The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: BSE (TW)

The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/blogs/lineout/ Seattle's #1 Weekly Newspaper. Covering Seattle news, politics, music, film, and arts; plus movie times, club calendars, restaurant listings, forums, blogs, and Savage Love. en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. editor@thestranger.com (The Stranger Editor) webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Best Song Ever (This Week): Airhead's "Pyramid Lake" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/best-song-ever-this-week-airheads-pyramid-lake http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/best-song-ever-this-week-airheads-pyramid-lake Dave Segal <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/airhead">Airhead</a> (aka <strong>Rob McAndrews</strong>) has been getting a lot of press lately in anticipation of his debut album, <em><a href="http://www.randsrecords.com/airhead/debut-album">For Years</a></em> (out June 25 on R&S). The London-based producer—who also plays guitar in <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/its-a-post-dubstep-white-soul-thing-you-might-understand/Content?oid=8194410">James Blake</a>’s band—works in a similar Blakean vein, a smoldering, post-dubstep torch-song approach that oozes soul and allows for strange textural and structural gestures to seep into the peripheries.</p> <p>By far the weirdest track on <em>For Years</em> is <strong>"Pyramid Lake,"</strong> which recalls the maverick Japanese producer <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bisk">Bisk</a>'s Cubist IDM. "Pyramid Lake" sounds like it's repeatedly sliding down a velvety hillside with dream-logic funkiness. Pitch-shifted voices "<em>oooowaaaahhh</em>" with a creepy cheerfulness while McAndrews sporadically croons like <strong>Jamie Lidell</strong> on 'ludes. The whole thing seems to be shot through with a superior alien intelligence, as it wobbles like a penguin in a wind tunnel and click-clacks and ratatatats in dancer-confounding meters. The question is not what genre this music is, but what planet it came from. Right now everything else sounds tragically earthbound next to "Pyramid Lake."</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l18NA6rQ9LU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/best-song-ever-this-week-airheads-pyramid-lake#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16957898&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/06/05/best-song-ever-this-week-airheads-pyramid-lake?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16957898&id=comments 1 Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:57:54 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Voigt and Voigt's "Sozial" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/29/best-song-ever-this-week-voigt-and-voigts-sozial http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/29/best-song-ever-this-week-voigt-and-voigts-sozial Dave Segal <p><strong>Voigt & Voigt</strong>—German brothers <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Wolfgang+Voigt">Wolfgang</a> and <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Reinhard+Voigt">Reinhard</a>—have long been key figures in the world's techno ecosphere. Wolfgang helps to run <a href="http://www.kompakt.fm/">Kompakt Records</a>, a major catalyst in fostering minimal techno's dominance in the '00s and a reliable source since its 1998 inception for challenging electronic music. He's also produced a stunning number of classic releases under a dizzying array of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name. Reinhard has been less prolific than his bro, but his own catalog boasts several crucial documents, too. </p> <p><em><a href="http://www.kompakt.fm/releases/die_zauberhafte_welt_der_anderen_2xlp_cd">Die Zauberhafte Welt Der Anderen</a></em> (released in February by Kompakt) marks the first time Wolf and Rein have worked together under their own names, and the result is one of the best techno albums of the decade. If you're at all familiar with these guys' output, you'll not raise an eyebrow to <em>Die Zauberhafte</em>'s combination of stoic minimalism and playful and odd assortment of textures. Making interesting techno in 2013 is an unbelievably challenging task, and the Voigts rise to the occasion repeatedly over these 10 tracks. </p> <p>It's hard to choose a favorite. "<strong>Der Erste Zug"</strong> is an urgent automaton chug down a concrete tunnel, augmented by chilling, undulating marimba motifs; <strong>"Tja Mama, Sandra Maischberger"</strong> is a stoned, paranoiac techno cut featuring an appealingly slackjawed male vocal loop, rickety acoustic guitar, and horror-film keyboards. <strong>"Triptychon Nummer 7"</strong> is a masterclass on how to create suspense and tension in a minimal-techno context with understatement—while tossing in a perky <strong>mid-'70s Kraftwerkian melody</strong> when you least expect it.</p> <p>But the piece that stands above all on <em>Die Zauberhafte</em>—at least right now—is <strong>"Sozial."</strong> The least dance-floor-friendly track here, "Sozial" sounds like techno in an opium-induced dream, its tempo slowed to a stumble, its tones slurred, an eerie flute figure butterflying around the underwater orchestral swells. What I would give to hear this in a massive venue at peak time, just to see the dumbfounded expressions on the clubbers' mugs... </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1jJ1ldDyPkk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/29/best-song-ever-this-week-voigt-and-voigts-sozial#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16900849&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/29/best-song-ever-this-week-voigt-and-voigts-sozial?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16900849&id=comments 1 Wed, 29 May 2013 11:00:46 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): The Clark Sisters' "Overdose of the Holy Ghost" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/24/best-song-ever-this-week-the-clark-sisters-overdose-of-the-holy-ghost http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/24/best-song-ever-this-week-the-clark-sisters-overdose-of-the-holy-ghost Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Clark+Sisters%2C+The">The Clark Sisters</a>’ <strong>“Overdose of the Holy Ghost”</strong> provides the title of a new compilation of ’70s and ’80s gospel curated by <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/David+Hill+%285%29">David Hill</a> of the <strong>Ballistic Brothers</strong> and <strong>Nuphonic Records</strong>. It’s the best track on the collection (which <a href="http://www.zrecords.ltd.uk/">Z Records</a> released April 30), which includes contributions from <strong>Shirley Caesar, Sharon Johnson, Norman Weeks & the Revelation</strong>s, and <strong>Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark</strong> (Twinkie!). If you like your <strong>Jesustastic</strong> music inspired by <strong>disco</strong> and <strong>boogie</strong>, then <em><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Various-Overdose-Of-The-Holy-Ghost-The-Sound-Of-Gospel-Through-The-Disco-And-Boogie-Eras/release/4466431">Overdose of the Holy Ghost</a></em> might just be your bible. However, this agnostic dabbler likes his gospel a bit more gritty and brimstoned—check out <a href="http://www.numerogroup.com/catalog_detail.php?uid=00262">Numero Group</a>’s <em>Good God!</em> comps for examples. Is that such a sin?</p> <p><em>Buuuut</em>, how about those Clark Sisters? Their “Overdose of the Holy Ghost” track sounds like a cross between <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iYyokBIbHQ">L.T.D.’s “(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again”</a>—one of the most inspirational songs ever— and a slowed-down <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImI78s638hQ">“Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” by Parliament</a>. Plus, a vocal inflection reminiscent of <strong>Lyn Collins</strong>' in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHn48b7iWF0">"Think (About It)."</a> In other words, very dope. Believe it! </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vPulmVOany4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/24/best-song-ever-this-week-the-clark-sisters-overdose-of-the-holy-ghost#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16865539&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/05/24/best-song-ever-this-week-the-clark-sisters-overdose-of-the-holy-ghost?