tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64825083840394071182024-02-19T01:54:23.596-07:00Each One Teach One - Mondays 11PM-Midnight on CJSW 90.9 FM in CalgaryOn the internet at cjsw.com! Noise rock, post-punk, psychedelic rock, other weird junk... mostly a lot of LOUD BANG LOUD LOUD LOUD CRASH EEEEEORRRRK BANG.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-16950452079826416892011-11-08T00:08:00.003-07:002011-11-08T01:09:28.127-07:00November 7th 2011 - Last ShowShellac - The End of Radio (Excellent Italian Greyhound)<br />
-<br />
Mi Ami - Cut Men (Cut Men 12")<br />
Sonic Youth - Candle (Daydream Nation)<br />
-<br />
Polvo - Tragic Carpet Ride (Celebrate the New Dark Age)<br />
Town Ship - Tecumseh (Future Confusion 7")<br />
Pavement - Shoot the Singer (Watery, Domestic)<br />
My Disco - Rivers (Little Joy)<br />
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Oneida - Sheets of Easter (Each One Teach One)<br />
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Follow my writing at <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/author/devin-friesen/">FFWD Weekly</a> and <a href="http://www.tinymixtapes.com/writer/devin-friesen">Tiny Mix Tapes</a>. Follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dmfriesen">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://rateyourmusic.com/~freezey">Rateyourmusic</a>. Listen to my music <a href="http://bitterfictions.bandcamp.com/">on bandcamp</a>, and follow Bitter Fictions news on <a href="http://bitter-fictions.blogspot.com/">this blog right here</a>.<br />
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Here's the speech I wrote for my radio sign-off, since a few people asked me about it:<br />
<blockquote>I've been hosting Each One Teach One since April 2008; for nearly four years I've been programming shows that have roughly coincided with the development of my own musical taste, with "noise-rock" being the main thing tying it all together. One thing I always tried to do with the show, however, was to not just present assorted selections of noise rock, post-hardcore, experimental, or other assorted forms of non-mainstream music--I intended to convey a sense of critical listening, a sense of thought that would convey a critical approach to contemporary music. I'm interested in where bands come from, how they develop -- what their influences are or which bands they influenced, analyzing them within a genre, or regionally, or sometimes even in relation to pop culture. Many would call this music nerdism, and I'm not going to disagree--but an attitude towards music I've always felt the need to rail against is one of complacency, or of non-critical acceptance. I find this attitude is extremely pervasive in mass culture, but also in Calgary as well--many shy away from critical attitudes towards music and art, and I find this very problematic because complacency breeds boredom.<br />
<br />
I've seen far too many bands that continue to hack away at the bloated corpse of nostalgia, presenting yet another take on '60s garage rock or '80s commercialism because it's "fun," bands that hide behind studio trickery--both on the slick, hi-fi and obnoxiously lo-fi ends, bands that were seemingly formed just to get played on the CBC, bands that sound like other bands that were irritating the first time around. Bands that make music thinking it's a unique form of expression, when in fact their music is totally homogeneous, or has been done before, or is flat-out unnecessary. I understand and support listening to music for 'fun,' but to claim music is only for fun is reductive and something I find obnoxious at best, and moronic at worst. It negates music as a form of art, as a form of cultural and/or personal expression, as something that can be challenging, intellectually stimulating, or even rewarding beyond the most shallow definition. I value music too much to place it in a footnoted, "only for fun" designation. To see music as just entertainment, and entertainment as reassurance--as much of my generation have grown to accept, given the rampant popularity of the utter garbage that continues to pollute the airwaves--I didn't think music could get much worse than the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but here we are with Korn releasing a dubstep album and a band called LMFAO topping billboard charts--is very off-putting to me.<br />
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I'd like to say a few things, and hope that Each One Teach One, as a show, has helped convey them. Ask yourself if you're satisfied or complacent in your musical tastes: if yes, try to think of why. How are those tastes informed--did you come to them on your own? Did you actively go out and search? Did you learn from your friends? Did you learn them from a publication? Unless you feel as if you've truly exhausted your interest in music, I'm going to say that you're missing out: now, more than ever, the opportunity to hear and learn about any type of music is easier to grasp than ever. There is always something out there to discover, even if it involves wading through a bunch of junk. Ask yourself if what you're hearing speaks to you, or if you find it interesting or worthwhile: if so, that's fantastic--can you think of why? And if not, why are you listening to it? Did a magazine tell you it was the best album of the year? Are you a fan of an album because it's been canonized, like so much turgid '70s rock and tired, outdated punk foundations?<br />
