We had a chance to pick the brain of local weird pop mastermind Joseph D. Pizza van der Slice. Mr. Slice to his friends and fans, is responsible for numerous limited issue projects including this years “Opposite Hitler Mustache” recorded under his Nosebleed Island Moniker. 

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Pure Pop: What are you shopping for today?

Joseph D. Pizza-Slice: Records – looking around for records, R Stevie Moore, but i know im not gonna find it. ELO, Electric Light Orchestra – see if i can find some more.

PP: What genre’s do you prefer?

JDPS: Pop & Soul -  Motown, The good ol’ R&B i don’t know what you call it, R&B or Soul, but the Motown sound and period is what i like, that and weird Pop, Like Ariel Pink, R Steve – Not so into Wavves, and that stuff – I like that new Girls Album – “Album”.

PP: Where do you find out about new music?

JDPS: Friends – that’s where i find out about 90% of my music, I have one friend who does all the looking in the world and he just turns me on to the good stuff.

PP: Where do you shop for new music generally?

JDPS: Pure Pop & Downtown Discs – No online shopping for me – No Computer, I’m about to get one for the first time though i’m excited.

PP: What formats do you prefer?

JDPS: Vinyl and CD and Tape – The big three, i prefer tapes – i guess for listening it’s not the best…. I’m getting a pixel vision camera that records video – onto an audio tape, it’s so crazy i can’t wait to get it.

PP: What was the last album you purchased?

JDPS: ELO – A New World Record, I think Jeff Lynn is quite possibly the greatest post-Beatles, Beatlesesque music maker out there, if that’s even a thing.

PP: Any early suggestions for Album of the Year?

JDPS: I couldn’t call an album of the year – i havn’t heard enough new stuff – I like Yacht’s new one, at least my girlfriend does.

PP: What was the most recent live show you attended?

JDPS: I was gonna go to Happy Birthday but i missed it – but i went to Lawrence Welks & Our Bear to Cross, they’re like Power House Passion Pre-programmed Playing Purple Pussies, I don’t know … *laughs*

PP: If you could recommend one album to anyone, what would it be?

JDPS: I Really like the soundtrack to the Movie “The harder they come” I think that even people that arn’t even into reggae would dig it – Jimi Cliff, really good stuff…

PP: Shower singer or car singer? If so, which songs.

JDPS: Oh man, i have a good answer for that – What was i just singing for like 3 days….  “Yesterday Once More” By The Carpenters! And i’m a shower singer.

You might have heard me play with the le duo. You probably saw me working at Scribbles. (weep) And if you were out shaking what your momma gave yah to Beach Fossils/Prince Rama of Ayodhya in October or Birthdays/Maui this month, (both shows included the amazing tooth ache and parmaga) you definitely saw me because I put those bad boys together.

My name is Ginevra and this is the preliminary post to WARMTONES, my weekly contribution to purepoponline. Next weeks inaugural entry will start you off with my winter mix, which you can check out from 9pm-11pm on Wednesday, December 2^nd at 105.9FM or stream live on http://www.theradiator.org/

Each subsequent week will bring an interview, album review, profile on a musician or show write-up. I’m really excited about this. It’s my hope that along with write-ups on recent releases and touring shows, WARMTONES will be a great resource on local and rising bands.

Unfortunately I only exist in Pure Pop’s cyberspace, ie – you won’t catch me nursing a hang over while slinging the latest hit record from the caverns of Pure Pop’s shop. I can usually be found working for Frog Hollow, a non-profit space that houses art and fine crafts by Vermont artists, or at UVM where I’m double majoring in Studio Art and Art History.

Keep up with my various artistic endeavors here

Check out what I’m listening to here

Drop me a line or join me in raging it on the dance floor next time you see me.

Catch you next week for the latest edition of WARMTONES.

5. 2009 Has Been a Great Year for Music: Whatever your genre preference, there’s been a lot of wonderful stuff coming out in 2009. It’s impossible to be brief and concise conveying the scope of quality 2009 titles. Some of my personal favorites include Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, The Fuck Button’s Tarot Sport, Fever Ray’s Fever Ray and Beirut’s March of the Zapotec/Holland. Of course, I’ve barely scratched the surface.

