MOG - joeybenavides's Posts

The Monks - Black Monk Time

joeybenavides — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:46:43 GMT

60s band The Monks consisted of 5 American GIs stationed in Germany, trying to give the locals a taste of the contemporary sounds. While isolation such as this would have choked up and starved most bands, The Monks used their alone time to hone and perfect a sound that would become not only unique in comparison to most popular music at the time, but would stand as a forerunner to the punk movements of the 70s.

Black Monk Time carries with it some of the expected trappings of a band working in this decade: anti-Vietnam sentiments, vocal harmonies, jamming organ lines, moments of silly psychedelic lyricism and imagery. But this album, aided by isolation from the general ebbs and flows of the world at large, ends up with a sounds quite removed from anything else of that era. Since the music industry still wielded incredible power in the 60s, most newly-signed bands went though a buffing and polishing of sorts, both image and sound-wise, before hitting the streets. With a lack on a strong industry influence in Germany at the time gave The Monks the freedom to create novelty. Black Monk Time comes across as much more abrasive and raw than most of it contemporaries. It tends to emphasize rhythm over melody, and is one of the first albums that uses guitar feedback, which would become a mainstay in later years. There is also heavy use of a six-string gut-strung banjo, which added a much more metallic sound to their songs. They also moved away from the traditional songwriting pattern of verse-chorus-verse, and stuck to a more stripped-down sound.

While Black Monk Time, then and now, enjoyed nothing more than an underground following, its sound is a telling indication of where rock music was heading. Once rock matured in the late 60s and early 70s, bands started reaching back towards their bluesy roots. Things got to the point where only virtuosos could play the kind of complicated chord and rhythm progressions that became all the rage. Punk helped to democratize rock-n-roll again, giving groups of brash kids with instruments the ability to become international sensations. Traits that made Black Monk Time such a interesting listen came back to the fore; the people wanted to hear power, passion, and simplicity again. When placed in context, the creation Black Monk Time becomes all the more astounding, an weather vane pointing the way towards what rock could (and would) become.

Jeff Buckley - Grace

joeybenavides — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:34:47 GMT

This album, on its surface, didn't strike me as anything overly remarkable when I first hear it. Grace's presentation seemed too flashy and ostentatious, with a singer so in love with his own voice that he has built an hour-long sonic altar to himself. It took a 7 1/2 hour flight from Dallas to Honolulu to give me the mental patience and pliability to give Buckley's debut album an in-depth listen. It became apparent that I had misled myself terribly. Jeff Buckley is an artist gifted with the rare kind of vocal range and expressiveness that can paint vivid images. He flows with such passion and power that one cannot help but to swept away. His backing band does him a great service by providing a interesting yet neutral enough area in which he can work. On "Lilac Wine," his band quietly paces along with him, complimenting the swells and drops in his voice. On the other side of the spectrum, "Eternal Life" bristles with swirling, grinding guitar riffs and a rhythm line that could almost walk off on its own, but all the while whittling out a tight groove that Buckley's voice can operate comfortably in. But other albums are just as comparably well-produced. What sets Grace upon its well-deserved pedestal are the moments when it moves into the epic. Grace, even at its weaker moments (and there VERY few, if any), it moves with the kind of bravado that most albums and bands would find themselves eventually crushed beneath. But Buckley makes it work in ways that almost no one else could dare to, and moves himself and his work into the realm of the ages. "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" charges harder and harder head-long into an unsuspecting audience, gaining enough emotional force to level even the hardest love-weary heart. And then there's "Hallelujah." This Leonard Cohen cover stands as more than just the crown jewel of the album; this track is arguably the crown jewel of 90s music. Many people (myself definitely included) are of the belief that music is one of the better ways for us to touch and experience the divine, with the best of the best of the best singers doing nothing less than channeling the voice of that most-high force that binds the universe together. This song stands as proof to me that this effect is as real as gravity or magnetism. Grace is a rather fitting memorial to a gifted artist just coming into his own before leaving us much too soon. There is no tiring of this album; every time I hear or appreciate something new about it. If you are reading these words and have anything less than a decent appreciation for Grace, shame on you. This is one for the ages.

Gang of Four - Entertainment!

joeybenavides — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:06:07 GMT

Punk rock shook the rock-n-roll scene to its core during the late 70s with its emphasis of raw power and intensity over fine songcrafting and skill. As the scene started to mature, raucous bands with three chords began to give way to more artistically-minded musicians who melded their own musical tastes and influences with punk, creating a slightly divergent form generally referred to as post-punk. Post-punk bands injected reggae, dub, funk and other musical influences into the charged and stripped-down sound of “garden-variety punk.” The subject matter of post-punk matured as well, singing about the social and political ills in a much more crafted and adept matter than the usually-nihilistic earlier punk bands handled them.

Gang of Four and their debut album, Entertainment!, almost single-handedly codify the ethos of the early post-punk movement. Entertainment! is mixed much cleaner than other punk albums of the time. The drums frame each song without spreading too widely, and the bass and rhythm lines are brought to the fore, a trait characteristic of most post-punk bands. Entertainment! lyrically covers topics still as controversial and explosive today as they were in 1979, such as the politics of love (“Natural’s Not in It”), social and economic disparity (“Not Great Men”, “Guns Before Butter), and over-domineering governments (“Ether”). Even the title of the album itself is a jab at a culture too concern with diversions to see the truth happening around them. Gang of Four gives us a mix on Entertainment! not found often in music of the time: catchy, high-energy music with a message so politically charged that it should be kept from gas-filled rooms.

Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

joeybenavides — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:25:42 GMT

The Odd Couple, like 2006's St. Elsewhere, starts with the sound of a movie camera spinning up film. But whereas St. Elsewhere stomped in full of pomp and circumstance, brass blazing, The Odd Couple takes a bit of a funkier, chiller approach.

Funkier and chiller: the best way to boil The Odd Couple down. St. Elsewhere exploded onto the scene like a stick of dynamite. "Crazy" was as ubiquitous as air in '06, and the crazy (no pun intended) costumes and shows that Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse had. Flushed with energy and celebration, no one was ready for what Gnarls Barkley brought us on St. Elsewhere.

The Odd Couple sounds much more mature, not as readily willing to give up its gems as Gnarls Barkley's previous outing. Even the more up-beat "Going On," "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)," and "She Knows" have a somewhat more subdued edge to them, nothing like the full gallop of "Gone Daddy Gone" or "Smiley Faces."

It seems unfair, though, to judge the second off of the first: The Odd Couple works unto itself, and feels much more appropriate in a year where we are all a bit too concerned with ends meeting to shamelessly flaunt about. Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo have made an album that lends as much to introspection as jamming. There was no way that they could have re-made St. Elsewhere, so they didn't even try. I can't wait to see how they decide to go out on their next/last album.

The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

joeybenavides — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:22:40 GMT

The Modern Lovers is an album inspired by The Velvet Underground, of which point man Johnathan Richman and his band mates were huge fans. On opener "Roadrunner," for example, the mix of organ and guitar create something of that VU-styled grinding harshness. Throughout the album moments of the Velvet Underground peeks through, but The Modern Lovers is much more of a step forward than a look back. Richman , like Lou Reed, uses his surroundings and experiences to craft songs, but instead of the depravity of The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Modern Lovers deals with the issues of a teenager in Boston: talking to girls ("Pablo Picasso"), trying to understand the world around him ("Old World"), and wondering about the future ("Dignified and Old").

Even within these tried subjects though, Richman sets himself apart from the pack by addressing them from the (biographical) viewpoint of someone a bit on the geeky side, someone who doesn't really dabble in things like drug use. Richman talks to a girl in "I'm Straight," discussing his fear and hesitation ("I called this number three times already today/But I got scared/I put it back in place..."), trying to convince her that since he is always straight, he should take the place of "Hippie Johnny," whose "always stoned." The presentation of a more-realistic paradigm on The Modern Lovers is the work of a lyrical genius, more in touch and honest with himself, and most of us as well.

Musically, this album has a great stripped-down feel that lets each instrument have the chance to tool around. At times this album sounds firmly rooted in the times in which it was recorded, with moments that , while other times it sounds like so progressive that it seems psychic, predicting that over the next three decades band after band would play equally sparse and stripped-down music. The Modern Lovers sounds so instantly familiar that you could probably convince others that this album was released in 2003 instead of 1976.

The tumultuous atmosphere around the inception of this album ensured that The Modern Lovers was going to be a one-of-a-kind release. It took about a year to record, with numerous recording sessions sponsored by different record labels (VU's John Cale produced the Warner Bros. sessions). It still took three more years after recording to release The Modern Lovers, and by then their label withdrew its support, and the original line-up broke up,Richman wanting to move away from jagged rock-n-roll for a gentler sound. Regardless, The Modern Lovers is a high-water mark in rock, using the momentum of previous moments of brilliance to create brighter and more meaningful moments of brilliance.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico

joeybenavides — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:41:09 GMT

I'm going to level with you. To anyone at all familiar with the Velvet Underground, or with The Velvet Underground and Nico, there is no way that my review is going to be comprehensive enough, or even good enough, to re-articulate to you why this album is one of the greatest rock-n-roll works that mankind will ever produce. I do feel, however, that we lucky and (probably) rabid fans need to, from time to time, re-transmit this information back to those not in the know, so that the importance of this album is not lost in the ever-lengthening history of rock music.

The Velvet Underground was formed in New York in 1965, with the original line-up of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Angus MacLise . Reed and Cale formed the supporting column to the group, drawn to each other by their mutual appreciation for the more artistic and experimental possibilities of rock music. The Velvet Underground basically became a vehicle for both Reed and Cale to create music that lined up with their vision. Of course, as most artists keep in mind, it's usually preferable to get paid to create art. Unfortunately, after taking their first paying gig ($75 to play Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey),MacLise quit the band, stating that the band "sold out." VU replaced MacLise with Maureen "Moe" Tucker, whose drumming style instantly became vital to the group's sound (she was known to play the drums as often with mallets as drumsticks, often played an upturned bass drum, and once did a gig using trashcans when her drum kit was stolen).

The Velvet Underground gigged throughout 1965-66, catching the attention of Andy Warhol, who eventually stepped in as their manager. Warhol gave VU much-needed exposure (and, of course, money) as they toured around with his Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Playing regularly also helped the band hone and perfect their edgy, harsh sound.

When the time came for them to record their first album, Andy Warhol insisted, over the band's (and especially Reed's) objections, to include German model Nico in their recording sessions. Some believe that Warhol and the record label felt that Nico would be much easier to market than Reed as a singer. This tension is evident on the lead track of their album, "Sunday Morning." The song was originally for Nico to sing, but Lou Reed decided to show them that VU was his band to control, and relegated Nico to backing vocals. Reed even sings the song in a style similar (mockingly maybe?) to Nico's rich, husky voice. While it seemed like a terrible move at the time, in hindsight The Velvet Underground and Nico would not have had the same explosive effect without her three tracks: "Femme Fatale," "All Tomorrow's Parties," and "I'll Be Your Mirror." Other than Nico's inclusion, Warhol's main role was shielding the band from the tedium and interference of the record label, allowing the Velvet Underground to play in exactly the same way that they had managed to develop while touring and gigging.

