A few weeks back I was contemplating the tragedy that music journalists of days gone by lacked the modern sensibility we take for granted. Those poor souls didn’t realize the best way to document and evaluate music is with a snarky and condescending tone, narcissism and shoe-horned cultural references that serve more to demonstrate the author’s breadth of knowledge than offer any useful context. Realizing this wrong needed righting, I invented a time machine and have made it my quest to travel space and time to report on significant musical events in the parlance of our times.
For my first excursion, I traveled to August 15th, 1969. In Bethel, New York a festival called Woodstock was about to take place. It was a milestone cultural event, representing the passions and ideals of a generation that decided to abandon the tedious and antiquated conventions of social normality. Instead, they embraced peace, love and harmony, or so I was lead to believe.
In the wake of the collapse of grunge in the early 90’s, British rock experienced a short-lived renaissance. Shirking the dominant influence American music had had, English bands drew inspiration from their rich musical legacy. Characterized by hooky, catchy progressions and an unmistakably British delivery that included thick accents and British slang, the movement that came to be known as Britpop yielded a wealth of fantastic albums. Here are five albums that capture the scope of the movement in broad strokes:
The Stone Roses -- The Stone Roses (5/2/89)
Along with the self-titled La’s album, this represents the first spark of the Britpop fire. Although it predates the movement by a few years, most of the essential qualities are present. The album’s influence would be great and immediate. Opening with the sublime “I Wanna Be Adored”, the quality never dips. John Squire’s guitar work is superlative, reverb-drenched beauty. Ian Brown spits, mumbles, snarls and occasionally sings. He’s fantastic. (Liam Gallagher would appropriate his delivery, streamlining to great success.) This is the beginning, friends.
Blur - Parklife (4/25/94)
Blur is one of the two most successful Britpop acts, a band that is virtually synonymous with the movement. Although they lost the Britpop battle to their rivals, Oasis (more on them shortly), history has been kinder to Blur, as evidenced by the reception of their recent reunion. Parklife covers a lot of musical ground, from the disco groove of “Boys and Girls” to the punky aggression of “Bank Holiday”. The lyrical heir to Ray Davies’ subversive wit, Parklife offers a fragmented view of British culture through the eyes of an unimpressed Damon Albarn. Truly a great, great album.
Oasis -- Definitely Maybe (8/30/94)
The other biggest Britpop act, Oasis was the only one to make any significant impact on the American market. (That was thanks to “Wonderwall”, an excruciating ballad on an otherwise great album, but I digress.) Released almost exactly four months after Parklife, Definitely Maybe is more stylistically consistent. Oasis wanted to be The Beatles, but they sounded more like Slade. Despite the fact that they can still fill large venues across the globe, Oasis alienated many serious music fans with their arrogance and penchant for borrowing musical ideas from their influences. It’s a shame because Definitely Maybe is fantastic. Pure Rock n Roll.
Suede -- Coming Up (9/2/96)
In 1996 Britpop was going strong. The rapture and devil-may-care attitude of the era is beautifully captured on Suede’s Coming Up. Suede didn’t reach the heights of success of the other bands on this list, but they were on the ground floor of the movement. With Coming Up, they aspired to make an album that sounded like a “best of” collection and succeeded. Glammy, trashy and wonderfully over-the-top, Coming Up crystallizes the immediacy and vigor of Brit Pop at its most accessible.
Pulp -- This is Hardcore (3/30/98)
As George Harrison once sang, “all things must pass”. By 1998, they Britpop bubble had burst. Oasis had released a shitty album. Blur had begun to experiment with other genres. The dream could no longer sustain and cold hard reality crashed through the gates. Thank god Pulp gave us closure with This is Hardcore, a stark, reflective album that acknowledges the eruption of anxiety and ennui that had been percolating throughout the movement. Pulp’s previous album, Different Class, was a better album, but this album is the perfect book-end to the movement. It’s a little bleak, sure, but you can always follow it up with The Stone Roses.
In a new segment on Pure Pop Online we’re talking with random customers and asking them what they’re listening to, what they’re looking for and a little bit about pop culture in general. Yo know, the hard questions.
