morning and caught this most amazing song by Super Furry Animals while driving. Hope you enjoy and happy Friday.
One would think that Devendra Banhart’s publicist has us wrapped around his finger -- considering the praise we heap on this groundbreaking artist. Not true. Our admiration of Devendra is purely organic. See our previous post on “I Feel Just Like a Child.” Not only is Mr. Banhart a diverse musician who – much like Ween – grabs pieces of various genres and makes them his own, but his Spanish songs are truly authentic -- like something played out of a tappas bar in Madrid.
Santa Maria de Fiera is one of these tunes. This song is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. To hear the tune, check out this YouTube clip. Very clever use of a baby orangutan.
As an added bonus, here’s him playing another Spanish tune in Poland. Enjoy.
The staff of Sound & Vision would like to thank Ron Papanek for introducing us to the innovative multi-media artist, Phil Hansen. We will let his work speak for itself, but definitely check out the Jimi Hendrix portrait made out of matches – which Phil eventually sets aflame. And this image of Kim Jong-il is made from the artist’s own blood.
Here’s the link to his web site and below is the Hendrix video.
This is the original tale of a cross country car delivery gone way wrong. It starts when the main character a very boyish Jim Halsey, played by a mulleted, C .Thomas Howell, stops to pick up hitchhiker named John Ryder played by Steven Segall’s favorite punching bag, Rutger Hauer. This film also stars Jennifer Jason-Leigh, slightly past her peak, with an annoying redneck accent. Who can forget the shot of her boobs in Fast Time’s at Ridgemont?
This is an action packed psychological thriller that is filled with car crashes, gun play and unbelievable moments. For example, dead eye Hauer is able to shoot down a helicopter while driving in the sand. This dude is not to be messed with. He torments, what ever became of, C. Thomas Howell, sporting his hockey hair and Indiana Jones leather jacket.
It is the classic, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, (because Hauer pulled her in half), and becomes a man. This film is an “awesome” period piece; the cars are unreliable and bio-degradable. The guns are all big ass revolvers, better suited for pistol whipping than gun fights. It is like Road Warrior without all the homo-erotic S&M leather. Check out the trailer:
Be sure to add this to your Netflix que and prepare yourself to be disturbed 80s style. Also, don’t waste your time with the 2007 remake of this classic.
- Kevin Langan, Contributing Editor, Sound & Vision
A visionary, musical virtuoso, Presidential candidate and First Amendment advocate, Frank Zappa was a true pioneer who was uncompromising and ahead of his time. (Check out his critically acclaimed double album, Joe’s Garage). Do you recall when Prince’s Darling Nikki caused such a stir for its sexually explicit content? Well, Mr. Zappa fought an admiral battle to keep the government from censoring musical content. Check out this great clip of Mr. Zappa on CNN Hardball from 1986. One word to describe Zappa: badass. Enjoy.
Why Sound & Vision?
The David Bowie classic tune (Sea & Cake did a wonderful cover) sums it all up. Don’t you wonder sometimes, and sitting right back waiting for the gift of Sound & Vision nails everything and will be guiding this blog.
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