3/30/10
3/29/10
album of the week: 3.5
The Weakerthans
Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre
ANTI (2010)
why you'll love it: The Weakerthans are just as strong live as on record
why you'll hate it: nothing new or special to bring live
The Weakerthans has gone down in my memory as one of the most "true to studio" live performances I have ever seen. Either I was being too kind, or this live album was recorded on an imperfect night. It's still a great performance though.
Performing in their hometown of Winnipeg, Canada, this album serves mostly as a greatest hits of their past two albums. Not many of my favorite old songs are present here, but my newer and overall favorites like "Sun in An Empty Room" and "Reconstruction Site" make an appearance.
Unique performances of a few songs have given me a newfound appreciation for them. It's easy to get swept along with the hometown crowd during "One Great City!"; and as a comment I read on youtube notes - it does indeed take stones to exclaim "the Guess Who suck" in the Burton Cummings theater. I've never really given the song "Benediction" much of a shot until now either.
One peculiar thing about this album is the lack of fluidity. There is a an obvious fade-in/out on many of the songs. I realize that the intent must be to edit out the talking and tuning bits in between songs, but usually a live album would make some attempt to use the crowd noise to bridge the gaps. It's not a big deal at all, just an oddity.
This isn't much of a treat for long-time fans, unless you've never seen them live. A fine introduction to newcomers though. Samson is the best songwriter around today, and the hi-quality capture allows you to hear all of his lyrics for the first time clearly.
3/26/10
NEU!!!! 2
A few years ago, Polysics frontman, Hayashi, hosted his own music television program called NEU!!!! A lot of it ended up on youtube, and it was pretty fun to watch. Hayashi basically had his own music tech demo floor. He would play with and explain various effects pedals and modulators; and also do skits, indterviews, and exclusive live Poly clips.
Fast forward to January, 2010. NEU!!!! 2. A one-off special. It's all on youtube right now. Catch it, before Space Shower takes it down!
3/23/10
album of the week: 3.4
capsule
PLAYER
contemode (2010)
why you'll love it: hi-tech electro-pop. insanely catchy
why you'll hate it: terrible guest vocals, a played out genre to Western ears
I've found a big part of growing up is letting go of cool. I don't know if it's more of the accumulation of common sense, finding your own self-confidence, or just getting burnt out; but there comes a point in adulthood where you just go "fuck it" and get on with life. I kinda went about things backwards. Growing up, I HATED cool; and now music like capsule is just making me go "fuck it."
Trendiness has been part of capsule's m.o. since day one. I can usually take their fashion in stride because the music itself is hardwired to the brain electronic pleasure, as simple as it may be. 2008's MORE! MORE! MORE! was a continuation of previous shaky attempts at overseuxualized dance club pop, but the melodies were so colorful and exciting, it didn't matter how repetitive or simplistic the lyrics were, or even if one of the songs featured a dreadful rap. Total guilty pleasure album.
For PLAYER, Yasutaka Nakata has benched his partner in crime, Toshiko Koshijima, for a few of the songs, and they really suffer from it. When Toshiko's vocals are brought into the mix, her English lyrics are quite innocuous, and carry along the songs well. These guest performers on the other hand... I have no idea what two-bit club Nakata picked them out from, because they are awful... I don't know rap very well, but I know that these are piss poor rhymes, and its uncomfortable to listen to.
In PLAYER, Nakata's melodies are quite simple. I may come off as arrogant; but give me a few hours on a KORG, and I can come up with loops like this. Don't get me wrong, I'd still be really proud of them if I made them, but I don't see them as anything spectacular, like on the last few albums. The big problem is that these simple synth lines don't distract enough from the awful rapping on songs like the title track or the closer "Love or Lies".
It's funny how last year, I used Mademoiselle K to bring up a point that lyrics in a forgien language create an attractive bubble because I don't know how terrible they may be. It seems Nakata is experiencing this phenomenon here. Only he is producing the song, not listening to it. Someone please get in contact with this guy and tell him his English guest performers are a complete joke! PLAYER is otherwise another awesome guilty pleasure for me. It's music so trendy, it makes me blush a bit, but I have to give it credit. "Hello" is an absolute treat, despite its short stay; and as simple as the big electro-disco numbers like "The Music" are this time out, they still bounce around in your brain long after you've turned the album off. Not as unique as the last album, but still a fun trip.
3/22/10
I AM ONLY A SOUNDTRACK
The Bit.Trip:Core soundtrack is now on iTunes! Get on that!
Core is the most intense Bit.Trip game yet, and the music is thus a bit more aggressive than in the Beat soundtrack. Great stuff. Also, I can't get more than 45 seconds into Growth; so its nice to hear the song.
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