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As for why I'm quitting Each One Teach One: there's a combination of reasons. Radio is one of the more immediate formats of mass communication, but frankly, I'm not sure that it's one I'm particularly fond of. What is the job of the radio programmer/host? At the basest level, to program the music and announce it to whomever is listening. This doesn't interest me anymore, nor has it for for several months. Communicating about art will inevitably yield abstractions--I can play you a song on the radio and proclaim it to be from a favourite artist of mine, yet this doesn't really mean much: I'm speaking to a vague ether, a one-way communicative act where my efforts may or may not be received. It's not perfect, but for a while, I was fine with this. For a while now, however, my priorities have changed--when it comes to communicating about music to a mass audience, I've found that writing is more rewarding for me--it's more stimulating, my work is read by a much larger, and more receptive, audience. It's also something that I have a talent for, and is something I'm more willing to indulge my free time with. Since starting at CJSW, I've become involved with a few different publications, and have reached a point where I feel more inclined to write reviews and critical articles than to put together a radio program every week, which has become more of a chore than a fun or particularly meaningful activity for me. Being on the radio is a privilege, and it's one I've been happy to maintain for several years--but it's time to leave "well enough" alone, and spend my time intensifying what I've been building towards for the last several years.<br />
<br />
So thank you so much for listening to Each One Teach One. I'd like to give major thanks to my girlfriend Megan, whom I met through the station--she's always been my number one fan, always tuning in. If you've liked Each One Teach One, you should definitely listen to her show, Off Duty Trip, on Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 4. You should also listen to Whitney's show White Lodge / Black Lodge, on Tuesday afternoons, also from 2 til 4. I'd also like to thank Kevin and Stan, for being with me in critical attitude towards music, as well as for driving me home after wrapping up the show in these late night timeslots. Thanks also to the many station members and listeners who have been receptive to what I've done, and hopefully to what I continue to do. If you're interested in following what I'm doing now, I'll be completely self-promotional in my last bit of time on here: first, I've been writing reviews and articles for FFWD Weekly here in Calgary for over a year now, and you can read my work in that paper and on their website almost every week. I've also started writing with Tiny Mix Tapes.com out of Chicago, where I submit weekly articles on revisiting old music--stuff from "hey check out this lost gem," to more cultural connections, such as how a band has had an impact or influence on music, to be somewhat vague. I've also been creating music under the name Bitter Fictions--you can listen to my new album Looper Pedal Blues at bitterfictions.bandcamp.com. Tonight's playlist will be posted at eachoneteachonecjsw.blogspot.com. Thanks again for listening--my name is Devin Friesen, and I'll be closing the show off with a track from the show's namesake: here's Oneida with the song "Sheets of Easter," from their 2002 album Each One Teach One. </blockquote><br />
That's it. Bye!Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-57891162639712252072011-11-01T00:45:00.000-06:002011-11-01T00:45:11.890-06:00October 31st 2011Since it was Halloween night, here's a foreboding playlist...<br />
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Live Skull - Fort Belvedere (Cloud One)<br />
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Sonic Youth - Society is a Hole + I Love Her all the Time (Bad Moon Rising)<br />
Broken Water - Spore (Whet)<br />
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Clockcleaner - Pissing at the Moon (Auf-Wiedersehen)<br />
Songs: Ohia - Cross the Road, Molina (Didn't it Rain)<br />
Unwound - One Lick Less + Scarlette (Leaves Turn Inside You)<br />
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Hovercraft - De-Orbit Burn<br />
<br />
Last show next week!Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-81158471438885911972011-10-31T04:36:00.000-06:002011-10-31T04:36:10.276-06:00Thanks to all that pledged during funding drive last week.<br />
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Two more episodes of Each One Teach One left, folks. Tonight's will be vaguely eerie (I -am- technically doing the last show of Halloween 2011), and then the last episode will be next week - so definitely tune in for these. Take bets on what I'm playing for the last show or something.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-4546616124622906012011-10-18T00:14:00.000-06:002011-10-18T00:14:26.029-06:00October 17th 2011Funding drive next week - I'll be putting together mix CDs for anyone who pledges on Each One Teach One. Keep it in mind. Each One Teach One will be done a week or two after FD - thanks to all the very kind and appreciative callers tonight.<br />
<br />
Enablers - Career-Minded Individual (Blown Realms and Stalled Explosions)<br />
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Wilderness - Chinese Whisperers (K(n)owhere)<br />
Lucid 44 - Empty Room (Split 7" w/Forest Tate)<br />
Rema-Rema - Rema-Rema (Wheel in the Roses)<br />
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Town Ship - International Harvester (Future Confusion)<br />
Bill Orcutt - Till I Get Satisfied (How the Thing Sings)<br />
Rangers - Sacred Cows (Pan Am Stories)<br />
Each Other - She Stole Second (Taking Trips)<br />
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The Men - Praise the Lord & Pass the Ammunition (Immaculada)<br />
