Moustache Salad

Review: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

2009-06-24T17:33:00.007-05:00

I understand that with most summer blockbusters, one shouldn’t expect a classy piece of cinematic genius, specifically from Michael Bay. Mr. Bay’s found a tried and true formula to his seasonal epics: downplay the plot, blow a lot of stuff up, and throw in some cheap gags. 2007’s "Transformers" was an enjoyable summer flick, with all the easy laughs and over-the-top action I expected for seven bucks. I entered the theatre at midnight this Wednesday ready for nothing but another trip full of inane and mindless entertainment of incredible proportions.

But somewhere between giant robot testicles and Shia taking a quick
trip to robot heaven, it was all just a little too much.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" continues the ongoing war between the peace-seeking Autobots and the true-to-their-title Decepticons. It’s been two years since the events of the last film, and Optimus and crew have joined the U.S. military to battle their nasty counterparts across the globe. The Decepticons are on the hunt for the remaining pieces of the AllSpark to restore their leader Megatron, who in turn will help restore his leader The Fallen, an ancient bot who was stopped from activating a machine that would absorb the sun and wipeout life on Earth. Meanwhile, Sam (Shia LeBeouf) touches a piece of the AllSpark, engraving its knowledge into his mind and driving him slightly insane. While dealing with his temporary bouts with madness, he’s balancing his relationship with Makaela (Megan Fox) and attempting to fit in at his first year in college… and that’s just the half of it.

Yeah, it’s convoluted, even for a two- and a half-hour plus movie. When it comes down to it, though, very few are piling into the theaters to see Sam and Makaela’s relationship evolve or how the Autobots feel about their assigned positions of guardians of Earth. Bay knows this, so he doesn’t bother with any character development or background. The first movie set up characters and at least attempted to give them some depth. Here, everyone’s one-dimensional enough so you can tell who’s good, who’s bad, and who’s comedic relief from the get-go.

"Comedic relief" is a term I use loosely, though. In the first flick of the planned trilogy, jokes were maybe a little over fifty-fifty hit-or-miss. For a high-budget, summer blockbuster, that’s pretty good. The sequel warrants more laughs from poor acting and ridiculous moments than it does from planned bits. Case in point, Sam’s parents. The two got a majority of laughs in the first film from their horribly awkward yet, at times, identifiable banter. Here, Sam’s mom purchases and ingests a pot-brownie before tackling an unaware Frisbee thrower. Wacky, wacky, wacky! And also fairly unfunny. Perhaps the worst attempts at humor comes from the Twins, two new Autobots that speak in ebonics, throw in obscenities because it's edgy, and, from a CGI standpoint, looking absolutely terrible. By throwing in some breaks for laughs, it’s clear Bay expected the audience to lose it when one Twin tells Sam’s frightened roommate, "You a pussy," and the other advises him to "run to [his] boyfriend." Even better, these guys receive the most screen time compared to all the other bots. Awesome!

Bay must’ve taken notice when fans complained about how "Transformers" only had a handful of robots in it. The number of Autobots and Decepticons is nearly tripled. However, we never really learn a single thing about most of these new guys (save for two) and most seem pretty generic. Example: All this hype about the behemoth that is Devestator? The ultimate, gigantic bad ass of epic proportions that’s been teased since the sequel was announced? Pulling a Venom, he’s in it for a solid ten minutes and SPOILER ALERT gets taken out by one-shot from a human weapon END SPOILER. How anticlimactic.

At the very least, they look nice.

Visually speaking, the movie ranges from stunning to cheesy. Some of the clashes between the giant bots are a thrill to see. "Transformers 2" heeds the criticism of the first movie’s fights which often times left the viewer confused and clueless as to who was fighting and what has happening. This time, the camera’s pulled back a bit, and we get to see these technological monstrosities’ bouts of fisticuffs in full, breathtaking glory. On the other hand, you have the phoned-in effects of the Twins and several other unimportant bots. It’s not a huge deal; it’s just disappointing how great some aspects of the movie’s visuals are, yet others remain so horribly flawed.

From a technical standpoint (as if anyone going to see this movie cares), both the cinematography and sound are lacking. Expect the typical Bay shots: dramatic 360 spins, angles accentuating Fox's assests, etc. The editing at times is laughable, and it seems no one in the theater could understand what bots were saying half the time. Could've just been the system here, or it could be a giant mistake by the crew.

The movie clocks in around two- and a half-hours, and it FEELS like two- and a half-hours. The first flick, with all its major flaws, at least kept me captivated to the end when I saw it in theaters. This time around, I kept checking my phone every ten minutes, hoping that the whole thing would come to its sloppy conclusion soon.

It’s not near as entertaining as it’s predecessor, but this sequel is not without its merits. Let’s just hope that cast and crew get it together for the inevitable, "epic" conclusion.

"Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" receives a Thin Frenchman.
2/5

Coming in the next day or two: Reviews of "Fanboys" and "Year One"

He's Back (And So Are We, Maybe)

2009-06-01T22:13:00.005-05:00

Ok, enough boring shit on this blog.

Jay Reatard dropped a new single the other day (available as a free download at Matador) and lemme tell you, it may be the catchiest song he's ever written. Without betraying his noisy original Memphis punk sound, Jay brings a song to the table with all kinds of hooks and turnarounds that is sure to expand his audience. But by the end it leaves me wondering if he really he "really don't give a shit."

Boring shit terminated.

MGMT... haha, Sarkozy. Haha...

2009-04-28T18:47:00.004-05:00

Who blatantly broke copyright laws and then was a total dick about it?

MGMT: "It was totally Frenchie, over there!"
Sarkozy: "Yeah, it was me... I'll give you a Euro; would that help?"
MGMT: "No, jackass! I'm gonna shoot you with this bow
and arrow. Then we're gonna sue you for forty Gs!!"

Here's part of the original story:
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/02/27/mgmt-sarkozy.html

And here's what broke today:
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE53R4YN20090428?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews&rpc=22&sp=true

It would seem France loses another one.
On a side note, does this mean America's music industry is more powerful than the French government? Probably not, but maybe.

Message posted on MGMT's website:
"We did not want to be 'typical Americans' and sue, despite the amazing monetary benefit and chinchilla coats and Navigators it would bring, instead we are using the settlement fee the UMP presented and donating it to artists' rights organizations."

Tastes Like Kevin Bacon

2009-04-05T18:23:00.006-05:00

advisory:
if you have a weak constitution towards grindcore,
please move along;
if you can stomach it, you'll find this to be more than entertaining.

(or at least stick around until :17)

Top 5 Big, See-able Movies of 2008

2009-02-01T02:24:00.000-06:00

1. The Wrestler
I haven't actually seen this yet, but any film that can get producers and directors as well as his fellow actors to stop spitting on Mickey Rourke has to be on my list. And if it strokes my childhood obsession with professional wrestling goes straight to the top... Plus, it looks different from any other movie out and I've heard it's pretty good.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
This was probably the saddest I've ever been through an entire movie; the general focus of the picture is death and was crafted with such a lonesome quality. It wraps a bunch of interesting little stories into a single, big one and manages to stay pretty simple. Most of the complications in the actual production weren't in the camera angles and shots but in the cosmetics and effects added to the actors. The make-up and graphics artists deserve the Oscar for making a 7 year-old Brad Pitt look like an 80 year-old man. Despite that, David Fincher's seventh big-screen production is beautifully shot and vaguely reminiscent of his previous films (Se7en, Fight Club). I saw it twice... not a common thing for me.

3. Rock'N'Rolla
Not quite the Guy Ritchie we first loved, but damn close. Ignoring the whole Madonna mess, it embodies the same fantastic visuals he's known for but lacks the strange, esoteric story line of his recent work. It's quick, smart, funny, and spectacularly contrived.

4. The Dark Knight
Sigh... just see it. It's Batman and the Joker. Don't make me explain it, just see it.

5. Bank Job
A clever heist. We get a sensitive Jason Statham here who doesn't really show his athletic skill until the end, where he befriends a brick in quite a satisfying manner. Very easy, and fun to watch, this movie is exciting but but barely makes the Top 5 list.

Honorable Mentions
(It's only coincidence that they're all based on true stories)

Milk- It's sweet, but it's also Sean Penn. I'm tired of Sean Penn, aren't you?
Miracle At St. Anna- Spike Lee may have tried to hard.
The Changeling- Clint Eastwood has gotten really good at making dark, desperate films

Movies to Not See

The Happening- Just a sad recreation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers

The Day the Earth Stood Still- Another sad recreation, Keanu Reeves captures the robotic quality of the original movie.

Funny Games- Just weird... Pretentious Nautica models get bored and terrorize a family. It's kind of pretty and has some really intense moments, but overall just feels like a waste of time.

Mama Mia- Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA and Meryl Streep condoning it.

Biggest Disappointments

The Day the Earth Stood Still- see above
The Happening- see above
Ironman- A comic made far too commercial in order to make money
Quantum of Solace- Too short, lacking plot
Max Payne- A video game story was cut to pieces to make a movie
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- Southpark said it all I think

Hard Knock Life in a Glass House

2009-01-19T19:05:00.002-06:00

I’m a sucker for mash-ups, especially if they’re cheesy.
Like any other college rock enthusiast, I love Radiohead.
At the drop of a hat, I will recite “99 Problems” in full.

As such, Jaydiohead is everything I could ask for. New York deejay Minty Fresh Beats has added himself to the outrageously long list of mixers who cross Jay-Z with artists that they probably shouldn’t (The Beatles, Pavement, Beethoven). The trend continues when the mastermind behind The Black Album is thrown against the geniuses responsible for classics such as Kid A, OK Computer, and In Rainbows. As awkward and clumsy as this may sound initially, it surprisingly works out well. Very well.

To begin, this album is not an incredible piece of music. It’s another mash-up prominently featuring cuts from The Black Album, and it will not redefine the way you look at either artist. Regardless, it’s still an enjoyable distraction full of songs that are just to fun to listen to. Jay-Z is the star here when it comes to vocals. Minty Fresh puts a heavy emphasis on Mr. Carter’s fluid lyrics, usually only incorporating Yorke as backing vocals or for the occasional chorus. Radiohead’s front man has an even more ethereal sound here than normal, adding a cold, haunting resonance to many of the tracks. The real surprise here is how well the band’s music fits with hip-hop verses. This is made abundantly clear from the beginning as the album opens with “Wrong Prayer” and possibly shines brightest on “Lucifer’s Jigsaw.” With this set and the recent mix between “Reckoner” and Kanye’s “Love Lockdown” (also not as terrible as it sounds), perhaps Radiohead’s discography will become the new Black Album in terms of mash-up popularity. Okay, let’s not hold our breaths.

Unlike most mash up attempts, tracks actually sound good together. Absent are segments so mismatched and forced that they completely remove one from the music. The two selected cuts blend together smoothly and naturally, with only a handful of minor mistakes along the way. Some will find slight faults with the ham-fisted way Yorke’s “yeah” right before the refrain in “Dirt Off Your Android” is tossed in. Others may call foul on the slight edits to songs, most notably the timing of “15 Step.” These people should realize that Jaydiohead is nothing to be taken overly seriously.

All of the tracks have an interesting sound, and my top two or three change after every listen. At the moment, however, “Change Order” reigns supreme. While a melancholy guitar plays out, Jay-Z gives a rundown of his crime and drug expertise while Thom Yorke chimes in with the chorus, “A couple more for breakfast / A little more for tea / Just to take the edge off.” As said, don’t go in expecting groundbreaking things, but enjoy these different approaches to old favorites. This set of remixes is the ultimate Jay-Z/rock mix (apologies too all you die-hard Collision Course fans out there, all four of you). All ten tracks are available downloadable and free at jaydiohead.com.

Another List, Yo.

2009-01-13T19:12:00.002-06:00

Think you were done reading 2008 year-end lists? Not quite! Here’s the rundown of my three favorites from a great year of tunes.

1. Dear Science, - TV on the Radio
Rolling Stone is getting some stuff right these days, and one of them is putting TV on the Radio’s most accessible album to date at the tip-top. For years I had been wondering when I would have my first experience listening to a masterpiece album when it dropped, and Dear Science, provided the opportunity. Tunde’s “Ba-ba-bas” on “Halfway Home” signal an album loaded with singalongs sure to fail as fans attempt to create the hauntingly beautiful voices of Tunde Adembimpe and Kyp Malone. “Family Tree,” my favorite song of 2008, moved me almost to tears from the ethereal piano and perfect place shaker beat. Its line “cozy red rainbows” is one of the most interesting bits of imagery I have heard in today’s popular music. The album ends with a bang, literally. Malone’s song “Lover’s Day,” is a song lyrically about fucking, and a march-worthy tune to back it up.

2. In the Future - Black Mountain
Being a sucker for some good Psychedelia, I loved Black Mountain’s In the Future. Listen up, Zeppelin fans, if you haven’t heard this record yet, I’d highly recommend it. Stephen McBean’s songwriting is the basis for a band that knows how to flesh out a song. Dazzling key work and intense drums keep the record sounding full during the balls to wall rock and roll Black Mountain can create. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the sound is Amber Webber’s soulful, pleading voice. Its eerie beauty propels this record to heights of beauty, and high on my list (“Highs” seem to be a motif and creative tool for the members of Black Mountain).

3. Evil Urges – My Morning Jacket
Despite the scrutiny, the soul inspired LP from MMJ this year proves to be one of the most forward moving pieces of rock, while getting in touch with the “golden age of music.” A nearly immediate starkness is the funk-metal song “Highly Suspicious.” Carl Broemel provides the throat-shredding titular chorus while Jim James does some Prince inspired squeals. Its oddball sound can alienate some devotees, but seeing the track live solidifies it as a misunderstood piece of Rock & Roll gold. There is familiar territory for MMJ in this release as well, as in “Aluminum Park,” which could be a stripped down version of a track off Z. The eight-minute disco closer is one of the best tracks James and Co. have put out, and makes for a great outro for my number three album of 2008.

These albums, in my opinion, rocked the harder than most other albums released this past year (except for Chinese Democracy, of course). Also, it kind of pains me not to put Fleet Foxes, Jay Reatard, and the Hold Steady on here, but that just gives an example of how good 2008 was for new music.

April 13

2009-01-10T04:23:00.003-06:00

Mates of State & Black Kids

4/13/09 Kansas City, MO

Beaumont Club

The Quest For Every Beard Type

2009-01-06T23:39:00.003-06:00

Just so you know, if you didn't already (and if you did, just to reiterate), StumbleUpon.com is possibly the best waste of one's time... besides Moustache Salad.

Check this:

www.dyers.org/blog/beards/beard-types

I know I will be following this quest.

Think About It.

2009-01-05T13:54:00.001-06:00

100: The Odd Couple – Gnarls Barkley
99: Konk – The Kooks
98: Everything Is Borrowed – The Streets
97: The Age of Understatement – The Last Shadow Puppets
96: Stainless State – Neon Neon
95: Rising Down – The Roots
94: Blessed Be Our Ever After - Burden Of A Day
93: Donkey - CSS
92: You And Me – The Walkmen
91: A Thousand Words - Styrofoam
90: Hold On Now, Youngster… - Los Campesinos!
89: 21 – Mystery Jets
88: The Secret Wars – Ace Enders And A Million Different People
87: Partie Traumatic – The Black Kids
86: Sleep Well – Electric President
85: Viva La Vida - Coldplay
84: Reality Check – The Teenagers
83: Evil Urges – My Morning Jacket
82: Blessed Be Our Ever After – Burden Of A Day
81: Animal!/Not Animal – Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s
80: Walk It Off – Tapes ‘n Tapes
79: Fortress – Protest The Hero
78: Nothing Happens For A Reason - Pompeii
77: Re-Arrange Us – Mates of State
76: Innerpartysystem - Innerpartysystem

75: Cardinology – Ryan Adams
74: Beautiful Future – Primal Scream
73: Acid Tongue – Jenny Lewis
72: Intervals – See You Next Tuesday
71: Sky Eats Airplane – Sky Eats Airplane
70: Midnight Boom – The Kills
69: Texas – Playradioplay!
68: Nights Out - Metronomy
67: Where Myth Fades To Legend - Alesana
66: Velocifero - Ladytron
65: Conor Oberst – Conor Oberst
64: Caesura – Helios
63: Arm’s Way - Islands
62: A.M. – Magnetic Morning
61: Ghosts I-IV – Nine Inch Nails
60: Chemical Chords - Stereolab
59: Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
58: At Mount Zoomer – Wolf Parade
57: Microcastle – Deerhunter
56: Censored Colors – Portugal. The Man
55: Dance Gavin Dance – Dance Gavin Dance
54: The Chemistry of Common Life – Fucked Up
53: Go West Young Man, Let The Evil Go East – Greeley Estates
52: Falling Off The Lavendar Bridge – Lightspeed Champion
51: Elephant Shell – Tokyo Police Club

50: Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
49: This Town Needs Guns – This Town Needs Guns
48: Seeing Sounds – N.E.R.D.
47: Skeletal Lamping – of Montreal
46: Modern Guilt - Beck
45: The Hawk Is Howling - Mogwai
44: Great White Whale – Secret and Whisper
43: Guidebook For Sinners Turned Saints – Jamies Elsewhere
42: A Coloring Storybook And Long-Playing Record – Cinematic Sunrise
41: The Tide – Oceana
40: Take Me To The Sea – Jaguar Love
39: Wires… And the Concept of Breathing – A Skylit Drive
38: The Stand Ins – Okkervil River
37: Casey – The Rise of Science
36: Saturdays = Youth – M83
35: Suicide Season – Bring Me The Horizon
34: Do Say Make Think – Do Say Make Think
33: We Started Nothing – The Ting Tings
32: Lost In The Sound of Separation – Underoath
31: This Will Destroy you – This Will Destroy You
30: The Devil, You + Me – The Notwist
29: The Ocean & The Sun – The Sound of Animals Fighting
28: For Emma, Forever Ago – Bon Iver
27: Ghost Is Not Real – Husky Rescue
26: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

25: Fasciination – The Faint
24: Attack & Release – The Black Keys
23: Want – 3Oh!3
22: Street Horrsing – Fuck Buttons
21: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
20: Illuminate - Lydia
19: Third - Portishead
18: Antidotes - Foals
17: Someday Came Suddenly – Attack Attack
16: You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Into – Does It Offend You, Yeah?
15: Oracular Spectacluar - MGMT
14: LP3 - Ratatat
13: Avalon – Anthony Green
12: Santogold - Santogold
11: Feed The Animals – Girl Talk
10: Dear Science, - TV On The Radio
09: In Ghost Colors – Cut Copy
08: V – Van She
07: Narrow Stairs – Death Cab For Cutie
06: Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
05: Only By The Night – Kings of Leon
04: Relativity - Emarosa
03: Made In The Dark – Hot Chip
02: Bring Me Your Love – City & Colour
01: Intimacy – Bloc Party

Ira's Top 8 of '08

2009-01-01T22:38:00.015-06:00

2008 shaped up to be a pretty decent year for music. Over this year I’ve probably listened to more music than ever before, producing a substantial shuffling in my favorite music. I fell in and out of love with countless artists (In: Silver Jews, Drive-by Truckers. Out: The Decemberists, Band of Horses), discoved fresh bands and dusted off old legends (Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones) I’d never had the chance to get properly acquainted with. Here’s my list of favorite albums of 2008. This list is unranked other than the top two spots, mainly because I feel the top two albums really stuck out above the rest of the competition.

1. Dear Science- TV on the Radio
Towering far above the rest of the albums released in 2008, Dear Science struck me harder upon first listen than any other album since OK Computer. David Sitek removed the fuzz and cacophony of Return to Cookie Mountain, letting the band’s songs flourish in the company of horn and string sections. Every song on the album has its own unmistakable sound, from the funkiness of “Crying” to the horn-filled celebration of “Golden Age” to the emotional resonance of “Family Tree” to the Bush-fueled rage of “Red Dress” finally concluding with the sensuous and optimistic “Lover’s Day.” At its core, Dear Science is a great rock album from one of the most talented and innovative groups today, and also my favorite album of 2008.

2. S/T- Fleet Foxes
My favorite album of the year until the October release of Dear Science, Fleet Foxes’ self-titled album is an excellent collection of songs that evoke the American wilderness and ethos both lyrically and musically with beautiful harmonies and rustic instrumentation. Robin Pecknold’s incredible voice dominates this album; a perfect companion for a spring morning, a summer stroll through a forest, an autumn drive, or a winter night reading beside the fire.

Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea- Silver Jews
When I first heard the opening track on Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea I was disconcerted. Why did David Berman’s voice sound so strange? Where was the sly, witty wordplay I fell in love with on American Water? By the third track, “Suffering Jukebox” my fears were allayed with Berman firing off classic lines over great alt-country sounds. Although, in my opinion one of the weaker albums in the Joos’ catalog, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea is still a treat to listen to, continuing Berman’s streak of quality songwriting and finding him tweaking his style as he ages.

The Stand-Ins- Okkervil River
Originally intended to comprise a double album with 2007’s The Stage Names, The Stand-Ins displays Will Sheff’s skill at characterization in song writing, and Okkervil’s continued maturation into a full-on rock band. This aborted twin isn’t as fully formed as its sister but still has plenty of great moments, especially the epic farewell song for Jonathan Meiburg, “Lost Coastlines.”