4. Vinyl’s Still Going Strong: The resurgence of vinyl’s popularity over the last few years has been an absolute blessing for audiophiles. We’re at a point now where it’s safe to assume any given album will see a vinyl issue, often coupled with a voucher for an mp3 download of your purchase. These days, it’s a no-brainer picking sides in the format war. (Incidentally the only new record I purchased on both cd and vinyl this year was Bad Lieutenant.)

3. Reissues Abound: The extent to which an old album can be cleaned-up, remixed and remastered is staggering. 2009 saw the best-sounding records of the 60′s, The Beatles catalog, reissued and sounding vastly improved. It’s nothing short of revelatory to listen to one of your favorite albums after a top-notch remastering. Currently, about half our staff are obsessively listening to and extolling the virtues of the magnificent sounding reissue of King Crimson’s Red.

2. A Good Showing From The Elder Statesmen: Question: What do Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Yoko Ono have in common? Answer: They’ve all been producing music for over twenty-five years and they all released great albums this year. 2009 has been kind to the old guard, or should I say the old guard has been kind to us in 2009? There’s been so much good stuff from established acts this year, one could ignore all the newer artists and still have plenty to listen to.

1. We Are Still Here: It’s been a tough decade for the music retail industry. CD burner’s, legal and illegal digital music distribution and the prevalence of mp3 players have all put a tight squeeze on our livelihood, and yet we’re still here. Truthfully, it’s a bit of a miracle we’ve managed to hang in, and for that, we are greatly thankful. It’s a lot of hard work, but we believe in it and are proud to continue to make tangible music product available to those who want it.

You’re probably wondering why we’re posting a Christmas list when we’re still a week away from Thanksgiving – I’m not going to lie to you, I listen to Christmas music around the holidays starting as early as now. Yes, behind this cold cynical record store clerk exterior beats the heart of a warm blooded sentimentalist.

While the beloved classics; Vince Guaraldi, Bing Crosby, The Chipmunks – are never far away from our 8-track decks (am i right?) sometimes we need a little push in a bold new direction, and by we, I mean you. So here’s Pure Pop’s list of 5 Christmas Albums you may not have heard of yet but which are definitely worth checking out.

5: Jethro Tull – The Jethro Tull Christmas Album

For a band that’s been making music about minstrels, peasants, kings, paupers, and the like for 40+ years it would seem like a no brainer that in 2003 they came out with a Christmas album. Filled to the brim with a combination of 70′s prog-rock, traditional british folk, and their own blend of oddball Dickensian lyricism and wit, The Jethro Tull Christmas Album feels like a lost relic from their creative heyday, entirely listenable as a holiday album, or just a great collection of Tull Songs.

4: My Morning Jacket – Does Christmas Fiasco Style EP

Bet you didn’t know about this little diamond in the rough, but yes – My Morning Jacket did in fact put out a Christmas EP, and if you’re a fan of MMJ (and if Pure Pop’s sales figures are correct, you’re legion.) than this one should certainly be playing at your next ironic holiday sweater party. (Note: Pure Pop Records does not condone the wearing of sweaters for ironic purposes at any time.)  Just throw this well crafted little number in to the mix with some other well known classics and see how well it blends. And for those who care, there’s even an excellent cover of Nick Cave’s “New Morning”.

3: Reverend Horton Heat – We Three Kings

This is the Christmas album that you play at the Christmas party, that gets out of hand. It’s classic Reverend HH straight up Punkabilly fun and the boys in the band are in top form on a great collection of classics. I’d write more about it here, but there’s really nothing else to say.

2: Sufjan Stevens -Songs For Christmas

This is a 5 CD box set compiling 5 years of Stevens’ yearly Christmas offerings and if you’re familiar with the man’s output you know that while he’s fairly prolific, level of quality in his output is remarkably high. His string arrangements alone on these pieces take tired old holiday classics and bring out their original luster. Pretty much essential for any fan of delicate and maudlin Indie Rock.