Pumice - Pipi (Pebbles)<br />
North of America - Southwesterlies to Southwesternly (These Songs Are Cursed)<br />
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Minor Threat - Filler (Minor Threat)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-16968670635725695752011-10-11T00:03:00.000-06:002011-10-11T00:03:50.782-06:00October 10th 2011Sex Church - Let Down<br />
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Gastr Del Sol - Our Exquisite Replica of "Eternity" (Upgrade & Afterlife)<br />
Knotted Cord - Cosmic Aggressor<br />
Sans AIDS - Dream Trip<br />
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Magik Markers - Straight A's in Love (I Trust My Guitar, etc)<br />
Harry Pussy - Showroom Dummies (You'll Never Play This Town Again)<br />
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Jesus & Mary Chain - On the Wall (Demo)<br />
Mark McGuire - Alma (Get Lost)<br />
The Dead C - Truth (The Damned)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-19153291728897538052011-10-04T00:09:00.000-06:002011-10-04T00:09:21.509-06:00October 4th 2011Wooden Shjips - Phonograph (bonus 7" from West)<br />
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Mark McGuire - Get Lost (Get Lost)<br />
Dirty Beaches - Stye Eye (Lone Rider 7")<br />
No Joy - He Cried (Tour split 7" w/Marnie Stern)<br />
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Cave - This is the Best (Neverendless)<br />
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Bill Orcutt - The Visible Bosom (How the Thing Sings)<br />
Knotted Cord - Glory Say Golden Hello (Polyphonic Beasts Expand in Parallel)<br />
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Mouthus - Yota (Loam)<br />
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As said in the show: the end is near for Each One Teach One. Funding drive is happening later this month, so save up yr dollars and pledge on the last E1T1 funding drive show--I'll be making exclusive mix CD's again this year. <br />
<br />
The last show will be one, maybe two weeks after funding drive.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-25954477301781358132011-09-20T00:05:00.001-06:002011-09-20T00:05:40.548-06:00September 19th 2011Drive Like Jehu - Super Unison (Yank Crime)<br />
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Raein - Constellazione secondo le leggi del caso (Sulla linea d'orizzonte tra questa mia vita e quella di tutti)<br />
Bayonets!!! - Pope of Eagleface + Taking Faith Mountain by Force (Flexi on Revolution Winter)<br />
The Great Unraveling - The Calling Beckons (The Great Unraveling)<br />
Heavy Chains - Tommy Toucher<br />
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Don Caballero - The Peter Criss Jazz (American Don)<br />
Essue Dove - Ladyboy Singapore<br />
My Bloody Valentine - Just Like Us (Lost Cuts and Rare Tracks bootleg LP)<br />
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Echo Is Your Love - Useless Spells U-S-E-L-E-S-S (8 Hours)<br />
Fun - Angora (Zu-Pa!)<br />
-<br />
Sonic Youth - Out & In (Not the Spaces you Know, but Between Them)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-1221810126570942542011-09-16T03:19:00.000-06:002011-09-16T03:19:18.006-06:00September 12th 2011the show earlier this week was a pre-record--I was playing a Bitter Fictions set that night, hence the pre-record w/no voice. I can't remember what was in it... Bedhead, Gate, some other junk. <br />
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I'll be playing another Bitter Fictions set at the Palomino on Saturday, opening for peAks and Vancouver's Drawn Ship. So go check that out, say hi, etc.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-34909339296268942282011-09-05T23:58:00.000-06:002011-09-05T23:58:32.285-06:00September 5th 2011Don Caballero - Don Caballero 3 (What Burns Never Returns)<br />
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Town Ship - Real Numbers (7")<br />
Leather - No Motivation (Sterile 7")<br />
Amen Dunes - Lower Mind (Through Donkey Jaw)<br />
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Stalwart Sons - Garden of Paths (Split 7" w/Union of the Snake)<br />
Nothing People - Stick in the Mud (Late Night)<br />
Flying Saucer Attack - My Dreaming Hill (Flying Saucer Attack)<br />
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Gate - Wilderness (A Republic of Sadness)<br />
Natural - Space is the Place (USSR Vol 2 CD-R)<br />
Sans AIDS - Forklift (Loaners CS)<br />
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Fire! w/Jim O'Rourke - ...Please, I Am Released (Unreleased?)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-65824550950665951072011-08-30T00:10:00.000-06:002011-08-30T00:10:04.276-06:00August 29th 2011Leather - Relapse (Sterile 7")<br />
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The Monorchid - A Was for Anarchy (Who Put Out the Fire?)<br />
Iceage - Collapse<br />
The Raymond Brake - Secret (New Wave Dream 7")<br />
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Asking Price (Mirror Traffic)<br />
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Wooden Shjips - Crossing (West)<br />
Jessamine - Royal Eye Cream (Jessamine)<br />
Nothing People - Pushing Buttons (Late Night)<br />
Cough Cool - And Nothing Happened (Clausen CS)<br />
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Magnog - More Weather (More Weather)<br />
The Dead C - Heat (The Damned)<br />
Extra Happy Ghost - Modern Horses (Modern Horses)<br />
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Whorl - Stupid ShitDevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-48417040441439977522011-08-23T00:01:00.000-06:002011-08-23T00:01:27.913-06:00August 22nd 2011 - I've Returned.Sup.<br />