Stay Positive- The Hold Steady
Stay Positive is different from the other Hold Steady albums. It rushes out the gates with two great rock songs, “Constructive Summer” and “Sequestered in Memphis”, then explores the darker aspects of drinking and the party life, an area touched upon in other albums but never allowed to become the overriding focus of songs. A hint of age and weariness creeps into Craig Finn’s voice during these songs, suggesting some doubt and disillusionment, worried that life may be just "excuses and half-truths and fortified wine." These down and out ballads coexist along with Finn’s own self-referential rockers to form another solid album from The Hold Steady, one of the best rock and roll bands in America.

Feed the Animals- Girl Talk
Sample-master Greg Gillis deserves all the acclaim he gets merely for this album’s ability to turn drab boring parties into wild dance affairs. Never has an entire album been this danceable for so many different people of varied musical tastes. This album is also fully responsible for my recent obsession with Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

The Evening Descends- Evangelicals
The Evening Descends alternates its sound between that of a pleasant trippy dream and a terrifying nightmare, one that I found myself visiting time and time again in 2008. Utilizing samples and strange sound effects, Evangelicals’ The Evening Descends is an atmospheric and frequently catchy album of psychedelic rock.

S/T- Vampire Weekend
I like catchy pop songs. Vampire Weekend’s got ‘em, along with enough semi-obscure references to keep me interested in the lyrics. Although these guys may not be the capital “I” important band some sources labeled them as, they know how to put together a pop song, something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Any band that tosses in an homage to Lil Jon’s “Get Low” is okay by me.

Merry Christmas, ya' Jerks!

2008-12-25T13:37:00.001-06:00

Concert Review: Silver Jews

2008-10-24T19:42:00.003-05:00

“Time to go to work.”

My jaw dropped as the tall, lanky figure in a grey suit sauntered past. David Berman had just walked into the Picador.

The frontman of Silver Jews, Berman is arguably one of the best songwriters in America. Despite garnering critical acclaim and minor indie scene stardom, Berman and company only recently started touring in 2005.

I felt some apprehension after my initial excitement when I saw the Silver Jews were coming to Iowa City to play at the Picador in support of their recently released album, Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea. What if they weren’t good live? I’d seen some YouTube videos of the band playing live where they just looked flat and lifeless onstage. However, my fears were unfounded.

After a puzzling and entirely overlong encounter with opening anti-folk act The Mattoid, Berman and his band took to the stage. Starting with the opening track off of 2001’s Bright Flight, “Slow Education”, Silver Jews played a career-spanning set. Berman’s rough, gravely, whiskey-tinged voice was the first sound heard out of the Jews singing, “When God was young/ He made the wind and the sun/ And since then/ It's been a slow education.” Towering, bearded, and balding and equipped with a shiny oversized belt buckle that read “Joos,” onstage Berman comes off like a beat poet with a great backing band, wobbling all over the place, leaning on the micstand, and gesturing along with his lyrics. I caught myself chuckling at many points during the concert, Berman’s semi-absurd lyrics and gestures exposing new meanings to the lonesome, lyrically sprawling songs.

A rarity for bands touring on the heels of a recently released LP, only five of the eighteen songs on the Silver Jews’ setlist came from Lookout Mountain Lookout Sea. All six of the band’s LPs were represented with multiple songs. One of the highlights of the night came when Berman strapped on a bright blue acoustic guitar and played “Random Rules”, the lyrically brilliant jangly opener off of American Water. Featuring the opening line, “In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection”, voices from the crowd joined Berman’s as he took Iowa City across all the wrong rivers and for a walk down all the wrong halls.

On many of the post-American Water (1998) songs, Cassie, Berman’s wife and bassist, shared vocal duties on the choruses. The couple played off of each other onstage, Berman at times turning towards Cassie and singing parts of songs directly to her. This sounds cliche and kitschy, but for those in the audience it seemed natural, with a sort-of Johnny Cash and June Carter vibe to it.

Berman tore down all pretense to the concert, telling stories, dedicating songs to people in the audience he’d met before the concert, and often wandering around the stage during instrumental breaks in songs as if looking for something. After the last song of the regular setlist the rest of the band exited the stage. Berman stayed. Pointing out the ridiculousness of an inevitable encore, Berman stood onstage sipping a drink while the band filtered back through the door.

The show’s encore was solid. The crowd applauded when the first creepy, paranoid notes and thumps of “New Orleans” were heard. After the post-modern freakout at the end of “New Orleans”, Berman and company turned to a more conventional type of song, a love ballad. On the auto-biographical “Tennessee”, David Berman serenaded his wife singing, “We're gonna live in Nashville and I'll make a career/Out of writing sad songs and getting paid by the tear.” Silver Jews closed with one of their more uptempo songs from 2005’s Tanglewood Numbers, “Punks in the Beerlight.” The night ended with everyone in the audience singing the chorus. “I love you to the max! I love you to the max! I love you to the max!”

Moustache Salad gives the Silver Jews in concert a fu-manchu with side-burns. (4.5 out of 5)

Concert Review: Ben Folds

2008-10-23T22:46:00.003-05:00

"It's so weird to be back here."

Let me get this out of the way first. I’m a pseudo Ben Folds fan at best. I dig the stuff by Five, Rockin’ the Suburbs is pretty good, and Songs for Silverman is okay. They’ve all got their moments. While I’m not a huge fan, I went in to this concert with some decent-sized expectations. This is his third show here, so he’s got to be doing something right. Plenty of my friends have seen him before and all of them came back with shining reviews, so I figured I’d be in for the same. Real quickly, Missy Higgins was a good opener. Nothing I’d listen to again, but it was a cute set and fit the piano-rock atmosphere. She was adorable to boot. Onwards to the main act.

Standing in the second row of people against the gate right in front of the piano, I was a bit confused by the whole silhouette, flashing lights, and corny eighties intro. I know it was probably meant to be cheesy to the point of being humorous, but it came off as just cheesy. The first half of the set was pretty heavy with songs from his new album, Way to Normal. This totally makes sense as it was just released less than a month ago. That said, it doesn’t make the songs any less worse. Okay, that’s a bit harsh. Way to Normal isn’t terrible; it’s not even really bad. However, it’s mediocre for a Folds album and was a bit of a disappointment.

I just couldn’t get in to many of the new songs, and it was only made worse every time we had to hear an alternate version from their “fake leak” (for those not in the know, the band recorded joke versions of songs off the new album and leaked them early as a prank). I’ll give it to him; some of them are delightfully bad while others are better than their “real” version, but hearing two fairly similar songs in the same concert and even back to back occasionally was just too much. Another letdown came when I saw “Hiroshima”, one of the better cuts off …Normal, on the set list, but apparently it got cut for something else. Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night came when the band played, “Landed”, one of my favorite Folds songs, only for this version they decided to half-ass it and remove any joy I could’ve had. Finally, the closer, while fun, was weak for a show ender.

Alright angry Ben Folds fans, you may be out for blood at this point, but put the torches and pitchforks down. I actually enjoyed the show and thought it was a pretty good time. As many negative things that I’ve said, I was very impressed every time he dipped into his older catalogue. I’ve always had a soft spot for Whatever & Ever Amen, so “Kate” was nice and “Fair” was incredible. Even the major hits that I’ve sort of tired of like “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and “Zak and Sara” were a treat to see. I have to give it to him on the Altoid-assisted “Free Coffee” too. That was just plain cool. Ben is a very energetic, little fellow. Watching him play was a blast, because he loves what he does and he’s very good at it. While I may not dig the new songs very much, he’s still an incredibly talented pianist. In the end, was it worth the seven bucks? Easily. Far from incredible, but at least it was fun.

Ben Folds gets a Joe Sixpack moustache (3 outta 5).

RockNRolla Follow Up

2008-09-27T12:21:00.004-05:00

Beginning with some sad news, actor Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler and The Sting) lost his battle with cancer on Friday, September 26th at the age of 83.

For something almost completely different...
My Excitement for Guy Ritchie's newest work, RockNRolla is running a little thin... at the moment anyway.
Here's WarnerBros. official site/trailer/thing:
http://rocknrolla.warnerbros.com/
Tell me what you think.

Then watch this one:
Much Better Theatrical Trailer For RockNRolla

Stupid WB...

Anyway, I'm really not sure what to think about it anymore. I followed it kinda closely for a while, but got annoyed with the lack of publicity. I rekindled my excitement when the first trailer hit, but lost it again when WarnerBros. came out with that piece of crap. My hope for avoiding the disappointment of 2005's Revolver, a fake-out gone wrong, is all but smashed. I mean, the first trailer was really dark and sexy and had Gerard Butler (300) and Tom Wilkenson (Michael Clayton, Eternal Sunshine...), who are also sexy, and Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happiness, Interview With a Vampire), whom is both dark and really, really sexy and it seemed to be strongly anchored by a painting and some real-estate mischievousness. Sure, Warner put out a "dark" and "sexy" version too, but it has all the hints and mystery taken out neglectfully removed. Where did the damn painting go!!?! Without all that central unification which teases and taunts us, no one's gonna want to watch this movie.

Maybe I expect too much from Mr. Ritchie after debuting with Lock, Stock... and Snatch. After all, one can't be on top of one's game 100% of the time... especially when you're married to Madonna (I'm still holding out for divorce news).
Perhaps I won't be disappointed with it... RockNRolla received a solid grade B at the Toronto International Film Festival '08, for whatever that's worth. It still looks like it could be really good.

So, TIFF 08 gives RockNRolla a Fu Man-chu (4 out of 5).
I won't even rate WarnerBros. right now... we have some heart-to-heart talking to do... or rather heart-to-my heart crushing fist talking to do.

Other coming attactions:

Quantum of Solace (Quantum of Awesome)

Max Payne

Heads up!

2008-09-23T18:53:00.003-05:00

If you head on over to http://wilcoworld.net/vote/ you can pick up a free download of Wilco and Fleet Foxes covering the Bob Dylan tune, "I Shall Be Released." All you have to do is pledge to vote in the impending election. They even have a link for you can even register to vote if you have been putting it off. So don't procrastinate about registering or getting this awesome cover.

Also, you can check out the YouTube vid that has been circling for some time now after the jump.

Burn After Reading

2008-09-21T23:38:00.004-05:00

In a major departure from their last film, the Coen brothers move from the dark and brooding to the ridiculous and perverse. Burn After Reading, their latest flick, is a slapstick star-filled comedy packed with quick lines, outlandish scenarios, and visual gags. After last year’s incredible but bleak No Country for Old Men, I couldn’t wait for the brothers to get back to a comedy. I’ve enjoyed their previous works, and this one is no exception.

The movie opens with Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) being demoted from his position in the CIA. Furious, he quits, takes to the bottle, and decides to write a memoir of his rather dull life. To top things off, his adulterous wife (Tilda Swinton) has made a copy of all his confidential files to prepare for their upcoming divorce. When the disc is lost at a local gym, two unwitting employees (Frances McDormand and the lovable Brad Pitt) convince themselves these documents are of the utmost importance. Determined to reap a monetary reward, they begin to search for Osbourne. Of course, things go wrong for everyone and, like other Coen brothers movies, the characters are headed down a slippery slope from one to disaster to another. I’ll leave it at that, although I could go on about George Clooney, Richard Jenkins, and J.K. Simmons. To put it simply, there’s a lot going. The Coens find a way to intertwine every character’s story with each other. However, unlike other movies where the cast is connected through intricate, plot-driven details (i.e. Pulp Fiction, City of God), Burn After Reading uses a less traditional method (i.e. everyone is screwing everyone). While it may sound complicated, everything is relatively simple to grasp while watching it.

Despite a slow start, the movie finally begins to pull its weight at about fifteen to twenty minutes in. As you can tell by the name dropping I pulled earlier, this movie is packed with major actors and actresses. Pleasantly surprising, laughs come from each and every person in this flick. Sure, some take up a majority of the comedic bits (Brad Pitt, and I’m not just saying that because of my man-crush, he’s absolutely hysterical), but each cast member does their part, gets some jokes in, and really adds something. Simmons’ role was also one of the biggest treats. He may not have many lines, but he sure does make ‘em count. There’s also some incredibly unexpected laughs, the strongest example being Clooney’s secret basement contraption which had everyone either gasping or cracking up.

As much as I enjoyed this movie, I’ve heard many conflicting views. I saw it opening night in a decently packed theater with a very reactive audience and loved it. However, I’ve talked to others who were the only ones in the theater or who sat with unresponsive audiences. They got much less out of the movie than I, so the environment you see it in may affect what you think. Either way, the Coen brothers have released another solid movie. If you’ve liked their previous comedic flicks, be sure to give this one a go.

Burn After Reading gets a Fu Man Chu (4 out of 5).

Noah and the Whale Rocks!?!?!

2008-09-03T12:10:00.006-05:00

They do now anyway. Recently I watched La Blogothèque's segment starring the Brit-Folk group Noah and the Whale. I have followed the band for what has almost been a year, and they remain pretty consistent with pop-folk melodies. Their songs, which have been likable, are not something that I would think would evoke this type of behavior on stage. Granted, they are no KISS or AC/DC, but for what it is, these guys give a great stage presence.

Check out the vid.

Concert Review: My Morning Jacket

2008-08-21T16:45:00.004-05:00

Alternately touted as the best live band in America and America’s folky answer to Radiohead, My Morning Jacket had a lot of hype to live up to during their concert at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City. The Louisville, Kentucky band was touring to support their recently released fifth album Evil Urges. Befitting their album title, the band entered the stage to hellish lighting and clouds of smoke. Frontman Jim James swaggered out wearing a cape as the band immediately kicked into opener and title track “Evil Urges.”
My Morning Jacket’s records are immersive, but nothing prepared me for the impact of their live show. The band’s double guitar attack accompanied with Jim James’ otherworldly vocals, Two-tone Tommy’s incredible bass playing, and Patrick Hallahan’s Bonham-esque drumming plummeted the audience into the depths of a rock n’ roll inferno, that has become iconized through greats such as Zeppelin, AC/DC, and KISS. All the new material off of Evil Urges sounded great live, although an over reliance on the new record lessened the energy of the first half of the show. As consolation, the backend of the show was heavy with It Still Moves and Z era pieces. A little after the halfway mark, MMJ broke out “Mahgeetah,” which is when the band really started to not only shine, but glow. Previous to this, however, the band still held down a solid show with heavenly cuts like “Gideon” and “The Way That He Sings”.
One of the more unexpected moments of the Evening with My Morning Jacket came when Jim James disappeared off stage during “Steam Engine” only to materialize on a balcony a minute later. James proceeded to solo twenty feet above the crowd with all eyes on him. Their regular set ended with the band playing “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”, the funky and soulful omnichord driven closer off of Evil Urges. The band dashed off stage as James cued up “Good Intentions”, a brief snippet of noise and voices.
My Morning Jacket’s encore was incredible. Beginning with “Wordless Chorus”, which had everyone in the audience attempting to imitate James’ angelic wails, followed by “Highly Suspicious”, cementing in my mind the ingenuity and overall balls to the wall rock of the controversial song, the encore proved to be the highlight of the set. Jim James’ manifesto about “peanut butter pudding surprises” was trailed by “Anytime”, a blazing rocker off of Z, the energy in the theater spiking considerably. However, My Morning Jacket had saved their ace in the hole for last. When the opening shriek of guitar from “Run Thru” sounded in the theater, the place went nuts. One of the coolest spectacles I have ever seen at a concert is the drum breakdown about halfway into “Run Thru”, the drummer illuminated in a strobe light, raising his sticks into the air, mouth wide open looking like a kraken arisen from the depths of a roiling sea. I figured that “Run Thru” was their last song, thinking nothing could top this. When the last piercing notes of “Run Thru” seamlessly segued into the high hat opening of “One Big Holiday” I felt the energy from the band course through the crowd. When Jim James opened his mouth to sing, hundreds of others opened as well roaring, “Wakin’ up, feelin’ good and limber!” The guitar freakouts, slamming of drumsticks, and thunderous bass left the whole audience with one fact: that every MMJ show is One Big Holiday.

Moustache Salad gives Jim James and the crew a Fu Manchu with sideburns (4.5 out of 5).

My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday ft. Kirk Hammett (Live at Bonnaroo
'08)

The setlist can be found here

Intimacy.

2008-08-19T10:27:00.004-05:00

Bloc Party's third album, 'Intimacy' will be available August 21. It can be pre-ordered now via the band's website:
http://blocparty.sandbag.uk.com

The album will also be available as a CD which will be delivered from October 27 and feature additional songs. Anyone pre-ordering the CD will also receive the digital album from August 21.

Bloc Party alerted fans to 'Intimacy's existence, as well as their ability to purchase the record instantly, when they hosted their first ever web chat on August 18. The album follows on from the release of their hit single 'Mercury' released on 11 August.

The album produced by Paul Epworth (Silent Alarm) and Jacknife Lee (A Weekend in the City) was recorded in Kent and London. Some songs are Bloc Party at their most wildly experimental, while other tracks are simply classic Bloc Party, fitting in seamlessly amongst fan-favourites 'Helicopter', 'Banquet' and 'So Here We Are'.

Bloc Party recently played a run of sold-out American shows and are due to play Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend and headline the Hydroconnect Festival on August 30.

August
23 - Reading Festival, Reading
24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds
30 - Hydroconnect Festival, Scotland

The track listing for Intimacy:
01. Ares
02. Mercury
03. Halo
04. Biko
05. Trojan Horse
06. Signs
07. One Month Off
08. Zephyrus
09. Better Than Heaven
10. Ion Square

Mercury CDS

Tropic Thunder: Review

2008-08-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

“Hot damn.”

Not much time, so I'll make this fast.

Tropic Thunder was one of the few movies I was keeping track of. From the moment I saw the first preview, I knew I’d see the film the day it opened. An all-star cast, a huge budget, and legitimately funny jokes? It’s about damn time. As it drew closer, we were teased with a short skit by the three major roles, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Jack Black. Yesterday, I met up with a few friends and we headed to the theater as a “final-day-we’d-all-see-each-other-before-heading-back” event. I was very disappointed when, opening night, there was only about five other people in the theater, while every other film was decently filled. Hopefully, it was just because it opened mid-week, because this movie deserves to be seen.

Before the film even starts, we’re treated with fake trailers for the latest movies from Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Black), and Kirk Lazarus (Downey), all of which are hilarious takes on what Hollywood has become today. Then, the film really begins, but with more of a whimper than a bang. Sure, there are a few chuckles now and then, but nothing spectacular. It’s not until twenty or so minutes into the film that it really takes off. To sum up the plot details, three actors from different backgrounds (Speedman the action hero, Portnoy comedy, and Downey as very respected character actor) are hired to film the translation of “Tropic Thunder”, a book by famous Vietnam vet Four Leaf Tayback. Unhappy with the pampered, pompous stars ruining the shots, Tayback and the director decide to go for a more gritty approach by dropping them in the jungle and telling them to just go with the flow. Unbeknownst to the entire crew, however, is the presence of an armed group of locals.

Tropic Thunder lampoons Hollywood while never becoming a full spoof film. It stands on its own. It’s filled with so many bust-up laughing moments that you won’t be too put off by the more vulgar attempts at humor (especially the much-billed executive cameo, which wears thin pretty damn quickly). Jack Black seems like he was wasted on incredibly poor or boring dialogue. He has a moment or two, especially towards the end of the film, but he could’ve been so much more. Stiller does a fairly good job at landing jokes, with only a few groaners scattered throughout. The real treat here is Robert Downey Jr. who, more or less, makes the film. In glorified black-face, Downey finds a way to come off as completely hilarious with out being offensive. He’s kept in check by Brandon T. Jackson, a rapper who’s bitter that the only leading role for an African American was given to a white Australia-native. Downey has so many one-liners and out-there monologues that he carries the whole film on his back. Humor also comes from smaller bit parts and sight gags (when I saw “Black Power” and fist on Downey’s helmet, I couldn’t help but crack up).

The film, while not perfect, is still genuinely funny and one of the best comedies of the summer. Tropic Thunder sports a Fu Man Chu (4 out of 5).

Fleet Foxes Live on Letterman

2008-08-05T17:56:00.003-05:00

Last night as I was flipping channels, I stumbled across Fleet Foxes playing on The Tonight Show. Best surprise of the week. They played "Blue Ridge Mountains", a song that I had initially overlooked but am now getting into in a major way, thanks in part to their set at the Pitchfork Music Festival a couple weeks ago. Fleet Foxes are incredible live, and this is probably the best video approximation of what it's like to be at one of their shows. Judging from the applause after the song ended, I can see that Fleet Foxes were able to create their unique atmosphere in the span of just one song, an impressive accomplishment, especially on a late night show.

100 Posts! Vampire Weekend "Remix!"

2008-08-04T18:56:00.002-05:00

Even though it is our 100th post, we have a present for you!

A "remix" of Vampire Weekend's "Oxford Comma."