1: Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart

Nevermind all the pundits pointing out the irony of Mr. Zimmerman making Christmas music, that’s not the point… Actually I’m not sure what the point is with this one. Is it a joke? A joke that no one but Bob himself is in on? Or is a serious attempt at making entertaining, timeless holiday music… Who knows, all we know is that it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds on paper and it’s often surprisingly good in places, with a ragged thrown off quality and subtle unfettered playing. Perfect for a night around the fire drinking heavily spiked eggnog.

Way back in 2000, the world was introduced to Shad “Lil’ Bow Wow” Moss, a 13-year-old MC known for such songs as “Bounce With Me” and “Ghetto Girls”. I wish I could offer some insight into what the tot’s appeal was or what his success said about popular culture at the time, but to be honest, I can’t do anything but furrow my brow at the idea of a 13-year-old singing about ghetto girls. What does he have to say about them, and to what audience? To me it sort of evokes those pictures you see in National Geographic of prepubescents  in war-torn countries, scowling at the camera and holding AK-47′s. Someone that age should be building forts, drinking Capri Sun and playing video games. Hip-hop mega-stardom and warfare can wait.

Apparently there was enough appeal for LBW’s career to continue. Sure, he released more albums, but you know how kids are. They get distracted, lose focus, and the next thing you know they’re making feature films too. 2002 saw the release of Like Mike, in which Lil’ Bow Wow played a basketball-loving orphan who obtains a pair of magic sneakers that give him the skills to be an NBA superstar. It was a sort of Magic Ballerina for the youth of ’02. The film was successful enough to spawn a Lil’ Bow Wow-less sequel.

The same year culture was blessed with Like Mike, Lil’ Bow Wow grew up a little bit and dropped the “lil” from his moniker. He continued to rap and act. Bow Wow’s penultimate performance came in 2006. In The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift, the third film in the lucrative car-porn franchise, Bow Wow played “Twinkie,” a lovable hustler who introduces the main character to Tokyo’s vast underground street-racing scene.

Tokyo Drift is as silly a movie as you could hope to see. In its strange reality, a glorious driving technique known as “drifting” is the beloved pass time of seemingly the majority of Japanese youth. Characters reminisce about the halcyon days of drifting as if it were as common as pee-wee baseball. They’re also all criminals. Seriously. Almost every character in the film is connected to a single criminal empire headed by Sonny “where’s my paycheck?” Chiba.

By this film’s rock-bottom low standard, it has to be said Bow Wow isn’t terrible as Twinkie. He is a by-the-numbers street-smart-wise-cracking side kick.  (Conversely, Lucas Black’s lead performance as Sean Boswell is an offensive and inept attempt to ennoble impulsiveness and stupidity. ) Make no mistake, Bow Wow is never funny, charismatic or a believable human being. In the company of the rest of the cast, however, he’s Marlon Brando.

The characters of Tokyo Drift live by a code of ethics that allows them to jeopardize the live of strangers, racketeer and cause millions of dollars worth of property damage. At the same time, they take their loyalty to each other very seriously. This is what shapes the series of events resembling a plot that constitutes the film. Twinkie is loyal to Sean, who is loyal to Sung Kang who’s disloyal to DK. Riveting stuff. Disputes are settled by races, car chases and the occasional shoot-out. Twinkie isn’t proficient in any of these and reverts to a Lois Lane-style damsel in distress during such scenes.

Bow Wow in the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift doesn’t add or detract to the film overall. It’s a serviceable performance in a serviceable film. I’d say it’s worth watching in an airplane, lying in a hospital bed or in the company of anti-intellectual relatives.