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16865539&id=comments 0 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:06:32 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family's "Coffin Maker" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/best-song-ever-this-week-chrissy-zebby-tembo-and-ngozi-familys-coffin-maker http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/best-song-ever-this-week-chrissy-zebby-tembo-and-ngozi-familys-coffin-maker Dave Segal <p>Is this the most uplifting song ever with the word “coffin” in it? It’s certainly more joyful than <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PXcbjNkTSk">Fela Kuti’s “Coffin for Head of State,”</a> although <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl4sSk6upsY">Thee Oh Sees’ “Corrupted Coffin”</a> could give it a run for its morbid money. “Coffin Maker” comes from Chrissy Zebby Tembo’s 1974 LP <em><a href="http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2012/05/18/chrissy-zebby-tembo-ngozi-family-band-my-ancestors-1974/">My Ancestors</a></em>. Both the song and the album are <strong>Zambian garage-psych classics</strong>. <strong>Paul Ngozi</strong>’s eloquent fuzz-tone guitar is a goddamn delight and Tembo’s vocal is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming. Plus, the buoyant rhythm-guitar riff is worthy of an appearance on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velvet_Underground_(album)">the Velvet Underground’s third album</a> (this is what goes on in my mind). </p> <p><a href="http://www.forcedexposure.com/bin/search.pl?search_string=my+ancestors&searchfield=title">Shadoks/QDK Media</a> reissued <em>My Ancestors</em> in March. Forced Exposure distributes it in the US, or you could look for it in your finer local record shops (<a href="http://www.nowagainrecords.com/my-ancestors-now-again-deluxe/">Now-Again</a> also reissued the vinyl last year. Cop it on all formats and editions.)</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZijCeQemA5o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/best-song-ever-this-week-chrissy-zebby-tembo-and-ngozi-familys-coffin-maker#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16537824&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/04/19/best-song-ever-this-week-chrissy-zebby-tembo-and-ngozi-familys-coffin-maker?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16537824&id=comments 4 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:39:34 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): The Heliocentrics' "Wrecking Ball" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-heliocentrics-wrecking-ball http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-heliocentrics-wrecking-ball Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/album-review/Content?oid=1220523">The Heliocentrics</a> are a British group who alchemize many of the most interesting tropes—funk, psychedelia, library music, spy-flick jazz, Ethiopiques, BBC Radiophonic Workshop—into <strong>imaginary soundtracks for impossible movies</strong> playing in Saturn’s finest cineplexes. Their forthcoming album <em><a href="http://www.nowagainrecords.com/announcing-heliocentrics-13-degrees-of-reality/">13 Degrees of Reality</a></em> (out April 30 on <strong>Now-Again</strong>), is another third-ear-toasting chapter in the Heliocentrics’ saga of sonic sorcery. </p> <p>The highlight in a work full of them is <strong><a href="http://nowagainrecords.com/up/WreckingBall.mp3">“Wrecking Ball.”</a></strong> It begins with what sounds like a very warped didgeridoo that warbles with frightful ominousness. Soon a subliminal groove not unlike that purveyed by <strong>Primal Scream</strong> in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBKmaZxq98k ">“Trainspotting”</a> (from the <em>Trainspotting</em> OST; check it and the film) kicks in, with clackety metallic percussion and a distant, distorted guitar soloing a variation on Hendrix’s <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoMITlO-USI">“Third Stone From the Sun.”</a> The main motif, though, comes via an instrument that sounds like it may have been scrapped by <strong>Harry Partch</strong> for being too strange—perhaps a harp made out of radioactive porcupine quills. The overall vibe is swamp dub crossed with Plutonian psychedelia. Rewind, selectah!</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wh4ekvifFbw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-heliocentrics-wrecking-ball#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16353468&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-heliocentrics-wrecking-ball?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16353468&id=comments 1 Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:32:13 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Blank Realm's "Acting Strange" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/07/best-song-ever-this-week-blank-realms-acting-strange http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/07/best-song-ever-this-week-blank-realms-acting-strange Dave Segal <p>Not sure why, but I've been sleeping on Australia's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blank-Realm/243765150618">Blank Realm</a>. I finally woke up with the <em>Go Easy</em> album (out May 14 on <a href="http://www.firerecords.com/site/index.php">Fire Records</a>; it was released on LP last year by <a href="http://www.midheaven.com/item/go-easy-by-blank-realm-lp">Siltbreeze</a>). They play rock music with vocals, choruses, and fairly typical structures, but all of these familiar elements somehow cohere into dewdrop-fresh songs, even to my jaded old ears. I don't want to say <em>Go Easy</em> is a miracle or anything, but it is pretty dang special for making rock sound like it's not wheezing on its deathbed; bonus—it's catchy as hell without sounding the least bit hokey. In 2013, we'll graciously take that sort of gift. If the idea of <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Trux">Royal Trux</a></strong> recording for <strong><a href="http://www.flyingnun.co.nz/">Flying Nun</a></strong> in 1993 excites you, then you'll probably want to explore Blank Realm. </p> <p>So it pleases me to announce that <strong>"Acting Strange"</strong> is best song ever (this week... and maybe <em>next</em> week). It's the lead-off track from <em>Go Easy</em>, and it's a paragon of how to start your goddamn album. It begins immediately with the tension ratcheting up and a bass riff of <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-hardest-hard-luck-band-ever/Content?oid=12925793">feedtime</a>-like girth, laying a foundation of momentous danger, not unlike <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k0dJEkzXc4">Sonic Youth's "Death Valley '69."</a> The track alternates between seething paranoia and effusive rage, making the time-honored loud/quiet/loud dynamic seem totally vital. In their distinctive hands, Blank Realm's refrain of "Guess I've been acting kind of strange" becomes a rallying cry rather than an alibi. Freak the fuck out.</p> <p>Press release after the jump.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UZgQHAMohrU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Fire Records is thrilled to announce that they have signed one of their favourite bands, Australian psychedelic pop outfit Blank Realm. Their new album Go Easy initially came out on a limited edition, vinyl only run via the awesome tastemaker label Siltbreeze and in Australia on the equally wonderful Bedroom Suck, but now through Fire it will be getting the widely distributed release it deserves in May, on CD and Pink 180gram 12” LP.</p> <p>"...the best record of the quartet's already-solid career." - Marc Masters, Pitchfork</p> <p>Blank Realm are one of the most popular bands in the booming Australian underground and have morphed in to a modern day Royal Trux. As Pitchfork described in their review, they create: “…a bluesy waltz in which Sarah Spencer’s snarl hits Jennifer Herrema levels.”</p> <p>Hailing from Brisbane, Blank Realm consists of three siblings, Daniel, Luke and Sarah Spencer, and Luke Walsh. Renowned for their ecstatic live performances and boundary-pushing, yet listenable records, the group have released several sold out recordings on labels including Not Not Fun, Digitialis, Albert’s Basement and MusicYourMindWillLoveYou.<br /> <br />The band’s formidable live reputation has been earned over the course of over 200 live performances with acts such as Kurt Vile, Wild Flag, Zola Jesus, Sun Araw, The Clean, Robert Forster, Wet Hair, Jandek, Grouper, Damo Suzuki and Royal Headache.<br /> <br />Their new album, Go Easy, is an incredible blend of psychedelic rock & roll and super-catchy pop smarts. Sometimes their sound approaches the post-punk desperation of Joy Division, other times it possesses the playful, superfuzzed psych of the Flaming Lips. More than anything, Go Easy has THE SONGS. It comes in late and without much warning, but they make it worthwhile, with acclaim from the indie music press, blogosphere, and radio community.