Enjoy,

The Moustache Salad Staff

P.S. If you are near Columbia, MO this Friday, you should come to Mojo's to help us celebrate our 100 posts by seeing Witch's Hat.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (Moustache Salad Remix)

RIP, Alexander.

2008-08-03T22:30:00.003-05:00

Rest in peace, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The Nobel Prize-winning Russian author was one of my favorite authors and has written some works which stuck with me for some time. Alexander spoke out against the tyranny of the soviet gulag, inspiring millions with the message that integrity conquers corrupt totalitarians.

"He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970, an unusual move for the Swedish Academy, which generally makes awards late in an author's life after decades of work. The academy cited "the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature.""

Outspoken opponent of Stalin and his policies, Solzhenitsyn served as a front-line artillery captain in World War II, where, in the closing weeks of the war, he was arrested for writing what he called "certain disrespectful remarks" about Stalin in a letter to a friend, referring to him as "the man with the mustache."

TV on the Radio Pushes the Boundaries of Album Titling

2008-07-30T17:18:00.005-05:00

TV on the Radio is back with a new album due out on September 23rd. The album is entitled Dear Science, and is their first since 2006's lavishly praised Return to Cookie Mountain. The comma is included in the album title there, giving TV on the Radio's new album a good shot to break the record for most times incorrectly printed. Here's the tracklist from the album courtesy of Pitchfork.

01 Halfway Home
02 Crying
03 Dancing Choose
04 Stork & Owl
05 Golden Age
06 Family Tree
07 Red Dress
08 Love Dog
09 Shout Me Out
10 DLZ
11 Lover's Day

And last but not least here's a track from TV on the Radio's 2003 EP, Young Liars. TV on the Radio go all barbershop quartet on "Mr. Grieves" from Doolittle, producing a damn fine, yet still original, cover.

TV on the Radio- Mr. Grieves (Pixies Cover)

Pitchfork Music Festival Day Two: How a Ressurection Really Feels or "Fuck That Folk Shit"

2008-07-29T21:33:00.009-05:00

I'd give it a 3.5

Day Two of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago started off rainy, a light drizzle turning into a steady downpour, soaking the grassy park. Saturday’s crowd looked considerably younger than Friday’s. Gone were many of the crusty middle-aged men attracted by Mission of Burma and Sebadoh. In their place thousands of neon-clad, wayfarer wearing, American Spirit smoking hipsters congregated on the lawns of Union Park.

Titus Andronicus kicked off Saturday’s festival with their New Jersey bred sprawling garage punk. This six-piece band, whose stellar debut album The Airing of Grievances is in rotation at Moustache Salad, played an entertaining show, opening with Pulp’s “Common People” and hitting the sloppy, screaming anthems of Grievances and closing with the epic “Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ.” Frontman Patrick Stickles was all over the stage, climbing the lights at one point and waving a big yellow Don’t Tread on Me flag, all while half-coherently singing along. The crowd seemed to be digging Titus Andronicus, fists pumping and heads nodding along with their anthems.

At about 2:45 in the afternoon, fifteen minutes before Fleet Foxes’ set on the Aluminum Stage, the sun pierced the clouds, and what had recently been a soppy and muddy crowd quickly became a hot, sweaty crowd. We were in good position to see Fleet Foxes, about eight rows back from the stage. As Fleet Foxes set up for their set, Caribou played on the Connector Stage. Caribou as viewed on the Jumbotron and with little prior knowledge of their music other than “Melody Day”, looked like a worthwhile band to see live."They've gone to plaid!!!"

The self-proclaimed “dirty men” of Fleet Foxes strode out onto the stage to considerable applause. Apropos the recent weather change, they opened with the mostly a cappella “Sun Giant.” Fleet Foxes sounded just as good at a large open-air festival as they had sounded in the much-smaller venue Mojo’s in Columbia, bringing their almost spiritual church-like atmosphere to a crowded park in the middle of Chicago. A new drummer had been acquired, along with a good deal of confidence (in a positive way) and stage presence, since we had last seen them in March. The new drummer, Josh Tillman, brought a heavier sound to some of their songs and also lent his excellent voice to the group’s harmonies. Robin Pecknold, lead singer and songwriter, after having just performed the first three songs from the Sun Giant EP, addressed the crowd and had a special message for Pitchfork. “We’d like to thank Pitchfork for basically enabling our existence,” quipped Pecknold, directly and humorously tackling an issue that many of the other new artists seemed to shy away from. Pecknold seemed stunned that such a large crowd would turn out to see his band. He joked around saying the crowd looked like a big pack of wolves. Tillman then cracked, “They’re all wearing sunglasses. Very cute wolves.” Fleet Foxes then launched into their most famous song, “White Winter Hymnal.” The opening harmonies washed over the crowd, with everyone mouthing or singing the words, “I was following the—I was following the…” Three quarters of the way into the set, the band left the stage leaving just Robin and his acoustic guitar. Robin played two of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard live, his voice soaring over Union Park, everyone dead silent in awe and admiration. Pecknold covered Judee Sill’s “Crayon Angels” and then played the great closer off of Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut LP, “Oliver James.” The band returned and played a couple songs, closing their transcendental set with “Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Dizee Rascal, over at the adjacent Connector stage, opened his set immediately after Fleet Foxes closed theirs, loudly proclaiming, “Fuck that folk shit! Fuck that folk shit!” However, Fleet Foxes proved themselves unfuckable today with a handle-bar performance (5 out of 5).

We can’t think of a more appropriate band for a summer festival than the next band we saw, Vampire Weekend. With their danceable afro-pop and lines such as “First the window, then it's to the wall/Lil' Jon, he always tells the truth,” Ezra Koenig and the rest of VW create a sound to which indie-kids across the world can get their groove on. Vampire Weekend’s performance at Pitchfork was not only a massive dance party, but also all around a great live show. The band sprayed the audience with energy and witticisms. Their live sound was extremely full and realized, despite the fact that strings are used in some songs on the studio version of their self-titled LP.

Don't Lie About This

Although Vampire Weekend was really fun to see and experience, it was our least favorite of the four main bands we saw that day (Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, The Hold Steady, Animal Collective). We say that, however, only because the other three acts had such a heroic feel that we could not place this show in the same tier. The factor that kept this show below the rest is mostly the music. The music of Fleet Foxes, The Hold Steady, and Animal Collective is so superior and inventive (or in the case of The Hold Steady, a reinvention that brings us back to true rock, which has been lacking in music for too long).
Holistically, the experience was truly pleasurable, and for that we give Vampire Weekend a Fu Manchu (4 out of 5).

A mass of people started pushing towards the stage after Vampire Weekend made their quick exit, rockers ready to see some of The Hold Steady. This was one of our most anticipated acts at the festival. After a whole year of falling in love with The Hold Steady’s studio albums, we were ready to witness the party that Craig Finn and company bring wherever they strap on their guitars. They lived up to their legacy as a great live band. Craig Finn is manic on stage, wildly gesturing, fiddling with his largely unplayed guitar, and mouthing lyrics even when he’s not singing (or yelling). The crowd loved Craig. Craig loved the crowd even more, feeding off the energy from the fans. The area in front of the stage literally turned into a gigantic party pit, everyone connected, sweaty, and swaying and lurching as one to the music hands outstretched punctuating the lyrics with gestures similar to Craig’s. The Hold Steady’s music is meant to be played live, and the new songs off of Stay Positive didn’t disappoint. “Sequestered in Memphis”, “Lord I’m Discouraged”, and “Slapped Actress” all shined in their live incarnations. The band’s entire discography was well represented, with even Almost Killed Me getting some love with “The Swish” and surprise encore “Killer Parties.” After “Killer Parties” Craig Finn showed his appreciation for the audience, reminding the audience that “We’re all The Hold Steady.” As if to allude to the Salad, Franz Nicolay’s facial accessory proved we all got handlebars that day (5 out of 5).

"Good to see you're still in a bar band, baby."

After being plowed to the front row by the crazy Hold Steady fans, we were positioned for a mind (and eardum) blowing show as the Pitchfork Pet, Animal Collective prepared to take stage. On the Jumbotron we watched Jarvis Cocker perform. During our wait, we felt no feelings of regret for not seeing him, but soon following, that mindset was even more prominent. Avey Tare, Geologist, and Panda Bear all scurried about the stage, setting up gear while the former Pulp front man played a set of songs that we maybe should care about, but in reality do not. After what seemed like decades, Mr. Cocker left the stage to a tidal wave of cymbals and distortion, and all eyes turned to the Aluminum Stage. The epic finale to the odyssey of music began with an Animal Collective signature remake of an AC song, “Chocolate Girl.” Following this was an omnipotent remix of Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica.” The white light pulse that coincided with the thunderous bass, which rivaled Public Enemy the previous night, reverberated inside my chest, soaking its way into my bones. Following “Comfy in Nautica” were three new AC songs, “House,” “BearHug,” and “Lion in a Coma.” “House,” an amazing new piece, which AC have been breaking in lately, is a great dance song that should definitely be on LP9. Minutes later, we heard that nonsensical static that could only mean one thing: “Peacebone.” When the beat became regular, the crowd went insane. We were pressed up against the people in front of us, and would have fell if the crowd was not packed so close that is was impossible to even budge. During the song, it was almost like the fans were a breathing, cohesive being, undulating to the sounds of one of the most adored bands by kids that spend way too much time on blogs (like you). The set wrapped up quickly, for a 10 o’clock curfew had been set on the festival. With “Lablakley Dress/Fireworks/Essplode/Fireworks,” the band could not have closed with a better suite. This mashing of songs signaled the audience to mash into a mass of flesh, dancing, and Avey Tare imitation “do-doo-do-doo-do-dos” that make the song “Fireworks” unmistakable and legendary. Which also are the words we would use to describe that day.
Animal Collective gets a Fu Manchu with a soul patch (4.25 out of 5).

This is Animal Collective playing one of their new songs, "House".

Here are some set lists for the obsessive fans.

Fleet Foxes
Sun Giant
Drops in the River
English House
White Winter Hymnal
Your Protector
He Doesn’t Know Why
Crayon Angels (Robin Solo)
Oliver James (Robin Solo)
Mykonos
Blue Ridge Mountains

Vampire Weekend
Mansard Roof
Campus
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
M-79
Bryn
(New Song)
A-Punk
One (Blake’s Got a New Face)
I Stand Corrected
The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance
Oxford Comma
Walcott

The Hold Steady
Constructive Summer
Hot Soft Light
Chips Ahoy!
Sequestered in Memphis
Navy Sheets
Banging Camp
Massive Nights
Party Pit
Lord, I’m Discouraged
The Swish
Magazines
Your Little Hoodrat Friend
Slapped Actress
Encore- Killer Parties

Animal Collective- Get the audio over at You Ain't No Picasso.
Chocolate Girl
Comfy in Nautica
House (New)
Lion in a Coma (New)
Peacebone
Daily Routine (New)
Bearhug (New)
Fireworks/Essplode

Pitchfork Music Festival Day One: Public Enemy Almost Killed Me, or “It Takes A Nation of A Millions to Hold Us Back”

2008-07-23T22:29:00.007-05:00

After a mile and a half walk because of our ignorance of the public transportation system, we finally arrived at Chicago’s Union Park; the location of the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival. The three members of Moustache Salad (Clint, Ira, Kyle) passed through the virtually nonexistent security, and into the still uncrowded confines of the park. As if Mission of Burma knew that the Salad had arrived, the first notes of the Vs.

(1982), floated across the crowd and grass. Being unfamiliar with the album, only having listened to it a couple times, we agreed that it was easier to appreciate live. After the first few songs into Mission of Burma’s set, we sneaked our way over to the Aluminum Stage where Public Enemy was slated to perform at 8:30. Despite the distance between us and Mission of Burma, their songs still grooved and hummed among the diverse hip-hop heads that were slowly gathering to kneel at the distinguished altar of Chuck D and Flavor Flav.

Following the epic Vs., Sebadoh (or as the emcee thought “Suh-bee-dough”) started in on their 1993 album, Bubble & Scrape. Aptly titled, the album indeed scraped live, although not necessarily in a good way. Sebadoh switched instruments between almost every song, bringing what should have been an album-like experience to a crawling, meandering mess. These frequent halts lowered the crowd’s energy, which had a negative effect on the band as well. The coup de grace on Bubble & Scrape came when the Bomb Squad began dramatically testing their equipment, letting loose a bowel-shaking bass thump that had to leave everyone within a two-mile radius wondering what the hell had just happened. The Bomb Squad got shut down by the festival coordinators about twenty seconds into their assault, which happened to coincide with an acoustic Sebadoh song. Chants of “Sebadoh Sucks!” arose from the crowd, quickly changing into a raucous chorus of “BOMB SQUAD! BOMB SQUAD!” Sebadoh finished their set, and slunk off the Connector Stage, as thousands raced to get a somewhat decent spot behind the already sizable horde gathered for Public Enemy.

All Your Bass Are Belong To Us.

As dusk settled on Union Park, the Bomb Squad thoroughly warmed up the crowd with their “New Dub Music”, cleansing the festival’s collective palette of Sebadoh. Hank and Keith Shocklee brought a “trunk o’ funk” to the lily-white audience, prompting mass uncoordinated dance moves. Most of the Bomb Squad’s new stuff has a reggae feel to it, unlike their earlier work with Public Enemy. After twenty-five minutes of beats, Keith Shocklee finally decided that the crowd was ready for Public Enemy. When a member of the audience requested sirens from the Bomb Squad, Keith responded, “You want the noise, you make it!” Upon hearing this, a legion of mouth-sirens started blaring from the audience.
The sirens and cheers grew louder when the S1Ws marched on stage, clad in Persian Gulf camo. A shortened version of “Countdown to Armageddon” was played before Chuck D hopped out onto the stage for It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back for the first time in its entirety, beginning with “Bring the Noise” inquiring in his Marv Albert inspired flow, “Bass. How low can you go?” We grew concerned about half-way through the song, when Flavor Flav was still nowhere to be seen. Chuck D was wondering the same thing, exclaiming immediately after the song ended, “Where the FUCK is Flavor Flav!?!?” This query was followed by thirty seconds of confusion and curse-laden inquiry before Flavor Flav made his grand appearance. The Clocker-rocker was weighed down with gold and ice, and of course his signature timepiece. Flavor claimed he had been held-up trying to get his family through security. After a rousing round of applause for Flavor, the duo launched into perhaps the best party jam off of It Takes a Nation, “Don’t Believe the Hype.” The audience responded, jumping and rapping along with Chuck D, “Back, caught you looking for the same thing.” With Flavor Flav on stage, Public Enemy exuded energy, driving the crowd wild with Chuck’s political and social rhymes with Flav’s nonsensical humor.
The track that followed displayed Flav’s particular humor, “Cold Lampin’ With Flavor”, Flavor’s only solo track on the album. He told the back story of the song, explaining how a New York City DJ played their first radio single, “Public Enemy No. 1” and completely dismissed it with the now immortal quote, “No more music from these suckers.” (which coincidentally begins the song). Other highlights of the night were “Terminator X to the Edge of Panic” (which was dedicated to their former DJ, Terminator X), “Night of the Living Baseheads”, and “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”, which was performed by Public Enemy’s live backing band. Chuck D is electric live; his voice booming, hands gesturing, jumping all over the stage even at the age of forty-seven. It Takes A Nation of Millions closed with “Party for Your Right to Fight”, during which Chuck and Flav simultaneously rapped back-to-back, cementing the album as both a political and party masterpiece.
Everyone expected the show to be over with the album finished, but Chuck and Flav had other plans. They treated all the sweaty fans to what was basically a short greatest hits, including “Welcome to the Terrordome”, “911 is a Joke”, and “Can’t Truss It”. Public Enemy closed their show on a high-note with the anthem “Fight the Power.”
We’d never been to a hip-hop show, let alone an entire festival devoted to music. We each entered with different expectations and indeed experienced different things. Some of these experiences were absolutely fantastic and some not so great. However, none quite compare to the experience that the Illustrious Kyle Mitchell had at the Public Enemy show. Here begins his account of those events.
…
I thought “The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me”

Let’s start this off with some back story.

I was really excited for this weekend to happen. I think that really goes without saying but I just wanted to make it clear that I had been anticipating its coming from the moment directly after Ira asked me, “Dude, have you heard of ‘The Pitchfork Music Festival?’”
In the 36 hours before attending Night One, I had obtained only an hour and a half of sleep and ingested a package of toaster pastries, a granola bar of sorts, and a bottle of water; and all during a six to seven hour car ride through the giant, majestic corn field that is Northwestern Illinois. Upon entering Union Park at about 6:30 p.m. we were instantly greeted by a good number of people soon followed by musical tones from Mission of Burma. We watched some of that set, Ira got his picture taken by a guy from The Riverfront Times who noticed his St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap, and then decided to get a spot for Pubilc Enemy, as the spaces to stand in front of the Aluminum Stage were already starting to be filled. There we waited for two hours before any sign of performance life from the A-Stage, where we eagerly waited.
A premature sonic blast from behind us quickened pulses and reawakened the anticipation that I felt for Public Enemy. Much to my chagrin, it would be almost 45 minutes before my appetite for annihilation would be quenched. When The Bomb Squad was finally allowed to launch their assault, we had managed to be only four people away from the front rail but there was really no way to distinguish one person in the crowd from another. As the volume went up, hands went up and bodies went up and the battle was joined, as it were.
Bomb Squad roared for…forever. I began to think to myself, “I really hope I don’t overdo this.” Turns out, I had probably already overdone it. I welcomed the short break in between The Bomb Squad and the obliterating noise that was soon to be brought. I was able to catch my breath a bit, but I had developed a weird twinge in my leg, almost like a periodic pulse of electricity; I ignored it best as I could. When DJ Lord gave the introduction for Public Enemy and Chuck D appeared on stage, the slightly subdued mass of bass-heads erupted in a manner as I have never heard or seen a crowd of any sort do. The crowd surged forward as one and Lord guided Chuck into “Bring the Noise” sans Flavor Flav. I was confused and worried at this. As, you read earlier, it wasn’t too long before he made his appearance and after that, things never settled down. I mean, the crowd quieted a bit to hear what one of these legendary gods of hip-hop wanted to quip to it, but for every song, every mouth screamed every lyric.
At the end of the album I was exhausted and drained. For almost ninety minutes I had been dancing and pumping my fist and screaming as loudly as I could manage some of the most deadly serious rhymes ever written. That was only half of it… For another hour, the geniuses behind Public Enemy treated their fans to their greatest of hit songs and histories behind the band and hip-hop in general. I wish I could say that I made it to the end of that, too. Instead, somewhere in the last four songs, my exhaustion and dehydration took over and my head began swimming. I tried to shake it off but when another song found my ear, my body took hold of my brain and said, “It’s time to get the fuck out of here.” Again, I tried to resist and Mr. Body countered by causing a nosebleed. I grabbed Ira’s shoulder to steady myself at which time he noticed the red faucet that had appeared on my face. I think I mentioned that I knew it was there, turned, and fell into Clint. Pushing through the crowd with Clint keeping me from falling over was a difficult process; there were people everywhere. It took almost four minutes to reach an area where there was space enough between people that I could sit. I remember a few people laughing at my situation, thinking I was way strung out on some substance or another. I also remember thinking, “If you don’t move, I’m gonna hafta bleed all over you.”
By the time I had recovered enough to realize I had stopped bleeding and tell Clint I didn’t need the paramedics, Chuck D was beginning his exit speech. I had to get some water so I shakily stood and found my way to the water fountains, again with Clint’s assistance (of which I am exceedingly grateful). Slightly re-hydrated, I found that I wasn’t seeing Public Enemy; that I was missing the end of the greatest show of my life thus far. “Dude, we gotta get back in there!”
By the time Clint and I found our way close to where we were before, Chuck D had already exited and Flavor Flav was saying his goodbyes: a parlance against racism, the current military conflict, and President George W. Bush… but most importantly, a plea for the like-minded individuals in the crowd to preserve their peace with each other and themselves.
There really can’t be much more said than that…
Except, maybe, this was certainly an incredible way to end a night and an incredible way to begin a weekend music festival…
And I say, “Goddamn!” That was a dope Jam.

Public Enemy's performance of It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back receives a much-deserved handlebar moustache (5 out of 5).

We Made It

2008-07-18T15:07:00.003-05:00

In a room, a few blocks away from Union Park, sits three-fifths of Moustache Salad. Prepping for Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, and the iconic hip-hop outfit, Public Enemy, we are fueling up on all out favorite (cheap) foods and beverages. That's all there is to say right now, but expect some irregular posts throughout the weekend and ensuing week.

Concert Review: Wolf Parade

2008-07-12T13:21:00.006-05:00

“Shit gets crazy.”

Ever since one of my friends introduced me to Wolf Parade (stating “Give me your eyes, I need the sunshine” in a dead pan, almost creepy tone) I’ve been obsessed. As I said in my last WP post, “Apologies…” is one of my all time favorite albums, and its follow-up “… Zoomer”, while not living up to the debut, is an all around solid album. When tickets went on sale for a mere twenty dollars, I snapped them up as soon as I could. In the time that I knew I was going to see them, I went to several other shows (Iron & Wine, Radiohead, Modest Mouse) and while these are some of my favorite artists, the Wolf Parade show was still the one I was anticipating most.

