Archive for February, 2007
Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic)
Question: What could possibly make Modest Mouse’s music even more tantalizing to the eardrums?
Answer: Add in the riffs and embellishments of Johnny Marr from the Smiths fame.
For me Modest Mouse has always been about the vocals and lyrics. Not saying that the music wasn’t good – it was/is fabulous – but the highlight has always been Isaac Brock’s quirky lyrics and absolutely unique vocal style. This strength shines once again on their latest album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, but the music, all those instruments, unusual percussion, noises, and backing vocals supporting Isaac’s lead vocal, has become a mind blowing aural (no, not oral) experience.
What I am trying to say is that the addition of Johnny Marr to the band may have seemed like a highly unusual choice, it did for me, but it really works. Everything Modest Mouse is still there, wholly intact, but there’s something extra that wasn’t there before.
Despite undeniable commercial success, Modest Mouse has always flown just under the radar of wide popular acceptance making them irrepressibly ‘indie cool.’ Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint on such matters, this album is set to change all that. It is so undeniably tasty from the opening accordion sounds on “March Into the Sea” to what sound like howling wolves of the closing track “Invisible” that this album is going to go big. As an aside, those wolf sounds made me think of Grandpa Simpson, “I’m cold and there are wolves after me.” For me, this broadening popularity of Modest Mouse makes me happy as more people should hear this band, know about this band. On the downside, the days of being able to see these guys in a smaller venue are likely coming to a close.
Modest Mouse’s musical mastery on We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is such that they can send you into a reflective happy trance, then jar you out of that complacent state with discordant vocals and guitars, then get you up and dancing to disco inspired bass and drums as you sing along to the melody…all of this often in the context of one song. That’s mastery. The opening track, “March Into The Sea”, is a prime example of this phenomenon.
The first single from the album, “Dashboard” (see the video above), showcases Johnny Marr’s influence on Modest Mouse, his embellishments and guitar tone absolutely shines. It is a highly danceable and singable song, destined for wide radio play. If it doesn’t end up there…well then the DJ’s are idiots. Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ.
The only downside to this album was learning that I am nothing more than a carbon thief. On the plus side, it’ll all come full circle under some karmic rebalancing mechanism, for “Someday [I] will die somehow and someone’s gonna steal [my] carbon.”
One last time, and for greater clarity, this album is going to make existing Modest Mouse fans ecstatic. For those that haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to their music, there’s never been a better time. Buy this album. It’s fucking awesome.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1. John Cage - Imaginary Landscapes
2. Stockhausen - Kontakte for Electric Sounds
3. Bjork - 5 years
Name any musical influence(s)?
Steve Reich, but some people say Terry Riley
What new music are you currently listening to?
Lutoslawski
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
I think opening for John Cage would be pretty cool.
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
If Ghostface asked us, we wouldn’t think twice. Unlike other bands that I’ve heard refusing to work with him.
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
Nick and Patrick cut their hair at this guy named Dan in downtown Montreal, Aaron goes to this guy named Sheldon. Alex is practising the Glazunov violin Concerto, Seb is doing the Glass. Patrice works for the circus.
A brief bio of your label: Who started it? When? First band signed and/or first release?
Groover Recordings was started back in 2003 by long time friends Christian Örjestål, Niclas Janson, Malte Frisk, Pontus Larsson and Henrik Skyttberg.
The first bands that the label signed was screwed up rockers Streetwaves and neo Daft Punk house unit Phunky Drakes. After that the label signed hip hop act Snook before going back to it’s roots and mainly focus on rock music with a indie feel.
During the time sice we started out in 2003 we have also released compilations with fine artists such as: José Gonzales, Jonny Polonsky, The Steven McDonald Group, Sugerplum Fairy, The Mood Elevator, Anna Waronker, Tribeca, Bobby, Phunky Drakes, Streetwaves, The Natural History, Niccokick, The Walkmen, Lotta Sigeman, Dreamboy, Sofia Talvik, Ulf Stureson. The Martial Arts, Melpo Mene, Bishop Allen, The Sunshine, Hello Saferide, Rich Creamy Paint, Ashley Park, Gerald Collier, The Flu, Pure Joy, Roger Manning Jr, Grand Mal, Steve Reynolds, The Mellowmen Orchestra, The Lisa Marr Experiment, Anna Ternheim, Kent Norberg, Lasse Lindh, The Motorcykle Boy, The Here & Now, Timo Risnen, Callahan, MC F-Shock, Snook Hopewell, The Digs, The Green Fields, Reno Bo, Only Joe Kane, Locksley, The Shorebirds, Ol Yeller, Shade Tree, Joe Algeri & Grant Ferstat, Coydogs, Music Magic, Baby Grand, Peter Morén, The Quarter After, Maia Hirasawa, Thomas Denver Jonsson, The Autumn Leaves, EPs Trailer Park, Jon Bergström, Gabriel Munck and Consequences.