Opening track "Sunday Morning" also stands out in the fact that, unlike the rest of the album, it was recorded at the last minute with hopes of it being a marketable single ("Sunday Morning" was recorded almost five months after the rest of the album was completed). It almost sounds like a tender love song, Cale plinging away on the celesta, but, listening to the lyrics, the song almost becomes the romanticized rantings of a paranoid schizophrenic. "Sunday Morning" adeptly demonstrates VU's ability to, lyrically and musically, mix the beautiful and the dark into something that is simultaneously alluring and jarring.

"I'm Waiting for the Man" follows up, chronicling a man's purchase of 26 dollars of heroin uptown from a drug dealer. VU never shied away from singing overtly about subjects such as drugs and sex in their songs. Their rationale was simply to write about what was really happening around them, and in the New York City of the sixties these types of activities were common and conspicuous occurrences. While future generations have enjoyed the fruits of this approach, this ensured that VU would be marginalized in a 1967 music industry still concerned about decency and morality. (note: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark does a fantastic cover of this song on the CD release of their self-titled debut album)

"Femme Fatale" is the first of the three tracks on which Nico sings lead vocals. Her deep, rich voice pays homage to Warhol Superstar Edie Sedgwick. A humorous anecdote tells of Nico's insistence to Reed and and Morrison that "Fatale" should be pronounced like "fay-TAHL," but instead Reed and Morrison would sing it "fay-TAAYL," only to piss Nico off during recording.

John Cale's viola stands out more prominently on "Venus in Furs," carried well by Moe Tucker's percussion work. The subject matter was inspired by a book by the same name, and covers sadomasochism, bondage, and submission ("Taste the whip/Now bleed for me).

"Run, Run, Run" stretches out like a rap sheet, giving us the ends for "Seasick Sarah" or "Beardless Harry," trapped in the hustle and bustle of the NYC drug counter-culture. Reed's guitar work sounds bluesy at times, with jaunts into pure unconventional expression at others.

Andy Warhol stated that "All Tomorrow's Parties" was his favorite VU song. Lou Reed stated that his inspiration came from watching the people that swirled around Warhol. Melancholy drifts up from this song, the melancholy that comes with the ending of any late night gathering. It's that feeling on loneliness at the end of the night, an understanding that you are drifting back from that center of attention to that faceless nobody. Nico's voice conveys well that feeling of reality setting back in, in re-becoming "Sunday's clown."

Then comes the crown jewel of The Velvet Underground and Nico: "Heroin." I doubt that any other band, or any other song has tried to show what heroin abuse is like. It doesn't attempt to shamelessly glorify or vilify drug abuse;VU does the most responsible thing and chronicles the experience in the most accurate way they can. Changes in tempo and drum cadence help listeners enter into the world where "I feel just like Jesus son." It took sheer balls to release a song titled after a very dangerous and illegal drug in 1967.VU took the change, and in doing so crafted on of the best songs in rock.

"There She Goes," while sounding very much a VU track, doesn't seem to jive as well as the rest of the album. There is a nice, pure rock-n-roll feel about it, and the falsetto back-up voices add a somewhat humorous edge to a song about beating up a woman and prostitution.

"I'll Be Your Mirror" is a great love song, assuring him (or her) that he is as good of a person as he may think, and that "I'll be your mirror/Reflect what you are/In case you don't know." The guitar work in this song is expert, always keeping with the easy-going feel of the song. Another story arises from the recording of this song, further illustrating the band's annoyance with Nico's presence. She insisted in trying to sing the song a particular way, but the band made her sing it over and over and over again. Eventually, she broke down in tears and sang it perfectly.

Both "The Black Angel's Death Song" and "European Son" leaned much closer to the pure art that the Velvet Underground originally rallied themselves around. "The Black Angel's Death Song" is all about the viola, which whines and pitches throughout the length of the song, Cale hissing at the end of the verses. "European Son" is even closer to the point. The song has very few words, and includes effects such as the sounds of a metal chair colliding with some plates. Also, after the lyrics of the first minute, the song basically become a huge, 6-minute psychedelic play-land. These last two tracks help in balancing the band: songs this edgy and artsy allowed them to sound as they please.

It would be a post unto itself to extol the huge waves of artists and bands that use the Velvet Underground, and especially The Velvet Underground and Nico, as some sort of inspiration or role model. Suffice it to say that no serious fan of rock-n-roll should ever overlook this album. So much of what we listen to today stems from this band taking a chance to produce a work of everlasting art.

So far so good.

The Kinks - The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society

joeybenavides — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:34:51 GMT

Change is hard, and gets harder all the time. Change ebbs and flows around you, and you constantly have to ebb and flow along with it, or drop out and encapsulate yourself against the outside world. Much pop music made mourns love lost, but not a world lost, and innocence lost that is never to be recaptured. The 60s especially embraced a world full of life and change, and a dropping out of old patterns in favor of the new and novel. To make an album about a slower, older world, a world more akin to Albion than a modern UK, would seem like career suicide in the 1968. And, indeed, The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society was one of the final steps that took the band from the cutting edge of fame to yesterday's news.