On the road trip up to Chicago, I began to think about the show more critically. I had been building it up so long, constructing the perfect set list and such. After months of anticipation and other stellar shows, not to mention being only SLIGHTLY disappointed with their second LP, I couldn’t help but worry that Spencer, Dan, and crew wouldn’t be able to live up to my self-built hype. Spending a day wandering around Chicago took my mind off these fears, however, especially the advice I received from one very outgoing and outspoken cabbie. After criticizing our pipe smoking, we were practically given a paraphrased version of Alan Arkin’s speech from Little Miss Sunshine. “You, you’re young, you’re not babies, but you’re young. You should no be smoking, you should be fucking the girls. Find girls, fuck them”. Hiding my smirk, I thanked him, but he continued. “I have two kids, I tell same thing every day. To drink, some, but not too much… es good. To go school, great. But to fuck… excellent.” Words of wisdom I’ll never forget.

Finally, the day of the show. We headed out about an hour early to sit in line outside the House of Blues. With only about twenty or so ahead of us, we knew we’d have a decent spot in the pit. Eventually, the doors opened and we nabbed second row center, about four or five feet from the stage. Striking up a conversation with someone directly in front of us, we got to hear about their past experiences at Wolf Parade shows, from their opening for Arcade Fire to their headlining tour. Asking what it was like yielded the dry response, “Shit gets crazy.”

I was really pleased with opening band Listening Party. I had never, and still haven’t, heard anything actually recorded by them so I was hesitant seeing only two people come on stage, one with a guitar and the other with a drum set made up of a plastic trashcan, a Home Depot bucket, and a cowbell, all held together by duct tape. Both men had great voices and were very talented musicians. Most of their stuff was backed by either prerecorded tracks or loops made on the spot. They had a pretty stellar set, and I would love seeing them live again.

The moment was at hand, and the crowd knew it. The pit, where once everyone was standing calmly, giving each other space, had suddenly become full to bursting with everyone trying to inch their way forward. I was separated from my party, them moving backward and I, luckily enough, being pushed to front row center, clutching onto the protective metal barrier to keep my new spot. After a brief announcement about where the emergency exits were located, the curtain rose and Wolf Parade took the stage. The crowd, of course, went insane. With that, Dan grabbed his guitar and hit the opening chords of “Language City”, one of Zoomer’s better tracks and a phenomenal opener. The band’s intensity was apparent early on as Dan screamed and spit the vocals and Spencer slammed his keyboard, all the way up to its climactic finish. With the first song alone, the band set the tone for the rest of the night.

Up next were a few more songs from their second album, including “Call It a Ritual” and “The Grey Estates”. I was completely surprised when, very early in their set, came “Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts”, the first song all night from Apologies. Once the crowd recognized the opening notes, shit got crazy. Everyone literally exploded. Where there was once at least some order, there was now just mass hysteria. To put it simply, it was awesome. One of the greatest aspects of the show was how the band really kicked up every song, especially those from Zoomer. Even my least favorite Wolf Parade song, “An Animal in Your Care”, was just incredible to see live, and contrary to my thoughts prior to show, I really enjoyed it. Following that came my favorite track off their new album, “Fine Young Cannibals”. While I loved every single second they were playing it, I noticed something that disappointed me as I was the only one to yell out in joy during the opening chords. The crowd, at least the people surrounding me, became subdued and much less responsive during Zoomer songs, and many people kept turning to me and asking, “What’s this one? What’s it from?” Regardless, “Fine Young Cannibals” was still one of the highlights of the show.

Next up were a couple more from Apologies, “Shine a Light” and “Grounds for Device”. The latter came as a very pleasant surprise. Having talked to several people before the show, I learned that none of them had never seen or heard of “Grounds…” being played live. Once again, the opening chords alone erupted the crowd. The crowd throughout the show was hit or miss, depending on where one was standing. According to some reports, some parts got overly violent. Also, apparently one intoxicated fan decided to not lose his spot by urinating in the middle of the full-to-bursting pit. At one point, Spencer turned to the audience, pleading, “Hey guys, be nice to everyone, the crowd surfing stuff. We’re all just here to have a good time.” Where I was everyone was mostly considerate of not totally destroying others while still jumping around, bumping, having a good time. However, it was a little before this point that a guy about a foot and a half taller than me and at least twice my weight began beating on me to try to get his way to the front row. Most of his time was spent attempting to slam me against the fence or beating on my back, but I knew I wouldn’t lose ground at this show. At the same time, I was trying to protect a girl next to me who was short enough that only her head popped above the guard rail. For several songs I had to balance between keeping my spot and protecting this tiny girl from getting smashed by this meat head. Eventually, he worked his way right beside me by pushing away the person formally standing next to me. “What the fuck?” he yelled out, clearly upset about losing his position. “DUDE, I MISSED THESE GUYS WHEN THEY PLAYED WITH ARCADE FIRE I’M SORRY BUT I HAVE TO DO THIS”. “Why’d you miss it?” the recently moved man asked. “SKIN CANCER, DUDE, SKIN CANCER. FUCKIN’ SUCKED, SKIN CANCER.”

The band took a brief break, all of them meeting on the center of the stage to have a brief discussion. Spencer looked a bit worried, asking something along the lines of “Are you sure?”, but he returned to his keyboard. He leaned forward, “Okay, so we haven’t tried this one live yet, but we’re gonna give it a shot.” With that, Spencer began with the familiar, eerie sounds and vocals of “Bang Your Drum”. For its first live playthrough, the song went without a hitch, fitting perfectly with the rest of the show. Once again, I had a new found respect for another Zoomer song. “Bang Your Drum” transitioned without a break into “Shine a Light”, another song that worked to jumpstart the crowd into even more of a frenzy, followed by “California Dreamer”. “This Heart’s On Fire” came next, and once again the crowd showed their love for any Apologies song. With every single song, the crowd kept building up and building up, screaming along louder, dancing, jumping around more furiously. This was the perfect lead up to the normal set’s ender, “Kissing the Beehive”. When I first heard this song, all I could think about how grand it scale was, just how huge it sounded. Prior to the show, I knew this would be a highlight, but the guys really made it more than anything I ever would have expected. As Dan’s gritty, guttural, pure-rock voice battled with Spencer’s all-over-the-place vocals, the whole band slammed out the monstrous tune. Eleven minutes of pure, intense rock. The final note rung out, and the band left the stage.

With the crowd begging for more, the band came out once again. They had already played all of At Mount Zoomer, so everyone knew it was Apologies or EP material for the encore. Once again, it would be Dan who began the song, playing the opening of “It’s a Curse”. Finally, the moment was at hand. Everyone in the crowd had been waiting for it. The instantly recognizable opening notes of “I’ll Believe in Anything”. Once again, shit got crazy. As Spencer screamed out, “Give me / Your eyes / I need/ The sunshine”, the whole venue went insane. Wolf Parade’s show had easily turned into the most intense pit I had ever been in. The entire crowd became united, singing (well, screaming) to each other, “I’ll believe in anything if you’ll believe in anything!” All the band members changed various bits of it, Arlen switching up the beat from time to time and Dan playing different riffs throughout. It was absolutely perfect. Finally, keeping up the momentum, Wolf Parade closed their show with “Fancy Claps”. I realize that my vocabulary has been pretty limited this entire review, and I keep repeating myself, but I can’t put it any other way: They rocked it. Wolf Parade absolutely destroyed the House of Blues with their high energy, excellent set list, and stellar, precise sound.

Best show of the summer. Best show of my life.

Handlebar Moustache (Five out of five.) ‘Nuff said.

Wolf Parade - Fine Young Cannibals (Early Live Version)

The Dragon Re-emerges

2008-07-09T19:38:00.009-05:00

I don’t know if you know this, but it is summer. Come 80-degree weather, my playlists change. They become more fun, brighter, and also more goofy. Such was the case when I was scrolling through my iPod to find the 2000 hit “Thong Song.” I punched the center button, and was taken back to “those finer things in life.” I found myself singing ALL the lyrics with all the enthusiasm as my 11-year-old self did eight years ago. I began to wonder where this silver-headed Casanova, Sisqó, had been for nearly a decade. After some in-depth (wikipedia) readings on the subject, I discovered quite a bit about Mr. Mark Althavan Andrews (including his name!).

Before his solo career, he was the lead singer in the R&B group, Dru Hill. In 1999, the group broke up, each going to pursue a solo path. Sisqó was the only member to achieve any kind of success. His debut, Unleash the Dragon, had only moderate popularity until the drop of the second single, and inspiration for this article, “Thong Song.”

Chances are that you are familiar with the track, so I will not describe it in any further detail than the most quintessential MTV (Real World/Road Rules/Spring Break – Cancun-era) song that could ever be penned. Riding on the coattails of its predecessor, “Incomplete” helped propel Unleash the Dragon to sell four million copies.

After a failed attempt to reunite Dru Hill, Sisqó decided to pursue not only another album, but also a film and television career. Sisqó’s Shakedown premiered on MTV. It was a short-lived dance competition program that he hosted. In “film” he acted in “Get Over It,” a movie about a breakup and “Snow Dogs” a comedy with Cuba Gooding, Jr. (which I think is all that needs to be said about that).

Sisqó’s career in acting and television hosting didn’t take the climb he had hoped, so he put out another album: Return of the Dragon. Despite its unique and clever title, the album’s singles “Can I Live” and “Dance With Me” failed to perform. In light of the lack of radio play, the album eventually reached platinum by the massive amounts of people wanting another “Thong Song.” What these masses don’t realize is that magic like that is a once in a lifetime shot, and Sisqó nailed it. So well in fact, that people, including myself, can’t let it go.

It is a good thing, at least for Mr. Andrews, that we can’t let it go, because of late he cometed on the CMT show Gone Country, which had non-country artists compete for a country recording contract. (Damn you, Julio Iglesias, Jr. for winning!). But, even though he didn’t win, we can take solace in the fact that later this year, he is releasing the final part of the trilogy! The to-be released album, Last Dragon, has already delivered a single with a video to go along with it. “Who’s Ur Daddy,” which features the new artist E-money, is a poignant tale of Sisqó’s desire to impregnate a certain lady. His desire for conception, but his lack of triumph can be envisioned at 1:33, where the video shows a man failing to complete a handstand. However, Sisqó’s determination, confidence, and his goal-oriented personality bring him to victory come the end of the single when the video takes on a Photo Booth “Glow” quality. To me this represents Sisqó’s “glow” of being a new father.

Reflecting on this artist’s work and his various hair stylings, which include, according to wikipedia.org, “a bleached blonde Caesar, a platinum-colored Caesar (colored with silver spray-paint), blonde cornrows, a neon–red dyed Caesar, and a bleached blonde Mohawk,” I can’t help but be consumed by the fervor of eventually Mark Althavan Andrews jumping out of my iPod video.

Monolith Music Festival

2008-07-09T13:40:00.001-05:00

I started this post over a month ago, saved it, and never posted... So, here it is now, in no less glory.

Dudes...
I know I probably won't be going to this, but if you can afford the time and money I can almost guarantee it will be the best weekend of your lives.

The Monolith Music Festival in Red Rocks, Colorado will be two night in September surrounded by walls of red sandstone, lots of screaming rock and indie fans, and the sounds of 50 or more bands on 5 stages. The single day passes are about $52 a piece, two day passes go for $110, and the VIP passes top out at $225... You may be balking right about now, but when you see the line-up of performances they have combined with the scenery and ambiance of Colorado, I'm almost certain your insides will begin to wriggle around, just like mine did.

Included in the list of performers that I mentioned above are Band of Horses, TV on the Radio, Silversun Pickups, Del The Funky Homosapien, and a legitimately funky group called Hercules & Love Affair...

Here's an example of them:

Hercules & Love Affair–Hercules Theme

"My God!" is exactly what you're thinking, right? I know.

This is not the time

2008-07-08T19:34:00.002-05:00

Bloc Party dropped their newest single, Mercury, in grand Flux-esque fashion.

Kele stopped in on the Zane Lowe show (who covers all the greatest and latest including my favorite Magistrates) to give them the first pleasure of listening to the track. I would have posted up in advance if I hadn't the technical issues, but I digress.

Enjoy the trippy and surreal video which dropped alongside the single.

Finally download and learn to love the track, MERCURY.
Seeing as it will be what we're going to see from kele and friends in the very near future, get used to it.

Fleet Foxes Black Cab Session

2008-07-07T15:35:00.003-05:00

Hello Moustache Salad readers. I'm back from my journey to the East, and ready to start posting again after my five week government-enforced respite from blogging. In China, amidst all the smog, haze, concrete, and skyscrapers, I found myself turning time and time again to Fleet Foxes to provide me with the sunshine and natural beauty that eluded me in Beijing and Shanghai. Here's a video of Fleet Foxes' lead singer Robin Pecknold performing for Black Cab Sessions. He covers Judie Sill's "Crayon Angels", a song I hadn't previously heard. Pecknold has one of the best voices in music, powerful and capable of many different textures and emotions. After one listen to his version of "Crayon Angels", I'm interested to seek out some of Judie Sill's work.

You should also check out the My Morning Jacket Black Cab Session. "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt. 2" in a cab? Bloody brilliant.

Concert Review: Modest Mouse

2008-07-06T16:55:00.004-05:00

As a member of Moustache Salad, I go to many concerts. Bars, rock clubs, and theaters: there are many different venues to see a show, each with a certain charm. But the variation in venues seems negligible when compared to the vast differences in personalities of the concertgoers. From the 13-year-old girls at the Death Cab show to the AARP members at the Wilco extravaganzas, I encounter virtually every demographic by the time I see a couple dozen shows. However, never have I been surrounded by such a diverse group as I was at the July 1^st Modest Mouse show in St. Louis. Before the show, I saw the teenagers hanging out at the front of the line 4 hours before the show started. In Vintage Vinyl I saw the scenesters buying their favorite Feist record on vinyl. And with me were a rock n’ roll die-hard, a health nut, and a Sam Beam fanatic. (Granted, I boiled my three friends down further than I normally would, but I use this illustration mainly to demonstrate the diverse group of people at this show). Before the show I pondered these differences, and how we were all united by a love for Modest Mouse.

This unification was strengthened once we were packed into the pit at the Pageant. When surrounded by hot, sweaty bodies, one must, in order to have a good time, submit to being hot and sweaty (and often the sweat is from others). This brings about a sense of community during a show. Concerts are meant to be experienced by a group of people. Whether the group is 10 or 10,000, the people make a connection with the others that can’t be broken. Not only is it music that brings people together, it is the entire experience. For example, it seemed that everyone in the audience was smoking Camel Lights. There was one kid, who was probably smoking for the first time, and he smoked what had to have been way too much for his body, because after looking nauseous for some time, he passed out in two of my friends’ arms. The health nut checked for signs of life, and then told someone to call 911. One of the bouncers picked up the kid, and took him outside. After the hustle, people went back to filling the Pageant up with smoke. Looking up, I could see the smoke from different people mingle and become one large cloud.

After watching the smoke sweep across an empty stage for an excruciatingly long time, Modest Mouse finally hit the stage. Isaac Brock came out in a Corona poncho and sombrero. He also brought out a bamboo plant. They launched into “Dance Hall” which set the mood for the rest of the show, because for the rest of the show, the pit was full of dancing. While Modest Mouse went crazy on stage, the sound guys at the Pageant must have been asleep, because the feedback was almost intolerable for the first three songs. It wasn’t Modest Mouse’s fault, but it is the only factor that keeps this show from the legendary handlebar.

Brock was the madman that he is on stage. He gripped his axe as if it were really a bladed tool. His crazy eyes would have made me turn the other way if I had seen him out in public, but in the confines of the venue, I only felt awe.

For the past month and a half, The Lonesome Crowded West consumed me. However, when only one song off LCW made the setlist (Trucker’s Atlas) I was more than content, because the energy was higher than any other concert I have experienced. Surrounded by cigarettes, booze, dancing, weed, and sweat, I could not think of a better place to be. Some unexpected highlights were “Here It Comes” off Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks and “Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset” off their debut This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. Also, they played the unreleased “Satellite Skin” which is a song I really look forward to being able to hear on a studio release, or even a bootleg for that matter, because it was damn good.

Apart from getting to see one of my favorite bands, there was another part of the show that I was really anticipating: getting to see Johnny Marr. I love The Smiths, so getting to see Johnny Marr was very pleasing.

Brock and the boys played the singles, which admittedly, I was dreading, but really it was fucking great. The energy hit a peak and everybody was dancing and bumping into each other. When they played the closer off Good News For People Who Love Bad News, “The Good Times Are Killing Me,” all I could think of was that kid who passed out. (He turned out to be fine, in case you were wondering). After the first set, they came back to do their encore, finally ending with “Spitting Venom,” which is the most epic track off We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.

After the band walked off stage, the smoke hung like a shadow from a nuclear blast. Everyone walked around in awe and excitement. Laughing, smiling, and already reminiscing, I knew that we had experienced community in a great way, and that we weren’t just blowing smoke.

I give this a Fu Man-chu with sideburns (4.5 out of 5).

Modest Mouse - Broke

Modest Mouse - Here It Comes

Modest Mouse - Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset

Modest Mouse - Paper Thin Walls (Live off Baron von Bullshit Rides Again)

There Will Be Blood

2008-07-04T19:38:00.004-05:00

Ok... I know. Where have I been?!

Paul Thomas Anderson's American Epic starring award winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis, is just that, epic. And it's been, what, nearly half a year since its widespread release in January earlier this year? To answer your question, I haven't been anywhere, thank you very much. That's why I didn't get out to see this wonderful piece of art.

It's really no excuse.

Any who, if you haven't taken the time to see this, and believe me, you'll have to take the time at 158 minutes long, do yourself a favor and find it (both the time and the movie).
It is pretty much sight and sound, tit-for-tat the novel "Oil" by Upton Sinclair. Not really word for word or, you know, in book form, but you really get the feel of dirty, grimy 1911 oil-county in the newly forming American West.
As for the technical stuff that I always like to get into, There Will Be Blood is almost a monster movie than it is a character study of a man whose only love is for success and his son. Almost...
The camera work only seems to get in the way of the whole experience a couple of times (i.e. stuff hitting the lens and slightly shaky camera handling) but the sounds and scenery of the film are breathtaking.

So... see it...

I give it the Jason LaRue Porn-stache (5 out of 5)

P.S.
I haven't been to my home in a while to access my parents' TiVo to finish up my last post about AFI's 10 top 10... I'll try to get there soon. Either that or I'll post a link to the site where you can read about everything there.

[EDIT]
P.P.S.
Apparently, TiVo got sick of the "10 Top 10's" antics and deleted it from the hard drive...
so here's this

AFI's 10 Top 10

Local Sensation: Josephine Collective.

2008-06-26T14:46:00.004-05:00

By far one of the most influential bands from the Kansas City area in the past few years, wouldn't surprise me if they became the next Get Up Kids.

Saw them for the first time open for Angels and Airwaves in 2006, since i've seen them tear up local stages on Warped Tour, all the while signed to Warner Bros.' record label.

Their newest release, We Are The Air shows how much they've matured and how legit they're ready to be.

They've had a few style changes over the years, getting more poppy, but I think they've settled into a more rigid Pop Punk/Alt Rock scene. I think I can succinctly describe them as a more generic taking back sunday who grew up this side of the post-hardcore scene.

Enjoy a few tracks, hit em up with some love. And if you get the chance to catch a show, do it. Its one of the best non-hardcore acts you'll see from any local band.

Clementine - Josephine Collective

Living - Josephine Collective

Lye - Josephine Collective

myspace.com/JOSEPHINECOLLECTIVE

AFI's 10 Top 10

2008-06-20T13:23:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday, June 17th, CBS aired a special put together by the American Film Institute, calling attention to, in the opinion of the Institute and several well-known actors, the ten best films ever produced in ten unique categories in all of filmdom. The categories include Animation, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Sports, Western, Gangster, Mystery, Romantic Comedy, Courtroom Drama, and Epic.
That being 100 movies in total (all of which you should try to watch sometime in your life), I will report to you their top choices with a little explanation and then list the rest in the category, finishing up with some of my own comments for your pleasure.

Animation

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
This was the very first full-length animated film, though, as writer/director (of films like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous) Cameron Crowe points out, it is difficult to imagine it as such, due to the finely crafted animation, skillful shots, and witty plot devices. The classic love story of Snow White is kind of lost on today's culture as we are no longer used seeing such a plain courtship as we do in that of Snow White and Prince Charming; girl wants boy, boy finds girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again, girl is poisoned by wicked stepmother and is doomed to sleep forever in a glass coffin, boy saves girl from eternal slumber and everyone lives happily ever after.