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Gun Outfit - White Light (High Places EP)<br />
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Milk Music - Beyond Living (Beyond Living LP)<br />
The Men - () (Leave Home)<br />
Grown-Ups - Stopped Caring (Stopped Caring)<br />
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Pluton - Love Meets the Gun (Pluton 12")<br />
Band of Susans - Mood Swing (Mood Swing 7")<br />
Yo La Tengo - From a Motel 6 (Painful)<br />
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Dead - Prick Rodeo (Thundaaaaaaah)<br />
Bayonets - Pope of Eagleface + Taking Faith Mountain by Force (Flexi single)<br />
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Stick Figures in Love (Mirror Traffic)<br />
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Föllakzoid - IV, III, II, I (S/T EP)<br />
Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-92091400758480388952011-08-15T22:51:00.000-06:002011-08-15T22:51:27.875-06:00Playlists for August 15th + 8thHey everyone - I've pre-recorded tonight's show but didn't have time to add my voice to announce the songs, so here's the playlist + a playlist from when Megan covered my show the week before. We'll just ignore the showfills that happened before that one. I've also pre-recorded next week's show, as I will be out of town. Afterwords, I should be back to hosting the show as per usual, though I'm not sure for how long - I'm thinking about wrapping it up this year. Well, more details as they emerge, I suppose.<br />
<br />
August 15th:<br />
<br />
90 Day Men - Jupiter and Lo ((It (is) It) Critical Band)<br />
The Clean - Point that Thing Somewhere Else<br />
Archers of Loaf - Lowest Part is Free! (Vs the Greatest of All Time/Icky Mettle re-issue)<br />
American Geography - Meridian (S/T)<br />
Hovercraft - Endoradiosonde (Experiment Below)<br />
United Waters - Platetectonics (Your First Ever River)<br />
Extra Happy Ghost - Haunted House (Modern Horses)<br />
Astrobrite - Radiofriendly (Crush)<br />
My Bloody Valentine - I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) (Isn't Anything)<br />
The Men - Bataille (Leave Home)<br />
Gun Outfit - Fantasy World (Possession Sound)<br />
The For Carnation - Moonbeams (S/T)<br />
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Megan's playlist from August 8th:<br />
<br />
Extra Happy Ghost - So At One (Modern Horses)<br />
Gun Outfit - Feeling Good (Possession Sounds)<br />
Wild Flag - Future Crimes (Future Crimes b/w Glass Tambourine)<br />
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Tonstartssbandht - Udvidet Chrys (Hymn)<br />
Bayonets!!!! - Pope of Eagleface (Two Songs Regarding Faith Mountain 7" )<br />
Grown-Ups - I'm Okay (Stopped Caring)<br />
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DNA - Size (DNA on DNA)<br />
Milk Music - Beyond Living (Beyond Living)<br />
Iceage - White Ruin (New Brigade)<br />
White Lung - Wild Failure (It's the Evil)<br />
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Son Skull - Control Control (Birth Scene/Rewind)<br />
The Men - L.A.D.O.C.H. (Leave Home)<br />
Drunkdriver - Quality Of My Life (Drunkdriver)<br />
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No Trend - Teen Love (Teen Love 7")Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-44132174507180274222011-07-14T18:24:00.000-06:002011-07-14T18:24:09.641-06:00Each One Teach One on HiatusHey everyone - Each One Teach One is going on a temporary hiatus. I've decided to take the next five to six weeks off. The next several shows will fills- I'm not sure who will be doing them, but I can update the blog if necessary. I will be pre-recording a few episodes in August, but I probably won't return to live hosting until September.<br />
<br />
Any questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail (it's on the sidebar), leave a comment, whatever. <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/author/devin-friesen/">I'm still contributing to FFWD Weekly on a regular basis</a>, and I have a <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dmfriesen">sporadically updated twitter account</a>, so feel free to check those out. See you in the Fall!Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-55199649141714964432011-07-14T18:19:00.002-06:002011-07-14T18:23:35.198-06:00Stalwart Sons - Split 7"s w/Slates + Union of the Snake + Kevin Stebner interviewHere's a re-posting of a review/interview I did recently for FFWD Weekly, with Calgary's Stalwart Sons. Check out their tunes on <a href="http://stalwartsons.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a>, or grab the vinyl from <a href="http://www.myspace.com/revolutionwinter">Revolution Winter</a>. If you're in Calgary, you could also try Sloth Records or Hotwax.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAnE4b2sYpkM3c7Nni3w6I24qJmwbEUe2k1eXLnCvg8n6ot8jsabxyCnoB3h8VA_s7ct4yudaBz7g3rXa_fxhl9ZSmWICMrY34Zp3wQJqbNWSPYvklzbq8nYvqLhLZONLXyP_YOaQFhh2/s1600/5858322555_ee98283397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="203" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAnE4b2sYpkM3c7Nni3w6I24qJmwbEUe2k1eXLnCvg8n6ot8jsabxyCnoB3h8VA_s7ct4yudaBz7g3rXa_fxhl9ZSmWICMrY34Zp3wQJqbNWSPYvklzbq8nYvqLhLZONLXyP_YOaQFhh2/s320/5858322555_ee98283397.jpg" /></a></div>(image courtesy of <a href="http://noisographyreviews.blogspot.com/">noisography.com</a>)<br />