Pure Pop: Hi Josh, What brings you into Pure Pop today?
Josh F: Decided to pick up the new Jarvis Cocker album. I’m not a fan, but I’ve heard/read some interesting things so I’ve decided to give it a shot. He compiled a wonderful cd called “The Trip” with another fellow, and it’s a great mix of new wave, country, rock, and a little bit of wtf? I also grabbed the Incredible String Band’s “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter“.
PP: What else have you been listening to lately?
JF: Phil Spector ripoffs, Paul Dutton, Judas Priest, Royal Trux, JT IV, Sun City Girls, Omar Souleyman, Def Leppard, Dr. Strangely Strange, The Frogs, Brainbombs, Too $hort, Chubby Checker’s meltdown album from the early 70s.
PP: Been out to see any live shows lately?
JF: Sadly, no. The last show I saw was Greg Davis/Toby Aronson, Stellar Om Source, Infinity Window, and Mark McGuire. That was a couple of months ago, killer show.
PP: What’s your favorite record store employee stereotype?
JF: I didn’t realize there was more than one. I think I enjoy the ones that look down on me for whatever it is that I’m buying.
PP: Are you a Vinyl or CD guy? 8-track? Ipod?
JF: I’m not picky. Anything with sound is fine by me. I am more of an album person, and that’s something that I realize is not too popular.
PP: What other shops in town do you frequent? (music, and non-music related)
JF: Burlington Records, The Red Onion, American Flatbread, Crow Books, Great Harvest Bakery.
PP: Heard any good jokes lately?
JF: Yes, but I won’t tell it. It’s not appropriate. I’ll stick to a good old standard.
How do you make a tissue dance?
Put a little boogie in it.
PP: What magazines or websites do you read / requent to find out about new music?
JF: Arthurmag.com, blastitude.com, aethereverywhere.com, weirdorecords.com, Z-Gun magazine, cosmicjams.blogspot.com, Wax Poetics, Signal to Noise, The Wire
PP: What are your feelings if any on the state of music today?
JF: Lots of cool stuff going on if you know where to look. It’s amazing that we’re living in a time where you can actually listen to pretty much anything that was recorded in the history of music. That’s a plus.
PP: Do you make music? Art?
JF: I make a little music with a friend under the name Black Beauty. We’re two full grown men who should really know better, but we play a noisy mix of rock and some other things thrown in. I also make some silly collages occasionally.
PP: If you were a ice-cream flavor what flavor would you be?
JF: Spicy Chocolate
PP: Thanks Josh!
Blur: A Beginners Guide to Blur
This collection is designed to offer a broader spectrum of what made Blur Blur, having already released a Best Of in 2000, which detailed the singles end of the operation. Midlife is designed to showcase some of treasures found amidst their seven albums such as This is a Low, Trimm Trabb, He Thought of Cars and Advert and is closer to what the band and their fans would select as highlights. So basically there’s no sign of Country House, in case you were wondering.
Instead singles such as the sublime Beetlebum, saucy Girls and Boys, Parklife (naturally), modern-day classics such as Out of Time, the Universal and the ever-delectable For Tomorrow figure. And Midlife also offers a rare first-time-on-a-Blur-album sighting of the magnificent ‘lost’ single Popscene. There’s probably one or two missing – one personally hoped Mr Briggs or Young & Lovely might sneak in – but it’s a small nag in the bigger scheme of things. (Read Full Review)
YACHT -See Mystery Lights
See Mystery Lights is a DFA record not just in name, but clearly also in sound and influence. What’s more, despite the fact that YACHT still often sounds like a pastiche of successful modern indie electronica, the songs on See Mystery Lights are a clear step up from Bechtolt’s previous work. In general, YACHT have embraced the mainstream across this album even more than on previous releases, and seem content now to place Evans’s disaffected vocals over simple bass lines that bounce amiably along at mid-tempo. In general, this works well, and in some instances it’s something close to spectacular. “Psychic City” has already been highlighted around the traps, and yes, it’s a perfect celebration. “Come on over, we’re having a party for you”, Evans sings, and it’s the welcoming call that summer’s on its way. Speaking of summer, what begins as homage soon exceeds that limitation, owning its aquatic up-beat and host of computed effects. (Read Full Review)
Owl City – Maybe I’m Dreaming
Owl City is the solo project of a young Christian named Adam Young. Another product of the ever emerging electronic/indie scene, Young’s project is a breath of fresh air for the scene as he takes a much more metaphorical stance towards his music. As Owl City, he has released one EP, 2007’s Of June, and now a full length debut entitled Maybe I’m Dreaming. Additionally, Young has a post-rock venture called Port Blue, and a new side project, started with a close friend, called Swimming with Dolphins.
