Further complications indeed. On his second solo effort, Jarvis Cocker continues to explore the alienation and lack of romantic fulfillment that have preoccupied the man since his days with Pulp. He may as well call the album “here we go again”. Nonetheless, a more focused production and strong set of songs make this album a welcome addition to the Cocker catalog.

The album is produced by Steve Albini. This would be shocking given the seeming opposition between Cocker’s heart-on-his-sleeve vulnerability and Albini’s your-heart-in-my-fist aggressiveness except that we all know Albini will take just about any production gig sent his way. I swear, the man’s a year away from producing Clay Aiken.

Albini’s production is typically lean, raw and crisp. Cocker croons, snarls and provides some lovely background vox to compliment himself. This is the only way in which he compliments himself, as the lyrics are consistently self-deprecating. Cocker wants to be your lover, he know it won’t happen and that’s lucky for you because he’s about as virile as Leonard Nimoy.

The albums highlight is it’s closing track, “You’re In My Eyes (Discosong)”. It’s got the kind of lush, dancey feel that fulfills the promise of Cocker’s Gainsbourg-meets-Bowie delivery. It’s so good, you might just start the album over again once the song is over.

Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest

The year 2009 has been a year where once “experimental” artists have made “pop-friendly” or “accessible” records. Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion is their most accessible record to date, and Dirty Projectors have proven that they can write pop songs (see new single “Stillness is the Move”), while formerly “pop” oriented bands have created their most inaccessible and alienating records. (The Decemberists I’m looking at you.) Following the shift from experimental to “pop,” “Everybody’s Favorite New York Band,” Grizzly Bear, has made their most accomplished record to date: Veckatimest.
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Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix happily abandon any sense that a band should strive for much of anything, and this strikes me as very rock ‘n roll. Their back catalogue is to date littered with fantastic songs and one undeniable full-length in It’s Never Been Like That (2006); a record where, rather than trudge some overfamiliar warpath into esoteric third-album experimental territory, they instead put up their hands, feigned indifference and slunk into retreat. Phoenix decided to retreat. Where did they retreat? Into Phoenix. Phoenix is Phoenix and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is nothing but the most Phoenix-like Phoenix album. This makes it the best Phoenix album.
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Sunn o))) – Monoliths and Dimensions

Imagine if someone put a microphone to rows of ocean waves battering a rocky shore and then ran the result through distortion pedals and a wall of eight-foot amplifiers. Like that. At one point I wondered if city ordinance allowed for volume this high: My skin vibrated over my bones, the ground rumbled underfoot, my eardrums shook as people around me, evidently familiar with the ritual, began inserting ear plugs. Penetrating guitar chords pounded for fifteen, twenty minutes at a time, with majestic, just-perceptible songs buried in the distortion. When the fog momentarily cleared, a tiny Japanese woman was playing the guitar.
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Black Moth Super Rainbow – Eating Us

Reviewing a Black Moth Super Rainbow record is ultimately kind of a ridiculous proposition. After all, this is a band that essentially puts out the same record over and over, release after release (Pitchfork, in fact, leveled this very criticism at the band in a recent review). In the hands of many bands, this would most definitely be a bad thing…but criticisms like that just don’t work here. So, the news is: this is more of the same.

And I, for one, certainly couldn’t be happier.

The same overloaded analog drum machine rhythm tracks, vocodered references to flowers, sunshine, and summer, and mellotron flute sounds abound. New textures like soft-synth strings, banjos, cleaner acoustic guitars, and producer Dave Fridmann’s staples (such as big, overloaded drum sounds) certainly tweak the traditional BMSR listening experience, but overall the production is not a significant departure from previous releases.
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Higher Ground and Pure Pop Records are giving away 2 free tickets to see David Byrne this summer, Monday June 1st at the Shelburne Museum. All you need to do is post a photo to the Pure Pop Records Facebook page of your homemade sidewalk chalk graffiti featuring the words David Byrne, Shelburne Museum, 6/1/09 and, for extra credit: www.highergroundmusic.com.  Be Creative!

Here are the details for all you detail lovers:

To prove that we’re not stuck-up music snobs all the time, we’ve decided to center this week’s list around that most base and vulgar songwriting platform, the tv show theme. Here are some of our favorites:

Golden Girls- A cover of Andre Gold’s 1978 hit single, re-recorded by Cynthia Fee. We don’t know these names any more than you do, but it’s a darn good song, huh?

Fresh Prince of Bel Air- The only rap song that every surbaban white kid knows. Easily the best song of Will Smith’s career.

M*A*S*H*- Originally written for the film upon which the show was based, this melancholy theme reinforces the bleak undercurrent that gave M*A*S*H* its poignancy.

