The Postal Service - Give Up

I feel a bit biased putting this up. Mostly because I went to college with Jimmy. 

Not to say Jimmy and I hung out exclusively or anything, but he was around the radio station group enough that I knew him. (go KXLU!)

Come to think of it, he probably wouldn’t remember me at all…even if you asked him at gunpoint.  And I never even knew he made music until this album came out and Farmer Dave said “That’s Jimmy Taborello’s band…” in that dry monotone voice of his.

Regardless, The Postal Service “Give Up” definitely deserves a place on this blog no matter what my connection to the members are.  Even if I never knew any of them.

Turns out that while in collage, Jimmy started producing electronic music and soon was releasing stuff under the name Dntl.  In 2001 he was collaborating on a track called ‘(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan’ with Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.  Since Ben was in Seattle and Jimmy in LA, they would work on the track individually then mail it to the other guy.  The single was so well received that it spawned a remix EP, and Ben and Jimmy decided to do a whole album that way, under the moniker of The Postal Service.

Jimmy wrote and produced the instrumentals in LA, then mailed them to Ben to add his vocals and edit in any way he saw fit. They brought in some nice guests like Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley, Jen Wood, and additional production from Death Cab’s Chris Walla who also added keyboard and piano.

I’m a huge fan of ‘We’ll Become Silhouettes’ and ‘Clark Gable,’ but the group will mostly be recognized for the ubiquitous ‘Such Great Heights’ which many will know from Garden State and the UPS commercials.

If you are familiar with Death Cab for Cutie, then I’ll have to let you know that this is much happier music then Ben usually does for them.  Full of amazing synth pop and great writing all around, the album goes down with a spoonful of sugar, but avoids being to sweet. Now that I think about it…I don’t even think synth pop is a good label. Nor electronic, or indie rock.

In fact,  I don’t think this music needs a label…

Unless that label is “Good Music.”

AC DC - Back In Black

Back in grade school I used to be a metal head.

Not to say that I had long hair or lots of bitchin concert shirts…I didn’t, but that’s all I listened to.

Def Leppard, Poison, ZZ Top, Pantera and Motley Crue…you get the picture. 

Well all these memories came flooding back the other day when I discovered an old mixtape I made back then, appropriately titled “The Mofo Party Mix.”  I actually dumped all my old cassettes like three years ago because they were taking up space and I never listened to them…so that fact that I somehow missed this one was kind of a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. 

Once again I could tear through the streets blasting ‘Slaughterhouse’ at full blast while pumping my fist and screaming.  I did notice that one band was represented more than the others on the tape…and that band was ACDC.

Back in 1980, ACDC was at a crossroads.  After spending several years touring and becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world, their lead singer Bon Scott had died at the age of 33 after drinking too much and choking on his own vomit.  At least that has become the popular myth, the official cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning.  It was a sad way to go, but also an incredibly rock and roll way to go.  The group began discussing the idea of disbanding, but decided that Bon would have wanted the band to go on,

How do you go on without your frontman? 

True, Angus Young is as much a frontman as a lead guitarist can get, but how many bands have lost their lead, replaced him and had success at it?

Not many.

Luckily Angus remembered Bon telling him a story about one of the best singers he ever saw.  Brian Johnson of the band , Geordie.  Apparently, Bon caught the show where Brian was sceaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of a song, then dropped to the floor writhing and screaming. Then to top it off, some guys came out and wheeled him off stage. 

It turned out Brian had severe appendicitis that night, but that’s not the point.  The point was that Bon had felt this guy had the right stuff.  He was brought in to audition, and a few days later he had the gig.

Primary recording began in the Bahamas at Compass Point Studios, as the band and their new singer worked to complete the album they has started with Bon. I was watching the VH-1 Behind the Music special on the album, and Brian talked about how hard it was to really get into the writing and to take over for such an established singer…but he apparently had some sort of vision of Bon Scott and after that was off and running.

Whether that is pure bullshit or not remains to be seen. 

But when completed, “Back In Black” would become the band’s greatest album and one of the top selling albums worldwide. With hits like ‘Hells Bells,’ ‘Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution’ and ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ the album comes as solid as it gets.  This is an angry album for when you’re feeling good.  This is black coffee on your cornflakes.  This is what they were thinking of when they invented the electric guitar.