Norah Jones – The Fall

Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures

Ladies and gentlemen, Them Crooked Vultures — the second-best band John Paul Jones has ever been in! The Led Zeppelin guys never made much of a splash in the supergroup scene, unless you’re the kind of die-hard fan who still busts out those old records by the Honeydrippers or the Firm. But when John Paul Jones got the hard-rock supersession itch, he didn’t mess around. For Them Crooked Vultures, he hooks up with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), two of Zep’s smartest disciples. If these three 800-pound gorillas want to bash out an album as willfully weird and slapdash as Them Crooked Vultures, who can tell them not to? And if they do a song called “Elephants” where they basically crunch every riff on Led Zeppelin II into seven dizzy minutes, why not? (Read The Full Review)

John Mayer – Battle Studies

As Pat Benatar once said, love is a battlefield. That’s the main point John Mayer wants to convey on his fourth studio album. It’s called Battle Studies, and militaristic song titles expand on the theme: “Heartbreak Warfare,” “War of My Life,” “Assassin.” That last one is the set’s most ambitious track — an obsessive groove building louder toward clatter and buzz for five minutes, insulated by Middle Eastern background wails as Mayer likens both parties in an apparent one-night stand to killers performing a night’s mission. But the album’s tone is already set in the first two numbers, both prominently featuring broken hearts; by the third – a duet with Taylor Swift, who enters only briefly, toward the song’s end – his heart has been split in half. (Read The Full Review)

David Rawlings Machine – A Friend of a Friend

For more than 12 years, the Nashville-based musician has toured, written and recorded with Gillian Welch, exploring the well-worn byways of country, bluegrass and stringband music while making the old-timey sound new. As a hired gun, he’s played sideman to artists following in Welch’s wake or creating their own: Sara Watkins, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, Guy Clark, Mark Knopfler and Jay Farrar, among others. So his debut as Dave Rawlings Machine is either a case of him stepping up, or everyone else stepping back. Welch herself appears on almost all of these songs, either singing harmony or playing guitar, as do several other musician friends. But Rawlings takes the lead on every track, as a singer and picker.

For nine songs over 40 minutes, Rawlings proves fascinating company — a good man to share a front porch with. As a performer, he makes good use of his distinct, reedy tenor (imagine a twangier Loudon Wainwright). And he has a spry, jumpy guitar style that lends his arrangements some bounce. As a producer, he keeps things loose and lively, mixing covers with originals. A Friend of a Friend plays like a rough, intimate live album instead of a polished studio affair. (Read the Full Review)

I’m Leah. I’m 22, now currently residing in Portland, Oregon. I’m vegan, straight edge, and very active in the punk community.  I currently work at a record store that is actually like a 5,000 square foot Pure Pop. In my free time I volunteer at a collectively run bookstore.  I am an aspiring bike mechanic and I would love to learn how to play the cello. I love kitties.

I worked at Pure Pop for over a year until I moved to Portland in February 2008. I really loved everyone I worked with. I especially loved my catty friendship with Herb and drawing weird things with Julia. I miss working there very dearly and if I ever end up moving back east, I will be begging Mike to rehire me. My favorite memories involve Herb asking me strange questions on our downtime like “Leah,
why do you hate me?” and “Who would you rather make out with…”

My list: (Sorry there’s three! I couldn’t decide!)

Top 5 Anarcho Punk Records Nobody Knows About:

1. Alternative – If They Treat You Like Shit, Act Like Manure
–Anarcho peace punk. Known as the Scottish version of Crass.
2. Liberty – The People Who Care Are Angry
–Anarcho peace punk, on Conflict’s record label Mortarhate.
3. Flowers In The Dustbin – Freaks Run Wild In The Disco
–Weird colorful 80′s anarcho-goth.
4. The Mob – Let The Tribe Increase
–Very dark, depressing anarcho punk. One 7″ on Crass Records.
5. Omega Tribe – No Love Lost
–A Crass Records classic. Anarcho punk along the lines of Alternative
and Flux of Pink Indians.

Top 5 Folk Punk Albums You Should Hear

1. Rosa – I, Mississippi, you
–Plan-It-X records cute sing-a-long folk punk.
2. Blackbird Raum – Swidden
–Awesome Santa Cruz anarcho-gyps-folk punk
3. Andrew Jackson Jihad – Issue Problems
–Yet another catchy Plan-It X folk punk band.
4. Nana Grizol – Love It Love It
–Folky indie punk with members of Neutral Milk Hotel. Also listen to their new album “Ruth”
5. Pat The Bunny (Vermont Local!)- Burn The Earth, Leave It Behind
–Gritty acoustic folk punk from Vermont. Member of Wingnut
Dishwasher’s Union and Johnny Hobo and The Freight Trains.