Maybe I’m Dreaming kicks off in dreamy fashion with “On the Wing” and “Rainbow Veins,” two beautifully flowing efforts which carry the listener away into another world. It’s this peaceful and soothing charm that makes Owl City so likable. Two of the best tracks on the album follow, each standing out in their own mellow style. “The Saltwater Room” resides in the mind with a glorious vocal harmony and a smooth, simple melody. Young’s soft tone is exemplified throughout the album, and in a genre where so many concentrate too hard on auto-tuning their voices, Young’s musical abilities shine throughout Maybe I’m Dreaming. The vocals complement the music’s consistent base, and Young switches between the melancholy sound used repeatedly on Of June, and a new style with powerful, probing aural effects. (Read Full Review)
Funny People Soundtrack
Even with the somewhat morose premise, the enduringly laidback but cheerful vibe that plays throughout the soundtrack gives me assurance that Judd Apatow and company will be keeping up morale and not stray too far from their comedic giftings. With such big hitters as James Taylor, whose on-camera performance of “Carolina On My Mind” helps start the record,
the soundtrack aspires to be great. However, its restrained nature and mostly acoustic-driven melodies requires something from the listener. It requires you to actually listen. I feel this is a testament to the creators and their understanding of what is necessary of any musical underscoring for a film, and that is to tell the story. The first two listenings of this record found me doing other things while letting the smooth tunes croon in the background, making it a soundtrack for my activities. The record filled this position quite well, and I found myself humming along at times. However, a third listen found me actually sit down and digest each song, an activity through which I found some great instances and songs that will be receiving even more playing time in the future. (Read Full Review)This week we put our heads together to come up with a short list of artists that successfully switched gears for the mellower, and managed to pull it off, not an easy thing for an artist to do, but the following artists did so, to critical and artist success.
1. Beck – Sea Change
Prior to the release of Sea Change, Beck had been like a shark in his artistic development, never standing still. One of his sidesteps was Mutations, an acoustic-laced, upbeat affair that surprised fans expecting another Odelay. That was followed by Midnite Vultures, a delectably over-the-top party album that sounded as much like Prince as it did Beck. Despite his chameleon-like musical identity, it was something of a shock when he released Sea Change in 2002. Acoustic-centric like Mutations, Sea Change had a more lush production, sedate rhythms and the most earnest, personal lyrics of the man’s career. Mellow, melancholy and unprecedented, the album was embraced by fans and critics alike, all of whom were happy to follow Beck wherever his whim brought them.
2. Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground
The third Velvet Underground album reveals a band in flux. They were on a new label. John Cale, a significant creative force who fanned the flames of Lou Reed’s avant tendencies, left the band and was subsequently replaced by Doug Yule, whose reedy vocal delivery would define some of the group’s most memorable songs. Their prior album, White Light/White Heat, had been a raucous affair, bathed in distortion and dissonance. Velvet Underground couldn’t have been more different. Opening with the sublime “Candy Says”, the album is imbibed with a dark intimacy that is haunting yet strangely uplifting. Even the more upbeat numbers like “What Goes On” and “Beginning To See The Light” feed into the album’s overall atmosphere, lilting asides that give the album dimension. Like every Velvet Underground record, it is an indispensable classic.
3. Big Star – Third/Sisters Lovers
The first two Big Star albums are bright, power-pop classics. Despite the occasional (and obligatory) number about unrequited love or ennui, the albums trot al0ng as they espouse the virtues of girls, driving fast cars and being young. Unfortunately, the group never enjoyed the kind of success they deserved, and by the time they were ready to record their third album, they’d lost half their members and all their optimism. While there’s no official version of the final Big Star record, whichever version you listen to, the overall effect is the same. The songs are tortured ordeals, evoking regret, sadness and nihilism. It’s as beautiful and tragic as music can be. One can’t help but selfishly be grateful for whatever poor Alex Chilton was going through. He may have been put through hell, but lord, what an album.
4. Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out
Loved by droning noiseniks and dedicated Pop aficionados alike, Yo La Tengo, before the release of And Then Nothing, had seemingly taken their sound everywhere it could go. From full out long play feedback jams (Spec Bebop), slow burning kraut-drones (Five corned drone), gazey-noise rock (From a Motel 6), silly covers (Speeding Motorcycle), and everywhere in between. Yet is was still a surprise to most fans when upon listening to And Nothing, they realized that somehow Yo La Tengo had just reinvented themselves, this time for the mellower.
Track after track on And Nothing they took the raw skills they displayed on their previous outings, peeled, polished, and inverted them to reveal a set of meticulously composed and aranged odes to the night, failed love, and to the spaces inbetween notes. The fuzz pedals remain off for most the album, drums are brushed and keys chime softly, vocals barely reach above a whisper and once again, Yo La Tengo show the world that anything we can do, they can do better.
Each week we get hundreds of pieces of used vinyl in – you name it we see it come through here. Usually it’s a ton of useless Joan Baez, Boz Scaggs & Supertramp vinyl, but occasionally we get something in that for better or worse really stands out. This section is dedicated to these finds.
Our first “Cover of the Month” comes from one of Burlington’s not so fertile periods of local rock music, 1985.
Introducing BOYZ.
Tanner: I think i’ve seen this album circulating in the backroom for at least 3 years, it’s about time we expose it’s awesomeness. You know, it’s nice to know we’re carrying on the Burlington tradition of tight black jeans into the new Millennium.
Herb: I have absolutely no idea what these guys sound like. My guess is Huey Lewis & The News meets Billy Idol.
Tanner: Think the middle guy’s going for a Young Springsteen, pissing against a wall look.
Herb: Maybe he’s doing his version of what he thought the cover of “The River” should look like. Yuk-yuk.
Tanner: Bruce Springsteen and the “Pee” Street Band…
Herb: Wow. Anyway, I think the guy in the back is the drummer and I know where he keeps his sticks.
Tanner: Hot Dog we have a Weiner.
Herb: Is one of his arms longer than the other?
Tanner: I heard Elastic waistband pants were the keyboard neckties of mid 80’s Burlington soft rock.
Herb: I guess when you’re packing that kind of heat, you don’t really have to try. Everything about the dude, package aside, says “I don’t give two sultry shits”.
Tanner: And then there’s trying to hard…
Herb: Hotchy-Motchy
Tanner: You’ve gotta stand away from the wall a little more when you’re doing shadow puppets.
Herb: Here is a man who would have rather been posing for romance novel covers than rocking and rolling.
Tanner: This guy was in the band for one reason only. Dudes.
Herb: This is making me depressed. These guys were probably talking about quitting their jobs, sending the album to Warner Brothers, going on tour with Joe Jackson…
Tanner: Here’s hoping this post sees a BOYZ revival a la Death….
Herb & Tanner: … Nah.
On Sept. 8th, Nesey Gallons’ first full-length album, Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago, will be released on vinyl and digital download on Hurrah For Karamazov Records. He was kind enough to answer some questions about music, his new album, and the future of the Elephant 6 Recording Collective.
http://myspace.com/neseygallons
Marcia: I’ve been told that you lived in Bennington for a while and that you met Will Cullen Hart at Metronome. What did you think of Vermont? Have you ever been to Pure Pop?
Nesey: i love vermont. my only complaint is there isnt an ocean nearby. burlington is good because the lake is there but everywhere else there isnt enough water. in bennington i had to work in a factory but it was the happiest time in my life. i didnt mind so much. its really beautiful there. i went to pure pop in burlington some but i had so little pocket money i could never buy anything. and the school limited your ability to go anywhere. so it was quite a feat that i convinced them to let me go see olivia when they played at metronome. and quite a feat that metronome was convinced to let me in. (i was fifteen.) there was almost no one there but Olivia was wonderful. john came up to me and chatted before the show and i talked to will after and thats where our friendship began
M: Are you planning a tour anytime soon — and, if so, do you suppose you’ll play a show here in Burlington?