2. Pinocchio (1940)
3. Bambi (1942)
4. The Lion King (1994)
5. Fantasia (1940)
6. Toy Story (1995)
7. Beauty and the Beast(1991)
8. Shrek (2001)
9. Cinderella(1950)
10. Finding Nemo(2003)

The majority of these animated films were selected due to the appeal to both children and adults, which is understandable. You can't really have a successful picture if it is limited to a particular audience, especially if that audience really couldn't care less that they were watching a movie instead of drooling in a scaly corner somewhere (that's probably an exaggerated generalization of children, but you see my point). These cartoon movies are bright and colorful and fun, but they may also contain very deep and sometimes emotionally distressing
story, such as the violent murder of Mufasa in the Lion King or the even more morose calling of "Mother?" into the empty snowfall by the young prince after a single, unseen gunshot in Bambi.

Fantasy

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
A true classic, is Dorothy's tale of finding friendship when she thinks she has none and of realizing you have intelligence, compassion, and courage when it doesn't seem so. The issues of the movie are very adult, but are juvenilized. The story is told through the camera, as it shifts from the dark, imprisoning feeling we get in the scenes in Kansas, to a magnificence in the bold color that audiences of the time had not previously seen. Skillful camera angles work along with the color and beautifully wrought music to enhance our perception of the story as well as influence our mood in every scene.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
3. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
4. King Kong (1933)
5. Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
6. Field of Dreams (1989)
7. Harvey (1950)
8. Groundhog Day (1993)
9. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
10. Big (1988)

Motion pictures place us in a world outside of our own. They place us in someone else's life and let us live out the story as we see ourselves inside what was at one time just some character on a script on a desk somewhere. Inside someone else's experiences, we can accomplish fantastic things. This is where the appeal of the fantasy genre comes from. Through fantasy our dreams are realized on film, but the classifications of these films rely on more. (Get ready, I'm going to have a lot to say about fantasy films...)
In 1924, the feats that Douglas Fairbanks performed in The Thief of Bagdad were only dreamed about; no one could arouse an army into existence from nothingness or soar around buildings and high above the streets on a flying carpet or defeat a giant lizard belching smoke and flame. These were all special effects and tricks of the camera that no one had ever seen before on film. Still, today, these tricks seem clever and almost real, if not just purely satisfying when compared to the outrageousness we see in Hollywood's recent computer aided endeavors.
I can't stand Jimmy Stewart but Harvey is one of my all-time favorite movies and I think Mr. Stewart made conversations with an invisible, 6 ft tall, white rabbit more believable than any other actor could. Conversely, It's a Wonderful Life might be my least favorite, most hated movie... ever... of all time. I can't stand it! I find it almost sickening through it's softly contrived character flaws and almost stupid simpleness of dialog. George Bailey, being a successful banker with a great home and a wonderful family would not consider jumping from a bridge into an icy river. However, despite my uncontrollable dry heaves that occur because of holiday traditions, I may be able to see where people could like the warm welcomes and happy home scenes that they believe they can share with those around them.
I have an issue with Field of Dreams being on the list, but only because I think it sucked. It seemed longer than it actually was and I think Costner's Kinsella was just a whiny and unmotivated twerp. I love baseball... this movie isn't really about baseball, which is why I guess it was in "fantasy" as opposed to "sports" but the method used of getting around to showing that a grown man is having a mid-life crisis because of the relationship he never had with his father is a bit cheesy.
Miracle On 34th shows that an ability to act isn't always required to make a practical and great movie. The themes of this film are too solid to pass up; a city imprisons and institutionalizes a man who calls himself Santa Claus and a family (along with the city) trying to understand and develop faith.
Groundhog Day and Big are great because we see the development of a singular character throughout the entirety of both films. This technique really allows the viewer to place themselves in that character and they can feel what Josh feels when it's time to go home, or what Frank feels when he kills himself only to awaken immediately to the same thing over and over and over...
To finally wrap up the second tier, The Wizard of Oz was and always will be a technical and literary masterpiece, but I think there have been more influential pieces and, therefore, does not deserve the number one spot. In fact, I really wouldn't mind if they just scratched a few of the movies on this category and included all movies of the LoTR trilogy.

Science Fiction

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
What can really be said about this movie that can't be gathered from just watching it again and again? Unbelievably glorious music and camera work and writing and special effects. Simply put, it's just beautiful... even when it's ugly, it has this golden aura of beauty. In every way, this movie gives me goosebumps and deserves no less than being number one.

2. StarWars: Episode IV-A New Hope (1977)
3. E.T.-The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
4. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
6. Blade Runner (1982)
7. Alien (1979)
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
10. Back to the Future (1985)

Science fiction is all about making us, as the audience think and dazzling or scaring the shit out of us at the same time. The best directors and writers are masters of this genre and make us think, dazzle us, and scare the shit out of us the best of anyone else. By using distinct and unique styles and combining their work with sounds from out of this world or dimension, we are taken on an exhilarating, existential enlightenment of our own lives. Not much else can be said apart the aspects of Sci-Fi combine together into a single thing that has a way of delighting everyone in one way or another.

Sports

1. Raging Bull (1980)
This film was set in the 40s but shot in 1980. Martin Scorsese, director, filmed the movie on a sort of fuzzy black and white medium that really makes it seem like a film shot in the 40s. There is something very intimate about the way the film was shot that makes this character study, of the angry, self-destructive, boxing force that is Jake La Motta (Robert DeNiro), an eerily truthful perception of what it was to be La Motta in and out of the ring.

2. Rocky (1976)
3. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
4. Hoosiers (1986)
5. Bull Durham (1988)
6. The Hustler (1961)
7. Caddyshack (1980)
8. Breaking Away (1979)
9. National Velvet (1944)
10. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Sports films have a tendency to be hit or miss a lot of the time. But one thing they seem to be really good at, is capturing the comradery that occurs when a group of people gather for sport. They are also very good at lifting one character up from nothing and showing us that strength and victory are obtained through determination, hard work, and, most importantly, by those around us. Aside from Caddyshack, it's just good at making us laugh for decades.

Western

1. The Searchers (1956)
Many terrible situations reveal themselves to John Wayne's racist, bigot of a character in this movie but ultimately, as he searches for his niece and her kidnappers, he finds some peace in himself. That would be a pretty simple explanation of a complicated man that is Wayne here. He is dark, angry, and almost a twisted soul with out remorse or law other than his own. He is the hero, but not the hero that anyone wants.

2. High Noon (1952)
3. Shane (1953)
4. Unforgiven (1992)
5. Red River (1948)
6. The Wild Bunch (1969)
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
9. Stagecoach (1939)
10. Cat Ballou (1965)

There is nothing more classically American than the classic American Western. They revel in showing off wide open plains, great and pure blue skies, and heroic figures of strength and justice... or evil villains of pure venom filled with a frightening blood-lust and dusty malintent. Westerns bring film to a level of dramatic tension and an emotional stagnation that draws on an audience to feel as a part of the film and we love them for it.

Well, that was a very long half. I'm tired now and have some obligation which I must attend to. I promise to be back soon with the other 50 greatest films of all time.

Ready for the world to implode?

2008-06-14T11:05:00.004-05:00

Three music genius/giants teaming up together?
(5 days old)

WHAT? CRITICAL MASS

Julian Casablancas (The Strokes)
+
Santogold (Santogold)
+
PHARRELL (pharrell, N.E.R.D.)

WHAT. Apparently its for a Converse ad, but I find that hardly relevant. Enjoy the track.

z share it

The Sound of Settling (For Blah Indie Rock)

2008-06-08T20:14:00.003-05:00

“I cursed myself for being surprised that this didn’t play like it did in my mind” Ben Gibbard sang on the opening song, “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” at Death Cab for Cutie’s concert in Columbia, MO on May 31^st. I could relate to him with the utmost earnestness, except on a completely different level. While Ben sang about a romantic relationship lost, I felt a musical one depleting. Amongst the screams of girls resounding the hackneyed concert yell, “I love you _______.” I thought to myself, “Why the hell am I here?”

Before the show, my fellow concertgoer, and I stopped for some pizza at a local place, Gumby’s. I ate all I could, then took the pizza to the car, only to realize that rain was coming down heavier than any piece of shitty metalcore anyone could ever find. We ran to the venue, and it was outside, so we didn’t give a shit about being wet. We got there, and waited and waited and waited, because the rain had stopped the roadies from getting the gear set up. Drenched, I told my friend, “This better be a hell of a good show.” Oh how disappointed I would be.

Granted a few weeks before I saw Radiohead and Wilco almost back to back, so my expectations for shows were irreversibly heightened, but flat out Death Cab for Cutie sucked it up. One could blame the weather, for the roadies were rushed to set the gear up, but Rogue Wave, the opener had a fucking sweet set. I am not even a Rogue Wave listener; in fact I had dismissed them over a year ago as throw-away indie rock. Their live show returned me to Descended Like Vultures, their 2005 LP that I had bought, then promptly stashed away a week after the purchase. So with that said, it wasn’t the roadies’ fault, it was a combination of many other things.

Number one, Chris Walla is an excellent producer, and can bring out a sound in an album that is very unique, vibrant, and full. So when that music on an album is performed, it takes a lot to live up to the sound, and Death Cab blew it. “Bixby” sounded flat, “I Will Possess Your Heart” had less of a groove, and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” was just inarguably boring.

Next on the list: Ben has an ego. He is getting love from all these people, and thrives on it. The songs he sings are quite relatable at some times, but coming from this huge hot-air balloon of an ego, I felt alienated. He came out with a swagger that I didn’t notice when I saw them in 2006, and Neil Young chops that he had to have grown purposefully. I couldn’t stand to watch him.

Finally, the crowd sucked. I should have known better. Death Cab for Cutie=teenage girls and hopeless guys. I was surrounded by people that “couldn’t believe it was actually happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and others that sang all the words (to the songs that everybody knows). Death Cab played all fan favorites, which is good for bands without much material, but with 6 full albums and plenty of EPs and b-sides, some fans want to hear those songs that had been collecting dust. Those few of us got one: “Your Bruise.” It had to be the highlight of the night, because it was the only song that I didn’t roll my eyes during. I was singing along (for once) and then I looked around, and I saw no other mouths moving. It is such a great song, but none of these people had bothered to listen to it because it didn’t have that lacquer that almost all other DCFC songs do.

They finally closed with “Transatlanticism.” And since they have been closing with that since 2003 in almost every show, all I could do was think about that Gumby’s pizza I still had in my car, and how that would take this terrible taste out of my mouth that Death Cab for Cutie’s show had left.

Moustache Salad this a Thin-Frenchman with sideburns (but not Neil Young’s) 2.5/5

Sorry, no mp3. I didn’t think it deserved one.

Nice to Meet You, At Mount Zoomer

2008-06-04T21:34:00.006-05:00

Wolf Parade’s debut, “Apologies to the Queen Mary”, was an unbelievable album that blew a majority of listeners away even only after the first time through. To this day, Apologies… is still one of my favorite albums. Of course, with such a successful start, expectations for their future were incredibly high. With the release of their sophomore LP “At Mount Zoomer” quickly approaching, die hard Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner fans can’t wait. With the tracks hitting the net not long ago, I decided to give the album a rundown and see just how Wolf Parade would follow their spectacular start.

Soldier’s Grin - Carnival. This upbeat riff that opens the album alone gives me hope that At Mt. Zoomer will be able to live up to Apologies… The overall positive-sounding music structure of the song remains catchy and constant, up until the bridge where the band takes the time to slow things down a bit. Finally, by the time the song comes back around to the refrain, I’m completely hooked, shouting “And what you know can only mean one thing!”

Call It a Ritual - Potential. This song was leaked even earlier than Mt. Zoomer so I (as I’m sure most of you) have had an ample chance to listen to it. The song seems to never really get off the ground. By no means am I saying this is a bad thing (in fact, I really do enjoy this song), it just seems like there’s so much more that could have been done with it. Everything starts to musically click around the two minute mark, but the moment is short lived.

Language City - Vindictive. The lyrics in this one may not be about one seeking revenge, but the moment I heard it, “vengeful” was the feeling at the forefront of my mind. Boeckner excels on this track from the moment it begins through its up-tempo bridge and ending, repeating, “We are not at home.” Easily one of Dan’s best and another great WP track.

Bang Your Drum - Unnerving. The opening strains of this song have a cryptic sound, one that leaves the listener thinking, “Something’s not right.” The paranoid feeling remains throughout the first half of the song. Relief doesn’t come until about the 1:45 mark, where one is finally free to ease some of that nervous tension as the song takes a more lighthearted sound. Feel free to sway your hair back and forth at this point, even as Spencer sings, “Take that hair out of your damned eyes.” Eventually, the song ends with sounds reminiscent of the opening, not as nerve-wracking but still leaving one with the feeling that everything is not as it should be.

California Dreamer - Dry. While far from being a bad song, this track is really hit or miss on every subsequent listen. Sometimes I find myself zoning out during the song, thinking it nothing more than another mediocre Spencer track. Other times I’ll throw it on to rock out to the simplistic lyrics (“I think I might have heard you on the radio” or “I’ll be around like a teenager in town”). However, hooking as it may occasionally be, it’s still more or less a rudimentary Krug song.

The Grey Estates - Escape. “Darling, please let’s get out of here / on a train to who knows where.” Dan’s lyrics mixed with the upbeat, fun sound give one a sense of departure, moving on to something bigger and better. This songs is definitely one of the most easily accessible for new listeners. It also does its part to remain true to Wolf Parade’s style so as not to alienate seasoned fans. This is definitely one of my favorites on the album, and one of the better Wolf Parade songs all around.

Fine Young Cannibals - Incredible. This is song is absolutely amazing. Ever since I had heard some of the live bootlegs, this has been the song I’d been looking forward to the most. It more than exceeded the personal hype that I had built. “Fine Young Cannibals” has easily become my favorite track on At Mount Zoomer. The tame opening, the gradual but brilliant build up, the subtle changes, the short but breathtaking instrumental bits, it all comes together in this one track. As a huge “Apologies…” fan who doubted Wolf Parade’s sophomore album, this track alone made me a believer.

An Animal In Your Care - Growth. Most initial listeners will probably skip this track after about six or seven seconds of it. The slow (some I’ve talked to have also said “boring”) and at times depressing (“You will remember me most by my funeral”) opening will elicit many to hit the next button as soon as possible. However, they’ll be missing out on the transformation towards the midpoint of the song where the tune begins to pick up into a more normal (“normal” in the context of Spencer Krug) Wolf Parade track.

Kissing the Beehive - Resolution. Some have already hailed the final track on the album as Wolf Parade’s greatest to date. While I don’t know if I can agree with these claims (yet), I will admit that Kissing the Beehive is almost eleven minutes of excellence. Even if one had no idea how many tracks AMZ had, it would be obvious to tell that this is the album’s closer because of it’s grand scale. While it may not rank at the very top, this song will undoubtedly find it’s way on any WP fan‘s favorite tracks list. “As if you didn’t know that it would sting.”

While not completely living up to every single one of my expectations from their debut, Wolf Parade have a found a way to make an absolutely stellar album, a definite purchase when it’s released on the eighteenth. Wolf Parade will also follow the release of the album with a promotional tour.

To avoid heat from Sub Pop, here are rough, live bootlegs of tracks from At Mount Zoomer.

Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin (Early Live Version)

Wolf Parade - Fine Young Cannibals (Early Live Version)

Guy Richie in October

2008-05-28T22:33:00.002-05:00

Hairy Shunter...
This blog was a long time in coming, yet, with all of that time, I couldn't figure out how to begin it. So, with Ira running for cover this month in Beijing to a sturdy doorway or table during a massive earthquake or in hiding from the Red Police in the midst of an angry student protest/riot, I settled with dedicating the beginning to him.
Now, with that done, on to real business...

Guy Richie is one of my favorite directors. Partly because he writes nearly all of his own screen plays. Mostly because of the way he uses camera work to aid in telling the story as well as to artfully display
situations normal people would never be in but would like to think that they would be in.
In 1998, Richie broke into the forefront of the motion picture business with a movie called Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, a masterpiece about "fast talking gangsters and stupid criminals,"debuting tough-guy actors Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones.
Only the first of several gambling/organized crime related works, "Lock, Stock" broke barriers for Richie and he seemed to be on the way to starting a Spielberg-esque cache of films for maturer audiences. Unfortunately, right before rapping on his new prospect, Snatch (2000), featuring Statham and Jones once again alongside Brad Pitt in a bizarre role, Richie met Madonna, whom, beautiful person that she is, sucked all of the marrow from his skeleton. They married, adopted some illegal aliens, blah-blah-blah... His creativity has, since then, been on a bit of a hiatus, with only a few short films and a detestable feature film starring his spouse. In 2005, Richie really tried to redeem himself with Revolver, again featuring Statham as leading man and mixing it up with supporting actors with veterans Ray Liotta and Vincent Pastore and hip-hop star turned actor, André "André 3000" Benjamin. Revolver looked to be a huge step for Richie, as he took his "Lock, Stock" mold to a trippy, action/thriller novel with a psychological twist. The combination proved to be too much for him to tackle all at once, though his creation in Revolver is visually beautiful and entertaining. It just seemed to lack cohesion and, dare I say it, direction... ah, well...
Things look up! A new English gangster flick from my buddy, Guy is set to be released October 31st of this year and I am super stoked! Yes, it is titled "RocknRolla" and, yes, just like every other movie coming out, it stars Gerard Butler (300), but I don't care, it also will exhibit the acting styles of rapper/entertainer Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges.
Uh... hmm. That doesn't seem too promising either, does it?
Still, I am excited. From everything I've seen so far (i.e. stills, short clips, descriptions...) it appears to be a comfortable step backward to the earlier Richie with a few hidden surprises for good measure. I haven't seen any nods to the old gambling staple yet, but it looks like bright, white shots will be used a lot as they were in Snatch. What we can really count on is there being at least one foxy lady near the beginning of the list of credits. Her name is Gemma Arterton, reportedly the soon-to-be redheaded Bond Girl for Quantum of Solace and the leading lady of the Prince of Persia movie, due in 2009 sometime. So, we can all look forward to seeing a lot of her, hopefully in more way than one, if you know what I mean.

I was always late

2008-05-28T14:29:00.005-05:00

muxtape v526

disclaimer:
the best/newest of indie, electro, and hardcore.

lunothehellion.muxtape.com/

(couldn't think of a title, first line of first song on shuffle)

shadow of better days

2008-05-22T11:50:00.004-05:00

The Lush's last demo.

sigh
enjoy

MP3: The Lush - The Art of The Ambush

Where Have I Been?

2008-05-16T12:41:00.003-05:00

A couple months ago, Pitchfork reported that The Feelies were going to do a couple reunion shows. I didn't know who the hell these "Feelies" were, but according to Pitchfork, I could name any band I liked, and could be sure that they liked The Feelies. Naturally, I checked them out by grabbing a copy of their most famous album Crazy Rhythms. Now I wonder why no one had ever recommended these guys to me. They are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. I decided not to let others go on without this music (who knows, the whole world could know these guys, and now I sound like an ignorant, pretentious douche).

Anyway, if you haven't heard them, here you go. But if you have, then good for you.

The Feelies - The Boy With The Perpetual Nervousness

The Feelies - Fa Cé-La

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

The Feelies - Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones)

I hate you all.

2008-05-13T17:11:00.012-05:00

(i really do)

Enjoy you're effing show.
I'll occupy myself with my library of rares b-sides acoustics and remixes.
Here's a random assortment, I will probably flood it tomorrow with more.

(post up if there's something you'd like to see, I probably have it)

Idioteque (Live)
(live and in charge)

Bulletproof...I Wish I was (Acoustic)

In My Mind (w/ The Pixies)
(ohh yeahh)

Subterranean Homesick Alien (Acoustic)

True Love Waits
Christopher O'Riley Piano cover. Super sexy.

Faithless The Wonder Boy

India Rubber

Paranoid Android (Early)

Treefingers (Extended)

Skttrbrain (Four Tet Remix)

Like Spinning Plates (Reversed)
For the hell of it

Big Ideas (Acoustic)

33.33333

Myxomatosis
---
There There (Demo)

Motion Picture Soundtrack (Early)

Motion Picture Soundtrack (christopher o'riley piano)

Ruminations about Radiohead's upcoming St. Louis show and some live mp3s

2008-05-11T17:09:00.006-05:00

Radiohead, my favorite active band, is coming to St. Louis in just a few days. I've been scanning the set lists from every night of their tour hoping find my favorite songs included in the hefty list of two dozen that Radiohead has been averaging every night. "Idioteque" has been cropping up frequently, and Radiohead played "Paranoid Android" as part of their second encore a few nights ago in Charlotte. In recognition of the presumably mind-blowing concert I'm about to witness I'm posting a few live Radiohead tracks for you to enjoy.

Radiohead- True Love Waits (Live)
A studio version of this amazing acoustic song has never been released, although it is available on Radiohead's live album I Might Be Wrong.

Radiohead- Fog (Again) (Live)
Thom doing what he does best on this live version of a B-side.

Radiohead- Killer Cars (Live)
This Bends-era B-side may take on new meaning with Radiohead's global warming activism. I've had this song on-repeat since discovering it a couple days ago. This seems like a perfect sing-along song with its easy to understand lyrics and sweeping vocals.

Radiohead- Reckoner (Live)
Probably my favorite track off of In Rainbows. The percussion intro and Thom's beautiful falsetto make this a classic.

Radiohead- Lucky (Live)
If Radiohead plays this on Wednesday "it's gonna be a glorious day."

