Robbie Lee’s bio on I & Ear records begins with this proclamation, “I play everything on this record from the bells to the bass clarinet. The guitars are just the obvious part.” Though this crowing may come across as overly unabashed to many, Mr. Lee is not the first musician to “play everything” and toot his own horn about it. Nevertheless, this fact may serve to swerve some listener’s opinions of his music into a more positive light while forcing others, afraid of unchecked musical meanderings, to walk away from the album. And on Sleep, Memory (An album that plays out like a traveler’s diary: beautiful poems dispersed among unhinged ramblings, shards of interesting ideas, and gaps of recollection.) those dueling impulses share validity. (more…)

Danielson’s latest album, Ships, comes to us more than 10 years after Daniel Smith created the group as his senior thesis in art school. Since then his musical voyage has sailed through many monikers (Tri-Danielson, Br. Danielson, and Danielson Famile) and many albums, six to be exact. Over the years and at port the group has picked up its share of guests and cast-a-ways, all of whom plucked and played there way into becoming a part of and an apparently unforgotten piece of Danielson. Many such cast-a-ways (Deerhoof, Sufjan Stevens, Serena Maneesh, etc.) have reappeared or appeared for the first time on the deck of Ships, the extra skilled hands helping to make this album all the more beautiful and squeaky clean.

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About a month ago I took a position assisting with booking at a local music venue. It’s provided me with an interesting look into a side of the music industry that remains exceedingly old fashioned. I’ve been exploring possibilities for the last several weeks as to how to best integrate my position there with my ambitions here. After much brainstorming and pacing back-and-forth, it seems the answer was a simple one all along.

I’m going to begin keeping a journal of my exploits as a NOLA booking agent. In addition to news and reviews, this page will now document my interactions with the musicians and people at the club I work at.

Staff writer Brian Connolly also recently took a position of interest at Suicide Squeeze Records. He will be keeping a journal about his dealings there as well.

Jack White and Brendan Benson have announced a slew of new dates for their Raconteurs act.
I really dig their material and wish they would make it to NOLA. They sound to me as if The White Stripes would sound if they weren’t limited by a minimalistic theme. At any rate, I hope you’re amongst the lucky ones who get to check them out:

06-07 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
06-21 London, England - Hyde Park (Wireless Festival)
06-24 Scheesel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-25 Neuhausen Ob Ek, Germany - Southside Festival
07-02 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-03 Malmo, Sweden - Accelerator
07-05 Kristiansand, Norway - Quart Festival
07-06 Stockholm, Sweden - Accelerator
07-16 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
07-18 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
07-19 San Diego, CA - Soma
07-21 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theatre
07-23 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
07-25 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
07-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - Malkin Bowl at Stanley Park
07-27 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
08-03 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
08-04 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
08-05 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theatre
08-06 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
09-14 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
09-15 Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Live
09-16 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
09-19 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
09-20 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
09-22 Norfolk, VA - The Norva
09-24 Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
09-26 New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
09-28 Providence, RI - Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
09-29 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
09-30 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis

Tomorrow night, an epic battle of music is going to occur in Seattle. There will be no words because all of the bands have decided that words are, in fact, for pussies. You know this to be true.

Temporary Residence Ltd. all-stars Mono and Eluvium are opening for Hydra Head asskickers Pelican at Seattle’s very own Neumo’s Crystal Ball Reading Room.

I’ll be there. I bet a lot of other people will be as well since I didn’t purchase all available tickets (though maybe I should have). I recommend you show up with $14 clenched in your feeble paw to give to the box office. This is going to destroy bodies and melt faces, mark my words.

This is where I’ll be this evening, and I suggest you do the same. The Mints are quite renowned amongst the indie kids. They’ve been compared to The Flaming Lips, though I think that is mostly because they hail from the same area in Oklahoma–that and singer Allen Vest sound vaugely like Wayne Coyne. Whatever the case, they’re awesome and it’s going to be a great show. Dios Mallos and Project Octopus will start the night off. Doors open at 9PM and tickets are $10.

Baltimore pop group Page France recently closed a deal with Seattle-based Suicide Squeeze Records. The label will re-release the band’s poorly distributed album “Hello, Dear Wind” and put out the group’s next album that is yet to be recorded.

Related:
Suicide Squeeze Records
Riot Act Media
Page France Homepage

In what can only be described as the most creative marketing stunt ever conceived, hip-hop pop duo Gnarls Barkley have removed their hit single “Crazy” from the charts in the UK after it spent nine consecutive weeks at the number one spot.

“They have had a fantastic run. But we don’t want people to get sick of the song. From Monday, we will be deleting it,” said a rep for the band.

Source: RTE Guide

I have a problem with foreign language albums. For the most part I love listening to them, but I have trouble coming up with criticisms or praise for them. The problem, I believe, lies in the fact that I have no goddamn clue what the vocalist is saying. It usually boils down to “Hey, this language sounds cool” (French, Portuguese, Italian) or “I want to stab myself in the taint.” (German, Scandinavian languages).

Call me superficial, but I’m a sucker for the romance languages. It’s why Seu Jorge’s album of Bowie covers is in heavy rotation and I can listen to Madeline Peyroux’s “Jai Deux Amours” again and again. Juana Molina’s newest effort “Son” is no different. I have no idea what she’s singing about or what she’s saying, but I know I like it.

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Mike Patton has been unpredictable throughout his professional life. Announced in 2000, his “pop project,” known as Peeping Tom presented another unexpected detour after projects such as Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas, Lovage and the bizarre solo release Adult Themes for Voice. Similarly, few probably expected the project to take six full years to reach shelves.

So what does a “normal” Mike Patton project sound like? The easy answer is–not very normal–but Peeping Tom is definitely listenable to the average ear. It’s like an electronica laced hip-hop version of Patton in his Faith No More era. Most of the songs have distinct pulses, beats and rhythms followed intermittently by rapping (either done by guests or Patton in his own distinct style) or typical rock singing. The song textures are varied yet retain a distinct sound that permeates the album. Tracks such as “Getaway” and “Sucker” offer more atmospheric and amorphous diversions, whereas “Five Seconds” and “Celebrity Deathmatch” are aggressively frenetic in their delivery.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Peeping Tom project is the cast of guest appearances he’s managed to draw. The hip hop influence is there with Kool Keith, and the electronica in Massive Attack. But perhaps the most surprising cameo is Norah Jones’ appearance on “Sucker.” The one-time Grammy darling reveals a seductive and well-executed performance, something only Patton could elicit. It is somewhat reminiscent of his pairing with Jennifer Charles and Dan the Automator for the Lovage project.

Overall, Peeping Tom lives up to expectations and Patton’s highly regarded reputation. It is probably the most concise output of his since he left Faith No More, yet it definitely contains his trademark genre-bending sensibilities across a very strong track list. Unlike many albums, the guest appearances are harnessed to the album’s benefit rather than crowding Patton’s performances. Peeping Tom is an erratic and high-brow foray into low-brow music. Go ahead, impress your friends.

Grade: A