New Music: The Cribs

I don’t know what it is about The Cribs’ music that is like kryptonite to me.  With each new release, I have a tendency to glob onto the record and obsess over it until I am forced to walk away and pick up something new.  There is something a little “Jeannie Emo” about the brand of punk rock their serving up.  Maybe it’s their addictive melodies or maybe it’s their simple and familiar chord structures.  Either way, their music is smile inducing and addictive.  In The Belly of the Brazen is no different from my favorite of their records: Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs.  From the opening track of “Glitters Like Gold” I find myself in my happy place.  Then comes “Come On, Be A No One.”  I’ve already waxed enough poetic about how much I love this song, but I have to say that I love it more every time I hear it.  I loved “Jaded Youth” and “Anna” - easily in the top five best songs on the record.  “Chi-Town” is another high paced catchy punk rock song that has a somewhat four-chord structure reminiscent of the Ramones. “Pure O” is the perfect example of a song that has that melody that makes me all gooey inside.  I could listen to it all day.  One song that stands out (not because I’m all emo-gaga over it) is “Back to the Bolthole.” It reminds me of J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr.  Kind of an interesting direction from The Cribs and I like it. 

I missed The Cribs when they played in Minneapolis (I happened to be there visiting) because it was too cold.  I guess I’m not as punk rock as I think I am.  I won’t be making the same mistake when they play Los Angeles on June 15^th at the El Rey.

Don’t be like a DirecTV commercial and be me and miss them play live.  Go buy tickets now:

06/05 - Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA
06/06 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY
06/07 - Black Cat - Washington DC
06/08 - Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC
06/09 - Masquerade: Hell Stage - Atlanta, GA
06/11 - Fitzgerald's: Upstairs - Houston, TX
06/12 - The Parish - Austin, TX
06/15 - El Rey Theater - Los Angeles, CA
06/16 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA
06/18 - Venue - Vancouver CA

Way Back Wednesday: The Bolshoi

Songs like "Lindy's Party" is what Way Back Wednesday is all about.  This song encapsulates everything I remember and loved about college.  It was the song that they played at the end of the night at the club I went to every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night (ok, Saturdays and Sundays too).  Everyone was dressed in some form of black (or randomly Laura Ashley), wearing Doc Martens and was way too cool for our own good.  We were a bunch of misfits thrown together, but we were kind of a club.  And, we had a lot of fun.  "Lindy's Party" was the song that everyone thought was about them.  The first bars of this song literally give me chills.  Not to be cliche, but it brings me back to a time that was so long ago, but seems just like yesterday.


"Cold Streets, grey town
Early morning, no one around
Let's steal milk from a closed door
We won't drink it
But that's not what we do it for
Walking around like a runaway kite
These are the days of eternal nights"

When "Lindy's Party" came on, that meant that the club was closing.  But the fun wasn't over.  It was just beginning; because there was probably a party somewhere on Columbia Drive.  You just needed to find a ride.  We'd all drive out of the city limits and buy beer.  Show up and dance, drink and listen to music until someone made us go home.  Usually, there was someone there you liked and were trying to hook up with.  Mine was named Steve.  God, he was a dick.


"Say you were laughing at something
When I saw you first time
Such a model, what an actress
I must confess
I never thought that you'd be who you are, do what you do now
Cold streets, grey town
It's bound to get or bring you down
Lindy's party...Lindy's party
We talk about Doharty
Lindy's party"


The real end of the night was probably somewhere closer to 6am.  You had club sludge all over the bottom of your clothes, you reeked of cigarette smoke and were marked with a giant "YES" stamp on your right hand.

"Hey you...Where you been lately
Nothing-ing around in stately style
Well your crew have changed
But they still hang on every word
They worship just the same
They worship just the same"

That club isn't there anymore.  The owner (who was a cranky old queen,but I loved him) passed away and the bar fell into the wrong hands.  I will never forget all of the times I had there, all of the friends I met and how much it all meant to me.