And the black cover?  Meant as a sign of mourning for Scott’s death, it ended up becoming one of the most iconic album covers of all time. 

How people get along without this album baffles me.  

Holy Crap!

I don’t usually do this but my good friend from andyadontstop just alerted me to the existence of this!

http://www.thegreatestmusiccollection.com/what_sinthecollection.html

Anybody got some spare change?

FM - Original Soundtrack Recording

So, like two years back, I got hired to DJ a charity event.

I had never done a charity event, but I was relieved to discover that my services would be paid for at well over my going rate for a gig.  It was for a school and they were having a dinner and an auction to raise money…which was something I support so it was all good.

I talked with the lady who was in charge about what kind of music she wanted, and the only response I got was “Eclectic…you know…like KCRW.” (for the non Angeleno readers…KCRW is the big independent station in town that has NPR on for most of the day and plays some really awesome tunes at night.)  I listen to KCRW, so I figured I had it pegged.

Since I wasn’t there to get people to dance I was free to explore what I usually call “mingling music.” This is good music that people can enjoy and talk over at the same time.  Drew and I had done a nice mixtape of downtempo beats that I felt would be perfect, so a week before the gig I sent it to the lady in charge to see what she thought.

She was not pleased.

“What is this?!?!  This won’t work!  I told you I wanted KCRW type music!!!”

“Everything on there has been on KCRW” I told her.

“But I wanted rock…indie rock!”

“Well, all you told me was KCRW…they do play a lot of different music.”

“But I need indie rock!!!  I designed the whole evening around it!!! This is going to ruin the event!!!”

At this point I figured she was being a little more melodramatic than was necessary.  If people were there for dinner and cocktails I don’t think they were going to freak out if The Faint wasn’t playing.  I told her not to worry, and that I would come up with something that would please a crowd of hip middle aged parents.

I went with soft rock.

Why?  Because I believe soft rock is the new heavy metal.  And you know what? 

I killed it. 

People went ape shit for it…and most of my set was built around the soundtracks to “The Virgin Suicides” and “FM.”

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never seen “FM”…and as far as I know it’s not even on DVD.  From what I can gather, the story involves a group of groovy DJs who hijack the radio station in protest over the new management’s rules.

But none of that matters. 

What matters is that this collection is a hell of a line up…a virtual who’s who of seventies rock: Steely Dan, Boz Skaggs, Bob Seger, Steve Miller, Tom Petty, Foreigner, Boston, Billy Joel and James Taylor just to name a few.  But the song selection keeps it on the softer side like Tom Petty’s ‘Breakdown’ or Steely Dan’s title track ‘FM,’ which I don’t believe was released anywhere else.

Another real standout is a live Linda Ronstadt show where she covers the Stones ‘Tumbling Dice’ to perfection. (below) I don’t think this is available on any of her albums either.

Some of the tracks like Steve Miller’s ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ are radio edits…shorter than the originals.  But they did throw in the full length version of Joe Walsh’s ‘Life’s Been Good to Me.’

Until 2000, this wasn’t even available on CD, and to be honest you could probably put the soundtrack together yourself with access to any classic rock station or just off the individual albums. But that’s not the point.

The point is it stands on it’s own. And if you want to save the time and effort, just pick this up for your next road trip

Diamond and The Psychotic Neurotics - Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop

 Ok, so De La Soul was a no brainer.

I feel like I have to throw those ones in from time to time because they are albums you need to own. 

But my real reason for writing this blog was to introduce the casual listener to things they don’t know about, which brings us to today’s selection, the seminal 1992 work from Diamond and The Psychotic Neurotics: “Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop”

Many people who know a little about hip hop can name at least one Diamond D song…his production credits are a mile long and include work on A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory,” The Fugeee’s “The Score” and Mos Def’s “Black on Both Sides” just to name a few.  But few know about how awesome this album is. 

Seriously.

Joseph “Diamond D” Kirkland was born and raised in the Bronx, where he got ito the hip hop scene at an early age DJing for Jazzy Jay and the Zulu Nation before forming Ultimate Force and releasing tracks on the Cold Chillin Label.