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Calgary’s Stalwart Sons has followed up their debut LP from last year, <i>Burn Daylights Like Torches</i>, with a pair of excellent split singles. The first, shared with Edmonton’s Slates, makes a lot of sense: Both bands are from Alberta, play aggressive-yet-tuneful music and fit perfectly on a bill together. Stalwart’s “The Shared Cup” and “Steady on the Plough” are passionate, post-hardcore rockers with a strong sense of melody (see the bassline that fades out “Steady”), with the latter song adding a little Mission of Burma influence to the fold. Slates contributes “Fabian,” a dynamic, slow-burning track that’s quite different from the rest of its oeuvre, and “Chinook,” a thirty-second song about cold weather and wanting a Chinook. OK, maybe not the timeliest song in July, but this split single is certainly a worthwhile sampling of two of Alberta’s most exciting bands.<br />
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The second single is the more aggressive of the two, paired with a new band from Halifax: Union of the Snake. UOTS’s tracks remind me of The Jesus Lizard/’90s Touch & Go Records bands, but with just an extra hint of art damage (see the foreground guitar noise on the second verse of “Flitcraft”). Both UOTS songs are fantastic, and I can’t wait to hear more. The Stalwart tracks are also a bit more aggressive — “Garden of Paths” is my favourite of the Calgary trio’s four songs on these splits, with a lot of start/stop rhythms and triumphant guitar string bending. I like this split just a smidgen more, but both records are entirely worth grabbing.<br />
<br />
<b>Tell me about Slates and Union of the Snake. How are you all connected?</b><br />
<br />
Kevin Stebner: Well, my old band totheteeth/tothehilt had played with North of America a few times, so we were pretty good friends with the band members [author’s note: Jim MacAlpine from North of America drums in Union of the Snake]. I used to play in totheteeth/tothehilt with Stefan Duret, who now plays bass in Slates. We’re best friends from way back when. totheteeth/tothehilt also played with all the previous bands of the members of Slates — Last Deal and Fractal Pattern to name a few. How did we hook up with them? Two like-minded bands, I guess. Had I not been friends with these bands, these would have been my favourite bands, regardless. They’re both bands that are able to actually rock, but are also writing very strongly — they’re not afraid to “give it,” but they aren’t just like flippant about it.<br />
<br />
<b>You mentioned being especially proud of “Shared Cup.” Could you explain why?</b><br />
<br />
“Shared Cup” in particular is sort of in reference to the time I spent in totheteeth/tothehilt. Particularly when I was about 16 when I put on my first punk show. The song is about how I have not been able to give up punk rock: I haven’t outgrown it. It’s not a phase for me; it’s something that’s continued to be important to me a decade on. That song in particular is sort of about how I’m still wanting to do it, and still active, and how it’s not just something I can outgrow.<br />
<br />
<b>I’ve heard Stalwart Sons jokingly referred to as “crop-rock” and images of seeds, prairies, growth and open space often appear in your lyrics. Would you care to comment on this, farmer Stebner? Or, more politely, when you write lyrics, what kind of voice are you intending to communicate?</b><br />
<br />
Well, in terms of “voice” or “tone” or whatever, it’s purely an honest one. I think you can pretty much tell a dishonest voice immediately, if you’re actually reading carefully. I purely try to be honest in that respect — sort of reflecting on what you see in front of you, reflecting who you are and where you’re from and actively engaging with it — your community, or your landscape, or your past, your family’s past, or the present right now or exactly what’s happening in your area. It’s really important to have your songs actually be about something, instead of just making up all this nonsense, because every track is definitely about something I feel very strongly about.<br />
<br />
“Crop-rock” is funny, but I feel it definitely ties to Alberta and the prairies in particular. I’m not exactly singing about farms all the time, though! (laughs) But yeah, it happens.<br />
<br />
<b>When I listen to these songs, I hear influences like Mission of Burma, Fugazi and the Constantines, but there’s also these subtle Can-rock undertones that gives Stalwart Sons’ songs a few extra shades of colour. What are some of your favourite Can-rock albums, and why?</b><br />
<br />
Well, I’m sure it’s obvious but the entire Constantines discography. Now that they’re broken up, we even cover a Constantines track. That band, in particular, has always rung true for me, ever since I saw them, heard them. Specifically, <i>Tournament of Hearts</i>, when they’re at their most subdued and subtle. The Tragically Hip’s <i>Phantom Power</i> is an incredible record and probably the best in their discography — but skip “Poets”, because it’s annoying. They finally got out of their bar-rock past, and thankfully it’s prior to their terrible Bob Rock phase. I realize it’s not cool for punks to be into Can-rock, or rock n’ roll at all for that matter, but it just goes back to the actively reflecting on who you are and where you’re from, and the only bands that really do it are these bands. I also really like Eamon McGrath’s <i>13 Songs of Whiskey and Light</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>In addition to music and bands, would you consider yourself influenced by literature?</b><br />
<br />