Top 5 Crust Bands You Should Hear

1. Fall of Efrafa (UK)
–Slow heavy crust all based around the book Watership Down.
2. Garmonbozia (Seattle)
–Female fronted crust, members went on to start Oroku
3. Agrimonia
–Swedish Crust Punk
4. Raw Nerves (Portland, OR)
–Awesome hardcore crust. Members of Squalora, Duke Nukem Forever.
5.Initial State
–When Antischism broke up, Initial State was born.

LCD Soundsystem – Bye Bye Bayou (12″ Single)

Like a strong, expertly crafted cocktail downed right before what is sure to be one hell of a dinner (new album, hint hint!), LCD Soundsystem’s single “Bye Bye Bayou” (an Alan Vega cover recorded for November’s Record Store Day spinoff Vinyl Saturday) is a slippery buzz-opener that sneaks up on you in the weirdest of ways. While LCD would seem to be unconcerned with racking up any more cool-kid tokens (they have enough by now to cash in for a lifetime supply of plastic spider rings and vampire teeth), “Bayou” simply lifts Vega’s already very cool original out of the swamps, swapping the Cajun paranoia for dead-eyed heavy funk. (Read Full Track Review)

Jerry Garcia – Let It Rock

For Jerry Garcia, 1975 was a seminal year that found him splitting time between recording Blues for Allah with the Dead, directing The Grateful Dead Movie, and forming the Jerry Garcia Band–his long-running side project.

The Jerry Garcia Band — Garcia, his constant collaborator bassist John Kahn and drummer Ron Tutt — played its first show with Nicky Hopkins on piano in August 1975. The ultimate session player, Hopkins’ credits include work with The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Jefferson Airplane to name a very few. While Hopkins residency was brief with the Jerry Garcia Band, it played an important role in the group’s shift away from big jams toward song-oriented material. (Read the Full Review)

Starline Rhythm Boys – Masquerade for Heartache

Dust off those shitkickers, Burlington. Your blue-collar heroes ride again. Rooted in rockabilly, the Starline Rhythm Boys have been shaking honky-tonks for a decade, evoking an era of checkerboard floors and poodle skirts. Their latest, Masquerade For Heartache, finds the trio plugged into Charlie O’s — that Capital City citadel of sin — where guitarists Al Lemery and Danny Coane lead a jukebox jubilee. All that’s missing is the chicken wire, as the Boys resurrect salty anthems (“Red’s Place”) and 10-gallon covers (“Trucker from Tennessee”) to rowdy effect.

Anchored by Billy Bratcher’s strolling bass, Heartache is a vintage buffet. Western boogie? Check. Hillbilly blues? Yep, it’s all here. And if Coane’s lyrical twang sounds just a bit south of his native Montpelier, blame it on the Narragansett — beer sweetens the masquerade. (Read the Full Review)

Doom – Unexpected Guests

The early news of DOOM compilation Unexpected Guests positioned it as a field report from the indie MC’s late-decade wilderness period, spanning a half-committed star turn (2005′s Danger Doom collaboration with Danger Mouse) to this year’s bullish return to form on Born Like This. And it is… except when it isn’t– “Rock Co.Kane Flow”, taken from De La Soul’s The Grind Date, actually finds DOOM doing something of a victory lap in 2004 after his essential triad of Take Me to Your Leader (released under the name King Geedorah), Vaudeville Villain (Viktor Vaughn), and Madvillainy (Madvillain). “Rock Co.Kane Flow” is a fantastic symbiosis of DOOM’s many playful styles, but the beat itself feels weightier than what we’re used to from De La and the stakes higher (ahem) than what we’re used to from DOOM when he guests on a track. The other high(er)-profile collaborations on Unexpected don’t always fare as well– while “Da Supafriendz” spotlights a nerdy side of Vast Aire that often goes overlooked amidst Cannibal Ox’s doomsayer image, “Fly That Knot” is the second hopelessly corny track DOOM’s done with Talib Kweli (see also: “Old School” from The Mouse and the Mask) and most of the blame lies with Kweli’s increasing ineptitude at hook-writing, it’s clear these two share more camaraderie than chemistry. (Read The Full Review)

One can’t help but wonder what the late Ian Curtis would have thought of the music the other members of Joy Division would go on to make after his death. With each passing decade, the musical sensibilities of his former band mates seem to drift further away from Joy Division’s.