Read more here: click
Where does your label call home? Describe your headquarters.
Groover Recordings is based in Stockholm, Sweden. The HQ is Christians apartement. Here have many bands - like Bishop Allen, The Martial Arts, Lisa Marr etc - recorded, rehearsed and hanged out.
Your name? What are your primary duties for the label?
My name is Christian Örjestål and i’m sharing a&r duties with Niclas. Pontus and Henrik has now left the company and Malte is in charge of the economy parts.
Who are a few of the bands on your roster? Most recent signee.
* The Martial Arts
* Grand Mal
* The Shorebirds
* Lasse Lindh
* Sofia Gustafsson (Latest)
What is the best method for an unsigned band to capture your attention?
We are searching the net and venues. So just make sure to be out there. And if it’s up our alley - we will find it.
Any upcoming release(s) you’d like to plug?
Yes, The Martial Arts: are our biggest project up to date where we signes a Glasgow based band and produced a Ep and album with them in Stockholm. TMA has since toured Sweden and gotten fine reviews and lots of fans. Now - we are doing our best in finding a home for the band outside of Sweden.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
a mix of other people’s songs? “angel of death” by slayer (metal); “return of the grevious angel” by gram parsons (country); and “loveshack” by the b-52’s (pop)
or of our songs? “mean that”, “ask me if i care”, “how i got so tired”
Name any musical influence(s)?
Kinks. Clash. Stones. Fugazi. Big Star. Bowie. Blur. Television. Beatles. Oasis. Swervedriver. Pixies.
What new music are you currently listening to?
the killers, of montreal, shins, redwalls, sugarcult
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
oasis or led zeppelin
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
adam franklin, elvis costello, gram parsons
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
we’ve kept secret as much as possible from the great
evil of google, and we’re not about to blatantly divulge anything confidential in any other forum!
Where: Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
When: February 17, 8:00pm
Opening Act: Vietnam
There was a period in the early 90s when my taste in music really started to take shape. Sure, the early British Invasion exposure my Mom introduced me to would stay with me throughout my life…but my teenage rebellion period led me down a different path for a decade or so. I like to refer to those years as The Decline of Midwestern Civilization: The Metal Years. I’ll talk more about that soon.
Anyhow, The Lemonheads opus It’s A Shame About Ray was one of the first staples in my new-found “alternative” diet. The accessible pop songs that Evan Dando crafted were easy to strum along to on my guitar and equally as fun to sing out of key to with the windows rolled down on a summer road trip. Accompanied by classics like The Posies’ Frosting On The Beater and Buffalo Tom’s Big Red Letter Day the three albums were the soundtrack of my summer. They also inspired me to dig deeper and start discovering their influences.
Last night’s Shank Hall show was the first opportunity to see The Lemonheads that I took advantage of. I’ve been exposed to a lot more music since the days of worshiping at the Dando throne…but there was still a small amount of excitement left to see him perform. I think one immediate thing that made the event less intimate for me was not being familiar with the members of his touring band. Former Pieces bassist Vess Ruhtenberg and drummer Devon Ashley joined Evan onstage for the “electric” portion of the show. Yeah, that’s what I said,”WHO”?
Evan looked higher than the burnout that sat next to me in study hall my freshman year. Basically, what I’m telling you is he was completely disconnected from the audience the entire show. From the opening notes of “Stove” throughout the encore closer, he hid behind his disheveled mane. When you could see his extremely bloodshot eyes, he was looking up at the ceiling. It felt as though Dando was mailing it all in. I couldn’t help but wonder if the stop at Shank was somewhat of an inconvenience to him? Did the frigid Wisconsin weather take what little life is left in the man?
It wasn’t a complete disaster though. The crowd’s reaction to some of his songs really added a heartbeat to the experience. Highlights from the “electric” set were “Alison’s Starting To Happen”, “Bit Part”, “It’s A Shame About Ray” and “Rudderless”. My friend John’s noticeable reaction to the song he wanted them to play (”Great Big No”) was also quite pleasing.