But, as truly inspired music often is, the world overlooked a great work with this one. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is a concept album in the truest sense: lead singer/primary songwriter/major creative force of the band Ray Davies worked, wheted and incubated his "Village Green" for over two years, weathering a changing musical scene, turmoil within the band, and a record label who, while catering to his whims, desired a hit machine. The "Village Green" repsresented simpler times in his life, before the pressures fame and stardom, when, as he sings in "Picture Book", he would "holiday in August...in sunny South France" with his momma and poppa and Uncle Charlie, or dream of conquering the world with his childhood Walter. The 15 tracks of The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society perfectly define "nostalgia": a longing for the past.

The opening three tracks ("Village Green Preservation Society", "Do You Remember Walter?", and "Picture Book") chart out the course for the album. We won't be looking forward here. Only in the past were we happy, and the stark realizations that come from this will serve to make us miserably pine for what we can no longer have. You can never go home again, the saying goes. But that doesn't stop us (and our memories) from trying. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society is an album that grows richer and more poignant with age, as that picture book becomes just a bit thicker and the times behind seems to grow longer than the times ahead.

The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society contains from musical gems, from songs like "Last of the Steam-Power Trains" playing like an old r&b track, to "Phenominal Cat" and "Wicked Annabella" touching psychedelic rock. There isn't any fat on this album; every track fits and works, and builds upon the theme of yester-time. The Kinks, and Davies in particular, would never really recover from Village Green Preservation Society, but each passing year vindcates their choice to eschew fame for art.

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

joeybenavides — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:20:06 GMT

thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me

And with those words Trent Reznor released Halo 27, known as The Slip, to the world gratis. This album follows right on the heels of his last self-released album Ghosts I-IV (two months and three days to be exact), marketed in a similar vein to the Radiohead In Rainbows "pay what you feel" method. Mixed reception aside, Ghosts surely gave Reznor the breathing space to create when and how he wanted (the $300 deluxe packages sold out within three days). His contentious relationships with records labels have been no secret, and his projects over the last year have been a way for Nine Inch Nails to spread its wings on its own and take full control of its destiny.

The Slip sounds like a jaunt down memory lane at times, the days between Pretty Hate Machine-styled rock, and The Downward Spiral-styled electronic. The music seems to reflect the feel of those earlier, and these new times: an artist who has the freedom to create as and when he wants. One thing that doesn't reflect times past is Reznor's production quality: the sonic landscapes that he paints on both his more open songs ("999,999", "Corona Radiata"), and his packed-in, intense romps ("Letting You", "1,000,000"), shows Reznor at his prime. He still pays enough attention here (as he's always has) to ensure a certain level of catchiness to much of The Slip. There is enough experimentation, but there are still discernible, intentionally crafted singles here.

The Slip stands as a testament to one artist's dedication to his craft. Reznor weathered the industry's bullshit for years, but was brave enough to step out and take a chance, making himself relevant again. In 2008 it is ridiculous that the industry has yet to fully embrace this new way of communicating and sharing ideas, and is paying the price for their ignorance and hubris daily. Nine Inch Nails, along with many others, are attempting to re-define how bands and the public interact with each other. We are not sheep, and we are not the enemy, and should not be treated as thus. If we are respected, we are more than willing to do our part to keep artists creating art. And, in the case of The Slip, artists will be more than happy to give back.

Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites

joeybenavides — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:48:31 GMT

I have no idea why I never got around to talking about this album before. I stumbled into it somehow two summers ago, and was almost turned off by its freakish-looking cover. I expected either a datedprog album, or something from the newest Scandinavian death metal band.

Then I pressed play, and immediately felt like an idiot. As my mommy said, don't judge a something-something-something. And the Glass Handed Kites kicks off the show with a loud cascade of percussion and guitar, but as the dust clears away Mew takes us through not so much an album of individuals tracks, so much as a blended musical journey, seamlessly flowing from movement to movement. ...Glass Handed Kites conjures images in my head of a intense adventure movie, chocked full of passion, pirates, jungles, courtship, and the gratuitous space station ending (Alright, my imagination ran away with me a bit). Every song has its own distinct personality, each one epic in feel and scale, each one reaching for nothing less than the heaven and leaving plenty of space within to do so. If I wanted to try and be an empathetic nit-picker I could say that the epic feel of ...Glass Handed Kites is almost a draw-back; trying to create with such large proportions in mind threatens to overwhelm listeners before it has a chance to make a point. That being said, ...Glass Handed Kites would seemed trapped and claustrophobic if produced any other way.

Mew seems to have struck a fine balance amongst the various instruments that find themselves on ...Glass Handed Kites. On "The Zookeeper's Boy," for example, the complex, interwoven vocal and instrumental arrangements at times feels like water cascading down over you. There are times when And the Glass Handed Kites moves like a more traditional indie rock album ("Why Are You Looking Grave?", "Circuitry of the Wolf"), but the willingness to break from that (even in 2005) tired method presents the freshness that music aficionados crave. Just a warning: And the Glass Handed Kites has a great chance of being stuck on repeat for days and weeks on end.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Portishead - Third

joeybenavides — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:01:34 GMT

There was no way that Third would be anything less than an instant classic, nestling comfortably with Portishead's two other classic offerings. That said, many were concerned that their newest would just continue along the (by now) worn path that they themselves forged almost a decade before. Would this just be a "Dummy II"? How would the world take Portishead now, in a time well beyond the heyday of the Bristol scene, when acts like fellow classmates Tricky and Massive Attack still held epic sway?