Of course. I published a book of poems, and a large chunk of the poems are dealing with Canada itself. My lyrics, in particular, are rife with literary allusion or references to Canadian novels, biblical passages or references to other songs. The term “Steady on the Plough” is a biblical reference. “Shared Cup” is a reference to a sort of retelling of the Gideon story, where instead of people drinking from a shared cup or drinking with their hands, they just put their mouths to the pool. “Garden of Paths” is in reference to a Borges short story, <i>Garden of Forking Paths</i>. And, a lot of the lyrics on “Steady on the Plough” are in reference to the Walt Whitman poem “America,” but I sort of changed it to be about the Canadian landscape.<br />
<br />
<b>You just toured Canada for the second summer in a row, this time driving all the way from Calgary up to St. John’s, N.L. What was that experience like?</b><br />
<br />
Well, it’s great. Just being able to put the country under your feet is an awesome thing. We live in a beautiful place, and I feel pretty privileged to have the opportunity to go all the way across it and dip your leg in the ocean, proverbially and literally. Touring Canada is tough. As far back as Canadian literature goes, there’s always this idea of the landscaping as a crazy, daunting thing that is sort of like an enemy to overcome, and I think touring bands are some of the few people that will understand that. It’s tough, but it’s fulfilling. It’s rewarding, not purely just for playing music for people, but being able to actually engage the country.<br />
<br />
<b>So, what’s next?</b><br />
<br />
We’re going to be doing a few dates with this band Town Ship from Toronto. I’ll be putting out a 7-inch for them — they’re formerly of the band Ancestors. And from this last tour, we’ve got a ton of new songs, so hopefully coming into the fall or the new year we’ll be recording a second record.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-13611754984204987772011-07-12T00:06:00.000-06:002011-07-12T00:06:25.125-06:00July 11th 2011Pre-recorded show. The order on this might be slightly off, but all the songs are there.<br />
<br />
Sisters - Lust is Just (Sisters)<br />
-<br />
Moon Duo - Killing Time (Killing Time)<br />
Talk Normal - Bold Face (Sugarland)<br />
Sans AIDS - Haters Hating<br />
Feel Alright - Soft Brutality<br />
-<br />
Mouthus - The Duration Myth (Divisonals)<br />
Astrobrite - Hopefully (Crush)<br />
Zomes - Openings (Earth Grid)<br />
-<br />
Robedoor - Wake of the Mythmaker (Rock Bottom CS)<br />
York Redoubt - Initials (York Redoubt LP)<br />
-<br />
Thundrah - MoleculesDevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-42610300989640800122011-07-05T00:01:00.000-06:002011-07-05T00:01:50.647-06:00July 4th 2011Flying Saucer Attack - Second Hour (Chorus)<br />
-<br />
Oneida - Horizon (Absolute II)<br />
Fabio Orsi - Ghost Track (Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul)<br />
Honey for Petzi - Black Comedy (General Thoughts and Tastes)<br />
-<br />
Iceage - White Rune (New Brigade)<br />
Fugazi - Bed For the Scraping (Red Medicine; request)<br />
Peace - Quite Frankly (My Face)<br />
Unwound - Petals Like Bricks (The Future of What)<br />
-<br />
Dadamah - Too Hot to Dry (This is Not a Dream)<br />
Phil Manley - Night Visions (Life Coach)<br />
-<br />
Swirlies - Sounds of Sebring (They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days...)<br />
<br />
Not sure how many of the next five shows I'll be doing live - I'm taking classes this summer, and one of my courses starts pretty early on Tuesday mornings, so I may be pre-recording/getting some showfills for the duration of the semester.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-57614210454342775992011-06-28T00:35:00.000-06:002011-06-28T00:35:28.373-06:00June 27th 2011First, some links - hope you had a good Sled Island! I did a bunch of blogging/tweeting for FFWD Weekly, so check out my coverage here: <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/calgary-blogs/FESTIVALS/2011/06/23/sled-island-2011-day-one-play-guitar-sans-aids-blonde-redhead-others-771/">Wednesday</a> / <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/calgary-blogs/FESTIVALS/2011/06/24/sled-island-2011-day-two-lee-ranaldo-moon-duo-feel-alright-at-a-pool-party-779/">Thursday</a> / <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/calgary-blogs/FESTIVALS/2011/06/25/sled-island-2011-day-two-wild-flag-parts-labor-fist-city-more-787/">Friday</a> / <a href="http://www.ffwdweekly.com/calgary-blogs/FESTIVALS/2011/06/27/sled-island-2011-day-four-neil-hamburger-comedy-deer-tick-wild-flag-791/">Saturday</a><br />
<br />
Additionally, if you feel inclined to follow me on twitter, <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/dmfriesen">go right ahead</a>.<br />
<br />
Yo La Tengo - Today is the Day (Today is the Day EP)<br />
-<br />
Shellac - Wingwalker (Uranus 7")<br />
False Face - Lifeboat<br />
Drill for Absentee - This Process Will Make Chicago ... (S/T 7")<br />
Blonde Redhead - Vague (Vague b/w Jet Star 7")<br />
-<br />
Wild Flag - Romance (Wild Flag)<br />
Feel Alright - Crow Child (hahahahahahaha CS)<br />
Union of the Snake - Decades + Flitcraft (Split 7" w/Stalwart Sons)<br />
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Fennesz - Ohne Sonne (Endless Summer LP reissue)<br />
Area C - In Toward the Wires (Map of Circular Thought)<br />
The Pupils - Mysterium (The Pupils)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-797554974583550022011-06-21T00:05:00.000-06:002011-06-21T00:05:14.573-06:00June 20th 2011Auld Beak - GBH (4 Songs CS)<br />
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Sans AIDS - My Friends (Split w/Lake Country)<br />
Knyfe Hyts - Spirits (Sword of the Lord)<br />
Black Pus - Police Song (Primordial Pus)<br />
Brainbombs - Gray Area (Singles Collection)<br />
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Oneida - Gray Area (Absolute II)<br />
Lee Ranaldo - Notebook (Amarillo Ramp for Robert Smithson)<br />