Greatest American Hero -- Immortalized as the basis for George’s answering machine message in Seinfeld, this tune’s balance of schmaltz and catchy-ness has allowed its memory to endure beyond the show itself.

Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place- The perfect introduction for this Britcom. If there’s anything bad that can be said about this theme, it’s that it’s pretty much funnier than anything on the show itself (which is still great).

Doctor Who- This iconic piece of music has been around for as long as the show itself, which is to say nearly fifty years. Does any other tv theme have as massive a wikipedia page?

Night Court -- Rember Level 42? They performed this little ditty.

9. Mad Men -- Mad Men’s intro contrasts sharply with the show itself. The visuals and the music that open Mad Men are unmistakably modern whereas the show itself is set in the early 60′s. Does it work? Yes. Yes it does.

Happy Days- A period show like Mad Men, Happy Days goes the other way with a theme that evoke’s the show’s setting so well it sounds like it could be a 50′s artifact.

Mystery ScienceTheater 3000- There’s as much wit and self-awareness in this theme song as most comedy shows have in an entire episode.

Fraggle Rock- Most Jim Henson project’s are associated with great songs and Fraggle Rock is no exception. Like all great tv themes, Fraggle Rock’s is infectious and immediately memorable.

There were a number of themes we felt were worth mentioning that seem to exist in a theme collective. Here they are:

Classic Disney Cartoons- (See:  Gummi Bears, Ducktales, Chip n’ Dale’s, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck) These songs all have a similar feel. They’re all bright, uplifting and have ridiculously anthemic choruses. Sure, Disney, as always, was playing us for fools with this contrived crap, but the songs were good, dammit.

Anime- (See: Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, FLCL) These could easily be seperated, as the only thing they really have in common is their excellence, but there’s only so much we can write about tv music. Trigun’s rifftastic intro, Cowboy Bepop’s imacculately crafted genre mish-mash and FLCL’s pop-rock excellence are among many great anime themes.

The Frederick/Salvay Set- (See: Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Step by Step, Full House) The illustrious songwriting partnership of Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay are the Lennon/McCartney os shitty family sitcom theme songs. Granted, these songs aren’t good by any stretch of the imagination. We’re just mentioning them because they are permanently burned into the memory of the collective consciousness. (Fun fact! Jesse Frederick released a solo album in 1971 on Bearsville records, making him a labelmate of Todd Rundgren, NRBQ and Sparks.)

…and spilled my cocktail on the edge of the merch table at the Akron Family show the other night. Man, I’m never that guy – luckily they had a rubberish tablecloth so it spilled right off, no damage done, other than a drop that spilled on one or two of Greg Davis‘s CDs. Seeing the look of perturbation on his merch-girl’s face, I kindly asked to buy one of the narrowly dampened discs.

Now I couldn’t remember if I had ever really seen Greg Davis perform live before. I know he opens up at numerous local concerts I attend, but I’m notoriously late for everything so I don’t think I’ve ever caught his set. Wait, maybe once. I know I saw Akron play when he was with them. Anywho, I had a vision of him being some completely aloof noise manipulator guy without any depth, and I have to apologize. For I really enjoy this album I picked up.

Northern Songs with Chris Weisman and Greg Davis only touches on the aloof noise manipulation scene. It’s really more of a modern folk-sonic vibe with a touch of bipolar psychedelics. It drifts, but never gets dull or too self-indulgent. A few tracks remind me of mellow Animal Collective or maybe an Akron Family meets Blind Melon feel. There’s moments of Byrne-ish Africana, and flips of 8-bit burnouts, and sometimes the weird sounds seem thrown in just for the sake of being weird. The tunes are at their best when they’re more straight forward folk, and “It’s All Too Much” works a perfect balance of everything they’re trying to do. However, the few times they take it out in a more layered, cycling, and focused rabbit-hole drop, it really makes me want to get out to some of these shows earlier.

Just to make sure i wasn’t missing an pertinent social messages in the difficult to disern lyric, i looks them up. And nope, nothing to see here folks. Thanks to Ae for the hot tip.

I got these bitches all tipsy trying to sex me.
I know they want it, alcoholics are some sex freaks.
This ex and chronic gots me wanting to get messy.
So let’s get messy girls, come on let’s go get messy girls.

Come on bitch, you know you want this.
That hardcore shit will make you feel the toxic.
Versace, Rolex watches.
Bently coups with the 20′s droppin.
Convertible top, and the wheels spin.
I can taste that ice when my grill is in.
If you want me baby feel me in.
’cause I don’t waste my time with lesbians.

Juuuuust a reminder that Dan Deacon is at Higher Ground tonight, Tuesday May 12th. Here’s footage of Dan’s first show he played with his ensemble back in December. With a bunch of gigs under their belt, I can’t wait to see what new degrees of tightnicity they have acheived.

