Todd
My Digital Music Collection
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All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone is going to turn out to be even better than The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place. That's saying a lot, considering The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place is probably Explosions In The Sky's best release so far. "Welcome, Ghosts" is the second track off their new album, supposedly being released on February 20, 2007, and I can already tell how perfectly the first track is going to segue into this track.
"Welcome, Ghosts" takes no time getting intense. Sure you have that few seconds of quiet time, but soon an intense drumbeat packaged with a nice little melody come along. [CLICHE ALERT] You really cant describe an Explosions In The Sky song. Due to the lack of vocals, the range of interpretations each individual can have is different. For me to explain what I think this song sounds like would be a waste.
One [awesome] track may not be able to predict an albums greatness, but this seems to be a start for a long and successful career for Explosions in the Sky. They certainly deserve it.
I was born in 1988. It is currently 2006, and I am 18 years old. But to me it is 1995, and Pavement just released their latest album Wowee Zowee.
See, my love for Pavement didn't start at the end of their career. It started at the release of Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe. I picked the album up in 2002 at the tender age of fifteen, while I was in my Matador Records loving stage (also known as the "I just started listening to indie-rock" stage...at least to me). I never heard a Pavement song ever in my life (this is somewhat of a lie; my mom purchased Schoolhouse Rock, Rocks! and I listened to that album religiously but didn't realize until 2003 or 2004 that it was Pavement that covered "No More Kings"). I tossed Weezer's self-titled debut in the closet and studied Pavement. When Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins was released, I picked this reissue up as well, and my love for a defunct band continued.
And today, I finally recieved my copy of Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition in the mail. Yes I participated in the pre-order fun. Yes I downloaded the rare live recording. Yes I recieved the limited 7" record. And yes, I recieved the cool poster by artist Steve Keene. But none of that shit matters. To me, I just got the latest Pavement album.
(Here is where I will talk about the album, but not go into detail. I am not Lester Bangs...yet.) Frankly it is an awesome departure for Pavement. The album doesn't take one sound and work out of that, but takes five or six different styles of music and blends it into what is great experimentation for S.M. and the gang. Highlights for me include "Rattled by the Rush", "Brinx Job", "Father to a Sister of Thought", "Extradition", "AT&T", and "Fight This Generation." (Back into my love of Pavement.)
One thing I never did was listen to Pavement out of order. Well, I do have Brighten The Corners and Terror Twilight, but I don't have those albums. I never purchased them and owned the jewel case, the gatefold, the sleeve in the album. I never put them in my car stereo and listened to them all the way through, no skipping tracks. Yes you can tell me I don't have the originals, and I am spoiled with all the extra tracks that come with these re-releases. But music these days isn't like Pavement. Decent rock and roll is dead. And Pavement is a shot in the arm of 13 year old adrenaline for me.
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i just learned of this special edition this past week. having been someone who followed the band from their first singles until their demise, it kind of surprised me that wowee zowee got the special treatment thing. i dunno. a lot of people slag terror twilight, but to me, wowee zowee was the least compelling of all the pavement albums. not that it was bad. a sub-par pavement album is still better than most albums.
so, needless to say, my interest is piqued. wondering if maybe i didn't approach the record in the way that maybe i should have initially. maybe listening to it with fresh ears a decade later will allow me to hear things i didn't hear initially.
now, i totally understand the slanted enchanted deluxe edition. was i asleep, did they give crooked rain the same treatment? if not, they should.
Wowee Zowee is my favourite pavement record - a creative pinnacle, IMO. It's so... nuts! And yet consistently listenable. .. Glad you've found it!
I went to the most annoying awesome show ever tonight.
Broken Social Scene came to Providence, Rhode Island. The crowd surprised me, as it was nearly packed full. I can imagine that three-quarters of the people there were fans of "Anthems of a 17 Year Old Girl." And did I mention they were the most annoying fucking crowd I ever had to be around? Don't get me wrong, I like to dance a little bit. But I make sure I'm not constantly rubbing against people. And to the kid who bragged about pick-pocketing six people; you are a douchebag. I've never wanted to punch so many people during an awesome Canadian indie-rock supergroup show.
Get Him Eat Him opened. I missed them. I'm not upset.
Do Make Say Think followed. I enjoy my "post-rock", but I really came for Broken Social Scene. So let's pretend that this is the part where I chain-smoked outside and talked to the bouncer about the time he saw Public Enemy.
Finally, Broken Social Scene played. They ripped through the songs I figured they'd rip through; KC Accidental, Fire Eye'd Boy, Cause = Time, Ibi Dreams of Pavement. All the songs were loud and excellent. Watching thirteen people on stage performing spectacular music was mind-blowing. Somewhere in there, they played Looks Just Like The Sun, Hotel, Lovers Spit and obviously, Anthems of a 17 Year Old Girl. To be honest I wanted to be able to remember the set in correct order, but they played for SO GODDAMN LONG. Excellent band. Awesome stage show. But they didn't know when to quit. (This is the part of the blog where I mention that I love Broken Social Scene and I realize that by saying that a band played for too goddamn long makes me look like an asshole, but really. Explosions in the Sky didn't even play for over two hours at the Bowery Ballroom in September, and THEY are a band that SHOULD be playing for over two hours).
Oh and at one point, J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. joined them on stage. That was very interesting and very awesome. I really can't expand on that because I'm not exactly a big J. Mascis or Dinosaur Jr. fan. But I kept thinking, "This will probably be on Pitchfork tomorrow."
So in conclusion, Broken Social Scene was a good show. Even though they didn't know how to end a show(by the end they probably played every song from the self-titled and You Forgot It In People and they were digging through Bee Hives), and the crowd was something I didn't expect in Providence or at a Broken Social Scene show, it was superb. I'd see them again...at an invite only concert.
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Nice write-up, thanks. I'm seeing them for the first time this weekend here in MI. Now I know what to expect. Time to push the sunday-morning schedule ahead 1 hour.
Kidding. Can't wait. And Explosions in the Sky are excellent!
So long as you don't blame the band for the crowd. And sometimes bands are pressured into playing longer sets cuz they're headlining. 'Course, sometimes bands just have too high an opinion of their own material. Easier to do a best of list when you have more to choose from.
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hm. my friend made me a cd with some of their songs on it. I think it's time to download, as I'm pretty sure that cd is no longer on this plane of existance. thanks for the reminder, friend.