In 1992, however the group disbanded and Diamond began assembling a new crew D.I.T.C.(Diggin in the Crates) when he recorded and released the underground showcase album “Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop.” Not only are Diamond’s beats totally on point, but he displays a previously unknown gift for the rhyme as well. But what also sets the album apart are the guest stars.  This was one of the first places the world would hear Big L (RIP) and Fat Joe before they became big name stars.

(SIDE NOTE: At the time, Fat Joe was a neighborhood dealer when he made it known he wanted to trade in his dealing shoes for a microphone.  Diamond was not not impressed until Joe won the rap battle at The Apollo four weeks in a row!  Word!)

Other notable contributors were Showbiz, AG and The Beatnuts as well as production by Mark the 2600 King, Large Professor and Q Tip.  It contains such notable hits as ‘Sally Got a One Track Mind’ and ‘Best Kept Secret’ as well as lesser known hits like ‘I went for Mine’ and my personal favorite ‘Yo, That’s That Shit.’  This is the kind of album that makes you smack the side of your head and ask “How did I miss this?!?”

Yet, for all the talent and quality it remained an underground hit only. It was only released on cassette and CD at the time, with only a hand full of promo vinyl being pressed.  Said vinyl was going for big bucks until a few years ago when it was finally reissued. 

But if you like your hip hop raw and uncut, and you somehow got this far without knowing, go get some of this. 

And tell em DJ Tim sent ya.

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising

You know what?  Looking back at the golden age of hip hop just makes me ever more aware of how much hip hop sucks in 2008.  I check the stores and the charts all the time as part of my daily DJ chores, and aside from a smattering of singles here and there…there really isn’t much going on.

It’s disgraceful.

Sure, there’s still some good noise being made in the indie hip hop underground (Atmosphere take a bow!)  but when was the last time a really big album hit?  2005???  Compare that to the early nineties when an amazing album full of hip hop dropped almost every month.  And not just an album with a good single or two, but with an assload of singles…and a bunch of tracks that weren’t singles but you loved anyways because they fucking rocked.

I’m beginning to think the hip hop era is coming to a close. 

Maybe it’s time is up…maybe it’s time for a new popular genre to rise up and take over, or maybe the time for that is over too.  Maybe with all the internets and media sources out there, there isn’t room for a single dominant force any longer. 

Which is too bad because I really love hip hop.

Especially when it is so undeniably fun and frenetic as De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising.” 

Listening to the album for the first time was like being shot out of a cannon into a pool of Jello, nerf balls and confetti.  I was freaking out to my walkman, desperate to show someone, anyone what I had found.  Because what I found seemed almost too good to be true.

Formed in high school, the trio of Posdanus, Maceo, and Trugoy (AKA:Plug One, Plug Two and Plug Three) hit paydirt when their demo of ‘Plug Tunin’ found it’s way to producer Price Paul’s (Plug Four) hands.  Together they helped form the base of the Native Tongue Posse that included The Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, and later on Monie Love, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah and Chi Ali. 

The Native tongues pretty much paved the way for new style of hip hop for the 1990’s …influencing fashion and lyrical style for years to come. But, I digress.

“3 Feet High and Rising” stands as an excellent companion to the Beastie Boy’s “Paul’s Boutique” for it’s innovative use of sampling.  It was also one of the last albums made before the sampling hammer came down on hip hop, forever changing the art.  Released in 1989, it showed and exuberance that few albums can match even to this day.  Even the group itself in all it’s varied forms has yet to top this effort.

But the day glow look and loose hippy feel would haunt the group for years as they felt they had been misunderstood and mislabeled as “hippies.” The D.A.I.S.Y. Age (DA Inner Sound Y’all) as they called it, would be short lived…but would thrive while it lasted.

Full of awesome hits like ‘Me, Myself and I,’(see below) the Steely Dan sampling ‘Eye Know’ or ‘Say No  Go’…even the misses feel like hits.  And Prince Paul’s skits were copied for, like a decade on numerous albums.  Why can’t people make shit this good anymore? 

I blame Little Jon.

In fact, I would like to take this chance to personally appeal to the boys of De La…If you’re listening, bring back Price Paul!!!  The streets are hungry for it!!!