Calico Horse- Idioteque
I couldn't find a live version of this insane song, so here's a nice acoustic cover and a video of Thom spazzing out.

B-sides, I Love You: Wilco

2008-05-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

In a few days, I am going to experience something that few have: a Radiohead show followed mere days later by a Wilco show. Wilco are sometimes considered the American version of Radiohead, but I think both bands are just too great to be compared to any contemporaries. To spread my happiness, I am posting some rare Wilco b-sides and some tracks from the best show I have ever seen (sorry Radiohead junkies, but Wilco is my favorite band).

Wilco – Sugar Baby
Wilco – James Alley Blues
Wilco – Passenger Side (Alternate Version)
Wilco – No More Poetry
Wilco – Monday (Alternate Version)
Wilco – Kingpin (Live at the Val-Air Ballroom)
Wilco – Olé Olé (Live at the Val-Air Ballroom)

Nice to Meet You, Narrow Stairs

2008-05-02T19:13:00.005-05:00

Bixby Canyon Bridge – Alive. There it is, that signature Chris Walla ambient drone. It is almost the exact sound used at the beginning of Transatlanticism. In fact there are some parallels between “Bixby” and “The New Year.” At first it is not very apparent. Gibbard’s vocals take center stage for the introduction of Narrow Stairs. Layered upon the lyrics is the guitar, light drums, and then comes the familiarity found in “The New Year” with heavy drums beats, distortion, and the energy that shapes a great opener (shameless plug: check out our list of Great Openers, including “The New Year.”)

I Will Possess Your Heart – Groove. I have had this song for a while. The bass-line and the antagonistic guitar and piano make this song. And the length. Oh, the length.

No Sunlight – Catchy. Despite the song resounding a chorus about there not being sun, the feel definitely makes me think of summer days, car rides, and camping.

Cath… – Rocker. I keep thinking about how this album is supposed to be different, and it is so far, but I keep getting vibes from previous DCFC songs. This one reminds me of “Tiny Vessels.” Hmm, similarity to Transatlanticsim…

Talking Bird – Slow Dance. I would dance with my sweetheart to this song, and then at the end realize “oh shit, we aren’t meant to be together.” Which I am starting to get the feel that this is what the whole album is shaping to be about.

You Can Do Better Than Me – March. Sort of reminds me a Spoon song. Super short and earnest. The title says it all.

Grapevine Fires – Plans. Plans’ sound meets Walla’s activism meets “We Will Become Silhouettes.” It seems a little odd because this song has political tones to it, and Gibbard has never been known to express opinions via his music, but you know who has: Walla. Musically, the song is interesting with the electric organ and the drumbeat that sounds familiar to all the drums on Plans. I am not criticizing the drums, I love them, they are familiar, that is all.

You New Twin Size Bed – California. Why does the song have to sound like all those other California-toned songs? It is just the damn acoustic guitar. OK, lets put that aside for a bit. The electric guitar is great, almost like “My Name is Jonas” (check out our Great Openers!). The production on this song is great. It really brings out the instrumentation and lets us experience one of the goals of Narrow Stairs: to let us know that Death Cab is a collective of great musicians, not just a gifted songwriter.

Long Division – Expected. This is what I would have expected the next album to sound like a few months after Plans dropped. Familiar guitar sweeps and more distortion embody the song. When I say expected I am not thinking negatively at all.

Pity and Fear – Whatthefuck!? – Hell yes. This is what they meant by different. When I first heard this song via NPR, I thought it was a Radiohead song until that unmistakable voice came over the headphones. The electronic bongos signal a change, but hey, this is the second to last song…isn’t it a little too late for that? I don’t know because this is one of the best songs off the album, and it will take some more listens to have an opinion about placement. But one thing is for sure, it ends hella sweet.

The Ice Is Getting Thinner – Confirmation. Just as the song confirms my suspicions that the album is essentially about a breakup, it confirms that the guys are into something new. Ben on solo electric and then Walla (assumption) on slide guitar, the song provides to be the best choice for the closer, and in fact is a really, really great song.

I would post these, but I don't want Atlantic on my back, so here are some bootlegs off Narrow Stairs.

Death Cab for Cutie - Bixby Canyon Bridge

Death Cab for Cutie - No Sunlight

Death Cab for Cutie - Your New Twin Size Bed

Proper review to drop on May 13th.

Hey You Gotta Pay Your Dues Before You Pay the Rent: A Finals Week Muxtape

2008-05-01T20:28:00.003-05:00

With finals week quickly approaching and studying consuming all my time, I decided to take a break from all the schoolwork and make a muxtape about the stress and insanity of final exams. I attempted to construct a sort-of chronological mixtape that spans from the beginning of the finals crunch to the sweet release of summer break. Enjoy, and good luck on your finals if you have any.

Finals Week Muxtape

Jacket Full Of Danger

2008-04-30T02:10:00.008-05:00

I downloaded this song from a decent music blog, it seems like forever ago and just recently discovered its greatness.
Adam Green co-formed The Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson in 1998, both of whom you may know from the semi-fabulous Juno motion-picture soundtrack. According to a certain wiki source, before pursuing his music career, Adam attended Emerson University in Boston for one semester. Emerson is a private liberal arts school with a current student base of about 3,800. Some other former Emerson students include Mrs. Bobbi Brown (make-up artist and CEO of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics), Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton (Saxophonist of The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones), writer/comedian: Denis Leary, comic and Red Sox fan: Steven Wright, Late Night host: Jay Leno, the Wachowski brothers, and Henry Winkler (a.k.a. The Fonz).

Album, Jacket Full Of Danger was released in 2006. Green insisted that his first few solo albums were released on the 22nd of the month, though its debatable whether or not that is the case with Jacket. Adam Green's latest album, Sixes & Sevens was released on the 18th of this past March.

Anyway, my reason for posting this...
This is really my first experience with what is called anti-folk. I don't quite know what that means, but I can tell you that this song is the bastard of Sinatra-esque pop and modern keyboard driven hip-hop...
If that doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.
Green's smooth lyrics, which are almost rapped in a sort of low, sing-song baritone, are well-crafted but I have yet to get any sort of message out of the song aside from a possible frustration with persons of the female persuasion and specific literary figures. As short as the song is, it is lyrically impressive from beginning to satisfying end. With the first stanza(s) being the following, you are inexorably drawn into the full 1 minute, 40 seconds with no chance of escape... you get the point.

"All the women in the factory,
When their faces blow a fuse, it's a miracle.
I have to feed them facts to be alone.
Magnifico!

Oh, fellas and umbrellas in the middle of the night,
What you gonna do when the Mennonites bite?
Lock lips in the teddy-boy's Chevrolet?
Dutch tips and you're punked in the alleyway..."

Adam Green- Novotel
Karl Malone-stache (4 out of 5)

Residents of Real Life Liberty City Speak Out About GTA IV

2008-04-29T23:39:00.004-05:00

Here's a first: a post about videogames. With all the media coverage surrounding the recently released Grand Theft Auto IV, I couldn't resist making at least one post about it. I've been following the news on GTA IV closely, since its predecessor GTA: San Andreas is one of my favorite games of all-time. The majority of the articles about GTA IV are standard reviews, the ones I've seen bestowing GTA IV with "best game of this generation" status, or editorials denouncing its content.

However, over at the excellent videogame blog Kotaku, I found this gem of reporting, In the "Real" Liberty City, GTA IV Might be Cathartic. Written by Leigh Alexander, this piece digs deeper than the standard "what will this do to our children" panic writing. Inhabitants of some of the poor places realistically recreated in the game's Liberty City are interviewed about their attitudes toward the game. A recent slaying of three unarmed young black men in Queens by police officers has increased hostile feelings towards the police in the area. These people talk about how GTA IV will let them alleviate some of their fury towards the law in the safety of a virtual world, an interesting viewpoint that I hadn't previously considered. For a game series that many have labeled racist, these people's enthusiastic anticipatory attitudes are telling, suggesting perhaps, only well-off white people are really frightened or offended by Grand Theft Auto. The day when intelligent gaming writing like this finds its way into the mainstream press will be a triumphant one indeed.

Here's some classic Nas while I'm at it.

Nas- NY State of Mind

Okay, So It's Probably Nothing...

2008-04-29T20:58:00.003-05:00

But… While recently browsing through the Elephant 6 site, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. Every artist connected with Elephant 6 is listed on the band page with a quick bio and discography. Listed there now is a dead link for Jeff Mangum followed by the words “Coming soon”. Now, what exactly does this mean? In all likelihood, it means the people in charge of the Elephant 6 site are finally just going to put up a bio about Mangum’s brief solo work. There’s always a possibility (one in a googol) that this could mean a return for the musical genius behind Neutral Milk Hotel and Major Organ and His Adding Machine.

Granted, there’s no way it means that, but a guy can dream. It also gives me a chance to dish out some solo Mangum.

Jeff Mangum - Oh Comely (Live at Jittery Joe's)

I Got 100 Ounces of Soda and We Can Be Friends Tonight

2008-04-28T00:50:00.003-05:00

Jonny Numbercruncher & His Moist-eyed Mothers- huMUGous

New Wolf Parade Song

2008-04-15T21:16:00.003-05:00

Wolf Parade is back. After a three-year hiatus, the band has a new album coming out on June 17th. The much anticipated and still untitled album will be released by Sub Pop. "Call It A Ritual" is the first track to surface from this album. The song features a driving piano part and heavy drums. It reminded me of a more subdued "Kashmir", with Spencer Krug singing about deserts and Arlen Thompson pounding the drums. Overall, "Call It A Ritual" is a solid track, appealing but not outstanding. June 17th will prove whether Wolf Parade can rekindle the magic of Apologies to the Queen Mary.

Wolf Parade- Call It A Ritual

Interview: Will Knauer of SSLYBY

2008-04-14T18:30:00.005-05:00

The Blue Note in Columbia, MO is much like a small theater. With a balcony, and a stage complete with all the dressings, it is a very cool place to see a show. On April 12, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin played an outstanding set comprising many songs off their new album, Pershing. After the show, guitarist, Will Knauer was cool enough to spend some time with Moustache Salad and tell us what Pershing, Nirvana, and Wayne's World had in common.

(Disclaimer: All sentences and responses are paraphrased because Moustache Salad does not own a tape recorder)

Will Knauer:

Age: 24

Favorite Animal: Great blue whale

Cats’ Names: Fasco, Fiasco, Disaster, Clovis, Toonces

Guitarist for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Moustache Salad: What was your main inspiration for Pershing?

Will Knauer: We had one goal in mind; to make a really fun record that you could listen to in the spring with your windows down.

MS: We noticed an additional member of the band on stage tonight. Who is he, and is he a permanent addition?

WK: Yeah, he’s playing with us on this tour right now. He’s the keyboardist in a local band [from Springfield, MO] called Southern Hills. He’s not a new band member, but he’ll be playing with us at all our shows this year.

MS: What’s your favorite venue to play?

WK: We’re really huge in D.C. for some reason, no idea why. Columbia’s pretty fun too since it’s so close to where we‘re from. Our first gig outta Springfield was actually here in Columbia at Mojo’s.

MS: Pershing has a more polished sound than your previous album. What were different in recording your follow up?

WK: This time we had Jonathan James (drummer/bassist) play with us a lot more where as last time he wasn’t around too much. We had nicer things this time too. For “Broom” we were pretty much just working with stuff I had gotten as a kid. Pershing is a lot more technically proficient.

MS: How has your move to Polyvinyl been?

WK: Oh, it’s been great. We were looking around at a few labels and they were definitely the most fitting. They’re just this small, one floor place, you know. It was a lot like we were making a deal with our friends there.

MS: So I see that your guitar choice has changed, any particular reason?

WK; Well, I went into town to buy a new guitar for this tour, and I saw the one I was playing tonight and was like “That is the one.” I got it down and played it and it felt really great, and then I thought, “This looks very familiar.” Then I looked on the back plate and it was engraved with the words “Wayne’s World.” It is the same guitar in Wayne’s World. It is a collector’s item that isn’t worth anything.

MS: Time for the obligatory question, what are you listening to right now?

WK: Uh, nothing really. I mean, I don’t even have a CD player. I guess, if anything, I’m into this band called Puzzle. They’re from Liverpool and they’re really good. If you like us, you’ll like them.

MS: What is the music that influenced you when you were young?

WK: Nirvana, obviously. I bought Nevermind and In Utero on the same day. At first I loved all the hits, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Lithium.” I hated “In Bloom.” I love “Drain You.”

MS: You’ve played in Russia before. How was that, especially with the name “… Boris Yeltsin”?

WK: Oh man, that was like, the most nervous I ever was for a show. We were playing at some festival. I’m pretty sure we only got invited because of our names, but it was good. There were people holding signs and everything, that doesn’t even happen here! It was cool, we went to see the preserved body of Lenin. His moustache was like, the realest thing I’ve ever seen. The guards yelled at me though. I got in trouble though for having my hands in my pockets, some kind of security measure and it’s impolite. Haha, Phil got in trouble too. He was laughing.

MS: Thanks so much for the interview, but just a couple more questions we need to know. Robin Williams. Shaquille O’Neal. Both are geniuses. Both have played genies. Who’s better?

WK: (Thrusting his hand into the air) Kazaam!

MS: Great! And would you consider corncob pipes to be a refined tobacco-smoking product?

WK: I’m going to have to say yes, but only because some guy in Southern Hills, the band that opened for us last night, was smoking a pipe. It was pretty cool.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls

my muxtape, i has it

2008-04-14T17:40:00.002-05:00

^This is my muxtape.

lunothehellion.muxtape.com

Enjoy mine. Make and share your own online mixtapes. [muxtape.com]

I tried to get a decent representation of indie, electro and hardcore into twelve songs.

Explosions in the Sky

2008-04-10T19:06:00.004-05:00

Young scene kids discussing and singing Fall Out Boy‘s recent cover of MJ‘s infamous “Beat It“, metal heads conversing about their latest piercings, awkward indie rockers shuffling uncomfortably bobbing their heads as Wolf Parade played over the speakers; Possibly one of the most diverse crowd filled the Pageant on March 29. As soon as the lights dimmed after opening band Lichens had finished their interesting-if-not-repetitive set, the extremely varied groups joined their attention together on the stage. Within minutes, instrumental post-rock band Explosions in the Sky appeared. With Chris Hrasky behind the drums and Mark Smith and Michael James grabbing their guitars, Munaf Rayani approached a mic to introduce himself and his fellow band mates. Seasoned listeners knew it would be the first and last words he’d say as he slinked back and grabbed his guitar… Before the concert, some history is in order.

The Austin, Texas-based band formed almost ten years ago and released their first album in 2000. How Strange, Innocence contains two personal favorites, “Song for Our Fathers” and “Magic Hours”. Both songs illustrate the band’s cinematic feel as both seem like they belong on a soundtrack. Although initially seeing a very limited distribution, EITS quickly gained a respectable fan base, inciting a more commercial re-release. The band would gain more media attention for their second album, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever. However, reporters focused less on the evolving music and more on a coincidence. The artwork for the album pictured an airplane with a caption that read “This plane will crash tomorrow.” Although the album came out in August and concept art was created months earlier, many thought the album was released on September 10, 2001. Munaf‘s Middle-Eastern descent also added to suspicions and reporters negative view of the band. All suspicions and rumors died down quickly after however.

The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place was Explosion’s next release. Described by members of the band as their “attempt at love songs”, the album mostly lighter than those preceding and succeeding it. After this release, the band’s cinematic sound was finally fully realized when they were employed to compose a soundtrack for the film Friday Night Lights. Taking place in Texas, the film follows a football team and their pursuit to be state champions. The dramatic feel of the movie is driven by both previously created and original material by Explosions in the Sky. In 2005, the band recorded The Rescue, an EP that never saw a major commercial release. Inspiration for the recording came when, while on tour, the band’s van broke down and would take eight days to fix. With hardly any money, the band was lucky enough to find a man kind enough to let them stay in their attic for no charge. The EP is seen as a “thank you” to that man. Finally, Explosions released their latest album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone last year. The album follows the same successful formula as previous albums while adding a heavier sound with more distortion.

As Munaf fastened his guitar strap around himself, the band nodded to each other, ready to start. With that, Michael James stepped forward and plucked one instantly recognizable note on his guitar. The crowd was already losing it, cheering as loud as they could as the opening notes of “First Breath After Coma”, one of the top fan favorites, began. Seeing the members of Explosions on stage was almost like watching a choreographed performance. As Chris pummeled on the kit, Mark would lunge his head forward as Michael would throw his back, as if playing off of each other. All the while, Munaf, his guitar so low it seemed he was playing it around his knees would rock side to side, adding intensity to his movements when it suited the music.

Throughout the show, the music never once stopped. Explosions found a way to make a near two hour set seem like one, cohesive piece of music. Although there were no words or lyrics sung, the band managed to command the audience’s attention with their impressive showmanship and talent. During some songs, guitarist and bassist Michael James would strum so rapidly that the entire crowd would look at each other in disbelief. During the end of “Magic Hours”, Munaf took off his guitar, picked up a couple of drum sticks, and stood above his own personal snare drum. Once he caught the rhythm, the guitarist proceeded to blow the crowd away with a staggering beat. During another fan favorite, “Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean” off of …Cold Dead Place, the band was bathed in a vibrant blue light, adding to the emotional impact of the song and its truly epic ending. During one song, the audience was in enough of a frenzy to cheer through three minutes of it, adding a sound that made the song larger than life. Finally, as their show closed, the three guitarists were aligned on stage, perfectly in sync with each others movements as their final sounds blared over the speakers. With one last strum, the final note run out as Munaf approached the night, gave another simple, “Thank you,” and walked off. Explosions in the Sky put on a unique and rewarding live show, easily worth the ticket price and more. Their live sound was so full, listening to the albums afterwards doesn’t feel complete, like a huge chunk is missing. Fans of progressive, instrumental, or rock in general would do themselves a favor by checking out such refreshing, brilliant music.

Explosion in the Sky's concert recieves a Fu Man Chu (a 4 out of 5).

First Breath After Coma - Explosions in the Sky

Greatest Openers- Debaser

2008-04-09T16:15:00.005-05:00

Here's another greatest opener post after a brief hiatus caused by a half-marathon and mounds of homework. "Debaser" by Pixies is my favorite album opener, kicking off my all-time favorite album Doolittle. The song starts with a simple bouncy baseline, then guitars descend from the wings, drums thunder, and a depraved Black Francis starts shouting about movies, eyeballs, and groovy girlies. Backed by Kim Deal's angelic voice, which provides a nice contrast to Black Francis' demonic growl, the song flips the switch from loud to soft repeatedly, a staple of the Pixies' sound. Lyrically the song was inspired by the surrealist movie Un chien andalou, a 1928 short film created by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali. Within the film, a woman's eye is cut up with a razor, providing Black Francis with the lines, "Got me a movie/ I want you to know/ slicin' up eyeballs/ I want you to know/ girlie so groovy/ I want you to know/ don't know about you/ but I am un chien andalusia." As a young college student, Black Francis went through a period of obsession with surrealism, something he often tapped into when writing songs. A largely surreal and mythological album, Doolittle's focus and brilliance is apparent right out of the gate. "Debaser" ends in less than three minutes, brief but incendiary.

Pixies- Debaser

Cover: Jonny Numbercruncher & His Moist-Eyed Mothers

2008-04-09T11:33:00.006-05:00

I realized today that I have blogged surprisingly little (not at all) about one of my favorite bands: Jonny Numbercruncher & His Moist-Eyed Mothers. A local band to Kirksville, or more accurately to Truman State University, the group consists of some great alt-country musicians. On their 2007 self-titled release, they tackle some covers, and flesh out some of lead singer, Harry Burson's originals. This is one of my favorites off the album, a cover of The Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting For The Man." Check them out over at their MySpace. They are playing their last show in a little over two weeks, but hey that is what studio albums are for.

Jonny Numbercruncher & His Moist-Eyed Mothers - I'm Waiting For The Man (The Velvet Underground)

You can check out Numbercruncher if you live anywhere near Kirksville, MO at these places:

4/11 Tom Thumb Aught Eight

4/25 The Dukum Inn

Take Me Home To Glory

2008-04-08T19:03:00.009-05:00

When it comes to mountain music, I fall for it every time. Mont Smokey, a new band from Seattle, uses harmonies, bluegrass instruments, and vintage recording techniques to make me swoon. A duo between Sean and Toby (I can't find any last names), Mont Smokey brings back a fundamental sound that shaped much of early America, and now a large part of my "on repeat" playlist.

Mont Smokey - Things In the Ground

Mont Smokey - Be Ready For That Day

Bird-O-Rama!

2008-04-07T12:44:00.005-05:00

So, you could say this has nothing at all to do with what Moustache Salad. But then you'd be wrong...
This actually has everything to do with The Salad. It's funny. Not just some of it, but every conceivable aspect of this website is pants-soilingly hilarious.