Third quickly allays any and all doubts. Track after track smacks of something instantly familiar and recognizable, yet simultaneously novel and vibrant. Shuffling this album in with Dummy and Portishead lays to bear this point. Songs like "We Carry On," "Machine Gun," and "Small" dances sweetly with "Mysterons," "It Could Be Sweet," and "Cowboys." What still seems striking is how much progress Third shows considering the amount of time that passed between it and their eponymously-titled album. Portishead sets itself apart from the more-comfortable Dummy by accentuating the dark and the harsh, which made for a much more trying yet rewarding listening experience. Third takes that progression many steps further, forging an album that at times seems like it threatens to shake itself and us apart. Anyone who feels that this album is too rough is missing the point. Portishead didn't need to come back; they had already carved out their place in the annals of music history. They also didn't need to try and stretch themselves as much as they did on Third; the band could have given us rehashes of their previous work and we would have lapped it up like dogs. Instead, they decided to make an album on their own terms, and we all are the better for it.

I am still amazed that we did got a new album from Portishead. They seemed so unfortunately content to quit while they were on top. Third gives me not only a wonderful soundtrack to soothe myself to during these darkened times, but also faith that at any moment, we can still be surprised by the unexpected.

Siouxsie & the Banshees - The Scream

joeybenavides — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:44:32 GMT

By the time Siouxsie Sioux and her band, The Banshees, released their long-awaited debut album in 1978, they had been making rounds on the punk scene for almost two years, building up a strong reputation andfan base. The Scream was probably already marked for success, but this is not an album from a band who's already glad-handing itself, resting upon already-won laurels. Even from the first track, "The Pure," audiences get something that few bands (and definitely few, if any, punk bands) offered: an song that is experimental in the way it plays with open space, but, at the same time, stays will in the line with the dark and menacing sounds of the time.

"The Pure" stands as a quiet moment perched at the beginning, as it easily slides into "Jigsaw Feeling," a fantastic musical romp full of heavy drums, expressivebasslines, and guitars that zoom along at a break-neck pace, always driving and clunging along. And the whole time, Siouxsie sings an almost melodic rant about a mind that is "one day...feeling total, the next day split in two."

The album from this point on rarely breaks the intensity or cadence set by "Jigsaw Feeling." The few moments that The Scream gives us to breathe, the looming grind and pound to come hangs like the air before a huge rainstorm. Not to say that this album blends together into an indistinguishable and unremarkable pastiche of sound. Their cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter" is almost unrecognizable for the first few seconds, but, as it opens up, captures the spirit and energy of the original perfectly. And "Mirage," one of the stand-out tracks, mixes (dare I say it) slightlypoppiness into a song that still rocks your face off.

The Scream stands out from the rest of the albums from this era in the equal attention it pays to the extreme intensity and energy that punk rock brought back to music in truckloads, and melodic complexity that would (and has) set it apart from most other albums and bands of the time. This album started what was to be an innovative and brilliant career forSiouxsie & the Banshees, inspiring scores of artists and bands to new realms of possibilities.

Elliott Smith - New Moon

joeybenavides — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:11:17 GMT

When the life of an artist or a band is cut tragically short, the greatest hits album or the b-sides compilation release is almost inevitable. Elliott Smith was a prolific songwriter and recorder, with scores of tracks that never found their way onto any of his classic albums. For years, much of this material circulated in bootleg-form in various corners of the internets, helping to build a quiet, yet rabid following. Kill Rock Stars, the label that released his self-titled album and Either/Or, issued New Moon, a collection of b-sides highlights and early arrangements of recordings that took place between 1994-1998 (Interscope Records owns Elliott's later work).

And New Moon is definitely a collection that is worthy and representative of his brilliant career. Smith's acoustic acumen resonates over the vast majority of this 24-track, double-disc release, long considered one of his strengths (not too surprising, given the time period New Moon covers). Tasteful little accents are added throughout, such as a touch of organ on "Going Nowhere," the electric guitar lines on "Riot Coming" and "Almost Over," or sleigh bells on "See How Things Are Hard." Even "Fear City" and "New Monkey" give us a rockier side reminiscent of his Heatmiser days. And speaking of Heatmiser, the final two tracks are re-workings of two Mic City Sons songs: "See You Later" and "Half Right," stripped down to the Elliott Smith quintessentials: that frost-fragile voice and that expressive acoustic guitar.

New Moon shines with the brightness of an artist burning at his creative zenith. The lands that Elliott Smith would explore past here would find him building more complex and lush arrangements. Still, that a man could craft songs about love and loneliness with such simplicity and stark, bald intimacy steals my breath away every time hear it. New Moon is great both for those new to Elliott Smith's music, and those who have every note and chord of his discography committed to memory.

A stirring tribute to a musical genius.

30 Blogs in 30 Days!

joeybenavides — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:00:10 GMT

Hello all. Looks as though my self-imposed sabbatical has come to an end, and what better way to come out of the chute than to flood there here mog-waves with words, words, words!

I want to get back in the habit of writing, so I'm kicking off my personal project of 30 blogs (prolly just reviews, but who knows?) in 30 days. This is going to be the highest output that I've ever had, so wish me luck!

Oh, and this one doesn't count....I'm no cheater!

Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

joeybenavides — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:34:08 GMT

Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson drips sex. Listening to Gainbourg's breathy French over the opening track "Melody" fills your head with little else but twisted bodies, mixing sweat and nothings whispered into your lover's ear. Reading a translation of the lyrics does little to dispell the images of sex. For those of us who don't understand French, Histoire de Melody Nelson starts with the narrator accidentally hitting a 15-year old British girl named Melody Nelson with his 26-horsepower 1910 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, and the all-too brief love affair they share, before she boards a plane for home and disappears forever, possibly lost in the South Pacific.

The subject matter aside, this album pops on so many levels. Histoire... was intended to be the soundtrack to a short film, finely bridging the gap between the two mediums. Within this context, the album paints a backdrop of a dark, sensual romance, of two lovers fated by the stars to be separated. In just under 28 minutes, Gainsbourg accomplishes what takes most artists (musical or otherwise) double or triple to time to do. The opener, "Melody", frames up the tone and feel of the album, with a string arrangement driving right along with a tight bass and drum line, and a guitar that is so funky that it freestyles the entire 7 minutes and 32 seconds. From the chanson-like "Valse de Melody", to jam session-feel of "En Melody", to the reprise closer "Cargo Culte", Histoire de Melody Nelson slips along so smoothly and easily it seems almost dream-like. Just 3-5 seconds into "Ah! Melody" or "Ballade de Melody Nelson", and you can see where Air found the inspiration for their sound. Since its release in 1971, Histoire... has inspired such major names as Air, Portishead, Beck, Jarvis Cocker.

It is my guess that Gainsbourg, known to be a flamboyantly controversial firgure, was intending this album to be taken a little less seriously than history had taken it, but regardless of the intent behind it, Histoire de Melody Nelson is the kind of concept album that most dream of making, and fail miserably or drive themselves crazy making. And all the time, Serge Gainbourg keeps his cool, cocky, sexy tone, making it almost seem too easy. Whether you have a lover whose ear you can nibble on, or you are a lonely soul hoping for that chance encounter, or even if you are just wanted to fill up your cool reservoirs, Histoire de Melody Nelson offers forth ideas for you to work with.

Let's just hope that you know better than to follow this story to the letter.

Memory Lane, pt. 5

joeybenavides — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:50:32 GMT

Nicole Young had an enviable hunger for life, and was so idealistic that it weighed down on her. I wish that I hadn't lost contact with her for as long as I did, but I am thankful that I spent what little time I did with her. The last time we hung out, she took me to a small bar in the middle of the country. We were hoping to sing a bit of karaoke, and I was hoping to not get my ass kicked by some drunken hillbillies and thrown into a ditch. As we ordered up some beers, she thumbed through the binder, looking for a song to sing. She decided on (of all things) Jay-Z's "Can I Get A..". I then watch a little redheaded white girl step onto the stage, grab the mic, and do the most memorable rendition of that song I'll probably ever see. We ended that night sharing life stories and promises that we'd see each other real soon. That "real soon" is never going to come.

My one comfort is that she seemed to find a shred of peace and happiness on this mortal coil before she shuffled from it. I miss her terribly.

Memory Lane, pt. 4

joeybenavides — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:30:09 GMT

I never thought that I would go for her. She was never the easy sale, the one that a man would necessarily be drawn to in a crowded room. But once I slowed down enough to drink her in, she was the one for me. She definitely wasn't sold on me either at first, and her rejection of everything I thought was me at the time cut me deep. But I swam in a kind of infatuation that drove me to do whatever it took to gain her favor. Everything she did sparkled magically, and her natural artistic sense amazed me. I fancied myself a writer, but her work shamed me. Whatever she read, whatever she listen to, spoke to me like gospel.

I did my best for a while to resist her allure, to assert my own tastes and beliefs, but she had a quiet assuredness that always won out. When she played Radiohead for me for the first time, I can remember being bored and rather unimpressed. The same with Elliott Smith; I thought I was better than lo-fi and acoustic guitars. But time and time again she would be right, and I had to repeart the same refrain: "OK...you were right." Eventually, I began to seek out new tunes to impress and stump her, but, try as I may, I never could find an angle on her that she didn't already see.

Looking back on it now, my musical tastes evolved and improved more during that period of courtship than almost any other time in my life. It's unfortunate that life and my ego got in the way, because I sit here with my music and my memories, a time crystallized in my mind to dust off and admire.

My Bloody Valentine Reunion?

joeybenavides — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 06:27:24 GMT

Given the crazy levels of musical fanaticism in the mog-o-verse, I wouldn't be surprised that this news has already been delivered and digested, but when news like this gets out, there's really no such thing as repeating it. Apparently, Kevin Shields has FINALLY confirmed that MBV is officially back together, and that the band is working on a new album.

W00000000000000T!!!!

News like this is yet another reason to keep me living for just a bit longer. I can't wait for the tour information to go up....I hope they come out to the desert this year (along with Radiohead winkwink)

with link goodness:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003669599

[thanks @billboarddotcom]

Welcome Back!!

joeybenavides — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:16:17 GMT

Well, I finally moved away from Hawaii, settling these weary bones here in Maryland. Better yet, though, is that I got my desktop back after our month-long separation.

Can I get a glass of water with this?

joeybenavides — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 23:42:23 GMT

Because this article on the ol' wikipedia was almost unbearably dry.

That being said though, man this song still fuckin' rocks.