</p> <p>Artist: Blank Realm<br />Album: Go Easy<br />Label: Fire Records<br />Release date: May 14, 2013</p> <p>Track Listing:<br />1. Acting Strange<br />2. Cleaning Up My Mess<br />3. Working On Love<br />4. Growing Inside<br />5. The Crackle Pt. 1<br />6. The Crackle Pt. 2<br />7. Pendulum Swing<br />8. Go Easy</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/07/best-song-ever-this-week-blank-realms-acting-strange#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16191016&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/03/07/best-song-ever-this-week-blank-realms-acting-strange?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=16191016&id=comments 1 Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:20:51 -0800 The Stranger On Eat Skull's "Space Academy" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/12/on-eat-skulls-space-academy http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/12/on-eat-skulls-space-academy Grant Brissey <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F73281042"></iframe></p> <p>Can't really get "Space Academy" out of my head the last few days. I have a tendency to do this—to latch onto a song and listen to it <em>way</em> too much. This one is such a problem, though, that <strong>I never even make it to the second song</strong> on <em>III</em>, the Portland, Oregon outfit's third long-player. Monster fuzz guitar stretched out with what <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/master-of-bation/Content?oid=10653665">Sean Nelson rightly called</a> Lou Reed's "drone imperative." Dig it, and if you dig the song, don't make the same mistake I'm making; <a href="http://www.woodsist.com/catalog/12/eat-skull-iii-lp/">go check out the whole thing</a>. Any band that can cut this song has got to have more goodness where it came from. Let me know how it goes—I'll probably still have "Academy" on repeat.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/12/on-eat-skulls-space-academy#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15985987&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Love BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/02/12/on-eat-skulls-space-academy?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15985987&id=comments 1 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:00:42 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Greasy Bear's "Windy Day" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/01/21/best-song-ever-this-week-greasy-bears-windy-day http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/01/21/best-song-ever-this-week-greasy-bears-windy-day Dave Segal <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GxXPCsBeuuM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p><a href="http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/">Finders Keepers/B-Music</a> issued the punnily titled comp <em><a href="http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/discog_fkr064lp.html">Man Chest Hair</a></em> late last year, and if the idea of alpha-male, mutton-chopped, hard-groovin’ rock from the northern English city of Manchester gets your earholes quivreing, you need this. Hell, even the band names are entertaining: <strong>Urbane Gorilla, Stackwaddy, Spider Jive, Grisby Dyke, So On & So Forth, King Dick II</strong>, etc. FK co-owner <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Votel">Andy Votel</a> collated 18 tracks of this boozy, surprisingly funky strain of rock—and wrote 26 pages of tiny-fonted liner notes documenting the overlooked scene. I hope to read the whole damn booklet during my retirement years. </p> <p>My favorite track on <em>Man Chest Hair</em> is <a href="http://www.manchesterbeat.com/groups/greasybear/greasybear.php">Greasy Bear</a>’s <strong>“Windy Day”</strong>—although <strong>Savoury Duck’s “Dragonflight,”</strong> a clavinet-powered prog nugget, comes close. “Windy Day” is one of those songs that boast a groove that’s at once slack and tight (think <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz0NKWpRO6g">Steve Miller Band’s “Take the Money and Run"</a>) and features a chorus that makes your life seem to open up with infinite possibilities, like a spectacularly excessive delusion of grandeur. The articulate guitar licks snarl at responsibilities and promise free and easy good times. Vocalist <strong>Chris Lee</strong>’s gruff timbre resembles that of grizzled troubadour <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/michael-chapmans-fully-qualified-survivor/Content?oid=8750912">Michael Chapman</a>, but the overall vibe is more Southern US (<strong>Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers</strong>, et al.) than Northern UK. </p> <p>I recommend daily (or even hourly) listenings of this to keep the doldrums at bay. The entire comp could soundtrack your summer party season, even if you’re the most curmudgeonly antisocialite.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/01/21/best-song-ever-this-week-greasy-bears-windy-day#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15800124&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2013/01/21/best-song-ever-this-week-greasy-bears-windy-day?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15800124&id=comments 0 Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:51:21 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Dariush Dolat-Shahi's "Zahab (Tar and Electronic)" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/13/best-song-ever-this-week-dariush-dolat-shahis-zahab-tar-and-electronic http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/13/best-song-ever-this-week-dariush-dolat-shahis-zahab-tar-and-electronic Dave Segal <p>You know that ultimate writer’s copout, “Words fail me”? It’s an awful construction and an even worse admission: No, buddy—<em>you</em> failed words. Get out of the game if you can’t formulate sentences in any situation. But <a href="http://www.ubu.com/sound/dolat-shahi.html">Dariush Dolat-Shahi</a>’s “<strong>Zahab (Tar and Electronic)”</strong> damn near made me think that I’d have to utter this lamentable cliché, that I’d lack the verbiage to capture the unique greatness of this piece. I try to do it justice below, but I realize I fall short. Just listen to the damn thing already. </p> <p>“Zahab” is an extraordinary <em>musique concrète</em> tapestry of minimalism, birdsong, riversong, frogsong, experimental electronic sound design, and traditional Iranian music that morphs with baffling, dream-like logic over its 13 minutes. Wherever it goes, it surprises and fascinates. Had this song and the album from which it springs, <em>Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar</em>, been around when <a href="http://tgk.konshak.org/nww/">Nurse With Wound</a>’s <strong>Steven Stapleton</strong> made his original listening list, Dolat-Shahi surely would be on it. "Zahab" is one of the greatest, most confounding musical achievements I've ever heard.</p> <p><small>[Original copies of the album <em><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Dariush-Dolat-Shahi-Electronic-Music-Tar-And-Sehtar/release/1661017">Electronic Music, Tar and Sehtar</a></em> are going for over $100 on eBay, but UK label <a href="http://www.honestjons.com/shop.php?pid=41332">Dead Cert</a> is reissuing the 1985 LP by Iranian-American composer Dolat-Shahi.]</small></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BEBKDupzQcQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/13/best-song-ever-this-week-dariush-dolat-shahis-zahab-tar-and-electronic#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15278420&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/13/best-song-ever-this-week-dariush-dolat-shahis-zahab-tar-and-electronic?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15278420&id=comments 2 Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:46:51 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever! Yes or No? http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/05/best-song-ever-yes-or-no http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/05/best-song-ever-yes-or-no Megan Seling <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0OzRPUjwUfk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/05/best-song-ever-yes-or-no#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15194011&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/11/05/best-song-ever-yes-or-no?