Point One – Unlucky Stars
Wenzl/Hooper Records / Adrenaline Music (5/22/07)
Rock / Alternative
Hi, I’m Jeff, and Seattle’s Point One is our first vict… er, subject. The angst-ridden “Unlucky Stars” is almost screamo, but doesn’t quite go there, so it is all right. The vocals on “Oxygen” fall somewhere in the middle of Jonathan Davis, Scott Weiland and any guy from any band that’s done a theme for a wrestling pay-per-view over the past five years. “Monochrome Mistress” flirts with Southern rock, and it builds up nicely, though Len Hotrum had some Durst-isms going on that were a bit of a turn-off for this listener. Hotrum is all over the place, actually, and at times the vocals seem to lack focus. If one were to mix rap-metal and pop-punk and give it a good production job, it would sound, give or take, something like this. It’s not bad for what it is, but it’s also been done so many times before (mostly around 1999-2000) that it’s really nothing to call home about.
Hi, I’m the dirty hippie who manages the nearby record store. My parents actually used to own the record store, but then they let me take it over for my 18th birthday, and after I started college, I started getting into really deep stuff like DJ Shadow, Rusted Root and jazz. While I really like Phish and Bob Marley more than anything else, I usually go to just about every Del- or Hieroglyphics-related show just so that people see me there. I always play stuff in the record store that you’ve never heard of because it makes me look cooler than you. I am a Rastafarian who likes to smoke ganja in the stock room, and I even went to Addis Ababa last year to show how hardcore I am. However, sometimes I break the ital diet because when I get the munchies I really like to eat a Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic. Your taste in music probably sucks, or at the very least is not as good as mine. Even if you ask me where the Fela Kuti CDs are, I will still scoff at you because there is no way in hell that you could appreciate the music to the same degree that I do. Plus, I probably knew about it before you did. I will show that I am better than you by not making eye contact with you, instead pointing to the general corner of the store where it is while I keep on reading my latest issue of High Times. In regard to this album, I was so put off by this that I had to seal myself in the bathroom with a ten-sack and Bitches Brew and listen to it four times in row in order to forget about Point One.
Spider-Man 3: Music from and Inspired By [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Record Collection (5/1/07)
Rock
I’m not really sure what the tone of this movie is going to be, since it comes out Friday and I haven’t seen it, but this soundtrack sounds more like something from a Zach Braff or Adam Brody film. No, I wasn’t expecting something with Union Underground or the aforementioned Point One (that’ll probably be for the soundtrack to The Condemned), but this stuff a wee bit downtempo for an action flick. The Wolfmother track is not bad, and is probably the first thing by the band that I’ve really paid much attention to, yielding this obsevation: if Frank Black had Southern rock-style band, it would be Wolfmother. I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or not. “The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How to Be in Love” technically fits into the soundtrack due to the subject matter, though “Spiderman ’79” by Veruca Salt probably would have worked better. “Stay Free” by Black Mountain and “Sight Lines” by Rogue Wave seem to have no business being on here, as they’re not bad songs but are just too bland for an action film. It’s sad when “The Twist” by Chubby Checker is one of the most energetic songs on the soundtrack. But who knows, given the storyline of the epic struggle betwixt good in evil in one’s own self, this could end up being more of a drama with some action than an action film with some drama. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
A lot of this quiet indie-type stuff is pretty awesome because it’s really deep and emotional, and chicks will dig you if you listen to it because it shows that you have a sensitive side. If my hair didn’t smell like beeswax and seven-year-old scalp, I’d probably have a pretty good shot at some action just by having a copy of this in my Volkswagen. I was thinking of getting my lip pierced, too, but not only does it go against the teachings of Leviticus, but it also would make me look like a poseur, which is exactly the opposite of what I am.
Sage Francis – Human the Death Dance
Anti- / Strange Famous Records (5/8/07)
Rap / Hip-hop
I’ve avoided Sage Francis just because I don’t want to be disappointed, but that’s not very fair to the guy. Sure, he gets lumped in with similar acts as emo-rap (God help us all), and looks like Dave Attell, but after checking out this album, the guy actually knows his shit. The Providence, R.I., native name drops KRS-One and Freddie Foxxx (which might not be the best idea after the whole John Cena thing) and calls out the indie snobs on the entertaining “Underground for Dummies”. Most of the tracks are peppered with the metaphors, puns and absurdism that Francis oft uses in his work, which works well. Ant makes a production cameo on “High Step”, and while the track’s not bad, it isn’t anywhere near some of the tracks that he recently produced for Brother Ali and older Atmosphere. Spoken word artist Buddy Wakefield also makes a few cameos to add to the poetic feel of the work. I can’t say that I’ll run out to buy it, but it’s pretty good.
I love this kind of hip-hop because of the scene. And it’s intelligent. Most people need a dictionary or a thesaurus when listening to this sfuff, but not me. Whenever I go to a Sage Francis or Atmosphere show, everyone knows that I am a hardcore fan because I just stand there with my arms crossed during the entire show and nod my head to the beat. I don’t need to dance, because I am totally feeling the music in my mind, which is much deeper-thinking than all of the suburban kids that are at the show. Little do they know that I also saw Modest Mouse back in 1998. I also like to get a drink bracelet but I don’t buy drinks, just so that everyone knows I am older and could buy a drink if I wanted to. That’ll show those punk kids.
Ellen Allien – Time Out Presents The Other Side: Berlin [CD/DVD]
Deaf Dumb + Blind Recordings (3/20/07)
Electronic / Rock
For the uninitiated, Ellen Allien is a relatively popular figure in the Berlin electronic music underground, as in the past two decades she’s served as both a DJ and party organizer, and produces music, as well as sings in both English and German. Keeping with that theme, the the opening track of the set is “Helden”, by David Bowie, which is the German version of the hit “Heroes”. A block of minimal tracks by artists like Booka Shade, Plastikman and Miss Kittin gets pretty droning—maybe if I were high at some club I might appreciate it some more, but it’s actually rather boring—until it finally gets squashed by “Bombing Bastards”, a trip-tastic collaboration by Terranova and Tricky. “Berlin” by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs is what you’d get if Soft Cell had started making music about 5 years earlier, while Monolake’s “Invisible” is some of the best dub-infused German techno I’ve heard in a long time. It was well-placed; had it appeared in the aforementioned minimal electro-block, I may have dismissed it as a slightly meatier version of those tracks, but after the Tricky/Terranova and Wayne County tracks, I felt refreshed. The album is supposed to be an introspective look into some songs that Allien is currently digging, but unfortunately, it feels cold and detached, and songs like “You and Now” by AGF & Delay are pretty snooze-a-rific. It makes good background music, but I’m not quite sure if this would be something I’d want to listen to on vacation.
Jeff, the reason why you don’t like it because you don’t get it. Sure, it might seem boring at first, but you manage to appreciate the artistic resonance in each composition, you’ll see the real beauty of each track. Plus, it comes with a DVD that shows you all of the underground spots in Berlin, mostly frequented exclusively by the locals, and even includes a guide listing all of the best places, to eat, drink, dance and buy stuff. Like just in case I forgot my patchouli at home.