My good friend Steven was meandering around teh internets with "Stumble Upon" and he happened to stumble upon this:
http://www.brandonbird.com

Brandon Bird is an artist, in every sense of the word, based in California. He takes everything you've ever loved and makes it humorous in some fashion.
I think that's all I'm going to say about him because I'm pretty sure you're going to check him out solely based on the picture at the top of this post.

Enjoy it or die...

Fresh for '88... You Suckas!

2008-04-06T23:03:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite rap videos is KRS-One's "My Philosophy." The song is great, with unforgettable lines strewn throughout. KRS-One delivers the rhymes with his bombastic and charismatic voice over a funky saxophone sample. The video plays out like the world's coolest lecture, KRS-One leading everyone to hip-hop enlightenment.

New Kanye Video

2008-04-06T22:08:00.004-05:00

Kanye's got a new music video out for the song "Homecoming" off of his 2007 album Graduation. Featuring a piano driven beat with vocals from Chris Martin of Coldplay, this song is surprisingly strong. The video is well-done; nothing too flashy, but interesting nonetheless.

Greatest Openers - The Mending of the Gown

2008-04-05T13:50:00.002-05:00

Following what many call their "true" debut album Shut Up I Am Dreaming, Sunset Rubdown had a lot to live up to. Hype was building about their follow-up LP. To add to all of this, the band features, perhaps one of the greatest musicians of our time, Spencer Krug, a member of Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, and Wolf Parade. Fans waiting anxiously but cautiously, unsure if Sunset Rubdown would live up to their high expectations. Immediately as the guitar opening begins, all those fears and worries are dispelled. “The Mending of the Gown” gives Random Spirit Lover a rock opening with a Krug twist that’s accessible to first time listeners without alienating the dedicated fan base. By the time Spencer bellows out, “My name and my spirit are both corrupt and if you hold me close, you gotta hold me up,” even the most musically sheltered should be rhythmically nodding along. Personally, this is one of my all-time favorite Spencer Krug songs. With its upbeat riffs and piano, it should easily make your list as well.

The Mending of the Gown - Sunset Rubdown

Greatest Openers - Mahgeetah

2008-04-04T14:31:00.004-05:00

One of my new favorite songs, My Morning Jacket’s “Mahgeetah” kicks off their 2003 album It Still Moves. Giving nods to a long list of genres (gospel, classic rock, Southern rock, 60s era pop, and country) “Mahgeetah” can find itself a place in almost any music aficionado’s eardrum. Like the terrain of their home state, Kentucky, the song varies in energy and texture. The layers in this song are genius. Going from mostly chord progressions and simple drum beats to epic classic rock solos, “Mahgeetah” takes me back to the days when all I listened to was Cape Girardeau’s “Classic Rock Station 100.7 KGMO.”

(Except a lot better than the bulk of any given KGMO playlist).

My Morning Jacket - Mahgeetah

Greatest Openers - Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car

2008-04-03T21:52:00.003-05:00

Sam Beam had a very successful formula going. On all of his previous albums, the musical genius behind Iron & Wine kept the recordings mainly limited to just his guitar and vocals. Fans were perfectly content with this tried and true method, anxiously awaiting the next LP. The first taste of the new album was the single “Boy with a Coin”, and fans could already tell Sam was beginning to change things up. Several months later, Iron & Wine released The Shepherd’s Dog. The album opens with a faded guitar, as if off in the distance. Quickly, a full band joins in with Sam, fully showing off Iron & Wine’s new sound. This transition makes the move to their expanded sound accessible to both seasoned fans and new listeners. As soon as Sam’s layered vocal tracks kick in, the song really takes off. With detailed lyrics and beautiful vocals, “Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car” is one of Beam’s best.

Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car - Iron & Wine

Greatest Openers - Stuck Between Stations

2008-04-02T14:03:00.004-05:00

Boys and Girls in America begins with a riff that, much like the rest of the album, seamlessly fuses a modern rock and classic rock sound. As soon as the piano joins in, you know you’re in for an interesting treat. Within the first song, one can already hear the more polished and musically-evolved sound of The Hold Steady. As soon as Craig Finn’s less-singing-more-shouting vocals kick in on “Stuck Between Stations”, it seems that he’d be more comfortable in a bar than a stage, adding to the pure rock experience that is Boys and Girls… Once the bridge hits, the piano takes over again, giving The Hold Steady a unique and gripping sound all their own. With its powerful guitar riffs and compelling lyrics, “Stuck Between Stations” sets an example the rest of the rock genre should follow.

Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady

Greatest Openers- Bring Da Ruckus

2008-04-01T23:06:00.004-05:00

Hitting in 1993, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by the Wu-Tang Clan came out of the darkness like a ninja, stunning the hip-hop community with its heavy beats, excellent production, multitude of great rappers, and kung-fu themes. "Bring Da Ruckus" kicks off the madness in style with a sample of kung-fu movie Shaolin and the Wu-Tang. Ghostface follows this with one of the best introductory verses in rap, ending it by claiming "I blow sparks like Waco, Texas." Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, and GZA all contribute stellar verses. RZA supplies the chorus growling, "Bring da motherfuckin' ruckus." In a genre that normally has disposable skits as album openers, Wu-Tang Clan got down to business and brought da ruckus from the beginning.

Wu-Tang Clan- Bring Da Ruckus

Just Jazzin'!

2008-04-01T14:12:00.006-05:00

Hello, loyal Moustache Salad readers. My name is Kyle and I have been added to the official blog-staff. I have been told that I am here for adding more reviews on the movie/film side of things thanks to my complaining to Ira that, though its right in the sub-title, there is sadly very little movie action on the Salad.
I hope that we can get to know each other quite well through my blogging and your reading of my blogging, if we don't already know each other.

I want to start off our relationship by posting something I think that all of my fellow Moustache-enthusiasts will find interesting...
A brand new sound called "Just Jazzin'" from, who?
You guessed it!
Benjamin Gibbard, of famed Death Cab For Cutie!
Big Ben is quoted on his newest Myspace page saying, "....there’s this side of me and my music that desires a lack of structure and Just Jazzin’ does that for me because I am allowed to just play whatever note comes into my head", says Ben.

Here's a little Linker to get to that:
Just Jazzin'!

Let's hope Mr. Gibbard can conjure up some sexy, erection inducing jazz for us to bug-out to very soon.

I give this side project a Little Richard moustache (4 out of 5).

Update: Apr. 6, 2008

By the way guys... April Fools.

Update: Pixies announce new LP, release single

2008-04-01T12:30:00.002-05:00

The new Pixies LP was announced today. A little shocking seeing as the Breeders are releasing an album in the near future, but hey, whatever. No more information was released, but a title and tracklist should be coming soon. The good news is that they did release the single for download.

Pixies - Wild Machine

Kids Like You and Me

2008-04-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

Black Lips- Bad Kids

Greatest Openers - The New Year

2008-03-31T20:57:00.003-05:00

From an ambient sonic fog swells my favorite first note of any song. Death Cab for Cutie’s opener off their 2003 album Transatlanticism, “The New Year” has an energy that opens so quickly it is reminiscent of a black hole taking in a piece of matter. Instead of condensing the matter into a miniscule entity, it explodes like a red giant engulfing everything around it in a body of sound. The song doesn’t become static with this explosion of guitar. The turnaround turns down the overdrive, while Gibbard sings a sweet melody straight to his listener. Not to be caught going just one direction, Walla takes back the energy and over Gibbard’s sweet vocals brings the listener back with a flare of distortion. Death Cab knows the power of dynamics, and when the static descends nearing the four minute mark I realize the musical ride I just had.

Death Cab for Cutie – The New Year

Greatest Openers - My Name Is Jonas

2008-03-30T17:51:00.005-05:00

The famed fingerpicked acoustic intro of Weezer’s “My Name Is Jonas,” opens their first release, The Blue Album. Backed by a tambourine, the acoustic is soon electrified by distortion and power chords. This explosion not only ignites the song and propels it to greatness, but also proves to be a legendary launch into what is one of the greatest albums of all time. Rivers’s unmistakable vocals also drive the song into an anthemic piece of rock greatness. I don’t think I will ever listen to this song without a fucking righteous “AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE!” emanating from my tongue.

Weezer – My Name Is Jonas

Greatest Openers- Rhymin & Stealin

2008-03-29T21:11:00.004-05:00

The year was 1986. Three white Jewish kids from New York produced one of the all-time great hip-hop albums. Licensed to Ill was an instant classic, going to number one on the Billboard album chart, the first rap album to do so. The album was kicked off with the Beastie Boys' manifesto "Rhymin and Stealin". Backed by a massive Bonham drum-beat sampled off of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks", Adrock, MCA, and Mike D proceed to tell everyone what they came to do. This song is just straight raucous, grabbing your attention whether you like it or not. Besides any song with the lyric "My pistol is loaded/ I shot Betty Crocker/ Deliver Colonel Sanders down to Davey Jones locker" can't be half-bad, right?

Beastie Boys- Rhymin and Stealin

Rap Single- Royal Flush

2008-03-28T15:30:00.004-05:00

The supposed single off of Outkast member Big Boi's upcoming solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot, "Royal Flush" has guest appearances by both Andre 3000 and Raekwon. This could be a song off of an Outkast album though, with Andre 3000 basically taking the song over half-way through with an incredible verse that tackles the connection between drug dealing and rap among other issues. Big Boi and Raekwon both contribute stellar verses but Andre 3000 seems to be on a whole other level, rapping, "Unfortunate that if you come up fortunate the street consider you lame/ I thought the name of the game, was to have a better life/ I guess it ain't, what a shame." If this is any indication of the quality of the tracks on Sir Luscious Left Foot, rap fans are in for a treat later this year.

Big Boi feat. Andre 3000 & Raekwon- Royal Flush

Greatest Openers- Random Rules

2008-03-28T14:37:00.005-05:00

"In 1984 I was hospitalized for approaching perfection, Slowly screwin' my way across Europe they had to make a correction." This first line, sung wearily by David Berman, is pure poetic genius. The opening song on Silver Jews' 1998 album American Water, "Random Rules" features some of the best lyrics written in the past fifteen years. The song just has classic line after classic line, backed up by a horn section and some of Stephen Malkmus' most focused guitar playing. Bright Eyes? Give me Berman any day.

Silver Jews- Random Rules

Greatest Openers: White Light/White Heat

2008-03-27T13:19:00.008-05:00

Many great openers use a technique that brings beauty through rawness. The Velvet Underground’s title track off their 1968 album White Light/White Heat not only uses the droning distortion of guitars and backing vocals to provide a similar energy of a high, but the lyrical subject parallels the approach. Concerning opiates once again, Lou Reed crafts a song about the beauty of shooting heroin. Heroin, being a very hard drug, no doubt has the raw power to create and destroy, but the quality of the drug being white evokes a certain splendor for the user (and the listener). But as the song ends, and the high wears off, the guitars lose focus and gain drive, only to diminish into static crackles. After the short-lived peak of energy, a silence leaves the listener/user needing more.

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat

Moustache Salad's Indeterminate List of Greatest Album Openers

2008-03-26T23:57:00.011-05:00

Moustache Salad recently had a poll where we asked our readers which part of an album they thought most important: the opener, centerpiece, or closer. This poll was the result of a dinner discussion that stretched into a long debate with both sides presenting evidence to support their case. The poll was close. We held our collective breath as the closing date neared. When the scattered vinyl, CD's, and bruised songs were pushed aside, the opener stood as the narrow victor in this ideological album battle. As a result of your voting, and almost simultaneously with the opening of the MLB season , Moustache Salad will be presenting its unordered list of great album openers over the next couple weeks. We hope to have at least one new song up each day. Also, we encourage you to comment and tell us your favorite album openers.

These guys are super excited for the openers.
Their favorite opener you ask? Boston's "More Than a Feeling".

Arcade Fire- "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"

We couldn't think of a more appropriate way to start this list than with a song containing the number one in the title. This song kicks off Arcade Fire's 2004 album Funeral. Starting quiet with a driving bass-line and tinkling piano part, Win Butler sings of "digging a tunnel from my window to yours." The song then expands with crisp drums and Arcade Fire reveals the full sound they're so well known for. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" contains an indication of what else Arcade Fire brings to the table on Funeral: astonishing crescendos, meaningful lyrics, great instrumentation, and catchy wordless vocals; making it a truly great opener.

These Beats Are Magic

2008-03-21T12:20:00.003-05:00

De La Soul- The Magic Number

Fleet Foxes: EP and Concert Review

2008-03-19T19:09:00.011-05:00

Vocal harmony is a powerful tool. Older bands such as The Beatles, The Band, and The Beach Boys used this to craft timeless songs. Fleet Foxes, a band from Seattle, utilize harmony and vocals to create immersive and intriguing tunes on their recently released EP, Sun Giant.
Fleet Foxes’ first release, Sun Giant delivers a compelling and surprisingly satisfying experience despite only containing five songs. All of the songs on the EP are centered heavily around vocal parts and harmonies. Robin Pecknold, the lead singer of Fleet Foxes (if such a thing could be said), has a rich and full voice that imbues the songs with emotion. His bandmates keyboardist Casey Wescott, bassist Christian Wargo, and drummer Nicholas Peterson harmonize with him on many of the songs, while Skyler Skjelset plays guitar. Perhaps appropriately, the album opens with the title track “Sun Giant”, a largely a cappella song that has a strong motif of nature and the seasons. This short track is followed by “Drops in the River”, a song that slowly builds, adding in a new instrument every so often. The next two songs on the EP are especially strong, “English House” and “Mykonos”. Both feature wordless harmonizing vocals at the beginning, setting the mood. “English House” tells a tale of a country house in Brighton where “a liar and a louse” live. “Mykonos” has cryptic lyrics, but has a powerful a cappella part where the music stops and the voices all cry, “Brother you don’t need to turn me away, I was waiting down at the ancient gate.” The final track on the EP is “Innocent Son” which features just Pecknold’s vocals and a single guitar. Pecknold’s vocals are just as powerful alone, evoking a less sexual Robert Plant on this song. The final lyric uttered by Peckold on the EP is “Run, rabbit run”, perhaps a reference to Jon Updike’s classic novel Rabbit Run. Fleet Foxes has crafted an excellent debut EP with Sun Giant.
I also had the fortune to see Fleet Foxes live in Columbia on March 17th. They played at Mojo’s, a venue notorious for its poor sound quality and loudness, not attributes suited for a Fleet Foxes performance. However, Fleet Foxes reproduced the sound of their studio performance very well. In fact, many songs had more emotion and intensity live, especially “Mykonos”. The concert was similar to a church service, with the crowd standing quietly in awe of Fleet Foxes’ gospel-like music.
Fleet Foxes also have an LP coming out in June on the Sub-Pop label. Anyone interested in Fleet Foxes can get a good idea of their sound by visiting their MySpace page. For anyone interested in rustic sounding music with strong vocal harmony, I would highly recommend Sun Giant.

Both Sun Giant and the concert receive the coveted Handle-bar moustache (5 out of 5).

Fleet Foxes- Mykonos

Concert Review: Wilco

2008-03-18T23:55:00.008-05:00

Des Moines, IA is a city that would surprise anyone driving on I-80 not expecting a major city. In an instant city limits appear. No suburbs, few billboards, and no warnings precede this island of urbanization. Similar to this was the show that Wilco put on there at the Val Air Ballroom on March 9^th. The band dove straight into heavy material with “Ashes of American Flags.” They didn’t give the audience a light, easy rocker opener. They started with the main course.

Tweedy and the boys didn’t let up either, saying, “Normally we don’t do this but we are going to let you in on something tonight. We have a bunch of introspective songs at the beginning here, because that is what you requested.” That is one of the many great things about a Wilco show, the unpredictable setlist. Thanks to their request machine at WilcoWorld.net, the band can play pretty much the perfect set for the crowd. One request, which was a standout performance, was the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot-era b-side, “Cars Can’t Escape.”

The band leaned on Summerteeth and beyond for their entire first set, not including a single song from Being There or A.M. I was strangely OK with that since I was experiencing what I could imagine would be the concert God would have if he had a party. Nels Cline, put all of those Steve Vai and Joe Satriani types to shame with his mastery of both technique and style in “Impossible Germany.” Glenn Kotche imploded skulls with his eruption of percussion in “Via Chicago.” And John Stirratt threw down the groove in a fan favorite, “Handshake Drugs.” The band left after playing their humongous hour and a half first set. Knowing Wilco, I knew at least one encore was coming. The band returned to the thunderous applause and here, in this set, is where they pinnacled. Playing five songs, almost in a row off Being There, Tweedy plastered a smile on my face. The first Being There song was “Kingpin.” This is my favorite track off my favorite album, and therefore my favorite song. Saturated with audience participation, and Jeff Tweedy’s scratchy yell, the song melted me.

Some nice freshly dusted gems were “A Magazine Called Sunset,” “Remember the Mountain Bed,” “Summer Teeth,” and “Red-Eyed and Blue.”

Just as the show started at full power, it ended with a second, one song, meaty encore: “I’m a Wheel.” And before I could count to nine, I was back in the car quickly reflecting on the night. I saw Des Moines sublimate into countryside, and I knew that nothing was going to beat being there at that show.

Wilco deserves no less than a Handle-bar (even though Jeff has neckbeard nightmare).

If you want to live this, you are in luck, because Wilco just announced a new tour. Here are the dates:

Rochester, MN 4/30

Fargo, ND 5/1

Winnipeg, MN 5/2

Bozeman, MT 5/4

Missoula, MT 5/5

Grand Junction, CO 5/7

Colorado Springs, CO 5/8

Albuquerque, NM 5/9

Austin, TX 5/11

Austin, TX 5/12

St. Louis, MO 5/15

St. Louis, MO 5/16

Charleston, SC 8/7

If we are lucky we might get a preview of what the band is, as I read in Rolling Stone, supposed to start recording at the end of this year.

Wilco - Cars Can’t Escape

Wilco - Impossible Germany

Wilco - Via Chicago (Kicking Television)

Billy Bragg & Wilco - Remember the Mountain Bed

Wilco - I’m a Wheel

Wilco - Kingpin

Oh, Mr. Gibbard, You Are Such the Tease

2008-03-14T12:40:00.003-05:00

As many people already know, Amazon put up a clip of Death Cab's new single "I Will Possess You Heart." I looked and looked for it after I heard about it, but Amazon had taken it down. After I had almost abandoned my hope, and just planned to find it after the single dropped in four days, I visited my pal, Wikipedia. And on this glorious site, there was a link to the clip. I suggest you check it out. It is very much a jam. Some of you may recognize it as the same song that was previewed in their video on their site. Now, only 30 seconds are here, but they fucking rock.

How my heart aches for May 13th.

And now that Spring Break is ending for me, here you go.

Death Cab for Cutie - Spring Break Broke

Beat The Veil (Pierce It)

2008-03-06T16:29:00.007-06:00

Pierce the Veil, underdogs from the newest generation of post-hardcore, have always been known to be cool guys with a great sense of humor. And for some months have surprised many skeptical audiences (touring with major acts, I'm sure many knew not of ptv) with live renditions of Michael Jackson's Beat It.

With a small, but ever-growing fan base, Pierce The Veil makes it easy to love them as trailblazers of this music scene. Perspective on their scene: Mayday Parade, Envy On the Coast, Metro Station, Emarosa, Love Hate Hero blah blah blah

As it turns out Fall Out Boy just put out a new cover of Beat It (featuring John Mayer on guitar solos),

which is as obnoxious as it sounds.
And dollars to donuts Pierce the Veil did it first, because they're cool like that.
Alas, that's not why we're here, we are here (wherever you are, I guess we haven't convened on any location) to listen to PTV's cover.

Either way its hard not to love this cover, especially if you love ptv.
And perhaps if that is not the case, it may change your mind.

Beat It (Michael Jackson Cover) - Pierce The Veil

other enjoyable, not covered, pierce the veil:
Cheap Bouqet
Yeah Boy and Doll Face

myspace.com/piercetheveil

Black Kids Announce Single, LP

2008-03-06T12:52:00.005-06:00

The single off the upcoming, and untitled debut album (expected in July 2008) by Black Kids is the obvious "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You." The single will be released on Almost Gold Recordings in the UK on April 7. What this means for us stateside, I don't know, but I better be able to get my hands on this single somehow. "Boyfriend 2.0," as it has been deemed by Black Kids, is slightly reworked, but varies so little that anyone that hasn't listened to Wizard of Ahhhs on repeat since its release would have a hard time telling the difference. Tacked on the back of the single are two covers, "You Turn Me On" by Beat Happening and "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins. Also included if you buy off iTunes is The Twelves remix of "Boyfriend."

If you can't wait for the single to drop, one half of the single is streaming on their MySpace.

Don't Be a Brontosaurus

2008-03-06T01:51:00.000-06:00

"Get Happy" by 90's pop group B*Witched carries a surprising subliminal message. This bouncy pop song opens with the line "Don't be a Brontosaurus." The sinister sirens command, "Don't you ever walk that way." The Jurassi-fascist B*Witched then proceeds to celebrate the extinction of dinosaurs, especially brontosauruses, with a disturbing chorus that orders everyone to "Get Happy." B*Witched was not an especially political group other than their obsession with the destruction of dinosaurs. One other exception to this political apathy was B*Witched's curious endorsement of Turok for U.S. President in 2000, apparently failing to realize the fictional nature of the dinosaur hunter.