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15194011&id=comments 0 Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:06:50 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Daniel Higgs' "Leontocephaline Rhapsody" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/31/best-song-ever-this-week-daniel-higgs-leontocephaline-rhapsody http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/31/best-song-ever-this-week-daniel-higgs-leontocephaline-rhapsody Dave Segal <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GYNmddVr9iA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Lungfish frontman <a href="http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Daniel-Higgs/">Daniel Higgs</a> has had a strange and rewarding solo career since his excellent drone-rock group went on hiatus in 2005. Right now, after careful consideration, I have to say my favorite album by Higgs is <em><a href="http://www.holymountain.com/artists/daniel-higgs/">Metempsychotic Melodies</a></em> (<a href="http://www.holymountain.com/">Holy Mountain Records</a>). The highlight of that 2007 record is <strong>“Leontocephaline Rhapsody,”</strong> an eight-minute magnum opus marked by staunchly strummed acoustic guitar hypnosis and what could be a wildly modulating electric guitar (or is it a harmonium? shruti box? bagpipes?) that whirls, soars, and ululates in articulate sweet and sour tones. I could listen to this for <em>eight hours</em>. </p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/suggests/15113140/daniel-higgs">Higgs</a> plays <strong>Cairo</strong> Fri. Nov. 9 with <strong>Arrington de Dionyso</strong> and <strong>Calvin Johnson</strong>. Here's my <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/suggests/15113140/daniel-higgs">Stranger Suggests</a> blurb on him.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/31/best-song-ever-this-week-daniel-higgs-leontocephaline-rhapsody#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15150563&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/31/best-song-ever-this-week-daniel-higgs-leontocephaline-rhapsody?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15150563&id=comments 1 Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:23:49 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Eat Lights Become Lights' "Bound for Magic Mountain" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/25/best-song-ever-this-week-eat-lights-become-lights-bound-for-magic-mountain http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/25/best-song-ever-this-week-eat-lights-become-lights-bound-for-magic-mountain Dave Segal <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ju3wOKgSlwI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Dunno much about the cumbersomely named <a href="http://eatlightsbecomelights.bandcamp.com/">Eat Lights Become Lights</a>, but they have a fab new album titled <em><a href="http://rocketgirl.co.uk/label/release/rgirl88">Heavy Electrics</a></em> out now on England’s <strong>Rocket Girl Records</strong>. They’re an LA/London trio led by <strong>Neil Rudd</strong>, and their list of influences should excite people with refined taste: <strong>Neu, Loop, Kraftwerk, Twelve, Holy Fuck, Glenn Branca, Miles Davis, Pete Kember, Michael Rother, Cluster, Harmonia</strong>. I can get behind those musicians.</p> <p>The lead-off track, <strong>“Bound for Magic Mountain,”</strong> recalls the relentless, awe-inspiring, maximalist space-rock ascension of <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/weird-to-your-mother/Content?oid=2156543">Holy Fuck</a>. That is a rare commodity these days, so cherish it wherever you can find it. The rest of <em>Heavy Electrics</em> cruises, soars, and hovers in spine-tingling krautrock/kosmische climes, employing plenty of mantric, motorik rhythms, sweetly FX'd guitars, and celestial synthesizer motifs in familiar yet non-stale ways. Some formulas are simply superior to others, and spinning variations off of them can still result in exhilarating music decades after the templates have been set.</p> <p>I'll be keeping close tabs on Eat Lights Become Lights—and encouraging them to change their name, as well.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/25/best-song-ever-this-week-eat-lights-become-lights-bound-for-magic-mountain#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15102618&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/10/25/best-song-ever-this-week-eat-lights-become-lights-bound-for-magic-mountain?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=15102618&id=comments 2 Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:50:01 -0700 The Stranger The Best Tom Waits Song...This Week http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/21/the-best-tom-waits-songthis-week http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/21/the-best-tom-waits-songthis-week Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/cc99/1348248528-small_change.jpg" alt="small_change.jpg" title="" width="300" height="300" /><ul><li class="imageCredit">Elektra / WEA</li><li class="imageCaption"></li></ul></div> I have a friend who hates <strong>Tom Waits</strong>, so I hope he doesn't see this, because "best" is a useless term in his case. In mine, it took a few years before I fully embraced the guy. His recording career began in the 1970s, but 1980's "Heartattack and Vine" marks the first song I heard, so that's when my interest began. </p> <p>Though I don't follow his career as closely as I once did—2004's <em><a href="http://cdn4.pitchfork.com/albums/8427/homepage_large.fc9bc227.jpg">Real Gone</a></em> (which features cover art that looks like it was puked up by a drunk design student) represents the most recent Waits record in my collection, in part because an editor asked me to write about it, but I can't imagine he'll ever completely fall out of my favor (plus, he was one of the few alternative artists my father enjoyed, assuming it's acceptable to use that term to describe his unique jazz-folk-blues concoction). </p> <p>It's just that he has a schtick; that whole beatnik-by-way-of-<strong>Louis Armstrong</strong> thing (not that Armstrong wasn't a bit of a beatnik himself). As schticks go, it's a pretty good one, and the guy can write a song. I may come up with a different favorite next week, but for now it's the fabulously written and fantastically performed "Step Right Up" (1976), which popped into my head a couple of days ago, because I'm finally selling off all the old crap I don't use anymore. Plus, I can't resist that what-the-fuck line about "a nine-year-old Hindu boy."</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/C49H3aWdiK8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align:center;"><small>"Don't you know there ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk." </small></div></p> <p>It bears adding that I have an irresistible attraction to movies and TV shows about carnival life—<em>Freaks</em>, <em>The Unknown</em>, <em>Nightmare Alley</em>, <em>Carny</em>, HBO's <em>Carnivàle</em>—so Waits's barker routine hits me right. It's no wonder directors from <strong>Francis Ford Coppola</strong> to <strong>Tony Scott</strong> have been calling on the rumpled musician to bring his wise, but not especially trustworthy songwriting persona to their films—<em>One from the Heart</em>, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-Complete-C-Thomas-Howell/dp/B000A0GOE6">The Outsiders</a></em>, <em>Down by Law</em>, <em>Domino</em>, <em>Wristcutters: A Love Story</em>, etc. I have a lot of affection for those pictures, too, most of which haven't met with the same degree of critical acclaim as the albums Waits released during that same period of time, notably <em><strong>Rain Dogs</strong></em> and <em><strong>Frank's Wild Years</strong></em> (let alone the Grammy Award winners: <em>Bone Machine</em> and <em>The Mule Variations</em>).</p> <p>About <em><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/small-change-mw0000202505">Small Change</a></em>, William Ruhlmann came to the following conclusion: </p> <blockquote><p> <em>Small Change</em> isn't his best album. Like most of the albums Waits made in the '70s, it's uneven, probably because he was putting out one a year and didn't have time to come up with enough first-rate material. But it is the most obvious and characteristic of his albums for Asylum Records. If you like it, you also will like the ones before and after; otherwise, you're not Tom Waits's kind of listener. </p></blockquote> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="335" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/URp-Dbhr7EU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>Even if, like my friend, you're not "Waits's kind of listener," you can't deny the wisdom in these lyrics: "The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/21/the-best-tom-waits-songthis-week#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14813454&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Classic BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/21/the-best-tom-waits-songthis-week?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14813454&id=comments 4 The Best Tom Waits Song...This Week Elektra / WEA Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:47:49 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Maria Minerva's "Never Give Up" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/11/best-song-ever-this-week-maria-minervas-never-give-up http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/11/best-song-ever-this-week-maria-minervas-never-give-up Dave Segal <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mariaminervamusic">Maria Minerva</a>’s <em>Will Happiness Find Me?