This weeks pop list asks and answers the question : Who are some of the greatest bands and artists and why do you hate them so much?

	10. Ani Difranco pros- uncompromising and empowering lyrics, prolific output, aggressive yet highly listenable music. cons- Angst-ridden and overwrought, Albums that sound the same, lyrics that seem to be inspired by a hormonally challenged teenager’s journal entries. see also: any artist with an acoustic guitar and a “‘Poetry for Dummies” book on their tour bus
	9. Ween pros- a chameleon-like ability to mimic countless genres and eras, Gene and Dean’s dynamic, hilarity. cons- silliness, novelty music isn’t music, a lack of earnestness. see also: They Might Be Giants, Dead Milkmen
	8. The Doors pros- Jim Morrison cons- Jim Morrison
	7. Morrissey pros- witty and intelligent lyrics, that indelible Morrissey croon, he was in The god-damn Smiths cons- overwrought lyrics, repeated focus on morbid or bleak themes, that excruciating Morrissey croon see also: The Cure, Joy Division etc
	6. Kimya Dawson pros- adorably sweet persona, personal and honest songwriting devoid of hubris, classic melodies and chord structures under-produced in contrast with modern overcooked production cons- a grating childlike affectation, half-baked songwriting, an apparent lack of any real talent
	5. John Cage pros- advanced conceptual and avant-garde music greatly, epitomized the “think outside the box” mentality cons- behind his concepts there’s little of substance, more interested in his legacy than his music see also: anything that sounds like a three year old playing a piano that your friend tells you is genius
	4. Yes pros- sophisticated compositions as influenced by classical music as rock, virtuosic musicianship cons- esoteric songwriting, overindulgence, pretentiousness, silly lyrics see also: any given prog rock band
	3. Kanye West pros- he’s produced dozens of great tracks for other artists, charismatic delivery, a gift for composing infectious songs that transcend the genre cons- a repulsively massive ego, vacuous lyrical content, 808′s & Heartbreaks see also: any MC with delusions of grandeur
	2. Metallica pros- Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …and Justice for All cons- The Black Album, Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic see also: any metal band that’s ever gone mainstream
	1. Phish pros- virtuosic musicianship, first-rate improvisation, an ability to bring something new to a song each time it is performed, a playfulness bands often lack cons- over-indulgent performances, tediousness, mediocre songwriting, annoying fans, interminably long songs, they’ve never put out a good studio album see also: Grateful Dead, every Jam band ever

I have never much listened to Townes Van Zandt or for that matter Steve Earle.Then last week we got in “Townes” , a cover album by Steve. My boss played it and as soon as I heard it I was in love. It was great country from the year 2009 (that’s when they were recorded) and it wasn’t radio friendly shit. It’s good to see/hear that some people still care about country music. That is how this album makes mee feel, Steve Earle cares!

Most of the songs are somber tunes about the west and women from Colorado and it makes my heart ache. That is exactly what I’m looking forward too when i listen to country. Broken hearts and the urge to drop everything and get drunk. Steve livens up some tracks to a somewhat Alt Country feel, but it is acceptable. So all that said, Mr. Earle does a great job making a good cover album. I don’t know if I’ll be listening to Steve any time soon (aside from this release), but there is definitely some Townes in my listening future……

With the instrumentation of  “mosquito”, “wizard wind”, “zoner”, and “gnarl” right beside your standard guitar, keyboard, and drums, how could this album be anything short of magical?  The sound may be a little raw to those used to a lot of production, but if experimental noise-rock is your groove then here is another album for you!  In Magik Markers latest album,  Balf Quarry, seemingly clashing noise blends together into bewitching, eerie ballads.  Sometimes the minimal range of notes conjures up the feeling of hearing music underwater, until an occasional thrashing jump knocks you right back on land.

I typically hate comparisons in album reviews, but sometimes they are necessary in creating a sound for the reader.   I cannot hear Balf Quarry without thinking that (depending on the track) Elisa, the main vocalist, sounds like a sped up or slow motion Kim Gordon.  The lyrics are dark and dreary, alluding to the past as they question themselves.   They speak of luck and loss, jerks and friends, and shameful experience in America.  Though the lyrics are overall despairing and gloomy, when combined with the message of the instrumentation, there is a distant beauty that will take you through an enchanting musical experience at a basement show.

The end of the album really tied together the artistry of the listening process for me. The last song, Shells is the perfect close to the album.  It is nearly 10 minutes of a folky ballad (as “folky” as abstract-grungy-noise-punk can be) that really completes the allure of Magik Markers’ sound.  Balf Quarry is entirely satisfying and definately worth a listen or two.