Dando came out for an “acoustic” set accompanied only by his Gibson. This was the most enjoyable portion of the show for me. Even though the spaciness of “Dippy Dando” annoyed me early on, when he played solo, it all seemed to add up…the Lemonheads no longer exist, it really is just Evan Dando and whatever hired hands are joining him. I’m OK with that, I really am.
Joined by some of my favorite concert going friends from the Milwaukee area, the evening was the great escape from my weekly 9-5 that was needed. If any of you Milwaukeens are reading this, do yourself a favor and pick up some Speed Queen Bar-B-Q…I’m still digging under my fingernails for more of that saucy goodness.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1. how to fake a smile = Gannon
2. trouble = Caroline Hecht
3. my parents were airplanes = favors & friends
Name any musical influence(s)?
yeah - that’s not easy. Eric Satie’s “Gymnopedie”, Bonnie Prince Billy, Steve Reich’s “music for 18 musicians”,
What new music are you currently listening to?
the letting go by Bonnie ‘prince’ billy, Time by Gillian Welch (that’s not really new anymore, is it?), and Yellow House by Grizzly Bear are some big turn ons… (can that be said?)
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
any of the bands i have mentioned in any answer above and below… but Brian Wilson would be mind blowing.
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
a children’s orchestra, a kindergarten class playing the recorder (and singing), a New Orleans marching band… & anyone with a vibraphone set…
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
i secretly want to write music for theater… know anyone that needs help?
Download: “We Awoke”
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1) Le Mans - Cancion de Todo val Mal
2) REM - Seven Chinese Brothers
3) De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays”
i’m compiling it now!
Name any musical influence(s)?
Stephen Pastel.
Seeing Sonic Youth with Jim O’Rourke.
What new music are you currently listening to?
Quack Quack, Wild Beasts, Animal Collective and Charlotte Hatherley.
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
Galaxie 500 touring their “On Fire” album. It’d be an excuse to watch them every night!
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
Unless Lee Hazlewood miraculously recovers from his cancer, I’d still like to fulfil one of my ambitions of playing a gig with Teenage Fanclub. They’d have to play “God Knows It’s True.” I’d force them!
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
When I was 12, Muhammed Ali visited my school and my class got to meet him.
Have you ever wondered what 70’s era Pink Floyd would have sounded like if Syd Barrett hadn’t taken too much LSD resulting in his ejection from the band? In this alternate reality the band continues to experiment with improvised sonic soundscapes and never stumbles on formulaic commercial gold in the form of Dark Side of the Moon. If you took this band and injected it with a heavy dose of “Pet Sounds” harmonies and effects, and the stringed/orchestral instrumentation from early day Moody Blues. Finally, if you updated the resulting sound with modern overtones – distortion & tonalities – you might just end up with something similar to The Besnard Lakes’ The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse.
Less and more precisely, The Besnard Lakes are improvisational jams interjected with noise pop that mood swings from the melancholy to the inspirational over 6 minute long trippy opuses while invoking alternately haunting and reflective imagery in the listener.
Phew.
Try saying that five times fast. On second thought, don’t. Take a cue from The Besnard Lakes and take your time to get where I’m going, where we’re going. Just read it over a few times and let it sink in and then ponder these questions:
Who said that a song should be three minutes long?
Why is everyone in a rush to get somewhere anyway?
Is it about getting there or is it about the journey?
If music for you is about the journey and if you miss the experimental and improvisational side of psychedelic pop rock that was killed dead in the 70’s by the over indulgent egos of prog rockers, then The Besnard Lakes are your band.
A personal favorite was “Rides the Rails,” a merger of all that was good and not pretentious and cheesy in the Moody Blues (think Ride My See Saw) with all that was experimental and strange in Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd.
Standouts aside, I dug the whole album, and really appreciate what these guys are up to. A short laundry list of things I appreciate: heavily reverbed falsetto male vocals, the tendency to never rush music, a diverse cross section of influences, experimentation, an obvious attention to detail, and tones from yesteryear (rotary/leslie reverb, Hammond organ tones) merged with more modern sounds. In short, I found the album refreshing, challenging, and unique; unique in spite of the obviousness of their influences. It was a joy to listen to yet made me sad, very sad indeed, that I live in Calgary and not Montreal, the epicenter of all that is good in indie music. I can just imagine that The Besnard Lakes would put on a phenomenal live show.
