Normalized Happiness

"This is the same place the fly got smashed"

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:07:29 -0800

Very early Guided By Voices, circa 1990. I've been sort of obsessed with "Local Mix--up/Murder Charge" lately. The second part of that musical diad gave us the title "The Electrifying Conclusion" and was the song GBV concluded their main sets with on the farewell tour of the same name.

Send to a friend

Cool message from DBT's Patterson Hood

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 15:44:32 -0700

The Drive-By Truckers released their epic double-CD "Southern Rock Opera five years ago today-the day after 9/11. Today group co-founder Patterson Hood sent out a cool email with his memories of that album's inauspicious debut, which I'm posting here in lieu of posting my own memories of 9/11/01, which I didn't last night due to the need to post yet more pictures of my cats.

Y'ALL:
It was five years ago today that we first released SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA.
September 12, 2001 was the second worst day imaginable to release a
project that we had all worked 6 1/2 years on and all of us feared that
it was all some kind of terrible omen. Wednesday's, of course are never
release days, as the industry ALWAYS releases albums on tuesdays,
however at that point in our lives, there was no industry. We had
showcased at SXSW before a sold out crowd, previewing our then almost
completed magnum opus before a sold out crowd of industry fucks to no
real avail. Folks kept coming up to us wishing us well and telling us
how much they liked it, but no one was making any offers of any kind. A
month or so later, we received our only bid, and it was so horrifyingly
bad, that upon doing the math, I realized that we would be bankrupt
within a year if we took it. (At that time all of our income was based
on merch sales and the wording of that offer combined with the high
wholesale price we would have paid, rendered that impossible). We
turned the offer down and set out to find a way to put it out
ourselves.
While raising the money from private investors (all of whom we promised
to pay back in a little over a years time plus 15%) I also booked our
fall tour, 75 shows in 90 days. The first booking was to be in
Murfreesboro TN on Wednesday September 12th. We were hoping to have the
CDs pressed, artwork printed and all of the package put together in
time. My sister took the artwork that Wes Freed did, compiled it with
the art of the other contributors (Felicia Graham, Patrick Hood, Byron
Wilkes AKA Rev. Rex Ubu, Jeff Owens, and Kathleen Judge), designed the
package and hired the printers and the folks who actually put the discs
in the cover and shrink wrap them. On monday the 10th, Lilla called me
to tell me I could pick them up in Birmingham on Wednesday.
On Tuesday the 11th,, we were all glued to the TV all day like most
Americans, terrified of what was happening and trying to reach friends
in NYC to make sure they were all OK. The next day we had to decide
whether there would be a show or not. The club informed us that they
would be open regardless, as folks were starting to come out for a much
needed drink and diversion. I think we were all feeling the same way,
so we headed north and spent the next three months or so touring the
eastern half of our beautiful shellshocked country.
Its been five years, three more albums and countless tours since then.
We leave this Thursday for the fall leg of our latest tour. The band
has never played better (or even as well) as right now and this one is
putting us in some amazing great rooms in some of our favorite towns.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Can't Get You Out of My Head

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:00:06 -0700

What song or lyrics are stuck in your head at the moment? What album is it from?
Submitted by Lox Ly.

"Secret Meeting" by The National. Because I had just looked at it in iTunes, while making a playlist for my friend's visit.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

My Morning Jacket live album

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:47:15 -0700

My Morning Jacket's forthcoming double live album, Okonokos, is now available for pre-order from MusicToday.com. If you pre-order, you get a bonus track in mp3 for, as they put it, "instant gratification." Speaking of which, here it is:

7MDD02MP128_01_Strangulation

My Morning Jacket

The live album was recorded over two shows at the Fillmore in November of last year; the first of which I attended and blogged about during my pre-Vox days.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Johnny Marr + Modest Mouse = Profit!