And for an extra bonus watch the press kit from ‘89.  Sickness!

Kansas City - Original Soundtrack

You know who was my favorite badass? 

Pablo Picasso.

Not only was he an amazing artist who created his own style, but he came up with one of the biggest pimp moves I’ve ever heard of.  Near the end of his life, when he was already internationally famous and nailing women who were a quarter of his age, he stopped using money to pay for things.

Pablo would head out shopping and just bring a sketch pad and some charcoal.  Everyone in his town knew who he was, so when he walked into a store he would simply pick out what he wanted and go to the manager, or cashier or whomever was in charge at the time and say something like:

“I could pay you for this in cash, but would you take a sketch instead?”

From what I’ve read, no one refused.  Why would they?  They’ll cover the guys groceries, and in return they get a signed original Picasso sketch that will someday be worth thousands of dollars.  Good deal! In fact, a lot of stores started requesting the sketches in lieu of payment.

Just imagine taking a girl on a date to an expensive restaurant, finishing a huge meal with lots of great wine and the restaurant manger comes to your table and asks if you could pay with a sketch.  The deal is pretty much sealed right there.

Another great historical pimp move came when Robert Altman made “Kansas City” in 1995.  If you’ve seen the film, I’m sure you’ll agree that the 1930’s era gangster film was mediocre at best.  Especially for an Altman film.  But what sets the film apart, was the music.

Altman was born in Kansas City and had a lifelong love of jazz, and while I can’t prove it, I wholeheartedly believe Altman made this film as a cover for making this album.

What a pimp.

Basically they recreated the Hey Hey Club, as it was in the 30’s.  They brought in the best sound guys in the business to mic the place correctly to get that authentic sound, and then they brought in the musicians.  Man did they bring em in!  You get a virtual who’s who of jazz in one room.  Guys like Joshua Redman, Geri Allen, Kevin Mahogany and Cyrus Chestnet all get their jam on in what can only be described as the most awesome way ever.  They also brought in an enthusiastic full audience, shouting out encouragement and cheers throughout the set.  Essentially this recording grabs the listener and tosses them back in time to a place that doesn’t exist anymore.

I don’t know of very many albums that succeed in doing this.

Filled with hits of the era from the likes of Count Basie (’Blues in the Dark’) and Bennie Moten (’Moten Swing’ as you will hear below), this is a must have for anyone who likes the swinging sound of Kansas City jazz.  Or just jazz in general.

It’s the pimp move.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - ST

 One of the best things about digging is finding new things. Sometimes these are good things…sometimes these are strange things, but they’re always new and they’re always out there.  Take the other day for example.

DJ Andrew and myself were sifting through the stacks at one of our spots, assaulting the 45 section from opposite ends when I found a cardboard record from the 1940’s.  Back in the day they would print out promotional pieces like this and insert them into magazines.  This one was for the Norelco electric razor and was aptly titled “Music to Shave By.” 

I was immediately struck by the realization that I had no music to shave too, and since the record featured Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby, I had to buy it.

I can now say in all honesty that you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Louis Armstrong sing ‘Baby, I’ll shave myself for you!’

Awesome…and mildly creepy.

One of the best surprises I had in the last few years though was the discovery of the internet phenomena: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.  You gotta love any band who sold 20,000 copies of their first album over the internet with out the benefit of a major label.  The first pressing sold out and they were forced to press up more.

Formed at Connecticut College and based in Brooklyn, CYHSY made their name and their fame mostly through enthusiastic responses from MP3 Bloggers and other denizens of the internets before getting some Hot List Action from Rolling Stone Magazine.  But all statistics aside, this is a great band pure and simple. Drawing inspiration from such artists as David Byrne and Jonathan Richmond, the band plays it fast and loose with their production…riding almost completely on the sheer energy of their songs.

And it works too.

The only downside to the album is that you can barely understand what front man Alec Ounsworth is singing.  And the thing is…you want to understand.  You want more.

The group recently release their second album “Some Loud Thunder,” that while different from the first is just as good and they seem to be slowly building in maturity and depth as they head toward the future.  They may not be the second coming, but they sure do sound good.