Nesey: i am going on some kindof tour in september. its an east coast (probably to the midwest) tour but im not sure where we are going. our booking agent is figuring it all out. one of these days this whole schedule will just appear suddenly. thats how the other tours were. i would like to play in burlington, but it might not happen right now if i had to guess. someone in the band is banned from canada and i bet we would only play burlington if we were going to montreal. i cant drive but i have this idea of planning something on my own where i just play new brunswick, new england, and quebec. maybe then?
M: Your lyrics contain a lot of dream imagery and recurring dreamlike symbols — nightingales, pumpkin patches, carousels. What do your dreams mean to you? What is the earliest dream you remember having? What’s the most recent dream you can recall?
Nesey: the truth is i can barely remember my dreams anymore. its awful. my writing just drifts out of the void..its completely unconscious, its like a flash flood that appears from nowhere. it is as if my imagination, my dreams, my feelings existed elsewhere and just blew through me sometimes. like wind coming through cracks around the windows… it wasnt always like this though. i dont know what changed. its like im a dead person who sometimes comes to life. my earliest dream was probably when i was a year old or within my first year…i was floating around the ceiling of my grandparents kitchen and i seem to recall my grandfather saying something to the effect of “whatcha doin up there ya little dorkus?” oddly my mothers first dream she can recall is much like mine.
M: Can you tell us a bit about the album art on Eyes & Eyes…?
Nesey: its one eye of a stereoscopic card. i found in new york state in a box under a tarp. in the woods. it was around when i first started writing the songs. i knew it would be called “eyes & eyes & eyes ago” before i found the card or wrote any of the songs. there was a song called “i remember eyes” that existed already (that isnt on the album)..the funny thing about the card is its like an eye exam. you look through the stereoscope and see how far back you can see where the dot is…top bottom left right…so the album title has an unintended/accidental humorous aspect to go along with its real meaning.. the back cover was ripped out of a library book. its a classroom of kids looking through stereoscopes. the insert inside the LP is a little booklet of photographs around/in the house in bennington where the album was recorded and much of it was written.
M: Who has influenced you the most, musically? What bands did you grow up with, and what bands do you listen to now?
Nesey: musically i have no idea. i never meant to write songs. it just started happening. i never meant to be a musician..it also just kindof happened. its also an accident that im any good at it. i liked making sound recordings. beginning when i was a little kid. it was really the olivia records that helped connect the idea of songs and sound world coming together. it was the first thing i heard that was like my soundworld, but they had wonderful songs living in it. until then everything was too produced and studioy. i also came to like microphones, erics trip and music tapes, for this reason too. later i got interested in the opposite end of things..really beautiful studio records. like the beatles, beach boys, marquee moon, five leaves left, whats goin on, etc. records i already loved but didnt fully appreciate from a sound recording standpoint yet. “eyes ago” is actually my version of that sortof record. my soundworld stuff hasnt been shared yet at all. which is odd it worked out that way. when i was very young (between 9 and 14) i loved the first violent femmes record a lot, and murmur and siamese dream. those were the first records i connected to in a vaster sense and i still love them… i loved sonic youth too. the 80s stuff especially. but i havent heard a new sonic youth album since i bought a thousand leaves over 10 years ago.i go through cycles of what im listening to. i could list a lot of things. the four tops, nico, broadcast, etc. i always listen to clara rockmore & nadia reisenbergs theremin and piano recordings. those are my favorite things in the world. otherwise this past year ive listened to the album “lost wisdom” by mount eerie continually. it is already one of my favorite albums in the world. it really kills me. there are so few manmade things that feel like they are looking through your heart. or my heart anyway. w. cullen introduced me to joy division this year and thats played on a loop too. its wonderful. especially side two of closer. im also fascinated with it from a production/engineering standpoint because it has this combination of sounds i naturally love and sounds i typically abhor but in this context are very expressive, comprehensible sounds. im afraid it speaks to the hopelessness in me quite deeply, so its probably kindof unhealthy for me to listen to. lately ive also been listening to a lot of julie doiron. i love her. i wish she lived down the street from me or something
M: It seems like the E6 Collective is making a big comeback. The Holiday Suprise Tour, the Music Tapes’ caroling tour, Circulatory System’s new album — it’s all really exciting. What’s it like to be right in the middle of all this? Do you see great things in E6’s future?