</em> is a dream-pop opus that has one foot in future-bass music’s aquatic dubbiness, the other in ambient’s haziness. The music made by Minerva (New York via Estonia producer <strong>Maria Juur</strong>) resembles that of understated diva/knob-twiddlers like <strong>Cooly G, Ikonika</strong>, and <strong>Leila</strong> in that it’s marked by an otherworldly sonic beauty, poetic lyrics (“It’s so strange to see myself coming of age/the trees in my garden are my growing/the garden is my mind”), and an overall feeling of oceanic dispersion. </p> <p>It’s not easy to determine what track is <em>Will Happiness Find Me?</em>’s peak, but right now I have to go with <strong>“Never Give Up.”</strong> For a song with such a tenacious title, it’s very much horizontally inclined, a paradisal, woozy slice of lover’s dub. Near the four-minute mark, Minerva’s voice slowly freefalls into a pool of sweet reverberation; shortly thereafter, the track goes on a gorgeous side trip that sounds like <strong>Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval</strong> sighing over hypnagogic synth snarls and a daintily plucked koto (I think), as Minerva launches into the mantra, “I’m born again, I’m born again, I’m born again (again and again).” I love when a song starts out great, then goes off on a 90º tangent and gets even better. </p> <p><small><a href="http://www.notnotfun.com/">Not Not Fun Records</a> released <em>Will Happiness Find Me?</em> on Sept. 4. Minerva performs at Decibel Festival Thurs. Sept. 27 at Triple Door.</small></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8BJhWTxd02Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/11/best-song-ever-this-week-maria-minervas-never-give-up#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14719851&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/09/11/best-song-ever-this-week-maria-minervas-never-give-up?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14719851&id=comments 0 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:31:40 -0700 The Stranger I Forgot "People Who Died" Existed and Now I Can't Stop Listening to It http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/26/i-forgot-people-who-died-existed-and-now-i-cant-stop-listening-to-it http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/26/i-forgot-people-who-died-existed-and-now-i-cant-stop-listening-to-it Megan Seling <p>Like Brian, I, too, had a recent <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/26/remembering-criteria">blast of nostalgia</a>. Before the Bouncing Souls took the stage on Sunday night (that wasn't even the nostalgic part), Chop Suey's soundsystem blasted a song that I had completely forgotten about, a song I loved in high school, a song that is <strong>still awesome to this day</strong>: The Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died." </p> <p>After all these years, I still remember every word. <strong>"He looked like 65 when he died! HE WAS A FRIEND OF MINE!"</strong></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xAKoU_W_mf8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/26/i-forgot-people-who-died-existed-and-now-i-cant-stop-listening-to-it#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14289525&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Song BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/26/i-forgot-people-who-died-existed-and-now-i-cant-stop-listening-to-it?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14289525&id=comments 0 Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:28:44 -0700 The Stranger Holy Shit: OM - Advaitic Songs http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/12/holy-shit-om-advaitic-songs http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/12/holy-shit-om-advaitic-songs Dave Segal <p><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F51683572&show_artwork=true"></iframe></p> <p>The drone-metal duo <a href="http://www.omvibratory.com/">OM</a> are poised to drop their best album yet, <em>Advaitic Songs</em> (out July 24 on <a href="http://www.dragcity.com/artists/om">Drag City</a>). They’ve aired out the sound and let in some tamboura, strings, and beautiful foreign-languaged female vocals (check album opener <strong>“Addis”</strong> for the latter). <strong>Al Cisneros</strong>’ bass is no longer so brow-furrowingly dense and and <strong>Emil Amos</strong>’ drumming reveals a more lithe versatility than did <strong>Chris Haikus</strong>’ more stolid style. The overall mood is still as serious as an ancient religious text, but the music’s fluid grace and subtle power make it a compelling listen for people of any sect or for pagans.</p> <p><a href="http://soundcloud.com/drag-city/om-gethsemane-edit">“Gethsemane”</a> is one highlight of many, recalling <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpZJ_LQ4CFg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL2EB97527EA45A5E8">Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane’s “Earth”</a> in its laid-back funkiness and sinuous, soul-inflating tamboura purr. Cisneros’ stern intonations sound like the most important lecture your history of religion prof never gave. <strong>"Sinai"</strong> is fairly similar, but a keyboard drone replaces the tamboura and it flings you into an exalted state of calm amid the bass and drums' understated, heavy funk machinations. The hand-drum- and string-driven <strong>"Haqq al-Yaqin"</strong> closes the record on a note of suitably solemn grandeur. This is music grand and transportive enough to soundtrack a pilgrimage to a holy land, with a minimum of trampling.</p> <p>OM’s last album, 2009’s <em>God Is Good</em>, was very good; <em>Advaitic Songs</em> is great, a liturgadelic masterpiece. Lord (if you exist), let OM play Seattle this year.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/12/holy-shit-om-advaitic-songs#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14161673&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Album BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/12/holy-shit-om-advaitic-songs?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14161673&id=comments 4 Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:09:22 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Moritz Von Oswald Trio's "Jam" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/03/best-song-ever-this-week-moritz-von-oswald-trios-jam http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/03/best-song-ever-this-week-moritz-von-oswald-trios-jam Dave Segal <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WslBqr7mP2Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>In recent years, the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_von_Oswald">Moritz Von Oswald</a> (<strong>Basic Channel, Maurizio, Rhythm & Sound</strong>) has moved into more organic, avant-jazz territory with his trio, consisting of <strong>Sasu Ripatti</strong> (aka <strong>Vladislav Delay, Luomo</strong>) and <strong>Max Loderbauer</strong> (<strong>NSI, Sun Electric</strong>). The group’s output has evoked the stark, northern European jazz excursions of the <a href="http://www.ecmrecords.com/Startseite/startseite.php">ECM label</a> at its ’70s peak. But with the new full-length <em><a href="http://www.honestjons.com/label.php?pid=39649&LabelID=14815&g=1">Fetch</a></em> (Honest Jon’s), MVO Trio forge a riveting, subliminal fusion of minimal techno, dub, musique concrète, and <strong>Miles Davis</strong>’ seminal electric period. (The core threesome are augmented by <strong>Marc Muellbauer, Jonas Schoen, Tobias Freund</strong>, and <strong>Sebastian Studnitzky</strong>.) </p> <p><em>Fetch</em>’s zenith occurs on <strong>“Jam,”</strong> a 17+ minute, uh, jam that sounds like Miles’ <em><a href="http://www.ocweekly.com/content/printVersion/101331/">On the Corner</a></em> recorded on the North Pole by Zen master musicians. <em>On the Corner</em>’s relentless percussive assault is muted into an intricate latticework of muffled kicks, reverbed metallic, wooden, and plastic percussion implements, and Dadaistic eruptions of <em>crash/bang/thwock/whirrrrrrr/sproing</em>. The menace pervading Miles' magnum opus gets transformed into an icy resolve that's more unnerving for being so understated. "Jam" is an instant classic that never stops giving over its 1,052 seconds.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/03/best-song-ever-this-week-moritz-von-oswald-trios-jam#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14088623&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/07/03/best-song-ever-this-week-moritz-von-oswald-trios-jam?