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 18:44:27 -0700

So apparently legendary altrock gtuitarist Johnny Marr (most famously of The Smiths, but he's also played with Talking Heads, the Pretenders (I actually saw live when the Pretenders opened for for U2 at the Oakland Coliseum in Nov. 1987) and Electronic) is now a full fledged member of Modest Mouse, according to Pitchfork:

Johnny Marr Officially a Member of Modest Mouse

The article also has info on Modest Mouse's next album:

The forthcoming disc is "a nautical balalaika carnival romp" according to Brock, and its tentative title is We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Liars are totally pissed they didn't think of that first.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Yo La Tengo are BACK

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 20:52:53 -0700

Matador Records just posted the first track from Yo La Tengo's forthcoming "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass." On first listen, it's a crazy guitar freak-out somewhat reminiscent of "Spec Bebop" but with vocals. They also announced tourdates, including three nights at the Fillmore in October (19,20,21.)

Ylt_hatchet

Yo La Tengo

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Rolling Stone previews the new YlT

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 22:24:18 -0700

Rollling Stone magazine has posted a preview of the forthcoming Yo La Tengo (scheduled for release September 12th) album "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" which sounds like it could be another epic masterpiece like I Can Feel the Heart Beating As One or And Then Nothing Turned Inside-Out.

Beginning with the snarling, ten-minute guitar jam "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind," the indie vets veer through Vince Guaraldi-influenced R&B ("Mr. Tough"), country-pop confections ("Sometimes I Don't Get You"), uptempo crunch ("I Should've Known Better") and the more familiar ambient sounds of their recent albums ("I Feel Like Going Home"). On "Mr. Tough," infectious brass is followed by bassist James McNew's winning falsetto, imploring, "Don't you think we've suffered enough?/Meet me on the dance floor." And "Black Flowers" pairs horns and strings -- along with bells and gorgeous harmonies from drummer-vocalist Georgia Hubley.

Ten minute guitar jam? Like that. Guitar theatrics were noticeably absent from 2003's "Summer Sun" and that was by design. They left several songs off of the album because they didn't fit the album's feel, a gutsy move that, after much going back and forth, I've decided I agree with. The omitted songs ended up the companion EP "Today Is the Day" which included the rock version of the mellow, wistful track from "Summer Sun" proving that it takes a very speical band to produce two equally valid, but utterly different versions of the same song.

The advance single from the album, "Beanbag Chair," is already available in the form of a free download, which has ended up on Vox, thanks to Harold.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Summer Music

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:41:10 -0700

What's the one CD that will totally remind you of the Summer of 2006?

Possibly this one, which I just bought this morning:

Another Fine Day

Golden Smog

I'm listening to it right now. So far I like it a lot, though it's fairly light on the Jeff Tweedy (he's stretched pretty thin this year what with Golden Smog, Loose Fur and the next Wilco record.) Lots of Gary Louris, though, which fine by me.

Golden Smog are very much a summer kind of group to me; their music has a certain open, golden-sheened quality that I associate with the summer months-top down, chrome spinning, that kind of thing. Golden Smog's first record reminds me of the summer of '97, paired on a cassette tape with Son Volt's first.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Built To Spill tonight

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 14:22:39 -0700

Indie rock legends Built To Spill begin a four-night stand tonight at Slim's, and I will be there. This will be the sixth or seventh time I've seen them live-first time was in spring 2001, in the waning months of dotcom. They actually took a hiatus for a while, and even when they got back together, they took their sweet time getting a new album out. The wait was worth it, though, as "You In Reverse" is one of my favorite albums so far this year.

Doug Martsch of Built To Spill

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Broken Social Scene featuring Geddy Lee?

nobody@vox.com(djchall) — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 18:24:22 -0700

Yes, it's a Canadian rock fan's dream come true: Broken Social Scene's new video for "Fire Eye'd Boy" features a guest appearance by Rush's Geddy Lee.

Broken Social Scene Fire Eye'd Boy

Read and post comments | Send to a friend