Whew!

joeybenavides — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:31:22 GMT

It's late (or early) here, and I'm mad tired. I feel my time out here physically pressing in on me. Guess it's time for a quick pick-me-up

Of Montreal - Icons, Abstract Thee

joeybenavides — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:01:53 GMT

Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? gave us a deeper side to Of Montreal: a man stuck in the throes of love and life pains, and coming out on top. Icons, Abstract Thee is an EP of outtakes from the album, and runs almost totally counter: From the incredible high of love attained on "Du Og Meg," the tone plummets down through tough love and love lost, love unrealized, love alienated through selfishness, and even an apology to his little girl, and hopelessness that flirts with suicide. Letting the album play around from the last track to the first track lets you see how long of a path Icons travels along; I fell into a decent-sized funk when I had to confront the sappy idealism of "Du Og Meg" again, so closely on the heels of "No Conclusion." There's something that rings true about this EP though: Kevin Barnes lays bare the sort of problems that immediately feel true and real. There's no way that most of this could have ended up on the final LP....these tracks are too raw to consume widely. But Of Montreal is at their best here. They give us more of what I want (and love) about this band, but shows us a new level of depth that is hard to ignore...though you would be silly if you'd want to.

Memory Lane: Part 3 (con.'t)

joeybenavides — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:47:13 GMT

Looking back, "Goodie Bag" almost seems like an uneven song trade, because within a few days James introduced me to a song that I still consider one of the beautiful songs I have ever heard in my life.

My life was NEVER the same after this.

Memory Lane: Part 3

joeybenavides — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:27:37 GMT

I ended up going to a college near home, and for one of the best reasons to: because a girl that I was friends with in high school was going there, and I hoped to hook up with her while we were going there. Making the best of it, I began exploring around, and meeting new people. I ended up meeting a guy named James, a CS major that had the most voracious appetite for booze and drugs I had ever seen. Growing up in a rather conservative household, James was like anyone I'd ever met. We took to each other well, and quickly became friends. Eventually, James, myself, and a few other friends decided to move into a new apartment across town. One of the things that we set up in our new apartment was computer dedicated to collecting together mp3s (oh, Napster, circa 2000, how we miss you). This became an interesting collection quickly, since we all came from radically different spots, as far as musical tastes go. What really got our collection moving along though was a frantic phone call from James one afternoon. "Hey man, what's that one song that you were playin' the other day? I can't get it out of my head." After a bit of awesome singing and beat-boxin', I realized that he was talking about this song....

Memory Lane: Part 2

joeybenavides — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:15:42 GMT

To be honest, I was not ready for "March of the Pigs" when I first heard it. I was watching MTV, and I saw a rock band set up on a white sound stage, dressed in all black, and waiting for their cues while the drums pounded away. I almost turned away, until Trent opened his mouth....and then the world melted away. I had never heard anything with such force of passion and power in my short life. I was held rapt as the band threw themselves about the stage, not so much making music as changing raw emotion instantly into sound.

I tried to buy The Downward Spiral shortly afterwards, but by then stores all over had started putting those Parental Advisory stickers all over CDs. Once my mom got her hands on the album and looked at the artwork and lyrics, we made another trip back to Best Buy to tell off the manager and return it. Who knows what could have happened if I could have kept that CD and digested it....maybe I would have found a love for rock music many, many years earlier. Oh well....better late than never, huh?

Memory Lane: Part 1

joeybenavides — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 03:47:20 GMT

I grew up listening to nothing terribly spectacular, basically whatever was fed me by radio and MTV. "Disarm" was my first peek behind the velvet curtain, signaling something more to music than a clever arrangement of tones. There were other songs that I dug before this, but "Disarm" hit like a mind bomb. Those haunting melodies lodged themselves in my pre-teen heart and refused to let go.

Mood Indigo

joeybenavides — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:06:59 GMT

Frank Sinatra really did it on this one. Heartbreak and loneliness has rarely sounded this cool.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "Electricity"

joeybenavides — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:19:48 GMT

I'm a HUGE Joy Division fan, and therefore, a Martin Hannett fan by extension. I d/l'd Zero: A Martin Hannett Story 1977-1991, and loved the cross-section of post-punk and New Wave that it gave me. "Electricity" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (usually abbreviated OMD) jumped out at me with its nice synth rhythm lines and melodies. This track was originally recored during the brief time they were involved with Factory Records, and was intended to originally be a Factory Records release.

Anyone looking for a good marker for the direction that post-punk and New Wave was moving in the early 80s should give OMD a try....they shan't disappoint.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "Electricity"

joeybenavides — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:02:08 GMT

Anyone looking for a good marker for the direction that post-punk and New Wave was moving in the early 80s should give OMD a try....they shan't disappoint.

Spending some quality time with the little one

joeybenavides — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:48:56 GMT

This afternoon, I sat on the couch with my little one, and we watched some Schoolhouse Rock. Man, I remember as a kid watching that show early mornings on ABC.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Elliott Smith

I'm in such a terrible mood

joeybenavides — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:24:47 GMT

And listening to Stereolab isn't helping me at all. It's trying to unfetter my soul when I'd much rather sit here and pity myself. Damn music doing something to my insides, trying to make me feel good.

Interpol - Our Love to Admire

joeybenavides — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:17:34 GMT

A new Interpol album is always big news, and time never seems to move fast enough between the announcement and the day it comes out at the....store, yeah, that's the story we'll go with today. It didn't help things when I saw their kick-ass show at Coachella, playing three songs from their new album (they ended up being "Pioneer to the Falls", "Mammoth", and "Heinrich Maneuver"), only serving to further whet my appetite and frustrate.