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=14088623&id=comments 0 Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:59:54 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Orcas' "Standard Error" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/06/20/best-song-ever-this-week-orcas-standard-error http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/06/20/best-song-ever-this-week-orcas-standard-error Dave Segal <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GMP9gA_BJnw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/weareorcas">Orcas</a>—Seattle’s <strong>Rafael Anton Irisarri</strong> and Portland’s <strong>Benoît Pioulard</strong>—have a new <a href="http://www.morrmusic.com/artist/Orcas/release/236">self-titled album</a> out on Germany’s <strong>Morr Music</strong> label. Its diaphanous, melancholy electronic-pop impressionism really resonates on those overcast/rainy mornings, of which Seattle just can’t get enough. The highlight for me is <strong>“Standard Error,”</strong> a paragon of becalmed ambience (think <strong>Brian Eno</strong>’s <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discreet_Music">Discreet Music</a></em> and <strong>Loscil</strong>’s <em><a href="http://www.brainwashed.com/common/htdocs/discog/krank058.html">Submers</a></em>) overlaid with <del>Pioulard’s</del> <a href="http://tinyvipers.bandcamp.com/">Jesy Fortino</a>'s comforting, whispered vox and a single, poignant, watercolor piano tone. “Standard Error” is a beatific sigh of a song, and we can always use more of those in the 21st century.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/06/20/best-song-ever-this-week-orcas-standard-error#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13974697&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/06/20/best-song-ever-this-week-orcas-standard-error?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13974697&id=comments 1 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:52:27 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Rob's "Make It Fast Make It Slow" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/05/11/best-song-ever-this-week-robs-make-it-fast-make-it-slow http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/05/11/best-song-ever-this-week-robs-make-it-fast-make-it-slow Dave Segal <p><strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut6dBsVoGgM">"Make It Fast Make It Slow"</a></strong> from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Rob-Make-It-Fast-Make-It-Slow/release/3536426">Rob’s 1977 LP</a> of the same name (which <strong>Soundway</strong> reissued in late March) is an irresistible slab of Ghanaian funk. It’s a bit more subdued than the fieriest material on Rob’s party-igniting <em><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Rob-Funky-Rob-Way-/release/2928133">Funky Rob Way</a></em> album, but the song charms through serpentine guitar motifs, uproarious horn charts, curt organ squawks, a füünky bass line, constant metallic tintinnabulation, and Rob’s warm, soulful vocals. “Make It Fast Make It Slow” exudes a distinct <a href="http://cymande-online.com/">Cymande</a> vibe to boot, and you can never go wrong by evoking Cymande—who recently reunited after a 35-year absence, by the way. The entire <em><a href="http://www.soundwayrecords.com/catalogue/make-it-fast-make-it-slow.html">Make It Fast Make It Slow</a></em> album is as solid as Rob's muscular, 1970s build and is a crucial addition to your African funk collection. (Don't tell me you don't have one...) </p> <p><small>Check out the title track after the cut.</small></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ut6dBsVoGgM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/05/11/best-song-ever-this-week-robs-make-it-fast-make-it-slow#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13626051&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/05/11/best-song-ever-this-week-robs-make-it-fast-make-it-slow?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13626051&id=comments 0 Fri, 11 May 2012 10:05:47 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Sunflare's "Facemelt" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/26/best-song-ever-this-week-sunflares-facemelt http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/26/best-song-ever-this-week-sunflares-facemelt Dave Segal <p>Don’t know much at all about this current Portuguese trio <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/SUNFLARE/201148493243415#!/pages/SUNFLARE/201148493243415?sk=info">Sunflare</a>, but their track <strong>“Facemelt”</strong> is an aptly titled blast of <strong>High Rise/<a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/24/re-july-20-22-partial-capitol-hill-block-party-2012-lineup-and-ticket-info">Psychic Paramount</a></strong>-style rock chaos, which makes <strong>the MC5</strong> sound like coffeehouse folkies and comes in handy when deadline pressures become overwhelming (maybe you deadline-havers can relate). The combustible intensity and throbbing density on display here are extraordinary. Is it possible to headbang while your hair’s on fire?</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5q7m4w1R_og" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/26/best-song-ever-this-week-sunflares-facemelt#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13475207&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/26/best-song-ever-this-week-sunflares-facemelt?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13475207&id=comments 1 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:51:02 -0700 The Stranger Niobe's "Walk the Walk!" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/23/niobes-walk-the-walk http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/23/niobes-walk-the-walk Kathy Fennessy <p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0HBn7Gz3tuk/T5LloNxzySI/AAAAAAAADYc/X2NcJyHPt0U/s1600/the%2Bcclose%2Bcalll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0HBn7Gz3tuk/T5LloNxzySI/AAAAAAAADYc/X2NcJyHPt0U/s320/the%2Bcclose%2Bcalll.jpg" /></a></div> <small><em>Cover art image courtesy Tomlab.</em></small></p> <p>Niobe's "Walk the Walk!" falls squarely into the not-for-everyone camp—just the way I like it. </p> <p>I never imagined I'd encounter a German artist who channels New York's post-punk energy with so much élan. In my mind's eye, I can see Cologne's <strong>Niobe</strong> [born Yvonne Cornelius] playing at an opening night party for a <a href="http://kathleencfennessy.blogspot.com/2010/11/your-body-your-very-soul-gray-shades-of.html">Jean-Michel Basquiat</a> exhibit. </p> <p>Born in Frankfurt, the former <strong>Mouse on Mars</strong> collaborator moves like <strong>James Chance</strong> by way of <strong>David Byrne</strong> and sings like <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/12/neneh-cherrys-new-thing">Alan Vega</a> by way of <strong>Nico</strong>. </p> <p>You could dance to this song, but that doesn't mean it isn't noisy as hell, especially that <strong>Gang of Four</strong>-like opening riff (I'm thinking specifically of "Anthrax"). And I love the way the drummer kicks into high gear at 3:52. </p> <p>Bonus points for the Dutch painter outfit (white blouse, black pants, floppy tie). </p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="475" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kbNLA_5Jk8I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p><em><a href="http://www.othermusic.com/index.cgi">Other Music</a> description of her new album below.</em></p> <blockquote><p>German avant-songstress <strong>Niobe</strong>, one of my favorite contemporary songwriters and performers, returns with a follow-up to 2009's absolutely stunning <strong><em>Blackbird's Echo</em></strong>, which sat high atop my personal best list of that year. Recorded in NYC with a crop of downtown experimental musicians, <strong><em>Blackbird's Echo</em></strong> fused her <strong>Billie Holiday</strong> chanteuse chops with doses of chamber pop, Robert Ashley-esque theatrical monologues, and a sharp infusion of neon-tinted electronic soul. Her latest, however, was recorded in Germany with a stripped-down guitar/bass/drums lineup, with <strong>Niobe</strong> herself handling vocals and keyboard duty, and co-production and mix duties handled by Marcus Schmickler. It's arguably her most direct, least obtuse record to date; the arrangements recall the dark bluesy sludge of prime <strong>PJ Harvey</strong> fused together with the stark, minimalist funk of <strong>ESG</strong>, while never straying far from her trademarked multi-tracked, densely layered vocal arrangements. These songs are dark, instilled with a sense of everyday horror that pays tribute to Lynch and Hitchcock; it's an interesting direction for her to take, and probably the last thing I'd ever expect her to offer up. It's a resounding success, though; the tracks buzz, whirl, and stutter like faulty machinery, anchored by some tight, jagged hypnotic grooves. She retains her theatricality as well, casting herself in a dozen mini dramas like a skilled character actor, even pitching her voice down on a few tracks to effectively evoke the male subjects detailed in the songs. I'd been eagerly anticipating this album for over a year now, and I'm happy to say that it does not disappoint. I love the way she wraps left-field DNA in the Frankensteined flesh of accessibility, letting the seams show in a grotesque beauty that few manage to pull off. This one's a strong contender for my Best of 2012 list; listeners looking for some pop/soul with a bit of art-damaged terror under the surface should check this out post-haste. [Mikey IQ Jones]</p></blockquote> <p>Niobe's <em><strong>The Cclose Call</strong></em> [<em>sic</em>] is out now on <strong>Tomlab</strong> (CD and digital; no vinyl).