B*Witched FUCKING HATES dinosaurs.

*Here at Moustache Salad we strongly support dinosaurs and any other extinct or existing species. If you want to walk like a brontosaurus, that's your own damn business.

B*Witched- Get Happy

Dinosaur Jr.- This Is All I Came To Do

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day!

2008-03-02T16:19:00.014-06:00

Well, it is the first Monday in March, and you know what that means…Casimir Pulaski Day! To celebrate, here are three versions of the touching song by the banjo-wielding Sufjan Stevens.

Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day (Off Illinois)

Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day (demo)

Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day (Live at the Bluebird Theatre)

(Check out that 'stache on Brigadier General Count Casimir Pulaski! Most definitely a handlebar)

Smashing Pumpkins Cover Dylan

2008-02-28T00:56:00.004-06:00

After seeing the concert film/documentary The Last Waltz a couple weeks ago, I've been listening to Bob Dylan's song "Forever Young" a couple times every day. I was surprised to find a Smashing Pumpkins cover of it on Berkeley Place, a unique blog that posts a lot of rare concerts and bootlegs. The Pumpkins play a pretty straightforward cover of the song. However, Corgan's unmistakable voice sets this version apart from the original, which features Dylan's also unmistakable vocals.

Smashing Pumpkins- Forever Young (Cover)

Bob Dylan- Forever Young

New Tapes 'n Tapes

2008-02-25T11:53:00.003-06:00

Tapes 'n Tapes released the first single off their new album about a week ago. "Hang Them All" is off of their album Walk It Off, which is scheduled to be released on April 8th. I enjoyed their first album, The Loon, giving me high expectations for their second LP. After a couple listens, "Hang Them All" is a solid song, not straying too far from the sound that made The Loon so great. Have a listen for yourself and tell me what you think about it.

Tapes 'n Tapes- Hang Them All

Album and Concert Review: Evangelicals, The Evening Descends

2008-02-24T19:58:00.007-06:00

“Strange things keep happenin’ all around my head!” This lyric, shouted frantically by Evangelicals’ front man Josh Jones on “Bellawood” gives one a taste of what Evangelicals’ second album The Evening Descends is all about. An indie rock band from Norman, Oklahoma, Evangelicals deliver a trippy, dense, and ultimately satisfying experience with The Evening Descends.

The Evening Descends, available on label Dead Oceans, is a sonically diverse album, tossing together synthesizers, awesome guitar parts, and spacey vocals for a unique psychedelic sound. The album has a cohesive flow to it, each song segueing into the next, giving it the feel of a journey into wild dreams, nightmares, and insanity. Taking a page from Pixies, Evangelicals utilize dynamic contrast in many of their songs, snapping from full-bore rocking out to quiet vocal parts in the blink of an eye. Just as a song cannot get any more intense, the instruments rescind, leaving only Josh Jones’ haunting voice riding on top of a lone synth or guitar, crying out in the empty space before the band kicks back in.

“Skeleton Man” is the excellent first single off of The Evening Descends. Featuring a bouncy baseline, “Skeleton Man” descends into a maze of noise after the first verse, before launching into a beautiful section with ghostly backing vocals. Jones proclaims, “I once was a skeleton”, laughing maniacally into the microphone. Another highlight from the album is “Midnight Vignette”, with its multi-tracked vocals and prominent guitar evoking a creepier version of Queen. Currently a music video is out for “Midnight Vignette”, mirroring the song’s eerie vibe with horror movie visuals. “Bellawood” kicks off with a sample of a tense man saying, “They’re ganging up on me. What’ll I do?” The song then proceeds into crazy haunted house rock, complete with quavering vocals and ghoulish oohs. The song ends with Jones yelping over and over, “Strange things keep happenin’ all around my head.” Without a weak track on the album, Evangelicals’ The Evening Descends makes for engrossing listening as well as intriguing road trip music.

Not only are Evangelicals superb in the studio, they also excel in their live show. Clint and I had the opportunity to see them play down at Mojo’s down in Columbia with Penny Marvel and Gentleman Auction House. This was Evangelicals’ first show on their tour to promote The Evening Descends. Evangelicals didn’t start their set until nearly midnight, as the previous two bands were running late. Josh Jones came onstage wearing a sequined cape and a velvet lampshade on his head. Halfway into their first song “Midnight Vignette”, Jones shed both the cape and the lampshade. About a minute into the second song, the drummer broke his kick-drum, causing a brief lull in the concert. Luckily, Gentleman Auction House came to the rescue with a fresh drum and the concert continued. Evangelicals stuck mainly to songs off of The Evening Descends, their energy and enthusiasm infecting the crowd that stuck around late to see them. During a few songs, Evangelicals fired up a smoke machine, casting the band in a trippy haze, the smoke sliced apart by Mojo’s modest lighting system. Evangelicals closed with “Skeleton Man”, an excellent end to a great concert.

Evangelicals’ The Evening Descends is a spectacular sophomore effort. Evangelicals is currently on a tour spanning many areas of the United States. You can check out the individual dates on their MySpace. Evangelicals is playing at the Billiken Club at St. Louis University on March 8th with Headlights and Catfish Haven, two other first-rate bands.

I give The Evening Descends a handlebar moustache. (5 out of 5)

Evangelicals- "Skeleton Man"
Evangelicals- "Bellawood"

Single Songle: "Turning Red"

2008-02-24T01:43:00.002-06:00

Recently a project went underway called “Sound of Color.” In this project 5 artists were each assigned a color to write a song about. The artist that snagged my eye was Dntel, the main/side/lateral project of Jimmy Tamborello. His other projects are Figurine, James Figurine, and the most popular Postal Service. Previous Dntel work has been genius, but only accessible to those willing to immerse themselves in the static. This time Tamborello took the warmth of his assigned color, red, and made a song for all those Postal Service fans. “Turning Red” includes the video game bleeps that are reminiscent of “Brand New Colony,’ but simultaneously hinting at LCD Soundsystem’s “Get Innocuous.” The lyrics are some of the most honest and straightforward that I have heard in a while. One of my idiosyncrasies is that I am a sucker for love songs, and this is no exception. Tamborello gives his sentiments on a relationship that one should be comfortable and relaxed in, but for him it is still new, fresh, exciting, nerve-racking, and fun, which are all the feelings that one can expect at the outset of a new relationship. I am still digesting the song, but so far this single gets the Fu Manchu. I only wish that this could have been release pre-February 14, so that the Salad could have included it on a V-day post.

Turning Red - Dntel

Pagan Angel in a Sold-Out Chapel

2008-02-19T15:37:00.007-06:00

With a recent haircut and a freshly-trimmed beard, Sam Beam took the stage in the Edman Chapel at Wheaton College on February 15. Located outside of Chicago, the university is known as being one of the top five Christian colleges in the United States. The campus is incredibly strict on who visits or even what the students are allowed to do. It has not even been a decade since they had totally lifted a ban on dancing. How would a venue as strict as this affect the musical genius behind Iron & Wine? If anything, Sam Beam capitalized on this and made this solo show on of his greatest.

Appearing on stage after a short opening band, Sam nonchalantly approached the microphone. After a quick introduction, Sam explained how his show would go down. “They told me I couldn’t swear,” he said. Most of the audience turned and looked at each other, wondering how they could censor his art. The way Sam said it, it seemed Wheaton officials had sprung this on him not long before show time. He quickly loosened the audience back up by adding, “So anytime there’s a wordy-dird, I’m just not gonna say or play anything. You can fill it in if you want, though. There’s a lot to choose from,” getting a laugh from the crowd. With that, the show began.

What a beginning it was. Most fans come to Iron & Wine shows hoping that Sam will play “The Trapeze Swinger”, a nine and a half minute epic with some of his best lyrics and loveliest guitar, but recently it seems like he had been avoiding the song. The reaction when he started playing the recognizable guitar opening was unbelievable. The fact he opened the show with one of the biggest fan favorites blew the audience away. Sam’s rendition slowed it down ever so slightly, allowing him to have more fun with the vocals at first, and then deliver them with full force at the end to add to them emotional impact of the lyrics. After the first song had ended, the crowd seemed more than satisfied with the show, happy paying twenty dollars to hear that song alone.

Sam continued with hit after hit with “Woman King” and “Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog)”. Introducing the next as “a song about Jesus”, Sam played “Jesus the Mexican Boy”, much to the confusion and dismay of the Wheaton officials scattered throughout the venue. After the song, he apologized but said he had to do it, “being in a church makes me uncomfortable”. Although he told the crowd he felt this way, eventually no one would be able to see it. Sam began to loosen up and joke around, having fun with the audience (making light of the recent uplifting of the ban, saying, “So you guys can dance now… That’s awesome.”). Sam’s presence on stage was excellent. He continued to impress the audience by strumming once and tuning his guitar so quickly, there was barely anytime between songs. “I’ve got a tuner right here, I don’t know why I’m doing this,” joking about tuning his guitar himself. Whenever he began to play, cheers would always go up. Once after one fan cheered uproariously during the opening of a song, Sam stopped to question him, “Do you know what this song is?”. The fan, confused, didn’t say anything. Sam, poking fun at his audience and himself, responded, laughing, “The openings, they all sound the same, come on!” Sam clearly was enjoying himself, declaring, “ I didn’t know church could be this fun!”

Sam played an array of songs, coming from various albums and EPs, including “The Devil Never Sleeps”, “Evening on the Ground (Lilith’s Song)”, and “Jezebel”. Finally, Sam left the stage after playing the always-moving “Resurrection Fern”. After leaving the audience in suspense for a minute, Sam returned to play one last song. “This one’s for the Northern students,” he quietly declared, silencing the crowd. With that, he began to play “Dead Man’s Will”, a fitting song and a fitting tribute. Tears came to the eyes of crowd members as Sam sang, “May my love reach you all / I locked it in myself and buried it too long / Now that I come to fall / Please say it’s not too late now that I’m dead and gone.” The song, as well as the rest of the concert, left a lasting impression on all those who attended which won’t be soon forgotten. Sam Beam will now rejoin with Iron & Wine for an international tour, set to return to North America in a month and a half.

Resurrection Fern (Live in Chicago, 09-23-07) - Iron & Wine

A Warm Kiss Instead of a Cold Goodbye

2008-02-18T16:32:00.005-06:00

“We have just put out word that we will not be making a new Format album.” February 4, these words were posted on The Format’s site in a blog by lead singer and lyricist Nate Ruess. Apparently the band is in different places musically now and another Format album just doesn’t seem right to them. Immediately, fans began responding, sending their sadness, sympathy, and even disbelief to the band. Even now, weeks after the fact, some diehards have convinced themselves this is just an elaborate ruse to relieve the band of some pressure about releasing their album. It appears clear, however, that The Format have decided no longer to tour or record, leaving a gaping hole in modern music.

Nate and long time friend Sam Means created The Format in 2001, eventually releasing their first demo (titled EP). Sam lead in writing the music to which Nate would then form lyrics to. Local radio began to play “The First Single”, one of the tracks on EP. The song began to garner attention from Elektra Records, who the band eventually signed with in 2002. The next year, they would release their first studio album, Interventions + Lullabies. “The First Single” would reappear on the album, and be released as their only single. It would not be, however, the only song on Interventions + Lullabies receive attention. Local radio stations also began to play “Tune Out”. The album also contains a major fan favorite, “On Your Porch”. Featuring some of Nate’s best lyrics and a simple but beautiful guitar part by Sam, the song remains to be among the band’s most popular.

After touring and a brief break, the band went back to the studio to record their next EP, Snails. Rumors have stated that this is where Sam and Nate began to see things differently, eventually leading to their hiatus. Sam had written a perky song that he had told Nate he wanted happy and short. Nate returned with slightly depressing lyrics that made the song over four minutes long. The song was released as Nate saw fit. Shortly after, the band was dropped from their label, Atlantic Records. In spite of this, they went on to form their own imprint label, Vanity Label. Under this, they released their highly anticipated sophomore album Dog Problems. It showed a huge evolution in the band, refining the sound (some would even say perfecting it). The album would give them national attention they had never received, or even expected, before. Dog Problems also received great reviews, much higher than those of Intervention + Lullabies.

Following the release of Dog Problems, The Format began to tour constantly in order to promote it. Because of the increased national attention, they were able to tour with bigger, more mainstream-famous bands such as All American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, and Taking Back Sunday. Eventually, the band would co-headline a tour with Guster, playing colleges all across the United States on the Campus Consciousness tour. Eventually, The Format took off headlining their own tour, featuring bands such as Piebald and Steel Train. Regarded as one of the best shows to see live, the band promised a new album soon near the end of the shows. They also released B-Sides and Rarities, a collection of demos and covers to appease fans during the wait. It seems that it may be their final release.

Now, fans mourn the loss of the one of the greatest bands of our time. The Format found a way to blend a 1970’s pop sound with a punk and indie twist. They were a unique band with a sound all their own. However, fans must remember that everything is far from over. Nate has already promised a solo album, and he remains close friends with Sam. He has even gone on to say that getting the band back together may not be completely out of the question. For now, fans will have to sit back and listen to the already impressive discography and hope Nate and Sam are “doing alright.”

If Work Permits... - The Format

North American Radiohead Tour Dates Announced!

2008-02-12T12:50:00.000-06:00

Pitchfork has posted some of Radiohead's North American Tour Dates. Most of these new dates are for the Southern areas on the tour. Also included are the previously announced European tour dates. Tickets go on sale for the Southern areas on Valentine's Day.

05-05 West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
05-06 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
05-08 Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
05-09 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
05-11 Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
05-14 St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
05-17 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
05-18 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
06-06 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide
06-07 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide
06-09 Paris, France - Bercy
06-10 Paris, France - Bercy
06-12 Barcelona, Spain - Parc del Fòrum
06-14 Nimes, France - Arenes
06-15 Nimes, France - Arenes
06-17 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena
06-18 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena
06-20 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06-22 Scheeßel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06-24 London, England - Victoria Park
06-25 London, England - Victoria Park
06-27 Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow Green
06-29 Manchester, England - Lancashire County Cricket Club
07-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Westerpark
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-04-05 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival
07-06 Arras, France - Main Square Festival
07-08 Berlin, Germany - Wuhlheide

Moustache Salad will definitely be checking out the St. Louis concert. Be on the lookout for a full concert review in a few months.

2 Videos, 1 Look

2008-02-09T14:05:00.000-06:00

Noah and the Whale have crooned their way into my ears for a few months now. My first exposure to the band was their video for "Five Years Time." Shot in Super 8 with a Wes Anderson feel, the music video hooked me from the first time I watched it. Since then, the band has released a video for their new single, "2 Bodies 1 Heart." Stumbling across the video this morning I was pretty psyched to watch it. The video started, and once again I saw the Super 8 media, and then, seconds later, the Wes Anderson titles started flowing. I love Wes Anderson, and I love the video for "Five Years Time," and well I loved this one too, but I felt a little cheated. I doubt the band or the director couldn't think of a new motif, since their music is so creative, but that might be the reason. I can't say that I didn't like the video, but I can say I was a little let down.

Noah and the Whale - 2 Bodies 1 Heart

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2 Bodies 1 Heart (Radio 1 Session) - Noah and the Whale

Album Review: Vampire Weekend

2008-02-07T14:55:00.000-06:00

VERY VAMPYR

Release date:Jan 29, 2008.

The debut full length release and self-titled Vampire Weekend will make any hipster giggle at how relaxed the new-wave sound is.

Light-hearted and whimsical, this release puts an edgy spin on pop, and adds a new chill factor to your hearts.

With influences and kickbacks to west-african pop, afrobeat has found its way into the modern indie scene, and no one is complaining.

Carrying a not-quite-so-catchy feel to it, but enjoyable on all levels to no end. Listening to this will make you question whether you really had a vacancy in your heart for more indie-pop, but you immediately dismiss the notion because now you feel whole again.

I just can't get enough of this album, and I am sure it will somehow continue to surprise me months down the road.

M79

A-Punk

I Stand Corrected

I really cannot wait to listen to this album when it is summer, and it will all come together.

Vampire Weekend deserves nothing less than a Fu Manchu's 4 out of 5.
myspace.com/vampireweekend
vampireweekend.com

Living the Life of Sin: Jackson C. Frank

2008-02-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

About a year ago I came across a bootleg live version of Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) covering a song called “Blues Run The Game.” I thought it was beautiful, and consequently fell in love with it. For many months it didn’t occur to me that this was a cover, although it should have because no ridiculously obscure diction embellished the lyrics. Then one day I thought to look up the song to see if it had a studio version. I found that there was no studio version, not from Colin anyway. The song is originally by a folk artist named Jackson C. Frank. Frank was American born, and later in life he left for England to record with Simon and Garfunkel. He was very shy and reserved, and in fact demanded a screen be set up while he recorded so that people couldn’t see him. In England Frank enjoyed moderate success, yet in America he was a nobody, which would have been different in today’s world because he could have developed a cult following, but in the late 60s, he was doomed. So, I would like to post the song “Blues Run The Game,” because I think it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and he should be recognized.

Blues Run The Game – Jackson C. Frank

Super Bowl XLII Haiku

2008-02-04T01:41:00.000-06:00

Three hail-marys, Bill?
Randy can't save you now, Tom.
Gisele loves Eli.

LCD Soundsystem- New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down

Concert Review: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

2008-01-31T22:27:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite venues in the world in Mojo’s in Columbia, MO. It is a long and skinny bar. The stage, which is the size of a dorm room, resides at the far end. This set up has housed some of the most intimate performances I have ever experienced. The January 25^th Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin show was just that: intimate. After watching the opening acts “warm the stage,” SSLYBY came on the stage. They were not what I was expecting. Will Knauer, the guitarist, appeared to be a Metallica fan/Kurt Cobain wannabe, yet he was a master of indie-rock guitar harmonies. The bassist, that is what he played first anyway, resembled a paler and more spaced-out Michael Cera. The other two were fairly normal, for an indie-rock outfit anyway.

The band had high energy the whole show, and therefore it is difficult to list any highlights. Being from Springfield, MO, the band were playing to a local audience, and knew several people in the crowd. In fact, the guitarist dedicated a song to his mom, because she was at the show. I applaud him, and his mother for that matter, for coming out to her son’s show in a dingy bar.

The band, like many others, switched instruments at various times. However, when SSLYBY changed it up, it didn’t seem contrived or hokey like I have experienced before. Going in to the show, I was not very familiar with their material, but since their high-energy, yet extremely pleasant act I have been listening to their 2005 album Broom quite a bit. And I am looking forward to their sophomore effort, Pershing, due out April 8 on Polyvinyl records. A definite impression has been made.

Oregon Girl – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Off Broom)

Glue Girls - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (Off Pershing)

Moustache Salad gives SSLYBY a Fu Manchu (4 out of 5).

Album Review: Field Manual

2008-01-29T12:47:00.000-06:00

If you are reading this blog, then chances are that you have heard some Death Cab for Cutie. Well, today, the debut from Chris Walla, Death Cab’s guitarist and backup vocalist, was released. Field Manual was originally slated for a March 2007 release. Later it was pushed back to September, and then once again to January 2008. Not only were these two delays enough, it was almost delayed once again. Field Manual, as some of you may know, was confiscated by the Department of Homeland Security when crossing the US/Canada border in October via courier. Fortunately, the hard drive containing the tracks was returned to Walla, and now we have this album.

Death Cab is one of my favorite bands, and I tried to go into this album objectively and not compare it to the amazing albums that I have devoted so much life to, but I could not separate them in my mind. Musically and lyrically the albums are very different, which is not necessarily for the better. Despite the differences, the trademark Walla production is more than obvious. The ambient tones at the end of songs, guitar clarity and vocal production embody his style, and the style of a Death Cab record, but unfortunately this album does not live up. The first song, “Two-Fifty,” has a multi-track recording of Walla singing, which is hauntingly similar to the opening track off The Long Road Out of Eden, the new album by Eagles. “The Score,” the albums second track is a little stronger, but sounds like it could be a Foo Fighters song. Now, I don’t have anything against the Foo Fighters, but for some reason this song did not work for me.

The standout track is most definitely, “It’s Unsustainable.” Originally a title track (the album was first rumored to be titled It’s Unsustainable), it is the most powerful song on the album. Slow, but driving drums move the intro, moving into the most familiar sounding song on the album.

It’s Unsustainable – Chris Walla

If I were looking at the album through more objective eyes, it would seem better than how I see it, and for that reason I give it a Pornstar ‘stache (3 out of 5).

Accordion

2008-01-26T00:26:00.000-06:00

Here's another music video that has been getting a lot of attention online recently. This is a video of Madvillain's "Accordion" off of their excellent 2004 album Madvillainy. I've listened to that album at least four times this week, marveling over the crazy sampling of Madlib and surreal lyrics of MF DOOM. "Accordion" is similar to Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" in its habit of busting in, shocking you with its ingenuity, then retreating back into the mystical haze it crept from. The video, just recently released, is pretty minimalist, featuring the masked DOOM rapping in a hallway. Madvillain is now at work on their second album, according to the website at Stones Throw Records.