But the magic day arrived, and Our Love to Admire was mine to enjoy ad nauseum. The album starts off with "Pioneer to the Falls", which gives fans what they want most: a sound that is pure Interpol, expansive and rhythm-heavy, but at the same time novel. The piano on this track helps to conjure the dark tone and emptiness that makes this song one of the stand-out tracks. The piano, in general, is a new and more prominent part on many of the songs on Our Love, and adds a nice melodic element to their songs ("Rest My Chemistry", "No I in Threesome).

This drive towards a more melodic sound does, at times, dilute the bass lines and rhythm lines that is so quintessential to Interpol, and post-punk in general. They got the mix exactly right on Turn On the Bright Lights, and it became an instant classic. This album isn't terrible....not at all. It's just....not their other albums. Most of the album is what we've come to expect from the NYC band. It's just that the other, not-so-stellar tracks just stand out in so much more. "All Fired Up" doesn't seem like it fits on this album at all, or like some other band wrote it for Interpol. And the last two tracks leave little impression upon me after such a strong opening on the album. This last point bothers me the most; Interpol is known for finishing strong on their albums, and Our Love to Admire breaks out of that mold....unfortunately.

Interpol's newest will still fit well into my music collection, and I will still be listening to it years after. I just hope that some of the new on this album aren't scorch marks in the bottom of the pan, and are instead flashes in it.

I love it when a song easily catches your ear.

joeybenavides — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:38:36 GMT

The Stone Roses - "Waterfall"

I'm starting to love the 80s more and more. Enjoy.

Where ever you go, there you are.

joeybenavides — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 22:55:46 GMT

A question for the mog-o-verse. When I travel to certain "hotspots" (Japan, NYC, Austin, etc.), I can't help to make....well, "appropriate" soundtracks. For example, while riding the subway in NYC, I would listen to the Walkmen, Interpol, the Ramones, and the like. In Japan, Cornelius, Asobi Seksu (yes, I know that they are from America, but still...), boris.

I dunno, it just seems to be that listening the music in the place that inspired it lends a certain....credibility (?) to the music.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone else make special travel playlists for the places they travel?

"21st Century Schizoid Man"

joeybenavides — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:37:16 GMT

Man....King Crimson rocks my face off with this track. I especially love to pop this vinyl onto the turntable first thing in the morning, or in the middle of the night, or when I'm on the road, or....well, any other time I can justify it.

Nick Drake

joeybenavides — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:32:48 GMT

One of music's great tragedies is that this man doesn't get the attention that he deserves. Nick Drake's three albums are absolute goods in themselves.

I felt you so much today....

joeybenavides — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:19:55 GMT

Last night, I ventured from my house to buy a pack of eggs. As I drove, I lit a smoke, and clicked on "Pioneer to the Falls." It was one of those moments that stretched out to overflowing, barely containing the 5 minutes, 46 seconds allotted. I wanted to sink into my seat and become one with the evening, but then I remembered I was driving....and that I had a smoke, and that would have become a fire hazard.

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

joeybenavides — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:44:46 GMT

Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? illustrates the difficulties of coping with life and love ("Suffer for Fashion", Cato As a Pun", "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger"), the pains of numbing, coping devices ("Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"), and the empowerment that comes from personal transformation ("Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider", "She's a Rejector"). Musically, Barnes and crew are up to the same lush, highly-orchestrated hijinks to which fans have become accustomed. The general tone of the tracks, while smacking of something a bit more substantial, are still rather catchy and upbeat. Delving into the lyrics, though, you discover the weight of life lived etched in, making this not nearly as carefree of a jaunt as previous albums. Barnes made sure to let us peek into the he lived (and suffered through) recently, and used the most familiar medium he had available for catharsis. It's been said that anti-depressants and his broken marriage served as inspirations, and does this album ever show the telling signs. On Hissing Fauna..., Of Montreal shows why this band, and this album, is worth your time: even while bearing all of this emotional baggage, this album never feels weighed down. It's as though they are telling you, "Yeah, life sucks...so what?" Barnes says it best in "The Past is a Grotesque Animal": "Let's just have some fun...let's tear this shit apart...let's tear the fuckin' house apart...let's tear our fuckin' bodies apart...let's just have some fun..."

The bottom half of this album picks up speed, each track just as good or better than the last. From "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider," you can just lean back and sing along with the huge smile of one who's made it, who's fought their battles and come out on top. Barnes stated in an interview that "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal" represents a transformation into his alter-ego Georgie Fruit, beaming with the confidence of rising above one's demons.

With an album of this quality, we can smile and rise right along with him.

If my sleek rocket ship flies into the sun....

joeybenavides — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:57:55 GMT

please pump this song into my helmet, so that I may shuffle from this mortal coil with no regrets, my heart at peace.

She's Lost Control

joeybenavides — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:55:39 GMT

I drive my co-workers INSANE with this song, because, for some reason, I start mouthing out the drum line to it when I'm trying to concentrate. The boys from Joy Division and Martin Hannett were geniuses on this one. I can wrap myself up in this track like a blanket.

Amy Winehouse has invaded my consciousness

joeybenavides — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:31:10 GMT

There's not much that I can say about Amy Winehouse that hasn't been said already. Still, her album is RIDICULOUS good, and a refreshing throw-back to "simpler" times long past.

"Wake Up Alone" rings with such honesty that I haven't been able to ignore it since first listening to it. It's the kind of song that you listen to at those wee hours when memories of love lost threaten to choke out the façade that you build for yourself to get through the day. Pain and heartbreak rarely sounds this good.