Nesey: yes, i do. and its nice to have had a hand in making things happen. that it all worked. and its been an honor to play with everyone and have brer hart ask me to finish his album and everything. its beautiful to see everyone together doing what they ought to, building worlds. im sure a lot of wonderful things will come drifting out of what has reawoken. in the coming year i plan to live in maine and work on a bunch of projects and things ive neglected during this past year. for some reason i have to be alone to really work properly on anything of my own.
M: Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
Nesey: oh ive surely already been much too long winded so i shouldnt be encouraged!
Riceboy Sleeps – Riceboy Sleeps
Riceboy Sleeps is the incarnation of Jonsi and his boyfriend Alex Somers artistic endeavours and together, they make quite the beautiful duo (in a music-based way of course…).
The music holds ten times the sparsity that Sigur Ros possess (which is saying something) and never touches on the post-rock theatrics that the band are so good at. We are not here to enjoy Sigur Ros however; we are here to witness the even quieter, even more gentle side of Jonsi. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Fiery Furnaces – I’m Going Away
Delirious doesn’t even begin to describe it. For a group already well known for their staggering gumption and spitfire hubris, the Fiery Furnaces have attempted on their latest studio album I’m Going Away to recreate the entirety of American popular music, from Dixie land brass bands to Lady Gaga, in an epic experiment just shy of 80 minutes. But this isn’t simply a linear retelling of the story, where Robert Johnson walks up to the crossroads and takes a left; instead, in the Friedbergers’ vision, all possible paths are explored at the same time. The result is a complete alternate history, in which salty sea shanties are sung in the dusty plains of Texas, carousel waltzes are regular staples in underground hardcore shows, and Burl and Charles Ives share not only a surname, but a bunk bed and a four-track. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Magnolia Electric Company – Josephine
Purists will be glad to hear that nothing of note has changed. Having one of the most distinctive voices in rock and generally sticking to the same alt-country template with every album guarantees that Josephine has the same characteristics shared by most Magnolia Electric Co. releases. The songs deal with the usual topics of desperation, loneliness, and longing. The same ghosts are still haunting Jason Molina, and it’s this stalwart dependability that is at once a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, Josephine is as good a representation of Magnolia Electric Co. as any of their other albums. On the other, it’s almost too good a representation. There are no real stand-out tracks here, and Molina sounds more comfortable than he ever has. If anything, it’s the most countrified record he’s released and, as such, lacks some of the more distinctive and heart-breaking qualities shared by his best work. READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Ian Hunter – Man Overboard
“Well don’t try pulling me down to your level/ There ain’t nothin’ worse than a phony-ass rebel!” And there you have it: A few weeks after his 70th birthday and a few weeks before reuniting with his old band Mott the Hoople, Ian Hunter remains one of the crankiest, meanest hombres in rock and roll. He’s seen and been through a lot in his perennially underrated career, and he’s got the deep lines in his voice to prove it. Now a septuagenarian who can rock circles around the youngsters and deliver tongue-lashings worthy of a young Elvis Costello, Hunter sings in a voice that has aged into a gravelly rasp, all gristle and venom, and he shows no signs of going gently into complacency or even serenity, as his furious album Man Overboard makes abundantly clear. READ THE FULL REVIEW
Ian Hunter – Man Overboard
This one goes out to the legion of Morrissey fans out there -- you know who you are. Big thanks to one of our favorite customers Jeff, for tipping us off to this little piece of nostalgic gold. Enjoy.
Every few weeks we like to compile a mix of tracks we’ve been loving lately – be it new tracks, old favorites, or the newly reissued. We compile them and link them to a sample through Thinkindie.com – the best (and only) place we know of to download legal, DRM-free MP3s. Get em while they’re hot.