</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/23/niobes-walk-the-walk#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13425768&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> New Releases BSE (TW) Video http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/23/niobes-walk-the-walk?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13425768&id=comments 0 Niobe's "Walk the Walk!" Tomlab Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:25:33 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Suzanne Ciani's "Second Breath" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/10/best-song-ever-this-week-suzanne-cianis-second-breath http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/10/best-song-ever-this-week-suzanne-cianis-second-breath Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.sevwave.com/">Suzanne Ciani</a> is another of those unjustly obscure electronic-music composers who is finally receiving wider recognition decades after her peak years. The impeccable UK reissue specialists behind <strong>FindersKeepers/B-Music</strong> have curated a wonderful collection titled <em><a href="http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/discog_fkr053.html">Lixiviation</a></em>, which gathers 16 pieces that Ciani realized from 1969 to 1985. </p> <p>The album includes brief, alternately charming and discombobulatory snippets for Atari video game and Coca-Cola logos and various TV spots as well as longer, more ambitious compositions that soar at the level of the most cosmic emanations of figures like <strong>J.D. Emmanuel, Pauline Oliveros, Ariel Kalma</strong>, and <strong>Wendy Carlos</strong>. Ciani lives up to B-Music’s brilliant tagline, “The American <a href="http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/">Delia Derbyshire</a> of the Atari Generation.” </p> <p>To my mind, <em>Lixiviation</em>’s highlight is <strong>“Second Breath,”</strong> a nine-minute drone symphony of piercing, oscillatory intensity. Clamp on headphones and crank the volume for this one, and burrow into an existential reverie that makes your mental interior seem like an absurdly momentous anteroom to Nirvana. “This type of piece had no time limit and could go on for weeks,” Ciani wrote in <em>Lixiviation</em>’s liner notes. You’ll get no argument from me on that score.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Lp8--0ibKlk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/10/best-song-ever-this-week-suzanne-cianis-second-breath#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13318239&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/04/10/best-song-ever-this-week-suzanne-cianis-second-breath?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13318239&id=comments 1 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:58:23 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Mirroring's "Fell Sound" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/29/best-song-ever-this-week-mirrorings-fell-sound http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/29/best-song-ever-this-week-mirrorings-fell-sound Dave Segal <p>The leadoff track from <strong>Mirroring</strong>’s new album, <em>Foreign Body</em> (<a href="http://kranky.net/">Kranky</a>), the beyond-oneiric <strong>“Fell Sound”</strong> drifts in on a cloud of pacific drone, with <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/through-the-pastoral-darkly/Content?oid=1394577">Grouper</a> (<strong>Liz Harris</strong>) whispering enigmatically. After a while, the faintest of guitar spangles (probably from Mirroring’s other member, <strong>Jesy Fortino</strong>, aka <a href="http://tinyvipers.bandcamp.com/">Tiny Vipers</a>) enters the picture. The only lyric I can pick out is “shadows” (of course). Listening to “Fell Sound” is like being caressed by feather dusters for six minutes. Perfect fodder for dealing with the stress of deadlines (apologies to everyone to whom I owe copy; it’s coming!).</p> <p><small>Look for a review of <em>Foreign Body</em> in next week’s paper.</small></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/y46RQCMGjZU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/29/best-song-ever-this-week-mirrorings-fell-sound#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13204720&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/29/best-song-ever-this-week-mirrorings-fell-sound?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13204720&id=comments 0 Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:48:13 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Sun Araw - "Thoughts Are Bells" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/21/best-song-ever-this-week-sun-araw-thoughts-are-bells http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/21/best-song-ever-this-week-sun-araw-thoughts-are-bells Dave Segal <p><strong>“Thoughts Are Bells”</strong>—from 2008’s <em>Beach Head</em>—is <a href="http://sunaraw.com/">Sun Araw</a>’s most serene track, a minimalist, exoticambient breeze of cosmic otherness. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/269415463135738/">Sun Araw</a> (aka <strong>Cameron Stallones</strong>) has moved on from this steez in subsequent recordings, but his early works still powerfully transport you to deeper states of consciousness. Let’s hope this piece is still in his live repertoire. </p> <p><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/high-priest/Content?oid=13103122">Sun Araw and his band play the Rendezvous Wed. March 28.</a></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ll305XJF6Ak" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/21/best-song-ever-this-week-sun-araw-thoughts-are-bells#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13115413&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/21/best-song-ever-this-week-sun-araw-thoughts-are-bells?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13115413&id=comments 0 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:21:02 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): The Funkees' "Acid Rock" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/16/best-song-ever-this-week-the-funkees-acid-rock http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/16/best-song-ever-this-week-the-funkees-acid-rock Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.soundwayrecords.com/">Soundway Records</a> is slated to release an 18-track collection by <strong>the Funkees</strong> titled <em><a href="http://www.soundwayrecords.com/catalogue/the-funkees.html">Dancing Time: The Best of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77</a></em>. It’s an infectious, filler-free document from that African nation’s fertile ’70s psych-funk scene. Of the many highlights on the disc, the most inspirational is <strong>“Acid Rock.”</strong> Closer to regimented funk of <strong>the Meters</strong> and bold organ flourishes of <strong>Jackie Mittoo</strong> than to the virtuosic distortions of <strong>Jimi Hendrix</strong>, the song nonetheless takes you to a better, more exalted place. By all rights, it should be at least three times longer than its sub-3-minute duration.</p> <p>(<em>Dancing Time</em> comes out April 10.)</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xUTxYenpr-o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/16/best-song-ever-this-week-the-funkees-acid-rock#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13054983&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/16/best-song-ever-this-week-the-funkees-acid-rock?