Take Bad Lieutenant. With New Order officially broken up, Bernard Sumner has moved on to this project, an unremarkable but pleasant enough New Order-esque  outfit. Also featuring Phil Cunningham, who briefly replaced Gillian Gilbert as NO’s keyboardist, and Jake Evans, their debut  includes contributions from such notable musicians as fellow New Order ex-pat Stephen Morris and Blur’s Alex James.

My fellow Pure Popper Tanner recently summed up Sumner’s song-writing motus operandi as succinctly as I’ve ever heard, suggesting the majority of his songs are “populist love songs.” I couldn’t put it better myself. Whereas the Joy Divisions of this world deal in the morbid and bleak, Sumner’s more inclined to fill an album with a dozen or so declarations of affection.

Should you bother with this album? Well, if you liked Get Ready and Waiting for the Siren’s call, absolutely. If you didn’t, or you never bothered to check them out, steer clear. It’s only the absence of Peter Hook’s bass sound that makes this record distinguishable from latter-day New Order.

Would Ian Curtis have liked it? One shudders to think what an Ian Curtis pushing 60 would have thought about anything. I, for one, adore it.

Pete Chiacchieri has been a regular pure pop buyer and more than a little big of a rarities collector – even once doing a short stint back in the mid 90′s at our venereal venerable establishment. We cornered him in the back for a brief discussion on music, and he willingly submitted his answers.

Pure Pop: What are you shopping for today?

Pete Chiacchieri: Today i was hoping to find the re-issue of the Rolling Stone‘s Live Licks - but i couldn’t find it, i might have the release date wrong…

PP: That has to be it…what genre’s do you prefer?

PC: Right now? Progressive Rock, you know bands like Yes, Pendragon – Their new one is the second best record of the year for me. It sounds like what you’d hope Pink Floyd would have done after wish you were here; that professional melodic sound that made Dark Side and Wish You Were Here so fantastic, and lyrically on par with the best of 70′s Floyd.

PP: Where do you find out about new music?

PC: I read lots of interviews in all the various magazines - MOJO is big, Uncut, “Q“  Art Rocker – All British Mags, sometimes if you’re online you can just travel through links, Wikipedia – just following the leads where they take you. The British mags are so much more well rounded than these American mags.

PP: Where do you shop for new music generally?

PC: Locally – here, of course. (Ed – That’s Pure Pop Records, 115 North Winooski Ave. Burlington Vermont, 05401 – Open 7 days a week.) Downtown Discs, Burlington Records, and for the more obscure i use Amazon and cd uninverse and if i’m feeling lucky i go to GEMM, (global electronic music marketplace) It’s sort of like dealing with ebay people but you never know what you gonna get so you have to really want that specific item and be will to take a chance…

PP: What formats do you prefer?

PC: Vinyl. CD. then Cassette – No MP3 as of yet, i’m interested but i’m 50 so i grew up with artwork and liner notes, having this little bit of nothing doesn’t really intrigue me. So far i’ve been able to find everything i’m looking for without getting into MP3.

PP: What was the last album you purchased

PC: Jasper Wrath, American Progressive rock from around 71′ – really astounding stuff, melodic song based progressive rock. It looked like it was a dodgy, limited issue so if you’re a collector, get it fast cause it won’t last.

PP: If you could recommend one album to anyone, what would it be?

PC: Aliens: Luna – If you wanna hear something new that beyond belief, ex-Beta Band,  pure psychedelia – they use ever studio trick in the book all to great effect.

PP: Shower singer or car singer? If so, which songs.

PC: I guess both – There’s probably footage on the internet somewhere…. right now definitely belting out the Jasper Wrath, historically – Magical Mystery Tour, what if that album had been better than Sargent Peppers?