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
Mind Games by John Lennon
Strange Powers by the Magnetic Fields
Floatin’ by The Vamp
Name any musical influence(s)?
the beatles, the kinks, the who, motown, blur, brian jonestown massacre, rolling stones, the cure, flaming lips, pretty things, ride, teenage fanclub, leonard cohen, wilco, pink floyd, the smiths, beach boys, doves, flying burrito brothers, magnetic fields, the byrds, the zombies, the la’s, the wedding present, donovan, jimi hendrix experience, super furry animals, stax, the supremes, love, the small faces, stone roses, buzzcocks, charlatans, my bloody valentine, incredible string band, supergrass, the creation, the action, primal scream, curtis mayfield, bob dylan, the clash, velvet underground and so on…
What new music are you currently listening to?
Not much. The Libertines are still new to me! I’m actually going through a phase of hating current music. When will the 80s revival end? I have liked relatively new songs by the Rapture, Black Mountain, Dungen, Cat Power.
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
U2 would be nice. They’re huge and Irish and the rider would be good. It’s important to think big.
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
Ian Brown would be cool. Augustus Pablo (RIP), Brian Eno, John Cale, Kevin Shields, David Bowie, someone that would fuck up our music more in a satisfying way, with either production or attitude.
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
Our phone numbers hopefully!
And some of our favourite foods:
Robbie: Philly cheese steak
Max: Galvaud poutine
Eric: Green tea sticks
Trevor: chick peas
If you were making a mix for our readers, what would be the first three songs you’d select?
1.13th Street - Kevin K.
2.GIMME DANGER by Iggy and The Stooges
3.Poison Heart - the Ramones
Name any musical influence(s)?
That’s a broad question. I have so many. Going all the way back to the 1920s and 30s with some of the German cabaret divas like Marlene Dietrich and Sarah Leander and then into the 40s and 50s with Billie Holiday. Then of course I am very much into 1960s garage band music. Really primitive rock and roll with fuzz guitars, cheesy organs and screaming vocals. Like much of the stuff you find on the BACK FROM THE GRAVE, PEBBLES and NUGGETS samplers. I’m also into the garage revival of the 80s and the new garage revival that’s happening all over again now. Just listen to CHESTERFIELD KINGS for example. Lots of people don’t realize it, but 1960s garage bands were really the first punk rockers. I also get a lot of ideas from early glam rock like The New York Dolls and The Stooges, David Bowie and others. Then there was the first wave of punkrock from New York and England. The Ramones are one of my favorite bands. Blondie and Debbie Harry would probably be my main mentor. I like a lot of the stuff coming out of London in 1977 like The Boys, 999, Buzzcocks, The Lurkers, TV Smith and The Adverts and things like that. I liked the melodies of the original punk a lot more than the later hardcore stuff. These days one of my favorite bands and influences has got to be The Dwarves. I also like a lot of crossover stuff like The Peepshows, Turbonegro, Mooney Suzuki, Bangkok Five, Wildhearts and stuff like that. Almost “hard rock” kinda bands but with punk influences. Believe me, I’m totally into rock and roll, especially raw and primitive shit, none of that little girly “la la” shit that Indy chicks listen too. It makes me vomit. I am also into a lot of German bands you’ve probably never heard of like Die Arzte, Razzia, Slime, etc.
What new music are you currently listening to?
Well, I already talked a lot about it previously, but as far as new music goes, I like The Bangkok Five, Primadonna, a glam punk band from LA, The Turbo A.C.s are amazing, The Midnight Creeps are great, The DeRita Sisters are one of my all-time favorites, The Knights Of The New Crusades and a few others.
Name a band (current or defunct) that would be your dream act to open for on a major tour?
I’d love to open for Blondie of course. Debbie Harry has been a constant inspiration for me. The fact that she still performs at age 62 is amazing. And she can still sing. Not many artists can do that, especially in rock and roll. I would have wanted to open for the original New York Dolls back in 1974 or The Ramones at some point.
Who, if anyone, would you like to collaborate with?
I’d love to work with a really kick ass guitarist. I have yet to meet him or her, but someone who knows how to write a good rock and roll song. Maybe Eddie Spaghetti from The Supersuckers or Captain Sensible from The Damned. And of course Debbie Harry again.
Tell us something about you that we can’t find on Google.
I’d be interested to know that too. Haha. Well I’m a Polish girl who was born in Bavaria and then grew up in western Germany near the Dutch border. I played in a band in Germany called COCKROACH CANDIES. I used to write a column for the great punk fanzine in Germany called PLASTIC BOMB. I am addicted to eye-liner and pineapples, but I don’t eat the eyeliner of course. Everything I touch smells like Cloe Narcisse. I love turkish food! My friend Hellsinki makes the best corsets in the world and I am probably the biggest DERITA SISTERS fan in the world.
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