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=13054983&id=comments 1 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:06:19 -0700 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Michael Chapman's "It Didn't Work Out" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/06/best-song-ever-this-week-michael-chapmans-it-didnt-work-out http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/06/best-song-ever-this-week-michael-chapmans-it-didnt-work-out Dave Segal <p><div class="blogImageRight" style="width:312px;"><img src="http://www.thestranger.com/binary/b1f5/1331071873-michaelchapman_rainmaker_3252_thumb_325.jpg" alt="MichaelChapman_Rainmaker_3252_thumb_325.jpg" title="" width="300" height="300" /></div></p> <p>The lead-off track from Michael Chapman’s 1969 LP <em><a href="http://lightintheattic.net/releases/683-rainmaker">Rainmaker</a></em> (reissued earlier this year by <strong>Light in the Attic</strong>), “It Didn’t Work Out” sets the tone for this classic folk-rock opus with Chapman's gorgeous, cyclical acoustic guitar riff; <strong>Norman Haines</strong>’ snarling organ and <strong>Clem Clempson</strong>’s fluid, electric-guitar arabesques glint spectacularly off of this foundation, while <strong>Aynsley Dunbar</strong>’s drums form a deceptively funky bottom. The song builds in intensity and majesty as it goes, hinting at a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb57HpieVB0">“Morning Dew”</a>-like splendor, and Chapman sings (in the exact midpoint between <strong>Bob Dylan</strong> and <strong>Gordon Lightfoot</strong>) the lyrics with impassioned resignation. </p> <p>For overall melodic chill-inducement, <em>Rainmaker</em>—produced with impeccable punch and clarity by <strong>Gus Dudgeon</strong>—might even edge out Chapman’s other excellent LITA revamp, <em><a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/michael-chapmans-fully-qualified-survivor/Content?oid=8750912">Fully Qualified Survivor</a></em>. This guy deserves to be so much better known than he is; kudos to LITA for improving the chances of that happening.</p> <p><small>(See the video for "It Didn't Work Out" after the cut.)</small></p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yA1SODUzAvc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/06/best-song-ever-this-week-michael-chapmans-it-didnt-work-out#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12922644&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/06/best-song-ever-this-week-michael-chapmans-it-didnt-work-out?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12922644&id=comments 1 Best Song Ever (This Week): Michael Chapman's "It Didn't Work Out" Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:13:43 -0800 The Stranger Vex Ruffin: "Shield for You" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/01/vex-fuffin-shield-for-you http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/01/vex-fuffin-shield-for-you Grant Brissey <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="500" height="284" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Gy_wNtR0AIg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>I am quite stoned, and Larry just made me edit a blog post, so I'm just going to say that this is the best song ever (this week), because <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/02/03/postcards-from-the-edge-fresh-espresso-vex-ruffin-and-spurm">it was Larry</a> who reminded me that <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2010/12/18/vex-ruffin-and-the-lofi-jerkheads-in-your-stereo">Vex Ruffin existed</a>. So inventive and rudimentary and perfect.</p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/01/vex-fuffin-shield-for-you#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12865536&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/03/01/vex-fuffin-shield-for-you?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12865536&id=comments 1 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:08:07 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Secret Chiefs 3's "Jabalqa" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/25/best-song-ever-this-week-secret-chiefs-3s-jabalqa http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/25/best-song-ever-this-week-secret-chiefs-3s-jabalqa Dave Segal <p><a href="http://www.webofmimicry.com/label.php?band=sc3">Secret Chiefs 3</a> have a show coming up Feb. 8 at <a href="http://neumos.com/neumos.php?action=calendar&month_offset=1&start_date=1328688000&PHPSESSID=9daf24bdb6ce26264abd81fb4b367067">Neumos</a>, sharing a bill and a stage with LA’s <strong>Dengue Fever</strong>. Honestly, I fear for Dengue Fever’s sanity—if not their lives—during this gig, as Secret Chiefs 3’s leader <strong>Trey Spruance</strong> always harnesses an infernal power and mystery with his ensemble of savant-garde musicians that seemingly would be hard to match/withstand. </p> <p>Case in point is <strong>“Jabalqa”</strong> from SC3’s excellent 1998 album <em>Hurlqaya: Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws</em>. The track starts like a hyper-accelerated <strong>Ennio Morricone</strong> spaghetti Western score, then floats in gallant Bollywood strings, looses spazzy drum & bass beats, and periodically drops serious low-end weight that foreshadows dubstep’s own girthful bass pressure. What a WTF rush. "Jabalqa" is an all-time high in hybridized music.<br /> <br /><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v0R5c2vezNk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/25/best-song-ever-this-week-secret-chiefs-3s-jabalqa#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12008993&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> Upcoming BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/25/best-song-ever-this-week-secret-chiefs-3s-jabalqa?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=12008993&id=comments 2 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:39:45 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): Siinai's "Anthem Part 1 & Part 2" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/16/best-song-ever-this-week-siinais-anthem-part-1-and-part-2 http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/16/best-song-ever-this-week-siinais-anthem-part-1-and-part-2 Dave Segal <p>Ain't no neo-krautrock like Finnish neo-kraturock, as <a href="http://siinai.tumblr.com/">Siinai</a> prove on their new album, <em>Olympic Games</em>, out domestically in late February on <strong>Splendour Records</strong>. As a teaser for that great release (destined to appear on my top whatever year-end chart, for what it's worth), check out <strong>"Anthem Part 1 & Part 2,"</strong> a majestic, celestial gust of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonia_%28band%29">Harmonia</a>-like portent and motorik chug. As a bonus, the band made a video featuring footage from <strong>Alejandro Jodorowsky</strong>'s endlessly fascinating <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Mountain_%281973_film%29">The Holy Mountain</a></em>.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/COIM2NJk8B0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/16/best-song-ever-this-week-siinais-anthem-part-1-and-part-2#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=11753649&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2012/01/16/best-song-ever-this-week-siinais-anthem-part-1-and-part-2?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=11753649&id=comments 5 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:03:27 -0800 The Stranger Best Song Ever (This Week): The Delfonics' "Funny Feeling" http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/12/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-delfonics-funny-feeling http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/12/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-delfonics-funny-feeling Dave Segal <p>At <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emerald-City-Soul-Club/107688969258294">Emerald City Soul Club</a>’s <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=11022870">Talcum</a> event on Christmas night, DJ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/mike-nipper/Author?oid=492">Mike Nipper</a> (Line Out’s resident operator of the Wayback Machine) spun <a href="http://www.aaeg.com/delfonics/">the Delfonics</a>’ 1969 single <strong>“Funny Feeling,”</strong> which hit me like a revelatory, euphoric kiss. How have I gone so long without hearing this? Well, in an attempt to make up for lost time, I’m putting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Delfonics">“Funny Feeling”</a> on repeat this week. The song captures that urgent, butterfly-stomached, slightly disorienting sensation of early romantic infatuation. Phenomenal vocal harmonies and arrangements, mood-elevating orchestrations, and some of the greatest “bah bah bah”s ever bah-bah-bah-ed thrust “Funny Feeling” into soul hall-of-fame status.</p> <p>Further props to Nipper for slipping <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/03/16/7189711-on-consideration-osmonds-badassery">the Osmonds’ “Yo-Yo”</a> into a northern-soul set, unbeknown to probably 99 percent of the crowd.</p> <p><div style="text-align:center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uoE46vK_q68" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></p> <p>[ <a href="http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/12/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-delfonics-funny-feeling#comments">Comment on this story</a> ]</p> <p>[ <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=11267221&id=comments">Subscribe to the comments on this story</a> ]</p> BSE (TW) http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2011/12/27/best-song-ever-this-week-the-delfonics-funny-feeling?show=comments#readerComments http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Rss.xml?oid=11267221&id=comments 4 Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:55:00 -0800 The Stranger