Skullflower - Solar Anus (Form Destroyer)<br />
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Parts & Labor - Fractured Skies (Mapmaker)<br />
Play Guitar - Sleep Standing Up (Shields & Don't Worry About Death)<br />
The Dead C - Power (Trapdoor Fucking Exit)<br />
<br />
Go check out Auld Beak, Lee Ranaldo, Wild Flag, Parts & Labor, Stalwart Sons, Play Guitar, Sans AIDS, Crow Eater, Zola Jesus, Kurt Vile, and many others this week at Sled Island! I'll be around.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-39287449006940715572011-06-14T00:10:00.000-06:002011-06-14T00:10:05.508-06:00June 13th 2011The Men - If You Leave... (Leave Home)<br />
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Jonas Reinhardt - Smokey Jotus (Music for the Tactile Dome)<br />
Effi Briest - Rhizomes (Rhizomes)<br />
Flower - Hologram Sky (Concrete Sky 1987-1990)<br />
Stalwart Sons - The Shared Cup (Split 7" w/Slates)<br />
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Oneida - Pre-Human (Absolute II)<br />
Shinji Masuko - Woven Music for Blue Steppe (Woven Music)<br />
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Jim O'Rourke - Mother and Who (Old News No. 5)<br />
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Talk/background/intro music - Yankee Yankee, excerpts from side B of his "Empty Room" cassette. <a href="http://www.unitstructure.ca/">More info here</a>.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-76332164556753490222011-06-07T02:08:00.000-06:002011-06-07T02:08:51.923-06:00June 6th & 7th - E1T1 + Sweet Chin Music showfillMarathon! Here we go.<br />
<br />
Bedhead - The Rest of the Day (Beheaded)<br />
-<br />
Lync - Silver Spoon Glasses (These Are Not Fall Colors)<br />
Play Guitar - Celebration (Shielfs & Don't Worry About Death)<br />
Grouper - I Saw a Ray (AIA Dream Loss)<br />
Lilys - Day of the Monkey (Eccsame the Photon Band)<br />
-<br />
Long Long Long - If There's a Rumble, You Guys Will Back Me Up, Right? (Who The Fuck Said Family Ain't Family No More)<br />
Tonstartsbandht - Shot to lo Parc<br />
Veronica Lake - Emma Maybe<br />
Seam - Autopilot (The Problem With Me)<br />
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The Dismemberment Plan - Respect is Due (Is Terrified)<br />
Mi Ami - Dreamers (Steal Your Face)<br />
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Religious Knives - Smokescreen (Smokescreen)<br />
Black Pus - The Wicked West (Primordial Pus)<br />
Skull Defekts - Peer Amid (Peer Amid)<br />
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Portraits of Past - Bang Yer Head<br />
My Disco - Inhaler (Collapse of an Erratic Lung)<br />
Japanese Beaver are Canadian - How Much Does Ammunition Go For these Days? (EP Phone Home)<br />
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Crow Eater - Grave Wax + Never Born (Grave Wax)<br />
Slices - Laughing While Eating (Cruising)<br />
Sedia - C'era una Volta il Rizoma (The Even Times)<br />
Lisabo - Hemen Naiz ez Gelditzeko Baina (Ezarian)<br />
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Joe Lally - What Makes You (Why Should I Get Used to it)<br />
Lowercase - Rare Anger (Kill the Lights)<br />
Unwound - Fiction Friction (New Plastic Ideas)<br />
-<br />
Daïtro - Nous Sommes D'ici (Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes)<br />
Daniel Striped Tiger - Instruction Piece + Goldwood (No Difference)<br />
La Maladresse - Les Montagnes (La Maladresse)<br />
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Pitchblende - A Penny for the Guy (Working Holiday split 7" w/Swirlies)<br />
Shipping News - Untitled w/Drums (Flies the Fields)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-22130308690042838552011-06-02T14:10:00.000-06:002011-06-02T14:10:19.525-06:00Showfill for My Public Shame, June 2nd 2011Magik Markers - Axis Mundi (BOSS)<br />
Peace - Quite Frankly (My Face)<br />
Wet Hair - Fade til Morning (In Vogue Spirit)<br />
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Jonas Reinhardt - Smokey Jotus (Music for the Tactile Dome)<br />
Hobo Cubes - Cosmogenesis<br />
Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure (Channel Pressure)<br />
Ponytail - Beyondersville / Flight of Fancy (Do Whatever You Want All the Time)<br />
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Silver Dapple - Slip Stitch (English Girlfriend)<br />
Long Long Long - You'll Not Guess Who I Met in Minnesota (Who The Fuck Said Family Ain't Family No More)<br />
Sans AIDS - Forklift (Loaners)<br />
Polvo - Tilebreaker (Today's Active Lifestyles)<br />
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Bâton Rouge - Que les Fils (Fragments d'eux mêmes)<br />
Daniel Striped Tiger - Room in the Dark + No Reverse (No Difference)<br />
Stalwart Sons - Steady on the Plough (Split 7" w/Slates)<br />
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Fucked Up - A Little Death (David Comes to Life; request)<br />
Broken Water - Kansas (Peripheral Star)<br />
EMA - California (Past Life Martyred Saints)<br />
Black Pus - Police Song (Primordial Pus)<br />
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Thurston Moore - Orchard Street (Demolished Thoughts)<br />
Hauschka - Girls (Salon des Amateurs)<br />
Disappears - Hive Mind (Live at Echo Canyon CS)<br />
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Sex Worker - Telephone (Bored Fortress split 7" w/Psychic Reality)<br />
<br />
I'll be filling in for Kallen again in two weeks. In the meantime, I'll still be hosting my late-night show that nobody listens to. Hey!Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-82768512254504556352011-05-31T00:02:00.000-06:002011-05-31T00:02:37.603-06:00May 30th 2011Poem Rocket - Small White Animal (Felix Culpa)<br />
