Intermittent Rock Report – August 14, 2003
Intermittent Rock Report – August 14, 2003
By Adam Lawrence, Managing Editor
Boy, I’m glad I put that “intermittent†clause in my contract.
My 10-year high school reunion was a couple weeks back. While this may not have anything to do with music, the nostalgia factor ran high. I decided to check out the albums that came out that year, and sure enough, there were plenty of great ones now officially considered timeless. Take a look:
Nirvana – In Utero
Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
Uncle Tupleo – Anodyne
PJ Harvey – Rid Of Me
Dr. Dre – The Chronic
Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
Intermittent Rock Report – August 14, 2003
By Adam Lawrence, Managing Editor
Boy, I’m glad I put that “intermittent†clause in my contract.
My 10-year high school reunion was a couple weeks back. While this may not have anything to do with music, the nostalgia factor ran high. I decided to check out the albums that came out that year, and sure enough, there were plenty of great ones now officially considered timeless. Take a look:
Nirvana – In Utero
Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville
Uncle Tupleo – Anodyne
PJ Harvey – Rid Of Me
Dr. Dre – The Chronic
Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
Now I’m trying to come to grips with the fact that it won’t be long before my high school soundtrack will be considered “classic rockâ€. These are weird times.
New Releases 8/12
Ballboy have released the follow-up to 2001’s brilliant Club Anthems. A Guide for the Daylight Hours promises to be more of the same great songwriting and sardonic delivery that we’ve come to expect from Gordon and his band of teachers, nurses, and sound technicians. Unfortunately, they’re Scottish, so that will insure they draw unfair and incorrect comparisons to Arab Strap and Belle & Sebastian.
Industrial supergroup Pigface released a remix album, Head, this week. Now, most remix albums are unnecessary contractual obligations. With a band like Pigface though, a remix treatment could mean a drastically different record.
Our favorite gay punk band, Pansy Division, assault your senses and sensibilities with Total Entertainment, the latest offering of their own special blend of “In-your-pants Queer rock.” If you attend a Pansy show, make sure you check your homophobia at the door, or at least watch a couple episodes of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy to help you get into “their†world.
New Releases 8/5
Our national nightmare is over. Junior Senior’s debut album, D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat, finally made its way across the Atlantic. If you don’t know, Junior’s the small straight one, Senior’s the big gay one, and they’re both Danish. “Move Your Feet†will probably be single of the year and you’ll kick yourself if you aren’t in on the ground floor. Initial pressings include the “Move Your Feet†video. Stop reading and go get it.
After two consecutive live albums, Ween returned last week with Quebec. They claim it’s a return to the “browner side†of the band. I have no idea what that means, but it’s been a while since Ween was worth talking about, so a return to anything from the glory days should be applauded.
NME’s Best New Band of 2002, The Libertines, do the right thing by releasing an EP, I Get Along, thereby ensuring no one forgets they’re the Next Big Thing. What’s the deal with British bands releasing EP’s and maxi-singles every three months? I know people with more slim line cases for their Oasis singles, b-sides, and unreleased tracks than actual Oasis albums. It’s getting to the point where “previously unreleased†is an outmoded term.
One of the few jam bands worth listening to, Widespread Panic, have taken a concert from a previously released DVD, Panic In the Streets, which chronicled a record release show, and packaged it in CD form. Did you get all that?
The Manatees released their second album, Swamp Thang! on Tuesday. They should be called the Sea Cows, since that’s the nickname for the oceanic whale-like creature. I wonder if they come onstage wearing a layer of blubber to keep them warm in the ocean.
Live Performances
8/15 – It’s a full evening down at the Sunset Tavern. At 6 p.m. we have an early show featuring Sub Pop darlings Rosie Thomas and Steve Turner. Doors re-open at 9 p.m. for a four band showcase featuring Terror Sheets and Hypatia Lake, the latter featuring Nada Mucho recording artist Will Wagler.
8/16 – It’s Hempfest time again. The annual festival returns to Myrtle Edwards Park and features bands like The Speedies, I Defy, and Jude Bowerman sandwiched between a peanut gallery of NORML activists and assorted stoners. Legend has it festival attendees can smoke the dried leaves of their choice without much hassle from “The Man,†but do so at your own risk.
8/17 – Heroes of this summer’s Capitol Hill Block Party, The Rotten Apples, hold court at the Sunset Tavern. You may remember Apples’ lead singer Dejha from the late, great Pin-Ups. The Apples’ album, Real Tuff: Durable Plastic, is the real deal. Check ‘em out.
8/18 – Minibar, the Americana band from England, show up at the Tractor in support of their newest album, Fly Below The Radar. These guys once opened for the Old 97’s, so that’s gotta be a good endorsement.
8/19 – Have a nice dinner at home with loved ones. You’ve earned it.
What A-Law Is Listening To:
It’s been a long time since I’ve been thrift store shopping, but I may change my tune after finding a diamond in the rough this week. Scattered among the Neil Sedaka and Wham! tapes was Wesley Willis’ Greatest Hits Vol. 2, just waiting to be discovered like Aladdin’s lamp. Willis, the 6’ 5â€, 350-pound schizophrenic essentially produces the same song over and over, but his lyrics are pure gold. “Go to the barber and tell him you are tired of looking like an asshole,†he muses in “Cut The Mulletâ€. Willis’ albums are kinda hard to find, and I think Wes would be glad that I found him next to the 8-tracks at Goodwill.