"Now you tell me I don't live in the real world
Say I will never understand
Well your hair's still red
You still got the same hands
Who told you you were a country girl
Who told you you were a country girl
Well I know who it was
Say why do you look like you're in pain
Why have your hands become how strange
Cold streets, grey town
It's bound to get or bring you down
But I remember the way you used to use your eyes
I remember your eyes and your thighs and
The jet black tights you wore underneath your long blue shirt
You bought secondhand to keep you dry on rainy nights
So who told you you were a country girl
Who told you you were a country girl
Star-crossed lovers headed for disaster
You took a lifetime on the morning after
Lindy's party...Lindy's party
We talk about Doharty
Lindy's party
Lindy's party...Lindy's party
We talk about Doharty
Lindy's party
Lindy's party"

New Obsession: Chromatics

I'm more than a little obsessed with "Kill For Love" by Chromatics.  I literally CANNOT stop listening to this song.  The dreamy vocals by Ruth Radelet are a perfect complement to the synth-laden lush melodies reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, The Cure's Disintegration and Joy Division all at the same time.  And, while I have not indeed killed for love, I love the lyrics:

"Everybody has a secret to hide
everyone is slipping backward
I drank the water and I felt alright
I took a pill almost every night
in my mind I was waiting for change
while the world just stayed the same

Everybody has a secret to hide
everyone is slipping backward
I can't remember if I like what I said
I can't remember it went to straight to my head
I kept a bottle at the foot of my bed
I put a pillow right on top of my head

but I killed for love
I killed for love
killed for love

Everybody's got a secret to hide
everyone is slipping backward
you say you see it almost every time
a little number counting back to nine
I can't remember if I like what I said
I can't remember it went to straight to my head
but I killed for love
I killed for love
killed for love"

The Chromatics are on tour in Europe this fall, but are heading back to the US for the Electric Forest Festival in Michigan before playing a few dates throughout July on the East Coast.  You can stream the entire Kill For Love album on Soundcloud.  It's pretty fan-freaking-tastic!

New (to me) Single: Yuck

There are a few things that I know about this band called Yuck...and most of it I learned from Wikipedia.  They used to be in a band called Cajun Dance Party.  They are from London.  Their self-titled debut album was released last year by Fat Possum Records.  They played Coachella this year. 

The rest I know about Yuck from my brain.  They are anything but what their name would have you think.  Their latest single, "Chew" is absolutely addicting.  It's full of cranking guitars reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins (when they were good) and a little like Hum's "Stars."  Anytime you mix shoegaze-y guitars and a hyperbolic love song, I'm in.

I want MORE!!

New Single: A Silent Film

I recently came across "Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well" by A Silent Film and was immediately intrigued.  Despite being a very wordy song title, this song has the potential to be the soundtrack to my summer.  "Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well" is just the right amount of emo, angst, melody and poppiness that gets my motor running.  While it does remind me a bit of Carolina Liar in that it's got that super mainstream appeal, it also reminds me a little of "Born to Run."  They're playing the song all over Alt Nation on Sirius and you can catch the band on tour in the US starting in May.  Their sophomore release Sand & Snow will be released June 5th and is available on iTunes and Amazon.  Kind of makes me want to run away and take a road trip.  Start your engines!

Way Back Wednesday: Built to Spill

All my talk last week about Pavement reminded me of one of my other favorite indie rock bands, Built to Spill.  My first real exposure to BTS was when they released Keep It Like A Secret in 1999.  From the first time I heard this cd, it was an immediate favorite and made it into permanent rotation.  Not only did I have it on cd, but I also popped it on a cassette so I could rock out to it in my car as well.  Big deal you say?  It was quite an honor for a band to get a full side of a cassette.  We're talking prime audio real estate.  Most bands only made it to a mixtape.  For the full record to be enjoyed on cassette meant that I really really liked you.  My accolades aside, Built to Spill fucking rocks.  They are one of my favorite bands to see live, and probably one of a couple bands that I can handle a 20 minute "noodling" guitar solo from (maybe because Doug Martsch is one of the best guitar players ever).

Here's a live version of "You Were Right" (the guy who posted this video had to have gotten the sound off the board, because it sounds pretty incredible):



And, another of my fave songs that appeared on their live record "Virginia reel Around the Fountain" (Halo Benders cover):

Way Back Wednesday: Pavement

I had a dream last night that I had to give Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg from Pavement a ride in my car.  I'm not sure where we were going, but I remember being embarassed of my car and the fact that I couldn't fit everyone in.  I had to scramble to try to get an acceptable vehicle to transport the musical love of my life and ended up stealing my BFF's car to do it.  Not sure what this dream meant other than the fact that I need a new car, but it importantly reminded me of how much I miss the musical stylings of Pavement.  If this blog were a wish jar, I would ask that Pavement reunite at least every couple of years for a tour.  I'm not greedy, they don't have to tour constantly.  I'd just like to have some Pavement love in my life every now and again.

Side note:
In this week's edition of "dayum gurl, you're ooooldddd": Pavement's seminal debut record Slanted and Enchanted just turned 20.  In honor of that, here's one of my favorites from this record, "Trigger Cut," recorded live from their last set of shows.