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Implodes - Meadowsland (Black Earth)<br />
Mouthus - Century of Divides (Saw a Halo)<br />
Thurston Moore - Orchard Street (Demolished Thoughts)<br />
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Lee Ranaldo - Amarillo Ramp (For Robert Smithson)<br />
-<br />
Arceconds - Lima Yankee Seven Alpha (Split CS w/Sundrips)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-58478415268488925042011-05-24T00:04:00.002-06:002011-05-24T00:04:58.372-06:00May 23 2011Sightings - On a Pedestal (Future Accidents)<br />
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Naked on the Vague - Dissatisfaction (Twelve Dark Noons)<br />
Shearing Pinx - Battery Born<br />
EMA - Red Star (Past Life Martyred Saints)<br />
-<br />
Oneida - Horizon (Absolute II)<br />
United Waters - Statuary (Your First Ever River)<br />
Thurston Moore - Circulation (Demolished Thoughts)<br />
-<br />
Astrobrite - Overdriver (Crush)<br />
Mountains - Backwards Crossover (Air Museum)<br />
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Kestrels - The Light (The Solipsist)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-55143752411760335802011-05-16T17:06:00.000-06:002011-05-16T17:06:24.940-06:00May 16th 2011Pre-recorded show tonight.<br />
<br />
Women - China Steps (Public Strain)<br />
Oneida - Improvisation (Afternoon Set II), (04-02-2011 Ocropolis, Japan Benefit set - more details <a href="http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=5562">right over here</a>)<br />
Bâton Rouge - Collecter les Sons (Fragments D'eux Mêmes)<br />
Weights & Measures - MS Doesn't Stand for MS Anymore (S/T)Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6482508384039407118.post-90946165306091660172011-05-09T20:26:00.002-06:002011-05-10T00:09:49.019-06:00May 9th 2011 playlist + My Disco "Little Joy" reviewBlack Eyes - A Pack of Wolves (Black Eyes)<br />
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Religious Knives - Big Police (Smokescreen)<br />
Mountains - Blue Lanterns on East Oxford (Air Museum)<br />
Colin Newman - & Jury (A-Z)<br />
-<br />
United Waters - My Geology I-IV (Your First Ever River)<br />
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Long Long Long - You'll Not Guess Who I Met In Minnesota (Who The Fuck Said...)<br />
Honey for Petzi - Endless Sea (General Thoughts and Tastes)<br />
Kestrels - Throw Aggi Off the Bridge (Black Tambourine cover; The Solipsist EP)<br />
Fist City - Cleaner<br />
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Thurston Moore - King Chesterfield I (VDSQ Solo Acoustic vol. 5)<br />
<hr>Here's a review for My Disco's <i>Little Joy</i> that I wrote for FFWD earlier this year. It never ran because I wasn't able to connect with the band's guitarist for an interview to run alongside the review, despite a few attempts. Bummer, but it's a great album nonetheless.<br />
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<center><img src="http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drp400/p486/p48614hnn0y.jpg"></center><br />
<blockquote>Minimalism and repetition have been at the core of My Disco for a while, but <i>Little Joy</i> displays a subtler, more expansive focus for the Melbourne-based trio. Previous efforts, like 2008’s <i>Paradise</i> and 2006’s <i>Cancer</i>, were uncompromisingly stark takes on Touch & Go-styled noise rock (the band’s name is a Big Black reference, after all). <i>Little Joy</i>, however, sounds different while maintaining My Disco’s unique essence--repetition remains as the band’s central focus, but rather than endlessly pummeling the listener with cerebral basslines or shearing guitar chords that sound torn from electrical wire, <i>Little Joy</i> opts to put the drums up front, resulting in a spacious and often beautiful-yet-austere art-rock album.<br />
<br />
<i>Little Joy</i> is seemingly built around drummer Rohan Rebeiro, especially in the eight-minute “Young”, an avant-disco via noise-rock jam that you’ll probably never hear at a club. The repetition is unrelenting, yet there’s an intriguing roundness to be found within. A song like “Turn”, for example, is simultaneously blunt and subtle--the drums hammer endlessly on a kick/tom rhythm, yet frontman Liam Andrews’ vocal is smooth and cyclical: “I’m wandering,” he repeats over guitarist Ben Andrew’s sharply ringing progression. “Rivers” is the triumph of the album, however, riding the trio’s strengths for nearly ten dynamic minutes of addictive percussion, textured noise guitars, and bass-anchored atmosphere. Thus, <i>Little Joy</i> is difficult yet inviting: it maintains a masterful hold over Shellac-esque tension and release dynamics, holding a primal immediacy with just enough artistic distance to continually toy with expectations.<br />
<br />
The repetitive nature of My Disco will undoubtedly be off-putting for many, but those with patience and an ear for arty, unique takes on post-everything noise rock will find this to be a remarkably rich listen, worthy of comparisons to late-period This Heat and <i>Each One Teach One</i>-era Oneida (at least in terms of repetition). Alternately, if you wished that Liars’ <i>Sisterworld</i> wasn’t so disappointing, Holy Fuck weren’t so damned goofy, or that Women hadn’t imploded on stage, <i>Little Joy</i> might just hit the spot. </blockquote><br />
<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WX2hDjBR8Ys" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
"A Turreted Berg". <a href="http://temporaryresidence.com/descriptions/trr190.php">Buy it from Temporary Residence</a>, or Sloth, or wherever.Devinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01033925737819761376noreply@blogger.com0